You did say that, yes, lets ALL hope it comes true..




FUCKING EXACTLY! I think Portugal also just showed how great Ghana's defensive pressure is.. we played much more fluid, even with typical USA mistakes.. its almost like they fucking DARED us.

It was a great game to watch but very messy. Lots of mistakes from both teams. When Portugal went behind it was inevitable they'd start to pile the pressure on but they were relatively sedate until then. That's why it was frustrating to see how cautious Klinsmann was in the first half.

Whatever happens to the US after this, Dempsey's had a fantastic world cup so far. Definitely one of the stand out players of the group stages.

now with a cooler head i will take a moment to protest the horrid american habit of raffling the ball from the goal kick.

most civilized teams have learned to come out playing-- it's what portugal did, probably because they treasured the chance of having the ball.

if we were ahead-- why didn't we protect possession instead of throwing the ball to whoever might catch it? that was terrible i thought. we need to learn to come out playing. it was done early in the game but by the end there was i guess the blind superstition that just because you throw the ball away 50 meters you are safe from danger.

that, not bradley losing the ball or cameron failing to defend, was our big problem near the end.

You're both right, but actually I'm impressed how how much less to USA use that "CONCACAF lob" and I was also very surprised to see it tonight towards the end, I agree with was reckless.



However, the mistakes were typical USA mistakes, and we more or less overcame them. Could we have played better? I think Portugal could have played better, but USA played about as great as you're going to see. Lets be honest, Portugal got very lucky there in injury time, had US pulled off a 2-1 upset we'd be the heroes of this Cup. The ball bounces that way sometimes..

They don't protect it because they know in their own half they're more vulnerable with the ball than without it. That's not to knock the likes of Cameron but if USA started to play like that I'd be worried about the chances of him losing it in dangerous areas. Your strength is your fitness and organisation which I think Klinsmann was right to emphasise over more creative areas which are probably your weakness.

Agreed, its why I think Klinsmann as been careful to add some new things but also keep a few things exactly the same. This team needs to play to its strengths and do its best to hide its weaknesses..

If folks told me a month ago USA would have 4 points against Ghana and Portugal while possessing the differential lead I would have been ecstatic. This draw only stings because we were up so long and had a win in our pockets. But if there is one thing USA futbol has demonstrated, its that it isn't over until its over, win OR lose..

I was nervous about Ghana and concerned about Portugal and afraid of Germany. However, looking at how we performed against what was clearly a good Ghanian team and how Germany clearly benefited from a slighter weaker than expected Portugal and then faltered a bit against Ghana I'd say I'm no longer even afraid of Germany, just concerned again as I was going into Portugal tonight.

USA can actually win this, surprisingly, though not likely, but in the World Cup to even have the chance is pretty good.

maybe, but i thought usa passed very well today. cameron's fuckup was a bad clearance mid-air, not passing with ball stopped. at least move a bit up the midfield and raffle in the last third.

i thought the u.s. came out great through the flanks today--johnson and zusi were fantastic, as were damarcus and clint. if anything, the middle with bradley in it was the weak point, and raffling it in the middle is exactly how the last goal happened. tuff titty.

Beasley and Zusi's Pat Riley looking a$$ were lights out. In fact, that entire game changed when Zusi went out towards the end, and Beasely's attack was as fast as its ever been catching Portugal off guard..

Just remind everyone in the FF that you can choose your next starting XI for round 3.

Frustrating that we can't see each other's squads:

Here's my final xi for the last round

GK Valladares 4
DF Rojo 13
DF Blind 5
DF Alderweirel 10
DF Evra 5
DF Medjani 5
MF Valbuena 11
MF Di Maria 8
MF De Bruyne 5
FW Neymar 7
FW (C) Benzemar 32

Well played USA!

I agree, they did well to end that game in a draw. looks like portugal are in trouble too.

also, i'm betting on belgium winning it. you guys?
~
also, i'm new. hi.

i know we still look good on points, but here it felt like a defeat. "portugal beats usa 2-2".

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my team last round

gk / buffon 7
df / abate 4 chiellini 10 ramos 8
mf / hazard© 16(8), oscar 5, di maria 8, de bruyne 5
fw / fred, higuain, aguero, 4 each

big misses: i meant to put in halliche for abate before the algeria game. halliche scored 11! my top scorer sat on the bench.

Night and Day from Ghana match. USA played exciting attacking football, controlling the ball well except for the death at the end there, but we owe a TON of this tie to our Keeper. Without Howard the USA would have been beat by two goals.

Let us hope this style of play continues against the mighty Germany.

I only saw the first Belgium game but they seem to have the same problem as Argentina. Top class individuals but not really gelling yet as a team. Brazil seem too reliant on Neymar who I just don't think is a good enough player yet to take them all the way. Messi, even at 80%, and with a team that isn't quite clicking, is good enough to do that. But that's maybe my heart talking. My head says it'll probably be Germany.

going bananas trying to watch 2 games at the same time

chile netherlands is definitely the fun one, but i'm curious about spain's changes and what this may bode for their future.

alexis today ON FIRE!!!

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damn. good goal from netherlands. it was coming. but i'm enjoying watching chile more.

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god damn chicken man! he's so good...

de vergüenza lo del marqués. una más...

Chile Holland was a great game. The score flattered Holland a bit but they probably deserved the win. Robben's on fire right now.

¿qué hizo ahora?


espn has ruud van nilsterooy on the commentators and he's been spot-on with his observations since i've heard them. few words but good ones. a real pleasure.

to him chile lost by taking a midfielder to put in an attacker. they lost the midfield and enabled netherlands to regroup. he's absolutely right. sampaoli rushed it.

however-- netherlands was ahead on goal difference so maybe he thought it was worth the gamble.

He may well be right. It was a fascinating match up. I loved watching Chile in the first half then, in the 2nd half seeing Robben grow into the game and ultimately, I think, being the deciding factor between them.

I didn't see the Spain game at all. It must've felt like a wake.

I goes both ways, without Howard falling on his ass on Portugal's first goal US would have won highhandedly at that!


Agreed. I think that Ghana showed us how good they're defense actually was by the way they played Germany, and they also showed us a blueprint for how we can do something similar against them. All we have to do honestly is NOT LOSE bad and we advance, I like those odds..

mexico croatia is gonna be the real fight but i'm watching brazil to see if they finally bring it or if they are sheer vaporware.

first couple of minutes--lively!

I think the Mexico-Croatia will be the better of the two, and if Brazil doesn't feast on Cameroon then they really aren't looking anything near contenders..

Wow... For Cameroon third time was literally the try. Good save by Brazil on the first attempt... Overbooted the Corner kick on the second.. Took their time with the third and sunk in a NICE goal. Brazil should be ashamed with themselves, honestly, they are playing at home, the crowd is all yellow, and yet the USA and Netherlands crowds have been so much livelier and more involved..

Ignore everything I've said so far about Neymar

Also, who would have in a million years though Jermaine Jones would be the best two-way player for the US this year????? Not me that's for sure, and I've always loved Jones, but he was more of a sub the past few years, even in 2013 Gold Cup!

In true USA form, it isn't pretty, but it goes in.

how is not that pretty? look at the curve! and right next to the goalpost!

brazil's defense is shit man. neymar is carrying them all.

This ref is shit.

dani alves: barcelona
thiago silva: psg
david luiz: chelsea
marcelo: real madrid
together: turds united

It was rushed and I think it was luckier than it was pretty. That being said, I think it should give Jones all the more credit for making it ugly. That one goal very well may prove to be what helps USA advance..


Yes it is, possibly they are just pacing themselves or underestimating their Group?

finally fred pops it!

!@#$%! you nailed it earlier last week when you were wondering what happened to all the full-backs..

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/wh...up-full-backs/

Interestingly, since this is a high scoring World Cup already this far, if the trend continues can we say that perhaps there is a stylistic change? Is it on the part of a different approach to scoring by offenses or is it just better defense? The Knock Out stages can help shed some better light with a larger sample size against better quality teams..

Hey !@#$%! want to know where I was dead wrong?


In dissing Mexico the past year ;)

in your defense, they had a turdific coach in chepo de la torre. real disgraceful.

but the players, they're good performers. they're not going to win the world cup but ….

CHICHARITO!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes.

1 more goal and brazil plays netherlands!

The Mighty Football Fred

The squabbles they were having since winning the Olympics were based more on chemistry and ego issues than talent or coaching.They have fantastic talent but like a lot of countries with great domestic league futbol a lot of their guys just aren't hungry enough.
They are moderately rewarded with a more or less successful career, which means they buy into the international team a bit less than they should. If anything, the only thing carrying the Mexican team as a team is that merciless sense of machismo which so thoroughly dominates the Mexican male mindset.

Respect to them, they played a hell of a game against a good team.

All that said, Baines is great though.

If USA advances this will be CONCACAF's best showing in World Cup History. Honestly, it already is statistics wise..


So much on the line this week, its why I love the Group stages best of all.. The Group G is why, it comes down quite literally to goal differentials..

If Swiss can knock down Ecuador and Italy beats Uruguay while the US advances CONCACAF will legitimately be the second best league in this World Cup.... Amazing considering going into this tournament we looked like we may be the worst!!

re: ego squabbles. t that's when you need a strong coach to make your players shape up. if it's a person of feeble character, the players take over, everything turns to shit. to see mexico hanging by panama's ball hairs for qualification was inconceivable.

don't know what herrera has been doing with them, but he turned them around 180 degrees-- and mexico is showing very high morale. (meanwhile, there are tales of 3 different factions tearing cameroon apart, the poor fuckers).

anyway, good to see mexico back in form. i don't think they'll survive the netherlands, but that will depend on a lot of things. if anything, herrera can take some cues from today's game with chile. similar formations, different attitudes (chile creative, netherlands counterattack)

funny btw these teams all play with 3 central defenders + 2 wingbacks which people have been saying was out of fashion. fashion! ha ha ha ha ha. i love the world cup.