USA World Cup Soccer....Fire Arena

[LA HAWG]

Oh let me rephrase that, NO AMERICANS CARE ABOUT SOCCER!!  BTW, MMQB is for discussing RAZORBACK SPORTS, go discuss this on the Soccer forum.  Oh, wait, there isn't one.  Wonder why?

I'm not the one who started the thread you could report it to a moderator, and i'm sure if it's justified he'll move it to where it belongs.  I noticed you were the second one to find and reply to this post still justifying that you cared about it, so there goes the idea that no americans care about soccer unless...you're not American?

My question is this, How can a game that can go for 90 minutes with no timeouts end in a zero zero tie.  At least in real sports there is a winner decided on the field in the same manner the regulation goes.  When these bafoons can't score they put them right up close to the goal to decide who can kick better.  I would rather watch paint dry or grass grow.

You watch HDN's offense dont you? 

Yes but the other team usually scores so there is a little action going on.

[dmbeatles14]

Still waiting for a rebuttle....(that means a logical response)

[HogInaStrangeLand]

Razorbacks win the cup, yet?

[LA HAWG]

Still waiting for a rebuttle....(that means a logical response)

That makes two of us.

[dmbeatles14]

quote author=LA HAWG link=topic=62317.msg796078#msg796078 date=1151001063]

Still waiting for a rebuttle....(that means a logical response)

That makes two of us.
[/quote]

Times up, this young man has yet to prove his point, and is probably still struggling to find ways to back up an ignorant argument.  I guess the game is beautiful after all.

[LA HAWG]

Just one more post to say it is going to be fun to watch this thread dry up like a flower in the hot summer sun.  See you in the funny papers.

[Hogward R. Murrow]

Poeple like you are why people hate message boards. B/c you just run your mouth and not know anything about 95% of the stuff you are talking about. And then when you get called out on it, 'my bad I was just playing.' So basically you are here to pile on. Good job dude. Way to have something better to do.

Soccer slap fights do not belong in the mmqb. Soccer sucks and I've applauded everyone who says so.

www.soccersucks.net

[Cornhogio]

Soccer slap fights do not belong in the mmqb. Soccer sucks and I've applauded everyone who says so.
www.soccersucks.net

Jackasses like you who take time out to post in a soccer thread about how they think soccer sux deserve a life, one hopefully far, far away from this board. 

[snort]

People like you are why people hate message boards. B/c you just run your mouth and not know anything about 95% of the stuff you are talking about. And then when you get called out on it, 'my bad I was just playing.' So basically you are here to pile on. Good job dude. Way to have something better to do.

Soccer slap fights do not belong in the MB. Soccer sucks and I've applauded everyone who says so.

www.soccersucks.net

#1. This thread did not start as a slap fight until people like yourself decided to derail it.
#2. I can understand the argument that this thread shouldn't be in this forum, however I've seen many other non-razorback threads here (i.e. "the lost dog").  While I'm on the topic, why don't we just petition the mods to change the name of this forum because it's a little confusing calling it the "Monday Morning Quarterback."  Does that mean that technically we are only supposed to talk about Razorback football here?
#3. I understand the argument that non-fans have when being told that they should support the team since it is "America" that they are representing.  That's a little weak to me since I didn't necessarily care that the US lost in that goofy world baseball tourney a while back (come to think of it, I think I remember seeing posts about that in this forum as well).
#4.  Please quit saying soccer is being crammed down your throat.  It is quite obvious by this thread's topic name as to what it is going to be about.  So, just skip over it and move on to the next topic.  For you people pissed about all the ESPN and ABC coverage, sorry it's out of our hands.  Don't come to these threads and derail them with your complaining, start a new one and have fun bashing the sport in there.

Anyway, I've vented now.  Smite me if you feel like it.  I just wish some people would grow up.

Oh, back to the topic.  I think Arena didn't have them prepared and was too unwilling to change the line-up and formation (sounds familiar).  Also, Donovan and Beasley just didn't show up.  We aren't the only ones pissed, don't forget the Czechs were ranked 2nd in the world.  They are going home too.

[HotRodHog]

It was a bs call on the foul late in the first half.  That completely screwed the momentum twist.  Arena is a moron for only using one forward.  We used a defensive formation the whole tournament with an offensive minded team.  Donovon, Beasley, and Johnson played poorly and some guys shouldn't have even been there. Bocanegra, Olsen, and Dempsey were looked on to me as bright spots.  I don't like Keller, but there isn't much validation behind that point.  That being said Twellman, a great offensive player, should of been there.  We didn't scout and the stars didn't lead, and that is why we're going home. Congrats to Ghana! I find it humorous that we lost to the land where Adu came from.

Sums up my feelings as well. It was nice to see Crew fans out in force. The most important fact is football is still growing in popularity in the states. Anybody just interested in watching a game first hand can go up to KC and catch a Wizards game. I know some of you guys stick your nose up at the sport, but its a fine sport. When I was a wee lad I played soccer-football over thirty years ago in Ohio.Also, anyone who thinks it is no "mans" sport has not been drilled in the chin or thigh by a guy who can kick a ball 60 yards. Imagine an aluminum bat swung at full speed right into the thigh... Ummm delicious!

[rachmaninoff]

I'd like to try to put this game into perspective, as it is still very fresh in all our minds, and therefore hard to perceive clearly.

Obviously I think this was a relatively poor outing for the US national team, but one I expected given the world cup we had in '02.  We had a great, but very lucky, run last cup, and I think this gave us a bit of an image problem going into '06.  We have players like Donovan who really have very little drive or ambition to compete at the highest levels, instead implying that playing in MLS and starting at the heart of the national team is competitive enough for him. 
I think that in every world cup, the winning teams, the teams that go on, need a lot of luck.  Some times things just don't go your way.  That penalty kick was very unlucky, and the first goal was really just a gift for Ghana as well, from who else but one of our most experienced players.  Who would have thought? 
All the bad espn hype clouded the minds of our players, as well as the minds of American viewers.  Just being in the world cup is a HUGE honor.  Of all the teams in South America, only two teams (up until ecuador in this world cup)--Argentina and Brazil--had even made it out of the group stages.  Just two! This sport takes decades to build on; there aren't a lot of upsets over the course of the entire tournament.  The power houses of 20 years ago are still pretty much the same (the same names are mentioned anyway) and to expect the US to come in guns blazing in a decade is ridiculous. 
Having said that, I think Arena had a poor mentality going into this world cup.  Playing a 4-5-1 was a bad idea, but to do it today even was just ridiculous.  We have been playing a defensive minded game plan all cup, and we're not a strong team in possession.  We play good defense and we counterattack.  That's what we do best.  We need to go out hard and score a goal before the other team, and then sit back and counterattack.  Arena actually believed we could sit back and literally outplay the Czechs and the Italians, and that is crazy.  Even playing at our best, our squad just isn't ready for the pace and ground passing required for that type of game plan in a world cup; maybe against concacaf, but not in the cup.  I think that like Donovan and Beasley, Arena started to believe that we were a squad that could outpossess the big guns, and that's just not our strong suit.   
So it wasn't our world cup.  That's okay.  This didn't destroy our national team; it just means we have more building to do.  Dempsey and Onyewu both played very well; expect to see Onyewu in England next year (fingers crossed) and Dempsey could be getting attention.  MLS is building slowly, and the team will come to the next cup hungry for redemption.  We'll have a new manager (getting Klinsmann would be fantastic), and hopefully a lot of new faces to try out, since all the veterans we've depended on will have retired.  Several players will be starting in the premiership next year, and by 2010 we'll have a much larger network of talent in Europe; it seems to be growing exponentially now. 
But all in all this was not a disaster, just a disappointment.  We'll be back.  Hold your chins high.  I'm gonna try to remember holding the Italians, the mighty Italians, to a draw with only 9 men.  I'm gonna remember Onyewu literally marking Luca Toni (the best striker in Seria A this year) out of the game, to the point that he was subbed out.  There are still some positives.  We should be beating the Ghanas of the world I know, but we will.  Maybe next world cup.   

[SultanofSwine]

Soccer is a physical sport but certainly not to the extent it's international players like to let on it is. Guys flopping around like a gutted carp one second then up runnng full bore the next...please.

There are four sports clearly ahead of soccer in the US and it will always be that way, PERIOD. That doesn't make soccer a bad sport because it obviously is the sport of the rest of the world. Ofcourse that imo is largely due impart to the fact that the rest of the world can't economically support the number of professional sports that the US does.

[dmbeatles14]

Can anyone point to any other team that has switched their formation during the middle of this (a) cup?  I don't believe that we understand how much work it takes to line this kind of thing up.  It might be easy to say, take out a middy, through in a striker; as we see once this happened when Bruce did do it near the 60th minute our game-plan went haywire, we began just sending long balls and hoping that Eddie Johnson, whose speed didn't match that of the Ghanain defenders could run under.  Believe it or not we scouted this team, and thought the 4-5-1 was the best way to handle it.  Why tinker much with a lineup that did come through against the Italians who defensively are stronger than Ghana, where chances were created?  Putting another striker, 21 yrs old, who at the club level doesn't even play a 4-4-2 didn't make since.  When we rise a little above the MLS level you hardly ever see this formation ran, there have too many books written about how to defend it.

[bigred7987]

Sultan....Ronaldo and Beckham are talking about coming over here to end their careers...if that happens....Soccer has a shot to sneak in that top 4.  If the MLS had bigger names and better quality....I can see it becoming big...we also have to remember that the MLS is what..in its 7th year?   The English Premiership has been around as long as I can remember...the NBA didn't blow up in one year.  Soccer will be there one day.  Soccer has been in the history of all countries around the world for a long time...it is just now starting to grow big here and we have a good following so far...it will only grow as will the quality of players

[dmbeatles14]

Sultan....Ronaldo and Beckham are talking about coming over here to end their careers...if that happens....Soccer has a shot to sneak in that top 4.  If the MLS had bigger names and better quality....I can see it becoming big...we also have to remember that the MLS is what..in its 7th year?   The English Premiership has been around as long as I can remember...the NBA didn't blow up in one year.  Soccer will be there one day.  Soccer has been in the history of all countries around the world for a long time...it is just now starting to grow big here and we have a good following so far...it will only grow as will the quality of players

Sadly this is probably going to become the trend although it might bring some on the fence fans in for support of the game, its also going to turn the league into a geriatric clinic.  In its 10th year MLS is doing what it needs to, bringing in young players and getting them some attention so that they can be sent overseas and develop their skills to where they need to be.  Its showing benefits as well, and it also is showing who can/can't cut it.  Landy-cakes being the example.  I said before the cup started that Dempsey would get the most attention from overseas clubs and believe that he's earned it now.