Blog contributors (from left) Mike, Lil' Marks and Greg showed up looking very patriotic. Although, Mike's had more resembled a penguin's head, rather than an eagle.
Know thy enemy. Here we have the only Brit front and center. I'm still not sure who invited him, but he was there.
Game got off to a rocky start with the Yanks' defense breaking down and England getting an early 1-0 in the 5th minute. The energy in the private room disappeared and the only noise was a collective groan of disappointment. Oh, and the Brit standing, clapping and yelling "Yeah baby!"
Not a lot of excitement until USA midfielder Clint Dempsey hit a laser that no keeper in the this tournament would have saved. Well, more like he two hopped a long shot that the England goalkeeper, who from now on will be referred to as Suck, couldn't handle.
The Brit wasn't standing and cheering after the goal. If this look doesn't say stunned, I don't know what does.
GMeanwhile, US fans Greg and the Danarchist were pretty pumped.
England had some solid chances near the end of the half, one of which was a slight breakaway, but instead of putting it to one side or another, the England striker put it right into Tim Howard's chest. Of course, this led to the Brit screaming how terrible the striker was and how he couldn't believe he was playing.
You might notice I'm not naming any of England's players. That's intentional. They probably played the better half, but they didn't play well. Wayne Rooney (first name drop) was practically invisible. But then again, so was US star Landon Donovan.
Second half action was cleaner play. Rooney woke up and just missed one shot that was an absolute rocket. He also seemed to be everywhere in the offensive zone. Maybe he was just saving his energy in the first half for a late rally.
Yanks' forward Jozy Altidore had a golden opportunity, but Suck got a hand on it and deflected the ball into the post. It was by far the team's best opportunity, included the shot they scored on.
You might hear the media say Howard made some big saves, but in all honesty, the shots England took were all right at him. Nothing spectacular, but he made all the saves he should have, which is all you can ask for from your keeper. I'm sure England would take Howard any day.
Not really much to talk about other than those highlights. Joe might have some more detailed analysis that I missed, but I didn't think it was an above average game. Both teams looked rusty and neither team's stars played up to their potential.
The US has Slovenia next, and I'm confident the Yanks come away with a win. Altidore and Donovan will be bigger factors and Slovenia won't get an easy goal like they did in their 1-0 victory against Algeria. In case you missed the Slovenia goal, it was almost as soft as the one Suck let in against the US. The only thing I'm worried about is the Yanks tend to slack off in games they're supposed to win. Doing that in the World Cup usually has bad results, so let's hope they keep focused.
Go USA!
Hulk Hogan theme song (I Am a Real American)
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ReplyDeleteI think it was a pretty typical opening game. Both teams more afraid to lose than trying to win. We should see teams playing with much more desperation in this second go-round within group play.
ReplyDeleteI would have more detailed analysis, but I was attempting to go toe to toe drinking with the Brit. Hell, I was trying to pick the meatiest hot wings left when Deuce scored with wondergoal, errr I mean absolute gift from Robert Green.
Must win on Friday morning. A loss will end things for the Yanks. There's no way England is losing to Algeria.
A win would definitely put us in the driver seat, or at least riding shotgun, for the group. Defense still has me worried. They breakdown too much, especially toward the middle of the field. I know left back was supposed to be our weak spot, but the Three Lions were coming through the middle for their goal and several chances.
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