USA Soccer World Cup

[musculargirl]

I don't follow soccer and i really don't think i've ever watched a soccer match on tv. But I notice there is sports news here and there lately about the USA team playing. Are we a good team this year? Does anyone know?? Maybe its because i have really good cable this year and i have more stations that are giving a little attention to soccer. I don't know i've never noticed it in other years. Just curious. Thanks.

[Boss Man]

One or two players play in the British league systems.

DeMarcus Beasley plays for Glasgow Rangers or was last season, though he'd spent a load spell at Manchester City about 2 years ago. I'm assuming they picked him.

Tim Howard plays for Everton, but used to play for Manchester United in Goal.

Marcus Hannemann, plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers, but was a Reading player.

Landon Donovan playsed on load for Everton last season.

Jay Demerit plays second teir football with Watford.

Other listed players include.

Brad Guza, Aston Villa.

Jonathan Spector, West Ham United.

Clint Dempsey, Fulham.

Maurice Edu, Glasgow Rangers.

Stuart Holden, Bolton Wanderers.

Also your striker altidore is a La liga player for Villareal a top flight Spanish team, that does qualifiy for high level European comeptiton.

one or two others play for top level Bundesliga clubs in Germany.

Your squad is good, but touch wood on Saturday, ours will beat you

[musculargirl]

Your squad is good, but touch wood on Saturday, ours will beat you

Are you sure about that, Mr Bossman? I really don't know the teams well enough to give a true prediction. I don't know if its on tv here this weekend, even if it is I can't watch cuz i'm working this weekend. I just read an article on Yahoo about the term WAG referred to your wives and girlfriends of England and how they are a distraction and may help us beat you guys this weekend. I guess we will find out.

[Boss Man]

The Wags. It's a dumb term. I mena that implies Wag in the singular would be a Wife and girlfriend, which is probably an illegal arrangement beween man and woman, as you can't be semi-married.

You can say at the ceremony, I promise to love, honour, then not mention the cherish bit and then when it gets to I do, say I partly do.

No they have been kept on a tight leash, same with the booze. Nothing will hinder our assualt on the star spangled bummers .

[Boss Man]

Stats of that nature count for little.

I've seen stats about some domestic team failing to beat some other team for over 20, 30, 40+ years.

One time they quoted a team not beating someone else for 40+ years. Fact is at the time, that team had played the other one on 3 previous consecutive times, then 2 times back in the 70's, then 2x after that last win sometime in ther 60's. Tha't because over the years, with promotion and relegation, those two teams rarely played in the same division.

The kind of statistics that might have relevance, is if a team fails to beat another team in the last 6 attempts, when they've played in the same division during that time, because then they're consecutive attempts with some of the same players.

Some stats have creedence, but others may be truthful, but lack of relavance makes them insignificant.

[musculargirl]

I see the USA won again today! Not that i really follow it or know much about it but winning is always a good thing!

[Boss Man]

They won their first game yes. They drew the other two. Mind you, they could have won the second one if one goal hadn't been adjudged offside.

The player Maurice Edu I think it was, was clearly infront of at least one defensive player, before the ball was played through into the space, so he could have helped to get a victory for America, but the goal was wrongly adjudicated on and not given, which resulted in the draw.

[musculargirl]

I heard something about that. That's why I support instant replays.

[musculargirl]

watched a little bit of the soccer game today. Its not over yet there's about 10 minutes left. I don't understand why they don't stop the clock when players suspicously become injured. Doesn't seem fair. Would prevent cheating from taking place. I'm pretty sure in american football the clock is stopped when a guy gets injured. fun to watch though.

[Boss Man]

They do in a way. The referee, adds time on for things like injury checks, cheating offences, which require a break in play, goal celebrations, substituitions and perhaps one or two other things, like streakers.

Then the time is added onto the end of each half, according to how much added time is deemed necessary in each half. So if a half overruns by around 3 minutes, you get 48 minutes not 45, so the 3 minutes will have been collated from all the little breaks in play ealier.

That's how it works. Unfortunately for the USA, you got beaten by Ghana after extra time. Harsh but that's how football is.

We should know, we have had a bad history of being dumped out on Penalties, by the Germans for one. Plus Argentina and Portugal.

We lost in one in Italia 90 World Cup, (Germany), Euro 96 Euro Championships, (Germany), France 98 World Cup, (Argentina), Germany 06 World Cup, (Portugal).

[musculargirl]

Thats how my Minnesota Vikings are in american football can't win the big games most of the time. Maybe this year will be different for you guys, you never know.

[Boss Man]

No, because we were atrocious and lost 4-1 to Germany. Our previous worst result was apprently 3-1 in the world cup in 1954. A little before my time

So need for penalties this time, because we weren't even good enough to get to that point.

The literary vultures, will be polishing off their journalistic savagings as I type, no doubt.

[musculargirl]

I saw this afternoon that you guys lost. Hopefully I didn't jinx you. I guess instead of saying this year will be different I should say better luck next year. (Just teasing Boss..)

[Boss Man]

No point saying that, as the next one is 2014 .

Alhough we will be having some European Championship qualifiers for the 2012 tournament next year. We shouln't screw up any of those touchwood.

[musculargirl]

I didn't know they had it once every 4 years. That would be like having the superbowl every 4 years. I wouldn't like that. I hope your not bummed out. I think they'v done studies and people that get caught up in sport championships and then have a losing team can get kind of depressed after their team loses. Just a little fact i heard. I believe it too. Better luck in 4 years, Bossman.