Nimreitz
06-09-2001, 08:04:AM
What the hell was that? Did anyone watch the loss to Costa Rica? Well, if you didn't the United States sliped into the non Qualifying part of the crappiest World Cup Qualifying group (obviously Oceania doesn't count because no team ever goes from there).
I fully believe that the only creative player born in America, and with the talent to quickly create chances is Landon Donovan. Unfortunately for us, he is 19, just abandoned Leverkusen because he didn't get a game, and joined the MLS, a league where improvement is a non-issue.
Injuries are definitely a factor here, but seriously, how much of a factor can it be. If England loses Scholes, Cole, and Owen, they still have players to step into those roles, the US should be the same. I mean, just because Reyna(the only American I have full confidence in), Josh Wolff, and Ante Razov aren't on the squad, there should be others stepping in. There was no one.
Cobi Jones. I have never seen a player hyped more, across a larger area than this guy, and he is pure ****e. He can't pass, he has no touch, he has no judgement or creativity, he doesn't have speed, and yet he plays in every game. I hate to say it to the Cobes, but his prime was 8 years ago, and it is really sad to see someone who can't keep up their skill level to the age of 31. Pathetic.
The Tikos could do no wrong, and now I will turn my analyzing attention to that, with only a few more references to how I hate this team. Alfonso Solis has a Gerrard-esque long shot, and Friedel was equal to it early, which I was suprised.
--Editors rant: Why does Brad Friedel play ANYWHERE!!! Kasey Keller is 10 times the keeper that Friedel is, and I'm sure Blackburn could "pry" Mark Tyler away from Peterborough for about 5k to replace this arrogant fvck! He is such a hot headed ****, that I found myself screaming at the tele often. A penalty call for Costa Rica (there is at least one penalty in every US game, for real) brought him off his line for about 10 minutes and eventually Steward was penalized for dissent with a yellow, but I wished Brad was given a red, so we could get a real keeper in there. My dad, who watches the games, but doesn't know much about the sport was wondering about him, and I had to explain to him, and then complained in general a few times, about how Blackburn would have beaten Man U, but Mr. Posh Spice, as my dad says, caught the dumb bastard 90 meters off his line.
Ok, back to the game. Another impressive player was Fonseca, no not the crap player at Juve, but the guy in the Costa Rican league. He was brilliant on the right of the midfield, and in the center, and scored both goals. Wanchope was his usual crap self, hyped like a mofo before the game, then performs like crap against the US. He's like the Joe Cole of CONCACAF when he plays the US. Ronald Gomez didn't really impress me, but still deserved an 8 match rating because like every other Tiko, he was given acres of space. Oh no...
--Editors rant #2: The one problem that I see with the US is that there is a sense of not caring. Typical arrogance from us. We think we are the best so don't do crap. The big problem that plagues our national team is that we aren't aggressive worth ****. I shouted at the tele at least 20 times for so and so to "win the ball", and "make a tackle". That is terrible, it's like we don't want the ball. Wanchope had miles of clear space, same with Ronald Gomez, the two wings, and EVEN the two central midfielders. There is also no compression at the back. I remember last year, or two years ago sometime in the CL late stages where they showed a picture of the Valencia box when the ball was 20-25 yards out. There were a minimum of 9 players back, and there may have been 11. For some reason, the US plays a psudo-offside trap. Even when the ball is 20 yards out, the flat back 4 or 5 (a retarded strategy, there is no point in playing flatback 5, there should be defensive wingers compensating for a lack of attacking wingers running box to box like Lizerazu) is at the 18 yard box. 5 times, the ball came through, and the US barely escaped with a wide shot, or a slip, or a lucky tackle, whatever. I hate watching the US play. I have a theory that it is poison to watch the US before you have to play a match yourself, because you might adapt some of those tactics and habits.
Finally, at the end of the game, the announcer said, "baring in mind injuries up front for the US, what changes do you think should be made in a few months?" I came up with about 100 different ideas.
- Play a 4-4-2, the limited minds of our players can only comprehend that.
- Bring in players that should be given their chance. DaMarcus Beasley is young, but lightning fast on the wing, and a lefty, Frankie Hejduk is the best winger we have got, and he isn't on the team, where are the players from abroad that are good? I WANT JOHN O'BRIEN OF AJAX!!! I WANT BERHALTHER TO PLAY!!!
- Take out the trash. Cobi Jones, Preki, Jovan Kirovski, Brad Friedel, Jeff Agoos, and the rest of the bottom of the pack MLS players.
- Coach please Mr. Arena. You have tenative players here, the day before a match, do a light practice session dedicated purely to tackling and attacking the ball, you will be pleasently supprised.
I fully believe that the only creative player born in America, and with the talent to quickly create chances is Landon Donovan. Unfortunately for us, he is 19, just abandoned Leverkusen because he didn't get a game, and joined the MLS, a league where improvement is a non-issue.
Injuries are definitely a factor here, but seriously, how much of a factor can it be. If England loses Scholes, Cole, and Owen, they still have players to step into those roles, the US should be the same. I mean, just because Reyna(the only American I have full confidence in), Josh Wolff, and Ante Razov aren't on the squad, there should be others stepping in. There was no one.
Cobi Jones. I have never seen a player hyped more, across a larger area than this guy, and he is pure ****e. He can't pass, he has no touch, he has no judgement or creativity, he doesn't have speed, and yet he plays in every game. I hate to say it to the Cobes, but his prime was 8 years ago, and it is really sad to see someone who can't keep up their skill level to the age of 31. Pathetic.
The Tikos could do no wrong, and now I will turn my analyzing attention to that, with only a few more references to how I hate this team. Alfonso Solis has a Gerrard-esque long shot, and Friedel was equal to it early, which I was suprised.
--Editors rant: Why does Brad Friedel play ANYWHERE!!! Kasey Keller is 10 times the keeper that Friedel is, and I'm sure Blackburn could "pry" Mark Tyler away from Peterborough for about 5k to replace this arrogant fvck! He is such a hot headed ****, that I found myself screaming at the tele often. A penalty call for Costa Rica (there is at least one penalty in every US game, for real) brought him off his line for about 10 minutes and eventually Steward was penalized for dissent with a yellow, but I wished Brad was given a red, so we could get a real keeper in there. My dad, who watches the games, but doesn't know much about the sport was wondering about him, and I had to explain to him, and then complained in general a few times, about how Blackburn would have beaten Man U, but Mr. Posh Spice, as my dad says, caught the dumb bastard 90 meters off his line.
Ok, back to the game. Another impressive player was Fonseca, no not the crap player at Juve, but the guy in the Costa Rican league. He was brilliant on the right of the midfield, and in the center, and scored both goals. Wanchope was his usual crap self, hyped like a mofo before the game, then performs like crap against the US. He's like the Joe Cole of CONCACAF when he plays the US. Ronald Gomez didn't really impress me, but still deserved an 8 match rating because like every other Tiko, he was given acres of space. Oh no...
--Editors rant #2: The one problem that I see with the US is that there is a sense of not caring. Typical arrogance from us. We think we are the best so don't do crap. The big problem that plagues our national team is that we aren't aggressive worth ****. I shouted at the tele at least 20 times for so and so to "win the ball", and "make a tackle". That is terrible, it's like we don't want the ball. Wanchope had miles of clear space, same with Ronald Gomez, the two wings, and EVEN the two central midfielders. There is also no compression at the back. I remember last year, or two years ago sometime in the CL late stages where they showed a picture of the Valencia box when the ball was 20-25 yards out. There were a minimum of 9 players back, and there may have been 11. For some reason, the US plays a psudo-offside trap. Even when the ball is 20 yards out, the flat back 4 or 5 (a retarded strategy, there is no point in playing flatback 5, there should be defensive wingers compensating for a lack of attacking wingers running box to box like Lizerazu) is at the 18 yard box. 5 times, the ball came through, and the US barely escaped with a wide shot, or a slip, or a lucky tackle, whatever. I hate watching the US play. I have a theory that it is poison to watch the US before you have to play a match yourself, because you might adapt some of those tactics and habits.
Finally, at the end of the game, the announcer said, "baring in mind injuries up front for the US, what changes do you think should be made in a few months?" I came up with about 100 different ideas.
- Play a 4-4-2, the limited minds of our players can only comprehend that.
- Bring in players that should be given their chance. DaMarcus Beasley is young, but lightning fast on the wing, and a lefty, Frankie Hejduk is the best winger we have got, and he isn't on the team, where are the players from abroad that are good? I WANT JOHN O'BRIEN OF AJAX!!! I WANT BERHALTHER TO PLAY!!!
- Take out the trash. Cobi Jones, Preki, Jovan Kirovski, Brad Friedel, Jeff Agoos, and the rest of the bottom of the pack MLS players.
- Coach please Mr. Arena. You have tenative players here, the day before a match, do a light practice session dedicated purely to tackling and attacking the ball, you will be pleasently supprised.