Phew!
Loyal readers of this here blog are quite familiar with my disdain for the officiating in CONCACAF. Guess it all evened out for the USMNT Thursday night in Chicago against Canada in the Gold Cup semifinals at Soldier Field.
Again, the region's officials showed their utter incompetence, waving off the would-be tying goal in the 95th minute by Atiba Hutchinson. Since the ball deflected off American defender Oguchi Onyewu it's impossible for Hutchinson to be offside. Even then, he looked level with the last defender.
Then again, trying to explain the offside rule is about as complicated as trying to explain the Capital Gain's tax to a layman. Go figure.
For all the crummy officiating the USMNT has been on the hairy end of -- cough, cough Torsten Frings, cough cough, Korea 2002 -- this one temporarily atones for it. Terrible calls are part of the game and I doubt the US is throwing this back.
Of course, had Landon Donovan not whiffed in the box early in the second half it would have been 3-0 USA and the game would have essentially been over. And it would have been one of the nicer goals in USMNT history thanks to a cheeky layoff from DaMarcus Beasley. Too bad.
Oddly enough, I'd pretty much conceded defeat to the Canucks before I even fired up the DVR when I got back from my paying journalism job. Though I work at a newspaper, sequestering myself from soccer knowledge isn't difficult. Yet, as I pulled the last MLB boxscore off the 'wire' I noticed the "Gold Cup -- USA, Canada sums" just below it in the queue. Not a big deal, except peaking at the end of the monitor, "CAN" was listed first and in usual Associated Press fashion the winning team is listed first.
God bless soccer, right.
Canada 1, USA 2
Bring on Mexico.
Since I thought the team had suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of the Maple Leafs I spent most of the first half stewing over Bob Bradley's rather suspect lineup choices.
Did Eddie Johnson really warrant a spot of Benny Feilhaber -- the revelation of 2007 thus far?
Did Kasey Keller deserve a start just to say he got his 100th cap? (More on him later.)
I even had a title picked out -- "Nightmares & Revelations."
Doesn't matter. As has been the case in 2007, the USMNT did just enough to get the win. And who'd have thought we'd have Frankie Hejduk to thank for it?
Hedjuk -- a player you either love or hate -- showed glimpses of his 1998 form, when he was the only American to improve his stock at the disaster in France.
Not only did he score, on a nice lay off from Landon Donovan, but he blocked a would-be Canadian goal early on in the second half. For good measure he even grabbed a yellow card for an altercation with Dwayne DeRosario. Oh, and there were plenty of his patented two-foot sliding tackles, too.
And because of that yellow, Hejduk is out of Sunday's final vs. Mexico so all you Frankie Simek fans get ready. He better be able to ski the proverbial K-12 like his would-be alter-ego Roy Stalin.
Overall, as per usual, the US did enough to win and with this being the first knockout game where they actually had a shot to lose, that's all that matters. Imagine for a second what we'd all be thinking had Canada's last second goal been upheld and they lost in overtime or kicks.
Right, let's not.
Since it's getting late here on the East Coast USA and my heart is still fluttering from the last 20+, tense minutes I'll try to wrap this up nice and quick. Man, those last minutes of stoppage times couldn't transpire quick enough regardless of the surreal ending. (Considering how Canada got screwed so bad, we'll lay off the easy Canuck jokes, too. Or at least make an attempt.)
Good stuff -- Michael Bradley was a force in the midfield and won a ton of balls. Same for Pablo Mastroeni. It's a damn shame Bradley saw red late on to soil an otherwise fine display. Ricardo Clark, you're on notice, son. ... Clint Dempsey again tested the defense with an array of moves and passes from all over the field. Didn't get too forward Thursday, but probably should move to forward for the final. ... Despite the last-second glance off his head, Oneywu played his best game in the tournament and controlled the air for the most part. ... The US came out guns blazing in both halfs and should have had early goals each time. ... Again, it's be a different story if it we had competent officials, but credit the US for holding off Canada in the final minutes. When Canada got to 1-2, the US could have wilted, but it was nice to see them stand tall. Although it probably never should have gotten to 2-1 in the first place, but... ... Again, a set piece that began with a kick taken with Beasley resulted in a goal, as his looping ball to Donovan at the far post eventually make it's way to Hejduk at the top of the area for his corkscrewing blast.
Bad stuff -- By my count Eddie Johnson was caught offside at least four times. Although Taylor Twellman and Brian Ching have struggled, EJ is totally out of sorts and shouldn't start vs. Mexico. He's playing much too passively in front of goal. ... In an eerily similar secenario to the quarterfinal vs. Panama, Iain Hume scored Canada's lone (counting) goal from a position directly in front of goal. For whatever reason Oneywu and Carlos Bocanegra have been prone to lapses. ... Marking on set plays. Canada had a couple balls off the foot of Martin Nash from set plays that the US looked totally lost on. Same with a DeRosario freekick in front of goal in the first half. ... After about five I stopped tracking crosses made by the US without anyone within 20-yards on the other end. ... A yellow card for LD for diving? Sir!? I mean the man probably deserves a yellow card for life, but not for a dive in the 41st minute.
If you read the preview I wrote, about Canadian music. Here's one I left off but applies today.
"Old Man" by Neil Young -- It's tough for legends to go out gracefully in sports most of the time. Count American standout Kasey Keller as one of these. Hate to say it, but now that he's won his 100th cap it's time to turn the page. This isn't 1997 anymore and his famous display vs. Brasil in the Gold Cup. Here's a mildly frigthening trivia nug -- he's the only man to participate in both the 1990 and 2006 World Cups.
Keller was absolutely shambolic Thursday. Yeah, he made some saves and may or may not have been out of position on the Canada goal. Yet whenever the ball was played back to him it back a complete shit show. It was frightening to watch. He nearly got killed by Ali Gerba early on and then was conceding corners left and right.
It doesn't make sense to take Tim Howard out for Keller at this stage of the tournament. Howard hadn't had to do much, but had seemed to have a good repoire with the defense, at least. He can still stop shots and make the acrobatic save, but everything else for ball distribution to positioning is out of whack.
Couldn't Keller have gained cap No. 100 when the US travels to play at Sweden in a couple months? Keller is a great solider for the US cause and has been a class act, but let's go out with a little dignity. Goalkeeper is the one spot the USMNT is safe with. There's no need for a 40-year-old. And don't bring up Dino Zoff to me either. (He at least didn't look 40 at Spain 1982.)
Miscellania -- The other day I took Sam's Army to task a bit. One nugget I'll add here in regards to the whole 'wearing red' thing. Isn't it a tad confusing to have the US supporters decked out in red whilst playing Canada, who's jerseys and 2/3 of it's flag are red? It'll never happen, but I'd try to convince Nike to go with an all-black kit for the USMNT. It would stand out, one. Next, not too many teams rock black internationally. Last, black has street cred. Ask the Oakland Raiders. ... So wait, Max Bretos works for WWE on the side? No. His, "PEN-AL-TY" exclamation after DaMarcus Beasley was dumped by Canadian keeper Pat Onstad in the dying minutes of the first half didn't sound like something Jim Ross would blurt out, no? Nor did his follow-up, "THE REFEREE'S DECISION IS FINAL." Ay yi yi. ... Jesus, that tackle by Bocanegra on Julian de Guzman in the first half. He's lucky it wasn't a red card. Didn't he get off to a rocky start with Fulham for a similar, "horror tackle"? ... Great turnout by the American fans at the start of the game, huh? Were they dressed as Guadelope fans in disguise?
Final thoughts/quick lookahead -- Let's make a cross-sports parallel. When a team wins the NCAA basketball tournament are style points awarded? Do any Bruin fans care than UCLA won in 1995 thanks to a end-to-end layup by Tyus Edney in the second round? Or do (shudder) New England Patriot fans care that Tom Brady clearly fumble vs. the Raiders in snowy Foxborough but was saved by an inane ruling? Obviously not.
So, it hasn't been pretty but Bob Bradley has managed to guide the USMNT to where it wants to be -- the Gold Cup final. Yes, soccer is different but at least on the International level it's about getting results against the opponents that are put in front of you.
Hey, let's not forget the US's opponents on Sunday will be Mexico and El Tri barely escaped past Guadeloupe 1-0. Guadeloupe, man. And it's not even a real country.
I'll write more about this prior to Sunday's kickoff but looks like we have two underachievers. For one it won't matter since they'll lift the Cup and head to the 2009 Confederations Cup. The other will be Mexico.
Adios amigos.
Love your recaps.
Also agreed that Michael Bradley continues to impress. Red card aside, he was all over the field holding down the midfield. Bob can slot in Feilhaber/Maestro in the middle, and we'll be fine.
EJ frustrates me. They showed one replay where he doesn't track wide to dodge the offsides call. Is he just lazy or incompetent -- that's basic striker stuff, no? I'll take Ching, please. He's got better awareness and links up better with Lando.
Last night was all about the little men -- Hejduk for the yanks, and Hume for the Canucks. Hume is up there for player of the game as the game changed with his daring runs and energy.
If Hejduk picked up a card, does that mean hes out for the final? I'm cool with Simek, but I also thought Spector has been decent.
Nice headline. I woulda went with "Hosers Get Hosed."
Actually, "Since the ball deflected off American defender Oguchi Onyewu it's impossible for Hutchinson to be offside," is incorrect. According to Decision 2 of Law 11 - Offside, "Gaining an advantage by being in [offside] position means . . . playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position." [my emphasis]
As far as the Canadian being level with the second to last American defender, it is only required that "any part of his head, body or feet is nearer to his opponents’ goal line" for him to be in offside position. It was really close, but the linesman was in a perfect position to make the call.
As you said, the rule is about as easy to understand as the tax code, but I wouldn't say Canada obviously got screwed.
CrazyTrojan:
the emphasis in your quote should be on "having been in an offside position". As both Canadians were onside when the ball was first played forwards, nothing Onyewu did changes that status. They are both onside.
I agree it might be time for Keller to hang it up...but Howard still makes me nervous. Hanneman is almost as old as Keller. So who's the answer? What's the dirt on Guzan? Isn't he supposed to be the new hotness? Or Chris Seitz?
The more I see Bradley, the more I like him. Probably too simplistic with my opinion, but he seems to play like a "coach's kid". Always the right decision (save the red card), always the right pass, always in the right spot. Maybe I'm wrong?
Regardless, the SilverStars move on. Now, I get to experience a (Sun)day without Mexicans in the greater Chicagoland area. Ariba!
I, too, watched the game on DVR. And with a co-worker letting slip to me that the game was 2-0 at the half, I watched the game on FF playing it at real time when the action looked good. That said, I must have watched a different game than some others.
Michael Bradley sprays the ball all over the field. His positioning may be impeccable, and he is always available for the pass, but his passes seem to go anywhere but to the intended target. Additionally, sometimes he passes too meekly and gets intercepted. His "shot" was embarrassing, and he thoroughly deserved his red card. Feilhaber deserves to start over him.
Onyewu is out of sorts. Yes, he made some good plays last night, but I also saw him get caught out a few times. Yanks-Abroad is reporting he'll be back in Liege next season, and I don't think he'll be moving anywhere based on his performance in the Gold Cup. As another site (Bobby McMahon's, I think) said, no one's stock is dropping faster than Onyewu's.
Why the hell can't one American (besides Hejduk, apparently) put the ball on frame from beyond 20 yards? And why don't they try? Is this like a "whites of their eyes" situation where they have been told not to shoot until they are in the box. I've watched enough soccer over the years to know that as many, if not more, goals come off of odd deflections instead of waiting for the perfect, clear shot.
I've got more, but I'll cede the floor.
Yeah, Anonymous, I covered that in my second paragraph. The slow-mo video I saw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Kt7eNSwYA) was inconclusive because the slow-mo party starts after the ball has already left the foot of the Canadian playing the ball forward (I didn't Tivo the game). You may be right, but it was close and the linesman was well-positioned.