US-Czech match

[winterbadger]

Well, that has to be one of the most disappointing games I've ever seen the US play. We were flat, uninspired, slow, and uncoordinated. They outplayed us, they outshot us, and they outmanned us. Literally--it was like watching a high school team playing a pro team. If we're going to field a team that is smaller and weaker than our opponents, we need to be faster and more subtle. We bumbled. We couldn't pass consistently. I don't think we won a single header. We put no pressure on the Czechs. We left key Czech players wide open and unmarked. We made low, slow, weak crosses. We were, to put it simply, awful. If this is the best performance the US can put on, we deserve to plummet straight out of the opening round.

Win, lose, or draw, if we're not better than this, if we don't play better than this agaisnt Italy, I don't know if I'm even going to bother watching the last match.

Comments

[shy-kat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, C said she's not even going to bother watching the defeat in glorious detail tonight. I feel sorry for my coworker who went to Germany to watch...


:-(

[winterbadger]

I also taped Italy v. Ghana (on my machine); maybe that will give us some clue as to what the other two games may be like. If Ghana give Italy a run for their money, then things are bleak for the US.

[dativesingular.livejournal.com]

Anthony and I watched the game; in his opinion, we've got a lot of potential, but we're very badly managed.

[winterbadger]

We've got one of the best GMs in football, so I'm mystified as to the problem. I mean, his job is to have them ready for game day, and they clearly weren't, so he fell on his face, but it's truly astounding to me, as he is one of the best around.

We were in camp late, we had no real challenging opponents to play in recent months (and did poorly int he games we did play), and we've had some bad injuries (losing one of our few defenders--a position we seem to be strangely weak in--just before the Cup was a huge blow). But, that said, we should have looked a thousand times better than we did today. I've seen that team do marvels. Why they came out so flat and never got any real momentum or cohesion is a mystery to me. If this were a team in Serie A, I'd assume we just had orders to throw the game (that's really what it looked like), but in the World Cup...

[redactrice.livejournal.com]

I did end up watching much of the match on TV tonight. If I see Eddie Lewis passing back to the goalie one more time, I'm going to scream!!!

Seriously, our play reminded me a lot of DC United's at various points over the years: passing ineffectually across the back line, launching long hopeful balls into the box from 30 yards (as though they're ever going to get past the tall Czech defenders) rather than linking up through the midfield, and slowing down some of our few breakaway chances to stop and consider the field. Is that sort of play a DC United thing? (The coach and one assistant are old DCU hands) An MLS thing? An American thing? We looked like an MLS team playing a Champions League team.

Sigh.

I've decided to be an honorary Australian for a few days.

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

yeah, I'm living in a house with two football-obsessed boys right now - like Neil is pretty well determined to watch every match - which means that I've absorbed a surprising amount of the sport in the past couple days. Which is bizarre, as I normally do't have the slightest interest in such things. I'm now a big fan of Maridonna (I wouldn't survive in this house if I weren't), and and can recognize a good goal from one based on poor defense ... amazing! I came home from work yesterday and dragged Neil away from the game for the sake of one of his customers (my boss, who'd given me a lift home in order to speak to Neil - who was furious :) just in time for the second Czech goal, which was pretty cool to watch. I've gotten to the point, seeing as lovely Alba ain't got a shot, that I don't so much care who wins any given game (though I would sure have liked to have seen the states hold their own a little better!), but it's actually been a lot of fun to keep up with them. my education continues ...

[winterbadger]

We both have plenty of time to get happily settled in Scotland before we need to worry about Scotland fielding a team in the World Cup. Sadly, much as I love Alba, it will be a while before I see that happening again.

The goals really were lovely ones, and as it's sure to end up going to Brazil or someone anyway, I'm trying to do the same and just enjoy the masses and masses of lovely football!

[winterbadger]

I'm sure the Ozzies will be glad to take you in. :-) They may make you drink beer, though. ;-)