Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyFlame
To the the USA winning is a very, very good thing. Anything that raises the profile of soccer in North America is a good thing. Anything that could have a positive rub off effect on Canadian soccer is a good thing. I'd like to see the USA win and keep right on winning.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by valo403
I don't know that players really care about things like winning streak records. They want to win every game, so there's no doubt the Spanish players wanted that game, but I'm not convinced that the presence of a potential record matters that much in the whole scheme of things.
My reason for elevating WC matches is simply the stakes involved. In a WC match the pressure is at its highest, the consequences are elevated, everyone is watching, and it's just generally harder to win. This was a match that lacked any real pressure, and while a good performance I give more credit to the games where there is more demanded of a team overall.
It'll be interesting how this effects the US going forward. If they pull off a win in the final the expectations in the US will be that they'll win, or at least come close, at the WC. The general american sports fan doesn't have any idea about the differences between these tournaments or any different line-ups etc. The thought process will be 'we beat two top 5 teams, we should win it all'. It'll be interesting to see how the team handles having that kind of expectation placed upon them.
I actually think a loss to Brazil might be good for the US in the long run, it would allow them to remain in the underdog role and potentially have some of the powers overlook them.
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I think it's sort of the opposite in soccer. The more teams that are afriad of you the better. Teams often play scared these days and put 10 men behind the ball. I hope the US can get the respect.
Watching Brazil all my life sometimes I see Brazil beat teams by just wearing yellow and staring at them during the national anthem. There have been some overrated Brazillian teams over the years but their opponent is so scared that Brazil gets all of the ball and eventually gets a goal.
We'll see how South Africa play today. If they played scared and defend, they'll get slaughtered. They need to somehow control the midfield and keep the ball and attack.