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Does anyone else have to remind themselves to appreciate our World Cup result?
Posted on 11/11/14 at 11:03 am
Posted on 11/11/14 at 11:03 am
We got out of the group of death (or one of the two GODs) and we did it without:
Our best player of all time on the field
Jozy out pretty much the entire tournament
Dempsey asked to work in a role that doesn't suit him.
Bradley way out of form and playing in a position that wasn't the best fit for him.
Let that sink in - thats really 4 of our best 5 players that either weren't there or weren't in the position that suits them best. And we still got out of the GOD.
During and since the WC, other thoughts dominated our thinking - the missed chances (especially Wondo), the "what if Donovan had been in", Jurgen, etc. Those negative thoughts and distraction have really overshadowed what we accomplished, at least in my mind and those conversations I've had and been a part of.
Every time we've advanced out of our group, there has been a magic moment made by one of our best players and its taken our best players to play well in at least a few of the games. This world cup, it was the role guys who stepped up and played against the best players on the planet and held their own. I can't think of better indication of how far we've come as a team and player pool.
Yedlins influence in pretty much every game he played
Brooks scoring the winner
Beckerdreads play, and his actually being missed in the line-up against Belgium.
Old Man Beasley lacing up the cleats and racing down the sideline and being a steady LB that we've needed for years.
Jermaine Jones playing disciplined enough and under control.
Our best player of all time on the field
Jozy out pretty much the entire tournament
Dempsey asked to work in a role that doesn't suit him.
Bradley way out of form and playing in a position that wasn't the best fit for him.
Let that sink in - thats really 4 of our best 5 players that either weren't there or weren't in the position that suits them best. And we still got out of the GOD.
During and since the WC, other thoughts dominated our thinking - the missed chances (especially Wondo), the "what if Donovan had been in", Jurgen, etc. Those negative thoughts and distraction have really overshadowed what we accomplished, at least in my mind and those conversations I've had and been a part of.
Every time we've advanced out of our group, there has been a magic moment made by one of our best players and its taken our best players to play well in at least a few of the games. This world cup, it was the role guys who stepped up and played against the best players on the planet and held their own. I can't think of better indication of how far we've come as a team and player pool.
Yedlins influence in pretty much every game he played
Brooks scoring the winner
Beckerdreads play, and his actually being missed in the line-up against Belgium.
Old Man Beasley lacing up the cleats and racing down the sideline and being a steady LB that we've needed for years.
Jermaine Jones playing disciplined enough and under control.
6
Posted on 11/11/14 at 6:55 pm to Tigerstark
The more I think back about it, the more proud I am of our team. They are a hard working patriotic group of guys that gave everything they had. We didn't have the success we hoped for, but we damn sure let the world know we take this shite seriously and we aren't going away.
Posted on 11/11/14 at 7:02 pm to Tigerstark
Great post. This makes me happy.
Landycakes hat trick Sunday and thinking about WC makes me has a sad...
Landycakes hat trick Sunday and thinking about WC makes me has a sad...
Posted on 11/11/14 at 7:10 pm to Tigerstark
It was a great result with the squad we brought down there. No Landon, Jozy for like 20 minutes and Bradley not sharp and out of position. We almost made the final 8 while riding Howard's shoulders. The Wondo miss still haunts me. It was a perfect striker poacher goal that he usually buries. I guess the stage was just too big.
Posted on 11/11/14 at 7:28 pm to tigerfan311
I am exceptionally proud of the boys and the work that they did. (Except for Brad Davis 
) Very similar feeling to 2002, where nobody expected anything out of us and we went toe to toe with the best (and punched Ghana in the mouth, just like Portugal in 2002.)
My frustration with this World Cup, and the entire qualifying cycle is that is that this team was forced to scrape, scrap and scramble by either bizarre roster, lineup or tactical decisions or perhaps overtraining (hello - hamstrings!)..... hell, maybe even dysfunction within the team.
I do believe that the "vision" for how Klinsmann wanted us to play was evident (at times - Mexico in Columbus, for example), and showed that we can play.
But instead of setting that tone early, choosing the way we would play, and working it through the cycle to get results - the team had bizarre and lackluster losses (Jamaica for the first time ever, WTF?), or relied on the Alan Gordons of the world to bail us out. We had SO many games where we looked like absolute horseshite.
The World Cup was more of the same. Bizarre roster choices (Donovan, no backup for Jozy, bringing players who weren't going to play or may have even been hurt) or lineup choices (Brad Davis vs. Germany, no Beckerman vs. Belgium) left the team having to scrape and scramble (again) to get results.
Most games through the cycle, I felt like "It didn't need to be this way." That was most of my frustration. I'm able to separate my support for the boys and my frustration with how the team is handled.
) Very similar feeling to 2002, where nobody expected anything out of us and we went toe to toe with the best (and punched Ghana in the mouth, just like Portugal in 2002.) My frustration with this World Cup, and the entire qualifying cycle is that is that this team was forced to scrape, scrap and scramble by either bizarre roster, lineup or tactical decisions or perhaps overtraining (hello - hamstrings!)..... hell, maybe even dysfunction within the team.
I do believe that the "vision" for how Klinsmann wanted us to play was evident (at times - Mexico in Columbus, for example), and showed that we can play.
But instead of setting that tone early, choosing the way we would play, and working it through the cycle to get results - the team had bizarre and lackluster losses (Jamaica for the first time ever, WTF?), or relied on the Alan Gordons of the world to bail us out. We had SO many games where we looked like absolute horseshite.
The World Cup was more of the same. Bizarre roster choices (Donovan, no backup for Jozy, bringing players who weren't going to play or may have even been hurt) or lineup choices (Brad Davis vs. Germany, no Beckerman vs. Belgium) left the team having to scrape and scramble (again) to get results.
Most games through the cycle, I felt like "It didn't need to be this way." That was most of my frustration. I'm able to separate my support for the boys and my frustration with how the team is handled.
Posted on 11/11/14 at 8:17 pm to Tigerstark
Good post. What we did in the last World Cup was a remarkable achievement, considering we were the statistical favorite to finish last in our group before the tournament began. If you had polled fans beforehand, most would have been very happy to take the results we got. However, for a variety of reasons, some people have tended to focus on smaller issues and have missed the forest for the trees when reflecting back on things.
Posted on 11/11/14 at 8:45 pm to Tigerstark
I can't stand Wondo for the pure fact that he didn't even put that shot on target, it made my hatred for him much stronger. The team should have made it further, but i think with the quality of teams they played they should be complimented and proud.
Posted on 11/11/14 at 9:25 pm to Tigerstark
Posted on 11/11/14 at 10:55 pm to cheesesteak501
Funny thing about the Wondo strike - I watched the second half and ET of that game today - he had just the simplest of passes to Dempsey a yard away and Dempsey buries it because Court is coming at him at an angle that takes him completely out from goal.
Also, the awesome free kick pass - Dempsey picks the wrong side to shoot it towards - he scores if he shoots to the left.
Also, the awesome free kick pass - Dempsey picks the wrong side to shoot it towards - he scores if he shoots to the left.
Posted on 11/11/14 at 11:00 pm to Sheep
Sheep I hear you - there is some frustration, but thats kind of why I made my post.
If you consider who didn't make it, who didn't perform well, or play more than 20 minutes, you would have thought there was no chance we make it out of he group. But our guys play hard, play as a team, and get 'er done.
As for Klinsman, unlike most coaches where the WC result in their ultimate measuring stick, I think the book on him will still be in draft form for awhile after he goes. His antics and decisions will be seen as lunacy or tough and necessary stages of our development. And it may not be clear-cut one way or the other.
But I think he alternatively treats every player completely different than any other player, something not many coaches can do. Some can do it for a few player, but not many can do it for all like that.
The next 1.5 years will build depth and roster, but I hope he starts getting it down to a fairly small group quickly after that. He probably won't, just to keep the guys on their toes.
If you consider who didn't make it, who didn't perform well, or play more than 20 minutes, you would have thought there was no chance we make it out of he group. But our guys play hard, play as a team, and get 'er done.
As for Klinsman, unlike most coaches where the WC result in their ultimate measuring stick, I think the book on him will still be in draft form for awhile after he goes. His antics and decisions will be seen as lunacy or tough and necessary stages of our development. And it may not be clear-cut one way or the other.
But I think he alternatively treats every player completely different than any other player, something not many coaches can do. Some can do it for a few player, but not many can do it for all like that.
The next 1.5 years will build depth and roster, but I hope he starts getting it down to a fairly small group quickly after that. He probably won't, just to keep the guys on their toes.
Posted on 11/12/14 at 1:50 am to Tigerstark
quote:
Also, the awesome free kick pass - Dempsey picks the wrong side to shoot it towards - he scores if he shoots to the left.
I actually think this bugs me more than the Wondo miss. The execution of that alone deserved a goal.
Posted on 11/12/14 at 1:51 am to Broski
quote:
I actually think this bugs me more than the Wondo miss. The execution of that alone deserved a goal.
If he scores there, and we go on to win in a shootout, it's the greatest game in USMNT history.
Posted on 11/12/14 at 2:18 pm to Broski
quote:
I actually think this bugs me more than the Wondo miss. The execution of that alone deserved a goal.
This. It was beautiful. It should have hit the back of the net. I was at the beach with my girlfriend's family, and they were all gathered around and getting excited. When I saw it developing, I slowly got up and got more and more excited. When he went through on goal, my heart leapt out of my fricking chest. Everything then went horribly wrong and crumpled down into a sad mess on the couch.
I loved that team. With the hand they were dealt, they made shite happen. We got out of the Group of Death. We finally beat those bitch asses from Ghana. We were seconds from embarrassing Ronaldo before he turned on the Ronaldo. I'll always look back at this team and summer as a fricking awesome one, regardless of all of the bullshite and heartbreak at the end there. I just can't wait for the next major tournament to get here to get everyone back into the game.
This post was edited on 11/12/14 at 2:19 pm
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