We're still more than an hour from kickoff and the stadium is absolutely rocking. The streets were lined with blue-and-white clad fans for about a mile on the road leading into the stadium, and they certainly let us know who they would be supporting! Personally, we think tossing beverages at the bus is a waste of money, but that's us.
Stay tuned as we'll have the starting XI for you shortly...
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Time to Change Your Bookmarks for the New WNT Blog
15 years ago
22 comments:
Hopefully we can shut them up with some goals. Good luck fellas.
Thanks for all the updates. :)
ESPN should be ashamed of themselves. The worst soccer picture EVER. Get a video tech to ride the levels.
the 1st half is a real yawner, guys. NBC has the women's volleyball final...in the rain...US in white bikinis.
I'm changing the channel.
Nice first half guys :) Nothing is better than beating a team on their home pitch...let's keep it going and get a goal...or two. Heck, I'll even take three ;)
Lack of discipline is a continuing problem with our teams - MNT and Olympic. Stupid yellow cards have to stop. And wild 30yd shots don't help our cause.
Good win tonight. I think Glen Davis was accurate in his characterization of tonight's game as a street fight. Cabrera (?) needs to be suspended for several matches after his rugby-esque tackle on Eddie. I hope Eddie is doing ok. He has to at least have a concusssion after a hit like that. And lovely header by Boca!
Oh we definantly shut them up in the 2nd half with that awesome header!! Way to show those dirty b#@$%es how its done! And at their home stadium this time!! OLE!
How much do you guys pay de refs. What an undeserving win. Is it already payed for? Your qualification and Mexico's? Or you still have to bribe with Jack Warner and Blatter from FIFA.
Very strange stuff happened which I will list in hopes of an explanation from the authors of the blog, which appear to have it very clear.
First of all:
Since the naming of the referee for the match, something fishy was on the way. The ref has 0 international experience and should not have called a match of this caliber. Suriname? what?
Second of all:
Guatemala's players had it tough since 1 penalty, 1 legal position, and a legal goal was taken away from us. Plus the US goal came from a previous foul which never occured outside the box.
ALSO - an unexplainable red card to Gustavo Cabrera.
The penalty - a handball in the area.
Goal ruled off - US goalie fakes an injury, and tosses the ball to Mario Rodriguez while the ref did not stop play. Of course, after the legal goal, it was called off.
Red Card - A hard collision in which both players fought for the ball caused a direct red card for Guate. Compensation for an earlier ejection from the US.
So I congradulate your earned efforts, since you really get what you pay for.
It is sad to look up to a country like the US, that seem proactive when it comes to sports, to have a need to do stuff under the table to get their business.
That was definitely a hard fought game! You guys deserved that win.
This makes me HATE latin american football. its a disgrace. They are filthy. Its so frustrating watching a physical team try to play real football and be completely thwarted off their game because Referees will not call anything or punish for dives and simply just having to play the lowest, filthiest soccer teams I have ever seen.
Having said that, I am extremely proud of the US for picking themselves up after a red, and a scary moment with Eddie and getting the game winner and holding on. I'd like to see some improvement on the left side, can't wait till Beasley is 100% healthy. Also, I don't understand the US's system of keeping possession for only a few passes around the back then having either a center back or Howard kicking the crap out of the ball to 1 or 2 strikers vs the back 4. We can play prettier and attack smarter than that. Remember brazil?
Can't wait for the boys to be playing on US soil.
What to make us proud boys. Good job staying above the dirty play and coming out with the win. Lets keep up the momentum through qualifying.
What an awesome second half guys. First off, I'm hoping that Eddie is okay. Great goal by Carlos, and Tim - way to show that Guatemala kid who's boss ;)
Great way to start the round. Can't wait 'til Cuba. :)
Hey Danielle, oops I mean Daniel :)
Nice try with the "how much did you pay..." line, too bad that was tried back when the U.S. v Guat qualifier was played in Birmingham AL when more than half of the "Guatamala" fans were mexican!
1st off: the ref had bad calls both ways, no team had the advantage on that matter.
2nd off: your "legal" excuses are covered in the "1st off" section, it happens in every game in every league!
3rd off:"an unexplainable red card to Gustavo Cabrera."
Its Football, not Rugby! 1. Lewis won the ball, 2. the challenge was late, 3. it is ILLEGAL to jump INTO a player for a challenge in the air.
"Goal ruled off - US goalie fakes an injury, and tosses the ball to Mario Rodriguez while the ref did not stop play. Of course, after the legal goal, it was called off."
It is ILLEGAL to drag your foot and make contact with the keeper when he has OBVIOUS possession of the ball! Not to mention that player is known to play dirty!
SO I return the congradulations in your effort to use the oldest excuse in the book for an American team taking the win against a latin american team in their own stadium.
OLE!
I have been very composed writing this entry and have not intended to offend but simply write what I saw. So why the insults?
I dare anyone who thinks he understands football or soccer. I have a clear understanding of the rules and watch the game over 3 times to make sure I did not miss a thing.
I write this with great sadness, because Guatemala has always had to play against their opponent and against the conspiration of FIFA not wanting such small teams in the ultimate tournament.
Four years ago we suffered the same when Trinidad stole our place with some ridiculous moves that no one will know or remember.
Back to yesterdays game.
- A hand ball in the area that was obvious. Even the US commentarists on ESPN said it was lucky that the ref did not call it.
That would of changed the outcome for sure.
- Mario Rodriguez was left alone after, and the ref called an earlier foul instead of playing on. This is one of the worst calls I have seen ever. This is soccer, when your team has an advantage after a hit, you continue play. When the ref saw that Mario was alone against Howard, he blew the whistle.
- The red card: In my most sincere opinion, I think Gustavo Cabrera had no intention of hitting heads. But I will give you the benefit in this one, although I really think it was incidental contact.
- I know it is illegal to hit the goalie in the head, who doesn't. But watch the replay and tell me that there was contact and I will shut up. Ruiz lifted his foot, no contact or whistle, Howard tosses the ball and Mario Rodriguez is there to finish. The goal is called off, but there was no contact or whisle before that.
And as for your hate to Latin countries, you should know that the US entered the airport through a special section, the game was delayed 11 minutes so ESPN could show finish its programming.
So all in all, we gave the US all the comforts and help they asked for.
I wonder when Guatemala plays in the US, if we will be escorted through a special area. I don't think so.
So please refrain from insults and lead by example.
First of all I like the us team, but Guatemala is in my blood. The US team and fans need to get us to play hard and physical games because the rest of the world is more that passionate about soccer NOT like here in the US that only a minority cares about the team and the sport. The US team wishes they had supporters like us!! And if the US team is so superior as all of you think then they should have won by many goals!! not just by a lucky one!!!
so now we have "how much did you pay", and "lucky"! I find it quite humorous that the only supporters of Guatemala to speak up on this blog are using such amateur arguments in defense of their loss on home soil.
Im
"And if the US team is so superior as all of you think then they should have won by many goals!! not just by a lucky one!!!"
Nobody has used termonology that can be mistaken as claims that the US team is "superior". We were merely the better team on this night, at that time, on that field!
"lucky" goal? there was no deflection, there was no questionable offsides, there was no controversy surrounding the goal. Appreciate the only goal of the game for what it was, which was a set play brought from the practice field & was executed with perfection when the moment came!
If any more Guats wanna try to belittle the US team that just beat you on your home soil, please bring fact and no more speculation, if you havent noticed, this is a PRO United States Men Soccer blog!
Cheers :)
yes, it was really lucky that your team, Guatemala, decided to cheaply pull down Onyewu on that corner kick, and completely fail to play defense on any of the other US players, and your keeper deciding to stick himself in no mans land, leaving a US runner completely open to finish a nice goal. Yes very lucky goal.
I, a US citizen by birth, do not wish we had fans like guatemala or many latin countries. I, instead, wished we had more intelligent, well informed, soccer knowledgeable fans like many clubs and national teams do around the world, that dont simply cheer and jeer on their filthy cheap playing teams.
One note of class I did observe though. I was really delighted to see no fan throw anything at Eddie Lewis as he was escorted off the field to receive further medical attention.
I'm not so sure that was a lucky goal, lm...we're all entitled to our opinions though ;)
lm, the US has gotten used to playing hard and physical games. They have also gotten used to playing against cheap, diving, disrespectful, and ugly opponents (such is the case every CONCACAF WCQ cycle).
You made mention of the passion the Guatemalans have for their team. Among the many displays of "passion" I saw last night, the most disgusting happened as Eddie Lewis, bleeding from the skull, was stretchered off the field. Stadium security had to put up shields around him so he wasn't further injured from projectiles launched from the "passionate" Guatemalan supporters in the stands.
Moreover, I think the US team is quite happy with its supporters, especially last night when the small contingent of Sam's Army were heard chanting "You're not singing over there."
We won, despite all the obstacles thrown at us. That's how a real team does it.
P.S. Daniel, whatever you're smoking, please share.
As far as I know, the US has never advanced to the semis of the World Cup. In 1934 they did play in the final but this was many years ago and the event during that time was very different. So who do you guys think you are? The way you talk and brag would seem like you have won 3 straight world cups. Also, your racist comments about latin people are not welcome. And besides, if you read your history you would know that many players from the US squad are of Latin descent and their birth places for most of them are not even the US. They have become citizens and helped the US achieve what it has lately.
Bocanegra, Reina, Mastroeni, Ramos, etc.
And by the way Amy, why would I be smoking just because I layed out the 4 terrible calls that affected the outcome of a game. I have not heard any objective responses to the plays I mentioned before.
You will never understand the game of soccer, especially if you watch the ESPN replays and their comments. To understand a sport anc game of this caliber, it is very important to keep up with the rules to and to have personal judgement and not be influenced by commentary or camera angles.
That is why most of you tell the same story over and over again. Without having a real clue of the scope of this event your comments have no base of reason.
Do you even know who the ref was, his prior history. He is a real close friend of Jack Warner, president of CONCACAF from Trinidad and Tobago. This Warner guy was caught selling tickets in the World Cup to make some extra cash. This guy is the one who chooses the ref's, groups, etc. He wants the US to advance in first place so his home country can advance second. He will do whatever it takes to help his cause. In the last qualifiers Trinidad had to win against Panama. He gave them a sub-19 World Cup if Panama played the qualifier with its Team "B". Panama was already out, and they did present themselves with their "B" team. These are only a few of the things this maniac has done in our region.
I can honestly say that what ESPN shows and its replays are completely biast and what really went down is edited. When the US makes a choppy foul, they do not show it or talk about it. In contrast, when Guatemala made a choppy foul, it was replayed in slow motion many times.
To all you soccer wannabes, I will give you some inside info.
A ball in the area - when the trajectory of the ball is manipulated by a hand that comes off the body of a player, the result is a penalty. No excuses...These are the rules.
This happened in the first half and indeed, the result of the game was influenced by a poor decision.
I am just asking for 1 example of a call that affected the US chances of winning. There are none. Nothing was called against the US that was polemic. So at least give me this.
So please, when writing so passionately, use better judgement and have some real insight of what you are writing about.
All my points have some basis of truth and actually happened.
I can't wait to hear from all you guys.
Daniel
As I stated before.....
1.refs are never perfect, your complaints are the same complaints heard in many games around the world!
2.Cabrera's card was deserved for two reasons. 1. Late challenge, did not get ball, and 2. Jumped into the player to challenge the ball, instead of straight up and down.
3. The Guatemala team doesn't need special treatment when they come to the U.S. Because unlike the Guat fans, we don't throw stuff at the players and their bus!
I will leave it here. No use trying to explain and debate a topic when you really have no idea of how this sport is lived outside the US.
The cheap shots that were taken during and before this game came in a one way direction. And it was not Guatemala. Like I say, investigate before you write, and have some reasonable proof of what you are saying.
Do you know that Carlos Ruiz was traded some hours prior to this game. He was given this news a few hours before. Why not wait and let the poor guy play without messing up his head. This also happened last time, when we played in Alabama. He was traded to Dallas and was delivered the news before the game. WOW, this is not a coincidence but a really low cheap way to get into someones head and pull him out of his game.
To reddevilyank, thanks for the insight.
My complaints are not the same as the ones heared in many other games, because a ref of this nature does not usually perform in other games period. And this is not just another game. It is the first world cup qualifier for Guatemala and 13,000,000 people who have waited over 3 years to watch this event. Our advancement to the next game could be jeoperdized because of what went on here.
I wonder if it was the US who would have lost and have these same calls happen to them. Would you still feel the same way? Like I said, give me 1 call that affected the outcome of the game for the US. We had 4. So in this category we won unfortunately. 4 - 0.
Another newsflash - when you play as a local, refs give you the benefit of the doubt. That is why playing a game locally is very important and has many advantages.
Watch an NBA game during the playoffs, where the refs are almost perfect. Home court has always been home court.
As for myself, I have shown many people this blog. Some of my friends from the states and even my college friends. They laugh and say: why do you debate and blog with people who literally have no idea of the sport.
I think I finally got it and will have to let you guys talk trash and insult my country without reason or truth.
When I talk of special treatment I mean: having an expediate exit from the airport, not going through customs. If you think we would throw stuff at you at the airport, then my only comment would be - get a life. Travel some and have some open mindness of how stuff works outside your bubble.
One last thing - you did not touch the subject of the hand ball and the one on one play that was called off because of a supposed prior foul which.
And Cabrera, please watch some Premier League games and watch some hard plays. There is always blood when hard collisions happen and it is just part of the game. It is a dangerous game not meant for people who do not want a physical challenge.
The refs report on the collision is an elbow to the face of Lewis. So in paper, the ref did not even mention a head but. Again, I will be honest and say that I never saw an elbow.
If the ref has such great vision and saw the elbow, it is a miracle he did not see the hand ball inside the US area.
A broadcast from an Argentina network also gives the benefit to Guatemala. And believe me, Argentina does understand the magnitude and scope of a game like this and they know the rules. That does not mean that they obey them, but talking about this game they said it was clear that Guatemala was robbed.
So unless somebody writes something interesting and valid, I will not waste anymore time in this blog. I will stay in my beach house, drink my pina colada, and fly my chopper in a couple of hours back to the city.
And you guys will just have to continue your robotic work, listening to people who influence your opinion or worse, manipulate it. No individual awareness and no curiosity to see what really is outside your border. It is SAD.
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