riffjim4069 said:I can't believe we lost this one...and I can't believe anyone would award First Place to a team over goal-kicks (a Tie in my book).
Come on, the field is bigger than a football field and the players run all over it for 120+ minutes. Three subs max allowed.
Extending it any farther wouldn't be any better for the game. There are physical limits to playing and running that much. Have them play longer and you run the risk of injury or ugly goals that result from mental and or physical exhaustion.
I personally dislike PKs, but they serve their purpose. And both teams have the opportunity to avoid them by scoring earlier in the game.
The USA lost this game when they failed to capitalize on all the tremendous scoring chances they had in the first 30 minutes. They could have put it away early. And then when they took the lead twice, both times they played too defensively and conceded tying goals.
Japan showed a lot of heart in coming back to tie with very little time left (twice). And they won it by showing icy calm in taking their PKs.
Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys