USA vs Ghana (Round of 16) Pre-Game Thread

If they can mark Kwadwo Asamoah and Dede Ayew out of the game, then they WILL win the match. Easier said than done though, especially for Kwadwo.

 

Funny enough, most of the African countries save South Africa didn't even get that much support in the stadia. They were usually outnumbered by their foreign counterparts.

 

That's what I'm thinking. There are lots of Americans there. Anyone who has been to any US games that was a neutral could easily become a bandwagon fan of the US given how we've been screwed and how we've fought. Also, we're used to being the away team when we're away or when we're home or when its neutral ground.
I think the fan situation won't be an advantage for anyone. Especially with the vuvuzelas, its hard to hear cheering anyway.
As for the refereeing, you can bet FIFA isn't going to do anything specifically to screw the US and all the refs have watched their games and will be careful not to be the third on that list. Call me crazy, but I think it will be reffed fairly. If someone misses a call they miss a call, but you won't get any conspiracy theories out of me.

 

love this.

 

I had forgotten it was DMB who first beat his man, then penetrated with head up, then made a great wieghted cross just beyond a defender to a back post run, for Dempsey to finish.

I miss DMB.

 

No changing the rules! This team has had a great cup, and done things that take the US program and reputation forward: winning the group, getting 5 points, going undefeated. Those are huge hurdles.

Now they play without pressure. Now they play with the motivation they were born with ("I always had the fire, didn't get that from no coach...") AND that has been trained into them.
Zero "Well, were disappointed you didn't go farther..." should be directed at them whenever they go out, if they don't win it.

 

Very thoughtful.

Ghana without Essien is not the same team. Yes they are still very tough to beat, but beatable.

The refs have screwed the US beyond the first round (rem: vs the Germs in '02) and they might do it again. I also think we might see a red card? In any case, yellow cards will affect either team (still optimistic it's us) that wins, for the next match. We should be so lucky.

 

Has anyone asked who Freddy Adu will be rooting for?
No? Not even the guy who thinks the USMNT is an MLS based team?

Is BS broken?

USA USA USA! Can't wait for the game. I hope Ghana play well and deserve to be honored as staunch, fair opponents in defeat.

 

Not that he's dead or anything. But, yeah, I miss run DMB too. As a Fire fan I've got a soft spot for him, but he was fun to watch when he was on his game. I'm glad he got to see a few minutes the other day. But it's clear he has been surpassed by other more talented players. And that is a good thing, I think. Not for him, but for US Soccer and for us. I'm glad he's had a pretty good run of a career in Europe.

 

Ref has been assigned, Hungarian Viktor Kassai:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/referees/referee=196381/index.html

 

Is super sauce a banned substance?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y"]YouTube- The Super Chicken Cartoon Theme Song[/ame]

 

i agree, this is gonna be a close match...

could go either way...

decided by red or pk, or goes to pks...

ghana with NO essien is NOT as good as they could be...

this usa is better than 2006...

ghana with all their young kids can get impetuous, and make stupid fouls...

for usa. is it bornstein OR onyewu, you could go either...

i'd start findley, as he might well get behind their rely on speed defense, get taken down and get pk, and red for them...

also, 2 days rest for both....

the longer the match goes, how can maintain their game, especially if it's OT...

 

Here's the perspective from the World Cup: Refereeing forum.

 

How can he possibly be torn in this? I know he has ties to Ghana but he has friends and teammates on the US team. How can he not root for the US?

 

Fatso is also forgetting that the only reason they advanced in 2006 is because of one of the most ridiculas PK calls I have ever seen in the world cup. Should have been Italy and the Czech Republic.

 

Just curious, we've had massive American support this time around but how many of our countryman are still in South Africa? I wonder if many people planned their trip around the 3 known scheduled games and then had to return home for work or whatever.

Do we know that a lot of our support is sticking around for the knockout phase?

 

I can't help recalling with disgust the display Ghana put on in the second half of the 2006 game. All the diving and play acting was simply pathetic. One thing I can say about the US team, we don't do that crap, period.

I wonder if the BB interview in which he specifically brought up this topic was a not so subtle jab at Ghana or at least a reminder to the ref about this tactic.

I also agree with BB's recommendation about how to cure this problem. To have referees review the tape of a game and if they find an obvious dive or simulation, give them a card at that time. I've advocated this myself for a long time. It would make so much sense and be so easy to do that of course it will never happen.

Putting history aside, I have mixed feelings about the quality of this Ghana team. I thought the Serbs were the better looking team up until the red card and they went to ten men. In their game against Australia, I was shocked to see their placid approach to getting the go ahead goal after the Aussies went down a man considering they knew they had to face a wounded Germany in the final game.

However, considering how hard Germany was pushing to win this game, they didn't dominate Ghana and needed a long distance low percentage shot to get the goal. After going down a goal, I thought Ghana looked very dangerous at times against a very good German team. A German team that still managed to dominate play against a solid Serbian side even being down a man.

I think overall, we have a better team and I believe we have the more creative attack. I think if we can avoid conceding early, the longer the game progresses, the better our chances.

 

He said he "can't root against his native country" Slightly surprising to be honest.

 

I'm torn between wanting the USA to win and wanting Ghana to lose.

 

I'm going to go with irrelevant rather than surprising.

Here's to hoping Freddy puts himself in a position where his comments are actually relevant to a Round of 16 match at some point.

 

******** freddy adu. he should be torn on whether to play 5 minutes in cameos in greek 1st division or 45 minutes in the greek second division.

 

I guess if he'd made the 23, he wouldn't be playing in this match

 

Isn't that a "heads I win; tails you lose" statement?