"There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently." -- Robert Evans, The Kid Stays in the Picture.
Argentina 4, United States 1 -- Copa America Group C, First Stage, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
There are probably two schools of thought on dissecting this one. (Bear with me, I watched the game at a bar and couldn't fully pay attention to each and every detail. And no, people didn't throw beer at the screens a la 'Animal House' when Flounder's picture shows up when the beautiful game replaced the NESN feed of the Pawtucket Red Sox.)
School uno is that a very green and inexperienced USMNT hung with Argentina for just over an hour before succumbing to a very talented team that snapped out of its malaise.
The second is that, if a 'junior varsity' squad could hold on that long on South American soil, what could the full national team have accomplished? Wait until 2009 Conferations Cup for that, sorry.
If you've been reading you know where I stand.
In a perfect world it would have been nice to send a full strength squad to the Copa. But with the Gold Cup, club commitments, etc. it simply wasn't going to happen.
Yes, you could point to the fact that facing a similar situation Mexico defeated Brasil 2-0 the night before without many of its European-based players.
The fact is, there's no sense speculating on what could have transpired inside Estadio Jose Panchencho Romero Thursday night. Bob Bradley chose this squad and there's no changing it now.
That said, who out there in Internet land ever imagined the US would own a lead in this game? Who cares if it came via -- a correct -- penalty call on Gabriel Milito mugging Eddie Johnson. As Prof. John Satlin would say, "Friends, you gotta play by the rules."
Too bad it lasted all of two minutes, but its still something. Overall, the US didn't even play that poorly. Were they good? Not really. Considering this team had less than a week of practice together and a slew of unfamiliar faces, hanging with essentially Argentina's World Cup team sans-Pablo Sorin is nothing to be ashamed with, despite the eventual 4-1 scoreline. You might as well toss the final 20 minutes because by then the American's spirits were broken.
Part of the credit can go to Argie coach and, as Shaquilino wisely pointed out -- Fat Tony lookalike -- Alfio Basile deciding to start three defensive-minded midfielders in Juan Sebastian Veron, Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Mascherano.
Is it any surprise that six minutes of the insertion of attacked-minded Real Zaragoza-man Pablo Aimir Argentina took the lead?
Argie fans will take little solace in it, but it was the anti-Jose Peckerman move when he took off Juan Roman Riquelme for Cambiasso against Germany in the second half of the 2006 WM quarterfinals ahead 1-0.
From an American perspective, most of the ire can be directly squarely on the shoulders of Kasey Keller, ironically a man making his 101 first International appearance, which if you throw out Ben Olsen, Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson and Jimmy Conrad dwarfs the rest of the US roster combined.
Keller can draw some fault for the Argentine equalizer by Herman Crespo off a plumb free-kick in front of the goal from Riquelme. It was a total collapse in man-marking by the US, which isn't hard to imagine with the unfamiliarity out there. Yet for Keller to lunge at the ball and try to punch it away, only to whiff and give a clear, open chance for a world class striker like Crespo is inexcusable. Maybe you can pull that crap against Energie Cottbus or El Salvador. Perhaps there's a reason Borussia Monchenglglglglalaalalalaladbach was relegated to the 2.Bundesliga.
Crespo's second goal was even worse.
Yes, Lionel Messi absolutely threaded the needle with an excellent weighted ball to Crespo, but Keller's positioning, reaction and eventual 'save' attempt were PDL-worthy. Isn't one of the tenets of goalkeeping to, 'make yourself big'? Keller turned at a crazy angle and allowed the ball to squirt right under him. Nauseating.
What made it worse, is that it hearkened back to Razak Pimpong's goal for Ghana in the 2006 World Cup, that eliminated the US. It would have been a difficult save on a 1-v-1 breakaway, but Keller didn't get an angle on it and gave Pimpong and entire net to shoot on.
The other two goals? Credit the Argies. Those were both class finishes, in particular Riquelme's thread to Tevez from his own half for the capper. Tip your cap and move on.
It's safe to assume the American's spirits were completely fizzled by the fourth goal. To use Mexico as an analog, El Tri's keeper Guillermo Ochoa stood on his head to deny Brasil and he was a 21-year-old kid with seven caps to his name.
It pains me to type this, but since no one in the national media will, and even if I'm some schmuck blogger typing in my proverbial underwear, it's time for Keller to gracefully step aside. Sure, he had two or three fine stops, including a full-extension knock away of a Vernon bullet, but it's time to exit stage right (or left).
Goalkeeper is the one position America doesn't need worry about. Tim Howard is a fine No. 1 choice who can be supplemented with Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann, Matt Reis and maybe even Chris Seitz down the road.
That's really the one concrete thing you can take from this game, too.
From what I could tell no one really stood out. Benny Feilhaber had his moments, but was almost on an island by himself in the midfield. Everyone wants to get out the anointing oils...not just yet. Give him some time. He can't dominate a game by himself yet, let alone vs. a team like Argentina.
Jimmy Conrad also showed his defensive ability, marshaling the box with aplomb. Believe it or not, Jonathan Bornsetin didn't seem to much out of his element at left back and even picked Messi clean once or twice.
It just goes to show how good players like Donovan, Beasley, Dempsey, Bocanegra, et al actually are. I keep harping on Brasil/Mexico, but look at Brasil without Kaka and Ronaldinho, etc. No, the US isn't Brasil, but it shows that even the mighty five-time world champs struggle without their top guns.
The rest of the roster? Quick impressions before bed.
Eddie Johnson, For. -- Hard to naysay a performance when he drew and scored a penalty. Still, for some reason he plays too passive. It's one thing to hold up the ball when Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are out there, another when you're the No. 1 attack option. Can't recall him touching it in the second half.
Taylor Twellman, For. -- This might be the most irrefutable statement I've ever written here -- there's a slight, albeit slight difference between Roberto Ayala and your standard MLS center half. Slight.
Justin Mapp, Left mid. -- See above. It's one thing to rush past a guy making 13K per year, another when you're dealing with Argentina. (In fairness, not many can run through the Argies. Crunch.)
Ricardo Clark, Mid. -- It was a pinpoint, textbook header that nearly tore through the net, but Clark was the guy running with Aimar and kind of just stopped. One minute you're up, the next...
Ben Olsen, ? Mid. -- Tell me if I'm wrong but did he start on the outside? Good to see the beard at least.
Jay DeMerit, CB -- Again, wasn't watching intently enough to get a read on him. Seemed okay.
Marvell Wynne, RB -- Youngster made absolutely zero attacking impact on the right flank, though he was thrown into the deep end of the pool tonight.
Subs: Jesus...was Eddie Gaven hanging out with Butchie Yost the last couple weeks? He, Kyle Beckerman and Herculez Gomez came on too late to make any impact.
Bob Bradley, coach -- He popped his cherry in the loss department national team head coach tonight. No shame in losing to Argentina. He's probably the most important figure in this game other than Keller. I can write and rant with what I saw on the television and give some knee-jerk (emphasis on jerk) reactions.
Bradley is on the field and can judge body language, morale, the little things. He's in the locker room. He's clearly stated this tournament is a learning experience and a chance to evaluate players. If at the end of this sojourn to South America, Bradley has identified three, four players that can join the 'core' team that's probably better in the long term than winning a game or two.
Final thoughts: Is it a moral victory to hang with the Argies for an hour? Not really. It's better off to just toss this one and chalk it up to the outside factors, especially the lack of practices as a unit prior to kickoff.
That said, all these half-excuses and justifications go out the window the next two games. Paraguay might have thumped Colombia 5-0, but the US should be able to hang with them on Monday. Paraguay isn't a slouch, but they're no Argentina either. If the team unravels down the final 30 minutes vs. los Guaraníes, well, then they're some concern and hand-wringing Roque Santa Cruz or not.
It would have been nice to get Argentina third in the group stage, just to let this unit build up some cohesion. Clearly, dropping 11 guys onto the field against a world-class squad isn't going to work for any nation, not just the US.
Cosmetically 2-1 would have been better, but it is what is it. Let's just move on. No one out there is delusional to think the US is in the same league as Argentina, even at full strength.
Well, perhaps Alexi Lalas.
If we gave a grade tonight incomplete is that only thing appropriate.
Last word: Kudos to my man Suppe for correctly guessing the 4-1 scoreline before kickoff. Kudos.
Fire away and pick some hole in my arguments. If anyone has a comment on the GolTV presentation, please let me know.
Friday morning update -- Here are the postgame US quotes. Nothing really useful. Hard to think any American media actually went down there to grill them, Keller especially.
Argentina 4, United States 1 -- Copa America Group C, First Stage, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
There are probably two schools of thought on dissecting this one. (Bear with me, I watched the game at a bar and couldn't fully pay attention to each and every detail. And no, people didn't throw beer at the screens a la 'Animal House' when Flounder's picture shows up when the beautiful game replaced the NESN feed of the Pawtucket Red Sox.)
School uno is that a very green and inexperienced USMNT hung with Argentina for just over an hour before succumbing to a very talented team that snapped out of its malaise.
The second is that, if a 'junior varsity' squad could hold on that long on South American soil, what could the full national team have accomplished? Wait until 2009 Conferations Cup for that, sorry.
If you've been reading you know where I stand.
In a perfect world it would have been nice to send a full strength squad to the Copa. But with the Gold Cup, club commitments, etc. it simply wasn't going to happen.
Yes, you could point to the fact that facing a similar situation Mexico defeated Brasil 2-0 the night before without many of its European-based players.
The fact is, there's no sense speculating on what could have transpired inside Estadio Jose Panchencho Romero Thursday night. Bob Bradley chose this squad and there's no changing it now.
That said, who out there in Internet land ever imagined the US would own a lead in this game? Who cares if it came via -- a correct -- penalty call on Gabriel Milito mugging Eddie Johnson. As Prof. John Satlin would say, "Friends, you gotta play by the rules."
Too bad it lasted all of two minutes, but its still something. Overall, the US didn't even play that poorly. Were they good? Not really. Considering this team had less than a week of practice together and a slew of unfamiliar faces, hanging with essentially Argentina's World Cup team sans-Pablo Sorin is nothing to be ashamed with, despite the eventual 4-1 scoreline. You might as well toss the final 20 minutes because by then the American's spirits were broken.
Part of the credit can go to Argie coach and, as Shaquilino wisely pointed out -- Fat Tony lookalike -- Alfio Basile deciding to start three defensive-minded midfielders in Juan Sebastian Veron, Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Mascherano.
Is it any surprise that six minutes of the insertion of attacked-minded Real Zaragoza-man Pablo Aimir Argentina took the lead?
Argie fans will take little solace in it, but it was the anti-Jose Peckerman move when he took off Juan Roman Riquelme for Cambiasso against Germany in the second half of the 2006 WM quarterfinals ahead 1-0.
From an American perspective, most of the ire can be directly squarely on the shoulders of Kasey Keller, ironically a man making his 101 first International appearance, which if you throw out Ben Olsen, Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson and Jimmy Conrad dwarfs the rest of the US roster combined.
Keller can draw some fault for the Argentine equalizer by Herman Crespo off a plumb free-kick in front of the goal from Riquelme. It was a total collapse in man-marking by the US, which isn't hard to imagine with the unfamiliarity out there. Yet for Keller to lunge at the ball and try to punch it away, only to whiff and give a clear, open chance for a world class striker like Crespo is inexcusable. Maybe you can pull that crap against Energie Cottbus or El Salvador. Perhaps there's a reason Borussia Monchenglglglglalaalalalaladbach was relegated to the 2.Bundesliga.
Crespo's second goal was even worse.
Yes, Lionel Messi absolutely threaded the needle with an excellent weighted ball to Crespo, but Keller's positioning, reaction and eventual 'save' attempt were PDL-worthy. Isn't one of the tenets of goalkeeping to, 'make yourself big'? Keller turned at a crazy angle and allowed the ball to squirt right under him. Nauseating.
What made it worse, is that it hearkened back to Razak Pimpong's goal for Ghana in the 2006 World Cup, that eliminated the US. It would have been a difficult save on a 1-v-1 breakaway, but Keller didn't get an angle on it and gave Pimpong and entire net to shoot on.
The other two goals? Credit the Argies. Those were both class finishes, in particular Riquelme's thread to Tevez from his own half for the capper. Tip your cap and move on.
It's safe to assume the American's spirits were completely fizzled by the fourth goal. To use Mexico as an analog, El Tri's keeper Guillermo Ochoa stood on his head to deny Brasil and he was a 21-year-old kid with seven caps to his name.
It pains me to type this, but since no one in the national media will, and even if I'm some schmuck blogger typing in my proverbial underwear, it's time for Keller to gracefully step aside. Sure, he had two or three fine stops, including a full-extension knock away of a Vernon bullet, but it's time to exit stage right (or left).
Goalkeeper is the one position America doesn't need worry about. Tim Howard is a fine No. 1 choice who can be supplemented with Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann, Matt Reis and maybe even Chris Seitz down the road.
That's really the one concrete thing you can take from this game, too.
From what I could tell no one really stood out. Benny Feilhaber had his moments, but was almost on an island by himself in the midfield. Everyone wants to get out the anointing oils...not just yet. Give him some time. He can't dominate a game by himself yet, let alone vs. a team like Argentina.
Jimmy Conrad also showed his defensive ability, marshaling the box with aplomb. Believe it or not, Jonathan Bornsetin didn't seem to much out of his element at left back and even picked Messi clean once or twice.
It just goes to show how good players like Donovan, Beasley, Dempsey, Bocanegra, et al actually are. I keep harping on Brasil/Mexico, but look at Brasil without Kaka and Ronaldinho, etc. No, the US isn't Brasil, but it shows that even the mighty five-time world champs struggle without their top guns.
The rest of the roster? Quick impressions before bed.
Eddie Johnson, For. -- Hard to naysay a performance when he drew and scored a penalty. Still, for some reason he plays too passive. It's one thing to hold up the ball when Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are out there, another when you're the No. 1 attack option. Can't recall him touching it in the second half.
Taylor Twellman, For. -- This might be the most irrefutable statement I've ever written here -- there's a slight, albeit slight difference between Roberto Ayala and your standard MLS center half. Slight.
Justin Mapp, Left mid. -- See above. It's one thing to rush past a guy making 13K per year, another when you're dealing with Argentina. (In fairness, not many can run through the Argies. Crunch.)
Ricardo Clark, Mid. -- It was a pinpoint, textbook header that nearly tore through the net, but Clark was the guy running with Aimar and kind of just stopped. One minute you're up, the next...
Ben Olsen, ? Mid. -- Tell me if I'm wrong but did he start on the outside? Good to see the beard at least.
Jay DeMerit, CB -- Again, wasn't watching intently enough to get a read on him. Seemed okay.
Marvell Wynne, RB -- Youngster made absolutely zero attacking impact on the right flank, though he was thrown into the deep end of the pool tonight.
Subs: Jesus...was Eddie Gaven hanging out with Butchie Yost the last couple weeks? He, Kyle Beckerman and Herculez Gomez came on too late to make any impact.
Bob Bradley, coach -- He popped his cherry in the loss department national team head coach tonight. No shame in losing to Argentina. He's probably the most important figure in this game other than Keller. I can write and rant with what I saw on the television and give some knee-jerk (emphasis on jerk) reactions.
Bradley is on the field and can judge body language, morale, the little things. He's in the locker room. He's clearly stated this tournament is a learning experience and a chance to evaluate players. If at the end of this sojourn to South America, Bradley has identified three, four players that can join the 'core' team that's probably better in the long term than winning a game or two.
Final thoughts: Is it a moral victory to hang with the Argies for an hour? Not really. It's better off to just toss this one and chalk it up to the outside factors, especially the lack of practices as a unit prior to kickoff.
That said, all these half-excuses and justifications go out the window the next two games. Paraguay might have thumped Colombia 5-0, but the US should be able to hang with them on Monday. Paraguay isn't a slouch, but they're no Argentina either. If the team unravels down the final 30 minutes vs. los Guaraníes, well, then they're some concern and hand-wringing Roque Santa Cruz or not.
It would have been nice to get Argentina third in the group stage, just to let this unit build up some cohesion. Clearly, dropping 11 guys onto the field against a world-class squad isn't going to work for any nation, not just the US.
Cosmetically 2-1 would have been better, but it is what is it. Let's just move on. No one out there is delusional to think the US is in the same league as Argentina, even at full strength.
Well, perhaps Alexi Lalas.
If we gave a grade tonight incomplete is that only thing appropriate.
Last word: Kudos to my man Suppe for correctly guessing the 4-1 scoreline before kickoff. Kudos.
Fire away and pick some hole in my arguments. If anyone has a comment on the GolTV presentation, please let me know.
Friday morning update -- Here are the postgame US quotes. Nothing really useful. Hard to think any American media actually went down there to grill them, Keller especially.
Labels: Copa America, Soccer, USMNT
The only time you'll read anything nice about Mexico
7 Comments Published by Cardillo on June 27, 2007 at 9:21 PM.
To quote Dr. Peter Venkman, "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria."
As unabashedly biased as I toward the Mexican national team, have to give some credit where credit is due.
Youngster Nery Castillo just scored against Brasil in their Copa American Group Stage game that would be the envy of any player.
It was that good.
Castillo took a long pass from 40ish yards outside the box, controlled it with his right foot and flicked it to himself a little distance away and one-timed it past Brasil keeper Doni without the ball hitting the ground.
Damn, couldn't Greece have pressed him harder for citizenship? It's going to be a royal pain in the ass playing against him for the next decade. (Haven't seen it anywhere else, but the Wiki page on Mexico has them hosting a friendly vs. the USMNT at the Azteca in Mexico City on Sept. 9.)
And as I type this Mexico just put another one in on a nice freekick from Ramon Morales to make it 2-0. (Doni, make an attempt, son.)
Who'd have thought the hot seat would shift from Hugo Sanchez to Dunga this quick?
Wow.
Ay yi yi.
And howdaya like that Suz, the 2-0 scoreline held up thanks to a standout display by Mexico keeper Guillermo Ochoa. That's soccer. (Note: El Tri did defeat Brasil 1-0 at the 2005 Confederations Cup.)
As begrudgingly difficult as it praise Mexico, a positive result vs. world-power Brasil in a meaningful tournament does raise the stature of CONCACAF a little more and it does make the American's Gold Cup final win a little sweeter.
Yeah, sure Mexico. You beat Brasil. You still lost to us. What's that? You're mariachi music has gone silent? I thought so.
On the Brasil side of things...well...
That's two straight scoreless defeats in tournament play dating back to the 1-0 loss to France at the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals. Is Brasil in crisis? Hardly. But their are some chinks in the armor and obviously, the knee jerk reaction is how the team could afford to leave Kaka, Ronaldinho and Adriano off the roster for the Copa?
Wednesday, about the only player who stood out was Robinho. Beside his countless jukes and jives, he did he the post and caused the most danger for Mexico throughout. Alex played pretty well too, and was unlucky not to score on a couple headers.
The rest? Afonso Alves certainly didn't impress. Doni was embarrassingly bad and actually made Brasil fans pine for Dida in goal. No one else stood out much. It was a listless showing to say the least. Juan...yuck.
Expect major changes in their next match, along the lines of Ze Roberto, Fred and Daniel Alves getting a start.
Until someone uploads the Castillo goal from Wednesday, enjoy this compilation.
Jesus.
Writing something nice about Mexico? Must be this oppressive heat here in the East.
Final words for tonight.
I'd never thought I'd live to hear a Univision announcer saying a player's name that would surpass the immortal mid-90s "MIKEBURNS." Nothing beats rapid-fire Spanish, followed by an oddly pronounced Anglo name as if it were dubbed in like some crummy Japanese monster movie.
That was, until tonight and the immortal Vagner Love. There's really no way to give it justice. You had to hear it.
Vagner Looove
As unabashedly biased as I toward the Mexican national team, have to give some credit where credit is due.
Youngster Nery Castillo just scored against Brasil in their Copa American Group Stage game that would be the envy of any player.
It was that good.
Castillo took a long pass from 40ish yards outside the box, controlled it with his right foot and flicked it to himself a little distance away and one-timed it past Brasil keeper Doni without the ball hitting the ground.
Damn, couldn't Greece have pressed him harder for citizenship? It's going to be a royal pain in the ass playing against him for the next decade. (Haven't seen it anywhere else, but the Wiki page on Mexico has them hosting a friendly vs. the USMNT at the Azteca in Mexico City on Sept. 9.)
And as I type this Mexico just put another one in on a nice freekick from Ramon Morales to make it 2-0. (Doni, make an attempt, son.)
Who'd have thought the hot seat would shift from Hugo Sanchez to Dunga this quick?
Ay yi yi.
And howdaya like that Suz, the 2-0 scoreline held up thanks to a standout display by Mexico keeper Guillermo Ochoa. That's soccer. (Note: El Tri did defeat Brasil 1-0 at the 2005 Confederations Cup.)
As begrudgingly difficult as it praise Mexico, a positive result vs. world-power Brasil in a meaningful tournament does raise the stature of CONCACAF a little more and it does make the American's Gold Cup final win a little sweeter.
Yeah, sure Mexico. You beat Brasil. You still lost to us. What's that? You're mariachi music has gone silent? I thought so.
On the Brasil side of things...well...
That's two straight scoreless defeats in tournament play dating back to the 1-0 loss to France at the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals. Is Brasil in crisis? Hardly. But their are some chinks in the armor and obviously, the knee jerk reaction is how the team could afford to leave Kaka, Ronaldinho and Adriano off the roster for the Copa?
Wednesday, about the only player who stood out was Robinho. Beside his countless jukes and jives, he did he the post and caused the most danger for Mexico throughout. Alex played pretty well too, and was unlucky not to score on a couple headers.
The rest? Afonso Alves certainly didn't impress. Doni was embarrassingly bad and actually made Brasil fans pine for Dida in goal. No one else stood out much. It was a listless showing to say the least. Juan...yuck.
Expect major changes in their next match, along the lines of Ze Roberto, Fred and Daniel Alves getting a start.
Until someone uploads the Castillo goal from Wednesday, enjoy this compilation.
Jesus.
Writing something nice about Mexico? Must be this oppressive heat here in the East.
Final words for tonight.
I'd never thought I'd live to hear a Univision announcer saying a player's name that would surpass the immortal mid-90s "MIKEBURNS." Nothing beats rapid-fire Spanish, followed by an oddly pronounced Anglo name as if it were dubbed in like some crummy Japanese monster movie.
That was, until tonight and the immortal Vagner Love. There's really no way to give it justice. You had to hear it.
Vagner Looove
Labels: Copa America, Mexico is our bitch, Soccer
The Copa America.
The world's oldest international tournament has already kicked off in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela -- native land of Ozzie Guillen, Carlos Guillen, Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez ... and a bunch of soccer players no one has ever heard of, including in their native land.
In other words, unlike the rest of South America which has futbol fever, beisbol is king. Irregardless, the Copa -- first held in 1916 -- comes to Venezuela for the first time.
The USA, an invited guest along with Mexico, begins play against two-time World Cup winner Argentina Thursday night in Maracaibo.
Instead of talking (out of my ass) about the tournament as a whole. Let's simply focus on the United States.
Here's a quick USA schedule:
Thursday: vs. Argentina (8:45, EDT GolTV, Telefutura)
July 2: vs. Paraguay (6:30, GolTV, Telefutura)
July 5: vs. Columbia (6:30, GolTV, Telefutura)
The top two teams advance from Group C and two of the three third place group finishers also make the knockout rounds. (Should the US finish second to assumed winner Argentina, they likely get Brasil.)
Before we go too far, let's breakdown, briefly, the United States roster:
Goalkeepers -- Think of this position as those hokey-old New Year's editorial cartoons that pop up each year. You know, where the old guy/grim reaper with a massive beard taps the babe wearing a sash with the new year's date on it and says something like, "It's your problem."
That's the US goalkeeping position for the Copa.
Old man Kasey Keller and youngster Brad Guzan. Under the assumption that the US only gets three games, Keller probably gets two, Guzan one, but with Bob Bradley you never know.
At this point we know what we have with Keller. A still-good shot stopper with some holes in his distribution and positioning. His biggest asset is that the makeshift/new-look defense will have a lot more confidence with the 37-year-old back in the box.
One more start and Keller breaks the all-time US goalkeeping caps record, at 101. Perhaps he rides off into the sunset after this tournament as Tim Howard has clearly established himself as the No. 1 of the present and future.
Defense -- First the good. A central pairing of Jay DeMerit and Jimmy Conrad will be full of good ol' red-blooded American spunk. If John Mellencamp knew what soccer was, he might pen a song to sell pickup trucks about the duo.
Were this a tournament that Bradley put precedent on winning, this would probably be the pair locked in to start each game barring injury of suspension. Since Bradley wants to evaluate players, figure Bobby 'Bloggin' Boswell, Danny Califf (gwah?) or even Drew Moor get a token look.
On the outside, it figures to be patchwork throughout. Jonathan Bornstein seemed to have cemented his grasp on the left back slot. He might be in the Eddie Lewis mold, as he's not a natural at the position. At least the 22-year-old Chivas USA guy is making the shift to the position at an early age and not during a World Cup year.
On the right, I'd guess Marvell Wynne and Heath Pearce split time. Wynne is an interesting prospect with a lot of potential. He could wind up lighting up the tournament with his blistering pace or getting completely exposed for his lack of defensive acumen. It's a calculated gamble by Bradley.
Overall, the defense remains the biggest area of improvement going forward for the team. Aside from Carlos Bocanegra it doesn't seem, for a full strength squad, that any player is an automatic selection. Not even Oguchi Onyweu until he gets his head right.
Midfield -- A week ago, the midfield looked like an absolute disaster without Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Pablo Mastroeni, and Clint Dempsey on the roster.
A couple days later an inspired display vs. Mexico in the Gold Cup final and it doesn't seem too bleak with Benny Feilhaber and Ricardo Clark leading from the inside. Both players deserve an extended run in the Copa to showcase their skills. Ben Olsen w/beard, Kyle Beckerman and Eddie Gaven ought to provide support. Beckerman likely warrants a start and it's possible he and Gaven could team in one of the matches.
Bradley didn't include many outside oriented players, so it figures that Justin Mapp and Sacha Kljestan should see extended time on the left and right should Bradley opt for the standard 4-4-2. Yet the roster probably dictates for more of a 4-5-1 at this point.
Lee Nguyen is clearly the X-factor in all of this. The 20-year-old PSV-man deserves some run, but wear exactly? And considering his rather slight frame he could get eaten alive by a hard-tackling team like Paraguay.
Forwards -- Yeesh. Considering that opposition doesn't, 'embrace the colors of MLS' it could be a tough time for the quartet of Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson, Charlie Davies and Herculez Gomez.
As usual, the No. 9 shirt -- Johnson -- will be under the biggest microscope. Who can remember the last time he really played well in a US uniform? Let's hope his career can mirror that of Ronaldo, no not the rapid weight gain. Perhaps Johnson is currently in his 'France '98' stage and is close to a return to form for his country.
Although it seems like Bradley is giving him endless changes, the looming presence of Jozy Altidore isn't too far off.
As for the rest of the trio? Twellman ought to get the nod vs. the Argies if only for his workrate.
Coaching -- Bob Bradley stated long ago that with back-to-back international tournaments last week's Gold Cup would take precedent. After the joyous 2-1 win over Mexico it's hard to argue with him.
That said, this experimental lineup for the Copa could take it's lumps. By the same token its a testament to the depth our country now possesses. Could you imagine even five years ago the luxury of fielding a team without Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley?
You just wonder how much Bradley is going to coach this like an actual tournament or as a learning experience to look at new talent?
About Argentina -- Believe it or not, the US defeated Argentina 3-0 in the 1995 version of the Copa on goals from Alexi Lalas, Frank Kloppas and Eric Wynalda.
It's hard to envision a repeat of what transpired in Paysandú, Uruguay.
Unlike Brasil, Argentina has recalled just about all it's 'star' players. Namely: Lionel Messi, Hernan Crespo, Carlos Tevez, Gabriel and Diego Milito, Esteban Cambiasso, Roberto Ayala, Javier Zanetti, Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Mascherano. Essentially the entire core of the team that lost to host Germany at the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals returns. Many pundits felt the Argies were the best in the tournament.
It's good the US gets Argentina first. Why? Because at least we'll be treated to a full-strength Argentina side that won't have already booked its passage into the knockout rounds. For all the US supporters clamoring for a big-time opponent -- this is it.
As for playing the world class Argies with an almost junior varsity team? Why not roll the dice? Considering the overall greenness and lack games together on this US squad might as well play an open game. Simply put, this isn't a roster suited to play shelled-up, tactically sound defensive soccer. A 4-0 loss counts as much as a 1-0 one. Might as well at least show something, right?
No one figures the US has any chance to beat Argentina, and they're probably right. Anything could happen though and believe it or not a draw would be fantastic. Bsrring a total 6-0 meltdown, there's no downside here.
About Paraguay -- Here's what we said of the World Cup qualifiers before the 2006 tournament. Many thought they could be a darkhorse team and ended up doing nothing. (I went as far as to place a bet in Germany that they'd draw Sweden.)
Paraguay field a fairly experienced team that must adapt to international football without longtime defensive bedrock Carlos Gamarra. Bayern Munchen teammates Julio dos Santos and Roque Santa Cruz are probably Paraguay's most well-known players and biggest guns. Newly signed Benefica-man Oscar Cardozo figures to be a guy to keep an eye on as well after registering 22 goals in 33 games for Newell's Old Boys.
Otherwise, Paraguay doesn't exactly cut that much fear into you. The entire roster is under 30 aside from keeper Aldo Bobadilla, with five players plying their trade in Mexico.
Newly appointed coach Argentine coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino is probably in the same phase of evaluating players as Bradley. He doesn't have the luxury of playing in this tournament as an invited guest, though.
Regardless of his overall thoughts on the tournament, Bradley ought to target this as a winnable game.
About Columbia -- As long as they keep playing football, the US and Colombia will be forever linked with that fateful June day in 1994 when Andres Escobar scored an own goal in the World Cup and was later murdered for it by angered drug cartel that made bets on the game. (No, not Billy Walsh.)
Columbia did in fact win the Copa as recently as 2001, but hasn't been the team many thought it would develop into back in the early 90s.
On paper, Columbia's strength should lay with the defensive pairing of PSG-man Mario Yepes and Inter-man Ivan Cordoba. Admittedly, the only other player on the roster I'm remotely familiar with is Southampton's Jhn Viafara. A trio of players -- keeper Miguel Calero and forwards Luis Gabriel Rey and Andrés Chitiva play for Mexican side Pachuca, which won the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
A full-strength US side would probably be able to dispatch Colombia. Regardless, this game should determine which team goes through to the next round so they're be pressure, particularly on the Colombians.
Three lingering questions:
1. Will Feilhaber continue to shine? With a good Copa the young Brasilian-born Californian will officially break the hype machine for American fans. The sky could be the limit.
2. Will Johnson snap out of the doldrums?
3. Will the Venezuelan strong man have any impact? No, politics aren't my bag but even I know Hugo Chavez doesn't like Americans. The would-be Castro likely won't have much of an impact on the tournament, and the Americans are already hated throughout the hemisphere anyways. It would however be a shame if sport and politics collided. One thing is certain -- George W. Bush has no idea the Copa is even taking place.
Final thoughts: Consider me in the minority, but I don't think this is going to be a disaster for America. What would have been worse? Fielding a full-strength side and crapping out or doing this, fielding a bunch of youngsters with limitless upside? At this point it's essentially become a no-lose situation.
Play well and you surprise everyone. Play poorly and go three-and-out and it's expected.
My best guess is that the team makes it out of Group C. After that it's anyone's guess depending on the draw. The US has, at best, maybe a five percent chance on winning this whole thing.
After winning the Gold Cup and booking passage into the 2009 Confederations Cup everything is gravy for the USMNT until a hiccup in World Cup qualifying.
At best we surprise a few people with our youngsters. At worst, it's a learning experience for a bunch of fresh faces.
Either way, it should be pretty fun.
South Americans are renowned for their dancing, right?
The world's oldest international tournament has already kicked off in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela -- native land of Ozzie Guillen, Carlos Guillen, Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez ... and a bunch of soccer players no one has ever heard of, including in their native land.
In other words, unlike the rest of South America which has futbol fever, beisbol is king. Irregardless, the Copa -- first held in 1916 -- comes to Venezuela for the first time.
The USA, an invited guest along with Mexico, begins play against two-time World Cup winner Argentina Thursday night in Maracaibo.
Instead of talking (out of my ass) about the tournament as a whole. Let's simply focus on the United States.
Here's a quick USA schedule:
Thursday: vs. Argentina (8:45, EDT GolTV, Telefutura)
July 2: vs. Paraguay (6:30, GolTV, Telefutura)
July 5: vs. Columbia (6:30, GolTV, Telefutura)
The top two teams advance from Group C and two of the three third place group finishers also make the knockout rounds. (Should the US finish second to assumed winner Argentina, they likely get Brasil.)
Before we go too far, let's breakdown, briefly, the United States roster:
Goalkeepers -- Think of this position as those hokey-old New Year's editorial cartoons that pop up each year. You know, where the old guy/grim reaper with a massive beard taps the babe wearing a sash with the new year's date on it and says something like, "It's your problem."
That's the US goalkeeping position for the Copa.
Old man Kasey Keller and youngster Brad Guzan. Under the assumption that the US only gets three games, Keller probably gets two, Guzan one, but with Bob Bradley you never know.
At this point we know what we have with Keller. A still-good shot stopper with some holes in his distribution and positioning. His biggest asset is that the makeshift/new-look defense will have a lot more confidence with the 37-year-old back in the box.
One more start and Keller breaks the all-time US goalkeeping caps record, at 101. Perhaps he rides off into the sunset after this tournament as Tim Howard has clearly established himself as the No. 1 of the present and future.
Defense -- First the good. A central pairing of Jay DeMerit and Jimmy Conrad will be full of good ol' red-blooded American spunk. If John Mellencamp knew what soccer was, he might pen a song to sell pickup trucks about the duo.
Were this a tournament that Bradley put precedent on winning, this would probably be the pair locked in to start each game barring injury of suspension. Since Bradley wants to evaluate players, figure Bobby 'Bloggin' Boswell, Danny Califf (gwah?) or even Drew Moor get a token look.
On the outside, it figures to be patchwork throughout. Jonathan Bornstein seemed to have cemented his grasp on the left back slot. He might be in the Eddie Lewis mold, as he's not a natural at the position. At least the 22-year-old Chivas USA guy is making the shift to the position at an early age and not during a World Cup year.
On the right, I'd guess Marvell Wynne and Heath Pearce split time. Wynne is an interesting prospect with a lot of potential. He could wind up lighting up the tournament with his blistering pace or getting completely exposed for his lack of defensive acumen. It's a calculated gamble by Bradley.
Overall, the defense remains the biggest area of improvement going forward for the team. Aside from Carlos Bocanegra it doesn't seem, for a full strength squad, that any player is an automatic selection. Not even Oguchi Onyweu until he gets his head right.
Midfield -- A week ago, the midfield looked like an absolute disaster without Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Pablo Mastroeni, and Clint Dempsey on the roster.
A couple days later an inspired display vs. Mexico in the Gold Cup final and it doesn't seem too bleak with Benny Feilhaber and Ricardo Clark leading from the inside. Both players deserve an extended run in the Copa to showcase their skills. Ben Olsen w/beard, Kyle Beckerman and Eddie Gaven ought to provide support. Beckerman likely warrants a start and it's possible he and Gaven could team in one of the matches.
Bradley didn't include many outside oriented players, so it figures that Justin Mapp and Sacha Kljestan should see extended time on the left and right should Bradley opt for the standard 4-4-2. Yet the roster probably dictates for more of a 4-5-1 at this point.
Lee Nguyen is clearly the X-factor in all of this. The 20-year-old PSV-man deserves some run, but wear exactly? And considering his rather slight frame he could get eaten alive by a hard-tackling team like Paraguay.
Forwards -- Yeesh. Considering that opposition doesn't, 'embrace the colors of MLS' it could be a tough time for the quartet of Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson, Charlie Davies and Herculez Gomez.
As usual, the No. 9 shirt -- Johnson -- will be under the biggest microscope. Who can remember the last time he really played well in a US uniform? Let's hope his career can mirror that of Ronaldo, no not the rapid weight gain. Perhaps Johnson is currently in his 'France '98' stage and is close to a return to form for his country.
Although it seems like Bradley is giving him endless changes, the looming presence of Jozy Altidore isn't too far off.
As for the rest of the trio? Twellman ought to get the nod vs. the Argies if only for his workrate.
Coaching -- Bob Bradley stated long ago that with back-to-back international tournaments last week's Gold Cup would take precedent. After the joyous 2-1 win over Mexico it's hard to argue with him.
That said, this experimental lineup for the Copa could take it's lumps. By the same token its a testament to the depth our country now possesses. Could you imagine even five years ago the luxury of fielding a team without Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley?
You just wonder how much Bradley is going to coach this like an actual tournament or as a learning experience to look at new talent?
About Argentina -- Believe it or not, the US defeated Argentina 3-0 in the 1995 version of the Copa on goals from Alexi Lalas, Frank Kloppas and Eric Wynalda.
It's hard to envision a repeat of what transpired in Paysandú, Uruguay.
Unlike Brasil, Argentina has recalled just about all it's 'star' players. Namely: Lionel Messi, Hernan Crespo, Carlos Tevez, Gabriel and Diego Milito, Esteban Cambiasso, Roberto Ayala, Javier Zanetti, Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Mascherano. Essentially the entire core of the team that lost to host Germany at the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals returns. Many pundits felt the Argies were the best in the tournament.
It's good the US gets Argentina first. Why? Because at least we'll be treated to a full-strength Argentina side that won't have already booked its passage into the knockout rounds. For all the US supporters clamoring for a big-time opponent -- this is it.
As for playing the world class Argies with an almost junior varsity team? Why not roll the dice? Considering the overall greenness and lack games together on this US squad might as well play an open game. Simply put, this isn't a roster suited to play shelled-up, tactically sound defensive soccer. A 4-0 loss counts as much as a 1-0 one. Might as well at least show something, right?
No one figures the US has any chance to beat Argentina, and they're probably right. Anything could happen though and believe it or not a draw would be fantastic. Bsrring a total 6-0 meltdown, there's no downside here.
About Paraguay -- Here's what we said of the World Cup qualifiers before the 2006 tournament. Many thought they could be a darkhorse team and ended up doing nothing. (I went as far as to place a bet in Germany that they'd draw Sweden.)
Paraguay field a fairly experienced team that must adapt to international football without longtime defensive bedrock Carlos Gamarra. Bayern Munchen teammates Julio dos Santos and Roque Santa Cruz are probably Paraguay's most well-known players and biggest guns. Newly signed Benefica-man Oscar Cardozo figures to be a guy to keep an eye on as well after registering 22 goals in 33 games for Newell's Old Boys.
Otherwise, Paraguay doesn't exactly cut that much fear into you. The entire roster is under 30 aside from keeper Aldo Bobadilla, with five players plying their trade in Mexico.
Newly appointed coach Argentine coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino is probably in the same phase of evaluating players as Bradley. He doesn't have the luxury of playing in this tournament as an invited guest, though.
Regardless of his overall thoughts on the tournament, Bradley ought to target this as a winnable game.
About Columbia -- As long as they keep playing football, the US and Colombia will be forever linked with that fateful June day in 1994 when Andres Escobar scored an own goal in the World Cup and was later murdered for it by angered drug cartel that made bets on the game. (No, not Billy Walsh.)
Columbia did in fact win the Copa as recently as 2001, but hasn't been the team many thought it would develop into back in the early 90s.
On paper, Columbia's strength should lay with the defensive pairing of PSG-man Mario Yepes and Inter-man Ivan Cordoba. Admittedly, the only other player on the roster I'm remotely familiar with is Southampton's Jhn Viafara. A trio of players -- keeper Miguel Calero and forwards Luis Gabriel Rey and Andrés Chitiva play for Mexican side Pachuca, which won the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
A full-strength US side would probably be able to dispatch Colombia. Regardless, this game should determine which team goes through to the next round so they're be pressure, particularly on the Colombians.
Three lingering questions:
1. Will Feilhaber continue to shine? With a good Copa the young Brasilian-born Californian will officially break the hype machine for American fans. The sky could be the limit.
2. Will Johnson snap out of the doldrums?
3. Will the Venezuelan strong man have any impact? No, politics aren't my bag but even I know Hugo Chavez doesn't like Americans. The would-be Castro likely won't have much of an impact on the tournament, and the Americans are already hated throughout the hemisphere anyways. It would however be a shame if sport and politics collided. One thing is certain -- George W. Bush has no idea the Copa is even taking place.
Final thoughts: Consider me in the minority, but I don't think this is going to be a disaster for America. What would have been worse? Fielding a full-strength side and crapping out or doing this, fielding a bunch of youngsters with limitless upside? At this point it's essentially become a no-lose situation.
Play well and you surprise everyone. Play poorly and go three-and-out and it's expected.
My best guess is that the team makes it out of Group C. After that it's anyone's guess depending on the draw. The US has, at best, maybe a five percent chance on winning this whole thing.
After winning the Gold Cup and booking passage into the 2009 Confederations Cup everything is gravy for the USMNT until a hiccup in World Cup qualifying.
At best we surprise a few people with our youngsters. At worst, it's a learning experience for a bunch of fresh faces.
Either way, it should be pretty fun.
South Americans are renowned for their dancing, right?
Labels: Copa America, Soccer, USMNT
Checking in closing on 24-hours P.B.F. (no, not the Perry Bible Fellowship, rather post-Benny Feilhaber.)
A little housekeeping.
** ESPN did actually acknowledge the 2-1 Gold Cup win for the US over Mexico by showing Benny Feilhaber's wonder-goal/golazo it's in 'Sportscenter' Top 10 plays. The goal came in at No. 3, beaten out by a golfer's hole-in-one (meh) and a Ken Griffey Jr. homer (boo-yah.)
On the positive side, someone in Bristol had a brain and simply had the highlight in-full, including Max Bretos' joyous exclamation of 'BENNY!!!!' It avoided some blushes from Stu Scott, thank God.
I must have rewound the DVR 10 times. Each time Bretos' call got better and better. Say what you will about him, but he nailed that one. Would Dave O'Brien have even realized that the goal went in? Would he have understood the magnitude of a tally like that instantly?
The good news is that we fans won't have to worry. The USMNT isn't on ESPN for the rest of the 2007 calendar year. The three ensuing friendlies (Sweden, Catalonia, Switzerland) are all on FSC.
This week's Copa America is on Telefutura and GolTV. Chances of mainstream acknowledge of this tournament in the US just went down to about 0.0000001. Think of ESPN like the major leagues, FSC and Triple-A ball and GolTV as independent ball. Better comparison. ESPN is Denzel Washington. FSC is Ian McShane (my hero Al Swearengen). GolTV is some ex-Real World member trying to hack it on the reality tv circuit.
For those puzzled, how I knock ESPN for its mangling of the beautiful game, yet rail when it doesn't acknowledge a major victory by the Americans. Here's the gist. Unfortunately ESPN basically dictates the American sporting mind. That's why a total sausage-fest like the College World Series becomes a big deal, whilst the Gold Cup is an also-ran, at that. This trickles down from sports editors of major newspapers to local news telecasters to the American public in general.
As said before, people are generally so dumb and narrow minded that if it's not on ESPN it might as well be in Irkutsk. Obviously I'm biased, but this game carried a lot more weight than some silly Devil Rays/Dodgers highlights, no?
** In retrospect, my recap from yesterday's game was rather harried. I apologize. My brain was flush with oxygen and spinning from the joy triggered by Feilhaber's right-foot volley.
One thing I think I failed to capture was the downsize if the US lost to Mexico. Would it have been a disaster? Depends. The team played very well, but those missed chances and excellent saves by Oswaldo Sanchez would have stung pretty bad.
After the disaster at the World Cup last year, if we can't even beat Mexico. That's something I'd glad I didn't have to deal with. Who wanted to revert to square one?
I suppose we can thank Hugo Sanchez for bungling the second half. After already losing Borgetti to injury you'd think he would have had Mexico shell up sometime by the 60th minute or so, right? He could have even aped the US longtime tactics of Landon Donovan killing off the game with a counter, instead replacing him with Nery Castillo.
Whatever. Not my problem. Hugo...might want to consider sticking around in Venezuela for a couple days. Lay low. Find a safe house or something.
A loss would have put a lot of pressure on a very young squad at the up-coming Copa America (preview coming Wednesday-ish). Now that tournament is complete gravy.
** Another thing I overlooked in my haste and excitement. No, they're not Brian McBride, Eddie Pope, Claudio Reyna, etc. -- the guys that carried the US torch for most of the last decade, but it's pretty sweet that the US can win a major tournament with guys like Jonathan Bornstein, Ricardo Clark and Feilhaber all playing major roles. Clark had one cap way back in 2005, but the other two hadn't appeared on the senior level until 2007. Same with Frank Simek, to a lesser extent.
To play devil's advocate, Bruce Arena's tenure in 1998 began with a purge of older players, giving many, manly-MLSers their international debuts. In retrospect, Bruce stuck with his core many a little too long as seen at the 2006 World Cup.
From what we can tell of the Bradley era, the team we saw beat Mexico on Sunday in the Gold Cup final might be very different come South Africa 2010. A lot can happen in three years.
** Not a soccer note, but is it written in stone somewhere that actor Paul Ben Victor has to appear in every single HBO original series. After last night's showing in 'John From Cincinnati' he's been in, by my count off the top of my head, 'The Wire', 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'Entourage.'
A little housekeeping.
** ESPN did actually acknowledge the 2-1 Gold Cup win for the US over Mexico by showing Benny Feilhaber's wonder-goal/golazo it's in 'Sportscenter' Top 10 plays. The goal came in at No. 3, beaten out by a golfer's hole-in-one (meh) and a Ken Griffey Jr. homer (boo-yah.)
On the positive side, someone in Bristol had a brain and simply had the highlight in-full, including Max Bretos' joyous exclamation of 'BENNY!!!!' It avoided some blushes from Stu Scott, thank God.
I must have rewound the DVR 10 times. Each time Bretos' call got better and better. Say what you will about him, but he nailed that one. Would Dave O'Brien have even realized that the goal went in? Would he have understood the magnitude of a tally like that instantly?
The good news is that we fans won't have to worry. The USMNT isn't on ESPN for the rest of the 2007 calendar year. The three ensuing friendlies (Sweden, Catalonia, Switzerland) are all on FSC.
This week's Copa America is on Telefutura and GolTV. Chances of mainstream acknowledge of this tournament in the US just went down to about 0.0000001. Think of ESPN like the major leagues, FSC and Triple-A ball and GolTV as independent ball. Better comparison. ESPN is Denzel Washington. FSC is Ian McShane (my hero Al Swearengen). GolTV is some ex-Real World member trying to hack it on the reality tv circuit.
For those puzzled, how I knock ESPN for its mangling of the beautiful game, yet rail when it doesn't acknowledge a major victory by the Americans. Here's the gist. Unfortunately ESPN basically dictates the American sporting mind. That's why a total sausage-fest like the College World Series becomes a big deal, whilst the Gold Cup is an also-ran, at that. This trickles down from sports editors of major newspapers to local news telecasters to the American public in general.
As said before, people are generally so dumb and narrow minded that if it's not on ESPN it might as well be in Irkutsk. Obviously I'm biased, but this game carried a lot more weight than some silly Devil Rays/Dodgers highlights, no?
** In retrospect, my recap from yesterday's game was rather harried. I apologize. My brain was flush with oxygen and spinning from the joy triggered by Feilhaber's right-foot volley.
One thing I think I failed to capture was the downsize if the US lost to Mexico. Would it have been a disaster? Depends. The team played very well, but those missed chances and excellent saves by Oswaldo Sanchez would have stung pretty bad.
After the disaster at the World Cup last year, if we can't even beat Mexico. That's something I'd glad I didn't have to deal with. Who wanted to revert to square one?
I suppose we can thank Hugo Sanchez for bungling the second half. After already losing Borgetti to injury you'd think he would have had Mexico shell up sometime by the 60th minute or so, right? He could have even aped the US longtime tactics of Landon Donovan killing off the game with a counter, instead replacing him with Nery Castillo.
Whatever. Not my problem. Hugo...might want to consider sticking around in Venezuela for a couple days. Lay low. Find a safe house or something.
A loss would have put a lot of pressure on a very young squad at the up-coming Copa America (preview coming Wednesday-ish). Now that tournament is complete gravy.
** Another thing I overlooked in my haste and excitement. No, they're not Brian McBride, Eddie Pope, Claudio Reyna, etc. -- the guys that carried the US torch for most of the last decade, but it's pretty sweet that the US can win a major tournament with guys like Jonathan Bornstein, Ricardo Clark and Feilhaber all playing major roles. Clark had one cap way back in 2005, but the other two hadn't appeared on the senior level until 2007. Same with Frank Simek, to a lesser extent.
To play devil's advocate, Bruce Arena's tenure in 1998 began with a purge of older players, giving many, manly-MLSers their international debuts. In retrospect, Bruce stuck with his core many a little too long as seen at the 2006 World Cup.
From what we can tell of the Bradley era, the team we saw beat Mexico on Sunday in the Gold Cup final might be very different come South Africa 2010. A lot can happen in three years.
** Not a soccer note, but is it written in stone somewhere that actor Paul Ben Victor has to appear in every single HBO original series. After last night's showing in 'John From Cincinnati' he's been in, by my count off the top of my head, 'The Wire', 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'Entourage.'
Labels: ESPN sucks, HBO, John From Cinicinnati, Soccer, USMNT
I'm so happy cause today
I've found my friends ...
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but thats okay, cause so are you ...
We've broken our mirrors
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care ...
And I'm not scared
Light my candles, in a daze
cause I've found god
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah -- Nirvana.
Benny Feilhaber take a bow. Three, four hours later and that goal still makes me feel like I guzzled eight Red Bulls. (YouTube coming...posted at the end, GOLAZO! thanks SCGuy)
To quote noted football commentator Andy Gray, "What a hit son!"
Astute readers will know I recycled this headline from a February Blackburn Rovers win over Chelski. Sorry. Today it was warranted. And as well all know recycling is cooool.
God, how long have we hated for a rip like that from an American player?
Sorry, I'm just overwhelmed with giddiness from the USMNT's gritty, gutty 2-1 win over los puntas, otherwise known as Mexico. For as much as I've knocked the Sam's Army over the last couple days, boy, do I wish I was amongst that section for today's revelry.
It's an out-and-out shame that so few Americans will know of the heroic display by their fellow countrymen at Solider Field. As noted before, since ESPN -- which likes to trumpet itself as rah-rah USA -- doesn't own the rights that it warrants nary a mention. Not even on the 'Bottomline.' Yet, Saturday's friendly between the women's national team and Brasil did. Go figure.
One more did, you even think Fat Boy O'Brien even watched this game?
As much as I loathe the 'Worldwide Leader' most people are so dumb that if somethings not on the network, it doesn't exist. Sort of like the tree falling in the wood things. (Of course, the four-letter word butchers the beautiful game like no other.)
A game like this would have turned people into fans. (I'll moan a little on the AP report from purported soccer sorta-liker Nancy Armour. Enough with Lando, that goal deserved more ink the report most eyes will read. Sheesh. A couple other reports got the story right, including Grahame L. Jones of the LA Times, for one.)
Whatever.
Today is not a day to rant and pick apart the little things. It's a day to celebrate.
No, this wasn't the World Cup and it doesn't erase the embarrassment a year ago in Germany, but it was a pretty soothing tonic for all that ails ya.
To even pick one standout from the 14 men who saw the field would be unfair. It was a collective, team effort. And in fairness, the 'Man of the Match' probably was Nery Castillo, as much as I hate to admit it. The boy was as potent as as Leonidis Sunday.(We'll get to player notes later.)
Even if the comeback from a goal down at halftime was aided by a somewhat dubious penalty goal, this is a game to celebrate, to draw upon in dark times, to remember for quite some time. It's not a time to worry about the lack of depth of CONCACAF or the US's failure to win on a big European stage. Nor is it a time to nitpick over all the missed assignments on Mexican freekicks.
I've knocked the Gold Cup plenty, but it is a ticket to the Confederations Cup. All you can do is play the teams in front of you anyway. Not a great comparison but will Celtic throw back all it's Scottish crowns for beating Rangers and 10 other minnors. Same thing with Benefica, Porto or Sporting in Portugal. Or just about any European league.
It was simply wonderful to see the team respond from down a goal and comeback not just to force extra time, but to get a winner and hold off the hated Tri for the final 20+ minutes. That was the best aspect of the game, instead of bunkering down the team kept the Mexicans off balance in the final minutes with their own counterattack.
Oh to have been in Solider Field to hear the sound of 55,000 silenced Mexicans at the moment of Feilhaber's wonder-goal.
And even without a position result, this was a hell of a game, full of incident on both ends. Muy credit to Oswaldo Sanchez for keeping his team in the game with multiple saves. And even credit guys like Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio for finally showing some class at the end of the match. Blanco, Bofo, et al ...
I don't want to bore you reading this, because I'm gushing. This game made me remember why I'm part of the small collective of nut jobs that actually care how our national team fares.
Yeah, this might only be the Gold Cup.
But it's something. After the unmitagated disaster involving the USMNT from June 2006 to January 2007 -- we should all take it.
Player notes:
Tim Howard -- Today he truly became the No. 1 shirt. From cutting off the angle on a Castillo breakaway in the first half to his amazing reaction save to deny Bofo at point blank range in extra time. Fine overall display.
Jonathan Bornstein, LB -- Despite his great crack from 30ish yards in the 26th minute, clearly the weakest link Sunday. Indirectly got caught out of position, setting up the Mexico goal. Still, improved as the game wore on. Overall, might not be the true left back of the future but seems to have cemented his role in the starting XI with Bob Bradley in charge.
Oguchi Onyewu, CB -- A tale of two halves for the big man from Maryland. Undressed by Castillo and all out of sorts in the first, displayed why so many were so high on him for most of the second. Not a great performance by any means, but kept the kept the temper in check.
Carlos Bocanegra, CB -- Silly yellow card aside, a massive display from the Fulham man. Goes to show what training with a first-class English team will do for your marking skills. Slower than Castillo, yet forced the Olympiacos outside time-and-time again. Plus had plenty of game saving tackles and didn't see red. Fine showing. (Maybe his best impact was indirectly getting Jared Borgetti to hurt himself.)
Jonathan Spector, RB -- Filled in capably for suspended surfer-dude Frankie Hejduk. Had a couple tempting balls before his gruesome collision with Andres Guardado. I was half-expecting a Donovan McNabb-style vomit on the field. Surprised he was even able to walk off on his own power.
DaMarcus Beasley, LM -- Missed sitter in the 90th minute aside, the Beaz was immense buzzing around the entire field. The chemistry he and Donovan possess is out of this world. As said before, when No. 7 plays well, it bodes well for the Stars and Stripes.
Pablo Mastroeni, CM -- Solidly held things down in the first half in the middle of the field. Picked up his trademark stupid yellow and was wisely subbed off at the half.
Benny Feilhaber, CM -- Well...goal aside he might not have done too much. Whatever. The breakout star of 2007 put an exclamation mark/cherry on top/ribbon/bow take your pick with what I'd say was the best goal ever scored by an American for his country. Hit on the full volley and placed into the other corner? As Joe Benigno would say, "Are you kiddin' me bra."
Landon Donovan, LM -- Can we ever forgive him for the shit show in Germany? Probably not. However it's a distant memory with his absolutely inspired play in 2007. Knock him for playing in MLS and crapping out with Bayer Leverkausen all you want. The man simply owns CONCACAF. Looks like he and that Beckham fellow should have some fun flinging passes all over the Home Depot Center next month. Oh right, he finally tied Wynalda for the all-time US goal record. If Clint Dempsey converted half the balls threaded to him by Lando it would have been 5-1.
Clint Dempsey, Mid/For. -- Not his greatest game. Was denied 4-5 times by Sanchez and seemed somewhat fatigued.
Brian Ching, For. -- Whew. How things can turn on a dime, eh? Totally ineffective for an hour then draws a penalty that changes the game. Whatever your thoughts on the merit awarding a spot kick, the big Hawaiian did make a good move to get position in the box. Probably should have made it 3-1 in the 76th minute when he hit the post...
Subs:
Ricardo Clark -- (On for Mastroeni, 46th) The Houston Dynamo-man added some poise and composure to the midfield. Excellent display, especially helping to kill off time in the final 20 minutes.
Taylor Twellman -- (On for Dempsey, 72rd) Brought some much needed energy that was useful in closing out the game. Had a chance himself to make it 3-1, but Rafa Marquez slid in at the last second. Question posed, by of all people Ma Cardillo, 'Can he wear his shirt any tighter?'
Frank Simek -- (On for Spector, 73rd) Didn't do much, but didn't look bad. Starting to like his game.
Bob Bradley, coach-- For all the shit we've said, written and dissected about Bradley, today was clearly his finest hour. From swapping Donovan and Dempsey early on to inserting Clark at the half. There's really nothing critical that you can say about Bradley's job from the sidelines. He clearly coached circles around Hugo Sanchez. The only nitpick it subbing Twellman might have been too early with the game level and extra time looming. So, Bradley might not have an umlaut in his name. It's not seeming to be a problem.
Miscellania -- If nothing else, Max Bretos is enthusiastic. His 'Benny uses his jets' is straight out of the John Sterling book. ... Curious to know from first hand accounts the USA/Mexico breakdown in the stands. ... USA is now 8-0-1 vs. Mexico on US soil since 2000. ... Yes, that was the one and only Joe 'Sepp' Blatter on hand to dole out medals to the victors. ... Back to Bretos. His pregame interview with Miss USA, gosh, I'm at a loss for words. ... As for Mexico, the axe won't fall on Sanchez until after the Copa, right? ... My my, can't say enough about Castillo. As they say in 'FourFourTwo', 'the boy's a bit special.' ... I've called Sanchez a scumbag, but he stood on his head today. It took a PK and a goal for the ages to beat him. ... As for Marquez. Good to see someone stayed true to his scumbag roots.
Final thoughts -- What more can I say? For all the complaining (myself included) about the direction of the USMNT over the last year, today empathetically swept that to the side. In a pressured game with a lot at stake the US picked itself off the deck and pulled off perhaps it's most impressive win in some time.
When the going got tough, the US rose to the occasion. As usual, when the pressure shifted to Mexico, they wilted like they always seem to do.
Adios, amigos.
Bravo, Benny. Bravo.
Check back later in the week for some Copa crap. Until then, comment away.
Labels: ESPN sucks, Mexico is our bitch, Soccer, USMNT
Oh, mexico
It sounds so simple I just got to go
The suns so hot I forgot to go home
Guess I'll have to go now -- James Taylor
Ah...we meet again me amigo.
Gringos v. Gaupos with the 2007 Gold Cup and trip to the 2009 Confederations Cup on the line live from Chicago's venerable Soldier Field Sunday. (3 p.m. EST, FSC, Univision)
Here we go again. No need to rehash the animosity on both sides. The feces-slinging, etc. gets old.
The teams don't like each other, 'nuff said.
This is what I wrote back in February when the US handed mighty Mexico another 2-0 beating on American soil. Little did we know at the time that the game would serve as the bellwether for Bob Bradley's term as USMNT head coach. Conservative tactics, good results. Again, that's all we can ask for.
Unlike that night in Glendale, Ariz. guys like Bobby Convey (hurt), Jimmy Conrad (goal from a corner kick, later a broken jaw), Chris Albright (hurt), Chris Rolfe (MIA, ok, playing for Chicago) won't be around.
Instead we'll get a pretty decent US side that will be without Frankie Hejduk and Michael Bradley due to suspension. Throughout the CONCACAF tournament's five games the US has shown flashes of brilliance, but overall inconsistent play piqued with some horrific defensive lapses.
Same could be said for El Tri, who've underwhelmed considerably.
Overall both of Sunday's have been racking up yellow cards/tarjeta amarilla throughout the tournament at an alarming rate. Mexico had been shown 11 yellow cards, and one straight red for Blanco's elbow to the chest of a Honduran player. Meanwhile, the US has a whopping 15 yellows in the tournament and one straight red. Hejduk earned three of these, while Oneywu had four -- two vs. Guatemala for a sending off. It's scary that Gooch has been booked in three of the four games he played.
This sets up a scenario on the Solider Field that could get quite ugly. To quote Al Bundy's character from "John From Cincinnati" -- "There's showing the Mexican wrestling."
Jared Borgetti & Cuauhtemoc 'El Loco' Blanco VS. 'Killer' Carlos Bocanegra & The Gooch would be a Wrestlemania caliber affair. (Who wouldn't like to see a lumberjack match with Silver King, La Parka, Lizmark Jr., etc. surrounding the ring.)
With that in mind, a guess at how Bradley will fill out Sunday's starting XI?
GK: Tim Howard
DEF: Jonathan Spector-Carlos Bocanegra-Oguchi Onyewu-Frank Simek
MID: DaMarcus Beasley-Pablo Mastroeni-Benny Feilhaber-Clint Dempsey
FOR: Brian Ching, Landon Donovan.
Me, I'd probably give Jay DeMerit the nod over Onyewu as Borgetti, Blanco & Co. will be doing their best to incite the Maryland-born giant. At this point he's a red card waiting to happen. Same with Bocanegra, who seems better suited for the midfield.
Also, I might even consider a 4-5-1/4-3-3 with Ricardo Clark (meh)in the inside trio, DMB and Lando supporting wide and Dempsey alone up front. Eddie Johnson better not play. I'm just saying.
Since after a busy week of blogging, I'm not feeling all that creative, so lets just break this down in standard media fashion.
GOALKEEPING -- Mexico: Oswaldo 'Dirty' Sanchez might be my least favorite Mexican due to his ultra-cheap shot on Johnson in February. He's a decent enough keeper, but the US hasn't had trouble getting to him. USA: Meanwhile, Howard has been solid enough for the US and can jump pretty high for 50/50s in the box. He might get tested the most on set pieces and corner kicks. If Keller gets the nod all bets are off. Advantage: USA, slight.
DEFENSE -- Mexico: Though scumbag Rafa Marquez hasn't played in the Gold Cup, the Mexican defense remains strong with Euro-based Carlos Salcido and Ricardo Osorio both capable of playing centrally or going up the outside flanks. Osorio in particular will give whomever plays on the left for the US a difficult task. By the same token, the US has found ways to score goals vs. Mexico the last couple times out, usually on the counter or set pieces. USA: Defense has been the weakest link for the US in this tournament, easily. Against lesser opponents it hasn't been tested all that much, but against a power like Mexico will be smack dab in the crosshairs. Advantage: Mexico, slight.
MIDFIELD -- Mexico: Pavel Pardo, of Bundesliga champion Stuttgart, will carry the midfield load for El Tri. He and Ramon Morales will have their hands full with a US midfield that has become pretty strong. Andres Guardado is a guy to watch on the outside. USA: Losing Michael Bradley is a big loss, but a combination of Benny Feilhaber, Pablo Mastroeni and Ricardo Clark should be able to hold down the middle of the field. Depending where Landon Donovan and or Clint Dempsey plays they should trouble the Mexican with runs from deep. Advantage: USA.
FORWARDS -- Mexico: Blanco. You know deep down he's itching to give the US a beating after being sent off back in the 2006 World Cup. At his best he's a crafty, savvy player with the ball at his feet. A true dangerman every time he touches it. At his worst, he's a petulant little baby that can pout his way out of a game or use his temper to pick up a card. It's almost like you should just let he and Onyewu slug it out before the game and get it over with. Borgetti has a knack for dominating CONCACAF, except for the US. Kikin, Bofo Baustista and Omar Bravo all are pretty good, but none are riding a hot tournament. USA: Brian Ching, Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson have all failed to impress, missing many chances throughout. In a knockout vs. the biggest rival this can't happen. Bradley might be wise to use Dempsey and Donovan up top. Advantage: Neither, both are running low on confidence.
BENCH -- Mexico: Hugo Sanchez has a lot of attacking options, not much else. USA: The bench is going to be thin with two players gone to suspension. The US can't afford to lose anyone in the midfield with possibly only Justin Mapp in reserve. Advantage: Mexico, slight.
COACHING -- Mexico: Pre-Sanchez Mexico probably would have slaughtered a team like Cuba 6-0. Yes, Cuba is better, but for whatever reason El Tri is not clicking under the tutelage of one its favorite sons. USA: As we've said plenty of times, Bradley has gotten the results. He's under his biggest microscope Sunday. Bradley's biggest challenge might be to ingrain in his players not to lose their cool and get baited by the Mexicans into cheap fouls. If US plays it's game and keeps its head, they should win. Advantage: USA (tactics), Mexico (hair).
PRESSURE -- By my unofficial count a handful of Internet soccer nerds like me give two shits about the USMNT. In its infinite wisdom, the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN, hasn't even acknowledged the Gold Cup since it doesn't own the broadcast rights. It's up to the American players themselves to place the pressure on themselves since none of their compatriots really care if they make the Confederations Cup or not.
On the other hand, millions of Mexicans live and die with El Tri and those Tecate's having been going down too smooth lately. Not too many of them can be too happy with Hugo Sanchez's listless reign over the squad. All five of Mexico's Gold Cup games have been one-goal affairs, including a 94th minute winner from Borgetti vs. Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.
Factor in the inferiority complex associated with their continued losing to the gringos and the Mexicans are under a lot of pressure in this one. Edge: USA, no pressure is better than a lot of pressure.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE -- Hmm...let's see 50,000+ green-wearing Mexicanos vs. 2,000 red-wearing Americans. Not a tough call, but the fickle pro-Mexico crowd could take a turn if El Tri doesn't perform early. By contrast, the US is used to playing 'home' games in front of hostile fans so they should be unfazed. Solider Field isn't Azteca...unless all the Mexican fans leave their cars running during the game. Any chance we can get Bill Swirsky's 'Superfans' to tip the balances a little? EDGE: Mexico, slight.
X-FACTOR -- MEXICO: Nery Castillo. The 23-year-old, would-be Greek is touted as the next big (not physically) Mexican star. He did score the winner vs. Panama and could be a new look for the US to deal with. You'd think tactically Bradley knows how to deal with Borgetti and Blanco by this point. USA: Beasley. When he plays well, the USA wins. Simple as that. Edge: Even
Closing thoughts -- Landon Donovan is always a topic of major discussion, but he always rises to the occasion vs. Mexico. In fact, he might be more loathes South of the Border, than stateside. Mexico will never forgive him for his goal in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.
Say what you will, but Donovan has been on fire in 2007. He's scored seven goals in eight games this calendar year, including twice in the Gold Cup (both penalties). There's no reason to think this won't happen again Sunday.
When the US won the 2005 Gold Cup they didn't go through Mexico, beating Panama on penalties at Giants Stadium. Barring a total defensive collapse the USA takes care of business and takes out the proverbial trash. Guess: USA 2, Mexico 0. (Could it be anything else?)
It sounds so simple I just got to go
The suns so hot I forgot to go home
Guess I'll have to go now -- James Taylor
Ah...we meet again me amigo.
Gringos v. Gaupos with the 2007 Gold Cup and trip to the 2009 Confederations Cup on the line live from Chicago's venerable Soldier Field Sunday. (3 p.m. EST, FSC, Univision)
Here we go again. No need to rehash the animosity on both sides. The feces-slinging, etc. gets old.
The teams don't like each other, 'nuff said.
This is what I wrote back in February when the US handed mighty Mexico another 2-0 beating on American soil. Little did we know at the time that the game would serve as the bellwether for Bob Bradley's term as USMNT head coach. Conservative tactics, good results. Again, that's all we can ask for.
Unlike that night in Glendale, Ariz. guys like Bobby Convey (hurt), Jimmy Conrad (goal from a corner kick, later a broken jaw), Chris Albright (hurt), Chris Rolfe (MIA, ok, playing for Chicago) won't be around.
Instead we'll get a pretty decent US side that will be without Frankie Hejduk and Michael Bradley due to suspension. Throughout the CONCACAF tournament's five games the US has shown flashes of brilliance, but overall inconsistent play piqued with some horrific defensive lapses.
Same could be said for El Tri, who've underwhelmed considerably.
Overall both of Sunday's have been racking up yellow cards/tarjeta amarilla throughout the tournament at an alarming rate. Mexico had been shown 11 yellow cards, and one straight red for Blanco's elbow to the chest of a Honduran player. Meanwhile, the US has a whopping 15 yellows in the tournament and one straight red. Hejduk earned three of these, while Oneywu had four -- two vs. Guatemala for a sending off. It's scary that Gooch has been booked in three of the four games he played.
This sets up a scenario on the Solider Field that could get quite ugly. To quote Al Bundy's character from "John From Cincinnati" -- "There's showing the Mexican wrestling."
Jared Borgetti & Cuauhtemoc 'El Loco' Blanco VS. 'Killer' Carlos Bocanegra & The Gooch would be a Wrestlemania caliber affair. (Who wouldn't like to see a lumberjack match with Silver King, La Parka, Lizmark Jr., etc. surrounding the ring.)
With that in mind, a guess at how Bradley will fill out Sunday's starting XI?
GK: Tim Howard
DEF: Jonathan Spector-Carlos Bocanegra-Oguchi Onyewu-Frank Simek
MID: DaMarcus Beasley-Pablo Mastroeni-Benny Feilhaber-Clint Dempsey
FOR: Brian Ching, Landon Donovan.
Me, I'd probably give Jay DeMerit the nod over Onyewu as Borgetti, Blanco & Co. will be doing their best to incite the Maryland-born giant. At this point he's a red card waiting to happen. Same with Bocanegra, who seems better suited for the midfield.
Also, I might even consider a 4-5-1/4-3-3 with Ricardo Clark (meh)in the inside trio, DMB and Lando supporting wide and Dempsey alone up front. Eddie Johnson better not play. I'm just saying.
Since after a busy week of blogging, I'm not feeling all that creative, so lets just break this down in standard media fashion.
GOALKEEPING -- Mexico: Oswaldo 'Dirty' Sanchez might be my least favorite Mexican due to his ultra-cheap shot on Johnson in February. He's a decent enough keeper, but the US hasn't had trouble getting to him. USA: Meanwhile, Howard has been solid enough for the US and can jump pretty high for 50/50s in the box. He might get tested the most on set pieces and corner kicks. If Keller gets the nod all bets are off. Advantage: USA, slight.
DEFENSE -- Mexico: Though scumbag Rafa Marquez hasn't played in the Gold Cup, the Mexican defense remains strong with Euro-based Carlos Salcido and Ricardo Osorio both capable of playing centrally or going up the outside flanks. Osorio in particular will give whomever plays on the left for the US a difficult task. By the same token, the US has found ways to score goals vs. Mexico the last couple times out, usually on the counter or set pieces. USA: Defense has been the weakest link for the US in this tournament, easily. Against lesser opponents it hasn't been tested all that much, but against a power like Mexico will be smack dab in the crosshairs. Advantage: Mexico, slight.
MIDFIELD -- Mexico: Pavel Pardo, of Bundesliga champion Stuttgart, will carry the midfield load for El Tri. He and Ramon Morales will have their hands full with a US midfield that has become pretty strong. Andres Guardado is a guy to watch on the outside. USA: Losing Michael Bradley is a big loss, but a combination of Benny Feilhaber, Pablo Mastroeni and Ricardo Clark should be able to hold down the middle of the field. Depending where Landon Donovan and or Clint Dempsey plays they should trouble the Mexican with runs from deep. Advantage: USA.
FORWARDS -- Mexico: Blanco. You know deep down he's itching to give the US a beating after being sent off back in the 2006 World Cup. At his best he's a crafty, savvy player with the ball at his feet. A true dangerman every time he touches it. At his worst, he's a petulant little baby that can pout his way out of a game or use his temper to pick up a card. It's almost like you should just let he and Onyewu slug it out before the game and get it over with. Borgetti has a knack for dominating CONCACAF, except for the US. Kikin, Bofo Baustista and Omar Bravo all are pretty good, but none are riding a hot tournament. USA: Brian Ching, Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson have all failed to impress, missing many chances throughout. In a knockout vs. the biggest rival this can't happen. Bradley might be wise to use Dempsey and Donovan up top. Advantage: Neither, both are running low on confidence.
BENCH -- Mexico: Hugo Sanchez has a lot of attacking options, not much else. USA: The bench is going to be thin with two players gone to suspension. The US can't afford to lose anyone in the midfield with possibly only Justin Mapp in reserve. Advantage: Mexico, slight.
COACHING -- Mexico: Pre-Sanchez Mexico probably would have slaughtered a team like Cuba 6-0. Yes, Cuba is better, but for whatever reason El Tri is not clicking under the tutelage of one its favorite sons. USA: As we've said plenty of times, Bradley has gotten the results. He's under his biggest microscope Sunday. Bradley's biggest challenge might be to ingrain in his players not to lose their cool and get baited by the Mexicans into cheap fouls. If US plays it's game and keeps its head, they should win. Advantage: USA (tactics), Mexico (hair).
PRESSURE -- By my unofficial count a handful of Internet soccer nerds like me give two shits about the USMNT. In its infinite wisdom, the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN, hasn't even acknowledged the Gold Cup since it doesn't own the broadcast rights. It's up to the American players themselves to place the pressure on themselves since none of their compatriots really care if they make the Confederations Cup or not.
On the other hand, millions of Mexicans live and die with El Tri and those Tecate's having been going down too smooth lately. Not too many of them can be too happy with Hugo Sanchez's listless reign over the squad. All five of Mexico's Gold Cup games have been one-goal affairs, including a 94th minute winner from Borgetti vs. Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.
Factor in the inferiority complex associated with their continued losing to the gringos and the Mexicans are under a lot of pressure in this one. Edge: USA, no pressure is better than a lot of pressure.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE -- Hmm...let's see 50,000+ green-wearing Mexicanos vs. 2,000 red-wearing Americans. Not a tough call, but the fickle pro-Mexico crowd could take a turn if El Tri doesn't perform early. By contrast, the US is used to playing 'home' games in front of hostile fans so they should be unfazed. Solider Field isn't Azteca...unless all the Mexican fans leave their cars running during the game. Any chance we can get Bill Swirsky's 'Superfans' to tip the balances a little? EDGE: Mexico, slight.
X-FACTOR -- MEXICO: Nery Castillo. The 23-year-old, would-be Greek is touted as the next big (not physically) Mexican star. He did score the winner vs. Panama and could be a new look for the US to deal with. You'd think tactically Bradley knows how to deal with Borgetti and Blanco by this point. USA: Beasley. When he plays well, the USA wins. Simple as that. Edge: Even
Closing thoughts -- Landon Donovan is always a topic of major discussion, but he always rises to the occasion vs. Mexico. In fact, he might be more loathes South of the Border, than stateside. Mexico will never forgive him for his goal in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.
Say what you will, but Donovan has been on fire in 2007. He's scored seven goals in eight games this calendar year, including twice in the Gold Cup (both penalties). There's no reason to think this won't happen again Sunday.
When the US won the 2005 Gold Cup they didn't go through Mexico, beating Panama on penalties at Giants Stadium. Barring a total defensive collapse the USA takes care of business and takes out the proverbial trash. Guess: USA 2, Mexico 0. (Could it be anything else?)
Labels: Mexico is our bitch, Soccer, USMNT
(News on USMNT lower in the post)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've written I'm not going to post and pontificate about each and every transfer in Europe this season.
Thierry Henry's $32-million move to Barcelona is, in the words of Mike Francessa a different set of encyclopedias.
This is a nuclear bomb of a transfer, who's impact will reverberate across the world of soccer.
I'm sure many Gooners are thinking, "Is this a wind up mate, am I being punked?" as Henry himself told HBO's 'Real Sports' in a feature on racism in soccer. Henry, did after all, pledge his loyalties to the Gunners not too long ago. He also still had three years left on his Arsenal deal.
Granted, much has changed at the club with the proposed takeover by American tycoon Stank Kroenke looming.
Before postulating on what this all means, here's some consolation for all the weeping Gooners out there. TH14 served the club beyond compare in his seven seasons at Highbury and one at the Emirates.
Here are a few notables beyond his goal rate of 226 tallies in 364 appearances.
* Two EPL winner's medals
* Three FA Cup wins
* European Golden Boot 2004, 2005
* Leading EPL score four times.
Personally, though not an Aresnal-man, Henry's play has always been wonderful to watch. His blistering runs, classy finishes and overall outstanding play was a joy to behold.
The man was a one-man wrecking crew. At his best, nary a single dowdy English defender could stop the maurading Frenchman. What always stood out was his poise around the goal. That, and the fear he immediately stuck in every opposing player went he had the ball at his feet.
And I'll never forget the classic finish from earlier in this year for his header vs. Manchester United, "It had to be, Thierrrrry Heeenry."
Enjoy this vid and remember the good times...
Now, the nitty-grity, what does this all mean?
** God, the prospect of Henry pairing with Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi makes the brain spin. It could truly be video-game soccer at the Nou Camp come August. It's likely only be a 'Holy Trinity' on the field at any one time, but still.
Still, part of this feels like a panic move for Barca, after they finished 2006-07 without a major trophy. Barca did lead La Liga in goals scored with 78 so is adding Henry anything other than a moral booster in Catalonia?
Some English team ought to make a quick offer on Eidur Gudjohnsen. Mark Hughes, are you listening?
** Part II -- Does this mean Eto'o is off to AC Milan, Inter, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, etc? The Cameroonian is slightly expendable now, but it was clear Barca wasn't the same team without him in the lineup up front. People might say he won't be able to co-exist with Henry. Not a chance. Great + Great = sublime. (Well, most of the time.)
** Where does this leave Arsenal? The Gunners were so-so without Henry throughout last season -- simply, Jeremy Aliadiere couldn't hack it and he's already been shipped to Middlesborough. The Gunners plays some attractive footie, but lacked a distinct killer instinct.
They'll clearly be unable to replace Henry's talismanic qualities. But can they replace his goals?
Emmanuel Adebayor might drop a little without Henry's inspiring presence around. Robin van Persie was on his way to making the leap last year before getting hurt. Hard to say if he can carry the load alone. Expecting youngster Nicklas Bendtner to make impact is asking a lot. Theo Walcott? He can make an impact, but not as a scorer.
Can Cesc Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky and Alexsandr Hleb pick up the slack from the midfield?
It's clear if Arsenal wants to remain among the 'Big Four' they'll have to ink a striker?
Fernando Torres seems like an obvious move since Athletico Madrid is finally going to sell him. Michael Owen would be a gamble. Signing someone like a Alfonso Alves, who scored 34 in 31 games in the rock 'em - sock 'em Eredivise is a sizeable gamble too.
From my perch, unless they can swing a deal for Eto'o there isn't any single player that can come close to Henry.
Plus with all the uncertainty floating above Ashburton Grove is Arsene Wenger next out the door, possibly to Real Madrid? Or Fabregas? Losing Wenger would truly cripple Arsenal and the club would have to start from scratch. That's the bigger fear for Hirshey and you other Gooners, that Henry is the first to bail on a sinking ship.
** EPL Impact -- As said before, there might not be a better chance for a team to shove its way into the top four now that Arsenal is deeply wounded. The other day I caught some of that 'Planet Earth' on the Discovery and it showed a hungry pack of lions swarming an elephant on the African savanna. It was amazing, to say the least.
Right now, Arsenal is that unlucky elephant and Tottenham, Everton, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and maybe even Newcastle United are licking their collective chops.
In any event, this is the first domino to fall as the silly season kicks into high gear.
In less earth-shattering news Friday, the US released it's Copa America roster. Very, very interesting to say the least. No Landon Donovan, no DaMarcus Beasley, no Clint Dempsey, etc.
Take a gander.
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany)
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Bobby Boswell (D.C.), Dan Califf (Aalborg BK, Denmark), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Drew Moor (Dallas), Heath Pearce (Nordsjaelland, Denmark), Marvell Wynne (Toronto)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Colorado), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg SV, Germany), Eddie Gaven (Columbus), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago), Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Ben Olsen (D.C.)
Forwards: Charlie Davies (Hammarby, Sweden), Herculez Gomez (Colorado), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Taylor Twellman (New England)
Naturally, the biggest eye opener is the inclusion of in-form Colorado striker Herculez Gomez and the re-addition of everyone's favorite bearded midfielder -- Ben Olsen. Ex-Metros Eddie Gaven and Marvel Wynne are mild surprises, too.
Otherwise, it's not a terrible team, just extremely green.
We'll get into this more next week after the Gold Cup wraps up.
Basically, with seasoned European pros like Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector, Frankie Simek, etc. you can't burn these guys out for a tournament that if anything is a bonus for the USMNT. The nearly 10-month club season is a big enough grind as is, it made sense for Bob Bradley to give these guys AND his son Michael a couple weeks of R & R.
If you're going to test young players and see what you've got, might as well do it here in a pressurized tournament on hostile foreign soil. If only for the dressing room stuff, Bradley will get a better sense of what he's got in the pipeline over the fortnight in Venezuela than a couple one-offs in Europe later this season.
The Nats might take a beating from Argentina next Thursday, but Paraguay and Columbia aren't exactly the bee-knees.
Strengthes clearly lie in defense with a pairing between Jimmy Conrad and Jay DeMerit a good place to start. Despite his shaky play vs. Canada Thursday night, Keller provides a solid presence between the sticks.
Weaknesses are obviously offense. Counting on the quartet of Gomez, Johnson, Davies and Twellman to score is a dicey proposition. Guess we'll see how much the National Team really does rely on Lando, huh?
Also, seems like Beasley is definitely making the move to Rangers.
Why, DaMarcus, why?
Labels: Arsenal, barcelona, Copa America, Soccer, thierry henry, USMNT
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.
For a long time I've had this mini scene kicking around in my head. Not sure what the proper medium would be for it, but here we go.
Guy 1: Can't you play some good music?
Guy 2: What do you have in mind?
Guy 1: I dunno, ever heard of a little band known as The Guess Who.
Maybe you have to prescribe to the 'classic rock' vibe to feel it, but tracks like 'These Eyes' rock pretty swell. Even if the band is in fact, Canadian.
Ah Canadians.
The one nationality, as witnessed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, that Americans can lampoon without impunity.
And who'd have thought that Canada, yes, Canada has been the most impressive soccer team in the 2007 Gold Cup. Not that thats saying much. It is still only the Gold Cup.
That's my way of saying instead of breaking down tonight's USA v. Canada Gold Cup semifinal from Chicago's Solider Field (7 p.m. EST, FSC) in the typical fashion, let's do it with a nod to Canadian music.
Let's be honest, who wants about 25 paragraphs detailing the midfield battle between Pablo Mastroeni, Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber vs. Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson and Martin Nash?
Still with me?
Let's boogie!
"The Impossible Dream" by Robert 'Bob' Goulet -- Hello, I'm Robert Goulet!
"Dadoo da dee da!" Do you like good music - I do. I know I'm not afraid to admit it. That's what makes me sort of a rebel in this biz. Sort of like my very good hombre, Jay-Z, here, and his couderie of ne'er-do-wells. Mmm-hmm. He's not afraid to slap around the suits if the checks don't roll in. Just like I've never held back my fists in a roomful of industry dagos.
That's why we burned it up on my second full-length rap-and-roll album. This one's called "Murder in the Make Believe Ballroom" [ laughs ] I know - too inside. But I can't resist. Me and the boys here do all of the Jay-Z hits. It's a cocktail with a splash of Jay-Z and two fingers of Goulet.
Seriously, in the age of YouTube how is this classic Will Ferrell/Jay-Z SNL skit not online? How!? At least there is this. It gets me every time.
Oh right, back to the game.
Naturally, the impossible dream in this case is Canada actually winning the Gold Cup. The Canada that has made one, count 'em one World Cup. In fairness, Canada did win the 2000 Gold Cup, beating Columbia.
Tonight against the USA, Canada just might need the professional pipes of Goulet to win. However Dwayne De Rosario was quoted as saying "I think we're going to win. I'm confident in that."
"If I had 1,000,000 Dollars" by Bare Naked Ladies -- Now are they talking Canadian dollars, because that's not that much.
In any event, if I personally had a million dollars, I'd probably invest in a USL team. (Don't laugh.) By that token, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment plunked down some loonies so MLS would expand North of the Border this season. (Pssft. Dollar coins. What's next bilingual street signs and nationalized health care?)
Is it any coincidence that Canada's national team is playing so well at the same time that BMO Field is sold out each week full of seat-flinging hosers for Toronto FC? No. Just as the USMNT ascended toward respectability in the wake of MLS, Canada is getting the same thing -- albeit at a much faster rate.
Speaking, as usual, straight out of my ass I don't think soccer has ever been at a higher excitement level in Canada. Let's not forget the U-20 World Cup kicks off up there next week, too. The 55,000 seat Olympic Stadium in Montreal is even sold out. Sacred Bleu!
"Takin' Care of Business" by BTO -- "Get to the workin' overtime part..." This Homer Simpson-favorite has been the unofficial theme to Bob Bradley's tenure as USMNT head coach. No flash. No panache. Just mostly tallies in the win column.
"Tom Sawyer" by Rush -- "With the space he invades he gets high on you. (Cue the synthesizer breakdown.) Time and time again Clint Dempsey has proven to be the most versatile attacking presence for the US in the Gold Cup. If Canada give him, DaMarcus Beasley or Landon Donovan some space, watch out. (PS, wouldn't Alex Lifeson be an awesome name for a striker?)
"No Sugar Tonight" by The Guess Who -- This could be a running theme for US forwards Taylor Twellman and Brian Ching. Both has fluffed numerous chances in their action during the Cup. In a knockout game vs. a decent Maple Leaf side, this might come back to haunt Team USA.
"Turn me Loose" by Loverboy -- That's what most American fans would love to see out of the US offense -- a free-flowing attack that can play beautiful footie. Considering Canada might be the strongest team they've seen thus far in the Gold Cup it wouldn't be surprising if Bradley, though, plays it close to the vest. Side note: does it get any 80's-er than Loverboy?
"The Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams -- Umm...no real correlation to the game here, per say. However Bryan Adams is out-and-out horrid music. Wearing the 'Canadian Tuxedo' (aka a denim shirt and jeans) doesn't help things. Thankfully shit-show extraordinaries Nickleback are on the music scene making Adams (a Chelsea fan) the second-worst North of the Border import to American radio.
Ok, one correlation, again, for Canadian soccer fans these really are the best days of your life.
"If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot -- "When you reach the part where the heartaches come/ The hero would be me/ But heroes often fail /And you wont read that book again/ Because the endings just too hard to take"
Why did it take a folksy, Canadian singer/songwriter to sum up Landon Donovan's career in a nutshell?
"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado -- Ahh, Nelly Furtado. A true lover of the beautiful game. And a person that probably just about every male that's ever kicked a soccer ball has dreamt of 'slipping one past the goalie' with.
The promiscuity in this case is the suspect defenses of both teams. Despite only allowed one goal in four Gold Cup games the US back four has been shaky at times, with Oguchi Onyewu the prime culprit.
Canada has conceded just three, but have yet to face an attack on par with the US.
Expect whatever English press that's paying attention to make many cheeky remarks at the collective defensive guffaws by both teams.
"Check the O.R." by Organized Rhyme -- Remember Tom Green? Yeah, him? Little did you know but he was actually in a Canadian rap group. Coincidentally, the Team Canada strikeforce, led by Rasta-Canuck Dwayne De Rosario goes unofficially by the moniker Organized Rhyme. Just kidding.
Players like Tom Friend, Ali Gerba and Iain Hume are not terrible. They all ply their trade for lesser-known European side. Friend, for one, is a 6-for-4 hoss from Saskatchewan and could be a physical presence for the US to look out for.
There's a safe chance the US back-line will be tested, though likely from the midfield fulcrum of Hutchinson and de Guzman.
Forgive me though, if I'm not going overboard on this pair. Yes, they're good. And with de Guzman, who plays for Deportivo La Coruna you have a player with a pedigree that would make most of the US roster blush.
This might be a blanket statement, they're still Canadian. And this ain't hockey.
It's amazing how Canada went from laughing stock for its loss to Guadelope, to powerhouse because of a 3-0 thrashing of Guatemala.
"Complicated" by Avril Lavigne --Simple. That's what happens should this game go to penalty kicks for the US. Let's make it easy, no?
Although Panama put scare into the team late on Saturday in the quarterfinals, this is going to be the most pressurized game for the USMNT since last summer's World Cup. There's no way to spin a loss to Canada with a trip to the final and a possible showdown with Mexico on the line, no matter how much the Maple Leafers have improved in the last couple months.
"Fatlip" by Sum 41 -- This might make more sense in a hockey game between the nations, but who wouldn't want to see Oneywu 'drop the gloves' with Paul Salteri?
"Uknown songs" by The Tragically Hip -- To be honest, I have never even heard a single note by this band. But if they're good enough for TOP Green Mountain Division correspondent Tom Koldys, they're good enough for me. ... The band's name could also coincide with a large segment of US Soccer fans who think they are 'too cool for school.'
"Sleep" by Godspeed you Black Emperor! -- Odds are better than 50/50 that this is a boring, nip-tuck affair. One side is going to have to be the aggressor, no?
"After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young -- The patron saint of sideburns holds dual citizenship, so his loyalties might be tested.
This is more of question for next week, but what does the USMNT do for the Copa America, which begins June 28th vs. Argentina? Which sets of fresh legs will be recalled? How will the team deal with what figures to be a hostile crowd in Venezuela?
We have to cut it off here. All the Mac 'N Chee at my place has magically relabeled itself "Kraft Dinner" and I just pricked my finger and maple syrup sap drizzled out.
But first...
"YYZ" by Rush -- (Miscellania) The all-time series between the nations stands at 13-13-9. ... Should America win, I'll take it as personal satisfaction for a $1 charge levied to cross on the noted Niagra Falls Freedom Bridge back in 2001. ... Not related to soccer, per say, but Canada you can have Alex Trebek back. Thanks. ... Unsure where this applies, but it's interesting that the composition of the Canadian team is more reflective of the nation's large immigrant population as opposed to the still relatively lillywhite USMNT. Just a thought. ... Another thought, the percentage of fans at Solider Field for the game? 80 percent pro-Mexico, 10 percent pro-USA, 5 percent pro-Canada, 4.99 percent think it's a Bears preseason game .1 percent pro-Guadelope. ... The over/under on mentions that Martin Nash is in fact the brother of Phoenix guard Steve Nash? Were the game on ESPN, off the charts. Since it's on FSC theres a solid chance Bretos and Sullivan don't even acknowledge it.
Game guess: USA 3, Canada 1. The US surprises with a pretty dominant whipping of the Rouges. Unlike some of the Central American teams, Canada won't intimidate the US and allow them to play with some confidence.
(Any other result, and it might be another The Guess Who song at my house, as in...these are cryin'.)
Feel free to comment on everything I omitted. I'm looking at you Leonard Cohen and Arcade Fire fans. Don't forget, check back sometime in the Friday a.m. for a review and possible lookahead.
Guy 1: Can't you play some good music?
Guy 2: What do you have in mind?
Guy 1: I dunno, ever heard of a little band known as The Guess Who.
Maybe you have to prescribe to the 'classic rock' vibe to feel it, but tracks like 'These Eyes' rock pretty swell. Even if the band is in fact, Canadian.
Ah Canadians.
The one nationality, as witnessed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, that Americans can lampoon without impunity.
And who'd have thought that Canada, yes, Canada has been the most impressive soccer team in the 2007 Gold Cup. Not that thats saying much. It is still only the Gold Cup.
That's my way of saying instead of breaking down tonight's USA v. Canada Gold Cup semifinal from Chicago's Solider Field (7 p.m. EST, FSC) in the typical fashion, let's do it with a nod to Canadian music.
Let's be honest, who wants about 25 paragraphs detailing the midfield battle between Pablo Mastroeni, Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber vs. Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson and Martin Nash?
Still with me?
Let's boogie!
"The Impossible Dream" by Robert 'Bob' Goulet -- Hello, I'm Robert Goulet!
"Dadoo da dee da!" Do you like good music - I do. I know I'm not afraid to admit it. That's what makes me sort of a rebel in this biz. Sort of like my very good hombre, Jay-Z, here, and his couderie of ne'er-do-wells. Mmm-hmm. He's not afraid to slap around the suits if the checks don't roll in. Just like I've never held back my fists in a roomful of industry dagos.That's why we burned it up on my second full-length rap-and-roll album. This one's called "Murder in the Make Believe Ballroom" [ laughs ] I know - too inside. But I can't resist. Me and the boys here do all of the Jay-Z hits. It's a cocktail with a splash of Jay-Z and two fingers of Goulet.
Seriously, in the age of YouTube how is this classic Will Ferrell/Jay-Z SNL skit not online? How!? At least there is this. It gets me every time.
Oh right, back to the game.
Naturally, the impossible dream in this case is Canada actually winning the Gold Cup. The Canada that has made one, count 'em one World Cup. In fairness, Canada did win the 2000 Gold Cup, beating Columbia.
Tonight against the USA, Canada just might need the professional pipes of Goulet to win. However Dwayne De Rosario was quoted as saying "I think we're going to win. I'm confident in that."
"If I had 1,000,000 Dollars" by Bare Naked Ladies -- Now are they talking Canadian dollars, because that's not that much.
In any event, if I personally had a million dollars, I'd probably invest in a USL team. (Don't laugh.) By that token, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment plunked down some loonies so MLS would expand North of the Border this season. (Pssft. Dollar coins. What's next bilingual street signs and nationalized health care?)
Is it any coincidence that Canada's national team is playing so well at the same time that BMO Field is sold out each week full of seat-flinging hosers for Toronto FC? No. Just as the USMNT ascended toward respectability in the wake of MLS, Canada is getting the same thing -- albeit at a much faster rate.
Speaking, as usual, straight out of my ass I don't think soccer has ever been at a higher excitement level in Canada. Let's not forget the U-20 World Cup kicks off up there next week, too. The 55,000 seat Olympic Stadium in Montreal is even sold out. Sacred Bleu!
"Takin' Care of Business" by BTO -- "Get to the workin' overtime part..." This Homer Simpson-favorite has been the unofficial theme to Bob Bradley's tenure as USMNT head coach. No flash. No panache. Just mostly tallies in the win column.
"Tom Sawyer" by Rush -- "With the space he invades he gets high on you. (Cue the synthesizer breakdown.) Time and time again Clint Dempsey has proven to be the most versatile attacking presence for the US in the Gold Cup. If Canada give him, DaMarcus Beasley or Landon Donovan some space, watch out. (PS, wouldn't Alex Lifeson be an awesome name for a striker?)
"No Sugar Tonight" by The Guess Who -- This could be a running theme for US forwards Taylor Twellman and Brian Ching. Both has fluffed numerous chances in their action during the Cup. In a knockout game vs. a decent Maple Leaf side, this might come back to haunt Team USA.
"Turn me Loose" by Loverboy -- That's what most American fans would love to see out of the US offense -- a free-flowing attack that can play beautiful footie. Considering Canada might be the strongest team they've seen thus far in the Gold Cup it wouldn't be surprising if Bradley, though, plays it close to the vest. Side note: does it get any 80's-er than Loverboy?
"The Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams -- Umm...no real correlation to the game here, per say. However Bryan Adams is out-and-out horrid music. Wearing the 'Canadian Tuxedo' (aka a denim shirt and jeans) doesn't help things. Thankfully shit-show extraordinaries Nickleback are on the music scene making Adams (a Chelsea fan) the second-worst North of the Border import to American radio.
Ok, one correlation, again, for Canadian soccer fans these really are the best days of your life.
"If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot -- "When you reach the part where the heartaches come/ The hero would be me/ But heroes often fail /And you wont read that book again/ Because the endings just too hard to take"
Why did it take a folksy, Canadian singer/songwriter to sum up Landon Donovan's career in a nutshell?
"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado -- Ahh, Nelly Furtado. A true lover of the beautiful game. And a person that probably just about every male that's ever kicked a soccer ball has dreamt of 'slipping one past the goalie' with.
The promiscuity in this case is the suspect defenses of both teams. Despite only allowed one goal in four Gold Cup games the US back four has been shaky at times, with Oguchi Onyewu the prime culprit.
Canada has conceded just three, but have yet to face an attack on par with the US.
Expect whatever English press that's paying attention to make many cheeky remarks at the collective defensive guffaws by both teams.
"Check the O.R." by Organized Rhyme -- Remember Tom Green? Yeah, him? Little did you know but he was actually in a Canadian rap group. Coincidentally, the Team Canada strikeforce, led by Rasta-Canuck Dwayne De Rosario goes unofficially by the moniker Organized Rhyme. Just kidding.
Players like Tom Friend, Ali Gerba and Iain Hume are not terrible. They all ply their trade for lesser-known European side. Friend, for one, is a 6-for-4 hoss from Saskatchewan and could be a physical presence for the US to look out for.
There's a safe chance the US back-line will be tested, though likely from the midfield fulcrum of Hutchinson and de Guzman.
Forgive me though, if I'm not going overboard on this pair. Yes, they're good. And with de Guzman, who plays for Deportivo La Coruna you have a player with a pedigree that would make most of the US roster blush.
This might be a blanket statement, they're still Canadian. And this ain't hockey.
It's amazing how Canada went from laughing stock for its loss to Guadelope, to powerhouse because of a 3-0 thrashing of Guatemala.
"Complicated" by Avril Lavigne --Simple. That's what happens should this game go to penalty kicks for the US. Let's make it easy, no?
Although Panama put scare into the team late on Saturday in the quarterfinals, this is going to be the most pressurized game for the USMNT since last summer's World Cup. There's no way to spin a loss to Canada with a trip to the final and a possible showdown with Mexico on the line, no matter how much the Maple Leafers have improved in the last couple months.
"Fatlip" by Sum 41 -- This might make more sense in a hockey game between the nations, but who wouldn't want to see Oneywu 'drop the gloves' with Paul Salteri?
"Uknown songs" by The Tragically Hip -- To be honest, I have never even heard a single note by this band. But if they're good enough for TOP Green Mountain Division correspondent Tom Koldys, they're good enough for me. ... The band's name could also coincide with a large segment of US Soccer fans who think they are 'too cool for school.'
"Sleep" by Godspeed you Black Emperor! -- Odds are better than 50/50 that this is a boring, nip-tuck affair. One side is going to have to be the aggressor, no?
"After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young -- The patron saint of sideburns holds dual citizenship, so his loyalties might be tested.
This is more of question for next week, but what does the USMNT do for the Copa America, which begins June 28th vs. Argentina? Which sets of fresh legs will be recalled? How will the team deal with what figures to be a hostile crowd in Venezuela?
We have to cut it off here. All the Mac 'N Chee at my place has magically relabeled itself "Kraft Dinner" and I just pricked my finger and maple syrup sap drizzled out.
But first...
"YYZ" by Rush -- (Miscellania) The all-time series between the nations stands at 13-13-9. ... Should America win, I'll take it as personal satisfaction for a $1 charge levied to cross on the noted Niagra Falls Freedom Bridge back in 2001. ... Not related to soccer, per say, but Canada you can have Alex Trebek back. Thanks. ... Unsure where this applies, but it's interesting that the composition of the Canadian team is more reflective of the nation's large immigrant population as opposed to the still relatively lillywhite USMNT. Just a thought. ... Another thought, the percentage of fans at Solider Field for the game? 80 percent pro-Mexico, 10 percent pro-USA, 5 percent pro-Canada, 4.99 percent think it's a Bears preseason game .1 percent pro-Guadelope. ... The over/under on mentions that Martin Nash is in fact the brother of Phoenix guard Steve Nash? Were the game on ESPN, off the charts. Since it's on FSC theres a solid chance Bretos and Sullivan don't even acknowledge it.
Game guess: USA 3, Canada 1. The US surprises with a pretty dominant whipping of the Rouges. Unlike some of the Central American teams, Canada won't intimidate the US and allow them to play with some confidence.
(Any other result, and it might be another The Guess Who song at my house, as in...these are cryin'.)
Feel free to comment on everything I omitted. I'm looking at you Leonard Cohen and Arcade Fire fans. Don't forget, check back sometime in the Friday a.m. for a review and possible lookahead.
Labels: Canadian Rock, Gold Cup, Soccer, USMNT
Ah, Vitamins.
Or as some blokes like to pronounce them, 'Vitimins'.
We have them in all letters and numbers and denominations. In fact vitamins have pushed such dietary stalwarts like Riboflavin (B2) out of the picture nutritionally. Numbers are hip. Flavins are not.
My personal favorite vitamin? Vitamin Q, of course. (Don't get the reference, check out the criminally underrated 'Outside Providence' even if Rhode Island is an inbred colony that doesn't even merit its own two US Senators.)
Today, however, Vitamins, specifically Vitamin Water is all the range thanks to a power-marketing campaign that has noted rapper 50 Cent conducting an orchestra, David Ortiz crippling an Asian chap with a badminton birdie and Tracy McGrady wearing a kilt and tossing a kaber. That's not to mention some other ads featuring luminaries like David Wright, Shaquille O'Neal and according to wikipedia, Roger Waters. (I, for one, don't think the ex-Pink Floyd man would endorse anything, other than a bill to oust Margaret Thatcher from office.)
The water was even in that mini-controversy when Brian Urlacher was fined for wearing it's brand during Super Bowl media-day. It was not the approved fitness water of the NFL, therefore he shalt be fined. (Crippling a nightclub bouncer is another story.)
Even me, I've caved to the power of the Water thanks to a $1 a bottle deal at my local supermarket.
Still, with all its cache and hipness, the question remains -- is Vitamin Water good for you? Let's break it down, 'Yay or Nay' style.
Yay -- It tastes good. Not really a ground-breaking assessment, but a factual one. Though 'Formula 50' is pretty nasty. (Let's leave beverage making to the mixologists.)
Nay -- It's too trendy. We don't need drinks that celebs like Kelly Clarkson to tell us what Hollywood is sipping this season. Same things for pomegranates. Too trendy.
Yay -- Vitamin C. Now I'm no Dr. Mario, but I do know that vitamin C prevents scurvy and most Vitamin Water varieties include a 100 percent daily dosage.
Nay -- The sugar. It's not as bad a can of Coke or a bottle of Gatorade, but each 20 ounce bottle includes nearly 35 grams of sugar. It's hard to promote something as 'healthy' with that many 'empty' calories. The upside is that unlike Gatorade, at least you're getting some nutritional stuff from it.
Yay -- There's not Snapple Facts but each bottle has a sort-of funny write up on the side explaining the benefits of drinking it. Basically it looks like I could have written them. Not sure where I stand on the write-up on the 'energy' variety talking about, "...you too can have the energy of a raving lunatic to yell 'gooooooal.'"
Nay -- The price. The local bodega charges close to $1.75 per bottle. For that I could buy about eight cans of City Cola or Top Pop.
Neither yay or nay -- You could probably gain all the benefits of a Vitamin Water with some regular water and a multivitamin. Then again, what's cool about that.
Final verdict -- Jury is out. While it's nice to get vitamins by drinking a decently tasting brew, your average Vitamin Water has about as much sugar as a can of Coke. There are definitely benefits and is a better option than Gatorade, but you're deluding yourself if you think it's healthy.
Draw your own conclusion.
Or as some blokes like to pronounce them, 'Vitimins'.
We have them in all letters and numbers and denominations. In fact vitamins have pushed such dietary stalwarts like Riboflavin (B2) out of the picture nutritionally. Numbers are hip. Flavins are not.
My personal favorite vitamin? Vitamin Q, of course. (Don't get the reference, check out the criminally underrated 'Outside Providence' even if Rhode Island is an inbred colony that doesn't even merit its own two US Senators.)
Today, however, Vitamins, specifically Vitamin Water is all the range thanks to a power-marketing campaign that has noted rapper 50 Cent conducting an orchestra, David Ortiz crippling an Asian chap with a badminton birdie and Tracy McGrady wearing a kilt and tossing a kaber. That's not to mention some other ads featuring luminaries like David Wright, Shaquille O'Neal and according to wikipedia, Roger Waters. (I, for one, don't think the ex-Pink Floyd man would endorse anything, other than a bill to oust Margaret Thatcher from office.)
The water was even in that mini-controversy when Brian Urlacher was fined for wearing it's brand during Super Bowl media-day. It was not the approved fitness water of the NFL, therefore he shalt be fined. (Crippling a nightclub bouncer is another story.)
Even me, I've caved to the power of the Water thanks to a $1 a bottle deal at my local supermarket.
Still, with all its cache and hipness, the question remains -- is Vitamin Water good for you? Let's break it down, 'Yay or Nay' style.
Yay -- It tastes good. Not really a ground-breaking assessment, but a factual one. Though 'Formula 50' is pretty nasty. (Let's leave beverage making to the mixologists.)
Nay -- It's too trendy. We don't need drinks that celebs like Kelly Clarkson to tell us what Hollywood is sipping this season. Same things for pomegranates. Too trendy.
Yay -- Vitamin C. Now I'm no Dr. Mario, but I do know that vitamin C prevents scurvy and most Vitamin Water varieties include a 100 percent daily dosage.
Nay -- The sugar. It's not as bad a can of Coke or a bottle of Gatorade, but each 20 ounce bottle includes nearly 35 grams of sugar. It's hard to promote something as 'healthy' with that many 'empty' calories. The upside is that unlike Gatorade, at least you're getting some nutritional stuff from it.
Yay -- There's not Snapple Facts but each bottle has a sort-of funny write up on the side explaining the benefits of drinking it. Basically it looks like I could have written them. Not sure where I stand on the write-up on the 'energy' variety talking about, "...you too can have the energy of a raving lunatic to yell 'gooooooal.'"
Nay -- The price. The local bodega charges close to $1.75 per bottle. For that I could buy about eight cans of City Cola or Top Pop.
Neither yay or nay -- You could probably gain all the benefits of a Vitamin Water with some regular water and a multivitamin. Then again, what's cool about that.
Final verdict -- Jury is out. While it's nice to get vitamins by drinking a decently tasting brew, your average Vitamin Water has about as much sugar as a can of Coke. There are definitely benefits and is a better option than Gatorade, but you're deluding yourself if you think it's healthy.
Draw your own conclusion.
Labels: yay or nay
Let's get it out of the way early.
(With apologies to David Lee Roth.)
Ain't no stoppin' now...
Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaanaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Panaaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
In other words, USA 2, Panama 1 live from the 2007 Gold Cup quarterfinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Sorry, little, if any zebra-striped spandex involved in the making of this post.)
Ah, sun, suds and soccer.
Is there a better way to spend a Saturday in the (almost) summer? (Wait, don't answer that.)
In a mild slice of irony (or is it coincidence?) this game occurred roughly a year to the day of the USA 1, Italy 1, live from Kaiserslautern. All that was lacking was fermented apple grog, doner kebabs, parading Italians and a schlep up a hillside to gain access to the stadium.
Oh, and the atmosphere of a World Cup game in Europe in an ancient, historic stadium.
That's not to say the Gold Cup isn't a big deal. But...I'm just sayin'.
Who it was a big deal for was about every person of Guatemalan descent in New England. To their credit, these folks stuck around for the US game after a brutal 3-0 defeat earlier in the day to sudden CONCACAF juggernaut Canada. (No truth to the rumor the game was played on ice.)
It was also interesting to note that some of the Guatemalan stragglers were of the 'Go USA' variety. The others, well, my cussing in Spanish isn't on the level of Dennis 'Cutty' Wise.
Needless to say, neither variety took too kindly to a certain inebriated lout mangling, 'Oh Canada'. (True paaaatriot, looooove in Mana-to-bia!.)
Before delving any deeper, a flashback to the streets of Heidleberg, Germany specifically the Hbf (train station) a day or two, post-Kaiserslautern.
American dude: Hey, man, I know you. High five.
Me: (high five motion)
For whatever reason, the spreading of free high five seems to have been lost in translation across the Atlantic. Either that, or the crowd at Gillette doesn't want to share hand germs with some sort of shirtless, marauding lowlife.
Either way.
As for the game itself?
Hate to say it, but pretty much a typical USMNT Gold Cup display. Nothing to really get excited about, except for the positive result.
Yes, it probably should have been 2-0 within the first 10 minutes on a couple missed chances by Taylor Twellman. And yes, the goal by Blas Perez for Panama was the result of some shoddy, amateur defending by the Americans. (Did he really warrant a trio of guys on him?)
Naturally, Oguchi Oneywu and Frankie Hedjuk drew yellow cards. Landon Donovan took a couple crummy corner kicks. And Clint Dempsey probably looked the best, again. It was his ball that triggered the eventual Donovan penalty kick.
From the sun-baked stands the disjointed display could partially be attributed to the heat. Granted these are professional athletes, but it's not exactly a walk in the park to play a game for 90 minutes on a near 90-degree pitch. Not an excuse, but I'm just sayin'.
Hopefully the television camera's caught Donovan's ADD-inspired pre-penalty kick ritual. I'd make some sort of Spazz joke, but that would be insulting to them.
In real news, that goal put him two behind Eric Wynalda (34) for the USMNT record. Thankfully it will soon quiet Wynald-o about this meaningless statistic for a little while. Ok, it means something but considering the gulf in epochs of US Soccer, it's not all that hallowed. Someone has to own it. Like someone has to hold the Tampa Bay Devil Rays career saves mark.
In a minor miracle, post-Donovan penalty conversion there wasn't the insipid, 'Goals, Goals, Goals for the Red, White in Blue' blared over the public address system. A minor miracle? Did the US Soccer Federation wise up to how lame they came across? Nyet. I assume since it was a 'neutral' CONCACAF venue, decor forbade such a one-sided jingle.
Back to the action.
Carlos Bocanegra's header off a set piece was very nice. It just goes to show what happens when you let DaMarcus Beasley take the kick instead of Donovan. Not an exact science, but I'm just sayin'.
In the end, it was mildly depressing to watch the team with your own eyes and see it as a thoroughly mediocre as the version inside the television set. Again, shouldn't moan about this considering it's the result the matters more than playing beautiful soccer, but I'm just sayin'.
One thing that never changes at a USMNT game is the weirdos that crawl out of the woodwork to 'support' the team. It's pretty sad that the national team of our country can't draw 50, 60,000 people to a match, but considering the 'Worldwide Leader' doesn't even acknowledge the Gold Cup exists and that 95 percent of American sports fans are programmed to follow what ESPN tells them to, any crowd Saturday was good.
Maybe I'm crazy, but why do would you go to a US game wearing matching an Italia 'campione del mondo' t-shirts with your son? Consider it fair game if some sort of lout heckles you by a stand of Port-a-Potties.
It's this whole dressing-up element of US-fandom that has me personally at odds with Sam's Army, et al. That's not to disparage what that crew has done since it's inception in 1994. At the time it was formed, a unit like Sam's Army was in fact needed.
Nowadays, I'm not so sure. And I've admittedly, had some good times with the Sammers. It seems like it's too much about a bunch of attention-grabbers in red garments.
But for every pan-over crowd shot the 'Army' garners unfurling the giant Stars and Stripes, it's merely a sliver of the entire stadium. Yes, a cheering, hardcore section is warranted, but not at the expense of the rest of the arena.
Say you're a casual fan and not some web-crawling soccer nerd, how would you even know the Sam Army colors are red? It's not like red is a big part of the USMNT uniform scheme is red. And more importantly it's not like the main colors of Panama AND Trinidad and Tobago are red.
White and or Navy Blue might not stand out in a crowd, but it's more unique than the ubiquitous red. I'm just sayin'.
Plus having a 'hardcore' section alienates the rest of the stadium's involvement. Granted a lot of the rest of the stadium are youth team losers, but still.
You don't need complex cheers or insider, wink-wink know-how. At last year's World Cup all those sub-human Czechs did was wear bootleg national team shirts and bob up-and-down, Czech-ski. Czech-ski. Czech-ski. Like an ant hive, all on the same page. No frills, just execution...in red no less.
You don't need a supporter's scarf in 85-degree weather. Trust me.
Thankfully I'm not the only devoted USMNT that thinks this way about the red brigade. Not sure the fella's name, but I did see him in Germany, Nurnberg specifically wearing his trademark Chris Webber Bullets No. 4 jersey. No lederhousen this time, though. He and his buds were fed up with the Sammers too.
Bottom line, Americans are always moaning about a lack of homefield advantage for national team games on our soil. If there were pockets throughout the stadium, as opposed to one, albeit loud and organized, group it would spread the gospel better.
Not that this means anything.
I'm just sayin'.
Still, consider me very excited for Thursday's USA/Canada semifinal.
We'll get into more later in the week, but this is a game the USA might finally play in the words of Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo, very loosey-goosey. The crowd in Chicago should be pro-America, you'd think. There isn't a maple syrup convention in the Windy City next week, is there?
Canada does have some very skilled attackers, but there's not going to be any fear for the Americans against those hosers. It's Canada.
Not even blaring all of Rush's '2112' outside the USMNT team hotel the night before the game will be enough.
Sorry if this post was sort of all over the place.
That dreaded sun, plus a healthy dose of Girl Talk and Black Label rotted out a large portion of my cerebellum. It happens when you're 'special different.'
____________________________
In the words of John Sterling, "He did it!"
The he in this case isn't 25-million-dollar man Alexander the Great, rather the $27.5 million for five years David Beckham.
Golden Balls' Real Madrid side came back Sunday vs. Mallorca to win La Liga, their first major silverware in four seasons. He can now ride off into the sunset on a white steed for Southern California.
If only for the media-buzz it's generated for MLS this is a good thing. Too bad the Galaxy have been absolutely lack-luster. It's been said before, but aside from the occasional, amazing free kick, David Beckham's game isn't going to convert the haters in soccer fans.
One thing he'll do is sell jerseys all over the world. And that might give this idiot I saw the other day in a Cleveland Browns Brady Quinn No. 10 shirt a little more street cred.
Too bad the day was spoiled by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the Bernabeau.
Is this what we as US soccer fans want?
(No, not French Open winner Rafael Nadal, a Majorca native.)
Final word for today: Guadeloupe.
(With apologies to David Lee Roth.)
Ain't no stoppin' now...
Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaanaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Panaaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
In other words, USA 2, Panama 1 live from the 2007 Gold Cup quarterfinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Sorry, little, if any zebra-striped spandex involved in the making of this post.)
Ah, sun, suds and soccer.
Is there a better way to spend a Saturday in the (almost) summer? (Wait, don't answer that.)
In a mild slice of irony (or is it coincidence?) this game occurred roughly a year to the day of the USA 1, Italy 1, live from Kaiserslautern. All that was lacking was fermented apple grog, doner kebabs, parading Italians and a schlep up a hillside to gain access to the stadium.
Oh, and the atmosphere of a World Cup game in Europe in an ancient, historic stadium.
That's not to say the Gold Cup isn't a big deal. But...I'm just sayin'.
Who it was a big deal for was about every person of Guatemalan descent in New England. To their credit, these folks stuck around for the US game after a brutal 3-0 defeat earlier in the day to sudden CONCACAF juggernaut Canada. (No truth to the rumor the game was played on ice.)
It was also interesting to note that some of the Guatemalan stragglers were of the 'Go USA' variety. The others, well, my cussing in Spanish isn't on the level of Dennis 'Cutty' Wise.
Needless to say, neither variety took too kindly to a certain inebriated lout mangling, 'Oh Canada'. (True paaaatriot, looooove in Mana-to-bia!.)
Before delving any deeper, a flashback to the streets of Heidleberg, Germany specifically the Hbf (train station) a day or two, post-Kaiserslautern.
American dude: Hey, man, I know you. High five.
Me: (high five motion)
For whatever reason, the spreading of free high five seems to have been lost in translation across the Atlantic. Either that, or the crowd at Gillette doesn't want to share hand germs with some sort of shirtless, marauding lowlife.
Either way.
As for the game itself?
Hate to say it, but pretty much a typical USMNT Gold Cup display. Nothing to really get excited about, except for the positive result.
Yes, it probably should have been 2-0 within the first 10 minutes on a couple missed chances by Taylor Twellman. And yes, the goal by Blas Perez for Panama was the result of some shoddy, amateur defending by the Americans. (Did he really warrant a trio of guys on him?)
Naturally, Oguchi Oneywu and Frankie Hedjuk drew yellow cards. Landon Donovan took a couple crummy corner kicks. And Clint Dempsey probably looked the best, again. It was his ball that triggered the eventual Donovan penalty kick.
From the sun-baked stands the disjointed display could partially be attributed to the heat. Granted these are professional athletes, but it's not exactly a walk in the park to play a game for 90 minutes on a near 90-degree pitch. Not an excuse, but I'm just sayin'.
Hopefully the television camera's caught Donovan's ADD-inspired pre-penalty kick ritual. I'd make some sort of Spazz joke, but that would be insulting to them.
In real news, that goal put him two behind Eric Wynalda (34) for the USMNT record. Thankfully it will soon quiet Wynald-o about this meaningless statistic for a little while. Ok, it means something but considering the gulf in epochs of US Soccer, it's not all that hallowed. Someone has to own it. Like someone has to hold the Tampa Bay Devil Rays career saves mark.
In a minor miracle, post-Donovan penalty conversion there wasn't the insipid, 'Goals, Goals, Goals for the Red, White in Blue' blared over the public address system. A minor miracle? Did the US Soccer Federation wise up to how lame they came across? Nyet. I assume since it was a 'neutral' CONCACAF venue, decor forbade such a one-sided jingle.
Back to the action.
Carlos Bocanegra's header off a set piece was very nice. It just goes to show what happens when you let DaMarcus Beasley take the kick instead of Donovan. Not an exact science, but I'm just sayin'.
In the end, it was mildly depressing to watch the team with your own eyes and see it as a thoroughly mediocre as the version inside the television set. Again, shouldn't moan about this considering it's the result the matters more than playing beautiful soccer, but I'm just sayin'.
One thing that never changes at a USMNT game is the weirdos that crawl out of the woodwork to 'support' the team. It's pretty sad that the national team of our country can't draw 50, 60,000 people to a match, but considering the 'Worldwide Leader' doesn't even acknowledge the Gold Cup exists and that 95 percent of American sports fans are programmed to follow what ESPN tells them to, any crowd Saturday was good.
Maybe I'm crazy, but why do would you go to a US game wearing matching an Italia 'campione del mondo' t-shirts with your son? Consider it fair game if some sort of lout heckles you by a stand of Port-a-Potties.
It's this whole dressing-up element of US-fandom that has me personally at odds with Sam's Army, et al. That's not to disparage what that crew has done since it's inception in 1994. At the time it was formed, a unit like Sam's Army was in fact needed.
Nowadays, I'm not so sure. And I've admittedly, had some good times with the Sammers. It seems like it's too much about a bunch of attention-grabbers in red garments.
But for every pan-over crowd shot the 'Army' garners unfurling the giant Stars and Stripes, it's merely a sliver of the entire stadium. Yes, a cheering, hardcore section is warranted, but not at the expense of the rest of the arena.
Say you're a casual fan and not some web-crawling soccer nerd, how would you even know the Sam Army colors are red? It's not like red is a big part of the USMNT uniform scheme is red. And more importantly it's not like the main colors of Panama AND Trinidad and Tobago are red.
White and or Navy Blue might not stand out in a crowd, but it's more unique than the ubiquitous red. I'm just sayin'.
Plus having a 'hardcore' section alienates the rest of the stadium's involvement. Granted a lot of the rest of the stadium are youth team losers, but still.
You don't need complex cheers or insider, wink-wink know-how. At last year's World Cup all those sub-human Czechs did was wear bootleg national team shirts and bob up-and-down, Czech-ski. Czech-ski. Czech-ski. Like an ant hive, all on the same page. No frills, just execution...in red no less.
You don't need a supporter's scarf in 85-degree weather. Trust me.
Thankfully I'm not the only devoted USMNT that thinks this way about the red brigade. Not sure the fella's name, but I did see him in Germany, Nurnberg specifically wearing his trademark Chris Webber Bullets No. 4 jersey. No lederhousen this time, though. He and his buds were fed up with the Sammers too.
Bottom line, Americans are always moaning about a lack of homefield advantage for national team games on our soil. If there were pockets throughout the stadium, as opposed to one, albeit loud and organized, group it would spread the gospel better.
Not that this means anything.
I'm just sayin'.
Still, consider me very excited for Thursday's USA/Canada semifinal.
We'll get into more later in the week, but this is a game the USA might finally play in the words of Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo, very loosey-goosey. The crowd in Chicago should be pro-America, you'd think. There isn't a maple syrup convention in the Windy City next week, is there?
Canada does have some very skilled attackers, but there's not going to be any fear for the Americans against those hosers. It's Canada.
Not even blaring all of Rush's '2112' outside the USMNT team hotel the night before the game will be enough.
Sorry if this post was sort of all over the place.
That dreaded sun, plus a healthy dose of Girl Talk and Black Label rotted out a large portion of my cerebellum. It happens when you're 'special different.'
In the words of John Sterling, "He did it!"
The he in this case isn't 25-million-dollar man Alexander the Great, rather the $27.5 million for five years David Beckham.
Golden Balls' Real Madrid side came back Sunday vs. Mallorca to win La Liga, their first major silverware in four seasons. He can now ride off into the sunset on a white steed for Southern California.
If only for the media-buzz it's generated for MLS this is a good thing. Too bad the Galaxy have been absolutely lack-luster. It's been said before, but aside from the occasional, amazing free kick, David Beckham's game isn't going to convert the haters in soccer fans.
One thing he'll do is sell jerseys all over the world. And that might give this idiot I saw the other day in a Cleveland Browns Brady Quinn No. 10 shirt a little more street cred.
Too bad the day was spoiled by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the Bernabeau.
Is this what we as US soccer fans want?
(No, not French Open winner Rafael Nadal, a Majorca native.)
Final word for today: Guadeloupe.
Labels: David Beckham, insanity, Soccer, USMNT
Well, well, well.
Two places to go for perhaps the final T.O.P. weekend world soccer preview until August. Where shall we begin?
The Gold Cup?
Or, La Liga?
Wait, why not laugh at Mexico's muy malo display against the US's opponents on Saturday -- Panama. Can you hear Mexico sing? No, no, no!
Eh, let's go Gold Cup since I'll probably be making the trek to Gillette Stadium for a possible TRIPLEHEADER at the Stadium where an asshole named Brady plies his trade.
First game on the slate is Canada vs. Guatemala. I think everyone involved would be more comfortable if a penalty box were involved in this one. This one looks and smells like a 0-0 and penalty kick affair. Guatemala might even pluck down some of those old, steel bear traps to try to some the Maple Leafers.
Our second game at Gillette is a rematch of the 2005 Gold Cup final -- USA v. Panama. I'd go as far to say the Canal Boys are pretty spry. They might even have Michael Scofield playing for them. (C'mon, Prison Break, anyone?)
Panama even gave the USMNT all it could in qualification for the 2006 World Cup, albeit the first group stage of CONCACAF qualification. Anyone else out there recall Cobi Jones' last second goal down in Panama from September, 2004 on a totally water-logged pitch? Man, he was waaaay offsides as I remember.
Anyway, Panama is looking better, but apparently will be without Rolando Escobar and Roman Torres, as both saw red vs. Mexico. The top player for Panaman in the past have been new Colorado Rapids-man Roberto Brown. I apologize, I'm drawing a blank. They had those two brothers, one with a bleached-blonde hairdo. Not sure if they're involved.
Still, the USMNT shouldn't have too much trouble vs. a depleted Panama team. Should they advance, they won't have to play until Thursday, which makes Bob Bradley's lineup selection not a problem.
I'd almost stick with the 4-3-3 vs. El Salvador.
Keep Howard in net.
A defense of Simek-Oneywu-Bocanegra-Hedjuk (get that yellow card out of the way).
Midfield unchanged, Bradley-Mastroeni-Feilhaber
Forward line, Beasley-Dempsey-Donovan (if Demspey is ineffective, revert to 4-4-2 and bring in Twellman, who's been in form.)
Panamas will certainly be defensive so 1-0 seems realistic, maybe with a late goal tacked on to make it 2-0.
...
Now for the big one. The rain in Spain. No wait, the race in Spain.
It all boils down to this, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid owns the advantage due to a better head-to-head record. So if they win vs. Mallorca, the Silverware is theirs. That game is Sunday on GolTV at 3 p.m. Barcelona vs. Gimnastic...not sure if it's on live. GolTV's website says they'll have coverage. Whatever.
During the Champions League I kept saying it would be ironic is David Beckham led Madrid to the trophy and then road off into the Hollywood sunset. Guess I was wrong, he'll do it in La Liga.
That's it for now. Expect some good, post-Panama stuff in the next day or two.
Adios.
Two places to go for perhaps the final T.O.P. weekend world soccer preview until August. Where shall we begin?
The Gold Cup?
Or, La Liga?
Wait, why not laugh at Mexico's muy malo display against the US's opponents on Saturday -- Panama. Can you hear Mexico sing? No, no, no!
Eh, let's go Gold Cup since I'll probably be making the trek to Gillette Stadium for a possible TRIPLEHEADER at the Stadium where an asshole named Brady plies his trade.
First game on the slate is Canada vs. Guatemala. I think everyone involved would be more comfortable if a penalty box were involved in this one. This one looks and smells like a 0-0 and penalty kick affair. Guatemala might even pluck down some of those old, steel bear traps to try to some the Maple Leafers.
Our second game at Gillette is a rematch of the 2005 Gold Cup final -- USA v. Panama. I'd go as far to say the Canal Boys are pretty spry. They might even have Michael Scofield playing for them. (C'mon, Prison Break, anyone?)
Panama even gave the USMNT all it could in qualification for the 2006 World Cup, albeit the first group stage of CONCACAF qualification. Anyone else out there recall Cobi Jones' last second goal down in Panama from September, 2004 on a totally water-logged pitch? Man, he was waaaay offsides as I remember.
Anyway, Panama is looking better, but apparently will be without Rolando Escobar and Roman Torres, as both saw red vs. Mexico. The top player for Panaman in the past have been new Colorado Rapids-man Roberto Brown. I apologize, I'm drawing a blank. They had those two brothers, one with a bleached-blonde hairdo. Not sure if they're involved.
Still, the USMNT shouldn't have too much trouble vs. a depleted Panama team. Should they advance, they won't have to play until Thursday, which makes Bob Bradley's lineup selection not a problem.
I'd almost stick with the 4-3-3 vs. El Salvador.
Keep Howard in net.
A defense of Simek-Oneywu-Bocanegra-Hedjuk (get that yellow card out of the way).
Midfield unchanged, Bradley-Mastroeni-Feilhaber
Forward line, Beasley-Dempsey-Donovan (if Demspey is ineffective, revert to 4-4-2 and bring in Twellman, who's been in form.)
Panamas will certainly be defensive so 1-0 seems realistic, maybe with a late goal tacked on to make it 2-0.
...
Now for the big one. The rain in Spain. No wait, the race in Spain.
It all boils down to this, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid owns the advantage due to a better head-to-head record. So if they win vs. Mallorca, the Silverware is theirs. That game is Sunday on GolTV at 3 p.m. Barcelona vs. Gimnastic...not sure if it's on live. GolTV's website says they'll have coverage. Whatever.
During the Champions League I kept saying it would be ironic is David Beckham led Madrid to the trophy and then road off into the Hollywood sunset. Guess I was wrong, he'll do it in La Liga.
That's it for now. Expect some good, post-Panama stuff in the next day or two.
Adios.
Salve, Vorenus...
Man, do I already miss HBO's 'Rome'...and 'Deadwood'...and 'The Sopranos.' At least 'John From Cincinnati' looks promising, even if it's overexposing those masked Mexicans.
Oh right.
The salve in this case is the country of El Salvador, home to the most budget national soccer team uniforms of the last three decades. Come on guys, an 'ES' in a circle for a badge? You're better than that.
Maybe not on the field, as the United States thumped them 4-0 Tuesday night in front of a spirited crowd at Foxborough, Mass's Gillette Stadium.
4-0, is that good enough for you?
It goes without saying El Salvador wasn't very strong, but they had chances and to its credit played an open, foul-free game most of the match.
Even a critic like me finds it hard to poke any holes in the USMNT after that one. Ok, hot-heads Pablo Mastroeni and Oguchi Oneywu picked up silly yellow cards for the upteenth time. And yeah, Landon Donovan muffed his first try at the penalty kick. (FSC, could we get a definitive explanation why Donovan got two chances, please.)
Other than that, nothing bad to say...even about Jonathan Spector.
Most of the credit should rightfully go to coach Bob Bradley. In a game where the result was secondary, maybe even tertiary for the UMSNT he fielded an attacking-minded lineup and went for the win early and often.
FSC described the lineup as a 4-3-2-1, but as the game wore on it became a fully functioning 4-3-3, in near foosball style. A line of defense. A line of midfield. A line of attack.
The only question was if Clint Dempsey could play a lone, central forward. Seemed to me he did just fine. It was a game where the team was lumping long balls at a target man, so he got by.
And how could you not love the lay offs with Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley and Donovan? Yeah, some of that passiveness could hurt you in a big spot, but against a minnow like El Salvador it lead to some great goalmouth action. It was great to see the team finally pinging shots from distance, too.
It does pose one lingering question, can the team be effective with both Donovan and Dempsey playing at the same time? The kind of occupy the same position on the field. Their games aren't exactly the same, but are they that different, Donovan's game-changing runs aside?
The first goal from Beaz, though not a true cracker, couldn't have been placed any better. Somehow he struck it first touch, on a ball coming back from a corner, pinpointing it into the bottom right corner. Amazingly it went between the heads of a pair of leaping El Sal defenders. Good stuff.
Taylor Twellman's third goal in the 73rd was the result of a good build, precise passes and a good, not great finish (a better keeper stops it).
Same thing with the 90th minute capper by Beas. Textbook execution on a break, unselfish passing and a nice final touch.
There's really nothing more to say.
About the only question left is, wouldn't it be something if Mexico somehow slips up and ends up playing the US Saturday in the quarterfinals. Otherwise it looks like Gaudelope -- a no win situation for the team.
For once, I'm short of words and insight. It was an open-and-shut case for a change tonight. And that's definitely a good thing.
Man, do I already miss HBO's 'Rome'...and 'Deadwood'...and 'The Sopranos.' At least 'John From Cincinnati' looks promising, even if it's overexposing those masked Mexicans.
Oh right.
The salve in this case is the country of El Salvador, home to the most budget national soccer team uniforms of the last three decades. Come on guys, an 'ES' in a circle for a badge? You're better than that.
Maybe not on the field, as the United States thumped them 4-0 Tuesday night in front of a spirited crowd at Foxborough, Mass's Gillette Stadium.
4-0, is that good enough for you?
It goes without saying El Salvador wasn't very strong, but they had chances and to its credit played an open, foul-free game most of the match.
Even a critic like me finds it hard to poke any holes in the USMNT after that one. Ok, hot-heads Pablo Mastroeni and Oguchi Oneywu picked up silly yellow cards for the upteenth time. And yeah, Landon Donovan muffed his first try at the penalty kick. (FSC, could we get a definitive explanation why Donovan got two chances, please.)
Other than that, nothing bad to say...even about Jonathan Spector.
Most of the credit should rightfully go to coach Bob Bradley. In a game where the result was secondary, maybe even tertiary for the UMSNT he fielded an attacking-minded lineup and went for the win early and often.
FSC described the lineup as a 4-3-2-1, but as the game wore on it became a fully functioning 4-3-3, in near foosball style. A line of defense. A line of midfield. A line of attack.
The only question was if Clint Dempsey could play a lone, central forward. Seemed to me he did just fine. It was a game where the team was lumping long balls at a target man, so he got by.
And how could you not love the lay offs with Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley and Donovan? Yeah, some of that passiveness could hurt you in a big spot, but against a minnow like El Salvador it lead to some great goalmouth action. It was great to see the team finally pinging shots from distance, too.
It does pose one lingering question, can the team be effective with both Donovan and Dempsey playing at the same time? The kind of occupy the same position on the field. Their games aren't exactly the same, but are they that different, Donovan's game-changing runs aside?
The first goal from Beaz, though not a true cracker, couldn't have been placed any better. Somehow he struck it first touch, on a ball coming back from a corner, pinpointing it into the bottom right corner. Amazingly it went between the heads of a pair of leaping El Sal defenders. Good stuff.
Taylor Twellman's third goal in the 73rd was the result of a good build, precise passes and a good, not great finish (a better keeper stops it).
Same thing with the 90th minute capper by Beas. Textbook execution on a break, unselfish passing and a nice final touch.
There's really nothing more to say.
About the only question left is, wouldn't it be something if Mexico somehow slips up and ends up playing the US Saturday in the quarterfinals. Otherwise it looks like Gaudelope -- a no win situation for the team.
For once, I'm short of words and insight. It was an open-and-shut case for a change tonight. And that's definitely a good thing.
Ok, it wasn't the bombing of Pearl Harbor. So let's get the apologies to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and all that lost their life on Dec. 7, 1941 out of the way. (Doubt the wheelchair-bound, 32rd President was a big footie fan anyway.)
However the United State's 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic in the first game of the 2006 World Cup from Gelsenkirchen, Germany was an unmitigated disaster for American soccer fans. Vomit-worthy. A disappointment on par with Amanda Beard's recent Playboy spread. Yeesh.
Thanks in no large part to a clever marketing campaign by Nike, expectation levels had never been higher for the USMNT heading into the 2006 World Cup. This was going to be the year they'd make a real breakthrough and some those snobby Europeans what we can do. This was going to be a plucky underdog team that America was going to fall in love with.
The dominoes were in place for something special to happen.
The National Team had come so far from the days of college amateurs being embarrassed at the opening game of Italia 90 by Czechoslovakia 5-1. These were seasoned pros ready to set the world on fire.
Yet, against the Czech Republic the US showed that it was still so far away.
Less than five minutes into that fateful game, thanks to the misshapen, lumpy skull of Jan Koller all those dreams disappeared into the Northwest German ether. (Watch here, if you dare.)
365 days later I can still recall the pain as if it were yesterday.
"Is this it?...It's already over."
That was my immediate reaction as I put my head into my heads, and starred across the Arena Auf Schalke stadium at the bouncing, glowering, red-clad Czech menace. I'd traveled across an ocean, thousands of miles...for this? Going home before we even had a chance?
Too bad the schmuck sitting behind me, an American, was surprised that Kasey Keller was the starting US goalie.
The day began in fine form too. There was partying and revelry between us naive Americanos and the crazies from the Czech Republic...and a certain Turkish Elvis impersonator.
The image at the top of this post was most American's view of the Czech's before the match. They were just a bunch of buffonish, god-less, post-Communist crazies -- albeit harmless ones.
Perhaps the ensuing trek from downtown Gelsenkirchen, which was surprisingly sex-worker free, to the Arena Auf Schalke should have given us some indication of what was in store on the pitch itself.
To begin, our group -- me, Shaqulino, Suppe and Pops Cardillo -- boarded a cramped, and I mean CRAMPED German street tram unit. It had to be around 50 degrees centigrade inside.(I'll throw out two words -- balls and sweat. Draw your own conclusions.)
Unfortunately, this American clown aboard said tram boasted how he had already been to the Arena that morning trying to sell tickets to the Czechs. As he claimed the Czechs offered everything, up to and including their wives. Not a bad offer, but this guy said he wanted their land, their property instead. According to him, it wasn't that far.
An easy walk.
Since we couldn't stand the heat of the tram, we decided to disembark whilst on this bridge. Seemed like a good idea. We could see the Arena, rising in the distance. In retrospect it was more like a mirage as depicted in your classic desert scene. All that was missing were those stupid French Legionnaires hats.
After a long, hot and sweaty (thank the good Lord for Gold Bond Powder), I'm guessing 2-3 mile walk we made it just in time for the National Anthem -- about the last highlight of the day. We barely had time for the in-stadium Budweiser.
As you'll all recall the game was blunder that would have made even General George M. Custer blush.
Not only was the Koller goal bad enough -- I mean, Christ, at that point in time what was the Czech's No. 1 attacking option? Koller's big, stupid, cranium. And what did the US allow within the first five minutes? A header by Koller.
Whatever spirit the US supporters could muster was quickly broken, like Apollo Creed inside the first 20 seconds vs. Drago. This was a Grade-A kick in the ol' junk. It would be the Czech menace's day.
Yeah, Claudio Reyna nearly equalised with a long shot that caromed off the post, but that was the only time the team would trouble Petr Cech. The might have been the American's only shot on goal.
And thanks to a ill-advised/unlucky clearance by Oguchi Oneywu, Tomas Rosicky scored his first of two impressive tallies of the game in the 26th minute. Even though it totally broke the team's already shattered confidence, it was a beautiful goal. To this day I can still sense how in the split second before the goal how the 50,000+ became instantly quiet, then erupted. Time seemed to slow down.
It's hard to envision a better feeling from a sportsman than Rosicky after he made it 2-0.
Oh maybe when he made it 3-0 in the second half.
Deflated. Dejected. Defeated.
Pick your poison. The sad trek back to the Gelsenkirchen Hbf was all of that, and then some -- even if the station sold soup out of vending machines, as Suppe can attest.
On the trolley back, naturally most American fans commiserated. Where could we go from here? What's next? Will the team even, truly impress on the big stage? Were we back to Square One?
Yeah, Ghana beating the Czech's and the US's inspired performance vs. Italy gave us a lifeline at the Cup...which German ref Marcus Merk quickly yanked out four days later on a dubious penalty call. All-and-all, Germany 2006 won't be recalled too fondly...on the pitch anyway.
Well, it's 12 months later and, unfortunately, for most American fans I don't think we have any answers.
Before we delve any deeper, let's look at who was involved (on the field itself) with the Czech disaster.
Starters
Kasey Keller, GK -- I'm not saying he's washed up or any of the goals in Germany were his fault, but...
Steve Cherundolo, RB -- The two-time World Cup vet hasn't been used since Bob Bradley took over in January. He's still only 29 but it seems his future on the International stage will be up to him. Does he want to continue the grind of flights back-and-forth the Atlantic much longer?
Oguchi Oneywu, CB -- Since his famed 'owning' of Jared Borgetti in Sept. 2005 when the USMNT booked passage to Germany here are his most notable developments. Bad clearance gave way to Rosicky's goal. A unjust call by the ref on a questionable Gooch foul gave way to Ghana's go-ahead penalty kick in a 2-1 defeat in Nurnberg. Finally, a few days ago he drew a pair of silly yellow cards in the Gold Cup vs. Guatemala. Let's not even mention how Newcastle United said, thanks but no thanks for his services after a loan spell from Belgium. Post-World Cup Gooch was seemingly one of the building blocks, long term. Right now, who knows? Stocks did better in October 1987, than the Gooch over the last year.
Eddie Pope, CB -- The good solider of the USMNT retired internationally and is now toiling for winless Real Salt Lake in MLS. In a lot of ways Pope is an underrated pioneer for American soccer. Guys like him deserve one, final send-off in the Red, White and Blue. Too bad it was he, who got posterized on Koller's goal.
Eddie Lewis, LB -- Yikes. Is it really his fault that he was forced into service at left back? He could have said no, I suppose. Still, he was caught waaaaaaaay out of position, allowing Zdeněk Grygera all sorts of space to fire the cross to the head of Koller. Currently toiling for demoted Leeds United in England's League One (Third Division). Doubtful he'll ever play again for the National Team. Maybe someone in MLS will open the wallet.
Landon Donovan, Right-ish midfield -- The whipping boy, post 2006 has been great in 2007. For better or worse, the team's fortunes are inherently tied to his receding hairline.
Claudio Reyna, CM -- For all of Reyna's outstanding service to the National Team, one stat essentially defines him -- while on four World Cup rosters (injured in 1994) Reyna only played in one USMNT victory -- the 2-0 win over Mexico in the 2002 Round of 16. Currently battling the turf of Giants Stadium whilst with the New York Red Bulls.
Pablo Mastreoni, CM -- Breaking up passes from Donovan while in Rapids shirt is one thing. Doing it against the likes of Rosicky and Pavel Nedved was another. Mastreoni's biggest impact in 2006 was his mindless tackle that resulted in a red card vs. Italy in the dying minutes of the first half. Still, Pablo is a good dude and is useful in CONCACAF competitions since he's an ultimate team player.
DaMarcus Beasley, sorta-LM -- If anyone epitomized the USMNT's awful display it was the Beaz, who seemed to pout during the game because of his spat with coach Bruce Arena. Still, Beaz has the talent, skill and savvy to the American's best player for the next few years. Then again, he absolute no-show vs. the Czechs set an awful tone, even if he was pretty spry in the other two games.
Bobby Convey, LM ? -- He wore the No. 15 shirt! Mostly invisible vs. the Czechs and has been sidelined (seemingly) indefinitely after knee surgery. Will have to work hard to reestablish himself in the squad going forward.
Brian McBride, CF -- One of America's true noble warriors gave a game performance in the World Cup, throwing his body on the line (see our banner). Has since retired and can probably be replaced with the current stable of forwards. Hopefully.
Subs:
Eddie Johnson, CF -- Continues to be an enigma. (Sorry to keep typing that.)
John O'Brien, Mid. -- Much like Daniel Simpson Day, whereabouts unknown.
Josh Wolff, For. -- No impact in Germany, but probably pretty underrated for his career. Likely won't feature in the future now that he's plying his trade for 2. Bundesliga squad TSV 1860 Munich.
It's interesting to note that only: Donovan, Beasley, Johnson, Oneywu and perhaps Convey if healthy will factor for the National Team going forward. Cherundolo might play here and there, too. And come 2010, who knows.
Coach:
Bruce Arena -- Arena took the brunt of the blame for the lackluster showing in Germany. Yes, I'll finally admit, he did contribute to it. Yet in a lot of ways a perfect storm was brewing against him. It didn't help that he bashed both the US Soccer Federation and MLS on the way out after his justified firing. As good as he was orchestrating the surprise run to the 2002 quarterfinals, he was probably equally as bad in the Germany crashout. Currently with the Red Bulls in MLS.
So, there you have it.
Has the National Team program turned the page from 2006?
Not yet entirely, but it's getting close. There are some subtle signs for excitement. (Admittedly, after much of what I wrote in June 2006, and subsequence months it might seem like a shock.)
Yes the team is only playing in the Gold Cup, but results -- if not the actual -- play have been good. Under Bradley the team has yet to lose (6-0-1 before tonight's game with El Salvador), of course the opponents have not been world beaters. Of course, many American fans have a hard-on for playing the European powers, the only way that's going to happen in a meaningful game is winning the Gold Cup and gaining entry into the Confederations Cup where Italy and the 2008 Euro champ will be waiting.
And it can't be said enough, the USMNT won't have a World Cup game on European soil until the year 2018 at the very earliest.
Until then, the United States are, like it or not, the biggest fish in the smallest pond.
There is no conceivable way to drop the United States into Europe. Our delicious, fast-food culture, maybe. But our soccer team? Nope. We're stuck with Mexico and a bunch of jobbers.
Now I've been mostly negative to suspicious since Bradley took over with the whole botched Jurgen Klinsman thing. (Read the archives for all that.) Still, he's done a good job -- like Bruce Arena -- adding new faces into the National Team mix.
Are his tactics innovative, no? But it's a pretty small sample size. Above all, he's trying to build team bonding and team spirit, which has proven to be a huge factor in all winning teams throughout the course of time.
Is the team playing pretty soccer? No, not really. But the current group is finding its sea legs as a unit. There is that potential, though.
Still, we'll get the best read in the next couple of weeks, post-Gold Cup and post-Copa America. If the team performs against Argentina and maybe Brasil, people like me have to shut up and eat crow.
There are a lot of quality young Americans plying their trade in Europe and MLS that make each National Team camp worth watching. If anything, there is competition for spots. There are young legs to build behind.
Does the National Team have that missing link? The player that will simply pull the team up by the scruff of the neck and refuse to let it lose? That true midfield general? No. (Sorry, can't put the annoiting oils on Benny Feilhaber just yet.)
That's the infuriating thing about caring about the American soccer program. For every positive. For every question answered, there seems to be two or three unknowns on the horizon, itching below the surface. And maybe that's not a bad thing. It keeps you talking.
So, in the final analysis, a year after one of the worst days in American soccer history (No. 1 is losing to Iran at France 1998) have we made progress? Have we put the stinker from Gelsenkirchen behind us? Is there reason for optimism?
Don't stop.
(Sorry, copped out with the ending from the David Chase school of drama.)
World's quickest Gold Cup preview. Tonight's game in Foxborough, Mass., vs. El Salvador carries no weight. It'd be nice to see the Nats thump a team convincingly, 4-0. Even if they don't, it will be hard to read anything into a game that figures to be played at half speed.
Here's guessing that between 10:06 EDT and 1:06 am Pacific Time approximately 1,783,903,188 people logged on to this here Inter-net to "blog" about the finale of the HBO original series, "The Sopranos."
That's a warning.
I am one of them. And I'll even go far as to say that all 1,783,903,187 might offer better, more insightful, more life-affirming, synopsis of said episode -- 'Made in America.'
Whatever your thoughts on the episode, which I considered pretty damned good -- even the Steve Perry ending. It was good that creator David Chase staved off killing Tony Soprano, too. If he fictionally killed him, that's the end. At least this episode left you wondering about his possible indictment, etc. The characters ended up how you, the viewer, wanted.
Maybe that guy went into the bathroom and came out all Michael Coreleone style. Maybe those ganstas were related to the guy Tony killed in the botched season 1 hit on his life? Maybe Agent Harris is setting Tony up.
The point is, life went on at Satriales. Barring another turf war, Walnuts would still be yelling at that cat 10 years from now.
The finale also showed that Tony, A.J. and the rest -- whilst coming to the brink of the abyss and maybe even taking a peak inside -- didn't change one bit. Kind of like that liberal-psychoanalysis that prompted Dr. Melfi to drop Tony as a patient. Our protagonists came in scumbugs and they left as such. Even Meadow. Or especially Meadow.
About the only person that you could feel sorry for was Gabrielle Dante. Maybe even Uncle June, too. As he said, "I never had children." No one wants to end their life like him. No one.
From a personal standpoint, the episode was uplifting. In David Chase there is a person out there with a darker, angrier, person with the world that me.
Who else but a sick mind could write, script and stage the Phil Leotardo death sequence?
It was bad enough he was shot in front of his wife and presumably grandkids because Mrs. Leotardo ain't dropping any kids at her age. Next, the car begins to roll and crushes (w/ sound effect) 'the Shah of Irans' head, with the kids in the backseat. Meanwhile Mrs. Leotardo is horrified and asking for help. In 2007 America, or at least Chase's vision of it -- naturally there is nary a Good Samaritan in the bunch.
One kid even vomits, as others laugh.
In the end, Phil Leotardo wasn't so tough, even if he ate mancotti off the 'rat-iator; in the can.
And as dark as that Edgar Allen Poe inspired incident was, there was some classic 'Sopranos' comedy in the form of Paulie Walnuts. Watch this sequence. If you cannot appreciate the genius that is Walnuts, your loss.
The entire sequence with the cat. Talking about the price of cauliflower. Grilling Walden about his name. Pure gold.
Paulie 'F'n' Walnuts. An unrepentant piece-of-shit...even if he did see the Virgin Mary.
Ugh. AJ. This is the guy that passed out when they attempted to send him to military school and he's going to fight in the Army. What a douche. I was pretty glad his car exploded.
Oh and poor Meadow. Oh how sad, she can't park her Lexus. In days of yesterday, she's be the kind of person that the mob would spit at. (No, not that mafia mob, the angry mob. You know with pitchforks and torches!)
Carmela -- do you think that smell is toxic?
What can you really, write, say about 'The Sopranos.' Is it the best show ever? Naturally, that's not something you can quantify. One thing it definitely did do, set the bar damn high for any other television program, well television shows that still have writers and don't feature the words 'the Bounty Hunter' in the title.
And perhaps that was what David Chase has always been getting at. The old-school. The loss of identity. The homogenization of everything. Of good and bad. Families. Power and corruption. Money. The Immigrant experience. Violence. The mind of the man. The good times. America.
(Thanks to the power of YouTube, you can watch with the click of a mouse, watch one of my favorite Sopranos moments. Doubt David Chase would approve. No, not the copywrite infringement, the idea of the Internet.)
That's a warning.
I am one of them. And I'll even go far as to say that all 1,783,903,187 might offer better, more insightful, more life-affirming, synopsis of said episode -- 'Made in America.'
Whatever your thoughts on the episode, which I considered pretty damned good -- even the Steve Perry ending. It was good that creator David Chase staved off killing Tony Soprano, too. If he fictionally killed him, that's the end. At least this episode left you wondering about his possible indictment, etc. The characters ended up how you, the viewer, wanted.
Maybe that guy went into the bathroom and came out all Michael Coreleone style. Maybe those ganstas were related to the guy Tony killed in the botched season 1 hit on his life? Maybe Agent Harris is setting Tony up.
The point is, life went on at Satriales. Barring another turf war, Walnuts would still be yelling at that cat 10 years from now.
The finale also showed that Tony, A.J. and the rest -- whilst coming to the brink of the abyss and maybe even taking a peak inside -- didn't change one bit. Kind of like that liberal-psychoanalysis that prompted Dr. Melfi to drop Tony as a patient. Our protagonists came in scumbugs and they left as such. Even Meadow. Or especially Meadow.
About the only person that you could feel sorry for was Gabrielle Dante. Maybe even Uncle June, too. As he said, "I never had children." No one wants to end their life like him. No one.
From a personal standpoint, the episode was uplifting. In David Chase there is a person out there with a darker, angrier, person with the world that me.
Who else but a sick mind could write, script and stage the Phil Leotardo death sequence?
It was bad enough he was shot in front of his wife and presumably grandkids because Mrs. Leotardo ain't dropping any kids at her age. Next, the car begins to roll and crushes (w/ sound effect) 'the Shah of Irans' head, with the kids in the backseat. Meanwhile Mrs. Leotardo is horrified and asking for help. In 2007 America, or at least Chase's vision of it -- naturally there is nary a Good Samaritan in the bunch.
One kid even vomits, as others laugh.
In the end, Phil Leotardo wasn't so tough, even if he ate mancotti off the 'rat-iator; in the can.
And as dark as that Edgar Allen Poe inspired incident was, there was some classic 'Sopranos' comedy in the form of Paulie Walnuts. Watch this sequence. If you cannot appreciate the genius that is Walnuts, your loss.
The entire sequence with the cat. Talking about the price of cauliflower. Grilling Walden about his name. Pure gold.
Paulie 'F'n' Walnuts. An unrepentant piece-of-shit...even if he did see the Virgin Mary.
Ugh. AJ. This is the guy that passed out when they attempted to send him to military school and he's going to fight in the Army. What a douche. I was pretty glad his car exploded.
Oh and poor Meadow. Oh how sad, she can't park her Lexus. In days of yesterday, she's be the kind of person that the mob would spit at. (No, not that mafia mob, the angry mob. You know with pitchforks and torches!)
Carmela -- do you think that smell is toxic?
What can you really, write, say about 'The Sopranos.' Is it the best show ever? Naturally, that's not something you can quantify. One thing it definitely did do, set the bar damn high for any other television program, well television shows that still have writers and don't feature the words 'the Bounty Hunter' in the title.
And perhaps that was what David Chase has always been getting at. The old-school. The loss of identity. The homogenization of everything. Of good and bad. Families. Power and corruption. Money. The Immigrant experience. Violence. The mind of the man. The good times. America.
(Thanks to the power of YouTube, you can watch with the click of a mouse, watch one of my favorite Sopranos moments. Doubt David Chase would approve. No, not the copywrite infringement, the idea of the Internet.)
Labels: sopranos, television
USA 2, Trinidad & Tobasco 0, Gold Cup Group Stage
Before delving into what I hope is a brief, stress, brief recap of said game from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. a little bit of full disclosure. Thanks to my real writing job I couldn't watch this game live and since it happened so early in the day I peeked on the result.
When I read the Associated Press dispatch it made it out that it was another rotten performance by the Americans.
So when I forced myself to watch the FSC replay at midnight, I was pleasantly surprised. Was the USMNT on par with say, 1974 Holland? No. But where they poor? Not really.
Maybe this isn't the right approach to take from an analysis standpoint, but Saturday's game was almost a throwaway. First, it came barely 24-hours after that disgraceful hackfest vs. Guatemala. Second, it was played in the midday sun and heat and smog of Greater Los Angeles. Third, Trinidad, although game, didn't have nearly the depth and or quality to ever truly threaten the Americans. Fourth, let's not forget this is only th Gold Cup.
Here's your key fact: USA population = roughly 300 million. TnT = roughly 1 million.
Hate to keep writing this, but international football is about gaining results, not playing aesthetically beautiful. The US secured the full three and gained entry to the next round. Mission accomplished.
To some degree there's undue pressure on the USMNT, because for a lot of American fans it's the only team they really follow on a truly diehard basis. There simply aren't enough games on the calendar for beautiful football. It's not the club season where a squad has 40, 50 games to work out the kinks.
For whatever can be said about the US roster, I thought it was okay. Only Benny Feilhaber started both games and that's a good thing. There is no reason for coach Bob Bradley to burn out his star players in the group stage. It's great the team has the luxury of depth.
And on that subject a thought occurred to me about the National Team selection. Since a lot of American fans are obsessed with comparing the Nats to European sides, I'd like to see the squad take the approach of the German Federation as opposed to the English FA.
Over the last couple years Germany has cycled it's players in the national team with success. Take Kevin Kuranyi for example. The Schalke man was off the World Cup roster, but is now back in the squad and bagging goals. The Germans seem to know who their best players are, but those aren't locked in stone for each game.
Meanwhile, in Merry Ol' England the team is basically committed to the same 11-15 players for the last few years. The fact that there's an obsession of playing Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in the same midfield when it's obvious they can't co-exist exemplifies this the best.
Not to be cliche, it's not the name on the back of the shirt.
Back to Saturday's game.
The American's could have been up 2-0 within the first three minutes if they converted their finishes. Throughout the first half the Nats kept possession and were constantly feeding through balls. If there is any concern it's that even against a minnow like Trinidad the US had to generate almost all of its attack from the wings. Yes, the Nats did finish with 16 shots, but it sure seemed less than that.
It would be nice, though, to generate some attack directly in front of goal. Feilhaber is good and had a ton of good passes, but the team is still sorely lacking that midfield tank that can ping shots from outside the area.
Some credit has to be given to Trinidad and its Dutch coach for not turning the game into a foul-fest. It seemed they knew they were outmatched, if only for depth, and kept what was on the field soccer, not kill the carrier.
Player notes:
Starters
Kasey Keller, GK -- Made a nice save at the end. Still, seemed to be yelling at his defense like a grumpy old man. Let's get him his 100th cap Tuesday night, quick. To quote the greatest band on earth, "It's time to pass the torch. You're too old to rock."
Frank Simek, RB -- Ok, while he does look way too much like your classic 80s villain (think Roy Stalin or Biff Tannern) but finally Saturday Simek showed the skills why people are high on him. He's got a little bit of an edge, which seems severely lacking with a lot of American players. He got forward a lot and played with your classic 110 percent effort. Definitely left the biggest positive impression of any player Saturday.
Michael Parkhurst/Jay DeMerit, CBs -- Next.
Jonathan Spector, LB -- Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally Spector showed something on the senior International level. I had him for two good shots, including a rocket from 30+ yards in the 64th minute. Thank God someone took a crack from distance. Overall I'm still not sold that Spector is anything more than a guy that, say, 'looks good in a shirt'. Saturday at least, there were some flashes of talent.
Steve Ralston, RM -- Eh...got into the box once but his header was saved. Did whiff a cross, a la his Revs teammate Khano Smith. Like the team, he was good enough.
Ricardo Clark, CM -- Seemed like most of his passes connected and considering TnT's lack of attacking verve, didn't have to do to much on defense.
Benny Feilhaber, CM -- Continues to impress. Best thing about him, seems to look and feel like he knows he belongs out there.
Justin Mapp, LM -- Right now Mapp seems to be the best crosser of the ball in the USMNT camp. It's a wonder his name doesn't pop up more on the Chicago Fire scoresheet as his looping ball from the left side set up Brian Ching for the game's first goal.
Brian Ching, CF -- After about five or six I lost count of how many quality chances Ching had. The big Hawaiian did score, albeit it an ugly shuffle over the line. It's weird with Ching, he seems to be the streakiest player. When he scores, it's in bunches, otherwise he's nearly invisible. Still a I'll rate it as a good performance because in my opinion the Trinidad keeper -- the fabulously named Jan Michael Williams -- was pretty good. I'd give him a look, MLS.
Eddie Johnson, CF -- He scored. Still looked passive. Too bad he hurt his knee, which will have more of an impact on the Wizards than the National Team. Hope he's okay.
Subs
Landon Donovan, RM/For. -- This was the good Lando today. His trademark run from his own half set up Eddie Johnson's easy tap-in and gave him the USMNT's all-time scoring mark, a record about as important as which Major League pitcher leads the league in Holds. Few players have his speed and pace and unselfish streak. Saturday was the perfect situation for Lando. Another player that is good in certain games, totally ineffective in others. Have fun with that Bob Bradley.
Michael Bradley, Mid. -- Umm....
Taylor Twellman, For. -- Did he touch the ball?
Miscellania: Again CONCACAF officials seem like amateurs. The linesman...pitiful. ... Maybe I missed it, but it was kind of odd that Paul Caligiuri's famous goal vs. Trinidad in 1989 never came up during the broadcast. Caligiuri was decent as an analyst. His partner -- Dave Johnson -- was alright too, even if he sounded too much like a hockey guy. Overall no real problems with FSC. ... Odd to hear Eric Wynalda in the background, albeit it briefly, will that warrant a suspension from the Worldwide Leader? ... Just wondering, is Corey Gibbs still alive? ... Any chance Bradley can call in the reserves for the meaningless El Salvador game on Tuesday?
Man of the Match: The FSC camera crew. Right before the half a "randy" individual caught with his lens a, how-you-say, "busty" woman in a tight Liverpool/Liverbird shirt. Later, the lenses caught a guy pouring a beer down one of those obnoxious noise horns into his buddy's mouth. Yeah, they kept showing the same 30 American fans over and over again, but whatever.
That's about it. Guess it was longer than I planned. Sue me.
Check back Tuesday with a special post. (It's not on USA/El Salvador)
Before delving into what I hope is a brief, stress, brief recap of said game from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. a little bit of full disclosure. Thanks to my real writing job I couldn't watch this game live and since it happened so early in the day I peeked on the result.
When I read the Associated Press dispatch it made it out that it was another rotten performance by the Americans.
So when I forced myself to watch the FSC replay at midnight, I was pleasantly surprised. Was the USMNT on par with say, 1974 Holland? No. But where they poor? Not really.
Maybe this isn't the right approach to take from an analysis standpoint, but Saturday's game was almost a throwaway. First, it came barely 24-hours after that disgraceful hackfest vs. Guatemala. Second, it was played in the midday sun and heat and smog of Greater Los Angeles. Third, Trinidad, although game, didn't have nearly the depth and or quality to ever truly threaten the Americans. Fourth, let's not forget this is only th Gold Cup.
Here's your key fact: USA population = roughly 300 million. TnT = roughly 1 million.
Hate to keep writing this, but international football is about gaining results, not playing aesthetically beautiful. The US secured the full three and gained entry to the next round. Mission accomplished.
To some degree there's undue pressure on the USMNT, because for a lot of American fans it's the only team they really follow on a truly diehard basis. There simply aren't enough games on the calendar for beautiful football. It's not the club season where a squad has 40, 50 games to work out the kinks.
For whatever can be said about the US roster, I thought it was okay. Only Benny Feilhaber started both games and that's a good thing. There is no reason for coach Bob Bradley to burn out his star players in the group stage. It's great the team has the luxury of depth.
And on that subject a thought occurred to me about the National Team selection. Since a lot of American fans are obsessed with comparing the Nats to European sides, I'd like to see the squad take the approach of the German Federation as opposed to the English FA.
Over the last couple years Germany has cycled it's players in the national team with success. Take Kevin Kuranyi for example. The Schalke man was off the World Cup roster, but is now back in the squad and bagging goals. The Germans seem to know who their best players are, but those aren't locked in stone for each game.
Meanwhile, in Merry Ol' England the team is basically committed to the same 11-15 players for the last few years. The fact that there's an obsession of playing Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in the same midfield when it's obvious they can't co-exist exemplifies this the best.
Not to be cliche, it's not the name on the back of the shirt.
Back to Saturday's game.
The American's could have been up 2-0 within the first three minutes if they converted their finishes. Throughout the first half the Nats kept possession and were constantly feeding through balls. If there is any concern it's that even against a minnow like Trinidad the US had to generate almost all of its attack from the wings. Yes, the Nats did finish with 16 shots, but it sure seemed less than that.
It would be nice, though, to generate some attack directly in front of goal. Feilhaber is good and had a ton of good passes, but the team is still sorely lacking that midfield tank that can ping shots from outside the area.
Some credit has to be given to Trinidad and its Dutch coach for not turning the game into a foul-fest. It seemed they knew they were outmatched, if only for depth, and kept what was on the field soccer, not kill the carrier.
Player notes:
Starters
Kasey Keller, GK -- Made a nice save at the end. Still, seemed to be yelling at his defense like a grumpy old man. Let's get him his 100th cap Tuesday night, quick. To quote the greatest band on earth, "It's time to pass the torch. You're too old to rock."
Frank Simek, RB -- Ok, while he does look way too much like your classic 80s villain (think Roy Stalin or Biff Tannern) but finally Saturday Simek showed the skills why people are high on him. He's got a little bit of an edge, which seems severely lacking with a lot of American players. He got forward a lot and played with your classic 110 percent effort. Definitely left the biggest positive impression of any player Saturday.
Michael Parkhurst/Jay DeMerit, CBs -- Next.
Jonathan Spector, LB -- Finally. Finally. Finally. Finally Spector showed something on the senior International level. I had him for two good shots, including a rocket from 30+ yards in the 64th minute. Thank God someone took a crack from distance. Overall I'm still not sold that Spector is anything more than a guy that, say, 'looks good in a shirt'. Saturday at least, there were some flashes of talent.
Steve Ralston, RM -- Eh...got into the box once but his header was saved. Did whiff a cross, a la his Revs teammate Khano Smith. Like the team, he was good enough.
Ricardo Clark, CM -- Seemed like most of his passes connected and considering TnT's lack of attacking verve, didn't have to do to much on defense.
Benny Feilhaber, CM -- Continues to impress. Best thing about him, seems to look and feel like he knows he belongs out there.
Justin Mapp, LM -- Right now Mapp seems to be the best crosser of the ball in the USMNT camp. It's a wonder his name doesn't pop up more on the Chicago Fire scoresheet as his looping ball from the left side set up Brian Ching for the game's first goal.
Brian Ching, CF -- After about five or six I lost count of how many quality chances Ching had. The big Hawaiian did score, albeit it an ugly shuffle over the line. It's weird with Ching, he seems to be the streakiest player. When he scores, it's in bunches, otherwise he's nearly invisible. Still a I'll rate it as a good performance because in my opinion the Trinidad keeper -- the fabulously named Jan Michael Williams -- was pretty good. I'd give him a look, MLS.
Eddie Johnson, CF -- He scored. Still looked passive. Too bad he hurt his knee, which will have more of an impact on the Wizards than the National Team. Hope he's okay.
Subs
Landon Donovan, RM/For. -- This was the good Lando today. His trademark run from his own half set up Eddie Johnson's easy tap-in and gave him the USMNT's all-time scoring mark, a record about as important as which Major League pitcher leads the league in Holds. Few players have his speed and pace and unselfish streak. Saturday was the perfect situation for Lando. Another player that is good in certain games, totally ineffective in others. Have fun with that Bob Bradley.
Michael Bradley, Mid. -- Umm....
Taylor Twellman, For. -- Did he touch the ball?
Miscellania: Again CONCACAF officials seem like amateurs. The linesman...pitiful. ... Maybe I missed it, but it was kind of odd that Paul Caligiuri's famous goal vs. Trinidad in 1989 never came up during the broadcast. Caligiuri was decent as an analyst. His partner -- Dave Johnson -- was alright too, even if he sounded too much like a hockey guy. Overall no real problems with FSC. ... Odd to hear Eric Wynalda in the background, albeit it briefly, will that warrant a suspension from the Worldwide Leader? ... Just wondering, is Corey Gibbs still alive? ... Any chance Bradley can call in the reserves for the meaningless El Salvador game on Tuesday?
Man of the Match: The FSC camera crew. Right before the half a "randy" individual caught with his lens a, how-you-say, "busty" woman in a tight Liverpool/Liverbird shirt. Later, the lenses caught a guy pouring a beer down one of those obnoxious noise horns into his buddy's mouth. Yeah, they kept showing the same 30 American fans over and over again, but whatever.
That's about it. Guess it was longer than I planned. Sue me.
Check back Tuesday with a special post. (It's not on USA/El Salvador)
Since I'll be in-and-out all day, I figured what the hell, why not make a post ahead of the USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago today in the Gold Cup (5 p.m., FSC).
Considering that all of TnT's 2006 World Cup team is boycotting the tournament for a lack of bonus payments, this game ought to be a piece of cake.
Here are a two fun facts ahead of the game that may tickle your fancy:
** TnT's coach is Dutchman Wim Rijsbergen.
** Some of TnT's players today play for a club called Joe Public FC, which is owned by CONCACAF boss Jack Warner.
As for the US? The biggest question is how much Bob Bradley turns over the roster with only one day off after the Guatemala game. (What is this, the EPL Christmas fixture list?!)
Obviously, Jay DeMerit moves into the center of the defense for suspended Oguchi Oneywu. A likely change might be the insertion of Pablo Mastroeni and or Ricardo Clark in the midfield. If Bradley wants balance, I'd start Steve Ralston on the right and move Landon Donovan to striker and give Clint Dempsey a rest. If you do that, you'll probably have to start Brian Ching up front too, so he and Lando can form their modern-day 'Master-Blaster' combination. (A perfect post-soccer career for Dono -- running Barter Town!!) Outside backs Frank Simek and Jonathan Spector might also get the nods to rest the legs of Frankie Hedjuk and Jonathan Bornstein.
Botton line, if the team struggles against a second-string Trinadad team, then there are major problems. Of course, it's only the Gold Cup and since ESPN doesn't own the rights, it might not even exist in the hearts and minds of the American sports fan. Although, oddly, last night ESPNEWS showed a Panama header vs. Honduras front about eight different angles. Odd.
Since I'm out on the (real) job most of the day, I'm leaving it up to you, the reader, before a quick recap Sunday morning.
For the day I turned comment moderation off, so all you crazies out there can post, converse and kvell or kvetch as the game is going on. Get to know each other, your insight is better than anything else you'll find on this 'Net.
And if anyone knows the significance of the Indian/Native American headdress in the Trini culture, please let me know.
Before we dig into USMNT vs. Guatemala in the Gold Cup opener Thursday night, a moment of housekeeping.
A heartfelt thanks to all the folks who've taken the time to correct my (numerous) errors made since I reintroduced comments to this ol' blog. Peer editing is a fantastic thing. Personal editing has never quite been my bag, baby.
Plus after staring at my monitor screen my eye balls feel about ready to burst come editing time.
Next, over the course of my blogging here perhaps my favorite personal post title came in March 2007 in advance of a friendly between these two same teams, "This is why I'm Guat." I was tempted to use it again, but friends, there's no cheating in blogging, especially after Thursday night's "game".
Excuse the delayed lede, because that game, much like the encounter in March left a blood-like substance trickling out of my optic cavities. Since this is a results based business the US will gladly take the 1-0 win and three points and run. Let's hope most of America was not-watching the NBA Finals instead of not-watching this Gold Cup group stage game.
Let's chalk this abomination in Carson, Calif., to two things:
1. Guatemala's, Larry David-would-be-proud, cynical tactics. The Guate's put forth the anti-beautiful game display to an absolute T. (Yes, I'll use Guate, since that's on their federation's badge.)
2. The US all of a sudden deciding that they were technically superior to the Guate's and allowing themselves to get caught up in a punch-and-judy type second half after failing to go up 2-0 in the first half.
For all the aesthetically pleasing footie the US displayed in their 4-1 thrashing of China six days earlier, this one had none of it. Former US boss Bora Milutinović would have been proud of this slog.
Where did that fun-to-watch, attacking, one-touch footie go? Why was Guatemala able to hack it away so easily?
Again, it's a results based business and three points are three points.
Before dissecting the ins-and-outs of the game itself, another quick word on the CONCACAF officials. Did someone from CONCACAF troll around the streets of Torrance and pluck three guys looking for work off to officiate the match? Not to sound like and insensitive, racist, jerkass, but let's call a spade here. Sorry if you're offended. The officiating Thursday night offended me.
Honduran ref Jose Pineda was simply awful. Awful isn't even a good enough word.
In fact all of Thesaurus.com's 35 terms for awful would suffice:
Ok, maybe not grody...eh...the game was in SoCal. (I guess all the empty seats early in the game were for people at the Anaheim Ducks victory celebration.)
This complaining about the ref isn't sour grapes here because Oguchi Oneywu got two silly yellow cards after being (bear) baited by those crafty Guates.
Pineda allowed Guatemala's 'kick a shin, kick a ball, shove everything in sight' tactics to turn the second half into a Grade A Shit Show, first class. Numerous times Carlos Quincones blatantly ran over American players without so much as a whistle.
Is this the price of regional success? Was this all because the Home Depot Center crowd was decidedly un-American? (I'd love some first hand accounts from the HDC.)
For all the criticisms of CONCACAF, first at the top of the list is officiating. The officiating at last summer's World Cup was bad enough. Imagine if they actually included a CONCACAF guy, it might have taken four yellow cards and a hotel on Baltic Ave. to get ejected from a game.
Still, this does not excuse the American's shoddy performance, at best. You simply can't hang your hat on out-shooting Guatemala 7-6.
When the Clint Dempsey scored in the 26th minute normally you'd think the game would get better, as it would force Guatemala to come out of its shell. Nope. It got worse and got me back into the 'I hate Internationals' camp.
The final 50-odd minutes of this game were sloppy, disorganized and foul-filled. I almost don't even want to write about it.
To their credit, Guatemala kept at it's despicable game plan and throughly got under the Americans skin. One of the great things about soccer is that you can play in any different number of ways. It's a shame the Guates decided on this ticky-tack order. Then again, considering that Guatemala had a Noriega on it's team there was in fact only one way to play -- GRIMEY.
It's more of a shame that the US allowed itself to get dragged into this slog. There was no reason, no matter how pesky Ruiz might be, for Oneywu to allow the red mist to descend.
Again, it's just one game and the USMNT did pull the full three points. And it's probably not all that fair to write off a performance where they did hold on for 15 minutes with only 10 guys.
Let's break it down for some other stuff...
The Goal: The goal itself was very nice from the US. Jonathan Bornstein began the sequence with, say, a 30-yard looping pass to DaMarcus Beasley, who headed down to Taylor Twellman. The Revolution-man beat his defender to the touchline and centered to an on-rushing Dempsey, who tapped it in. Too bad that was about it, though the Twellman missed an open header toward the end of the first half and the team couldn't poke home a free ball right at the death of the first.
Bobbing for tackles: So how was Bob Bradley's first game as coach in a game that actually mattered? Probably in the 'C' range. Didn't like going with the straight 4-4-2 alignment to start the game. Considering the Guate's were happy to sit back, let Ruiz shiv the defenders by himself and gun for the draw, a 4-3-3/4-5-1 (with Beasley/Dempsey withdrawn wide) would have likely confused the opponents. It's not like it would have been opening yourself up for the Guatemalan attack, either. And playing Donovan on the right wing and Dempsey at forward put both guys out of their preferred roles. The first two Bradley subs -- Eddie Johnson for Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston for Clint Dempsey were okay. At least he made the wise move to throw out Jay DeMerit for Feilhaber when the team was reduced to 10.
Young Guns: After jointly excelling Saturday vs. China, it was a mixed bag for Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley. Despite shaving off his sideburns, Feilhaber continued his excellent run of play. Nothing that jumped off the page, but kept stirring the drink. On the other hand...Bradley pulled the ol' Donnie Kerabatsos, as in he was totally out of his element. The coach's son was poor, and that's being nice.
Disappearing Acts: After a stunning, assertive, "I'm Back Bitches" display against China, Beasley didn't do all that much Thursday night. In fairness, every time he touched the ball he got hacked. There's not many excuses for Eddie Johnson's lack of attacking verve. Take a crack at goal son, please. Yes, laying it off for teammates is good play, but take an attempt. Please. You're coming off back-to-back hat tricks, albeit MLS hat trick, but hat tricks nonetheless. And wearing the captain's armband for the second consecutive game Carlos Bocanegra had a night to forget. As for the man we affectionately call 'The Gooch'...no comment.
Running Items Dept: Landon Donovan. (Deep breaht) Well, Land-man didn't play that bad out of the wing and even took a halfway cheap shot in the chops (and crumpled up like he was shot, mind you). Still, his service from corners and free kicks is sub par. Why didn't the Beaz take one? Or Feilhaber? Donovan wasn't wearing the captain's armband, so why keep deferring to him? From my vantage point on the couch Landy only had one of his long, trademark loping runs.
Miscellania: I kill ESPN without abandon, so I have one bone to pick with FSC's presentation. Not one, ONE, replay of Oneywu's second yellow? Is this amateur hour? ... Still, Max Bretos and Christopher Sullivan blow anything ESPN has out of the water, not that that's saying all that much. You can do an American soccer broadcast without pom-poms and lame backstories. Plus I love Sullivan's indiscriminate accent and how he always goes for 'football' in lieu of 'soccer'. ... Speaking of ESPN, around minute 23 I flipped to ESPN2 for Colorado/Houston in MLS. Heard an interchange between Dave O'Brien and Tommy Smythe, nearly choked on my General Tso and promptly changed back before blacking out. ... How many US players will rue missing chances at comedy keeper Ricardo Trigueño (Bananas) Foster. Keep flappin' them arms, son. ... No, Guatemala sub Luis Swisher is not related to Nick Swisher. ... Love him or hate him, and you're in one camp or the other, but Frankie Hedjuk was his typical self on the flank, sans two-foot sliding tackle. ... Time for the cult of DeMerit to creep out of the woodwork again, no? ... Probably the best performance by an American player was from Tim Howard. He made his two saves and commanded the box well.
Is it good or bad there's only one day off before playing Trinidad AND Tobago on Saturday afternoon? Expect some major lineup changes?
Final Word: Today it goes to the one and only 'Trader Pops' Cardillo, "They were lucky to win."
Well said.
Now, is there anyway to find a machine featured in movies like 'Total Recall' and or 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'? I need my memory erased for the last two hours. (And it wouldn't be too bad to wake up with Sharon Stone next to me in bed. Even the 2007 vintage, not 1991. She's still pretty spry.)
In any event. Like Pavlov's dog, I must simply type the next line or I will not be able to sleep tonight. Sorry.
Quaid...start the reactors...
Sorry.
Around the world, around the world, around the world
** Two semi-strange signings this week in Europe.
First, we have Brasilian legend Roberto Carlos leaving (possible) La Liga champs Real Madrid for Turkish side Fenerbache. (So this one time, I was at 7-11 and met a kid in a Fenerbache hat...) Surprising Carlos wanted to take the money in such a volatile geo-political state as the Bosporus. Plus those Galatassary fans like to wield knives.
Whatever. Enjoy Roberto Carlos' most famous moment, a moment that will last forever.
The other strange move was French International Franck Ribery moving to Bayern Munich. This one is a noodle-scratcher. During the year the scar-faced, Muslim-convert spoke of moving to a big club in England or Spain -- think Arsenal or Real Madrid. To move to Bayern, which misses the Champions League, is suspicious. Hope he and Luca Toni can get along.
** One move I did like was Newcastle United inking former 'Boro-man Mark Viduka. I'm a yuge Captain Oz fan. Let's hope he and Michael Owen can produce some magic. Big Sam Allardyce is also making overtures for Czech International David Rozenthal and Manchester City madman Joey Barton. Keep him away from the cigarettes.
** In case you missed it, heck of a tally from Julian De Guzman for Canada vs. Costa Rica. Good stuff.
** Finally, here are you games that matter in La Liga this weekend...Saturday...Real Zaragoza v. Real Madrid (Goltv 3 p.m.)...Barcelona v. Espanyol (Goltv, 5...Derby alert!!!)...Mallorca v. Sevilla (Goltv 7 p.m.)
Adios amigos.
A heartfelt thanks to all the folks who've taken the time to correct my (numerous) errors made since I reintroduced comments to this ol' blog. Peer editing is a fantastic thing. Personal editing has never quite been my bag, baby.
Plus after staring at my monitor screen my eye balls feel about ready to burst come editing time.
Next, over the course of my blogging here perhaps my favorite personal post title came in March 2007 in advance of a friendly between these two same teams, "This is why I'm Guat." I was tempted to use it again, but friends, there's no cheating in blogging, especially after Thursday night's "game".
Excuse the delayed lede, because that game, much like the encounter in March left a blood-like substance trickling out of my optic cavities. Since this is a results based business the US will gladly take the 1-0 win and three points and run. Let's hope most of America was not-watching the NBA Finals instead of not-watching this Gold Cup group stage game.
Let's chalk this abomination in Carson, Calif., to two things:
1. Guatemala's, Larry David-would-be-proud, cynical tactics. The Guate's put forth the anti-beautiful game display to an absolute T. (Yes, I'll use Guate, since that's on their federation's badge.)
2. The US all of a sudden deciding that they were technically superior to the Guate's and allowing themselves to get caught up in a punch-and-judy type second half after failing to go up 2-0 in the first half.
For all the aesthetically pleasing footie the US displayed in their 4-1 thrashing of China six days earlier, this one had none of it. Former US boss Bora Milutinović would have been proud of this slog.
Where did that fun-to-watch, attacking, one-touch footie go? Why was Guatemala able to hack it away so easily?
Again, it's a results based business and three points are three points.
Before dissecting the ins-and-outs of the game itself, another quick word on the CONCACAF officials. Did someone from CONCACAF troll around the streets of Torrance and pluck three guys looking for work off to officiate the match? Not to sound like and insensitive, racist, jerkass, but let's call a spade here. Sorry if you're offended. The officiating Thursday night offended me.
Honduran ref Jose Pineda was simply awful. Awful isn't even a good enough word.
In fact all of Thesaurus.com's 35 terms for awful would suffice:
abominable, alarming, appalling, atrocious, bad, deplorable, depressing, dire, disgusting, distressing, dreadful, fearful, frightful, ghastly, grody, gross, gruesome, grungy, harrowing, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrific, horrifying, nasty, offensive, raunchy, repulsive, shocking, stinking, synthetic, tough, ugly, unpleasant, unsightly
Ok, maybe not grody...eh...the game was in SoCal. (I guess all the empty seats early in the game were for people at the Anaheim Ducks victory celebration.)
This complaining about the ref isn't sour grapes here because Oguchi Oneywu got two silly yellow cards after being (bear) baited by those crafty Guates.
Pineda allowed Guatemala's 'kick a shin, kick a ball, shove everything in sight' tactics to turn the second half into a Grade A Shit Show, first class. Numerous times Carlos Quincones blatantly ran over American players without so much as a whistle.
Is this the price of regional success? Was this all because the Home Depot Center crowd was decidedly un-American? (I'd love some first hand accounts from the HDC.)
For all the criticisms of CONCACAF, first at the top of the list is officiating. The officiating at last summer's World Cup was bad enough. Imagine if they actually included a CONCACAF guy, it might have taken four yellow cards and a hotel on Baltic Ave. to get ejected from a game.
Still, this does not excuse the American's shoddy performance, at best. You simply can't hang your hat on out-shooting Guatemala 7-6.
When the Clint Dempsey scored in the 26th minute normally you'd think the game would get better, as it would force Guatemala to come out of its shell. Nope. It got worse and got me back into the 'I hate Internationals' camp.
The final 50-odd minutes of this game were sloppy, disorganized and foul-filled. I almost don't even want to write about it.
To their credit, Guatemala kept at it's despicable game plan and throughly got under the Americans skin. One of the great things about soccer is that you can play in any different number of ways. It's a shame the Guates decided on this ticky-tack order. Then again, considering that Guatemala had a Noriega on it's team there was in fact only one way to play -- GRIMEY.
It's more of a shame that the US allowed itself to get dragged into this slog. There was no reason, no matter how pesky Ruiz might be, for Oneywu to allow the red mist to descend.
Again, it's just one game and the USMNT did pull the full three points. And it's probably not all that fair to write off a performance where they did hold on for 15 minutes with only 10 guys.
Let's break it down for some other stuff...
The Goal: The goal itself was very nice from the US. Jonathan Bornstein began the sequence with, say, a 30-yard looping pass to DaMarcus Beasley, who headed down to Taylor Twellman. The Revolution-man beat his defender to the touchline and centered to an on-rushing Dempsey, who tapped it in. Too bad that was about it, though the Twellman missed an open header toward the end of the first half and the team couldn't poke home a free ball right at the death of the first.
Bobbing for tackles: So how was Bob Bradley's first game as coach in a game that actually mattered? Probably in the 'C' range. Didn't like going with the straight 4-4-2 alignment to start the game. Considering the Guate's were happy to sit back, let Ruiz shiv the defenders by himself and gun for the draw, a 4-3-3/4-5-1 (with Beasley/Dempsey withdrawn wide) would have likely confused the opponents. It's not like it would have been opening yourself up for the Guatemalan attack, either. And playing Donovan on the right wing and Dempsey at forward put both guys out of their preferred roles. The first two Bradley subs -- Eddie Johnson for Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston for Clint Dempsey were okay. At least he made the wise move to throw out Jay DeMerit for Feilhaber when the team was reduced to 10.
Young Guns: After jointly excelling Saturday vs. China, it was a mixed bag for Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley. Despite shaving off his sideburns, Feilhaber continued his excellent run of play. Nothing that jumped off the page, but kept stirring the drink. On the other hand...Bradley pulled the ol' Donnie Kerabatsos, as in he was totally out of his element. The coach's son was poor, and that's being nice.
Disappearing Acts: After a stunning, assertive, "I'm Back Bitches" display against China, Beasley didn't do all that much Thursday night. In fairness, every time he touched the ball he got hacked. There's not many excuses for Eddie Johnson's lack of attacking verve. Take a crack at goal son, please. Yes, laying it off for teammates is good play, but take an attempt. Please. You're coming off back-to-back hat tricks, albeit MLS hat trick, but hat tricks nonetheless. And wearing the captain's armband for the second consecutive game Carlos Bocanegra had a night to forget. As for the man we affectionately call 'The Gooch'...no comment.
Running Items Dept: Landon Donovan. (Deep breaht) Well, Land-man didn't play that bad out of the wing and even took a halfway cheap shot in the chops (and crumpled up like he was shot, mind you). Still, his service from corners and free kicks is sub par. Why didn't the Beaz take one? Or Feilhaber? Donovan wasn't wearing the captain's armband, so why keep deferring to him? From my vantage point on the couch Landy only had one of his long, trademark loping runs.
Miscellania: I kill ESPN without abandon, so I have one bone to pick with FSC's presentation. Not one, ONE, replay of Oneywu's second yellow? Is this amateur hour? ... Still, Max Bretos and Christopher Sullivan blow anything ESPN has out of the water, not that that's saying all that much. You can do an American soccer broadcast without pom-poms and lame backstories. Plus I love Sullivan's indiscriminate accent and how he always goes for 'football' in lieu of 'soccer'. ... Speaking of ESPN, around minute 23 I flipped to ESPN2 for Colorado/Houston in MLS. Heard an interchange between Dave O'Brien and Tommy Smythe, nearly choked on my General Tso and promptly changed back before blacking out. ... How many US players will rue missing chances at comedy keeper Ricardo Trigueño (Bananas) Foster. Keep flappin' them arms, son. ... No, Guatemala sub Luis Swisher is not related to Nick Swisher. ... Love him or hate him, and you're in one camp or the other, but Frankie Hedjuk was his typical self on the flank, sans two-foot sliding tackle. ... Time for the cult of DeMerit to creep out of the woodwork again, no? ... Probably the best performance by an American player was from Tim Howard. He made his two saves and commanded the box well.
Is it good or bad there's only one day off before playing Trinidad AND Tobago on Saturday afternoon? Expect some major lineup changes?
Final Word: Today it goes to the one and only 'Trader Pops' Cardillo, "They were lucky to win."
Well said.
Now, is there anyway to find a machine featured in movies like 'Total Recall' and or 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'? I need my memory erased for the last two hours. (And it wouldn't be too bad to wake up with Sharon Stone next to me in bed. Even the 2007 vintage, not 1991. She's still pretty spry.)
In any event. Like Pavlov's dog, I must simply type the next line or I will not be able to sleep tonight. Sorry.
Quaid...start the reactors...
Sorry.
Around the world, around the world, around the world
** Two semi-strange signings this week in Europe.
First, we have Brasilian legend Roberto Carlos leaving (possible) La Liga champs Real Madrid for Turkish side Fenerbache. (So this one time, I was at 7-11 and met a kid in a Fenerbache hat...) Surprising Carlos wanted to take the money in such a volatile geo-political state as the Bosporus. Plus those Galatassary fans like to wield knives.
Whatever. Enjoy Roberto Carlos' most famous moment, a moment that will last forever.
The other strange move was French International Franck Ribery moving to Bayern Munich. This one is a noodle-scratcher. During the year the scar-faced, Muslim-convert spoke of moving to a big club in England or Spain -- think Arsenal or Real Madrid. To move to Bayern, which misses the Champions League, is suspicious. Hope he and Luca Toni can get along.
** One move I did like was Newcastle United inking former 'Boro-man Mark Viduka. I'm a yuge Captain Oz fan. Let's hope he and Michael Owen can produce some magic. Big Sam Allardyce is also making overtures for Czech International David Rozenthal and Manchester City madman Joey Barton. Keep him away from the cigarettes.
** In case you missed it, heck of a tally from Julian De Guzman for Canada vs. Costa Rica. Good stuff.
** Finally, here are you games that matter in La Liga this weekend...Saturday...Real Zaragoza v. Real Madrid (Goltv 3 p.m.)...Barcelona v. Espanyol (Goltv, 5...Derby alert!!!)...Mallorca v. Sevilla (Goltv 7 p.m.)
Adios amigos.
Say what you will about the CONCACAF Gold Cup. One thing you can't take away from it -- the Cup's sheer size. No, not the number of nations entered in the biannual tournament of North America, Central America, the Carribean AND Guyana and Suriname!
The actual, physical size of the trophy. Look at this thing, it's gi-normous.
Now for the cold, hard facts.
Is the Gold Cup the European Championship, the Copa America or even the African Cup of Nations? Probably not. But it is the most important regional tournament for the United States and the winner does go to the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa -- aka the dry run for the World Cup. That's something right?
Here's your full schedule.
Being lazy, I'm going to type out the US sked.
June 7 -- vs. Guatemala, Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. (9 p.m., EDT, FSC)
June 9 -- vs. Trinidad & Tobago, Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. (5 p.m., EDT FSC)
June 12 -- vs. El Salvador, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. (7 p.m. EDT, FSC)
Going out on a limb, should the Nats finish Group B in first or second they'll play the quarterfinal knockout stage on June 16 in Foxborough. If they place third, they'll likely be in Houston. If they place fourth...I'm jumping out a window.
If there is such a thing, the US probably got the trickiest group. The other two -- Canada, Costa Rica, Gaudelope! and Haiti -- and -- Mexico, Honduras, Cuba and Panama -- aren't much. And let's face it, the only team that can put a scare into the US is Mexico. That said, this is soccer, so you can play cynically for a 0-0 draw and aim for penalties. The US did need to go this route in 2005 to defeat Panama.
Six U.S. Talking Points
1. Euro-tastic -- If Sunday's 4-1 'friendly' win over the People's Republic of China is any indication, a lineup of European based professionals should be able to whip most of CONCACAF. Guys like DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley have already wrapped up their club seasons and are coming to this tournament in form and fit.
2. Wither MLS -- Perhaps we're reading too much into one game, but other than Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman and maybe Jonathan Bornstein, which MLSers are going to get any burn in the Gold Cup? Yes, Donovan has been stellar in the National Team shirt in 2007, but most of CONCACAF know his rather one-dimensional game. (And please, let DMB take those freekicks.)
3. Hitting the wall -- In the group stage, Guatemala certainly is going to play 10, 11, 12, 100 players behind the line. Think of it as the game 'Stratego', as the US players are going to be running into line after line of Guatemalans. Hopefully there aren't any bombs hidden in the Home Depot Center pitch. Of course, a couple months ago the US looked listless in a game against Guatemala, unable to generate any offense. If this is again the case, the crosses from the wings will need to be improved.
4. Counter -- Look, the only way I can envision anyone but Mexico breaking down the US defense is through a counter attack or if Oguchi Oneywu trips on a divot. Perhaps the outside backs might get caught out of position, but other than Mexico which team has the players to legitimately take it to the Americans?
5. Steady Eddie -- Eddie Johnson, your enigma of US Soccer. After two years of perfecting a David Copperfield disappearing act, the Kansas City hitman has bagged nine goals in MLS already. This included back-to-back hattricks ahead of the Gold Cup.
6. Bob, bob, bob, bobobaran -- This is the first tournament for the USMNT underinterim coach Bob Bradley. From most of his comments he's putting more emphasis on winning the Gold Cup than the Copa America, which begins June 28 when the team plays a likely 'B' Argentina. Bradley's tactics and player selection were excellent vs. China in Sunday's friendly. Will he have the guts to allow the team to explore the studio space and play creatively in his first games in charge that actually mean something? I say yes. Quickly on the Copa, Dunga announced the Brasilian roster. No sign of Kaka or Ronaldihno, but still chock full o' talent.
Other stuff
1. Trini wini -- The so-called Soca Warriors have some players and are fresh off a 2006 World Cup appearance. Yes, Carlos Edwards and Stern John were crucial during Sunderland's push to the English Premier League. That said, without acerbic Dutchamn Leo Beenhakker pulling the strings it's hard to imagine that these grizzled European vets, coming off MARATHON seasons are going to want to play all that much in the heat of the Gold Cup. I'd be tried. I know that much. Would I purposely half-ass it? Nah, but this is only the Gold Cup.
2. El Tri -- The US's main rival and only team that is remotely close to it from top-to-bottom certainly wants to end it's lengthy losing streak the gringos on American soil. The US is 6-0-1 vs. El Tri away from Azteca in the last seven (This is where I got that number.). Mexico hasn't won in the States since a 2-1 result in San Diego in 1999. .... It'll be interesting to see how well Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio perform after a long, title-winning season with Stuttgart. Not to sound arrogant, but Mexico is the only real threat for the US in this tournament. Thankfully tried-and-true scumbag Rafa Marquez won't be able to play until the semifinals due to his club commitment to Barca. What a shame.
3. Oh, Canada? -- Will the stunning start by Toronto FC translate to the National Team? If there is such a thing as a tournament darkhorse, the Maple Leafers should be them. The Canucks do indeed have Martin Nash, brother of Steve. It might be worth calling the Border Patrol to keep those nutzo THC, err, TFC fans in the Great White North. Rush may need to write a new verse to 'Subdivisions.'
4. Everybody Else -- Yeah...umm...Costa Rica did make the World Cup. And Panama is improved. But let's be honest, it would be a yuge upset should anyone other than the US and Mexico advance to the final.
5. Home away from home-- Should the final in Chicago's famed Soldier Field play to form, the US will face the fun prospect of playing before likely 80,000 Mexicans. Good for the coffers, not for the players.
Final thoughts
Look, for the American soccer fan the Gold Cup isn't much to hang your hat upon. It's a tournament, might as well win it. Now, I don't want to come across as a noted ticket scalper and CONCACAF boss Jack Warner apologist. Nor will I say the Gold Cup is even in the same sentence as the European Championship.
What I will suggest, is that from a pure logic standpoint, and we know logic is about as rare at FIFA HQ as a Yeti sighting in Miami. It would make sense to create a tournament of the Americas. Better yet, the USSF should take its cue from Australia and try to petition to join CONEMBOL. Let's be realistic, there are onlynine nations in South America -- Argentina, Brasil, Columbia, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Ecuador AND Copa hosts Venezuela. For that many countries -- nearly 50 percent -- gain entry to the World Cup every four seasons. Out of whack. If I recall, South America only nets you two free armies per turn in Risk.
Moreover, this obsession for some American fans with Europe has to stop. It was one thing last year at this time when the team actually had to face Italy and those evil, godless Czechs in Germany. Now, it could be over a decade before the team has to play a meaningful game on European soil. Sorry, the Friendlies with Sweden and Catalonia don't count.
And if the US defends its Gold Cup, it'll get a crack at World Champion Italy, plus the European Champ at the Confederations Cup.
Shun, ignore, scorn the Gold Cup as much as you like. It's your loss. Hell, it's not even on ESPN so you can't complain about Eric Wynalda and Davey Doublechin, either.
The actual, physical size of the trophy. Look at this thing, it's gi-normous.
Now for the cold, hard facts.
Is the Gold Cup the European Championship, the Copa America or even the African Cup of Nations? Probably not. But it is the most important regional tournament for the United States and the winner does go to the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa -- aka the dry run for the World Cup. That's something right?
Here's your full schedule.
Being lazy, I'm going to type out the US sked.
June 7 -- vs. Guatemala, Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. (9 p.m., EDT, FSC)
June 9 -- vs. Trinidad & Tobago, Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. (5 p.m., EDT FSC)
June 12 -- vs. El Salvador, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. (7 p.m. EDT, FSC)
Going out on a limb, should the Nats finish Group B in first or second they'll play the quarterfinal knockout stage on June 16 in Foxborough. If they place third, they'll likely be in Houston. If they place fourth...I'm jumping out a window.
If there is such a thing, the US probably got the trickiest group. The other two -- Canada, Costa Rica, Gaudelope! and Haiti -- and -- Mexico, Honduras, Cuba and Panama -- aren't much. And let's face it, the only team that can put a scare into the US is Mexico. That said, this is soccer, so you can play cynically for a 0-0 draw and aim for penalties. The US did need to go this route in 2005 to defeat Panama.
Six U.S. Talking Points
1. Euro-tastic -- If Sunday's 4-1 'friendly' win over the People's Republic of China is any indication, a lineup of European based professionals should be able to whip most of CONCACAF. Guys like DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley have already wrapped up their club seasons and are coming to this tournament in form and fit.
2. Wither MLS -- Perhaps we're reading too much into one game, but other than Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman and maybe Jonathan Bornstein, which MLSers are going to get any burn in the Gold Cup? Yes, Donovan has been stellar in the National Team shirt in 2007, but most of CONCACAF know his rather one-dimensional game. (And please, let DMB take those freekicks.)
3. Hitting the wall -- In the group stage, Guatemala certainly is going to play 10, 11, 12, 100 players behind the line. Think of it as the game 'Stratego', as the US players are going to be running into line after line of Guatemalans. Hopefully there aren't any bombs hidden in the Home Depot Center pitch. Of course, a couple months ago the US looked listless in a game against Guatemala, unable to generate any offense. If this is again the case, the crosses from the wings will need to be improved.
4. Counter -- Look, the only way I can envision anyone but Mexico breaking down the US defense is through a counter attack or if Oguchi Oneywu trips on a divot. Perhaps the outside backs might get caught out of position, but other than Mexico which team has the players to legitimately take it to the Americans?
5. Steady Eddie -- Eddie Johnson, your enigma of US Soccer. After two years of perfecting a David Copperfield disappearing act, the Kansas City hitman has bagged nine goals in MLS already. This included back-to-back hattricks ahead of the Gold Cup.
6. Bob, bob, bob, bobobaran -- This is the first tournament for the USMNT under
Other stuff
1. Trini wini -- The so-called Soca Warriors have some players and are fresh off a 2006 World Cup appearance. Yes, Carlos Edwards and Stern John were crucial during Sunderland's push to the English Premier League. That said, without acerbic Dutchamn Leo Beenhakker pulling the strings it's hard to imagine that these grizzled European vets, coming off MARATHON seasons are going to want to play all that much in the heat of the Gold Cup. I'd be tried. I know that much. Would I purposely half-ass it? Nah, but this is only the Gold Cup.
2. El Tri -- The US's main rival and only team that is remotely close to it from top-to-bottom certainly wants to end it's lengthy losing streak the gringos on American soil. The US is 6-0-1 vs. El Tri away from Azteca in the last seven (This is where I got that number.). Mexico hasn't won in the States since a 2-1 result in San Diego in 1999. .... It'll be interesting to see how well Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio perform after a long, title-winning season with Stuttgart. Not to sound arrogant, but Mexico is the only real threat for the US in this tournament. Thankfully tried-and-true scumbag Rafa Marquez won't be able to play until the semifinals due to his club commitment to Barca. What a shame.
3. Oh, Canada? -- Will the stunning start by Toronto FC translate to the National Team? If there is such a thing as a tournament darkhorse, the Maple Leafers should be them. The Canucks do indeed have Martin Nash, brother of Steve. It might be worth calling the Border Patrol to keep those nutzo THC, err, TFC fans in the Great White North. Rush may need to write a new verse to 'Subdivisions.'
4. Everybody Else -- Yeah...umm...Costa Rica did make the World Cup. And Panama is improved. But let's be honest, it would be a yuge upset should anyone other than the US and Mexico advance to the final.
5. Home away from home-- Should the final in Chicago's famed Soldier Field play to form, the US will face the fun prospect of playing before likely 80,000 Mexicans. Good for the coffers, not for the players.
Final thoughts
Look, for the American soccer fan the Gold Cup isn't much to hang your hat upon. It's a tournament, might as well win it. Now, I don't want to come across as a noted ticket scalper and CONCACAF boss Jack Warner apologist. Nor will I say the Gold Cup is even in the same sentence as the European Championship.
What I will suggest, is that from a pure logic standpoint, and we know logic is about as rare at FIFA HQ as a Yeti sighting in Miami. It would make sense to create a tournament of the Americas. Better yet, the USSF should take its cue from Australia and try to petition to join CONEMBOL. Let's be realistic, there are only
Moreover, this obsession for some American fans with Europe has to stop. It was one thing last year at this time when the team actually had to face Italy and those evil, godless Czechs in Germany. Now, it could be over a decade before the team has to play a meaningful game on European soil. Sorry, the Friendlies with Sweden and Catalonia don't count.
And if the US defends its Gold Cup, it'll get a crack at World Champion Italy, plus the European Champ at the Confederations Cup.
Shun, ignore, scorn the Gold Cup as much as you like. It's your loss. Hell, it's not even on ESPN so you can't complain about Eric Wynalda and Davey Doublechin, either.
"All the pieces matter," -- Lester Freamon
Ah, the ol' International Friendly. Does it get any better than a planned exhibition between the national soccer teams of the United States and the People's Republic of China?
Excuse my sarcasm and anger. I'm kind of sad because there simply aren't enough merchandising tie-ins to 'Shrek the 3rd' to sate my appetite. Shrek shakes, Shrek Rick Krispy treats, Shrek underoos simply aren't enough.
Ok. Deep breath. Back to the game.
In all honesty, I fully expected to begin this post with something like, ... You know International games are meaningless. ... What is the point of DVR-ing a game that carries zero weight. ... blah, blah, blah.
Funny thing happened though, the ol' Stars and Stripes mounted a 4-1 win for their best, most entertaining performance since beating Mexico 2-0 in September 2005 to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
For the first 60-odd minutes it was like my prayers had been answered. One-touch passing. Diagonal balls. Fluid, attacking soccer. There's something to be said when eight of your 11 starters had just come off a European season. The team looked poised on the ball, sharp. Fit.
The absolute apex of this came in the 32nd minute, in perhaps the best sequence I've seen by the USMNT in nearly two decades of watching it.
It began with a weighted ball up by Michael Bradley deep in his own half to Sasha Kljestan, who ran it down right on the touchline. Kljestan found his Chivas USA teammate Ante Razov with a looping cross to the left penalty area. Razov could have volleyed on the China net, but instead headed to an on-rushing Clint Dempsey, who in turn flicked a header to a rampaging DaMarcus Beasley. The Beaz threaded a pass back to Razov on the left side of the area...too bad his shot was blocked by China keeper Chen Dong.
The entire movement was simply an sensational, video game-esque display from the Nats. Was it on par with the famed Carlos Alberto goal by Brasil in the 1970 World Cup final vs. Italy? No. But it's a definite shame that Razov didn't score since it won't get the YouTube immortality. To me, it was better than any of the four tallies the US hung on China.
That missed chance was the highlight of a great half of continental footie by the US team. With Beaz, Bradley and Benny Feilhaber pulling the strings of the attack it felt like a very Dutch team. (Yes, Feilhaber plays in Germany.)
Credit coach Bob Bradley for trotting out a 4-3-3/4-5-1 attacking formation, with Beaz and Clint Dempsey given space to operate in the attacking-third of the field. (As a player of Pro Evo Soccer/Winning 11 this is actually a formation I've used for the US team. And do yourself a favor, if you're a soccer fan get that game over FIFA it's the best, most accurate playing sports game ever. Trust.)
Would such a formation/display have occurred with Landon Donovan on the field? Probably not, considering the tall, physical Chinese players would have blocked him from making his trademark 40-yard runs. It's great to see the team has other options without the poster/whipping boy of American soccer. (Didn't we miss him on freekicks?)
Putting that many players into the attack was a breath of fresh air. It was good to throw a big, solid target guy like Razov who was willing to defer to teammates. (Notice three ex-Chicago Fire players from the Bradley era: Beasley, Razov and Carlos Bocanegra...maybe Bradley does know what he's doing.)
And you see what happens when you incorporate an mostly Euro-based team. These guys can adjust and play on different levels. No disrespect to MLS guys, but when there are 12, 13 teams you aren't going to see that many different varieties of soccer played. You're seeing the same players over-and-over again. It tends to dull the creative part of your brain.
Take the Fulham guys on the USMNT, one week they have to deal with the one-touch magic of Arsenal, the next the bruising physical game of Bolton. The difference between the Galaxy and RSL...not so much, no?
It's hard to believe how much this performance impressed me. After nearly 12 months of shit from the USMNT, from the World Cup disaster to the coaching shenanigans it was a crummy year of waiting. This 4-1 display vs. China honestly, to me, was more uplifting as a fan that dumping Mexico 2-0 back in February.
The top of my praise goes to Beasley. Faithful readers here will know I got on the PSV/City man for his indifferent play upon transferring to England. In retrospect it wasn't quite his fault that Psycho Stuart Pearce didn't give him games.
Saturday he scored on a penalty, which he rightly drew when the keeper pulled a Jens Lehman trip on him, assisted Oguchi Oneywu's goal from a freekick and basically created havoc all evening. China did not have an answer for the No. 7 shirt. It's not hyperbole to say, when DMB is on his game he's the best asset the USMNT has going for it.
Welcome back DaMarcus. We've missed you.
(Please, though, don't go to Rangers. It's a step backward. If you're going to play against Kilmarnock, St. Mirren, etc why not just come home to MLS?)
Stars/Stripes/Thoughts
** Feilhaber -- Beard = results. Guy scored his first senior international goal and assisted from the corner on Dempsey's header. Goes to show you what putting in work for a European club like HSV will do. If you've played in the Champions League vs. Thierry Henry and Arsenal, it's a safe bet you can hack it against CONCACAF foes. Again, please, pretty please, do not become John O'Brien II.
** The Bradleys -- Yes, this game meant nothing results-wise, but Bob Bradley looked like he had a good vision for what he wants in the Gold Cup. Good roster selection. Good tactics. Good way to incorporate new faces. As for Michael, he's a hell of a passer. His through ball set up the Beasley penalty. Dutch to Dutch.
** Oguchi Oneywu -- For a minute let's forget where the big man will ply his club trade in the fall. His 79th minute header goal ought to serve as a warning to the rest of CONCACAF -- The Gooch is back, go get your life preservers! (Ok, he didn't have to do much on defense, whatever.)
** Tim Howard/Kasey Keller -- Umm...did Keller even touch the ball in the second half? The lone China goal wasn't Howard's fault. For all intents and purposes, no reason Howard shouldn't be the No. 1 without question going forward. I like Keller as much as the next guy, but I think it's time to pass the torch.
** Dempsey -- The man they call Deuce has skillz, son. After two near misses on goal in the second half, he buries a header from the corner. Good to see it. His dribbling is something to behold.
** Kljestan/Bornstein -- Not that they played bad, and Kljestan got credited with an assist, but you could tell which guys were playing in MLS. Again, no offense.
** Carlos Bocanegra -- Too bad he blew his open header which would have made it 5-1. Solid outing in his first time with the captain's armband.
** Razov -- Hey, who expected that? Looked very good in his recall to International soccer.
** Jonathan Spector -- The ESPN boys kept saying that the narrow dimensions were troubling his long-range passes. Bollocks. This guy simply keeps getting handed golden opportunities for both club and country without really ever doing anything. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't see it with this guy. Sorry.
** Other US subs -- First off, I cannot say anything nice about Charlie Davies since he attended Boston College. I can't. Though it's worth a though, is the Swedish Allsvenskan all that much better than MLS? If you've legitimately seen the league, let me know otherwise I naysay it! ... Kamani Hill, Lee Nguyen...not enough time to do anything of note. Same with Biff Tannen lookalike Frankie Simek. ... That whole Bob/Michael Bradley/Jesse Marsch thing that Ston...sort of odd if you heard Rob Stone talking about it.
Sino-the-times (People's Republic thoughts)
** China wasn't bad, per say. They just played (and looked) like it was still 1955. Very organized and committed to defense. Zero creativity. Zhang Yaokun's goal was well taken and a result of some shambolic American missed-clearances. But seriously, didn't the Chinese players look like they could have starred in the Chinese version of 'Leave it to Beaver' or 'Father Knows Best'? I guess that's communism for you.
** Also, China's uniforms actually looked like the bootleg unlicensed kits you find in PES/Winning 11. Mao would have approved of their drabness.
** ESPN play-by-play guy Rob Stone (who hasn't apparently aged in the last decade) did have some misleading info on China's most well-known player Dong Fangzhuo. First he mentioned how Dong started vs. Chelsea...but by that time the EPL title race was essentially over and SAF fielded a second-string squad. Second, he mentioned how he led the Belgium League in goals...that would be the Belgium Second Division, but the Jupiler League. (In case you care, François Sterchele of Germinal Beerschot led the first division with 21 tallies.)
** Great job by China in the 83rd minute on a free kick. They must be big fans of Khano Smith at the Great Wall.
** I'll say it again, China is like a lot teams. They can play organized and even counter attack, but don't have the drive or imagination to really scare you. There wasn't a Park Ji-Sung or Nakamura out there for the People's Republic. I'm not buying this sleeping giant stuff. Sorry.
** Finally, I just don't get China. Are Allen Iverson jersey's traded like currency? Would I run into anyone that mildly resembled Wu from "Deadwood"? Could I take a vacation there if I wanted to, or would the US State Department be all over my ass? OR worse, Jack Bauer nemesis, the nefarious Cheng?
ESPN Zone
** As with any USMNT on ESPN, we take out the proverbial red pens. And for once, I'll say it, ESPN did a superb job. Not sure why they added Julie Foudy in with Eric Wynalda and Stone at halftime, but whatever.
** In the 18th minute the ESPN camera operates got an excellent angle behind the ball as China lined up a free kick. We got to see Tim Howard scrambling between the sticks, telling his wall to move. It was a great shot and something we haven't seen too much of. It made the game feel intimate.
** Wynalda actually seemed relaxed and not about showing off in the booth. His anecdotes complimented the game action. The all-time US goalscoring leader even made a very good point that the National Team should be about the 11 guys in the best form, not the 11 best players. Hey, want to send that over across the pond to Steve McClaren?
** Nitpicking, yes, but shouldn't there have been a mention that Feilhaber's goal was in fact an own-goal since it came off the Chinese defender last. Yes, Feilhaber sent it toward goal and it would have taken an amazing clearance to keep it out of the net, but still, I've seen scores like that ruled own goals. Perhaps the ESPN guys should have broached the subject. Maybe.
** Kudos to Stone for dropping a Hartford Whalers reference in the 35th minute.
** Plaudits to halftime anchor Dave Revsine for actually taking the time to pronounce things properly. Too bad ESPN had to show that Danish fan running on the pitch. Only the black eyes of the sport seem to attract the mainstream media. Sad. (More on that in a sec.)
** Not sure what the corporate policy is, but it's a bad job not letting the fans know that all the Gold Cup games are on FSC. I realize there is no love lost between ESPN and Fox, but it's a disservice to the fans to leave them in the lurch.
Miscellania
** Spartan Stadium -- Glad to see San Jose get a game, but the small pitch dimensions? Someone was asleep at the switch at USSF HQ. That said, it's certainly one of the unique venues in American soccer and it's a shame it's dormant since the Earthquakes were transplanted to Houston.
Obviously there is talk about brining the Earthquakes back thanks to Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff. From what I've heard and read, it sounds like your typical, let's build a 'Soccer-Specific-Stadium' on the cheapest available land in the middle of nowhere and hope the fans will come. The anti-organic club idea. Fans don't seem to mind Spartan Stadium. Figure out a way to make the revenue work. Don't just plop a stadium out by an airport or toxic waste dump and expect the fans to show up. Come on MLS!
** 'Superpower, Superpower, U-S-A' -- For once, this cheer was appropriate, given the geopolitical status of the People's Republic and its 1.3 billion people. Boosting your Superpower status vs. Honduras...kind of weak, no?
** Beware the Danes -- Figured I'd comment on the abandoned Demark/Sweden European Championship Qualifier from Saturday. You can watch the whole sorry display here for yourself. Naturally, the pitch invasion gets the headlines, but I chalk this one up to legitimate scumbag Christian Poulsen. The former Schalke and current Sevilla hard man is a first class troublemaker. Does that excuse that pale, doughy and Little Vito lookalike from running onto the field? No. But this isn't your father's Denmark, the land of Legos and Alvar Hanso. This is a land that, let's not forget, published the controversial cartoons of the profit Mohammed, basically asking the Muslim world to wipe them out. The Danes, they don't seem to give a fuck.
And in closing, holy shit, I can't believe I wrote this much on a meaningless game.
Maybe during the week I'll write a (brief) Gold Cup preview. Believe it or not, after the China game I'm actually looking forward to seeing what Bradley throws out there on Thursday vs. Guatemala (9 p.m. EDT, Fox Soccer). Maybe he'll unleash the beast that is Eddie Johnson.
Never thought I'd write that a few weeks ago.
Ah, the ol' International Friendly. Does it get any better than a planned exhibition between the national soccer teams of the United States and the People's Republic of China?
Excuse my sarcasm and anger. I'm kind of sad because there simply aren't enough merchandising tie-ins to 'Shrek the 3rd' to sate my appetite. Shrek shakes, Shrek Rick Krispy treats, Shrek underoos simply aren't enough.
Ok. Deep breath. Back to the game.
In all honesty, I fully expected to begin this post with something like, ... You know International games are meaningless. ... What is the point of DVR-ing a game that carries zero weight. ... blah, blah, blah.
Funny thing happened though, the ol' Stars and Stripes mounted a 4-1 win for their best, most entertaining performance since beating Mexico 2-0 in September 2005 to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
For the first 60-odd minutes it was like my prayers had been answered. One-touch passing. Diagonal balls. Fluid, attacking soccer. There's something to be said when eight of your 11 starters had just come off a European season. The team looked poised on the ball, sharp. Fit.
The absolute apex of this came in the 32nd minute, in perhaps the best sequence I've seen by the USMNT in nearly two decades of watching it.
It began with a weighted ball up by Michael Bradley deep in his own half to Sasha Kljestan, who ran it down right on the touchline. Kljestan found his Chivas USA teammate Ante Razov with a looping cross to the left penalty area. Razov could have volleyed on the China net, but instead headed to an on-rushing Clint Dempsey, who in turn flicked a header to a rampaging DaMarcus Beasley. The Beaz threaded a pass back to Razov on the left side of the area...too bad his shot was blocked by China keeper Chen Dong.
The entire movement was simply an sensational, video game-esque display from the Nats. Was it on par with the famed Carlos Alberto goal by Brasil in the 1970 World Cup final vs. Italy? No. But it's a definite shame that Razov didn't score since it won't get the YouTube immortality. To me, it was better than any of the four tallies the US hung on China.
That missed chance was the highlight of a great half of continental footie by the US team. With Beaz, Bradley and Benny Feilhaber pulling the strings of the attack it felt like a very Dutch team. (Yes, Feilhaber plays in Germany.)
Credit coach Bob Bradley for trotting out a 4-3-3/4-5-1 attacking formation, with Beaz and Clint Dempsey given space to operate in the attacking-third of the field. (As a player of Pro Evo Soccer/Winning 11 this is actually a formation I've used for the US team. And do yourself a favor, if you're a soccer fan get that game over FIFA it's the best, most accurate playing sports game ever. Trust.)
Would such a formation/display have occurred with Landon Donovan on the field? Probably not, considering the tall, physical Chinese players would have blocked him from making his trademark 40-yard runs. It's great to see the team has other options without the poster/whipping boy of American soccer. (Didn't we miss him on freekicks?)
Putting that many players into the attack was a breath of fresh air. It was good to throw a big, solid target guy like Razov who was willing to defer to teammates. (Notice three ex-Chicago Fire players from the Bradley era: Beasley, Razov and Carlos Bocanegra...maybe Bradley does know what he's doing.)
And you see what happens when you incorporate an mostly Euro-based team. These guys can adjust and play on different levels. No disrespect to MLS guys, but when there are 12, 13 teams you aren't going to see that many different varieties of soccer played. You're seeing the same players over-and-over again. It tends to dull the creative part of your brain.
Take the Fulham guys on the USMNT, one week they have to deal with the one-touch magic of Arsenal, the next the bruising physical game of Bolton. The difference between the Galaxy and RSL...not so much, no?
It's hard to believe how much this performance impressed me. After nearly 12 months of shit from the USMNT, from the World Cup disaster to the coaching shenanigans it was a crummy year of waiting. This 4-1 display vs. China honestly, to me, was more uplifting as a fan that dumping Mexico 2-0 back in February.
The top of my praise goes to Beasley. Faithful readers here will know I got on the PSV/City man for his indifferent play upon transferring to England. In retrospect it wasn't quite his fault that Psycho Stuart Pearce didn't give him games.
Saturday he scored on a penalty, which he rightly drew when the keeper pulled a Jens Lehman trip on him, assisted Oguchi Oneywu's goal from a freekick and basically created havoc all evening. China did not have an answer for the No. 7 shirt. It's not hyperbole to say, when DMB is on his game he's the best asset the USMNT has going for it.
Welcome back DaMarcus. We've missed you.
(Please, though, don't go to Rangers. It's a step backward. If you're going to play against Kilmarnock, St. Mirren, etc why not just come home to MLS?)
Stars/Stripes/Thoughts
** Feilhaber -- Beard = results. Guy scored his first senior international goal and assisted from the corner on Dempsey's header. Goes to show you what putting in work for a European club like HSV will do. If you've played in the Champions League vs. Thierry Henry and Arsenal, it's a safe bet you can hack it against CONCACAF foes. Again, please, pretty please, do not become John O'Brien II.
** The Bradleys -- Yes, this game meant nothing results-wise, but Bob Bradley looked like he had a good vision for what he wants in the Gold Cup. Good roster selection. Good tactics. Good way to incorporate new faces. As for Michael, he's a hell of a passer. His through ball set up the Beasley penalty. Dutch to Dutch.
** Oguchi Oneywu -- For a minute let's forget where the big man will ply his club trade in the fall. His 79th minute header goal ought to serve as a warning to the rest of CONCACAF -- The Gooch is back, go get your life preservers! (Ok, he didn't have to do much on defense, whatever.)
** Tim Howard/Kasey Keller -- Umm...did Keller even touch the ball in the second half? The lone China goal wasn't Howard's fault. For all intents and purposes, no reason Howard shouldn't be the No. 1 without question going forward. I like Keller as much as the next guy, but I think it's time to pass the torch.
** Dempsey -- The man they call Deuce has skillz, son. After two near misses on goal in the second half, he buries a header from the corner. Good to see it. His dribbling is something to behold.
** Kljestan/Bornstein -- Not that they played bad, and Kljestan got credited with an assist, but you could tell which guys were playing in MLS. Again, no offense.
** Carlos Bocanegra -- Too bad he blew his open header which would have made it 5-1. Solid outing in his first time with the captain's armband.
** Razov -- Hey, who expected that? Looked very good in his recall to International soccer.
** Jonathan Spector -- The ESPN boys kept saying that the narrow dimensions were troubling his long-range passes. Bollocks. This guy simply keeps getting handed golden opportunities for both club and country without really ever doing anything. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't see it with this guy. Sorry.
** Other US subs -- First off, I cannot say anything nice about Charlie Davies since he attended Boston College. I can't. Though it's worth a though, is the Swedish Allsvenskan all that much better than MLS? If you've legitimately seen the league, let me know otherwise I naysay it! ... Kamani Hill, Lee Nguyen...not enough time to do anything of note. Same with Biff Tannen lookalike Frankie Simek. ... That whole Bob/Michael Bradley/Jesse Marsch thing that Ston...sort of odd if you heard Rob Stone talking about it.
Sino-the-times (People's Republic thoughts)
** China wasn't bad, per say. They just played (and looked) like it was still 1955. Very organized and committed to defense. Zero creativity. Zhang Yaokun's goal was well taken and a result of some shambolic American missed-clearances. But seriously, didn't the Chinese players look like they could have starred in the Chinese version of 'Leave it to Beaver' or 'Father Knows Best'? I guess that's communism for you.
** Also, China's uniforms actually looked like the bootleg unlicensed kits you find in PES/Winning 11. Mao would have approved of their drabness.
** ESPN play-by-play guy Rob Stone (who hasn't apparently aged in the last decade) did have some misleading info on China's most well-known player Dong Fangzhuo. First he mentioned how Dong started vs. Chelsea...but by that time the EPL title race was essentially over and SAF fielded a second-string squad. Second, he mentioned how he led the Belgium League in goals...that would be the Belgium Second Division, but the Jupiler League. (In case you care, François Sterchele of Germinal Beerschot led the first division with 21 tallies.)
** Great job by China in the 83rd minute on a free kick. They must be big fans of Khano Smith at the Great Wall.
** I'll say it again, China is like a lot teams. They can play organized and even counter attack, but don't have the drive or imagination to really scare you. There wasn't a Park Ji-Sung or Nakamura out there for the People's Republic. I'm not buying this sleeping giant stuff. Sorry.
** Finally, I just don't get China. Are Allen Iverson jersey's traded like currency? Would I run into anyone that mildly resembled Wu from "Deadwood"? Could I take a vacation there if I wanted to, or would the US State Department be all over my ass? OR worse, Jack Bauer nemesis, the nefarious Cheng?
ESPN Zone
** As with any USMNT on ESPN, we take out the proverbial red pens. And for once, I'll say it, ESPN did a superb job. Not sure why they added Julie Foudy in with Eric Wynalda and Stone at halftime, but whatever.
** In the 18th minute the ESPN camera operates got an excellent angle behind the ball as China lined up a free kick. We got to see Tim Howard scrambling between the sticks, telling his wall to move. It was a great shot and something we haven't seen too much of. It made the game feel intimate.
** Wynalda actually seemed relaxed and not about showing off in the booth. His anecdotes complimented the game action. The all-time US goalscoring leader even made a very good point that the National Team should be about the 11 guys in the best form, not the 11 best players. Hey, want to send that over across the pond to Steve McClaren?
** Nitpicking, yes, but shouldn't there have been a mention that Feilhaber's goal was in fact an own-goal since it came off the Chinese defender last. Yes, Feilhaber sent it toward goal and it would have taken an amazing clearance to keep it out of the net, but still, I've seen scores like that ruled own goals. Perhaps the ESPN guys should have broached the subject. Maybe.
** Kudos to Stone for dropping a Hartford Whalers reference in the 35th minute.
** Plaudits to halftime anchor Dave Revsine for actually taking the time to pronounce things properly. Too bad ESPN had to show that Danish fan running on the pitch. Only the black eyes of the sport seem to attract the mainstream media. Sad. (More on that in a sec.)
** Not sure what the corporate policy is, but it's a bad job not letting the fans know that all the Gold Cup games are on FSC. I realize there is no love lost between ESPN and Fox, but it's a disservice to the fans to leave them in the lurch.
Miscellania
** Spartan Stadium -- Glad to see San Jose get a game, but the small pitch dimensions? Someone was asleep at the switch at USSF HQ. That said, it's certainly one of the unique venues in American soccer and it's a shame it's dormant since the Earthquakes were transplanted to Houston.
Obviously there is talk about brining the Earthquakes back thanks to Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff. From what I've heard and read, it sounds like your typical, let's build a 'Soccer-Specific-Stadium' on the cheapest available land in the middle of nowhere and hope the fans will come. The anti-organic club idea. Fans don't seem to mind Spartan Stadium. Figure out a way to make the revenue work. Don't just plop a stadium out by an airport or toxic waste dump and expect the fans to show up. Come on MLS!
** 'Superpower, Superpower, U-S-A' -- For once, this cheer was appropriate, given the geopolitical status of the People's Republic and its 1.3 billion people. Boosting your Superpower status vs. Honduras...kind of weak, no?
** Beware the Danes -- Figured I'd comment on the abandoned Demark/Sweden European Championship Qualifier from Saturday. You can watch the whole sorry display here for yourself. Naturally, the pitch invasion gets the headlines, but I chalk this one up to legitimate scumbag Christian Poulsen. The former Schalke and current Sevilla hard man is a first class troublemaker. Does that excuse that pale, doughy and Little Vito lookalike from running onto the field? No. But this isn't your father's Denmark, the land of Legos and Alvar Hanso. This is a land that, let's not forget, published the controversial cartoons of the profit Mohammed, basically asking the Muslim world to wipe them out. The Danes, they don't seem to give a fuck.
And in closing, holy shit, I can't believe I wrote this much on a meaningless game.
Maybe during the week I'll write a (brief) Gold Cup preview. Believe it or not, after the China game I'm actually looking forward to seeing what Bradley throws out there on Thursday vs. Guatemala (9 p.m. EDT, Fox Soccer). Maybe he'll unleash the beast that is Eddie Johnson.
Never thought I'd write that a few weeks ago.
Let's get right with it -- the NY/NJ Metrostars/Red Bull New York has single handedly killed the sport of soccer in the world's biggest media market -- New York City.
Recently, I was returning from a trip to the Big Apple via MetroNorth train back to the Constitution State. Considering my frugalness, spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.95 USD on a periodical didn't make sense. (No, I don't care how to get 'Great Abs' and or anything about Carrie Underwood's latest diet tips. Sue me.)
That meant my entertainment for the cramped, uncomfortable train ride home would be staring out the window. (Note: MetroNorth does not have one, single, solitary comfortable seat. Do I smell class-action lawsuit? Who's with me!?)
This got me to thinking of riding through the Dutch countryside last summer doing the very same thing -- looking out the window. Along the trip, I noted how nearly each and every stop had a football/soccer stadium within view. The world famous Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht, baby!
Wouldn't it have been interesting should, somewhere along the way that the New York Tri-State area embraced association football and it developed along the way of say, London, were numerous clubs populate the heavily populated area. A team in The Queens (Park Rangers), a team in the Bronx, a team in Fordham, a team in Connecticut, etc. If this happened things like realistically traveling to away games could have become a possibility.
Obviously, this never happened for too many different reasons to list. Could there have ever been a major league of any sport, solely in a region?
Instead, the New York area is home to one, 'major league' club -- the (now) Red Bulls. In 12 years of existence, it'd be hard to find one decision the franchise did correct.
And after all this futility, that's why only some 7,000+ turn up to attend Juan Pablo Angel's home debut earlier when the team actually looked liked it's finally gotten its act together.
Let's look at some of the lowlights:
* Lothar Matthäus -- Probably the sole reason the league stopped trying to import 'name' players until that certain Beckham fellow. In 2000 the league, apparently trying again to prop up the New York franchise, brought in the 150-time capped, 38-year-old German for a boatload of bucks (and brautwurst). Who in the league office thought that an aged, German international would create a buzz in the Big Apple probably has since lost his job and is now selling roses on Garden State Parkway offramp.
Matthäus was so bad and basically flaunted that he was simply taking a check that the league was very wary of bringing in any guys with a flashy European pedigree. (Let's not even mention when the club brought in Brasilian 'legend' Bronco back in the mid 90s.)
* Giants Stadium -- There is no disputing this, the Meadowlands is the worst place to watch a soccer game of its class of stadia. From soup to nuts the concrete nightmare has no redeeming qualities. None. It's expensive, it's too big, it mutes any atmosphere 20,000 people could create etc. During the summer, there's few places less inviting to a sunny afternoon than Giants Stadium.
The biggest and latest infraction -- artificial turf. It's not like Claudio Reyna is made of steel AND THEN you drop him onto synthetic grass. Come to your senses and listen to Shepp Messing, please! Let's not even talk about when the gridiron lines reappear.
In all honesty, the team would have made going to see them a much better experience if, shudder, they chose to play at Rutgers University or something.
* Track record -- Look, if the Kansas City Wizards can win an MLS Cup with Tony 'Biff' Meola in goal, why couldn't the Metrostars? This team hasn't even reached an MLS playoff conference final. And this is from a league with, at times, 10 teams. If there was promotion/relegation incorporated in MLS, this club would probably have dropped out of the 'Football League' were this England. (Oh wait, the Metros did win the vaunted, hallowed, 2004 La Manga Cup.)
* Coaching Wasteland -- 'Don't cry/ Don't raise your eye/ It's only coaching wasteland.' ... It's fitting that Giants Stadium sits in the middle of a swamp. Look at some of the coaches that have gone up in flames coaching in the shadow of the Apple -- Carlos Queiroz, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Bora Milutinović, Bob Bradley and now Bruce Arena. Yes, coaching a club team in MLS is a totally different animal, but Parreira did in fact coach Brasil to the 1994 World Cup. (Then again, he was in charge for their flop in 2006, too. Obviously the Metro-curse lives.)
Let's pray Big Bruce Arena is immune to this.
* The 'New' Stadium -- Metro area fans have waited for years on false promises and pie-in-the-sky dreams of a stadium for the team to call its own. Red Bull Park, might actually be a reality in Harrison, NJ., but apparently its being constructed over a site that Tony Soprano's crew is dumping asbestos. And now it'll be delayed until, September 2008...2009...2010?
At the very least, the stadium will have a closed, European feel, instead of some of these gray, concrete nothing 'SSS' propping up across the land of the free.
* Corporate Synergy at it's best -- It's not like the Metrostars had a ton of history on their side, but when Austria-based Red Bull took over and rebranded the team in a name of an energy drink...well...that's just not going to fly in the United States. (It's worth noting the Metrostars name was derived from a media company.)
The New York media, which the team would love to cater to, will never accept a major league team named for an energy drink. Guys like Mike Lupica can't be bothered to do their homework, so it's an easy cheap shot to fill out a column. This isn't the Nippon Ham Fighers of the Japanese Central league or some team from the Republic of Korea named after the local automotive plant (Paik Industries FC would have a nice ring to it). Yes, in today's age most professional teams are rich, corporate guys' playthings. But in America, at least, no one wants that flaunted in their face. Least all by a man that goes by Didi Mateschitz.
It also doesn't help that Red Bull's garish logo dominates the front of the team's shirt unlike any other logo in the world. It's literally moving under the arm pits.
Buying my Clint Mathis replica is not an option. Maybe if the shirt advertised for the sugar-free Red Bull.
* Media misses -- There are quality guys that do the mostly thankless job of covering the team (Michael Lewis, Ives Galarcep to name two) yet in the big New York media, their work basically goes unnoticed, pushed somewhere between the horse racing line and WNBA coverage. And this says nothing that the team registers about one mention per calendar year on sports radio station WFAN.
You'd think someone out there could figure out a way to get the media to pay attention -- free massages in the press room? Yet considering how continually crummy the Red/Stars have been, can you blame editors for ignoring them and their communist sport?
So let's see, add up all these things and you see why in 12 years the Metro/Bulls have killed off soccer in New York. Let's hope that MLS is wise enough to realize the area could support another team, like Los Angeles, and revive the Cosmos or something. Then again, New York's had its shot to some degree. Another city, say Philly, deserves the franchise more than us.
Maybe when Beckham arrives this summer people will start to pay attention, or when Red Bull Park finally opens. (Perhaps Tony Soprano will be buried under the away-team six-yard box.) Until then, us fans in the New York area are stuck with a soulless team in a soulless arena that basically a shill for an energy drink, which seemed to be selling just okay in the first place.
Finally, beyond and ration thought and comprehension, the one-and-only Arthur M. 'Pops' Cardillo -- a man that's watched more Metro/Bull games than 99.9999999997 percent of planet Earth -- thinks that in a matter of years the team will be on par with the old Cosmos and be regarded as one of the world's best.
See, that's what happens to a brain when it watches that much hopeless, fruitless soccer -- pure mush.
Me, even with the addition of MLS 2007 May Player of the Month Juan Pablo Angel, I'm not holding my breath.
________________
Other Stuff
** It's a FIFA Weekend, so the great three-way race in Spain for La Liga takes a week off. The Real Madrid/Barcelona/Sevilla sprint resumes June 10. It'd be a shame if a key contributor (cough cough, David Beckham) gets hurt whilst on International duty. FSC has a pair of Euro qualifiers Saturday -- Spain/Latvia and Germany/San Marino...let's see the Tuetons go for 20-0 this time. Also, there's that Beckham fellow returning to the 'Three Lions' to play Brasil in a friendly. Expect the English media to be whipped into a frenzy regardless of the result.
This link runs down the basics of the weekend. Enjoy.
From a personal standpoint, I'm a little turned off by some of these internationals. Yes, it's a nice collection of 'star' players in one place, but rarely are the games all that competition or entertaining. That's just me though.
** That said... a semi-new look USMNT faces China onSunday Saturday night at Spartan Stadium (8 p.m. EST, ESPN 2, good news Dave O'Brien scheduled for a Yankee/White Sox game Monday so hopefully Chubbs won't be around in San Jose).
Better yet, let's call this a flat-out experimental lineup.
Of note, the roster for the game lacks any MLS players, aside from Chivas USA players. Bob Bradley only picked three forwards for the team -- Ante Razov (he's still alive?!) and newcomers Kamani Hill and Charlie Davis. I've seen Hill play once or twice as a sub for Wolfsburg. Davis, couldn't tell you anything. Ok, he's from New Hampshire.
Defensively this US team looks sound and even with fringe Manchester United player Dong Fangzhuo it's hard to envision China mounting much of an offensive threat. That said, offense might be hard to come by for the USMNT as well. This will be the first game in a while without Landon Donovan, for better or worse.
The attacking onus is going to fall on Clint Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley. Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber ought to see a lot of action too.
Personally, this game really doesn't mean anything considering the totally experimental lineup trotted out. If anything, it ought to get the team used to seeing nine, 10 players behind the ball in advance of the Gold Cup.
As usual, I simply want to see players with smiles on their faces, giving a good effort and maybe even taking a crack from 20, 30 yards. There is nothing to lose here, so it's not too much to ask. Let's see some damned teamwork and maybe an executed 1-2 pass?
For what it's worth, I have a picture of the 2005 Gold Cup winning team staring at me from an FSC calender as I type this. Here are a couple of the luminaries on that squad: Santino Quaranta, Brad Davis, Gregg Berhalter, Josh Wolff, Chris Armas and (gasp) Tony Sanneh. Remember this was less than two years ago. Amazing how much the roster/player pool has turned over. In a lot of ways it's like when Bruce Arena took over back in 1998ish, bringing it tons of new guys for their first caps.
Finally, let's hope a lot of Earthquakes fans turn out to Spartan Stadium to show the suits at the MLS office what they took away from a pretty damned passionate group of supporters. San Jose deserves a team. 'Nuff said.
We'll have some brief postgame stuff about this match sometime Sunday. Stay tuned.
** Like I've stated before, I'm not posting something every time there is a transfer move or rumo(u)r this summer in Europe. I just won't do it. That said, Manchester Utd. made a couple moves worth noting, finalizing the Owen Hargraeves move from Bayern and adding Portuguese duo Anderson and Nani. Hope those two are familiar with the term 'Carling Cup.' If anything, Anderson is an improvement over Kieran Richardson on the outside.
** Not sure where exactly on this here Internet I read this first, but Fulham FC is pulling its shirt deal with French manufacturer Airness in favor of the home to His Airness Michael Jordan, Nike.
Not a huge deal right?
But with three Americans on the roster, you'd think Nike, the club, etc. would like to sell some Clint Dempsey shirts en mass, in the States. The man they call Deuce, is a pretty big Nike guy pre/post 2006 World Cup. You'd think they'd like to sell some shirts and make some of that sweet, sweet moneycake.
** Lastly, there are actually a lot of semi-interesting MLS matchups this weekend. Colorado at Toronto ought to be good, if only for the crazed, Syrup Brigrade at BMO. Red Bulls/Kansas City is a battle for positioning in the Eastern Conference (yay!). DC United/Galaxy (FSC, 10 p.m.) is tilt between the league's two banner franchises from each coast of the country. Let's hope Max Bretos is on hand for this one. On Sunday there are two MLS mini-derbies with FC Dallas/Houston and Columbus/Chicago.
Recently, I was returning from a trip to the Big Apple via MetroNorth train back to the Constitution State. Considering my frugalness, spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.95 USD on a periodical didn't make sense. (No, I don't care how to get 'Great Abs' and or anything about Carrie Underwood's latest diet tips. Sue me.)
That meant my entertainment for the cramped, uncomfortable train ride home would be staring out the window. (Note: MetroNorth does not have one, single, solitary comfortable seat. Do I smell class-action lawsuit? Who's with me!?)
This got me to thinking of riding through the Dutch countryside last summer doing the very same thing -- looking out the window. Along the trip, I noted how nearly each and every stop had a football/soccer stadium within view. The world famous Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht, baby!
Wouldn't it have been interesting should, somewhere along the way that the New York Tri-State area embraced association football and it developed along the way of say, London, were numerous clubs populate the heavily populated area. A team in The Queens (Park Rangers), a team in the Bronx, a team in Fordham, a team in Connecticut, etc. If this happened things like realistically traveling to away games could have become a possibility.
Obviously, this never happened for too many different reasons to list. Could there have ever been a major league of any sport, solely in a region?
Instead, the New York area is home to one, 'major league' club -- the (now) Red Bulls. In 12 years of existence, it'd be hard to find one decision the franchise did correct.
And after all this futility, that's why only some 7,000+ turn up to attend Juan Pablo Angel's home debut earlier when the team actually looked liked it's finally gotten its act together.
Let's look at some of the lowlights:
* Lothar Matthäus -- Probably the sole reason the league stopped trying to import 'name' players until that certain Beckham fellow. In 2000 the league, apparently trying again to prop up the New York franchise, brought in the 150-time capped, 38-year-old German for a boatload of bucks (and brautwurst). Who in the league office thought that an aged, German international would create a buzz in the Big Apple probably has since lost his job and is now selling roses on Garden State Parkway offramp.
Matthäus was so bad and basically flaunted that he was simply taking a check that the league was very wary of bringing in any guys with a flashy European pedigree. (Let's not even mention when the club brought in Brasilian 'legend' Bronco back in the mid 90s.)
* Giants Stadium -- There is no disputing this, the Meadowlands is the worst place to watch a soccer game of its class of stadia. From soup to nuts the concrete nightmare has no redeeming qualities. None. It's expensive, it's too big, it mutes any atmosphere 20,000 people could create etc. During the summer, there's few places less inviting to a sunny afternoon than Giants Stadium.
The biggest and latest infraction -- artificial turf. It's not like Claudio Reyna is made of steel AND THEN you drop him onto synthetic grass. Come to your senses and listen to Shepp Messing, please! Let's not even talk about when the gridiron lines reappear.
In all honesty, the team would have made going to see them a much better experience if, shudder, they chose to play at Rutgers University or something.
* Track record -- Look, if the Kansas City Wizards can win an MLS Cup with Tony 'Biff' Meola in goal, why couldn't the Metrostars? This team hasn't even reached an MLS playoff conference final. And this is from a league with, at times, 10 teams. If there was promotion/relegation incorporated in MLS, this club would probably have dropped out of the 'Football League' were this England. (Oh wait, the Metros did win the vaunted, hallowed, 2004 La Manga Cup.)
* Coaching Wasteland -- 'Don't cry/ Don't raise your eye/ It's only coaching wasteland.' ... It's fitting that Giants Stadium sits in the middle of a swamp. Look at some of the coaches that have gone up in flames coaching in the shadow of the Apple -- Carlos Queiroz, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Bora Milutinović, Bob Bradley and now Bruce Arena. Yes, coaching a club team in MLS is a totally different animal, but Parreira did in fact coach Brasil to the 1994 World Cup. (Then again, he was in charge for their flop in 2006, too. Obviously the Metro-curse lives.)
Let's pray Big Bruce Arena is immune to this.
* The 'New' Stadium -- Metro area fans have waited for years on false promises and pie-in-the-sky dreams of a stadium for the team to call its own. Red Bull Park, might actually be a reality in Harrison, NJ., but apparently its being constructed over a site that Tony Soprano's crew is dumping asbestos. And now it'll be delayed until, September 2008...2009...2010?
At the very least, the stadium will have a closed, European feel, instead of some of these gray, concrete nothing 'SSS' propping up across the land of the free.
* Corporate Synergy at it's best -- It's not like the Metrostars had a ton of history on their side, but when Austria-based Red Bull took over and rebranded the team in a name of an energy drink...well...that's just not going to fly in the United States. (It's worth noting the Metrostars name was derived from a media company.)
The New York media, which the team would love to cater to, will never accept a major league team named for an energy drink. Guys like Mike Lupica can't be bothered to do their homework, so it's an easy cheap shot to fill out a column. This isn't the Nippon Ham Fighers of the Japanese Central league or some team from the Republic of Korea named after the local automotive plant (Paik Industries FC would have a nice ring to it). Yes, in today's age most professional teams are rich, corporate guys' playthings. But in America, at least, no one wants that flaunted in their face. Least all by a man that goes by Didi Mateschitz.
It also doesn't help that Red Bull's garish logo dominates the front of the team's shirt unlike any other logo in the world. It's literally moving under the arm pits.
Buying my Clint Mathis replica is not an option. Maybe if the shirt advertised for the sugar-free Red Bull.
* Media misses -- There are quality guys that do the mostly thankless job of covering the team (Michael Lewis, Ives Galarcep to name two) yet in the big New York media, their work basically goes unnoticed, pushed somewhere between the horse racing line and WNBA coverage. And this says nothing that the team registers about one mention per calendar year on sports radio station WFAN.
You'd think someone out there could figure out a way to get the media to pay attention -- free massages in the press room? Yet considering how continually crummy the Red/Stars have been, can you blame editors for ignoring them and their communist sport?
So let's see, add up all these things and you see why in 12 years the Metro/Bulls have killed off soccer in New York. Let's hope that MLS is wise enough to realize the area could support another team, like Los Angeles, and revive the Cosmos or something. Then again, New York's had its shot to some degree. Another city, say Philly, deserves the franchise more than us.
Maybe when Beckham arrives this summer people will start to pay attention, or when Red Bull Park finally opens. (Perhaps Tony Soprano will be buried under the away-team six-yard box.) Until then, us fans in the New York area are stuck with a soulless team in a soulless arena that basically a shill for an energy drink, which seemed to be selling just okay in the first place.
Finally, beyond and ration thought and comprehension, the one-and-only Arthur M. 'Pops' Cardillo -- a man that's watched more Metro/Bull games than 99.9999999997 percent of planet Earth -- thinks that in a matter of years the team will be on par with the old Cosmos and be regarded as one of the world's best.
See, that's what happens to a brain when it watches that much hopeless, fruitless soccer -- pure mush.
Me, even with the addition of MLS 2007 May Player of the Month Juan Pablo Angel, I'm not holding my breath.
Other Stuff
** It's a FIFA Weekend, so the great three-way race in Spain for La Liga takes a week off. The Real Madrid/Barcelona/Sevilla sprint resumes June 10. It'd be a shame if a key contributor (cough cough, David Beckham) gets hurt whilst on International duty. FSC has a pair of Euro qualifiers Saturday -- Spain/Latvia and Germany/San Marino...let's see the Tuetons go for 20-0 this time. Also, there's that Beckham fellow returning to the 'Three Lions' to play Brasil in a friendly. Expect the English media to be whipped into a frenzy regardless of the result.
This link runs down the basics of the weekend. Enjoy.
From a personal standpoint, I'm a little turned off by some of these internationals. Yes, it's a nice collection of 'star' players in one place, but rarely are the games all that competition or entertaining. That's just me though.
** That said... a semi-new look USMNT faces China on
Better yet, let's call this a flat-out experimental lineup.
Of note, the roster for the game lacks any MLS players, aside from Chivas USA players. Bob Bradley only picked three forwards for the team -- Ante Razov (he's still alive?!) and newcomers Kamani Hill and Charlie Davis. I've seen Hill play once or twice as a sub for Wolfsburg. Davis, couldn't tell you anything. Ok, he's from New Hampshire.
Defensively this US team looks sound and even with fringe Manchester United player Dong Fangzhuo it's hard to envision China mounting much of an offensive threat. That said, offense might be hard to come by for the USMNT as well. This will be the first game in a while without Landon Donovan, for better or worse.
The attacking onus is going to fall on Clint Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley. Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber ought to see a lot of action too.
Personally, this game really doesn't mean anything considering the totally experimental lineup trotted out. If anything, it ought to get the team used to seeing nine, 10 players behind the ball in advance of the Gold Cup.
As usual, I simply want to see players with smiles on their faces, giving a good effort and maybe even taking a crack from 20, 30 yards. There is nothing to lose here, so it's not too much to ask. Let's see some damned teamwork and maybe an executed 1-2 pass?
For what it's worth, I have a picture of the 2005 Gold Cup winning team staring at me from an FSC calender as I type this. Here are a couple of the luminaries on that squad: Santino Quaranta, Brad Davis, Gregg Berhalter, Josh Wolff, Chris Armas and (gasp) Tony Sanneh. Remember this was less than two years ago. Amazing how much the roster/player pool has turned over. In a lot of ways it's like when Bruce Arena took over back in 1998ish, bringing it tons of new guys for their first caps.
Finally, let's hope a lot of Earthquakes fans turn out to Spartan Stadium to show the suits at the MLS office what they took away from a pretty damned passionate group of supporters. San Jose deserves a team. 'Nuff said.
We'll have some brief postgame stuff about this match sometime Sunday. Stay tuned.
** Like I've stated before, I'm not posting something every time there is a transfer move or rumo(u)r this summer in Europe. I just won't do it. That said, Manchester Utd. made a couple moves worth noting, finalizing the Owen Hargraeves move from Bayern and adding Portuguese duo Anderson and Nani. Hope those two are familiar with the term 'Carling Cup.' If anything, Anderson is an improvement over Kieran Richardson on the outside.
** Not sure where exactly on this here Internet I read this first, but Fulham FC is pulling its shirt deal with French manufacturer Airness in favor of the home to His Airness Michael Jordan, Nike.
Not a huge deal right?
But with three Americans on the roster, you'd think Nike, the club, etc. would like to sell some Clint Dempsey shirts en mass, in the States. The man they call Deuce, is a pretty big Nike guy pre/post 2006 World Cup. You'd think they'd like to sell some shirts and make some of that sweet, sweet moneycake.
** Lastly, there are actually a lot of semi-interesting MLS matchups this weekend. Colorado at Toronto ought to be good, if only for the crazed, Syrup Brigrade at BMO. Red Bulls/Kansas City is a battle for positioning in the Eastern Conference (yay!). DC United/Galaxy (FSC, 10 p.m.) is tilt between the league's two banner franchises from each coast of the country. Let's hope Max Bretos is on hand for this one. On Sunday there are two MLS mini-derbies with FC Dallas/Houston and Columbus/Chicago.
