I'm on XBox Live if anyone wants a morning game of Curling 2010. I'm ScottCanada1970 on there.

It's not a "we're better than them" thing. It's just a numbers game. We have massive population advantages over almost all countries. We have financial resources that they can't come close to. A strong passion for sport. And demographics that are highly advantageous for producing athletes.

The U.S. is currently respectable on an international scale while having very few of its top athletes participate in the sport, receive elite training, and/or play against top competition growing up.

Baseball isn't our most popular sport and is not close to getting the top athletes in the country. It's everything to many of the Caribbean nations due to the economic conditions of the country as well as the rules of Major League Baseball.

I'd also argue that baseball is a much different game. I think upsets in a tournament setting. Soccer is much more of a team game and one or two players can't win a tournament on their own. I'd compare it to football in that respect.

Can't wait for the gold medal game today. Here are my 3 wishes for the game:

1) I hope the game either ends in regulation or OT, PLEASE NO SHOOTOUT!

2) I hope the game is injury free.

3) Finally I hope we get the same ending as last Sunday!

Go USA!

Agree on #1 and #2, #3....not so much. :)

Go Canada!

Sportsbooks still arent giving the USA much love

Canada is -1(-110) t/5.5

They must be expecting Canada to win by 2 or more or that line is just strange.

Why would you set a line like that when the odds are so good it will push and they will have to return all of the money?

I think Canada is still the favorite here, despite what happened on Sunday. I don't think they're quite the favorite they were a week ago, but are still the better team overall. That said, the US team has played great all tournament.

I'm really hoping this will be a great game. I am pulling for the US, but if Canada wins I will be fine with that and happy for Yzerman and Babcock. When it comes to hockey, my loyalties run local first and national second.

Ha, I never knew the cross-country skiers made pit stops to get new skis.

I guess I'm just not going to get it. I am totally on board with the idea of the US becoming one of the powers. I am totally on board with the idea of the US improving because we'd have a lot of great athletes playing the game. At the end of the day, though, suggesting that the US would absolutely be the best and far better than everyone else in the world comes across as insulting to all the current soccer powers. I know you don't mean it that way, and you've clearly put some thought into what you're saying, but I just can't envision that the ceiling for the US is that much higher than it is for all these countries out there that basically breed soccer players.

Perhaps I'm just stubborn, but I can tell that I just won't get it.

Canada 4
USA 1

Miller has to play better then he did last week and that'll be hard to do. USA has to keep pressure on the Canadians D while minimizing turnovers. That is going to be an issue.

OH MY GOD HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT
YOU MUST HATE AMERICA

No one gives a shit about soccer here on a mainstream level. All the best US players go play overseas for a reason because it's where they make all the money.

Who the fuck wants to play soccer in America and make 20 grand in a year?

I'm more of a Team Mexico kinda guy:

This event is fascinating to me for some reason. Can someone who knows better explain the strategy of one country sending a guy up ahead to set a pace and tire out others? Why wouldn't you just not care and hang back?

because at some point you won´t catch him anymore or another guy from that country could attack and the guy up fron then pull him for a few Ks.
Kind of like in bike races (Tour de France et all)

I liked it better when everyone went 50K alone against the clock anyway ...

Amazing burst by Northug at the end to win it after 50km of skiing.

30 minutes until the biggest hockey game I can remember! Go Canada Go!

You don't remember Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals?

This is awesome. We are at a sports bar in Seattle and it is packed. 50/50 USA and Canada fans. It's getting rowdy already.

USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

Why in the world don´t they have neutral referees ? I´m dumbstruck right now, that makes FIFA Boss Blatter look smart :eek:
You don´t have neutral referees in a olympic final ???

dola: if this game is anything like their last, how boring is the next NHL game going to seem? :)

Not many (if any) international refs can keep up with the pace of play.


Generally NHL players would rather have NHL refs rather than international ones regardless of nationality.

Fans taunting Miller now? Good olympic spirit douchebags...

dola: Even funnier as their taunting a guy that hasn't allowed a goal in a week.

I agree...American would never stoop so low :rolleyes:

Find me an example of olympic taunting in the US and then we'll speak. Until then take that crap elsewhere.

The USA looks pretty impressive with their speed and intensity, but they're not getting a lot of good shots on Luongo so far. Canada keeps blocking shots, and exactly how many USA shots have missed the net entirely? This isn't encouraging.

Ooooh...that was close

LOL...I try to pride myself on not sounding like a misogynist, but jesus christ it's almost hard to keep up with the speed and skill of the play after watching the slo-mo women's gold medal game.

Do you want a specific,time,date,year and name also?

Now is not the time to be sensitive!

If you find it, I'll be just as tough on that. It's the freaking olympics and that crap has no place there.

Miller is sharp this is good.

I watch waaaay more college hockey than pro hockey and I can barely keep up with the professionals.

:+1::withstupid::+1:

Too many mistakes come on USA

You said it. Terrible mistake there.

Big moment here, see how they react to trailing in a game.

Man had Parise become a player or what.If i'm starting a team right now i may start with this guy,he does EVERTHING.

Too bad he's stuck in Jersey<------For Pumpy :D

Canada just hooked the left wing there. Perhaps the refs arent
going to call any penalties on Canada.

That was a pretty brutal slew foot.

If I weren't already married, I would marry Zach Parise. Can't wait for the playoffs. My man is going to do it all there.

Shitty call there. Looked like they were tangled up

Huge penalty kill here. Fall behind 2-0 and...well...what's wrong with silver, anyways?

Nice stop by Miller and a good kill there.

over /under on calls getting 5+ "shitty call" comments , 15 ? :)

Ill take over in both

I'd take the over on pretty much any NHL playoff game, too... assuming there were more than 5 people watching NHL playoff games. :(

Both teams will be happier with NHL officials rather than officials from lesser leagues in Europe.

I am not sure why they did not go for 1 ref and one linesman from both the US and Canada like they did in the group game.

OK, why did Jack Johnson just upend Crosby after the horn? Sure, go ahead and get Team Canada angry. Smooth.

Shrug. It was a shit call. Guys get tangled up in the corners all the time. Plus it was behind the play. Just let it go.

2 penalty play chances for Canada, 0 for the USA.

I like the fact that they arent calling it tight but they missed an obvious hook on a USA break away than call something weakass on the USA 30 seconds later.

Because anytime you have a chance to put Crosby on his ass you need to take it.... :D

BUT IT'S THE OLYMPICS

Edit: Sorry, couldn't pass that up.

What stood out to me was the cross check to the back of a US player behind the net right in front of the ref early in the game. Sent him face first into the boards, could have been cross check or boarding, have your pick. Or technically interference as he didn't even have the puck (or have the puck prior).

But it's Crybaby Crosby... :D

Are we over 5 yet?:)

LOL

Yep, the fans at the game are douchebags, the ref's are biased, and when a borderline cheap shot occurs after the buzzer, it's ok, the guy that went down is a crybaby. Sounds about right so far.

Always take the over when it comes to people bitching about referees in sporting event threads on FOFC. Its inevitable.

Don't forget about the lucky loonie....biased loonie.

:lol:

Cheap shot, you mean the punch to the back of Jack Johnson's head?

So after the 1st....living up to the hype or has the game been a let down?

Living up to it I would say. You?

Been a letdown thus far. Id expect it to pick up.

I think both teams were kinda tentative.Tough checking game right now which favors Canada becasue we cannot keep up with the speed of the US.US needs to open up the game to get things going in their favor.If it turns into a track meet i expect the US to rock.

That was a penalty

I am impressed by the positioning of the Canadian defensemen so far. The Americans are working so hard, but they just don't have the space they need yet. Maybe the US will have fresher legs toward the end of the game and they can take over the game. I doubted the US's chances before the game started, but if they can keep it close, they'll be in good shape in the third period.

A letdown? Are you insane? This game has been awesome.

More tentative with more on the line, I expect the 3rd period to be balls to the wall.


Now for a game situation comment... can't take stupid penalties like that...

Shea webber has such a bomb it's sick.

Game on. 1st penalty on Canada.

Weak call :D

You know what I love most about this? No TV timeouts. It's like playoff overtime. Easier to keep the emotion going (not that the players need any help with that). Lots of fun to watch.

What part? USA has been making mistake after mistake. Their defense has been awesome but the offense has been stagnant.

Well, we pissed away that power play

SI

Did they show a replay? I didn't notice anything during the live action.


Lousy power play by US.

Ok, that power play was awful...and Canada scores...ugh.

Shit.

Blah

CR it must be a pleasure to watch Getzlaf play.....that guy is a LOAD rare to see a guy that size with that speed and skill.

Hockey fans here know my feelings about Colin White. As far as being a Team USA fan, I'm starting to have the same feelings about Ryan Whitney.

there ya go Brooks Orpik...way to hit buddy-o!!!

He used to absolutely destroy kids in Hockey East with those hits...it was great

Almost another bad mistake there.

Ok, our offense needs to start showing some life. We can't win with the Canucks living in our end.

SI

bah Toews...wtf was that???

US is trying too hard for the big hit right now and Canada is playing hockey. Might win the hitting battle but unless they settle down offensively, will lose the war.

Canada is making the penalty kill look so easy.

He had the shot, why did he pass?

These are the two worst power plays I've seen in a while. Did they forget to put a man in the box?

lol, that was the water bottle, saw the black and thought it was the puck

I don't know hockey well at all - the US penalty offense is pathetic right now, right?

Yet another time where a player had a shot and passed...

That and Canada is playing like a dominant team.

A little bit of both. Canada looking good on the penalty kill and US making bad decisions.

They're doing some things wrong, but there's only so much you can do when Canada is positioned so well. And Canada does not play around when they get possession shorthanded. They have the lead, they get the puck out of their zone, and they regroup. The Canadians are not making mistakes on their penalty kill.

This is what Canada was doing early in the tourny...playing too nice....they need to be more selfish and shoot the puck.

Got it - thanks all. Just seems like the US is totally outclassed right now.