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SBI Monday Rewind: Klinsmann rebuffs gentleman’s agreement idea; Mexico advances; and more

Jurgen Klinsmann Joachim Low

By CAITLIN MURRAY

In the aftermath of the U.S.’s tough draw to Portugal, the team and media alike were eager to shift focus to the Americans’ final group opponent: Germany. Whichever team wins the USA-Germany matchup is guaranteed to advance while the other has to hope the Ghana-Portugal game falls in their favor. But if USA-Germany ends in a draw, both teams are guaranteed to move on. And so, coach Jurgen Klinsmann faced repeated questions from reporters over whether he’d call his old friend, Germany manager Joachim Löw. SBI’s Franco Panizo in Brazil reported Klinsmann has been steadfast in denying he’d consider a gentleman’s agreement to settle for a tie.

No agreement of any kind needed for Mexico, however, who secured their spot in the knockout round on Monday with a rout of Croatia. Mexico has enjoyed a World Cup where they have looked like a dominant force, even as bad officiating served as obstacles along the way. They will be joined by Brazil, a team that finished Monday in the top of their group to no one’s surprise.

And in Major League Soccer news, the Portland Timbers decided to hold onto a good thing and signed Nigerian forward Fanendo Adi to a contract after a six-week loan.

Here is a rundown of all the stories featured on SBI today:

U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Klinsmann adamant USMNT won’t play for draw vs. Germany

Yedlin delivers solid performance in surprise World Cup cameo

USMNT disappointed, but staying positive after tying Portugal

USA-Portugal match breaks TV record for most-watched U.S. soccer match

WORLD CUP:
Mexico routs Croatia to book place in World Cup Round of 16

SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Rafa Márquez

Brazil cruise to group-clinching victory over Cameroon

SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Neymar

Spain overwhelms Australia, concludes disappointing World Cup with a win

SBI World Cup Man of the Match: David Villa

Fer, Depay lead the Netherlands past Chile to finish top of Group B

SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Arjen Robben

World Cup Day 12: Your Running Commentary

World Cup Day 12: A Look Ahead

INTERNATIONAL SOCCER:
Monday Kickoff: Ghana FA deny match-fixing claims; Messi handed tax bill; and more

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER:
Timbers purchase and sign Adi as Designated Player

NATIONAL WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE
NWSL Week 11: A Look Back

 

Comments

  1. loved Jurgen’s comments about having to do it the hard way, and we’ll just have to do that, or something to that effect. good on him

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  2. Germany will score first, then the US will equalize by half time. After that, both countries will be satisfied, and any cries of “biscotti” may be plausibly denied. The players know what needs to happen. We’ll happily leave the group with 2nd place.

    I do think that both will try to score. I predict Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley will be monsters for the good guys.

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  3. I think both teams will play very carefully, because they both know a draw gets them through. This would benefit Germany more than the U.S., because they would secure the top spot.Germany might even rest some players due to their huge goal differential. Furthermore, both teams do not want to get anyone hurt or suspended. Sure, if there is a chance to score, it is natural to try to take advantage of that opportunity. Not saying either team should not score if given the opportunity but due to the circumstances of this game, the later the game goes the more conservative it will be if the game is tied. Once it gets really late in the match, most likely they will both play hacky sack until the whistle blows. Go USA!!!!!!!!!!

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    • Hehe…I agree. Given that there’s no real incentive to push hard, wasting energy and risking injury, I think the players and staff will be wise. Looking ahead, they will put forth a conservative effort to draw the game. Not by agreement, but by rule of economics. Each team does what is best for them, and at this stage, effective resource management is more important for the big picture. Sure, both teams will fancy a win, but not at the expense of weakening themselves for the round of 16, and certainly not at the risk of exposing themselves to a loss and possibly an early exit.
      The status quo is a picture perfect scenario for both teams.
      Given this scenario, Germany is likely headed for a train wreck of a math with France, which will be highly, highly entertaining. Given the performance of Belgium and Argentina thus far, I like our chances far better being the 2nd out of group G.

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  4. I saw some pictures of Berti Vogts helping the USMNT train yesterday in Sao Paolo.

    You know, Berti is another one of those german legends.

    Is he gonna help the US beat Germany?

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  5. This notion of anyone playing for a draw is just sensationalist journalism and a victim of circumstance because JK is German.
    Once players are on the field they will play the game…period.
    There isn’t one player who will take that field and say..”I’m not going to make that pass towards goal, or I’m not going to take this shot” because we both need a draw.
    It’s not in their DNA…
    Both teams want to win the group…
    The Germans would love to beat JK..
    The Americans are desperate to qualify no matter what…and that means scoring goals-shutting out Germany is extremely remote…
    If it’s tied in the 85th minute, teams may not throw numbers forward.. BUT, if one team senses weakness and blood is in the water don’t think for a second they wouldn’t exploit the chance to win..

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  6. I so wish we were having this discussion: “Now that we are qualified after that 2-1 win vs Portugal, Jurgen has an interesting decision to make regarding how and who to play vs Germany.” Anyone want to humor me in this bizarro world scenario?

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  7. The coaches can tell the players whatever they want, it’s the players on the field who know what job needs to be done.

    A draw keeps both teams in current position, so both teams will naturally be thinking conservatively. No agreement needs to be made because everyone knows the situation. I don’t expect we will see too much heavy running, and if one team scores I suspect that team will park the bus and let the other side press. The US may press a little more, in the hopes that they can leapfrog to the top, but they will know in the back of their minds that they don’t “need” to.

    Before anyone calls me a poor sport, I would point out that Germany and the US earned the right to enter the final match with the frame of mind that the result isn’t as important as it could have been. We both did the hard work against Ghana and Portugal and got our reward.

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  8. No need to worry. Not a chance that the USA does not move to the round of 16. This is a done deal. Much better chance that the USMNT will win the game, depending on how the brackets shape up and whether Ghana is scoring lots of goals putting Germany’s goal differential at risk. It could be that Germany would be happy slipping to second place in Group G and avoiding the Netherlands/Mexico and Italy/Uruguay if Costa Rica lose today and Argentina if Nigeria prevails. But most like we see a 1-1 draw, with Julian Green allowed to score a dramatic equalizer.

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    • ? It’s too early to be thinking about the upper brackets. Winner of G will face 2nd in H (RUS/ALG). 2G likely faces Belgium. Winner of 1G/2H will face winner 1E/2F (France at this rate), and winner of 2G/1H faces winner of 1F/2E (ARG, maybe?)

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  9. Are we really expecting him to come out and say, “Yeah… Jogi and I have been texting all week. We’re going to order our players to stand around the center circle and play keepy-uppy for 90 minutes. Kyle’s gonna bring his guitar…”

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    • Exactly. Even if Klinsmann and Low were to make some sort of agreement, they’re not going to be admitting it to journalists in the days leading up to the match.

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      • Could you imagine? Ja, Jogi and I, ve ver talking late last night on ze phone about all ze vonderful moments we had together. Zen ve decided zat ve going to just dwaw ze match on Thursday. I sink ve vill see Wimando, Green, and Davis starten ze game, zen at halftime I poot Guzan on as a centerbaak….

  10. So in theory, although we beat Ghana, they can still knock us out again. Or, conversely, we can knock them out, with a double punch of handing them a L and making it impossible for them to advance. Beat Ghana again!
    Go Portugal, I’m rooting for POR 1-0 GHA, which has us advancing and guarantees GHA last place. Although I’ll take a POR 5-5 GHA result as well, a deadlocked goalfest.

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  11. But if we’re tied in the 80th minute….should we be taking risks to win when a draw lets us live another day…?

    it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

    maybe the best scenario is for Portugal to be beating Ghana 1-0 in the 80th minute…

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  12. The App Store consistently opens whenever I visit SBI now on Safari Mobile (IOS7). Just this site. Anyone else or any solutions? Very irritating.

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  13. I hope he is not telling another lie and play intelligently and professionally against Germany. If he thinks he is gonna take it to the Germans and get anything but a defeat and Klose’s record breaking goal, he is sadly mistaken.

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  14. My week cannot go any better:

    1) USA vs Germany on Thursday
    2) Freddy Adu gets called in by Bob Bradley for trials with Stabeck
    3) CONCACAF teams are running havoc on bigger teams in this World Cup
    All that’s left is the news that Altidore is fit for Thursday and all is good…..

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    • Why would any USMNT fan care about other CONCACAF teams doing great, especially Mexico? Cowardice, comes to mind. I absolutely guarantee you that most if not all Mexican fans don’t give a darn whether the USMNT advances or not, or succeeds. In fact, they wished USMNT does poorly to crown themselves undisputed world number 1 in CONCACAF. You never bow to your enemies.

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      • Be yourself and promote the love for the game. Why do I care what the Mexican Fans are doing? Did you hear even Chicharito applauded Costa Rica, the US and Honduras for their efforts? That’s class
        Never bow to your enemies? “A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” Keep your negativity to yourself.
        Cowardice? “Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated.”….think about it Kind Sir.

      • How about the fact that it does wonders for CONCACAF’s coeffiecient in the FIFA rankings? And the fact that FIFA uses its rankings to determine seeding, etc. for the World Cup? And the fact that if CONCACAF wasn’t so undervalued by FIFA’s rankings, we might not be stuck in a group with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana?

        I’m not going to cheer for Mexico (or Costa Rica), but I welcome CONCACAF success. It only helps us.

      • My wife and her family are Ecuadorians, and except for when they’re playing Ecuador, they will ALWAYS cheer for a fellow CONEMBOL nation when it’s facing a non-CONEMBOL opponent. Why? Because they understand that a CONEMBOL nation’s victory will garner more respect for the talent and competition in the confederation as a whole and trickle down to its individual member-nations (despite all of its accolades, CONEMBEL still feels it has something to prove to UEFA). Why were all of the South Africans on the side of the Ghanaians in their quarterfinal against Uruguay back in 2010? Same issue—prove to other confederations that talent exists within their confederation.

        Granted, a Costa Rican entry into the Round of 16 will not force other nations to quiver at the thought of ever playing a Belize or Antigua & Barbuda (no disrespect), but it will at least force critics to recognize that there IS talent within CONCACAF. Let’s face it, UEFA, CONFEMBOL, even CAF, see us as being a bottom-tier confederation. I’m not saying intra-confederation rivalries need to cease, but it is at least feasible to see why some would like seeing other CONCACAF teams succeed.

      • Anyone at this point that doesn’t realize the advantages of Mexico and Costa moving on doesn’t understand the game.

      • I think most folks know that CONCACAF doing well is a good thing. But c’mon give us a break for hating on Mexico. We’ve earned the right to hate Mexico as USMNT fans. The Dutch just gained a new supporter in me for Saturday.
        Dos a Cero!

      • true… was at a place where mexican workers cheered as if they had won the WC when Portugal scored and tied on that last gasp….

        By beating poor Panama in wcq game last year, JK made a mistake allowing mexico one more chance to go to the WC .

        so… the shoe is on the other foot, Germany needs just a tie but they will beat us sending Ghana through.

        Karma is bee atch… aint?

  15. I’m noticing that nobody is talking about France. They went into a UFC cage match with Honduras and Honduras came out bloody. Then the walked into a game with a Swiss team that is supposed to be the bee’s knees on defendce and plopped a fiver on them and could have scored 7. I feel like these dudes are planning a stealth axe murdering massacre and nobody is talking about it.

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  16. “I categorically deny that Jogi Low was offered a six pack of Budweiser to throw the game Thursday. It was a case of Dos Equis and a new sweater to drape around his neck…..”

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  17. I am trying to total up how many people watched this game world wide (sure some of you saw this over at BigSoccer). So far I am up to 40 million: USA: 25.3, England: 3.1, Germany: 4.75, Netherlands: 0.861, Portugal: 3.602 million, Spain: 2.765 (millions).

    Anybody have some wicked foreign language skills that can fill me in on other countries? I would be very interested in Mexico, and some other countries in good time zone position.

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  18. I haven’t seen anything about the number of US fans in Manaus for the game. I was there and we definitely out numbered the Ronaldo fan club but has anyone read how Americans attended the match? Also, could you tell watching the game that the crowd was pro US?

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    • Watching on TV, it was the first world cup game I can remember where I recognized supporter chants besides “USA USA”. The USMNT supporters were out in full force, and it was amazing.

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