Z this is the last USA/Moron related post I add to this thread if you may allow me?
Ok, thank you. Well here it goes:
From the news wire:
NANTES, France (AP) - An utter, total wreck of a World Cup for the United States ended Thursday night with a 1-0 loss to Yugoslavia. And then the Americans finally let loose, mostly at their coaches.
See it is not only me, his own players blame the Moron
"I don't think we got the best out of the talent we had here," veteran Tab Ramos, one of three U.S. players to appear in all three tournaments in the '90s. "From the beginning, this whole World Cup has been a mess. I blame the coaches for the losses. I have no problem saying that."
Tab, one of the greatest talents and great playmaking midfielders this country ever produced pretty much rot on the bench, even after he did a pretty good job whenever he played. Then he talked to the media, his reward: not play at all against the Yugos
The Americans, who came to the tournament with the goal of showing Europe that U.S. soccer has come of age, instead proved how far they have to go. The United States (0-3), already eliminated by a 2-1 loss to Iran, is guaranteed of finishing no better than 30th in the 32-team field and could wind up dead last.
While the U.S. team showed flashes of improvement from four years ago in brief stretches, all in all it was an embarrassment for a nation that has spent millions of dollars trying to build up its program to a world-class level.
And the veterans, angered at their lack of playing time, placed the blame on head coach Steve Sampson and his assistant, Clive Charles.
"We all have a scrapbook, and I would have liked to at least have a picture of myself on the field," said Alexi Lalas, who didn't play a minute.
Not playing Lalas at all was criminal. Hmm, Lalas talked to the media after the second game too. Balboa did not and gets to play for 10 minutes at least
"But I'm confident, regardless of whether I played a minute in this World Cup, I have the respect of the people on the team. The most important thing is having the respect of the people you associate with yourself. I was honest and open up front, and I know I have that respect. Steve is going to have to settle for a scrapbook -
and that's all."
Even though U.S. Soccer Federation president Alan Rothenberg met with the team before the game and warned players to watch their words, Ramos vowed to remove himself from the program unless there's a coaching change.
Wow, and you think I feel strongly about the Moron...
"As long as Steve and Clive are around this team, I won't have anything to do with it," he said.
In 1994, when the United States was host of the World Cup for the first time, it advanced to the second round. Some players talked about making it to the quarterfinals this year.
Instead, a team that improved steadily since 1985, when it was eliminated for the ninth straight time in World Cup qualifying, faces a period of reassessment and uncertainty.
"We are doing it an inch at a time, not a mile at a time," Rothenberg said. "We can't be foolish dreamers."
Frankie Hejduk, one of the few bright spots for the Americans, hit the far post with a header 24 seconds in. But the Americans, outscored 5-1 in the tournament, fell behind after just 3:05 when Slobodan Komljenovic beat Brad Friedel with a header off the rebound of Sinisa Mihajlovic's curling, 35-yard free kick.
After that, both teams had good chances, but never really came close to scoring. The Americans were always a step too slow, a foot too wide or made a pass too many.
Sampson, the object of intense criticism by veteran players, once again opted to go with youth over experience, leaving Eric Wynalda, Lalas, Marcelo Balboa, Ramos and Roy Wegerle out of the starting lineup and replacing No. 1 goalkeeper Kasey Keller with Friedel.
Sampson, whose contract expires later this year, is likely to be one of the first casualties of the dismal American performance.
Brian McBride, the lone forward in Sampson's 3-6-1 formation, was the perfect symbol of the Americans' World Cup experience, running around the field with a bandage wrapped around his head after an elbow from Slavisa Jokanovic drew blood in the 39th minute.
Wynalda said the flop was a "wakeup call."
"There's a lot people back home that we've disappointed and we feel responsible for creating this," he said. "As players we have to face the fact that we went out on the field and we lost games and we let people down"
And with that I end my infamous posts about the USA soccer team and the Moron...
Thank you for listening.
On with the fest.
George |
