There are still tickets for Argentina x Canada at Metlife Stadium on the official website (ticketmaster). Semifinal.
Copa América 2024
- Thread starter GratefulDawg
- Start date
I cannot believe what they are charging for tickets. I would totally go if it were around $100. And they are not filling the seats, so it’s not like “hey we’re just charging what the market will bear #freemarket #capitalism” No they are gouging and the stadiums are partially empty.
It’s gross.
It’s gross.
I'll admit it. I hate watched Panamá and wanted Colombia to beat them worse than they did.
FRO Bielsa. You're coaching one of the most cynical tournament runs ever with an ugly violent style that depends entirely on cowardly refs. STFU.
It's likely an unpopular opinion but I've found Urgaguay to be the most entertaining team to watch across both Copa and the Euros. In past competitions, I've been annoyed by their cheap shots and the antics but this iteration of the squad to me is different. The intensity with which every player on the pitch sprints all over the field is insane. They are fearless as they press in ways that leave them totally exposed. I spent the early rounds thinking this is fun and all but there is no way this is going to work against the better teams but they did it against Brazil last night. De La Cruz and Nunez sprint into the press like they are chasing a breakaway goal. It's like they made an entire squad of Taty. Yes, they foul a lot and the refs should start the yellow cards earlier but that's on the refs. Until a ref forces them to adjust why would they?
So I get where Bielsa is coming from. Teams across both tournaments that are stacked with world-class attackers (France, England, Argentina, Netherlands, Brazil) have played passively against far less talented opponents like they are more worried about not making a mistake than they are about actually trying to score goals. Watching England and France attack this tournament is like watching paint dry, until they go down a goal and then decide they need to play hard and chase a goal. To me, the most entertaining teams across both tournaments have been Uraguay, Columbia, Germany, and Spain because they are the only teams that went out and tried to dominate the game, and score goals to get the win. All the other big teams despite all their star power have played not to lose.
It might be ugly to some but I bet if the USA team played with 50% of the intensity that Uraguay does we probably could beat Panama down two men. It was reckless but at least last night Nández got a red trying to aggressively win the ball and not because he's a soft baby that let a player get under his skin like Weah.
I will admit I was watching Canada thinking that the USA should have hired Marsch and played an aggressive press. Half the teams in the tournament have low-talent rosters and are just trying to muck out a win through antics, crappy refereeing, and parking the bus. Why try to outplay them with possession when you can press them and watch them fall apart due to their lack of skill?
It could be copium but to me Uraguay plays more like Taty than Redbull. Taty fouled a ton but it was in aggressive often borderline reckless pursuit of trying to win the ball. Same with Uraguay they are 1st and foremost trying to win the ball, they are aggressive about trying to turn it over and often foul and they do tactically foul when they are caught out but to me, it looks like fouls as the result of trying to win the ball. Red Bull soccer at its worst is just fouls to not allow the other team to ever play soccer. In a Redbull game play can be settled with the opposition just starting to take them on or passing around in a triangle and the RB player will just run up and kick them to stop them from playing soccer. To me that is different than the hyper-aggressive press that Uraguay runs, but like I said I admit I could be splitting hairs to justify that I've found it entertaining.
Edit: I think you could also differentiate a bit between Redbull Eras, the early NYCFC years those BWP led RB teams were terrifying in the press. F-redbull but that was an admirably effective high-press that was highly disciplined, well executed and created a ton of chances. If I was a neutral watching year 2-4 RB/NYCFC game I think I would have found entertainment in watching an elite possession team in NYCFC trying to out-maneuver an elite pressing team in RB. The later years though, particularly the Stuber years, that wasn't a talented press that was just thug ball by a low talent team that appeared to have been told if the opposition passes or dribbles more than twice run up and kick them. That nonsense was unwatchable BS even for neutrals and the amount MLS let them get away with it was absurd.
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I think the essence of Red bull soccer isn't just that they press, but that they don't care about possession and are happy to launch long balls into the attacking third, press for turnovers, and then try to score.
Uruguay plays a very high intensity press and they are physical. no team on the planet is going out duel them in a physical game and walk away unscathed. But at the same time, they will possess the ball and work the ball. They will, of course, take advantage of through balls and long balls because they aren't a ticky tacka team. A red bull team will be happy with 20% possession. uruguay do not concede possession like that.
I would even say we (nycfc) can be pretty aggressive in our press as well and commit a lot of fouls doing it and just off the top of my head, i would bet that a majority of our goals have come from transition play due to a turnover or winning the ball vs building a play to break down the opposition like a very possession based team would normally do, like man city.
In the copa, colombia and uruguay have been the most entertaining. Like gbservis said, they are playing to win while everyone else is playing not to lose. Spain is playing that way and doing it with skill and pure footballing talent. Euros have been kinda eh cause most teams have been playing not to lose.
for me, i want colombia or uruguay to win it all and definitely rooting for spain.
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seeing so many comments on south american refs really reminds me that people dont watch much of the south american game. for years watching copa americas/ libertadores/ sudamericanas it is often known that there is high chance refs will screw you or just be plain incompetent. and there has been many cases of it. their style is very different. this is why i chuckle when i read that concacaf refs are the worst
his statement can still be true regardless of the style of this team. Uruguay has ALWAYS been known for their rough physicality "la garra charrua" always refers to that. south american refs wont call every foul (although i think some concacaf were in reffing in this tournament). this is why they (and other physcial teams) can get away with it.
Guess that's why Don Garber said this...
Guess that's why Don Garber said this...
pro has its own issues though. its not good either. but for other reasons compared to south american referee's
Too much to quote or even address in good points from
Gene
M
moogoo and
Fantazma .
But in sum, I think I find Uruguay's style as much of a cynical bully's game as RB. They don't just foul a lot, they foul very hard and dare refs to issue yellows, and too often get away with it. It's ugly. It is clearly correct that NYCFC has fouled a lot, at least until Nick. Pre-2022 we usually had roughly the same number of fouls as RB, with some years more and some less. But I think everyone here at least will agree our fouls were different in style and kind than RB, who often as not run through you when they foul. But for anyone who disagrees about the relative ugliness of Uruguay and RB, I cannot say you're wrong. It's very subjective. And maybe Uruguay does lean more on the side of excess tactical fouls, but for me that's just as ugly. I guess I'm going off intent. Teams like NYCFC try not to foul but its is an inevitable by product of pressing. But when you repeatedly run through people or grab with with no attempt to play the ball (ie classically cynical fouls) you're gambling that the ref just won't issue a yellow every time you do it and too often that bet pays off.
And yes Uruguay plays like this regardless of Bielsa. But he's still the guy currently in charge of a team with IMO an ugly style. Even then, I would not call him out if he didn't go on for 2 minutes about ugly play.
Gene
M
moogoo and
Fantazma .But in sum, I think I find Uruguay's style as much of a cynical bully's game as RB. They don't just foul a lot, they foul very hard and dare refs to issue yellows, and too often get away with it. It's ugly. It is clearly correct that NYCFC has fouled a lot, at least until Nick. Pre-2022 we usually had roughly the same number of fouls as RB, with some years more and some less. But I think everyone here at least will agree our fouls were different in style and kind than RB, who often as not run through you when they foul. But for anyone who disagrees about the relative ugliness of Uruguay and RB, I cannot say you're wrong. It's very subjective. And maybe Uruguay does lean more on the side of excess tactical fouls, but for me that's just as ugly. I guess I'm going off intent. Teams like NYCFC try not to foul but its is an inevitable by product of pressing. But when you repeatedly run through people or grab with with no attempt to play the ball (ie classically cynical fouls) you're gambling that the ref just won't issue a yellow every time you do it and too often that bet pays off.
And yes Uruguay plays like this regardless of Bielsa. But he's still the guy currently in charge of a team with IMO an ugly style. Even then, I would not call him out if he didn't go on for 2 minutes about ugly play.
Hey, I got to see Julian Álvarez and Leo Messi score goals. I'm good.
I do appreciate that Canada tried to play tonight. They didn't shithouse. They didn't bunker. Respect to them for that.
I do appreciate that Canada tried to play tonight. They didn't shithouse. They didn't bunker. Respect to them for that.
It was a fun game! Was better than the Chile game.
Canada were afraid to shoot. They kept getting into the Argentina box and then just not sure what to do. I think they should have taken some chances, but most of the time they passed a few times too many and by then Argentina had so many men behind the ball that Canada had nothing they could do.
colombia are playing so hard. it's incredible. much respect to play like that with 10 players in THAT heat and humidity. insane.
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