Official World Cup Thread

[DonkSlayer 1]

Be careful about that statement. I respect NED. Still, if you look at the brackets, Holland could not meet the US until the Semis.Regardless of whether they get first or 2nd, Holland will have to beat one of the 3 teams in its group, probably two. We'll say Holland beats Serbia and CIV, loses to Argentina and finishes 2nd with 6 points.To make the semis, the have to beat either Mexico or Portugal, then Germany or England. I think you have to like England right now.USA will have a difficult time placing 1st in their group. Let's say they pull out 2nd place.They will have beaten at least Ghana and at least tied Czech or Italy.Then, they will almost certainly have faced brazil in the 16.Then, they would have to beat either France or Spain.So, if Holland plays worst-case scenario opponents, they beat Portugal and England.If USA plays worst-case scenario, they beat Brazil and Spain.Are Holland really favorites, having played two opponents ranked lower than they, while the USA has beaten the #1 team in the world, along with the other that is ranked along side them?Nobody would be putting a ton on either team.

[DonkSlayer 1]

Spain/Croatia and France/China are both 1-1 right now in the 2nd half of their final friendlies before the WC.Both Spain and France are tied b/c of own goals. Great start.

[Verdimme 0]

Be careful about that statement. I respect NED. Still, if you look at the brackets, Holland could not meet the US until the Semis.Regardless of whether they get first or 2nd, Holland will have to beat one of the 3 teams in its group, probably two. We'll say Holland beats Serbia and CIV, loses to Argentina and finishes 2nd with 6 points.To make the semis, the have to beat either Mexico or Portugal, then Germany or England. I think you have to like England right now.USA will have a difficult time placing 1st in their group. Let's say they pull out 2nd place.They will have beaten at least Ghana and at least tied Czech or Italy.Then, they will almost certainly have faced brazil in the 16.Then, they would have to beat either France or Spain.So, if Holland plays worst-case scenario opponents, they beat Portugal and England.If USA plays worst-case scenario, they beat Brazil and Spain.Are Holland really favorites, having played two opponents ranked lower than they, while the USA has beaten the #1 team in the world, along with the other that is ranked along side them?Nobody would be putting a ton on either team.

Well yeah, if u put it that way..I agree. :)But if they would play eachother right now, you gotta admit that Holland is the fav.

[DonkSlayer 1]

Well yeah, if u put it that way..I agree. :)But if they would play eachother right now, you gotta admit that Holland is the fav.

Sure, at this point. I feel like you guys are either going really far or not making it out of the room.

[Verdimme 0]

Sure, at this point. I feel like you guys are either going really far or not making it out of the room.

Yup, I feel the same way. We got 3 injuries that could hurt us..(Sneijder, Cocu, v. Bronckhorst). Lets just hope they get off to a good start against Serbia and Montenegro..Btw, what do you think of the English team..?

[DonkSlayer 1]

Yup, I feel the same way. We got 3 injuries that could hurt us..(Sneijder, Cocu, v. Bronckhorst). Lets just hope they get off to a good start against Serbia and Montenegro..Btw, what do you think of the English team..?

SUCKS ABOUT CISSE, HUH????I think England is in very good shape. I think they could've done fine without Rooney (not win), but now they'll go into the knockouts with him back, and they'll be a very, very potent force. They're my sentimental fav. after the US. Do you think Michael Owen still doesn't look amazing? He seems to have fallen into an opportunist role..he makes good passes and puts balls away he's supposed to, but I'm not sure he's going to be dribbling through Sweden's back line to score or anything. If he doesn't have at least 2 goals through the group stage, Rooney takes his place.JMO.

[Waffles2003 1]

once rooney comes back, he will play alongside owen and not replace him.

I honestly think the U.S. has a descent shot to make it out of the Group... I think our biggest game will be against Ghana... not the CR... If we can somehow find a way to draw with the CR then maybe well have a good chance... I see US beating Italy 2-1 and Ghana 3-1.... I really wish Tim Howard didnt have tirets(sp?) he can be a nasty keeper at times...

Dont look at the World rankings, they are stoopid. Look at experience first. Italy and Czech Republic will probably advance, USA will have to beat Ghana and draw with italy and czech replublic to have a shot and i dont see that happening...even if they advance, they are playing Brazil in the second round...

[DonkSlayer 1]

once rooney comes back, he will play alongside owen and not replace him.Dont look at the World rankings, they are stoopid. Look at experience first. Italy and Czech Republic will probably advance, USA will have to beat Ghana and draw with italy and czech replublic to have a shot and i dont see that happening...even if they advance, they are playing Brazil in the second round...

The irony is hilarious.

[Mattnxtc 0]

Few things: 1. The usa team was definately not game ready against morocco. Arena had them workin so hard to get fit (ala south koreans) that they just werent rested for that game. They will be in better shape than most countries come WC time. I wouldnt worry about that. 2. The USA style is really a product of what America is. Its a mix of a whole bunch of styles b/c thats basically what america is. I played in Texas and since its a hispanic influence down here that style comes in. Up North where i played college its a much more physical English style. So you see the american style as a mix of those styles. Not a good or bad thing though, just the development of that style3. Donovan shouldnt have been in germany. It doesnt fit his style of play. He isnt a power player and if he is in spain or italy i believe he does much better. Germany/England are power styles of soccer and thats not Donovan. Donovan is by far the greatest player the USA has and its not close. Beasley is probably second but he isnt half the player Donovan is. 4. Reyna is old but he brings calmness to the team. I dont expect him to last a full game but i think he can help set the tone for the USA which is going to be badly needed. 5. John O'Brian if healthy is going to be great. He is scrappy and you can count on him to give it his all6. Twellman should be in Germany. Picking Ching over Twellman was a huge disappointment7. The Czechs are way over rated. So is the USA though. I think we can finish 2-0-1 winning against italy and Ghana. Italy is an older team and we have enough speed to severely test there age. 8. The USA defense should be solid. What we saw a lot of was Arena trying out different players at D. They will be fine in the back. The real weakness is finding a player that works well with Mcbride. I think having Twellman instead of Wolfe would have been the best two forwards but it looks like Arena wants speed to compliment Mcbrides physical play.

[MisterB 2]

I just hope USA stays healthy.. It is possible to come out with 3 wins, or 3 ties, this group is unpredictable

[spm 1]

Yup, I feel the same way. We got 3 injuries that could hurt us..(Sneijder, Cocu, v. Bronckhorst). Lets just hope they get off to a good start against Serbia and Montenegro..Btw, what do you think of the English team..?

Coming from an English man (so I am slightly biased....but also trying to honest), we have the best midfield of any country - Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham. We also have an extremely strong defence.My only worry was the strike force. Owen now seems to be getting back to form after his injury and Rooney has now been cleared fit. I'm not overly worried about the strikers because we have such a potent midfield. After all we have just scored 9 goals in the last 2 games and we also beat Argentina a few months back.A few of my friends are out there at the moment. They've been speaking to fans from all over the world and not one single team are looking forward to playing England. I think USA will qualify from the group stages but won't go much further. I do believe they are a decent side though. I also think that in the next 20/30 years they will only become stronger.Holland - They have the potential to do well, but I don't think they are anywhere near as dangerous as they used to be. They do have some quality players though - Robben VDV etc

[rog 0]

Am I the only disapointed that Oliver Kahn is not the starting keeper for Germany this time around? I know he's getting old, but his last 2 world cups were bordering on unbelieveable. I hope he gets a few starts. I dont expect we'll see him in 4 years. USA #5? *shakes head* wtf? My personal opinion is that FIFA weigthed them higher to generate some excitement in the American market. Please dont take this as American bashing. I would love to see USA do well, since it would mean more coverage on mainstream North American media, but let's be reasonable. Their ranking is beyond ludicrous.Ummm..shouldn't this thread be moved to the football forum? ;)In all seriousness, can we get a WC forum for the next month. There's no way this 1 pinned thread is gonna cut it.

[MisterB 2]

So excited for 11:55 EST

[gkunit20 1]

Germany didn't look so great this morning. Than again, Costa Rica played crappily, but Germany shoulda won by more than 4-2.

[Verdimme 0]

Coming from an English man (so I am slightly biased....but also trying to honest), we have the best midfield of any country - Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham. We also have an extremely strong defence.

Yeah, England definately has the players to go all the way. I think their only weakness is their coach, really. I wouldn't say they have the best possible midfield though. Argentina, Czech Republic, France and Brazil have pretty decent players there aswell.

The Czechs are way over rated. So is the USA though. I think we can finish 2-0-1 winning against italy and Ghana. Italy is an older team and we have enough speed to severely test there age

I actually think that the Czechs are underrated. They are not mentioned as favourites or anything, but in my eyes they are. They play great as a team, and have very skilled players in every line. Have you seen them play at Euro 2004..? They should have been the champions, and I'm pretty sure that everybody that watched that tournament tenhds to agree with me. Italy is an older team, yes. But does that mean anything? Look at the AC Milan defence. Probably the best in the world and they are all older then 30.

[KDawgCometh 2]

Few things: 3. Donovan shouldnt have been in germany. It doesnt fit his style of play. He isnt a power player and if he is in spain or italy i believe he does much better. Germany/England are power styles of soccer and thats not Donovan. Donovan is by far the greatest player the USA has and its not close. Beasley is probably second but he isnt half the player Donovan is.

donovan should get teh sand out of his vagina and actually try to stick it out and actually earn a place in a european side instead of expecting a place. Donovan is perfectly suited for english play, I really don't know how much you watch by making that statement, cause the last place Donovan belongs is italy. You're playing on some old stereotypes

6. Twellman should be in Germany. Picking Ching over Twellman was a huge disappointment

ching has looked fine. He brings a different aspect to the US, and Twellman hasn't exactly lit the net on fire when he has played for the US

7. The Czechs are way over rated. So is the USA though. I think we can finish 2-0-1 winning against italy and Ghana. Italy is an older team and we have enough speed to severely test there age.

any legitamate points you made just got wiped out by saying something this silly. No way is the US getting 7 points and topping the group. Italy also isn't that old if you actually look at who's playing for them. I don't think that the US will be able to beat Italy when they play them, their best shot is to beat the Czechs while the Czechs still have some injury problems. I really recomed you watching some football and then start making comments

[Mattnxtc 0]

ive watched/played enough soccer in my day to know exatly what im takin about...Yes with teams like chelsea and arsenal going out and gettin foreign players, the game has begun to change but the style is still a much more direct ram it down your throat style. Go watch Real or Barcelona play and let me know if u think its even close to the same style. If Donovan got a shot over in spain I think he game would improve far more than anything England is going to offer. Would venture to say thats a problem Owen had when he went over to Spain. It just didnt suit his styleI dont expect Ching to get off the bench as he is probably 4th or 5th. They will move donovan up to forward long before ching gets off the bench. Twellman would have been a better pick. Not a knock on Ching, Twellman is just better. Yes Twellman had some trouble gettin that first goal (but who doesnt at those levels) but once he got it, he went on a rampage with goals and assists. He should have been there hands down. Czechs are overrated. I said theoretically the USA could get to 7. I would be disappointed if they didnt get to 5. I really do think you will see the USA beat either the czechs or italy. USA has a lot of speed and little to prove and thats a great combination to have. neither the czechs nor italy can stay with beasley donavon, or wolfe or Eddie Johnson for that matter

[KDawgCometh 2]

ive watched/played enough soccer in my day to know exatly what im takin about...Yes with teams like chelsea and arsenal going out and gettin foreign players, the game has begun to change but the style is still a much more direct ram it down your throat style. Go watch Real or Barcelona play and let me know if u think its even close to the same style. If Donovan got a shot over in spain I think he game would improve far more than anything England is going to offer. Would venture to say thats a problem Owen had when he went over to Spain. It just didnt suit his style

by in my day, do you mean that you haven't watched since the early 90s during the days of George Graham's boring boring aresenal and all of the rough and tumble of the 80s, cause english football looks nothing like you are describing anymore, and italian football isn't anything close to what people seem to think it is anymore either. If you have actually watched a decent amount of english football in the past few years you'd know that the full out thrash, bash, route 1 football doesn't exist in the top flight anymore. Of course there is a different style that gets played in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and England, where did I say that wasn't the case. Donovan's game is perfectly suited for england with him playing the in the hole. England still has some of the physical traits in its game, but it looks nothing of what it was 15 years ago, which is the style that you are basing your opinion on.

I dont expect Ching to get off the bench as he is probably 4th or 5th. They will move donovan up to forward long before ching gets off the bench. Twellman would have been a better pick. Not a knock on Ching, Twellman is just better. Yes Twellman had some trouble gettin that first goal (but who doesnt at those levels) but once he got it, he went on a rampage with goals and assists. He should have been there hands down.

THe reason that twellman wasn't taken and Ching was taken is that BA is putting together the best team, not players. Twellman does much of the same that McBride does, and McBride is better in the air. Ching provides more playmaking skills then twellman. He will definetly play a decent amount, and, it'll also be very hard for him to be the 5th striker as BA only took 4

Czechs are overrated. I said theoretically the USA could get to 7. I would be disappointed if they didnt get to 5. I really do think you will see the USA beat either the czechs or italy. USA has a lot of speed and little to prove and thats a great combination to have. neither the czechs nor italy can stay with beasley donavon, or wolfe or Eddie Johnson for that matter

theoretically the US could get 9 points, doesn't mean that its gonna happen. I won't be dissapointed if the US don't get 5 points. Again, the statement you are making that Italy and the Czechs can't stay with Beasley, Donovan, Wolfe, or Eddie Johnson shows how little european football that you watch. Look at the Italian team and tell me how favorable the US matches up against their central defenders and Italy's midfield. Then look at the Czechs and tell me how the US is going to get it past Petr Cech, not to mention that the Czech team has a good defense and most importantly, Pavel Nedved. Even at his age he is still heads and shoulders above any player on the US team. That is not a knock against the US, its a testament to Nedved's skill. What is greatly benefitting the US is that Baros is injured and most likely won't play in the game, and the US would have tons of problems dealing with Baros, instead they just have to deal with Koller(who I have never liked all that much). You're really basing a lot of things off of stuff you have seen a long time ago and on old school stereotypes as opposed to what actually the case of how things have changed in the past 15 years

[Guest Guest]

Yeah, England definately has the players to go all the way. I think their only weakness is their coach, really. I wouldn't say they have the best possible midfield though. Argentina, Czech Republic, France and Brazil have pretty decent players there aswell.

I'm afraid I disagree. I'm talking about 'World Class Players'.Argentina - Riquelme = World ClassCzech Republic - Pavel Neved = World ClassFrance - Zidane (although Zindane is playing too well at the moment) + Viera = World ClassBrazil = Ronaldhino + Adriano (Kaka will be if he carries on) = World Class England = Gerrard (over 20 goals this season )+ Lampard (over 20 goals this season) + Beckham (one of the best free kick takers and crossers) = World Class

[KDawgCometh 2]

Argentina - Riquelme = World ClassCzech Republic - Pavel Neved = World Class

I wouldn't put riquelme in the world class category yet. He has games like he did yesterday every now and then, but he also does some dissapearing acts a fair amount in games. I would definetly put Crespo or Ayala as World Class, but not JRR just yetyou can't mention the Czechs without including (arguably) the world's best Keeper- Petr Cech. IMO, his form will end up meaning more to the Czechs then Nedved's

[Verdimme 0]

I'm afraid I disagree. I'm talking about 'World Class Players'.Argentina - Riquelme = World ClassCzech Republic - Pavel Neved = World ClassFrance - Zidane (although Zindane is playing too well at the moment) + Viera = World ClassBrazil = Ronaldhino + Adriano (Kaka will be if he carries on) = World Class England = Gerrard (over 20 goals this season )+ Lampard (over 20 goals this season) + Beckham (one of the best free kick takers and crossers) = World Class

Its not all about the quality of specific players. Its also about their ability to work together and complement eachother. I would say that Engalnd is the one of the worst teams when it comes to that. Also, if you define Beckham as world class, think again. His performance this year at Real was very bad. One lucky goal from a free kick doesn't change that.

[Filesharer 0]

I'm afraid I disagree. I'm talking about 'World Class Players'.Argentina - Riquelme = World ClassCzech Republic - Pavel Neved = World ClassFrance - Zidane (although Zindane is playing too well at the moment) + Viera = World ClassBrazil = Ronaldhino + Adriano (Kaka will be if he carries on) = World Class England = Gerrard (over 20 goals this season )+ Lampard (over 20 goals this season) + Beckham (one of the best free kick takers and crossers) = World Class

Personally, I'd disagree with these points. Kaka is without a doubt one of the top ten footballers in the world. He's sensational.I used to love Lampard, but I've realised that he's only so successful at Chelsea because they are always on the front foot. Playing in a side like England which routinely has it's back to the wall, he's anonymous. He's too limited a player to make things happen for his team.And Beckham, is well, Beckham. The hype makes it so hard to form a proper opinion of him. Personally I feel he's too much of a one-trick pony to be considered world class.

[Guest Guest]

I used to love Lampard, but I've realised that he's only so successful at Chelsea because they are always on the front foot. Playing in a side like England which routinely has it's back to the wall, he's anonymous. He's too limited a player to make things happen for his team.And Beckham, is well, Beckham. The hype makes it so hard to form a proper opinion of him. Personally I feel he's too much of a one-trick pony to be considered world class.

I think England is a strong "outsider" this year. As always, they have a great defense line. The mid field looks incredibly strong if you look at the individual players. It remains to be seen how well they work together against good teams.As for Beckham, I've always thought that he's overrated, even though he is very good. But the thing about him is that he's awesome at free kicks so it's always dangerous when they get free kicks outside the penalty area. He is also very good at corners and with England's strong head players, corners are also dangerous.The question marks are, imo, the keeper and the offense. If Owen and Rooney were in top form they would be very strong there too, but both have been injured and it's unsure how good they are at the moment.

[Snowman 0]

The last post was by me, btw.

[Guest Guest]

Personally, I'd disagree with these points. Kaka is without a doubt one of the top ten footballers in the world. He's sensational.I used to love Lampard, but I've realised that he's only so successful at Chelsea because they are always on the front foot. Playing in a side like England which routinely has it's back to the wall, he's anonymous. He's too limited a player to make things happen for his team.And Beckham, is well, Beckham. The hype makes it so hard to form a proper opinion of him. Personally I feel he's too much of a one-trick pony to be considered world class.

Take a look at how many assists he gets, plus however many goals he scores.In the last 3 games we have played, he has had 4 assists. In the first game he caused the own goal because of the quality of the free kick. Say what you like, but the guy is world class.Any team would love to have Beckham.