Our players don't possess the skill players from other countries do.

 

We just aren't good enough.  We don't have enough speed either (Bradley, Jones, Beckerman and Dempsey are slow).  The ONE thing we do have is height.  We push guys like Cameron and Brooks (6'3"+) into the box on corner kicks.  These little dudes on other teams have trouble stopping that.

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We just aren't good enough.  We don't have enough speed either (Bradley, Jones, Beckerman and Dempsey are slow).  The ONE thing we do have is height.  We push guys like Cameron and Brooks (6'3"+) into the box on corner kicks.  These little dudes on other teams have trouble stopping that.

 

That's why the Germans are usually so dominant. They are big, fast and can play the game.

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If something can corrupt you, you're corrupted already.
- Bob Marley


 

Judging by the way he went down, he won't be back.  Disagree about Johansson.  Jozy although inconsistent is still are most talented striker.

 

The only separating factor with Jozy and the others is the speed. That is where we will hurt now. Not the fear of him finishing. Johannson a better finisher and with the ball.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

Yeah, but as soon as Jozy left the game, Ghana could push three guys to press our defenders on the ball because they had no fear of being beaten over the top. We don't have the skill back to front to pass our way out of that kind of pressure. The USA still needs that physically imposing presence at forward to compete with the best teams in the world. This is why I was upset Eddie Johnson was left off the squad. Johansson and Wondolowski are better players, but EJ fits that vital cog in our system better than either of the other two.

I am with you here. Really wish he'd have been selected.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

The only separating factor with Jozy and the others is the speed. That is where we will hurt now. Not the fear of him finishing. Johannson a better finisher and with the ball.

 

Disagree, Jozy is better at handling the ball in traffic than any of our other strikers.

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Disagree, Jozy is better at handling the ball in traffic than any of our other strikers.

 

Johannsson is probably the best finisher on our roster.  He's not as fast or quick as Jozy, but he can finish plays, something where Jozy has struggled at times.  He's also very inexperienced, but this will really help him in the future.

 

Edit:  I also just read that in 2012, Johannsson scored a hat trick in less than 4 minutes....lol, wow.

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The Netherlands are screwed. The US is screwed. We'll all be back to hating soccer in three weeks.

I feel that a lot of people pretend to care about soccer until the Americans lose...

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This says it all about USA chances.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/...the-money/

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Looking to troll? Don't bother, we supply our own.

 

 

I feel that a lot of people pretend to care about soccer until the Americans lose...

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with that.  People have country pride and want their team to win.  Soccer is a marginal sport at the moment and gaining popularity as the years go on.  Almost 55k at the stadium here proves that.

 

I will watch parts of games when the US is done, but I wont watch all 90 minutes like yesterady.

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This says it all about USA chances.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/...the-money/

 

I think I read somewhere the total value of salaries for the Brazilian players is around $750mm.

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For those who follow international football and know a lot about their system, which is more prestigious, Champions League title or the World Cup?

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The World Cup gets much higher viewership so is probably more "prestigious."

 

However the consensus is that the best club teams are better than the best national teams because they get more practice time together. So the Champion's League is usually considered the 'best' soccer even though it doesn't quite attract as much attention as the world cup.

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the elite club teams are basically all star teams with players from all over the world

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the elite club teams are basically all star teams with players from all over the world

 

Very true, and a major reason soccer has not picked up in America.  The trend has slowed recently, but in the past the better US soccer players leave the country to leave overseas and play, which means they aren't noticable much of the year. 

 

Having the EPL on in the states has really helped getting the game noticed.

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World Cup easily in my opinion, simply because there is a Champions League winner every year. The World Cup only comes around one in four. Plus there is the small matter of national pride. Some people would say club football is more important though.


On the subject of USAs performance last night, I wouldn't get too down on the team. I don't think Ghana are as good as they were four years ago but they are still pretty handy going forward. What your side did show was great defensive organisation and ultimately the ability to grind out a win. I don't know what your commentators were saying about the match, but the English ones were full of praise for the US performance and quite critical of Ghana's wastefulness and poor decision making. You won't win the tournament but an average side can go a long way if it is well organised - look at Italy in the 2006 World Cup or Greece in the 2004 European Championships.

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Well, I know the Champions League is the highest level of soccer competition because of the amount of money poured in each year, but what about the players themselves? Which of the two tournament do they think is more important?


What about Tue hardcore fans, do they see club soccer more portant than world cup?

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World Cup easily in my opinion, simply because there is a Champions League winner every year. The World Cup only comes around one in four. Plus there is the small matter of national pride. Some people would say club football is more important though.


On the subject of USAs performance last night, I wouldn't get too down on the team. I don't think Ghana are as good as they were four years ago but they are still pretty handy going forward. What your side did show was great defensive organisation and ultimately the ability to grind out a win. I don't know what your commentators were saying about the match, but the English ones were full of praise for the US performance and quite critical of Ghana's wastefulness and poor decision making. You won't win the tournament but an average side can go a long way if it is well organised - look at Italy in the 2006 World Cup or Greece in the 2004 European Championships.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I'm really hoping Bradley gets his stuff together so we can see some of the attacking soccer the USA is capable of.

 

Well, I know the Champions League is the highest level of soccer competition because of the amount of money poured in each year, but what about the players themselves? Which of the two tournament do they think is more important?


What about Tue hardcore fans, do they see club soccer more portant than world cup?

 

Like most fan opinions it varies. A lot of people in England care more about the clubs probably because they have the best overall league in the world and haven't had as much success with their national team. In countries without the best leagues but with strong national teams (like us and Brazil), the national team is usually more followed. Fans are fans the world over, they root for geography, but they mostly pay attention and root for the successful teams.

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I am with the majority on Bradley. He did not look like himself yesterday. Need him to play better from here on.

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
;
; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

Well, I know the Champions League is the highest level of soccer competition because of the amount of money poured in each year, but what about the players themselves? Which of the two tournament do they think is more important?

What about Tue hardcore fans, do they see club soccer more portant than world cup?

Tbgh is right - it varies.


FIFA would definitely say the World Cup


Brazillians would probably say the World Cup


A lot of English and Italian fans only care about domestic, league football and really don't care about the national team. But they are in the minority.


I think for most fans and players the World Cup is 'special'. Over here normal tv schedules are ripped up to make room for the matches and the buildup. Fans hold parties, dress up and decorate their homes. You just don't get that sort of excitement for the champions league (which lets face it, really doesn't matter to the large numbers of fans who never see their team qualify)

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World Cup easily in my opinion, simply because there is a Champions League winner every year. The World Cup only comes around one in four. Plus there is the small matter of national pride. Some people would say club football is more important though.

 

This easily.

 

What you have to realize is the difference in numbers. If a team from my country wins the Champions League that's a great result for at most 1 million people. The other 15.5 million don't really care. If the Dutch win the World Cup the country will essentially shut down. 16,5 million people will blow their bloody top.

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