I suspect the Netherlands is heavily favored. Probably by 0.2 goals.
World Cup vs Netherlands
- Thread starter bdgan
- Start date
Did anyone realistically expect anything different? Men’s soccer ain’t our thing.
US is surely gonna lose, but they’ve threatened a lot, and look to Be the better team.
I cant stand the flopping. Ridiculous.
I cant stand the flopping. Ridiculous.
Dest mistake was more a momentary lapse of attention, but Tyler Adams was really lazy on that first goal. He had 8-10 seconds to track his man who was not sprinting
Not the better team. Netherlands is sitting back keeping the chances contested then striking when they can counter.
Yup - need a guy that can punish you for 1 tiny mistake. My kingdom for a Luis Suarez - minus the shithousery
Well, I watch soccer once ever four years, so I hardly know what I’m looking at.
kind of exciting
When are we going to accept that soccer is as popular in the US as cricket? All our best athletes play football, baseball, and basketball. Soccer sucks in the US. People only have time to follow a limited number of sports. In the US soccer doesn't make the cut. We need to accept that and move on. The media is trying to shove soccer down our throats. It isn't working.
Your first sentence is obvious hyperbole, but your second is spot on. The talent pool is getting bigger, but it’s been a slow process and we still have most of the best, fast-twitch kids playing other sports.
I’m a huge fan, but also a snob who won’t really watch the MLS because it’s a 3rd tier league. That said, it’s crucial that the MLS grow because that’s where the game gets its foothold here. The MLS is doing good things with its development academies - allowing kids without the means, but with talent, to avoid the pay for play system that otherwise shuts them out.
We might never actually win a Cup because too much of the best talent gets siphoned off, but with 350+ million people, we will still have enough that prioritize the game and make us respectable on the world stage
That's a popular excuse.
These European teams are competing individually. Including Wales which is like a small state in the US.
The Dutch are superior to the US athletically in almost every way per capita.
So it's not just that our athletes compete in other sports.
The US model to spray a lot of shots and hope for a deflection works against mediocre teams. But these superior teams take advantage of the poor play and score.
LdN
Europeans have several big time sports. Hockey, cycling, various winter sports like skiing and ice skating, and more. They also spend a huge amount of time hiking and backpacking with well worn trails along every river or mountain ridge.
All that said - and I love the Olympics and world sport - Football, Fusball, Calcio, etc is by far the 800 lb gorilla on that continent. I lived there and follow the game pretty closely.
Take your typical European to Beaver Stadium for a regular game and their eyes will bug out - and that’s just a game in a JV league compared to the NFL. There is no country on earth with the multi-major sports apparatus like we have. The only comparison would be the EU together and then you’d have Football, Basketball, F1, etc.
And I’m far from giving up. Progress is happening and it’s only a matter of time before getting to the 1/4s regularly is a realistic goal. We have multiple players right now - and more after this WC - starting for top tier foreign clubs. Not just on rosters of mid tier teams in 2nd tier leagues.
If you really want a country that punches far above its weight athletically, it’s Australia. It’s amazing how many guys they actually have in MLB organizations, for example. And then every other great punter now is Australian because they can use their Aussie Rules experience and transition easily to football.
Another country that punches above its weight is the Dominican Republic - a tiny, poor country. As of the start of last season there were 99 players in the Major Leagues that hail from the Dominican Republic.
The U.S. scored 3 goals in 4 games for a 0.75 gpg average.
They gave up 4 goals in 4 games. You're not going to win many gamed with a porous defense like that.
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