I don`t believe any of them wasted much time at all. He may be a great player, and probably decisive for the USA, but there are other players in all the teams in the group, just as good or even better than him for whom to worry about.
Ghana playing a local Ghana league all-star team right now. Live feed here: http://www.ghanatvon.com/utv-ghana.html Appiah out with an experimental squad to test his less proven players: ----------------------------Adams Inkoom------Mensah-----------Akaminko------------Schlupp -----------------------Badu------Acquah-------------------------- Adomah--------------------------------------------------Atsu ------------------Jordan---------------Accam --- 2' Christian Atsu scores from a tight angle after a superb solo run - 1:0 9' Christian Atsu scores off a rebound from a Jordan Ayew shot - 2:0 11' Jordan Ayew, assist from the right from Albert Adomah - 3:0 22' Christian Atsu with his hattrick, brilliant pass from midfield by Inkoom releases him one-on-one - 4:0 This is getting brutal fast... p.s. 5 shots on goal, all on target, 4 goals...
42' Albert Adomah receives the ball from midfield from Afriyie Acquah, stepovers past one defenders and finishes - 5:0 HT CHANGES: Dauda -> Adams Boye -> Mensah Sumaila -> Akaminko Afful -> Inkoom Accam -> Waris Rabiu -> Badu Wakaso -> J. Ayew
72' Muntari -> Acquah 74' A. Ayew -> Adomah 74' Asamoah -> Atsu 74' Opare -> Schlupp 83' Gyan -> Waris 78' - Boye and Sumaila jointly topple a local attacker, penalty converted - 5:1 90+3' - Sulley Muntari scores from a freekick off of a foul on Asamoah Gyan - 6:1 FINAL SCORE: BLACK STARS 6 - DREAM XI 1
Shame about Lars Bender, they need Khedira to recover fast as a Kroos-Schweinsteiger mid is quite soft. PS: Lahm is still an option there.
I think Lahm will definitely move into midfield now. Also, zahzah, for all of the stick Özil gets for "disinterest" (which is IMO debatable on its face) one place he has been a consistent performer is the national team. (not all in Germany agree, but many of those who do not are Bavarians, or xenophobes. Often both.)
@herthabsc thats true, I think Ozil's body language gives that impression but he always gives 100% IMO.
I put together a quick sheet of stats on the US squad. Let me know what you think. http://nnelli.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/usa-world-cup-squad-statistics/
And some new stats after last night's performances... http://nnelli.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/risk-takers-defensive-stoppers-and-game-changers/
No offense to all the work you've put in, but I'm really anxious to see Portugal embarrass the USA. It's gonna be grand. 11 Clint Dempsey's couldn't win a game
GERMANY'S FINAL SQUAD: GK: Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover) DF: Jerome Boateng (Bayern), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Philipp Lahm (Bayern); MF: Julian Draxler (Schalke 04), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Mario Goetze (Bayern), Christoph Kramer (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid) Toni Kroos (Bayern), Thomas Mueller (Bayern), Mesut Oezil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Andre Schuerrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern) FW: Miroslav Klose (Lazio) 7 Bayern players and 5 Borussia Dortmund players. Just the one nominal striker, albeit players like Mueller and Schuerrle can fill in...