Morocco: Post-Game Press

Having spent a day mulling this defeat I don’t feel as bad about it as I did yesterday.

Traditionally the run up games to the world cup dont mean anything. Italy looks very strong and I don’t think the scandal is going to shake the team in any way.

But looking at the Czechs you can read about the injury to Smicer (see the Czech blog). And Koller came off a long layoff because of a knee injury. I bet he’s lost a yard in speed.

The opponents USA has are not invincible - remember Italy’s 1-1 draw with Mexico in 2002 is heartening? They barely made it out of their group.

So there is reason to be disappointed, but USA can only improve going forward.

Posted from  United States

Concerning Italy, in addition to that 1-1 draw with Mexico, Italy also lost to South Korea, which we were able to draw with in the Group phase.

So for any Italian supporters thinking their second game will be a walk-over win against the US, I would say, “Don’t bet on it!”

heh.

Posted from  United States

I think USA will do well against Italy in this World Cup.

However, you should give Mexico some credit about that draw with Italy in the last World Cup. The Mexicans played great.

Every match is different but USA will be fine.

Posted from  United States

I don’t understand why Arena is always so hard on Convey. It was more of the same against Germany. It think he’s been harsh with him. Does Arena dislike him from their DC United days?

Also, I wouldn’t put too much stock in any games from 2002. Completely different teams and the Italy-Korea game was probably the worst refereed game ever, as many goals were wrongly disallowed (same thing happened in the Spain-Korea game).

Posted from  United States

Arena is hard on Convey because (1) Arena favors two-way players, and (2) Convey is not a two-way player.

I personally like Convey as a “late game sub” who can come in and give the team a spark. His role should be similar to Joe Cole in England (though obviously there is a disparity in talent)

The biggest issue for me was the 4-3-3 formation. The US should build from the back forward and play a 4-5-1. This would allow us to defend well and use counterattacks, or when we’re on the attack, have midfielders make piercing runs forward.

Our offense is more effective when we have midfielders running in then when we have Brian Ching or McBride or Wolff or Johnson getting dispossessed in the last third of the pitch.

Time…after…time

Posted from  United States

ITALY: BUFFON: BEST GOLIE IN THE WORLD. #1 NUMERO UNO HE HAS POSITION, HIGHT, ELASTISITY, SPEED, AND EXPERIENCE.

FRANCESCO TOTTI: WHAT CAN I SAY IN THE USA THER IS NOT ONE PLAYER THAT CAN BE COMPARED TO THIS ONE IN HIS INVIDUAL STYLE TO SCORE PASS CONTROL THE BALL AND YES AGAIN EXPERIENCE. HE IS A BORN LEADER. BEST PLAYER ITALY HAS.

GENARO GATTUSSO: MIDDLE HE IS A PITTBULL HE WILL RUN 90 NON STOP HE IS ONE OF THE BEST BALL RECUPARATORS THER IS IN THE WORLD HARD WHEN IT COMES TO DEFEND AND ACCURATE WHEN IT COMES TO ATTACK.

MY FREINDS ITALY IS NOT THE SAME TEAM MEXICO DRAWED IN 2002 YOU CANNOT COMPARE NOBODY WHO KNOWS THE SPORTS COMPARE TEAMS FROM ONE WORLD CUP TO AN OTHER BEACAUSE THE TEAM SELDOMLY ARE THE SAME OR GET THERE IN THE SAME SITUATION. SO DONT THINK ITALY IS EASY, MOST LIKELY THE WILL WIN WITH OUT A STRUGGLE THEIR GROUP

Posted from  United States

MY FRIENDS,

BENITO MUSSOLINI: HIS CONTROL IS SUFFOCATING. HIS ATTACKING FORMATIONS HAVE A PERFECT AXIS ALIGNMENT. HIS CONFIDENCE IS UNMATCHED. HIS DEFENSE IS STINGY. SIGHT, SMELL, TOUCH, TASTE, HEARING - HE IS IN COMPLETE POSSESION OF HIS FACULTIES.

HE WILL NOT ACQUIESCE!

Posted from  United States

Itailian friends,

No one doubts that your team is a top contender this year, but what fun is the World Cup to anticipate elimination from the first round?

Posted from  United States

LOL Bossimo that’s not Benito, that’s Silvio!

The only thing I would point, which is the same thing I try to point in all my post, that it doesn’t matter anymore if Italy played bad against mexico in the last WC (actually they sucked even with Croatia and S Korea) that’s an old story, this is a different team.
“Different” doesn’t mean that this one is stronger or weaker than the 2002 because we’ll only know it in the upcoming WC, so actually Italy could lose against Usa but surely it’s not related to the fact that Italy lost with Mexico 4 years ago so it’s quite useless to keep remarking about that lost even if is just for making courage…

Another thing I would point is to don’t trust to much of the individual valour of players and their statistics in their clubs, because in my opinion stats doesn’t really matter
Here is a clear example: WC2002, France had Henry (2002 premiere league top scorer) + Trezeguet (2002 serie A top scorer) + Cisse (2002 french league top scorer) + Zidane (don’t need introdutions )
Well with this attack what would I had to guess before that WC?
I could say that France could score easily 18 goals and reach the finals… Well, not only they weren’t able to qualify out their group, but they weren’t able to win a single game and they weren’t EVEN able to score a goal in 3 matches!!
Why did that happen? Who knows…
In my opinion Wc is like a different sport so you could throw out whatever stats you want about players or past WC, but eventhough something goes as you’ve predict well there is alwayls something else that goes the opposite you’ve predict

Well said, Zero.

Posted from  United Kingdom

Bossimo,

Great post above - A true classico.

Posted from  United States

Solano, please Sir! Shouting does not make your broken english any easier to understand. Lay off the caps.

I personally believe the Italians will raise the trophy on July 9th. I just hope they’re not depending on being able to pick their own refs for each game…

No serious observer would equate the class of the US squad, player for player, to the Italians. But as has been stated countless times, a team doesn’t simply equal the sum of it’s parts. Otherwise, we could just hand the trophy to Brazil right now.

Posted from  United States

Kudos to zero.

On paper, Italy and Czech should progress but who on earth would have thought Argentina and Portugal not get out of their group in 2002 and South Korea beat Italy. The World Cup always produces surprises (just think Cameroon 1 Argentina 0).

This said, I think USA will struggle to get out of this group. Should be Italy and Czech.

Surprise team 2006: Australia

Sorry guys but it will be very tough for the US team to get into the second round.

As said here there are always suprises at the WC and the US team reching the second round would be a very big suprise this year.

Posted from  Germany