Today 12th, USA vs. Czechia

[Dan D]

My tip: 1:1
USA may rank 5th best team in the FIFA ranking system only because FIFA wants to (earn money) make European football a more popular sport in the USA, but the US boys are still good for a surprise and will qualify for the second round with another draw against Italy and a win against Ghana. The very strong Czech team can beat any other team if all goes well but not at this early stage of the tournament.

5 Euros on USA to make it to the round of the last 16.

[Skybird]

I expect to see some team spirit and fighting spirit out there. Have seen US teams playing football only twice, years ago, and remember only this: they kept on running until ten minutes after the game

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by Dan D

My tip: 1:1
USA may rank 5th best team in the FIFA ranking system only because FIFA wants to (earn money) make European football a more popular sport in the USA, but the US boys are still good for a surprise and will qualify for the second round with another draw against Italy and a win against Ghana. The very strong Czech team can beat any other team if all goes well but not at this early stage of the tournament.

5 Euros on USA to make it to the round of the last 16.

Sorry for the term but that ranking is complete crap.
USA 5th best team ? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Those guys at FIFA should stop smoking.
My bet : USA could win against Czech republic but will definitely loose against Italy.

[Neal Stevens]

Groan! 0-2 at half. Don't those Czechs know we're FIFA rated 5th??

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Groan! 0-2 at half. Don't those Czechs know we're FIFA rated 5th??

The main problem is that the american team is not attacking rapidly, they take their time and this gives the Czechs all the time in the world to organize their defense.

I think that the second Czech goal was impossible to stop (for any goalkeeper) so the american team really didn't have any fault.
As to the first goal, well its was definitly an american mistake to leave Koeller all alone to jump and score.

[Godalmighty83]

1, fifa rankings are a joke, if your national team goes and plays 10 friendlies against africas under 7's girls league and wins them all your fifa ranking will rocket up. this is why the US is ranked 5th, a whole batch of easy friendlies. i think the last you time us dropped a place was when it was beaten by england a little while ago.

2, you deserve to lose every match until you get the name of the sport right.

[CB..]

arggh nightmarish stuff...
the Czechs could have taken their goalkeeper off and replaced him with a bag of corn--and USA would still have lost--but i reckon USA could have won--but they just refused to shoot at goal--strange thing was every-time they did shoot they had a good chance to score--eddie Johnson showed that late on and Reyna hitting the post first half--

was screaming in frustration watching them get into shooting positions then pass the ball back to the centre circle---inexplicable--

Czechs are allway good tho has to be said--

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by Godalmighty83

2, you deserve to lose every match until you get the name of the sport right.

Very nice :rotfl::rotfl:

[Dan D]

Ouch, the guy that scored two goals, Rosicky, nicknamed "Schnitzel"= "has to eat more meat", played for the last 4 years in the German league for Prussia Dortmund and in all those years he scored ---2 goals. Now he scores 2 cool goals in one match. Everyone agreed that he has the the potential to become a world class player --and he was f%§?ing expensive -- but he never showed it, he seemed to be a"flop". Dortmund was happy to have sold him to Arsenal London for next season.

[Egan]

Originally Posted by Godalmighty83

1, fifa rankings are a joke, if your national team goes and plays 10 friendlies against africas under 7's girls league and wins them all your fifa ranking will rocket up. this is why the US is ranked 5th, a whole batch of easy friendlies. i think the last you time us dropped a place was when it was beaten by england a little while ago.

Not just friendlies, of course, but the results of the various confederation games affect this too. The way it is weighted meens that you get the same points for defeating Bermuda as you do for beating Brazil.

The US had the misfortune to come up against a very talented outfit yesterday. Some of your players are great, Eddie Johnstone and Landon Donovan have got great potential. I am a fan of Reyna as he is, after all, a former Hun, but - please - take Kasey Keller out back and put the poor old guy out of his misery. Never been a fan of his and there must be a better goalie out there somewhere.

Mind you, Superman wasn't going to save Rosisky's goal. Superb.