Confederations Cup Thread

[seahawk10]

Wow, fantastic first half, it is really amazing what a little confidence can do for a team. Instead of being nervous and tentative (just happy to be there) the US has played with the assured confidence that it belongs in this game. Great cross by Spector to setup Dempsey's goal. The keeper was leaning the wrong way, but Spector put it in position where Clint could have gone either way with the shot. And the 1-2 play between Donavon and Davies was fantastic. What a composed and confident finish by Landon.

Brazil can still come back of course, but a dream first half by the US. And Howard is playing great as are the defenders. Not outclassed one bit in this one.

[Ian Royal]

Now started playing like Reading circa 2009.

Look tired and lucky with the disallowed goal. It's a shame US could have had 3 or 4 if Altidore and Davies(sp?) had shown better control and awareness in the first half. Probably down to inexperience.

Altidore really doesn't impress me. Looks like a League 1 striker.

Still in the game though.

[floyd__streete]

Typical of the bloody Yanks, can never finish anything they start; first Vietnam, then Al Qaeda and now the Confederations Cup

[Super_horns]

Guess if any team has the quality when they want to show it to come back its Brazil.

Cracking game...be good if the World cup is like that next year.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

LOL @ the raised expectations all of a suddenlike.

Eh, got what we deserved out of it. Pleasantly surprised to see our boys playing with more confidence and, uh, skill with the ball at their feet --used to be we weren't much of a threat to score against quality opposition except via the set piece.

It'd be refreshing to see this sort of form carry over to the qualification campaign, in which we've been pretty oatmeal to this point of the proceedings.

[Ian Royal]

LOL @ the raised expectations all of a suddenlike.

Eh, got what we deserved out of it. Pleasantly surprised to see our boys playing with more confidence and, uh, skill with the ball at their feet --used to be we weren't much of a threat to score against quality opposition except via the set piece.

It'd be refreshing to see this sort of form carry over to the qualification campaign, in which we've been pretty oatmeal to this point of the proceedings.

Think you've got a very very tidy midfield, but your defence is suspect and you're missing a real international class striker (on viewing the last two games only). Davis has the makings of a top player but is making quite a few mistakes. As I've said earlier. Altidore looks League 1. Bas Savage but less amusing.

Think the only reason he scored against Spain was because it was a much poorer finish than Casillas was expecting. International quality strikers don't just smack it at the middle of the goal given that chance.

[seahawk10]

Outclassed by a mile in the second half. We had a few chances when up 2-1 but didn't come through. Great showing on the whole though. The best team won in the end.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

LOL @ the raised expectations all of a suddenlike.

Eh, got what we deserved out of it. Pleasantly surprised to see our boys playing with more confidence and, uh, skill with the ball at their feet --used to be we weren't much of a threat to score against quality opposition except via the set piece.

It'd be refreshing to see this sort of form carry over to the qualification campaign, in which we've been pretty oatmeal to this point of the proceedings.

Think you've got a very very tidy midfield, but your defence is suspect and you're missing a real international class striker (on viewing the last two games only). Davis has the makings of a top player but is making quite a few mistakes. As I've said earlier. Altidore looks League 1. Bas Savage but less amusing.

Think the only reason he scored against Spain was because it was a much poorer finish than Casillas was expecting. International quality strikers don't just smack it at the middle of the goal given that chance.

Fair point on Jozy's goal. He's a pup of 19 (but that never stopped Kaka, Messi, and I suppose we'll find out about Pato once that chapter is written). Needs to see more action at the club level against top opposition, which he's gotta earn, and there remain unanswered questions about that.

Surprised by the general quality of our play out wide, which I really didn't know we had in us (too many dwarves out there before now to get an honest read against competition outside of our fed, really).

Spector at right back I though was pretty solid, and he crosses well from range out wide. Same hometown as McBride, don'tcha know.

I think it's been said above herein --there's still no genuine consistent game-changer in this squad, and none of 'em individually come anywhere close to commanding the awe of opponents. Just a bunch fundamentally schooled, fresh-faced suburban kids who runrunrun real hard for an hour and a half and are capable of punching above their weight every now and again. T-E-A-M and all that.

Anyway, I've said before that our first world-class outfield player will be one who faced the prospect of fighting his way to and home from school every day and who knows what it's like to go to bed hungry. We'll see.

I think it's worth mentioning that the level of general interest in all of this over here has been higher than what one might be inclined to expect. Just doing my 25th year H.S. grad reunion over this weekend, and all the guys my age have kids who are totally into it, so they've had half an eye on it and had at least some idea as to what the hell I was banging on about thru a thick haze of dark rum and endless pints of Guinness heh.

[leww_rfc]

Congrats to Brazil.

Fairplay to Usa they proved so many people wrong. And after they knocked out Spain i was backing them to win. Provided they get a good group next year i'm guessing they could go quite far, quarters me thinks.

[papereyes]

Anyway, I've said before that our first world-class outfield player will be one who faced the prospect of fighting his way to and home from school every day and who knows what it's like to go to bed hungry. We'll see.

My hunch would be that they'd be hispanic - or possibly even far-eastern - in ancestry.

I simply can't see that many black athletes turning down the chance to play basketball or any of the more engrained US sports. A young player destined for the NBA could easily be trained to be as handy a forward as Altidore - it is a cultural thing that stops it.

Both Altidore and Adu's families are very recent immigrants to the US (Haiti and Ghana) while I imagine that's similar for 'Gooch'.

[Thaumagurist*]

Should have been 4-2 to Brazil. Again, we need goal-line tech for that "goal" by Kaka.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Correct on both counts, Spacey

You're on fire today so far

[Ian Royal]

4-3. Think USA were unlucky to not get a penalty. Then again, so were Brazil I guess.

Kaka's goal all depended on whether the linesman was up far enough with play and looking at the exact place at the exact moment.

It's a piece of piss to see in a slowmo replay from a good angle. Not so at full pace from half the width of the pitch away.

Chi; Donovan comes pretty close to a game winner and Davis has the potential if he can get first team football against decent opposition for a season or two. A good showing in the world cup and I think you could be going places in the next 10 - 15 years as the kids getting interested now start to come through.

[Thaumagurist*]

Kaka's goal all depended on whether the linesman was up far enough with play and looking at the exact place at the exact moment.

It's a piece of piss to see in a slowmo replay from a good angle. Not so at full pace from half the width of the pitch away.

That's exactly why we need some form of goal-line technology!

[rabidbee]

Or maybe just goal judges?

[Thaumagurist*]

Or maybe just goal judges?

Even that would be an improvement on how it currently stands.

[rabidbee]

I personally don't see it as a major issue. There aren't many games decided by these kinds of goals. (We're here debating whether Brazil should have won by a larger margin.)

[Thaumagurist*]

I personally don't see it as a major issue. There aren't many games decided by these kinds of goals. (We're here debating whether Brazil should have won by a larger margin.)

Well, yeah, but at that point in the game it was 2-1 to USA, wasn't it, when Kaka's "goal" happened?

[rabidbee]

No idea. You're mistaking me for somebody who actually watched this shit.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Chi; Donovan comes pretty close to a game winner

Thing about him is that when he's bad, he's just gawd-awful putrid --his showing for Borussia Dortmund (or was it Leverkusen?) in the Champions League was, we understand, the very epitome of utter footballing cluelessness.

He's a handy specimen for CONCACAF competition, though, running the way he does at Hondurans and Salvadorans just about his own size lol.