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Sir Landon Of Donovan

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TX Bill said:
Absolutely laughing at some of the responses in here.

It tells me that:

1) There's an overinflated sense of the quality of Ireland (and Europe to a lesser extent) but even more importantly,

2) That many on here have NEVER seen a match held in Azteca, Costa Rica, or Honduras.

Someone earlier made a comment that Richard Dunne doesn't care about a bumpy pitch or screaming Central Americans and to that I say that I'd agree with that. Neither does Rafael Marquez, Bocanegra, etc... and they'll tell you how hard it is to get a result in those countries.

It IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than away to Andorra, Lichtenstein, etc... There is no comparison.

Next time I see someone berate CONCACAF, it's automatic that they probably haven't seen many if any matches. Fortunately, and thanks for FSC, I've seen plenty of UEFA qualifiers.
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You've completely missed the point. Andorra, Lichtenstein, San Marino, Faroes, etc. are minnows (they aren't even countries) which anyone should be beating even if you gave them a 2 goal start. IMO they shouldn't even be in the qualifiers. They should have their own group in which the winners would earn the right to enter the qualifying proper. What I was referring to was countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro, etc. These countries can play football, and are intimidating places to go away from home. Armenia have an excellent young team for example. Just because it's hotter in Central America don't think that it means that it's more difficult for USA to go there than it is for a European team to visit those countries.
 

The Equaliser said:
You've completely missed the point. Andorra, Lichtenstein, San Marino, Faroes, etc. are minnows (they aren't even countries) which anyone should be beating even if you gave them a 2 goal start. IMO they shouldn't even be in the qualifiers. They should have their own group in which the winners would earn the right to enter the qualifying proper. What I was referring to was countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro, etc. These countries can play football, and are intimidating places to go away from home. Armenia have an excellent young team for example. Just because it's hotter in Central America don't think that it means that it's more difficult for USA to go there than it is for a European team to visit those countries.
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I'm fairly confident that I haven't missed the point and I can guarantee that it's more than just the heat brother. Believe me.
 
TX Bill said:
I'm fairly confident that I haven't missed the point and I can guarantee that it's more than just the heat brother. Believe me.
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Well if you are comparing a European team playing away to Andorra or Lichtenstein to USA playing away to Honduras or Costa Rica (which you did above), then you have missed the point.

Away from home the opposition make the conditions as difficult as possible for their visitors. You just have to get on with it.
 
The Equaliser said:
Away from home the opposition make the conditions as difficult as possible for their visitors. You just have to get on with it.
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absolutely zero people are saying we don't get on with it. We do that every qualifying period and you RARELY if ever see an American player complaining about the conditions. At this point they are used to it.
 

Specifically speaking about the USMNT, there is no comparable away game in Europe than what specifically the US face in one of those Central American countries or playing in ground zero hell on earth itself, Mexico City's Azteca Stadium. There simply isn't a comparison, it is perhaps the most advantageous home crowd anywhere.

There are some very bitter rivals throughout the world, Brazil-Argentina, England-Germany, France-Italy, Spain-Portugal - but the one team in CONCACAF which is probably the biggest rival of all the major teams in the region is the US.

To Americans it's Mexico that's the main rival. However, to all the bigger teams of the region, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Costa Rica... etc. ALL of them consider the US their biggest rival (only the El Salvador/Honduras rivalry even approaches it). So the US is facing 5 or 6 teams each time it goes through qualification rounds who are looking back at them as their respective biggest qualifying game. These games are played at a different level of hostility than European qualifiers, some even played in remote jungle stadiums with primitive facilities that host countries purposely pick in order to rattle US teams.

So, someone thinking that American teams have an 'easier path' than the European teams in getting through to a WC aren't taking reality into account.
 
Jamo Martinez said:
My thoughts exactly
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Yup, he had a crap game. We can call a spade a spade.

Though when the guy who has had all your assists of late has a stinker and we play stinky...well...correlated. Still worried about our right side when he leaves as Pienaar looked good today.
 
By the way:

@PeterHirdt: Everton league record past 3 seasons: 10-4-4 w/ Landon Donovan, 27-25-29 w/out him.
 

Kay20 said:
Yup, he had a crap game. We can call a spade a spade.

Though when the guy who has had all your assists of late has a stinker and we play stinky...well...correlated. Still worried about our right side when he leaves as Pienaar looked good today.
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We defo notice when players of his calibre aren't at their best. We haven't enough quality throughout the team to make up for it. I'm a big fan of Landon. He gives us a lot of balance.
As you say he's been our main creative outlet in the last couple of games. If he'd have been on form today along with Pienaar, we'd have destroyed Wigan
 
I'll admit I don't understand all the strategies of soccer formations and when to use certian players. I didn't grow up watching soccer and have only been a true fan for a few years now.

Why wouldn't someone (Moyes) play Pienaar and Donovan together or better yet Pienaar,Donovan and Drenthe? We were only playing Wigan. Why not take a chance. I could understand not playing them together vs Top 8 teams but everyone else??
 
ShaggyReAL said:
I'll admit I don't understand all the strategies of soccer formations and when to use certian players. I didn't grow up watching soccer and have only been a true fan for a few years now.

Why wouldn't someone (Moyes) play Pienaar and Donovan together or better yet Pienaar,Donovan and Drenthe? We were only playing Wigan. Why not take a chance. I could understand not playing them together vs Top 8 teams but everyone else??
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No idea mate.
 
I thought he was pretty good against Wigan. Tidy in possession and good interplay. None of it resulted in anything unfortunately. His legs looked a little heavy, but I suspect the pitch at Wigan had something to do with that.
 
I thought the same thing about his legs but it's typical for Landon to get lost in USMNT games. It's one of the more frustrating things about Landon along with being a little to unselfish at times. It's frustrating to watch Everton use the left side so much. I think that's partly Landon's fault for not making him self available.
 

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