Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Giving up is unforgivable.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

All hail the time of the bunny!

People are complicated. Love is not.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

“But what about the lurkers?”

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / US/England World Cup Open Thread

Reader Interactions

243Comments

  4. 4.

    Steeplejack

    What’s weird about this game is that, since I watch the English Premier League through the year, I’ll probably know more of the English players than the Americans.

  5. 5.

    OriGuy

    Pedantically, I point out that the USA is playing England. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have their own teams in FIFA play. They combine for the Olympics.

  6. 6.

    mcd410x

    England: Green, Johnson, Terry, King, A Cole, Lennon, Lampard, Gerrard, Milner, Heskey, Rooney

    USA: Howard, Onyewu, DeMerit, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Clark, Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore, Findley

  7. 7.

    mcd410x

    And, JC, it’s just England. Scotland, NIreland, Wales all field their own teams.

  8. 8.

    Mark S.

    Minor gripe: it’s just England, not the UK. Scotland, Wales, and N. Ireland all have their own teams.

  9. 9.

    Stroszek

    Fun Fact: It’s just England. Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland have their own teams.

  10. 10.

    Tony J

    Coming again, to save the muthafuckin day, yeah

    Historically inaccurate, since this time you Colonials don’t have the option of joining in the tournament halfway through. Heh.

    For the record. You’ll probably score first (because we’re England, and we never start well), but we’ll gradually wear you down and put two or three past you. Then we’ll switch off, let you pull another one back from a set-piece, and spend the last ten minutes giving a display of panicked defending.

    Why? Because we’re England, and that’s how we roll.

  11. 11.

    wengler

    Prediction: Buddle’s going to come in and score a goal. He’s first name is Edson for a reason.

  12. 12.

    Violet

    I thought this match was supposed to start at 1:30 Eastern time. When is it actually going to start?

  15. 15.

    SteveinSC

    I like both teams. I can’t bear to see the US lose (patriotic) or for England to lose (don’t want to hurt their pride.) Seems it will have to be 1 point each or I sit shiva.

  19. 19.

    ibid

    @OriGuy:

    Pedantically, they won’t be combining their teams in 2012, but an English team will play under the UK flag. ;)

  21. 21.

    Davis X. Machina

    CM Lampard and Gerard? I thought we saw that movie in ’06 — and it wasn’t a hit.

  24. 24.

    Violet

    @stuckinred: @wengler:
    I guess I read it wrong. How annoying that they’ve got an hour of crap before the actual game. Well, it’s a pretty big match, so I guess they’re taking advantage of all the eyeballs watching it.

  26. 26.

    SteveinSC

    >@stuckinred:

    There once was a guy who shoved his wife around and whipped his kid. This guy umpired at baseball games, and when he got home one night he called for his son to come over and sit on his knee.

    The kid, fearful as usual, refused, which all goes to prove: “The son never sets on the brutish umpire.”</strong

    H/T to the Charleston News and Courier, sometime in the mists of time.

  28. 28.

    wengler

    Lalas just picked the US to win 2-1.

    Guess that means England is a lock to win by at least 2 goals.

  29. 29.

    stuckinred

    We fired our guns and the British kept a’comin.
    There wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago.
    We fired once more and they began to runnin’ on
    Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

  30. 30.

    SteveinSC

    This fucking website is soooo fucked in IE. I am trying to fix the goddamned deletion to just normal text and my whole IE page is fucked to a farethewell.

    This comment successfully brought to you by Ubuntu/FireFox

  32. 32.

    Dave C

    I’m honestly not that into sports, but somehow I still wish I could find some English people to taunt!

  35. 35.

    fbihop

    I’m actually nervous before this game.

    Hope the US can pull out a point from this match. Well, I actually hope they pull the upset.

  36. 36.

    Steeplejack

    @SteveinSC:

    WordPress does not like a single hyphen at the beginning of a word. It transmogrifies it as strike-through of the following text. It’s particularly awful at the end of a comment, as in a (superfluous) sig signoff, because it farkles the whole thread.

  42. 42.

    Steeplejack

    @licensed to kill time:

    I was going to call it “fnording,” in honor of Fred Fnord, who had a run a week or two ago where his signoff was killing thread after thread, but he cleaned up his act and has been a model poster, so his name should not live in infamy.

  44. 44.

    demimondian

    @stuckinred: Of course, the battle of New Orleans was (a) the only battle the US won, and (b) fought after the treaty ending the war had been signed.

  45. 45.

    Davis X. Machina

    Why does England’s flag look like Switzerland’s flag?

    It’s the St. George Cross, one of the three crosses which, superimposed, make up the more familiar Union Jack.

  46. 46.

    The Dangerman

    I say Jersey’s look like damn Queens. Very French looking; shit, our country is going to hell under Obama.

    And the US is down 1 before the seat is warm.

  47. 47.

    Steeplejack

    WTF?! Goal for England. Just as I step away from the computer and settle down in front of the big-ass TV, one of the announcers says, “You know England is going to test them early,” and then, badda-bing, badda-boom–goal!

  58. 58.

    licensed to kill time

    @Steeplejack:

    dmsilev started it but changed his ways, Fred Fnord continued it and ditto, GregB is still a’larnin’. We have serial threadfarklers here so there is a learning curve, but eventually folks seem to get it. ‘Til the next threadfarkler comes along…I sense a song here.

  67. 67.

    The Dangerman

    @MattR:

    IIRC, the jersey’s are a tribute to the 1950 jerseys.

    Kinda fitting; they are playing like Betty White out there.

  69. 69.

    stuckinred

    @demimondian

    :I n recent decades the view of the majority of historians has been that the war ended in stalemate, with the Treaty of Ghent closing a war that had become militarily inconclusive. Neither side wanted to continue fighting since the main causes had disappeared and since there were no large lost territories for one side or the other to reclaim by force. Insofar as they see the war’s untriumphant resolution as allowing two centuries of peaceful and mutually-beneficial intercourse between the U.S., Britain and Canada, these historians often conclude that all three nations were the “real winners” of the War of 1812.

    And, as some of us like to say about Vietnam, “We were winning when I left”! :)

  71. 71.

    demimondian

    @stuckinred: Feh. The US lost its capitol, lost control of the eastern seaboard, and won only one battle. At the end of the war, the British had shown the US that it needed to remember that it really didn’t matter.

  73. 73.

    wengler

    England has had far more dangerous opportunities(one of which turned into a goal) but they aren’t terribly convincing in play so far.

  74. 74.

    stuckinred

    @demimondian: Ok, tell must just what the fuck that matters? You some kind of Anglophile or supmin?

    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;
    If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

  76. 76.

    tonyatlas

    Yes, a yellow card. I love the concept of yellow/red cards. Too bad we don’t use this concept in all facets of life. The inventor of those damn horns blaring would definitely get a red card.

  81. 81.

    dave anderson

    @tonyatlas, cards are wonderful. This ref seems to be using them correctly as a behavior modifying device. Okay, looks like Howard is back in, let’s add 3 minutes injury time.

  82. 82.

    dave anderson

    @tonyatlas, cards are wonderful. This ref seems to be using them correctly as a behavior modifying device. Okay, looks like Howard is back in, let’s add 3 minutes injury time.

  86. 86.

    wengler

    @ demimondian

    Tim Howard comes from a long line of fine bald-headed American goalies that are just a little bit off. He’s no schmuck.

  87. 87.

    licensed to kill time

    @Steeplejack:

    Golden farkles he will pour in your eye
    but IE can’t describe what you spy
    ’cause the golden farks know when he’s hyphen’d
    it’s the kiss of death for Mr. IEfarkler

    (futbol is boring there’s buzzing in my brain)

  89. 89.

    demimondian

    @wengler: You’ve got the wrong troll, dude. I’m agnostic when it comes to this match — I don’t even coach the blasted sport any more, so I don’t have to take sides.

    I look forward to the day that my home is even vaguely relevant to the Cup. Until then…yeah. meh.

  102. 102.

    TR

    HAHAHAHAHA!

    If you pause it on that goal, you can see the moment where Green sees tomorrow’s headline on The Sun.

  103. 103.

    wengler

    Dempsey with the thunderstrike(it will look like that in the papers at least).

    GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

  104. 104.

    The Dangerman

    Fortunately, England has Abe Vigoda in goal; time to play now, boys (both sides).

  107. 107.

    MattR

    If I was a religious/spiritual person, I would believe that Clint Dempsey’s sister had something to do with that sneaking across the line.

  108. 108.

    YellowJournalism

    @Steeplejack:

    I was going to call it “fnording,” in honor of Fred Fnord, who had a run a week or two ago where his signoff was killing thread after thread, but he cleaned up his act and has been a model poster

    We should just call it “BoBing,” because it’s annoying, disrupts the thread, and yet is sometimes interesting/challenging/amusing to read.

    ETA: USA! USA! USA!

  113. 113.

    wengler

    @ MattR

    The pitch has been slick all match. Dempsey simply proved why it’s more important to be accurate than powerful.

  114. 114.

    handy

    I’m trying not to think too much of anything sports related right now. I’ve got too much of a bad feeling about the Lakers-Celtics game tomorrow.

  116. 116.

    wengler

    Crouchie is 6 foot 7 and probably weighs a buck forty. Either him or Defoe is going to come in for Heskey sometime during the second half.

  118. 118.

    MattR

    @NobodySpecial: Brilliant. I hope there is a British Flyers fan reading that.

    Who can the US sub in for Cherundalo? Shawn Wright-Phillips is just too quick for him. That was a brilliant move from England now it is time for Coach Bradley to counter it. Beasley?

  120. 120.

    burnspbesq

    Robert Green snatches the goat horns away from Ricardo Clark.

    Except for Cherundolo and Donovan, the US has been nothing but shite. England should be burying us.

  121. 121.

    fbihop

    My dad sent me a text, “You can’t score if you don’t shoot.”

    Truer words…

    Also, get Findley out of there. Put in Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle. I’d also liek to see Jose Torres.

  122. 122.

    Dave

    This sort of thing makes me think that Manuel Almunia should have went through with his threat to get a British Passport.

  124. 124.

    Dave

    Cherundolo is doing fine. Now I know what those Toffee cunts see in Donovan. He’s got a good eye and decent feet.

    Heskey is playing excellently though – but a shame Rooney has been, apart from one flick-on, utter cack.

  128. 128.

    SteveinSC

    Just back from watching the game to respond.

    @Steeplejack: Thanks, that might be it, but IE is now completely fucked. I expect I’ll have to reboot.

    @freelancer (itouch): Fuck you, you ignorant cretin. And by the way you fucking retard, my post shows up perfectly in Ubuntu/FireFox. Now got a theory for that one asshole?

  129. 129.

    wengler

    Both Altidore and Findley have been unconvincing. Landon sent in a ball that really should’ve been put away by Jozy to equalize a lot sooner. Findley has disappeared nearly altogether.

    I would be happy with Bradley putting in Buddle for Findley right away. His hands are kind of tied with regards to a third substitution though because of the knock on Timmeh.

  130. 130.

    mr. whipple

    I see the margins are still blowing out.

    This problem would seem easier to fix than an oil pipe a mile underwater, but I guess not.

  131. 131.

    NobodySpecial

    Yeah, I noticed that this morning in IE8 at work. Now that I’m home, blessed Firefox does no such thing.

  132. 132.

    The Dangerman

    Lots of complaints about the new ball; any chance that explains the Goalkeeper Green’s GACK?

  136. 136.

    Dave

    Carragher for Ledley King? I don’t understand that at all.

    King’s nowhere near fit.

    Mind you, he’s been nowhere near fit for like the last four years or so.

  140. 140.

    wengler

    @ lol chikinburd

    King’s knees are flaring up I’m guessing. Though he did get beat by Altidore that one time.

  141. 141.

    JGabriel

    I keep hearing, through my window, roars and cheers from, what sounds like, all over Manhattan.

    I assume it has something to do with the athletic event headlining this thread?

    .

  147. 147.

    TR

    @wengler:

    Charlie Davies woulda wasted these Limeys.

    Amen to that. Bradley needs to replace Findley, stat.

    Why isn’t Ching on the squad again?

  150. 150.

    fbihop

    If Herculez or Buddle aren’t in the game in the next five minutes…

    The US is really holding on with the skin of their teeth. I’d like to see Torres on for Clark to create some chances, since Clark has been all-but invisible this entire game on offense or defense.

  152. 152.

    KG

    @stuckinred: I’m honestly surprised no one got there before me.

    Learning to appreciate this game takes a lot of patience for me, I think. But my favorite sports are basketball, baseball, and water polo. Basketball and polo are fluid like futból, but more pay offs from scoring. Baseball is just the fact that I grew up with it.

  154. 154.

    wengler

    @ TR

    Ching wasn’t nearly 100 percent. I would’ve picked him over Bornstein though.

  155. 155.

    KG

    @handy: bad for who?

    My take, as a Lakers fan, is that the first team to win two games in a row is going to win this series. But it’s been such a strange series (and fitting end to a strange playoffs) that I just don’t know what is going to happen.

  159. 159.

    stuckinred

    @KG: I enjoy it but I am primarily a college football and hoop fan. There is something about living close enough to walk to the stadium for Georgia football. . .I was also able to go to every soccer game in the 96 Olympics and that helped me appreciate the game more. I don’t have a clue as to who-is-who on any of these teams and the entire set-up of soccer is beyond understanding but it is fun to watch.

  161. 161.

    MattR

    @Randy Paul: Twas a nice play. I am still worried about Wright-Phillips’s pace but understand there are no better options available.

    (EDIT: Of course, Lannan on the other side is quick too. When does Gooch come out and who replaces him?)

  162. 162.

    KG

    @stuckinred: fair enough, fair enough. Football is fine, but living in Orange County/LA, the closest thing we had to a professional team was USC. And having not gone to a school with a program (Long Beach State), I just haven’t been able to get too interested in the college game anymore outside of bowl season and a couple of rivalry games.

  164. 164.

    wengler

    I think it’s been pretty clear that Rooney hasn’t been playing at 100 percent. I wonder if Capello has the cojones to sub for him.

  167. 167.

    JGabriel

    @stuckinred: Hmm, the Pride Parade is within hearing distance too. But that would generate cheers on one corner, then the next, and the next, and, well, it would be more of a sustained, low-level, parade sound.

    Intermittent cheers and roars, on the other hand, would seem to be the reaction to some sort of sporting contest. So, I’m guessing this World Glass or Mug or Trophy or whatever it’s called is the more likely cause.

    If so, there sure seems to be a lot of people in NYC watching it.

    .

  168. 168.

    stuckinred

    @KG: My whole family is out there. Long Beach, Hawthorne, the Valley, and they are die hard Laker-Dodger fans. MY brother still follows the Rams!

  173. 173.

    KG

    @stuckinred: that’s me as well, Lakers and Dodgers; occasional interest in the Angels, Ducks, and Kings. I gave up on the Rams and Raiders when they left.

    Wow, Howard’s playing well this half.

  174. 174.

    handy

    @KG:

    Bad for the Lakers. Artest got his knee drained again. The team looked totally dead in that 4th quarter. In any case I see Bostom winning Game 6 no matter who wins Game 5. So yeah, not really feeling confident right now.

    ETA: (To make this a soccer comment) GO USA!

  175. 175.

    Shalimar

    The US is very frustrating to watch. “There was no pressure on the ball” should be the team motto.

  185. 185.

    fbihop

    Dempsey is gassed. That said, he looked gassed in the Confederation’s Cup before scoring the goal against Egypt.

  186. 186.

    JGabriel

    @stuckinred:

    Is it really??

    I don’t know when it is, but the route passes about a block and half away from my place, so, yeah, it should be within hearing distance if there’s any kind of loud volume at all – which, to be fair, there probably isn’t, as I’ve never heard much before, and that parade route gets used about two-tree times a month in the summer.

    .

  187. 187.

    KG

    @handy: Bynum, not Artest, I think you mean.

    Game 4 was just strange, it really was. At the time, I thought Jackson made a good decision to leave Kobe and Gasol in to start the fourth quarter. But it didn’t work out well. On the other hand, I just don’t see Nate Robinson or Glen Davis having another game like that. And the big 3 or 4 just haven’t really played well outside of Ray Allen in Game 2 and Rondo’s triple-double in Game 1.

    End of the day, I think the Lakers win Game 5. Game 6 could go either way, and I’ll take the Lakers (history be damned!) in Game 7.

  190. 190.

    lol chikinburd

    If Bradley’s playing for 1-1 I’m going to break something. Can we please see what Herculez Gomez can do?

    Okay, Altidore off…for HOLDEN??! For the love of fuck.

  191. 191.

    wengler

    Holden in for Altidore. I guess the ol’ 4-5-1 is back in effect for the final 10.

  193. 193.

    PanAmerican

    Bob Bradley brainfarting on the subs.

    @Mark S.:

    On Univision they’re taking the piss on pronouncing CROOWCH his every touch.

  202. 202.

    wengler

    Nevermind…Game Over.

    Not an unfair result. The goal was soft but not against the run of play. Cue the whining and recriminations from England fans…NOW!

  203. 203.

    TGP

    Bollocks !

    (England fan)

    P.S. Poor Green, he’s going to get creamed in the papers.

  205. 205.

    burnspbesq

    If Michael Fucking Bradley could pass the fucking ball to his own team we might have had some chances at the end.

  209. 209.

    JL

    Lucky for England America doesn’t really care about soccer. If we did, the limeys wouldn’t have stood a chance.

  210. 210.

    wengler

    England better not blame the whole thing on Green and wash their hands of it by simply switching it out. England had a lot of problems and the US was excellent at shutting down space.

    Rooney is not playing at 100 percent, that much is clear. If King is getting switched out at halftime, then his World Cup is probably already over.

    Really great game by Timmeh, especially playing through the pain. They got beat a couple times, but the US back line also deserves a great congratulations for their play. Cherundolo was fantastic, Gooch proved he could play even with the knee, Bocanegra, even DeMerit.

    Buddle didn’t do much after he was subbed in but I would prefer he start over Findley. Altidore improved as the game went on. The midfield actually did well with possession and Landon and Dempsey deserve credit.

    Overall a deserved a point that wasn’t all that expected.

  211. 211.

    SteveinSC

    @Dave:

    Crouchigol is coming on

    When at home, Crouch qualifies as the England’s tallest man-made structure. He occasionally works as a cell-phone tower.

  214. 214.

    J.W. Hamner

    While I feel like Gomez should have played, I can’t really imagine people complaining that they played for the draw. I mean c’mon… the US had one legit chance all game, plus the gift goal of the millennium… it’s not like Gomez is going to make up for the vast gulf in talent.

  215. 215.

    schooner

    Bocanegra will be the downfall of this team. Lacks pace and stays to far off his man.

    Bradley shouldn’t be playing either. Hardly played a decent ball all game and was run over the last 30 minutes.

  216. 216.

    Turgid Jacobian

    the US had one legit chance all game

    No, at least three by my count: Jozy’s brick of a shot after a great beat, a header he blew, and a header blown by Bocanegra. All were real goal scoring opportunities.

    Of course England had more, but I won’t go into that.

  218. 218.

    J.W. Hamner

    @Turgid Jacobian:

    No, at least three by my count: Jozy’s brick of a shot after a great beat, a header he blew, and a header blown by Bocanegra. All were real goal scoring opportunities.

    I won’t argue with that… I was a little over the top, but was making the distinction between “could” and “should”… and only Altidore’s brick shot was a “should have scored” chance I think. The others were fine enough, but not that close… and I can think of several times where England was just as close as Altidore, if not closer.

  220. 220.

    Bnut

    The Slovenia-Algeria match tomorrow will go a long way towards telling us how the group will play out.

  221. 221.

    fucen tarmal

    ok…so we tied them at their best sport, the one they really care about and all?

    hmmm, lets see,,,i wonder what would happen if oxford, or university of manchester were to play an evolved game of football vs ohio state, and i bet kicking some english ass would be enough to wake up the echoes rally the sons of notre dame.

  222. 222.

    burnspbesq

    Not sure what game the guy who does the player ratings for News of the World was watching. Demerit the best US player?

  223. 223.

    NobodySpecial

    @fucen tarmal:

    ok…so we tied them at their best sport, the one they really care about and all?

    Reminds me of a quote from some English player after a WC loss to Germany. When asked about the loss, he replied ‘Well, it’s only fair that they’ve beaten us in our national sport, we’ve beaten them twice in theirs.’

  224. 224.

    Bnut

    The Corner has spent the better part of the past few days talking massive shit about soccer. I guess “football” is now a liberal sport…..

  225. 225.

    Hawes

    Headlines for the tabs?

    It’s Not Easy Being Green

    Green, Not Ripe

    England Are Green With Envy

    Dunno, submit your own

  226. 226.

    fucen tarmal

    @NobodySpecial:

    that’s funny. of course i prefer to say churchill was the ideal prime minister for his times, he sat around, got bombed, and waited for the americans to show up.

    OOH-RAH!

  227. 227.

    Peter J

    It’s rather obvious that Green like Greene is a plant, British newspapers should demand to see his birth certificate.

  229. 229.

    Stroszek

    @fucen tarmal: What is this evolved game of football? The one where fat guys wear body armor and stand around doing nothing for 12 minutes at a time?

    I’ll take the real thing, and yes, I do wish the bulk of the US’s football talent wasn’t being wasted on sports that primarily favor binge eaters and other genetic abnormalities.

  231. 231.

    sbjules

    @KG:

    I’m a Laker fan too and this series is making me twitchy. I felt the same way about 2 in a row, but now I think I’d rationalize & still be hopeful if the celtics win tomorrow. I don’t think that’s going to happen though.

  232. 232.

    Stroszek

    I would add that one of the great things about football is how teamwork and good coaching can overcome the advantage of population size. Denmark and Holland don’t need an enormous population to be consistent performers.

  234. 234.

    fucen tarmal

    @Stroszek:

    all you need to know about that is, your soccer pitch is too sissified for the type of hard knocking explosion sport action real football has. of course we mostly keep the binge fascism and other folks looking for an excuse to riot out of the stands(except for philly eagles fans, for whom i make no excuses) maybe if the sport was less boring, their would be less rioting, just a suggestion…

    really it comes down to this, you can do aerobics, step class, spin class, or whatever for an hour…but you can only sprint, lift heavy weights, or anything that requires explosive strength, a few seconds at a time….

    explosion vs cardio….

  236. 236.

    fucen tarmal

    @That Other Mike:

    only because you haven’t actually considered the athletes and the athleticism required to play evolved football. just send some of your best rugby players to something like the nfl combine, ht wt body fat, straight speed, cone shuttle, broad jump, vert jump, bench press max reps at 225, the best football players are extensively measured for a wide range of athletic attributes, the numbers are what they are…i wonder how soccer, or rugby athletes would truly measure out.

    y’all got some sort of objective measurements?

  237. 237.

    Bruce (formerly Steve S.)

    I am very late to this thread, but may I assume someone has mentioned that the last time someone gave up a goal like this to the Americans in the World cup he was subsequently murdered?

  238. 238.

    Bill Murray

    @schooner: But it comes down to demerit vs. bornstein, as Bocanegra would be playing centrally if not on the left. Bornstein is fast and small and generally adequate going forward but is poor at positioning and a very poor tackler. Demerit is an excellent man marker, but can’t pass to save his life. Against a team like England where the US would not have much possession, Demerit and Bocanegra is much better than Bocanegra (or Demerit) and Bornstein.

    Basically the US is very weak in outside defenders. Bornstein and Spector were so bad in the friendlies leading up to the World cup, the US just can not play them barring injury or suspension in any game that matters.

    I think it is likely Torres will play for Clark in the next game as the US will likely have much more of the ball and Torres’ technique will bring a hint of John O’Brien at the 2002 WC.

    ETA: the fact that the US wide midfielders don’t always track back and play defense doesn’t help th outside defense. Dempsey was particularly guilty of this at the Confed Cup last summer

  239. 239.

    SRW1

    @NobodySpecial:

    “… beaten them twice at their own.”

    Actually, if memory serves right that is supposedly what Margret Thatcher worked up. You’re possibly thinking of the famous sentence by the English striker Gary Lineker who has said
    “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win”.

  240. 240.

    Hawes

    As an American rugby player, I can say that – like soccer – you can’t compare them to NFL players. Both rugby and soccer are aerobic sports. Football isn’t.

    Jonah Lomu tried to play NFL football and never made it past a curiosity tryout. But I doubt many NFL players would last 80 minutes on a rugby pitch.

    But give them a few years…

  241. 241.

    snarkypsice

    @fucen tarmal:

    Or maybe it’s OK that we suck at this sport and other countries do better than us?

    Never been a fan of American exceptionalism.

  243. 243.

    Bruce (formerly Steve S.)

    @Hawes:

    Both rugby and soccer are aerobic sports. Football isn’t.

    The NFL’s defensive backs say hi.

    But I doubt many NFL players would last 80 minutes on a rugby pitch.

    They wouldn’t have to. Dude, a mediocre NFL linebacker is about 6-3, 250, and runs a 4.7 forty. The mercy rule would be invoked after ten minutes.

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