Forget about the tactics, forget about the European stars and European pedigree and European soil. I can feel it. I'm 100% sure that we will win this group. For years we've been the butt of countless jokes. They had soccer over us Americans, and they would not let us forget that. They laughed hyterically 16 years ago when we sent a bunch of college kids to the World Cup in Italy. They scoffed at us when we point to 1994, calling our victory over Columbia nothing but luck. They used 98 is more proof that we would always be the laughing stocks of the sport, and they dismissed 2002 as merely an abberation and blamed Europe's poor showing on the strenous European season and the warm weather. This time, the world doesn't have any excuses. We WILL beat the Czech Republic, we WILL beat Italy, and we WILL win our group. And we WILL stake our ground among the elite. No matter how much they bitch about it.
You have got to be joking. If you are not, then it is quite sad..... Breaking news.....The US soccer team is still a mediocre team after all this time.....The US soccer team are in a group which will send them packing.....Most amazingly, spazzos are so dellusional that they believe to be the best in that group.....Now, back to our regular programming... Use the noodle you call a brain.
I find your overconfidence amusing..however u must be realistic..the u.s have a slim..and i mean SLIM chance on qualifying from this group..its almost impossible....and i kno that this is the WC and anything can happen..but c'mon the only way the u.s can pass..is if they play everygame flawless..and their opponnents have the worst games of their lives..which is unlikley...but i still wish the u.s good luck..and i hope they do pass to the next phase.
I dunno if we will finish as 1st but am hoping and at the moment think we can finish in the top 2 in the group but theres still a long time to go and lots of variables to consider. ...
Don't bet the farm on it. I'd settle for second in the group. If we can just finish 1-1-1 like 2002 we've got a good chance of advancing, especially if Ghana can get at least a point. I think Italy is one of the most vulnerable seeds that we could have gotten matched up against. The Czechs will be tough and may be better than the Italians. We should be favored against Ghana, but they will be tough as well. I don't like the order we're playing our games in. It might have been better to have gone Ghana first, then the others. We would then stand a chance of having an easy third game if our opponent was already in. There is a good chance we won't advance, even if we play well.
I think your the one that's sad, you call this an obsessed country, yet you cant stop posting trash in this forum, stick to the ________________(insert abuse about Mexico forum here) Mexcio forum where you belong. I agree with appooOnu, we can do this.
I'm not just saying USA can win the group, they can win the whole damn thing. you want to know why? we're the underdogs who no one takes us seriously. did anyone take Greece seriously? no. let us say that we go with a healthy line-up like this: GK-Keller(one of the best GK in the world) RWB-Cherundolo(has great stamina and also plays in Germany...he will be able to venture forward with Reyna pushing more in the middle. a stealthy little wing back) CB-Onyewu & Gibbs(Onyewu is a monster and Gibbs has great skills and both play in Europe) LB-Bocanegra(a big question mark on the LB position but he would be the best one to put there. reason why? so we can save Lewis as a super sub and plus he plays in Europe and can stay back so that Beasley can rip defenses open) RM-Reyna(our Captain and our playmaker...played RM in 02) DM-Mastroeni (our mr. destructo...he'll break up any oppositions attack) OM-Donovan(the man with the plan on attack) LM-Beasley(battle drill 1A. need i say more? if he gets left alone he will destroy the defense) FW-Johnson & McBride(McBride was our best striker in 98 and 02. and he is still in top form. he'll be winning the air balls yet he now is more experienced and he will even be somewhat of a play maker for Donovan to venture forward and do his thing. Johnson is just a natural born forward and athlete. defenders will be afraid of this guy. subs -Berhalter/Pope(have great experience in WCs and Berhalter is a cpt for a club in Germany) -Lewis(can play the LB and LM position) -Hejduk(can play anywhere on the flanks Right and Left) -Convey(can play anywhere) -O' Brien(a great player to replace Reyna if something happens to him) -Twellman(a natural goal scorer) -Wolff(a great playmaker) look how solid that team is. what makes a great international team has proven to be not the individual talent but the cohesiveness. the main thing we need now is for our players to stay healthy, avoid cards, and for the players i didn't mention to step up and make these positions more competitive(also Bocanegra needs to demand that LB position). yes we will have to bring our A game and hope that other teams underestimate us. but i have a really good feeling about the tournament in a whole. don't tread on us.
fact: USA went further in the World Cup than the following Nations: Italy, Argentina, Sweden, Portugal, France
Right. People around the world, who generally discount the level of the US national team, actually expend emotional energy hating FANS of the US MNT. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I stopped reading the Calcutta Times and the Santiago Daily News, all those dang letters to the editor hurling insults at Sam's Army. Look, the game of soccer is relatively simple. Nobody in Group E is going to be scoring more than a couple goals a game. I don't agree with a lot of that lineup that Bravo 11 posted, but the idea that it is "impossible" for the US to beat either Czech or Italy and tie the other is nuts. It might not be highly likely, but it's possible. Here, let's pose some numbers that might satisfy the US bashers here. Say in the US-Czech game, there is a 60% chance of a Czech win, and a 25% chance of a tie, and a 15% chance of a US win. And in the Italy game let's say the US's WDL odds are 10%, 20%, 70%, respectively. First, off, I just made these up, and I don't believe them. They say that in ten games against Italy, the US would only win one, and in Seven games against Czech, we'd only win one. I happen to think we're better than that, but I'll conceed that we're only this good for the sake of argument. In that case, there is a 1.5% chance that we win BOTH games. There is a 5.5% chance of a win and a draw. There's a 5% chance of two draws. There is a 12.5% chance of a win and a loss. So, there is a 24.5% chance of a favorable result from the first two matches. Anything more than one point for the US going into matchday three leaves winning the group as a definite possibility. Nobody should underestimate Ghana, but we also shouldn't assume that they'll get many points. If they do manage to get some in the first two games, well, that makes our job easier and harder. Easier since they take points from the Euros, but harder since it shows they're a tougher opponent than Coke and Fifa seem to think. So, a difficult group, sure. Impossible? Not at all. Is winning the group a possibility? Absolutely. Did anyone think Mexico would win their 2002 group over Croatia and Italy? Did anyone think South Korea would win theirs over Portugal and Poland? Impossible is nothing!
I disagree with the statement that US is a mediocre team, I think they have a good team. That being said I mean it as no insult to the team when I say that I wouldn't bet a large amount of money on them making it out of the first round. It's certainly not ignoble to finish in a group below the Czech Republic and Italy, they're very good teams who will more or less be playing home games given the proximity of their respective countries, and although much is said about how Italy has in past World Cups fallen short of its high expectations it's gotten out of the first round every time since 1974. And the Czech Republic is a very complete team that had a great Euro Cup and scored more goals in qualifying than any other European team (well Portugal scored 35 goals as well but their qualifying group was much easier) The US will undoubtedly not by any stretch of the imagination give away points cheaply, they'll leave everything on the pitch and I don't expect them to leave empty-handed, and qualifying for the round of sixteen certainly isn't impossible, but........
That is interesting that we have a much better chance statistically than I would have thought. Statistically, we probably have about a 30-40% chance. Maybe my post was unclear, but I believe we have a chance. Especially under Bruce Arena. I just find it annoying that Appoonu claims we have a 100% of winning the group, and of beating Czech and Italy. Even a good deal of Brazilian fans probably wouldn't guarantee that. The good things are that Czech has a striking resemblence to Portugal with its old and injury prone stars. Also, Italy always seems to set itself up to choke, and they have a weaker team now than they have in the past. Ghana is a great team, but certainly beatable. However, you have to be realistic when thinking of our deficiencies as well. We don't have one star or world class player that can change the game at any time. We three or four holes in our starting line-up (left back, right mid, striker, and an injury away from disaster at a number of spots.) Only one or two of our players, at most, would start for Czech or Italy. Additionally, we have a history of being terrible in Europe.
did I not say that I wasn't using any particular logic for my prediction? That it's simply based upon a gut feeling? There is a reason I did not post this in USA News & Analysis. So quit being so high & mighty. If you're annoyed with my optimism, that's your problem
"Over? Did somebody say, 'Over?' Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?.... Hell, no, and it's not over now, not till we say it is!" "What this calls for is a really stupid, futile gesture be done on somebody's part, and we're just the guys to do it."
halla appooOnU I love your optimism...why not to be optimistic about own team.. who else should support your team if you Americans don´t do that so support your team... It is not unrealistic that you will win the group or at least you will be second I believe in that. I posted similar post at german board saying that Germany will be in Finale..and many posters answered that I was dreamer.. but what is wrong at supporting and believing in your team? I tell you something..in 2002..I made a bet with one American..I told USA would beat Portugal..He did not believe..but I won because I told Usa would beat Portugal.....German friends thought I was crazy when I told this.... so everything is possible.... and USMNT 2006 will be much better thann USMNT 2002..and 2002 team was already damm good team.. Bltleo GERMANY
by the way you are right.. you don´t need any particular logic for your prediction for soccer games. in soccer is anything possible.. of course you CAN win the group...why not?...