Ramos: 'Great result, pretty poorly played game'
- by Soccer America , Jun 24, 2013
“I think the team made a great effort," he said after the game. "Overall, I felt like as a team we didn’t have our legs today. It was a difficult match for us. We didn’t play I thought as well as we did the other day. I’m a little bit disappointed with that. Obviously, the result is what it is. We could have won the game. But we certainly want to play a lot better than we played today.”
Ramos admitted things weren’t clicking in the second game.
"It wasn’t just one player," he said. "It wasn’t just two players. I think as a team we were sluggish today. That and the fact that we’re playing against a very athletic team, you put those two together and it’s very hard to play good soccer. I think overall we have to do a lot better. If I had to assess the game, I thought it was a pretty poorly played game by both sides.”
Still, coming away with a draw after going down on a dubious penalty call and then missing a penalty kick of its own was a huge result for Ramos' young team.
“I think the result is great," he said. "That’s what’s important here -- we were able to get a draw. I look at the way I think our team can play and my disappointment is because I thought in a game like today we should have gotten all three points. I think we played poorly. But at the end of the day, I think it was great courage by the team and it was great effort. Without having our best we worked hard all the way to the end and we got a tie. I think that’s very important. Let’s not forget that France is a very important team in this tournament. We stay alive and now we go into the last game hoping for the best.”
4 comments about "Ramos: 'Great result, pretty poorly played game'".
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Good for you Tab, not satisfied with merely a result, but concerned about the quality of our play.Thats what will carry the day in the end.In the past, our US Coaches would have been gushing about how wonderful and gutsy our guys were and how excited they were to get the draw vs. such a strong side. That's the thinking that has kept us from progressing.
Although I would suggest our poor play might have had more to do with the physicality of the huge French team that I say after their scouting of our match vs. Spain decided that was the way to play our side,to knock us off our game.
Tab, and thats how a USA coach should rate a team's performance!! Not just happy with an ugly result. I wonder what Tab would say if he coached a win in snowy conditions??
I had a feeling that when Cuevas came in, something good could happen. He,s done it before. and did it again. I'm very happy for Tab and have high hopes for this team.
I am very happy with Tab and his overall approach to the games. I loved it that he chose to go toe to toe with Spain, high line and all!!! Imagine what the players would have felt like when they were told by their coach that they were going to take Spain on in the midfield!!!! If I were one of those players I would have been pumped at the confidence he was showing in their ability to play head to head, no bunkering, with one of the best youth teams in the World.