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Under-20 World Cup: USA vs. South Korea (Matchday Commentary)

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The U.S. Under-20 national team has its fate in its own hands. A win or a tie today vs. South Korea (12:45pm, ESPN2) in its final Under-20 World Cup group match will put the Americans into the second round of the tournament. A loss would leave seriously jeopardize the U.S. team's chances of advancing.

The Americans will be coming in with confidence after a stunning 4-1 victory against Cameroon in its last group match. South Korea comes in off a 1-1 tie vs. Germany.

I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Commentary after the jump):

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FINAL– That's all for me. Please feel free to share your thoughts (and anger and disappointment) on today's match in the comments section below. Thanks for following along.

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FINAL– South Korea 3, USA 0. An awful, awful performance and now the Americans need a series of things to take place in the remaining games of the first round in order to sneak into the second round. As bad as they looked, does anybody want them in the second round? 

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91st minute– USA needs to try and find  goal here in order to have a better shot at the second round. Four minutes of stoppage time remain.

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88th minute– USA fans can look on the bright side. The Under-17 World Cup is coming soon and the US team in that age group is much more highly regarded (and I wonder if it could have done a better job in the U-20 tournament). Okay, I'm kidding. A little.

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86th minute– Still 3-0. Americans holding onto third place in the group right now.

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80th minute– Thomas Rongen is sure to hear a lot criticism for the team's performance in this tournament, as he should, but you have to wonder whether the talent just isn't there in this cycle. Would a different formation and lineup have made the difference? I'm not so sure after watching these guys play.

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78th minute– Yellow card for Brek Shea for a two-footed challenge. That would be a red card on some days. WOW.

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76th minute– Yellow for Davies, after pulling down a Korean attacker after being stripped. This game has turned Gold Cup Final ugly.

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75th minute– GOAL KOREA!!! And it's 3-0. This is over and the tourney just may be over for the USA.

Germany leads Cameroon 3-0 though, so USA is still poised for third place in the group if it can keep the scoreline 3-0.

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74th minute– PENALTY to Korea and Opara gets a second yellow card.

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72nd minute– Kyle Davies for Jared Jeffrey. Davies moves to left back and Flores pushes forward into a left wing role.

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71st minute– Duka with a poor shot after a nice move.

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70th minute– Korea comes close after ripping the US defense apart again with a nice pass.

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68th minute– It looks as though Rosetti thought he had already booked Opara, when he had booked Agbossoumonde earlier in the match. At least he corrected that mistake.

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66th minute– Korea draws a foul in the arc and Opara gets a yellow after originally being shown a red. Flores with the original foul. Not sure how Opara gets a yellow when it was Flores who committed the foul. Dangerous free kick for Korea.

Opara misses the next match, if there is one.

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64th minute– A better sequence from the USA, but they can't find a shot on frame.

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63rd minute– Shea with a shank of a shot.

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62nd minute– Diskerud is in for Arguez, and Williams stays on the field.

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60th minute– Diskerud is coming on.

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59th minute– Cruz shot BLOCKED.

How does Korea win so many balls in the air against a defense as big as the U.S. team's?

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58th minute– Williams beaten again, badly, but the Korea cross can't find a shooter. Rongen needs to get Williams off the field.

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57th minute– Another US turnover. This looks hopeless.

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55th minute– Korea's defensive organization is impressive. They stay compact and every player is adept at being able to close down his opponent.

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54th minute– More possession for the USA this half, but still no real good chances being created.

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52nd minute– South Korea subs in a striker for a right back, and we just might see Korea push hard for a third goal.

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51st minute– Flores gets down the flank but his cross is blocked. Still waiting for a good cross in for the USA.

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50th minute– Korea with another attacking surge, but it is ended by a bad shot. U.S. midfield still being outplayed.

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48th minute– The corner leads to nothing, but Korea did get a shot. Amazing how many corners have led to shots for South Korea.

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48th minute– Arguez gets stripped and them commits a foul, earning a yellow card.

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47th minute– Cruz with a cross easily caught.

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46th minute– We're back.

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HALFTIME– Peri Marosevic comes in for Tony Taylor. That's the only sub for the USA. 

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HALFTIME– In the group's other match, Germany is leading Cameroon 1-0. Cameroon was issued a red card just before halftime so it looks like a good bet that the Americans can hold onto third place in the group if it can keep the score 2-0 or score a goal. 

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HALFTIME– What moves could Rongen make? He could take Peri Marosevic out of the Witness Protection Program, or wherever he's been hiding the FC Dallas striker. Diskerud has to come into this match. Who comes out? Cruz and Shea are the leading candidates. Williams has been horrid today so you shouldn't rule out a sub involving him. 

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HALFTIME– South Korea 2, USA 0. The Koreans are dominating possession and the American defense has committed blunders at the wrong time. As for the U.S. attack? It's been non-existent. 

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45th Minute– USA can't wait for the halftime whistle. South Korea is moving the ball around with ease.

Rongen needs to make some changes. Williams looks lost today and the three-man midfield is being thoroughly dominated by South Korea.

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43rd Minute– The U.S. defense has been exposed here. Korea is in complete control.

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42nd Minute– Korea is knocking it around with easy, squeezing the life out of this game as the Americans fail to apply any real pressure.

GOAL KOREA!!! Williams is beaten by Bo Kyung Kim and South Korea is up 2-0.

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40th Minute– Taylor needs to stop going to ground so easily. Rosetti is a slightly better ref than the college refs Taylor is probably used to.

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39th Minute- A better sequence from the USA, but Cruz's cross is too weak and the Korean keeper smothers it.

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36th Minute– Shea has a high work rate, but he's also a turnover machine. At what point does Rongen make a change?

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35th Minute– Koreans dominating possession.

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32nd Minute– Ref Rosetti has more successful tackles than any U.S. player so far.

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30th Minute– Another Korea corner.

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29th Minute– Agbossoumonde with a yellow for a high boot. His first of the tournament.

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27th Minute– Not to single him out, but Brek Shea has yet to do much with the ball, which is shockin considering how much of the ball he's had in this tournament.

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25th Minute– A closer look at the goal shows the corner actually hitting Williams in the back. Agbossoumonde fails to clear it, leaving the ball for Korea to finish.

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23rd Minute- GOAL SOUTH KOREA!!!!! Another corner that isn't cleared, this time the Americans are punished. South Korea 1, USA 0.

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22nd Minute– The way Korea is playing I'd say the Americans might be better off playing four midfielders. The lack of pressure from Korean defenders would make it easy to break their defense down, but they can't string passes together with the current group.

Another Korea corner.

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21st Minute– WOW, Korea hits a point-blank shot off the underside of the crossbar, bounces down and out. The shot was blocked by Brian Perk onto the crossbar, before bouncing down and landing in Perk's hands.

Arguez follows with a shot from distance that forces a save.

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20th Minute– Korea corner.

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19th Minute– Early indications are that the Korean forwards don't really have the speed to separate from the American centerbacks. It will take a pretty sharp passing sequence to break down the U.S. defense (Korea has already done it once).

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17th Minute– The U.S. team's strength and tenacity will create some chances at some point, but right now they're struggling to create.

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15th Minute– Koreans look content to knock the ball around in midfield. Do they know they need a win today?

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14th Minute– Opara called for a foul. He's on a yellow so a yellow today would mean he misses the next match, assuming the USA advances.

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12th Minute– Arguez heads the corner away. Korea looks decent early on. Americans still haven't gotten going.

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11th Minute– Korea corner kick.

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10th Minute– Korea's 17 with a good shot from distance, forcing a save from Perk, who was in good position to catch it.

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9th Minute– Not a ton of pressure from the Koreans. Can the USA take advantage and knock the ball around? Still waiting for a good sequences of passes.

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7th Minute– Koreans unlock the U.S. defense, but a centering pass finds nobody and the Americans avoid some danger.

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6th Minute– Cruz tries a shot from distance but it goes wide. Nice pass from Duka to spring him down the right wing.

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5th Minute– Koreans showing some nice poise on the ball early, knocking it around from the back. Americans have yet to have any real possession.

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3rd Minute– If we were doing a drinking game, and we're not since this is a U-20 tournament, passes by U.S. centerbacks that don't reach anybody would be one.

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1st Minute– And we're off.

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PRE-GAME– Hey, it's Mikkel Diskerud's birthday today. Maybe he can get a goal off the bench as a present.

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PRE-GAME– Roberto Rosetti is the referee, the Italian ref is one of the best in the world so that's a good sign.

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PRE-GAME– And we hear that familiar South Korean chant. Brings back great memories of the 2002 World Cup.

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PRE-GAME– LA Galaxy fans will remember South Korea head coach Hong Myung Bo, a former Galaxy defender.

Hey, a Fernando Clavijo sighting in the stands.

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PRE-GAME– There had been some concern about Tony Taylor's hamstring but he's ready to go. No Mikkel Diskerud for a second straight match, but you would imagine he will see some time in the second half.

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PRE-GAME– Here is the USA's starting lineup:

———Shea———–Taylor————-Cruz——–

——————Duka————Jeffrey—————

————————–Arguez————————-

Flores——Agbossoumonde—Opara——–Williams

————————–Perk—————————-

If that lineup looks familiar, it should. It's the same starting XI that beat Cameroon.

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Comments

  1. Let throw in some MLS bashing while we are at it.
    I don’t watch MLS because it’s inferior to Europe! Fire Bradley! Fire Rongen! Call in Bernardo! Adu should be at ManU by now! Beasley is garbage (usually shouted from the couch of a Fat American)!

    Posted by: This Guy | October 02, 2009 at 02:43 PM

    MLS is inferior to most European leagues but I still watch it. We shouldn’t fire Bradley. Rongen’s time “might” be up. No on Bernardo. No on Adu. Beasley’s form is in tatters right now and his Nats days are probably over, but he was once such a sick player (I’m in pretty good shape).

    Just wanted to see how I stacked up in terms of your definition of a toolbag US Nats fan haha.

    Posted by: Judging Amy | October 02, 2009 at 02:52 PM

    Judging Amy (never liked that show): A little more thoughtful than some other fans but on MLS you still make “This Guy”‘s point. Is MLS SUPPOSED to be on par with most leagues in Europe? The league is less than 15 years old, soccer is MAYBE the 5th most popular team sport in this country and yet the sport has still grown leaps and bounds in this country over that time despite barely being on most U.S. sports fans radar. A large part of that has been the steady, consistent growth and improvement in the quality of play and support of MLS. The better the domestic league does the better the USMNT team will ultimately be since they groom our young talent. Most top European clubs won’t be taking any of our elite players into their academies so let’s support and build up what we have instead of just casually dismissing it out of hand.

    Reply
  2. This is a disgraceful performance, I cant believe this team, no hearth, no ambitions, the only thing they had to do was tie the game, awful and discouraging.

    Reply
  3. Rongen should not get a pass for the Korea game based on talent, roster, etc. Good preparation and tactics can often even these out. The USA was not ready for Korea’s quickness, they were unprepared.

    If you saw the Czech vs Brazil match you saw how an lesser team on talent could neutralize the other with preparedness and tactics. Czechs played ugly but got a point.

    Why Rongen walks free on this is beyond belief.

    Reply
  4. EA, williams doesnt play in MLS….Flores and Mayen play for Chivas USA, cruz for houston, marosevic for chicago, and shea, lambo, davies for dallas

    Reply
  5. we played horribly that first game and third game….but we are not knocked out yet for 1 and 2 they did have one win atleast and a big win

    3. WHICH IS MOST IMPORTANT to those saying they cant pass….FIFA possesion had US with 51, that means the passing cant get too awful

    people are flipping out for no reason about the future of US soccer….our US mens team is young, adu, altidore, wallace, g garza, s garza, bernardo were not called up, we have talent on this team, but we have an ignorant coach….AND OUR U-17/U-18 team is unbelievable, i was looking at it on ussoccer.com and we have two chelsea youths, two arsenal youths, and one barcelona youth……calm down, its really starting to annoy me when people start whining about the future of USsoccer

    Reply
  6. Why is there no pressure on Rongen? Why does he get a pass? Becuase Freddy Adu and Altidore got him to the quarters in 07?

    If you are going to just blame the players, then why did Hackworth get fired for the u17 tourney? Some of those players are now u20s and got the same results. The difference: Hackworth got fired after the u17 tourney. Someone said its because Rongen has done well in previous tournaments. Well Hackworth won his 2005 u17 group with 7 points beating Italy, Korea DPR and drawing Ivory Coast. Far better a result than Rongen’s 07 group.

    Reply
  7. That player should receive a red card a a three game ban. That aint no soccer player. The kind of player I hated my whole life. Nothing to do with the game. The class players need to be protected. Might as well start at the junior level with enforcement. If you want to watch bad wrestling, then watch Rugby, NFL, or UFC.

    Reply
  8. This game was awful all around.

    The play of the LB and RB was astrocious.

    CBs not much better. Midfield put nothing togeher. Forwards contributed weak efforts.

    I actually think Shea, the keeper, Duka and maybe Opara are the only ones with any chance at all of ever playing for the Sr team. and thats a stretch. I cant see Williams or Flores even in the MLS.

    Rongren’s formation made so sense either. Shea and Taylor or Cruz up top and add another MF. They had zero possession in the middle.

    Reply
  9. You have to know how to pass the ball to win at this, or any, level. Our pass completions per attempt probably looked similar to bad NFL QB (<50%) as opposed to a soccer game.

    Reply
  10. I didn’t get to see this game, but I really don’t need to. The scores tell it all. 3-0 losses to both Germany and South Korea tell me this U-20 group isn’t ready for prime time. I sure hope the MNT system can somehow avoid needing to call up guys from this cycle, because if they have to, it tells me there are many more years of 2nd tier status for the US Senior MNT to come. Pathetic…

    I’ve never been a big fan of the youth development system in the US. There’s WAY TOO MUCH emphasis on things being result based, rather than skill based. In Holland for example, youth players don’t even compete in tourneys that mean anything until they are 14 or older. In the US, there are 8, 9, 10 year-old kids playing on traveling teams that are all about winning, rather than skill development. It’s ridiculous. As well, all of these “select” leagues that we have here cater to the wealthy that can afford it. Poorer kids who could possibly be great soccer players often don’t get a chance to participate in our youth system because they don’t have the often $1000+ needed to join and travel with a team.

    Reply
  11. in order to advance, the US must be within the top 4 3rd placed teams

    4 groups are now done

    A ITA 4 pts, -1 GD, 4 GF

    B NGA 3 pts, -2 GD, 3 GF

    C USA 3 pts, -3 GD, 4 GF

    D UZB 1 pt , -4 GD, 2 GF

    from the above, ITA is definitely in and UZB is definitely out

    Group E is currently

    BRA 1-1-0, 4 pts, +5 GD, 5 GF

    CZE 1-1-0, 4 pts, +1 GD, 2 GF

    CSC 1-0-1, 3 pts, -2 GD, 3 GF

    AUS 0-0-2, 0 pts, -4 GD, 1 GF

    matches CSC vs CZE & AUS vs BRA

    Group F is currently

    UAE 1-1-0, 4 pts, +1 GD, 3 GF

    HON 1-0-1, 3 pts, +2 GD, 3 GF

    HUN 1-0-1, 3 pts, +1 GD, 4 GF

    RSA 0-1-1, 1 pt , -4 GD, 2 GF

    matches HUN vs UAE & RSA vs HON

    so Group F first

    if HON wins or ties, RSA is out

    if RSA wins, then they move to 4 points and are in at least as a 3rd place team

    if HUN wins or ties, they are in

    If UAE wins (UAE already in at least as a 3rd placed side with 4 points)

    then HUN could drop if they lose by more than 4 goals. not very likely, This group probably has 3 teams coming from it

    Group E next

    AUS is already out

    it’s all down to Costa Rica (CSC)

    BRA and CZE are already in at least a 3rd place spot by having 4 points

    CSC win or tie and they are in

    If CSC loses to CZE, then the US may sneak in, depending on the score

    CSC is already at a -2GD, so a loss would only increase that (and confirm NGA advancing as the top 3rd place team at 3 points with the highest GD of -2)

    If CSC loses by 2 or more, then the US would get in.

    If CSC loses by 1, and they score 2 goals, then they are in and the US is out (GF being the tiebreak after GD). If CSC scores one goal and loses by 1 (a 2-1 loss), then they have an identical record in GD and GF, and the next tiebreak is fair play.

    So, the US better be hoping for the czechs to win tomorrow

    Reply
  12. For as bad as we have played…. and as frustrating as the team has been to watch… We only need to Costa Rica to lose 1-0 or by two clear goals and we are on to the second round…

    Just recall the Confed Cup…teams can grow as a tourney progresses… it is all well and good to play 3 up front but I think we need to go with the old 442 and boss the midfield a little bit.

    Reply
  13. I was embarrassed to see such an unorganized and undisciplined gang representing our country. Individual skill is not the lacking factor. Cameroon likewise played without organization and we won big. Germany left their best players at home, played with organization and won big. Korea was a better organized and better disciplined TEAM, they won big. We had good players playing pick-up soccer.

    Reply
  14. To all the clowns (ie. ‘This Guy’) who think the Brek Shea challenge was “clean” or legal – I’ll quote an official from the English Premiership.

    “A player who jumps into a tackle two-footed is not in control of himself and therefore if he makes contact with the player, ball and player, or if the referee determines there to be excessive malice in the challenge, he will be dismissed.

    “There has been no ‘clampdown’ on the tackle or new directive issued referees are simply applying the law as it has always stood.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/referees-are-just-applying-law-on-twofooted-tackle-767086.html

    It is ILLEGAL to dive in with a two-footed tackle, regardless of if you get the ball or not. This is evident everytime you watch the EPL, Serie A, La Liga or whatever and you see a player called for a foul when he does it. Frankly Shea was lucky he didn’t get sent off and to claim that Maldini and Baresi did this on a regular basis is total bs.

    Reply
  15. I was embarrassed to see such an unorganized and undisciplined gang representing our country. Skill is not the lacking factor. Cameroon likewise played without organization and we won big. Germany left their best players at home, played with organization and won big. Korea was a better organized and better disciplined TEAM, they won big. We had good players playing pick-up soccer.

    Reply
  16. We are witnessing another USSf failure. Look at the player selection. Not a one has a soccer brain. Probably soccer IQ deficient. The simplest passing maneuvers unattainable. The soccer basics of geometry and timing are devoid. How were these players selected? were they the fastest? The tallest? It is obvious that nothing was learned from the Adu fiasco. The future of US soccer is bleak. Although it has been observed that the American brain lacks the quick, spontaneous, improvisational brain power, player selection flaws are also extant.

    Reply
  17. Alright, so it’s the U20 World Cup. It doesn’t mean that the senior team is in dire straits in the near future, because so much of the core group of the senior squad is so young, and reportedly the U17 team is exceptional. Let’s not forget that two others who are age-eligible for this team are Altidore and Adu…

    Still, the thing that annoys me the most about US Soccer is its over-reliance on the same retread coaches. Rongen has always been a horrible coach, yet he still seems to find work with US Soccer. You can’t tell me that with all the quality youth teams and the quality colleges out there that US Soccer can’t come up with someone better?

    Reply
  18. See, it doesn’t matter that this group is not that talented. Here’s what good footballing nations do when they show like they have this tourney: they sack the coach. France is, of course, the exception. Players not good enough? Well Rongen picked ’em. Formation not right….ditto. Bad officiating? Can’t hide behind that on this one. Utter lack of discipline? Yup, that’s coaching too.

    No malice, but a soccer coach does NOT survive that debacle.

    Reply
  19. hate to say it but hope they do not get another game. If they play a really good team, they could be the first USA team in ages to really get shelled. (Putting aside the 5-0 in the Gold Cup final). I certainly do not see any future talent here. Then again, maybe Wrongen rejected the nextSubotic but he has no other country to play for.

    Reply
  20. federov, you obviously are not a fan of the US

    this guy said it correctly…..the US(mens) team itself is EXTREMELY young, rhongen is an awful NATIONAL TEAM coach and some like duka on U-20’s still have potential, U-17 team is great, adu, altidore, bernardo, boths garzas, and a. wallace were not called up and they have great futures ahead of them, so US Soccer is in no apparent danger in the future…..if the US team does not advance in this tournament my friend rongen has to go, no doubt…..are future is not in danger but he is dangerous seeing that tournaments like this can ruin players like Brek Shea and Ike Opara for the rest of there careers

    Reply
  21. Im sorry to hear all of your comments. Is like some of the players are actually in Queaker land like a writer said. No good player or foward could actually work or look any good with this midfield. The midfield dont target there foward. Taylor nor Marosevic could do anything onless they drop and play midfield. Usually Taylor does that I have seen him play but there were concerns about Taylor hamstring and he had to sit out, and there goes the game. There is not much a foward can do, you cant blame theme after all is a team. And this foward are more talented then Altidore or Adu so stop comparing that with this midfield not even them could have done anything. If Taylor is out tell me what happend after he did came out NOTHING!! HE IS NOT THE PROBLEM IS THE MIDFIEL AND THE DEFENCE GAVE OUT 7 GOALS!!!!

    Reply
  22. @TheTruth
    I never claimed to be pro or anything. I played until I was 15 and then quit playing when I moved to the States for good. My father was American so I moved to Indianapolis with him when he got a job at the Speedway. I joined the Army outta high school because I felt American and I felt pride. I got out of the Army 6 months ago after 12 years in. I was Airborne Infantry, stationed most of my time in Italy with the 173rd.
    Anything else you wanna know?

    Reply
  23. From the few games I watched, Korea, Ghana, Germany and Spain seem to be the most likely, and Egypt as the home side.

    The Brit announcer had a monkey on his back as England looked even worse in their game against Ghana.

    Reply
  24. @Chris
    I only watched the matches in KTown.

    @Austin
    It’s posted on the previous page.
    2 of these must happen:

    UAE must win by 5 goals
    England and Uzbek neither can win by 3
    Costa Rica must lose by 2

    Reply
  25. @The Truth,
    I grew up in Italy. I doubt you know me or what I’ve done.

    LOL, you don’t know anyone else out here or what they’ve done but you throw aspersions around too. Pot meet kettle. But, here’s where you claim to be some former stud pro player who was unfortunately before his time, was an All-American in college and also have 25 US soccer coaching licenses blah blah blah and played with half the current USMNT when they were kids. Whatever dude.

    Reply
  26. “. . . I was in Germany in 2006 and didn’t see any South Korean fans.”

    I went to more games than just the US games. Korea got 4 points but still managed to get eliminated in group play.

    Reply
  27. yes i want them in the 2nd round of course b/c im a fan of all U.S. national teams, but this is unexcusable….they were supposedly the easiest of the group…..where is the consistancy from rhongen and his players

    maybe if they get through they can bring back the mojo from the game against cameroon

    P.S. i would like to see the scenarios on how they could advance

    Reply
  28. Thanks for your opinion but you’re just some kid on SBI. Why should we listen to you?

    Posted by: This Guy | October 02, 2009 at 03:01 PM

    Sort of applies to you too mr-rose-tinted-on the USSF payroll guy. And by the way, why even speak of Maldini or Baresi, I seriously doubt you watched any football prior to 1994 like most Americans.

    Reply
  29. @fischy
    What I’m saying is that Football worldwide has gotten so soft that it’s a commonly called foul and card today. It wasn’t like that 5-10 years ago and many of the greats of the game wouldn’t last a half in today’s matches because of all this garbage. It’s just like getting tripped up or kicked in the shin: It’s happened to me alot and I’ve never felt so much pain that I drop to the ground and roll around. If you watch a college soccer match you won’t see one player, not one hit the pitch or fall down. Soccer/Football is just getting gay to be honest.

    Reply
  30. Shea is solid, he’s the only person out of this group that looks like he could turn into a real player.

    Posted by: KyleFeller | October 02, 2009 at 02:44 PM
    ——————————————————————

    Well, he’s physically solid — built strong. He’s a long way from being real player.

    As for that tackle — it doesn’t matter that he got the ball. The two-footed jump/slide is a guaranteed card. It’s presumed reckless.

    Reply
  31. @SoccerJohn,
    I think with the U17 being so strong and the NT being relatively young that it will balance itself out in the end.

    Reply
  32. So, what does it mean for our men’s national team, that the U20 squad looks so poor? Altidore and Adu would have made a difference, but isn’t the weakness of the existing squad cause for concern?

    Reply
  33. Thomas Rogain (I know it’s Roggen) has to take the blame for this. There is no way a team can be so inconsistent without it having to do something with the coach. He has lost them.

    Reply
  34. Well, I’d say that is one of the best 3 or 4 refs in all of FIFA. He’s consistently great. As for the cards — Opara certainly hit the guy on the first. Of course, the reason he hit the guy might have been because Flores had already tripped him, making it hard for Opara to miss him. The ref did get that one wrong. On the other hand, Opara probably deserved a red for the last foul anyway. He jumped between the defender and the ball and made no effort to play the ball. And there was only the one announcer.

    Posted by: fischy

    Thanks for your opinion but you’re just some kid on SBI. Why should we listen to you?

    Reply
  35. I just think these guys are not comfortable in this system ,it does not suit there styles and that comes down to the coach, I don’t see why Davies doesn’t start if he’s healthy enough to be a sub, this team lacked experience and leadership, it sooo obvious no one was getting on anyone for giving the ball away, or encouraging eachother, that comes down to coaching and picking the right squad which rongen did not do, if we are to take the u20’s seriously then so should the coach and the team and from this display I don’t think so. Rongen should lose his job, its not enough to get there anymore, we want results and we want a team that looks like they know what they are doing. South Korea Looked so confident and so sound, and those kids probably all play in there domestic league, but they are nutured in there system and are tactically aware and sound, our system is so broken becuase we have guys playing every where and on three completly different levels, that needs to change, I think part of making this squad should be you have to be a pro, and I love the they look like an MLS team comments, obviously people who say that don’t watch DC United or Houston, or Chicago, teams that can play the ball around and are technically sound, that type of enironment would have definetly helped some of these guys especially Opara, and Williams who thinks he’s to good for an MLS team. The game today was a disgrace. Eachone of these guys should man up from Rongen on down. I hope they get eliminated so that we dn’t have to put ourselves through another dismal performance.

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  36. I just watched the 2nd half. There were sooo many long balls that went nowhere. I kept wondering why the US team thought long balls were working. Williams was visibly gassed in the 2nd half.

    I always wondered if a Coach should pick a formation so that the best XI are on the field OR pick the right tactical formation and then pick the right XI for that formation.

    Having watched the game against Cameroon and the 2nd half of the game vs S. Korea, the US has such little possession that we’re better off going with a 4-2-3-1 and keeping the ball a little.

    Even if we get through to the next stage, I bet Rongen comes out with a 4-3-3 🙁

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  37. Quoting Ives…

    “Thomas Rongen is sure to hear a lot of criticism for the team’s performance in this tournament, as he should, but you have to wonder whether the talent just isn’t there in this cycle. Would a different formation and lineup have made the difference? I’m not so sure after watching these guys play.”

    Agreed about the talent in this cycle. But given that fact it reflects even more poorly on Rongen – clinging to a system that’s difficult for the kids to play, and a challenge to hold midfield in, when all we needed was a tie in this game to advance! To me that’s a coach not properly approaching the game situation.

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