Here's an interview with Oliver Bierhoff. Just says what he thinks about the US performance at the WC. http://www.sams-army.com/index.php?Mlist=content_full&Article_id=127
The best quote in the article: Q: The situation causing the loudest protest among American soccer fans was Thorsten Frings's potential hand ball on the goal line. In your opinion, did the referee make the right decision, not awarding the US a penalty kick? Bierhoff: All right, looks like there's no way to get around this one now. To me, there's absolutely no doubt the referee should have made that call. Yes, the US should have gotten a penalty.
This was one of the better interviews in awhile. Great insight to what players are actually thinking. Plus it's nice to see some class in the game!!! Bierhoff's got a new fan in me.
Thanks for the link, good read. I think that MLS is better off the way it is not having all the superstars here. This is what can allow Arena and US Soccer to make comments about developing an American style. It seemed to give problems to Germany in that match as Bierhoff mentioned. I find myself pondering a few comments the Bierhoff made in regards to MLS. If the up and coming talent of the US could take it to Germany the way they did, how is it these veterans think they'll be able to hang with the younger players in the league? Didn't we already see Lothar fall down with the MetroStars? With all those MLS players on the field he sure did underestimate the quality. MLS has done wonders for football here and will continue to improve. The one comment I really appreciated was the honesty about the hand ball. The guy has balls at least to admit it, and no pun intended.
It would have been interesting to get a real prespective on a german nats opionion of the US instead of a page of P.C. Answers. Oliver, your a soccer player, not a diplomat.
Well, now you have two opinions (Bierhoff's and Klinsmann's) and both said about the same thing. You also had one of the all time greats in German soccer say the day after the game the US were the better team that day. They're not trying to be polite and refrain from expressing their true hatred of all things American...these are straight up answers. Klinsmann's comments were a source of debate, and Bierhoff echoed some of those sentiments in this article as well. With the criticism came some compliments, though, so I tend to believe these guys are being honest.
Well, the day after the US lost to Germany, Beckenbaur (sp?) was saying that the US outplayed Germany and should have won. I getting sick of that crap about a "lack of confidence" on USNat's part. It's not like we choked. Jürgen Klinsmann is an example of the typical Euro-trash mentality that any football not in Europe is shiite.
I agree totally with you. If any team on that day showed a lack of confidence it was Germany. After all, we did have them on their heels all game. I just don't get this argument by Jurgen, especially if you look at the fact that with the handball call actually being made we've got a totally different ball game, perhaps we wouldn't have given up the goal that we did or it was going into Golden Goal. I believe that this argument is just a way for those around German soccer to try and keep up their feel of superiority, when clearly they are loosing ground to teams all over the world!!!
Are you forgetting that Germany's goal came before the hand-ball incident? Ballack scored in the 39th min. of the 1st half. The hand-ball incident was five minutes into the 2nd half (50th min.).
Yeah, they've lost so much ground that they just made the World Cup final. And, if you don't think they're going to be very, very strong at home in 2006, you're just kidding yourself. I feel comfortable in predicting another top 4 finish at least. But, yes, we did have every chance to win the game. Fact is, we didn't. We can either try to figure out why, and have a chance of doing better next time, or think we are suddenly the top dogs of this game we have only recently begun to play well and ignore anything that may contain a hint of ctitisism. I don't know if what Klinsman and Bierhoff are saying is exactly the reason we lost, but they both have long histories of success beyond what any US player has achieved and we can likely learn something from their comments. I would conclude that they are primarily saying that US players would improve playing in high pressure situations more regularly. I wouldn't exactly call that a controversial position. I'd call it common sense.
"I could definetly imagine playing in MLS" ... which is why I am being so nice to you clearly inferior beings ...
who was the guy who gave a comment about Germany as a mercedes and USA as a buick just before the game betwen US-Germany, is he a former nat player ?
finally, god, I told you people it was a handball. is it gonna take some german to tell you all that landon fouled that polish guy for you to realize that, also?
Before US fans go around patting yourselves on the back because a German player admitted there was handball (as if the confession should be a reason to get excited in the first place), remember our team wouldn't have made it to the quarterfinal without its own little handball controversy. So everybody get over it. Okay US fans, you may now resume being your delusional selves.
I know this one's been done to death, but someone posted a link to a video of the incident not too long ago, and I watched it several times. I don't believe Landon fouled him. But in one of the views, you could see where the ref was, and with Landon's hand up in the air the way it was, the ref certainly would have believed that Landon improperly used his arm to get the space he got. So, no Landon didn't foul him. But the ref made a perfectly reasonable call. IMHO. I would like to think that Landon reviewed that tape several times and figured out what caused the call. And learned from it.
finally some reason has been spoken we should quit whining about the non-call on the handball in the Germany game if we're willing to benefit from the non-call on the handball in the Mexico game and what Klinsmann and Bierhoff are saying is correct... we did play better then Germany and should have won, we should have finished our chances... no one is saying that we choked, what they are saying is that despite coming a long way, we still have a bit to go before we can consistantly play well AND score in big games the 2002 WC was not the pinnacle for US soccer, we did better then expected and hopefully we'll do better (or just as well) next time
Right, because clearing the ball off of the line to stop a sure goal with your hand is somehow the same as a hand in the middle of the box on a routine cross, that more than likely would have been headed out just like it had a hundred times before that day. But he is right, both should have been PK's.
not only a PK, but a possbile red card in the Mexico game (thus playing a man down) as the arm and hand were clearly extended toward the ball and looked intentional whereas in the Germany game the handball did not seem intentional as the shot ball bounced off of the players hand/arm
Yet when they showed the extreme close up replay, it was obvious that O'Brien's elbow was on top of Blanco's arm, and when Blanco went to jump, he moved his arm and also JOB's up with it. Unless you think a guy who plays for Ajax Amsterdam makes his living by punching corners in the area with his hand on purpose...and if you do, hey, there's no help for you.