Group E
7 a.m. ESPN. Ghana-United States
7 a.m. ESPN2. Czech Republic-Italy
What has happened thusfar
Group E preview
Day 4 random thoughts
Day 9 random thoughts
Where things stand
| Team | Pts | W | L | D | GD |
| | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 |
Ifs & buts, candy & nuts: Damn, this might take a while, and if you want the short version then just know that each team can either go through or go home depending on how each game shakes out. Italy need only a draw to advance; with a win they will top the group. Czech Republic win the group with a wn over Italy; they will also go through as the 2nd place team if both matches end in a draw (which as I said earlier would be total BS since they got their asses handed to them by Ghana). A loss and they are out no matter what happens in the other match. If Ghana beats the US then they are through, as group winners if CZE-ITA ends in a draw or in 2nd place if CZE-ITA has a winner. Ghana go through in 2nd place with a draw if Italy beat CZE, but if they draw and the other match has a winner then they are out. A loss and they are out no matter what. The US are the only team in the group who are not guaranteed to go through with a win. To go through they need a win plus an Italy win over the Czechs. Basically damn near anything can happen. Holy shit. Got it?
Ghana-United States.
I wonder what emotions Ghana-born, US bred, and the next great hope for US soccer Freddy Adu is having today as he prepares to watch his two nations battle for World Cup survival.
If the US is going to win, they will need goalkeeper Jim Furyk to have a man of the match type performance, where the ball is Superman, the net is a beautiful damsel in distress, and he is kryptonite.
I'm not hating on the US, beacuse they are a compelling story and I was really impressed with their performance against Italy. That being said, I pimped Ghana before the tournament, then after they played Italy close but lost I told you that they would beat the Czechs and the US and go through. They were kind to make me look smarter than I am, and from what I have seen there is no reason to change my story now. Ghana will beat the US because they are better and have played considerably better over the first two matches.
Yes they are missing 2 offensive players, but more importantly the US are missing two key defensive cogs, a starting centreback (Pope) and the starting defensive holding midfielder (Mastroeni), whose likely replacement, John O'Brien, might not be fully fit. Ghana will be less affected by their losses even though lots is being made that both dudes scored against CZE. They still have quality players who can put the ball in the net, and replacement striker Pimpong looked very dangerous as a substitute against CZE, even if it was against 10 men. Also, playing the 2nd half with 9 men likely left the US a bit tired physically but more importantly may have been emotionally exhausting, while Ghana come in confident and comparatively less tired off their thrashing of CZE, where they played the last 30 minutes with a man advantage. Finally, Ghana have demonstrated that they can score goals, whereas USA's leading and only scorer is Italian defender Zaccardo.
I'll take Ghana to beat the US 2-0 or 3-1. What I least want to happen is for the US to beat Ghana AND for Italy to get a result against Czech, which would send ITA and CZE through and USA and Ghana home, and piss me off greatly.
Ghana 2-1 United States.
I didn't articulate this very well in the pregame show, but what I wish could have happened was for the US and Ghana to go through. Unfortuantely this was the only scenario that was not possible, so I figured no matter what team made it through I would be happy.
The match was even and a draw would have been a fair result. Yes the penalty was soft, but although it changed the complexion of the match, in the end it technically did not matter as a draw would have seen the same teams go through. The US goal was brilliantly taken, and McBride's diving header off the post would have been as well.
Party time in Accra, until they realize that
they get Brasil next and Essien is suspended
Full credit to Ghana, they did what they had to do. And if you are pissed at that call, don't blame them blame the referee. I will also say that Ghana did not play as well as they did in the first two matches. Part of that is in the 2nd half they did not need to go forward, because the US would have to score 2 goals to knock them out. That being said, they were a bit too Italian in the last half hour, with the time wasting and rolling around - disappointing. If I am going to get mad at Italy's incessant anti-Joga Bonito, then I have to be consistent and criticize Ghana, even though they are a guessed cinderella that came good.
The Black Stars made Kanu look
much smarter than he actually is.
The US may feel hard done by today, but the truth is that 1) they didn't lose it today, they lost it last Monday against CZE with an inexplicably listless performance 2) this, not the much heralded group C, was the group of death, and the US were unfortunate to be drawn into it 3) the team played way too defensive in their 1st and 3rd matches {Italy was about hanging on for dear life}, especially today, where they didn't really show any urgency or desperation until the last 25 minutes.
Blame the players or blame the coach? Both are deserving, but for me Arena made a mess of this WC. In the past he has always put his players in good positions to succeed. This year he simply did not. Choosing to ditch 4-4-2, play 4-5-1, and play defensive rather than attacking soccer was a bad decision. I know it is a bitch of a group, but dude - play your style, play to your strengths, take your best shot, and if it's not enough then so be it. Changing tactics was silly in my opinion. Also, ripping your players in public is never a smart idea - another huge screwup, that took away from team chemistry, togetherness, and confidence.
That's right, Bruce: time to go.
The players? First off, I thought Dempsey was really good - always liked him since I saw his sweet Babe Ruth point and swing home run goal celebration last year - and not just the goal. I thought "Gooch" played very well also. Just about every one else was good in small patches but inconsistent. And Landon Donovan? Dude is Bode Miller, except that is disrespectful to Bode Miller who is a world champion and proven elite skier who simply had a bad Olympics. I mean it more in a hype versus reality kind of way. Plainly put, he was very poor. His chance today was by no means a sitter, but is was a good chance and he miskicked it into row Q. And that free kick on the edge of the box int he last 15 mintutes - any good player does better then floating it weakly into row G. Yes he was playing in that dumbass 4-5-1, and coach continually ripping him in the press was shitbird on Arena's part, but this was LD's time to stand up and be counted, and he failed to answer the bell.
Finally, I don't want to rip on a dude who screwed up his knee in his last WC game for the US in his career, but Reyna's brain freeze leading to the first goal so very US Soccer circa anything before 2002. The replay of his hesitation, mild panic, dispossesion and inability to do anyhing about it, and the dude walking in and scoring a goal while he hopelessly lays on the ground perfectly encapsullates US Soccer; ever improving, almost able to hang with the best in the world, but still prone to errors that make the rest of the world soccer snobs laugh and say "they are tres effete and OMG so not ready for prime time".
As a team, I have to reiterate what I wrote after the CZE loss. In 2002 their biggest strength was their team speed, and that they ran their socks off continually causing lots of problems with their pace, specifically Beasley and Donovan. This year we only saw that in occasional bits and pieces, especially Beasley - we only saw flashes of the danger rather than it beng a near constant. Did they get slower in the last 4 years? Not that much - again I think it is down to playing 4-5-1 which naturally puts them in a defensive mode.
They have talent, and by 2010 we will know whether Freddy Adu is the real deal Tiger Woods of soccer that Nike and USSA so badly want him to be or an overmarketed overhyped average player. It's time for a change, some new energy, some regrouping, seasoning more players in Europe, and coming back for another strong run towards South Africa 2010. Thanks for all you have done, Bruce Arena, but it is time that you and US Soccer go your seperate ways.
Just like the team: good, but not
on the same level as the world's best
Don't write off US Soccer - we are a talented nation, a sleeping giant that is slowly waking up over a 20 year span. This year we just hit snooze, fell back asleep, and overslept. But one day we will arise and compete at the highest levels, and I fully expect to see this in my lifetime.
Czech Republic-Italy.
The key for CZE is the health of Koller and Baros. They may or may not play due to injury. Given the circumstances I guess they both will play; the question will be how close to 100% they are. If these two are close to fit, the Czechs have a great shot to win, and I actually like them to beat Italy. Without them near their best, I look for a draw or an Italy win.
I sure am looking forward to new Arsenal boy Rosicky playing again.
Italy have endured a media shitstorm since their embarrassing (in their eyes) failure to beat a 9 man US team. They feel like they should be through already and now it is possible that they will crash out of the group stage just as they did in Euro2004. The amount of pressure that they are under can only be described as massive, and even that is an understatement. The longer these matches go on without them looking to go through, the tighter they will get.
I think anything can happen here, so I'll semi cop-out and say that Italy win if Koller and Baros do not play or are less than 50%, and if the two play at 80% then it will be a draw, and if Koller and Baros play and are 100% fit then the Czechs win and Italy will dread getting off the plane at home, where they will be pelted with tomatoes and then have to once again deal with the scandal that everyone there has been trying not to think about since June 9.
Czech Republic 0-2 Italy.
Only saw bits and pieces, as I was focusing on the other match and there was no sound on the TV showing this one. Saw both Italy goals, didn't see the red card for CZE, and never saw Koller so I assume that he didn't play. That's about it. Italy are through as group winners and will face whomever finishes 2nd in group F later today (see below).
This mullet was so outrageous that it got sent off.
----------------------------------------------------
Group F
12 p.m. ESPN. Japan-Brasil
12 p.m. ESPN2. Croatia-Australia
What has happened thusfar
Group F preview
Day 4 random thoughts
Day 5 random thoughts
Day 10 random thoughts
Where things stand
| Team | Pts | W | L | D | GD |
| | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 |
Ifs & buts, candy & nuts: Everyone is technically still alive. The only way Brasil will not win the group is if they lost to Japan and Australia beat Croatia, and the combined goal differential of those two wins is greater than 4. Australia need only a draw to go through as the 2nd place team, and can win the group if the scenario above occurs. Croatia need to beat Australia and they are 2nd, unless Japan beat Brasil by 2 more goals than they beat Australia. Japan are up against it: they need to beat Brasil by 3 goals and then have Croatia beat Australia by only 1. Got it?
Japan-Brasil.
As great as all of the national anthems have been, live, uninterrupted, and not talked over on Univision, this one will be the most interesting to watch. Zico is 1) one of the great Brasilian soccer heroes of all time and 2) the current coach of Japan. He has already spoken multiple times about being concerned about his emotions during this match and the playing of the anthem, and has stated the several times he has literally not been able to sleep because he feels so conflicted about it. The closest thing I can think of is if Larry Bird ever coached the Pacers in game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics. If Indiana and Massachusetts were seperate nations with different languanges and extremely different cultures, that is.
Japan are not that good. Brasil are really really good. That's about all the analysis I am going to get into.
34 min.: HOLY SHIT! 1-0 Japan! Que golaso too, after Brasil had 10 close chances, they nicked one on the break. GAME ON.
35th min.: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the part of Buster Douglas will be payed tonight by Japan, while the part of Mike Tyson will be played by Brasil. Thank you and enjoy the show."
43rd min.: 1-1. Mike Tyson lands a big punch. Cross into the box on the right, headed back across to the left by I think Kaka, and headed into the goal by Ronaldo, who is seeking all time goal scoring records. Beautiful goal.
Half Time. 1-1. Can minnows Japan swim with the big fish again in the 2nd half? I'm off to the pub to find out.
Japan 1-4 Brasil.
Answer: Umm, NO.
"Ladies and gentlemen: we apologize for an earlier mistake. Actually the part of "Hurricane" Peter McNeely, not Buster Douglas, will be played by Japan. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that you enjoy the rest of the show."
Brasil dance into the knockout stage
Once Brasil went up 2-1 I gave most of my attention to the other match, and it looked like from what little I saw that Brasil dominated the 2nd half much like the first, except this time they put the ball into the back of the net rather than over and around it. They get Ghana sans Essien in the round of 16.
Croatia-Australia.
It seems everyone are just penciling in Australia in the 2nd place spot, and I hope the Aussies get a result since they are one of my sleeper teams, but Croatia are capable of beating them. People seem to be writing them off, but they are not bad by any stretch.
Australia have 7 players of Croatian heritage, and Croatia have 3 players who were born in Australia. Who would have ever thought that these two countries would be so intertwined? Bizarre but interesting.
Should be another really exciting, free flowing game, as Croatia are all about going forward: they are not nicknamed "the Brasil of Eastern Europe" for nothing. And if you saw Brasil-Australia or read Swindle's excellent article about Guus Hiddink then you know how exciting and offensive minded they are. All the attention will be on Brasil, but I expect that match to be not-so close, while this one has a good chance of being a cracker. I'll take Australia to get it done 3-1.
1-0 to Croatia. The Pizza Hut Tablecloths grab the lead on a great free kick. Free medium Pepsi with purchase of personal pan pizza for one and all.
1-1. The Socceroos equalize on a penalty kick in the 40th minute.
Half Time. 1-1.
Croatia 2-2 Australia.
Shielas celebrate the blokes' success.
Great 2nd half which was essentially a knockout match. At 1-1 the Aussie were going through at Croatia's expense, but then the biggest goalkeeping howler of the tournament by Schwartzer gifted Croatia a 2-1 lead, and meant that they would be going through and Australia would be going back sown under. But just like a typical Guus Hiddink, Australia went all out attack towards the end and Kewell got the deserved equalizer in about the 80th minute. 2-2 and once again Australia looks to go through and Croatia were out unless they could get a goal. They almost did, and a Croat dude found himself so wide open in the box that he hesisated almost in disbelief and failed to get a shot off in a situation where he certainly should have scored. The Socceroos held on, and will face Italy in the round of 16.
Pizza Hut will be closed for the remainder of the World Cup.
15 comments:
Australia 2
Croatia 2
how to dub this battle...
can't be a colonial rematch ala portugal/angola; france/senegal
or a rematch of warring nations ala england/germany or argentina; germany/holland or anyone else they invaded
just an odd little match up
Hate to be the grammar police, but something that always bugs me when reading foreign soccer coverage is now running rampant through much of the American soccer blogosphere.
The Australian team (and every other side) is a singular entity. Thus, constructs such as, "If Australia beat Croatia," and "Japan are up against it" are grammatically incorrect.
You don't refer to a a musical group as a plural. However accurate the sentiment, no one says, "U2 are really overrated," or "Dude, this are Starship!"
I've seen many American born writers demonstrate mastery of pronoun-antecedent agreement within their writings, but intentionally depart for soccer sides, indicating a conscious decision to treat soccer teams as an exceptional grammatical case.
I don't think this is a trivial thing. It is indicative of a pretentiousness that many Americans sports fans consciously or unconsciously associate with American soccer fans. That perception is one hindrance to the sport's widespread acceptance among Americans.
When I first started becoming a true fan of the game, I went out of the way with friends to distance myself from "soccer fans." Rather, I was a sports fan that liked soccer.
In a similar vein, it's spelled Brazil. Check out the much circulated photo of the coy blond Brazilian, or try typing "Brasil" in a prgram with spellcheck.
As predicted, Italy and Ghana takes it. Tough on the Czechs, their best scorer goes out first half of the first match and they are left to scramble. Oh well.
Also tough on the US, the PK was weak, but in the end it made no difference since the US had to win and well, didn't come close, a 1 all draw would have only screwed Ghana, so at least there was some justice there.
Someone really really need to tell me how to become a commentator on deadspin, I'm really getting annoyed how little some people know about football/soccer on there. (Actually, it's probably better that I don't know, since it's a wasted effort anyways.)
Tough draw got to the US, they have played about as well as England and Mexicao and, well, England won their group and Mexico are progressing. Such is life, regroup and get better.
That said, I think the #1 thing America needs to do to improve is to encourage the best players to go to Europe! The MLS is not and will never be good enough training ground. Compare Mexico to Argentina, a nation with about 1/3 of Mexico's population. You can't say that what divides their success in World Cups is passion for the game. But the Mexican squad has only 2 players who play outside of Mexico while Argentina only has 1 player who is playing for an Argentine club (and he's moving to Deportivo after the tourney).
Or, if you will, let's jump to another sport, basketball. There, the NBA is the best professional testing/training ground for the sport and the other nations are sending their best players here to hone their skills. The US need to do the same in soccer. Did Landon Donovan improve at all the last 4 years playing against inferior competition in the MLS? If anything, he's regressed. Send the kids into the fire, put them to the test, you'll know for sure that the ones who make it in Europe will make it on the World Cup stage.
Ahhh, Moin. So great, as always.
Reading your post after CHGs was like looking at the women of Pittsburgh, then getting on a direct flight to Rio, getting off the plane, and going to the beach.
CHG- Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. It sounds to me like you LOVE being the grammar police with every fiber of your being.
That being said, I really don't give a shit about perfect grammar or spelling. In fact, I have been writing posts and comments in the blogoshpere for a long long time with my signature super long run on sentences, massive misspellings, incorrect and inconsistent use of commas, and other grammatical inaccuracies.
And you know what? I couldn't care less (at least I got this one correct- I'm sure it irks you to no end when "pretentious Americans" say "I could care less" without realizing that they mean the exact opposite of what they are saying).
I am not interested in such technicalities. For me the message that one conveys is the most important thing, rather that composing an perfect composition that doesn't convey anything thoughtful, articulate, insightful, or funny. Any grammatical and compositional imperfections on my part are not indicative of anything other than my attitude stated in this paragraph, and not taking myself too seriously.
If you want to come here and talk football, futbol whatever else, them come on. If you are going to break out your MLA Handbook and nitpick, then don't wast your time or mine. I am sure there are lots of good lit and grammar blogs out there where you can get your rocks off on "lie down" vs "lay down".
Oh, and words are spelled differenetly by different people. For whatever reason I use Brasil, which by the way is how most of the rest of the world spell it (including Brasil itself). Frankly, I find your grammatical xenophobia to be pretentious and irritating. If that is your bag then you won't have much fun here.
If you want a blog with immaculately perfect grammar and composition, then may I suggest that you stop bitching about others and start your own. You may find that after thinking a post will take 10 miuntes to throw together, it takes an hour or two, and often you are typing as fast as possible because you are at work or dinner is almost ready or whatnot. Taking the time to go back and edit your work with the MLA handbook is often not possible, nor is it any fun, which is supposed to be the purpose of this in the first place. So you concentrate on the writing and half-ass the editing, knowing that your audience is a smallish circle of friends who are intersted in what you have to say, not the front page of hte New York Times.
I am sorry that my composition and grammar have affected you in such a negative way. I can assure you that it will not improve, so you basically have three choices: either read it and don't comment, read it and comment about content not perfect style, or kindly piss off.
Have a great day. I hope that your favorite team are kicking ass.
wait...chg was being serious?
i was buying it until the Starship reference. who on earth jumps to Starship when discussing "musical groups?" i mean, honestly.
though, the soundtrack to 'Mannequin' was pretty slammin'.
Thistle -the Starship reference was to something that happened to me on Saturday, which GHG read (it must have been dead perfect grammatically, for there have been no comments to the contrary). Scroll down a few articles on the main page and you'll find it. Unlike the complete waste of time you had to endure in this comments, it is pretty damn funny.
Oh and GHG- Why don't you try throwing "prgram" into a program with spellcheck? You have become what you despise: an imperfect wanker.
No reason to change the discussion and attack the messenger. Just tell me you think I'm off base and move on.
I wasn't playing grammar police in general, and I think you recognize that. I was mentioning one particular aspect of soccer writing that some casual sportsfans find offputting.
I stick to the sidelines of the tactical discussion because the regulars are more veteran soccer observers, and, aside from one college intramural season, I haven't played the game since I was 10.
I remain consistent. The fact that I misspelled "program" gives credence to my claim that I don't expect perfection from online bloggers or posts. I am pointing out one consistent trend among Americans writing about soccer.
Your focus on my error is inconsistent, since you claim not to care about grammar. If I spelled it as "pgrgam" multiple times over an extended period of time, you could assume I did not know how to spell program. If you chose to point out my ignorance, it would still not be a perfect analogy. For it to be perfect, I would have to demonstrate a tendency to generally use Americanized spellings, but consistently choose the British/Canadian 'programme.'
There has been much discussion of "growing the game" in the blogosphere and mainstream press, I certainly think it is relevant to point out something seemingly minor that may be a small hindrance to the sport's acceptance among casual American fans, as it is a subtle reminder of the "otherness" with which many many Americans associate the sport.
I chose to bring up the "is/are" thing in this forum because I believed you and most of the posters would be capable of understanding my intent and either discussing it, or politely saying, "Sorry, not interested." Obviously, I gave at least one important participant too much credit.
as i skirt the grammaer debate...
man, my face is red. can't believe i didn't catch that.
so how about japan?
sh*t, brazil just scored. this isn't my day.
As far as your original premise, I personally do not think that soccer in America is affected one iota by incorrect use of grammar, specifically using plural pronouns incorrectly immediately after nations that are singular entities.
When Boomer Esiason was fired from Monday Night Football, and afterwards bitched openly about Michaels being the problem, Al Michael's released a terse statement to the press that simply said:
"I will not join in this juvenile vitriol".
I should have done that initially; I am doing it now.
If you want to argue endlessly over completely irrelevant tedium, then I highly recomment a site called Heisman Pundit"
Gramham Poll just made my day. Folks, THAT is what REAL incompetent officiating looks like.
All I could think of was that Arsenal-Newcastle game, when GP sent off Henry for turning to him and saying in his very French way "why did you kill the game?" as a protest to GPs bad decisions (2 penalties I think - it's kind of hazy) that didn't really allow the teams to completely determine the winner .
Ever since then Graham Poll has become a verb for me, used to indicate when you want your team to score a goal and kill off a game. For example, if Arsenal lead Liverpool 1-0 or 2-1 in the last 30 minutes, then I might say "Come on Arsenal, Graham Poll this shit" or when your team are looking like they will get the goal to kill the game "Come on ____! Graham Poll these fuckers."
Or, for thos of you who watched Italy-USA lst weekend, that referee really Graham Polled that match.
So yeah, I was right there with you, laughing as GP did his thing.
CHG--
Look this one up:
"You breathe in vain."
There's a difference between killing a game and what GP managed to pull off there. 3 yellow cards to one player? Calling the game while the ball was flying into the net? Good thing that shot didn't really make a difference, else....
I mean, I was pretty critical of the ref in the Spain-Korea game in WC2002 for calling time just as Spain was lining up for a corner, can you imagine if GP managed that one in the middle of a winning/tying goal? I think we might get to read the words "pitch invasion" in the headlines again.
Hey...
You misspelled the definite article "the" a few commments above as you attempted to modify the proper noun "New York Times." You wrote 'hte New York Times.'
It's no wonder the world hates you. You make me sick.
The Tony Oliva Tremor Control
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