http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/66/u...tougher-than-people-think?source=breakingnews Let's see some cross conference results, excluding Mexico. ------------------------------------- Panama, rated 37th by Elo - August, 15, 2012 0 @ Portugal 2 August, 10, 2011 3 @ Bolivia 1 (A-rosters?) February, 8, 2011 - 0 @ Peru 1 Jan, 20, 2010 - 1 @ Chile 2 May, 20, 2009 - 1 at ARGENTINA 3 ----------------------------------------- Jamaica (Elo 44) - February, 29, 2012 - 3 @ New Zealand 2 March, 25, 2011 - 0 - Venezuela 2 September, 6, 2011 - 0 Colombia 2 (in the US) September, 2, 2011 - 2 - Ecuador 5 (in the US) April, 28, 2010 - 0 - South Africa 2 (in Germany) ---------------------------------------------------- Honduras (Elo 47) - May, 26, 2012 - 0 @ New Zealand 1 February, 29, 2012 - 0 @ Ecuador 2 November, 14th - 2 - Serbia 0 September, 6, 2011 - 0 - Paraguay 3 September, 3, 2011 - 0 - Colombia 2 (in the US) August 10, 2011 - 2 - Venezuela 0 (in the US) --------------- and so on ...
http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-N...nsmann-Take-Care-of-Business-and-Qualify.aspx This would be the full interview. Meant to post this much sooner but ended up getting distracted.
Jurgen has the right idea in my mind. 1) This is exciting because we're going to have everyone available. From his personal selections of course. 2) Hes not taking anyone lightly and hes going to play all his cards. 3) Urgency is the key word. One can assume he means to play his version of his current best squad with his ideal setup. "You have to win your battles first before you play nice football." -- As long as hes not saying, go up a point and then bunker instead of press the advantage, I'm happy.
I'm hoping that what he means is that given the bumpy Antiguan playing surface and need for a full 3 points, we're going to be willing to play a more direct sort of attacking game than the more finessed possession game we've been attempting. That really might be the best way to break these guys down early is to simply pump it up there and try to jam it down their throats, relying on winning our 1v1 battles with our superior players, as opposed to passing around the back and switching the point of attack and being patient looking for a seam to exploit in their packed-in defense. Not with our goal drought. Not with a bumpy pitch. Not against an opponent that's mostly playing under their same club manager (cohesively and tenaciously, given their other results), reinforced by a Championship speed forward and an EPL midfield battler. IMO there are times to play direct and there are times to play a fluent possession game, and there are times to switch it up, and this is one of those games that just screams "Direct!"
Klinsmann has changed his opinion about CONCACAF. When assuming the job I seem to remember that he just gave it lip service...the typical politically correct but slightly arrogant European opinion of CONCACAF. That interview on ussoccer.com gives a more earnest, less ignorant opinion. When you play competitively in the region, you deal with the institutional acceptance of a different style and environment of soccer. Refs are reluctant to protect professional players because it intrinsically unbalances the game. That's not the case in Europe. Officials are easily swayed by the environment, maybe because of the threatening nature of the environment. Those officials allow time wasting, theatrics, and hold back obvious yellow cards. The teams play very physically and try to win by attrition. Some of the teams are actually more talented than anyone gives them credit for. Euro teams wouldn't really have a taste of what CONCACAF is like unless they played truly competitive away games regularly in those countries.
The Euro teams on the other hand can end up in a group like this: 1Serbia 2Belgium 3Croatia 4Scotland 5FYR Macedonia 6Wales "The eight best group runners-up will contest Round 2. The teams will be paired into four home-and-away ties. The matches will likely be played between 15 and 19 November 2013. The four winners qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™."
actually world cup can not start never without GERMANY Germany is "must" in the world cup... regarding concacaf: it is different competition than in Europe..not that so competitive like European one..actually USA should always qualify in this group..besides Mexico, there is only USA that I consider stronger soccer nation...o.k...other can also win like Costa Rica, but all other countries have not always qualified for world cup...USA is actually already soccer nation..in CONCACAF surely.. so I do not see any problem with this competion.. see you in the world cup!!!!..with Klinsi greetings from bltleo Klinsi fan.
Sorry, but you represent the opinion in the rest of the world re qualifying from CONCACAF. It is not that simple!! Fans come into the US team hotel or surround it all night, yelling and screaming and keeping the players awake. The arenas are very small, the crowd very close and they throw stuff like batteries at players or even tug their shirts on corner kicks. Games are far more intimidating than playing in gigantic Euro stadium, even with 70000 fans cheering. In many of the CONCACAF venues there is always the sense, realistic or not, that the players are in imminent danger. Sometimes it comes from the ref; sometimes from the opposing team; sometimes from the crowd and sometimes from all three. In addition, the pitches are commonly second rate so any ball bounce can be a mystery. Plus, many of the players are pretty good. Yes, the US may truly be a world soccer nation already, but as every soccer fan knows, the ball does not always bounce with the logic that fans would have it do. That is especially true in CONCACAF. The difficulties for both the US and Mex should not be underestimated.
Sorry, but you represent the opinion in the rest of the world re qualifying from CONCACAF. It is not that simple!! Fans come into the US team hotel or surround it all night, yelling and screaming and keeping the players awake. The arenas are very small, the crowd very close and they throw stuff like batteries at players or even tug their shirts on corner kicks. Games are far more intimidating than playing in gigantic Euro stadium, even with 70000 fans cheering. In many of the CONCACAF venues there is always the sense, realistic or not, that the players are in imminent danger. Sometimes it comes from the ref; sometimes from the opposing team; sometimes from the crowd and sometimes from all three. In addition, the pitches are commonly second rate so any ball bounce can be a mystery. Plus, many of the players are pretty good. Yes, the US may truly be a world soccer nation already, but as every soccer fan knows, the ball does not always bounce with the logic that fans would have it do. That is especially true in CONCACAF. The difficulties for both the US and Mex should not be underestimated.
The 1990 WC German qualification group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_–_UEFA_Group_4
I'm paraphrasing because I don't recall the interview (maybe someone else can hook us up with a link), but it was just the usual "I have been to difficult places to play and think that we'll be just fine" lip service. I think that he used a deep-eastern European playing experience as an anecdotal example of an equivalent situation. From his most recent interview, it sounds as though he has a new appreciation for it.
Sure, but that doesn't have any relevance to what playing in CONCACAF is like. There are more good teams (and more bad teams), but you don't have the experience of being submerged into the third world, its instability, its uncertainty, and the politics of soccer in places like that. It's a whole different world in CONCACAF.
One is a fight with rules and gentlemen's agreements. The other is back alley fight in which anything and everything will be used as a weapon and have a Ric Flair mentality.
Well once again half the US team is out with injuries. if clint dempsey goes down this will all be unprecedented.
The excuses which you wish to continue to make in advance for a coach who should possess the ability to overcome these obstacles might also be considered unprecedented.
Absolutely. The USA has to go for the jugular, especially now that A&B is a known quantity to Klinsmann and the team, unlike last time. Klinsmann definitely has to hammer home the following message: ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!