Brazil and Australia played an extremely entertaining game. Almost every player on Brazil has more skill than any US player. The only way we get on track and compete is really playing as a unit cause we got very little talent compared to the top teams.

I guess if you take a country the size of Brazil, and the choice of sports to play is soccer, then soccer, and after that soccer, and then maybe a little basketball... well, you will have very talented athletes.

If a guy like Barry Sanders was born with a soccer ball at his feet, we might have a chance. Most kids in the US quit soccer by the time they start middle and High School. Then its the other football. And if inner city, basketball. The number of US baseball players is dropping off the map with the Latin American influx of really good players.

us showed alot of passion yesterday. italians are a good team so it was a good result esp after the mauling ye got to the czechs.

regarding football being boring, it all depends on who you are.
I think its exciting,
My friends think its exciting, etc etc. My friends think racing is boring, but obviously we dont.My friends think baseball is boring. I used to be like that but have come to appreicate the sport for what it is!

Born and raised in Texas where soccer is here only because we are next to Mexico and I LOVE THE SPORT.
Do you play Brock?
I played in a league for a couple of years because my daughter was playing so I wanted to learn. I was in very good shape and I had a great time. I even got a yellow card after running into the goalie after getting a finger in the eye.
Had this nice little card and had to take a little exam to get the card to join the league. Had a blast trying something new. And I am officially on record as having scored one goal. Our entire team had 21 goals, one guy had 16, one guy had 4, and I had one on a little tap in after a wonderful cross by the guy with 16 goals. I will never forget that. Like a first little league homerun... on a bunt.

What a sad life I live.

When I was younger (well im still young but say 6 yrs ago),I played very competitively right back, now i just play socially with my friends. I was a better squash player so kept with that instead. yeah really love the sport.. esp when played right like argentinians, spanish, brazilians

Today the kids in the US don't play Baseball because they are playing vidio games and on the telephone.

Donavan is probably the worst striker I've ever seen
and he's supposed to be the US's major scoring threat?
we've had some terrible calls go against us
but the fact is you have to be able to generate offense
Pgardn that is a good point that soccer in the US is secondary
well fourthdary if that
and it doesn't attract our best athletes
however we are competive in the Olympics (summer) in a number of
esoteric sports in which there is not much money to be made
so I feel that a country the size of the US is definately underachieving
in the sport of soccer (futbol) against these other nations
the czech republic? the only thing that ever came out of there
was Martina Navatalova, and she changed her citizenship
the Italians...I can see
but this Ghana?

USA soccer will never be competitive on the world stage,
1-the BEST american athletes do NOT play soccer.
2-most people in the USA don't care about soccer.

now soccer can go away for another 4 years.:D

Its not gone yet. We got some more pool play and then the elimination rounds. We are going to get to see some well organized teams. A whole lot of teams are looking good, I think in part to the excessive yellow cards. They are not letting guys get taken out so we got goals.

pgardns top 5:
1. Germany
2. Argentina
3. Brazil
4. The Netherlands
5. England (going to be tough sledding without Owen)

Strange as it may seem, soccer is pretty big in this part of NY.
Small schools don't have football teams...only soccer.
And, the Soccer Hall of fame is located in Oneonta, NY, about a half hour away from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
DTS

My top 5 is
Argentina
Spain
Brazil
Italy
Portugal

You really like Italy and Portugal? Portugal seems very self-centered style, too much one on one, and Italy just looks way to tentative to me, ineffective looking so far. The other 3 I am OK with.

1) Brazil
2) Argentina
3) Holland
4) Switzerland

that's what I'm looking at in the semis

Today's snoozathon between Italy and Australia is the perfect example of why soccer will never grab hold in this country.

Your typical 0-0 tie until the final ten seconds when an Italian non-stallion did a better dive than Greg Louganis ... and was awarded a "penalty shot" ... a gift-wrapped goal which was the only "score."

Booooooorrrriiiiinnnnnnngggggggg !!!

You thought that game was bad (i thought it was OK. typical Italians!!), tonights game was one of the worst games Ive ever seen. Neither team wanted to win, they just sat back and wanted to try their luck on penalties..

hopefully, the games should improve from now on. We have two crackers to look forward to in the 1/4 finals, The hosts against the best team in the tournament and england v portugal.

I enjoyed the Australia Italy game. The Swiss and Urakraine game was good in the first half. Italy got really lucky to move forward.

The game of the tournament will take place before it should. Germany v. Argentina... Possibly the two best teams left other than Brazil. I look forward to it. The Germans are playing a very exciting style. Really utilizing their talent. Thank you Jurgen Klinsmann.

i reckon argentina take them. My semi finalists are agentina, portugal,italy and spain (if they beat france, i think will beat brazil)

I've gotta root for Beckham and England.

I'll be at the local pub, rooting for Portugal. I realize it's not the wisest thing to do in a football-crazed UK town, but hey...if I die, at least it will be because my team won. ;)

Brazil coming up in a moment. Gotta love to watch this team. Almost every player could be the best player on another team.

Two games ... 180 minutes of "action" ... and not one score ... not a single one ... until the ref gift-wrapped a non-game-action one for Italy in the final 10 seconds.

Question: In all these other upcoming "exciting" games ... will anyone actually score a goal?

If you watch soccer just to see goals scored you have missed the boat. It is an aquired taste. Kinda of like baseball.

Also Americans apparently have a difficult time concentrating for 45 minutes straight. I guess we love commercial breaks, continuous foul balls on 3-2 counts, and mindless driveling announcers.

Take a typical kid. You think they would like to run around kicking a ball or sitting in a dugout waiting to bat... forever? Or chasing grasshoppers in the outfield while the pitcher and catcher play throw the ball back and forth?

It is a great game.

LOL I'd LOVE to be in a UK town right now!

Germany over Argentina
Italy over Ukraine
England over Portugal
Brazil over France

Germany over Italy
Brazil over England

Germany over Brazil

France,Brazil,or Argentina.....No England,or Germany.If France would play like they did in their last game,then I would take them at 10 or 11-1,but from what I hear,I saw them on their best day.

A bet on the Germany-Argentina game scuds? since you have Argentina moving forward.

Germany v Argentina cold be one of the games of the tournament today. I cant believe that I was able to back Argentina at higher than 2-1 to win the game. I believe that they'll have too much attacking power for the weak German defence. Italy should win tonight, but may try their best not to.

England - Portugal will be a cracker as well. If England play like they have been, they wont win, while I believe that France may shock the Brazilians!

Argentina over Germany (who knows??)
Italy over Ukraine
Portugal over England (I think Portugal's playing better, although the cautions on so many key players may wind up screwing them...and Ronaldo looks like he may not play)
France over Brazil (also agree that France could surprise Brazil)

Argentina over Italy
France over Portugal

Argentina over France

Did I say that? I said that Argentina,Brazil,or France will take it all.You've interpreted what I said incorrectly.

Oh,it's on now anyways.

I have to cheer for England here, because I love Beckham! ;)

Good no take Scuds. Ya big Buckin Chicken.
Let me explain something.
Before this game you would have to had Argentina over Germany to consider Argentina for the finals. Yes? Have you looked at the draw?

Bloody Germans. They've just ruined my holiday to Argentina next week> I cant feckin believe it! Argie manager is insane. Bringing on Cruz instead of Messi or Saviola - tactical suicide!

Gotta wonder how that would have played out if Argentina hadn't been on their sub goalie...puta madre. (I'm guessing I can swear in Spanish here without getting censored.) What an awful way to end a good run.

They Argentine side went into a defensive shell in the 2nd half giving the Germans a chance. They played that tuck back European ball after getting a lead and you just cant do that against a team that attacks. Part of Argentina's defense is the ability to move the ball around in the midfield effectively frustrating and tiring less skilled teams while pulling off attacks. The midfield dominance was gone in the 2nd half.

My take.

Goalie did not matter. No goalie could not have possibly made the save on the 2nd half goal.
He did however look lost during the shootout. But the Argentine side should have never let it go into a shootout. They really stopped badly after the first half. And the Germans did make the right substitutions.

It means exactly what it says.ARGENTINA,FRANCE,OR BRAZIL will win it all.Does that mean Germany could win today(and the statement still be true?, ...yes.)Let me simplify this for you,teacher.Now that Germany beat Argentina(actually Argentina got tighter than a virgin in January,but a win is a win,) I am saying the winner of it all is the winner of the Brazil/France game. Do you understand now? Somehow you made this match between Germany/Argentina the make or breaker,and it was not.Still got 2 teams.After tomorrow's game, one will be left of the 3 I mentioned.

Ruffian, I am the complete opposite. I hate the English football team especially David Beckham. The whole English media regarding the football team drives most non-englishmen nuts. They are ridiculously arrogant and its so good to see the team fail time after time. Hopefully, the trend continues tomorrow with Portugal!

Noooo!!! Although I do understand your dislike of the English team. Beckham gets most of the media spotlight, and he isn't their best player by a long shot. I'm a sucker for a bad boy, though! :cool:

well Beckham was a bad boy
now his image is more of the family man
still at 34, can play a mean midfield
Winalda said Argentina should have won
but I have to think the Germs attacked <blitzkrieg>
and were far more aggresive than the Argies
perhaps Italy can oust the Germaphrodites
but well you guys are really fooling your own selves
if you think the French fries are going to
take out R & R
well they did in '98 but they were hosts
and had a better squad
I have to say I'm rooting for Portugal
over England
being Scot-Irish, and not wanting to hear God save the Queen
do they mean Elton John or The Old Lady who lives in the palace
with her son who thinks he's a tampon?

Ohh, that pub got quiet awfully fast this evening...I don't think anyone figured out that there were three of us in a corner silently cheering until we started sneaking out -- apparently, we weren't bereaved enough. Heartbreaker for the English -- lots of people crying in the pub, lots of very drunk people stumbling around silently on the streets.

Bring on the next round!