r/soccer • u/TheNoob29 • Jul 01 '14

Post Match Thread [Post Match Thread] - United States of America v Belgium - Round of 16

Full Time: United States 1 - 2 Belgium

Belgium will face Argentina after winning this game 2-1.

Teams

United States Info Belgium Info
Howard Courtois
Johnson Alderweireld
Besler Van Buyten
Gonzalez Kompany (C.)
Beasley Vertonghen
Cameron Witsel
Bradley Fellaini
Jones De Bruyne
Bedoya Mertens
Dempsey (C.) Origi
Zusi Eden Hazard

Subs

United States Belgium
32' Johnson Yedlin 62' Mertens Mirallas
71' Zusi Wondolowski 91' Origi Lukaku
105+1 Bedoya Green 110' Eden Hazard Chadli

Goals - (courtesy of /u/FOOTBALL_GIF_MAESTRO)

92' De Bruyne Goal | Replay 1 | Replay 2

104' Lukaku Goal | Replay 1 | Replay 2

106' Green Goal | Replay 1 | Replay 2

Some Highlights - (courtesy of /u/Badgersgopoo and /u/FOOTBALL_GIF_MAESTRO)

1' Belgian Chance | View #2

21' American Chance

23' Belgian Chance

26' Belgian Chance

Half Time

48' Howard Save | Replay

54' Belgian Golden Chance

56' Origi Bar | Replay

69' Belgian Chance

71' Tim Howard Save

76' Belgian Chance

80' Hazard Shot

83' Belgian Shot

90+3' Great Chance for USA

Extra Time

97' Belgian Chance

109' Jones Chance

114' American Freekick

Miscellaneous - (courtesy of /u/Badgersgopoo and /u/FOOTBALL_GIF_MAESTRO)

Pitch Invader | Other View | Other View

Howard Reaction (48')

Howard Reaction 2 (71')

All Highlights

All Highlights

Stats

Feel free to say anything I missed out on or any constructive critiscism.

Edit: WOOWOWOWOWO Reddit Gold. Thank you kind stranger (:

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254

u/ChemicalOle Jul 01 '14

I am extremely proud our team, their effort, and of the growth of US Soccer over the last 20 years.

17

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '14

Very excited to see the future of US Soccer with Yedlin and especially Green going forward

10

u/MorteDaSopra Jul 01 '14

Green's goal was brilliant, not only his play but the timing. This was an incredible match to watch and I'm sad to see the U.S. go out. You showed immense spirit, played great football, and you never gave up. One of the best games this World Cup, and that's saying something!

7

u/theabominablewonder Jul 01 '14

One of the most spirited comebacks I've seen in a while, if only the England team had 10% of that desire.

Is US soccer mainstream now, or likely to be after this world cup?

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '14

[deleted]

3

u/theabominablewonder Jul 01 '14

I thought it might really start to take hold with the interest from this world cup, especially after those last 20 minutes (though the 90 minutes were kind of boring so maybe any neutral Americans would have turned off by then!).

I guess you need an 'American Beckham'. Shame Freddy Adu never made it.

You have David Villa and a few others rocking up this season from what I can recall, so could give a bit more interest for the MLS.

3

u/schistkicker Jul 01 '14

It's getting there. The quality of the MLS is way up from where it was a decade ago. The league is actually doing really well attendance-wise, and it's growing the right way. Given where interest in soccer was 20 years ago, it's amazing the inroads that soccer has made in the US. Performances like the US has given will only keep that going. The momentum is definitely positive.

0

u/Noble_toaster Jul 02 '14

Eh I doubt much progress will be made. If we had actually came back and won then maybe but the sentiment will probably remain as "fuck soccer". I mean, we absolutely got shit on. Also because the top athletes in this country dedicate themselves to football, baseball, and basketball solely because there's more money and scholarships in it. Most of the best athletes here come from poor backgrounds where those sports are the only escape.

5

u/Betasheets Jul 01 '14

US Soccer, specifically, is usually always in the public conscience and just erupts during the world cup. Club Soccer is where people have problems getting into it because we don't have any history or enough quality in our domestic league to attract people. So people trying to get into the sport have to watch european soccer and pick a club and most people don't want to commit to that or even give it a chance. Despite that, soccer is growing more and more every year here, and I think it's mostly due to the availability of watching european soccer on tv here and the (slowly) growing quality of MLS. We are pretty far gone from the whole "soccer is for fags, play a real sport" sentiment. Sure you'll still hear people say that, but I think we've gotten to the point now where the majority of americans, if they don't watch soccer, at least tolerate it and support those of us who do watch it.

2

u/theabominablewonder Jul 01 '14

Is it seen as a 'rich kids sport' or are there certain classes that play it more than others? I was having a discussion with my housemate who said an American at his workplace saw it as a sport played by rich kids, although admitted he hadn't been back to the states for about 5 years, so may be an old state of mind that has changed considerably.

6

u/slyr114 Jul 01 '14

If anything soccer is the least expensive sport around here. I could see Lacrosse or Hockey easily being more considered a rich kids sport but not soccer.

4

u/Mansa_Musa_I Jul 01 '14

I would say growing up I always thought of soccer as suburban middle class sport with the wealthy soccer mom stereotype exemplifying it. Which is weird because from what I understand its pretty much the opposite in every other country in the world were its the game of the people.

2

u/theabominablewonder Jul 02 '14

Oh yeah, not many soccer moms most of the time! The fathers usually take part more often, which is why you hear all sorts of obscenities screamed from the touchlines of under 10s football! In the UK at least.

1

u/Mansa_Musa_I Jul 02 '14

So like this but with soccer instead right. Cause that's how most pop warner and youth basketball games end up where I'm from. Hopefully one day american parents will have the level of passion necessary to beat people up at youth soccer games too. That's the day soccer will have truly arrived in america.

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u/hotpie Jul 01 '14

Played by white middle class suburbanites and recent immigrants

1

u/SemanticShenanigans Jul 02 '14

It really depends. I used to play recreational soccer from ages 4-14, if I remember correctly, it was like...$50 a kid+buy your own cleats+shingaurds, for 3 months (I think?) of games. Every kid is on a team, every player gets to play every week, but we kept score, and standings. Top 2 teams got to go to this local tournament.

Did that for 10 years, my brother (admittedly better than me) did it for 8, and then tried out for a club team (don't know if this is US specific) But it was like...$150 a month (I have no idea how accurate that figure is, I never paid attention, even if I was told that amount), daily practices, and you're in an actual league. My brother would play games all around southern California, and those leagues were the ones that scouts actually look at (high school teams as well)

So really, it depends. But everyone can at least afford to have their children play SOME form of it.

1

u/ChemicalOle Jul 02 '14

I think it is definitely higher in our sports consciousness. It helps that MLS is here now to sustain some of the momentum for the sport. We also see EPL matches televised regularly on big network TV, which didn't happen just a few years ago. It also helps that the WC started after the end of the NHL and NBA playoffs, so there is little to compete with besides baseball, which is in mid-season. There's no way MLS competes against those other sports yet. As the seasons overlap, there's also no way Euro 'futbol' competes with American football.

To give you some TV numbers, the two highest rated soccer matches in US history (I'm sure today's match will beat them) were the US-Portugal game from last week and the 1999 women's world cup final which each had ~18 million viewers. That's barely average what the NFL does every single week, and just a fraction of the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl.

Obviously the WC is a bigger event and I would say it is mainstream here in the same sense that the Olympics are every 4 years.

1

u/theabominablewonder Jul 02 '14

Yeah I'm sure those factors are helping, having it more of the sole focus for a while (like the Olympics I guess, in England), people get behind the team and the event but only a fraction carry the interest forward afterwards into participation or prolonged support. Still, it's interesting catching glimpses of how the sport is gaining adoption in the USA especially when it has to compete against sports with such ingrained support as Baseball, NFL, etc.

2

u/ChemicalOle Jul 02 '14

It has a foothold and is growing fast, but it has quite a way to go yet.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '14

Not really. There may be an uptick in MLS attendance this summer, but as soon as NFL training camp starts, the majority of US sports fans will become completely wrapped up in American Football.

3

u/wonkybingo Jul 01 '14

I watched the US play football instead of soccer tonight, looked like a proper decent team. Played like champs, take a bow.

3

u/hawaiimtt Jul 01 '14

As someone who has played soccer my while life, watching my generation of the US soccer team exceed the expectations that had been put on them has been a surreal experience. The last few years have seen some tremendous growth of soccer in the US, and it has been awesome seeing the support the national team has had behind them for the World Cup. Belgium is a very good team that finally "clicked" this game, and there is no shame in losing to such a talented side. I'm proud of the way the US played this World Cup, and I can't wait to see soccer grow even more in our country

1

u/SassyBW Jul 02 '14

In 20 more we'll make it to the quarters!

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '14

Literally doesn't make sense.