WC - USA vs Slovenia (Fri 10 ET, ESPN)

[Fungo Squiggly]

[Gee]Greatest win in US soccer history![/Gee]

 

[BigWoof31]

This was, unfortunately, the worst officiating so far of the 2010 World Cup. A yellow-card for a handball that didn't exist (I hope FIFA is able to take a look at that) and a disallowed goal for offsides (or a foul) or whatever, for something that didn't exist.

Honestly - he should probably sit anyway. What has Findley given the team? Start Buddle or Gomez in his place and let him clear himself of cards.

 

[osucollegebuck]

I thought the ref was bad in the germany game...it keeps getting worse, good luck with your ref England!!!!

 

[Bucklion]

Do cards carry over to the KO round or do they "reset"?

 

[Oh8ch]

Last night was NBA Game Seven. Having a Y chromosome and all I felt obligated to watch. Half hour in I was checking to see if my wife had left an episode of "Biggest Loser" or "So You Think You Can Dance?" on the DVR.

On the other hand I have not had this much adrenaline pumping since the end of the Rose Bowl.

Officiating aside, what a great match!

 

[buckeyeintn]

In a 90 minute match it's normally difficult to blame the ref. Generally there are questionable calls both ways, and a team has ample opportunity to overcome them. Did the US have other chances to convert which they didn't? Yes. Did they have ample opportunity to overcome the horrendous officiating? Yes. That said, this is definitely an example of an official impacting the outcome of a match instead of letting the players decide it. The non goal. The yellow to Findley. Both obvious. The last defender taking down Altidore (by law a red). Not quite as obvious. That's not to mention the highly questionable calls. That man should never again referee a meaningful FIFA match. Negated a tremendous 45 minutes (we won't talk about the first 45 minutes ) by the US. Hopefully they'll focus, defeat Algeria by at least 2 which should give them an advantage in goal differential and advance.

That said, GO BUCKS!!

 

[CentralMOBuck]

I'm really kicking myself for missing the second half. That goal from Donovan was a rocket. If he would have been any lower it would probably have broken many bones in that goalies face and still went in. Bradley's goal was nice too. That goal that was waved off was a crock of shit. A Slovenian player had a US guy in a headlock and took him to the ground and another guy had Altidore wrapped up as well.. This ref was beyond terrible.

The constant "flopping" and over complaining of calls makes the NBA look mild.

 

[jlb1705]

Just watched this on DVR. It's funny, I'm reading some of these posts and I was screaming most of these things at the TV as I tried to restrain myself from either kicking the coffee table or jumping out of my seat so high that I hit my head on the ceiling fan (FYI - I did just that on the PI call in the 2002 NC game).

The two halves represented the worst and best of US soccer. It's a shame that when they finished the job on Edu's would-be goal that it was taken away for no good reason. I will echo the comments about the refereeing. I've watched at least half of the matches in every World Cup going back to 1990. The refereeing today has been as bad as I've ever seen. It's a shame.

Slovenia exposed something that I've long maintained about US Soccer - I think the athletes are there, but the mental side of the game has not developed yet. It showed in terms of focus in the opening minutes, and it also showed in understanding of timing, space and player movement. In the first half the US were really outclassed.

Fortunately, in the last four years the US have developed other qualities that can make up for that - grit, determination and persistence. Those qualities were on display in abundance in the second half and brought them through to a draw that should have been a win.

The Slovenian team can go to hell. Especially in the second half, they played the most cynical, cheap and dirty brand of soccer possible. On nearly every contested touch or run they were blatantly fouling or blatantly simulating a foul. That dude with the bowl cut pisses me off.

As for the booking on Findley, I was almost happy it happened. For me it's the soccer equivalent of putting Willy Taveras on the DL so that he's unavailable to Dusty Baker. He shouldn't have been on the pitch in the first place, and I'm glad he won't be out there vs. Algeria. I know it's harsh to say that, but he just hasn't been all that useful.

Despite the frustrations, it was easily the most exciting match of the tournament. This second rotation in the group stage has definitely been more entertaining than the first.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I'm Slovenian...

Were you born in Slovenia?

 

[Folanator]

Were you born in Slovenia?

Don't know the town, but I think he was neighbors with Borat for a brief period of time.

 

[Tonyank]

jim joyce is now off the hook

 

[Jake]

Someone needs to demand an explanation for calling off that third goal...

One of the USA guys had his arm around a Slovenian's hip on that play where the ref wiped out Edu's goal. He didn't call offside, he called a foul on the USA in the box.
But that had to be what the ref called.

Unfortunately, he's not talking. He refused to explain the call after the match, which calls his integrity into question instead of just his ability. :ohwell:

The "official" ruling is what you said - foul on Edu - but the ref should be able to articulate what he saw (or thought he saw) on the play.

 

[Bucklion]

Unfortunately, he's not talking. He refused to explain the call after the match, which calls his integrity into question instead of just his ability. :ohwell:

The "official" ruling is what you said - foul on Edu - but the ref should be able to articulate what he saw (or thought he saw) on the play.

In 4 minutes it might not matter to us at all anyway...

But the guy is still a wanker.

 

[jlb1705]

SI's Joe Posnanski, and his sense of the moment that wasn't:

Joe Posnanski ? Posts The Goal That Wasn’t ?

When you are watching a sport that you don?t often watch, things happen that you don?t quite understand. Why didn?t that play count? Oh, the offensive lineman was holding. Why was that basket disallowed? Oh, that guy was standing in the lane for three seconds. Why was that home run taken away? Oh, the umpire said it went foul. This happens in every sport.
But what made Coulibali?s Call-of-Folly so maddening is that even soccer experts could not tell us why it happened. Even an honest bad call ? even Jim Joyce?s imperfect game call, for instance ? is something digestible. He thought the guy was safe. OK. But this? what did he see? What mistake was made? Can a referee simply disallow a goal for fuzzy reasons that only he seems to know?
The world has grown used to the foggy quirks of soccer ? extra time, diving, stretchers for players who immediately run back out on the pitch, calls made without explanation. But most of us are not used to these things. And, for so many, this was a lousy introduction to soccer?s whims.
In the end, the draw gives the United States an excellent chance of advancing to the knockout round. If the U.S. beats Algeria, it probably will move on. But a victory would have given the U.S. an excellent chance to win the group. And a victory would have given a lot of people all across the country a moment to remember? and a story to tell when people asked, ?So, when did you become a soccer fan??
Instead, it will baffle a lot of people who wanted something to remember. And it will give a lot of people who didn?t like soccer in the first place a chance to say: ?What the heck was that??

 

[jlb1705]

It's official: England and Algeria play to a draw. USA win their next match and they advance.