General Soccer Thread

[greenback44]

I miss the vuvuzelas.

I actually have a bet with one of my Mexican buddies. How much of an advantage is it that they are playing in Mexico?

We are 1-23-1 in Estadio Azteca v Mexico. That's w-l-tie for you patriots that don't watch sports with ties.

Shouldn't there be a 4th number?

[thrill]

Is there a 4th outcome?

[Freed Roger]

They survived a shelling.

[jim]

Allrighty then a 0-0 tie. Good close game. I don't have to pay my Mexican buddy, and he doesn't have to pay me. It's almost like ... it's almost like ... it's almost like that game never existed.

[robbotis]

Lots of lasers pointed at US players...
Lucky to not get a PK after Edu's tackle from behind!

Gonzalez and Besler were pretty rock solid.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Just out of curiosity, there was a lot of hype about how tough it was to play in that stadium both because of the crowd and the altitude/smog. I get the altitude/smog angle, but is there anything to the hospitable crowd...any moreso than your average road game?

Is there a single US fan that isn't ecstatic about a tie in that game?

[JackofDiamonds]

Just out of curiosity, there was a lot of hype about how tough it was to play in that stadium both because of the crowd and the altitude/smog. I get the altitude/smog angle, but is there anything to the hospitable crowd...any moreso than your average road game?

Is there a single US fan that isn't ecstatic about a tie in that game?

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... dio-azteca

Fun Simmons story from a few years back:

None of those memories matched the game. The Americans were a sterling 0-22-1 in Mexico before Wednesday's match … and with reason. The stands hug the field, shoot straight up and couldn't be more intimidating, especially in the corners, where fans shower opponents with beers, sodas and LTYDEWTKWTA (Liquids That You Don't Even Want To Know What They Are) on every corner kick. The lower section of the stadium is fenced, with a guarded, waterless moat (seriously, a moat!) with a second fence above it that prevents fans from racing onto the field. Atop the stadium, an uneven half-roof leads to eerie shadows and goofy lighting that seem to change by the minute.

Opponents never feel safe. Inside the bowels of the stadium, the players walk down a concrete tunnel that feels like it was built in 1362. Emerge from the tunnel, and Mexican fans are suddenly right there, wearing green jerseys, yelling obscenities and pounding the fence in front of them. The venom starts immediately — booing and hissing, horn blowing, various "Meh-hee-CO! Meh-hee-CO!" chants — and never really stops. The Mexican fans had no problem drowning out "The Star-Spangled Banner" with jeers. They tossed drinks and debris at the U.S. bench for most of the second half … which didn't matter because Azteca's opposing bench has an impenetrable plexiglass roof, but still. During a corner kick in extra time, they showered Landon Donovan with such a staggering amount of debris that he briefly staggered back toward the field in disbelief, shrugging his hands as if to say, "How could anyone act like this?"
Sam's Army
Bill Simmons .
You can't even call it just a hostile environment; it's more primal than anything. I have only attended two other games in which the crowd's collective loathing was palpable — Game 6 of the 1986 NBA Finals (Boston fans heaping hatred on Ralph Sampson, who had punched two Celtics in the previous game) and Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern finals (the same treatment for Bill Laimbeer, who had decked Larry Bird the previous game) — and neither approached USA-Mexico. Michael Vick could crash a PETA rally and get a friendlier reception than the Americans did at Azteca.

[thrill]

Just out of curiosity, there was a lot of hype about how tough it was to play in that stadium both because of the crowd and the altitude/smog. I get the altitude/smog angle, but is there anything to the hospitable crowd...any moreso than your average road game?

It's just 100,000+ people being really loud, they throw bags of urine, batteries etc.

Is there a single US fan that isn't ecstatic about a tie in that game?

It's usually penned in ink as a loss, so getting one point was unexpected and great, but ultimately it hurts Mexico more than it helps us. We're both going to qualify regardless of the result of last night's game, but it does a lot in terms of how much we learned about our two young, MLS centerbacks that we weren't sure about going into the game. Especially Omar Gonzalez. That was his coming out party as a bonafide star. It gives them confidence, it brings them closer together, it validates Jurgen Klinssman's position as the leader of our program. Who knows the tangible value of those things? The only thing that matters is qualifying for Brazil and getting lucky/healthy in time for next summer.

But I don't think we can overestimate how huge it was to see Omar Gonzalez be the best player on the field in the most hostile environment he'll ever play in. All of the questions regarding his inexperience and ability to mark world class forwards were answered. Not to say he's never going to make a mistake, but to go to Azteca without any major international experience and freeze Javier Hernandez out of the game was a game changer at a position where we've needed someone to step up into for a long time now.

[Freed Roger]

Thrill -what do you think of the FIFA - three points for win. 1 for tie. zero point for a zero-zero game?

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Just out of curiosity, there was a lot of hype about how tough it was to play in that stadium both because of the crowd and the altitude/smog. I get the altitude/smog angle, but is there anything to the hospitable crowd...any moreso than your average road game?

It's just 100,000+ people being really loud, they throw bags of urine, batteries etc.

So....normal?