Brazil and Australia played an extremely entertaining game. Almost every player on Brazil has more skill than any US player. The only way we get on track and compete is really playing as a unit cause we got very little talent compared to the top teams.

I guess if you take a country the size of Brazil, and the choice of sports to play is soccer, then soccer, and after that soccer, and then maybe a little basketball... well, you will have very talented athletes.

If a guy like Barry Sanders was born with a soccer ball at his feet, we might have a chance. Most kids in the US quit soccer by the time they start middle and High School. Then its the other football. And if inner city, basketball. The number of US baseball players is dropping off the map with the Latin American influx of really good players.

us showed alot of passion yesterday. italians are a good team so it was a good result esp after the mauling ye got to the czechs.

regarding football being boring, it all depends on who you are.
I think its exciting,
My friends think its exciting, etc etc. My friends think racing is boring, but obviously we dont.My friends think baseball is boring. I used to be like that but have come to appreicate the sport for what it is!

Born and raised in Texas where soccer is here only because we are next to Mexico and I LOVE THE SPORT.
Do you play Brock?
I played in a league for a couple of years because my daughter was playing so I wanted to learn. I was in very good shape and I had a great time. I even got a yellow card after running into the goalie after getting a finger in the eye.
Had this nice little card and had to take a little exam to get the card to join the league. Had a blast trying something new. And I am officially on record as having scored one goal. Our entire team had 21 goals, one guy had 16, one guy had 4, and I had one on a little tap in after a wonderful cross by the guy with 16 goals. I will never forget that. Like a first little league homerun... on a bunt.

What a sad life I live.

When I was younger (well im still young but say 6 yrs ago),I played very competitively right back, now i just play socially with my friends. I was a better squash player so kept with that instead. yeah really love the sport.. esp when played right like argentinians, spanish, brazilians

Today the kids in the US don't play Baseball because they are playing vidio games and on the telephone.

Donavan is probably the worst striker I've ever seen
and he's supposed to be the US's major scoring threat?
we've had some terrible calls go against us
but the fact is you have to be able to generate offense
Pgardn that is a good point that soccer in the US is secondary
well fourthdary if that
and it doesn't attract our best athletes
however we are competive in the Olympics (summer) in a number of
esoteric sports in which there is not much money to be made
so I feel that a country the size of the US is definately underachieving
in the sport of soccer (futbol) against these other nations
the czech republic? the only thing that ever came out of there
was Martina Navatalova, and she changed her citizenship
the Italians...I can see
but this Ghana?

USA soccer will never be competitive on the world stage,
1-the BEST american athletes do NOT play soccer.
2-most people in the USA don't care about soccer.

now soccer can go away for another 4 years.:D

Its not gone yet. We got some more pool play and then the elimination rounds. We are going to get to see some well organized teams. A whole lot of teams are looking good, I think in part to the excessive yellow cards. They are not letting guys get taken out so we got goals.

pgardns top 5:
1. Germany
2. Argentina
3. Brazil
4. The Netherlands
5. England (going to be tough sledding without Owen)

Strange as it may seem, soccer is pretty big in this part of NY.
Small schools don't have football teams...only soccer.
And, the Soccer Hall of fame is located in Oneonta, NY, about a half hour away from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
DTS

My top 5 is
Argentina
Spain
Brazil
Italy
Portugal

You really like Italy and Portugal? Portugal seems very self-centered style, too much one on one, and Italy just looks way to tentative to me, ineffective looking so far. The other 3 I am OK with.

1) Brazil
2) Argentina
3) Holland
4) Switzerland

that's what I'm looking at in the semis

Today's snoozathon between Italy and Australia is the perfect example of why soccer will never grab hold in this country.

Your typical 0-0 tie until the final ten seconds when an Italian non-stallion did a better dive than Greg Louganis ... and was awarded a "penalty shot" ... a gift-wrapped goal which was the only "score."

Booooooorrrriiiiinnnnnnngggggggg !!!

You thought that game was bad (i thought it was OK. typical Italians!!), tonights game was one of the worst games Ive ever seen. Neither team wanted to win, they just sat back and wanted to try their luck on penalties..

hopefully, the games should improve from now on. We have two crackers to look forward to in the 1/4 finals, The hosts against the best team in the tournament and england v portugal.

I enjoyed the Australia Italy game. The Swiss and Urakraine game was good in the first half. Italy got really lucky to move forward.

The game of the tournament will take place before it should. Germany v. Argentina... Possibly the two best teams left other than Brazil. I look forward to it. The Germans are playing a very exciting style. Really utilizing their talent. Thank you Jurgen Klinsmann.

i reckon argentina take them. My semi finalists are agentina, portugal,italy and spain (if they beat france, i think will beat brazil)

I've gotta root for Beckham and England.

I'll be at the local pub, rooting for Portugal. I realize it's not the wisest thing to do in a football-crazed UK town, but hey...if I die, at least it will be because my team won. ;)

Brazil coming up in a moment. Gotta love to watch this team. Almost every player could be the best player on another team.

Two games ... 180 minutes of "action" ... and not one score ... not a single one ... until the ref gift-wrapped a non-game-action one for Italy in the final 10 seconds.

Question: In all these other upcoming "exciting" games ... will anyone actually score a goal?