USA Netherlands thread
- Thread starter Fk_Pitt
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But they aren’t HEAVY underdogs. Dutch aren’t Brazil. And I could care less if you don’t watch.
You sound like one of those causal viewers who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
This is worse D than black top hoops. The guy had his hand up like "I'm open" and he wasn't marked and scored.
I guess it depends on how you view "heavy", but the odds on the US to advance was something like +300.
You get that it's a really dumb thing to be arguing that the US shouldn't have been an underdog in a game that they are losing 3-1, right?
Apparently not.
No longer. Walker Zimmerman in particular and the US defense in general do a fine job of playing statues on the 3rd Dutch goal.
Are you kidding? So we should have been arguing last night that Pitt was actually a heavy underdog against NC State. Jesus. From a soccer standpoint the U.S. should have been able to play a game that kept them in it until this point. Should they have won? Absolutely not. But they most definitely should be within 1 goal of the Dutch even if they had little chance of winning. So the actual final score is not always that reflective of what the odds say they are. Northwestern and NC State probably agree with what I said this week.
Wait, so your point is that the US shouldn't have been an underdog, but they also absolutely should not have won, had little chance of winning and should have just been able to keep it to a one goal loss?
You realize that that makes absolutely no sense, right?
And your Northwestern and NC State comparisons don't make any sense either. On the court, Pitt was better on those nights than both Northwestern and NC State. You'd have to be looking at the game with some serious red, white and blue colored glasses to come away from this game thinking that the US was the better team today.
I watch soccer, but I don't dig deep into the technical aspect of the game. I will just make a comment on the performance of this team. I am proud of the way they played in the tournament. I have watched games where a 3-1 result was a blowout. Not this game. We had numerous chances in the game and if Pulisic scores 2 minutes in, maybe a different game.
I never ever ever said they should not have been an underdog. I said they weren’t a big underdog based on people who comment on the game and others who are smarter about the game than me. I don’t think there was one “person” who wasn’t saying that the U.S. could not have gotten a better draw from Group Winners. In other words the U.S. on paper and based on how they played in the Group should have had their best chance playing the Dutch. BUT the same commenters also knew that a victory probably wasn’t likely but we might catch a break on an odd Ball or turnover and find a way to win. That is it. Yes and underdog but a better chance to actually get a win against the Dutch than any other team. My hoops comparisons are appropriate you just cannot accept the logic. Pitt as better than the two teams so they contradicted the odds. The Dutch were the better team today and so they exceeded what most commentators were saying but apparently not the Vegas folks. The U.S. as much blew this game as the Dutch were better. I have watched U.S. soccer for a lont, long time and grow frustrated that so many of the same issues always come up and we do nothing to change those.
I am going to say some things that are going to piss some people off. But you soccer geeks are more annoying than a couple of posters who I envision post in Bike coaching shorts and whistle around their neck admonishing other posters they don't know football (American football).
You post obtuse terms and are always on the coach, the coach, the coach (or is it manager). It gets nauseating in some ways. Not that I am a fan of Berkhalter. It concerned me even during qualifying and CONCAF, while the US carried play in almost all games (sorry matches), and they got the "result", they just didn't convert chances like they should. That when they played against real soccer clubs, they are going to be in trouble. And well the chickens came home to roost.
Sure some abhorrent defensive breakdowns, but you and I know in sports score dictates situation, and if the US converted early, maybe the Dutch would have been back on their heels a bit and the US on their toes. And the reverse is what happened.
But the people you were listening to were all American who aren't exactly the most objective. On ESPN's soccer show this morning they showed the knockout round picks of four or five of their corresponded, I don't think any of whom are Americans, and they all pick the US to lose today. They all kind of tried to talk around it, and the US has a good chance, I'd really like to pick the US, that sort of thing, but in the end they all picked the Dutch.
I would imagine that if you looked at what people who comment on the game outside the US were saying you'd have heard a completely different story than listening to people like Alexi Lalas and Clint Dempsey told you.
The US was a clear and obvious underdog today. As I said, whether they were a heavy underdog or not depends on how you define heavy underdog.
I really don’t see anyone praising Berhalter for taking essentially the youngest team in the tourney and being the only team to advance out of group play without losing and without conceding one goal in the run of play.
But I think to get to the next level, you gotta get a pedigreed guy for 2026. Aim high.
Kinda like the Steelers with Canada. You have a young franchise QB. Invest in him and find an elite coach to take him to the next level.
What the others said outside of the U.S. Is exactly what I have been saying. I did not think the U.S. would win. But twenty commenters picking the Dutch vs two not picking them makes them a definitive underdog but heavy underdog to me implies they have no business there at all and should get beat 10-nil. The U.S. had a punchers chance in this game and that is it. And for me that is an underdog. But after you know the result of every game you can conclude that the losing team should have been an underdog. However the United States played poorly and the Dutch scored three goals. More than they did in any given game against fairly weak competition. So the Dutch played above themselves and we played below ourselves. But at no time did I believe we would be facing Argentina next. I had the HOPE of any loyal fan but the reality of the game is too obvious to me.
Ok, like I said it comes down to your definition of heavy underdog. I agree that the US was a clear underdog, but also that they had a chance.
In the end, just too many defensive breakdowns. And they punished us for them.
I particularly like the hypothesis that the US “should have been able to keep it within one goal even if they didn’t have any chance of winning.”
Sounds scientific.
I’m not one that finds soccer or any other sport boring because of low scores, or no offense. Rather, I’ll take a good defensive struggle over say a football or basketball game where it is way too easy to score as many are these days.
But for as much offense as there was or wasn’t in today’s soccer game, I’d say the expectations for scoring was still very very low. Because it sure seemed like you and every other non-casual soccer fan on here pretty much chalked it up as a loss for the US as soon as they went down 2-0 with still half the game to go.
I agree with you 10%
Same people they like soccer will call baseball boring. Football has the least number of plays and action of any sport. And most enjoy that. I think when you have to think strategy during a sport like baseball and soccer you lose half of America
Well overall some positives. Matty Turner is undeniably the #1 now. No ifs, ands or buts, he is the #1.
Tyler Adams was a complete rock. Musah was very solid as was McKennie. The midfield is gonna be something fun to watch.
I like Timmy Weah, he a bit of pace, but overall just a worker with a little bit of finishing ability.
I'm so very happy for Timbo Ream. I doubt he'll be in 2026 as he'll be 39, but he didn't disappoint just as he has not disappointed for Fulham.
Dest was really solid as well.
Tyler Adams was a complete rock. Musah was very solid as was McKennie. The midfield is gonna be something fun to watch.
I like Timmy Weah, he a bit of pace, but overall just a worker with a little bit of finishing ability.
I'm so very happy for Timbo Ream. I doubt he'll be in 2026 as he'll be 39, but he didn't disappoint just as he has not disappointed for Fulham.
Dest was really solid as well.
Nation Relieved To No Longer Have To Pretend To Like Soccer
U.S. — After the men's national team was dealt a crushing 1-3 loss by the Netherlands, the United States expressed deep relief to no longer have to go on pretending to like soccer.
babylonbee.com
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