[LUconn]

Less than a month away fellers! I've been dying to start this thread. Who's watching? Who ya got? Is the US really #4? Do you take FIFA rankings seriously? Is our group really that stacked? Can we possibly make it out of it?

[LUconn]

By the way, Brazil is taking this bad boy all the way. Case in point:

Ronaldinho is like Allen Iverson X10 of soccer. Minute 2:55 is my favorite

[jack_sparrow81]

Brazil will probably repeat. Ronaldihno (sp?) has really stepped us his game the last couple of years. Germany is stacked to with that goalie from Arsenal. Who knows though. Hopefully U.S. can make some noise again with some of these guys like donavan and beasley having more experience since the 2002 cup

[bigsmooth]

if the US does not get to the semifinals, i think it will be a disappointment. we have a really talented squad, but our draw is arguably the toughest. it is time to prove we belong!! GO USA!!

[SuperJon]

I think we'll make it out of pool play. However, if we were to beat Brazil it'd be as big of an upset as the 1980 Hockey team in my opinion. It won't mean as much, but it'll be that big of an upset. Brazil is freaking nasty.

[Sly Fox]

With all due respect, SJ ... a USA upset of Brazil would be NOWHERE near the upset of our scrubs beating the Soviets in Lake Placid. But I see your point.

Frankly I am not much of a soccer fan most of the time. But I generally enjoy the World Cup. I see us battling out of pool play and then fizzling. But I hope they do much better.

Ronaldinho is coming to Houston with Barcelona after the WC later this year. I'm really looking forward to that.

[SuperJon]

In the soccer world, our guys are a bunch of scrubs for the most part.

[Hold My Own]

I love soccer as much as anyone, but I gotta go with Sly on this one, we're now that bad at soccer and Vegas will actually give us smalls odds...but in Hockey they wouldn't even give us a chance


By the way Brazil is filthy, Italy, England and even the US have a outside chance, but bottom line is Brazil has to much Fire power Ronaldo is playin some of the best soccer of his life, Adriano is unreal....and who's that dude on the cover of FIFA or maybe FIFA World Cup from Brazil, he's unreal too

So my money is on Brazil, but if you give me the field or Brazil I'll take the field, b/c I think Italy or England or someone could sneak one by them

[Sly Fox]

We're ranked #5 in the FIFA world rankings. Some woudl argue we don't deserve it. But that's where we stand nonetheless.

Frankly, Mexico is not far behind us so we have plenty of regional interest down here. Los Tricolores have been playing extremely well in recent days.

[ALUmnus]

I think that is Ronaldihno on the cover of the video games. I wouldn't give England too much credit, they're classic underacheivers, and injuries are costing them. Watch out for the Dutch, though. I say that every four years, but they have the best talent that's not playing for Brazil.

[Hold My Own]

Yeah, who is it, The Republic of Dutch or something like that....they're sick too with one of the best keepers in the game

[PAmedic]

the Netherlands

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=449&cc=5901

[PAmedic]

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5614062

U.S. drops in last FIFA rankings before WC

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) - The United States dropped into a fifth-place tie in the May FIFA rankings, the last before next month's World Cup.

The same teams occupy the first 10 spots, with only minor adjustments in the rankings released Wednesday by soccer's world governing body.

Brazil, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands still top the list. Mexico moved up to fourth, with the Americans dropping into a fifth-place tie with Spain.

Portugal and France swapped spots. Portugal improved to seventh and France slipped to eighth.

Argentina remained No. 9 and England stayed in 10th.

The next FIFA rankings will be released on July 12, three days after the World Cup final.

FIFA is changing its calculation system for the new rankings, awarding points on matches over the last four years instead of the last eight.

The new rankings will also take into account the World Cup results.

FIFA WORLD RANKING
Top 20 April 2006

Rank(Country)Points (+/-)
1 Brazil 827 --
2 Czech Rep. 772 --
3 Netherlands 768 --
4 Mexico 758 +2
5 USA 756 -1
5 Spain 756 --
7 Portugal 750 +1
8 France 749 -1
9 Argentina 746 -1
10 England 741 --
11 Nigeria 736 +1
11 Denmark 736 --
13 Italy 728 +1
14 Turkey 726 -1
15 Cameroon 722 --
16 Sweden 709 --
17 Egypt 708 +1
18 Japan 705 -1
19 Germany 696 --
20 Greece 694 -1

[PAmedic]

Reyna could play more defensive role

CARY, North Carolina (AP) - After spending two World Cups as an attacking playmaker for the United States, Claudio Reyna might find himself in a more defensive role at this year's tournament.

The U.S. team's training resumed Tuesday following a day off, and many of the top players spent more than an hour each talking about what they expect to achieve at this year's World Cup, where the United States plays the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana in one of the tougher first-round groups.

"As players come and go into the team, I think I just try to find my role in the team," Reyna said. "Previously, I was probably more of an attacking player. And now, I still have a responsibility to control the tempo of the game, when to slow it down and speed it up."

He became the U.S. captain in 1999, shortly after Bruce Arena took over as coach, and played one of the best games of his career in the 2-0 second-round World Cup win over Mexico.

If the 32-year-old Reyna is pushed back into more of a holding midfield role, it leads to some intriguing questions about Arena's lineup for the opening game against the Czechs on June 12. Will Landon Donovan play as an attacking midfielder or as a forward alongside Brian McBride? Will Josh Wolff or Clint Dempsey find his way into the starting lineup? Will John O'Brien, if he recovers from his string of Achilles' tendon, hamstring, groin and hip injuries, find his way into the first 11?

Arena has less than four weeks to find answers.

And unlike Czech coach Karel Bruckner and Italy coach Marcello Lippi, he doesn't carry the expectations of a nation.

"The guys with all the pressure are the guys called Signor Lippi and Bruckner, but not Arena," he said. "They're the one who are supposed to win."

USA Roster

Goalkeepers:
Kasey Keller
Marcus Hahnemann
Tim Howard

Defenders:
Carlos Bocanegra
Jimmy Conrad
Oguchi Onyewu
Steve Cherundolo
Eddie Lewis
Eddie Pope
Cory Gibbs
Chris Albright (for Hejduk)

Midfielders:
Bobby Convey
Landon Donovan
Pablo Mastroeni
Claudio Reyna
DaMarcus Beasley
Ben Olsen
John O'Brien
Clint Dempsey

Forwards:
Brian McBride
Eddie Johnson
Brian Ching
Josh Wolff

USA Schedule
Mon., Jun. 12
USA vs. CZE Gelsenkirchen
Sat., Jun. 17
ITA vs. USA Kaiserslautern
Thu., Jun. 22
GHA vs. USA Nuremberg

[givemethemic]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[thesportscritic]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

thats right gmtm. agree with you 100% on that

[ALUmnus]

I find it hard to comprehend "sports fans" who hate soccer. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. And the same people who knock the low scoring are the same ones who cheer no-hitters and hockey shutouts.

[Hold My Own]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

70 million people watched the finals yesterday at 2:30 on ESPN2

and that only had 3 or 4 notable names from the world cup in it

[LUconn]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

thats right gmtm. agree with you 100% on that

Not everything can be as exciting as women's basketball. Did you see that layup!?!?!

[Sly Fox]

I actually watched a good portion of the Arsenal/Barcy final yesterday while I was working. If all games were as exciting with as terrific atmosphere as that one, EVERYBODY would love soccer. Unfortunately we tend to have neither of those conditions here in the States.

[SuperJon]

I watched the first 30 minutes before I had to go to practice. I TiVo'd it but never got around to watching the rest.

[givemethemic]

O trust me I don't claim Women's b-ball to be the most exciting, I just can't watch people kick a ball back and forth it does absolutely nothing for me and HMO I know how many people across the world watched the world cup, but you send out a poll in the U.S if they care about soccer and the majority say they could care less.. Now I am not dissing the sport at all, I am just saying that it doesn't do it for me

[LUconn]

Although it was the truth, I really just said that to dog on thesportscritic. His buttons are well known, and easily pushed.

[SuperJon]

90% of the US doesn't understand soccer and the tactics or rules behind the game. They have no clue how it's supposed to be played and they only see it as kicking a ball around.

[Hold My Own]