@wittmann:
Mueller gets the competition’s first hat-trick. Good on him.
Yes, and couldn’t have happened against a better team. :wink:
Germany proved why they’re one of the front runners to be the final team standing.
I think the result really helps USA’s chances. The goal differential is good if that’s what it comes down towards deciding which team advances, Portugal will be down some of their starters, and they could be dispirited going into the game against the Yanks. US still has to win tonight and play strongly against Portugal & Germany, but I’m feeling more confident than I did prior to this game.
Portugal kind of packed it in, even prior to the red card. And that doesn’t speak well towards their ability to bounce back. They didn’t show a lot of resiliency and I’m hoping that shows itself in their game against US.
@wittmann:
Mueller gets the competition’s first hat-trick. Good on him.
Yes, and couldn’t have happened against a better team. :wink:
Germany proved why they’re one of the front runners to be the final team standing.
I think the result really helps USA’s chances. The goal differential is good if that’s what it comes down towards deciding which team advances, Portugal will be down some of their starters, and they could be dispirited going into the game against the Yanks. US still has to win tonight and play strongly against Portugal & Germany, but I’m feeling more confident than I did prior to this game.
Portugal kind of packed it in, even prior to the red card. And that doesn’t speak well towards their ability to bounce back. They didn’t show a lot of resiliency and I’m hoping that shows itself in their game against US.
I really hope your right about USA’s chances. I guess I’m not as confident as you, but we shall see. :-)
That result(+4 goals) does help you.
You will be watching too, John Brown?
The beatdown of Portugal by Germany is tremendous for the US. Especially since Portugal lose one of their best (their best player?) to the red card. Obviously they still have to play well and get a win against Ghana tonight but if Portugal is the mess they sound like they are getting at least a draw against them suddenly doesn’t seem so unrealistic. That result should only serve to also boast their confidence for the match tonight.
Of course it makes the match with Germany an utterly terrifying proposition if it weren’t already.
@wittmann:
That result(+4 goals) does help you.
You will be watching too, John Brown?
Wittman, I’m going to try to watch it, or at least part of the game. It depends on if I get everything done that I need done today.
Guys, thanks for the vote of confidence. :-)
It is your last game though and Germany should already have 6 points. If you beat Ghana(not a given), you might be ok drawing with Portugal.
Germany might even not bother killing you, possibly even resting players.
Pepe is good, but not the best player. I hate the volatile ones.(Balotelli would not make my cut.) I hate loose cannons, however talented. Would have preferred Rossi.
That said, Prandelli seems to have a calming influence on Balotelli.
We can only hope!
@wittmann:
It is your last game though and Germany should  already have 6 points. If you beat Ghana(not a given), you might be ok drawing with Portugal.
Germany might even not bother killing you, possibly even resting players.Pepe is good, but  not the best player. I hate the volatile ones.(Balotelli would not make my cut.) I hate loose cannons, however talented. Would have preferred Rossi.
That said, Prandelli seems to have a calming influence on Balotelli.
We can only hope!
LOL, yes I can only hope.
I just bought the XBOX 360 2014 World Cup Video game. It is really cool. :-D
I’m just pointing out factors that help the American chances. Is Portugal still a good team? Yes. Does Portugal still have an advantage in talent? Yes. Is Ronaldo playing against the US and capable of creating goals almost single handedly? Yes!
US still has a hell of a climb in order to get out of the group stage. But the mountain is now more of a hill now. Sure it’s an easier path to the top, but the sides are still steep and the hill is still tall.
I saw some signs they could come out dispirited against the US. But Portugal could just as easily come out pissed off and angry and take their frustration out on the US. I could be reading too much into their play. There’s also lots of time to regain their mental balance and refocus between now and Sunday.
Still there’s no denying that a -4 GD for Portugal and them being down some players does nothing but improve the Yank’s chances. Let’s see how the game against Ghana goes. If US draws or worse loses OR if they look shaky in a win vs Ghana, then my optimism will drop below where it was prior to the Germany-Portugal game.
US may not be the most talented team in the world, let alone the group. But US has been headed in the right direction under Jurgen. USA’s beaten Mexico (@ Mexico), beaten Italy, and beaten Germany in recent years. Being ranked in the top 15 in the world is not exactly something to sneeze at.
It’s the World Cup, strange things happen. Shoot, who saw Costa Rica beating Uruguay 3-1? Netherlands 5-1 over Spain? Or France and Italy bowing out in the group stage in 2010?
With that huge goal differential against Portugal at the moment the US has a shot at 1-1-1 especially if Germany doesn’t bother killing us. Lots of football yet to be played. US has to take care of business tonight any way you cut it. It is their best shot at three points.
The only thing that made Italy’s exit bearable was that France went out too.
Was the only time in my memory(was 5 in 74), that Italy failed to get out of the group stage.
It is something I never want repeated.
First goalless 45 mins.
Typical that I get to sit and watch a whole game in peace. And it is shit.
With that huge goal differential against Portugal at the moment the US has a shot at 1-1-1 especially if Germany doesn’t bother killing us. Lots of football yet to be played. US has to take care of business tonight any way you cut it. It is their best shot at three points.
The thing is US has lost two times in a row to Ghana. I guess that is why, I not as optimistic as all of you seem to be.
I guess, tonight, will tell us a lot.
With that huge goal differential against Portugal at the moment the US has a shot at 1-1-1 especially if Germany doesn’t bother killing us. Lots of football yet to be played. US has to take care of business tonight any way you cut it. It is their best shot at three points.
The thing is US has lost two times in a row to Ghana. I guess that is why, I not as optimistic as all of you seem to be.
I guess, tonight, will tell us a lot.
Please don’t start looking at past history and success . . . US doesn’t have a lot of that! :lol:
In all seriousness, yes Ghana’s a tough team. But just because they’ve eliminated us twice doesn’t mean a 3rd time will follow.
@wittmann:
The only thing that made Italy’s exit bearable was that France went out too.
Was the only time in my memory(was 5 in 74), that Italy failed to get out of the group stage.
It is something I never want repeated.
I really wish US was there in soccer. Ha, usually we have group exits. Still US has been improving in the past 20-30 years. Been in every WC since 1990, granted we usually don’t do much once we get there. :|
That was quick!
Whooo! GOAL!
USA! USA! USA! USA!
With that huge goal differential against Portugal at the moment the US has a shot at 1-1-1 especially if Germany doesn’t bother killing us. Lots of football yet to be played. US has to take care of business tonight any way you cut it. It is their best shot at three points.
The thing is US has lost two times in a row to Ghana. I guess that is why, I not as optimistic as all of you seem to be.
I guess, tonight, will tell us a lot.
Please don’t start looking at past history and success . . . US doesn’t have a lot of that! :lol:
In all seriousness, yes Ghana’s a tough team. But just because they’ve eliminated us twice doesn’t mean a 3rd time will follow.
@wittmann:
The only thing that made Italy’s exit bearable was that France went out too.
Was the only time in my memory(was 5 in 74), that Italy failed to get out of the group stage.
It is something I never want repeated.I really wish US was there in soccer. Ha, usually we have group exits. Still US has been improving in the past 20-30 years. Been in every WC since 1990, granted we usually don’t do much once we get there. :|
I know US is improving, but it is slower than I would like.
I mean, I played in the late 70’s and early 80’s as a kid, when the US was not even thought of in the World Cup, and I know it is going to take time, but I hope I’m alive to see them go to the finals, at least once in my life, LOL. :-D
You played football? I am surprised. Happy, but surprised.
I have never been good at sports. Hated PE at school.
Spent my last years at school dreaming about AD&D and planning castle building.
Losing Altidore could really hurt the US in this game and moving forward. I’m really hoping he’s good for Portugal! We don’t have a lot of experienced depth at forward outside of Dempsey.
It wasn’t always pretty, but US comes away with 3 very important points. They showed some resiliency in responding to the equalizer late in the game.
Injuries to Bessler and Altidore are some big question marks moving forward. I think US will miss Altidore more as I saw a big difference to the US attack once he went out. I’m also worried about how many unforced errors US had throughout the game. Bad passes and some bad decisions really cut down on possession time and didn’t really give the defense and midfield much time to reset after Ghanian possession.
The US squad doesn’t have a ton of WC experience, so I’m hoping those jitters settle down moving forward. We’ll have a tough time beating or drawing Germany and Portugal if we give them that much possession and that many chances.
I think I’m just starting to breathe again . … but my heart is still racing. Oh geez, I was so worked up throughout that game. Especially the last 20 minutes or so . . . be still my heart.
