It felt like Ghana dominated. Tim Howard is a beast! It's how Klinsmann wants to play though. I was watching in Spanish (no ESPN), did Dempsey break his nose?
I think 4 points would be enough as long as the Portugal/Ghana match isn't high-scoring. I think goal differential takes precedent over head-to-head for tie-breakers. I'm not sure though. Doesn't matter, beat the pretty boy on Sunday and we're almost surely in.
Our match was one of the most disgraceful soccer matches I have ever witnessed. We couldn't control the ball, even basic passes were difficult to string together, and Ghana was consistently making our boys look silly on defense and getting good looks on goal... That is, until that sweet sweet 88th minute. I might be in Paris right now, but shit, I loved that! On a side note, this is shaping up to be an amazing tournament... Spain v Netherlands (Van Persie's header) Germany v Portugal (amazing football strategy by the Germans) Mexico v Brazil (most amazing scoreless match I have ever seen -- Ochoa is the man) France v Honduras (I was watching from a bar down the street in Paris, so it was a good moment) Argentina v Bosnia (Messi!) Italy v England (Even the two most defensive teams put together a nice exciting match) If the refs hadn't given the Croatia game to the Brazilians (the stadium likely would have revolted), it might've been an absolutely perfect start to the world cup for me... Great games. Lots of goals. The best players on the best stage are living up to the moment, and there are many unknown players stepping up (John Bradley: USA). I am very excited to see what happens going forward... Especially with the USMNT. Hopefully we can hold pretty-boy and his squad of flunkies to a tie. If we do, I think we can just play a VERY defensive game against the Germans, and keep them under 4. Ghana will also give Portugal trouble... They are HUNGRY.
Other side note: That match was probably the only time I will ever chant USA in a bar in Paris with my friends, and have the French brethren join in with me... That was amazing.
Costa Rica is killing it...they see Italy, England, and Uruguay in their group and they are having no problems.
Who would imagine a scenario where the USMNT could be going into the match with Germany with nothing to lose, and the GERMANS with their backs against the wall.
There may be something wrong with the process when a situation like Thursday's is presented. Both teams would be best served by shaking hands for 90 minutes and ending in a 0-0 draw.
I've never seen twitter universe implode do fast. That win would of meant we could of rested some people against the Germans
Yeah, there's no doubt US attention to the World Cup is at an all-time high. It may not mean continued interest in the sport when the World Cup ends (or USMNT is knocked out), but I think it's a great step in that direction. MLS is mid-season right now, and hopefully can pick-up some momentum from the US men... though, it's been gaining support at a steady clip for a little while now. Many MLS clubs out-draw some NBA and MLB teams. Although Klinnsman doesn't care, the more guys we have on the national team and in MLS, the better the sport is going to be in the long run. Tim Howard and Jozy Altidore will run back to their English clubs as soon as all this is over. MLS doesn't have the money to support more than a handful of stars.