It wasn't that bad. I'm serious. The Czechs clearly had the better of the opportunities. The clearly had more opportunities. But they got a miraculous, career performance by Rosicky. Donovan isn't Rosicky's equal at this point, and Reyna isn't Nedved. Reyna hit a post. Johnson had two great looks. We had all kinds of dangerous crosses, mostly from Convey. It wouldn't have been shocking if the US had picked up a goal. Did Dave O'Brien's extraordinary negativity influence everyone's take on the game? Did we look at everything through the filter of the final score? We were outplayed and outcoached by a team that looks better than us. But I read that we were an embarassment, or played without heart, and I'm sorry, but it just isn't borne out on the second viewing. Down 2-0, Convey on Johnson were throwing themselves at loose balls and taking on defenders. Reyna was sprinting all over the midfield. Lewis couldn't have been trying harder any more visibly. Wolff was 100% hustle, which still didn't match the Deuce. O'Brien and Donovan stayed under control and found players (mostly Convey) in space. We weren't that bad. But we did get crushed by a brilliant performance by one player, backed up by a very capable rest of the team. And we were probably outcoached, though most of my best ideas about what to do in this game didn't occur to me until after I watched it. I'll spare you those.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR I agree as well. The Czechs capitalized on a few mistakes... we were very slow on the attack and kept resorting to lobbing balls into the box. But all things considered it wasn't the embarrassing demolition every one else made it out to be. Don't you think its funny that this thread, which is pretty level-headed about yesterday's game seems to have the fewest views and posts? Welcome to bigsoccer...
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR I watched the game on Univision (I taped ESPN2 and watched it again later) and I thought the US sucked. As to "not as bad" take, I remember watching one of those NFL season videos back in the early 1980s that was made for the Packers of the Bart Starr era and titled ~ "Eleven plays away." In it, there was an assertion that only if the Packers made or their opponents didn't make those eleven plays, GB would be in the play-offs. In theory, that was true. However, their 5-11 record was also only a few plays from being 0-16. I am sure a Czech fan can look at this game and say, "If Ujfalusi's header and Rosicky's second bomb go in, it's a 5:0 romp." Well, neither Reyna's post nor Rosicky's crossbar went in. Nor did Eddie Johnson's shot and Ujfalusi's header. 3:0 is 3:0. It was indeed that bad.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR My brother was at the game and knows soccer quite well. He was obviously disappointed, but had a much more reasonable outlook. He said the better team won and we got punished for our mistakes. I think that, more or less, explains it. I guess I'm glad people on the board have expectations and care about the team. All of the negativity proves that. You know you're a real fan when the sky starts falling and we were all crushed yesterday.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR This game shows how much luck plays in this game or any sport. 2 things that showed luck was not on our side. 1) Keller clears the ball to the side that is empty. And the fullback gets it. 2) Reyna's shot hits the inside of the post and still comes out. How many times have you seen a shot hit the inside of the post and come out. If Keller Clears the other side and Reyna scores its a totally different outcome. Maybe we used all our bad luck up the first game and only have good luck left.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR So with all this said, we're going to win on Saturday? I will pray for something.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR Well,it's only been up for an hour. Props to Casper for watching this crap again. So tell me if this happened on a repeat viewing: Did the Czechs put pressure on us continually till they scored and then sit in their box and laugh as we tried to create an attack? Did we head the ball directly to a proven Bundesliga number 10 on a 5-v-8? Did the same #10 stand back 20 yards from the defense line play a ball off and run straight through the center gap to get the return like we had U-10 defenders in there? Did our left-footed right winger ever trap a ball on his first touch? Did we win any second ball knockdowns? Anything?Bueller?
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR Here's what needs fixing in order for us not get scored on like this, what do you guys make of this Goal1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y01lAaBl_c Goal2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFNs20PDU84 Goal3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgvhdLDido4
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR I've watched the game for the 3rd time today and it just gets worse, I am so freaking disappointed, I'm just hoping that this wasn’t the real deal and we'll see the real USNT on Saturday.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR I am interested in your brother's viewpoint. Seeing the game through the TV set, we definitely don't get the whole picture. in the 70th minute, my college football-loving brother-in-law screamed, "I'll give five bucks to any one who will just run TOWARDS the goal instead of AWAY from it!!" I really wished I could have seen the whole field, and figured out why the US was playing the center-field control, back-passing game that we played. While I am firmly in the Chicken-Little Sky-is-Falling camp, I think the point to be taken is that as you said, "the better team won." Pure and simple. Looking back at the game, however, I don't think we have a "better game" that we can play against Italy, Dempsey and EJ notwithstanding. This is the same game that we saw in the friendlies, and we really have not seen touches of brilliance since the Mexico qualifier. We didn't scream this loudly after France '98 because we weren't coming of Kor/Japan '02. Expectations were too high. We're getting better, the tape shows that. But it is going to take time, patience, and dedicated fans to see the team through to that stage!
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR no, you're right. it wasn't. if you watch the game without the goals, it would probably look pretty even, maybe even slanted toward the US b/c we had the advantage on possession. but that actually makes the loss worse IMO. b/c that showed the ONLY difference between a team like the CR and a team like the US: world class skill. they have nedved making passes in the final 3rd. they have koller running free in our box. they have rosicky cracking shots from 25 yards out. as Casper pointed out, the 2 teams aren't THAT different from top to bottom. that's what made this loss more embarassing, and more revealing: we don't have any world class players. and when you have 1 team with a couple of them vs. 1 team with none, even with everything else being even, the team with a couple w-c players CAN beat your as$ 3-0 from time to time. that's the blatant truth of the matter. THAT my friends is why this was a VERY humbling loss for us. for us to make that next step, we NEED to get us some world class players ... and i don't see any coming.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR *gets off ledge* it's amazing what a day makes in viewing the play of the US... emotions were running a tad high when all the post-game posts were flowing (me included). i hope we can rebound versus ITA... if not, there's always 2010 and beyond.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR your disappointment is understandable. But if you think this team can be a Brazil or anything like them, I think that would be a mistake. This probably was "the real deal" for the US. Most of the games leading up to the world cup pointed out glaring weaknesses in our defense and an inability to put together a decent attack. Don't get me wrong, the US is still very good. The US was outmatched by a world-class team that definately has a good chance of winning it all. Expectations for this team were a little too high. With that said, IMHO, this team can still beat Italy, ghana and get out of the group. If Italy brings the same game they took with them to Ghana, the team can defeat them. However, we would have to be extremely lucky to do so if we do not work big time on the attack.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR After further review, Reyna, Onyewu and Pope had appreciable games. Beasley was still inept. Convey was fair and Donovan disappeared for 70 minutes. Keller made mistakes and is probably overrated. Pablo Mastroeni should try not playing on roller skates. Eddie Lewis needs to be either moved up to midfield or benched. Eddie Johnson should be given a longer time to impress. The first two goals were started by US mistakes (1st Keller, 2nd Mastroeni slips again) leading to quick counter attacks. The third was pure class by Nedved and Rosicky. The first goal was huge. The Czechs barely had to push forward and clogged their end happily.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR Talk about rationalizing. That's it. Keep telling yourself it wasn't that bad. Maybe you will convince yourself. Get that courage up. There were weapons of mass destruction. I just know it! They got the goal, they read our tactics, Bruckner bitch slapped BA, they laid back and made it easy on themselves. BA went deer in headlights and we weren't playing Panama, we aren't as good as the Czechs, our players gave up and they coasted. Of course it didn't look bad after it was all over, and it was take it easy time. For crying out loud. What a load of crap. Yup, welcome to BS. Make fun of the angry, yet this group rationalizing and trying to make things up to feel better, and get more courage before Saturday, should be considered level headed Yeah right. I watched a few times. SFS is right. We were crap. What freaking planet do you guys come from? Almost as cowardly as BA lashing out at his players, then coming back hours later to try and act like a man and say it was his responsibilty. Good one Bruce. Kind of funny actually. We were made impotent and they coasted, yet the rationalizing. If it wasn't for the 3 goals it wouldn't have been that bad. Jesus H! How about this one boys and girls. What if the Czechs decided to take the match by the throat and run it up? Don't think it could of happened? Easily my friends. Easily. They got their lead and didn't worry after that. Yup, this is the "rational" thread. Funny stuff. It wasn' that bad. Really.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR I sort of made this point on the "Arena's tactics" thread. With Koller and Baros out, Brückner went to his Plan B (who knows if this was Plan A all along) and overcrowded the midfield. Once 2:0 up, he kept in it, clearly seeing that the US was not creating anything worth worrying about. But he surely had enough talent to go toe-to-toe with the Americans since the Czechs were pretty much winning every individual match-up on the field. Even if the US may have scored a goal or two, it could have allowed a few extra goals more. The risk of run-n-gun wasn't worth it for the Czechs anymore but this doesn't mean this was outside of the realm of possibilities either.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR The defending on the first goal was not good. Onyewu either has to stay on Koller or stop the cross from getting off. He got caught in no-man's land in between the two and Koller brushed aside Pope with ease. But if Reyna's shot goes in off the post, the complexion of the game completely changes. The Czechs can't just counterattack. Do we win? Probably not. Let's face it, we're not as talented as the top nations, we simply can't make a lot of mistakes and expect to get away with it. But the beautiful thing about footie is that you can make up some for lack of talent up with a highly charged effort (see Greece v Portugal, Czechs, et al., in Euro 2004). What hurt so bad about Monday was, we didn't give that effort. We didn't chase the game. And that was the hardest thing to watch.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR I was at the game and I can say this ... the Czech goals were glorious. One thing to point out, is that we'd much rather have world class goals go in our net, rather than own goals or other garbage blunders. We did ok, but we can do so much better. If we put away chances like the Czech's did, it would have ended something of a thriller, like 3-2. And, 3-2 would have been a fair result, the better team winning and the US at least showing we can score. But it wasn't to be. Not on that day. Beast_Ed
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR The only hope is that it was that bad. If that performance were close to one of our decent performances, we are screwed.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR No, it wasn't that bad. Serious. Hell, if you watch and take the 3 golas out we probably looked better. Didn't you know that. Nothing I hate more than people trying to rationalize. Own up, your don't knwo the game. Just fooling yourself. Look at all of my posts before this cup. I did. Level headed, worried but ready and psoitive. There was so much wrong with this match on so many levels it was frightening and anyone who isn't angry is just living in Oz. Yeah, it wasn' that bad. Quintessential US naivete or cowardness right there. That's OK, BA took care of that department already after the match. That is where I guarantee he lost his whole team. If there was ever a time for BS anger this is it. On so many levels. Just unreal.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR Yes! I watched on Univision LIVE and then the replay on ESPN2 later. I was amazed at his color commentary.
Re: Second Viewing: US vs. CR SayWhat, While I understand your point and it isn't without merit, you are going way over the top. We did not play well. But we did not play nearly as poorly as many here seem to suggest. There were about 4 events that defined the game. 1. Onyewu getting a yellow 3 minutes into the game. I believe that the card was harsh. It was especially harsh that early into the game. But it made Gooch have to be more tentative. 2. Keller's boot into no man's land- I honestly think that people are a little too harsh on Keller for this but it did have a materially bad impact on the game. 3. Reyna's post - That ball goes literally 1 inch to the right and it probably goes in. 4. Gooch's clear out. Whether people want to admit it or not he did the right thing. Working against his body motion he managed to clear out the ball to the 35. Unfortunately it went right to the foot of Rosicky who made a truly world class play. These aren't excuses. Just commentaries on the game. Even with our absolutely disgusting first touches throughout the game it still was a game that COULD have been a match had 2 of the above gone differently.