El Chapo Jr
Legend
I doubt that, USA has always sucked at soccer on the world stage. I had no doubt Belgium was going to beat the brakes off of them.
GAME THREAD - USA / Belgium
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El Chapo Jr
Legend
Possible win? USA was never going to win, Belgium beat them like a red headed step child.....sorry to all the redheaded step children on here for bringing that up
I’ve been watching football well over 40 years and I have absolutely no idea what this means.
We’re already one of the world’s best at soccer. But we play it on ice with a much smaller field and allow hitting - it’s called hockey!
Way more exciting and fun to watch/play. The rest of Earth is just plain boring and behind America.
For my non-soccer friends, I apologize in advance—this post is about yesterday's World Cup match.
First, congratulations to Belgium. They showed exactly what a top-tier national team looks like. They were clinical, composed, and ruthless in punishing our mistakes. Meanwhile, we looked like a team that let the moment get too big and started playing tight.
To me, this is why I consider us a C-level team on the world stage. It's one thing to compete well in Gold Cups, CONCACAF, and friendlies. It's another to consistently perform when the World Cup knockout rounds begin. Historically, we're good enough to get out of the group stage, but we usually run into a team that's simply operating at a different level.
The encouraging part is we've made real progress as a soccer nation. More American players are earning meaningful minutes and contributing at some of Europe's biggest clubs than ever before. That's a tremendous step forward. But success at the club level hasn't consistently translated to the national team. The tide has lifted individual players, yet the collective still hasn't risen to the same level.
We finished about where we probably should have. If we want to become a nation that consistently competes for quarterfinals and beyond, we have to take a significant step—not just in talent, but in mentality, composure, tactical consistency, and our ability to perform against elite competition when the stakes are highest.
One final thought. I've watched every World Cup since 1978, and this tournament has been one of my favorites. The atmosphere throughout the country has been incredible. Seeing American fans celebrating alongside supporters from every corner of the world has created a unique experience. From my perspective, it's been a wonderful showcase of the United States as a welcoming host and a reminder of how sport can bring people together across cultures. Whatever happens the rest of the tournament, that's something worth celebrating.
Now back to the Rams and hopefully getting AD back and this being the season of all seasons. I can’t wait! GO RAMS!
First, congratulations to Belgium. They showed exactly what a top-tier national team looks like. They were clinical, composed, and ruthless in punishing our mistakes. Meanwhile, we looked like a team that let the moment get too big and started playing tight.
To me, this is why I consider us a C-level team on the world stage. It's one thing to compete well in Gold Cups, CONCACAF, and friendlies. It's another to consistently perform when the World Cup knockout rounds begin. Historically, we're good enough to get out of the group stage, but we usually run into a team that's simply operating at a different level.
The encouraging part is we've made real progress as a soccer nation. More American players are earning meaningful minutes and contributing at some of Europe's biggest clubs than ever before. That's a tremendous step forward. But success at the club level hasn't consistently translated to the national team. The tide has lifted individual players, yet the collective still hasn't risen to the same level.
We finished about where we probably should have. If we want to become a nation that consistently competes for quarterfinals and beyond, we have to take a significant step—not just in talent, but in mentality, composure, tactical consistency, and our ability to perform against elite competition when the stakes are highest.
One final thought. I've watched every World Cup since 1978, and this tournament has been one of my favorites. The atmosphere throughout the country has been incredible. Seeing American fans celebrating alongside supporters from every corner of the world has created a unique experience. From my perspective, it's been a wonderful showcase of the United States as a welcoming host and a reminder of how sport can bring people together across cultures. Whatever happens the rest of the tournament, that's something worth celebrating.
Now back to the Rams and hopefully getting AD back and this being the season of all seasons. I can’t wait! GO RAMS!
The problem with the US is that we don't tap into our best athletes to play soccer. If you take the TEs for example in the NFL, there's your big athlete pool who would undoubtedly give you possible stars as strikers or keepers, and so on. But for whatever reason soccer in the US has always been a sport of the well to do kids, with a lot of fees and whatnot that gives it that "pay to play" type feel.
Which is kind of crazy really when you consider that soccer only really needs cleats and a ball. I mean Pop Warner when I was a kid was affordable for my parents and I played that and baseball. But they wouldn't spring for the AYSO deal because of expense. I recall my Pop ranting about it when I was in third grade and brought him a leaflet about their league. And friends with younger kids (my 3 are grown) tell me it's worse now.
If we want to be a force in world soccer all it would take is affordable kids leagues. From there the world would learn that the US has no shortage of athletes.
Which is kind of crazy really when you consider that soccer only really needs cleats and a ball. I mean Pop Warner when I was a kid was affordable for my parents and I played that and baseball. But they wouldn't spring for the AYSO deal because of expense. I recall my Pop ranting about it when I was in third grade and brought him a leaflet about their league. And friends with younger kids (my 3 are grown) tell me it's worse now.
If we want to be a force in world soccer all it would take is affordable kids leagues. From there the world would learn that the US has no shortage of athletes.
Yeah I agree it's been a great cup tournament. The US team played well and gave us a little hope, and we knew we didn't have the team to win it anyway. And it's been fun to watch the vids of fans from around the world experiencing the US. These events are always great really, in terms of bringing people of the world together, and this one is no exception.
Now if we can end up with a couple new teams in the finals, which still seems like a possibility even if it is remote, it will make it even more memorable.
Haha, yeah I am a bit older and like to read strategy
The U.S was forced to play bad and obliged as planned by the Belgian manager it was a master class in tactics
I am sure it is just regional differences in expression.
Not sure how it is expressed in England if the term it isn’t familiar.
In German it is called Gigenpressung or counter - pressing
What Rudi Garcia did was actually a more passive approach I guess I would call it forcing turnovers through spacing and U.S predictability and impatience
- Low Block / Mid-Block
- Cover Shadow
- Rest Defense
- Passive Defending
- Spatial Denial
- Attacking Transition
- Vertical Counter-Attack
- Defensive Compactness
- Telegraphed Passing Lanes
Love to hear your strategic take on the U.S failure. I know you are a fan so love hear how you saw it.
I am tired of the non fans on forums talking about played bad or without energy for know reason other than focused on the Balo situation or whatever non actual play related theories are being pushed here in the U.S on clickbait links (not ROD)
I believe in the end it is almost always a product of preparation and game planning.
Hoping Kane and the boys cary the Lions deep into the tourney.
That was an amazing game by Bellingham
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Some good points in your comments Merlin specifically about the economics.
The one I quoted is actually kinda flipped in my opinion.
We need those athletes to gravitate toward the sport like in other countries not for us to chase them.
Athletes (& their parents) follow the money. In the USA, the money is in football, baseball and basketball (hockey to an extent regionally).
There just isn’t the money here for top young athletes to waste their talents on soccer. It’s possible but hard to get to - whereas the top 3-4 sports here is super easy….the money will find you.
There just isn’t the money here for top young athletes to waste their talents on soccer. It’s possible but hard to get to - whereas the top 3-4 sports here is super easy….the money will find you.
SteezyEndo
The Immaculate Exception
Another big problem is that most of these players do not play together at even a club level because the game is so massive their are infinite oppurtunities to play abroad, but that could be said for most teams also. The honest truth is that this sport is not USAs strong point. Basketball and Nfl Football is our go to.
It is RAMS FOOTBALL afterwards!!
Glad I have one Fan like you.Sort of like having a jock strap on.It’s fitting & very supportive.
LMAO - I was never a fan,but on occasion it is some what mandatory.I remember trying to Nuck the system once & never again.
My dad loved sports,but mainly baseball.Can’t believe ALS & pancreatic cancer sort of got him.
Still I got into baseball umpiring,was doing all level (HScertified) sports. My dad like 75 wanted to umpire.In JC/level baseball in ca. it is a one man game.
Anyway there was somebody I knew in the stands for one of my first games umpiring & didn’t have a jock strap,but whitey tighties.It was one of the worst feelings adjusting a Cup & hoping it didn’t fall out as well.Don’t know how I got in that situation,but talk about being relieved after the game.
Yes. And if the net were to be cast wider in the US, there would be elite athletes or rare talents going abroad.
Soccer has some really cool advantages, most notably getting in to those programs with the big clubs. So if you get more kids into the sport, there will be more who end up being that kid who scores 10 goals or whatever vs his age group and end up being developed by big clubs overseas.
It's kind of different from the NFL, where your formative years are high school and college. These kids gotta start early and when there's a premium price on getting them into it, it eliminates a shit ton of possibilities. I think FIFA realizes the problem too. They have talked about how the sport should be accessible to everyone and it is in many countries, just not the US.
fearsomefour
Legend
Any sport where faking an injury is an accepted part of the game....I cant be into it.
Having a son in competitive soccer, I can say that the part in bold is an understatement if anything. In fact, one of the coaches at a club my son played at basically said the same thing to me a couple of years ago. Parents end up spending thousands each season just to get their kid on a team, and that's before all the travel and attendant expenses. A few kids get financial assistance, but for the rest of us we have to pony up big time. Soccer has much higher barriers to entry than any of our more popular sports like football, baseball, etc.
High barriers to entry for a sport that is not as popular as several others is a good way to keep it lagging and a good way to keep our national teams at a level below the truly world class teams that actually have a chance of winning the World Cup.
Not talking about the upper level players and how it has developed here but one of the main reasons soccer has caught on world wide is that you can play it practically anywhere as a kid. If you have a ball, you can start up a game. Now a days in the US it is still without a doubt the most participated in sport for young kids. But unfortunately, the opportunity to get really good is not available to most US youth. It’s still possible in the future though as it is still gaining popularity.
Baseball got a huge head start here and football in a lot of rural areas did as well. Basketball has come a long ways from being almost exclusively urban.
Still, US tastes are what they are and that makes for an uphill climb.
Baseball got a huge head start here and football in a lot of rural areas did as well. Basketball has come a long ways from being almost exclusively urban.
Still, US tastes are what they are and that makes for an uphill climb.
now that take made my day... and i cant stop chuckling...
aint a soul on the belgium team meeting derick henry in the a gap...
it's why america rules...
go rams
slo
aint a soul on the belgium team meeting derick henry in the a gap...
it's why america rules...
go rams
slo