"Panama was very good. The Americans, I can't say I was that impressed with them." Canadian U23 Coach Bruce Twamley after watching the U.S.-Panama match. http://www.canada.com/sports/story.html?id=BAB90371-73AC-4350-A89C-9C2704A512B8
hope that quote finds its way into the our U23 dressing room. Nothing like a little kick in the arse before a big game.
I really hope they do game plan their entire defense around Donovan. Because it'll be fun watching their keeper picking up balls out of the back of his net, put their courtesy of DaMarcus Beasley and Convey. And perhaps he was talking about the defense which gave up 3 goals?
Especially about a team that put four goals into the back of the net and won the match. What did his team do?? They not only lost, but could not find the net even once in their match.
Well for obvious reasons he's probably asking the mens team coach (Yallop) how in the hell do we stop these guys.
We're going to shove all those extra e's down their throats, misspelling bastards. Man I have really built up an animosity to Canadians ever since I started posting on these boards. I think I'm so ticked off with them because they act like USMNT fans in 1995.
You know it is possible that we really weren't that impressive, despite the win. Doesn't sound like he was too impressed either.
Wow, the spin on these boards is amazing. Everyone acknowledges that mexico and the US are the favourites, I think Twamley even said so earlier in the week. US blows a 3-0 lead and survives a scare. So there's a 10-page thread about doom and gloom and a whole separate thread about the possible mistakes Mooch made and Twamley says "I wasn't that impressed with the US" and that's incendiary. Neither were you lot apparently. You figure he'd be impressed by a team blowing a three-goal lead? Hey you won, three points, congratulations, we lost and are in trouble, but I don't exactly believe Twamley's talking all crazy. I think it's a fair comment that the US wasn't 'real impressive'. If this is what it takes to get you guys fired up then fine, but I'd hope you'd be plenty motivated already. As for Donovan, he gives props to him for being the best player on the pitch and you turn it into a slight on DMB and Convey? "Man-marking is not an option, says Twamley, because Donovan is so elusive and adept at dragging players out of position." To me that says that we can't over-focus on Donovan because if we follow him all over the pitch we'll be badly exposed. Does that not give credit to the other American players if you read between the lines. Anyway, if we're going talk lockeroom material, does anyone remember what Donovan said after the Canada-US kick about in Florida? And anti-Canada smack from someone from Billings? Nice. cheers, hobbes
Yeah appearently the sporting life doesn't involve just the Leafs and Habs. Oh and those extra u's in humor and rumor are just dumb. Don't get me started on Sportscentre either. But that whole 19yo drinking age thing is pretty cool.
What was he thinking when he said this? I'm impressed with this Panamanian team but not with the team that put four in and beat them??? Is he goingto be more impressed when his keeper is picking goal number seven out of the back of the net. I read this and I want no quarter given. What do you think Landon Donovan thinks when he reads this?
Hobbes - There is no spin. Obviously many of us think the U.S. collapsed in the second half. That's not the point. The point is that, although it might be a fair statement, an opposing coach should NEVER provide critical comments that can be taped up in the opponent's locker room to be utilized as extra incentive - Coaching 101. You bet the Americans are plenty fired up already. This lackadaisical comment, however, has just taken that motivation to the nth degree. Thank you. We'll send postcards from Greece.
Don't forget the American dollar goes a lot farther north of the border. Especially when it comes to the Canadian ballet and Molsen XXX
Wow. Was it incredibly stupid of Twamley to say what he did, right before the match? Yes. Are 99% of the Americans who posted in this thread overreacting? Absolutely. You know a nerve has been struck when grammar smack is brought out. What's the over/under on the amount of time it takes for some moron to say "aboot" or make some reference to lumberjacks? Seriously though, was Twamley supposed to be impressed with the almighty US team blowing a 3 goal lead to Panama? To be fair, it's not like he said he was impressed with his own team's performance. Relax. You'll still make it to Athens, and you can all go back to discussing how the US youth teams are the best thing since sliced bread.
I believe that in order to "blow a lead" a team has to actually lose the game. You guys should be familiar with this concept by now.
You mean like this: I never wanted to do this job in the first place! I... I wanted to be... A LUMBERJACK! Leaping from tree to tree! As they float down the mighty rivers of British Columbia! With my best girl by my side! The Larch! The Pine! The Giant Redwood tree! The Sequoia! The Little Whopping Rule Tree! We'd sing! Sing! Sing! Oh, I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay, I sleep all night and I work all day.
Take off, you hoser! We're not trying to make fun of you backbacon-eating, long underwear and toque-wearing, frozen tundra-living folk, eh? Not at all. But a smart coach does not provide pre-game fodder to an upcoming opponent by spouting his mouth to the media. Why doesn't he play a man down, also? It's almost as stupid. Maybe play in skates? With toques on their heads?
Instead of berating US fans for overreacting (and, truth be told, there IS a little of that going on here), I would think that you Cannuck's should be more worked up about your coach giving his team reason to underestimate their next opponent. Just a thought.
Hey come on now! He was very gracious about Donovan. And he actually said that the rest of the team (including Beasley and Convey) play like that young player from Brazil on AC Milan. But what he should have added was that you fellows are fully deserving of a top 10 FIFA ranking, will undoubtably win the WC in 2010 and that you have a God-given right to a spot in Athens. What was he thinking?? Decriminalizin' pot, gay marriages, not grovelling at the BigSoccer altar to the glory of US youth teams .... it's only a matter of time until we see our 30 million faces on a big giant deck of cards.