World Cup 2014: Round of 16 Belgium v USA 01/07/14

[SIZE="5"]2014 FIFA WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16

Venue: Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador




Date: Tuesday, 1 July Kick-off: 21:00 BST

Can't wait to see those two dicks Mirallas and Mertens be the big men for 90 minutes. USA USA

Can see my boys winning this

Originally Posted by believe

Can see my boys winning this

Originally Posted by Jethro

Come on the yanks.

Fancy the Yanks big style, I really do.

3-1 to win in 90 minutes, I am so confident ive put a fiver on it.

Wilson on this Divock Origi lad. He really has come from nowhere.

[SIZE="3"]Belgium super sub Origi, 19, an unknown no more



When Christian Benteke ruptured his Achilles' tendon in the build-up to the World Cup, the thought was - beyond sympathy for the forward, who was excellent in the qualifiers - that it wouldn't matter too much because Belgium had a ready made replacement in Romelu Lukaku.

The coexistence of two top-class powerful, quick strikers born two and a half years apart seemed one of those quirks international football throws up, like when England agonized over which of their two superb goalkeepers, Ray Clemence or Peter Shilton, to select. Cameroon having to choose between Joseph-Antoine Bell or Thomas Nkono. Italy vacillating between Sandro Mazzola and Gianni Rivera. As it's turned out, though, Belgium's best forward in the tournament so far has been unheralded 19-year-old Divock Origi.

The days of the World Cup propelling unknowns to stardom were supposed to be over. We know too much for a player ever again to catch us completely off guard. Or so we thought.

Scouts and devotees of youth tournaments perhaps did know of Origi, as did people who follow the French league closely, but for most, the emergence of a player who has started just 12 games in an 18-month career at Lille has come as a surprise. Before he slammed in the winner for Belgium against Russia, Origi had only previously scored six senior goals.

"It’s my first full season as a professional," Origi said. "Since January I've started to play regularly. I scored some goals, and I was called up for the national team. Everything is going fast! That’s what special about football sometimes. I wouldn’t say I was expecting to get the call, but I knew I was one of the candidates. It was very special for me as a 19-year-old boy to be called up for the World Cup."

Marc Wilmots, Belgium's coach, clearly takes a certain pride in having called up Origi.

"Without Christian Benteke's injury, Divock would not be here," he said. "I have followed him for the last four months. He is a young player, but somebody who is disciplined, who is fast. Nobody knew him, but you can see his qualities - he is integrated into the team, technical, quick and when defense gets tired very good to rely on players like him."

Origi had a key role to play in the only goal against South Korea as well, his shot from 25 yards being saved and bouncing free for Jan Vertonghen to knock in the rebound. The suggestion that Origi might start ahead of Lukaku, who has labored so far in the tournament, though, brought a sharp response from Wilmots.

"No!" he snapped. "I'm not blind. His body isn't ready yet."

Given Origi's apparent muscularity, it's an intriguing reply, but there is perhaps a rawness about him that makes him most effective coming off the bench to take on tired legs.

"When I left the field the defense was tired," said Lukaku after the 1-0 win over South Korea. "It was easier for Divock. He had a good game but it was less of a test for him."

That sounded defensive, a player protecting his own position, and perhaps it was, but there was also a truth to Lukaku's words. He perhaps was thinking of how Steve Clarke used him during his spell on loan with West Bromwich Albion in 2012-13, when he or Shane Long would be used to wear out the opposing defense before the other came on to reap the rewards.

Vertonghen compares Origi to Eden Hazard, another Lille graduate, saying both play "street-football." In an era in which the majority of young players are developed through academies and coached from an early age, there is a desirability of players who have the unpredictability of the street - even if that is ultimately sublimated within a team structure, which is why Wilmots speaks of Origi's discipline and how well he has integrated.

Given his background, perhaps that understanding of team dynamics is no surprise. Origi's father, Mike, also a striker, was a Kenya international for 15 years, and spent the majority of his career in Belgium, helping Genk to two league titles. Origi and and other family members have been in Brazil, and it clearly means a lot to the 19-year-old to have them there. He spoke of being "inspired" at playing in the Maracana, seemingly on the one hand bemused to be catching the eye in the World Cup and on the other to be utterly at ease in the environment.

He will not start against the USA, but that doesn't mean Origi won't again leave a lasting impact.

Jozy is back. Great news for the US, apparently.

Ahead of the United States' big match up against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, the USA has announced some positive news.

Amid speculation about the availability of star striker Jozy Altidore, who suffered a strained hamstring in the Americans' World Cup opening match against Ghana, U.S. Soccer has claimed that Altidore will be available for selection for Jurgen Klinsmann against the Red Devils.

The next question is whether Altidore will be fit enough to actually play and/or make an impact.

Without Altidore in the lineup, Klinsmann has deployed Clint Dempsey as a lone striker. Having Altidore leading the attack could be a big boost to the USA against a tough Belgium squad that could potentially be without standout defender and team captain Vincent Kompany, who has been dealing with a groin injury and is questionable for the match.

Klinsmann

SALVADOR, Brazil - United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann has criticized FIFA for appointing an Algerian referee to officiate his side's World Cup second-round match against Belgium on Tuesday.

The U.S. scored a late winner against Algeria in the World Cup four years ago that put them top of their group ahead of England and Klinsmann said the appointment of Algeria's Djamel Haimoudi for the Fonte Nova arena match made him uncomfortable.

“Is it a good feeling' No,” Klinsmann told reporters on Monday.

“He is able to speak French with their players on the field, not with us, and it is a country we beat in the last World Cup.

”Sometimes I don't understand FIFA. I know it is difficult to always choose the right referee for the right games. ... We give it the benefit of the doubt.

“We hope it is not a concern, we know he did two games already and he did them very well. We hope he continues to referee in the perfect way.”

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots played down the significance of the appointment.

“I don't think the referee is there to talk, he is there to referee,” he told a news conference. “I'm not getting involved in a little game about the refs.”

Klinsmann said the U.S., who surprisingly beat out Portugal and Ghana to qualify for the last 16 alongside Germany in Group G, were expecting a tough match against a highly rated Belgian side, but had plans to keep the likes of Eden Hazard quiet.

“With Hazard and Mertens on both wings, you have extremely gifted players… You have to be super disciplined and not give them too much space. That's what we've worked on,” he said.

Forward Jozy Altidore, who picked up a hamstring injury in the Americans' first group match, is available after training with the squad for the last few days.

“We have no fear at all,” Klinsmann said. “I think it is going to be an exciting and hopefully entertaining match.

”We feel fresh, we have recovered well after every game so far. We feel we have just started this adventure.“

Klinsmann said his side had practiced penalty shootouts and was upbeat about pulling off another surprise by toppling a Belgian side who have three wins from three in Brazil.

”The World Cup for all of us is huge. You don't want to wait another four years to get into the quarter-finals, you want to do it now,“ he said.

The winners will play Argentina or Switzerland in the last eight.

who surprisingly beat out Portugal and Ghana

I type e-mails like this nowadays :shudder:

Managed to turn £10 into £103 by betting on teams to qualify in each of the ties. Got them all so far but not sure whether to lump it all on Belgium as I have a sneaky suspicsion that the Yanks might shock a few people tonight.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Jozy is back. Great news for the US, apparently.

10/1 first goal with skybet

http://uniladmag.com/sport/usa-footb...ew-pump-video/

Originally Posted by est.1878

10/1 first goal with skybet

Hes a £#%&!in goal machine that boy, lump on!!!

I'd love to see the Belgies win this but I think the Great Satans might just squeeze through.

Originally Posted by believe

Can see my boys winning this

Originally Posted by HotChip

Hes a £#%&!in goal machine that boy, lump on!!!

I'm on it with 200 big ones (pence)

Originally Posted by elhombre

http://uniladmag.com/sport/usa-footb...ew-pump-video/

Originally Posted by elhombre

http://uniladmag.com/sport/usa-footb...ew-pump-video/