World Cup record is scant consolation for heartbroken Howard

Can anyone imagine this spineless England team playing like that with such passion and a "we shall not go quietly" attitude?

Jurgen Klinsmann will have a very good future in the game, a top manager and proper motivator.

We used to hear all the time how David Moyes was the best motivator around during his Everton years... that was what real motivation was about, that second half in extra time when they looked dead on their feet.

Unlucky lads!

BTW, is that THE John Otway? The one I worship? The man I've seen live 25 times? The man who has had two hit records and a BAFTA nominated film? Oh no it can't be.... Can it????

Quite a bit of it was down to poor finishing from Belgium who themselves will need to be far more clinical against Argentina to get through to the semi-finals.

On the plus side, it's nice to see three of the most influential players, in one of the most entertaining matches, all played for us last season (Howard, Mirallas and Lukaku).

I think they deserve great credit. In a World Cup of Suarez biting, lying and then miraculously realising the truth and Robben apologising for one particular dive but not the the others, it was great to see a very average team playing the game the right way.

It restored my faith in football — until Scolari, Fred and Co take to my screen on Saturday at least.

Surely any football fan understands the emotion involved once you get to this stage. Especially for the USA, who are charged with changing the attitude of their nation towards this great sport. Then, having given their all for 90 minutes against superior opponents and managing to hold their own, they go and concede twice in the first half of extra time!

Anyone would have expected their heads to drop and for it to be over. But no, these guys picked themselves up and battered the Belgians for 15 minutes, despite the fact that their legs no longer bent at the knee and their hearts and lungs were bursting out of their chests!

You can kind of understand them being heartbroken at the final whistle, can't you?

Okay, many of the saves were not spectacular, but the positioning and use of the whole body was exemplary. And agree with Jim @3 that this kind of passionate display is almost unimaginable from England's overpaid, under-motivated squad.

Lukaku turned the game with his fresh kegs when the US were wavering; may have pushed his price tag back up again too after a disappointing tournament so far.

The Argies up next – looking forward to that one.

Great games to watch yesterday but looks like all the group winners have gone through to the next round.

Maybe 60 mins is his threshold...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28122254

Fucking hell Bill. Missing out on those merchandising opportunities already:

"Tim Howard could have saved my marriage" http://teespring.com/tim-marriage

Typically modest he brushed personal plaudits aside to credit every team member for their World Cup efforts which, compared to our own England debacle, was truly remarkable.

What seems to be lost amongst all the (richly deserved) praise was the fact that the US should have won the game in the last minute of normal time when they missed an open net from a couple of feet out; very well done, Yanks.

This is now the litmus test for our game in their country – if the US can't get excited by that performance and understand that 2-1 can be more riveting than a 98-97 basketball bore, then footy has no future.

A great team performance in which Howard was immense. Lukaku and Mirallas were game changers for Belgium.
Just a bit worried to hear the speculation that Origi is on his way to Anfield – forget Sterling; this lad is the real deal. Replacement for Suarez? Hope not!

I now hope Kev and Co stuff those Argie twats.

Nah, let them carry on thinking that the 'World' in 'World Series' bears some sort of relationship to the 'World' in 'World Cup'......

You don't see Doncaster players in tears when Man City knock them out in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. I am not surprised they are sad and disappointed but I am just surprised by this amount of declared grief.

I just hope he watched that display – it was immense! And to think people come on here and rip him to shreds... As Klinsmann said, he's one of the best five in the world – and I agree with him. An incredible signing and one who'll be hard to replace.

On another note, Mirallas was brilliant when he came on; he's another – when he wants it, he's as good as anyone. I was really impressed by the American defender Yedlin – what an engine; he looked a class act.

Perfectly said, perfect analysis.

It's an entirely different thing when you're carrying the added emotional baggage of being an ambassador for a culture change...

And that's why so many Americans who love soccer were so crushed to lose as well.

Tim Howard was simply fantastic, and he is absolute class.

The US team might not be the best out there, but by god they give it everything. They lack any real attacking threat, but they're so entertaining to watch, simply because they just don't give up. I loved it and good on Tim Howard for keeping them out for as long as he did.

Link

If you want to compare this to getting knocked out of the FA Cup, remember you get another crack at that in a year’s time and don’t need to spend two years trying to be one of only 32 teams to take part.

To be honest, I just admired they way they played out the game and I was shouting at the TV for them to score because of this. They were a breath of fresh air.

And the fact that he was eventually beaten does not degrade his performance. They don't just hand out medals when battles are won, but the the bravest and best. Whatever the result.

If there is justice, this World Cup will be remembered for Suarez disgrace, and Howard's heroics. Sort of sums up the clubs they play for, doesn't it?

Basketball is stopped continuously for TV breaks!!

Football (not soccer) only breaks at half time and is far more exciting.

American Football, which is derived from our Rugby, has goal kickers who do just that. None of the players play a full match as different squads make up offence and defence. Another game based around TV breaks.

Howard had a fine match mainly due to his uncanny knack of being in the right place. He does not make miraculous saves but his positional sense and the way he talks to his defenders is top class.

I really hope we can get Lukaku, he will be immense in a couple of years. Seems that Liverpool are really strengthening their squad sooner rather than later. Hope we make some moves soon!!

Maybe it's one of the following:-

1. Players want it more than previous World Cups. (Doubtful).

2. Players are more outwardly emotional. (Possible).

3. It happens all the time and I haven't noticed it. (Probable).

Yedlin looked good and quick, could be tough getting a work permit for him though at this time.

I have a firm belief that Everton should be signing young players whose value rises as they develop. Bradley isn't in that mix. I remember calling for us to sign him prior to his time at Roma, but that ship has sailed.

The two men I'd LOVE to see in Blue are Yedlin and Diskerud. Yedlin is raw but excellent and has incredible pace and explosive abilities. Diskerud I'm just gutted for. Not a single second on the pitch this World Cup but I'm a huge fan of his. He's incredibly comfortable on a ball and a Martinez type player.

USA made a massive tactical error yesterday. Belgium had one center-half out and the other (Kompany) was playing hurt. Diskerud should have been slotted in the middle and could have torn them apart. I'da dropped Bradley deeper (his natural position) and put him alongside Beckerman who never, ever should have been dropped. We played Cameron at CDM – why? We set up entirely too defensively from the get-go.

Everton would do well to bring in Yedlin (20 years old I think) and Diskerud (22 I believe). Both would be welcome additions IMHO.

Regarding Bradley I have never seen any one run non-stop for 120 mins and he hardly gave the ball away. How old is he?

My daughter was touring the USA last year and managed to watch us in a couple off friendlies but said there wasn't many of our supporters in the crowd. Maybe with a few more American players in the team that would change.

His knees in bullshit

To those calling for Yedlin, agreed, he's a huge talent... but be aware that he is raw defensively... can't even handle normal defensive responsibilities in MLS right now, let alone the EPL. Might be a great investment for the future, but has a lot to learn about the game.

And once more, I want to say how proud I am, as a Yank and as a Blue, of Tim Howard. Magnificent player, class human being. And that was the greatest performance by a US keeper ever, better than Kasey Keller against Brazil in '98 (which Ronaldo called the greatest he had ever seen) and probably the best game ever by a USA player internationally.

Howard was immense some top saves. His improvement since Martinez took over has been impressive. Jurgen's bold statement about him being in the top 5 keepers in the world doesn't look so daft now. Best keeper of the World Cup so far. Far better than the Mexico keeper and his fluke save

I now realize it is because I watch every Everton game that I see his mistakes and hop on them, ignoring the great saves and more importantly the heart of the man. Tim I'm sorry and I'm glad we extended your contract.

Sorry, I know you're a huge Diskerud booster, but the idea of him tearing anybody apart – let alone Vincent Kompany – is a fantasy. He's never shown anything like that for the US or even for Rosenborg, which is why no English or European teams have ever come calling.

He's a nice, serviceable player with great touch, little pace and no shot who at age 24 has found his level in Norway, and the EPL is well beyond him. But I predict you'll have plenty of opportunity to watch him play, because his next stop will be MLS.

Goodison, to a man, rose to applaud him on the replay a few days later.

Well done to Tim for the actual doing of it... it is his job after all. But from the US point of view: Terrible defending. From the Belgian point of view: Terrible finishing and I'm sure both coaches will not like either.

Klinsmann is just one player better than Bradley and a decent striker away from having a last 8 capable team. Wilmots must be thinking, "We won't get that many chances vs Argentina."

It will be a 9-day wonder, but with the potential to be finessed into a bit of a bandwagon/ wave to ride. But do I have any confidence in Boys Pen Billy and his bunch of amateurs to extend it to a tenth day, never mind until the season starts, notwithstanding the dead weight of the Kitbag deal?... DO I FUCK!

He is so dependable we seem to just have journeymen goalkeepers as back up, therefore losing out on a great opportunity to bring a top goalkeeper through the ranks without having to go out and spend millions buying one who's the finished article!

IÂ’m glad to hear Fellaini and Mirallas rushed to Tim, but as far as IÂ’m led to believe, it was actually Romelu who swapped jerseys with Tim in accordance to his message on Instagram.

IÂ’d like to add that I would be happy to give Man Utd 㾻m to have Fellaini back, by the way; heÂ’s been harshly criticised of late but, to my remembrance, heÂ’s a top all action midfielder. Just a thought!

Sure I've seen him on the American bench.

Chris is the USA coach at Tim's behest and I know that De Gea was far from happy at his removal as the Spaniard's mentor. He remains a top man in his profession and will not be unemployed for long.

Romario's comment, "It was an honor to be on the field with him.

And keeping it Evertonian, who scored the goal?

They are quite weak defensively and give up possession far too easily in the middle third. Bradley is a clever player but dwells on the ball too often. Dempsey suffered by being used as a target man after the Altidore injury as there was no Plan B.

Howard probably won't be around for the next one so Klinsmann will need to work very hard with what young players he has to build a squad that will do better next time around.

Compared to how things are now. What a difference in so few years, eh?

Anyway, and while appreciating your response, my question was rhetorical. Mike knew about Preki.

Keller (Preki) - 1, Brazil - 0 was one.

What the hell, this is a USA thread. My strongest memory is the nobody – Sampson grinning delightedly into the camera at being congratulated on "his" win.

These few short years ago ancient history for us, no?

Speaking of ancient history, what if Clint Mathis had more than 3-4 brain cells working beyond motor function. There was a player hidden in that body.

Quaranta, Adu, Eddie Johnson, Kenny Cooper, Buddle, Wynne, Szetela. All flashed the talent, but none had the brains or the guts to make it big. By contrast, we had guys like Tony Sanneh and Frankie Hejduk, who had little talent but a mountain of guts and commitment, and built solid USA careers.

I remember the first time I saw Messi It was in 2005, in the World U-20 Championships in Holland. He was 18 and clearly the best player in the tournament. What nobody remembers is that the second best player in that tournament was two years younger – Adu, who then starred for the 2008 Olympic team, and then train-wrecked. What a brain fart he turned out to be.

The poster boy for how NOT to develop a prodigy. MLS fucked-up big on that one. That promotion with him and Pele. Oh man. Ugh again. The ultimate cautionary tale.

After that, the kid failed at Benfica, Monaco, Belenenses, Aris and someplace in Turkey's second division. Came home to Philly and failed there, then at Bahia. Just flunked his trial at Blackpool this year... hint that he wasn't fit. Now at 25 he's trying to catch on in Norway with Bob Bradley's team.

Nobody to blame for that shit now but Adu himself.

I remember watching the World Cup in 1986, seeing all of these games on ESPN (only one channel those days) with commercials (ugh), and wondering why the US wasn't in this. I didn't realize just how far behind the world we were.

Although it was in 1986 where I got to see my first televised US national team match on some random general cable station that just aired whatever. I think it was the Miami Cup or something, but it was played in the old Orange Bowl, and it was USA versus Millonarios of Colombia. I was introduced to Jim Gabarra, Mike Windischman, David Vanole, and the then young potential American supertar, Brent Goulet. My god, how far we've come.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the effect the cable/internet explosion would have upon football in this country (yes, I am a Yank and I call it football because... that's what it is). Right now I am reading a fan website dedicated to my favorite soccer team. Every weekend, I get to communicate with Everton fans from all over the world while I'm watching the match on a live stream. I check the NewsNow Everton section probably 20 times a day.

When I was a kid, if I was lucky enough to find a footie magazine; it was probably a month behind on its news. In fact, it was one of the few early periodicals, Soccer America, where I learned that Preki had joined Everton Football Club. I thought, "Preki?!? MISL Superstar Preki?!?" It's just amazing where we are now. It's one of the few times where I think, "Thank God for technology."

Chris – Things have changed so fast in so short a time, eh.

Ah well, busy doings for our Men's Nationals these next 4 years. I'm really looking forward to it.