World Cup 2018 qualifying thread

[StLGooner]

Don't really understand the pleasure you are all taking in ripping the USA. We already know and accept how much of an embarrassment this was. As for us being good in sports others don't care about, that is simply not true. Basketball, ice hockey, golf, Olympic sports (including women's soccer btw) we are very good at and a lot of countries play them. The men's national team let everyone down last night and it was ugly. No two ways about it, but lets not forget we made it out of the group stage the last two World Cups. We will be back in Qatar hopefully with a very different squad. Also, Pulisic is as bright a talent as any young player in the world right now. If he wasn't American he'd easily be going for 50-60mil.

On a side note, I am very happy for Peru. Hopefully they will finish the job against New Zealand, My girlfriend is Peruvian and her family has gotten me to watch all the games, and they are a very good side. The keeper Gallese is fantastic, wish we had him on Arsenal. He is far better than Ospina.

Don't worry about these bitter butt hurt folks. England will only get to play 3 extra games than us anyway! They're just as shit!

[GoonerAlexandre]

Don't really understand the pleasure you are all taking in ripping the USA. We already know and accept how much of an embarrassment this was. As for us being good in sports others don't care about, that is simply not true. Basketball, ice hockey, golf, Olympic sports (including women's soccer btw) we are very good at and a lot of countries play them. The men's national team let everyone down last night and it was ugly. No two ways about it, but lets not forget we made it out of the group stage the last two World Cups. We will be back in Qatar hopefully with a very different squad. Also, Pulisic is as bright a talent as any young player in the world right now. If he wasn't American he'd easily be going for 50-60mil.

On a side note, I am very happy for Peru. Hopefully they will finish the job against New Zealand, My girlfriend is Peruvian and her family has gotten me to watch all the games, and they are a very good side. The keeper Gallese is fantastic, wish we had him on Arsenal. He is far better than Ospina.

Don't worry about these bitter butt hurt folks. England will only get to play 3 extra games than us anyway! They're just as shit!

Just as shit but got to the world cup

If you had to play Slovenia, Slovakia and Scotland, you'd be dead last

[Va-Va-Voom]

ps- brits getting all schadenfraude cos usa is out is weak.... mind your own garden... its weedy as f**k

Small island mentality.

[elkanofan]

People are insecure because USA dominate most sports - including the Olympics - so don't want to see them do well at football - one sport they've historically been poor at.

100% correct, great post, the truth is USA are now on Englands level, not as good but on the same level quality wise. Guys like Fabian Johnson, Dempsey,Bradley, Jones, Yedlin would get into Englands team. USA have now beaten 3 decent sides in Paraguay, Costa Rica and Ecuador, yes the team Brazil couldn't score against.

This entire tournament setup is a statement of intent from the USA. Such a solid setup and they are getting better every year where as Europe is dying in general..

LOOOOOOOL

England just plain and simple piss me off these days and its a country going nowhere in football. The USA don't even take football seriously yet but are making progress slowly but surely. Its funny because the USA wont produce world class players because everything is about fitness and training which is true, you need technique, then again, this is the exact same problem with england, everything is juts POWER, RAHHH!!

The USA players i mentioned are average players, then again, England has a team of players who are also average and so grotesquely overrated.

Outside of the UK England is just mocked they are seen as a joke now, a team which really should of already won 3-4 world cups now. but due to incredible ignorance and arrogance over the years only have one questionable world cup in 1966 which again many countries outside of england saw as a more corrupt world cup than 1978, which says it all really.

The problem comes in that most english think its an accident they haven't won more than one world cup. Hell they only reached the semis once since then.

ENGLAND ARE IN THE WORLD CUP!

Thats the thing.

This embarrasment i feel will be a blessing in disguse as they will be back obviously in 2022 probably better than ever after they properly look at sorting out many of the issues they have with play recuitment.

They have too many pampered rich soccer kids and no enough street kids. Apparently there are a few Ronaldinho esque players in america who are available if you look to the inner city streets and not the privelidged surburban brat.

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[LMAO]

At least I'll have a first place FIBA World Cup to look forward to in 2019 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020...

f**k the USSF. This is what they get for firing Klinsmann and bringing back that dog shit Bruce Arena. f**k relying on MLS players. Wtf would you start Omar Gonzalez over Geoff Cameron? Gulati and Arena out.

We would've been humiliated in Russia anyway. Other than Pulisic, Dempsey, and Bobby Wood, no one looked like they cared. Blow the whole thing up and start from scratch. Bring Klinsmann back as technical director or something and hire a coach with European pedigree.

I'm less sad about not qualifying and more upset that Pulisic will miss out on a WC because of crap players around him. Rebuild the team around Pulisic over the next 5 years, and maybe we'll look like a decent side in Qatar (or here, Australia, China, wherever it gets moved to). But I said during the 2014 WC that 2026 will be our coming out party to be taken seriously, and as bleak as things look right now, I stand by that.

We should gather Netherlands, Chile, Cameroon, Ghana, Peru/New Zealand, Australia/Honduras and whomever else to have our own tournament next summer...call it the Global Cup. At least Fox Sports will miss out on a lot of WC revenue.

[GoonerAlexandre]

The way you guys are hyping Pulisic up, you'd think he's Messi.

I can wager that unless he improves a hell of a lot, whatever he does at club level, he will be okay for the US, but nothing special. Because you're asking too much of him, imagine telling an 18 year old with potential that you expect the team to be built around him

[LMAO]

The way you guys are hyping Pulisic up, you'd think he's Messi.

I can wager that unless he improves a hell of a lot, whatever he does at club level, he will be okay for the US, but nothing special. Because you're asking too much of him, imagine telling an 18 year old with potential that you expect the team to be built around him

"Over the next 5 years," not immediately. He'll be 23 for the next World Cup, so it's not unfeasible that we'll be in the middle of transitioning from this shit generation to a better one by then. It's not like Pulisic will be the entire team, just the focal point for the upcoming generation. Our next generation along with him has:
Ethan Horvath - GK, 22, Club Brugge
Erik Palmer-Brown - CB, 20, pre-contract with Man City
Cameron Carter-Vickers - CB, 19, Sheffield United on loan from Spurs
Weston McKennie - CM, 19, Schalke
Joshua Perez - FW, 19, Livorno on loan from Fiorentina
Josh Sargent - FW, 17, joining Werder Bremen in January

Along with maybe a couple players in the U-17 World Cup right now. Ayo Akinola (FW, 17) has been tearing it up at youth levels (24 goals in 25 games), so it'll be interesting to see how he develops.

[GoonerAlexandre]

Hart is actually better and that's the US's big hope for keeping?

[StLGooner]

Don't really understand the pleasure you are all taking in ripping the USA. We already know and accept how much of an embarrassment this was. As for us being good in sports others don't care about, that is simply not true. Basketball, ice hockey, golf, Olympic sports (including women's soccer btw) we are very good at and a lot of countries play them. The men's national team let everyone down last night and it was ugly. No two ways about it, but lets not forget we made it out of the group stage the last two World Cups. We will be back in Qatar hopefully with a very different squad. Also, Pulisic is as bright a talent as any young player in the world right now. If he wasn't American he'd easily be going for 50-60mil.

On a side note, I am very happy for Peru. Hopefully they will finish the job against New Zealand, My girlfriend is Peruvian and her family has gotten me to watch all the games, and they are a very good side. The keeper Gallese is fantastic, wish we had him on Arsenal. He is far better than Ospina.

Don't worry about these bitter butt hurt folks. England will only get to play 3 extra games than us anyway! They're just as shit!

Just as shit but got to the world cup

If you had to play Slovenia, Slovakia and Scotland, you'd be dead last

Probably so, but we don't claim to have invented the sport like you lot. Have a fun 3 extra games!

[Losmeister]

i cant say how much hype Puli is getting... bit he looks like a talent...

something to get a bit excited about wherever he is from...

the only sport i follow mens usnt in is footy cos its where they need to improve so much...
they still are pretty damned good at hockey as well.

while its disappointing that they didnt qualify they simply didnt deserve it. what can you say? the infrastructure is bad.
the msl is a joke league.

and can join netherlands in sitting out...

THAT ( netherlands) is shocking.

[elkanofan]

Netherlands have more issues than the USA. They are heading for a depression like Belgium went through from 1999-2010.

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[LMAO]

Netherlands have more issues than the USA. They are heading for a depression like Belgium went through from 1999-2010.

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Do they really? Are there no top prospects coming through for the Dutch? The MLS down to a lot of the youth levels here isn't great for a country our size and with our money. Real talk: we need to start putting soccer fields in the projects and stop limiting youth football mostly to the well-off.

But I'm excited for the future because this upcoming generation is looking like the best we've ever had, by far. There are currently three prospects who have the potential to be top, top class: Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Josh Sargent.

[Sims]

The Dutch have been overachieving for years regarding development of youth talent against the population of the country

Since Cruyff is gone, no academies really have a structure anymore. Ajax is in the midst of a power struggle as there’s too many former superstars at the club, PSV, Feyenoord and co aren’t producing anyone of late either

Their lineup in the last game was an embarasssment

[GoonerAlexandre]

Still better than the USA, where the star player Pulisic is a bench player for Dortmund because Weigl is so much better tbh

[StLGooner]

Everyone was on his dick, now all of the sudden when the US don't make the cup he's overrated. f***ing children.

Lot's of players are overhyped, pretty much every f***ing English player (that you lot openly admit to) that has any talent is overhyped, but hey don't let the chance to ridicule America pass you by.

He's a good player, not great, but has the potential, if you deny that you're most likely just hating. But of course he's overhyped, that's what America does with any potential great football players, doesn't mean he ain't good though.