Soccer thread 08/09 (will have spoilers!)

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:03 pm

The first instalment was £30m, not £10m, and they allegedly owe the taxman another £50m.

Setanta went into administration today in the UK and laid off all staff. I'm guessing that it will cease transmission sometime in the next 7 days - so there goes my live baseball

The article seemed to indicate that ESPN would be competing in the UK against Sky...no chance. Once Setanta goes down, I'm not even sure who'll be carrying ESPN in the UK.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:37 pm

I just hope they don't sell Setanta US to ESPN. I'm guessing that the Irish and US versions of the channel will be sold.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:06 pm

It may be that they just carry on regardless, as they were not party to Setanta UK's overpriced deals which were its attempt to lever its way into the UK sports market. Setanta UK needed 1.2m subscribers to make a profit, apparently never hit 700k. Picture quality was always poor, and their initial gambit of going PPV for individual matches never caught on.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:30 pm

already have ceased to transmit. NRL game can go down as the last thing shown.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:02 pm

Is this a no spoilers till a few hours after the match thread?

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:18 pm

nope avoid if you don't want to be spoiled.

ALTIDORE!!

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:02 pm

GETTTTTT INNNNNNNNN!

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:07 pm

Shocking to say the least. I lost a few bucks today boys haha.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:17 pm

Dempsey, too.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:21 pm

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!1

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:22 pm

USA!
USA!
USA!

That's the way to get it done! 2-0. Wow!

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:22 pm

Howard and Gooch are my players of the game.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:47 pm

I started recording only the second half but I'm sure there will be replays.

Too bad they didn't spring this kind of game next year. Maybe they showed their hand in a less prestigious venue. Or maybe they didn't really expect things to work out as they did. Whatever tactics they employed isn't going to surprise anyone next year.

Hmm, if this was in the WC, it would be bigger even than US-USSR in Olympics hockey.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:57 pm

I'm watching the replay on ESPN360.com

Awesome win, Go U-S-A

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:01 pm

Fantastic!!!

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:02 pm

Nice to see that Sergio Ramos makes the same mistakes at international level as well as for RM - surely he's not the best that they can come up with at right back.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:08 pm

wco81 wrote:I started recording only the second half but I'm sure there will be replays.

Too bad they didn't spring this kind of game next year. Maybe they showed their hand in a less prestigious venue. Or maybe they didn't really expect things to work out as they did. Whatever tactics they employed isn't going to surprise anyone next year.

Hmm, if this was in the WC, it would be bigger even than US-USSR in Olympics hockey.

This wasn't so much a match of surprising anyone with tactics, rather it was a match in which, for whatever reason, the US executed very well and caught some breaks. Usually you can count on a couple US players having total breakdowns in a big match which costs them. That did not happen tonight.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:24 pm

davet010 wrote:Nice to see that Sergio Ramos makes the same mistakes at international level as well as for RM - surely he's not the best that they can come up with at right back.

There's Arbeloa from Liverpool.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:51 pm

I almost don't believe that it actually happened, but yet there it is. 2-0. Well earned, too, even if Spain played far from their best. But we deserved the goals, and the defending was excellent. Well done, boys! And on to the Final!

When's the flight to Johannesburg?

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:31 pm

It was a nice win, but American soccer has very little respect on the world scale. World Cup could change that if they can do something next summer.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:01 pm

fletcher21 wrote:It was a nice win, but American soccer has very little respect on the world scale. World Cup could change that if they can do something next summer.

That means they have to get the semi's. I don't see that. I say this but who knows what US team will show up to SA. We have to get out of the group and then we have to be able to go 90 minutes against the big boys.

We aren't good enough to advance against the soccer powers. So that means we might be able to get far only by playing lesser nations.

I don't know though, this US team needs another year and a few holes filled because I don't think they'll be able to withstand an attack like Spain's at the WC stage.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:14 pm

Holy sh*t. Can't believe the final scoreline.

Go USA!

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:17 pm

I'm with Zeppo, this is surreal. While the 3-0 win over Egypt was more exciting for me, this is just madness. I hope we have DaveT's approval to celebrate this win?

Classic underdog performance by the USA. Capitalize on your chances, and bravely defend at the other end. It reminded me of watching a Jacques Lemaire team in hockey, where you give up a ton of shots, but all the shots are from the outside and very few actually get through to net cleanly. Luck was on the USA's side, but it's mostly organization and effort that got it done.

Also, Jozy has a long way to go as he constantly wastes possession, but he's such an x-factor out there. One thing I am taking away from these results is that the USA absolutely must play with 2 pure strikers. I understand that this strategy will cede the midfield battle against most teams, but we don't have the quality in midfield to control possession anyway. Having 2 strikers is vital to release the pressure with longer passes and poses more of a threat to getting in behind the defense, which we need without the class in the middle.

Lastly, wtf is with the red cards?!? Bradley's challenge is a borderline yellow to me, and a straight red there is simply disgraceful. It adds salt in the wounds that the red card came directly after Conor Casey was denied a breakaway on an offside call when replays clearly showed that 2 Spain defenders kept him onsides by more than a yard (I have this DVR'd and paused it---it's not even close).

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:21 pm

A good showing in the next game, against Brazil, would be something to look for.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:23 pm

On the second goal I was hoping Landy Cakes was going to shoot but as usual he passes it which turned out to be another score.