World Cup Volume 12

Tue Jul 1

An Irregular Series USA v BEL

A Broken Nose is an American Injury.
Stick your face where it don't belong.

Cut your face to spite
your

GAME ON!!!!!!!!

I am still not impressed with DaMarcus Beasley.

12 minutes in and not too much pressing from one side or the other.

Every Single Time BadTouch Bradley misplays the ball going forward, remember that in those moments he's supposed to be Clint Dempsey playing to Jozy Altidore.
Every Single Time Bradley makes a play or closes a space on defense, remember that he's supposed to be one level back.

USA is playing without Plan A(ltidore) and have done very well considering.  Which other team in the 16 is playing without Plan A?  Most of them non-A-plan-having Mofos went home after the 32.

Yikes on that BEL break at about 22min.  This is why we need Howard as GK.

Of course Beasley gets back to make that goal line save.

Mr. Dark:  You say that USA has been second-best in the first half as if there is no second half.  Or as if all 0-0 games are not all 0-0.

BEL #5 still scares me.

Eden Hazard is really good but consistently short of transcendent in any&every way.

Two paths here:
BEL gets the goal on USA's stout defense.
USA hits the break on the tied from-attacking BEL team.

Rope-a-dope.

At least I hope.

58 min gone.

Despite their possession, BEL's best shot was just then on the touchline playback.

60 min gone.

This USA team is not nearly as wide-open as they were in the group stage.

Bradley is playing much deeper now, no?

66min gone.

Like this Wondolowski Sub.  This is the time, now is the moment, Wondo has done the work, time to see if Fortune favors him.

I like the way we've moved Dempsey and Bradley back to take some breth while Wondo gets to be aggressive in the front.

More possible combinations if Extra Time happens as well.

Yes, we still demand a top-shelf GK for USA success.  There is no other way.  76min gone.

Nice defense, Morales.

The USA roster is deep and versatile, though not every individual USA sub is versatile.

It looks like due to a possible Omar Gonzalez injury that USA will truly have to suffer.

HOWARD STOPS
HAZARD.  yay.

Silver Surfer Bradley is so so so much better in defense.  He turns into Badtouch Bradley in attack.

USA has changed tactics.  I like this versatility.  Yedlin is doing everything he needs to do.  Pure Adrenochrome?

Fantastic, Besler,..

Wait... USA has never been in a shootout in the World Cup? I mean... I'm not surprised, exactly, but still...

Beasley is attentive and exerts energy... he is a strong defender... but I just don't ever feel comfortable... is it just me?

Wondolowski... if you ever played HS US soccer... you know exactly that guy.

92 min gone.

BONUS SOCCER.

fuuuuukin Lukaku.

Don't do it Lukaku... ohno.. De Bruyne.

BEl 1, USA 0, 92 min gone.

Now... we shall see who USA brings in... at least this is not late in the second OT...

Fuuuuuuuuking Lukaku.

BEL 2, USA 0. 105min gone.

It would take a miracle.

Julian Green scores or "comes up trumps" according to the announcer.  BEL 2, USA 1, 107min gone.

OH JJones! Unlucky! Nearly there, Sir!

Interesting USA Free Kick here... 112min gone.

Excellent design with a lack of finish for USA.

Excellent Excellent playcall from Klinsman!!!

And yet, that is not enough for USA to win.

This was a fantastic team, with a coherent style and gameplan and counterattack.

I am sorry to see USA bow out, but the thing is that I'm sure USA Soccer is on the rise.


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Here's the thing, Soccer.  I love you.  We love you.  But in a part-time sense.  That is, we Americans can also watch other sports.  The NBA.  The NFL.  WE like excellence, and those two leagues are the most in graceful athleticism and powerful athleticism that we will find on the planet.

So, we watch them.
And, for those of whom among us love gambling? We watch baseball.  If we crave speed action, we have the NHL.  And we have MMA And we ahve and we have and we have...

We love sports here in America, and soccer is worthy.

But it will never be more worthy than Basketball, Football and the like.  At most, it can be tied.

And that is a hell of a thing.
We are THE sporting nation on the earth.

But the soccer season is too long.

I watch UEFA Champions League every year.  I work for MLU.  I watch as much as possible of the NBA season every year.  So too the NFL.  How am I going to watch BPL? La Liga? &c?

That's about it.  Plus the World Cup, every four years, and some pieces of Olympics.

It isn't that we wouldn't want to watch more of you, soccer, it is that we don't want to watch less of our other significant others.

I hope this doesn't mean you'll want to have that "friends" conversation.  I don't want to give up what we have, I just want to have my cake and eat it too because "Cake or Death" is too damn French.
CONCACAF ÜBER ALLES.