US SOCCER

[clenz]

Yeah...they had 4 corners in extra time? I was just waiting for it to fall apart

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

[∞∞∞]

Yeah...they had 4 corners in extra time? I was just waiting for it to fall apart

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

Same here. Really glad it never happened.

[tribe_pride]

15 corners. Jesus. Credit where credit is due though, the defense bent but never folded. I wish the US didn't play not to lose, but whatever, I'll take the point out of Azteca any day.

Have no problem going for 1 point in Azteca. Against anyone else we should be more aggressive though.

[clenz]

15 corners. Jesus. Credit where credit is due though, the defense bent but never folded. I wish the US didn't play not to lose, but whatever, I'll take the point out of Azteca any day.

Have no problem going for 1 point in Azteca. Against anyone else we should be more aggressive though.

Agreed. There was no aggression from us tonight. It worked to get a point from Azteca, but I don't want to see that anymore

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

[GannonFan]

15 corners. Jesus. Credit where credit is due though, the defense bent but never folded. I wish the US didn't play not to lose, but whatever, I'll take the point out of Azteca any day.

Just par for the course in international soccer and qualifiers - countries almost always play not to lose on the road. It's one reason why club soccer is often much more enjoyable to watch than the international games are. In this case, for the US, it was a very positive result, though.

[EPJr]

The number of call-ups allow Klinsmann the flexibility of managing a roster that features eight players who are one caution card away from suspension. The roster is expected to be pared down following the two international friendlies.

Due to outstanding club commitments (playoffs, domestic and continental cup competitions), several players will be late arrivals into camp.

GOALKEEPERS (6):
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa/England), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton/England), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (8):
DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla/Mexico), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/England), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana/Mexico), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby/Denmark), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim/Germany), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg/Germany)

MIDFIELDERS (10):
Michael Bradley (Roma/Italy), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana/Mexico), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor/Turkey), Stuart Holden (Bolton/England), Jermaine Jones (Schalke/Germany), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht/Belgium), Brek Shea (Stoke City/England), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim/Germany), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (5):
Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar/Netherlands), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna/Austria), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur/England), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna/Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

[MSUDuo]

Wow. What a game! That's how you go on the road and get a win

[clenz]

Wish I'd have been able to see it

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Grizalltheway]

Wow. What a game! That's how you go on the road and get a win

Things are definitely looking up. Still don't see this team really competing in Brazil, but it looks like we'll at least qualify somewhat comfortably.

[MSUDuo]

Wow. What a game! That's how you go on the road and get a win

Things are definitely looking up. Still don't see this team really competing in Brazil, but it looks like we'll at least qualify somewhat comfortably.

Just like we weren't suppose to compete the last 3 WC's?

We will be fine. It will all depend on the draw, just like it always has

[Grizalltheway]

Things are definitely looking up. Still don't see this team really competing in Brazil, but it looks like we'll at least qualify somewhat comfortably.

Just like we weren't suppose to compete the last 3 WC's?

We will be fine. It will all depend on the draw, just like it always has

By compete I mean get out of the group stage. Depending on which group we land in, I'm seeing more of a '06 type result than '02 or '10.

[MSUDuo]

Just like we weren't suppose to compete the last 3 WC's?

We will be fine. It will all depend on the draw, just like it always has

By compete I mean get out of the group stage. Depending on which group we land in, I'm seeing more of a '06 type result than '02 or '10.

Like I said. We "weren't" suppose to in 02 or 10.

We'll agree to disagree. I think this team, when healthy, is our best ever. Altidore is waking up. Dempsey, Bradley, and Zusi are a deadly trio in the middle. Getting Landon back will only help

That stupid left back position though...

[MSUDuo]

Ready for tonight! Pissed that will be working though. Need the 3 points

[GannonFan]

Just the fact that the WC isn't in Europe gives us a better shot at a decent result (ala get out of the group stage and maybe even win another game). The European teams tend not to do well outside of the Continent as well as outside of their normal time zones. Doesn't mean we're going to go far, but we should at least be able to avoid a bad outing.

The team is looking good right now - I like how the youth is starting to assert itself on this team - you don't win in many sports with older players, and soccer is no different.

[MSUDuo]

We will need a favorable draw like in 2010. If we can get an European team that we match up with, like England, then I like our chances

[Grizalltheway]

We will need a favorable draw like in 2010. If we can get an European team that we match up with, like England, then I like our chances

Yeah, if we end up in the group of death a la 2006, I think we're pretty much screwed.

[MSUDuo]

If we can...

Avoid Argentina, Brazil, Colombia or a team we've beaten in the past 5 years, we could be left with Croatia, Netherlands, and Portugal from Pot A. Give me Portugal.

If we could avoid an Ecuador, Chile, or Uruguay or Ivory Coast, Ghana, or Algeria from Pot C, we could be left with Egypt or Tunisia (or who ever else qualifies). Give me Egypt.

If we avoid Italy, Russia, Belgium, or England from Pot D, we could have Switzerland, Bosnia, Greece, France. Give me Greece or Bosnia.

I would love a group of Portugal, USA, Egypt, and Greece.

The above is purely hypothetical based on the prognostications I pulled together tonight. All happens between now and Wednesday.

[MSUDuo]

Big game tonight! We've got a toe in the door to Rio. Get three points tonight and we can stick a full leg in.

[tribe_pride]

Big game tonight! We've got a toe in the door to Rio. Get three points tonight and we can stick a full leg in.

Leg is now in on a night where we weren't great but did enough to win. Getting 9 points in June was huge.

In September, hopefully we qualify. We go to Costa Rica first who is 2nd in the group and I think 2 points behind us and then Mexico will be hungry for redemption in Columbus. Getting 4 points out of those 2 games would be nice as 17 points should be enough to qualify.

If not, we will be home versus Jamaica and at Panama (currently the last 2 teams in the standings) for the final 2 games of qualifying in October.

It's nice to be leading the group with 6 matches completed and 4 to go.

[MSUDuo]

Pack your bags for Brazil with the following on Match Day 7 in September

USA win
Honduras/Mexico draw
Panama draw or loss

[GannonFan]

Pack your bags for Brazil with the following on Match Day 7 in September

USA win
Honduras/Mexico draw
Panama draw or loss

It would be nice to secure a spot in the World Cup before the last pair of matches in October. We always seem to have to go down to the last game before we know for sure. Granted, it's a 6 team round robin, so there's sometimes only so much of a gap that can be developed, but it would be nice to have the last games mean nothing for the US.

[MSUDuo]

No doubt. Having 2-3 extra games to treat a as friendlies would be huge for JK and Co. We need all the games we can use to find that last diamond in the rough somewhere

[tribe_pride]

Especially since we have about 8 or 9 guys with a yellow and a second will put them out for the following game. (FIFA has always wiped the slate clean once the WC finals start)

By the way that rule should change. 2 yellows in 1 game is ok to suspend a guy for the following game but over a period of a number of games, it should be 3 or 4 before the suspension kicks in.

[DSUrocks07]

Rumors are flying that the World Cup in 2014 may be relocated to the US due to the protests and rioting going on in Brazil.

FIFA deny Confederations Cup could be cancelled as fears grow for 2014 World Cup in Brazil

FIFA have denied suggestions that they are set to cancel the Confederations Cup in Brazil amid whispers that the possibility of the 2014 World Cup being moved to the United States are growing.

"To date, neither FIFA nor the LOC (local organising committee) have ever discussed any such possibility," read a FIFA statement reacting to reports that the current Confederations Cup could be abandoned due to the protests engulfing Brazil.

Meanwhile, fears that Brazil could lose its host nation status for next summer's World Cup are increasing - with reports in the Brazilian press intimating that the tournament could be moved to the United States of America over increasing safety concerns such as protesting and riots.

Protests in Brazil - expected to number around a million people - across eighty different cities have cast a shadow over the country's hosting of the Confederations Cup this summer.

The tournament is a warm-up event ahead of next summer's World Cup, which will see the world's football attention fix on the South American nation.

Brazil's Rio-based newspaper O Globo suggests an extreme scenario could rear its head that sees the competition move north to the US as worries about a World Cup in Brazil increase.

According to reports, visiting footballers on international duty at the Confederations Cup - which started last weekend - have been robbed, while vandalism from protesters is said to have destroyed parts of the country's equivalent of the American White House - the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations.

Observers are now intimating that FIFA could be pushed to consider transferring the World Cup next summer to the United States, as problems in Brazil show no signs of abating.

O Globo social columnist Ancelmo Gois today wrote that: "It could be exaggerations but some members of Brazil's Football Confederation fear the [World] Cup will be transferred to the USA due to the protests.

"Foreign workers for FIFA who were in Salvador (northern Brazil) were frightened, [as] their hotel was attacked by protestors.

Let this occur and the US makes a run to the final. If you think complaining and hatred about the Miami Heat was bad...oh boy.

[∞∞∞]

I'm planning to head down to Brazil next year, but I'd be MORE than happy if the World Cup moves here!