USA Soccer thread
- Thread starter Fk_Pitt
- Start date
They are at the Cowboys stadium in Arlington, I believe.
The really stupid thing about the 10pm start is that if this first game ends in regulation then yeah, they'll start at 10:00. But if this first game goes to extra time and then penalties it isn't going to end until somewhere around 9:45, which would mean that the US game will not start until sometime around 10:30.
If this was a weeknight I could understand not wanting to start the first game much earlier than 6:00 local time. But I just checked the calendar and today is, in fact, a Sunday. They could have easily started this first game an hour earlier. Or more.
I was hoping the Pitt men would play on one of those U23 teams this summer. Mighta went to check out a game but I don't think any did.
That’s right. It’s the World Cup qualifying match vs Jamaica thats in Austin. (October I think).
And I think the max NWSL salary is like 40K. So maybe just getting a regular job could be more lucrative.
Austin is a good site for that since Jamaica fans don't "travel." However, games vs Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras need to be in either Columbus, Cincinnati, or Kansas City. Playing a road game vs Costa Rica in North Jersey cost them the World Cup. Even before the game, people were saying what a terrible decision that was. The place was 90% Costa Rican fans and they had to have known that would happen.
If US Soccer says we pick KC and Concacaf says no we want NJ, who wins? What goes into the decision? Does Concacaf have power over the US on sites? Because we can look no further than Qatar in the Gold Cup to see that the #1 driver of decisions in this region is money.
I believe the only requirement for hosting a World Cup qualifier is that the stadium meet the FIFA standard. And if you've seen some of the places that the US has played on the road in the past, the FIFA standard is not very high at all.
As far as what sites they pick, they are going to (and already have, I am sure) going to pick sites with the schedule in mind. In the first window, the US has games at El Salvador, and then back to the US to play the second game and then back on the road to Honduras, all in the space of one week. They picked Nashville in part because it's at least in the southern part of the country so the travel won't be nearly so bad as if they played in someplace like New York or Seattle.
In the second set, the one with the first game in Austin, they then go to Panama before they come back home for the 3rd game. Again, someplace in the south to make the travel to the second game a little easier. That 3rd game is the one against Costa Rica. That could be a game that ends up in KC or Columbus.
The 3rd set is only a two gamer and includes the home game against Mexico followed by the road game at Jamaica, so that game will be wherever US soccer thinks is best, KC, Columbus, some other not too large stadium so that US Soccer can try to control ticket sales as much as possible.
The next set is the easy three gamer, home, then at Canada, then home again. Those games could be anywhere, except for the fact that they are being played in late January/early February, so look for those games to be played in somewhere in the south. And look for Canada to try to play that game indoors somewhere, maybe Montreal. Otherwise, good lord, outside in Canada in January. The people who think that MLS should switch to the world calendar will get a first hand look at why that simply is not going to happen.
Then the last set is at Mexico, home game, then at Costa Rica. Again, look for that home game (against Panama) to be someplace in the southern part of the US to make the travel less onerous.
The US really got just about as bad a schedule as possible, travel-wise. No back to back home games or road games, so they will be traveling all over the continent.
Correct on the stadiums. They could play these games at WPIAL fields and probably still meet the CONCACAF requirements.
That Costa Rica game has to be in KC, Cincy, or Columbus. BTW, that Cincy stadium is incredible and seats 26K making it one of the largest soccer-specific stadiums. I never realized what an amazing soccer town Cincinnati was.
That late Jan/early Feb set with home vs El Salvador, at Canada, and home vs Honduras is tricky. If you play in the south, they will be road games. If you play in the midwest, it could be 0 degrees. If its me, I am risking it and setting up camp that week in Ohio and playing those games in Columbus and Cincinnati. The US players should also have a slight advantage since most play in Germany and England where they will be used to the winter weather already while ES and Honduran players mostly play domestically or in MLS and may not be as acclimated to the cold (plus MLS will be out of season which ironically gives the US a pretty big advantage since they likely wont be starting any while ES and Honduras have quite a few).
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Does it really matter? Is this when the field is expanded? We are not going to fail qualification ever again.
The field is still 32 for this World Cup. It moves to 48 for the 2026 WC that is mostly being held in the US.
It matters because Concacaf only gets 3 bids so its 7 teams playing for 2 spots since Mexico surely will make it.
I do feel extremely confident about the US qualitying because I think this is the most talent they've ever had....but they're young and they've never been to the hornets nests in Central America. Honestly, Timmy Chandler quit the team aftet his first WCQ road trip to Central America. The culture shock was too much. He ended up rejoining the team about a year later.
Also, CR, Honduras, and Panama are all past their golden generations so none will be as strong as prior years. Canada has their best ever team and ES is much improved but those teams arent going to qualify ahead of the US
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the US basically play that defensive just to get a point in a tourney. They also weren’t very sharp, which is a problem. They are lacking connectivity between the midfield and forwards. That said, there’s no way the Morgan goal should have been disallowed. Her entire body was onside except for 6 inches of her elbow and that’s offside? Soccer’s offside rule is mind numbing.
So dumb. In every other sport the “tie goes to the runner” but in soccer the defense gets every advantage in a sport where the average score is 1-0.
I hate it for offsides. They need to change the offside rule somehow. If your thumb is ahead of the last defender, that shouldn't be offsides.
Also, there is no visible line so I cant stand when I see goals overturned because guys are a few inches offsides. Come on.
The technology is not where it needs to be yet. Camera angles are not 100% straight when dealing with inches. And zooming capabilities don’t clearly show the exact moment the ball leaves the foot of the passer. Additionally, there is still a bit of ambiguity as to what constitutes the exact moment of “playing the ball”.
therefore I think VAR is fine to be in place for clear and obvious mistakes. And a way to implement it is to not give the VAR official the ability to slow down the video or freeze it. If it’s not clear at full speed, then it shouldn’t be overturned.
lastly, I hate that I rarely exhibit any spontaneous emotion over goals anymore because I’m waiting for the VAR shoe to drop.
I'm sure they care as much or more about $elling Ticket$ as they do a home field advantage. If you can fill the Rose Bowl for Mexico, you'd do it FOR THE MONEY, instead of playing in front of 15000 in Columbus.
If you are "sure" that the care as much or more about the money then you are simply wrong. In 2018 qualifying the game was played in Columbus, total attendance 24,640. In 2014 they played in Columbus, attendance 24,584. In 2010 they played in, stop me if you've heard this before, Columbus, attendance 23,776. In 2006 they played in, well, you are not going to believe this, but they played in this place called Columbus, attendance 24,685. But hey, if you go all the way back to 2002 qualifying you find that they played the game then in, ah, hmm, well, ah, er, OK, they played that one in Columbus too, attendance 24,329.
You have to go back to qualifying for the 1998 World Cup to find the last time the US didn't play their home game with Mexico in Columbus. That year they played at the Patriots stadium in Foxboro. 57,877 people were there. Most of them were rooting for Mexico. That's why they stopped playing Mexico in places like that.
I have not seen the play yet, but it is not supposed to be. It is supposed to be a part of your body that you can legally score a goal with to be offsides. In other words, if you foot is past the last defender that's offsides, because you can score with your foot. If you hand or arm is in an offside position then it is not supposed to be offsides, because you can't score with your hand or your arm.
Unless you are Diego Maradonna.
I think they ought to just switch it around. Instead of "if any part of you is offsides you are offsides" they should change it to "if any part of you is ONSIDE then you are onside".
For World Cup Qualifying, you are a million percent wrong. The goal is to win the game, not sell tickets, and you play at the place which gives you the greatest chance of that.
Yep, I agree. They are making it even that much harder to score. And again, there is no offside line on the field for players to go by. They are guessing based on where that last defender is, who may be 30-40 yards away. I would like the entire offside rule to be changed to their whole body has to be past the last defender to be offside. That would make things so much more fun.
Columbus has been the home to US vs Mexico for years. Today it was announced that the game in November will be taken away from Columbus. It was moved to Cincinnati.
I'd prefer Columbus but Cincy is just as good. Similarly low population of Mexican immigrants. Far enough away from the big cities which have tons of Mexican fans. Plus the stadium is bigger 26K so could be a little more intimidating.
I want to go though. Did they say how we can get tickets? I think the last few times they only offered them to Supporters.
I only heard they’re being selective in a way that prohibits Mexico fans a ticket.
btw, my daughter was being recruited by Cincinnati at a time when their USL games were at Nippert stadium and they were bidding for the MLS. What a really cool place and a cool fanbase in that city. I haven’t seen the new place yet.
They sent out an email today to the people who are eligible to buy tickets. You have to be either a US Soccer Insider, a member of one of the fan support groups (like the American Outlaws) or a Cincinnati season ticket holder to be allowed to enter a draw for tickets. And you had to have been a member by two days ago to be eligible, so there won't be any fans (of either team) signing up today to get a chance to buy tickets.
I've tried before when the game was in Columbus and never won the lottery. I think I'll try again this time, with Cincinnati not being that much further of a drive. Pitt - North Carolina football on Thursday night, drive to Cincinnati Friday morning, US - Mexico Friday night, drive home on Saturday. Sounds like a good weekend.
Great. A place for the uncreative American outlaws to stand and bang a drum? Lol.
That whole area behind the goal on the far side is a standing section.
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anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a
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And clap U....S.....A.....then the abomination of
I
I believe
I believe we
Well you know the rest of that stupidity.
Her feet were behind the defender. I saw only her leaning forward while the defender was straight up; thus her head was maybe slightly ahead as well as elbow.
"For WC Qualifying" often I see them play in places like LA, NJ, Denver, Chicago. The WCQ game is in Cincinnati, by the way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico–United_States_soccer_rivalry
Right, which means that you were wrong.
They also announced today that the Costa Rica game is being played in Columbus, with the same ticket policy as the game against Mexico. Because, once again, they want to try to control how many visiting team fans can get themselves tickets.
They could easily sell 50,000 more tickets somewhere else to the Mexico game, and probably another 25,000 for the game against Costa Rica. But they don't, because unlike you they think that there are actually more important things than money.
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anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a
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Matt Turner is showing to be a very effective goalkeeper. This back 4 however is a flaming hot dumpster fire. Shaq Moore is solid but Sands stinks to high heaven and Vines isn't very good at all. Miles Robinson shows promise.
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anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a
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They just said on the broadcast the fast majority will be. This is the team that won the Asian Championship. The GK and LM are the only ones not on that team I believe they just said.
I was referring to the USA… hopefully none of these defenders. Vines and Sands stink.
