Official World Cup Soccer Thread

[kstu]

I'm not really up on my US Men's Soccer news, but was Ching slighted or was he generally considered to be off the roster come decision time?

 

[GasX]

25 page thread discussing his lack of a place on bigsoccer.com

 

[iCyborg]

We are always looked upon as a dark horse in WC play and yet we have been ranked in the top ten in past years. Now we are ranked 14th in the WORLD!!!!!!
With that in mind (beside the meet with England) we should not only advance but at least make it to the quarter finals. Anyone wanna bet on it?
Algeria and Slovenia should not cause a problem.

To get to the World Cup, Slovenia finished in front of Chech Rep. (which just beat you on your soil 4-2 in a friendly...), and Poland both of which are good teams and played at Euro Cup 2008, and then eliminated Russia who was a semifinalist at the last Euro Cup. Saying it won't be a problem is either grossly understimating them, or thinking US is one of the top 3-4 title contenders. Some guy above complained that Africa only gets 5 spots (6 with the host though), well Europe ain't better, 2 semifinalists from the last Euro Cup didn't qualify (Russia & Turkey) and one other quarterfinalist (Croatia), so any European team getting to the World cup has a reasonable chance of getting to the 2nd round. If Slovenia wins, I wouldn't even qualify it as an upset...

 

[GasX]

Landon Donovan on ESPN Ad

 

[Zargon]

Why would players get in trouble? They had nothing to do with it.

yeah friggin right

 

[Zargon]

To get to the World Cup, Slovenia finished in front of Chech Rep. (which just beat you on your soil 4-2 in a friendly...), ..

they beat our scrub squad

it was a roster spot game for the US

 

[GasX]

To get to the World Cup, Slovenia finished in front of Chech Rep. (which just beat you on your soil 4-2 in a friendly...), and Poland both of which are good teams and played at Euro Cup 2008, and then eliminated Russia who was a semifinalist at the last Euro Cup. Saying it won't be a problem is either grossly understimating them, or thinking US is one of the top 3-4 title contenders. Some guy above complained that Africa only gets 5 spots (6 with the host though), well Europe ain't better, 2 semifinalists from the last Euro Cup didn't qualify (Russia & Turkey) and one other quarterfinalist (Croatia), so any European team getting to the World cup has a reasonable chance of getting to the 2nd round. If Slovenia wins, I wouldn't even qualify it as an upset...

Everything you say is fair except the implication that the 4-2 result has any meaning whatsoever.

 

[iCyborg]

I just put that as a note, I know friendlies don't mean much. Though the Czech team was also far from their best too, so it's not the best excuse either

 

[GasX]

Here's Jose Altidore's sportcenter ad

 

[Mucho]

Whatever happened to Freddy Adu how come he was not selected?

 

[GasX]

Whatever happened to Freddy Adu how come he was not selected?

interesting read on Freddy Adu

 

[FallenHero]

interesting read on Freddy Adu

After reading that, it doesn't surprise me at all about his fate. It seems like he probably stopped trying to learn proper tactics and teamwork and concentrated on being the superstar everyone labeled him as. It's going to be near impossible for him to catchup if he is that far behind in terms of positioning and plays.

 

[Mucho]

interesting read on Freddy Adu

Interesting read indeed.

 

[Zargon]

x3 thanks for posting that!

 

[Blackjack200]

interesting read on Freddy Adu

Interesting read indeed.

x3 thanks for posting that!

Can someone post cliffs? websense is blocking it.

 

[Anubis]

Can someone post cliffs? websense is blocking it.

here you go

Earlier this week, occasional Sports Illustrated columnist Grant Wahl posted a fascinating article discussing the life and times of American striker Freddy Adu. If you’re a fan of Freddy, then it’s certainly worth reading. But if you’re a Freddy Adu detractor, then you’ll probably be equally interested. Grant Wahl, aside from being a proper journalist, appears to be a big supporter of the USMNT. As such, it also appears that Mr. Wahl has spent a fair amount of time pondering the fate of Freddy Adu. Why has his young career been so rocky? What does the future hold? Will he ever find success, both on the club level and on the international stage?
Wahl’s thesis, it seems, is that Freddy has always been something of a cursed figure. Possessed of enough raw ability to make people think he was the genuine product, but only for a brief period until it became evident that he was lacking in a number of ways:

Things really went downhill when Benfica loaned Adu to Monaco of the French league for 2008–09. Jérôme de Bontin, a French-American member of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s board of trustees, had taken over as president at Monaco, and he wanted to add Americans to the team. “Maybe the highlight of his stay was the first day of practice,” says De Bontin. “Freddy scored three beautiful goals. Everybody in the academy was excited about him, not to mention the fact that he was a riot in the locker room.” But Monaco’s coach, a Brazilian named Ricardo, started Adu only once that season. Says De Bontin, “Everybody had the same analysis. He had incredible talent, yet he was lacking standard tactical knowledge that most players his age had. It was tied to the fact that he became professional at 14 and in some ways stopped learning at 15.”
​

For me, it’s that last bit of the excerpt that is most striking. People often like to throw out the fact that Adu went pro when he was 14, as if that somehow means he’s destined for great things. In reality, Freddy Adu seems to have been the test case for “The American Soccer Superstar.” Think about it. Prior to Adu signing for DC United, had any American soccer player created such a legitimate amount of media attention? We all heard “14 year old” and “signs professional contract”, and immediately began making analogies to LeBron James and Company. Wahl himself was guilty of such a crime. From his 2003 article discussing the signing:

Freddy Adu, the 14-year-old American soccer prodigy, has signed a four-year contract with MLS (plus two option years), culminating a fevered three-month-long pursuit that involved such global giants as Chelsea, Manchester United, Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona.
The deal is a major coup for MLS. An electrifying goal-scorer with remarkable speed, vision and ball skills, Adu has the potential to be the first American male soccer icon, a crossover star who could significantly raise the profile of the eighth-year league.
“Not one person in the world soccer industry, from all the naysayers in this country to every major soccer team in Europe, thought that we would sign Freddy,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber. “This says strongly that we are serious about the business of growing the sport of soccer in this country.”
​

American sports are only as popular as their marquee names. It’s sad, but true. How much more exciting were the Minnesota Vikings when they signed 108 year old Bret Favre? The NHL looked to be going the way of the Dodo before Ovechkin and Crosby made people realize hockey could be fun. Hell, even the build-up and “will they, won’t they” moments of Pacquiao/Mayweather was enough to get people excited about boxing for the first time in a long time. And yet, American soccer has never had a figure like that. So, when 14-year-old Freddy Adu came along, fans of the game put far more emphasis on him than was necessary. So, he did advertisements with Pele and scored a somewhat lucky goal, and then he went on Letterman. And now we’re all surprised that he stopped developing?

Let me pause for a moment, to reflect on the career of one Sebastian Telfair. “Bassy”, as some know him, was billed as the Next Michael Jordan. A book was written about his high school career (Ian O’Connor’s “The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High-Stakes Business of High School Ball) and full-length documentary was made about his decision to go pro over playing college ball for Louisville (Through the Fire). He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers at the age of 18 and has since played for a total of five franchises in six years. Not exactly the next Basketball Jesus. Why isn’t that a bigger deal? Because it’s a fairly common story. Ask Jonathan Bender (drafted out of high school by Toronto), Kwame Brown (drafted out of high school by Washington), and Darius Miles (drafted out of high school by… shudder… The LA CLippers).
But Freddy, for soccer, was the first. So when it didn’t all go the way we thought it would, many fans were totally flummoxed. This youngster couldn’t be a bust, because we couldn’t afford to let him be one. Eventually, we saw a failed superstar rather than reality: a young teenager (now 20) who was still trying to develop his game. There will be countless other “potential American soccer superstars” in the near future, and Adu should serve as the cautionary tale that hype and youth don’t always translate into success.

 

[BRObedoza]

Freddy Adu should have gone to Europe immediately rather than signing with the MLS. He is still only 20 years old. most midfielders begin their peak around 24-27. he still has time to salvage his career. he could be the kind of creative midfielder the United States needs in international competition.

 

[Blackjack200]

here you go

Thanks. Good read. I'm worried that Jozy Altidore will end up the same :\

 

[sdifox]

You got to wonder how much money they are going to waste on 3D broadcast. I mean how many suckers, I mean enthusiasts, bought 3DTV?

 

[Zargon]

Thanks. Good read. I'm worried that Jozy Altidore will end up the same :\

yeah hes kinda a douche


I always liked ching due him seeming on field like he had good work ethic and guts

I cant beleive beasley snuck onto ANOTHER WC squad

his constant underperforming should be a clue to him needing to go

those are the only decisions I have any issues with, and thats not really that bad.

I dont mind bob bradley much, way better IMHO than Arena who constantly tried to refield the 98 WC team

 

[Zargon]

You got to wonder how much money they are going to waste on 3D broadcast. I mean how many suckers, I mean enthusiasts, bought 3DTV?

I have a 3d capable TV, but I didnt buy it because of it, didnt even realize it till later

buddy has a DLP that does 3d, bought it to play games in 3d

 

[sdifox]

I have a 3d capable TV, but I didnt buy it because of it, didnt even realize it till later

buddy has a DLP that does 3d, bought it to play games in 3d

I guess there is at least 2

I really don't see how 3D will work on live events.

 

[Blackjack200]

yeah hes kinda a douche


I always liked ching due him seeming on field like he had good work ethic and guts

I cant beleive beasley snuck onto ANOTHER WC squad

his constant underperforming should be a clue to him needing to go

those are the only decisions I have any issues with, and thats not really that bad.

I dont mind bob bradley much, way better IMHO than Arena who constantly tried to refield the 98 WC team

I loved Beasley when he first came up, his speed was electrifying. Then he just... never did anything.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Thanks. Good read. I'm worried that Jozy Altidore will end up the same :\

Altidore has some holes in his game, but he's a physical specimen, while Adu was and is undersized. Not to say the little guys can't excel at the beautiful game - Thomas Hässler anyone? - but it certainly helps to be bigger and faster than the backs marking you.

I've gnashed my teeth and thrown my arms up in the air more than once at some of the things I've seen Jozy do, especially with regard to possession, but he's also brought me to my feet jumping around my living room cheering.

I'm still sad about what happened to Charlie Davies. He was (is?) an exciting player and I think he'd be on this squad if he hadn't nearly died in that car wreck.

 

[Zargon]

I loved Beasley when he first came up, his speed was electrifying. Then he just... never did anything.

yeah probably why I hate him so much

so much promise

zero production