Soccer, Sports and Politics - Part Deux

26 WC...
Group B..

USA
FRANCE
ARGIES
SPAIN

Meh...we got this!

 

TBF given our current talent level anything beyond the qf is overachieving.

 

There's no probably about that, No one can get the USMNT to a WC final unless the big teams just absolutely blow it throughout their half of the draw..

The only time the US has made a QF is when Portugal imploded and the US drew a snakebitten Mexico in the R16.

"I don't expect anything beyond a semifinal"... bruh, don't do this to yourself. That team is good for R16 all day and R8 almost no days. The rest of the world did not stop improving just because the US threw money and population into the mix. Hope for another QF first, maybe even a series of good QF appearances.

Better still, hope for the US to become a footballing nation first so the the game's world champion won't be a country that considers the sport an afterthought. Culture, then hardware.

 

At home. U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A

(apologies)

 

What do you mean by this?

 

I mean that just because Portugal imploded and the US drew Mexico in the 2002 R16, it doesn't mean that the newer, better USMNT is going to go further into a tournament after 2024.

IOW, progress for a second or third tier country isn't linear.

 

The question should be what I didn't see in him......I watched him with both PSG and Chelsea and didnt see any real football philosophy with both of his teams. He was all over the place as far as tactics, gameplay and line ups. Beyond that, I didn't see him imposing his authority on his squad either. I know the excuses, those are big egos etc...But that is why he is paid the big bucks.
I will be pleased if he can raise the level of this current US NT but I am not hopeful.

 

It's almost impossible to get past the established powers. Those that did manage occasionally to do that, had both a run of years on an international level AND had players being greatest of that timespan with fellow top level players . Think of Modric/Kevin De Bruyne.
If you havenot got that, forget to get past the usual last 8 suspects.
The USA has a disadvantage that many underestimate. They're not in a competitive environment of a yearly cycle like the UEFA club cup competitions and don't go through the bi-annual qualifying run for Euro/WC.
It's not for nothing the UEFA nations dominate since the new millenium started the last 16/last 8.

 

This...
Portugal was long in the tooth and although Mexico was awesome in the 1st round a different semblance of the team showed up for the US.
'02 was some kinda tournament!

 

That was a great tournament. I remember getting up at undue hours to watch the US NT.

 

My son was an infant at the time, so waking up at odd hours was just par for the course. I remember watching games in the middle of the night bouncing him on my lap.

He’s since become more of a rabid fan of the game than me, maybe that early experience left an unconscious imprint….

 

Anytime Ireland squeaks their way into the cup I enjoy watching them!

 

In what cup?

 

The one that runneth over!

 

With 48 teams I suppose the next World Cup qualifies.

 

Well...you avoided a thrashing!

 

That is the Spurs fan talking now…lol

 

They were in the middle of that snakebitten run thing.

Portugal's age wasn't the issue- they may have been overconfident going into the tournament. I think they took the USA kinda lightly. They mashed Poland and were going to cruise into the R16 with Korea until they needlessly fouled themselves out of a draw in that match.

 

Do you remember Portugal's back line? I do.