World Cup -- USA v Czech Republic, post-match thread {R}

Pathetic doesn't even begin to describe the effort we just witnessed. This team would have lost at least 2-0 to any team in the tournament with that showing. Piss poor all the way around, in every sense of the term. We're lucky that we only lost 3-0.

I'd go into good bad and ugly, but there was absolutely nothing good, and far too much bad and ugly to get into.

The commentators were saying that if we draw Italy and beat Ghana we might be in with a chance. No way in hell. We need to win both games if we're going to progress and get owned by Brazil in the round of 16. But if this is the effort we're going to show, we're going out without a point or a goal just like '98. I'm embarrassed, and the squad damn well better be too after that or they might as well not show up Saturday or Italy will hang six on 'em.

My conclusion: This World Cup was the one to show that we're for real. At the end of the day, we're still a joke compared to the South American and European powers.

 

I've seen every single game so far and the US put out the absolute worst performance of any team thus far. Ranking 5th yeah right!!! more like 32 out of 32.

They are an embarrassment to CONCACAF, an embarrassment to the USSF and an embarrassment to the sport.

barf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Did he just watch the same game that I did?

 

Pretty much... add what ctruppi said and that about covers three to zero.

[A] Bease was not meant for the right side. He ran at exactly 0 defenders.

Donovan is a midfielder. Sorry. Its true. Move LD back to midfield. Give Reyna a more defensive role. LD is not a recessed forward... except maybe in the sense that recess is a time-off period and LD took this whole game off.

[C] O'brien should not be played in the midfield. He's out of shape or out of ideas.

[D] Reyna slowed the play down.

[E]veryone seemed scared.

 

I think I'm going to go throw-up.

I can't believe we lost in that fashion. Losing is one thing, getting your ass handed to you is a whole other.

WE NEED ITALY TO TIE TODAY AND WE MUST WIN THE NEXT 2 GAMES. PERIOD.

 

Re: Should the CZE-USA Match be a wakeup call?

No, no. Based on today's thrashing we are locks to win it all. Based on today's thrashing.

 

LETS GO GHANA LETS GO!!!!
this pretty much blows hard

 

Iam on the phone right now calling the US Team, they owe me a vacation day.........I dont mind losing a game, but not to give everthing you have is unacceptable, period.

 

Are we hoping Ghana and Italy draw?

 

By gosh, yes!!!!!!!

 

Reyna just said the Czech's are the best team in their group. Interesting.

 

Time to wake up and smell reality Americans, Any coach that believes Landon Donovan is world class and going to lead them is dead wrong. Why can't you accept that leverkusen was right to cut him off and cast him back to third division football.....You over achieved 4 years ago and you really expected more of the same?? Your overconfidence coming into this years tournament will be your downfall.

 

What game were you watching?

Find me anytime during that game Reyna makes a backpass. Simply, he doesn't. Rather, every single time in the first half, Pope, Onyewu and Mastroeni would play the ball to Reyna, who would turn it upfield.

Sure, he's slow. But he's smart and the ball doesn't roll off his foot everytime he gets it.

Lack of aggressiveness, sure. But lack of class with the ball? Please.

 

Fate for what? To survive the group stage and have a nice hurrah in the round of 16, maybe the quarterfinals? We're gonna have to go through a handful of the best teams in the world to win this tournament. Playing them later in the tournament only gives us more time to "settle in."

 

I disagree with anyone who says this set us back several years as far as US Soccer is concerned. This is one game that we played really lousy in and were outclassed by a technically superior side.

That said I feel the only men that should be on the field Saturday are those with heart and swagger. Dempsey and Johnson are definitely two of them. Since we won't win an ariel battle this weekend I suggest we put our fastest men up front and try to out run them up and down the flanks. Just my armchair approach however what we did today won't even get us on the scoreboard.

I feel for Arena right now!

 

Time to set our sights on 2010 - lucky if we get a goal off of Ghana the way we are playing - oh and the Italy game will be excruciatingly painful to watch - viewer's disgression advised

 

Tread On Us!

I am so angry.

 

Claudio just blamed this result (at least partly) on our WC inexperience. What bullsh!t! NOT TRUE!

We only had two starters without WC experience.

 

Yes. 0-0 would be the best result for us.

 

There were two bad ideas that hurt us a lot in this game. First, McBride as lone forward. We're always better with two forwards. Certainly, someone without great speed like McBride isn't well suited for lone forward. If we had someone like Didier Drogba, maybe. EJ is the closest thing to that. But really, the one-forward idea isn't a good one for us. The second bad idea was Beasley on the right. It is an especially bad idea to take a player who is struggling and put him in a spot he doesn't have much comfort with.

Having said this, the Czechs were clearly superior. Even if Arena had avoided those two mistakes we probably would have lost anyhow. It's gonna be very tough to advance now, but I'm still hopeful because I thought all along that the Czech Republic represented the toughest matchup for us.

Oh one last thought. This was really the first real test of the Eddie Lewis at left back experiment. In all the prior games he played there, we were dominant and he wasn't really tested. It's a shame we had to wait for the WC to really test this idea. Methinks the results were pretty bad and argue for giving serious consideration to going with a 3-5-2 against Italy, with a backline of Gooch, Pope and Bocanegra. Wish Gibbs were available but would rather see Boca out there than Lewis on defense.

Those are my deux sous. Let's go get Italy!

 

What a s****y game. We look good against concacaf teams, but whenever we play the Euros we look afraid and pathetic. WE need to get a coach that will develop a latin or dutch style of play. I think the dutch style with quick passes would be better suited for our players. Just pissed man. Even Trinidad got lucky and they suck. Plus Mexico wins. Now it all sucks. Que porra. I still believe..... GO USA common f*******ers.

 

It's 11:00 a.m. where I'm and my head is already 15 ways messed up with beer and frustration, so I'm only going to say this once:

OK, the US got fkcued over in this one.

The US can beat Italy on Saturday and can beat Ghana for six full points.
The US can advance, even though the possiblity of meeting Brazil in the second round is all but automatic right now.
I still believe (but I wouldn't put Bease on the right!)

 

His World Cup inexperience maybe.

 

It could have been a different game had Reyna's shot went in and not off the post. I had the same sick feeling I had vs. Iran in 98. Were in big trouble. Were going to press and they are going to catch us on the counterattack. And we all know the Czech's are better than Iran. That being said, I'd like to see Johnson in for McBride and Dempsey in for Beasley (and O'Brien in for Pablo if he can go 90). It's our only hope vs. Italy.

 

OK, I only read up to page 3, but where are the people calling out Donovan? Only one other poster that I saw and none of the talking heads did during or after the game but I will here: Landon, WTF?

Drawing the yellow, OK, cool. That was the last time he had any impact on the game at all. Beasley at least got open enough to lose the balls played to him (what happened to his feet?), but Landon was just jogging. He let guys carry the ball past him. Right past him. On the dribble. Without chasing.

If you check my posts you'll see I'm no career Landon basher but I was calling to bench him by minute 60. My buddies even were telling me to lighten up.

Reyna: great game
Pablo: good effort decent game
EJ: thanks for at least coming to play
Everyone else (including Keller and his refusal to come off his line and his inability to distribute): grow a pair!

Man, I've never felt so mad at the team I support. And I'm a New England sports fan.