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stayNskool

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    Lilburn, Georgia
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    Soccer, Basketball, Football, Charcoal Sketch, Portrates, Scenery, Georgia Tech Athletics, Mullet Watching, and of course... the ladies

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  1. It was not that the USA got dominated. The problem was that we did not have the killer pass, nor the clinical finishing when we had a chance in front of goal. Tons of possession, but not enough energy and creativity. Against Italy you will not see the same lineup. O'Brien and Johnson will start from the off, Either Beasley or Convey will start on the bench, seeing as neither had much of an affect. Im thinking we'll see a more strait forward 4-4-2 but alot more creativity out of midfield with Donovan combining with Obrien on the left and whoever is left on the right(my vote is for Convey as Beasley seems to have almost no confidence left)... The Czech Republic came out and made me look like a complete idiot with their Aging team looking quicker than our young guns. I feel really bad for Jan Koller though, there simply cannot be anything worse than making it to the World Cup getting a slight taste and then BOOM its taken away from you.
  2. Look at Chelsea's options and the way they play. Im thinking exodus before the transfer period is over. Central Midfield Ballack Essien Makelele Lampard Wingers Wright-Philipps Joe Cole Robben Duff Forwards Crespo Drogba Shevchenko Gudjohnsen These players combined with Obi-Mikel and Kalou just mean too many talented players to keep happy with so few positions available. There are in theory only 6 attacking slots available each game and with Shevchenko, Ballack, Lampard, and Makelele all but guaranteed a starting position when healthy, the numbers simply don't match.
  3. if you actually watched the chelsea matches each week you probably would have noticed that essien did little in each match besides break up attacks. william gallas was more affective in his absence even though gallas is a natural centre half. essien is a good player who will probably lose his place in some matches with ballack joining the fray. look at it this way, essien does the same job as claude makelele only not as well and at double the price.
  4. arsenal is garbage.... you say you know more about european football than any of us can imagine?? i'd like to see you test that theory against moi. This Czech team is aging but talented. Looking at their play from Euro 2004 and qualifying for this World Cup you cannot help but be impressed. They only had to go into a playoff against Norway because both they and the Netherlands were undefeated against everyone except each other and those 2 matches were epic. However they are aging, and its showing in the number of injuries that are starting to pile up. And with Baros injured they dont have a marquee striker who possesses pace to play off of Koller's touch and strength in the air. Ill take the money on the Italians getting out of the group simply because of their style of play. No great strikers on any team in this group(with the exception of Koller) outside of Italy, combined with their style of play(the famed catenaccio) equals low scoring games and the Italians scraping through. Their attack is clearly where they are weakest lately, showing its ugly head mostly in their lack of diversity in attack. The starting forward combination of Gillardino and Toni looks great on paper(I believe top scorer and 3rd top in Serie A this year) but they are too similar to each other in that they are old fashioned bruising Center Forwards lacking the pace to force the opposition defence to play deep. Also creativity has been lacking in midfield and short of dropping Totti or Del Piero deeper they dont seem to have too many options to fix this. Gattuso is injured, De Rossi is no replacement for him as a midfield hardman and their wings are less than impressive. Ghana. You get what on paper looks like a strong midfield from these guys. Appiah and Essien are strong if unspectacular. And you also get a strong defence in Addo and Kuffour but that leaves 8 places in midfield and defence that are lacking as well as a suspect goalkeeper and strikers. As someone else already put it the fact that their coach was willing to offer Adu a starting role in the World Cup is proof enough they are severely lacking in the firepower dept. Back to Essien. I believe it was L24.5 million paid for him which is roughly $43 million USD. Which makes him the second most overpaid for signing of Chelsea's summer in that Sean Wright-Philipps cost L21 million, and barely played! Essien does however play a more important role for Ghana than he does for Chelsea and frankly he does it well. I will take the US and Italy to make it out of the group mostly based on the fact that I am a fan, and love it when my friends in London are forced to give up love to USA soccer. However even were I unbiased I would have to give the US a chance to getting out of the group because they have been getting stronger and stronger over the decade and will only continue to do so in the future.
  5. I think all of you are overreacting. Look at what the US team has been doing all week in Cary and you'll see why they looked a step slow last night. Its called fitness work. When you do a ton of it immediately before games your side tends to struggle until you get your legs back under you. Frankly I see the US improving dramatically over the next 3 games as they will only have light workouts and be focusing more on skills and team development in practice rather than running themselves ragged. Looking at the way Morocco played how can anyone blame the US for lacking their usual attacking ferver? Frankly when the opponents forwards are spend most of their time in their own half its hard to break them down and players like Donovan and Beasley, who like to use their speed and vision on the break, tend to be negated. Morocco came out with a gameplan to play it safe and hope for a goal on the counter and they executed well. The US does not have teams in their group that are so defensive minded so look for a completely different air about the US attack in the Cup.
  6. I dont think its silly to use a show of unity when going deep into the playoffs. You see this often in pro sports when players refuse to shave for the playoffs in hockey and recently in football. these players could also be impersonating their fabulously bald coach. Its fun the kids are young, and this is once in a lifetime for many of them. they need to enjoy youth while it lasts cause you can't live in the past, and for the seniors after this game it will be time to move on to bigger and better things... so why not have a little fun with the clippers to bond with their teammates
  7. Pires will not be rejoining Arsenal next season. There has been some speculation that he will join Villareal. It looks to me as though Jose Antonio Reyes has been pegged to replace him as a wing/attacker in this team, so i dont expect a new attacking signing by Arsenal, at least not in that role, this summer but possibly a strengthening of the depth of their defense.
  8. i dont think its a lack of respect for those teams i believe its just being thankful that they dont have to play bearden or farragut or hendersonville to attempt to get to state.
  9. No need to be jealous, anyone can move anywhere they want so long as they have the guts to just go for it. If you want to live in the UK just go for it and you can make it happen. I unfortunately have had some obstacles thrown in my way that are making it so that I either take a job in a city/country I don't much care for or have to come home to the states. In about a week I have to make the decision, but hopefully I can get things sorted in time to move back to London next fall!! I know one thing about United's season next year and that is, Ruud Van Nistelrooy will not be playing for them. It looks as though Lyon are willing to make a cash + player swap involving Diarra going one way and Ruud the opposite with some cash exchanged to even out the swap. Don't know if United will go for it though as Sir Alex has it in his mind that Alan Smith is the man to be the Engine of United Midfield. On the plus side for the Liverpool fan in me, with Tim Howard going out on loan to Everton, I know longer have any reason to pull for the Red Devils so I can return to my general distaste for all you Mancs!!! haha Although if Giuseppe Rossi ever decides to stop being stubborn and play for the US national team rather than pining to play for an Italia that doesnt want him I may have to start checking if he's getting time or scoring goals for United. Bollocks! United need to make a couple signings to bolster their Roster to make a run at stealing Second place from Chelsea next season(Liverpool are gonna take the title I can feel it!!) and I would say they are more than solid in attack, but might could use a defender or 2. and a holding midfielder as has already been mentioned. But I like the way they look with Heinze returning at left back, and Evra developing even further and Vidic learning the English game in the center of defence to add some youth and depth to a defence that already has O'Shea, Ferdinand, Silvestre, and Neville. The only thing I see lacking is a true left winger but keiran richardson and park ji sung are developing at an astonishing rate and could easily fill the roll that Ryan giggs will be leaving eventually.
  10. first off yes I have been to a premiereship match. Chelsea -v- West Ham at Stamford Bridge... simply amazing(I live in Chelsea). Secondly I dont think that midfield diamond will work. You need wing play in the premiere league, and Chelsea already have the best wingplay in the countryand are almost untouchable so I dont understand changing tactics at all. As a previous poster put it, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'
  11. i hate to say it but makelele is likely to get dissed again just like he did with Real Madrid. Duff and Cole would be the wingers with the 3 big time center mids plugging in and a single forward. unless mourinho changes his style of play thats how i see it going down
  12. im actually not sure how that midfield is going to work now. ballack plays similarly to lampard and they already have 2 mcentral midfielders who are too good and too expensive to be forced to the bench in essien and makelele. im just wondering whats going to happen with this squad as the summer progresses seeing as how there is sure to be some form of clear out as players demand regular first team action
  13. oh it was an amazing game. i think i darn near annoyed half of Kensington by yelling so loud at each equaliser. Gotta say, West Hams goals were pretty much all 3 sucker punches. Our keeper blew it on the first one by not calling off Carragher, then blundered on the second by dropping an easy save right into the path of Harewood. Liverpool's goals were impressive if not unnecessarily so. Cisse show some skill, then Gerrard with 2 gorgeous strikes from distance.... throw in Konchesky's cross cum upper 90 chip shot, and you have one strange match. Reina more than made up for it all in the shootout though... you save 3 of 4 penalties and you are normally man of the match but when you are on a team with steven gerrard and he pulls what he did yesterday you get used to seeing him carry off man of the match award. Koller is healthy but Bayern is taking the last week off the way Chelsea barely showed up to play the last 2 weeks of the premiership. Totti was rusty we'll see what kind of form they can get him into by the time the cup rolls around.
  14. europsport is calling a tie game after overtime a tie even though the tournament called it a loss in penalties. would be nice to see you guys make it beyond sectionals... been like 10 years since an ooltewah team made it that far
  15. I got nothing against Arsene Wenger... He's an amazing talent scout... A bit of a whiner of late but still an eye for young talent unlike anyone since the now past his prime Alex Ferguson. Jan Koller is coming back from his knee injury so maybe Im gonna live out my worst fear of seeing a Czech team as in form as the Euro 2004 side. Cannot wait to see Liverpool in the FA Cup final tomorrow and would really love to see Eddie Lewis' Leeds back in the Premiereship next season after the 21st, although there is nothing wrong with Jay Demerit's Watford making the jump in their stead. Demerit may just finally get some attention from the National Side if he's playing in the premiereship week in and week out.
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