2014 World Cup

If they are, though, why do they cheerlead? Any decent soccer fan would see through that, wouldn't they?

 

And just as importantly, how often do you want them to explain it? Every game? Even allowing for the extremely flawed assumption that most Americans watching are complete soccer neophytes, wouldn't it follow that by the fourth time the USMNT played, viewers would have picked up on some shit?

 

Slate usually annoys the heck out of me, but this was really well done, I thought. Part of what makes Messi great is that he DOESN'T run all over the field. He moves less than almost any great player, in fact.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/07/lionel_messi_2014_world_cup_the_world_s_best_player_has_figured_out_how.html

 

Yes. Bradley or Jones over Fellaini/Witsel. Dempsey over De Bruyne. Omar/Besler/Brooks over van Buyten. Yedlin/Johnson over Alderweireld. Beasley over Vertonghein.

[color-blue]Lichaj hasn't been around for a while. He was brought into camp, and saw one match, but who would he have started or beat out? He is still quite young (25) and I expect to see him as the team goes forward.

Messi is an attacking option, not the engine that drives Argentina. I'm sorry, but the article misses the huge reason why Messi moves so little...

In the top 35 players for distance covered, 5 players were Argentinian (USA had 4). Yeah, Messi isn't moving, but his teammates damn sure are. Funny enough, one of those top 35 is Angel di Maria.

Given that Bradley had covered more ground than any player in the World Cup, what is the reason that he was able to make the pinpoint pass to Green who scored the goal in overtime?

In short, the article was merely a piece where someone is trying to come from a different angle to explain a great player. That's great, but it really is not a valid argument.

Week in and week out, I watch Henry walk around Red Bull Arena. Then, on a moment, he turns, blow past someone, scores a goal and they win the game (maybe not so much this year). That doesn't mean Henry is changing the game. It could mean he's just lazy. It could also mean that his position doesn't dictate that he run back and cover on defense.

 

Pastor, I realize you're a huge national team guy... but you don't actually believe this, do you? Bradley or Jones over Fellaini/Witsel? Absolutely not a chance in hell. Yedlin/Johnson over Alderweireld? You're really going to make that argument?

 

Yes. Yes, I am.

Given Jones' age, I wouldn't go out and sign Jones over Fellaini or Witsel, but Fellaini is going to be dumped by ManU after his last season. Witsel is worker bee playing in Russia. If you said, who would you buy, yeah, Bradley over any of them. It isn't a question anywhere else in the world right now but here and that is largely due to the misconception of how Bradley performed.

Yedlin gives me a stiffy, so that could be bias. However, the kid is only 20 years old and you saw how he performed on the biggest stage. Johnson, meanwhile, just made a big money move in Germany on a bosman over the winter. Had he entered the summer on a free, he'd be getting bank right now.

 

You know I love you Pastor, but even Jack Edwards thinks you are wearing red, white and blue tinted glasses there.

 

You should see the sunglasses I walked out of the house with before coming down to the bar. They literally are the American flag... However, nope... I think I'm right on this one. I like Felaini. But I think Bradley is a better all-around player.

 

Germany could be the shits for their next match.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2118223-germany-squad-hit-by-flu-outbreak-ahead-of-france-world-cup-showdown?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national

 

So, you're saying the French may have them on the run(s)?

 

For all the slobbering over the US team, it's easy to forget that they went 1-2-1 in the tournament. If the Denver Broncos start their season 1-2-1, people will say the sky is falling.

 

Are the French allowed to bring in British and American reinforcements, like they did in WWI and WWII? Or is this payback time?