Soccer Thread

[Adam White]

Was thinking that watching Belgium was much like watching Spurs (of late) - so much potential, so much hype...so much disappointment.

Ouch! Yes, I see your point, especially since there are several Spurs players lining up for Belgium (not to mention the core of England's squad). Belgium probably should have fielded one more (Dembele) instead of Fellaini.

Though to be fair, Spurs were never really in the title hunt and finishing 3rd being Arsenal, despite a string of bad to embarrassing results at the end of the season, far exceeded all pre-season expectations - most reasonable Spurs fans did not expect UCL qualification until sometime after the new stadium is finished.

So, they are way ahead of schedule and there is nothing really to be disappointed about (and Belgium may still come good!)

Full disclosure: I'm a Spurs supporter/member and didn't mean anything too insulting. To be honest, I am not sure if I expected Spurs to finish fourth or higher, but I think anything less than that would've been a massive disappointment.

Dembele definitely should've got the start against Italy - definitely over Fellaini. I was a bit surprised Chadli didn't even make the trip to France.

[TimmyB]

USA with a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE win!!!  On to the Semi's!

[RattlerGator]

Very happy for Jürgen Klinsmann; that man gets far too much criticism and now, at long last, maybe our folks can quit talking about Landon Damn Donovan. They almost freaked out at the end, though, and let Ecuador steal the match. But, kudos to Dempsey and Zardes!

[bencrix]

Full disclosure: I'm a Spurs supporter/member and didn't mean anything too insulting.

I get it. The end of the season was disappointing, but viewed from the perspective of pre-season last year, their final position is really, really good.

Curious what you think about the blowback Kane is receiving. I don't think he did much wrong in the last two games given that Roy's midfield isn't really set up to help him much. That said, the Vardy / Sturridge subs (btw, credit due to Sturridge's "something-out-of-nothing" talent) paper over such nuance and may relegate him to the dog house. I feel bad for the guy.

Very happy for Jürgen Klinsmann; that man gets far too much criticism and now, at long last, maybe our folks can quit talking about Landon Damn Donovan. They almost freaked out at the end, though, and let Ecuador steal the match. But, kudos to Dempsey and Zardes!

Agree about Klinsmann. USA still has a long way to go and I think he's one of the few who sees that relatively clearly. For instance, pushing against having all of our players in the MLS to help that League's financial development vs. helping our national team develop.

Bummer about Jones' red card, as well as Wood & Bedoya's DQs. Jones was stupid, but I really dislike how these tournaments handle accumulated infractions. It will be absurd for USA to play Colombia or Argentina so short handed.

[Gamblor]

I'm a Spurs supporter/member

It's happened again, it's happened again.....

[Adam White]

Full disclosure: I'm a Spurs supporter/member and didn't mean anything too insulting.

I get it. The end of the season was disappointing, but viewed from the perspective of pre-season last year, their final position is really, really good.

Curious what you think about the blowback Kane is receiving. I don't think he did much wrong in the last two games given that Roy's midfield isn't really set up to help him much. That said, the Vardy / Sturridge subs (btw, credit due to Sturridge's "something-out-of-nothing" talent) paper over such nuance and may relegate him to the dog house. I feel bad for the guy.

Very happy for Jürgen Klinsmann; that man gets far too much criticism and now, at long last, maybe our folks can quit talking about Landon Damn Donovan. They almost freaked out at the end, though, and let Ecuador steal the match. But, kudos to Dempsey and Zardes!

Agree about Klinsmann. USA still has a long way to go and I think he's one of the few who sees that relatively clearly. For instance, pushing against having all of our players in the MLS to help that League's financial development vs. helping our national team develop.

Bummer about Jones' red card, as well as Wood & Bedoya's DQs. Jones was stupid, but I really dislike how these tournaments handle accumulated infractions. It will be absurd for USA to play Colombia or Argentina so short handed.

Kane got a lot of stick at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, because he wasn't scoring goals. It took him a while to get started, but everyone was accusing him of being a one season wonder. He ended up winning the golden boot. He had a long season, being the only striker for Spurs. He's probably tired. If he keeps playing, I bet he scores at some point. He shouldn't be taking corners, though. Or free kicks.

I'm very happy for Klinsmann's success, and not only because he's a Spurs legend. He's the best manager the USA has ever had. I think he gets some pretty decent results out of some pretty average players. He'll shut up all the doubters if the USA manage to beat Argentina - assuming they are their next opponents.

[bencrix]

Just to add to the Spurs domination of the Soccer thread today:

Dempsey, who is tearing up the Copa America was a fine player for Spurs (and Fulham).

He was one of the better players in the EPL then and probably still would be a starter for someone now.

[Adam White]

Just to add to the Spurs domination of the Soccer thread today:

Dempsey, who is tearing up the Copa America was a fine player for Spurs (and Fulham).

He was one of the better players in the EPL then and probably still would be a starter for someone now.

Do you think Dempsey was one of the better players in the Premier League? I did think he was was pretty good when he played for Fulham. He was a bit of a disappointment at Spurs. Not bad, but he was clearly not playing as well as he did at Fulham. I agree that he may still be able to start for a Premier League side - but it would likely be somewhere like Boro, Hull or Bournemouth.

[bencrix]

I agree that he may still be able to start for a Premier League side - but it would likely be somewhere like Boro, Hull or Bournemouth.

Yes, I agree. What I like is that he has a knack for consistently scoring gritty (America's new favorite word) goals - a rare & useful quality.

But last night showed why a team like Spurs was wise to shift him. He had very little role to play against a pressing, pacey, & technique-rich Argentina side - who look a lot like the better club teams in England / Europe. Not that he was the problem for USA, but not the solution either.

[Adam White]

I agree that he may still be able to start for a Premier League side - but it would likely be somewhere like Boro, Hull or Bournemouth.

Yes, I agree. What I like is that he has a knack for consistently scoring gritty (America's new favorite word) goals - a rare & useful quality.

But last night showed why a team like Spurs was wise to shift him. He had very little role to play against a pressing, pacey, & technique-rich Argentina side - who look a lot like the better club teams in England / Europe. Not that he was the problem for USA, but not the solution either.

Was a bit disappointed to wake up this morning and find that the USA had lost to Argentina. Didn't expect them to win, but it would've been nice.

In other news, Northern Ireland apparently have qualified for the knockout stages of the Euros. England and Wales are already through and Ireland will qualify, too, *if* they manage to beat Italy tonight.

[DrQue]

The US did not play their best game at all but the result is not unexpected. There was already a huge talent gap before three suspensions, two of which were for players on top level European teams. Replacing those talents with older MLS players will not yield positive results against the best international team and player.

A dose of realism is helpful when watching the USMNT. We were ranked 31st but beat the 13th, 23rd, and 44th ranked teams while falling to the 1st and 3rd ranked squads. Overall I this was a positive tournament for the US. 

[bencrix]

In other news, Northern Ireland apparently have qualified for the knockout stages of the Euros. England and Wales are already through

People love to wring their hands over the futility of England's national team. I know it will never happen, but Imagine if they played as the UK!

[bencrix]

A dose of realism is helpful when watching the USMNT.

Well put. The tournament was a success and there is still chance for more in the 3rd place game.

I agree we really missed the disqualified players, but I still think our midfield is at least a generation away from having a tactical chance against a team like today's Argentina.

[Adam White]

In other news, Northern Ireland apparently have qualified for the knockout stages of the Euros. England and Wales are already through

People love to wring their hands over the futility of England's national team. I know it will never happen, but Imagine if they played as the UK!

They fielded a UK team in the last Olympics* and they won their group, only to exit the tournament during the first knockout round (quarterfinals). Apparently the UK does as "well" as England.

*I appreciate that Olympic football isn't the same as senior international football.

[Adam White]

The US did not play their best game at all but the result is not unexpected. There was already a huge talent gap before three suspensions, two of which were for players on top level European teams.

Who was suspended?