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Retired US Soccer / World Cup Thread (RIP)

Just watch Xavi as long as he is on the pitch. I don't care where the ball goes. Watch Xavi.
 
BostonDeac said:
USA plays Spain on Saturday. hitting that match up, seeing as how I am pretty much a soccer noob, anything i should be on the lookout/excited for?
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This is actually pretty decent advice, at least for 20-30 minutes in the first half. If you don't know much about soccer, it often seems like players kick the ball around somewhat aimlessly. Following a particular player and, in this case, arguably the player with the best positional sense in the world gives a completely different perspective. You can see when he moves and when he doesn't feel the need to. You can also see the speed at which he moves, whether it be a walk, jog, or sprint. While any player will screw up because they are human, watching Xavi is about as close as you can get to watching a perfect midfielder.

DV's advice was also a bit misleading. If you're watching Xavi, you'll see a ton of the ball anyway, because he touches it almost every 3rd or 4th pass for Spain.
 
Xavi's play is so sexy. Except when dismantling United. Then it's annoying.
 
Nigeria just took the lead on Argentina. Game on espn3

2-0 now from a penalty. This makeshift Argie side is getting torn apart. When Zabaleta is your captain, you're pretty much dicked.
 
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Chucky Blazer un-sacked from his re-sacking!

"I still have my job, very much so," Blazer told INSIDER shortly after Sepp Blatter's re-election as FIFA president in Zurich.

"There is no problem," he said when asked why acting CONCACAF president Lisle Austin was claiming from his Barbados base that he had axed Blazer while the confederation's New York head was firmly disputing the claims.

"The majority of the executive committee has said very clearly that I have a job and they are the only ones who can control it," Blazer, a FIFA Ex-Co member since 1996 told INSIDER.

Asked about the growing divide at the heart of the confederation, he said: "I have always been comfortable with CONCACAF.

"There's an individual who thinks he has more power than he does."
 
3-0. The Argie B team is shit.

Insua was nowhere to be found on the cross to his side of the defense.
 
deacvision7 said:
Chucky Blazer un-sacked from his re-sacking!

"I still have my job, very much so," Blazer told INSIDER shortly after Sepp Blatter's re-election as FIFA president in Zurich.

"There is no problem," he said when asked why acting CONCACAF president Lisle Austin was claiming from his Barbados base that he had axed Blazer while the confederation's New York head was firmly disputing the claims.

"The majority of the executive committee has said very clearly that I have a job and they are the only ones who can control it," Blazer, a FIFA Ex-Co member since 1996 told INSIDER.

Asked about the growing divide at the heart of the confederation, he said: "I have always been comfortable with CONCACAF.

"There's an individual who thinks he has more power than he does."
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GO GO USA! CONCACAF CERTAINLY CLEAN NOW
 
So is anyone else down for watching the US vs Spain match at the BWW in Winston on Saturday? I know Bill Braskey said he would probably be down. I'd like to do it if we could get a few more to say that they are in. If not, then I'll probably just go watch at a friends house or something. Either is fine with me.
 
Timmay!



dv7, since the Timmy-MUFC saga occurred long before I became a regular on the soccer threads here, I'd love to hear your account/take on that period of the USMNT number one keeper's time there.
 
Screamindemon3 said:
So is anyone else down for watching the US vs Spain match at the BWW in Winston on Saturday? I know Bill Braskey said he would probably be down. I'd like to do it if we could get a few more to say that they are in. If not, then I'll probably just go watch at a friends house or something. Either is fine with me.
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Well I'd be down for BWW but the downtown wine festival is this Saturday so I might be down for watching it somewhere on Fourth like Rec. That way I could get a little wine drunk and then walk over to the game. How bout that idea?
 
siff said:
Timmay!



dv7, since the Timmy-MUFC saga occurred long before I became a regular on the soccer threads here, I'd love to hear your account/take on that period of the USMNT number one keeper's time there.
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I heart Timmy so much, thanks for the great video!
 
siff said:
dv7, since the Timmy-MUFC saga occurred long before I became a regular on the soccer threads here, I'd love to hear your account/take on that period of the USMNT number one keeper's time there.
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The main thing you have to understand about the Howard situation is how the club was just cycling thru goalkeepers like new shoes ever since The Great Dane left after the Treble in 1999. First Bosnich, Van der Gouw (I think that's how it's spelled, been so long!) and Taibi. We won the league in 99/00 but that was due to our attack being just so much better than anyone else's. Scary side. 97 goals scored and I think both Yorke and Cole had 20 goals that season, oh, and we won the league by 18 points. The GK play was erratic at best tho with Bosnich being the main culprit. And Taibi was a fucking disaster. Both left that summer.

So in came Barthez and he became the clear #1. What an erratic GK he was! You never really knew what to expect from him. Sometimes he would pull off just sensational saves and sometimes he would just stand there with his arm raised and let the opponent score. That was Barthez. He was good, but you never were quite comfortable with him back there. But he worked for Fergie...for a few seasons at least.

Roy Carroll came in to be the back up after Van der Gouw retired a few seasons later. He was thought to be an up and coming good GK. He ended up sucking, but SAF for some reason was very loyal to him. More on Roy later when we talk about Timmy.

Barthez's contract expired in 2003 after we won the PL again. But he was making so many mistakes, and was getting up there in age, so SAF didn't renew him. This is when Timmy came in.

So that is what Timmy was facing coming in. Lots of turnover in the GK department and lots of talk about how United have never really replaced the great Peter Schmeichel. Not the easiest situation. But his first season he was given the chance in the Com Shield and impressed so he was pretty much the #1 choice. And although our defense was solid-esque we were going thru a transition in our team at the same time Arsenal clicked and chelski got Roman. So the pressure was on. The next season Timmy started making some mistakes at the start so SAF pulled him and put Carroll in. Carroll started making mistakes but Fergie stuck by him. I guess he didn't want to keep switching back and forth.

At the end of the year it was pretty clear SAF had seen enough of both. Carroll left the club and VDS was brought in. After that Timmy never really had a chance.

I do think Howard kind of got a raw deal due to all the turmoil at the position before he arrived, but at the same time he wasn't playing up to expectations so Fergie had to act. He had a fine first season at United, but then he just hit a bad patch of form and never got out of the dog house.

Glad he is doing well at Everton tho. And that little interview was awesome.
 
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