Alt26

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That line will be hell for opposing offenses for years

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Ideally.

But in this day and age looking beyond one season is often unwise

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No he isn't. People don't care about soccer. People do care about US Soccer. 90% of that audience will not likely watch another soccer game until 2030

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This.

Worse, those people may not tune in again because the next WC won't be held in the US. The casual fan showed interest...and the US team responded by not only getting beat, but looking weak, intimidated, and totally outclassed from literally the very first moments of the game. If this was the first soccer game you've ever watched with any real interest last night did nothing to make you want to watch again. In fact, quite the opposite.

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Ole Miss 1997....crashed back down to Earth after the Florida game that year.

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One of the more disappointing games given the euphoria from the week before. But I don't know if it was one of the "worst".

My candidate is the 1996 Alabama game.

The (very) late 80's/early 90's for LSU football was awful. There wasn't even a thought of competing for a SEC championship during that time. Then Dinardo brought back the magic in 1995. In 1996 LSU started 6-1...it's best start in at least a decade. Yes, they were blown out at #1 Florida. But Florida was blowing everyone out at that time.

LSU went into the Alabama game, at home, ranked No. 11. Alabama was No. 10. It was College Game Day's first appearance at LSU. LSU had already beaten Auburn and Miss. St. The path to the SECW championship was clear if they beat Alabama. It was the moment LSU was going to finally come back to national prominence after years of being an afterthought

Then Shaun Alexander ran for nearly 300 yards and 4 TDs while LSU's defense and offense were totally helpless.

For whatever reason, the US team went into the game nervous and intimidated. The female analyst on Fox it the nail on the head in her postgame comments when she said the game was lost before the US even took the field.

I am by NO MEANS knowledgeable of the intricacies of soccer. But I am a sports fan and can tell when a team clearly lacks confidence and/or is nervous, regardless of the sport. That was evident from the first minute of the game last night. Literally.

Belgium started the game with possession. After a long pass into the US zone they attempted a shot that was blocked by the US. The ball was deflected towards the sideline clearly off a US player. Dest had a good15-20 yards to play the ball before it went out. Instead, he chose to shield off the Belgium player and let the ball slowly roll out of bounds. That led to a throw into the box. The first hard shot was blocked up front by the US. Belgium then hammered the rebound on goal that was barely blocked by the GK.

44 seconds in Belgium almost had a goal all because the US was hesitant and passive. The ball could have been played, but the US player did not want to play it. That was the theme of the night. The US had little desire to attack 50/50 balls. The US passes seemed to have little purpose besides just trying to get rid of the ball as soon as possible. Any time Belgium showed any type of aggression the US player panicked. Nowhere was that more evident than the GK's blunder. All he had to do was just kick the ball away. Yet, he was so nervous by the mere presence of the Belgian player that he hesitated and missed the ball completely.

It was if they went into the game believing they were the vastly inferior team with little confidence and just the hope they could do just enough to be close at the end. Underdogs don't win by hoping not to lose. They do so by taking the fight to the better opponent and forcing the action. The US didn't do that. They were nervous and easily pushed around from start to finish.

THAT is what I think people are most upset about. It's one thing to lose to a more skilled/talented opponent. US fans recognize the US is not dominant in soccer. But it is another to just seemingly give up from the start. That's what last night's game looked like from the US perspective.

Sometimes the opponent is just more skilled than you. It happens in all sports. But sheer effort and physicality can sometimes close the gap. The US team has looked scared and intimidated from literally the first minute

“Here, go put your smock on and sit on the bench!”

Admittedly, I’m not a soccer guy. But it seems like if the US committed to just play a little more physical it would make a difference. Belgium seems totally comfortable in what they are doing

This looks like a college football team that started 6-0 against bad competition then has to play a top 10 team. The jump in competition has them nervous and thinking “holy shite! These guys are way better than us.”

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This World Cup may be the best worldwide sporting event ever in history.

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I'm not sure I would go that far because I think the increased attention in the US is due solely to the event being held (in part) here. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but Americans thinking it is "the best worldwide sporting event ever in history" (a pretty high bar) is because this is the first time in 32 years the average American (non-soccer fan) had much reason to pay attenion.

That said, it certainly hasn't been a "flop". The majority of people I know who aren't soccer fans in general are at least paying some degree of attention. Unfortunately, I think that falls WAY off if the US loses tonight.

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Calling Baton Rouge is piped in and everyone loves it, but it just doesn't get the younger generation excited anymore and has run its course. It can still be played pregame.

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It's really just a matter of personal music taste. Enter Sandman is nearly 40 years old. Yet, Virginia Tech fans still love it. Jump around is about the same age. Yet is has iconic status at Wisconsin.

The fans like Calling Baton Rouge. It's gets them fired up. That's the no. 1 priority...though, personally, I find it a bit funny that it is associated with LSU football when one actually listens to the lyrics. It's a song about a guy who had a drunken one night stand with a girl in BR :lol: Fun fact, it's not even a Garth Brooks original. It's an Oak Ridge Boys song from 1978!

I can't recall if LSU does this anymore, but I always like the remade version of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting". It used to be played shortly before kickoff. If there is every a set of lyrics that captures the mood in the stadium, this might be it:

It's getting late have you seen my mates
Ma tell me when the boys get here
It's seven o'clock and I want to rock
Want to get a belly full of beer

… My old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys
And my old lady she don't care
My sister looks cute in her braces and boots
A handful of grease in her hair

… Oh, don't give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Oh, Saturday night's alright for fighting
Get a little action in

… Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
'Cause Saturday night's the night I like



My personal choice if I could pick a song to start the 4th quarter..."Welcome to the Jungle". Sure, it is probably overplayed. But that intro is as good as it gets. Even if you aren't a rock fan, I don't see how you can't get fired up with those first 40 seconds of the song

Welcom to the Jungle

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Tennessee 2010 when we survived another end of game Less clusterfrick only because T-Bob had the wherewithal to hike the ball. I never experienced a win that felt like a loss more than that win.

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This!

Tennessee wasn't a good team. Jefferson takes the opening play 83 yards for a TD and you think LSU is going to have an easy time with the game. Then the offense is terrible. Nothing but punts and TOs the rest of the way. Lee takes over at QB in the 4th, leads a good drive to 1st and goal where it looks like LSU will take the lead. He then throws an INT in the endzone.


Tennessee then has 4th & 1 at the LSU 30 with just under 6:00 minutes to go. It would not have ended the game. But they could have drained another 2:00 - 3:00 off the clock and maybe made it a 7 point game (17-10). LSU gets a huge stop. Then Jarrett Lee becomes a different QB. He converts a 3rd and 13 with 1:48. Then a 4th and 14 with 1:12. It looks like Les is going to pull another improbable win out of his hat after another lackluster performance against an inferior team...then chaos starts...then Les does get the most improbable win of his career.

This was the year after the clock management debacle at Ole Miss. So no one was in the mood to "celebrate" the win. Everyone was pissed. I actually felt bad for the Tennessee players. They had a big win. But, because LSU was so unbelievably disorganized it forced Tennessee in to a spot that they didn't know what the hell to do.