So, 4 players from a quarterfinalist, but 2 from a team that made the final and has not lost a game in the tournament? Why are people overrating Ghana so much? They did not play particularly well on the way to a loss in the quarters, relying mostly on penalties. Is it because everybody saw them run rings around the U.S. for a half?
My friends and I put together an American All Star Team. It's all part of America's embracing of soccer. Here's a funny video about it, but watch out for the language [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPQdje-7wSI"]YouTube- Americans Embrace Soccer[/ame]
GK - Iker Casillas [ESP] - Manuel Neuer [GER] - Richard Kingson [GHA] DF - Maicon [BRA] - Philip Lahm [GER] - Antolin Alcaraz [PAR] - Gerard Pique [ESP] - Carlos Salcido [MEX] - Sergio Ramos [ESP] - Fabio Coentrau [POR] MF - Wesley Sneijder [NED] - Kevin-Prince Boateng [GHA] - Mesut Oezil [GER] - Keisuke Honda [JPN] - Bastian Schweinsteiger [GER] - Landon Donovan [USA] - Alexis Sanchez [CHI] - Lionel Messi [ARG] FW - Luis Suarez [URU] - Arjen Robben [NED] - Diego Forlan [URU] - David Villa [ESP] My two personal thoughts before completing the list above: => The most "anticipated" Park Ji-Sung was abysmal. So I replaced him with Keisuke Honda due to his impressive performance in WC. Even Lee Chung-Yong and Ki Sung Yong (two young guns in Korea) barely did their job to elevate the overall teamplay. => Tough choice between Tim Howard [USA] and Richard Kingson [GHA], but comparing both GKs in group plays and KOs Kingson was my choice later in the end.
Can't remember even a fumble by Eduardo and no mistakes, kept Portugal in the game against Spain. Given only four games but a definite squad place in my eyes. Kingston is a liability there are many good shoot stoppers but it is the eradication of mistakes that make a goal keeper great.
Stekelenburg Maicon Pique Lucio Coentrau Xabi Alonso Van Bommel Xavi Robben (right wing) Iniesta(LW) Villa Iniesta playing a bt more from the centre Bench: Casillas, Enyema Lahm(for LB), Puyol, Van der Wiel, Heitinga De Jong, Lampard, Sneijder, Schweingsteiger, Kuyt Muller, Messi, Rooney(tho he played shit this wc i cant pass him lol) if the opponent plays with an attacking right back id replace Iniesta with Kuyt from the start i wouldnt mind supporting this team
----------Villa - Forlan Iniesta - Xavi - Schweinsteiger - Müller Coentrao - Pique - Lucio - Lahm ------------Villar
----------Villa - Forlan Iniesta - Xavi - Alexis Sanchez - Müller Coentrao - Puyol - Lahm - Ramos ------------Eduardo I'll be honest and say I have no idea if I'm playing people out of position here (as far as which side of the field they play on)
I keep seeing Honda as a midfielder but didn't he play the WC for Japan as a striker? And if he was a midfielder did that mean Japan was playing the 4-6-0 formation because no one else seemed to be playing striker?
Forlan (URU) Villa (ESP) Klose (GER) Higuain (ARG) Sneijder (NED) Robben (NED) Xavi (ESP) Iniesta (ESP) Muller (GER) Schweinsteiger (GER) Honda (JPN) Donovan (USA) Boateng (GHA) Pique (ESP) Puyol (ESP) Lugano (URU) Van Bronckhorst (NED) Heinze (ARG) Alcaraz (PAR) Lahm (GER) Casillas (ESP) Stekelenburg (NED) Eduardo (POR) Anybody know when they announce the team? They did all the individual awards quick last night.
Villa (ESP), Forlan (URU) Iniesta (ESP), Sneijder (NED), Schweinsteiger (GER), Robben (NED) Maicon (BRA), Puyol (ESP), Lugano (URU), Lahm (GER) Stekelenburg (NED) That is a mouth-watering team.
--------------------------Casillas--------------------- Ramos------------Pique----------Mertesacker------Capdevila -------------Schweinsteiger------Xabi Alonso---------------- ----Muller-----------------Xavi-------------------Iniesta---- --------------------------Forlan------------------------------
.............Villa Klose ................Forlan ........Ozil Xavi schweinstiger Donovan ......Van Bommel Puyol lahm ................Casillas
(4-2-3-1) First Team: ................Casillas Ramos...Puyol...Pique...Lahm .....Schweinsteiger..Alonso Muller.....Sneijder....Iniesta ..............Forlan Coach: Loew Second Team: .............Stekelenburg Maicon...Lugano...Lucio.....Fucile ............D Perez..Medel ....Messi.....Xavi......Robben ................Villa Coach: Tavares Worst Eleven (Well known players only, not including for example North Koreans) ...............Green Salcedo..Demichelis..Cannavaro..Evra ............Melo...Dejong ...Govou...Lampard..Ronaldo ..............Rooney Coach: Domenech
Here is my 23 man squad of the world cup http://hwhiskey7.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/23-best-of-the-world-cup/
23-man squad Goalkeepers CASILLAS, Íker (Spain) STEKELENBURG, Maarten (Netherlands) ENYEAMA, Vincent (Nigeria) Defenders PIQUÉ, Gerard (Spain) LÚCIO (Brazil) LUGANO, Diego (Uruguay) JUAN (Brazil) MAICON (Brazil) RAMOS, Sergio (Spain) LAHM, Philipp (Germany) FUCILE, Jorge (Uruguay) Midfielders ANNAN, Anthony (Ghana) PÉREZ, Diego (Uruguay) KHEDIRA, Sami (Germany) SCHWEINSTEIGER, Bastian (Germany) XAVI (Spain) SNEIJDER, Wesley (Netherlands) INIESTA, Andrés (Spain) ÖZIL, Mesut (Germany) Forwards MÜLLER, Thomas (Germany) FORLÁN, Diego (Uruguay) VILLA, David (Spain) SUÁREZ, Luis (Uruguay) Starting Eleven Casillas Maicon --- Lúcio --- Piqué --- Fucile Schweinsteiger -- Annan --- - Müller -------- Forlán -------- Iniesta Villa
23-man squad Goalkeepers NEUER, Manuel (Germany) STEKELENBURG, Maarten (Netherlands) BENAGLIO, Diego (Switzerland) Defenders TANAKA, Tulio (Japan) LÚCIO (Brazil) LUGANO, Diego (Uruguay) FREIDRICH, Arne (Germany) MAICON (Brazil) LAHM, Philipp (Germany) FUCILE, Jorge (Uruguay) Midfielders HONDA, Keisuke (Japan) PÉREZ, Diego (Uruguay) KHEDIRA, Sami (Germany) SCHWEINSTEIGER, Bastian (Germany) MESSI, Lionel (Argentina) SNEIJDER, Wesley (Netherlands) DONOVAN, Landon (United States) ÖZIL, Mesut (Germany) Forwards MÜLLER, Thomas (Germany) FORLÁN, Diego (Uruguay) VILLA, David (Spain) SUÁREZ, Luis (Uruguay) HIGUAIN, Gonzalo (Argentina) Special/Honorable Mentions (Or the 2nd 23 if you will) go to (in no particular order): Xavi (ESP), Andres Iniesta (ESP), Pedro (ESP), Sergio Ramos (ESP), Jesus Navas (ESP), Michael Bradley (USA), Maurice Edu (USA), John Pantsil (GHA), Antolin Alcaraz (PAR), Roque Santa Cruz (PAR), Joris Matheijsen (NED), Nigel De Jong (NED), Miroslav Klose (GER), Vincent Enyeama (NGA), Yuichi Komano (JPN), Robert Vittek (SVK), Winston Reid (NZL), Valter Birsa (SVN), Diego Godin (URU), Maxi Pereira (URU), Fernando Muslera (URU), Gohkhan Inler (SUI), Alexis Sanchez (CHI)
After some thought I have decided to tweak my team. Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (ESP) Maarten Stekelenburg (NED) Eduardo (POR) Defenders: Maicon (BRA) Phillip Lahm (GER) Paulo Da Silva (PAR) Gary Medel (CHI) Carlos Salcido (MEX) Juan (BRA) Ryan Nelsen (NZL) Midfielders: Wesley Sneijder (NED) Sergio Busquets (ESP) Iniesta (ESP) Anthony Annan (GHA) Keisuke Honda (******) Michael Bradley (USA) Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER) Mesut Oezil (GER) Diego Perez (URU) Forwards: Thomas Mueller (GER) David Villa (ESP) Diego Forlan (URU) Asamoah Gyan (GHA) Starting 11: ----------Stekelenberg---------- Maicon--Da Silva--Medel--Lahm ---Schweinsteiger--Busquets--- Oezil--------Forlan--------Villa -------------Gyan-------------
Goalkeepers: Casillas (SPA) Eduardo (POR) Stekelenburg (NED) Defenders: Fábio Coentrão (POR) Lúcio (BRA) Friedrich (GER) Ricardo Carvalho (POR) Lugano (URU) Piqué (SPA) Álvaro Pereira (URU) Midfielders: Sneijder (NED) Iniesta (SPA) Honda (******) Schweinsteiger (GER) Mesut Özil (GER) Anthony Annan (GHA) Gary Medel (CHI) Robben (NED) Boateng (GHA) Thomas Müeller (GER) Forwards: David Villa (SPA) Diego Forlán (URU) Asamoah Gyan (GHA)
The All-Star team has been released, but it's only an XI. Kinda lame. Forlan Villa Schweinsteiger Sneijder Iniesta Xavi Maicon Lahm Puyol Ramos Casillas
My 23 after the cup...trying to keep it from best at the top to bottom...This has nothing to do with their team's success, but their overall performance as I saw game to game... GK: Kingson (GHA) Casillas (ESP) Stekelenburg (NED) DEF: Puyol (ESP) Lucio (BRA) Lahm (GER) Ramos (ESP) Coentrão (POR) Salcido (MEX) Tanaka (JPN) MID: Messi (ARG) Iniesta (ESP) Robben (NED) Xavi (ESP) Sanchez (CHI) Boateng (GHA) Dos Santos (MEX) Schweinsteiger (GER) Donovan (USA) Honda (JPN) FWD: Forlan (URU) Villa (ESP) Tevez (ARG) Shout-out's (in no necessary order): Kaka (BRA), Xabi Alonso (ESP), Pedro (ESP) and basically the whole Spanish team, Maicon (BRA), Muller (GER), Sneijder (NED), Alcaraz (PAR), Annan (GHA), Korean guys who's names escape me at the moment, Bradley (USA), Dempsey (USA), Cherundolo (USA), Altidore (USA), Ozil (GER), Tshabalala (SA), Vittek (SVK)...There are a few missing...