What Two Teams Will Make It Out?

Ronaldo is the problem with the Portugal side...and Argentina has the same problem but has better overall talent and yet less balanced talent than Portugal. He's both not healthy and he has doesn't play for the team the way a great needs to to have success at this level...and frankly, Real won the Champions League this year in spite of Ronaldo...not because.

In the end its quite unfair that Portugal had to play a better team than them from Europe, the best team from North America, and the best team from Africa...while making the semifinals of Euro and losing to Spain on penalties. That's BS for Portugal even if they didn't do better in qualifying, but they beat Sweden who is a lot better than Iceland that the Swiss beat out on the way to getting a seed. This group should never take place...when all 4 sides are fully healthy all 4 are top 16 in the world without a doubt. This group should have had a team like Greece or Bosnia in Portugal's place, but you have to beat who you have to beat and so far Ghana and Portugal haven't shown they can beat top teams, but now one of them will most likely beat a top team.

 

Believe it or not that Iceland team is decent

 

You seem to be obsessed with swallowing German love juice, unfortunately trying to say you know someone who can beat someone else is pathetically weak...but not quite as weak as your obsession with German DNA.

 

I understand where you are coming from. The US was in a better position to get the win. The offense was pretty solid for us even without Altidore. The US is coming along nicely and we will continue to improve. We still have a ways to go, but I can see where Klinsman is going with this team and I think our present looks good but our future looks better.

Ronaldo for all the skill he has, he is lazy on the pitch. You could see it yesterday. He almost seemed disinterested in the match. And when he had good looks he was way off target. Maybe its fatigue from so many matches, maybe he is just accusotomed to being around a loaded team like Real. The only play I saw from him all match was that cross. And it was a beauty.

Anyway, there will be all kinds of talk about this match and so on, but its over and its time now for each team to worry about their next match. And I really have no idea what to expect Thursday. I expect the US to put out their best lineup, but I don't know if Germany will, they hold the GD and I am sure they don't want to risk injury.

As for Portugal v Ghana, I think Ghana wins it 1-0. But I won't count Portugal out. After all this is the World Cup and I don't see them not doing all they can to advance.

 

"decent"...sure that's what we call teams from Europe that aren't good enough. They aren't as good as Sweden though, they aren't as good as Mexico who couldn't qualify out of North America (had to go the home and away) and I don't think they are as good as Burkina Faso who was knocked out in the African final round. European qualifiers are 80% draw and 20% form for the big countries and if Portugal had been in Switzerlands group they would have topped the group and gotten seeded in this World Cup.

 

LOL how dumb do you feel now?

 

You think I should change my mind because USA drew a team missing 2 of the 5 I am talking about plus Ronaldo being at half strength. I would love to have Dempsey and Bradley, but that's about it.

USA is the better "team" Portugal has the better talent. Very simple.

 

That's your opinion. I don't agree.

Talent includes the brain, of which I'd take the brains of every American player before I'd take one from Portugal.

 

This is my point, Portugal has more technically gifted players but also many cry babies and a weak mentality. USA has a few technically gifted players but more-so the right drive and togetherness.

I wouldn't say "brains" are a part of talent, but I would say it's equally important, and for a short tournament it can be even more important as long as you do also have talent, which the USMT does have.

 

You'd also love to have four points. Very simple indeed.

 

I don't agree.

I think that Dempsey, all things considered and having played in Spain in some parallel universe, would be Portugal's starting striker. He has excellent skill.

I think that Beasley, Fabian Johnson, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones, and Michael Bradley would also play on that team.

 

Forgot about Howard, give you that one for sure.

 

do you guys think germany will beat usa on thursday? i'm nervous!

 

This team from 2014, yes, but not the team from 2012, which was the one he was basing his analysis on.

 

I am thinking the US and Germany make it out.

 

So..... With a comment like that, no more "A", "B", "D", "X" team excuses from you guys after losing???
Most common argument from USMNT after losing (especially to Mexico) is, "Well, they beat our 'C' team"
Laughable.
That said, the US should have won that game. Completely outplayed Portugal except for the last 10 seconds. Germany and the US to advance.

 

Well given I do not use that statement about A or B teams then yes, it should not be stated that it was our B team etc. Not when it comes to a WCQ or WC match or any tourney match. I would think a bit of common sense applies when you see a team for any country that doesn't include its top players for a friendly or such that you know it isn't the best team available to field. But then again that is for a friendly.

That's just me though. When you play in a tourney you should have the best team you can put out there out there. If you have injuries or red cards, well the guys you picked to be on the bench should still be the best you have available so no excuses. Injuries and the like happen. We are without our top forward with Altidore, so I expect someone else to step up and play.

And yes, we should have beat Portugal. 2 plays cost us 3 points. A horrendous clearing attempt by Cameron, and to his credit he did pick up his game the rest of the way, and a giveaway by Bradley followed up by a World Class cross and a good finish. At this level you can't make those mistakes and expect to not get burned by them.

Overall so far the US play has been encouraging to watch. That backline had me very worried going into the WC, and they still worry me, but I see improvement and I like where Klinsman is taking this team. Hopefully Thursday we get a W or Draw and move on, I really don't want the US to have to rely on the result of the Ghana v Portugal match to determine their fate.

 

Perspective. We played like crap, but you were one post or a few cms higher lob from Eder to be 2-0 down. The game is not over until the ref blows the whistle, it doesn't matter you were up one minute before or that we were ahead earlier in the game.

 

Portugal didn't play like crap.

The US team imposed their will on the game and took Portugal out of theirs. Klinsmann said that's what the US was going to do and that's exactly what they did.

 

Lol, the levels people will go to elevate their own team. That was one of the worst games Portugal has played in the last two decades. There were players who couldn't even simply trap balls. Our most experienced defender was sitting on the ground playing Dempsey onside for the 2nd goal, too lazy to get his ass up. Portugal played like pure horse crap. You are deluded if you think otherwise.

 

Regardless of your excuses, the US team imposed their will on the game.

It's quite funny because Portuguese fans were just incensed at the thought that American fans could dare to have any sort of belief at all that their team could get a result, and now look at you! You pretend that your team didn't show up.

You guys make it fun to get results from you. We'll go through this exact same thing the next time around and you still will not have learned.

 

Broo Andre ********ing Almeida an attacking midfielder was playing LB and he is right footed and still made Besler his bitch on that assist

The fact that this game was a draw proves how shit your team is

 

Varela a winger at 5'10" looked like a world class striker on that goal is prof to me how rubbish and overrated the US media is making them

 

I pretend my team didn't show up? If Portugal showed up they would have won, end of discussion. What world do you live on? Ronaldo couldn't even get a single shot on target but I'm 'pretending' they didn't show up.

In case you didn't see, we lost 4-0 to Germany in the first game. You should stop pretending Portugal is anywhere near where they should be. If they were, things would go as expected with Germany and Portugal going through.