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We-e-e-e Are the Champions!

Posted By Matt On 22nd June 2006 @ 13:02 In Sports, World Cup, Soccer, football | 4 Comments

Commenting on the previous post, former TC contributor Rod sums up the U.S. - Ghana match in priceless fashion:

I just watched this travesty masquerading as a soccer match at a local lunch establishment. Here’s the thing: if the game of soccer was about knocking the ball around the middle of the field for 90 minutes with no aspiration to go any further than that, then the U.S.A. would be champions of the world. But unfortunately, there are these things called goals at each end of the pitch and you’re kind of supposed to aim for one of them, at least once or twice.

All of this is aside from the Ghanaian theatrics, which were very tiresome. If soccer was a falling over and rolling around on the ground contest, they would be the champions of the world. Except that Italy might beat them at it.

But really, this has to be down to Bruce Arena at some point, don’t you think, on a tactical level? It looked to me that throughout this World Cup the U.S. team displayed a total lack of imagination or initiative with regard to the attacking phase of the game. My English people demonstrate week in and week out that the long ball game doesn’t work, so why you’d want to copy that is completely beyond me.

The chicken sandwich was good, though. Spicy.

Ouch!

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4 Comments To "We-e-e-e Are the Champions!"

#1 Comment By Sir Oolius On 22nd June 2006 @ 13:32

Silly me, here I thought that soccer wasn’t catching on because there’s not enough breaks to squeeze advertisements in between plays. How wrong I was

#2 Comment By Comandante Agi On 22nd June 2006 @ 13:49

Exactly. Watching the U.S. team play is like watching paint dry. Brasil is up there with creativity. Portugal was very aggressive and proactive yesterday, which was great to watch. And Argentina had some great plays even though their game was a tie.

#3 Comment By Peter On 22nd June 2006 @ 14:24

fire arena. fire arena. fire arena.

Rod’s comments on the U.S. working hard to avoid the offensive third were spot on. Spot on. Spot on.

fire arena. spot on.

#4 Comment By Rod On 22nd June 2006 @ 16:15

I have to say, as briefly as I am able, that Bruce Arena’s body language might lead you to believe that he’s an entirely better coach than seems to be reflected in the performance of his players on the pitch.

And to think that he has designs on coaching in the English Premier League. The man’s delusional.

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