WORLD CUP: USA never plays well in Europe.

[Cascadian]

Czechs 3- USA NIL. It's a foregone conclusion. Sure we can do well at home, our continent, and maybe Asia but why is it that we play like crap in Europe? We play the Italians Saturday and I am expecting yet another blowout. We may manage to beat or tie Ghana but Sam's Army's stay in Germany is going to be brief and I expect Bruce Arena to be gone after we get knocked out.

What can Team USA do to succeed in Europe?


John

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. Perhaps it's something to do with the quality of the European teams that

we play, over there...

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Can you please post a spoiler warning

It's just common courtesy. People work during the day, and watch on time delay, and others watch from other time zone, on ntime delay. Please don't give away the results and ruin their experience. Thanks.

[maxsolomon]

3. ban football, baseball, hockey, golf, & skiing

force all children to play soccer exclusively.

in the meantime, grant instant citizenship to any world-class player who wants to join up.

its the only way!

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. You're joking right?

Is that why you think the other teams smash the US squad?

[billyskank]

9. What, that european kids play football exclusively?

To a very large extent, they do. Most kids want to be a soccer star. Even more so in South America, which is why countries like Brazil do so well.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. But are they FORCED to play football exclusively?

Is there a huge demand in Germany for American football, or baseball, that's being squelched by some repressive apparatus? I don't think so. And yet, that is precisely what the previous poster implies. He says "forced," does he not?

[billyskank]

11. No, of course not

They just want to.

Nobody suggests that American kids be forced to play soccer exclusively. That would be stupid. But the poster was pointing out why USA is not a great soccer-playing nation. It's because, as a nation, you're just not that into it.

I can't think of anything that would make them be into it, either. If American kids want to play baseball, or football, or basketball, or whatever, I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. Maybe I misread the poster

I read it as saying that the other countries were good because they did force just football. But I think yours is a more generous read, and I'm going to go with that. I think it's completely fascinating that football never really catches on the US, and the social gfactors behind it are, no doubt, extremely complex.

[maxsolomon]

16. why do we dominate in women's soccer?

there are few sports options for women as popular as soccer. we stink in men's soccer because the male talent is siphoned off into other sports. american football mainly.

all the guys catching the ball or trying to stop it from being caught? they are our most gifted, spectacular athletes, and should be playing soccer.

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. Oh, it perfectly fine to admit that American footie is third rate

No problem there, mate.

[meow2u3]

23. One reason: female athletes have less experience

The only countries where women excel in team sports are the US and Canada; countries in Northern and Central Europe (where feminism has taken root); Japan and China. Southern and Eastern European teams are beginning to catch up.

Women's soccer in Third World countries are almost unheard of because of de facto machismo; in Islamic fundie countries, women aren't allowed to play sports, and those countries should be banned from international play, e.g., Iran, Saudi Arabia.

[maxsolomon]

28. that's my point

i can't believe brazilian men don't want women playing soccer. where is the threat to machismo? i guess as a post-feminism male in the US, i just don't understand.

i fondly remember the brazilian women's beach volleyball team from the olympics. we need a LOT more of that.

[maxsolomon]

14. oh christ

:sarcasm:, all right?

make sure you tell me i'm a soulless yuppie!

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. Huh?

Soulless yuppie? Issues?

[maxsolomon]

30. yes

issues

[alcibiades_mystery]

33. Good luck with that

:toast:

[Cascadian]

17. British kids play rugby, cricket, even basketball.

The idea of force-feeding American youth a strict diet of soccer isn't a good idea. Kids in Britain don't have to be forced fed soccer. The sport has been around in Europe for over a hundred years and it is ingrained in the social fabric. Something that America does not have yet.

I think America has come quite a long way in the last 30 years but we still have a ways to go before the US can be considered serious contenders. I even wonder how FIFA has us ranked in the top 10? I think we should at least be number 25 in the world but not number 5 or even 10.


John

[maxsolomon]

29. see post 14

[u4ic]

4. Bomb them

it's worked in the past...:shrug:

[billyskank]

5. ...

:spray:

[maxsolomon]

15. where's the sarcasm simile?

if you don't use it i'll have to take your irony at face value.

[u4ic]

20. That's okay

I'm thousands of miles away from them, anyway...:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

34. We KICK ASS in bombing!

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

We're Number One! We're Number One! :woohoo:

USA! USA! USA!

:patriot: :bounce: :headbang: :toast: :patriot:

[billyskank]

6. The Czechs are good

The Italians are even better. You're in a tough group, my friend. Bad luck in the draw.

[Benfea]

24. Yeah, but we couldn't even score one point.

Not one lousy point. We got shellacked hard. I know the Czechs are good, but so were the Portugese 4 years ago.

[Karenina]

26. No offense sophisticated enough

to penetrate the Czech close range defense. Pech! I expected at least one goal.

[Benfea]

31. I need to cry in my beer. -NT

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. US soccer suffered its worst blow in 8 years today

An absolute knock out punch, and an international humiliation. It looked like a professional team (the Czechs) playing a junior high school B-squad. Ass-whupping is putting it lightly. And unless they beat the Italians Saturday (which looks unlikely, given the Italians superb play today), they are done. Hell, if they play the way they played today, they could be dispatched by the top high school teams in Italy and Ghana.

[Karenina]

22. "Humiliation" is a bit überdreht

NO ONE who knows the Czech players gave the US a chance of a snowball in hell. They were SERIOUSLY outclassed in striking ability.

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. I'm not talking about them having a chance

I'm talking about their play. Their play was dreadful, whatever chance they may have had. You can have no chance and still play well. They had no chance and played like shit. That's the point.

[Benfea]

12. We have to keep improving our squad.

Sure, half of our team plays in Europe, but most of them play in the soccer equivalent of the minor leagues. We've improved a lot over the last 20 years, but we still have a long way to go.

[meow2u3]

21. The US is the "Group of Death" n/t

[rockymountaindem]

25. I'm more disappointed that we can't win in baseball and b-ball lately

I'd be happy with more World Cup success, but I'm more worried with our poor showing in the World Baseball Classic and the 2004 Olympic basketball tourney. Basketball has almost exclusively been our turf since 1992 and baseball is the quintessential American sport. Yes, I know Japan, Latin America et. al. are good at it these days, but I do want to win in baseball. I guess I have high expectations there.

[SoCalDem]

32. Sad, but my son (who's there now) is probably still having fun

True soccer fans love the GAME...played well...by ANY team/any country:)

[dorktv]

35. I want all the other teams to come down with mild cases of conjunctivitis.

Something amusingly non-harmful but will make them unable to play so they all forfeit.

[ps1074]

36. Truth is USA looked terrible

I said before the game that Czech are very dangerous team - one of the best in this World Cup. It is a very tough group for US to advence to the next round but nothing is lost yet.

Eddie Johnson was the best player on the US side, even though he played as a substitute for 45 minutes. Why didn't Bruce Arena put him in the starting lineup?

[Karenina]

37. BIG MISTAKE, that!

Johnson definitely gets a A for effort!

[NewJeffCT]

38. in 1990...

The Czechs beat the US 5-1, and it was really that bad. The US came back the next round & played defensively & lost to even more highly regarded Italy 1-0.

[Bassic]

39. Next game is against Italy I think?

If all goes as it should, the U.S. team will once again get it's ass kicked.