What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

  • Thread starter Thread starter Priceless
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Shirtless Guy said:
As for CONCACAF, I think you have to be pretty happy for Honduras, they are certainly an underdog, but they couldn't have asked for a better draw than that other than maybe France. For CONCACAF to get respect, a team like Honduras is going to have to make it out of group play and they have a chance. Costa Rica's draw is much more problematic for that, but who knows.
Click to expand...
On the flip side there is a real potential for CONCACAF to go 0 fer in this one. Asia doesn't have it good either with Japan having the best shot.

Saw this, all four teams in Group G were in the knockout round last World Cup.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

Jimjamesak said:
On the flip side there is a real potential for CONCACAF to go 0 fer in this one. Asia doesn't have it good either with Japan having the best shot.

Saw this, all four teams in Group G were in the knockout round last World Cup.
Click to expand...
True, they could.
Another thing I just noticed on Wikipedia, all 3 stadiums the US is suppose to play in during the group stage are new facilities and 2 of them are listed as not completed yet.
 
Shirtless Guy said:
True, they could.
Another thing I just noticed on Wikipedia, all 3 stadiums the US is suppose to play in during the group stage are new facilities and 2 of them are listed as not completed yet.
Click to expand...
Should be advantage US! I mean we're used to playing on crap fields! :D
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

Shirtless Guy said:
In other news, why did the US pick their training facility before the draw? Wouldn't practicing in Recife/Natal or somewhere else in NE Brazil make more sense with 2 games up there?
Click to expand...
I wondered that as well.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

so what times are we looking at in regard to when these games will start (eastern time)?
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

J.D. said:
so what times are we looking at in regard to when these games will start (eastern time)?
Click to expand...
vs. Ghana 6pm ET Monday 6/16
vs. Portugal 3pm ET Sunday 6/22
vs. Germany 12pm ET Thursday 6/26
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

J.D. said:
so what times are we looking at in regard to when these games will start (eastern time)?
Click to expand...

I think the times posted here will be one hour ahead of Eastern, two hours ahead of Central.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_G#Group_G

That puts our games at:

US vs. Ghana : Monday, June 16th at 6:00 (5:00 Central)
US vs. Portugal : Sunday, June 22nd at 3:00 (2:00 Central)
US vs. Germany : Thursday, June 26th at 12:00 (11:00a Central)

Not a big fan of those times. At least the first game is (sort of) after work, but to have the group stage finale in the middle of a workday really sucks.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
I think the times posted here will be one hour ahead of Eastern, two hours ahead of Central.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_G#Group_G

That puts our games at:

US vs. Ghana : Monday, June 16th at 6:00 (5:00 Central)
US vs. Portugal : Sunday, June 22nd at 3:00 (2:00 Central)
US vs. Germany : Thursday, June 26th at 12:00 (11:00a Central)

Not a big fan of those times. At least the first game is (sort of) after work, but to have the group stage finale in the middle of a workday really sucks.
Click to expand...

But it'll be primetime in Europe.

The Portugal game will be late but bearable back home. Ghana will be middle of the night in that country.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
Not a big fan of those times. At least the first game is (sort of) after work, but to have the group stage finale in the middle of a workday really sucks.
Click to expand...
I dunno, I can't really complain. There was really no way we weren't going to have at least one game smack in the middle of the work day; to have only one game for which that's the case seems pretty good. And a weekend afternoon is pretty much as good as it gets; Mexico (to pick one example) doesn't have any weekend matches.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

jmh said:
I dunno, I can't really complain. There was really no way we weren't going to have at least one game smack in the middle of the work day; to have only one game for which that's the case seems pretty good. And a weekend afternoon is pretty much as good as it gets; Mexico (to pick one example) doesn't have any weekend matches.
Click to expand...
I'd say its pretty good, with the weekend game and one "right after work" The other one I can just take a long lunch break.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

OK, here's how it goes:

Beat Ghana 1-0 or 2-1.
Play a tight defensive game but hopefully lose to Germany by only one goal.
Tie Portugal.

Then the only way is to get through on goal differential, because we won't do it on total goals scored.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

In reality, isn't this draw pretty much what we expected? Two or three tough opponents and advancing will be a challenge. This isn't the Group of Death by any means and two of the games are winnable, and the way the order of play is set up, Germany might only need a draw to win the group, which gives the US a free point. All things considered, this isn't the disappointment I originally thought it was. Sure, it could be better, but it could be so much worse.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

Priceless said:
In reality, isn't this draw pretty much what we expected? Two or three tough opponents and advancing will be a challenge. This isn't the Group of Death by any means and two of the games are winnable, and the way the order of play is set up, Germany might only need a draw to win the group, which gives the US a free point. All things considered, this isn't the disappointment I originally thought it was. Sure, it could be better, but it could be so much worse.
Click to expand...

How could it have been worse? And if this isn't the Group of Death... what is? B and D are the only other contenders and they each have at least one team that's weaker than all the teams in G, IMO.

Edited to add: I mean, I guess we can take solace that the two heavy-weights in our group are European teams and therefore could theoretically be out of their element in South America, but let's be serious: Germany has the most depth of talent of any team in the world and Portugal has arguably the best player in the world. The only way this was worse was if we wound up in a group with Argentina or Brazil, and then somehow got two of Italy, Netherlands, England and Portugal (or one of those teams and Chile).
 
Last edited:
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
How could it have been worse? And if this isn't the Group of Death... what is? B and D are the only other contenders and they each have at least one team that's weaker than all the teams in G, IMO.
Click to expand...

Considering Spain, Holland and Chile are all top 10 and one of them will be eliminated, that seems like the GoD to me. How would we feel if the US had been drawn into THAT group?
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

There's a fair argument to be made for B being worse (especially if we were in instead of Australia), but Australia does bring down the group.

For reference, the average FIFA and ELO rankings for each group:

A: 24.25 / 25.50
B: 21.00 / 12.25
C: 20.25 / 17.25
D: 14.25 / 14.50
E: 22.75 / 21.50
F: 26.25 / 21.75
G: 11.25 / 14.25
H: 28.25 / 33.50
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

The one positive from being in a group of death is that maybe everyone will beat each other and it will require less points to get through as the 2nd team. Goal differential will be huge.
 
Re: World Soccer XXIV: The Road to Rio

We really do need to find a way to beat the ever-living **** out of Ghana. We'd be able to grind out something on goal differential if we can get 4 or 5 points and a strong GD.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top