FIFA preview. According to Hack, "The group has proved to be harder than we thought." USA needs to win to advance. TIME: 3:00am (EST) REF: FAGUNDES FILHO, Salvio (BRAZIL) TV: ESPN-U, Galavision * Rep to first person who posts a working link to watch online.
At least the matchtracker has it appearing that we are doing well. Would be wonders to actually see the match though.
Hopefully they stick one in before the half...don't want to see them get down by just not getting any good chances to go in.
Freekick from about 3/4 of the field away from goal....ball took a bounce and the Belgium GK, obviously off his line for some reason, got his finger tips on the ball as it went over his head heading for the net.
Belgian #19 sent off! He got the ball but moved his other foot up, which caught the US player in the leg. If that was blatant it's definitely a red.
with all the chances we've had and now belgium a man down, i'm going to be extremely pissed if we can't get a goal. and I think we need at least 3 goals to advance on differential?
The team defense is terrible. The midfielders are completely inneffective at stopping the ball. It ends up falling to the individual defenders to stop the ball. The center mids, especially the one who I think is playing a DM role, are particularly bad. Offensively, it looks like the pieces are there, but they are spacing very far apart. Makes it hard to combine in any meaningful way.
no, a 1 goal win is enough to be better than Korea and Japan for a 3rd place spot (4 of 6 3rd place teams move on)...getting 2nd place depends on the other group match and getting goals would help for that. Is the team technically good enough to take advantage of being a man, or boy, up? Belgium is packing the back like crazy. Just keep getting chances and don't get down.
This team is laughable. The only player who plays with any sort of pace is Williams. Their spacing is terrible. I want them to win, but do I really want to see them lose again in the next round? Nimo is solid technically, but has no tactical knowledge of where to be or where to place a ball. They should have about six goals right now. We haven't heard that before from a US national team before have we.
A lot of standing around in the final third! Too many square passes, no off the ball diagnal runs, no one good enough to make a pass in to space, no one smart enough to make a run in to space. No one with 1v1 skills to make space especially Nimo. This team is hopeless and all Belgium would have to do is bunker and counter with their speed and they can beat us! It is laughable. Jeffries is useless in the midfield, Zimmerman doesn't belong on the roster, Williams should be up top has no crossing ability and the only reason he is half way decent at RB is because of his speed and body type. Garza disappears way too often on the wing. One positive i take away from this match is we are trying to find Nimo more except its too far away from goal, he has to track back too far to get the ball.
C'mon- if we can't score being up a man for 50 minutes, and no goals the entire game...the US kids are the worst quality group in a long, long time {Doesn't mean they aren't GOOD kids...just not that good individually as soccer players and coached poor} Before anyone rails on me, these kids are practically professionals already (so many full-time players....Bradenton is full time to me). They can take the heat for us calling out a poor performace. I'm almost concerned now that we score, advance, give a battling effort (but lose) in the 16, and Hackworth politicized his way to no changes and remarkably no heads roll after this. The only thing that would get me truly inspired again is a drubbing from here (today) and a couple wins- and the team looking much different going forward (production from individual players). Even now, I hate when individual players score 11 v 10. One almost has to discount the achievement, since its not normal soccer conditions.
Finishing has been woeful... Crossing subpar, especially when considering sometimes they are hitting crosses with almost no pressure..and into the stands..The opponent down a man, and we cannot score yet, if we can't do so over 90, perhaps we really do not deserve to be going to the next round....so come on boys, get your finishing shoes on in the dressing room and get back to the field ready to kick some ass...and those with YCs BETTER be careful...
I noticed that too. WTF do they teach down there in Bradenton? The off-the-ball running in the offensive end is atrocious and non-sensicle. The team 'chemistry' is iffy at best overall. We really haven't scored a decent goal from the run of play in 2 1/2 games (11 v 11). We've only had a small handful of decent CHANCES 11 v 11 DURING THE RUN OF PLAY (I'm not talking free kicks, corner kicks). It just shows how little these kids are connecting...
Well, the way I see it, even if they do score the defense isnt good enough to take them very far.. and if they dont, well that just increases the probability Hackworth is fired.. so its a no lose in my book. On the other hand, people on this thread are going waaaay overboard.