Poll: How do you look at the US

Tim Howard had the world-class professional experience by playing for Manchester United. There are only two players I can find that have the world-class professional experience on the US squad that are playing for legendary European clubs. Everyone else on the US team is either playing for MLS, one of the most mediocre football leagues in the world, or mediocre European clubs, some of them have not even attained legendary status even though they have had a rich history (of losing!)

How are my posts ignorant? I still believe that the US is a mediocre team, and has little chances to make an impression in the world of football, and left very little impression so far. The only US team that was able to make an impression was the women, which actually won. The US has had an iffy record against Rising teams (like Poland and Mexico) and near-dismal records against Powerhouse (Serbia and Montenegro, Sweden) teams in the past. They need to beat numerous Powerhouse teams and Rising teams and make it to the semifinals in order to get my rating as a Rising team. If it the price for it has to be beating near-legendary and legendary teams as well, so be it.

 

Not sure how to read this.....

either it's "no way you won".......in which case you're in denial and you're blocking the 1-0 USA win over Poland on March 1 from your memory.....

or it's "no way....you won and"......in which case I would reply that we didn't have our best team either and we still won.

You really should learn how to write.....you know, using proper punctuation, etc.

 

This is how your posts are ignorant....

Tim Howard doesn't have world class experience because he's sitting the bench and not playing. It's better (and you get more experience) if you play for a mediocre team than if you just sit the bench for another team (no matter how great or legendary).
And don't forget, it was these players playing for MLS teams and mediocre Euro sides that got us so far in the last World Cup.

And, your ranking system is completely idiotic. Some of us have already hashed it out with you over that one. We have beaten plenty of the teams you cite and you still don't give us our due.

You have a right to your opinion, but your opinion is based on nothing other than reputations and stereotypes and no facts whatsoever. And even worse, when you're proven wrong, you seem to just go on repeating the same old nonsense as if you hadn't read what we just said. If you want to think we're wrong, that's fine, but you'll have to bring forth facts to win the argument. You've only succeeded in being proven to know nothing about what you're saying.

 

It's better to be on a winning team than on a team that consistently loses. Manchester United has more experience with winning tham losing. They know how to win matches better than the mediocre European teams and they have shown that consistently. It also made them a legendary club as well. Tim Howard still gets to train with the best, and is coached by the best. He actually does play. Kasey Keller trains with a mediocre team, which mostly has mediocre players, and cannot really learn from them, because they are too mediocre to not have the world-class professional experience. Sure, Keller plays a lot, but does his club win? No.

Idiotic? So you do not consider Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France and England to be Legendary teams? Spain and the Netherlands Near-legendary?

The US is still a mediocre team. Have they beaten Legendary or Near-legendary teams? Extremely rarely, showing that they are clearly superior. Have they beaten Serbia and Montenegro? They could not, due to the team's aggressive nature, its thirst for vengeance, making it a Powerhouse team. Have they beaten the Czechs in the past? No, and the Czechs are known to be a Powerhouse team that plays aggressively as well, and if they play the US, their players can't defend well and will get knocked over by Nedved and their 6'8 forward Koller. Have they beaten Ecuador? Their record against a mediocre South American team is dismal. The US can't beat Jamaica, a mediocre team. Can they beat teams in Europe? Unless the team does not have a full squad like when the US beat Poland. If the US played Poland's full squad, Poland would have proven itself to be no pushover, and would have been defeated the US, just like what happened in 2002. The US has had a terrible record in European World Cups. They were clearly beaten by 2 Powerhouse teams and a Legendary team in 1998. The only teams that the US were clearly able to beat were pushover teams, making them a mediocre team.

If the US can make it to the semifinals of this World Cup, AND if US can beat (not lose, not draw, but beat) EVERY team that's greater than a pushover team all the time (but lower than a Near-Legendary team) AND if they earn a lot respect and honor of every Legendary or Near-legendary team, I'll give you your due.

Stereotypes and reputations huh? If the US plays the Czechs, who clearly has the more stronger and aggressive squad? The Czechs. The US may have fast runners, but will they ever play more aggressively than the Czechs? I highly doubt it. If the US plays the Italians, who clearly has the better squad with every player having world-class professional experience and are the best trained? The Italians. The best trained teams armed with the most world-class professional experience will beat the team that has less. The US has had a dismal record when facing teams like that, and there's no doubt that the US only has a 15% chance of not losing to Italy. Italy has an 85% chance of beating (not losing, not drawing but beating) the US.

Who will have the advantage in terms of fan support? Both the Czechs and the Italians because when the US plays them, they will face a lot of hostilities. The Americans will have a hard time finding support, because there will be more Czech fans than American fans when the US plays the Czechs. I would say 85% Czech fans, and only 15% American. There will be more Italians as well.

By the way, according to one source, Mexico is slightly more favored to win the World Cup compared to the US, which shows that the US might not be good as Mexico. And Mexico's league is much more experienced than MLS.

 

well im speechless . Kasey Keller is crap because his team doesnt win every game . Sure , the rest of your post means nothing after that .
Serbia is a powerhouse cause we havent beaten them ? Tell us the last time we played them .

 

how can people say that the US doesn't have a chance against Czech Republic? Italy i can see some people being somewhat ignorant about CR are the most overrated team i have ever seen in my life. no way on earth are the 2nd best team in the world. they have Portugal & France 02 written all over them. Koller hasn't played in forever and will most likely not have the fitness. Nedved and Poborsky are aging fast and i don't think Nedved is going to be able to keep up with Beasley/Dempsey and Cherundolo raping that side. Baros relies too much on other players. the one player that scares me is Rosicky. i am confident in when i say i fully expect the US not to only beat the Czech Republic but to do it with style. now, that doesn't mean we are guaranteed to beat them but i feel like the US is definately the favorite.

Italy scares me though. If you were to ask me who the favorite to win the world cup i would say it's Italy and not Brazil. Brazil has the forward and creativity presence but i think they're a little too arrogant and i think they'll fall sometime late in the WC. Brazil's defense is not good at all. Dida is the best brazilian goalkeeper probably ever, but he's no Schmeichel. i don't think he's going to save the weak Brazilian backline. i'm not saying Brazil can't win the world cup because they're still a favorite, but i think they've got more competition than they think. however, i think the US can beat anyone on any given day.

if you don't think the US has talent than you're out of your mind:
Keller-one of the best GKs in the world. not only mentioning he's extremely experienced in the WC
Hahnemann-has been in great form and was one of the major driving force to Reading's domination of the english championship.
Howard-don't forget EPL gk of the year when he was like 24 and he'll be our third gk.
Cherundolo-one of the best RBs in the world. he has tremendous speed and if you underestimate Dolo than that's a recipe for failure
Onyewu(Goochzilla)-will be the best CB in the world in 2010. he's just too big, strong, mean, athletic, and smart not to be. i have a strong feeling that this WC is going to be his ticket to bigger and better things.
Gibbs-ask RVN. Baros will be his little puppet. he's got great athleticism and brains.
Pope-going on his third WC and has started to return to his old form that made him so great in 2002.
Lewis-i'm surprised he hasn't been more successful in the club levels because he's solid and has a wicked cross.
Hejduk-he's not the greatest player ever, but he knows how to neutralize big players with his athleticism and tenacity. also, had great success in two world cups and is still in great shape to add on top of his experience.
Beasley-people who win the Silver ball in the U-17 tournaments don't necessarily turn out to suck. he might not have the greatest size, but he's going to burn people with his speed.
Dempsey-he's not our greatest player ever, but i dare anyone to underestimate him. he's very creative and has great ball skills.
Reyna-has had some injury problems but has tremendous passing abilities and will connect with our counter attacks. there's a reason why Man City were a contender for a top 5 EPL team when he was playing and now they've drop dramatically.
O' Brien-like a 2nd Reyna. both of them might not be completely match fit but at least the two can interchange. he's a great holding mid and if you don't think so look at his play in 2002.
Mastroeni-he has the tendancy to be able to take big players out of the game completely. i really think he can man-mark Totti and completely destroy his game.
Donovan-if we get a healthy, match-fit Reyna/JOB then look out for Donovan. he's has taken a lot of crap but the fact is if he starts getting the service of a JOB/Reyna than that is going to maximize his playing abilities to the fullest. also, players who win golden balls in world tournaments don't tend to suck.
Convey-he has been playing in great form lately and his blaring with confidence and poise. he's definatley contending for the starting LM spot because of his ability to take the ball from the left side and drift towards the middle. if you underestimate him than he's going to take advantage.
McBride-one of the greatest players in the air in the world. also, he's scored in 2 different world cups already and he's in the best form ever.
Johnson-if he regains his form before he got injured than he's going to be very dangerous. don't forget golden boot winner of a World U-17 tournament on his resume.
Wolff-he's been on a scoring drought as of recently, but he knows how to create space for other players with his speed and skills.
Twellman-he's a good poacher and could be dangerous coming off the bench late in the game.

 

This article was published today...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/04/17/profile.usa/index.html

There is barely a chance that the US will advance to the knockout round. Even the American oddmakers say...

Italy - 10-1
Czech Republic - 28-1
USA - 96-1 (seems like they copied the BBC odds, which is 100-1)
Ghana - 250-1

You did not read my post carefully. Serbia is Powerhouse team not because the US did not beat them. Serbia is a Powerhouse team that plays very aggressively and physically, thirsty for vengeance, and can beat every pushover team, rising team and other Powerhouse teams as well.

Players are responsible for the team's outcome, and Kasey Keller's club cannot win every game, and is a mediocre team. I did not say tat Kasey Keller is crap, I think he's just not a great goalkeeper compared to world-class professionals. If Kasey is so talented, how come he's not playing for teams like Chelsea, Manchester United, or Liverpool? He could even play for Arsenal if he's that talented, but we have better goalkeepers so I highly doubt that Arsenal wants to buy him.

My post means nothing? If the US is beaten by the Czech Republic and Italy, and can't advance, the US will realize that they really are a mediocre team and they truly suck at football, and the only teams that they can really beat are pushover teams.

 

my take on the US..

Tactically they are a good team and well disciplined, you can thank Bruce Arena for that.. they never quit.. so you have to make sure your up by 2 goals.. cause they manage to score quite a bit after the 90th minute..

they are not as talented as the Italians or the Czechs but they more than make it up in spirit when the team is ''ON''. If their midfield is muddled or disoriented than its going to be a shooting gallery and they will get killed. I dont believe this will happen.. I expect close games.. but do not expect the US to win out against the afore mentioned teams..

If we had an intl league playing 30 game seasons.. I would see the US as mid low team.. (depending on the competition of course).. but since this is a short tournament anything can happen.. maybe they'll win all 3 games 1-0..

you just never know..

 

I'll take a stab at this.

GK - Kasey Keller - Borussia M'Gladbach: great positioning and good command of the box. The US #1 keeper for a long time.

FB - Frankie Hedjuk - Columbus Crew: Fast and aggressive(although sometimes too aggressive on tackles), makes dangerous runs down the sidelines.

CB - Oguchi Onyewu - Standard Liege: He has size and deceptive quickness. He is a beast, although untested in WC calibre type games.

CB - Ediie Pope - Real Salt Lake: When on form he is the best CB the US has. Vetern player who is not often caught out of position.

FB - Steve Cherundolo - Hannover 96: Good crosses.

Midfield - Damarcus Beasley - PSV Eindhoven: Speed. Wins a lot of free kicks. His final ball needs to be improved though and somewhat found out as a one trick pony.

Midfield - Pablo Mastroeni - Colorado Rapids: Very solid. Always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes holds the ball to long for my taste.

Midfield - Claudio Reyna - Manchester City: The US attack goes through him. His ball distrubutuion and contol of the play is top notch.

Midfield - Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy: Deep runs from midfiled to attack and a great passer. He is quick and the arguably the best player the US has.

CF - Brian McBride - Fulham FC: Great in the air and a good target man. Can hold the ball well.

Striker - Eddie Johnson - Kansas City Wizards: Very quick. Likes to go at people. Strong when on the ball.

I left out players like John O'Brien since he just came back from injury and who knows if he will be fit to play. Also it is probably a toss up between Convey and Beasley who will get the start at left midfield. Also there is Ediie Lweis who might be a starter at defense, although I'd rather him play midfield. So many choices for Arena at midfiled it is crazy.

 

SO serbia is a powerhouse team because they are physical ? That is the worst classifying of a team I have ever seen . So serbia can beat any pushover team? so can we . So are we now powerhouses ?
Just because Kasey Keller does not play at a g14 club does not mean he is not a good goalkeeper . He has been consistently looked at as one of the best keepers in Germany . The Bundesliga is not short on good keepers either .
But if the US happens to lose to two teams which people think very highly of , and people are betting to win the whole world cup , the US must be bad then .
Geeeeeeeez

 

No, because the US has not beaten EVERY mediocre team, rising team and powerhouse team, and should have a good record (not a dismal one) against Near-legendary teams, but fall short against Legendary teams. That would make the US as a Powerhouse team but they will also have to make it to the semifinals of this World Cup as well to earn that rating. Plus, what makes the US so different from Serbia is that Serbia is more aggressive, and thirsty for vengeance compared to the US.

The G14 clubs are the best of the best and are legendary. If Keller plays on a G14 team, I will recognize that he is talented. If he is consistently looked at as one of the best keepers in Germany, how come he does not play for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, or even Bayer Leverkusen?! That means that those teams are not interested in buying him, and that means he's not talented enough to be on those teams, making him not really a great player after all.

 

What has Serbia done in the last twenty years that have put them down in your book as a powerhouse team ? How many World Cups and European Championships have they played in ? How many games in these tournaments have they won ? Why are they so thirsty for vengence ? Probably because they have qualified for a major tournament in years . What major teams have the Serbians beat to make them so good ? Just because their defense showed good in qualifying doesnt mean they are a powerhouse team .
Id say playing for years abroad for teams in England and Spain and Germany make you a quality keeper . G14 clubs cant have 5 keepers , and just because Kasey Keller doesnt play at Chelsea does not mean he isnt good .

 

Serbia has been labelled numerous times as an "enemy" to Western Europe due to its recent history. Now they are tired of being condemned by Western Europe, and now they want honor restored to them. That's why they are thirsty for vengeance because they feel oppressed, even though their nation was an oppressive one in the past. They have beaten every mediocre team in Europe and are pretty even with other Powerhouse teams as well. They have the weapons to bring down Near-legendary and Legendary teams as well, and their players are very aggressive, and filled with vengeance, and that's what makes them a Powerhouse team as well. They also made it to the European Championship Quarterfinals in 2000. Serbia is no pushover and definitely not mediocre. If they played the US, they will beat them, because they want vengeance for what the US did to them (remember 1998?) in the past (even though their state was the oppressor), and they will play aggressively, so aggressively that the US defense will be weakened.

The best teams look for the best players, and why does Keller does not play for Chelsea? Because he is not good enough to play, and is good enough to play for a mediocre team rather than a legendary team.

 

OK so Serbia is a powerhouse cause they want to prove themselves and want vengence ? Well there is no team that wants to prove themselves more than the US . But the Serbians play aggressively , therefore they would beat the US . Yup , whatever you say . You need to watch some real soccer before you start throwing out stereotypes when talking about why a team is a '' powerhouse '' . LOL but their players are '' filled with vengence '' which makes them such a strong team .
So in the qualifying stage , Serbia won their group , but how many '' legendary ''teams did they beat ? None . They tied Spain both times ( Spain , who I dont consider legendary ) They did beat Belgium once, but Belgium is not that good , and they tied them 0-0 also . Most '' powerhouse '' teams usually have a very good offense , but Serbia only scored three goals against the decent teams of the group . They scored their other goals agains the mighty San Marino and Lithuania .


Just beacuse Chelsea has not bought Kasey Keller does not mean he isnt quality . Other teams have to have good players also ...

 

What about the Double - D combo of Donovan and Dempsey?

Or he M & M combo of McBride and...ummm, I mean the JJ it's dynomite! connection of JOB and GAM.

Don't forget about Two-T - Taylor Twellman, a double threat name but only one guy.

I will consider Italy to be rising when they flopping and falling and cheating - the match between them and Czech is going to be funny with all their theatrics.

 

ac doesn't think logically - you can throw all the facts and reason at him, but it won't help. That or he's a good troll that's really wound everyone up. Either way, might as well quit discussing with this idiot.

 

Strange conclusion? Keller is ranked as the #2 goalkeeper in Germany... http://www.soccertimes.com/americans/2005/dec26a.htm

 

Fans: Overrate them
Media: Underrate them

 

Perhaps, but I think everyone should appreciate the fact that the Group E has the #2 and # 5 ranked teams in the world as well as a juggernaut known as "Italy". It's a great group regardless of public/media perceptions of strengths and weeknesses....we'll all see who is overrated and who is underrated in a few weeks.

I think with this group in particular people are over-emphasizing individual offensive big name European talent and are under-emphasizing the role of 3 very good coaches and 3 very good goal keepers all 6 of whom I believe will have a decisive impact on the group outcome. (Ghana being a bit of an unkown for me, Essian notwithstanding.)

 

Based upon FIFA rankings - Highly Overrated
Based upon the average European fan - Underrated
Based upon a fan who knows world soccer - someone to be feared

 

Based on big game performance - A titanic question mark.

 

you'll get a lot of dissention over this. but here's my opinion.

GK - Kasey Keller - Borussia Mogdengladbach.
Excellent shot blocker, but an average to below average distrubter. Only rarely will let a mental mistake beat him but once in awhile gets caught out of position. He's got the respect of his defenders and he's very vocal. Commands the box well. He can be streaky. If he's on - he can carry USA. You won't get too many easy goals off of him.

Steve Cherundolo - RB - Hannover 96
The Vice Captain of his club. He's not very athletic with just average pace forh is position. Small to. He's got excellent skill on the ball and fine technical ability and a good dribbler. He'll create problems for any side going forward. Defensivly he's a good position player but because of his small stature you can muscle past him or beat him in the air. A relaiable player for USA and one of the better ones.

CD - Oguchi Onyewu - Standard Liege
A dominant Center Back. Widely reconized as A1 in Belgium for his position along with wunderkind Vincent Kompany. He's bigger and stronger than most Centerbacks int he world yet he's still fast. His weakness is that his feet aren't the quickest so in short terms places a forward might be able to get to a ball a bit quicker than him. He has no other real weaknesses even though at the Club level he seesm to have a tendancy to collect cards. He'll shut down any big forward. He's probably the brightest star on the side.

CD - Eddie Pope - Real Salt Lake

A cagey veteraran who's lost some pace. He's still got it mentall however and he won't panic or make the mental mistake. He;s still strong in the air and you a very good 1v1 defender. But susceptible to the long ball at times. Again, he'll casue problems for a wily forward like Milan Baros who depends on outwitting opponents.

CD - Cory Gibbs. - ADO Den Haag
The Man I suspect will start against Italy. He's another big, strong, fast defender. He's shown he can play against the best and shut them down as he showed recently against Dirk Kuijit of Feyenoord. You won't beat him in the air. A bit weak mentally IMO.

LB - Eddie Lewis - Leeds United
A converted Winger. I don't know how he'll do defensivly because he hasn't been tested yet. Going forward he's probably USA best crosser. Got nice left footed shot and is a good Set Piece taker. Not very pacey and won't beat people on the dribble 1v1.

CM - Claudio Reyna - Manchester City
Classy, strong on the ball, fantastic passer of the ball. Either our best or 2nd best player. Vastly under rated by most USA fans because he's not a flashy player. He'll be our key against the strong midfields of the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana.

CM - John O'Brien - Chivas USA
A better version of Reyna. a little more skillful, and USA's best passer. No real weakness as a central midfielder. Brilliant mentally and techincally. Unfortunatly, he's in a race to regain fitness and form.

Destroyer - Pablo Mastroeni - Gritty, strong, and a pitbull in the defensive midfield. Won't provide much goign forward but that's not in his role. He's athletic to so he won't tire out easily and he'll be able to cover alot of ground. Not sure when he'll play.

LM - DaMarcus Beasley - PSV Eindhoven

DMB has has a bit of an up and down year for PSV. He's a player who brings great pace to the field. But his touch is inconsistent. When he's feeling confident, he can take over a match with his ability to twist the shape of an opposing side with his mazy runs. Plays excellent one touch soccer and makes good off the ball runs to get himself open. As a finisher, he's average but consistent. Rarely flubs an open shot, but doesn't have a great deal of power to his shots. he's a finesse finisher. His technical abilites are average at best. Will cross the ball, but not always effectivly. He's a gamebreaker because of his pace.

RM - Bobby Convey - Reading
An excellent technical player playing with a ton of confidence. Germany had a load of trouble in containing himm as Convey was consistently able to beat his man on the run. A great crosser, and an impriving finihser with very good vision for runs on and off the ball. His only real weakness is that mentally he takes leaves of absences at times in that he attacks too much and won't alwatys put the effort in defensivly or will leave the defender behind him on an island. He and Beasley would probably switch sides fairly often.

CAM - Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy
I think everyone knows about him. His strengths are basically anything you want out of an attacking midfielder. Touch, vision, fantastic passing ability, great runs, you name it. He's barely an avaerage defender however and he doesn't always work to get open for his central midfielder. The more you frustrate him, the more he goes into a shell off the ball. If he's seeing the ball alot, the opposition is in trouble. He has the ability to take over a match by himself. and win it.

FW - Brian McBride - Fulham
A classy vetreran target forward. He's a great link man because he's so dominant in the air. A consistent finisher inside the box. He won't beat players on the ground, won't create his own shot. He's the ultimate role player at forward and he's got a fantastic work rate.

 

Appoo has correctly identified the Conventional Wisdom on our 13 best players.

I would add 2 side notes:

1. Eddie Johnson - an MLS player could have an impact as a fast powerful striker with good reflexes in the box. He hasn't had much of an impact in the last year ....but also he has not been healthy and has not played with a full strength US squad in a year....If given service, (and that's a big if) he could pose a lot of problems for defenses at the World Cup.

2. Clint Dempsey - another MLS player is a creative midfielder and weaves most of his magic on the dribble. He's not a great passer but has a knack for beating defenders and has a knack for goal as well...having put up goals against England and Poland in the last year. Look for him to have an impact for the USA.

 

Dude - lay off the video games. There is no setting in World Cup play for Easy/Normal/Heroic/Legendary. Whatever you're selling, nobody's buying.

Too bad they didn't have THE TRIPLE R THREAT when Pele was playing. Then he could have pushed up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-a-b-b-a and unleashed them on the Koopa Troopas. That would have been integral to Pele winning a World Cup or two.

How do you spell and punctuate so well for a six year old? Mods - aren't there any restrictions against sock, six year old spelling bee champions trolling BS?