[candymoan]

why is everyone emphasizing defense?
if i had it my way, i'd have 5 midfielders and 5 offensives..

attack and strike to win..

(this is the bad part of football -- it turns me into a violent, babbling idiot..)

[RdTv]

I went with a 4-4-2. Team is called "Os Brasileiros", I'm in the fans of Brazil group, but if someone creates another I'll join up with the board.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Originally Posted by candymoan

you guys have some football skills..
how unusual is that, coming from two americans?

I'm not really surprised Atari knows his football. He seems to know a little bit of everything.

And one day soon America will be a football (ok soccer, or perhaps futbol) nation.

 

Maybe a little too optimistic, eh?

[Bertrand]

Do you know how to withdraw / retrieve your team? I thought I had and end up looking like a cheater, which I feel quite uncomfortable about.

Edit: OK now, sorry sorry sorry

[candymoan]

the americans are great at re-inventing things..
they will probably revolutionize the game in a few years, just by commitment alone.. all the kids playing "soccer" with the amount of discipline they are getting right now, they will grow up to be superb athletes..
i think the us team has a decent chance at the world cup..

i say that out loud, and my coworkers laugh at me..
we'll see..

[Hip Priest]

The Americans could have done OK at this cup, but they've had the misfortune to be placed in a group with two teams who should be dead certs for qualifcation.

[candymoan]

czech republic and italy?

stranger things have happened..
african teams are never estimated at their best effort..
expect surprises.. they make the game more beautiful..

[Hip Priest]

Originally Posted by candymoan

czech republic and italy?

stranger things have happened..
african teams are never estimated at their best effort..
expect surprises.. they make the game more beautiful..

Anything could happen, and to be fair Italy sometimes struggle at big tournaments early on. It would be cool if the US did well. They do have a chance. I'm not sure about Ghana though - a couple of the African teams at this event rely on just one or two very good players, but lack depth.

I see Serhity Rebrov is going to miss the Ukraine's two friendles - they need him to be fit in time for the tournament.

The US team is shrouded in secrecy:

Arena keeps them guessing
1 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com

With the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ eight days away, fans and media from most countries are gaining an ever firmer idea of what the coaches of their respective national teams have planned for the tournament. Not so for USA fans, whose notoriously secretive coach Bruce Arena is proving typically wary of tipping his hand.

Known for the loyalty he earns from players and the unity he instils in his team, Arena showed in Korea/Japan 2002 that he is also a skilled tactician. This was most evident when he trotted out a 3-5-2 formation, previously unused by the US in the tournament, against arch-rivals Mexico in the round of 16. The compact system frustrated the Mexicans in a 2-0 US victory, leaving their then coach Javier Aguirre to lament: "I'm not sure what happened out there."

One of the keys to Arena’s tactical edge is that he never seems to hint at what line-up or formation he will use until the last possible moment, and looking at the teams he put out in the USA's last three friendlies before leaving for Germany provides even fewer clues.

In three matches between 23 May and 28 May, dubbed 'the send-off series', Arena used three vastly different line-ups. This was partially forced by the tight schedule, with a team of mostly reserves taking the field in the second match. However, even when Arena was free to use more first-choice starters in the first and third matches, he opted for two completely different formations, first a 4-3-3 against Morocco and later a 4-4-2 against Latvia.

Versatility is key
Adding to the mystery is the versatility of the American players. Playmakers Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley are generally preferred in the midfield but can also play as forwards. The oft-injured John O’Brien and skipper Claudio Reyna can play virtually anywhere in the midfield, while Eddie Lewis has been used as a full-back with his country but plays in the midfield for his English club, Leeds United.

The result is that, when Arena finally does reveal his line-up, he can easily switch between formations without making a single substitution, leaving opposing managers guessing even after the whistle blows.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Bruce Arena for President.

[johnnywinternoshow]

Originally Posted by Пятхъдесят Шест

I'm not really surprised Atari knows his football. He seems to know a little bit of everything.

And one day soon America will be a football (ok soccer, or perhaps futbol) nation.

 

Maybe a little too optimistic, eh?

how come Freddy Adu isn't on that? Isn't he the US version of Rooney?

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Adu is shit. He isn't a member of the national team.

Don't believe the hype. Unless of course the hype is about Eddie Johnson.

[atari 2600]

Oh cool...I bet that new SI is waiting for me down at the PO Box.

"U.S. soccer needs you" would be a perhaps more truthful cover story headline haha.

"Are you with them?" it asks.

Thankfully, I'm not that much of a masochist; I'm only just a little bit of one.
For instance, I just posted in the "hate" thread.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

I picked this issue up for the obvious reasons. Nice little preview.

Plus a cool pull out pop up-ish book inside too. Captions and emblems for all 32 teams. Its neat.

[Hip Priest]

Completed games tonight:

Germany 3:0 Colombia
Liechtenstein 0:1 Togo
Sweden 1:1 Chile
Angola 2:3 Turkey

Italy vs Ukraine is about to finish - it's 0-0. Tunisia play Uruguay later.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

This comes from the SI issue:

"An official with the Iran football federation has accused Mexico of relying on voodoo in advance of their June 11 game, then said that Iran 'already planned appropriate measures against such tricks and generally believes that real believers cannot be affected by such magic. And as the Iranian team has a deep religious belief, it will resist like an unconquerable castle."

That is priceless.

There were some other funny bits I may post later.

[atari 2600]

Yeah that about sums it up, doesn't it?

Thanks for the blurb.

Would you be in favor of making the Iranians play on a soccer field against themselves that was riddled with IED land mines?

I wouldn't, but it's amusing to think about nonetheless.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Right, this is insane stuff.

I sent it to an online Iranian friend. Waiting for a response.

[Hip Priest]

Ehgland have just beaten Jamiaca 6-0. It wasn't even a match, but that's the idea isn't it? Last game before the World Cup, get a nice big win and go to Germany happy. Fair enough. Peter Crouch's third was a lovely goal, to be fair.

There's more references to the Iran/Maxico voodoo story online. From the Persian Football Journal:

Iran prepare for 'Mexican Voodoo'
May 8, 2006
DPA

Iran will prepare themselves for the "Mexican Voodoo" during the World Cup in Germany, an official of the Iranian Football Federation (FFI) said on Sunday. "The Mexicans are masters of psychological wars and might use magicians (for voodooing)," said Ali Pour, the cultural deputy of the Iranian Football Federation.

"This issue (Voodoo) has to some extent affected our players and some of them link it to the injuries of (Ali) Karimi (Bayern Munich) and (Vahid) Hashemian and (Mehdi) Mahdavikia in the Bundesliga," said Ali.

Many Iranians are superstitious and for example believe in the "evil eye" or "salty eye", meaning that if someone deeply wished something bad for somebody, then the bad thing would eventually happen.

Therefore many keep a small and usually blue stone with an eye on it - some even hang it inside their cars - to confront ill-wishers.

"We have already planned appropriate measures against such tricks and generally believe that real believers cannot be affected by such magic and as the Iranian team have a deep religious belief, it will resists like an unconquerable castle," he said.

[jon boy]

whoever has peter crouch in their team must be rubbing their hands together.

[Gulasch Noir]

my team is called Billa Rewe Konzern, but I'm not sure, if i see through it completely. What do i have to do? Wait till June, 9 th?