quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
Take a deep breath. The USMNT has a few injuries of key players. The important thing is getting in as placement doesn't matter. Get healthy and go USA!

And Costa Rica fielded a team with many 17 and 18 year olds rather than 1st line players. Many of those normal starters would have been suspended if they had gotten a yellow card in this match and would have been unavailable for the far more important playoff game against New Zealand which will decide one of the final spots in the World Cup

The US team should have gotten a draw at a minimum against that side.

Exactly. They were horrible. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall of the US dressing room at half and full time.

I don’t necessarily disagree with the comments above

But when you don’t have to win and just not lose 6-0 it takes the edge off your game.

It was a disappointing game but it didn’t really matter.

Not an excuse but it was the reality of that game.

GO USA!!!

I wasn't able to watch the game so I don't know how poorly everyone played but there were two objectives for the USMNT in that game: don't give up 6 goals and stay healthy. Mission accomplished.

quote:

Originally posted by Pyker:
It was embarrassing to watch. Amateur bush league standard. The US is going to get shellacked if they play like that in the actual World Cup. Substantial improvement is required, but not enough time to do it.

We'll never get anywhere unless and until we start taking soccer seriously and put in the same effort and money to produce players the way the football, tennis, baseball and track and field establishment do. The talent is there, a country our size should be able to find enough great players to slaughter the rest of the world.

Go USA!

You would need a viable professional soccer league in the U.S. and they have tried it several times and the people have spoken. Kind of surprising since soccer is seemingly played by just about every kid, but it might just be the area I’m from.

USA is in Group B with England, Iran and the winner of the postponed playoff for the final UEFA spot: Scotland, Ukraine or Wales.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
You would need a viable professional soccer league in the U.S. and they have tried it several times and the people have spoken. Kind of surprising since soccer is seemingly played by just about every kid, but it might just be the area I’m from.

Trouble here is soccer/football is for the most part a middle and upper middle class pay-to-play sport unlike the rest of the world where football is the ticket out of poverty and dire economic circumstances.

In this country talented athletes looking to better their's and their families' lives look to the NFL, NBA and to a certain extent MLB to become millionaires. Not a lot of soccer balls being kicked around the streets of poor neighborhoods.

Blackmore, kids today, especially inner city ones, break down sports as black sports or white sports. Soccer and baseball were considered white sports, football and basketball were considered as black sports, and some inner city kids simply would not play a white sport and would tell you so. I taught in inner city schools for almost 30 years but the last few years the kids broke it down that way. I had really good black athletes in my P.E. classes take an F in my class rather than participate in an white sport like soccer or baseball. They simply refused to play one of those white sports.

Group B: England, USA, Iran, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine

https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldC...669629018120/photo/1

Here is the draw

image host