I use wiki all the time for soccer stuff. Most of the time the tables are presented a lot better and in more detail than on the official FIFA site.

There were some conflicting criteria in what both of you said, but I get the general gist. The wiki article says it takes into account the last two world cups, yet in 2002 it took into account the last three. Apparently, the criteria has a tendency to change. The one JT posted said last three years. Either way, I got the general gist; It's a FIFA formulated ranking system.

Thanks.


edited:

I think I misread JT's. His noted that the FIFA rankings take into account the last three years, not the World Cup seedings.

They should really simplify this.

[Edited on June 17, 2009 at 9:49 PM. Reason : correction]

6/17/2009 9:46:06 PM

if you only went by the previous World Cup for '06 seeds, South Korea would have been seeded and that would be retarded

if you only went by FIFA World Rankings, you could end up with teams like Paraguay as seeds and that would also be retarded


a hybrid is the only way to go about it other than a panel just randomly deciding - and it does give the most weight to the most recent World Cup finish, which is why we even had a chance at a seed last time.

[Edited on June 17, 2009 at 9:48 PM. Reason : .]

6/17/2009 9:47:46 PM

a friend and i just bought our tickets for the dc part of the gold cup. hopefully we can repeat against honduras at home.

6/17/2009 9:49:05 PM

it honestly shouldnt be hard to rank which teams are the best in the world...especially if you only have 32 to choose from. a formula is unnecessary

6/17/2009 9:56:26 PM

I just don't understand why the past should play into it. If a team just barely qualifies, but won a world cup 8 years ago, why reward them? They still made the tournament, and should have to prove their worth like everyone else, not get a virtual bye into the knockout stage.

6/17/2009 10:02:28 PM

thats basically what im saying...it should be a what have you done for me lately ranking...get a panel together and rank the teams, and then use those rankings to find a good order

6/17/2009 10:04:25 PM

if that were the case, the US and even Mexico would never have a chance to be seeded because every European/South American team would say... whooptie doo, you won CONCACAF, big fucking deal

and they'd be right... You should get credit for winning games that actually matter, not friendlies with B squads or blowouts against Barbados

6/17/2009 10:12:34 PM

both teams can play in the copa america. there are world cup winners in that tourney.

i personally dont feel the u.s. should be ranked as high as they are, but since we are somehow there id like for us to get a 1 seed and get a better chance at a good draw

6/17/2009 10:18:23 PM

I wonder if we'll even be invited next Copa America, considering how much of a shit we took on the tournament sending our C squad

I mean fucking seriously, look at that roster we sent

Quote :

"23] GUZAN Brad [4] BOSWELL Bobby [6] PEARCE Heath [15] MOOR Drew [7] CALIFF Danny [21] MAPP Justin [17] BECKERMAN Kyle [19] CLARK Ricardo [16] KLJESTAN Sacha [8] GOMEZ Herculez [9] JOHNSON Eddie [18] KELLER Kasey [13] BORNSTEIN Jonathan [2] WYNNE Marvell [3] DEMERIT Jay [5] FEILHABER Benny [10] DAVIES Charlie [11] GAVEN Eddie [12] CONRAD Jimmy [14] OLSEN Ben [20] TWELLMAN Taylor [25] NGUYEN Lee"

6/17/2009 10:26:21 PM

lol eddie gaven. the prototype for mls player....

6/17/2009 10:44:52 PM

we suck again.

6/18/2009 11:50:14 AM

are there any online petitions to have bradley fired?? haha, i doubt america cares enough

"The US beat Honduras 2-1, but the only role Bob Bradley played in that victory was as a handicap.

When the US lost to Costa Rica on Wednesday in part because of Bob Bradley poor tactics, in part because of poor preparation, and in part because Costa Rica were simply the better team that night, I thought the anti-Bradley backlash was a bit too much too quick. Now? Not so much.

To start Mastroeni after his horrible HORRIBLE display on Wednesday. To start Ricardo Clark — a second defensive midfielder. To start Conor Casey, who has clearly proven by now that he should not be starting World Cup Qualifiers, over Charlie Davies, who was clearly the man of the match for the US on Wednesday in the few minutes he played as a sub. To not play Torres at all after he was our best player on the pitch in the first half (the only half he played for reasons I still can’t fathom) on Wednesday. To not even have Freddy Adu active. To come off that atrocious display in Costa Rica and allow a goal in the first five minutes at home. All of these things, regardless of the final score, add up to incompetence on the part of Bob Bradley. The level of incompetence that requires he be relieved of his duties.

Again, regardless of the final score, regardless of their likelihood of qualification, this team clearly isn’t at its full potential and that is largely due to the fact that they’re not being set up to be. Even before they go out on the pitch, they’re being handicapped by poor tactics and the exclusion of players vital to reaching that attainable level of potential.

And to those who say “but we won, where do you get off complaining?” I say that that’s a testament to how talented our talented players are and the fact that we play in CONCACAF. Think of the World Cup. "

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 2:30 PM. Reason : bored and reading stuff about how many others want him gone]

6/18/2009 2:27:51 PM

i miss the glory days with paul caligiuri, joe max moore, jeff agoos, steve sampson and bora




someone should buy http://www.firebobbradley.com

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 2:36 PM. Reason : ]

6/18/2009 2:35:04 PM

anyone remember what competition this squad went to?

United States: 1, Brad Friedel; 2, Frankie Hejduk; 3, Eddie Pope; 4, Mike Burns; 5, Thomas Dooley; 6, David Regis; 7, Roy Wegerle; 8, Ernie Stewart; 9, Joe-Max Moore; 10, Tab Ramos; 11, Eric Wynalda; 12, Jeff Agoos; 13, Cobi Jones; 14 Preki Radosavljevic; 15 Chad Deering; 16, Juergen Sommer; 17, Marcelo Balboa; 18, Kasey Keller; 19, Brian Maisonneuve; 20, Brian McBride; 21, Claudio Reyna; 22, Alexi Lawlas. Coach: Steve Sampson.

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 2:40 PM. Reason : :p]

6/18/2009 2:39:49 PM

the 98 world cup?

6/18/2009 2:41:31 PM

yep

haha some of those names make me lol my pants off

maisonneuve, regis, deering, wegerle, lawlas

i sometimes feel embarassed that i watched these games with some guys from england...the dreaded 3-6-1 or whatever from the germany game was the lolling point of the us team that year

6/18/2009 2:43:16 PM

Roy Wegerle lollll...i remember there being such a big fuss over regis coming over from france...i guess he was older, but he seemed to fade rather quickly

6/18/2009 2:46:53 PM

i remember that too. any backline with agoos in it though was doomed. haha, he was so awful. me and my dad hated him. and anytime he touched the ball we were sure he was gonna just turn around and shoot it into our own net.

6/18/2009 2:49:33 PM

hahaha Chad Deering... there's no way I could have ever come up with that name if you said "name as many guys off the 98 roster as possible"


haha Roy Wegerle is a golfer now?? check out those career earnings

http://www.minorleaguegolf.com/bio.asp?Record_ID=44

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 2:54 PM. Reason : roy]

6/18/2009 2:50:27 PM

lol his membership expired 2 days ago and he hasnt played at all this year....


i just remembered harkes got canned by sampson that year, ive completely forgotten why, but i think deering was supposed to play harkes' position, but i think sampson realized deering blew ass in the world cup

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 2:58 PM. Reason : g]

6/18/2009 2:55:53 PM

HARKES - CAPTAIN FOR LIFE except not really


check out this sweet Wegerle goal I just found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOUaDs_55E4

6/18/2009 2:59:31 PM

haha that was against leeds. i dont remember wegerle doing much of that on the national team...


just looked him up on wiki, i always thought he was from england but he was south african..hmm


"Wegerle has been trying to make it as a professional golfer."

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 3:04 PM. Reason : glolfer]

6/18/2009 3:01:25 PM

Quote :

"Joseph Blatter, the president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, again got on his soap box at a news conference Thursday and called for Major League Soccer to switch its March-to-November schedule to the European calendar. Asked about the development of soccer in the United States since it hosted the 1994 World Cup, Blatter acknowledged the formation of M.L.S., but added, “There is one big problem there. The organizers know that.” As long as M.L.S. teams do not have their own stadiums, they would continue to have to play in American football stadiums and arrange their seasons accordingly, Blatter said. Perhaps he doesn’t realize that eight M.L.S. teams play in stadiums built for soccer. "

HERE'S THE FIX TO ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS, PLAY IN EMPTY STADIUMS IN SNOWY FREEZING CONDITIONS

GEE THANKS BLATTER

6/18/2009 3:30:02 PM

Quote :

"Fans should be disgusted. Think about these numbers — the USA conceded three goals, two on bad mistakes. For the fourth time in six games, the Americans conceded an early goal. For the third game in four outings, the USA lost. For the second game in a row, a player made a reckless challenge and got sent off. Of course, there will be the usual apologists for this sorry bunch, but they will sound increasingly beleaguered and shrill. Yeah, Brazil is a great team — this iteration can win the World Cup next year. But truth is, the Americans are no further along than they were twenty years ago when it comes to playing world-class teams. The USA cannot win big games away from the comforts of home. They pretend that they can "step up to the next level." That's magical thinking at its most delusional. All fans ask is that they give an honest effort. Today, it's hard to say they did, at least until the game was effectively over. "

Trecker is usually a tool but he is 100% spot on with this

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/9697770/U.S.-fans-should-be-disgusted-after-Brazil-debacle

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

6/18/2009 8:08:20 PM

^That's a good article, but Beasley did pretty good coming off the bench vs Italy, so I can see why he started today, but I do wonder why Adu isn't seeing any minutes. They could have used the last sub of the game to put him in, but they didn't.

6/18/2009 8:25:13 PM

Quote :

"Of course, there will be the usual apologists for this sorry bunch"

and another article

Quote :

"No one can deny Damarcus Beasley has struggled for the national team. He’s not fit and not sharp, thanks mainly, I think, to his lack of playing time for Rangers. Is it time for Beasley to bow out of the national team? Honestly, I don’t know. He’s only 27 and he has two World Cups under his belt. I’d like to think he still has something in the tank. But maybe the best thing for him would be a forced exile from the national team. He’s received one too many opportunities to rehabilitate his reputation with the US team, and fallen short each time. Maybe a good old-fashioned banishment until he starts playing regularly and well for his club team will refocus him. "

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1679/us-national-team/2009/06/18/1333842/the-target-man-ugly-reflections-on-usa-brazil

I think this last article was written just for you b4c

Quote :

"In other words, the “But it was Brazil” defense only holds so much sway. After all, as my Goal.com colleague Allen Ramsey pointed out after the game, “Brazil doesn't make you fail to trap a short corner, or fail to mark on a set play.” "

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 8:39 PM. Reason : .]

6/18/2009 8:36:08 PM

^I agree with it, but when looking at the way everyone has played the best thing to say is, "Pick your poison." It is up to the coach to put the best line up in there, but every back line combo I have seen Bradley try continues to fail at marking on set plays and during live play. Throw whatever lineup on the field that you want and we still lose to Brazil.

I really would like to see Adu get more minutes though.

[Edited on June 18, 2009 at 8:52 PM. Reason : .]

6/18/2009 8:52:22 PM

First, I thought beasley was pretty shitty vs italy, he was so bad at marking when he played left back. He was the one who left Luca Toni wide open on that cross where Toni hit it right to Howard. That shouldve been a goal. He didnt really do anything to help the offense either.

Second, i'm not sure defense has been our biggest problem. We have no wing play, no passing through the midfield, and no one providing our striker. It's all these hopeful longballs that never do anything. We need some passing in midfield and the strikers involved, cuz we haven't had many opportunities inside the opponents area at all.
Our defense sucks too, but I think it doesnt help that Bocanegra is out. Spector has looked really good though, except for that goal today, and bornstein has been serviceable.

6/18/2009 9:06:26 PM

^I agree we need to work on the offense, but when we played Costa Rica the entire back line stood there on the 3rd goal and just let them dribble into the box. Mastroeni and Torres were also caught standing and failed to make some tackles in that game. In fact the whole team failed on defense. In the Italy/Brazil game we had a different back line and managed to give up 3 goals too, but Spector did a pretty good job. El Salvador also had a different back line and we gave up 2 goals. Like I said, "Pick your poison."

6/18/2009 9:18:25 PM

yea tru dat, theres too many problems to pick one

6/18/2009 9:19:24 PM

^Oh and don't forget that Gooch didn't want to use his left foot to clear the ball vs Italy, so the score went to 2-1. If he clears that ball we might have ended up tying at 1-1.

6/18/2009 9:21:19 PM

Let me get this straight - it's not his fault that the team very rarely scores a goal from the run of play, he's not responsible for teams that give up way too many early goals, he's not responsible for teams that don't know how to defend on set pieces, he's not responsible for players that show no effort in games, he's not responsible for repeated stupid red card tackles...

what do you think a coach should do?

It's more than picking a lineup, throwing a ball out there and hoping for the best, that's for damn sure... but that's all you act like Bradley is supposed to do

6/18/2009 9:33:45 PM

He should get really angry when we lose.

That and the lineup are my only qualifications.

6/18/2009 9:39:37 PM

Quote :

"Let me get this straight - it's not his fault that the team very rarely scores a goal from the run of play, he's not responsible for teams that give up way too many early goals, he's not responsible for teams that don't know how to defend on set pieces, he's not responsible for players that show no effort in games, he's not responsible for repeated stupid red card tackles... what do you think a coach should do? It's more than picking a lineup, throwing a ball out there and hoping for the best, that's for damn sure... but that's all you act like Bradley is supposed to do"

First off I have said he isn't the greatest coach out there, but he has tried different line ups, he has tried different formations, and the team has continued to blow it. That second goal was on Gooch even though he is probably one of our best center backs.

6/18/2009 9:56:09 PM

He has tried different shitty lineups. You can't give him a pass because we have lesser talent when he is partly to blame that what talent we do have isn't on the goddamn field.

Beasely should be relegated to the B team. Adu should get more run at least until he proves he can't do it. Torres should get more run. etc. etc.

He may submit different formation cards to the network analysts, but I'll be goddamned if we don't end up looking like good ol' conservative 5 midfielder bob every time out.

6/19/2009 12:16:43 AM

Although tactics are definitely lacking, I'm starting to become more and more unimpressed by the skill of the players that should be impressing.

Gooch looks completely out of form. Dempsey hasn't contributed. Beasley is absolutely awful, then again not many were expecting more. He looks like he plays in a rec league. Altidore has been good for about one play in the attacking third per game.

Absolutely no consistency.

The players that have been given a chance are blowing it as well.

Bornstein and Spector. Even when they're not letting in goals, they look lost out there.

It's a good thing this team is getting to display their "skills" in this "warm-up" tournament. Big changes are obviously necessary.

Personally, I want to see more Davies. I think if he was teamed up front with Altidore it would open up the game. Put Donovan out wide left where he's most effective (although with this team, he's probably more effective in the center than anyone else out there) which would give Dempsey room to work.

I have no clue what to do about the defense. Hope that Jermaine Jones comes aboard and that he alone can strengthen the overall team defense from a holding midfield position. This would allow Bradley to push up a little and not have to worry about helping out a horrible back line. Hell, maybe even play Jones on the back line.

6/19/2009 1:29:26 AM

And if I hear any more shit out of Lalas' or Harkes' mouth about 'how great it was' when they were playing, as if they were ever anything better than below average, I'm gonna throw a brick at the TV.

6/19/2009 1:38:20 AM

john harkes and i have the same birthday, but he is OVER 9000 years older than i am

6/19/2009 1:54:52 AM

Quote :

"he has tried different line ups, he has tried different formations, and the team has continued to blow it."

Most coaches don't keep everything the exact same in losing streaks. And when nothing they do seems to work, they're fired. That's how the coaching world works.

And as bad as they are, I'm not even referring to his formation, starting lineup, and substitution tactics. I'm just talking about finding 11 guys that are motivated and give a fuck. If a coach can't even do that, he has got to go.



[Edited on June 19, 2009 at 8:20 AM. Reason : .]

6/19/2009 8:04:11 AM

^I think they could be more motivated like they were vs Italy, but I also think that everyones lack of passing and trapping skills makes them look even less motivated.

6/19/2009 12:34:23 PM

BOBOCOP

AND

TWELLMANATOR

6/19/2009 12:38:27 PM

which one of you is responsible for http://www.firebobbradleynow.com

[Edited on June 19, 2009 at 1:25 PM. Reason : ]

6/19/2009 1:24:39 PM

hahaha

i left a comment

[Edited on June 19, 2009 at 1:57 PM. Reason : f]

6/19/2009 1:54:27 PM

me too lol

6/19/2009 3:40:19 PM

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_14876672.html

This is about a week old, but the 2018/2022 World Cup bid has been sliced to 37 cities and 45 stadiums. Charlotte made the cut. So did the Georgia Dome, Fedex Field, and RFK stadium. Those are the closest stadiums to Raleigh.

6/23/2009 10:41:36 PM

a friend and i have our dc and philly tickets for the gold cup. i'm confident we'll win, but if we don't make the semis, i'll feel like an idiot buying these philadelphia tickets.

6/23/2009 11:17:30 PM

^DC is also on the short list of Chicago 2016 Olympic soccer stadiums.

6/24/2009 2:30:54 AM

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=657247&cc=5901
Gold Cup roster released today. Looks like our "C" squad, but I know we don't send a real team to this.

[Edited on June 25, 2009 at 7:53 PM. Reason : wrong link]

6/25/2009 7:52:34 PM

^I'm shocked they didn't let more European based player go since it is the middle of the MLS season right now.

6/25/2009 8:42:18 PM

I was thinking the same thing, like Jozy who gets no time in Europe.

6/25/2009 8:44:34 PM