We just cannot get a break. *sigh* I'd settle for Slovenia to score a goal at this point.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL


OH THANK FUCKING GOD I LOVE YOU

goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaall lllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!


Watching on Univision

YYYYEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

and how appropriate that landon donovan scored the point.

Heh, I would if I understood Spanish.

That Algerian guy is OUTTA HERE.

I admit it - I started to cry!

Finally some decent calls! GO USA!!!!!

U S A....U S A.....U S A....

I take it someone just scored? My facebook news feed just exploded and a bunch of people in the office starting OMG!-ing

We won the group too... this is so awesome!

I have my little soccer ball keychain that plays Ole, ole, ole.... going.


The FIOS installer is here, and we've been celebrating.

Game's OVER we WIN!

I love this game.

The Beautiful Game!

I promise not to mock the Donovan groupies for at least one year!

Do I count as a groupie if I just want to see him take his shirt off as often as possible? What if that's pretty much all I want from any player? :p

I can't watch at the office, but my son called me when we scored- and then my facebook exploded when the game ended. I can't wait to watch it tonight! (it's actually easier for me to watch the game when I know the outcome already!)

No, but if you want him to take his pants off, you've descended into Groupiehood!

Well.. I wouldn't mind. But again that's true of all the players!

:(

They played terribly.... so it wasn't a shocker.

I was sitting there torn the last 5 minutes, because I wanted the US to advance and I also wanted Slovenia to advance.... which couldn't happen.

:D I have been fortunate enough to know (not in the Biblical sense) a few World Class soccer players. For the most part, they're a great bunch of guys! Also, for the most part, they are now too old to even play a friendly. I go to a yearly soccer convention because of this.



Since I've been without power since my last post, I have to ask:

Regarding the next round, in Group F

Group F Teams GP W L T GF GA +/- Pts

Paraguay.........2...1...0...1...3...1...2...4
Italy...............2...0...0...2...2...2...0...2
New Zealand....2...0...0...2...2...2...0...2
Slovakia..........2...0...1...1...1...3..-2...1

Okay, both Italy and New Zeland (go Kiwis!) have identical statistics. Who advances to the next round?

Good story on Yahoo!:

Clinton hops on U.S. soccer bandwagon

"The players knew the 1-0 victory was big, but the enormity hit home when – out of nowhere – Clinton just sort of walked in. He appeared more in awe of the players than the players of him.

Someone handed the former President a soda. He put his arm around Donovan. He sought out coach Bob Bradley. The party went on. Clinton wound up just hanging out for 45 minutes; some think he would’ve stayed hours longer if, you know, the guys didn’t have to actually get dressed.

This was no politician photo op. He was chatting up the players like the most excitable USA fan on the planet, a group whose numbers are growing by the moment in what may prove to be an historic run.

Somewhere in the middle Clinton cleared his throat and gave a brief speech. The room finally went silent; everyone crowded around.

He thanked them. He praised them. Then, according to the players and officials, he delivered signature lines.

“As someone who cares about our country,” he said, “you made me proud to be an American.”

“Surreal,” Jonathan Bronstein said with a shake of his head. “Just surreal. The former President is telling us we made him proud to be American?”..."

...

England-Germany should be interesting to watch. they play the winner of Argentina-Mexico in the quarterfinals.

i'm so glad USA-Ghana is an afternoon game tomorrow. i cracked open a celebratory beer after Donovan's last goal and the people i was watching with were surprised. plus, Ghana knocked the US out back in `06.

grill out, drink, watch soccer.

I was told by someone this morning that Brasil lost. Brasil? LOST? It was truly a wild moment - Italy eliminated, Brasil eliminated, England OR Germany to be eliminated - this was going to be a very, very odd year!

BTW, Ghana is the last of the African sides left. With the WC being held in Africa, I'm very nervous about the referreeing. It's not like it's been stellar thus far!

heh when you spell it Brasil it makes me giggle.

Also why would someone say Brazil lost? I mean really? They played rather badly against Portugal, some were comparing it to 1982's fixed game.

Brazil wasn't eliminated. They tied 0-0 with Portugal. Both of the teams advance to the round of 16.

Aye. And it was not a very good game either.

Counting down until the start of the US vs Ghana game. WOOHOO! I can't wait! GO USA!

Oh man. Come on USA!

While we're waiting:

The celebration of goal vs. Algeria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3r...layer_embedded

SON OF A BITCH.

TIED!

I don't think Ghana could have wasted more time if they had tried. Why don't you just #%^*&^* crawl on and off the field next time?

Though the ref made up for it, I agree it was ridiculous. Particularly Mr "Bicycle Kick" who somehow couldn't stand up from his own flip. Inkoom I think it was.

*Sigh* Well I'm kind of happy that an African team is still alive, but we deserved to get beat there. We can't only play the second half and expect to win.

I think "extra time" is stupid. Yes, I realize its purpose is to make up for teams that play like Ghana did, but it does nothing to regain the momentum lost in those moments.

Half the time they were flailing around on the ground, they were faking. "Oh, the ref isn't looking at me now? I'm cured!" The US is guilty of it too, but not to the extent of some of the other teams. The theatrical aspect about soccer has always irritated me.

Every team does it to some extent, but there's a difference between falling, usually because you get clipped bit even when it was legal contact, and the flailing on the ground that Portugal, Italy and France (among others) are known for. "Oh god my face, you pushed me in the stomach and gouged out my eyes a the SAME TIME!"

They did hand out a card for diving in one of the last group round games. USA's coach suggested that there be a review and retroactive red-cards be given. I think it would clean it up a lot. Again not necessarily for the "fall" itself, but for the flail or the time waster.

However, the ref didn't get pissed enough in this game to do that though, he was relatively good even if he misjudged one of their cards and one of ours, IMO.

I said the same thing when Ghana took the lead for good. I'm not a fan of the knockout round but i was happy the U.S. Team got that far. U.S. had a lot of oppurtunities in the last few minutes but couldn't buy a goal.

Yeah and their goalie was good. By the end of OT our guys were wiped and just couldn't do anything. It's a shame, but we stopped spreading their D to the outside as well as we did earlier and tried to bang it through the wall of red.

I have a good Brasilian friend (who is also a former pro soccer player) who gets incensed when people spell it with a Z.

And I did find out, hours later, that the match was tied.

Then I watched today's match. Ugh. Why didn't Bradley save at least ONE substitution for near the end? I don't like Ghana right now, but hey, they probably don't like me, either.

Hey, if I'm spelling it in Portugese I'll use the 's' :p American English loves our 'z.'

I don't know why we had Clark and Findley in the first place. Maybe just because they were fresh legs, but we ended up pulling Clark out anyway :-/

Ghana deserved to win, but showed poor sportsmanship throughout and I find that disappointing.