[NG33]

Dude supposedly has been the top ref in Africa in recent years. What does that say about African referees?

If he was the best ref Africa had to offer, I doubt we'll be seeing many more African refs as the rounds progress lol. That was a horrendous call (and just a bad officiated game in general) and cost the US two vital points. Hopefully the US team remains focused for the Algeria game because they NEED to win this game and win it convincingly.

[ALUmnus]

Yeah, we should have gotten that point, but we didn't play well, again. And it was the same problems we always have, ball possession and finding space, although for once our goal strikes were actually decent today. When did we become a team of divers? That needs to stop, we keep losing balls when we do that.

Seemed like the Slovs took Dempsey out of the game, which hurt us. My disappointment with Altidore continues, he's just not creating enough chances and the shots he has had have been poor.

[01LUGrad]

Doing this more for myself:

If England/Algeria ends in a draw:
Slovenia-4
US/England-2
Algeria-1
That means US and England both have to win to advance. The first tiebreaker goal differental and the second is goals scored, right?

If England wins:
Slovenia/England-4
US-2
Algeria-0
This means we will be watching the Slovenia/England game. A draw there means we have to win by 2 against Algeria, right?

If Algeria wins:
Slovenia-4
Algeria-3
US-2
England-1
This means all we have to do is beat Algeria to advance. If England beats Slovenia, we would then win the group.

Correct me if I am wrong!

[TDDance234]

Yeah, we should have gotten that point, but we didn't play well, again. And it was the same problems we always have, ball possession and finding space, although for once our goal strikes were actually decent today. When did we become a team of divers? That needs to stop, we keep losing balls when we do that.

Seemed like the Slovs took Dempsey out of the game, which hurt us. My disappointment with Altidore continues, he's just not creating enough chances and the shots he has had have been poor.

Jozy brings a little speed but not much else. He can't handle the ball and his shot attempts have left a lot to be desired in these two games.

Best case scenerio is a draw between Algeria/England.

[NG33]

Best case scenerio is a draw between Algeria/England.

And that's exactly what happened! Crazy to think that if the Algerian goalie didn't misplay that goal in the game vs. Slovenia everyone in the group would be tied w/ 2 points.

[LUconn]

[LUconn]

Is there any question that Findley and Gooch are both starting to justify Bradley putting them on the team? Findley was controversial over Ching, so he feels he has to start him to prove himself right. Findley is worthless. He's fast and... that's pretty much what he brings to the table. And Onyewu obviously is not in shape or in sync with the rest of the defense. As far as I can tell, he's cost us 2 of 3 goals. He's just lost out there.

[ALUmnus]

Maybe Finley, but Onyewu would have been expected to be on the team and starting by everyone, Bradley doesn't really need to justify himself on that one. He's one of the few stars the US has, so if he's healthy, he's on the field. Bradley seems to be trying to create matchup problems by having Finley in there, using him like they'd use Charlie Davies, but it just hasn't worked. At least he won't be available in the next game, so we can see what they look like without him.

Who will it be, Gomez or Buddle?

[01LUGrad]

Nice call, ref.

[BJWilliams]

and who's job is on the line after that one considering what has transpired...

[Sly Fox]

After watching Slovenia today, I'm not sure how well they can play with a "draw" mindset. Even though that is all they need to advance, we saw how well they play when they tried to pack it in today.

The good news is that we control our destiny regardless of the other matchup. In the words of Al Davis, "Just win, baby".

[Sly Fox]

Oh yeah, here's my pic of the day ...

[Schfourteenteen]

Jozy had a good second half. He used his size to create opportunities that most don't see. Midway through the second the US would just clear it as far upfield as they could and Jozy was able to retain possession as the team caught up.

Findley - he has one gear and can only go in one direction. Shouldn't be starting over Buddle, or any one else for that matter. He cant create his own shot, and he cant distribute well either. He's simply a burner with a bad first touch.

I would have said Onyewu HAD to be at CB for our defense to play well, but Edu was good over the last 10 minutes and he's played CB before.


Oh, and FIFA maintains its refs are not required to specify what calls are made. I'll tell you what call he made. He made a call to the bookie to see how much money he was getting from the fix.

[TDDance234]

It may have been his first and last World Cup game...

JOHANNESBURG – The referee who disallowed a potential game-winning goal for the United States will face an expedited performance review from FIFA and is likely to be excluded from the rest of the World Cup, according to a FIFA source.

Koman Coulibaly from Mali disallowed Maurice Edu’s 86th-minute strike that would have given the USA a 3-2 lead over Slovenia at Ellis Park and likely would have led to a thrilling comeback victory Friday. Coulibaly appeared to rule that American midfielder Michael Bradley had impeded a Slovenian defender, even though video replays showed no infringement.

FIFA’s refereeing committee will review footage from the Group C clash on Saturday to evaluate Coulibaly’s performance after several USA players complained about the way he had struggled to control a fiercely contested match.

Rest of the story HERE.

[TDDance234]

Maybe Finley, but Onyewu would have been expected to be on the team and starting by everyone, Bradley doesn't really need to justify himself on that one. He's one of the few stars the US has, so if he's healthy, he's on the field. Bradley seems to be trying to create matchup problems by having Finley in there, using him like they'd use Charlie Davies, but it just hasn't worked. At least he won't be available in the next game, so we can see what they look like without him.

Who will it be, Gomez or Buddle?

Got to go with Gomez here. Anything to get Findley off the pitch.

[01LUGrad]

Scenarios for Wednesday
(Don't worry, I didn't come up with this on my own)

USA wins
ENG wins: The team which wins by the larger margin is first. In case of tied margins, USA first unless England score at least 3 more than the US. If 2 more, then draw lots. Both winners qualify in this scenario.
SLO/ENG Draw: USA first (unless the USA only wins by 1 and Slovenia score more goals vs. England than the US vs. Algeria), Slovenia second. Flip them in the parenthetical case.
SLO wins: Slovenia first, USA second.

USA draws
ENG wins: England first. Slovenia second.
SLO/ENG Draw: Slovenia first, outright. US second unless England score at least three more goals vs. Slovenia than the US vs. Algeria. If England scores two more, lots are drawn.
SLO wins: Slovenia first, USA second.

USA loses
Life as we know it ends

[SuperJon]

I want to see us with a 4-5-1.

Code: Select all

		           Howard
Bocanegra	Onyewu	DeMerit	Cherundolo
	    Bradley	       	Edu
    Donovan		Beasley		Dempsey
		        	Altidore

We won't do that, so we'll run a 4-4-2 with Edu off and Buddle starting, Gomez coming in between the 60th and 70th minutes.

[LUconn]

I think 4-4-2 is what the players practice and they understand it and are more comfortable with it. As poorly as they've been playing in it and how many people are going unmarked, I'd hate to see a formation that they're not used to.

As for the draw lots thing, it's literally a coin flip. Can you imagine if it came down to that? Any solution that involves some kind of soccer or skill is a better idea than a coin flip.

[ATrain]

Basically Wednesday is just win so you don't have to worry about it.

[SuperJon]

I think 4-4-2 is what the players practice and they understand it and are more comfortable with it. As poorly as they've been playing in it and how many people are going unmarked, I'd hate to see a formation that they're not used to.

They played multiple formations on Friday better than they played the 4-4-2. In the second half they switched to a 4-3-1-2 with Donovan being the one. For the final 15 minutes or so they played a 3-4-3 where the midfield looked to be a diamond.

(After saying all this, I fully admit to like the 4-5-1 or 4-3-1-2 better than the 4-4-2 in general, not just for the US.)

[From the class of 09]

I think 4-4-2 is what the players practice and they understand it and are more comfortable with it. As poorly as they've been playing in it and how many people are going unmarked, I'd hate to see a formation that they're not used to.

As for the draw lots thing, it's literally a coin flip. Can you imagine if it came down to that? Any solution that involves some kind of soccer or skill is a better idea than a coin flip.

While I agree that a coin flip is a bit ridiculous. I have a hard time arguing that the US deserves to advance if they don’t win at least one game in pool play.

[01LUGrad]

Am I the only one who has heard the rumors that the French team might not even show up for their match against South Africa? Someone needs to tell these guys they don't have to surrender yet. The Germans aren't even on their schedule at this point.

[Sly Fox]

Yeah, the players refused to show up for a practice. But forfeiting a WC game is beyond anyone's comprehension ... even Franco footballers.

[Maximus]

How about Portugal putting on a clinic against North Korea!

The Italy vs New Zealand game was fantastic.

I am over the vuvuzelas already.

[TDDance234]

Am I the only one who has heard the rumors that the French team might not even show up for their match against South Africa? Someone needs to tell these guys they don't have to surrender yet. The Germans aren't even on their schedule at this point.

Well, while they did show up -- they checked out last week. South Africa just might squeak by in to the knockout round if France keeps giving up goals.