The Soccer Thread (IV)

Wow all kinds of props to El Salvador. They aren't a half bad team and have everything to play for coming up against Mexico.

 

Or just shot period.

 

Here are the standings:
USA 16
Mexico 15
Honduras 13
Costa Rica 12
El Salvador 8

 

Man, do I hate Mexico.

 

My new rule for soccer: You get carried off on a stretcher, you're done.
What Blanco did should have been worth a yellow, at least.
He was down for at least 4 minutes. Honduras got only one other minute extra. Utter BS.

 

So, one win will do the trick. That's not too bad.

 

What he said times 100.

 

Teams should never, ever play the ball out of bounds when there's an "injured" player unless you see his Theismann bone showing. Blanco when in on that ball in the air and stuck the other guy with his elbow (it was against his side, so not as terrible as it could have been) and immediately clutches his own head. Was. Never. Touched. Never.

And Honduras will think about that missed header on the corner in the final minutes for a little while.

 

FIFA does need to sack up and start cracking down on these Greg Louganis and Tom Hanks wannabes.

It should be simple - if you're so hurt the game needs to stop, you sit out five minutes. And every incident that causes a game to stop for injury is reviewed. If it is believed the player is faking, he's suspended a game with no appeal. The dives and fake injuries kill the game.

I hate to sound like I'm on my high horse, but I swear I rarely see the United States doing that shit.

 

I don't hate Mexico. I hate officials who allow theatrics like Blanco's to happen, whether through their won stupidity of negligence.

Players - on teams other than just U.S. rivals and teams that face the U.S. in big games (Horrors!) - will always push to see what they can get away with. It's up to the officials to stop it.

As we improve as a soccer nation, these tactics will become a bigger part of our playbook.

 

I fucking hate Mexican soccer and have no problem admitting it.

Fuck their trashy players, and fuck their trashy fans. There is no class to be found anywhere in the Mexican soccer federation.

 

Two ugly games for the Nats, but 6 points are 6 points.
I think that we give serious thought to sitting people with yellow card issues (including Landon) in our next game.