Other Team Discussion Thread VIII: All sports, all results (including Olympics)

I just haven't seen much of the games. There's a lot I like about women's soccer but I have to admit that the more of it I watch the less impressed I am with certain aspects of the game, especially goalkeeping.

 

Sounds like nothing has changed since '99.

 

The Americans are particularly bad this tournament, it's amazing to me they've gotten this far. Their passing is atrocious. Japan had a much better possession game today than the US team is capable of. They are used to just passing the ball as far as possible and hoping someone like Wambach can get to it first or by muscling off a defender. Without her, that poor type of play looks even worse. We have a few ladies who can play good possession and passing ball (like Aly Wagner), but they get very little, if any, playing time.

Brazil plays very nicely, I'd fall in love with silver if I were these US ladies. I do not see how our defense will be able to contain them, they've relied on other team's poor finishing so far this Olympics. Norway did not finish poorly, nor does Brazil. Solo has not impressed me at all, other than she's kinda cute

 

They're still playing the high-pressure, pump-it-upfield game used originally by Anson Dorrance of UNC and the originator of the current US WNT - Thats a good system if your halfbacks and forwards can control the ball at their feet and can make smart runs into space and have the pace to do it all game long - But I don't think we consistently have the players to play this sort of system well - A lot of times it just degenerates into a mid-table EPL or worse CocaCola League game of pounding the ball up field and hope for the best - If your defenders and halfbacks can't pass well, its really bad - And if you lose your one outstanding Forward who could make this sytem work (Abby Wambach), it can look really ugly - Well, its not UGLY, but its definitely not the beautiful game either - And, yeah, the defense was really slow getting out of the goal which left a striker alone still onsides right in front of the goallee

 

I thought I'd update the "real" playoff picture before we hit the pitch again tomorrow. After tomorrow everyone will be at 20 games played. But look quick, the Thursday game end the games played parity.

DCU remains where they have been for a while, in the first wild-card spot. We aren't really close to catching up with the Fire for 3rd in the East, but it is still possible.

The last playoff spot is now held by the Pink Steers but TOR or KC could pull even with a win should RBNY lose. A loss drops us in a tie with the Steers.

Code:

[FONT=Courier New][SIZE=2]TEAM           CONF  GP    W    L    T    PTS    PPG    SEED[/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=2]
[/SIZE][FONT=Courier New][SIZE=2]New England     E    19    10   6    3    33    1.74    E1
Columbus        E    20    10   6    4    34    1.70    E2
Chicago         E    20    9    6    5    32    1.60    E3
Houston         W    19    7    4    8    29    1.53    W1
D.C. United     E    19    9    9    1    28    1.47    WC1
New York        E    20    7    6    7    28    1.40    WC2
Real Salt Lake  W    20    7    7    6    27    1.35    W2
FC Dallas       W    20    6    7    7    25    1.25    W3
Toronto FC      E    20    7    9    4    25    1.25    ---
Kansas City     E    20    6    7    7    25    1.25    ---
Chivas USA      W    19    6    8    5    23    1.21    ---
Colorado        W    20    7    10   3    24    1.20    ---
Los Angeles     W    20    6    8    6    24    1.20    ---
San Jose        W    20    5    9    6    21    1.05    ---[/SIZE]
[/FONT]

 

Or Bush and a developmentally retarded chimp,but that's neither here nor there...

 

Can we call them TOOLronto now?

 

I would pay to see Jake take a shot at the chimp.

He'd be leveled. And eaten. And the crap would be thrown at Brian Kamler who might be walking by.

 

There is no appropriate response to this.

 

Wow, Bush and his doppelganger. Is that constitutional?

asitis

 

Does Cheney fish as well as he hunts quayle?

 

Guevara and Blanco oughta get together on the same team ...

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...guevara-suspended-and-fined-for-punch-up.aspx

"Amado Guevara will not be in Toronto FC's lineup for a while.

A day after getting the call to represent Honduras in World Cup qualifying against Mexico on Aug. 20, the midfielder faced the wrath of Major League Soccer's disciplinary committee for punching FC Dallas' Pablo Ricchetti in the face in their match at BMO Field on Sunday.....


Add the two-match ban to Guevara's call up for Honduras and the 32-year-old will not be back in action for Toronto FC until its match on Aug. 23 against the New England Revolution. "

 

Or Bush and Che ........... oh wait.

 

Hey, now that Laurent Robert has been dropped by TFC, does anyone think that he would be a good pickup for the rest of the year? A good winger off the bench, who could definitely in my opinion help us, especially in light of the heavy schedule that we face with the Champions League. What say you?

 

Please, no. He was a talented player. Once. Now, with all his speed gone, he resorts to thuggish tackles to try and control his side. He just doesn't fit with the type of soccer we try to play.

He was too ineffective for TFC. That should tell you something.

 

I'd rather go after Will Johnson.

 

Well... my guess is that all those Chicago fans that defended Blanco over the Open Cup incidents are now re-considering their position.

In a way, I am happy this happened. It leaves no room for gray areas. Blanco is a cancer and though late, Chicago now gets it.

 

Maybe now Chicago will trade Blanco to Toronto. Can you imagine Blanco, Guevara, and Ruiz on the same team? A true axis of evil, the black magic triangle. Put them together and I'm sure the earth would open up and send them all straight to Hell. Toronto could get a new pitch out of the deal.

asitis

 

They better. Ruiz is gonna hurt himself falling on that fieldturf.

 

The Denver Post is reporting that Fernando is out at Colorado:

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10254449

 

if we win tonight we'd be 1 point behind chicago at 31 points, and even on games played.

 

So does anyone else get the urge to sing some Abba whenever they see "Fernando"?