ajzepp

I've watched that final Mexican goal about six times, and I'm just blown away by it. That's one of the best examples I've ever seen as to why this is called "the beautiful game". That shot was so full of precision and touch that it's unbelievable. For that ball to have been hit just right to gently glide over the top of the defender's head, yet below the crossbar, and with the right amt of touch...wow, just unreal. I still can't believe we had a 2-0 goal lead and couldn't close the deal, but it's to be expected I suppose.

HBD Ed!

I enjoyed reading that, thanks for posting. Unlike a lot of folks on this board, I actually really like Toronto. Buffalo is an easy target to pick on, but it's nice to see that at least someone with a bit of influence is taking the time to understand and appreciate what it is about the area that so many of us love. That being said, I'm really hoping that B-lo becomes one of the first examples of dying city (with a wonderful history) that finds its way into a renaissance. Whether it's the waterfront or wherever, I would really like to see the city become more viable as it once was. I spent most of my time in Rochester when I lived in Western NY, but every few months I seriously consider moving back to Buffalo. I'd gladly trade the unbearable 90 degree heat of Atlanta for the six month winters again.

That 4th goal by mexico was one of the best goals I've ever seen...that being said, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for the US to have allowed it. Unbelievable...

Way to hold that lead guys...

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! 2-0 USA!!!! WOOOOHOOO!!!!

Dang, I got home late and missed the first goal...who would've known we'd score that fast? lol I LOVE that Freddy is starting! Whoa, a beautiful chance by Mexico goes off the goal post! Phew!

You know, I've been thinking about it and I hope that the powers that be were watching the NBA draft last night. If you saw the draft, and if you've paid attention to the way basketball is played on the world stage over the last 15-20 years, you'd notice that there are a LOT of european players and teams that can, and HAVE, competed both in the actual NBA and also against American NBA players. Why is this interesting? It's interesting for two reasons: First of all, most people who follow American sports consider the NBA players the best athletes on earth. I can't say I disagree. Second, you have much smaller counties like Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Spain, etc who, by learning how to play FUNDAMENTAL, STRATEGIC BASKETBALL, have successfully competed against and even beaten teams composed of our own NBA players....the aforementioned best athletes on earth. So what's my point? My point is that the whole idea that we'll never be great at soccer is because our best, most talented athletes play other sports like football, baseball, and basketball, while absolutely true, is completely IRRELEVANT. Exactly how is it that these lanky players from abroad can so successfully compete among and against the NBA talent? Obviously it's NOT because of their athletic prowess. It's because they have learned the fundamentals of basketball, both in terms of an individual game and the team game. How brilliant is that?? So what is the solution? The solution is the dead horse we've all been beating for a while now. The key to competing on the world stage in soccer is NOT having the greatest athletes in America. Would it be nice? Sure it would. But do we NEED them? Absolutely not. We need fundamental, smart soccer to be taught to and adopted by our players. Our lesser American athletes can become the fundamentally sound and uber-competitive equivalent of the European basketball player. Unfortunately, it's clear that Bob Bradley is not the man to bring about this change, so my whole theory and point are probably moot anyway...but gosh, it's so CLEAR what needs to be done...we CAN compete amongst the best in the world, and the solution is much more simple and feasible than trying to convince LeBron, Kobe, and 'melo to play some soccer. What do you guys think?

Me too...I've got money to burn and I want a REAL JERSEY DAMMIT!!!!

After what the Sabres did, I live in fear of a logo change every time someone mentions new uniforms

I'm proud of 'em for getting us this far...Bruce Arena, Sunil, and whoever else all deserve a big pat on the back. I just wish that what they'd believe in from this point forward is the resume of J.Klinsmann lol. Just so damn frustrating...the climate is more *right* for soccer in this country than it's ever been. If only they'd capitalize on that and do what should be done to get us to the next level. What's your take on Freddy Adu? You think he's got the potential to live up to the hype from a few years ago?

Amen. How the hell can something be so obvious to soccer fans on a message board, but somehow escape the decision making capacity of Sunil and the other morons running the national team? Klinsmann was there on a silver platter for cripes sake!! All accounts are that he wanted the job and was ready to go....I don't get it. It's been time to raise the bar for a while now...all we're doing is treading water.

They did a horse semen drinking stunt in Jackass 2...I'm still not recovered from it

I finally saw some highlights and I agree about the Donovan pass...that was dead-on perfect. SO happy that freddy got some playin time...I still have hope that he can take our team to another level and I really respect how hard he's working. I didn't know he went to play in a Turkish SECOND league club in order to get more experience. That is some dedication lol. We just need to be a little more prolific on ofense. Seems like Bradley has the defense dialed in pretty well, but we've got to be able to create more chances and capitalize on them. A guy like Freddy can help with that if he can continue his growth. I don't know what it is about stadiums and soccer, but I find myself in awe of how amazing the pitch looks in a great big stadium. I'm still in awe of those images from the champs league final when it was played at night in Moscow a few years ago. That was quite a sitght! I can't wait to see the Rose Bowl packed to the rafters for the Gold Cup final on Saturday...90,000+ soccer fans watching the US battle Mexico...will be great!

Seriously? For some reason I thought you were the one who told me about it

TBD (home page), avsforum.com, espn.com, aintitcoolnews.com, soccer by Ives, drudge

Better late than never

Heck yeah man, it's great having you! One of the best resources on TBD is Meazza. He's really helped me to get a better understanding of how the Euro leagues are structured. European club soccer is where it's at, culminating with the Champion's Leage final each year. Even the MLS is getting more interesting since the league is becoming very attractive to some of the world's best stars who have lost enough of a step to be less effective in Europe anymore. DAvid Beckham and Thierry Henry are the two biggest names, but there will be others. It's a great sport

Back in 2006 there were like 8 of us in these threads....now I think we have upwards of about 20 or so TBD'ers who will at least keep tabs on what's going on and chime in. I really look forward to talking some futbal on here with my Bills brothas Wow, I guess Mexico finally woke up...stick un tenedor in 'em!

That's really great about Freddy...hope he can build off of this. are you still watching the Mex/Hon match? The last few minutes of the second half were awesome lol. Some amazingly sloppy play, but fun to watch. I can't believe the Mexican guy missed that shot on a wide open goal. I thought for sure he was offsides, but I ran it slo-mo and he was clearly onsides. You just can't miss an opportunity like that...he's going to be a huge goat if they end up losing. Then we had that near-goal by Honduras...all of a sudden the guy puts a BEAUTIFUL shot toward the top right corner of the net and the goalie makes a fantastic save. If only the keepers vision had been blocked for another split second, I think this match may have been over. I couldnt' tell if it was going to make it under the crossbar or not, but it was really close. Then to finish it out you had the BS carding of the Honduras player....that goalie put on quite a show...what a nancy! I'm so psyched that the final will be on Saturday in prime time! Based on tonight's match, if we play well we should win. Neither Mex nor Hon look all that great to me. Seeing one of the best stadiums in the country packed with 70,000 screaming soccer fans is pretty awesome! EDIT: Wow, beautiful set piece with the header....

I missed the US game, but glad to see the result. I'm still looking for some highlights... Watching Mex/Hon as we speak...love seeing soccer in REliant stadium! The articles on ESPN indicate that there was an "Adu" sighting today...that's good news for sure! Maybe this kid will finally grow into his potential and Bradley will get him some more playing time. Better late than never, I suppose! I just wish we had Altidore for the final...at least Dempsey is healthy, though, and I'm assuming Donovan will come in off the bench again.

That would be great if it goes down that way...I'd love for this show to capture enough interest that we're all talking about S2 a ways down the road. I've been thinking about the show quite a bit and one thing I really like are all the REALLY loose ties between the characters. It's basically anarchy compounded by the need to fight off technologically advanced critters, so it's interesting to see the father/son, adult/child, military/civilian, officer/higher ranking officer, etc, etc. All these relationships carry over from society, but there is VERY little holding them together. You can see them unravel a bit as this person or that person becomes more bold and develops their own agenda. That part of it I really love and am looking to see how those dynamics work themselves out.

That's pretty consistent with most of the criticisms I've read so far...that it's less character driven and more reliant on special effects and CGI. I'm not eagerly awaiting next week's episode like I was after the premier of The Walking Dead, but I'm gonna keep watching for sure.

Exactly. It's this stupid double-standard celebrity worship crap that you see all the time nowadays. Makes me sick.