No I don't...not until FIFA adopt Video Replay....We will be at the mercy of elite players diving skills, bias referees and our POOZIFIED USA SOCCER MEDIA THAT WILL REFUSE TO AKNOWLEDGE THE SITUATION... like in any other time...
Honestly, the CC wouldnt be out of the question, you see: Germany is a football world power and a very important UEFA member, so it wouldnt do to insult them sending your B-C squad to one of their tournaments, plus the big boys extend some kind of courtesy to each other. On the other hand South Africa is a nobody from the land of the dead -as far as FIFA is concerned- so Brazil could send their u-21 team without a second tought. You may very well be playing the final against Spain with Raul as captain but with Bojan and Pedrito as the "stars"
Seeing the USA playing other CONCAF teams doesn't really keep me entertained. And why would we have to worry about qualifying.
Because you take an attitude like that into an away qualifier in Azteca or in Saprissa and you get torn apart. Next thing you know, you get the "Mexican superiority complex" and don't qualify.
I would find this statement completely 100% ridiculous, if it wasn't for Greece in 2004. So it's only 99% ridiculous.
I have a feeling if we took a careful look at Greece's 2004 players and coaches, that we would again find it 100% ridiculous.
Drums of Victory I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American soccer dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and claim its world title. I have a dream that one day or maybe on the red hills of Nashville BB would start Jozy Altidore over our former F Ching. And keep this change for good. I have a dream that one day Torres will be replacing Kljestan Spector replacing Pearce and Cherundolo is back up in r line up. I have a dream that we will shock the world, and show that We the mighty giants of the soccer world have woken from the deep sleep they have put us in. We will one day live in a nation where they will not judged our MNT or second guess them. Instead they root them on and stand by there sides to the end. And if America is to be a great soccer nation this must become true. So let the drums beat from the curvaceous slopes of California. let the drums beat from the mighty mountains of New York. let the drums beat throw out our mighty Nation. We will defeat Mexico in Azteca do not doubt! We will learn from our mistakes do not fear! We will defeat Italy, and Brazil When WE Face, Do not speak against destiny! It Is destiny, It Is R time! So let the drums beat from the Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! So I say to those who doubt the U.S “We will not go quietly into the night!” We Will not banish with out a fight We’re going to WIN! USA ALL THE WAY!!
of course there is always a chance, because the game isn't played on paper, but the chance is vanishingly small. we simply lack: finishing, passing, tactics, creativity, cold-blooded-ness, hardness, experience, depth, edge, ... i myself was also naively optimistic before wc 2006, and bought tickets through the semi-finals, but at least i was also lucky because germany got there and i made a lot of money by selling those tickets. sadly, i would say that we were making good progress if we got out of group play in either tournament.
One fine day the USA will win the world cup although there is no chance it will be next year. Quoting lines from fantasy movies won't change that fact.
I'm excited to see what the Development Academy churns out for 2014 and 2018 to be honest. 2010? I just hope we are competitive.
I'm very optimistic about the growth of the US team. I am getting little peeps of the young talent that has been moving in the past few years and I want to see more. If some of these cats turn out half as good as my expectations for them are, and we keep pumping in new ones to replace the veterans when their time comes, we could be putting a strong product out on the field. A product that could maybe piece some magic together. This time around? I don't think so. In the years to come? I'm excited!
We are not winning the World Cup in 2010. Even if we somehow managed to play our way into the final, (not going to happen), that would be the last sign of the apocalypse and the world would immediately end, before the game could be played.
Neither will happen with Bob as our coach. Even with a better coach, we have a 0% chance to win both tourneys.
I agree that we won't win either tournement (athough I'd be amazingly happy to be wrong on that statement). That said, we shouldn't over look what an accomplishment it would be for the USA to merely advance out of the group stage of either one. Look at our group this summer (and compare it to the other group). Out of 8 teams at Confed Cup, I can name three that really don't scare me that much. All three of them are in the other group. At each World Cup, out of 32 teams there are usually 6 or 7 that don't scare you that much. Write down that list for yourself after qualifiers are finished but before the pots for the draw are announced. I guarantee you that 5 or 6 out of that 7 will be in our pot (take a look back at the 2006 pots, look at the other 6 teams in pot D- how many of those would you want to avoid at a WCF? Good teams all, but not teams you hope to avoid). Unless FIFA re-jiggers the way pots are done (or unless some we get some funny breaks in qualifying that prevents FIFA from putting CONCACAF and AFC into the same pot), we are screwed at the WC draw (unless we draw into S. Africa's group). Get ready for it.
I don't believe all this neg talk. If u guys think that we wont win in both tournaments then why do u watch, why do u continue to support our NT?? When the Confed starts r u going to root against the U.S, and hope that they fall flat on their face?? Because that's what all your talk has been about. Are U not Americans??? Because An American is some one that haves spirit and understands that to achieve the best in life requires action, hope, confidence, exertion, and effort. Americans aren't idle negative people. Everyone who holds to that spirit is an American!! (USA Soccer Federation the Sleeping GIANTS of the World)
1) USMNT fans hope that they will win both tournbamnets, but unfortunatley most have allowed realism to tinge their views and recognize that the chances of that are ultra-slim. You can be a fan and still live in the real world, recognizing actual constraints is not negtaivity. Negtaivity is when you imagine constraints or overly concentrate on and excergerate actual constraints. For example I must admit I'm a massive England fan and I'm postive about our chances in WC2010 were I think we have a good chance of winning. But I don't think we will defintely win it or even have the best chance of winning out of all the teams. 2) An American is someone who lives in America (approximately speaking).
You know what I'm not going to even answer that except to say: learn to spell dumbass before you call someone it as it might rather undermine you.
If objected to Chris's emotive crap, then what makes you think that this emotive appeal is going to do anything for me? Look, I'm not trying to be offensive, I merely pointed out that the definition of an American is someone who lievs in America (or has some other solid connection with the country such as being born there, etc). Let's just have some honesty, would you be willing to bet everything you own the USA are going to win both? I doubt that you would. There's nothing wrong with realism provided that it's used in a functional way. In WC 2006 it's my strong opinion that the Czech Republic walked all over the USA because the US players and the manager did not have enough realism. They tried to play an open game against more skilled oppostion. They did this because they started to believe their own hype. If USA had recognized the comparitive strenghts they would've played it much more tight and could've at least made a game out of it. They approached the Italy game in a much better way and they realized that whilst USA coudln't outplay Italy they could outwork Italy and they got a draw against the eventual winners.