Scholarship table
A couple months ago I spent $500 on supporter section tickets for the Gold Cup Final in Chicago. Thankfully, the USA beat Honduras tonight to get there, otherwise that would have been a huge disappointment in regards to money spent.While I realize it's CONCACAF, Donovan looks to be on his finest form and Klinsmann's style finally seems to be working. 10 straight wins at the international level when the bulk of those are qualifiers and cup matches is impressive no matter who you are. Still too many goals conceded on set pieces, but I'm slowly and cautiously warming to Klinsy.
Looks like there will be PLENTY of tickets available now.LOL Tri.
Be curious to see attendance. In '07 Soldier was packed, but probably 97% Mexico supporters. Maybe 50% capacity for Panama? Definitely a loss regarding filling seats.Interesting how less than a year ago Mexico was regarded so highly and the US so negatively. Klinsmann's tactics finally seem to have caught on while Mexico's Golden Generation looks a lot more like Pyrite.
Has El Tri been using their A side?
Their A side hasn't looked any better. Without a Hex win at the Azteca, arguably worse. Right now, Mexico looks like the 4th or 5th best team in CONCACAF. Meanwhile both the A and B teams for the US look studly. Will that translate come next summer, will they integrate seamlessly, or is it maybe just good fortune of late rather than successful tactics? Who knows. All I know is right now I'd definitely rather be supporting the US than Mexico.
Again, it's mostly B-side friendlies and CONCACAF opponents, but this streak is impressive against anyone. If they can translate this type of play to the World Cup, this team could really be poised to do some damage. Of course, so much depends on the draw...
No it's not. A 10 game winning streak against minnows like Honduras, Belize, and Cuba isn't impressive at all. The USA will never do damage at the World Cup. It's laughable. Of course they'll look good when the only decent team they ever have to play is Mexico.
34-8. That's the goal differential. They aren't squeaking by, they are crushing teams. That also included a win over Germany. Maybe not their A squad, but Germany's B side is still better than most of the world.In the past, these were games we won 1-0 or 2-0. Now we're seeing 3.4 gpg on average. And the games we aren't crushing we are still winning. At any competitive level 10 consecutive without a draw is impressive, even against Belize and Guatemala. I still feel the next benchmark game is at Costa Rica, where we have never won and only drawn once (in 1985), but to say that not slipping once in 10 games isn't impressive, well that's just silly.And making it to the round of 8 and 16 in 2 of the past 3 World Cups is at the very least doing some damage.
A German "B" side is a bit of an understatement. More of like a "C" team if you ask me. The fact that a benchmark of the US team is a game against Costa Rica is a bit tragic. For that to even be considered a big game is silly. If the US had to qualify in any other confederation, they would get out-classed game in and game out.I know FIFA rankings are flawed, but here is the "competition" you're playing against.Canada= 88Mexico= 22USA=20Costa Rica=39Panama=51Honduras=55Haiti=69Jamaica=77Cuba=82Trinidad/Tobago=87Guatemala=93El Salvador=94Apart from Mexico, you're playing against Minnows. Anything over a 40 in FIFA ranking is pretty much a garbage team that won't be found in the world cup. So you're basically playing teams that are far weaker than anything you'll ever see in 2014. There is nothing to be extremely happy about or to be gloating about.
Apart from Mexico, you're playing against Minnows. Anything over a 40 in FIFA ranking is pretty much a garbage team that won't be found in the world cup. So you're basically playing teams that are far weaker than anything you'll ever see in 2014. There is nothing to be extremely happy about or to be gloating about.
Right now the Ivory Coast is the only African team in the top-20. There are no Asian teams. And somehow, despite putting up a massive quantity of suck on the pitch, Mexico is still ranked 20th, ahead of the US (among others). You really think those are even close to accurate numbers? Don't be stupid. The FIFA rankings aren't worth the bandwidth they are distributed on.
Wow...okay, first of all, you clearly don't know crap if you don't think anyone over 40 in rankings won't be found in the World Cup. In 2010, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, and North Korea (#106) were all found in the World Cup. That's the case every four years, where there are numerous outliers. When you include 32 teams, there are going to be a lot of teams that aren't top-40.Second, you clearly have the European view of CONCACAF. If you think that Spain, France, England, and Germany would come in with their A sides and destroy Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras on their soil, you are simply mistaken. Those teams have no idea what it's like playing in a stadium where people are throwing bottles and trash at you, where riot cops come out on the field the same time the players do to protect them, and where the turf isn't pristine grass. In addition, the teams are better than you think. CONCACAF teams are lowly rated because they play each other and FIFA's rankings are all slanted towards teams from Europe and South America. If you think the FIFA World Rankings mean anything, you don't have a clue about the sport.Right now the Ivory Coast is the only African team in the top-20. There are no Asian teams. And somehow, despite putting up a massive quantity of suck on the pitch, Mexico is still ranked 20th, ahead of the US (among others). You really think those are even close to accurate numbers? Don't be stupid. The FIFA rankings aren't worth the bandwidth they are distributed on.I'll assume that for you, benchmark games have to be against European or South American competition (or I assume Mexico). Since the start of 2012, we are 5-2-2 in those games. Out-classed game in and game out? Hardly. Included in that is an undefeated record away from home with wins over Italy and Mexico (and while it was a Mexico B side, it was also the USA's B side). If you want to use the game at Bosnia-Herzegovina as your benchmark game, fine, but Costa Rica is going to be a lot tougher to win and carries far more meaning.W - Venezuela (1-0)W - @ Italy (1-0)W - Scotland (5-1)L - Brazil (1-4)W - @ Mexico (1-0)D - @ Russia (2-2)D - @ Mexico (0-0)L - Belgium (2-4)W - Germany (4-3)
Comparing club and international atmospheres isn't the same, but if you are going to try, you are better off mentioning away dates at Galatasaray or even Roma, where the crowd can not only be loud but legitimately threatening to opposing players and fans. I believe it was Dempsey who said in an interview that European players would ask him how the US can struggle in those away dates and he said "they simply don't understand". It's simply a different type of atmosphere. The travel is different, often the altitude, and the fans aren't seeing these games week in and week out (like a club team) but instead spend a year or more waiting for those games. It's just a different world than any European venue offers.