471 replies to this topic

[CaptainLaddie]

Well, the USA was ranked something like 13th and Ghana was ranked something like 32nd going into the match.

[shawnrbu]

Ghana do not suck, I am surprised people are laying into the US for losing to a better team.

The hardest thing to get over is a week ago today I watched the Socceroos thoroughly outplay Ghana while being a man down for about 2/3rds of the match. I realize there is a world of difference between the 2nd match of Group play and the Knockout Round. The U.S. maintained good possession for the first 30 to 35 minutes of the 2nd Half, but the other 75% of the match was deeply disappointing particularly nearly the entire 1st Half when the bulk of the team looked lethargic.

[shawnrbu]

Well, the USA was ranked something like 13th and Ghana was ranked something like 32nd going into the match.

Once you get past the elite teams (Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany, usually Italy) and that next rung of 4 or 5 (Holland, Portugal, England, usually France), spots 11 to 40 are almost interchangeable.

[BelgianSoxFan]

Once you get past the elite teams (Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany, usually Italy) and that next rung of 4 or 5 (Holland, Portugal, England, usually France), spots 11 to 40 are almost interchangeable.

That and the FIFA rankings are pretty useless, and France is definitely a first-tier elite team, especially in the past 15 years despite their implosion. They have been very entertaining this world cup, but they have been more successful than Holland,Portugal and England, Germany, Spain and Argentina in the past 15 years. Most of their players play for the absolute top teams in the world.

[Ahriman]

Here are a couple of good write-ups that I feel accurately assess what happened to the US team today:

http://g.sports.yaho...maining-content

http://www.firebobbr...as-lost-by-bob/

When fixing the talent level of the team isn't an option, the only things you can rely on are playing hard, playing with focus, preparation, and tactical advantages (starters, subs, strategy, etc). Coaching can most certainly fix the third and fourth, while significantly improving the second.

Hire Klinsmann and hope that some serious talent decides to walk through the door.

Edited by Ahriman, 26 June 2010 - 06:11 PM.

[Sille Skrub]

Here's the scene at Game On for the US goal. Yours truly on the vuvu.

Forgive the video, still learning how to make it full screen from the iPhone4.

[accidentalsuccess]

bornstien played well and I came around on him some during this game.

Jozy is awful. Someone needs to take that kid aside and shake him. . .who the hell tries to draw a penalty on the 6 when you beat your man on a break? That spiffy goal against spain was so amazing BECAUSE it's so hard to shield the ball through a top class player...CUT IT OUT. Finish the damn ball. BAD coaching for this kid to think that going down that easy is a good way to play.

I was so excited for Buddle to play...and got 20-odd minutes. A crime.

[BelgianSoxFan]

This US team played hard and with a lot of heart. They won their group and with a bit of luck today (or a talented striker) could have reached the quarter finals. Only 8 other teams in the world did better than them and they were exciting to watch. They could have done better, but every fan should be proud of what they actually did. They will be back in 4 years.

Ghana is a good team and we saw it today, those FIFA rankings are worthless. But the USA is a good team too and we also saw it this World Cup.

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

http://www.firebobbr...as-lost-by-bob/

This guy suggests that Bradley should have left Jozy out of the starting lineup, and that there were better options available. Its hard to take him seriously after that.

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Jozy is awful. Someone needs to take that kid aside and shake him. . .who the hell tries to draw a penalty on the 6 when you beat your man on a break? That spiffy goal against spain was so amazing BECAUSE it's so hard to shield the ball through a top class player...CUT IT OUT. Finish the damn ball. BAD coaching for this kid to think that going down that easy is a good way to play.

This is ridiculous. Jozy did not have a bad game, playing the target man role pretty effectively, winning a lot of balls, keeping the defense occupied in ways that troubled them, and setting up Feilhaber for what should have been an easy finish. He also did not try to draw the penalty on the play, but had his plant leg cut out by the falling defender, and had to take the ball with his other leg while falling to the ground, in the context of running full speed. It was anything but an easy take.

By the way, did you see what happened to our offense when Hercules Gomez took his place? And lol at Buddle being some kind of diamond in the rough. Jozy has his weaknesses and he is frustrating at times, but he is way better than any other true forward on the team. That says a lot about the sad state for our front line, but scapegoating Jozy when he actually is doing a lot of positive things on the field is in the same realm as people in the game thread shitting on Tim Howard's WC performance.

Edited by Morgan's Magic Snowplow, 26 June 2010 - 06:45 PM.

[nickandemmasuncle]

They'll add all this shit on in extra time, right?

Nope. The on-field officials in soccer are the biggest pussies known to man. They could dramatically improve the game by doing the simplest effing things--like not calling offside unless it's 100% conclusive (as the rule dictates), and for the love of god, just adding on the correct amount of stoppage time when teams start pulling obvious stall tactics. No guesswork needed as far as who's faking and who's not. If the Ghanaians spend 5 minutes in each OT getting stretcher rides, then add on 5 minutes to each OT. Simple, really.

But no, we get 1 minute in the first OT and less than 3 in the second. Gutless. But par for the course.

Regardless, we played like ass, and B. Bradley (for all his merits) did not cover himself in glory. Jesus, we've got reams of evidence that the offense works better when Feilhaber is on the wing and Dempsey is up front--how about we give that a go from the start of the game for once? And the less said about Clark the better.

[ForceAtHome]

Nope. The on-field officials in soccer are the biggest pussies known to man. They could dramatically improve the game by doing the simplest effing things--like not calling offside unless it's 100% conclusive (as the rule dictates), and for the love of god, just adding on the correct amount of stoppage time when teams start pulling obvious stall tactics. No guesswork needed as far as who's faking and who's not. If the Ghanaians spend 5 minutes in each OT getting stretcher rides, then add on 5 minutes to each OT. Simple, really.

But no, we get 1 minute in the first OT and less than 3 in the second. Gutless. But par for the course.

Really? You're never really going to get more than 1 minute in a first half. They got something like 2:56 (something like four seconds under the three that was advertised, and the extra four seconds wouldn't have helped at all) in the second OT which seemed fair to me. Blaming the refs is silly right now.

[nickandemmasuncle]

Really? You're never really going to get more than 1 minute in a first half. They got something like 2:56 (something like four seconds under the three that was advertised, and the extra four seconds wouldn't have helped at all) in the second OT which seemed fair to me. Blaming the refs is silly right now.

This is my point--I'm not blaming the refs for this specific game. They were following precedent. But the precedent is awful. When the team that's ahead knows that the ref isn't going to add back all of the time that gets wasted, it (gasp) encourages them to waste time.

It's an easily solvable problem. It would behoove them to solve it.

[MentalDisabldLst]

Really? You're never really going to get more than 1 minute in a first half. They got something like 2:56 (something like four seconds under the three that was advertised, and the extra four seconds wouldn't have helped at all) in the second OT which seemed fair to me. Blaming the refs is silly right now.

Could you point out where he said that if the refs called the game fairly and by-the-book, that we would've won today?

There are many things to criticize, about the World Cup in general and Team USA in particular. Refs' behavior is one of them. Keep it in your pants.

[Harry Hooper]

Some more reactions among the press.

Davis:

Questions will be asked about coach Bob Bradley's choice of starters in the Americans' first World Cup elimination match since 2002; two changes by halftime is a pretty good sign that the lineup wasn't right initially. Sure enough, Ghana got an early goal and, once again, the Americans were left to chase the game.
...
Bradley's contract ends in December and his ability to get a new deal won't be helped by yet another poor start, a notorious recurring theme going all the way back to final-round qualifying. Nor will his case be assisted by some lineup selections that will be a real talker in the aftermath -- especially considering a bracket that had fallen so fortuitously for the Americans, with the true global powers safely shielded until the semifinals.
...
Player ratings from Saturday's 2-1 loss to Ghana (scale of 1-10, 10 being best):

GK, Tim Howard, 4: Made his first mistake of 2010 as he appeared to be a full step out of position on Ghana's early goal. As with before, chose the safer punch option liberally and cleanly collected everything he tried to catch. Howard was aggressive off his line and rarely tested other than the two that got by him.

D, Steve Cherundolo, 5: The rock of the U.S. back line up to now in South Africa had his first wobbly performance. He was beaten right away by Andre Ayew in an indication of things to come in the first 45, as they engaged in lively battle. Cherundolo was caught in possession early and forced to take a yellow card. The second half was far better as he looked a little more like the rampaging right back seen in three earlier matches.

D, Jay DeMerit, 4: He was one of at least three U.S. players who didn't look very good on Ghana's early goal. Some communication and footwork issues contributed to a sub-par first half overall, although things improved after intermission. Some critical second-half interventions helped keep the United States in matters, but his positioning relevant to Bocanegra on the game-winner must be questioned, too.

D, Carlos Bocanegra, 5: Preferred once again in the center over Oguchi Onyewu, he wasn't quite the commanding influence that he had been against lesser-class Algeria. He was mostly calm and composed in defense, and usually sure with the ball. But he did look something less than completely comfortable a couple of times in the second half. And he needed to better recognize the danger and snuff it out by any manner on Gyan's winner.

D, Jonathan Bornstein, 5: The left back finally gathered his World Cup footing in the second half of his second consecutive start. He never really looked confident getting forward in the first half and never got behind anyone in the attack. He was night-and-day better in the second half, although he still failed to find the precision and authority needed at this level on his crosses.

M, Landon Donovan, 5: Outside of his cool, well-hit penalty kick, probably his worst game overall in the campaign. He wasn't bad, but he just wasn't anything special -- and fairly or not this U.S. counts on him to work a little magic each time out. He had some atypically heavy touches, especially early. He drifted inside centrally more often to find the game after about 30 minutes.

M, Ricardo Clark, 3: His bad giveaway started the collective downhill tumble. A minute later, clearly frustrated, he collected a yellow card on a nasty tackle, so it was an absolutely awful start. From there, his passing was too predictable. Truly, Bradley's choice to start Clark over Edu does not look good at all.

M, Michael Bradley, 5: He looked tired, having played centrally and worked hard over three previous matches. He was not good enough in possession in the first 15 minutes, although his passing was faster and better after the break as Feilhaber provided extra help centrally. Bradley had a wonderful chance in the 76th minute but probably needed to take one more touch toward goal; his left-footed effort was hurried and meek. His presence diminished after about 75 minutes, surely running low on fuel from playing every minute so far.

M, Clint Dempsey, 6: Probably the best U.S. attacker for the night, as he usually found something useful to do with the ball. He looked confident, starting on the left and then moving up to striker after halftime. He drew the critical penalty kick.

F, Robbie Findley, 4: Just not enough at this level. He needed to finish his runs consistently, and the inability to do so took some punch from the attack. He was put clean through in the 35th and really needed to be better from 16 yards (on a shot from about the same spot as Kevin-Prince Boateng's successful effort for Ghana). Truly, his body of work at South Africa 2010 was quite ordinary, and he never really showed why he deserved another start.

F, Jozy Altidore, 4: He was busy all night, but just didn't seem to have the same spring in his legs. He struggled to win any battles with Ghana's back line, lacked quality touches throughout and didn't connect well with a 13th-minute opportunity that fluttered harmlessly wide. He tried to run at defenders but never got by them. He did get put through once in the second half but lost his balance and shot wide with the goal gaping.

Subs

M, Maurice Edu, 6: Made an immediate difference upon his 31st minute introduction, calming the midfield with smart positioning and tidy ball work. Still had stores of energy late.

M, Benny Feilhaber, 6: You have to wonder what the game might have looked like if he had started, as he immediately enlivened the attack. He got right into the action with a near-miss in the 47th and had a nice pass to create another chance immediately afterward. He played on the left but seemed to know just what the U.S. effort needed, moving inside regularly to give the U.S. more bodies centrally and more of the possession it needed so desperately. He was the best player on the field for the second half, although his influence dropped dramatically in the 30-minute extra time.

F, Herculez Gomez, 4: Bradley's final sub never really made an impact. He's not really a target presence and the U.S. lack of one hurt the comeback attempt when Route One work was required late.

Farley:

In all of our lives, we have to recognize moments that come along, real "game-changers" to be exploited. The United States had one here, as the bracket had broken so fortuitously. As they woke up Saturday, only Ghana and then either Uruguay or South Korea stood between the United States and history. A berth in the World Cup semifinals was there for the taking.

We saw how much hullabaloo all this created over the last three days. Can you imagine what kind of ongoing soccer party we’d be living in if the United States hadn’t missed such an opportunity?

It would be one thing of Ghana had come out and looked like Brazil circa 1970, clearly the better side in Rustenburg. But it just didn’t unfold that way. Lineup selections that require examination, another pitiful start and an attack that (once again) lacked ideas held back the Americans on Saturday. A group that was flawed, to be sure, had an opportunity nonetheless just because of its tremendous resolve and team spirit.

Truly, there was a chance for something special missed here.

Kaufman:

if the U.S. team wants to be treated like soccer Big Boys, then we have to ask Big Boy questions after Saturday's loss.

Why did the defense give up early goals in three of the four games? The U.S. team has the dubious distinction of having allowed the two quickest goals in the tournament thus far - a fourth-minute goal against England and a fifth-minute goal against Ghana.

Why did Bradley choose to start Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley in such a critical game when neither had really excelled since arriving in Africa? Clark's mistake led directly to Ghana's first goal.

Why can't American forwards finish? Boca Raton's Jozy Altidore worked hard, had several excellent chances and created mayhem for opposing defenses. But he didn't score. Findlay blew open opportunities. Gomez wasn't the predator he was in the Mexican league and U.S. friendlies. And Buddle, who was on fire coming into the World Cup, didn't get much time to prove himself.

There must be, in a nation of 300 million people, one who can consistently put the ball in the back of the net. The team relied a bit too much on Donovan.
...
Four years ago in Germany, the United States lost 3-0 to the Czech Republic, tied Italy on an own goal and lost 2-1 to Ghana in Nuremberg. Eight years ago in Japan and South Korea, it beat Mexico 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals, where it lost 1-0 to Germany.

This team was good enough to match the 2002 result, which is why Saturday's loss was so disappointing. The Americans should be proud of their performance but not satisfied. Not if they want to be soccer Big Boys. Second round isn't good enough anymore.

Woitalla:

Lost in the euphoria of its dramatic passage into the second round and demonstrated clearly in its loss to Ghana is that the USA has hit a frustrating plateau. There has been no significant increase in U.S. national team talent for a decade.
...
Up front in South Africa, the USA’s main man was Jozy Altidore, who scored just one goal in 30 league appearances for Hull City last season in the Engish Premier League. Altidore went scoreless in South Africa.

When rising star Charlie Davies was ruled out because of car-accident injuries, Bradley went on a desperate search for another forward and the best he could come up with was Robbie Findley, a slightly above average MLS player.

The 2002 squad was spearheaded by Brian McBride and Arena had no problem providing him with suitable partners, including Donovan, Clint Mathis, Josh Wolff – all of whom made key contributions.

Eight years ago, the midfield included Claudio Reyna and John O’Brien. In 2010, Michael Bradley had a good tournament but neither his partnership with Ricardo Clark nor Maurice Edu was near as formidable as the Reyna-O’Brien duo.

That Oguchi Onyewu went eight months without playing before the World Cup showed in his first two appearances, and eventually Carlos Bocanegra moved into the middle to partner with Jay DeMerit, who played every minute.

DeMerit, who plays in the English second division, has gone far on his limited skills and superb athleticism, but why is it that the United States can still not produce well-rounded central defenders – who can thwart and handle the ball well?

We have not seen another U.S. central defender as good as Eddie Pope, who started all the 2002 games.

The USA provided some thrills at this World Cup, with their first-round comebacks and the dramatic win over Algeria. They won the hearts of Americans who never paid much attention to soccer.

That’s a significant achievement. But this World Cup performance leaves us with the lingering question of why a nation with so many players and so many resources hasn’t shown more progress since becoming a World Cup regular two decades ago.

Miklasz:

This isn't a CYC grade-school team. We should hold the U.S. to higher standards. The U.S. had a shining path to the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2010 World Cup and blew it.

Just as casual sports fans were falling in love with the U.S. squad, the usual problems resurfaced:

There were baffling coaching decisions; what was Bob Bradley possibly thinking by returning the woefully ineffective Ricardo Clark to the starting lineup at midfield? Clark turned the ball over to set up Ghana's easy first goal, then drew a yellow card and soon was replaced by Maurice Edu. The inexplicable lineup blunder caused Bradley to waste one of three substitutions. And that became a factor in overtime, when the U.S. couldn't put in fresh legs for a fatigued player.

There was another early, hopelessly soft goal by an aggressive opponent. Against Ghana the U.S. once again demonstrated bizarre inattentiveness and low energy at the beginning of the match. Why? How can a team with so much to gain come out so dull and flat?

There was the absence of a world-class finisher to capitalize on dominant stretches generated by the U.S., which controlled the second half to leave Ghana scrambling. Will this nation ever produce a Messi, Ronaldo or Rooney? Saturday's game never should have gone to overtime; the U.S. had Ghana teetering on the verge of a knockout and couldn't close it out.
...
No, I did not come here to bury soccer.

The sport is healthy in America. Major League Soccer has been in place for 15 years and is making steady if unspectacular progress. The MLS has multiple television packages. There are three full-time soccer networks available on U.S. cable systems. ESPN carries games from the English Premier League and Spanish Premier League. The recent UEFA Champions League Final was aired on national U.S. television.
...
Perspective is required here. The U.S. has come a long way since '94. And the potential for more growth is enormous. FIFA has a chance to tap into a lucrative pipeline of revenue. For that obvious reason, the U.S. presumably has a terrific chance to receive World Cup hosting privileges in 2018 or 2022.

Hopefully by then the U.S. program will have developed a true, internationally feared scorer who can turn these heartbreaking defeats into expected triumphs.

[SumnerH]

Some more reactions among the press.

Davis:

His analysis is worse than useless. If Jozy hits one breakaway shot, he'd rate everyone 2 points higher. I appreciate that winning is what matters, but if you're going to do individual analyses then make them realistic.

The same was said after his equally meaningless ratings after the Algeria game. He's just far too unwilling to call anyone out or praise them, and just ranks everyone close to the team's overall performance level.

[Nick Kaufman]

Ricardo Clark better fall all over himself backing up Bradley, because that was the error that cost them the match. Clark was terrible in the friendlies leading up to the WC, he was terrible in the first half of the England game and he had been (justifiably) nailed to the bench while the team came back against Slovenia and Algeria. The key subs in BOTH of those games was Feilhaber and Edu.

Bob Bradley BADLY hurt his team by starting Clark (who drew a card and handed Ghana possession on the first goal). Clark then spent the next 25 minutes shying away from contact and generally doing nothing. It was only after Edu came on that the USA settled down. Just a terrible tactical error by Coach Bradley.

If Clark doesn't keep his mouth shut and praise his coach for the opportunity, he should be deported. Actual criticism of Bradley's decision to pull his worthless ass might drive me to Escobar his useless, goal-yielding ass.

You have to give Bradley credit for subing Clark in the 30th minute. Many coaches make lineup mistakes, very few correct them before the end of the half.

I thought the US was unlucky if anything. It's not every day that a team capitalizes any chance they get, like Ghana did. I don't agree that Ghana outplayed the US at all. 7 times out of 10 I think USA wins this game, if chances break the way they should.

I agree with the fellow who noticed the lack of width though I ve seen so many teams center on the axis that I wonder if it's a deliberate tactical decision or a trend. /

Donovan, Altidor, Feilhaber, Bradley caught my eye as players. This tourney is the best I ve ever seen USA play; in previous tourneys they were bland or outclassed. This time, nice possession football with some creativity mixed in. Nothing spectacular but great considering the overall talent they were working with

In the next few years, they will surely develop more talent, they will surely do better.

[Spacemans Bong]

Why do people in the US media seem to think Uruguay is a pushover? Even if we'd won, we'd have gotten caned in the next game.

[johnmd20]

Why do people in the US media seem to think Uruguay is a pushover? Even if we'd won, we'd have gotten caned in the next game.

Not necessarily caned. You know how it is the knockout stage, win and advance and then worry about the next game. Uruguay is not a pushover and they have an excellent team, but they aren't Brazil or Argentina or Spain or Germany and it was not a bad draw no matter how you look at it. Call it a missed opportunity to make the semi's more than a inevitable win.

[Zomp]

Not necessarily caned. You know how it is the knockout stage, win and advance and then worry about the next game. Uruguay is not a pushover and they have an excellent team, but they aren't Brazil or Argentina or Spain or Germany and it was not a bad draw no matter how you look at it. Call it a missed opportunity to make the semi's more than a inevitable win.

To be honest, I think Uruguay would have wiped the floor with us.

[URI]

I'm going to split out the future of US Soccer stuff, so bear with me folks.

[accidentalsuccess]

This is ridiculous. Jozy did not have a bad game, playing the target man role pretty effectively, winning a lot of balls, keeping the defense occupied in ways that troubled them, and setting up Feilhaber for what should have been an easy finish. He also did not try to draw the penalty on the play, but had his plant leg cut out by the falling defender, and had to take the ball with his other leg while falling to the ground, in the context of running full speed. It was anything but an easy take.

By the way, did you see what happened to our offense when Hercules Gomez took his place? And lol at Buddle being some kind of diamond in the rough. Jozy has his weaknesses and he is frustrating at times, but he is way better than any other true forward on the team. That says a lot about the sad state for our front line, but scapegoating Jozy when he actually is doing a lot of positive things on the field is in the same realm as people in the game thread shitting on Tim Howard's WC performance.

Jozy goes down easier (diving or shit balance I don't care why) than any aspiring world-class forward should and his work level up top is low (a result of poor conditioning?). Compare how easily he goes down to Klose...and jozy has 3cm on him according to their profiles. I'm glad jozy is young and he has potential but he also has some bad habits, his frequent, ineffective attempts to shield through balls instead of making a good first touch into space or one-time playing the ball off is one of them.

i never asserted that buddle is better than jozy. He sure as hell is better than Gomez and findley, though. I don't buy the big guy/fast guy up top is the "only way".