Ugly Monday ...

by Nestor on Jun 12, 2006 2:17 PM PDT in Football

Well that was horrible. What an awful way for the US to start to world cup. I realize we were underdogs against a dangerous European team, but I cannot come up with any reasonable excuse for the lethargic, listless, and uninspiring performance we saw this afternoon from the Red, White, and Blue. We are now 0-8 in Europe. We look unprepared and outclassed just like Karl Dorrell's team usually does against USC (or in the games against good teams). For us to have any hope in this tourney it looks like we have to win the next two, which looks extremely difficult with games coming up against Italy and Ghana. Ugh.

Our offense was a joke. Donovan had one good run before getting tripped up otherwise he was nowhere to be found on the pitch. And except for Reyna's shot there was absolutely no other serious US threat in the entire game. Our defense looked worse than offense. Granted Czechs are one of the more explosive teams in the world, but there was no excuse for the horrible performances of Lewis and Cherundolo in the backfield. Oguchi Onyewu and Beasely didn't get anything done in the middle either. Sure our midfielders showed some nifty passing and controlled the ball at times pretty well, but they leaving so much space opening up giant holes for the Czechs to mount lethal counter attacks.

What an awful way to start Monday. I am going to try to make myself feel better by watching this highlight from the Wazzu game last year:

Yes watching that video gets me all fired up about Ben Olson and the returning receiver crew, which will be bolstered by a healthy Junior Taylor.

But going back to Team USA, at this point the US team will need some miracle to make it of its Group of Death. It's too bad there are no gimmes like Washington State equivalent in Germany. Italy will always be tough, and Ghana judging by its performance this afternoon is going to put up a decent fight. Huge challenge in front of the US. Hope they at least show up to play this Saturday. Otherwise it is going to another long afternoon this coming weekend.

GO BRUINS.

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World Cup

Zzzzzzzzzzz....huh? Wha? Soccer? I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when football begins.

by SactoBruin on Jun 12, 2006 4:53 PM PDT reply actions

Nice one,

Not only do you hate soccer (original), you need to tell everyone how much you hate it (how very American of you). Look man, soccer isn't for everybody, and I gave up trying to convert people forever ago, but others enjoy it. That's okay as well, right?

Go Bruins...F@#$% SC... UCLA Fight Fight Fight!

by HomeBruin @ Bruins Nation on Jun 13, 2006 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions

However,

Even if you don't like the game, you should really watch Brazil. The cliche is over-used, but they really do play a different game than the rest of the world.

Go Bruins...F@#$% SC... UCLA Fight Fight Fight!

by HomeBruin @ Bruins Nation on Jun 13, 2006 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions

HomeBruin

Ah shucks dude. Don't get your panties in a wad.

I'm not sure what part of my posting said "I hate soccer." I think the more accurate interpretation would be that of indifference. I did not say "let's eliminate soccer from the world of sports" or "soccer so boring that I would rather watch the Rock Paper Scissors world championships." Admittedly, there are other things I would rather watch than 90 minutes of a 1-0 soccer slugfest, but I meant no hostility to the sport.

Alright, I have to go now. I've got some paint to watch dry. After that, I've got an afternoon of watching the grass grow. After all of that excitement, I might wind down with a nice World Cup match.

by SactoBruin on Jun 14, 2006 8:10 AM PDT reply actions

Panties well untwisted...LOL.

According to Elie Wiesel, The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. So you get no quarter for "not hating" soccer. More to the point, it's not that you hate, or are indifferent to, the beautiful game. It's that, like so many other Americans, you desperately feel the need to tell everybody. "Soccer, meh." I just never understood that phenomenon.
Also, I hope you're not one of those baseball fans that tells everybody how much you love to see 1-0 pitching duels because it shows the beautiful skill of the pitcher. That would be, well, ya know.

Go Bruins...F@#$% SC... UCLA Fight Fight Fight!

by HomeBruin @ Bruins Nation on Jun 14, 2006 8:43 AM PDT up reply actions

love vs. indifference

I really didn't want to get into a war of semantics, but I would think that "love" is to "hate" as "passion" is to "indifference." On the other hand, it's been a while since the SAT, so my analogy skills may have deteriorated a bit.

So while I certainly do not have passion for soccer, I certainly do not hate it. Would I watch the US team play a World Cup match were I not at work? Yeah, maybe. Would I watch the United Arab Emirates play South Korea even if it was the most excited soccer game ever played? Probably not.

On the other hand, I do love baseball (and prefer a 7-6 game to a 1-0 pitchers duel) but have a hard time watching the Brewers play the Pirates, so take that for what it's worth.

by SactoBruin on Jun 14, 2006 10:35 AM PDT reply actions