Portugal vs. Ghana
12 p.m. ESPN2

United States vs. Germany
12 p.m. ESPN

Algeria vs. Russia
4 p.m. ESPN2

South Korea vs. Belgium
4 p.m. ESPN

Muntari assaulted a member of the staff, Boateng insulted Appiah...

What's worse is they are the best team on the continent...if they could only get themselves together.

EDIT: I had heard over the radio that 2 of their players were suspended, but didn't know which two. Mutari was suspended for this game anyway due to yellow card accumulation, and K-P was one of the squad's most talented players.

*sigh*

Either way, from all these rains in Retife, we might not get a game at all. 2 feet of rains have fallen and traffic is gridlocked supposedly.

With the concurrent games, they would have to postpone both games, I'm assuming.

Apparently FIFA are looking into it, but I have no faith in that organization.

Per a few journalists on Twitter.

I looked at the main picture on ESPN FC

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i/?img=/photo/2014/0626/soc_a_recife_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=904&h=509&scale=crop&site=espnfc

I thought that was a canal. If it's really raining like that, there's no way we can get a decent match.

"At Recife stadium now. No flooding. Can see firsthand the difference between "FIFA-standard" and standard for ordinary Brazilians. Shameful."

I looked at the main picture on ESPN FC

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i/?img=/photo/2014/0626/soc_a_recife_d1_1296x729.jpg&w=904&h=509&scale=crop&site=espnfc

I thought that was a canal. If it's really raining like that, there's no way we can get a decent match.

What could Boateng have possibly said to warrant this?

'I throw an iPad at you crazy'

he was mad not to be in the line up in the first game, but then played terrible vs Germany so I'm guessing Appiah announced he would not play vs Portugal...this triggered the shenanigans, and he supposedly threw an iPad at the coach

KPB organized the refusal to play until paid.

Pathetic. And he might only get a 6 game ban? I guess FIFA want to make sure he can't play in this WC, but that's not gonna make him learn his lesson

============================

Uruguayan FA defends Luis Suárez, claiming bite marks are Photoshopped
• Fifa insiders expect six-match ban as the punishment
• Fowler: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he left Liverpool now’
• Daniel Taylor: Suárez adds to story of violence and deceit


The Uruguayan Football Association has gone on the offensive in an effort to save Luis Suárez from a lengthy ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini, claiming he is the victim of a smear campaign by the Italians, the English media and the Brazilian hosts.

As Suárez came under pressure from his sponsors, fellow professionals and Fifa’s disciplinary committee after sinking his teeth into Chiellini’s shoulder, the Uruguayan FA attempted to circle the wagons.

Executives from Adidas, the sportswear company that said when he previously bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and earned a 10-match ban that it would be “reminding Suárez of his responsibilities”, met in Rio on Wednesday for crisis talks. The poker firm 888.com is also reviewing its contract with Suárez.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee, chaired by the former Switzerland striker Claudio Sulser, was meeting on Wednesday night having given the Uruguayan FA and Suárez a 5pm deadline to submit evidence.


Uruguay captain, Diego Lugano, describes Luis Suárez's alleged bite during their final World Cup group match against Italy as inconsequential
After considering footage of the incident, including angles not shown on television, and other material including witness statements and the referee’s report, Sulser’s committee will decide on a sanction and whether it should apply to all matches or just international fixtures. Either way, Suárez’s World Cup appears to be over.

Senior Fifa insiders, while stressing that Sulser’s committee is independent, said they expected at least a six-game ban for Suárez. Any sanction greater than three matches or two months leaves open the prospect of an appeal.

Fifa promised to resolve the case “urgently” given Uruguay’s looming last-16 clash with Colombia in Rio on Saturday and said it was up to Sulser’s committee whether to take previous incidents into account when deciding the sanction.


Fifa says the organisation is still collecting information from the Uruguay and Italy teams regarding Luis Suárez's alleged bite
Suárez’s lawyer, Alejandro Balbi, said he was preparing a case to show Suárez had been unfairly targeted and would use “all the arguments possible” to clear his client. “We don’t have any doubts that this has happened because it’s Suárez involved and secondly because Italy have been eliminated,” he told Uruguayan radio. “There’s a lot of pressure from England and Italy. There is a possibility that they ban him, because there are precedents, but we are convinced that it was an absolutely casual play, because if Chiellini can show a scratch on one shoulder, Suárez can show a bruised and an almost closed eye.”

The Uruguayan FA also claims that images of bite marks on Chiellini’s shoulder had been Photoshopped to make them appear worse than they were. “If every player starts showing the injuries he suffers and they open inquiries for them everything will be way too complicated in the future,” Balbi said. “We’re going to use all the arguments possible so that Luis gets out in the best possible way.

“You shouldn’t forget that we’re rivals of many and we can be for the hosts in the future. This does not go against what might have happened, but there’s no doubt that Suárez is a stone in the shoe for many.”

The Uruguayan FA president, Wilmar Valdez, told local media the proof against Suárez is not “convincing.”

“We’ve prepared another video of the game in which we discovered there was other behaviour similar to Suárez’s in the game which did not generate a similar reaction from the press,” Valdez told the leading newspaper El Observador.

The Uruguay captain, Diego Lugano, claimed the television pictures of the incident “don’t show anything” and were “nothing important”. He also claimed the British press has an agenda.

“Everybody knows the British media have an issue with Suárez,” he said. “It must sell newspapers in England. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Yesterday Uruguay played against Italy and Saturday it will play Colombia. I don’t know what a British journalist is doing talking about Suárez. It must be popular with the British media. I don’t see another explanation.”

The Uruguayan media accused other countries of launching a “manhunt” against Suárez. “‘Monster’: The British press’s new manhunt against Suárez,” said El Observador. “English newspapers return to attacking the Uruguayan after the alleged biting of Chiellini,” the article said.

Theoretically, Fifa could ban Suárez from football worldwide for up to two years or 24 matches. But while the governing body has previously banned officials and executives from all football activity, there is no precedent for a player to be banned from domestic as well as international matches.

At Liverpool, their manager, Brendan Rodgers, at the end of last season lauded the “phenomenal” Suárez for his “maturity as a person and his continuing development as a player”. He also praised the sports psychologist Dr Steve Peters for helping to improve the player’s behaviour.

Although Liverpool are closely monitoring the latest controversy involving their striker, it is not thought to have altered their resolve to hold on to him. The club stood by Suárez through his eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra and his 10-game ban for biting Ivanovic.

But the latest furore to surround Suárez could have an impact on the enthusiasm of Barcelona or Real Madrid to try to prise last season’s double footballer of the year from Anfield.In an editorial in the Spanish newspaper AS, Alfredo Relaño said he would “encourage Barcelona and Madrid now to sign any player other than him”.

The Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive, Gordon Taylor, said he fears for the 27-year-old’s future in the game after this third biting incident.

“It can’t be acceptable and from that point of view there are serious issues to be dealt with and they’re health issues, counselling issues, mental-health issues,” he said. “It certainly needs that to try to eradicate this from his make-up, otherwise I fear for his career.”

The former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler, no stranger to controversy during his Anfield career, said he was “flummoxed” by Suárez’s actions. “It’s a real, real tough predicament most Liverpool fans are in,” he said. “They love him as a player but he’s continually dragging the club’s name through the mud. It’s not right, especially after how they helped him last time. They tried to rehabilitate him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went now.”

Immediately after the match against Italy, Suárez said: “These situations happen on the pitch, we were both just inside the area, he struck me in the chest with his shoulder and he hit me in the eye as well.”

Chiellini, however, insisted Suárez should have been sent off. The 29-year-old defender told Rai TV: “It was ridiculous not to send Suárez off, it is clear, clear-cut and there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn’t have done.”

not only did Germany NOT play in the jungle, they played 24 hours earlier, meaning they got an extra day to recover from their last game. As Bradley says, it is the WC of suffering, we will see if the US can suffer this much. It will be a big ask for the US to have the same core go another 90', very curious to see how Klinsmann manages depth issues in this game. Any suggestions of a gentleman's draw are so stupid...

I would expect Ghana to steamroll Portugal, because they are good, and Portugal is not. We'll see, predictions don't mean much at this stage of the World Cup.

GO GO USA!

> Any suggestions of a gentleman's draw are so stupid...
>

edit: Uruguay can appeal but not suspensive (except on the fine amount) so he will be missing the rest of the WC
Unclear on the 4 month thing but it sounds like he'll miss the start of the season. So I guess FIFA has jurisdiction over the Premier League?

It's not enough but it's something...kinda

4 months??? That's really a bad decision. I didn't think I could get anymore disappointed by FIFA. This is an outrage.

It's a shame too, because this has really been a great World Cup.

>Unclear on the 4 month thing but it sounds like he'll miss the
>start of the season. So I guess FIFA has jurisdiction over the
>Premier League?

Essentially FIFA are the feds, each individual FA is a state.

Just because FIFA's in Switzerland?

both the length and especially the fine.

it's "unprecedented" though, so FIFA can pat themselves on the back for that. smh.

http://youtu.be/sGeZxgatmRs

mins? The past few days I've been streaming online and it shuts off in 10-15 min intervals, making me reload it.

.

BENCHED


Howard; Johnson, Gonzalez, Besler, Beasley; Beckerman, Jones; Zusi, Bradley, Davis; Dempsey (c

I wouldn't put too much on Omar coming in.

There is a reason he played all of a half game at Stoke at centerhalf.

during qualifiers, he was actually pretty dope as a defensive mid.

that's really the ONE place I thought Jurgen has been wrong.

i guess he felt Cameron was a safer bet than Brooks.

wasn't paying too much attention so I initially assumed it was some silly hashtag dreamed up by the vampires at Nike. But apparently it's a grass-roots thing?

Slowly snaked it's way into other schools, then MLS fans in the west coast adopted it then it worked it blossomed when the Outlaws adopted it. Not really a soccer chant, but anything is better than "U-S-A, U-S-A"

>Slowly snaked it's way into other schools, then MLS fans in
>the west coast adopted it then it worked it blossomed when the
>Outlaws adopted it. Not really a soccer chant, but anything is
>better than "U-S-A, U-S-A"

Then American Outlaws picked it up, because American Outlaws is really just a federation of all the various supporter's groups throughout the US. But it's like THE big chant in Kansas City when SKC plays. I just heard it at the US Open Cup game on Tuesday. Unless they're doing it in LA or San Jose (which who's kidding who, they're not) no one out West can claim it and it's still not done at games.

It was hugely popular at Utah State then jumped to RSL prior to KC picking it up.

and I've never made it to Rio Tinto. Only thing I know from RSL is the song the Rancid drummer wrote for them that you hear every pre-game. He tried to write one for the USA this tournament, too (which was really just the same tune with the words changed). I'm so happy we haven't even pretended like it's a legitimate thing lol.

> anything is better than "U-S-A, U-S-A"

my cousin's high school was doing it six years ago

They have the best look in international soccer, and their main kits look like some bootleg Belgian shits from the 90's, and their clash kits are this abomination.

Germany does emphatically not have the best look in futbol, fuck outta here
the scapular kit is nice
this one...looks odd on Germany, I'll give you that, but it's not an abomination (it's kind of a flip on Sao Paulo FC)

nicest look in international futbol thing. I dig the white jersey/black shorts, but I can see why you obviously don't, lol.

Mainly I'm mad because I thought Germany's 2010 kits were so much nicer than what they got this year.

I meant to say Flamengo, not Sao Paulo

Love the way they pronounce "Kilnsmann"

I would say downright unamerican, but since it's made in the name of profit I guess it actually is the most American thing to do

Last match, every time the announcer said "Schweinsteiger" he had me and my wife dying.

Great

(and no, I don't really care, but it's funny. Like Germaine Jones saying he won't celebrate if he scores v. Germany, god I'd love to see that be tested.)

I like it

Turtle power!

this shit is hilarious.

I need him to score now, just so I can hear what these announcers do

But Germany is pounding them.


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***
Instagram - @casethenupe
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Host of The Power Up Show http://uvr20.net/group/thepoweupshow
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"The Twenny, Baby!
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Univision has it

Anyone actually watching that? What happened?

ridiculous angle on that goal

he DEFINITELY looks gassed now by 35'

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***
Instagram - @casethenupe
Twitter - @revjcase
Host of The Power Up Show http://uvr20.net/group/thepoweupshow
UVR 2.0 Universe Radio
"The Twenny, Baby!
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I always preface my soccer posts by saying I'm a novice

but can somebody put Tim Howard into context for me

this dude has to be the best in the biz...yes?

I mean, the dude for Spain was the best...and now he looks like shit.

Tim Howard been doing this for 12 years?

can I just say he's the GOAT, or do some more knowledgeable soccer heads want to school me?

no way the USMNT makes the WC without him.

him to.

now it seems people like this Courtois fellow who played at Atletico who will likely replace Cech at Chelsea next year.

But Petr Cech was the best player in the game when Chelsea won the Champion's League. Howard never been able to say that.

Lots of folks like Neuer, the German in net right now, too.

all the old gods have fallen off or retired. van der sar, buffon, cech, casillas.

howard's probably a top 10 keeper.

Lost in the disappointment of the season was the fact that De Gea was off the damn charts...some of the reaction saves he made were ridiculous, and he got a lot more confident/decisive on 50/50's.

to me, him, Memo and Courtois are the top 3

WTF at that corner?
Playing with no urgency.

Clint not finding life as easy against a better backline, but he's working hard. Managing tired legs will be the challenge in the 2nd half. Unless the US is going to get some attacking set pieces, I'm not sure what Davis is going to do for us (although at one point Fabian shoulda gave up the rock and let Davis cross instead, because he's better at it even on the off wing).

GO GO USA!

getting to the point where anytime hes on ball I'm expecting something horrible to happen

beas has been impressive so far

iv given up on us scoring with this line up

maybe we can catch Germany sleeping on a counter

thats our only chance

hopefully our D can hold up





Say dat then.
____________

Dallas Heatvricks BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!!

because I can't think of any besides that, and overall he's done a good job of maintaining possession throughout midfield and hitting the switch to open up space when needed.

Bradley put Fabian Johnson on the endline to cross into Jones when Jones got fouled by the ref.
Wasn't it Bradley that dinked over the top for Jones?
It was Bradley that neatly one-touched across to Zusi for the curling shot, when the rest of the US side was struggling to find the wide man.
Besides that, he's hit a couple through balls to the fullbacks, switched the play well, combined well with Beckerman to help open up space in the back, and served as the only pressing midfielder in the side.

But maybe I'm selectively editing? Where else do you see him flubbing it besides that one trap around the 40' mark?

his 1st touch has been god awful

no arguing that


Say dat then.
____________

Dallas Heatvricks BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!!

I refuse to believe that him leaving Europe and spending the last three months in MLS is responsible, because that's sheer idiocy. But something's not right with him.

It seems like he's being asked to be the forward man in the midfield on attacks and on the press, but he's also being asked to drop into the line of Jones and Beckerman. They might have switched Jones' and Bradley's role in this game, but it's not entirely clear.

But like I said above, he missed one (key) touch by my count and overall was an exemplary midfield contributor...

Omar was sloppy and worrisome early, but he's gotten his shit together as the game has progressed. The defense is making it difficult on Germany's fluid front 3.

I'm mad that Dempsey let that break fall apart by over-hitting a very simple pass to his teammate on the right side.

Jones continues to be generally outstanding.

Our possession spells should be worrying Lowe by now...

Keep that pressure coming now.

and of course it had to be Gyan

is this what "composure" looks like for Jones?

Ugh

his other two were against Iran and North Korea

but he's a beast of an athlete, so I'm not mad at all about him coming in here. But it's his crossing that's keeping him from being a first choice wide player with the US.

The results are pretty much set

The only reason it could ever be the "real" group of death is because we were in it, too.

LOL.

would've loved to face you guys in the 1/4s (no offense) but it was a tough ask today

Grant Wahl just wrote the right article on it -- we would have blamed MLS if we had failed, so let's give credit when we succeed.

In particular, both Besler and Beckerman were two of the top performers in every match of the group stage. Besler was nearly perfect against Portugal and Beckerman is the real reason a guy like Jones was able to get free and roam through the midfield. Omar was a monster in settling the backline today in the do or die game against Germany.

Good job, Klinsmann. Tinkering right up until the end and the experimentation and challenging seems to have paid its dividends.

We're not done yet, bring on Belgium.

He's had an outstanding 3 games.

Omar recovered nicely from shaky moments to begin the game.

Beckerman is doing his job really fucking well, but he's got such a limited ceiling. If you ask him to do anything differently - be more of an attacker namely - he's going to let you down. Not that this is news to you.

So Wahl's assessment aside, to me this story is not as simple as MLS players thriving.

In point of fact Jones and Johnson are probably our two best players right now. And Bradley has been a shell of his former self. I also (like somebody previously posted) don't want to be one of those "Bradley is regressing because of his move to MLS" guys, but there's something to be said about no longer testing yourself regularly against the best of the best in training.

And what's up with Dempsey's touch? He has been far from solid in the possession game, the goal aside.

Hopefully Jozy can come back to relieve him of workhorse duty and let him actually ball.

And a chance with his head

and Beckerman playing the role PERFECTLY, that he honed in MLS, no small thing.

Jones and Johnson were good, probably the best, but the standout names after that are career-long MLS guys. And Jones only looks so good because of Beckerman, it's no small thing.

Happy for the performance overall, mainly just saying credit due to the quality in MLS.

Omar had a very good game today tho

Beckerman deserves all XI consideration should they advance further

played his ass off.

saved a goal on that Ozil header, in particular

Say dat then.
____________

Dallas Heatvricks BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!!

But you're not really paying attention, we already established that.

yes or no?




Say dat then.
____________

Dallas Heatvricks BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!!

Brooks' goal against Ghana was from a Zusi corner.

good shyt

point is dude is overall trash at set pieces

u can make excuses for him to push whatever bullshyt agenda u on

but dude has overall been serviceable at best

I'd rather see yedlin get 45 mins

either starting or coming in at half


Say dat then.
____________

Dallas Heatvricks BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!!

And it's true Zusi's corners, Ghana aside, have been terrible.

That said, Zusi has 2 assists in key moments and his defensive workrate was great against some of the most dangerous wingers in the world. I dunno if he starts against Belgium, you have to gameplan differently now that it's single elimination, but he did his job and he did it well in helping the US get out of the group.

He wasn't a world-beater, but his effort was still critical in helping the US advance.

if the US advanced further than England in this World Cup.

This achievement is so much bigger than just soccer.

what kind of dumbass bets on England football doing anything?

>

going into next week.

We probably control pssession more against Belgium. And getting Jozy back would be huge. Let Dempsey play his natural role which in turn would take some pressure off Bradley.

Plus we get an extra day of rest.

Do we keep with Deuce The Rapper up top, or do we try something different (Wondo?)

Because the lack of Jozy really shows when trying the defensive shape we used in the groups, and Clint did seem to fade a bit with all the work he was having to do in the hold-up. Not sure if that leaves a chasm in the midfield we can't overcome, but the F problem is a tough one at this point.

even if he did, it wouldn't be 100%

still think EJ woulda been a better option over Wondo

until Kokorin crushed the buildings

c'mon, Fennecs

I'm rooting for Algeria because it would be their first time getting to the knockout stage, and also because it would set up a match up w/Germany, giving them a chance, however slight, to avenge the Anschluss game

but Germany/Russia would be a good match up too

*edit* Algerians' time wasting shenanigans are making me reconsider my stance, though

second crucial blunder in 3 games

until they get near goal.

Just shoot the fucking rock. Something might happen.

38.1 km in 3 games for you euro-snobs out there

If they can keep Hazard quiet I can see them dominating Belgium even despite how Bradley is below par.

Question for MLS heads, who else you got that can take Bradley's spot. I feel like that's the ONLY real area of concern for the US.

************************

he turns it around.

I'm scratching my head about Belgium after this group phase. One of only 4 teams to grab all 9 pts, yet they've rarely seemed overwhelming. They can definitely turn it on when necessary, and Wilmots had made the most of his substitutions, but there's something lacking and I'm not sure what it is.
Still, it's probably 60-40 Belgium. Not shocking if either team wins based on performances so far, though it would be a big letdown for the red devils, and a massive get for the US.

I say this with the caveat that I don't really know very much about soccer, and with the awareness that the teams Belgium played were not exactly powerhouses. But I was impressed how consistently Kompany and Van Buyten and Vertonghen and them completely snuffed out almost every attempt to even get in their box.

Makes me think that if US couldn't get a SOG against Germany, they're going to have an awful lot of problems against Belgium too, even with Altidore.

>Question for MLS heads, who else you got that can take
>Bradley's spot. I feel like that's the ONLY real area of
>concern for the US.

We don't have anyone that can play Bradley's spot now. In four years, hopefully Wil Trapp and Luis Gil will also be part of the USMNT central midfield, but by that point Jones and Beckerman will likely be out anyway, so someone has to come through.

But everyone needs to stop hand-wringing over Michael Bradley. His work rate has been not just good, but the best at the World Cup. NO ONE through three games has covered more ground than him, and his shift included 95 minutes in Manaus. He actually ran the MOST against Germany, following his long plane trip out of the jungle. Also, his passing percent is 84.6% after group stage, saw that he was 42/50 yesterday, including 6/9 on long balls. Jermaine Jones, by contrast, is in the low 70s% passing (I looked for the stat I saw yesterday putting Jones AT 70% after the group, but I couldn't find it again). After a game where the US gameplan yielded 35% possession, you can hardly lay that at the feet of Bradley. His work rate and passing game have been vital to the US midfield, and it can't be replicated by anyone else in the US -- not Jones, not Beckerman, not Cameron, no one in the US pool can put in that kind of work and act as a fulcrum all the way from the defensive third to the final third.

The GOOD NEWS is, yes! Michael Bradley can play better! It's that sort of thing which should help build hope going into Belgium. But Bradley has not been "bad," he's just been less than stellar. He's been unbelievably vital to the US midfield, helping free up the game of those around him and doing more pressure and defensive work than anyone, but yes hopefully we will see him start to take over the game in the final third a bit more going forward.

>
>Question for MLS heads, who else you got that can take
>Bradley's spot. I feel like that's the ONLY real area of
>concern for the US.
>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NIlxYe0Yeg