Futbol: USA vs Bosnia Herzegovina

[sigma_dawg]

Belgium is not an easy opponent. They might be easier than some of the others we could have drawn, but they are still a very good team.
As for describing Spain as "extremely beatable".... Could we beat them? Anything is possible but it's HIGHLY unlikely.

Fair enough, maybe I overstated that. Every team is capable at this point. However of the 16 that will soon be left, Belgium would probably rank 14-15ish. It won’t get easier than this for our team. Balogun missing is about like our football team missing its RG for a game. It’s not a big deal, he’s not even our best player on a deep squad. Some just Ike attention.

I’ve followed Lamine Yamal for a while. You realize he tore his hamstring a few months ago? He is unbelievable but isn’t running 100% if you watch the games. Tell Cape Verde how unbelievable Spain is, Spain couldn’t even score on them.

We may lose to Belgium or if not, Spain/Portugal… yes anything CAN happen. But, we will never have an easier road than this. Making idiotic comments like Belgium is better than all the teams we’ve faced times 10, and Spain is better than a team full of Messi’s in their prime is just trolling and looking for attention. These teams are struggling and EXTREMELY beatable, our second best forward playing or not playing.

 

[L4Dawg]

And what’s truly maddening is that a call this debatable has resulted in a team losing its best offensive threat for an entire extremely important game.

It can be appealed if it's so debatable. It can also be upgraded and we can lose him for more games too. I don't think that would happen because there was no obvious intent on the foul, but that a can of worms it might be better not to open. That video was pretty bad.

 

[dawgman42]

Staying in the same time zone was a big advantage. You do that every time if you can.

Not for the fans, though, as a host country. The optics suck on that through and through, DC.

 

[L4Dawg]

Fair enough, maybe I overstated that. Every team is capable at this point. However of the 16 that will soon be left, Belgium would probably rank 14-15ish. It won’t get easier than this for our team. Balogun missing is about like our football team missing its RG for a game. It’s not a big deal, he’s not even our best player on a deep squad. Some just Ike attention.

I’ve followed Lamine Yamal for a while. You realize he tore his hamstring a few months ago? He is unbelievable but isn’t running 100% if you watch the games. Tell Cape Verde how unbelievable Spain is, Spain couldn’t even score on them.

We may lose to Belgium or if not, Spain/Portugal… yes anything CAN happen. But, we will never have an easier road than this.

Spain thought they were going to cake walk Cape Verde. That will bite even the best teams.

 

[sigma_dawg]

Spain thought they were going to cake walk Cape Verde. That will bite even the best teams.

Fair point. We will see what happens. Hopefully they do the same towards us if we get there.

 

[curseddawgs]

Fair point. We will see what happens. Hopefully they do the same towards us if we get there.

Spain also has to win 2 games before this is even a conversation

 

[Perd Hapley]

Not for the fans, though, as a host country. The optics suck on that through and through, DC.

Does the host country even have control over that, though? Group play outcomes determine knockout round placements, correct?

 

[L4Dawg]

Fair point. We will see what happens. Hopefully they do the same towards us if we get there.

They won't, not at that point. We would have to beat them legit.

 

[L4Dawg]

Does the host country even have control over that, though? Group play outcomes determine knockout round placements, correct?

Yes and no. They have some idea of how the groups will go.

 

[patdog]

Does the host country even have control over that, though? Group play outcomes determine knockout round placements, correct?

Probably some for group stage games. But this isn’t just USA. It’s every host nation ever. And if we’d finished 2nd or 3rd in the group we’d have a completely different knockout stage draw.

 

[kired]

I watch a lot of high school girls soccer to see my Granddaughter play and it is a whole lot better than this. They are tough, these guys are frauds. I’ve caught 20 pound flatheads that didn’t flop this much. It’s embarrassing. Im out. Not going to waste my time on it. Flop and beg is the whole game plan.

 

[patdog]

It can be appealed if it's so debatable. It can also be upgraded and we can lose him for more games too. I don't think that would happen because there was no obvious intent on the foul, but that a can of worms it might be better not to open. That video was pretty bad.

If it can be appealed in a World Cup like in a league, we absolutely need to file that appeal this morning. Who cares if we lose him for some meaningless nations cup game this fall?

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Not for the fans, though, as a host country. The optics suck on that through and through, DC.

So upon further investigating FIFA makes those decisions and they made an attempt to try and keep teams in the same time zone in group play so the US stayed on the West Coast. After group play, it doesn’t really matter because there are set locations for that and the location for their game happen to be Santa Clara for last night. So there’s no “optics”.

 

[patdog]

So upon further investigating FIFA makes those decisions and they made an attempt to try and keep teams in the same time zone in group play so the US stayed on the West Coast. After group play, it doesn’t really matter because there are set locations for that and the location for their game happen to be Santa Clara for last night. So there’s no “optics”.

Which is much better than flying 48 teams back and forth from east to west coast multiple times in 2 weeks.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Somebody needs to tell y'all how well regarded Clattenberg was in his reffing days.

The rules aren't the same for VAR.

Clattenberg refereed a European Championship final and also a UEFA Champions League final, so I think he was pretty highly regarded.

 

[sigma_dawg]

This is absolutely hilarious. One of my favorite plays as a spectator is when a player does this and acts like they just snapped their leg, play keeps going, player realizes their faking injury will not get the call and are costing their team… they must get up and act hurt for a few seconds to play it off and are then sprinting full speed like nothing happened 10 seconds later. If the ball enters their zone it’s like they are instantly magically brought back to 100%. It’s all beyond cringe.

 

[Podgy]

We can beat Belgium and I'm pretty sure Belgium realizes that. Balagun has been one of our best players and we're clearly better with him starting. But our midfield, McKennie and Adams have been outstanding and so have our centerbacks. Tillman's been a stud even without that awesome free kick. Ream has surprised me but I expect Lukaku to start for Belgium and he's a handful.

 

[Podgy]

Yesterday I mentioned that I'd rather see Belgium play Dr. Congo than England. Belgium has several players with Congolese ancestry they're gonna rely on to win. Speaking of England, they're gonna find out what playing Mexico at Azteca means. I think Mexico wins and an out-of-breath Kane isn't gonna save England. .

 

[L4Dawg]

If it can be appealed in a World Cup like in a league, we absolutely need to file that appeal this morning. Who cares if we lose him for some meaningless nations cup game this fall?

I just read there is no appeal possible. That was news to me.

 

[L4Dawg]

Clattenberg refereed a European Championship final and also a UEFA Champions League final, so I think he was pretty highly regarded.

By referees. Fans hated his guts. He was a ref you did not want to see on the pitch when your team was playing.

 

[L4Dawg]

Yesterday I mentioned that I'd rather see Belgium play Dr. Congo than England. Belgium has several players with Congolese ancestry they're gonna rely on to win. Speaking of England, they're gonna find out what playing Mexico at Azteca means. I think Mexico wins and an out-of-breath Kane isn't gonna save England. .

The English guys I follow expect to lose.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

And what’s truly maddening is that a call this debatable has resulted in a team losing its best offensive threat for an entire extremely important game.

Even more maddening is that Messi did the exact same thing yesterday and didn't even get a yellow card or a VAR review:

 

[sigma_dawg]

Maybe someone at another college program can work their magic and get him eligible to play?

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Even more maddening is that Messi did the exact same thing yesterday and didn't even get a yellow card or a VAR review:

No no no. Resident Sixpack Soccer know it all L4 say you’re dumb.

 

[Podgy]

Breaking News: Trinidad Chambliss ruled eligible to start in place of Balogun

 

[Darryl Steight]

95% or higher on this board are Average American soccer fans, regardless if they've posted in this thread or not.

We get it. The World Cup isn't important to you, personally, at all. The "right" way to view it is just hoping your team's players aren't injured.

This isn't the World Baseball Classic. But, you know this.

You seem to take the stance that every other big-brained, Football Manager video game player of 2 decades plus, looks down their nose at the planet's biggest tournament.

The 17ing planet disagrees with you.

I'll never argue rules, cards, penalties, etc with you for I know I don't know enough.

But pretending the World Cup doesn't matter is utter nonsense.

Even those that play, yes the most valuable ones, disagree with you.

It's kind of like saying the Ryder Cup doesn't matter in golf. Ask the players if it matters.

And if you're a red-blooded American, you should probably want us to win in any sport in which we're playing in a tournament against the rest of the world.

 

[Darryl Steight]

what Messi did wasn’t even remotely comparable.

Messi "accidentally" stepped on the opposing player's leg, not to mention the simultaneous gentle shove to the back.

Balogun I thought was reaching with his leg to try to collect the ball, and his foot came down on the other guy's foot. Bad luck for Balogun (and us). Could be called a foul and then a red card issued. But it wasn't called a foul in play - it was a VAR override as I understand it. So there is no doubt it is questionable, as I assume the ref who didn't call the foul would admit. It's easy to see in slow motion.

But to claim it's not "remotely comparable" to the Messi foul seems disingenous.

 

[Pak Drescott]

Even more maddening is that Messi did the exact same thing yesterday and didn't even get a yellow card or a VAR review:

I've seen enough. Cease all air conditioning exports until Balogun is reinstated

 

[sigma_dawg]

Even more maddening is that Messi did the exact same thing yesterday and didn't even get a yellow card or a VAR review:

This definitely looks inconsistent. I don’t envy refs and regardless of how well they do a lot of folks will get upset. In a game with so many variables I don’t know what can be done differently other than continue handling case by case.

I wish he wasn’t suspended, but that means very little. I don’t think we miss him at all. We may even do better without him. For those that disagree, I understand and respect that.

He shouldn’t have put himself in that situation in my opinion. He could have challenged that play in so many different ways. He has nobody to blame but himself.

 

[Dirty Dirk]

Yesterday I mentioned that I'd rather see Belgium play Dr. Congo than England. Belgium has several players with Congolese ancestry they're gonna rely on to win. Speaking of England, they're gonna find out what playing Mexico at Azteca means. I think Mexico wins and an out-of-breath Kane isn't gonna save England. .

 

[Right_Field_Heckler]

It doesn't matter if it's reckless or not. That's what I keep trying to point out. It's like targeting. That one was essentially the same thing as a defender that gets called for targeting when the offensive player lowers his head at the last second. It's unfortunate but the letter of the rule says that's a red.

It absolutely matters if it’s reckless, if you’re saying it wasn’t intentional.

You seem to not understand that dynamic.

 

[Podgy]

Tell that to autocorrect

 

[L4Dawg]

Messi "accidentally" stepped on the opposing player's leg, not to mention the simultaneous gentle shove to the back.

Balogun I thought was reaching with his leg to try to collect the ball, and his foot came down on the other guy's foot. Bad luck for Balogun (and us). Could be called a foul and then a red card issued. But it wasn't called a foul in play - it was a VAR override as I understand it. So there is no doubt it is questionable, as I assume the ref who didn't call the foul would admit. It's easy to see in slow motion.

But to claim it's not "remotely comparable" to the Messi foul seems disingenous.

Look at the result on the opposing players leg in the video. The ankle is bent at almost 90 degrees. The Messi foul did not result in that I don’t think. It’s amazing that the Bosnian‘s lower leg wasn’t broken. That one will be a red nearly every time if it’s reviewed. The Messi foul could be a manufactured into a red, but it is not nearly as likely to be called. VAR reviews every potential red, called a foul or not. That’s far from the first time I’ve seen it done. It’s not unusual. Now if you want to get into VAR…….it should be done away with, just like every other form of video review in every sport.

 

[L4Dawg]

It absolutely matters if it’s reckless, if you’re saying it wasn’t intentional.

You seem to not understand that dynamic.

You can’t seem to understand it doesn’t matter if it’s reckless or not. It’s the result that matters, not why or how it was done. That tackle results in a broken leg more times that it doesn’t. That’s why it’s a red, even if it was totally accidental. I’ll throw this out there to make a few more heads explode, if it hadn’t bent the ankle like that it very likely wouldn’t have been a red. Again it’s what happened, not why or how. It was an unlucky break for our guy.

 

[pacificnwdawg]

Several people have made comparisons to targeting in football. What happened to Balogun was the equivalent of calling targeting on a DB who happened to land on someone's ankle after coming down from a jump ball. Nothing more happened in that play. UGLY should not matter. The fact that his ankle got rolled hard should be inconsequential.

 

[L4Dawg]

Several people have made comparisons to targeting in football. What happened to Balogun was the equivalent of calling targeting on a DB who happened to land on someone's ankle after coming down from a jump ball. Nothing more happened in that play. UGLY should not matter. The fact that his ankle got rolled hard should be inconsequential.

Except it’s not inconsequential. That is a leg breaker type play. It happens several times a season, they want it out of the game as much as possible. And he did not just happen to land on it. He landed on it as part of his challenge.

 

[L4Dawg]

Fair enough, maybe I overstated that. Every team is capable at this point. However of the 16 that will soon be left, Belgium would probably rank 14-15ish. It won’t get easier than this for our team. Balogun missing is about like our football team missing its RG for a game. It’s not a big deal, he’s not even our best player on a deep squad. Some just Ike attention.

I’ve followed Lamine Yamal for a while. You realize he tore his hamstring a few months ago? He is unbelievable but isn’t running 100% if you watch the games. Tell Cape Verde how unbelievable Spain is, Spain couldn’t even score on them.

We may lose to Belgium or if not, Spain/Portugal… yes anything CAN happen. But, we will never have an easier road than this. Making idiotic comments like Belgium is better than all the teams we’ve faced times 10, and Spain is better than a team full of Messi’s in their prime is just trolling and looking for attention. These teams are struggling and EXTREMELY beatable, our second best forward playing or not playing.

Still think Spain looks "extremely beatable?" They are the second best team in this thing.

 

[sigma_dawg]

Still think Spain looks "extremely beatable?" They are the second best team in this thing.

They looked good today, no doubt about it. We will see what happens from here. I never saw Austria beating them.

 

[Right_Field_Heckler]

You can’t seem to understand it doesn’t matter if it’s reckless or not. It’s the result that matters, not why or how it was done. That tackle results in a broken leg more times that it doesn’t. That’s why it’s a red, even if it was totally accidental. I’ll throw this out there to make a few more heads explode, if it hadn’t bent the ankle like that it very likely wouldn’t have been a red. Again it’s what happened, not why or how. It was an unlucky break for our guy.

It does matter. Saying that neither intent nor recklessness matters is factually incorrect. Both are relevant considerations when assessing serious foul play.

 

[L4Dawg]

It does matter. Saying that neither intent nor recklessness matters is factually incorrect. Both are relevant considerations when assessing serious foul play.

I didn’t say they weren’t. But in the case we are discussing it didn’t matter because of what happened. That was a horror tackle. The only thing that is saving him from a multi game suspension is he obviously didn’t mean to do it, and that the guy was luckily not hurt. The fact that it was an accident is immaterial. It gets a red because the potential harm from a challenge like that is so bad and so common. You can’t put yourself into a position where you do that, even accidentally.