spotty calls, sure, but this reffing job is on par with much of the games. blaming an england loss on the ref or cheating is just plain lazy. both teams have missed a number of opps & it's made for a maddening game. i love it. and i take delight in seeing the three lions lose on any occasion. especially w/ hodgson at the helm.

They certainly deserved to lose, especially after coming out completely flat for the start of the second half, and I concur with you assessment of the officiating to this point of the World Cup.
Hodgson definitely seems ill suited for this level of coaching. It was nice to see Rooney finally get off the snide, and he definitely played a hell of a lot better than he did against Italy. Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, sucked even harder.
They should have written off this World Cup, since European teams traditionally play poorly in Latin America, and establish a new youth movement. The traditional English style seems to involve just doing enough to get out of the group stage, but to rarely win a crucial match at the World Cup.

I can't be doing with dicks whinging about red/yellow cards. One of the great things about this tournament is the re-emergence of tackling and physical contact.

In previous World Cups there would have been about 25 red cards by now but there's only been 5 and that's a good thing. Red cards basically spoil the game. Also as an old school football fan and not some johnny come lately, dirty play is a great part of the game. Get that elbow smashed in the windpipe, twist that nipple at the corner kick, rake your studs down that calf. That's how the game used to be before it got perfumed and puffed up by those utter crooks at FIFA. Honestly, who didn't love Honduras shock and awe thuggery every time a French player got the ball? This obsession with 'protecting the talented players' is a lot of huey. You are only talented if you still can do it when defenders and midfielders are smashing fuck out of you. That's where the talent comes in and why Pele will always be a million times better Cristiano Ronaldo.

The reason this has been the best World Cup in ages is partly due to refereeing leniency. Long may it continue.

holy fucking ticos! go concacaf go!

England are out?



Sad that, but at least we Scots can continue to support our close kinsmen from Uruguay.

Is that Zangief from Street Fighter?

I'm hoping they have enough in the tank to earn a draw in the jungle after that early goal, but avoiding absolute embarrassment to Portugal would be fine with me.
It would take a miracle of epic proportions and the grittiest performance by the US National team that I have ever witnessed to somehow win this match.
I mentioned this on FB, but American optimism is hard burden to bear when you fall behind by a goal less than five minutes into a World Cup match.

Do the yanks have enough to hold up against that late Portugal onslaught? And does CR7 have at least one magical goal left in him?
This is going to be seriously stressful.

That might be the most devastating, yet relieving draw in the history of the USA at the World Cup.

Poor result for US, that Portugal team is dire.

Ghana should beat them so it probably goes to goal difference.

That is assuming that the USA loses to Germany. Both teams might collude together and settle for a draw.
I'm holding out hope that they can stun Die Mannschaft and gain a little revenge for the 2002 World Cup.

Though he had some moments in the first half, Bradley... how did not simply knock the ball out of bounds rather than hand it over (foot it over?) to Portugal so they can score on that last play. Both Portugal's goals were on stupid US mistakes. And what the fuck is up with Ronaldo's eyebrows? Plucked and penciled, he looks like a $20 tranny prostitute walking the streets of Tijuana.

I swore I could smell Ronaldo's Axe Body Spray through the TV.

Bradley has been poor, no two ways about it.

Heartbreaking...to go from through to the knockout and possibly at the top of the group, to perhaps not making it all. Still, the US has been very good, Jurgen has earned his money...

Dig that V. Ice "Z" shaved in his hair. Glad to know its still '89 in Portugal--I got game that can work there if things fall apart here, yo.

Also, this is Fun.

Damn. I still can't believe Bradley couldn't control the ball from this point, find that open space to his right and kill 39 seconds.



Gut-wrenching.

So potentially costly.

They could've sat Jones on his yellow card and Dempsey with his injury (or at least subbed them early). Wouldn't have to worry about Altidore (though he likely won't be ready to play anyway) and most importantly, it forces me to take Thursday morning off to watch the games---may take the whole day.

That was a heartbreaker to give up a tying goal on the last kick of the game, but the US's odds for advancing to the group stage increased with last night's draw, from 65% to 76%: http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/how- ... ment-odds/

Portugal have no realistic chance of getting through due to their goal difference. Plus Ghana look a lot better and should beat them anyway.

I think Germany will beat the US (if Portugal can score twice against you guys....) so it will be down to how many Ghana score against Portugal and how many the US concede against Germany.

The group runner up should play Belgium who have not played very well so far so I think who ever gets through will have a decent chance in that match.

Without Benteke Belgium have had no cutting edge at all and they haven't coped well with the hot conditions, most of them play in northern European leagues.

That last-second goal was the biggest vomit/WTF moment I've ever experienced with a US team. Hate to say this, but it seems one of those things that happens in sports to doom a team. To have going through snatched away like that has to be devastating to them psychologically.

I've thought about that too but man I hope not.

Wow, Suarez bites again.

Suarez needs to be lobotimized to be made safe then chained to a boulder on the grounds of a Victorian insane asylum and left to entertain himself by picking daisies, dandelions and drippling on the lawn.

Oh and Ronaldo, despite being a complete prick in every other possible way, actually shaved that Z in his head as an act of solidarity with a young kid who's brain surgery he paid for. Apparently the kid has a Z shaped scar in his head.

apparently a guy put a bet on Suarez biting someone in the World Cup. Odds of 175/1 won him more than £5k. i'm personally surprised it took Suarez so long to complete the hat trick.