Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

This fight is for everything.

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

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

You are here: Home / Sports / Belgium v USA Round of 16 Open Thread

Belgium v USA Round of 16 Open Thread

by | 387 Comments

This post is in: 

Can the US do it? Can the once vaunted Belgian team live up to expectations?

I love Moules Frites! Here’s why:

100g/3½ oz butter
3 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
500ml/1 pint dry white wine
A bunch of parsley, leaves picked
1.5kg/3lb 5oz mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
Fries
5 large, floury potatoes such as King Edwards, peeled
Vegetable oil, for frying
Make the fries first. Slice potatoes lengthways into 5mm-wide slices, then slice these into 5mm-wide chips. Place in cold water for at least 15 minutes to wash off excess starch.
Half fill a deep pan with oil and cover a couple of baking trays with kitchen towel. Use a jam thermometer to heat the oil to 150C/300F. Drain the fries and very carefully lower a few handfuls into the hot oil (you will have to cook them in batches), stir once to prevent them sticking together, then leave to cook for 5 minutes before using a slotted spoon to transfer them to the baking trays to drain. Do the rest of the fries, then leave them to cool to room temperature. Keep the oil in the pan for later.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook until the shallot is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and parsley and bring to the boil. Add the mussels, stir carefully, place a tight lid on the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until they all open. Once cooked, keep them in the pan to stay warm, perhaps adjusting the lid a little so they don’t continue cooking.
Return the oil to the heat, and bring the temperature to 180C/350F. As before, carefully lower small batches of the fries into the oil, stir once, and cook for 3 minutes until crisp and golden. Transfer to freshly lined baking trays to drain, then sprinkle with salt and serve with the mussels.
Mussels recipes

In honor of the US Captain, Clint Dempsey, I got a classic recipe from Texas guaranteed to make your arteries harden: Chicken-Fried Steak:

First the cream gravy:

Cream gravy
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pan drippings, bacon grease or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste

Combine fat with flour in a hot skillet, continuously stirring, cook on medium for a couple of minutes until a dark roux is formed.

Add milk slowly to skillet, and mix with roux using either a whisk or wooden spoon (be sure and press out any lumps). Turn heat to low and continue stirring until mixture is thickened, a couple more minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste.

If gravy is too thick for your taste, you can thin it by adding either more milk or water a tablespoon at a time. Goes great with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, biscuits, chicken fried steak, grits, vegetables, rice or anything else you can imagine.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Now for the steak:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds top-round steak
2 cups flour
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cream gravy

Method:
Cut top-round steak into 4 pieces. Pound beef with a meat tenderizer until flattened and almost doubled in size.

Place flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix eggs in another large bowl with milk. Take piece of tenderized beef and coat in flour. Dip coated beef into egg mixture and then dip back into flour again.

Heat on medium enough oil or lard to fill halfway up the sides of a cast-iron skillet. When a drop of water makes the oil sizzle, it’s ready for frying. Take the coated beef and place it in the skillet. When the blood starts bubbling out of the top of the steak (about 3 to 4 minutes) gently turn it over with a long fork (using a spatula can cause the oil to splash out of the skillet).

Cook another 5 minutes and then take the chicken-fried steak out of the pan and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat process for remaining cutlets. And while you’re frying the others, you can keep the cooked steaks warm in the oven.

Serve with cream gravy made from the pan drippings.

Reader Interactions

387Comments

  3. 3.

    MikeJ

    Dear England: Your football team is at home watching our soccer team. Perhaps you need to chill the fuck out about what people call it and just enjoy the game.

  9. 9.

    raven

    It’s cool that they just introduce the team and don’t do all that other bullshit we do.

  20. 20.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    I watched the first game at a place without WiFi (but with all you can eat tacos on Tuesdays) but I have a couple of questions as I try to figure this game out.

    It seemed like Messi could do magic with the ball on his foot but for most of the game it accomplished nothing. Was I mistaken in my viewing or am I correct that the Swiss game plan was to stick as many men to Messi as it took to shut him down and dare the rest of the Argentines to beat them, a challenge that the South Americans declined?

    And on the goal, it seemed like the key moment was when the Swiss defender missed a tackle just before Messi crossed into the box and that sucked Ricardo Rodriguez into the middle, leaving di Maria free. It seemed like Rodriguez ended up in no man’s land where he wasn’t covering anyone but I’m not sure he had a choice. Accurate?

  22. 22.

    lol chikinburd

    Has USMNT fandom officially become too mainstream? Is it too hipsterish even to pose the question?

    Or is the “hipster” stigma inappropriate to folks who remember what it was like when the USA were first terrible, and then plucky underdogs starved for respect? Folks who are just chuffed as hell for the USA to have gotten where they are, have never gone for the customary “U-S-A!” chest-beating in any other sport and don’t want to start with the one they’ve followed forever, and aren’t going to be crushed by the eventual elimination in the early knockout stages?

    (dunno, just not feeling all the nationalistic fervor this time round, other than in response to the occasional obligatory America-hater)

  25. 25.

    MattR

    @Onkel Fritze: Trying to include the link led to moderation, but go to deadspin.com and scroll down. They have an article with various links to live streams of the game (though I am not sure if any are available in Colombia)

  27. 27.

    Onkel Fritze

    @The Dangerman: Nope. There’s 3 channels of ESPN and Foxsports here, but they don ‘t show any games. The free TV stations Caracol and RCN carry most of the games, but nor all. There’s a cable company DirectTV which has them all, but that’s not the company we have. Alas, I’m stuck streaming TV from my beloved Fatherland.

  28. 28.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Does Geoff Cameron think that if he adopts Cristiano Ronaldo’s haircut he’ll start scoring goals?

  31. 31.

    Onkel Fritze

    @Violet:

    @MattR:

    Thanks, but I’ve figuered that out a loooong time ago, out of necessity. Using schoener-fernsehen.com myself. Further down the list of channels, there’s also a stream from the UK, for anybody interested.

  33. 33.

    Violet

    “a fan wanting to make a spectacle of himself”? Was someone streaking across the pitch or something?

  37. 37.

    MattR

    You know what would be great? If the US could win a 50-50 ball and keep possession instead of just whacking it down the field.

  38. 38.

    Onkel Fritze

    @The Dangerman: No, ESPN Latin America is a different beast and does not have the rights (at least in Colombia). They are geoblocked on the internet. Would have to use a proxy, but my way is so much easier.

  42. 42.

    Onkel Fritze

    @JPL: Univision also geoblocked. But they are really helpful and tell you where you are. So if you ever get lost….

  44. 44.

    Southern Beale

    The FUCKING nerve of these assholes. THE NERVE.

    New GOP PAC eyes women’s votes

    Do you like having YOUR healthcare needs treated differently from men’s? Do you like paying MORE for it? Because lady parts and Jesus? Do WE have the party for YOU!

    /hurl

  48. 48.

    PaulW

    @Southern Beale:

    That’s because they think 1) voters are ignorant of current events and 2) genuinely believe their policy goals will win over everybody once we stop listening to EVIL feminazi socialist pod-people.

  50. 50.

    Amir Khalid

    Since someone brought up American food, there’s something I’d like to know: Why does KFC keep its fried chicken recipe such a big secret, when the fried chicken it makes doesn’t even taste all that good?

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    This match will come down to which team’s striker is struck by a unique moment of competence.

  56. 56.

    ⚽️ Martin

    @Amir Khalid: Their chicken is like heroin. Once you get hooked on it, you don’t want anything else. So it’s distinctiveness (and consistency from restaurant to restaurant) is the secret.

  59. 59.

    Trollhattan

    @Amir Khalid:
    It’s a little thing called “marketing hype.” See, also, too: Coca-Cola secret recipe.

    The actual KFC “secret” was a steam-pressure fryer, not the mediocre coating.

  62. 62.

    The Dangerman

    KFC? Insert Homer Simpson drooling “ohhhhhhhhhh” here.

    ETA: Popeye’s is good, too. I don’t do Fast Food often, but, when I need to do so, Popeye’s is a first choice if available.

  64. 64.

    Violet

    This isn’t good. I liked what I saw of Yedlin before, but he’s awfully young.

  67. 67.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    The U.S. is having a lot of hamstring problems. I thought Klinsmann was all about the fitness.

  68. 68.

    lol chikinburd

    Fabian Johnson’s gone. Not so good.

    Replacing is him is DeAndre Yedlin. Not so bad. I like the kid.

  73. 73.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @lol chikinburd:

    Nah. People jump on the bandwagon every four years, then most jump off when the US goes out.

    I have a method for sorting out the older poseurs from the old hardcores: I drop Tab Ramos at the Rose Bowl on the Fourth of July. Anyone who answers, “Yeah, that was great!” draws a red card.

  75. 75.

    Amir Khalid

    The BBC live-blogger wants to know how DeAndre Yedlin’s club, the Seattle Sounders, got their name. Does anyone here know?

  78. 78.

    JPL

    I’m not feeling positive about this game.
    Maybe I’ll be able to speak a little spanish though after watching the matches on Univision. I mentioned to a neighbor that I watched the games on Univision and he was able to relate because he went to several family gatherings with his wife. Her father only speaks Spanish.

  85. 85.

    Rob in CT

    I can’t watch yet, but from the “match stats” it looks pretty one-sided. Our side has at least had a decent amount of the possession, but the Belgians have dominated everything else (that’s good, I mean).

  86. 86.

    MattR

    More than possession, the US needs some defensive pressure on the ball. The Belgians are able to jog their way into the offensive third before the US makes any attempt to get the ball.

  88. 88.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Rob in CT: US defense in midfield has been shaky and the Belgians should be ahead 1-0, but US has also has some good looks

  89. 89.

    Violet

    Fabian Johnson–strained left hamstring. Same as Altidore. Seems like conditioning could be a problem.

  90. 90.

    Alex S.

    For a while I thought a belgian goal was just a question of time, but it looks like both teams get their chances. After the break the game is going to slow down more and it should be a pretty open affair.

  91. 91.

    raven

    @Violet:

    He hears the ticking of the clocks
    And walks along with a parrot that talks
    Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in
    Maybe she’ll pick him out again how long must he wait
    One more time for a simple twist of fate.

  92. 92.

    Keith G

    @Rob in CT: The Belgians move like they are on skates. They are just inaccurate. I worry about later on. I think we will be a bit more tired as we match their movement.

  93. 93.

    MattR

    I like Yedlin’s panache. The only other player on the team who plays with that kind of attitude is Dempsey.

  95. 95.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Violet: Conditioning isn’t the issue, they’re extraordinarily fit,I am trying to find a paper a Doctor wrote about the injuries and I recall he said it was just simple strain and can’t be prepared for

  102. 102.

    Rob in CT

    @HumboldtBlue:

    It’s been my experience watching other sports that sometimes injuries just happen – and sometimes come in bunches. The pattern recognition software we have in our brains gears up and tries to find an explanation, but there probably isn’t one.

    Also, too: isn’t it also about hydration?

  103. 103.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Rob in CT: No, he said specifically that is has nothing to do with hydration and all that bullshit from gatorade is just that, bullshit

  105. 105.

    Onkel Fritze

    Talking about Belgium: anybody ever been to Bruges? Hands down the most beautiful town I’ve ever seen.

  106. 106.

    Cacti

    @Rob in CT:

    isn’t it also about hydration?

    Hydration hasn’t been much of an issue in the late games that I’ve seen so far.

    Now the days games where the sun is high in the sky, I’ve seen guys start cramping up late.

  107. 107.

    Violet

    @HumboldtBlue: There’s a way to train to prepare for big events that allows your muscles to be in peak condition. Weather conditions–like heat and humidity–change that. Having trained in heat and humidity I’m aware of how I have to change my fluid, electrolyte, etc. intake in those conditions. Vulnerable muscles are the ones that go first, obviously.

    Just wonder if all that is being managed appropriately. Seems weird that so many have hamstring issues. Noticed all those muscles injuries in the first match–the one where Altidore went out.

    Maybe it’s coincidence. Maybe there’s something they need to look at.

  109. 109.

    burnspbesq

    I’d like to see Beckerman on for Cameron. Back to 4-2-3-1. Get numbers in midfield to blunt the Belgians through the middle.

    We’ve seen that Yedlin can get around Vertonghen any time he wants. Keep going at him. If it forces Hazard to be honest, so much the better.

  112. 112.

    MomSense

    @PaulW:

    If I had to guess I would say the hamstring problems are caused by fatigue, inadequate stretching, and muscle imbalance with the quadriceps. Quadriceps are generally stronger than hamstrings, but if the imbalance is too great it can cause problems especially in situations when quick or explosive movement is needed–like a lot of soccer play. Dead stop to super fast start is a problem when combined with the other factors. When I started working with gymnasts, I changed their stretching and warm up routines because they had problems with pulled and strained hamstrings.

  113. 113.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Violet: I am a horrible reporter on this and I can’t find the article but Dr. Matt McCarthy addressed the issue and broke it down pretty well

  114. 114.

    Seanogar1

    Wow. Every single recipe so far contains ecologically-unsupportable, heart-health-challenging, chock-full-of-cruelty animal meats. So appropriate for a liberal blog!

  115. 115.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Violet: Any evidence that there is a higher than normal occurrence of hammy injuries for the US during this tournament?

  119. 119.

    burnspbesq

    @Seanogar1:

    What to eat is a matter of individual choice (says the recent convert to vegetarian). Go preach somewhere else. We’re watching football here.

  120. 120.

    Violet

    @raven: I’m sure they know what they’re doing. Or they think they do. Or they’ve decided they do. Or they’ve been told they do.

    It’s weird how in groups or organizations sometimes poor decisions or strategies become ‘just the way it’s done’ even if they’re not effective. Lots of people make lots of money as consultants peddling crap. Lots of companies and organizations buy it. High level, high dollar sports are no exception.

  121. 121.

    Cacti

    @Seanogar1:

    Wow. Every single recipe so far contains ecologically-unsupportable, heart-health-challenging, chock-full-of-cruelty animal meats. So appropriate for a liberal blog!

    When did vegan become a substitute for liberal?

  123. 123.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Seanogar1: And we haven’t even gotten to the competing veal recipes for France vs. Germany.

  127. 127.

    MikeJ

    @Cacti:

    When did vegan become a substitute for liberal?

    The only people I know that think that are republicans.

  128. 128.

    raven

    @Violet: I have several friends who do massage and personal training and they certainly feel they could address these kinds of injuries better than professional sports trainers.

  132. 132.

    Violet

    @raven: I know people who have more success in addressing these kinds of injuries better than traditional physical therapy too.

  133. 133.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    The wide open games of the group stage seem to have disappeared.

  136. 136.

    Trollhattan

    @raven:
    Cycle racers travel with team masseuses, as one sport arguably on par or superior to futbol players in conditioning and who, unlike them, have to perform hours daily sometimes for weeks. I don’t believe for a second that the top WC teams don’t all have access to the same.

    Hammys are problematic, as they’re antagonists to stronger muscles (calves, quads, glutes, etc.) and need to be strengthened and stretched in isolation.

  137. 137.

    Amir Khalid

    Annoying American commenter on Guardian live-blog:

    “While you are writing ‘soccer’ in quotation marks (excuse me, ‘inverted commas’) to mock Americans’ knowledge of the game, you might recall that it’s a British contraction of the British expression ‘Association Football’,” writes Peter C. Andersen.

    Yes we know, Mr Andersen. All the same, most of the planet calls the sport “football”, whether in English or in their own language. And no argument you raise changes that.

  139. 139.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Violet: Going into it expecting a lighthearted comedy would result in some shock. I saw it not too long after I had been to Bruges. I thought it was fucking brilliant.

  142. 142.

    Steeplejack

    Went to the dentist earlier this afternoon, and the feeling of having collagen-inflated duck lips is just going away.

    Sort of speed-watched the first half, and the thing that struck me is that the Belgians’ passing is very crisp. And when a guy receives the ball it just sticks to his foot.

    That said, USA are holding their own. I fear this game is going to come down to one awful moment. “Bradley sneezed at the wrong second and Shmecki Dijkstormer buried it from 35 meters!”

  143. 143.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):

    The wide open games of the group stage seem to have disappeared.

    Too much at stake right now: the favourites in each match are going in with a “get the job done” mentality, and the weaker teams are not taking risks until late. I imagine the quarter-finals will be different.

    This is just pressure and pressure and pressure now, and if you’re defending for this long, you get out of the habit of attacking.

  145. 145.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Amir Khalid: You are so off base on this. After the game youtube the history of Liverpool, or the Kop and you will hear over and over again British commentators and historians referring to the game as soccer. It’s an English/American term and the ongoing debate and back and forth is utterly useless

  148. 148.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    @Amir Khalid: I find the argument about what to call it, from both sides, really annoying. There are lots of things about the game itself we can hurl obscenities at each other over; we really don’t need to drag naming conventions into it.

  149. 149.

    askew

    U.S. goalie is carrying this team right now. The rest of the team is playing very poorly.

    The Univision announcers are so much more fun to listen to.

  151. 151.

    MikeJ

    @Mike E:

    2nd half is settling into a nonstop Belgian offensive soccer clinic.

    “Belgium” is the most offensive word in the galaxy.

    I could really use a pan galactic gargle blaster.

  152. 152.

    MomSense

    @Violet:

    I was a dancer by training and years later when I was teaching and working with athletes (gymnastics, soccer, football, ice skating, etc) I was shocked at how out of date the stretching regimes were. The warm ups were problematic too as they often asked too much too quickly of muscles.

  156. 156.

    Amir Khalid

    @HumboldtBlue:
    Curiously, it seems to be Americans like Mr Andersen the Guardian commenter who seem to think it an error to call football football. The rest of the world seems content to use the terms “football” and “soccer” interchangeably, although the preference is for the former.

  163. 163.

    Violet

    @MomSense: Yep. I know a lot is known about muscle conditioning, food and hydration intake, but it’s surprising how much of it is ignored by athletes. One would think that high level sports organizations would be up to date but who knows.

  164. 164.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    This is starting to look like the hockey drill where a team forms a semicircle and just fires the puck at the goalie.

  165. 165.

    Steeplejack

    @Amir Khalid:

    Was commenter Anderson saying football is wrong? From the snippet you quoted above, it sounds like he’s in the “soccer is okay” camp and was ragging on the Guardian blogger about that.

  167. 167.

    justawriter

    Thought the stratergery for the Yanks would be to kick it at the Belgium goal, but methinks they are more clever than that.

  171. 171.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    The ESPN Gamecast says the possession is 50/50 but it sure doesn’t feel that way. It says the shots are 22 (7 on goal) to 5 (2 on goal).

  174. 174.

    Otmar

    The more the Belgians miss the good chances the more I expect a lucky punch by the US boys.

  180. 180.

    Trollhattan

    The little phone that could–have figured out how to get the live pheed on my phone. May need to avert my eyes, anyway.

  182. 182.

    Steeplejack

    @MomSense:

    I know! I just started a dirty filthy martini to get me through this critical second half.

    In honor of Martin, I went to the bespoke state liquor store and bought a bottle of Plymouth gin.

  185. 185.

    Amir Khalid

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):
    There’s no agreed definition of “possession”. Is it time on the ball? Is it percentage of completed passes? Something else? A team can have nearly all the possession and still be behind on goals scored, which is really the only stat that matters. It’s not a stat I take very seriously myself.

  186. 186.

    Keith G

    Man, Belgium is really good at quickly getting to the American attack before a shot on goal.

  190. 190.

    Mike E

    Watching the waves crashing on the seawall here…USA needs a bolt in these last 10 mins.

  194. 194.

    HumboldtBlue

    Without Howard doing his best Patrick Roy impersonation it would 3-0 Belgium

  218. 218.

    lol chikinburd

    Good thing Wondo missed that, or else the blood-pressure spike from a wrongly-disallowed goal would have killed a lot of us.

  221. 221.

    MattR

    Wondo, Wondo, Wondo :(

    I still think a Wondo header off a Yedlin cross is our best chance for a goal.

  224. 224.

    JPL

    I’m trying to explain to Mr. Finch that I was expressing disappointment with him. How long is the break?

  225. 225.

    Otmar

    I have to lodge an official complaint here.

    I’m at GMT+2, and all these stupid extra time games starting at 10pm are killing my sleeping rhythm.

    Arghh.

  226. 226.

    raven

    @Otmar: noted, go see the chaplain and get your card punched, you are authorized one personal problem a day.

  231. 231.

    Cacti

    31 shots on goal and 16 corners for Belgium. Is there a record for the most unsuccessful chances?

  250. 250.

    MikeJ

    @Otmar:

    I’m at GMT+2, and all these stupid extra time games starting at 10pm are killing my sleeping rhythm.

    Try watching EPL at GMT-8. Half the games start at 4am.

  251. 251.

    Amir Khalid

    Still 28 minutes to go. Anything can happen. Remember yesterday’s matches?

  253. 253.

    Anya

    my dad is offended by all the African players playing for the “former brutal colonizer Belgium.” For some reason, he’s okay with African players in the US team.

  255. 255.

    Tony J

    The important thing now is do NOT concede another one quickly. Let the Belgian adrenaline peak and ebb, keep it tight, and take the chance that WILL come.

    The prize is a match against an average Argentina (plus Messi), worth fighting for.

  256. 256.

    Steeplejack

    @Hill Dweller:

    Poppycock. DVR replay shows USA regained possession and three other guys (20, 13 and 7/8?) handled it before posession turned over.

  257. 257.

    askew

    Man, I’d like to see the U.S. pull off an upset here just for Howard’s sake. He’s working his ass off. But, unless he can also score goals I don’t think it is likely. The rest of the U.S. team just blows.

  258. 258.

    Anya

    US team seem to be hesitating a lot. Take charge damn it! WTF is up with all the lost time.

  260. 260.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @askew:

    The rest of the U.S. team just blows.

    Granted, it isn’t their best game, but just blows is a bit much.

  262. 262.

    Amir Khalid

    @askew:
    That’s harsh. The USA outfield players aren’t the big stars at their clubs; most are just squad players. They’ve done better than anyone had a right to expect, and most of it has been Klinsmann’s organisation and their own fighting spirit.

  273. 273.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    That does it. I doubt the US can get two in the time remaining.

  274. 274.

    Hill Dweller

    Another goal after Bradley makes a stupid decision to take a weak shot right into two Belgian players. Bradley is Belgium’s best player.

  275. 275.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Jermaine Jones is taking a beating without getting fouled.

  276. 276.

    askew

    @raven:

    @askew: The whole middle of the attacking zone seem disinterested.

    Yeah, that’s what I am seeing. They just don’t have the chase that the Belgians have.

    Then again, if I had to play in that heat I would have given up 1 minute into the game.

  279. 279.

    JPL

    From the NYTimes.. Tim Howard keeps it close. They’re saying that’s save No. 14 by Howard — the most by a World Cup goalkeeper since 1966! He ended with fifteen…

  280. 280.

    Randy Paul aka Randinho

    If Wilmots doesn’t start Lukako against Argentina, he’s an idiot.

  281. 281.

    lol chikinburd

    And Julian Green is the white flag. May as well put him on, I guess.

    ETA: Hm. Whaddya know.

  282. 282.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    I’m also watching a feed that’s about three minutes behind you guys.

  283. 283.

    Violet

    Tim Howard is just amazing. I will miss watching him and his pretty green eyes.

  286. 286.

    Hill Dweller

    Another great free kick from Bradley. Thankfully it didn’t lead to another counter.

  292. 292.

    Steeplejack

    Fuckin’ A! Julian Green gets one!

    ETA: And must note it was on a sweet pass from the much maligned Bradley.

  296. 296.

    Valdivia

    Finally! Tim Howard has been otherworldly, good to see the rest of the team hustle for it.

  298. 298.

    burnspbesq

    That was a superb run by Green, and a pretty composed finish for a kid with 40 minutes of first-team football.

  301. 301.

    Amir Khalid

    It might not be over after all. One more like that from young Julian and you might have a new national hero.

  315. 315.

    Tony J

    As wave after wave of Yankee attacks crashed against the Belgian ramparts one question echoed across the battlefield. WTF is Fellaini doing at a World Cup? He’s shite.

  316. 316.

    Steeplejack

    I’m dying here. We need a miracle from the gods of soccer or football. Either one—I don’t care.

  319. 319.

    Amir Khalid

    @Tony J:
    People were wondering about that all season at Manchester United. He’s been shite there too.

  321. 321.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, last chance. Boom it down there and go for it.

    ETA: And it ends before my comment even posted. FYWP.

  325. 325.

    Amir Khalid

    Remember, there’s no disgrace in losing if you fight like Team USA have today.

  327. 327.

    Tony J

    Great US comeback, fantastic defensive performance from the first whistle, but that’s football.

  329. 329.

    Otmar

    You could have been a contented, dear US team, if you had played the whole time like you did the last 13 mins.

  330. 330.

    Cacti

    Too conservative for too much of the game.

    Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

  332. 332.

    Amir Khalid

    Also, all the group winners are through to the quarter-finals, which doesn’t usually happen.

  334. 334.

    burnspbesq

    In the end, the difference is depth. Belgium goes to the bench and brings on two guys who start in the Premier League. We go to the bench and we get an MLS guy and a Regionaliga guy.

  338. 338.

    Violet

    Wish they’d played the 90 minutes like they played the extra time. Still, they fought and fought hard. Great job by the USA team. Made us proud!

  339. 339.

    Cacti

    @Amir Khalid:

    Remember, there’s no disgrace in losing if you fight like Team USA have today.

    Meh.

    The other name for a moral victory is a loss.

  344. 344.

    Cacti

    @burnspbesq:

    In the end, the difference is depth. Belgium goes to the bench and brings on two guys who start in the Premier League. We go to the bench and we get an MLS guy and a Regionaliga guy.

    This.

    Team USA has reached the point of being consistently respectable, but without further player development, we won’t make the move to dark horse contender or contender.

  347. 347.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Cacti: Hey, some days the other team is better. Honestly, is anyone surprised by the result?

  350. 350.

    burnspbesq

    @SRW1:

    Courtois could have been watching movies on his iPad most of the night, but he made the one save he had to make, and his team advances.

  351. 351.

    Cacti

    @Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):

    Hey, some days the other team is better. Honestly, is anyone surprised by the result?

    But for Howard’s brilliance in the net, it could have been much, much worse.

    The Belgians obviously had more offensive firepower. It just seems a shame that USA spent 105 trying not to lose and then the last 15 actually trying to win.

  352. 352.

    Steeplejack

    @Mike J:

    Yes, I’ll be avoiding the tidy but menacing Little Brussels section of Capital City tonight.

    ETA: Your name still has nym blight. Anybody replies to MikeJ, change it slightly in the hyperlink.

  353. 353.

    proterozoic

    Tim Howard: MVP. Did as much useful work as the rest of the team combined.

    That late volley was great, but too little too late. Should have had that energy during regular time.

    We’ll get the fuckers next time. Grrr

  354. 354.

    Steeplejack

    Well, I’ve got to start working on my trauma counseling protocols for Bro’ Man and the horde of Brazilian in-laws who are visiting. On current form, I don’t know if Brazil gets by Colombia on Friday.

  355. 355.

    SRW1

    @burnspbesq:

    I don’t think he enjoyed watching his team mates waste one chance after another.

    And yes, he made the critical save at the end, but watch again how the Belgian defenders stood still like tin soldiers in that situation and left him totally exposed. I don’t think it takes a hughe leap of faith to think that might dampen his joy about the final score somewhat.

  356. 356.

    Hill Dweller

    The US just doesn’t have enough talent nor technical ability. We’re probably a couple, possibly three, generations away from correcting that deficiency. Our purported best player(Bradley) was shit in all four matches.

    As an aside Bob Ley’s sanctimony is nauseating.

  357. 357.

    Heliopause

    In case you missed it, here is today’s final score: Belgium 18 goals, USA 1 goal, Tim Howard -16 goals. Whatever they’re paying him it’s not enough.

  359. 359.

    Tripod

    The original sin was roster selection.

    Rostering a bunch of d-mids, pushing one forward and hoping things work out in the offensive third was a bad idea. The US had bite out on the wings, but every time Jones or Bradley had the ball at their feet at the eighteen yard box, it just got ugly.

  360. 360.

    Cacti

    @Hill Dweller:

    The US just doesn’t have enough talent nor technical ability. We’re probably a couple, possibly three, generations away from correcting that deficiency. Our purported best player(Bradley) was shit in all four matches.

    Only since 2008 have MLS teams started following the youth academy model that is used by the club teams of international soccer powers.

    15 years from now, we might actually have the horses to make a deep run.

  362. 362.

    MattR

    @Hill Dweller: Pretty much. We need players with a better first touch. Defenders who can maintain possession when they intercept a long pass instead of just whacking it away. Midfielders and forwards who can similarly control passes sent in their direction and hold the ball in tight quarters. And finally, players with creativity who can beat a defender one on one in the attacking third and put a shot on goal.

    It seems like the younger players on the team – F Johnson, Yedlin, J Green – all have that touch. Dempsey has it as well and Jones showed he does as well. I thought Bradley had that level of technical ability, but it wasn’t apparent in this World Cup. The rest of the team is serviceable, but not what you need to compete with the top teams of the world.

  363. 363.

    burnspbesq

    The 23-man US squad for the 2018 World Cup.

    Brad Guzan, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, John Brooks, DeAndre Yedlin, Fabian Johnson, Marc Pelosi, Oscar Sorto, Michael Bradley, Paul Arriola, Gedion Zelalem, Julian Green, Luis Gil, Mix Diskerud, Terence Boyd, Joe Gyau, Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannson, and three kids you haven’t heard of yet.

  366. 366.

    pseudonymous in nc

    1. It’s the moments when you’re down a goal but playing up that you remember, because sometimes everything goes right.

    2. The US needs a stockpile of agony, and that was a big delivery. It’s getting close to being full.

    3. If you needed proof why the golden goal was shit…

    4. Every group winner goes through to the quarter finals, which is pretty rare, and every second round match was about the stronger team outlasting the weaker one in ways that weren’t pretty but did the job.

    5. I’m not going to join in any postmortems: the US did pretty much as well as they deserved given their squad and schedule and opposition. Probably better in the long term to have a heroic defeat in a match where they were outclassed and somehow kept it level for so long, than to advance squeakily and get a shoeing from Argentina.

  367. 367.

    Steeplejack

    @Valdivia:

    They have been looking terrific! And I would expect no less from Valdivia the Terrible.

    Brazil seems to be coasting on the attitude that we all accuse my Brazilian brother-in-law of having: “I’m pretty and people like me!”

  368. 368.

    Stan Gable

    @Cacti:

    15 years from now, we might actually have the horses to make a deep run.

    I don’t think that’s true – the US isn’t vastly outmatched against the better teams, so it’s not like they’re 20 guys short of competing.

  370. 370.

    Tripod

    Cut the shit. This isn’t 1990. The US squad is fine with the ball at their feet. Friggin’ Bob Bradley managed to put a squad together that beat Spain and lead Brazil at the half of the Confed Cup final.

    Mostly Jurgen fucked this up.

  371. 371.

    mali muso

    I’d say that Michael Bradley fucked this up. Pretty much everything he touched turned to crap.

  373. 373.

    Steeplejack

    @Tripod:

    Alexi Lalas made exactly this same point: Bradley excels as a defensive midfielder, struggles as an attacking midfielder.

    I think Lalas’s analysis and comments have been pretty good throughout the World Cup.

  376. 376.

    Elie

    @Valdivia:

    I am so tempted to join you having watched and enjoyed them (Columbia). I was however, born in Brazil and love Brazil…….though I don’t think that they have been playing well at all and I resent their sense of entitlement.

    I will wait till the last minute to decide…

  377. 377.

    Elie

    @mali muso:

    Building a team is always hard but particularly so in the US where so many of our athletes play the other games (baseball, football, hockey and basketball). I hope we can one day pass this phase, but its always interesting and occ fun to watch a team build over a time. They just need a tweak or two — defense was great, they just need an offensive approach

  378. 378.

    Violet

    @Elie: I’m pulling for both Colombia and Brazil. I love Brazil and watching them play. Plus they’re the hosts and I’d like to see them do well. But Colombia has been amazing to watch and James is a thrill to see play. I hope it’s a good game.

  380. 380.

    trollhattan

    @Elie:
    Reason the infinitieth I believe women’s soccer will surpass men’s in the States. There’s a much bigger cohort of girl’s soccer, all the way through college, to feed a competitive and exciting league. Women’s tennis is already better, from a spectator’s standpoint.

  381. 381.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Stan Gable:

    the US isn’t vastly outmatched against the better teams, so it’s not like they’re 20 guys short of competing.

    The line that comes to mind: “you don’t have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the other guy.” Think of all the teams that went out in this round — apart from Uruguay, teams that have had some success within their confederation, but aren’t top tier. Some will be worse, as a golden generation ages or loses form, and not make it to Russia in 2018. Some will be better. Can the US compete consistently with a Switzerland or Algeria or Chile or Cote d’Ivoire?

    The 2016 Copa America will be in the US. It’s going to be a treat and a test.

  383. 383.

    Tripod

    @Steeplejack:

    Well to be fair, It was an overly defensive central midfield, and the coach burnt it out in a tough group with a non-existent rotation…..

  384. 384.

    Tripod

    @Elie:

    They had one under Bob Bradley. He couldn’t get the backline (defense) sorted out. Still the 2009 team is the best USA team ever fielded.

  385. 385.

    Elie

    @Tripod:

    I am a Chicago Bears and more significantly, a Chicago CUBS fan. I know all about that…..

    As Mike Ditka said –(chgo Bears), making it to the championship an winning is not “automatic”. You have to recognize and treasure each opportunity, as there may not be another one in a while. People forget that.
    The Bears haven’t been back since ’85 and the CUBS are still waiting. Us Chicagoans know all about that… Thank the Lord that the Blackhawks have helped us a lot. Also

  386. 386.

    aretino

    1. Anyone who thinks that Bradley was a liability watched a different match than I did. He was just huge for the US at both ends.

    2. It would help if we had a manager who actually understood what bold managing meant. It doesn’t mean naively pushing eight men with tired legs up into the attacking third with our first attack of overtime, especially not against the best counter-attacking team in the world. It means having some faith in the roster he selected. I said before the match that Yedlin and Chandler should start in the wide midfield positions and Green should start up top. We needed fresh legs. Zusi and Bedoya had nothing left to give, and Dempsey was close to tapped out, too. Unfortunately, I was totally vindicated be events.

  387. 387.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @aretino:

    Saying that Bradley was a liability is a bit off. However, as a distributing midfielder (and one who looked as he was growing into that role in the run-up to the tournament) he was disappointing. He allowed the cautious, defensive instincts within him dominate his play.

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