# Brasil 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 6, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840 "2014-05-06T21:19:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/681 "2014-06-17T00:02:23Z")
It’s always worth watching USA games right to the end! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/682 "2014-06-17T00:04:58Z")
Klinsmann has to ditch this formation, it sucks, too much open space along the wings. He probably has to do so anyway with Altidore out. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/683 "2014-06-17T00:06:04Z")
Watching them sit on the lead was excruciating. Fortunately, we probably won’t have to worry about that in the rest of the games. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/684 "2014-06-17T00:17:29Z")
That header to grab the win was epic, especially considering it was from a wide-eyed 21 year old backup playing in his first World Cup (and well, I might add). Good job USA. Tighten it up and play for the win next game too. I think the USA keeper is badass too. Aside from the goal that Ghana scored, which I felt he could have defended better, he played remarkably well. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/685 "2014-06-17T00:21:01Z")
Heh, the Google Doodle has the USA eagle in the nest with 2 Chicks and Ghana with one. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/686 "2014-06-17T00:28:47Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I think the USA keeper is badass too. Aside from the goal that Ghana scored, which I felt he could have defended better, he played remarkably well. Tim Howard is a really good keeper, and you are lucky to have him. He’s mid-thirties, but that’s an age that a keeper can be the wise old man for a few years yet. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/687 "2014-06-17T00:30:53Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Heh, the Google Doodle has the USA eagle in the nest with 2 Chicks and Ghana with one. Yes, the winners always get more chicks. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/688 "2014-06-17T00:35:19Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I think the USA keeper is badass too. Tim Howard has been consistently one of the best keepers in the Premiere League, and I have no doubt he’s one of the top 3-4 in this World Cup. USA! We need a change of formation, but it worked out in the second half. I’m proud of our defenders; they and Howard let one by, but held on for most of the match under considerable duress. Now, let’s do better with possession and putting pressure on the opposition’s box. We can do this! (ETA, by which I mean, get to the elimination rounds.) ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/689 "2014-06-17T00:51:03Z")
As a long-time (but not particularly knowledgeable) US soccer fan, I feel like what we can NEVER do, even in games we win, is just pass the ball around and maintain possession. We can counterattack, we can sometimes score beautiful goals, we can defend tenaciously, but when we just have the ball in the midfield and are trying to pass it around to probe their formation (or whatever is going on), 3 or 4 passes and then, oops, gave it away. I feel like we need to play better to draw or beat Portugal, but we did what we needed to do… phew! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/690 "2014-06-17T01:06:53Z")
My interest in the World Cup this year is at about a 2, which is a massive rise from its usual level of about a -6. As such, I wanted to watch USA/Ghana. However, I realized this afternoon that I had a commitment with the Father’s Club at my daughter’s school, which was beginning at exactly 6:00, same as the game. But, these are modern times. I set the DVR and headed across the street to the school. Once I got back, there were a few household things to get done, so I didn’t start watching the game until about 7:45. Woohoo, quick USA score – and then the standard drought. About 10 minutes in, I started fast-forwarding, and realized that soccer is perfectly designed for watching at triple-speed. It’s like watching the Benny Hill World Cup, but you’re not missing any actual action. When they’re lining up for a penalty kick, you know it in enough time to bring it to standard speed, but there’s not the usual “OMFG I’m about to set fire to myself just to relieve the boredom” usually associated with soccer. x3 speed soccer: You’re welcome, America. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/691 "2014-06-17T01:08:43Z")
Typical American approach to sport - just watch the first five minutes and last five minutes of the game and you have it. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/692 "2014-06-17T01:41:56Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I feel like we need to play better to draw or beat Portugal, but we did what we needed to do… phew! Yes, I agree. Relief, blended with trepidation… ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/693 "2014-06-17T01:42:44Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Typical American approach to sport - just watch the first five minutes and last five minutes of the game and you have it. To be fair, I watched the entire game as a casual fan (and as someone that LOVED the sport and played keeper in a select league for several years) and that method of viewing this particular game was spot on. There was a lot of trash in the middle moments. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/694 "2014-06-17T01:47:40Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > My interest in the World Cup this year is at about a 2, which is a massive rise from its usual level of about a -6. As such, I wanted to watch USA/Ghana. However, I realized this afternoon that I had a commitment with the Father’s Club at my daughter’s school, which was beginning at exactly 6:00, same as the game. > > But, these are modern times. I set the DVR and headed across the street to the school. Once I got back, there were a few household things to get done, so I didn’t start watching the game until about 7:45. > > Woohoo, quick USA score – and then the standard drought. About 10 minutes in, I started fast-forwarding, and realized that soccer is perfectly designed for watching at triple-speed. It’s like watching the Benny Hill World Cup, but you’re not missing any actual action. When they’re lining up for a penalty kick, you know it in enough time to bring it to standard speed, but there’s not the usual “OMFG I’m about to set fire to myself just to relieve the boredom” usually associated with soccer. > > x3 speed soccer: You’re welcome, America. If you don’t like the game, why bother to watch it any of it at all? Presumably the US broadcasters have a website where you can view the goals and nothing else, if that’s all you care about. I mean, there was a story here - were the Americans going to get away with defending an early lead? Was that actually the plan, or were they simply incapable of doing anything else? It seems unlikely that their strategy from the outset was based on scoring a goal in 31 seconds, but their inability to press that advantage was nearly their undoing. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/695 "2014-06-17T01:51:03Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > To be fair, I watched the entire game as a casual fan (and as someone that LOVED the sport and played keeper in a select league for several years) and that method of viewing this particular game was spot on. There was a lot of trash in the middle moments. > > 🙂 It can be weird, though, can’t it? I mean, this was not a “good” game by WC standards, but I wouldn’t have described it as “boring”. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/696 "2014-06-17T01:54:33Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Typical American approach to sport - just watch the first five minutes and last five minutes of the game and you have it. Unless you’re a Dodgers fan, their approach is come late and leave early. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/697 "2014-06-17T02:30:26Z")
The US was lucky to get the result it did. Ghana dominated the game from 20 minutes in, up to a bit after their goal. Someone said the US seemed to do much better when we needed a goal and that seems to be right. Our gameplan was not all that great for most of the game. I’m VERY happy for the win (which I don’t think we deserved), but if we play like that against a Portugal team that is angry, we’ll get destroyed. Heck, if Ghana was better at finishing, they may have scored 3 goals - they had the chances. What was it, 20 shots? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/698 "2014-06-17T02:50:23Z")
I’m glad they won, but the US looked like shit. Bradley in particular looked bad. Lots of unforced giveaways. They need to clean that up a lot against portugal. A draw would likely get them through, but they better not play for one. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/699 "2014-06-17T02:56:49Z")
I am not privvy to world cup rules, with Altidore out AT LEAST on Sunday, if not longer, can the US call up someone (coughdonovancough) and replace him? Put Altidore on the world cup DL of sorts? Or is the US just gonna have to eat the injury and yay for subs? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/700 "2014-06-17T03:01:15Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > The US was lucky to get the result it did. Ghana dominated the game from 20 minutes in, up to a bit after their goal. Someone said the US seemed to do much better when we needed a goal and that seems to be right. Our gameplan was not all that great for most of the game. I’m not sure the gameplan was the problem, but more the inability to string together passes, even when guys were wide open. Bradley in particular was uncharacteristically atrocious. I think one big problem was the speed and athleticism of the Ghanians, which nullified the one advantage that the US usually has. Portugal and Germany are more talented, but the US won’t get chased down as easily as they did against Ghana. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840.md?page=36)