2006 FIFA World Cup

[sohotrightnow]

Let's see YOU do better!! It takes a punk to call someone a punk that he doesn't even know!!! Try channelling your bitterness and disappointment in a more constructive manner!! I too am disappointed that the US team didn't do better. It wasn't a very good team over all and a lot of responsibility also has to be laid on the shoulders of the head coach. But lashing out at a world class soccer player who has proven himself many times over isn't going to solve anything and only makes you look very very bad as well as petty!!!

Are you on medication? Ease up on the CAPS and exclamation points!!!!!!!! The fact remains, he is scoreless in 18 consecutive games. That is not a stat I would like to have if I was considered the face of US Soccer.

[horn17]

any who....... Netherlands v. Portugal (wow this should be awesome...)

I am rooting for the Oranje.

Off the point... jessexy mentioned that I may have been thinking about Tab Ramos. Well, check out his official website at http://www.tabramos.com and you will note "Lacrosse Programs" on that site. That website is from New Jersey.

PORT - U - GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Adam G]

I second, "Landon who?" I guess it was true that he came back to MLS because he couldn't hack it in Europe. What a punk.

Let's see YOU do better!! It takes a punk to call someone a punk that he doesn't even know!!! Try channelling your bitterness and disappointment in a more constructive manner!! I too am disappointed that the US team didn't do better. It wasn't a very good team over all and a lot of responsibility also has to be laid on the shoulders of the head coach. But lashing out at a world class soccer player who has proven himself many times over isn't going to solve anything and only makes you look very very bad as well as petty!!!

You mean to tell me you've NEVER criticized ANY professional athlete? Give me a break. For as touted as Donovan was coming in, he didn't hack it at all, and he choked.

[mbuff]

Big shout out to our hometown boy Clint Dempsey for scoring the only US goal of the 06WC.

Back in the day, Dempsey spent a lot of time with Coach Farshid playing on the SFA lacrosse field in the afternoons and using our practice goals to shoot on.

[Lax_Stats]

Aye caramba lax_stats! While I stand by my assertion that Gary Payton couldn't cover me on the basketball court, I will concede Mr. Donovan's superiority over me on the pitch. I guess I expected a little more from our supposed superstar, a feeling I have heard throughout the tournament and especially following today's loss so please, spare me.

Donovan, in my opinion, is an underacheiver who was not a factor in the most important US soccer game of the Cup. His only contribution was to consistently kick the ball out of bounds on set pieces. I was led to believe that Beasley, Dononvan, and company were going to break out during this cup and shock the world. Perhaps punk was too harsh a word so I will withdraw it and replace it with outclassed underacheiver.

I totally understand and appreciate your frustration with the USA soccer team during the world cup stryker. I was completely underwhelmed as well. There were a lot of contributing factors. Obviously all of these guys have great skills or they wouldn't have made the team. unfortunately, we just didn't see a lot of the skills during this world cup! It seems to me like these guys just weren't hustling much on the field and just weren't in sync with each other or working well together as a team. There were some guys that just didn't even seem to be very good players either. I even found myself at times feeling that I could do better myself but at the same time remembering to humble myself and acknowledge that these guys ARE at the world cup and i am not. There were so many bone head calls by the officials that it boggled my mind. The USA team was offsides on the goal they scored today and the penalty shot called was such a farce that it amazes me that a referee could get to the world cup level and then make a call like that! The coach must shoulder a ton of the responsibility for the USA team results as well! I don't imagine that in 4 years we will see Bruce Arena as the head coach again. It was a disappointing world cup for the USA team, but it is over now and life goes on. There is nothing at all that any of us can do to change the results, so it is best we just all move on and not allow the results to negatively impact our lives or attitudes. Let's concentrate on the world lacrosse games now were the USA team will most likely fair much better.

[Hackalicious]

I totally understand and appreciate your frustration with the USA soccer team during the world cup stryker. I was completely underwhelmed as well. There were a lot of contributing factors.

They had a hell of a tough group too.

I think they would have made it if they were in Switzerland's, Spain's, or Germany's groups. Maybe even Brazil's group.

But, that's the luck of the draw.

On the flip side, I have some Ghanian friends and they are ecstatic. I'm glad that they made it.

[Brent Burns]

Just read that Claudio Reyna announced that he will retire from playing international football. That comes as no surprise for us, but we will appreciate and thank him for the memories. Yahoo! Sports also mentioned that Bruce Arena hinted that he may step down as the coach.

Hopefully, we will have a better squad ready to play in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

[JosueSays]

Ugh.... Even for having a completely new line up, Spain played a bad game! 1-0 was not enough... oh well, wonder who we'll face in the next round.

[Brent Burns]

Ugh.... Even for having a completely new line up, Spain played a bad game! 1-0 was not enough... oh well, wonder who we'll face in the next round.

From my perspecitve, it looks like the coach of the Spain team decided to rest his players. Does Cristiano Ronaldo actually have some kind of injury? It appears that it all depends on how many goals Switzerland and Korea would have. Switzerland has 2 goals and conceded no goals; whereas, Korea have 3 goals and gave up 2 goals. If both win, both do advance, but it will depend on who would win the group. That is my guess.

[StrykerFSU]

To get back to the US, I think this following passage from
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=davies/index
pretty much sums it up.

Of all 32 teams in Germany, the U.S. will finish No. 32 in terms of shots on goal with four. The next worse is Trinidad and Tobago with seven. Iran have 19. England, 21. Germany lead the pack with 27.

If you don't have a playmaker, you rarely get good service to the forwards; if forwards fail to get clear-cut chances, they can't shoot on goal; if you can't shoot on goal, you don't score; if you don't score, you don't win; if you don't win, you don't advance.

[Brent Burns]

With the last two groups (Group G and H) have already played, here are the knockout rounds:

Match 49 6/24 Germany vs. Sweden 17:00 hrs Munich

Match 50 6/24 Argentina vs. Mexico 21:00 hrs Leipzig

Match 51 6/25 Ecuador vs. England 17:00 hrs Stuttgart

Match 52 6/25 Portugal v. Netherlands 21:00 hrs Nuremberg

Match 53 6/26 Italy vs. Australia 17:00 hrs Kaiserslautern

Match 54 6/ 26 Switzerland vs. Ukraine 21:00 hrs Cologne

Match 55 6/27 Brazil vs. Ghana 17:00 hrs Dortmund

Match 56 6/27 Spain vs. France 21:00 hrs Hanover

After the Round of 16 is over, the Quarter-finals will look like:

Match 57 Winner of 49 vs Winner of 50 June 30

Match 58 Winner of 53 vs. Winner of 54 June 30

Match 59 Winner of 51 vs. Winner of 52 July 1

Match 60 Winner of 55 vs. Winner of 56 July 1

[JosueSays]

Perdictions:


Germany vs. Sweden 2-1

Ecuador vs. England 2-0

Argentina vs. Mexico 3-1

Portugal vs. Netherlands 1-0

Italy vs. Australia 3-0

Brazil vs. Ghana 2-1

Switzerland vs. Ukraine 2-0

Spain vs. France 2-0

[FLAK]

With the last two groups (Group G and H) have already played, here are the knockout rounds:

Germany vs. Sweden

Ecuador vs. England

Argentina vs. Mexico

Portugal vs. Netherlands

Italy vs. Australia

Brazil vs. Ghana

Switzerland vs. Ukraine

Spain vs. France

If you dont mind Im gonna take this one step further and show how the brackets will breakdown


Germany vs Swedend-------
|-----------|
Argentina vs Mexico -------- |
|
|------------------
Italy vs Australia ----------- |
|-----------|
Switzerland vs Ukraine------


England vs Ecuador----------
|------------|
Portugal vs Netherlands----- |
|------------------
Brazil vs Ghana--------------- |
|-----------|
Spain vs France---------------


I checked on the sites and this is how the Brackets will play out, now lets see some full predictions!

Apparantly the Brackets that I made freehand didnt come out, but this is the just of the groupings

[Brent Burns]

I know that Flak and I did our best and we got everything right. I think the best visual I have seen, and I am sure Flak saw that, too.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/worldcup/wallchart?cc=5901

Just look at the bottom of the wallchart to check out the Round of 16 list.

[FLAK]

Germany vs Sweden-------
|-----------|
Argentina vs Mexico -------- |
|
|------------------
Italy vs Australia ----------- |
|-----------|
Switzerland vs Ukraine------


England vs Ecuador----------
|------------|
Portugal vs Netherlands----- |
|------------------
Brazil vs Ghana--------------- |
|-----------|
Spain vs France---------------

My Predictions for whole tourney

Germany
Argentina

Italy
Swiss

England
Portugal

Brasil
Spain


Argentina v England in the finals with England winnin it all