Confederations Cup Thread

[rabidbee]

Besides which, Spacey, it didn't stop Brazil going on to win the game. Or are you suggesting that the collective feeling of misjustice inspired the Brazillians to lift their game in a way that equalizing in a 'major' <snigger> Final wouldn't have, a la Watford's come back against us after the goal that wasn't.

[Ian Royal]

:lol:

Chi; Donovan comes pretty close to a game winner

Thing about him is that when he's bad, he's just gawd-awful putrid --his showing for Borussia Dortmund (or was it Leverkusen?) in the Champions League was, we understand, the very epitome of utter footballing cluelessness.

He's a handy specimen for CONCACAF competition, though, running the way he does at Hondurans and Salvadorans just about his own size lol.

He did look clueless at the last World Cup iirc, but he was inspired against Spain and inparticular Brazil. Good pace and an excellent ability to pick a clever pass to make a devastating counter attack.
Dempsey looked pretty good as well.

On the weight of USA v Spain, USA v Brazil and Brazil v South Africa alone I'd have taken Donovan over Kaka.

[leww_rfc]

I personally don't see it as a major issue. There aren't many games decided by these kinds of goals. (We're here debating whether Brazil should have won by a larger margin.)

Well, yeah, but at that point in the game it was 2-1 to USA, wasn't it, when Kaka's "goal" happened?

it was 2-1 at the time yep.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

:lol:

Chi; Donovan comes pretty close to a game winner

Thing about him is that when he's bad, he's just gawd-awful putrid --his showing for Borussia Dortmund (or was it Leverkusen?) in the Champions League was, we understand, the very epitome of utter footballing cluelessness.

He's a handy specimen for CONCACAF competition, though, running the way he does at Hondurans and Salvadorans just about his own size lol.

He did look clueless at the last World Cup iirc, but he was inspired against Spain and inparticular Brazil. Good pace and an excellent ability to pick a clever pass to make a devastating counter attack.
Dempsey looked pretty good as well.

On the weight of USA v Spain, USA v Brazil and Brazil v South Africa alone I'd have taken Donovan over Kaka.

Clint came into it as the tournament wore on (beginning with Egypt); too much fancypants with the business of trying to dribble around and thru defenders (of, you know, world class) when in possession on the edge of the opponents' area in the Italy and Brazil games when he should've been holding it up, backing off and looking for help moving up from the midfield or for a guy charging forward out wide on the overlap (at which we've shown some urgently needed improvement all of a sudden), etc. I mean, you play for Fulham in the Premier League and all, hotshot --we get it.

Anyway, we're approaching a higher standard when it comes to that sort of stuff, but we really need to learn how to hold up play and value possession (which is a function of being confident in possession, itself another area in which we're making strides but still have a very long way to go) while always looking to launch sudden attacks capably and with some crispness when the opportunities are present.

One thing that Landon's shown himself really handy with is lobbing perfect and firmly struck corners over everything and right on the browline of a guy charging up to the six-yard line to hammer in. It's been particularly useful in tight games against competition from our own fed with goals hard to come by except via the set piece. And lord knows he can fly with the ball at his feet and space in front of him and has generally decent vision when attacking at pace, yep.

All of this is sort of of a piece with what any developing footballing nation has to go thru, with the number one priority being that of learning how to defend your own goal with consistency and something more than dumb luck pulling you thru @ the margins. What I'm really looking forward to is the day when we can put three guys out there at a time who make the rest of the world say "Oh oxf*rd!" at the mere mention of their names, and I hope that my wait doesn't prove too long.

Oh, and the in my previous reply to your'n was directed @ what rabberz had said and not you, if it needed to be said.

[soggy biscuit]

LOLZ @ Torres bringing back one of those stupid horns

[RoyalChicagoFC]

They'd better do something, or --so help me-- I'm taking a day job before I'll listen to four weeks' worth of that

Hey, didn't see a mention of the third place game, which got pretty damned interesting as it wore on (and yes, I was up and in front of the TV for the 8 AM kickoff despite houseguesting out of town --and the late leveller forced a delay of better than a half an hour on a dog-walking exercise, to the audible groans of one of my hosts lol)

[Ian Royal]

They'd better do something, or --so help me-- I'm taking a day job before I'll listen to four weeks' worth of that

Hey, didn't see a mention of the third place game, which got pretty damned interesting as it wore on (and yes, I was up and in front of the TV for the 8 AM kickoff despite houseguesting out of town --and the late leveller forced a delay of better than a half an hour on a dog-walking exercise, to the audible groans of one of my hosts lol)

South Africa tried to ban the horns but there was massive outcry and it didn't work, so they backed down.

It is fricking irritating though. Assuming that's what you meant

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Yeah, that got some play on the match and studio coverage over here (pretty good, actually --anything with which Derek Rae chooses to associate himself always is, really).

As to that "they can't shut it down/it's a cherished totem of South African culture" malarkey that we hear trotted out --pah! Ain't nuttin' but cheap hunks of molded plastic crapola you can get for eight cents on the dollar direct from the factory floor in Shenzen.

[Ian Royal]

Yeah, that got some play on the match and studio coverage over here (pretty good, actually --anything with which Derek Rae chooses to associate himself always is, really).

As to that "they can't shut it down/it's a cherished totem of South African culture" malarkey that we hear trotted out --pah! Ain't nuttin' but cheap hunks of molded plastic crapola you can get for eight cents on the dollar direct from the factory floor in Shenzen.

Given the quality of commentators it's probably just easier to watch with the sound off.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

'Swhy I'm fond of switching over to the Spanish-language telecasts whenever Derek Rae isn't a part of the proceedings. No help with the oxf*rd horns, though.

Speaking of which, I've got the yankeeboyz' group play opener in the Gold Cup with, erm, Grenada on live now from Qwest Field in Seattle, and they're blowing on the stupid things there, too.

As I mentioned, Bradley's trotting out a "B" squad for this competition (Davies, Adu and a couple of others the only ones who made the squad for the Confeds who also are a part of this one, and I don't even know half of these guys' names).

Smart play on his part, as he needs to see what he's got in the way of depth going forward in qualification and looking ahead to next summer, and I gotta say we're looking okay --taking into account the quality of opposition and so forth.

Nice to see us learning to hold up play, be in our spots when we've got to play the ball back in order to retain possession in the opposition half, etc. Proper passing, positioning and movement; just playing the right way and not being so goddamned maddeningly overreliant upon set pieces and counterattacks for scoring chances. You'd think it was an urgent matter of national priority or something.

Freddy Adu on the scoresheet in the seventh minute, wahey. 'Sall good, yo.