So as an uninitiated, unwashed member of the masses....how does this work? Top one from each group goes on, or top two....?
Championships for MY teams in my lifetime:
Cincinnati Reds - 75, 76, 90
Chicago Blackhawks - 10, 13, 15
University of Kentucky - 78, 96, 98, 12
Chicago Bulls - 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
“Everything that happens before Death is what counts.”
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Satisfactory result. I applaud Manager Bradley for taking a positive attacking approach to this match. With all our holes in defense, he could have played it safe and defensive and I would have understood why.
We really need 3 points in the next match.
Cherundulo was the defensive man of the match but Demerit showed a lot of ability, strength and endurance. He minimized Rooney's impact. Now if he just played with more tactical nous...along with the rest of the central defense.
Dononvan really impressed me. He failed to come up with scoring chances for himself but he played two beautiful balls in to Gooch and Altidore - each of whom squandered them. Also, Gerrard and Lampard were busy running around after Donovan so he helped to keep them distracted.
Maybe the best part is that we made England look nervous and tense and they don't respond well historically to those things. Capello really pullled the string on Milner and King quickly, perhaps ruining their confidence. Rather surprising.
Good start for the US. We needed a point and we got it. Now on to six more in the final two matches.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
Without taking a position on Bradley's coaching ability, I'll say this -- in my opinion, the U.S. national team gets better results relative to its talent base than most other countries do. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't think of another country that is a threat to not only make the World Cup but advance out of groups without having a single player who's a standout in a top-flight league. Tim Howard would be the closest we have to a star, I guess.
Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice
So the hyped matchup of the USA vs the Mother country ends...in a 1-1 tie.
This is the reason I can't get excited about soccer. What's the use of going through all the hype and energy of a sporting event unless you end up with a winner and a loser? Why get all wound up if at the end of the day all you'll find is that you're equally matched? I won't even get into the "excitement" of watching an entire match and see one point scored for each team.
Americans are very competitive and we're generally not into moral victories. We enjoy watching competition and if it didn't determine a winner then what was the point of competing? As an American I'd feel embarrassed to look any Englishman in the face and say that tie felt like a win. That means I've got lower expectations of my team than he has of his
For that imaginary Englishman, today's draw feels like a loss, I guarantee you.
England SHOULD have higher expectations for their team than America. Every single one of their starters is an all-star caliber player in the EPL. (Well, besides their GK, perhaps. )
A draw in group play where you win a point versus the best team in the group is NOT a moral victory.
You are welcome to your perspective but it is an ignorant one. Many sports have ties - hockey, football, boxing, car racing, track and field, etc. Many Americans participate in those sports and are very used to ties. I guess you never noticed ties occurring so you formed an opinion out of that blindness. Just don't say you are speaking for "americans" because you don't speak for all the americans that encourage each other after ties in the sport they participate in.
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