OFFICIAL WORLD CUP 2006

[Anti-Polar Bear]

What is up with the czech republic? Are they going to the 2nd rd? Make no mistake, the Czech has the most beatiufl women in the world, especally in pornography.

[Harlan Huckleby]

the Czech has the most beatiufl women in the world, especally in pornography.

They are drug addicts and have bruises all over their body from sex-trafficing masters. But otherwise cool scene.

[No Mo Moss]

The ref definately screwed us today, but I will blame Arena as well.

First he leaves a sub on the bench during a 9 on 10 match against Italy. This is inexcusable. Johnson could have been a real force against a tired Italy team. We could have won that game.

Second, he comes out in the 5-4-1 formation yet again, even though it hasn't worked. He knows he needs a win and yet starts with only one forward. Mc Bride and Johnson should have started this game. Convey should have started instead of Beasley. Arena did a lot for US soccer, but its time to move on.

Still though, this is nothing like 1998, where we lost to bad teams and were a bad team ourselves. We didn't play all that well against great teams and were beat. Ghana is a very good team.

I'd say as a whole American soccer will continue to improve. The core of our team is playing in Europe and will continue to get better. I would say Adu, Dempsey, Johnson all make their way to Europe soon. As

I agree with your take on the 5-4-1 formation. I don't necessarily agree that bringing Johnson in against Italy would have been a good move. I agree with Arena that experience was needed int hat situation.

I guess I shouldn't say that it had to be Johnson, but not using that final sub reeked of inexperience for two reasons.

1. A good coach will try to save subs for stoppage time if needed. They are a great way to waste time and disrupt the flow of the game if you are happy with the result. He absolutely should have used one in stoppage time to waste time. No excuse.

2. In a game with 9 men you have to use all of your subs. Those guys were gassed. Put out the fresh body. If you don't trust youth, then go with experience, but get a fresh player out there. If Arena didn't have that player on his bench, he should be fired because of that as well.

[No Mo Moss]

What is up with the czech republic? Are they going to the 2nd rd? Make no mistake, the Czech has the most beatiufl women in the world, especally in pornography.

The Czechs are out as well. They are actually in worse shape then the US. Half their team is going to retire. The US will only lose a handful to retirement.

[BallHawk]

The US shoud fire Bruce Arena's speech defecting, non-sub subbing, lack of managerial skills, ass. And by the way Landon Donovan...soooooo overrated, we had a chance at a very good penalty kick and he didn't get it near anyone, he kicked it out of bounds. And here's the problem with the U.S.....they don't have the balls to win. Nobody on that team can step up and make the whole team better. Not one. Everybody wants to play for their county, understandbly. But when it comes to the games, they want someone else to do the scoring.

The US in this tournament wasn't aggresive enough. To much passing back and to little shooting. 4 shots on goal IN THE WHOLE TOURNEY. I believe Spain had double that amount THE FIRST HALF OF ONE SINGLE GAME. And some dumbass after the game was saying how the U.S. needs more ethnicity in their team. What the U.S. needs is some players who have the guts to go out and play some real soccer, not the shitty soccer they play in the MLS, soccer how the rest of the world plays it. But first they need to fire Arenas.

And in terms of who I'm rooting for....

God save the Queen and Advance Australia Fair!

[No Mo Moss]

Interesting. I think the MLS is a very good thing for the US to use for building depth. Some very good players have come from that league. Bobby Convey comes to mind. He was a great player in the MLS but after only one year in England he looks like twice the player he was. If over the next two years we can get more players in Europe, like Donovan, Adu, Johnson, Dempsey etc... then we can use the MLS for depth on the team while relying on the European players for the core. Bruce Arena is done. He did a lot for US soccer and we should be grateful, but his showing in this tourney was terrible. Its time the US gets a top flight coach.

What pisses me off most about this world cup showing isn't the losses. Its all the people who have done nothing but sit and wait to bash this team, finally getting to lash out. All of the fucking idiots on around the horn who know nothing about it trying to tell us all why soccer is never going to work in this country blah blah. 2010 should be a better showing.

[MJZiggy]

Incredible match between Mex. and Argent. Was hoping for a different result, but really good, aggressive play.

[HarveyWallbangers]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=372587&cc=5901

Funny! Apparently, FIFA will criticize a referee--unless he is involved with a USA loss. FIFA backed the questionable red cards given to the USA against Italy, and said nothing about the questionable PK given to Ghana.

[BallHawk]

Cheating Italian Bastards.

[No Mo Moss]

Australia Got fucked, no doubt about it. For those that didn't watch Italy was given a penalty kick in the 93 minute. Some would agree with it I suppose, but I'm not one of them. Great game though.

[No Mo Moss]

Tarlam, are you still mourning the loss?

[No Mo Moss]

Italia

Germany 0-2 Italy: Azzurri's late, late show
Reuters

Jurgen Klinsmann's World Cup dream was destroyed by two Italy goals at the end of extra-time as Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero struck to secure a place in the final.

Photography/GettyImages
Commanding form: German keepre Jens Lehmann

Klinsmann's Germany team seemed to be an unstoppable force, heading for Sunday's showpiece in Berlin.
But, with the semi-final less than two minutes away from a penalty shoot-out, Grosso fired Italy into the lead in the 119th minute.
Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann, outstanding all tournament, could do nothing to keep out the curler from the left-back.
A minute later and substitute Del Piero made it two, sending delirious Italy into their first World Cup final since 1994.
Marcello Lippi's team celebrated on the pitch as the whole of Germany sank to their knees.
The World Cup hosts were starting to believe in Klinsmann's team, who had been dismissed as no-hopers before the competition kicked off.
They had been thrashed by 4-1 by Italy in a friendly on March 1 but this was always going to be a much tighter contest.
There was a backdrop of ill-feeling to the game because the German camp had accused Italy of promoting TV evidence that Torsten Frings had thrown a punch in the fracas which followed their quarter-final win against Argentina.
Frings had indeed thrown a punch and was duly suspended from the semi-final as a result.
Italy were still without Daniele de Rossi, serving the last of his four-match ban for cutting Brian McBride with an elbow in the group stages.
Tempers simmered in the electric atmosphere of Dortmund's Westfalen Stadion and the semi-final never seemed far from a flashpoint.
Players from both teams dived and over-reacted to the slightest bit of contact.
Michael Ballack often seemed happy to tap the ball to one side and fall over the nearest opponent.
It would be nice if he could copy his national team manager Klinsmann and drop the diving habit when he moves to England.
Italy kicked the ball out for an injured player and Germany refused to give it back. Twice Italian players refused to shake German hands.
New Chelsea signing Ballack started the game strongly and thought he had a penalty in the 16th minute.
The Germany skipper nodded the ball past Andrea Pirlo and the AC Milan midfielder lifted an elbow to block it.
He was inside his own box but Mexican referee Benito Archundia missed the offence.
Italy almost took advantage of Germany's distraction. Francesco Totti split the defence with a long pass. English-born Simone Perrotta latched onto it but his touch let him down and Lehmann smothered the chance.
Germany's best chance of the first-half fell to Bernd Schneider, who burst onto a pass from Miroslav Klose.
Schneider caught his shot sweetly but it rose over the bar, helped by a fingertip from Gianluigi Buffon.
Twice Fabio Cannavaro denied Lukas Podolski with superb blocks and the German striker wasted a good chance when he volleyed wildly over from 10 yards.
Klose carved through the Italian defence early in the second half but Buffon sprinted from his line to make a brave save at his feet.
Podolski then made former Everton defender Marco Materazzi seem rooted to the spot with a quick turn and shot.
Buffon stood firm at the near post and beat it away. Arne Friedrich raced onto the rebound and crashed it into the stands.
The hosts had dominated the second half but Totti almost caught them napping in the 85th minute.
His clever chip found Perrotta but Lehmann sprinted out to punch the danger clear and take the game into a thrilling 30 minutes of extra-time.
Lehmann was saved by his woodwork when substitute Alberto Gilardino skipped past Ballack in the area and beat the Arsenal keeper with a miskicked shot.
It struck the foot of the post and rolled across the face of goal.
Gianluca Zambrotta rattled Lehmann's crossbar a minute later with a ferocious 20-yard effort.
Podolski headed hopelessly wide when unmarked in front of goal and Buffon then made a flying save to frustrate the Cologne youngster again.
Lehmann turned a screamer from Pirlo round the post but he could do nothing to keep out Grosso's effort. Pirlo threaded a perfectly-timed ball into the box to the full-back who bent it first time past the sprawling Lehmann.
Germany piled forward in search of the equaliser but Gilardino slipped a pass to Del Piero and he scored the second with the last kick of the game.

[Rastak]

Australia Got fucked, no doubt about it. For those that didn't watch Italy was given a penalty kick in the 93 minute. Some would agree with it I suppose, but I'm not one of them. Great game though.

I thought it was a bad call myself. Italy-Germany was an interesting match. Boring in spots but both teams, and moreso the Italians had some great chances and the winning goal was well struck. Exciting game in the end.

[No Mo Moss]

The stakes are so high now that a 0-0 game is still very exciting. Teams are very pensive in the first half. I'm sure GErmany wishes they would have attacked more than they did. I am really looking forward to France vs Portugal. I want France to win. Zidane has been incredible. Italy vs France would be great.

[MJZiggy]

Well, it all boils down to France v. Italy. I wish Tarlam were here.