World Cup Qualifiers thread for Saturday Sept 6th

N

Napoleon

2,500+ Posts
In addition to the USA playing Cuba this evening, there are World Cup qualifying matches being held all over the world.
The one that intrigues me because they are in the same group:

Wales & Azerbaijan

They just don't seem like they should be in the same group. And SPOILER!!!!






Wales 1 - 0 Azerbaijan (FINAL)

The Link
 
Funny seeing the three Sam's Army guys with dark glasses, hats low and US flag bandanas so no one can recognize them.
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All respect getting there
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I watched the whole first half and the first ~7 minutes of the second half on some online feed. Now the start of some crapy Dreamworks/Spyglass film titled "Ruins" keeps starting over and over and over. They dump the feed and then it comes back!!!
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When I do get the game back, I can also hear the dialogue of a cheap horror movie at the same time as the Galavision Spanish play-by-play. More than a little annoying!

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PS- Why does Michael Bradley keep passing the ball to the other team?
 
Not many thoughts....Was a boring game though the USA played decently. The Cuban players are very simplistic on offnese....Run as far forward as fast as you can and then try to pass. Brian Ching had an excellent game though the average fan will not notice.

Not too long now till we actually have stadiums where the camera angle will allow us to see the whole field!!!! Exciting!!!
 
MORE THOUGHTS-

1) On one hand, I simply wanted to win. On the other hand, I wondered how much better Cuba would have been with Maykel Galindo and those ~7 or 8 youngsters that defected last year.

2) The camera angle and the lighting (even when it didn't go out) made it seem like you were watching a match from the '50s. (For obvious reasons.)

3) It was good to see some fans give a big F U!! To the US government and go over and watch the guys. Although I'm thinking the Stars&Stripes bandanas covering their faces made it a little more obvious than it needed to be.

4) I am so glad we didn't see Eddie Johnson!!
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Although I would expect to see him against T&T.

5) I honestly think that Michael Bradley completed more passes to Cuban players than anyone else on the field... including Cuban players.

And then when he made a lunging late pseudo-tackle in the ~37th minute, I thought "Wow, he's not even waiting until the end of the game this time to be an idiot. He'll probably pick up his second yellow by minute 53."... He didn't.

6) As much as I usually sing the praises of Edu over M. Bradley, I have to say that Edu didn't look that great either. They both played. They both played "destroyer" positions (extremely defensive) defensive midfielders and neither looked good.

7) Dempsey look good for the first time in MONTHS!! Not just his goal (off a nice feed from Ching), but before and aftewards as well. He seemed to have a spark. It was nice to see.

8) While typing #7, I was trying to remember if Landon played against Cuba or against Real Salt Lake last night (I watche both games online).
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Now that I think about it, it was against Cuba, but the fact that I honestly couldn't remember reminded me that he didn't have a great game.

9) Gooch was very good.

Against a more experienced team, their forwards might have taken dives that would have given up free kicks and/or a yellow card, but the Cubans played an honest game and Gooch was there to save the day over and over. Very good game from him and I guess a decent game from Bocanegra as well. Nothing glaring.

10) In fact, the entire defensive back line played pretty well. No major mistakes that I can remember.

11) Ching blows hot & cold. But you prefer that from a forward rather than a defensive player or goalie.
-He had a nice assist playing into space for Dempsey. (But I think he actually got the ball after an unintentional hand ball/ arm ball from Dempsey to being with.
-At times his touch blew.
-He's not that fast.
-He made the one assist on a very Brian McBride/ Back to the goal play. (Kenny Cooper makes about 3 to 5 of these plays a game.)

So we won. Yeah. Let's put this division out of reach with a win vs. T&T and start bringing in Kenny Cooper and maybe Edson Buddle.
 
As much as everyone is bagging on Bradley, why does Beasely get a free pass.

He was absolutely horrible. I was hoping when he was changing shoes in the second half that he was going to sub himself out.
 
After 2 games, it is becoming very clear who will make the hex -- USA, TnT/chapines, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador.

I say USA, Mexico, Honduras in, Costa Rica, El Salvador fight for the "repesca" vs. Uruguay, Colombia, or Venezuela.
 
I don't either. I thought they would be a veritable force in the group. Now they have to fight for their lives in the jungles of Chiapas Wednesday night. A loss won't kill them, but they would have to win all 3 games (2 on the road, and their home match vs. Mexico) to have a chance.

I didn't get a chance to watch the Mexico match becaues we were setting up at the Sun Bowl, but from all accounts, SGE has demanded discipline and patience, and it is starting to pay off. The 3 goals were also outstanding.
 
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