WORLD CUP 2006 / GERMANY

[Jim R]

Groups B and C are murder!

B (although T&T aren't going to scare anybody), C, and what about E? 3 in the top 12 FIFA rankings. Ouch. Oh well, nothing left to do but prepare for the challenge.

Scott, Australia "not bad" in F? ?? I don't know... getting Brazil is bad enough, but two others in the top 20?

All these new African participants are going to cause a lot of uncertainty... at least we can observe the African Nations Cup in January.

[kenny weir]

Not too bad for Australia

No complaints from me.

If the Socceroos get to Brazil needing a draw or a win, they're not good enough.

So ... it's simple: Beat Croatia and Japan.

I'm hopeful (very) and confident (a little, but that will surely grow!)

I have a lot of faith in Hiddink to make the players make this happen for us.

Other groups:

C: Tough!

D: Looks tight.

E: Nightmare for the US.

G: Lucky France.

H: Another tight race.

Edited December 10, 2005 by kenny weir

[scottb]

Scott, Australia "not bad" in F? ?? I don't know... getting Brazil is bad enough, but two others in the top 20?

I'd rather get Brazil in group play where a loss doesn't send you packing. Croatia aren't as strong as they were in the past. You could do a lot worse out of the European pot. Japan shouldn't be too tough. They're not on home soil like 2002. It won't be a cake walk but I think Australia could emerge in second place. Unfortunately they will then face the winner of Group E. But it could be a nice run for them.

[kenny weir]

I'd rather get Brazil in group play where a loss doesn't send you packing. Croatia aren't as strong as they were in the past. You could do a lot worse out of the European pot. Japan shouldn't be too tough. They're not on home soil like 2002. It won't be a cake walk but I think Australia could emerge in second place. Unfortunately they will then face the winner of Group E. But it could be a nice run for them.

I agree with all this. If Japan and South Korea even go halfway to repeating their previous efforts, it will be an amazing feat. Australia CAN finish second in their group. Whether they WILL remains to be seen.

[Jim R]

Scott, Australia "not bad" in F? ?? I don't know... getting Brazil is bad enough, but two others in the top 20?

I'd rather get Brazil in group play where a loss doesn't send you packing.

I know what you're saying, facing Brazil any time after the first round could be fatal, but still, I don't think it's very comforting to be staring at the likelihood of a sure loss in the group stage. You may never get to the second round at all as a result, unless you get two wins against the other two opponents (a win and a draw can be iffy). I'd rather lose in round two than not get to round two. At any rate, I'll be pulling for Australia to advance!

[Brad]

B, C and E look difficult and the rest look like a walk in the park. The Germany group doesn't look too challenging -- have to make sure the hosts move on. If the Czechs are on their game, it could be difficult but they were in a tough group last time: Korea, Portugal and Poland so it's not out of the question and I think they could take the Italians.

[sidewinder]

I don't think England have beaten Sweden since 1960something..

Not promising... a bit of a dillema again for Eriksson too.

[Gary]

I don't think England have beaten Sweden since 1960something..

Not promising... a bit of a dillema again for Eriksson too.

1968.

Im confident that England can finish in the top 2 .

[marcoliv]

i'll take my chances...(1st place - 2nd place)

A: Germany - Costa Rica

B: England - Sweden

C: Argentina - Netherlands

D: Portugal - Mexico

E: Rep.Czech - Italy

F: Brasil - Australia

G: France - Switzerland

H: Spain - Ukraine

Kenny, people here are just a little bit afraid of Japan because of their coach. Croatia and Australia are not even mentioned....well, you know, when it comes to football, brazilian people are so arrogant.....

i'm not happy with my opponents.... if we qualify we just did our job, if not, it will be another nightmare.

in 2002 we had a great team with a tough road ahead of us...now we do have a potential easy path with an awful team....

Hopefully june will arrive fast

Marcus

[kenny weir]

Kenny, people here are just a little bit afraid of Japan because of their coach. Croatia and Australia are not even mentioned....well, you know, when it comes to football, brazilian people are so arrogant.....

Hopefully june will arrive fast Marcus

Well, a certain amount of arrogance on Brazil's part is quite understandable!

But any team actually entering the World Cup with anything that smacks of that sort of comfiness is asking for it. Let's face it - there's 32 teams chasing 16 second-round places, which means some very, very highly lauded teams are gonna miss out.

[Alexander Hawkins]

If England wins their Group they get Group A runner up - likely Poland.

...and it wouldn't be a major tournament if England didn't get Poland at some stage!

[Alexander Hawkins]

My two-penny'th on the groups:

Group A

Germany

Poland

in that order, although it seems to me that it could be tight. Neither Costa Rica nor Ecuador are anyone's mugs, especially on their respective days.

Group B

England

Sweden

although I couldn't say in which order. Perhaps Sweden to nudge it, on account that England are prone to play out dull 1-1 draws with teams such as Paraguay.

Group C

Argentina

Ivory Coast

Netherlands

Serbia-Montenegro

This group is a NASTY one, as we've all identified. A betting man would have to say Argentina and NL, probably in that order. But a slightly risk-averse betting man probably wouldn't go near this group without very attractive odds.

Group D

Mexico

Portugal

I would have thought these two are fairly nailed-on, although Iran aren't bad on their day (I haven't seen them in a while, that said).

Group E

Italy

Ghana

Czech Republic

United States

VERY tough, again, and no two qualifiers would surprise me - with the possible exception that Italy are, after all, ITALY, and should get through.

Group F

Brazil

Australia

Well, the winner is surely not in doubt from this group. But I think the Socceroos have to fancy it. Sure, they could have picked a nicer top seed, but any team with any ambition has to like their chances against a jaded Croatia side, and the admittedly decent, but not world-beating, Japanese.

Group G

France

Togo

Switzerland

South Korea

France, even playing poorly, would surely make it. That said, we all know what the Koreans can do, and any team who can battle (I use the word intentionally...) past the Turks to qualify can't be bad, even if the Turks haven't really got it together recently. Togo are a complete unknown to me.

Group H

Spain

Tunisia

Ukraine

Saudi Arabia

Spain will get through. And then, as we all know, blow it. But that's for a later stage in this thread... Tough between Tunisia and Ukraine. Tunisia should do it, and I'd go with them.

An interesting draw, all told. Bring on the summer!

[sidewinder]

Looks like England manager Ericsson will finally be 'getting the boot' after the finals this Summer.

One indiscretion too far.

[Claude]

How's this for an unusual request?

Anybody has any spare tickets I could purchase? I definitely am considering flying to Germany for this.

Apparently it is not possible to simply buy someone else's tickets. In an effort to undercut the black market, tickets are registered to the buyer, and transfer has to be granted.

[scottb]

Good outing today for the USMNT.

They beat Norway handily 5-0. A good showing against a bigger, stronger European style team.

The really good news is that Taylor Twellman scored a hat-trick making a strong statement that his MLS scoring feats can carry over to the international level which is just what the US needs.

Dempsey, looked very strong.

Noonan played well.

Josh Wolff was invisible and continues to be rather mediocre at the international level as of late.

With that team as a base, throw in Beasley, Reyna, Bocanegra, McBride, Bobby Convey, Cory Gibbs, John OBrien, Kasey Kellar, Tim Howard, Marcus Hanneman and I think you've got a team that could play with anyone.

The team speed was clearly an advantage today and Beasley and Convey only speed things up.

Still some questions on defense (especially left back) but things are looking up.

May change my mind after the Japan game.

[kenny weir]

Here's my gleeful tip: England's Sven woes mean their team's chances of winning the World Cup are close to zero. Zip. Cactus. Gone. How can the players respect such a slippery character?

The sole Oz-based Socceroo, Melbourne Victory's Archie Thompson, has joined PSV, where he will hopefully keep in good nick and under the nose of coach Hiddink

[Jim R]

Good outing today for the USMNT.

They beat Norway handily 5-0. A good showing against a bigger, stronger European style team.

The really good news is that Taylor Twellman scored a hat-trick making a strong statement that his MLS scoring feats can carry over to the international level which is just what the US needs.

Dempsey, looked very strong.

Noonan played well.

Josh Wolff was invisible and continues to be rather mediocre at the international level as of late.

With that team as a base, throw in Beasley, Reyna, Bocanegra, McBride, Bobby Convey, Cory Gibbs, John OBrien, Kasey Kellar, Tim Howard, Marcus Hanneman and I think you've got a team that could play with anyone.

The team speed was clearly an advantage today and Beasley and Convey only speed things up.

Still some questions on defense (especially left back) but things are looking up.

May change my mind after the Japan game.

I love that last line. I don't blame you for adding that, btw- like any team, we can look terriffic one day and awful the next. I wish I had seen the Canada match (about a week earlier), just to keep things in balance (we tied them 0-0, in an apparently solid but lackluster performance).

The Norway match was one of the strangest I have seen in a long time. The Norwegians made us look like Brazil. They just sat back and let us do whatever we wished; didn't mark tightly when we entered their penalty area; and did not counter-attack with any skilll or enthusiasm whatsoever. In short, they really, really, sucked. I loved watching the U.S. control the ball and systematically perform surgery on the Norwegian defense, but after about 20 minutes, I realized that this was not a "real" match. I think there's a danger (moreso for the younger players that were present) of becoming overly impressed with yourself after a match like that. Twellman took his goals very well, and just about everyone played well, but there was virtually no resistance, so frankly I'm more puzzled than impressed by that game. Apparently the Norwegians were using their younger players, just as we were. Things do not look good for the future of Norwegian soccer.

I agree that Josh Wolff did not help himself. He had one great chance from the top of the area, and he failed to even put his shot on frame. The camera went to Arena shortly thereafter, and he looked like he was commenting to Mooch that Wolff hadn't even forced the keeper to make a save. Wolff is a veteran now, and he's had some decent games in the past, but he's done little to impress me over the last couple of years.

Regarding the left back spot, I thought that Dunivant was very solid in this match. His assist on Pope's goal was one of the highlights. He's a good overlapping player, which I think Arena really likes.

I would expect Japan to put up a better fight on the 10th, and I would expect more of the same from the U.S. in terms of looking further at our younger players. The same will probably occur vs Guatemala on the 19th. When we start getting into March (first vs Poland and then against Germany), I think we'll see a few more veterans being brought back into the mix.

"With that team as a base, throw in Beasley, Reyna, Bocanegra, McBride, Bobby Convey, Cory Gibbs, John OBrien, Kasey Kellar, Tim Howard, Marcus Hanneman..."

... and Lewis, and Mastroeni, and... Oguchi Onyewu. :bwallace2:

[scottb]

I'm really looking foward to the March games as well. Poland and Germany will be good tests.

You're point about Norway REALLY sucking is important not to forget. However, when you realize that only a handful of the US players who played will actually play in the World Cup, I think it shows a definite improvement in our depth.

I think the US's weakest position is forward. We don't really have a prolific goal scorer.

McBride - legitimate international class, if he goes out injured we've got trouble

Conner Casey - big but his first touch is as bad I've seen at the professional level. He is certainly not McBride's heir.

Twellman - is starting to show some promise.

Johnson - doubt he'll be healthy and or fit.

Eskadarian - could be useful if he comes back from injury.

Wolff - we discussed

Ching - MLS forward

Jaqua - MLS forward

Noonan - getting better and could play up top I think

Donavan - I (and Bruce) prefer him as attacking midfielder

Also, Bobby Convey has played some left back even for the USMNT if I remember correctly. He can get up and down the left side and deliver some great balls ito the box.

Here's how I would play them today:

Keller

Hedjuk, Pope, Bocanegra, Convey

Dempsey, Reyna, Donavan, Beasley

McBride, Twellman

[marcoliv]

first round of CAN is gone and we have the following matches on quarter finals

Guinee x Senegal

Egypt x RD Congo

Nigeria x Tunisia

Cameroon x Ivory Coast

Angola, Togo & Ghana who will be on the WC2006 have failed to qualify for the quarters. Togo lost all 3 games and i don't like it. luckily France is not facing them on the first game

i think Guinee, Egypt, Tunisia & Cameroon will go through

MCO

[Jim R]

I'm really looking foward to the March games as well. Poland and Germany will be good tests.

You're point about Norway REALLY sucking is important not to forget. However, when you realize that only a handful of the US players who played will actually play in the World Cup, I think it shows a definite improvement in our depth.

I think the US's weakest position is forward. We don't really have a prolific goal scorer.

McBride - legitimate international class, if he goes out injured we've got trouble

Conner Casey - big but his first touch is as bad I've seen at the professional level. He is certainly not McBride's heir.

Twellman - is starting to show some promise.

Johnson - doubt he'll be healthy and or fit.

Eskadarian - could be useful if he comes back from injury.

Wolff - we discussed

Ching - MLS forward

Jaqua - MLS forward

Noonan - getting better and could play up top I think

Donavan - I (and Bruce) prefer him as attacking midfielder

Also, Bobby Convey has played some left back even for the USMNT if I remember correctly. He can get up and down the left side and deliver some great balls ito the box.

Here's how I would play them today:

Keller

Hedjuk, Pope, Bocanegra, Convey

Dempsey, Reyna, Donavan, Beasley

McBride, Twellman

Scott, excellent post. It's fun to bounce this stuff back and forth with you.

I agree with you on most of your points. I don't think there's any doubt that we're getting "deeper" as a team, although generally I think you might be slightly more optimistic than I about the prospects of some of our players.

We agree about our weakest position being forward. I mentioned it earlier in the thread- I think we're improving gradually, and we do have some guys who can finish around the box, but I think our most glaring weakness is the ability to shoot from distance. We just don't often score from outside the area, and every time I see highlight clips of european (primarily) players scoring from 20+ yards (and every time I see us failing to put our long range shots on target, or on target but with no power), I think about this weakness and wonder why we aren't developing that skill and threat to a greater degree. Every once in awhile we get off a good one, but it's relatively rare (Dempsey hitting the crossbar against Norway was one of those "close but no cigar" moments). I think Donovan is one of our better long range shooters, but his natural tendency is to rely on his speed and passing skill in order to get the ball into the area. He can really hit the ball accurately and with power from around the edge of the area, even on a difficult first-touch (volley or half-volley). I saw him do it many times when he was playing here in San Jose. But that tendency to want to move in closer (which has its advantages) dominates. I think the team's weakness in this area is an important deficiency going into a World Cup, because so many other teams are going to threaten our goal with that ability.

"McBride - legitimate international class, if he goes out injured we've got trouble"

Agreed. He's so important as a target man, and he has a tenacious toughness that's basically irreplaceable for us.

"Conner Casey - big but his first touch is as bad I've seen at the professional level. He is certainly not McBride's heir."

I don't even understand why he's stayed with the team for so long (I haven't seen him for awhile, come to think of it... maybe he's fading from the picture?).

"Twellman - is starting to show some promise."

I agree. I like Twellman. I like his "nose for the goal" quality, and I like his toughness. I think he's still a little bit limited in terms of skills, but as long as he consistently fulfills his niche, I think he belongs on this team.

"Johnson - doubt he'll be healthy and or fit."

It's hard to say. I heard Marcello Balboa make a similar comment, and he should know better than us, so you may be right. I hope it's not true, because when he's on, he's the kind of forward we need more of.

"Eskadarian - could be useful if he comes back from injury."

I haven't seen as much of him, but I know he can be dangerous. My sense is that he might get shoved around by big defenders (is he as tough as Twellman, I wonder?).

"Wolff - we discussed"

"Ching - MLS forward"

I feel similarly about Ching as I do about Johnson. When he's on his game, he's extremely valuable, I think. He can do a lot of things (some of the same things McBride can do... great in the air, strong, great with his head), and he really is very sound positionally. His chemistry with Donovan from their time together with the Quakes may be an important factor at some point in the future.

"Jaqua - MLS forward"

Haven't seen him much at all yet, but he really looked good against Norway.

"Noonan - getting better and could play up top I think"

I agree, although I think he's pretty far down on the totem pole right now. He will only get better with more experience, buy I'm not convinced he will be with the squad this summer.

"Donavan - I (and Bruce) prefer him as attacking midfielder"

I used to feel differently, but I'm beginning to see things that way too. I think the reason is that we've been gradually developing and improving our other attacking players, and that Donovan is less needed as a scorer (not that he won't still have his opportunities).

"Here's how I would play them today:

Keller

Hedjuk, Pope, Bocanegra, Convey

Dempsey, Reyna, Donavan, Beasley

McBride, Twellman"

That's certainly a formidable lineup, but IMO, you've got to have Mastroeni in there. I also think Onyewu has to be in there as well. I think I would also include Cherundolo. I think Convey, Eddie Lewis, and perhaps Dunivant could all be valuable subs to provide more offense from the left side, if necessary. Same with Hejduk on the right side. Beasley is pretty good on either side in midfield, but I think he's slipped a bit in terms of being a starter (I could be wrong about that... just my sense). As much as I like Twellman, I'm not sure he's a starter yet. I think my lineup would be:

Keller

Cherundolo, Onyewu, Pope, Bocanegra

Dempsey, Reyna, Mastroeni, Donavan

McBride, Johnson (tough to say, but if he's healthy...)

I'm wondering also about the status of some of the other vets- John O'Brien (he was mentioned during the Norway match as still being an important team member), Tony Sanneh, Chris Armas, Cobi Jones, Clint Mathis, Greg Vanney...

[Jim R]

Oh, and I think Steve Ralston goes to Germany, and might see significant action.

[scottb]

Dempsey, Reyna, Mastroeni, Donavan

My midfield would be a diamond with Donavan playing behind the forwards and Reyna a bit deeper.

Your lineup would be better if they play more of a box with both Mastroeni and Reyna deep allowing the other two to get a little more forward. I still like Beasley in there. Quick as a rabbit and with his Champion League experience he could be valuable.

By the way Conner Casey hasn't been around because he's coming off an injury. I'm afraid he'll reappear on the scene once he's fit.

Your right about shots from distance. Clint Mathis is pretty good for that but I hope we've seen the last of Cleetus in a national uniform. McBride actually scored a couple for Fulham from 18 to 20 yards last year that really shocked me. I didn't know he had it in him!

I forgot about about Onyewu. He should be there. I was trying to squeeze Convey in to give a threat up the wing on the left and increase our overall speed. I think we have to field the quickest, fittest group of players we have and try to take advantage of that against bigger, stronger or more technical teams.

[scottb]

I like Ralston too but I've heard opinion that he's not quite up to the international level.

[Jim R]

Yeah, I was thinking in terms of a "box" (two back, two forward) in terms of my midfield alignment. I think we have to think about defense first and foremost, and Mastroeni really provides that. For me, Reyna is almost a bit of a question mark, because he is aging, and suffering a lot of injuries. His experience is very valuable, but I actually think we are getting to the point where we don't need him as badly as we used to for ball control and leadership. That said, he'll probably be in his usual spot as long as he stays healthy.

Don't get me wrong- I think Beasley can be very dangerous for us, and his speed can be very important, but if in fact Reyna and Mastroeni both get into the starting lineup, I think it's hard to fit Beasley into the picture, and obviously I say that because of the excellent play of Dempsey in the past year or so. I think Dempsey belongs on the field before Beasley, unless there's a specific need for Beasley's attacking speed (if we're trailing, or facing a team that has obvious weaknesses against a speedy player like Beasley). Either way, we've got a quality player, so that's a good thing.

I hope you're wrong about Casey coming back. I just can't see what value the staff thinks he has. As you said, his touch is awful. About the only thing he does well is crash into goalkeepers (he's fearless that way), but we don't need that.

Yeah, I'm not clear on where Mathis stands now. I have a feeling his stock is fading somewhat. I think he's pretty limited in what he brings to the field. Maybe if there's room on the roster, he might be valuable as a sub when we need somebody to take more shots. Otherwise, I think his best days are behind him (like his buddy Wolff).

Glad you see my point about Onyewu. I agree that Convey brings us a nice element of speed in the attack, but to me he's in that group of players who we are better off (IMO) bringing off the bench when we need that element (later in a match, when the opposing defense is tiring, for example). He can definitely go 90 minutes though, so if Bruce gives him a start, I'm not going to object too strongly. I just think the lineup I suggested makes more sense, in order to get our best group of defenders in the starting lineup. Not only that, but one of the main advantages (the way I see it) in having Onyewu on the field is not just defense, but his ability to go forward on set pieces. That's a huge (literally) weapon for us, I think. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how things play out in terms of your ideas about fielding a speedier team in the W.C. You could very well be right, depending on who we're playing on a given day.

Regarding Ralston, that's just my gut talking. I agree that his international experience level is somewhat limited, but I think he made the most of his opportunities in qualifying. He's so good as serving the ball into the area from the right flank... kind of like Eddie Lewis from the other side. I think both of those guys will see action, even if they're not quite good enough to be starters.

[scottb]

I'm actually with you about Reyna as well. Everyone just assumes he'll be in the lineup. He's not as critical as he used to be. Watching him play for Man City I better appreciate his talent but on the national team I never really got what all the fuss was about with him.

I think your opinion of Dempsey may be a little inflated by that last game. The Norwegian left back had Dempsey looking like Pele!

Edited February 2, 2006 by scottb