2022 WC Qatar: Worldwide Opponents Watch [all R's]

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by Sebsasour, Jun 5, 2019.

  1. orcrist

    orcrist Member+

    Jun 11, 2005
    Bay Area, California, USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Petty minds think alike :D
     
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  2. Burr

    Burr Member+

    Boca Juniors
    Argentina
    Jul 8, 2014
    Tampa, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
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  3. theboogeyman

    theboogeyman Member+

    Jun 21, 2010
    I don’t entirely disagree with you, but I think in a lot of situations, young players in soccer are like the backup quarterback in football.

    when things aren’t going well, fans often blame the coach for picking the wrong players, because that’s easier than accepting that nobody is any good. Having some more youthful enthusiasm might’ve helped Mexico a little, but they were never going to make a meaningful run with this group of players. Maybe they could’ve kept their streak of making the knockout rounds alive, and I guess that’s important, but they don’t have the talent to threaten good, organized teams. Their complete impotence against us in the past few years was much more about their lack of talent than Tata’s coaching, IMO.
     
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  4. schrutebuck

    schrutebuck Member+

    Jul 26, 2007
    Based on the seeding, we've only seen 2 real surprises advance so far - Poland and Australia.

    Group A: Pot 2 and Pot 3 advance
    Group B: Pot 1 and Pot 2 advance
    Group C: Pot 1 and Pot 3 advance
    Group D: Pot 1 and Pot 4 advance
     
  5. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Argentina is our nightmare scenario because the MMA midfield is our main strength and a team with the passing precision of Argentina would just by-pass them.

    Keep in mind unlike Japan that is precise in passing to where the player is, Argentina is precise in passing to where a player is going to be, which makes them super-dangerous to a defense based on size and strength rather than agility.
     
  6. theboogeyman

    theboogeyman Member+

    Jun 21, 2010
    I wouldn’t be very scared at all of playing this Argentina team for a chance at the semifinals. They’re very good, but no where close to Brazil or France. That alone puts them basically in the middle of the pack in terms of ranking the best possible 7 teams we could play in the quarters.

    also, I’d like to take the opportunity to laugh at Julian Araujo. Excellent chance he’d be logging minutes in this WC if he’d taken the call ups from Berhalter. Instead, he got to watch his beloved el tri loose from his living room.
     
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  7. Burr

    Burr Member+

    Boca Juniors
    Argentina
    Jul 8, 2014
    Tampa, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm inclined to agree, but Argentina has already had one bad day at the office, so who knows, as someone who would have a rooting interest in both sides of the matchup it's hard to be too overconfident on my Argentine side. I think USA asks different questions of them than they've been asked so far. They also haven't had to deal with a speed merchant like Weah in a while. I've already noticed several times they've gotten caught off guard thinking their passing has subdued an opponent only for a sudden oncoming press to disrupt things in a scary manner.
     
  8. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    https://www.arsenal.com/news/fa-statement-regarding-ben-white

    The England FA released the following on Wednesday afternoon.

    We’re all with you, Ben.



    England FA Statement

    Ben White has left England’s training base in Al Wakrah and returned home for personal reasons.

    The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament.

    We ask that the player’s privacy is respected at this moment in time.
     
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  9. Winoman

    Winoman Drinkin' Wine Spo-De-O-De!

    Jul 26, 2000
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Here's hoping he and his family are ok. :thumbsup:
     
  10. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    Nope. Italians are above average (and won Euro btw), Spaniards and Portugese are short. Argentinians are'nt tall, Poles are very tall, weren't able to touch the ball earlier today.
     
  11. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    There are a plenty of good teams, but just a few superstars. Kane isn't, Ronaldo isn't anymore, Messi still is, Mbappe is the best as Haaland isn't here. Brasil won't win it unless Neymar is back, Spain kids aren't there yet. It will be France or Argentina.
     
  12. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    The Poles today were playing in full panic mode.

    I wouldn't take their display today as meaningful of how they always play. They were crapping their shorts.
     
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  13. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    There are plenty of overpaid players in MLS, both Americans and foreigners, but a lot of kids want to go to Europe just for the soccer culture. Some of them thrive in cut throat competition, some will come back.
    Mexican kids don't need to go to Europe to live soccer live, that's right there for them, so they stay and turn into big fishes in a small pond. And all that isn't going to change, so unless soccer gets as popular as major America sports our kids will go and Mexican won't.
     
  14. don Lamb

    don Lamb Member+

    mine
    United States
    Aug 31, 2017
    When Thiago Almada was added to Argentina's roster as an injury replacement, I just assumed that he wouldn't play. However, he came on today against Poland as Argentina earned their spot in the next round.

    Having a 21 year old play for Argentina in a World Cup seems like a pretty a big moment for MLS. Pavon is almost in that category, but he only came to MLS after struggling for a year post World Cup.
     
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  15. gogorath

    gogorath Member+

    None
    United States
    May 12, 2019
    I think we'd have a shot in large part because they are older than people think. We can't outskill them, and Messi is a nightmare, but we can outrun some of these dudes.
     
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  16. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    This has been a World Cup with the wildest swings in fortune, broken trends, and quite a few upsets.

    Australia, whose fans rated their team the weakest in ages, end up deservedly advancing with 6 points after opening with a flattering 4:1 loss to France. Denmark, rated a dark horse by many pundits, ended up last in the group with 1p. Tunisia failed to advance despite taking 4 points from its matches against Denmark and France, while the French had already ended a curse they had started in 2002 with a game in hand.

    Saudi Arabia shocked all pundits beating Argentina, lost a game it looked it would deservedly win against a pedestrian Polish side, and then was lucky not to concede more than 2 before nailing the coffin on Mexico's chances losing merely 2:1, helping Poland to finally advance from the group stage of a major tournament after a long time and ending Mexico's long streak of advancing. Argentina, in the meantime, bounced back just enough to advance but not enough for anyone to credit them much necessarily even if they have a deep run to the semifinal.

    Iran opened with its worst defeat ever losing 6:2 against one UEFA team; enjoyed its first ever World Cup win against a UEFA side in the next game, then lost its final game against an American side that had given it its then first ever World Cup win in 1998. But despite for the first time ever heading to M3 needing only a draw to advance, it kept its own curse of never advancing from the group stage of the World Cup.

    There have been more upsets I haven't touched (e.g. Japan/Germany, Morocco/Belgium), other swings in fortune (e.g. Costa Rica starting with a 7:0 thrashing by Spain to beat the team that had upset Germany, namely Japan), and other trends broken (e.g. Qatar becoming the first World Cup host to finish pointless). And we still have 4 more matches to complete the story from the group stage.
     
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  17. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In the end there are no easy games in a quarterfinal. Argentina maybe aren’t as bad a matchup as Brazil or France, but it would still be a very difficult game. But a problem for later as we got the Netherlands first.
     
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  18. Burr

    Burr Member+

    Boca Juniors
    Argentina
    Jul 8, 2014
    Tampa, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The older players are basically just Messi, Otamendi, Di Maria, and the keepers though, which kind of overweighs the average. Everyone else is in the 20s range, and they started a couple more of their U-23 youth in Enzo Fernandez and Julian Alvarez against Poland which might be their formula going forward.
     
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  19. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    not bad
     
  20. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To me this is a really big deal and will make it easier to attract more talent to MLS.

    At last check the inflation rate in Argentina was around 100 percent. I could see a lot of players wanting to leaving that league for MLS, especially if they’ll still have a realistic path to the national team.
     
  21. Kilmer17

    Kilmer17 Member

    Mar 29, 2001
    Good grief Canada
     
  22. kennytt

    kennytt Member+

    LA teams
    United States
    May 26, 2001
    Westminster, OC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    CAN 0 - 1 MAR
    CRO v BEL;
     
  23. kennytt

    kennytt Member+

    LA teams
    United States
    May 26, 2001
    Westminster, OC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why Borjan not booting the ball away?
     
  24. kennytt

    kennytt Member+

    LA teams
    United States
    May 26, 2001
    Westminster, OC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Belgium is in trouble...
     
  25. rgli13

    rgli13 Member+

    Mar 23, 2005
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    lol canada...
     

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