WC - Round of 16, USA vs Ghana (Sat 2:30 ET, ABC)

[TRON 2.0]

Speak on your own behalf.

 

[jwinslow]

Proud of the resolve of this team to make it this far. Good showing from the players, something they can build on for 2014.

The opening round drama helped ADD-crippled America understand the excitement of a single goal.

 

[Dryden]

Sorry, but it's fucking soccer. 98% of us could give a shit less and I am glad it is over for America.

98%? No, you're not even close. And if you don't care that much, why so many posts in the thread?

Troll much?

 

[fourteenandoh]

what was up with demerit today? i'm no soccer tactician, but he was played a pretty big part in allowing both of the goals for ghana. the first one he basically back pedalled all the way into his own net allowing their guy to take an uncontested shot. the second goal in extra minutes, he got caught flat footed on that long ball. i'd say that was not his best game.

as far as us soccer goes, i feel like we say the same things every world cup. this is a good stepping stone, we have great young players, the casual fan got to see how exciting soccer can be, etc etc. the fact of the matter is that until we make a deep run in this tournament, we will always be an afterthought. i just hope we get to see it happen, because if it does, it will be amazing.

 

[Oh8ch]

98% of us could give a [censored] less

Need to focus on the grammar. This statement says 98% of the people DO care - which is why they have the potential of caring less.

If they were lethargic about soccer the original poster clearly would have had the good sense to say "couldn't give a [censored] less".

 

[Dryden]

as far as us soccer goes, i feel like we say the same things every world cup. this is a good stepping stone, we have great young players, the casual fan got to see how exciting soccer can be, etc etc. the fact of the matter is that until we make a deep run in this tournament, we will always be an afterthought. i just hope we get to see it happen, because if it does, it will be amazing.

And what is disappointing is that this WC the superpowers of soccer have looked decidedly not-superpower-ish. The quality of play has been down across the board, IMHO -- whether it's the ball or the teams, I don't know. I thought things laid out beautifully for the US to make a run to the semis this year. Opportunity wasted. So much for "Project 2010."

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

This, aside from the actual skull splitting boredom of the actual games, is why I hate soccer. The United States lost to Ghana...fucking Ghana!

The only thing that Ghana should outscore us in is infant mortality.

 

[OCBucksFan]

You know, being out of the country for world cup has been awesome. Sure, the US might not have the enthusiasm that the rest of the world does, but we do have fans who are passionate about the sport. During the first game against England, I went down to Itaewon, a rather westernized part of Seoul, and watched the game in an English bar with loads of fans from both sides, and with every kick you could feel the emotion in the entire room.

Here in Korea, when they won their first game, we were about 20 minutes outside of the heart of Seoul, and the roar from the crowd in City Hall and at the Samsung building was so loud it actually made the ground shake. The Majority of Americans might not have that love and that feeling for Soccer, but this event is the most important sporting event in the world to everyone else.

That being said, Donovan is still the man.

 

[Oh8ch]

aside from the actual skull splitting boredom of the actual games

I know this discussion has taken place a dozen times and the bottom line is you get the sport or you don't. And I will agree that teams of lesser skill can spin their wheels from time to time. But WC soccer is almost non-stop relevant action.

If I DVR a football game I can get through it in less than an hour without missing any action. Baseball takes 20 minutes (I am no longer a purist who might pause between pitches and contemplate what pitch and location comes next and whether the runner will be going). Basketball takes about 50 (unless you want to watch the excitement of people shooting free throws). But the best I can do in a 90 minute WC match is around 80 minutes.

Every pass is different because the configuration of the players is different. And with players who can move the ball the length of the field with one kick you are never more than 5 seconds from a potential game deciding goal (witness the second goal by Ghana). If you haven't watched or played enough to recognize a developing opportunity when it is there I can see where it is a snooze fest. But you are missing the essence of one of the world's great sports.

 

[buckeyefool]

I know this discussion has taken place a dozen times and the bottom line is you get the sport or you don't. And I will agree that teams of lesser skill can spin their wheels from time to time. But WC soccer is almost non-stop relevant action.

If I DVR a football game I can get through it in less than an hour without missing any action. Baseball takes 20 minutes (I am no longer a purist who might pause between pitches and contemplate what pitch and location comes next and whether the runner will be going). Basketball takes about 50 (unless you want to watch the excitement of people shooting free throws). But the best I can do in a 90 minute WC match is around 80 minutes.

Every pass is different because the configuration of the players is different. And with players who can move the ball the length of the field with one kick you are never more than 5 seconds from a potential game deciding goal (witness the second goal by Ghana). If you haven't watched or played enough to recognize a developing opportunity when it is there I can see where it is a snooze fest. But you are missing the essence of one of the world's great sports.

Totally Agree.

 

[jwinslow]

Need to focus on the grammar. This statement says 98% of the people DO care - which is why they have the potential of caring less.

If they were lethargic about soccer the original poster clearly would have had the good sense to say "couldn't give a [censored] less".

the argument is a stupid one anyway. America is not that fond overall of pro basketball, golf (they like a star not the game, see the tiger free tourneys), tennis. Heck, osu fans are not even that interested in their perennial top 2 big ten basketball team. That is a reflection on america, not the game. It's not like we are known for being quality connoisseurs of entertainment.

They do need to step up enhancement of flopping. I say if you are called for a dive or roll on the turf in agony you leave the pitch for 3 min.

 

[greyscarlet]

They do need to step up enhancement of flopping. I say if you are called for a dive or roll on the turf in agony you leave the pitch for 3 min.

Agree entirely, plus they should call it a field instead of a pitch. It's already confusing enough with the football/soccer thing, why bring in baseball too?

 

[Buckeye86]

But the best I can do in a 90 minute WC match is around 80 minutes.

I disagree, you could fast forward through everything except the runs on goal and boil it down to 20 minutes or less. Everything else besides actual scoring chances in a soccer match is the equivalent of getting excited about watching a basketball player who is really good at dribbling but never shoots and stays in the middle of the court.

 

[sepia5]

I disagree, you could fast forward through everything except the runs on goal and boil it down to 20 minutes or less. Everything else besides actual scoring chances in a soccer match is the equivalent of getting excited about watching a basketball player who is really good at dribbling but never shoots and stays in the middle of the court.

In my opinion, it's just unrealistic to think one could "fastforward" through everything but the "runs on goal." As Oh8ch said, the second goal Ghana scored is a perfect example of why this is so. The ball literally went 70-80 yards and into the back of the net in a matter of 10-15 seconds. Try fastforwarding through a play like that and you've just ruined the surprise of the goal.

Besides, people who want to fastforward through large swaths of matches just don't get soccer to begin with. If sports were movies, most sports popular in the US would be horror and action films that go for gore and explosions. Soccer would be a suspensful thriller--maybe a David Lynch film or Shutter Island, for example--something that continuously keeps you on the edge of your seat, even when you're not quite sure why your heart is racing. Soccer is all about the "unpredictability" of the game. Before it happens, a well constructed attack that slowly builds and results in a point-blank shot is just as likely to hit the cross-bar as it is to be easily pushed into the back of the net; a 75 yard clearance is just likely to be one touched and placed in the back of the net as it is to be easily handled by a defender and pushed back up the field. You just never know.

The other thing I will say about soccer is that it is a game that is perhaps not enjoyed to its full potential until it is played. I don't know that people can truly understand how incredible the Brazilians' footwork and touch are until you've actually played the game competitively. "Ordinary" traps, touches, and moves made at midfield by the best players in the world become awe-inspiring when you understand just how difficult they are. This is true of most sports to a certain extent, but because of the low-scoring nature of the sport, this kind of appreciation is probably all the more important to soccer. The same argument could probably be made for a sport like golf, for example, but the difference is that a large swath of the adult male, sports viewing population actually participates in golfing, whereas, with soccer, most of the sports-watching demographic in the United States stopped playing before they reached high school.

This sort of brings us to a chicken and the egg or catch-22 dilemma with regard to the popularity of the sport in the US: popularity probably won't grow too much until active participation in the sport is increased among the 16-25 demographic; but participation in the sport probably won't increase until people get a better grasp on the sport and it's beauty, something that I believe requires active participation itself.

 

[localyokel]

This is one of those fruitless arguments that can never find resolution because it's not about factual right or wrong, but about personal taste. I ignore soccer nearly all the time, and that will continue to be the case.

Not everyone has the interest to cultivate a connoisseur's appreciation for strategy and footwork. For those who have, enjoy! For some of us, the challenge to admire the game's beauty rests not with a glass half-empty or half-full debate, but the fact that far too often the glasses at both table settings end up completely empty. For my taste, soccer's a little too existential. I can only spend so many hours waiting for Godot to finally put the [censored] ball in the net before my patience is exhausted and I move on to sports which create at least the illusion that something--anything--is happening on the field.