One thing, maybe us soccer nerds sometimes forget, is there is a growing generation of kids who've lived their entire lives with the existence of MLS, with USMNT games on ESPN, with three soccer-only cable channels with YouTubes, etc.
They've never known life were it was actively difficult to find anything of quality to read about the world's game, or specifically in this case, the U.S. National Team.
Nowadays, everywhere you turn on the 'Nets, there's somebody offering their opinion and breakdown. What's great about this, is it offers a wide-ranging opinion and plenty of open discourse and debate.
Okay, this might not be a great thing if your name is Jonathan Bornstein, but I digress.
Anyhows, when ESPN completes its broadcast of Saturday's 2-1 win by the U.S. over Turkey in Philadelphia with Bob Ley asking Alexi Lalas what needs work, and the former international defender says, "who's playing forward" we can take to the Inter-webs and debate the more pertinent questions of the day, namely what's going on with the defense?
Having said all that, Saturday's game was about as clear cut from a breakdown standpoint as we've seen in a looooooog time, especially the 'tale of two halves' storyline.
a) The first half was an abomination, as the Turks nearly ran them off the field, scoring on an Arda Turan counter, plucked right out of the Landon Donovan playbook.
b) The U.S. defense, or at least the guys named Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and even Oguchi Onyewu are suddenly all major question marks.
c) The second half substitutions of Jose Franciso Torres for Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley at forward, moving Clint Dempsey back into the midfield for Benny Feilhaber changed the game.
d) The U.S. erased some doubts, built some goodwill ahead of the World Cup even if lingering questions remain.
e) For the second straight match of the "Send Off" series the U.S. played in front of a huge, pro American crowd. Awesome job Philadelphia.
To be a little different, my one big takeaway from Saturday is this, the "DADs" need to bring the (Wu-Tang endorsed) mother-fucking ruckus for the U.S. to have a chance to do anything memorable come the World Cup.
And by DADs* I mean:
Donovan
Alitdore
Dempsey
*Would you prefer ADD? Too many negative connotations.
Not to belabor a point, but those are the best three U.S. attackers. It's nearly impossible to argue any other way. Sure, Findley made a perfect "L1" (FIFA reference No. 4,213 for those keeping score at home) chipped ball over the top to Donovan, but El Landito still made the pass to Jozy to finish the move.
Jozy's nice juke in the box did create the only first half chance for the U.S.
And it was Donovan's nice diagonal overhead pass Dempsey cashed in that sealed a much-needed (from a morale standpoint) victory for the U.S. heading into South Africa.
Considering the rocky state of the defense, and it's continual inability to close down space, the U.S. will need goals since it's hard to envision many cleansheets for the hard-working Tim Howard.
Admittedly, in this day-and-age of information overload, saying the best players need to play their best for the U.S. succeed isn't exactly going out on a limb, but sometimes the simplest answer is what you need.
Knee-jerk reactions:
* Spector looked, unfortunately, like the player who was all out of sorts at the end of the year for West Ham. It's too bad, he made a great run forward -- didn't do anything but lose the ball -- then got caught way out of position for Turan to beat Howard. Steve Cherundolo took a big step toward starting today. Let's leave it at that.
* Didn't get a great feel for Onyewu today. Maybe the best way for the U.S. to help the defense from being exposed is to play more of a possession game.
* Too bad the U.S. were run off the field so badly in the first half, didn't get a lot of chances to see Alitdore and Dempsey partner up at forward aside from that late burst before the half. The Australia game next Saturday will be telling on this front. (Surprised Bradley the Elder didn't hide much, he showed what the U.S. had today, for better -- the second half -- or worse -- the tortuous first 45 minutes.
* Ricardo Clark is trash. Garbage. Detritus.**
Wait, did you read the title? These are knee-jerk reactions. The team certainly looked better with Torres in Clark's space, considering the ex-Dynamo midfielder didn't distribute or play much of a disruptive force. It was telling, perhaps, that Bob Bradley went to Torres -- more of a passer -- than Maurice Edu. Is it because Edu has a similar box-to-box skillset as Bradley the Younger?
** Felt bad knocking Clark, even if it was trying to be a little too sarcastic. Rico's been quite solid during his stint with the U.S. Thought it would be funny to point out how all it takes is one bad game for the venom to spew out.
* Torres does have a nice first touch and can play the quick one-touch passing game. You have to wonder though, can his small size hold up against the large physical midfield of England? Working in his favor is that he's got to be a player that Fabio Capello and his players aren't all that familiar with since he plays in Mexico.
* For 45 minutes Findley made the Elder look like a genius, didn't he? I don't want to be that guy, but let's not jump to too many conclusions here. Findley does have nice change-of-pace ability, but after today England, et al, certainly are more aware of him and won't give him as much time on the ball. Let's call it cautiously optimistic.
* Why did the lights go out for Turkey in the second half? Fatigue? The fear of Guus? Or did the U.S. simply play that much better. Hiddink should have plenty of talent to work with ahead of Euro 2012.
* On that note, did Bradley the Elder borrow Sir Alex Ferguson's magic "hair dryer" at halftime? Flip a switch?
* The best part about the full time whistle, beside the U.S. win, it stopped John Harkes gums from flapping. If they ever bring back Micro Machines, he's your pitchman.
Final thought:
In the beating a dead horse department, the final word goes to be my dad today:
"Hey Mike, who's that guy I don't like? The guy in that Something about Mary movie? Ben Stiller? Bornstein reminds me of him playing soccer. ... Every time you think we make a step forward, we take two back."
Apologies if you already read it on Twitter. It had me in stitches.
[Yes, I broke my self-imposed blogging embargo. Couldn't help myself.]
They've never known life were it was actively difficult to find anything of quality to read about the world's game, or specifically in this case, the U.S. National Team.
Nowadays, everywhere you turn on the 'Nets, there's somebody offering their opinion and breakdown. What's great about this, is it offers a wide-ranging opinion and plenty of open discourse and debate.
Okay, this might not be a great thing if your name is Jonathan Bornstein, but I digress.
Anyhows, when ESPN completes its broadcast of Saturday's 2-1 win by the U.S. over Turkey in Philadelphia with Bob Ley asking Alexi Lalas what needs work, and the former international defender says, "who's playing forward" we can take to the Inter-webs and debate the more pertinent questions of the day, namely what's going on with the defense?
Having said all that, Saturday's game was about as clear cut from a breakdown standpoint as we've seen in a looooooog time, especially the 'tale of two halves' storyline.
a) The first half was an abomination, as the Turks nearly ran them off the field, scoring on an Arda Turan counter, plucked right out of the Landon Donovan playbook.
b) The U.S. defense, or at least the guys named Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and even Oguchi Onyewu are suddenly all major question marks.
c) The second half substitutions of Jose Franciso Torres for Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley at forward, moving Clint Dempsey back into the midfield for Benny Feilhaber changed the game.
d) The U.S. erased some doubts, built some goodwill ahead of the World Cup even if lingering questions remain.
e) For the second straight match of the "Send Off" series the U.S. played in front of a huge, pro American crowd. Awesome job Philadelphia.
To be a little different, my one big takeaway from Saturday is this, the "DADs" need to bring the (Wu-Tang endorsed) mother-fucking ruckus for the U.S. to have a chance to do anything memorable come the World Cup.
And by DADs* I mean:
Donovan
Alitdore
Dempsey
*Would you prefer ADD? Too many negative connotations.
Not to belabor a point, but those are the best three U.S. attackers. It's nearly impossible to argue any other way. Sure, Findley made a perfect "L1" (FIFA reference No. 4,213 for those keeping score at home) chipped ball over the top to Donovan, but El Landito still made the pass to Jozy to finish the move.
Jozy's nice juke in the box did create the only first half chance for the U.S.
And it was Donovan's nice diagonal overhead pass Dempsey cashed in that sealed a much-needed (from a morale standpoint) victory for the U.S. heading into South Africa.
Considering the rocky state of the defense, and it's continual inability to close down space, the U.S. will need goals since it's hard to envision many cleansheets for the hard-working Tim Howard.
Admittedly, in this day-and-age of information overload, saying the best players need to play their best for the U.S. succeed isn't exactly going out on a limb, but sometimes the simplest answer is what you need.
Knee-jerk reactions:
* Spector looked, unfortunately, like the player who was all out of sorts at the end of the year for West Ham. It's too bad, he made a great run forward -- didn't do anything but lose the ball -- then got caught way out of position for Turan to beat Howard. Steve Cherundolo took a big step toward starting today. Let's leave it at that.
* Didn't get a great feel for Onyewu today. Maybe the best way for the U.S. to help the defense from being exposed is to play more of a possession game.
* Too bad the U.S. were run off the field so badly in the first half, didn't get a lot of chances to see Alitdore and Dempsey partner up at forward aside from that late burst before the half. The Australia game next Saturday will be telling on this front. (Surprised Bradley the Elder didn't hide much, he showed what the U.S. had today, for better -- the second half -- or worse -- the tortuous first 45 minutes.
* Ricardo Clark is trash. Garbage. Detritus.**
Wait, did you read the title? These are knee-jerk reactions. The team certainly looked better with Torres in Clark's space, considering the ex-Dynamo midfielder didn't distribute or play much of a disruptive force. It was telling, perhaps, that Bob Bradley went to Torres -- more of a passer -- than Maurice Edu. Is it because Edu has a similar box-to-box skillset as Bradley the Younger?
** Felt bad knocking Clark, even if it was trying to be a little too sarcastic. Rico's been quite solid during his stint with the U.S. Thought it would be funny to point out how all it takes is one bad game for the venom to spew out.
* Torres does have a nice first touch and can play the quick one-touch passing game. You have to wonder though, can his small size hold up against the large physical midfield of England? Working in his favor is that he's got to be a player that Fabio Capello and his players aren't all that familiar with since he plays in Mexico.
* For 45 minutes Findley made the Elder look like a genius, didn't he? I don't want to be that guy, but let's not jump to too many conclusions here. Findley does have nice change-of-pace ability, but after today England, et al, certainly are more aware of him and won't give him as much time on the ball. Let's call it cautiously optimistic.
* Why did the lights go out for Turkey in the second half? Fatigue? The fear of Guus? Or did the U.S. simply play that much better. Hiddink should have plenty of talent to work with ahead of Euro 2012.
* On that note, did Bradley the Elder borrow Sir Alex Ferguson's magic "hair dryer" at halftime? Flip a switch?
* The best part about the full time whistle, beside the U.S. win, it stopped John Harkes gums from flapping. If they ever bring back Micro Machines, he's your pitchman.
Final thought:
In the beating a dead horse department, the final word goes to be my dad today:
"Hey Mike, who's that guy I don't like? The guy in that Something about Mary movie? Ben Stiller? Bornstein reminds me of him playing soccer. ... Every time you think we make a step forward, we take two back."
Apologies if you already read it on Twitter. It had me in stitches.
[Yes, I broke my self-imposed blogging embargo. Couldn't help myself.]
Labels: 2010 world cup, bob bradley, DAD, Friendlies, oguchi onyewu, robbie findley, Soccer, USMNT
Part of the fun of taking so much of my free time to write this here little ol' blog-a-rooni is reading the comments people attach to posts. Often times it makes me want to go back and re-write my entire post since the poster is coming from such a nice angle or tangent I've never even considered ... making me look like a bigger idiot than usual.
One guy who always comes off as the voice of reason goes by the tag, "Lokibeat." Always been curious to the genesis of such a name. Is the Nordic god in play? Is he a drummer? A mystery I like to keep continuous, like much of the storylines and mythology from "Lost."
In wake of the U.S. roster announcement on Wendesday Lokibeat make the most cromulent, accurate point in a while:
At this point we can talk, speculate and break it down all we want. It means nothing.
We're going to see for ourselves how the USMNT and the other 31 competing nations will fare this June and July in a matter of days.
In the case of Bob Bradley and the U.S., the die is cast. The 23 are the 23.
Maybe the perfect combination of players is in there? Maybe it isn't. We're about to find out. It's put up or shut up time. Round of 16 or bust!
Right or wrong, Bradley has something in mind for this team -- calling in NBA legend Bill Russell to speak with the team is a big hint toward cracking through Bradley's guarded thought process.*
* Part of me wonders, if a journo asked Bradley the Elder what he ate from breakfast what would the answer simply be saying eggs, whole wheat toast and black coffee? Or would be something like, "there's a whole process into the first meal of the day, you want protein, but we do so much running you also need carbs. Our training staff does a great job handling those things. You'd have to ask them."
This brings us to Saturday's friendly in Philadelphia vs. Turkey?
I'm going in tabla rasa. Let's see what we got. Win or lose, show something.
The result, well, that doesn't matter. The games that actually do count are near enough. Just don't waste our time and effort on those. Even in my newfound zen-like Jack Sheppard state, another 4-2 loss would be tough to stomach.**
** Remember in 2006 in the "Send-Off" series, the U.S. lost to Morocco 1-0 in Nashville, then unimpressively beat Latvia 1-0 in East Hartford. Should we have made a bigger deal of this? Do results this close to the Cup matter?
At this point in the game I'm open to anything. With the way the U.S. defensive line looks, it's time to get to the drawing board and hoping upon hope the right lineup sees the field vs. England, Slovenia and Algeria.
Yeah, a couple months ago we all thought the U.S. had three, if not four of its places locked in. We all assumed and wrote down the names Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit and Spector and figured that was that. The only worry was Bradley's irrational insistence on playing Jonathan Bornstein, who may not get the warmest reception in Philly if the tweets from my buddy "The Rev" are to believed.
Turns out with the injuries to Onyewu (and maybe secretly Bocanegra) and the completely unsettled situation at left back, anything is now in play. Is this a great scenario? Nope, but it's the reality facing the U.S. two weeks before the Cup.
And is this worth losing sleep over?
If you're Bradley, yes, everyone else? No.
Whatever combination the U.S. rolls out, chances are we'll be watching hoping the opponent has an off shooting night and or the American defense holds fast for 90 minutes of white knuckle soccer.
Then again, this is probably only realistic against England, since the Three Lions are the only team that figures to dominate the ball and take the game to the U.S. from the opening whistle. ... we think. At this point in the World Cup game, maybe we the only thing to assume is we don't know anything. Coaches are simply not showing their hands. (More on that in a sec.)
Back to Turkey.
If the U.S. light up the Turks 4-0 will it effect June 12 in Rustenberg? Or vice versa?
Or how about looking at where we currently stand with the USMNT this way.
It's like we've waited in line for a long roller coaster at an amusement park. The wait, that was the last four years. That's when we had the time to think about things, to speculate about the twists and turns awaiting us at the end of the line, or in this case South Africa.
Right now, we're getting into the car and the safety restraints are in the process of being lowered on top of us and locking in.
There is no turning back at this point.
The only thing left to ponder is if the ride ends on June 23 vs. Algeria, or will it make it to the next loop-de-loop or corkscrew turn?
Three thoughts on the game:
* Part of me thinks, that Bradley the Elder and Fabio Capello are staging a decent trans-Atlantic chess match, or at least Bradley is playing a one-way version vs. himself. (Computerbrain scenario?)
It's doubtful Bradley wants to show anything concrete to Capello and his staff ahead of the June 12 match. In this day-and-age of scouting, online streaming and everything else, it's nearly impossible to be deceptive on the International stage.
That's something I thought about a couple weeks ago toward Robbie Findley, who is still basically an unknown internationally. Perhaps that helped tilt the die in his favor on Wednesday.
So if Clint Dempsey lines up starting at right midfield, it doesn't necessarily mean he won't be a striker at the World Cup.
That said, if DaMarcus Beasley starts at left back, it probably means he may start there in the World Cup. There's cloaking your true actions and then there's seeing if a guy can play a position. Not sure we need Eddie Lewis redux, however.
If you could hold your cards closer to the vest, Bradley would find a way. The final 23 Bradley chose does have plenty of versatility, with Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector and Beasley all capable of playing multiple positions on the field.
* One thing you can look at in this match is combination plays. How two or three guys click together. Namely, how the central midfield of Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark or Edu play. These guys haven't had too much time on the field together the last few months. Considering the way Bradley works, assuming these guys will pair up in the center of the midfield might be silly anyway.
The other combo to keep an eye on is Jozy Altidore and whomever he pairs with at striker. Is it Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle? *** Is it possibly Robbie Findley? Is it neither? It's worth remembering that at the end of the season at Hull City when Altidore did find the field he usually played a little further away from goal, playing of Jan Venegoor of Hesselink, or another forward. Jozy seemed to be at his best operating in pockets at either edge of the penalty area.
*** Yikes, just typing that line makes me want to shout out like David Byrne, "HOW DID I GET HERE???!!!"
A positive the U.S. possesses is that throughout his career Donovan has made whoever is around him look a whole lot better. That works heavily in the favor of his Galaxy teammate Buddle.
* The defense. It's a patchwork jigsaw puzzle at this point, isn't it? Ideally you wouldn't want to be experimenting with your presumed back four two weeks ahead of the World Cup, but that's where the U.S. finds itself.
Can Oguchi Onyewu withstand a second game in four days, looking rusty and out-of-form Tuesday vs. the Czechs? Is it time to audition Clarence Goodson along Jay DeMerit or Carlos Bocanegra. Could Jonathan Spector move inside considering Steve Cherundolo seems like the only defender you can confidently pencil into a position (right back) and feel good about it?
Who knows? Probably not even the Elder, and it's not like he's about to tip his hand.
Turkey did bring it's A-team across the Atlantic, so players like Nihat, Semih Şentürk, Arda Turan, the Altintop bros. and the one, the only Kâzım Kâzım ought to push the U.S. defense. Considering what we saw at the last Euro, Turkey doesn't know how to take it easy, even if the game means nothing for them. They want to impress Guus before he takes over in August. (Turkey missed the World Cup, but the Turkish Super Lig is fairly well represented.)
Not to milk another "Lost" reference, but right now the U.S. seems like the end of season one with Jack and Locke staring down at the hatch -- or the unknown. During the following summer speculation was rampant about just what was down in the hole. Was it good? Or bad?
The U.S. defense? There's a lot down in that hole. The right way to configure it? Well, that might include a whole lot of duct tape.
Lineup guess:
Might be better of buying a lotto ticket.
GK -- Howard
DEF -- Cherundolo -- Goodson -- Bocanegra -- Spector
MID -- Dempsey -- Clark -- Bradley -- Donovan
FOR -- Altidore -- Buddle (prepping Gomez as super-sub)
Subs: Safe bets, Edu, Holden, Gomez, Beasley and probably Benny Feilhaber see the field. Jay DeMerit may get a half one way or the other for Goodson.
Not sure where Gooch fits in, but does anyone?
Tim Howard has to start, too, needing game time to mesh with the patchwork defense.
House cleaning:
After today there's a good chance I'll be secluding myself in the west wing and working on my overly ambitious overall World Cup preview.
I might not even recap the game. I'll leave you guys to comment away and carry the discussion. Frankly, in the last four years I've written and said my peace.
Do you really need to read me hammering down the same point after point? And who wants to waste their Memorial Day weekend on the Internet complaining about the U.S. National Team, right?
So unless Servet Çetin bear hugs Jozy Altidore and breaks his rib, or something cataclysmic happens, it'll be radio silence except for a Tweet here or there.
Hopefully this self imposed break for the big preview will be worth it.
My brain can't take being tethered to the Internet at all hours much longer.
One guy who always comes off as the voice of reason goes by the tag, "Lokibeat." Always been curious to the genesis of such a name. Is the Nordic god in play? Is he a drummer? A mystery I like to keep continuous, like much of the storylines and mythology from "Lost."
In wake of the U.S. roster announcement on Wendesday Lokibeat make the most cromulent, accurate point in a while:
"Is it June 12 yet?"
At this point we can talk, speculate and break it down all we want. It means nothing.
We're going to see for ourselves how the USMNT and the other 31 competing nations will fare this June and July in a matter of days.
In the case of Bob Bradley and the U.S., the die is cast. The 23 are the 23.
Maybe the perfect combination of players is in there? Maybe it isn't. We're about to find out. It's put up or shut up time. Round of 16 or bust!
Right or wrong, Bradley has something in mind for this team -- calling in NBA legend Bill Russell to speak with the team is a big hint toward cracking through Bradley's guarded thought process.*
* Part of me wonders, if a journo asked Bradley the Elder what he ate from breakfast what would the answer simply be saying eggs, whole wheat toast and black coffee? Or would be something like, "there's a whole process into the first meal of the day, you want protein, but we do so much running you also need carbs. Our training staff does a great job handling those things. You'd have to ask them."
This brings us to Saturday's friendly in Philadelphia vs. Turkey?
I'm going in tabla rasa. Let's see what we got. Win or lose, show something.
The result, well, that doesn't matter. The games that actually do count are near enough. Just don't waste our time and effort on those. Even in my newfound zen-like Jack Sheppard state, another 4-2 loss would be tough to stomach.**
** Remember in 2006 in the "Send-Off" series, the U.S. lost to Morocco 1-0 in Nashville, then unimpressively beat Latvia 1-0 in East Hartford. Should we have made a bigger deal of this? Do results this close to the Cup matter?
At this point in the game I'm open to anything. With the way the U.S. defensive line looks, it's time to get to the drawing board and hoping upon hope the right lineup sees the field vs. England, Slovenia and Algeria.
Yeah, a couple months ago we all thought the U.S. had three, if not four of its places locked in. We all assumed and wrote down the names Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit and Spector and figured that was that. The only worry was Bradley's irrational insistence on playing Jonathan Bornstein, who may not get the warmest reception in Philly if the tweets from my buddy "The Rev" are to believed.
Turns out with the injuries to Onyewu (and maybe secretly Bocanegra) and the completely unsettled situation at left back, anything is now in play. Is this a great scenario? Nope, but it's the reality facing the U.S. two weeks before the Cup.
And is this worth losing sleep over?
If you're Bradley, yes, everyone else? No.
Whatever combination the U.S. rolls out, chances are we'll be watching hoping the opponent has an off shooting night and or the American defense holds fast for 90 minutes of white knuckle soccer.
Then again, this is probably only realistic against England, since the Three Lions are the only team that figures to dominate the ball and take the game to the U.S. from the opening whistle. ... we think. At this point in the World Cup game, maybe we the only thing to assume is we don't know anything. Coaches are simply not showing their hands. (More on that in a sec.)
Back to Turkey.
If the U.S. light up the Turks 4-0 will it effect June 12 in Rustenberg? Or vice versa?
Or how about looking at where we currently stand with the USMNT this way.
It's like we've waited in line for a long roller coaster at an amusement park. The wait, that was the last four years. That's when we had the time to think about things, to speculate about the twists and turns awaiting us at the end of the line, or in this case South Africa.
Right now, we're getting into the car and the safety restraints are in the process of being lowered on top of us and locking in.
There is no turning back at this point.
The only thing left to ponder is if the ride ends on June 23 vs. Algeria, or will it make it to the next loop-de-loop or corkscrew turn?
Three thoughts on the game:
* Part of me thinks, that Bradley the Elder and Fabio Capello are staging a decent trans-Atlantic chess match, or at least Bradley is playing a one-way version vs. himself. (Computerbrain scenario?)
It's doubtful Bradley wants to show anything concrete to Capello and his staff ahead of the June 12 match. In this day-and-age of scouting, online streaming and everything else, it's nearly impossible to be deceptive on the International stage.
That's something I thought about a couple weeks ago toward Robbie Findley, who is still basically an unknown internationally. Perhaps that helped tilt the die in his favor on Wednesday.
So if Clint Dempsey lines up starting at right midfield, it doesn't necessarily mean he won't be a striker at the World Cup.
That said, if DaMarcus Beasley starts at left back, it probably means he may start there in the World Cup. There's cloaking your true actions and then there's seeing if a guy can play a position. Not sure we need Eddie Lewis redux, however.
If you could hold your cards closer to the vest, Bradley would find a way. The final 23 Bradley chose does have plenty of versatility, with Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Benny Feilhaber, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector and Beasley all capable of playing multiple positions on the field.
* One thing you can look at in this match is combination plays. How two or three guys click together. Namely, how the central midfield of Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark or Edu play. These guys haven't had too much time on the field together the last few months. Considering the way Bradley works, assuming these guys will pair up in the center of the midfield might be silly anyway.
The other combo to keep an eye on is Jozy Altidore and whomever he pairs with at striker. Is it Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle? *** Is it possibly Robbie Findley? Is it neither? It's worth remembering that at the end of the season at Hull City when Altidore did find the field he usually played a little further away from goal, playing of Jan Venegoor of Hesselink, or another forward. Jozy seemed to be at his best operating in pockets at either edge of the penalty area.
*** Yikes, just typing that line makes me want to shout out like David Byrne, "HOW DID I GET HERE???!!!"
A positive the U.S. possesses is that throughout his career Donovan has made whoever is around him look a whole lot better. That works heavily in the favor of his Galaxy teammate Buddle.
* The defense. It's a patchwork jigsaw puzzle at this point, isn't it? Ideally you wouldn't want to be experimenting with your presumed back four two weeks ahead of the World Cup, but that's where the U.S. finds itself.
Can Oguchi Onyewu withstand a second game in four days, looking rusty and out-of-form Tuesday vs. the Czechs? Is it time to audition Clarence Goodson along Jay DeMerit or Carlos Bocanegra. Could Jonathan Spector move inside considering Steve Cherundolo seems like the only defender you can confidently pencil into a position (right back) and feel good about it?
Who knows? Probably not even the Elder, and it's not like he's about to tip his hand.
Turkey did bring it's A-team across the Atlantic, so players like Nihat, Semih Şentürk, Arda Turan, the Altintop bros. and the one, the only Kâzım Kâzım ought to push the U.S. defense. Considering what we saw at the last Euro, Turkey doesn't know how to take it easy, even if the game means nothing for them. They want to impress Guus before he takes over in August. (Turkey missed the World Cup, but the Turkish Super Lig is fairly well represented.)
Not to milk another "Lost" reference, but right now the U.S. seems like the end of season one with Jack and Locke staring down at the hatch -- or the unknown. During the following summer speculation was rampant about just what was down in the hole. Was it good? Or bad?
The U.S. defense? There's a lot down in that hole. The right way to configure it? Well, that might include a whole lot of duct tape.
Lineup guess:
Might be better of buying a lotto ticket.
GK -- Howard
DEF -- Cherundolo -- Goodson -- Bocanegra -- Spector
MID -- Dempsey -- Clark -- Bradley -- Donovan
FOR -- Altidore -- Buddle (prepping Gomez as super-sub)
Subs: Safe bets, Edu, Holden, Gomez, Beasley and probably Benny Feilhaber see the field. Jay DeMerit may get a half one way or the other for Goodson.
Not sure where Gooch fits in, but does anyone?
Tim Howard has to start, too, needing game time to mesh with the patchwork defense.
House cleaning:
After today there's a good chance I'll be secluding myself in the west wing and working on my overly ambitious overall World Cup preview.
I might not even recap the game. I'll leave you guys to comment away and carry the discussion. Frankly, in the last four years I've written and said my peace.
Do you really need to read me hammering down the same point after point? And who wants to waste their Memorial Day weekend on the Internet complaining about the U.S. National Team, right?
So unless Servet Çetin bear hugs Jozy Altidore and breaks his rib, or something cataclysmic happens, it'll be radio silence except for a Tweet here or there.
Hopefully this self imposed break for the big preview will be worth it.
My brain can't take being tethered to the Internet at all hours much longer.
Labels: 2010 world cup, cleaning house, Soccer, USMNT
Quick -- who was the last cut for the 2006 World Cup?
Take your time, really. Mull it over. Google. Bing. Wiki.
And the answer is?
Steve Ralston? Taylor Twellman?
Can't imagine in the days before the Tweeter and the overall social media explosion that people seemed that upset over the decision of Bruce Arena. Sure it was talked about, but the instant knee-jerk reaction wasn't there.
In fact, the one famous U.S. World Cup roster cut story goes back to 1994 when Jeff Agoos burned his uniform after being snubbed.
Today, though, is it that hard to get worked up that Robbie Findley gets the final ticket on the plane to South Africa over Brian Ching? Isn't Ching the same guy that infuriated many quarters of the Internet-based U.S. soccer fan for his inability to score against top level international competition?
Or ask yourself this, is the U.S. winning or losing in South Africa based on what Findley will do or Ching would have done?
That seems to be basically the only talking point to arise from Wednesday afternoon's announcement on the ESPN "campus" in Bristol, Conn.* Nobody seems to be spilling any tears that Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Johnson, Robbie Rogers, Chad Marshall, Heath Pearce and Alejandro Bedoya will have to watch the Cup from the couches like us slobs.
* Crazy the team was in track jackets and jeans, it's 90-odd degrees today in Connecticut. I'm stewing in my own juices here.
Maybe it's simply because Findley hasn't shown anything in his brief apperances for the USMNT. Or that he's not playing in MLS. Or that he didn't even make the field last night against the Czechs.
At least Findley, in theory, brings speed to the table, while Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez are more traditional, straightforward finishers/goal scorers. And when you boil it down, what's the over/under on minutes for Findley in South Africa? 15?
Nobody likes the word "upside", but Findley brings a lot more potential than Ching.
Considering how good Stuart Holden looked, the chances are we're getting Clint Dempsey in a withdrawn striker position behind Altidore anyway.
Can't feel too bad for Ching, either. He did make the final 23 for 2006, so he's been to a World Cup in his lifetime. Sure he worked hard and put his body on the line, but it simply wouldn't be good enough in 2010.
If anything, the entire roster process showed that the U.S. despite many positive strides in all areas of soccer still hasn't accrued tangible depth. For the 60-70 odd players who Bob Bradley has camped, he was really left with a core about right around 18 players.
The U.S. is not Brazil, England or Germany were big-time players are being left at home.
Instead the U.S. is left needing it's true "core" of "star" players of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley to all play better than average for the team to have a chance.
Wednesday there weren't many surprises. Those moves (Charlie Davies, Freddy Adu) came a couple weeks ago. Today it was more about "six of these, half-a-dozen of another."
Now that the roster is picked, let's see if this team can pull its suddenly very shaky defense together and find a way to get out of Group C. You know, the real business at hand.
Couple other things:
* It's only one game, but Onyewu looked rusty, old and slow Tuesday night. (The neck beard isn't helping things on those fronts.) If Bradley took the risk and included Onyewu, it further illustrates how injured Davies probably still was.
* Interesting to see how Bradley plays the Turkey match this weekend. Does he experiment with a Bocanegra-Goodson-DeMerit-Spector backline, or some variation, or does he give Onyewu another game. I tend to doubt Bradley pushes Onyewu with another match in such a short span of time considering he hadn't played since October.
* Jonathan Bornstein. Well, he does serve one purpose, taking the heat off all the other 22 players since he's universally derided by U.S. fans. Maybe we ought to start calling him "Sponge Born."
In a way, Bornstein is the anti-Adu. For the Elder he can do no wrong, while Freddy could do nothing right.
Let's hope that the Elder's irrational affection for his former Chivas USA player doesn't come back to bite the team in South Africa. The England backs and wings must be licking their chops.
As crazy as it sounds, I might feel safer, if he's GOT to play, with Bornstein as a center back as opposed out on the left. Out wide he gets caught out of position so often, he's giving away free kicks in dangerous spots, and or heading it toward goal. Maybe in the middle he's less exposed, but trouble seems to find him wherever the U.S. tries to hide him, like a Major League slugger who can't cover any ground in the outfield. Of course, Bornstein unlike the slugger, doesn't have the apparent upside of a three-run homer in his back pocket.
* Is it a trade-off that Bornstein is in, and Eddie Johnson is out? Thanks for the memories Eddie. If the Dharma Initiative ever screws up the space-time continuum and it's 2005 again, I'll be sure to call you.
* On Monday I used my "day job" to get a credential to the practice. For whatever it's worth, Ching -- the supposed "target forward" didn't look all that big standing two feet away. Meanwhile, Jozy is huge. Just huge. Like a squished down version of Dwight Howard.
* To me, not an issue that Buddle and Gomez made the team, coming from "nowhere" a month ago. They're in form and have a nose for goal. Could come in handy off the bench.
* We'll talk more about tactics and this team going forward Friday.
Three Hartford Leftovers:
* Not sure it made the telecast, but a kid ran onto the field and made it all the way across and climbed back into the stands before being arrested. And no, Bornstein didn't tackle him. Kid might have gotten the biggest cheers of the night.
* Lot of U.S. fan "mongos" in the building, i.e. painted faces, fake wigs, costumes, the whole nine. Very passionate crowd, but hard to get anything going beyond the "U-S-A" chant. Best thing about the crowd, it skewed to the under-30 demographic. So these are basically people who've grown up with access to the game.
Still, not an empty seat in the house. Hope they're back to East Hartford soon.
* Jurgen Klinsman doesn't like to wear his sport coat.
Take your time, really. Mull it over. Google. Bing. Wiki.
And the answer is?
Steve Ralston? Taylor Twellman?
Can't imagine in the days before the Tweeter and the overall social media explosion that people seemed that upset over the decision of Bruce Arena. Sure it was talked about, but the instant knee-jerk reaction wasn't there.
In fact, the one famous U.S. World Cup roster cut story goes back to 1994 when Jeff Agoos burned his uniform after being snubbed.
Today, though, is it that hard to get worked up that Robbie Findley gets the final ticket on the plane to South Africa over Brian Ching? Isn't Ching the same guy that infuriated many quarters of the Internet-based U.S. soccer fan for his inability to score against top level international competition?
Or ask yourself this, is the U.S. winning or losing in South Africa based on what Findley will do or Ching would have done?
That seems to be basically the only talking point to arise from Wednesday afternoon's announcement on the ESPN "campus" in Bristol, Conn.* Nobody seems to be spilling any tears that Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Johnson, Robbie Rogers, Chad Marshall, Heath Pearce and Alejandro Bedoya will have to watch the Cup from the couches like us slobs.
* Crazy the team was in track jackets and jeans, it's 90-odd degrees today in Connecticut. I'm stewing in my own juices here.
Maybe it's simply because Findley hasn't shown anything in his brief apperances for the USMNT. Or that he's not playing in MLS. Or that he didn't even make the field last night against the Czechs.
At least Findley, in theory, brings speed to the table, while Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez are more traditional, straightforward finishers/goal scorers. And when you boil it down, what's the over/under on minutes for Findley in South Africa? 15?
Nobody likes the word "upside", but Findley brings a lot more potential than Ching.
Considering how good Stuart Holden looked, the chances are we're getting Clint Dempsey in a withdrawn striker position behind Altidore anyway.
Can't feel too bad for Ching, either. He did make the final 23 for 2006, so he's been to a World Cup in his lifetime. Sure he worked hard and put his body on the line, but it simply wouldn't be good enough in 2010.
If anything, the entire roster process showed that the U.S. despite many positive strides in all areas of soccer still hasn't accrued tangible depth. For the 60-70 odd players who Bob Bradley has camped, he was really left with a core about right around 18 players.
The U.S. is not Brazil, England or Germany were big-time players are being left at home.
Instead the U.S. is left needing it's true "core" of "star" players of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley to all play better than average for the team to have a chance.
Wednesday there weren't many surprises. Those moves (Charlie Davies, Freddy Adu) came a couple weeks ago. Today it was more about "six of these, half-a-dozen of another."
Now that the roster is picked, let's see if this team can pull its suddenly very shaky defense together and find a way to get out of Group C. You know, the real business at hand.
Couple other things:
* It's only one game, but Onyewu looked rusty, old and slow Tuesday night. (The neck beard isn't helping things on those fronts.) If Bradley took the risk and included Onyewu, it further illustrates how injured Davies probably still was.
* Interesting to see how Bradley plays the Turkey match this weekend. Does he experiment with a Bocanegra-Goodson-DeMerit-Spector backline, or some variation, or does he give Onyewu another game. I tend to doubt Bradley pushes Onyewu with another match in such a short span of time considering he hadn't played since October.
* Jonathan Bornstein. Well, he does serve one purpose, taking the heat off all the other 22 players since he's universally derided by U.S. fans. Maybe we ought to start calling him "Sponge Born."
In a way, Bornstein is the anti-Adu. For the Elder he can do no wrong, while Freddy could do nothing right.
Let's hope that the Elder's irrational affection for his former Chivas USA player doesn't come back to bite the team in South Africa. The England backs and wings must be licking their chops.
As crazy as it sounds, I might feel safer, if he's GOT to play, with Bornstein as a center back as opposed out on the left. Out wide he gets caught out of position so often, he's giving away free kicks in dangerous spots, and or heading it toward goal. Maybe in the middle he's less exposed, but trouble seems to find him wherever the U.S. tries to hide him, like a Major League slugger who can't cover any ground in the outfield. Of course, Bornstein unlike the slugger, doesn't have the apparent upside of a three-run homer in his back pocket.
* Is it a trade-off that Bornstein is in, and Eddie Johnson is out? Thanks for the memories Eddie. If the Dharma Initiative ever screws up the space-time continuum and it's 2005 again, I'll be sure to call you.
* On Monday I used my "day job" to get a credential to the practice. For whatever it's worth, Ching -- the supposed "target forward" didn't look all that big standing two feet away. Meanwhile, Jozy is huge. Just huge. Like a squished down version of Dwight Howard.
* To me, not an issue that Buddle and Gomez made the team, coming from "nowhere" a month ago. They're in form and have a nose for goal. Could come in handy off the bench.
* We'll talk more about tactics and this team going forward Friday.
Three Hartford Leftovers:
* Not sure it made the telecast, but a kid ran onto the field and made it all the way across and climbed back into the stands before being arrested. And no, Bornstein didn't tackle him. Kid might have gotten the biggest cheers of the night.
* Lot of U.S. fan "mongos" in the building, i.e. painted faces, fake wigs, costumes, the whole nine. Very passionate crowd, but hard to get anything going beyond the "U-S-A" chant. Best thing about the crowd, it skewed to the under-30 demographic. So these are basically people who've grown up with access to the game.
Still, not an empty seat in the house. Hope they're back to East Hartford soon.
* Jurgen Klinsman doesn't like to wear his sport coat.
Labels: 2010 world cup, bob bradley, jonathan bornstein, oguchi onyewu, Soccer, USMNT
"Czech Re-public (clap, clap, clap clap clap)" -- Ten year old kid behind me last night at Rentschler Field for the USMNT's forgettable 4-2 loss to the dreaded Czechs.
If I had a lot more unchecked rage inside me, I probably would have turned around and threatened this kid to shut the hell up. Yeah, he and his friends were just having a laugh and it's hard to imagine they were really rooting for the Czechs, but still how dare you kid, how dare you.
How dare you root, even in jest, for the team that gave me one of the worst days of my life four years ago in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Tuesday night I was in the proverbial building to watch the U.S. once again lose to the Czech Menace, dropping their (and my) mark to 0-2 overall. Amazingly enough, pretty much with the same vantage point in East Hartford at Rentschler Stadium as I was at the Arena Auf Schalke four years ago -- slightly to the right behind the goal.
Unlike that similarly hot and humid day in Western Germany, when I looked straight ahead there wasn't a red-clad mod of fans bouncing up-and-down grimly chanting, "Czechski, Czechski."
Instead it was 36,000 flag waving Americans, in perhaps the most pro-U.S. crowd the USMNT has experienced in years. There were little kids with flags painted on their cheeks, teenage travel teams, grandparents and a whole lot of college-age kids coming to the realization that 90-degrees + sun + Natty Light = trouble.
And of course, thousands of people breaking out there favorite soccer jersey. Best one I spotted was a Luciano Becchio Leeds United blue away shirt. (The U.S. blue jerseys with the white sash, not feeling it. The whites are okay, though.)
It's too bad the U.S. gave this truly partisan crowd very little to cheer for.
But hey, it's hard to really get on Bob Bradley for resting his assured starters and giving the fringe players one last chance to impress, even though he ended up giving guys like Eddie Johnson and Sacha Kljestan just enough rope to hang themselves. Is the coach's job to entertain 40,000 fans in a game that means nothing? Or prepare the team for next month's World Cup?
Some of the local media, forgot this part of the equation, idiotically comparing it to a Spring Training Baseball game. Ugh.
Everything leading up to the game itself was fantastic, from the weather to the tailgating. Too bad once inside The Rent, the game turned into a pretty blah endeavor as the Czechs actually came to play and carved up the U.S. defense with pretty much ease. I hate to say it, but credit the Czechs, once they went behind on Maurice Edu's goal in the first 20 minutes, they could've packed it in. Instead the Czechs came to play, which probably benefited Bradley in the long run since he got to see guys play for 90 minutes against a competitive team.
Still, hearing that kid chanting and cheering for John Plasil, Petr Cech, et al rankled me to no end.
How though could he have known?
How could he realize he'd be sitting behind someone who was there to see the nadir of U.S. soccer this decade?
Oh well, at least he wasn't the kid sitting in front of me wearing the full Jonathan Bornstein kit.
What did Stealer's Wheel say, "Clowns to the left of me, joker's to the right? Here I am, stuck in the middle with you."
Quickee observations:
* Oguchi Onyewu looked rustier in person from 30 feet away than he probably did on television. I don't think it's crazy to start panicking or at least start thinking about the possibility of Clarence Goodson starting a World Cup game. This will no doubt be Bradley's hardest decision. Sure Gooch has built up tons of goodwill, but easing a guy back from knee surgery and dropping him right into the World Cup isn't exactly the path to success. You can't play the World Cup based on sentimentality.
Suffice to say, when the Czech guy leaped over Gooch for a headed goal, Jared Borgetti must have secretly smiled to himself.
* Bornstein? Here's really all I can say. He's not exactly an out-and-out bad player, he's just an "epic fail" waiting to happen at any moment. The way he heads balls clear simply seem to find an opponent. Maybe we're all just conditioned to magnify anything wrong Bornstein does, but a possible left side of defense of Bornstein and Onyewu is risky. World class players with technical skill carve Bornstein up like a tender filet.
That said, it wasn't like Heath Pearce tore up East Hartford either.
More-and-more it's looking like DaMarcus Beasley might be the best option at left back, assuming Bradley is reluctant to move Carlos Bocenegra there. Considering Onyewu's tenuous status, it may not be possible.
* I paid very careful attention to Goodson. One thing you probably didn't notice on television is that his long passes from the back were very precise and accurate. His big body is disruptive force on set pieces, too. At the same time, he played all 90 minutes and the team gave up four goals. As I mentioned in the preview on Monday, the U.S. defense is the biggest area of concern. We can't let shutting out Spain in the Confederations Cup last June blind us to this fact.
* Not sure if this was mentioned on television, but the U.S. second goal probably shouldn't have happened. A Czech player was down on the ground injured (very physical game for all 90 minutes) and Cech booted the ball out of bounds so he could get treatment. The U.S. didn't throw in and back to Cech or the Czechs, eventually winning a corner, which Herculez Gomez nodded in.
* Gomez had that one great chance at the top of the box, but he ripped it right at Cech, who (hate to say it) was the best thing about watching the match live in person. Sometime in the second half Robbie Rogers (surprisingly not horrible) cracked one from outside the box and Cech just dove to his left and plucked it was such ease. (Yes, I realize he was responsible for the first U.S. goal for his trademark flapping.)
* Gomez (aka Go-mazing or Kool Herc) did do one nice thing, a rarity sometimes for a U.S. forward, in that he actually took some chances and attacked the goal. Think he played his way onto the team. Let's hope he doesn't revert back to 2007 Copa America form.
* Edson Buddle and Eddie Johnson attacked at the far goal in the first half from me so it was hard to see what they did. Guess I didn't miss too much. Johnson isn't bringing much to the table, but Bradley seems to think one day he's going to snap out of it and become a force. Seems like a wasted roster spot, if he goes.
* Stuart Holden looked normal, no ill-effects from the Nigel De Jong leg break. Suppose it's easier to heal a broken bone than a torn ligament.
* Call me crazy, but if Tim Howard (knock on wood) got injured, I'd play Marcus Hahnemann over Guzan, who didn't do much to distinguish himself Tuesday.
* Even though the result was disappointing, hard to get very upset. You'd think the U.S. -- even with the lineup Tuesday -- could win a game where they went up 1-0 early and could assert themselves over an opponent with nothing to play for who was probably dreaming of a chance to fly to Miami and party for the rest of the week. It was however, typical U.S., good on set pieces, not much creativity from the center of the field and in an alarming trend, very shoddy defensive clearances and marking.
If the U.S. plays that way vs. Turkey, well, break out the knives.
Final roster guess:
Cheating since I've seen the stuff that Ching was spotted at Bradley Airport.
Goalkeepers (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahneman
Defenders (7): Bornstein (he's one of Bob's Guys, just hope he doesn't play); Bocanegra; Cherundolo; DeMerit; Goodson; Onyewu; Spector
Midfielders (10): Beasley; Bradley; Clark; Donovan; Dempsey; Edu; Feilhaber (odd he got the lock-starters treatment); Holden; Torres; Bedoya;
Forwards (3): Altidore; Gomez; Johnson.
You can probably afford to cut Pearce and move either Edu or Beasley into the defense in a pinch. It is surprising that Ching probably doesn't make it. Must not be 100 percent fit. Makes it look more likely Dempsey plays forward.
If I had a lot more unchecked rage inside me, I probably would have turned around and threatened this kid to shut the hell up. Yeah, he and his friends were just having a laugh and it's hard to imagine they were really rooting for the Czechs, but still how dare you kid, how dare you.
How dare you root, even in jest, for the team that gave me one of the worst days of my life four years ago in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Tuesday night I was in the proverbial building to watch the U.S. once again lose to the Czech Menace, dropping their (and my) mark to 0-2 overall. Amazingly enough, pretty much with the same vantage point in East Hartford at Rentschler Stadium as I was at the Arena Auf Schalke four years ago -- slightly to the right behind the goal.
Unlike that similarly hot and humid day in Western Germany, when I looked straight ahead there wasn't a red-clad mod of fans bouncing up-and-down grimly chanting, "Czechski, Czechski."
Instead it was 36,000 flag waving Americans, in perhaps the most pro-U.S. crowd the USMNT has experienced in years. There were little kids with flags painted on their cheeks, teenage travel teams, grandparents and a whole lot of college-age kids coming to the realization that 90-degrees + sun + Natty Light = trouble.
And of course, thousands of people breaking out there favorite soccer jersey. Best one I spotted was a Luciano Becchio Leeds United blue away shirt. (The U.S. blue jerseys with the white sash, not feeling it. The whites are okay, though.)
It's too bad the U.S. gave this truly partisan crowd very little to cheer for.
But hey, it's hard to really get on Bob Bradley for resting his assured starters and giving the fringe players one last chance to impress, even though he ended up giving guys like Eddie Johnson and Sacha Kljestan just enough rope to hang themselves. Is the coach's job to entertain 40,000 fans in a game that means nothing? Or prepare the team for next month's World Cup?
Some of the local media, forgot this part of the equation, idiotically comparing it to a Spring Training Baseball game. Ugh.
Everything leading up to the game itself was fantastic, from the weather to the tailgating. Too bad once inside The Rent, the game turned into a pretty blah endeavor as the Czechs actually came to play and carved up the U.S. defense with pretty much ease. I hate to say it, but credit the Czechs, once they went behind on Maurice Edu's goal in the first 20 minutes, they could've packed it in. Instead the Czechs came to play, which probably benefited Bradley in the long run since he got to see guys play for 90 minutes against a competitive team.
Still, hearing that kid chanting and cheering for John Plasil, Petr Cech, et al rankled me to no end.
How though could he have known?
How could he realize he'd be sitting behind someone who was there to see the nadir of U.S. soccer this decade?
Oh well, at least he wasn't the kid sitting in front of me wearing the full Jonathan Bornstein kit.
What did Stealer's Wheel say, "Clowns to the left of me, joker's to the right? Here I am, stuck in the middle with you."
Quickee observations:
* Oguchi Onyewu looked rustier in person from 30 feet away than he probably did on television. I don't think it's crazy to start panicking or at least start thinking about the possibility of Clarence Goodson starting a World Cup game. This will no doubt be Bradley's hardest decision. Sure Gooch has built up tons of goodwill, but easing a guy back from knee surgery and dropping him right into the World Cup isn't exactly the path to success. You can't play the World Cup based on sentimentality.
Suffice to say, when the Czech guy leaped over Gooch for a headed goal, Jared Borgetti must have secretly smiled to himself.
* Bornstein? Here's really all I can say. He's not exactly an out-and-out bad player, he's just an "epic fail" waiting to happen at any moment. The way he heads balls clear simply seem to find an opponent. Maybe we're all just conditioned to magnify anything wrong Bornstein does, but a possible left side of defense of Bornstein and Onyewu is risky. World class players with technical skill carve Bornstein up like a tender filet.
That said, it wasn't like Heath Pearce tore up East Hartford either.
More-and-more it's looking like DaMarcus Beasley might be the best option at left back, assuming Bradley is reluctant to move Carlos Bocenegra there. Considering Onyewu's tenuous status, it may not be possible.
* I paid very careful attention to Goodson. One thing you probably didn't notice on television is that his long passes from the back were very precise and accurate. His big body is disruptive force on set pieces, too. At the same time, he played all 90 minutes and the team gave up four goals. As I mentioned in the preview on Monday, the U.S. defense is the biggest area of concern. We can't let shutting out Spain in the Confederations Cup last June blind us to this fact.
* Not sure if this was mentioned on television, but the U.S. second goal probably shouldn't have happened. A Czech player was down on the ground injured (very physical game for all 90 minutes) and Cech booted the ball out of bounds so he could get treatment. The U.S. didn't throw in and back to Cech or the Czechs, eventually winning a corner, which Herculez Gomez nodded in.
* Gomez had that one great chance at the top of the box, but he ripped it right at Cech, who (hate to say it) was the best thing about watching the match live in person. Sometime in the second half Robbie Rogers (surprisingly not horrible) cracked one from outside the box and Cech just dove to his left and plucked it was such ease. (Yes, I realize he was responsible for the first U.S. goal for his trademark flapping.)
* Gomez (aka Go-mazing or Kool Herc) did do one nice thing, a rarity sometimes for a U.S. forward, in that he actually took some chances and attacked the goal. Think he played his way onto the team. Let's hope he doesn't revert back to 2007 Copa America form.
* Edson Buddle and Eddie Johnson attacked at the far goal in the first half from me so it was hard to see what they did. Guess I didn't miss too much. Johnson isn't bringing much to the table, but Bradley seems to think one day he's going to snap out of it and become a force. Seems like a wasted roster spot, if he goes.
* Stuart Holden looked normal, no ill-effects from the Nigel De Jong leg break. Suppose it's easier to heal a broken bone than a torn ligament.
* Call me crazy, but if Tim Howard (knock on wood) got injured, I'd play Marcus Hahnemann over Guzan, who didn't do much to distinguish himself Tuesday.
* Even though the result was disappointing, hard to get very upset. You'd think the U.S. -- even with the lineup Tuesday -- could win a game where they went up 1-0 early and could assert themselves over an opponent with nothing to play for who was probably dreaming of a chance to fly to Miami and party for the rest of the week. It was however, typical U.S., good on set pieces, not much creativity from the center of the field and in an alarming trend, very shoddy defensive clearances and marking.
If the U.S. plays that way vs. Turkey, well, break out the knives.
Final roster guess:
Cheating since I've seen the stuff that Ching was spotted at Bradley Airport.
Goalkeepers (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahneman
Defenders (7): Bornstein (he's one of Bob's Guys, just hope he doesn't play); Bocanegra; Cherundolo; DeMerit; Goodson; Onyewu; Spector
Midfielders (10): Beasley; Bradley; Clark; Donovan; Dempsey; Edu; Feilhaber (odd he got the lock-starters treatment); Holden; Torres; Bedoya;
Forwards (3): Altidore; Gomez; Johnson.
You can probably afford to cut Pearce and move either Edu or Beasley into the defense in a pinch. It is surprising that Ching probably doesn't make it. Must not be 100 percent fit. Makes it look more likely Dempsey plays forward.
Labels: bob bradley, Friendlies, i still hate the czech republic, jonathan bornstein, oguchi onyewu, Soccer, USMNT
For a long time when I was a kid there were a couple numerical records that sort of always stood out. Lou Gehrig's Major League baseball consecutive games streaks was one. Another was how the finale of "M*A*S*H" owned the highest ever mark on the Neilsen ratings.* Amazingly in February 1983 60 percent of Americans with a television set decided to watch "M*A*S*H" sign off for the last time.
Figured this was semi-appropriate today, since the "Lost" finale ended last night, which certainly had a vastly smaller audience than ""M*A*S*H"
* Fun fact the highest single-time rating for U.S. shows in Germany: "Columbo", "Earth2" and "seaQuest DSV." "Knight Rider" didn't make the list. Take that Hoff!
Suffice to say, "M*A*S*H" was well before my time even as it lived on forever in reruns, usually airing before I got home from school and wanted to watch "MacGyver" or some such nonsense. Although "M*A*S*H" aired for nearly 11 years there's not much I could say about it. There was a cross-dresser in there, right?
Considering the only thing "M*A*S*H" means to me is the closing credits, part of me will be looking over the sky, looking for choppers and the strains of surprisingly soothing theme song -- "Suicide is Painless" -- Tuesday night when I attend the USMNT send-off match vs. the Czech Republic at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. (Connecticut is home to a big helicopter manufacturer -- Sikorsky.)
At this point in the game, barely two weeks before the mega-anticipated June 12 showdown with England in Rustenberg, injuries seem to the only story in the U.S. camp.
From my count, nine of the 30 players in the current U.S. pool spent a decent spell on the sidelines during the club season with varying ailments.
First and foremost is Oguchi Onyewu, who figures to play in his first game since October. All reports from the training camp at Princeton had Onyewu saying he was fine despite a noticeable hitch in his stride.
Unless Onyewu is completely unable to hack it, you have to figure he's in the center of the defense, which may allow Bob Bradley to play Carlos Bocanegra (who himself had secret hernia surgery, huh?!) at left back with Jay DeMerit sliding next to Onyewu. You know, the defensive lineup along with Jonathan Spector, that flummoxed Spain at the Confederations Cup.
No matter how you want to look at it, Onyewu is the linchpin.**
** No, I will not compare him to a certain physical aspect in the "Lost" series finale. Though, once you start to push the "frozen donkey wheel", Onyewu is the first piece that moves as the gears start to crank.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm pretty calm about everything with the U.S. It's hard to get worked up over the spots Nos. 20-23 on a 23-man team.
If the U.S. is going to do anything of note in South Africa, the big players (Donovan/Dempsey/etc.) will probably have to do the heavy lifting, since the other big issue for the U.S. remains who's lining up at forward.
One good thing we've seen about the U.S. is ability to find ways to score, not always the prettiest ways, but they've gotten contributions from all over the field. Perhaps the U.S. is outgunned by England in the opener, but Slovenia and Algeria have one-goal matches written all over them.
As crazy as it sounds, goals aren't worrying me one bit about this team.
Keeping them out, definitely is.
Going back to the start of 2009, the U.S. played 26 matches only keeping a clean sheet in eight. Three of those were in the Gold Cup, another two came in qualifiers vs. Trinidad. Then again, the U.S. shutout out Spain, so the numbers don't exactly mean all that much.
We know the U.S. is usually good for at least a goal. More than one, or chasing an early one due to some slack defending is an issue. Too many times in CONCACAF did the U.S. defense leave a ton of gaps for attackers to pounce on and exploit. Teams trying to win an air battle with the U.S. proved to be folly, but going at them on the ground and with quick, diagonal passing worked very effectively.
And this was with healthy versions of Onyewu, Bocanegra and DeMerit.
Long story short, let's hope we don't see too many triage units or first aid spray in action in the next three weeks.
Miscellany:
* Stat quirk. The top U.S. forward in camp -- Eddie Johnson -- has as many international goals as Carlos Bocanegra, 12.
* Maybe this is a little too far outside the box, but roll with it. We know Bradley the Elder is playing a flat-back four, with Michael Bradley and (probably) Ricardo Clark sitting in front, with the pair hopefully channeling their inner Cambiasso-Zanetti from Saturday's Champions League final.
That leaves four spots up for grabs. Assuming it's Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore and player X. Couldn't the U.S. kind of float this guys around and interchange them, at minimum swapping Donovan and Dempsey on either side of midfield?
It's a little free radical style soccer, but it would be tough to contend with if all the parts are clicking on all cylinders.
At the same time, if Altidore can survive by himself as the lone forward, you could easily play Donovan, Dempsey and Stuart Holden behind him. In this scenario, a possible rejuvenated DaMarcus Beasley makes the most sense.
Hell, why not just use and embrace Mourinho's Champions League 4-2-3-1 completely. The U.S. has the personal for it.
* As cynical as I am, it wouldn't be totally outlandish for either Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle to have productive World Cups, if given the playing time. Totò Schillaci was a so-so player and led Italia 90 with six goals.
The U.S. doesn't have a guy listed on the roster as a forward that is a pure creator. All Bradley needs is a guy who can finish inside the box, by hook or by crook. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to go in. Donovan and Dempsey figure to be the guys setting up the chances, so Buddle, Gomez, Ching, etc. need only to put the ball in.
* One thing to definitely take note of in the send-off friendlies is set pieces and set piece delivery. This is an area, with its size and physicality, the U.S. can assert some dominance, although England, Algeria and Slovenia all possess some sizable and strong defenders, too.
This may be Beasley's best attribute to staying with the team, since he can still curl in balls directed toward a teammate's noggin. Dempsey's right foot, is the best option going direct at goal. At times he was the Texas Hammer for Fulham this year.
* Guess it'll be a bit therapeutic to see the Czech Republic in person, four years after they handed me one of the worst days of my life in Gelsenkirchen. More on this Wednesday.
* Even with a decent about of new-age Bohemians -- aka hipsters -- casting their irony-soaked gaze across all corners of Connecticut, this figures to be about as big a pro-U.S. crowd the USMNT can expect to ever have. The Czechs are fielding a B-/C+ level team and it's not like there are huge pockets of Czech expats in the Nutmeg State.
If the U.S. ever is getting a friendly reception on U.S. soil, this is the match.
Having said that, this game once again illustrates the fallacy of Sam's Army on insisting it's members to wear read. My best guess is the Czech's wear their red jerseys and the U.S. is in the white. Does it make sense for the supporters to dress in a color of the opponent? (Maybe I should devote more time thinking about important things?)
Lineup guess:
Let's assume this is the last chance to impress, while the games vs. Turkey and Australia are the times to hone the eventual starting XI. At the same time, Bradley probably needs how the fringe players fit in with core players.
Figure the Elder uses all six subs liberally. I've gotten beyond guessing Bradley's mind. I might only get two or three guesses correct in this spot. The only guys I'm pretty confident will start are Onyewu, Donovan and Altidore.
GK -- Howard/(Guzan for a half)
DEF -- Cherundolo -- Onyewu -- DeMerit -- Pearce
MID -- Holden -- Bradley -- Kljestan -- Donovan
FOR -- Altidore -- Gomez
Final thought:
Believe or not, as I write this I'm about ten minutes from leaving my house and driving up to the U.S. practice in East Hartford. Keep an eye on the Twitter, I may have some more nuggets, once, you know, I get out of my mother's basement and actually use my real reporters chops.
Whatever happens Tuesday night, we won't have a ton of time to gnash our teeth since Bradley the Elder will make his final cuts Wednesday morning.
It'd be nice for the U.S. to put on a show and carve up a weak Czech lineup, but with guys figuring to be nervous with the impending roster cuts.
For once, however, come Wednesday afternoon or so players will actually once want to see "the Turk", or at least the Turkish National Team in Philly over the weekend.
Figured this was semi-appropriate today, since the "Lost" finale ended last night, which certainly had a vastly smaller audience than ""M*A*S*H"
* Fun fact the highest single-time rating for U.S. shows in Germany: "Columbo", "Earth2" and "seaQuest DSV." "Knight Rider" didn't make the list. Take that Hoff!
Suffice to say, "M*A*S*H" was well before my time even as it lived on forever in reruns, usually airing before I got home from school and wanted to watch "MacGyver" or some such nonsense. Although "M*A*S*H" aired for nearly 11 years there's not much I could say about it. There was a cross-dresser in there, right?
Considering the only thing "M*A*S*H" means to me is the closing credits, part of me will be looking over the sky, looking for choppers and the strains of surprisingly soothing theme song -- "Suicide is Painless" -- Tuesday night when I attend the USMNT send-off match vs. the Czech Republic at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. (Connecticut is home to a big helicopter manufacturer -- Sikorsky.)
At this point in the game, barely two weeks before the mega-anticipated June 12 showdown with England in Rustenberg, injuries seem to the only story in the U.S. camp.
From my count, nine of the 30 players in the current U.S. pool spent a decent spell on the sidelines during the club season with varying ailments.
First and foremost is Oguchi Onyewu, who figures to play in his first game since October. All reports from the training camp at Princeton had Onyewu saying he was fine despite a noticeable hitch in his stride.
Unless Onyewu is completely unable to hack it, you have to figure he's in the center of the defense, which may allow Bob Bradley to play Carlos Bocanegra (who himself had secret hernia surgery, huh?!) at left back with Jay DeMerit sliding next to Onyewu. You know, the defensive lineup along with Jonathan Spector, that flummoxed Spain at the Confederations Cup.
No matter how you want to look at it, Onyewu is the linchpin.**
** No, I will not compare him to a certain physical aspect in the "Lost" series finale. Though, once you start to push the "frozen donkey wheel", Onyewu is the first piece that moves as the gears start to crank.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm pretty calm about everything with the U.S. It's hard to get worked up over the spots Nos. 20-23 on a 23-man team.
If the U.S. is going to do anything of note in South Africa, the big players (Donovan/Dempsey/etc.) will probably have to do the heavy lifting, since the other big issue for the U.S. remains who's lining up at forward.
One good thing we've seen about the U.S. is ability to find ways to score, not always the prettiest ways, but they've gotten contributions from all over the field. Perhaps the U.S. is outgunned by England in the opener, but Slovenia and Algeria have one-goal matches written all over them.
As crazy as it sounds, goals aren't worrying me one bit about this team.
Keeping them out, definitely is.
Going back to the start of 2009, the U.S. played 26 matches only keeping a clean sheet in eight. Three of those were in the Gold Cup, another two came in qualifiers vs. Trinidad. Then again, the U.S. shutout out Spain, so the numbers don't exactly mean all that much.
We know the U.S. is usually good for at least a goal. More than one, or chasing an early one due to some slack defending is an issue. Too many times in CONCACAF did the U.S. defense leave a ton of gaps for attackers to pounce on and exploit. Teams trying to win an air battle with the U.S. proved to be folly, but going at them on the ground and with quick, diagonal passing worked very effectively.
And this was with healthy versions of Onyewu, Bocanegra and DeMerit.
Long story short, let's hope we don't see too many triage units or first aid spray in action in the next three weeks.
Miscellany:
* Stat quirk. The top U.S. forward in camp -- Eddie Johnson -- has as many international goals as Carlos Bocanegra, 12.
* Maybe this is a little too far outside the box, but roll with it. We know Bradley the Elder is playing a flat-back four, with Michael Bradley and (probably) Ricardo Clark sitting in front, with the pair hopefully channeling their inner Cambiasso-Zanetti from Saturday's Champions League final.
That leaves four spots up for grabs. Assuming it's Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore and player X. Couldn't the U.S. kind of float this guys around and interchange them, at minimum swapping Donovan and Dempsey on either side of midfield?
It's a little free radical style soccer, but it would be tough to contend with if all the parts are clicking on all cylinders.
At the same time, if Altidore can survive by himself as the lone forward, you could easily play Donovan, Dempsey and Stuart Holden behind him. In this scenario, a possible rejuvenated DaMarcus Beasley makes the most sense.
Hell, why not just use and embrace Mourinho's Champions League 4-2-3-1 completely. The U.S. has the personal for it.
* As cynical as I am, it wouldn't be totally outlandish for either Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle to have productive World Cups, if given the playing time. Totò Schillaci was a so-so player and led Italia 90 with six goals.
The U.S. doesn't have a guy listed on the roster as a forward that is a pure creator. All Bradley needs is a guy who can finish inside the box, by hook or by crook. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to go in. Donovan and Dempsey figure to be the guys setting up the chances, so Buddle, Gomez, Ching, etc. need only to put the ball in.
* One thing to definitely take note of in the send-off friendlies is set pieces and set piece delivery. This is an area, with its size and physicality, the U.S. can assert some dominance, although England, Algeria and Slovenia all possess some sizable and strong defenders, too.
This may be Beasley's best attribute to staying with the team, since he can still curl in balls directed toward a teammate's noggin. Dempsey's right foot, is the best option going direct at goal. At times he was the Texas Hammer for Fulham this year.
* Guess it'll be a bit therapeutic to see the Czech Republic in person, four years after they handed me one of the worst days of my life in Gelsenkirchen. More on this Wednesday.
* Even with a decent about of new-age Bohemians -- aka hipsters -- casting their irony-soaked gaze across all corners of Connecticut, this figures to be about as big a pro-U.S. crowd the USMNT can expect to ever have. The Czechs are fielding a B-/C+ level team and it's not like there are huge pockets of Czech expats in the Nutmeg State.
If the U.S. ever is getting a friendly reception on U.S. soil, this is the match.
Having said that, this game once again illustrates the fallacy of Sam's Army on insisting it's members to wear read. My best guess is the Czech's wear their red jerseys and the U.S. is in the white. Does it make sense for the supporters to dress in a color of the opponent? (Maybe I should devote more time thinking about important things?)
Lineup guess:
Let's assume this is the last chance to impress, while the games vs. Turkey and Australia are the times to hone the eventual starting XI. At the same time, Bradley probably needs how the fringe players fit in with core players.
Figure the Elder uses all six subs liberally. I've gotten beyond guessing Bradley's mind. I might only get two or three guesses correct in this spot. The only guys I'm pretty confident will start are Onyewu, Donovan and Altidore.
GK -- Howard/(Guzan for a half)
DEF -- Cherundolo -- Onyewu -- DeMerit -- Pearce
MID -- Holden -- Bradley -- Kljestan -- Donovan
FOR -- Altidore -- Gomez
Final thought:
Believe or not, as I write this I'm about ten minutes from leaving my house and driving up to the U.S. practice in East Hartford. Keep an eye on the Twitter, I may have some more nuggets, once, you know, I get out of my mother's basement and actually use my real reporters chops.
Whatever happens Tuesday night, we won't have a ton of time to gnash our teeth since Bradley the Elder will make his final cuts Wednesday morning.
It'd be nice for the U.S. to put on a show and carve up a weak Czech lineup, but with guys figuring to be nervous with the impending roster cuts.
For once, however, come Wednesday afternoon or so players will actually once want to see "the Turk", or at least the Turkish National Team in Philly over the weekend.
Labels: 2010 world cup, bob bradley, fox soccer, USMNT
A couple quickee thoughts (if you weren't burnt out by my tweeting) on Inter Milan's clinical take down of Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, which one again reiterated this is Jose Mourinho's world and we're all just living in it.
* Let's call this finals football 101. Not a lot of space, tactical, cautious. In other words, not exactly the type of game Fox was probably looking for in its first network Saturday afternoon final.
I was watching the match with a couple friends, one a pretty hardcore fan, one very casual. As you could expect the casual fan wasn't to thrilled by Bayern's back-and-forth passing in the first half.
This was an old-school throwback back to the days of defensive soccer, the kind of soccer that probably turned off a lot of would-be American soccer fans through the years.
But hey, the point of the game is to win. Doubt Mourinho cared much about the entertainment value for Americans sitting on their couches Saturday.
And without a transcendent on-the-ball player like Messi, Ronaldo or Messi, how was this game going to capture the imagination? A rasping Wesley Sneijder freekick? Arjen Robben came the closest with his dipping shot that Julio Cesar punched away.
* No real complaints about Fox's presentation. Yeah, would've been nice to see Bobby McMahon on at halftime, even if the time in the studio set was so short he wouldn't have been able to say very much. (The game didn't have very many talking points, honestly.)
Kurt Menefee wasn't a disaster, even if his pronunciation of Bayern was.
Bruce Arena, well, he's not exactly made for live television.
Fox spent most of the non-game segments of the match in commercials anyway. And with most of the commercial time devoted to the new Nike ad, is that a bad thing?
Usually I'm pretty cranky like Phil Musnick. Today, it was just nice to have a big match on network television in HD.
How can I complain when Martin Tyler and Andy Gray are on American network television?
Can't wait to see where the rating falls. If it tops the NHL playoff game, we'll certainly hear plenty about it.
* Thankfully Diego Milito's second goal gave a match a standout highlight talking point. Daniel Van Buyten might need to spend some time hanging out in Wayne Rooney's caravan in the junkyard for a couple months.
Milito rapidly becoming the new Pippo Inzaghi in Serie A. All he does is score goals.
And with two goals on Saturday, should we start the Milito to Manchester City/United rumors now, or just wait until tomorrow morning?
* Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso proved a point to Diego Maradona today, didn't they? Guess the other 31 teams in South Africa have to be happy he decided the Inter pair weren't good enough for the World Cup. How would any team get through central midfield of Cambiasso and Javier Mascherano? (If Maradona took one thing away from Saturday's match, maybe it won't be the smartest idea of all time to go to war with Martin Demichelis in the middle of the defense.)
The shield these two put in front of the Inter back four completely flummoxed Bayern, which definitely need Frank Ribery to balance the field and stretch out the defense.
* Safe to say Christian Chivu might have the best sports-related metal plate in his head since Don Zimmer.
* Good job by the usually maligned Howard Webb. The ref's whistle wasn't an issue Saturday, something I always appreciate.
* Basically this game boiled down to the fact that Bayern had to work all season, typified by the play of Ivica Olic all season. When he ran into the brick wall that is the classy center back who loves baby Jesus known as Lucio, well, class trumped workrate.
* All four Bayern strikers: Olic, Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez got worked out out of the game. Not exactly their fault since only Robben really seamed to have any eye for going forward or spurning on the attack. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mark Van Bommel didn't have their best night.
* Isn't it all but inevitable for Mourinho to end up at Real Madrid, the glamor of glamor clubs? At this point what more can he do in club football other than leading Madrid back to the top of the European heap? However, Mourinho + Ronaldo in the same rooming might cause the world to collapse on itself in a pile of hair product.
Then again, the one thing Mourinho could do to trump what's he's already done at Porto, Chelsea and now Inter is probably lead England, yes, England to winning the World Cup. (Or maybe, in a bizarro world, the U.S. Being the man to push soccer past the tipping point in America? That might stoke his ego, wouldn't it?)
All-and-all, a fine straightforward final.
Too bad from an entertainment standpoint it got overshadowed by a Nike commercial. What are the odds?
* Let's call this finals football 101. Not a lot of space, tactical, cautious. In other words, not exactly the type of game Fox was probably looking for in its first network Saturday afternoon final.
I was watching the match with a couple friends, one a pretty hardcore fan, one very casual. As you could expect the casual fan wasn't to thrilled by Bayern's back-and-forth passing in the first half.
This was an old-school throwback back to the days of defensive soccer, the kind of soccer that probably turned off a lot of would-be American soccer fans through the years.
But hey, the point of the game is to win. Doubt Mourinho cared much about the entertainment value for Americans sitting on their couches Saturday.
And without a transcendent on-the-ball player like Messi, Ronaldo or Messi, how was this game going to capture the imagination? A rasping Wesley Sneijder freekick? Arjen Robben came the closest with his dipping shot that Julio Cesar punched away.
* No real complaints about Fox's presentation. Yeah, would've been nice to see Bobby McMahon on at halftime, even if the time in the studio set was so short he wouldn't have been able to say very much. (The game didn't have very many talking points, honestly.)
Kurt Menefee wasn't a disaster, even if his pronunciation of Bayern was.
Bruce Arena, well, he's not exactly made for live television.
Fox spent most of the non-game segments of the match in commercials anyway. And with most of the commercial time devoted to the new Nike ad, is that a bad thing?
Usually I'm pretty cranky like Phil Musnick. Today, it was just nice to have a big match on network television in HD.
How can I complain when Martin Tyler and Andy Gray are on American network television?
Can't wait to see where the rating falls. If it tops the NHL playoff game, we'll certainly hear plenty about it.
* Thankfully Diego Milito's second goal gave a match a standout highlight talking point. Daniel Van Buyten might need to spend some time hanging out in Wayne Rooney's caravan in the junkyard for a couple months.
Milito rapidly becoming the new Pippo Inzaghi in Serie A. All he does is score goals.
And with two goals on Saturday, should we start the Milito to Manchester City/United rumors now, or just wait until tomorrow morning?
* Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso proved a point to Diego Maradona today, didn't they? Guess the other 31 teams in South Africa have to be happy he decided the Inter pair weren't good enough for the World Cup. How would any team get through central midfield of Cambiasso and Javier Mascherano? (If Maradona took one thing away from Saturday's match, maybe it won't be the smartest idea of all time to go to war with Martin Demichelis in the middle of the defense.)
The shield these two put in front of the Inter back four completely flummoxed Bayern, which definitely need Frank Ribery to balance the field and stretch out the defense.
* Safe to say Christian Chivu might have the best sports-related metal plate in his head since Don Zimmer.
* Good job by the usually maligned Howard Webb. The ref's whistle wasn't an issue Saturday, something I always appreciate.
* Basically this game boiled down to the fact that Bayern had to work all season, typified by the play of Ivica Olic all season. When he ran into the brick wall that is the classy center back who loves baby Jesus known as Lucio, well, class trumped workrate.
* All four Bayern strikers: Olic, Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez got worked out out of the game. Not exactly their fault since only Robben really seamed to have any eye for going forward or spurning on the attack. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mark Van Bommel didn't have their best night.
* Isn't it all but inevitable for Mourinho to end up at Real Madrid, the glamor of glamor clubs? At this point what more can he do in club football other than leading Madrid back to the top of the European heap? However, Mourinho + Ronaldo in the same rooming might cause the world to collapse on itself in a pile of hair product.
Then again, the one thing Mourinho could do to trump what's he's already done at Porto, Chelsea and now Inter is probably lead England, yes, England to winning the World Cup. (Or maybe, in a bizarro world, the U.S. Being the man to push soccer past the tipping point in America? That might stoke his ego, wouldn't it?)
All-and-all, a fine straightforward final.
Too bad from an entertainment standpoint it got overshadowed by a Nike commercial. What are the odds?
Labels: bayern munich, inter milan, Jose Mourinho, Soccer
Based on the ratings, odds are you've avoided television's best comedy this year -- "Parks and Recreation" like most people avoid albums recorded by Heidi Montag.
Your loss. You'll never know to order a "Swanson" this summer at assorted county fairs, beach trips and amusement park runs.
Anyway, in a late plot development the fictional town of Pawnee, Ind., ran out of money and the government went bankrupt. In came a pair of auditors from the state to clean up the morass, played by Rob Lowe and Adam Scott.* Lowe's character is uber-positive (think making it a point to repeat your name), runs 10-miles per day, takes an insane level of pills (for your health) and is generally likable, albeit in a strange, vacant off-putting way. On the other hand, Scott's character is a by-the-numbers bureaucrat, forced to play "bad cop" in this situation.
* Watch "Party Down", before it's too late.
With Pawnee forced to cut almost all non-essential services -- including the parks department -- Lowe's character seems to catch none of the flak, while Scott is the heavy and blamed for canceling Freddy Spaghetti's children's summer concert series.
Still with me?
This week in the European soccer arena, Barcelona -- a club nearly universally loved -- started taking on some very Chelsea/Manchester City-like transfers.
However, like Lowe's character on "Parks and Rec" nobody seems to mind that Barca subtly became heels in the span of a week.
First Barca inked David Villa from Valencia for roughly $50 million, adding a 22-goal scorer to a team that posted 98 in 38 league matches. In essence wrapping bacon around one of those delicious giant roast turkey legs.
From a footballing standpoint, Villa's move is somewhat defensible. His lethal finishing ability does seem to fit into Barca's tic-toc passing game more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
And don't forget, Valencia is massively in debt and could use the money. Perhaps the windfall from selling Villa, plus the Champions League money allows the club to turn the corner. They do still have 6-foot-7 Serbian Nikola Žigić they could unleash on La Liga next year.
Villa to Barcelona is football business as usual, even if both Manchester clubs are probably cursing Barca for beating them to spot on Villa's signature.
Now where Barca seem to come off like heels is the open pursuit of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, a would-be move that exhibits everything that's annoying about European soccer. It's a rare display from a club that for so long thought it was above selling shirt sponsorship rights, eventually opting to promote the noble cause of UNICEF across its chest.
In was only two months ago that Fabregas was being hailed as "captain fantastic" for taking a penalty kick in Arsenal's loss to Barcelona in the Champions League with a broken leg.
Now, the ex-Barca youth player is being linked to a return to his Catalan home.
In a situation like this, nobody's exactly right or wrong. It's one of those Robert Evans, "three-sided" stories.
Can you blame Fabregas for wanting to go back home and play with Xavi and Andres Ineista?
The guy, still only 23, has basically laid his life on the line in the blood-and-guts English style of play. It's not like Arsenal has made a full commitment to winning one way or the other, surrounding Fabregas with "potential" as opposed to full blown proven professionals. How are the Gunners going to be able to leapfrog Chelsea in the Premier League or Barcelona, et al, in the Champions League? If you're Fabregas, you'd like to win more than, say, a League Cup every year or two, right?
Then again, wouldn't you like to see Fabregas take on the challenge of leading Arsenal to glory, as opposed to riding the coattails of Messi, Xavi, etc.? Wouldn't that be more satisfying for a professional? Or has Fabregas read the situation at Arsenal and deduced Wenger's commitment to young players isn't going to work, that he is forcing his way out?**
** Are contracts worth anything in European soccer? Fabregas is signed through 2014. He signed the deal. Shouldn't he honor it. It amazes me how Europeans seem to just accept great players hold all the power and can dictate where they want to play. Shouldn't Arsenal just simply say, thanks but no thanks Barcelona, end of story? Christ, if Fabregas is unhappy at Arsenal -- still a Top 10 destination in the world -- he'll never be happy.
At the same time, shouldn't Arsenal expect a little loyalty from it's team captain, a player they've nurtured since 2003? And with Fabregas a consensus top five talent in the Premier League, whatever money Barcelona throws at the team, it's not like they'll be able to bring in players to replace him.*** In the long term, yeah, Barcelona's millions might pay off, but next season would almost already be ruined for Arsenal.
*** Does such a replacement exist? Mikel Arteta? As it stands 23-year-old two-way midfield engines don't quite grow on trees.
Make no mistake, letting Fabregas go to Barcelona would be ripping the heart right out of Arsenal.
Gunners fans have taken the fast five trophy-less seasons with relative calm. To head into 2010-11 without the team's best player and leader? No amount of goodwill built up by Arsene Wenger might be enough to withstand the impending fan vitriol. Most fans, I'm guessing, would rather have shiny trophies as opposed to a sparkling new stadium, which was supposed to generate tons of new money for the club.
And Barcelona isn't innocent here, either, but can you blame them for wanting to bring back one of its former youth players who's since blossomed into a star?
Sure it's the simple Darwinist nature of European football. The big clubs eat the little ones. But what happens with two equal fish and one cannibalizes the other?
Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain has been overt about the club's pursuit of Fabregas, hiding absolutely nothing, being quoted as saying, "It's great news that Cesc wants to come."
But through it all, nobody seems to find anything wrong with Barcelona trying to poach Fabregas away from Arsenal. The club seems to have built up so much goodwill that these tactics are basically shrugged off, even if they resemble the worst traits of Barcelona's biggest rival -- Real Madrid and its Galactico policy.
The thing is, nobody is calling shenanigans on Barcelona, who maintain about as much global goodwill as Barack Obama circa November 2008.
Like many politicians have found in the ensuing two years, you can say no. Arsenal ought to hold firm and doing everything it can to retain its best player.
Your loss. You'll never know to order a "Swanson" this summer at assorted county fairs, beach trips and amusement park runs.
Anyway, in a late plot development the fictional town of Pawnee, Ind., ran out of money and the government went bankrupt. In came a pair of auditors from the state to clean up the morass, played by Rob Lowe and Adam Scott.* Lowe's character is uber-positive (think making it a point to repeat your name), runs 10-miles per day, takes an insane level of pills (for your health) and is generally likable, albeit in a strange, vacant off-putting way. On the other hand, Scott's character is a by-the-numbers bureaucrat, forced to play "bad cop" in this situation.
* Watch "Party Down", before it's too late.
With Pawnee forced to cut almost all non-essential services -- including the parks department -- Lowe's character seems to catch none of the flak, while Scott is the heavy and blamed for canceling Freddy Spaghetti's children's summer concert series.
Still with me?
This week in the European soccer arena, Barcelona -- a club nearly universally loved -- started taking on some very Chelsea/Manchester City-like transfers.
However, like Lowe's character on "Parks and Rec" nobody seems to mind that Barca subtly became heels in the span of a week.
First Barca inked David Villa from Valencia for roughly $50 million, adding a 22-goal scorer to a team that posted 98 in 38 league matches. In essence wrapping bacon around one of those delicious giant roast turkey legs.
From a footballing standpoint, Villa's move is somewhat defensible. His lethal finishing ability does seem to fit into Barca's tic-toc passing game more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
And don't forget, Valencia is massively in debt and could use the money. Perhaps the windfall from selling Villa, plus the Champions League money allows the club to turn the corner. They do still have 6-foot-7 Serbian Nikola Žigić they could unleash on La Liga next year.
Villa to Barcelona is football business as usual, even if both Manchester clubs are probably cursing Barca for beating them to spot on Villa's signature.
Now where Barca seem to come off like heels is the open pursuit of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, a would-be move that exhibits everything that's annoying about European soccer. It's a rare display from a club that for so long thought it was above selling shirt sponsorship rights, eventually opting to promote the noble cause of UNICEF across its chest.
In was only two months ago that Fabregas was being hailed as "captain fantastic" for taking a penalty kick in Arsenal's loss to Barcelona in the Champions League with a broken leg.
Now, the ex-Barca youth player is being linked to a return to his Catalan home.
In a situation like this, nobody's exactly right or wrong. It's one of those Robert Evans, "three-sided" stories.
Can you blame Fabregas for wanting to go back home and play with Xavi and Andres Ineista?
The guy, still only 23, has basically laid his life on the line in the blood-and-guts English style of play. It's not like Arsenal has made a full commitment to winning one way or the other, surrounding Fabregas with "potential" as opposed to full blown proven professionals. How are the Gunners going to be able to leapfrog Chelsea in the Premier League or Barcelona, et al, in the Champions League? If you're Fabregas, you'd like to win more than, say, a League Cup every year or two, right?
Then again, wouldn't you like to see Fabregas take on the challenge of leading Arsenal to glory, as opposed to riding the coattails of Messi, Xavi, etc.? Wouldn't that be more satisfying for a professional? Or has Fabregas read the situation at Arsenal and deduced Wenger's commitment to young players isn't going to work, that he is forcing his way out?**
** Are contracts worth anything in European soccer? Fabregas is signed through 2014. He signed the deal. Shouldn't he honor it. It amazes me how Europeans seem to just accept great players hold all the power and can dictate where they want to play. Shouldn't Arsenal just simply say, thanks but no thanks Barcelona, end of story? Christ, if Fabregas is unhappy at Arsenal -- still a Top 10 destination in the world -- he'll never be happy.
At the same time, shouldn't Arsenal expect a little loyalty from it's team captain, a player they've nurtured since 2003? And with Fabregas a consensus top five talent in the Premier League, whatever money Barcelona throws at the team, it's not like they'll be able to bring in players to replace him.*** In the long term, yeah, Barcelona's millions might pay off, but next season would almost already be ruined for Arsenal.
*** Does such a replacement exist? Mikel Arteta? As it stands 23-year-old two-way midfield engines don't quite grow on trees.
Make no mistake, letting Fabregas go to Barcelona would be ripping the heart right out of Arsenal.
Gunners fans have taken the fast five trophy-less seasons with relative calm. To head into 2010-11 without the team's best player and leader? No amount of goodwill built up by Arsene Wenger might be enough to withstand the impending fan vitriol. Most fans, I'm guessing, would rather have shiny trophies as opposed to a sparkling new stadium, which was supposed to generate tons of new money for the club.
And Barcelona isn't innocent here, either, but can you blame them for wanting to bring back one of its former youth players who's since blossomed into a star?
Sure it's the simple Darwinist nature of European football. The big clubs eat the little ones. But what happens with two equal fish and one cannibalizes the other?
Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain has been overt about the club's pursuit of Fabregas, hiding absolutely nothing, being quoted as saying, "It's great news that Cesc wants to come."
But through it all, nobody seems to find anything wrong with Barcelona trying to poach Fabregas away from Arsenal. The club seems to have built up so much goodwill that these tactics are basically shrugged off, even if they resemble the worst traits of Barcelona's biggest rival -- Real Madrid and its Galactico policy.
The thing is, nobody is calling shenanigans on Barcelona, who maintain about as much global goodwill as Barack Obama circa November 2008.
Like many politicians have found in the ensuing two years, you can say no. Arsenal ought to hold firm and doing everything it can to retain its best player.
Labels: Arsenal, barcelona, cesc fabregas, English Premier League, Premier League, Soccer
Many times when I cast my gaze into my bathroom mirror, my thoughts turn to why exactly does one spend so much of his god-given time devoting his time, energy and brain cells to the exploits on soccer fields an ocean away across the Atlantic?
Specifically, why the hell do I force myself to get up early on weekends to watch games from the Premier League in England? Why do I waste hours of my week reading and writing about players, teams, coaches and ne'er-do-wells from a land I've never set foot in?
If only I had some pudding cups and a magically charged phone booth, perhaps I could dial up 1901 Vienna and spend some time on Sigmund Freud's couch for a diagnosis. The downside of this equation, naturally, is he prescribes me some "medicine" and I end up on a three-day Habsburg coke binge, locked up in a Prussian jail.
Alas.
Perhaps the answer isn't tied to some cheesy late-80s cult time travel film set in San Dimas, Calif.
The reason the Premier League captures our attention is the simple fact we share a common tongue. It's English, Americans speak (mostly) English. Bada bing, bada boom.
It's easy for our simian brains to follow. We can dial up countless English-based website for news and opinion. The distinctive tones of Martin Tyler and John Champion make ever game seem all the more important.
There's also probably some subliminal messages at work here, too. The more times you hear how the Barclay's Premier League bills itself as the best the world, the more likely you are to subtly believe it.
And it's the familiarity with the Premier League and its marquee players and teams by Americans why FOX took a gamble this year and acquired the UEFA Champions League rights, deciding to air Saturday afternoon's final -- the same time you'd usually watch (or hopefully non-watch the Yankees playing the Mets) -- on its flagship station*. Yep, FOX not FX or Fox Sports or Fox Soccer Channel ... or Fox Reality.
* Not crazy about FOX using Curt Menefee and Bruce Arena for the pregame, leaving Bobby McMahon out in the cold. Guess we'll have to wait another year for somebody to break the Manitoba Banker Barrier on American television.
Imagine the shock the other night, watching my recording of 'The Simpsons'** my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw FOX actually promoting the Final with a "bug" overlayed over Ned Flanders. For soccer fans in the States, it was nothing short of 'Flan-tastic.'
** What in the wide world of Springfield is going on? From out-right bashing soccer with season nine's 'The Cartridge Family' to semi-embracing it with Homer appearing in the new, amazing Nike World Cup ad. A cromulent development, indeed.
Now having said that, the way the Champions League final broke, FOX may need more than a graphic during a 20-year-old animated series to promote the game.
As it stands Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan Saturday at the Bernabeu in Madrid is a fantastic football match, pitting two perennial giants of the continent against each other with both going for their respective League, Cup and Champions League treble.
The match, however, doesn't feature the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea or "Man U". Nor does it have Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. And for whatever it's worth, the one player in that new Nike World Cup ad who plays for either team -- Franck Ribery -- is suspended for a red card in the semifinals vs. Lyon.
What it does have is a couple Real Madrid castoffs -- Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben -- and the world's most talked manager, Jose Mourinho.
In other words, a tough sell for FOX which is used to having an anthromophoric gopher and or fighting robots do most of the heavy promotional lifting. Even so, FOX sports boss David Hill is predicting over two million viewers in the States Saturday.***
*** Here are the other sports on television Saturday afternoon in the Champions League window: CBS: PGA Golf; NBC: Gymnastics/NHL Playoffs (key rating comparison); ESPN: NCAA Softball; ESPN2: Major League Lacrosse. So, yeah, not exactly murder's row in terms of competition.
To some degree, this final is a bit therapeutic as it helps clear up my crippling case of English fever. Sometimes we all become guilty of the worst trappings of the Limey media, in that if isn't English, it's crap. We sometimes forget that soccer, though invented by the English, remains the world's game.
And Bayern vs. Inter exemplifies this line of thinking.
This game should be appealing to neutrals with two teams fielding talented, fun-to-watch players. If not for Diego Maradona's bizarre team selection, the starting XIs for each team would even serve as a mini-World Cup preview.
So the big question for Fox and the American public will be, if it's not the Premier League will anyone take the time to watch? Have we become sophisticated enough in our soccer culture that we can appreciate a Champions League for what it is, even if it's lacking the typical marquee star power.
Or do we remain stuck chasing the English shadows?
Talking points:
* Mourinho. What more can be said? The Portugeezer truly is the Ric Flair of the soccer coaching world. Think about it, he's done the face/heel turn masterfully since leaving Chelsea. He's the master of playing mind games with opponents. He's arrogant and cocky. All that's missing is the bleached blond hair and purple robes.
And if he wins the Champions League Saturday, would anyone be surprised to hear him utter something along the lines of, "Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because its the best thing going. Wooooo!"
A serious point on Mourinho? Would any other manager or coach of a pro sports team across the world spurn the creation of a puppet-based show (Special 1 TV) using his persona? The closest I can think of is the old SNL "Super Fans" bit about Mike Ditka, but he wasn't even in it, even if his moustache featured prominently.
One last thing on Mourinho, and I could go on all day. Listen to this interview and then think back to the second leg of Inter's semifinal with Barcelona.
* I've given myself personal electroshock therapy to avoid making any Ribery prostitution jokes. Obviously Louis Van Gaal's biggest tactical question is how to replace the mercurial Frenchman. Logic would dictate Bastian Schweinsteiger moving to the left, or maybe Danijel Pranjić?
* So which was better? Robben's goal vs. Manchester United from the corner? Cutting inside against Fiorentina? Or this one in the first leg vs. Lyon?
Either way, it's pretty clear Mourinho will have strict instructions for Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso to block off the inside channel for the Dutchman, who loves cutting inside. (And the two Inter Argentines have nothing to lose since Maradona is leaving them home for the World Cup.)
* Strange, isn't it, that Goran Pandev's contract dispute with Lazio allowed Inter to swoop in and sign the Macadonian forward. In turn, it let Mourinho play the rather aggressive 4-2-3-1 to down both Chelsea and Barcelona.
* Doesn't this seem like the type of game Miroslav Klose pips up out of nowhere to score a garbage goal? Think of a ball bouncing accidentally off his thigh or something. He and Diego Milito certainly are goal-scorer's goal scorers.
* The way this breaks, this game is a mini-preview for the Dutch World Cup team, with Sneijder, Robben and Mark Van Bommel in key roles. (Wonder how healthy Sneijder is, if he's dinged up it slows down the Inter attack greatly.)
* Is it all that surprising that Inter swapped perennial underachiever Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona for Sammy Eto'o and now they're in the Champions League final? (Considering Barca bought David Villa Wednesday from Valencia, is the big Swede back on the block? And to where? Apropos of nothing, my friend Jared coined the term "The Swede" when we play "FIFA" online and nothing is going right. Sometimes you are the Swede, just ask Zlatan.)
* Serie A and the Bundesliga remain easy targets for mockery from English speakers in that the leagues are far inferior to the Prem or even La Liga.
For what its worth, Inter won Serie A two points clear of Roma. The top four teams point totals were: 82-80-70-67. In Germany, Bayern beat out Schalke for the Bundesliga by five. The top four was 70-65-61-59.
In England, Chelsea nipped Manchester United by one, with the top four: 86-85-75-70.
Now look at Spain, where Barcelona edged out Real Madrid. The top four was 99-96-71-63.
Serie A may have lost much of its cache, but it's a more competitive league top-to-bottom than La Liga. And most of my regular readers know I have this weird fetish with the Bundesliga.
* Standard talking point facts: The winner Saturday cliches a treble; Mourinho was an assistant under Van Gaal at Barcelona. Easy stuff here.
* Interesting contrast between Bayern and Inter, the flag bearers in Germany and Italy.
Bayern will sent seven players to the Germany preliminary World Cup roster -- Hans-Jörg Butt, Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose, Mario Gómez and Thomas Müller.
Meanwhile, Inter sent how many players to the Azzurri squad ... yep, zero. The only Italian who might even get on the field in Madrid is Mario Balotelli and he's a lightning rod in Italy.
So Inter is helping Serie A's UEFA coefficient, but not necessarily Italian soccer as a whole. Weird how that works.
Prediction:
Everything about this game says Inter.
The Nerazzurri have a better defensive unit, a white-hot scorer (Milito) and the master Mourinho.
Inter are also a veteran team full of over 30 types Lucio (the ex-Bayern man sold to Inter last summer, who gets high marks from my new favorite site, Zonal Marking.), Dejan Stanković, Walter Samuel, etc. so this game probably represents their last chance at winning the Champions League.
All the conventional signs point to Inter getting a goal and than closing down shop in front of goal.
Despite all this something about the way Bayern has played makes me think they'll win it late or in extra time. Martin Demichelis really scares me in the middle of the Bayern defense and Maicon could make mincemeat out of Badstuber on the flank.
Above all, there's the Mourinho factor and his famous mind games from the touchline. For whatever the reason I doubt Van Gaal or Bayern are too effected by his massive cult of personality. Then again, if Mourinho casts a fiery gaze at Robben -- who don't forget was stellar under the Portugeezer at Chelsea -- and the Dutchman collapses in a heap with a broken foot, well, all bets are off.
The way Bayern has progressed through this tournament, needing a win on the final group matchday against Juventus, the late goals vs. Fiorentina and Manchester United, there's seems to be something about this team. Even without Ribery, once teams get on a roll like Bayern's been on its hard to stop especially with all the late goals.
Robben or Olic have another winner in them. ... Bayern 2, Inter 1 (a.e.t.)
Specifically, why the hell do I force myself to get up early on weekends to watch games from the Premier League in England? Why do I waste hours of my week reading and writing about players, teams, coaches and ne'er-do-wells from a land I've never set foot in?
If only I had some pudding cups and a magically charged phone booth, perhaps I could dial up 1901 Vienna and spend some time on Sigmund Freud's couch for a diagnosis. The downside of this equation, naturally, is he prescribes me some "medicine" and I end up on a three-day Habsburg coke binge, locked up in a Prussian jail.
Alas.
Perhaps the answer isn't tied to some cheesy late-80s cult time travel film set in San Dimas, Calif.
The reason the Premier League captures our attention is the simple fact we share a common tongue. It's English, Americans speak (mostly) English. Bada bing, bada boom.
It's easy for our simian brains to follow. We can dial up countless English-based website for news and opinion. The distinctive tones of Martin Tyler and John Champion make ever game seem all the more important.
There's also probably some subliminal messages at work here, too. The more times you hear how the Barclay's Premier League bills itself as the best the world, the more likely you are to subtly believe it.
And it's the familiarity with the Premier League and its marquee players and teams by Americans why FOX took a gamble this year and acquired the UEFA Champions League rights, deciding to air Saturday afternoon's final -- the same time you'd usually watch (or hopefully non-watch the Yankees playing the Mets) -- on its flagship station*. Yep, FOX not FX or Fox Sports or Fox Soccer Channel ... or Fox Reality.
* Not crazy about FOX using Curt Menefee and Bruce Arena for the pregame, leaving Bobby McMahon out in the cold. Guess we'll have to wait another year for somebody to break the Manitoba Banker Barrier on American television.
Imagine the shock the other night, watching my recording of 'The Simpsons'** my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw FOX actually promoting the Final with a "bug" overlayed over Ned Flanders. For soccer fans in the States, it was nothing short of 'Flan-tastic.'
** What in the wide world of Springfield is going on? From out-right bashing soccer with season nine's 'The Cartridge Family' to semi-embracing it with Homer appearing in the new, amazing Nike World Cup ad. A cromulent development, indeed.
Now having said that, the way the Champions League final broke, FOX may need more than a graphic during a 20-year-old animated series to promote the game.
As it stands Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan Saturday at the Bernabeu in Madrid is a fantastic football match, pitting two perennial giants of the continent against each other with both going for their respective League, Cup and Champions League treble.
The match, however, doesn't feature the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea or "Man U". Nor does it have Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. And for whatever it's worth, the one player in that new Nike World Cup ad who plays for either team -- Franck Ribery -- is suspended for a red card in the semifinals vs. Lyon.
What it does have is a couple Real Madrid castoffs -- Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben -- and the world's most talked manager, Jose Mourinho.
In other words, a tough sell for FOX which is used to having an anthromophoric gopher and or fighting robots do most of the heavy promotional lifting. Even so, FOX sports boss David Hill is predicting over two million viewers in the States Saturday.***
*** Here are the other sports on television Saturday afternoon in the Champions League window: CBS: PGA Golf; NBC: Gymnastics/NHL Playoffs (key rating comparison); ESPN: NCAA Softball; ESPN2: Major League Lacrosse. So, yeah, not exactly murder's row in terms of competition.
To some degree, this final is a bit therapeutic as it helps clear up my crippling case of English fever. Sometimes we all become guilty of the worst trappings of the Limey media, in that if isn't English, it's crap. We sometimes forget that soccer, though invented by the English, remains the world's game.
And Bayern vs. Inter exemplifies this line of thinking.
This game should be appealing to neutrals with two teams fielding talented, fun-to-watch players. If not for Diego Maradona's bizarre team selection, the starting XIs for each team would even serve as a mini-World Cup preview.
So the big question for Fox and the American public will be, if it's not the Premier League will anyone take the time to watch? Have we become sophisticated enough in our soccer culture that we can appreciate a Champions League for what it is, even if it's lacking the typical marquee star power.
Or do we remain stuck chasing the English shadows?
Talking points:
* Mourinho. What more can be said? The Portugeezer truly is the Ric Flair of the soccer coaching world. Think about it, he's done the face/heel turn masterfully since leaving Chelsea. He's the master of playing mind games with opponents. He's arrogant and cocky. All that's missing is the bleached blond hair and purple robes.
And if he wins the Champions League Saturday, would anyone be surprised to hear him utter something along the lines of, "Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because its the best thing going. Wooooo!"
A serious point on Mourinho? Would any other manager or coach of a pro sports team across the world spurn the creation of a puppet-based show (Special 1 TV) using his persona? The closest I can think of is the old SNL "Super Fans" bit about Mike Ditka, but he wasn't even in it, even if his moustache featured prominently.
One last thing on Mourinho, and I could go on all day. Listen to this interview and then think back to the second leg of Inter's semifinal with Barcelona.
* I've given myself personal electroshock therapy to avoid making any Ribery prostitution jokes. Obviously Louis Van Gaal's biggest tactical question is how to replace the mercurial Frenchman. Logic would dictate Bastian Schweinsteiger moving to the left, or maybe Danijel Pranjić?
* So which was better? Robben's goal vs. Manchester United from the corner? Cutting inside against Fiorentina? Or this one in the first leg vs. Lyon?
Either way, it's pretty clear Mourinho will have strict instructions for Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso to block off the inside channel for the Dutchman, who loves cutting inside. (And the two Inter Argentines have nothing to lose since Maradona is leaving them home for the World Cup.)
* Strange, isn't it, that Goran Pandev's contract dispute with Lazio allowed Inter to swoop in and sign the Macadonian forward. In turn, it let Mourinho play the rather aggressive 4-2-3-1 to down both Chelsea and Barcelona.
* Doesn't this seem like the type of game Miroslav Klose pips up out of nowhere to score a garbage goal? Think of a ball bouncing accidentally off his thigh or something. He and Diego Milito certainly are goal-scorer's goal scorers.
* The way this breaks, this game is a mini-preview for the Dutch World Cup team, with Sneijder, Robben and Mark Van Bommel in key roles. (Wonder how healthy Sneijder is, if he's dinged up it slows down the Inter attack greatly.)
* Is it all that surprising that Inter swapped perennial underachiever Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona for Sammy Eto'o and now they're in the Champions League final? (Considering Barca bought David Villa Wednesday from Valencia, is the big Swede back on the block? And to where? Apropos of nothing, my friend Jared coined the term "The Swede" when we play "FIFA" online and nothing is going right. Sometimes you are the Swede, just ask Zlatan.)
* Serie A and the Bundesliga remain easy targets for mockery from English speakers in that the leagues are far inferior to the Prem or even La Liga.
For what its worth, Inter won Serie A two points clear of Roma. The top four teams point totals were: 82-80-70-67. In Germany, Bayern beat out Schalke for the Bundesliga by five. The top four was 70-65-61-59.
In England, Chelsea nipped Manchester United by one, with the top four: 86-85-75-70.
Now look at Spain, where Barcelona edged out Real Madrid. The top four was 99-96-71-63.
Serie A may have lost much of its cache, but it's a more competitive league top-to-bottom than La Liga. And most of my regular readers know I have this weird fetish with the Bundesliga.
* Standard talking point facts: The winner Saturday cliches a treble; Mourinho was an assistant under Van Gaal at Barcelona. Easy stuff here.
* Interesting contrast between Bayern and Inter, the flag bearers in Germany and Italy.
Bayern will sent seven players to the Germany preliminary World Cup roster -- Hans-Jörg Butt, Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose, Mario Gómez and Thomas Müller.
Meanwhile, Inter sent how many players to the Azzurri squad ... yep, zero. The only Italian who might even get on the field in Madrid is Mario Balotelli and he's a lightning rod in Italy.
So Inter is helping Serie A's UEFA coefficient, but not necessarily Italian soccer as a whole. Weird how that works.
Prediction:
Everything about this game says Inter.
The Nerazzurri have a better defensive unit, a white-hot scorer (Milito) and the master Mourinho.
Inter are also a veteran team full of over 30 types Lucio (the ex-Bayern man sold to Inter last summer, who gets high marks from my new favorite site, Zonal Marking.), Dejan Stanković, Walter Samuel, etc. so this game probably represents their last chance at winning the Champions League.
All the conventional signs point to Inter getting a goal and than closing down shop in front of goal.
Despite all this something about the way Bayern has played makes me think they'll win it late or in extra time. Martin Demichelis really scares me in the middle of the Bayern defense and Maicon could make mincemeat out of Badstuber on the flank.
Above all, there's the Mourinho factor and his famous mind games from the touchline. For whatever the reason I doubt Van Gaal or Bayern are too effected by his massive cult of personality. Then again, if Mourinho casts a fiery gaze at Robben -- who don't forget was stellar under the Portugeezer at Chelsea -- and the Dutchman collapses in a heap with a broken foot, well, all bets are off.
The way Bayern has progressed through this tournament, needing a win on the final group matchday against Juventus, the late goals vs. Fiorentina and Manchester United, there's seems to be something about this team. Even without Ribery, once teams get on a roll like Bayern's been on its hard to stop especially with all the late goals.
Robben or Olic have another winner in them. ... Bayern 2, Inter 1 (a.e.t.)
Labels: bayern munich, champions league, inter milan, Jose Mourinho, Soccer
If you're taking time from your busy day to read this site, chances are you don't need me telling you that the World Cup is all sorts of wonderful, perhaps even double wonderful wrapped in a plate of warm fudge brownies, delivered on the backs of puppies.
But much like a tray of ever-so-delicious brownies (or anything other baked good) sometimes there is too much of a good thing.
Could there, gasp, actually be some things not to enjoy about the World Cup?
As we hit the stretch drive (under 30 days to go), let's examine some of the few negatives the World Cup brings with it. So grab some sour milk or bitter lemonade and let's play a little Devil's Advocate as we poor some cold water on the South African party.
* Too many previews -- The only day I went to Borders searching for a World Cup guide. Specifically the FourFourTwo version. It wasn't there.
It seemed this year, the World Cup went the way of Fantasy Football/Baseball guides, where the market was flooded with information. Much like the fantasy mags, the World Cup guides I flipped through all seem like they were printed in January, with the same stale info.
Is there such a thing as too much information? How is it possible for dozens and dozens or writers to say the same exact stuff about, say, Slovenia. (We get it, Milivoje Novakovič is pretty good.)
That's not to knock anybody individually, but the standard nation-by-nation write-ups lend to sounding the same and the main reason why I avoided doing it this time around.
By the same token, a majorly under-reported aspect of this particular World Cup seems to have been stuck in the shadows -- the altitude and the cold. (It's winter in South Africa.) Could, in a weird way, the fact that it could be chilly in places like Rustenberg work more in the favor of European teams than the South American and African? Just a thought to tuck away for our immediate, knee-jerk reactions on Twitter.
And previews in any sport, in-and-of themselves, usually are proven incorrect or off base fairly early on. It's the nature of the beast. Isn't that why we enjoy sports, for the unpredictability?
Wouldn't it make perfect sense after all the time, space and effort written about guys like Wayne Rooney and Leo Messi that, somebody else steals the show? These might be bad examples, but still ... we know some relative unknown is emerging as a breakout star and all we can do right now is throw out names and hope one sticks. By the same token, did anyone four years ago predict Zinedine Zidane churning on a vintage three weeks in his final acts as a pro?
ESPN's entry into the preview mag game? I'll say this in its favor, the last page had the full television schedule, which will prove quite handy.
But ESPN's foray into the World Cup preview game was nothing compared to Maxim, yes, Maxim, which for some reason I've been receiving at my house for the last four months without signing up for a subscription.
In the "lad mag"'s World Cup "preview" the term "Team U.K." was used. 'Nuff said.
Unfortunately I nearly flooded the second floor of my home trying to flush it down the toilet.
What it probably boils down to, is right now, I don't need cheese sticks or quesadilla flingers. I need the main course, the t-bone steak -- the games themselves. Admittedly, I'm in the extreme minority. I do, after all, write a soccer-related opinion blog so I don't exactly need a quick refresher course or to be reminded the World Cup is about to kick off on a daily basis.
(For something fresh to read, though not specific to the 2010 tournament, I can't pimp the "ESPN World Cup Companion" enough.)
* Shakira's music -- When I was in Germany four years ago, there were three songs that seemed to be played on a loop -- Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" (good), Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" (not as good) and Atomic Kitten's "All Together Now" (ear-bleedingly awful ... but I still love you Goleo).
Once again, the Colombian temptress# is back with a World Cup-themed song. And once again, let's say I'm not the target audience. Why is it that sports, especially on the global stage, attract such awful Black Eyed Peas-esque dance music?
At least the official World Cup song by K'Naan has grown on me over the last couple days mainly because of its placement in the official video game.
# -- Has there ever been a hotness-to-musical talent scaled skewed as highly as Shakira. Amazed people willingly chose to listen to her South American yodeling/animal guttural bleats. Oh right, because of the visual element implanted in your head from her videos. Got it.
* The referee's whistle -- In the boldest prediction of the World Cup, I'll go out on a limb and guess at least one game during the tournament an official will make such an egregious call we'll get two or three days worth of talking heads on ESPN screaming why soccer doesn't use instant replay.
* (Possibly) Negative tactics -- If I've said this once, I've said it 1,000 times, the World Cup is great as a sporting spectacle, but sometimes the games aren't all that amazing, especially in the knockouts. Free-flowing, creative games turn into a mini-battles, in start-stop foul fests.
Maybe this doesn't happen, but it could. There's so much at stake and the tournament only rolls around every four years that coaches are also forced to play it close to the vest.
Nobody wants to see the return of "Bora Ball", do we? Or a repeat of Portgual/Holland. Hell, when Brazil is taking a defense-first approach with its team selection, what does it say for the 31 other teams?
And this kind of unattractive play invariably leads to 120 minutes of fatigue-soaked tension decided penalty kicks, which nobody on the planet likes to decide a match. It also triggers another mongo debate of America's mainstream media throwing its two cents in how to "fix" soccer.
Greece and Switzerland -- These are probably the two nations I'm the least interesting in watching play. Part of this is due to the fact that much more appealing European sides like Russia and Bosnia were left at home in favor of these defense-first squads. These two nations placed Nos. 1 and 2 in arguably UEFA's weakest qualifying group, which also included Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg and Moldova.
On top of that, they landed in manageable World Cup groups, meaning they could advance into the knockout stages, where defensive, conservative tactics are even more beneficial.
Compounding the issue is neither Greece or Switzerland seem to possess a dynamic player who draws your eyeballs to the set. They're two teams that don't bring much to the table, helping to fill out the numbers.
Put it this way, shouldn't Switzerland be disqualified from making the World Cup finals when it lost at home to Luxembourg?
So, yeah, overall I hate to play wear the black hat with relish in this situation, but figured it was worth at least mentioning a few of the World Cup's warts, without getting into the whole Sepp Blatter-fueled money grab and how a nation like South Africa probably would have been better suited pouring billions of dollars into, you know, schools, hospitals and infrastructure instead of a couple stadiums, which is a story on its own.
Maybe it's a bit too cynical when nearly everyone is in full flag-waving mode, but hey, isn't the World Cup occasionally of cynical tactics and players?
Anybody remember Marco Materazzi?
* * *
Two-minute guide to World Cup snark:
Perhaps it's because there's a statute of limitations of how many jokes you can make about Serbs being fanatical about their showers, but here is a quick look at how to make incisive, pithy comments about the nations participating at the World Cup.
Hell, print it out, fold it up like one of those handy-dandy pocket schedules and unfurl it whenever a joke is needed to zing polite company. You'll be the hit of your World Cup viewing parties or office water cooler.
If the World Cup is anything, it's a time to embrace your inner ugly American and beat the dead horse that is decades old stereotyping, right?
Fish in a Barrel Division:
* Germany -- Anything is in play with Das/Ze Germans. Anything. From the now almost two-decade old 'Sprockets' SNL sketch, to lederhosen to sausage to Jens Lehmann pissing on the field, making fun of German stereotypes is like hitting off a tee. Just watch 'Family Guy', hasn't Seth MacFarlane banked about two billion dollars in DVD sales on the basis of Hitler jokes?
* France -- The gift to late-night writers that keeps on giving. In fact, the hoary old chestnut of the French loving Jerry Lewis movies is right up there in the Comedy Trope Hall of Fame with slipping on a banana peel and yakety sax. When and if the French concede a goal all one must do is make a silly comment about surrender and voila, guffaws around the room. (Note, Quentin Tarantino turned the French-jokes dynamic on its head with "Inglorious Basterds.")
* Italy -- Making a fun a de Eye-talians is about as American as a pizza-pie. Oh, the current day Italians penchant for stripping down to their ever-so-snug briefs is pretty easy for ridicule, too.
* England -- Let's just use "The Simpsons" as our guides for Exhibit a) "Fresh'en ya drink guv'nah and b) The Big Book of British Smiles. Or hell, pretend you're an ESPN anchor and simply speak in a bad, broad English accent and say the words, "jolly" or "oi" or "cheerio" and mention something dated about 1980s hooliganism. A guaranteed laugh riot.
* Greece -- If you're of age, you can go back to the ancient Greek comedy trope of, "Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger." For more contemporary folks, whenever Greece fails to score during a game, an easy joke is saying something like, "That went about as well as Jesse and the Rippers gig at the Smash Club last night." If you're in more urbane, hip company who don't mind things getting a little blue, the folks over at Urban Dictionary certainly have some interesting things to say when you enter "Greek" into their system.
* Japan -- Apparently, the Inter-nets tell me that this Japan place is the Land of the Rising Crazy. Used underwear vending machines? Seizure-inducing television? Robots? Meeeeeeeeeeeestah Sparkle? Hideki Matsui's legendary porn collection? Anything kooky or zany is in play with Japan. Can you see that I am serious?
Oh no you didn't Division:
* The Netherlands -- Nice wooden shoes, tulips and windmills, jerks.
* New Zealand -- Throw another shrimp on the barbee, ride around on your kangaroos all day. Oh wait, Flight of the Conchords already did this. Mistakenly.
* Australia -- Speaking of Australia, two words: Corey Delaney. Oh, and any ass-less chaps-related "Mad Max" jokes are also quite accepted. (Fun fact, the bad guy from "The Road Warrior" -- Wez -- was played by an actor named Vernon Wells. He was also the uber-macho Bennett in "Commando.")
* Serbia -- Besides their devotion to showers, the Serbs also love tobacco in cigarette form. Fact. Ask Vlade Divac.
* Uruguay -- Read the name. Re-read the name. Snicker like a fourth-grader. Repeat.
* South Korea -- Fun fact, South Korea determines its new President every four years through an online game of "Starcraft". For reals, yo.
Your Country's So Boring, (aka Yo Mama So Fat Division):
* Denmark -- ... Why don't you go build a replica World Cup stadium out of Legos, you socialist pricks. ... Oh wait, what's that? Somebody already did? Damn you Danish effiency.
* Switzerland -- ... I don't even have a joke for you. At least you were, in a roundabout way, responsible for Clint Eastwood filming "The Eiger Sanction" in your lovely Alpine nation.
* Huh, what, this is a country you say Division:
* Slovakia/Slovenia -- Considering the state of the American educational system the last three decades, the average middle aged Yank couldn't locate America itself on the map. Hence force, the independent, strong, unique nations of Slovakia and Slovenia will wrongly and ignorantly be grouped into one vague, seemingly medieval, backwater nation where you might find a guy like Borat trying to buy-and-sell a wife.
Don't Go There Division:
* Unless you have the balls, or social ineptitude of Larry David, the following countries are probably off limits for crude, American ignoramus commentary: Ghana, South Africa, Cote D'Ivoire and Cameroon.
Geo-political Division:
* North Korea -- Suffice to say, nobody in Inter-nets land can burn Kim Jong-II better than Trey Parker and Matt Stone, so just do a bad "Team America" impression and you're golden.
* Chile -- Let's face it, nothing lights up a room or a blog comment like a good old fashioned Augusto Pinochet barb. ... Take my Augusto, please.
(After reading this I hope everyone understood the heavy, dripping like molasses sarcasm involved. In fact, it was trying to be sarcastic about sarcasm itself, which nearly caused my computer to implode upon itself like putting metal too close to the Orchid Station on "Lost". And full disclosure, most of these are recycled jokes from 'The Simpsons' -- our modern day cultural unifier -- anyway.)
* * *
USMNT Watch:
Is every player at the Princeton camp hurt, or does it just seem that way?
You also have to wonder if the two domestic friendlies, plus the game vs. Australia in June is enough for Oguchi Onyewu to get up to game speed. When was the last time he went a full 90 minutes? September?
Sure, there's not as much running in a central defensive role as there would be in the other places on the field, but isn't game-sharpness and ability to read and react the keys to manning the spot? Onyewu can probably mask a lot of issues with his height, but I'm a little worried.
The other issue that seems to be gaining some steam is whether or not Jozy Altidore is an automatic start at forward.
If we know anything from Bob Bradley, this clearly won't be the case. Would a 4-5-1 type set up on June 12 with Brian Ching alone up top surprise anyone that's tracked this team the last four years? I'm not saying this is a good idea, but for better or worse, it's on the table. (In a way, this might not be the worst idea in the world sine you'd have to figure Fabio Capello is banking on Altidore starting and the U.S. in a 4-4-2.)
Maybe it's me, but are people (mainly advertisers) putting a lot more stock in Altidore's winning smile and failing to remember he only scored one goal for Hull City in the Premier League.
Seems like people are jumping the gun just a bit. Potential is one thing, but at a tournament like the World Cup it's put up, or shut up.
And I'm about as big a Jozy fan as there is, too. Hope I'm wrong here.
But much like a tray of ever-so-delicious brownies (or anything other baked good) sometimes there is too much of a good thing.
Could there, gasp, actually be some things not to enjoy about the World Cup?
As we hit the stretch drive (under 30 days to go), let's examine some of the few negatives the World Cup brings with it. So grab some sour milk or bitter lemonade and let's play a little Devil's Advocate as we poor some cold water on the South African party.
* Too many previews -- The only day I went to Borders searching for a World Cup guide. Specifically the FourFourTwo version. It wasn't there.
It seemed this year, the World Cup went the way of Fantasy Football/Baseball guides, where the market was flooded with information. Much like the fantasy mags, the World Cup guides I flipped through all seem like they were printed in January, with the same stale info.
Is there such a thing as too much information? How is it possible for dozens and dozens or writers to say the same exact stuff about, say, Slovenia. (We get it, Milivoje Novakovič is pretty good.)
That's not to knock anybody individually, but the standard nation-by-nation write-ups lend to sounding the same and the main reason why I avoided doing it this time around.
By the same token, a majorly under-reported aspect of this particular World Cup seems to have been stuck in the shadows -- the altitude and the cold. (It's winter in South Africa.) Could, in a weird way, the fact that it could be chilly in places like Rustenberg work more in the favor of European teams than the South American and African? Just a thought to tuck away for our immediate, knee-jerk reactions on Twitter.
And previews in any sport, in-and-of themselves, usually are proven incorrect or off base fairly early on. It's the nature of the beast. Isn't that why we enjoy sports, for the unpredictability?
Wouldn't it make perfect sense after all the time, space and effort written about guys like Wayne Rooney and Leo Messi that, somebody else steals the show? These might be bad examples, but still ... we know some relative unknown is emerging as a breakout star and all we can do right now is throw out names and hope one sticks. By the same token, did anyone four years ago predict Zinedine Zidane churning on a vintage three weeks in his final acts as a pro?
ESPN's entry into the preview mag game? I'll say this in its favor, the last page had the full television schedule, which will prove quite handy.
But ESPN's foray into the World Cup preview game was nothing compared to Maxim, yes, Maxim, which for some reason I've been receiving at my house for the last four months without signing up for a subscription.
In the "lad mag"'s World Cup "preview" the term "Team U.K." was used. 'Nuff said.
Unfortunately I nearly flooded the second floor of my home trying to flush it down the toilet.
What it probably boils down to, is right now, I don't need cheese sticks or quesadilla flingers. I need the main course, the t-bone steak -- the games themselves. Admittedly, I'm in the extreme minority. I do, after all, write a soccer-related opinion blog so I don't exactly need a quick refresher course or to be reminded the World Cup is about to kick off on a daily basis.
(For something fresh to read, though not specific to the 2010 tournament, I can't pimp the "ESPN World Cup Companion" enough.)
* Shakira's music -- When I was in Germany four years ago, there were three songs that seemed to be played on a loop -- Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" (good), Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" (not as good) and Atomic Kitten's "All Together Now" (ear-bleedingly awful ... but I still love you Goleo).
Once again, the Colombian temptress# is back with a World Cup-themed song. And once again, let's say I'm not the target audience. Why is it that sports, especially on the global stage, attract such awful Black Eyed Peas-esque dance music?
At least the official World Cup song by K'Naan has grown on me over the last couple days mainly because of its placement in the official video game.
# -- Has there ever been a hotness-to-musical talent scaled skewed as highly as Shakira. Amazed people willingly chose to listen to her South American yodeling/animal guttural bleats. Oh right, because of the visual element implanted in your head from her videos. Got it.
* The referee's whistle -- In the boldest prediction of the World Cup, I'll go out on a limb and guess at least one game during the tournament an official will make such an egregious call we'll get two or three days worth of talking heads on ESPN screaming why soccer doesn't use instant replay.
* (Possibly) Negative tactics -- If I've said this once, I've said it 1,000 times, the World Cup is great as a sporting spectacle, but sometimes the games aren't all that amazing, especially in the knockouts. Free-flowing, creative games turn into a mini-battles, in start-stop foul fests.
Maybe this doesn't happen, but it could. There's so much at stake and the tournament only rolls around every four years that coaches are also forced to play it close to the vest.
Nobody wants to see the return of "Bora Ball", do we? Or a repeat of Portgual/Holland. Hell, when Brazil is taking a defense-first approach with its team selection, what does it say for the 31 other teams?
And this kind of unattractive play invariably leads to 120 minutes of fatigue-soaked tension decided penalty kicks, which nobody on the planet likes to decide a match. It also triggers another mongo debate of America's mainstream media throwing its two cents in how to "fix" soccer.
Greece and Switzerland -- These are probably the two nations I'm the least interesting in watching play. Part of this is due to the fact that much more appealing European sides like Russia and Bosnia were left at home in favor of these defense-first squads. These two nations placed Nos. 1 and 2 in arguably UEFA's weakest qualifying group, which also included Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg and Moldova.
On top of that, they landed in manageable World Cup groups, meaning they could advance into the knockout stages, where defensive, conservative tactics are even more beneficial.
Compounding the issue is neither Greece or Switzerland seem to possess a dynamic player who draws your eyeballs to the set. They're two teams that don't bring much to the table, helping to fill out the numbers.
Put it this way, shouldn't Switzerland be disqualified from making the World Cup finals when it lost at home to Luxembourg?
So, yeah, overall I hate to play wear the black hat with relish in this situation, but figured it was worth at least mentioning a few of the World Cup's warts, without getting into the whole Sepp Blatter-fueled money grab and how a nation like South Africa probably would have been better suited pouring billions of dollars into, you know, schools, hospitals and infrastructure instead of a couple stadiums, which is a story on its own.
Maybe it's a bit too cynical when nearly everyone is in full flag-waving mode, but hey, isn't the World Cup occasionally of cynical tactics and players?
Anybody remember Marco Materazzi?
Two-minute guide to World Cup snark:
Perhaps it's because there's a statute of limitations of how many jokes you can make about Serbs being fanatical about their showers, but here is a quick look at how to make incisive, pithy comments about the nations participating at the World Cup.
Hell, print it out, fold it up like one of those handy-dandy pocket schedules and unfurl it whenever a joke is needed to zing polite company. You'll be the hit of your World Cup viewing parties or office water cooler.
If the World Cup is anything, it's a time to embrace your inner ugly American and beat the dead horse that is decades old stereotyping, right?
Fish in a Barrel Division:
* Germany -- Anything is in play with Das/Ze Germans. Anything. From the now almost two-decade old 'Sprockets' SNL sketch, to lederhosen to sausage to Jens Lehmann pissing on the field, making fun of German stereotypes is like hitting off a tee. Just watch 'Family Guy', hasn't Seth MacFarlane banked about two billion dollars in DVD sales on the basis of Hitler jokes?
* France -- The gift to late-night writers that keeps on giving. In fact, the hoary old chestnut of the French loving Jerry Lewis movies is right up there in the Comedy Trope Hall of Fame with slipping on a banana peel and yakety sax. When and if the French concede a goal all one must do is make a silly comment about surrender and voila, guffaws around the room. (Note, Quentin Tarantino turned the French-jokes dynamic on its head with "Inglorious Basterds.")
* Italy -- Making a fun a de Eye-talians is about as American as a pizza-pie. Oh, the current day Italians penchant for stripping down to their ever-so-snug briefs is pretty easy for ridicule, too.
* England -- Let's just use "The Simpsons" as our guides for Exhibit a) "Fresh'en ya drink guv'nah and b) The Big Book of British Smiles. Or hell, pretend you're an ESPN anchor and simply speak in a bad, broad English accent and say the words, "jolly" or "oi" or "cheerio" and mention something dated about 1980s hooliganism. A guaranteed laugh riot.
* Greece -- If you're of age, you can go back to the ancient Greek comedy trope of, "Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger." For more contemporary folks, whenever Greece fails to score during a game, an easy joke is saying something like, "That went about as well as Jesse and the Rippers gig at the Smash Club last night." If you're in more urbane, hip company who don't mind things getting a little blue, the folks over at Urban Dictionary certainly have some interesting things to say when you enter "Greek" into their system.
* Japan -- Apparently, the Inter-nets tell me that this Japan place is the Land of the Rising Crazy. Used underwear vending machines? Seizure-inducing television? Robots? Meeeeeeeeeeeestah Sparkle? Hideki Matsui's legendary porn collection? Anything kooky or zany is in play with Japan. Can you see that I am serious?
Oh no you didn't Division:
* The Netherlands -- Nice wooden shoes, tulips and windmills, jerks.
* New Zealand -- Throw another shrimp on the barbee, ride around on your kangaroos all day. Oh wait, Flight of the Conchords already did this. Mistakenly.
* Australia -- Speaking of Australia, two words: Corey Delaney. Oh, and any ass-less chaps-related "Mad Max" jokes are also quite accepted. (Fun fact, the bad guy from "The Road Warrior" -- Wez -- was played by an actor named Vernon Wells. He was also the uber-macho Bennett in "Commando.")
* Serbia -- Besides their devotion to showers, the Serbs also love tobacco in cigarette form. Fact. Ask Vlade Divac.
* Uruguay -- Read the name. Re-read the name. Snicker like a fourth-grader. Repeat.
* South Korea -- Fun fact, South Korea determines its new President every four years through an online game of "Starcraft". For reals, yo.
Your Country's So Boring, (aka Yo Mama So Fat Division):
* Denmark -- ... Why don't you go build a replica World Cup stadium out of Legos, you socialist pricks. ... Oh wait, what's that? Somebody already did? Damn you Danish effiency.
* Switzerland -- ... I don't even have a joke for you. At least you were, in a roundabout way, responsible for Clint Eastwood filming "The Eiger Sanction" in your lovely Alpine nation.
* Huh, what, this is a country you say Division:
* Slovakia/Slovenia -- Considering the state of the American educational system the last three decades, the average middle aged Yank couldn't locate America itself on the map. Hence force, the independent, strong, unique nations of Slovakia and Slovenia will wrongly and ignorantly be grouped into one vague, seemingly medieval, backwater nation where you might find a guy like Borat trying to buy-and-sell a wife.
Don't Go There Division:
* Unless you have the balls, or social ineptitude of Larry David, the following countries are probably off limits for crude, American ignoramus commentary: Ghana, South Africa, Cote D'Ivoire and Cameroon.
Geo-political Division:
* North Korea -- Suffice to say, nobody in Inter-nets land can burn Kim Jong-II better than Trey Parker and Matt Stone, so just do a bad "Team America" impression and you're golden.
* Chile -- Let's face it, nothing lights up a room or a blog comment like a good old fashioned Augusto Pinochet barb. ... Take my Augusto, please.
(After reading this I hope everyone understood the heavy, dripping like molasses sarcasm involved. In fact, it was trying to be sarcastic about sarcasm itself, which nearly caused my computer to implode upon itself like putting metal too close to the Orchid Station on "Lost". And full disclosure, most of these are recycled jokes from 'The Simpsons' -- our modern day cultural unifier -- anyway.)
USMNT Watch:
Is every player at the Princeton camp hurt, or does it just seem that way?
You also have to wonder if the two domestic friendlies, plus the game vs. Australia in June is enough for Oguchi Onyewu to get up to game speed. When was the last time he went a full 90 minutes? September?
Sure, there's not as much running in a central defensive role as there would be in the other places on the field, but isn't game-sharpness and ability to read and react the keys to manning the spot? Onyewu can probably mask a lot of issues with his height, but I'm a little worried.
The other issue that seems to be gaining some steam is whether or not Jozy Altidore is an automatic start at forward.
If we know anything from Bob Bradley, this clearly won't be the case. Would a 4-5-1 type set up on June 12 with Brian Ching alone up top surprise anyone that's tracked this team the last four years? I'm not saying this is a good idea, but for better or worse, it's on the table. (In a way, this might not be the worst idea in the world sine you'd have to figure Fabio Capello is banking on Altidore starting and the U.S. in a 4-4-2.)
Maybe it's me, but are people (mainly advertisers) putting a lot more stock in Altidore's winning smile and failing to remember he only scored one goal for Hull City in the Premier League.
Seems like people are jumping the gun just a bit. Potential is one thing, but at a tournament like the World Cup it's put up, or shut up.
And I'm about as big a Jozy fan as there is, too. Hope I'm wrong here.
Labels: 2010 world cup, Soccer, world cup wednesdays
"I believe the common denominator of the Universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder." -- Werner Herzog
News broke Monday that German captain Michael Ballack would miss the 2010 World Cup due to Kevin-Prince Boateng's tackle in the FA Cup final this weekend. Oh the irony of a Berlin-born player switching allegiances to Ghana and then knocking out Germany's captain for the World Cup.
Only in soccer, folks.
Less than 30 days away, the health of players is quickly becoming the one topic, the only topic heading into the finals, which kick of June 11.
Look at this list of guys who are out or questionable: Ballack, Michael Essien, Fernando Torres, Gareth Barry, Andres Ineista, Oguchi Onyewu, Charlie Davies, Wayne Rooney, John Terry (for a few hours), William Gallas, Cesc Fabregas, David Beckham, Rene Adler, etc.
The games haven't already kicked off and its already become a war of attrition.
That sound you just heard, it's Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk shopping at the discount wrap for a bulk purchase of bubble wrap to encase Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie in before the Netherland's first match.*
* For sci-fi nerds, Fabio Capello has secretly been building a "Bacta Tank" to store Rooney in for the next month.
Now the injury to Ballack certainly causes considerable Schadenfreude** among Germany and its 80-million strong supporters. Though generally unlikeable, Ballack was the rug that tied the German room together, man.
In his stead the German midfield looks quite patchwork and is already without Simon Rolfes and the snubbed veteran Torsten Frings. Only Bastian Schweinsteiger and Piotr Trochowski have double-digit caps in the midfield, putting an even larger onus on Werder Bremen's rising star Mesut Özil.
This ain't your father's Germany, for sure.
** Note, it's always, ALWAYS fun to write and say Schadenfreude.
The current woes of the Germans, who without fail march into the knockout rounds of every major tournament isn't exactly my concern.
Actually, it's the opposite. Ballack is still on the public enemy list*** since his 39th minute goal ended up knocking out the U.S. in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals played in Ulsan, South Korea. (Still seems like it was a handball by Frings in that match, no?)
*** No. 1 remains Nigel de Jong
And since he plays for Chelsea, Ballack is probably one of the more unlikeable guys in world soccer.
Maybe it's not his fault. He always seems angry and he's German. Not a good combination.
Even still, this decade few players have been such a force on the International level as Herr Ballack, even if he's always been left a bridesmaid: runner up 2002 World Cup; third place 2006 World Cup; runner up Euro 2008. (Ballack also played in perhaps the biggest stomach punch game in the Champions League, as Bayer Leverkausen lost on Zinedine Zidane's all-time greatest game winner.)
So like him or not, Ballack is indeed a probable legend of the game, albeit an unlikeable Teutonic version.
Why it's important, though, to the USMNT is that Group C crosses over with Group D.
That means the U.S. could see Germany in the Round of 16 depending how both groups shake out. Germany is probably still the favorite to top Group D with Ghana (ironic), Australia and Serbia. The Germans have it in their DNA to get out of the group stage at the World Cup.
Yet, who would you rather see the U.S. crossing paths with should they get out of the group? A weakened, Ballack-less Germany or an imposing, grim, unshaven bunch of 6-foot rugged beast-men from Serbia?
And before you answer, don't forget our old pal Neven Subotić lines up in the downright ferocious Serbian defense.
At the World Cup, just like in the old hip hop vernacular, everything is everything.
News broke Monday that German captain Michael Ballack would miss the 2010 World Cup due to Kevin-Prince Boateng's tackle in the FA Cup final this weekend. Oh the irony of a Berlin-born player switching allegiances to Ghana and then knocking out Germany's captain for the World Cup.
Only in soccer, folks.
Less than 30 days away, the health of players is quickly becoming the one topic, the only topic heading into the finals, which kick of June 11.
Look at this list of guys who are out or questionable: Ballack, Michael Essien, Fernando Torres, Gareth Barry, Andres Ineista, Oguchi Onyewu, Charlie Davies, Wayne Rooney, John Terry (for a few hours), William Gallas, Cesc Fabregas, David Beckham, Rene Adler, etc.
The games haven't already kicked off and its already become a war of attrition.
That sound you just heard, it's Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk shopping at the discount wrap for a bulk purchase of bubble wrap to encase Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie in before the Netherland's first match.*
* For sci-fi nerds, Fabio Capello has secretly been building a "Bacta Tank" to store Rooney in for the next month.
Now the injury to Ballack certainly causes considerable Schadenfreude** among Germany and its 80-million strong supporters. Though generally unlikeable, Ballack was the rug that tied the German room together, man.
In his stead the German midfield looks quite patchwork and is already without Simon Rolfes and the snubbed veteran Torsten Frings. Only Bastian Schweinsteiger and Piotr Trochowski have double-digit caps in the midfield, putting an even larger onus on Werder Bremen's rising star Mesut Özil.
This ain't your father's Germany, for sure.
** Note, it's always, ALWAYS fun to write and say Schadenfreude.
The current woes of the Germans, who without fail march into the knockout rounds of every major tournament isn't exactly my concern.
Actually, it's the opposite. Ballack is still on the public enemy list*** since his 39th minute goal ended up knocking out the U.S. in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals played in Ulsan, South Korea. (Still seems like it was a handball by Frings in that match, no?)
*** No. 1 remains Nigel de Jong
And since he plays for Chelsea, Ballack is probably one of the more unlikeable guys in world soccer.
Maybe it's not his fault. He always seems angry and he's German. Not a good combination.
Even still, this decade few players have been such a force on the International level as Herr Ballack, even if he's always been left a bridesmaid: runner up 2002 World Cup; third place 2006 World Cup; runner up Euro 2008. (Ballack also played in perhaps the biggest stomach punch game in the Champions League, as Bayer Leverkausen lost on Zinedine Zidane's all-time greatest game winner.)
So like him or not, Ballack is indeed a probable legend of the game, albeit an unlikeable Teutonic version.
Why it's important, though, to the USMNT is that Group C crosses over with Group D.
That means the U.S. could see Germany in the Round of 16 depending how both groups shake out. Germany is probably still the favorite to top Group D with Ghana (ironic), Australia and Serbia. The Germans have it in their DNA to get out of the group stage at the World Cup.
Yet, who would you rather see the U.S. crossing paths with should they get out of the group? A weakened, Ballack-less Germany or an imposing, grim, unshaven bunch of 6-foot rugged beast-men from Serbia?
And before you answer, don't forget our old pal Neven Subotić lines up in the downright ferocious Serbian defense.
At the World Cup, just like in the old hip hop vernacular, everything is everything.
Labels: germany, Soccer, USMNT, werner herzog, world cup 2010
Hey, it's Wednesday ... a day after the preliminary lineups were released for the 32 participating nations in the World Cup. Considering the pan-Inter-nets explosion of World Cup related coverage, today is a day to sit back and digest.
In fact, as you'll soon see, I'm re-linking the previous editions of World Cup Wednesdays in case you missed anything. But first, let's nibble on a few items.
* Funny how Twitter and the 'Nets nearly exploded this morning about the "news" of John Terry's metatarsal injury, then within a matter of an hour or two, he's back to starting this Saturday in the FA Cup final for Chelsea. It reminds me of the title of an old episode of 'The Sopranos' -- "Nobody Knows Anything: aka the Perils of Internet Journalism 101.
That said, it's not like England didn't have: Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher and Mathew Upson in reserve. If Terry was badly injured, Fabio Capello could have even brought out-of-form Jolean Lescott into the mix.
Compare-and-contrast that to the crisis which would befall Bob Bradley should Oguchi Onyewu's knee injury flare up in the next 30 days. We're one bad landing away from possibly Chad Marshall or Clarence Goodson starting in the World Cup. Yikes.
* The more you think about it, the fact Robbie Rogers made the final 30-man cull makes the chances of Clint Dempsey lining up at forward seem all the more likely. Rogers probably doesn't make the final 23, but he's an option on the outside behind Stuart Holden, who's form is up-in-the-air and Alejandro Bedoya.
* Maybe I'm crazy, but here's to hoping Edson Buddle makes the U.S. team. For all the time wasted on discussing Brian Ching as the "target man", both guys are 6-foot-1, though the Hawaiian does have more bulk. Buddle, at least, isn't coming off an injury and is scoring goals. The chemistry with his Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan cannot be discounted. Remember, Ching probably never would have even worked his way into the U.S. mix if not for the Master-Blaster repartee he's built up with El Landito all those years ago in San Jose.
For whatever it's worth, Buddle has nine goals in the short MLS season so far. Dempsey's bagged nine across all competitions for Fulham. Basically, they're the only two guys on the U.S. roster consistently scoring at the club level this year. A scary thought, indeed. [Forget that Gomez tore up Mexico this spring. Oops.]
* DaMarcus Beasley? With El Landito entrenched on the left wing, any idea where he's playing, or if he's got a role in the team?
* Considering how much I've ranted and raved on the subject, I frankly can't say much more about Freddy Adu's exclusion. He and Bradley the Elder simply must not see eye-to-eye. Yeah, he'd still have some use as a 75+ minute offensive sub. For whatever the reason, Bradley prefers Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Findley, two players with considerably less fanfare. (Amazing that Kljestan has graced the North American cover of "FIFA" while Freddy, even at the peak of "Freddy-Mania" never did.)
* If we're lucky, Emile Heskey starts for England June 12. His skill set plays right into the strengths of tthe U.S. defensive backs, doesn't he?
* Weird quirk, England is the only nation of the 32 finalists with an entirely domestically-based 30-man squad. (Thank David Beckham's injury for this.) Italy (Gio Rossi, Villareal) and Germany (Herr Ballack, Chelsea) are one away from a completely homogeneous squad.
* Argentina are now around 15-to-2 to win the tournament. Can any sane person put hard-earned money on a team managed by Diego Maradona?
Perhaps he's crazy like a fox. Maybe he actually does know what he's doing. It's possible he's not trying to prove a point by leaving guys like Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Fernando Gago home.
Again, for whatever it's worth, in the initial roster release on the "2010 FIFA World Cup" game, Juan Insaurralde, Ariel Garcé, Javier Pastore, Sebastián Blanco and Juan Mercier aren't even in the game.
As I tweeted yesterday, how do you take 36-year-old Martin Palermo over Lisandro Lopez? Is Diego's loyalty to Boca Juniors that overwhelming?
I realize Javier Mascherano is one of Diego's two guaranteed starters, but isn't Cambiasso nearly his equal? The dude is going to play in the Champions League final, isn't he?
Hell, it's amazing Newcastle United (Jonás Gutiérrez, Fabricio Coloccini) may send as many Argentines to the World Cup as Inter (Diego Milito, Walter Samuel).
In a way, I can understand and admire what Maradona is trying to do by valuing players who play domestically in Argentina. And rewarding stalwart veterans like Palermo does take guts.
But is the World Cup the venue to prove this point?
* Judging by his team selection, Dunga is one step away from banning jewelry and samba music from the Brazil locker room. You almost have to expect him to channel his inner Mr. Burns pretty soon -- "Kaka I TOLD YOU TO SHAVE THOSE SIDEBURNS!!!"
It's truly a remarkable team selection. Gilberto Silva AND Kleberson!?!
The only forwards are Robinho, Nilmar, Grafite and Luis Fabiano?
Is Dunga trying to take the exactly opposite approach as Carlos Alberto Parreira four years ago, when the ex-Metrostars boss tried to shoehorn an attacking player at every spot on the field?
A Brazil without flair?
What's next, the cast of "Jersey Shore" stepping out without spray-on bronzer?
* Ray Domenech? What more can be said, really? The man is a walking sad trombone sound effect at this point.
* Maybe it was a bit whiny and immature to bash ESPN yesterday for the way it handled the U.S. roster announcement. The network is trying to get better. It still boggles my mind why ESPN would pay so much money for the tournament, then gloss over a huge news day. The WWL didn't just ignore the USMNT, but pretty much all the world news.
Most American do have a fleeting idea who Ronaldinho is, right? Shouldn't they be informed he wasn't playing? Non-stop baseball highlights and talk about the NBA could be put on hold for, say, five minutes, couldn't they?
John Skipper? You still with us buddy? Or are you still vacating on cloud nine after last week's Spurs win over Manchester City?
* * *
As promised, here are the previous installments of "World Cup Wednesday" (WCW).
March 24 -- Bottom Barrelled, the three teams with no chance to win.
April 7 -- Seeing Red Coats, Americans obsession with the England match.
April 14 -- Group of Death, Too. Why Group D is tougher than Group G
April 21 -- Heads and Hands, Examining the managers and goalies of the contenders.
April 28 -- OMATW, Some "one man" teams, plus some prescient thoughts on Davies. (Beware Fulham fans, that Forlan fellow features prominently.)
May 5 -- Achilles Heeling, Looking at the flaws of the contenders. (Note England.)
Buy, Steal or Read this Book:
Let's face it, if you're going couch-potato like me for the months of June and July and watching as many games of the 2010 World Cup as possible, you'll need something to do between matches -- especially the gap after the 9:30 a.m. match ends and the 2 p.m. match starts.
And if a certain Mr. Onions is anywhere near the set at halftime breaks, you'll need something to occupy your time.
Enter, "The ESPN World Cup Companion." It's only $20 on Amazon.com and probably double or triple that value.
It really is indeed the perfect book to occupy your coffee table during the World Cup -- or the other 11 months of the year.
From a snazzy design to the great picture to the snarky-yet-informative tone of the writing from author (and friend) David Hirshey this book has everything you'd probably want -- aside from the ability to pour you a fresh pint of lager.
Bad haircuts? Check.
Bad teams? Check. (Steve Sampson, I'm looking at you.)
Hagi, Stoitchov, Ardiles? Check, check, check.
Tragic 1970s short-shorts? You betcha.
A entire chapter devoted to "Hard Men"? Umm ... yes.
A dissection of the art of diving? Sad part of the game, but yeah, it's there.
All the scores, all the stats all the key date? Indeed.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about this book (beside my name mentioned in the acknowledgments, oops) is you'll pick it up, flip through and find something fascinating to read for 20 minutes, put it down and do the same thing a day or two later and still be informed and entertained, impressively at the same time.
One other book thing:
Finally cracked New York Daily New writer Filip Bondy's "Chasing the Game: America and the Quest for the World Cup."
Haven't gotten too deep into it, though it's been a good refresher on the marathon CONCACAF qualifiers.
It's a shame that writing, as Bondy does in flash backs, to the early days of soccer in America prove to be so dull. It's probably nobody's fault since records from those days are spotty at best. Anyone that played, say, pre-1950 has long since passed away. If only soccer had a helpful Brit in its infant days like baseball did with its early chronicler, Henry Chadwick.
Anyway, if you can get the book before the World Cup starts and power-read through it, it's a nice refresher course. Bondy does seem to have good access to the players and Sunil Gulati in particular.
A good meat-and-potatoes read so far.
Requiem for Fulham:
Sorry to tacknthis one right here, but the timing just fit for the post.
Sad, sad, sad end for Fulham in the Europa League final.
Not much more to say. Four minutes from penalty kicks, a historic, probably once-in-a-lifetime run comes crashing to an end.
Fulham have found the resolve to come back against Juventus and Hamburg, but simply seemed to run out of gas Wednesday in northern Germany. When it looked like Zoltan Gera might run into a long ball played over the top in the 119th minute, my heart was in my throat, with the blood rushing out of my hands. (It was also nerve racking to see Clint Dempsey draw foul-after-foul late in the match.)
The usual cliches about "holding their heads high" seem to apply, but this was different. It was indeed a fairytale. Fulham were supposed to find a miracle in the last second for an equalizer.
Didn't happen.
And these amazing run probably isn't happening again for Fulham.
As someone who saw his beloved Detroit Tigers come literally from nowhere to make the 2006 World Series and then lose to the Cardinals, falling short of the Championship, it hurts like a bitch. All the consolation doesn't help. It doesn't matter, at least in the immediate aftermath, that Fulham did it the "right way."
Nothing helps to full the bleak, empty feeling inside.
If there's any way to dull the pain for Fulham fans worldwide, at least it was Diego Forlan that scored. He is a world class player.
Too bad the centering ball from Kun Aguero went through the legs of Chris Baird, followed by Forlan's semi-amazing back-to-goal moving away back-heel squirting through the wickets of Breda Hangeland and into the far corner.
Just gutting.
It was a great run for Fulham, the kind of run that will be warmly regarded for years and year. It comes to an end, though, in the bitterest of bittersweet fashions.
Sorry 30f.
In fact, as you'll soon see, I'm re-linking the previous editions of World Cup Wednesdays in case you missed anything. But first, let's nibble on a few items.
* Funny how Twitter and the 'Nets nearly exploded this morning about the "news" of John Terry's metatarsal injury, then within a matter of an hour or two, he's back to starting this Saturday in the FA Cup final for Chelsea. It reminds me of the title of an old episode of 'The Sopranos' -- "Nobody Knows Anything: aka the Perils of Internet Journalism 101.
That said, it's not like England didn't have: Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher and Mathew Upson in reserve. If Terry was badly injured, Fabio Capello could have even brought out-of-form Jolean Lescott into the mix.
Compare-and-contrast that to the crisis which would befall Bob Bradley should Oguchi Onyewu's knee injury flare up in the next 30 days. We're one bad landing away from possibly Chad Marshall or Clarence Goodson starting in the World Cup. Yikes.
* The more you think about it, the fact Robbie Rogers made the final 30-man cull makes the chances of Clint Dempsey lining up at forward seem all the more likely. Rogers probably doesn't make the final 23, but he's an option on the outside behind Stuart Holden, who's form is up-in-the-air and Alejandro Bedoya.
* Maybe I'm crazy, but here's to hoping Edson Buddle makes the U.S. team. For all the time wasted on discussing Brian Ching as the "target man", both guys are 6-foot-1, though the Hawaiian does have more bulk. Buddle, at least, isn't coming off an injury and is scoring goals. The chemistry with his Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan cannot be discounted. Remember, Ching probably never would have even worked his way into the U.S. mix if not for the Master-Blaster repartee he's built up with El Landito all those years ago in San Jose.
For whatever it's worth, Buddle has nine goals in the short MLS season so far. Dempsey's bagged nine across all competitions for Fulham. Basically, they're the only two guys on the U.S. roster consistently scoring at the club level this year. A scary thought, indeed. [Forget that Gomez tore up Mexico this spring. Oops.]
* DaMarcus Beasley? With El Landito entrenched on the left wing, any idea where he's playing, or if he's got a role in the team?
* Considering how much I've ranted and raved on the subject, I frankly can't say much more about Freddy Adu's exclusion. He and Bradley the Elder simply must not see eye-to-eye. Yeah, he'd still have some use as a 75+ minute offensive sub. For whatever the reason, Bradley prefers Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Findley, two players with considerably less fanfare. (Amazing that Kljestan has graced the North American cover of "FIFA" while Freddy, even at the peak of "Freddy-Mania" never did.)
* If we're lucky, Emile Heskey starts for England June 12. His skill set plays right into the strengths of tthe U.S. defensive backs, doesn't he?
* Weird quirk, England is the only nation of the 32 finalists with an entirely domestically-based 30-man squad. (Thank David Beckham's injury for this.) Italy (Gio Rossi, Villareal) and Germany (Herr Ballack, Chelsea) are one away from a completely homogeneous squad.
* Argentina are now around 15-to-2 to win the tournament. Can any sane person put hard-earned money on a team managed by Diego Maradona?
Perhaps he's crazy like a fox. Maybe he actually does know what he's doing. It's possible he's not trying to prove a point by leaving guys like Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Fernando Gago home.
Again, for whatever it's worth, in the initial roster release on the "2010 FIFA World Cup" game, Juan Insaurralde, Ariel Garcé, Javier Pastore, Sebastián Blanco and Juan Mercier aren't even in the game.
As I tweeted yesterday, how do you take 36-year-old Martin Palermo over Lisandro Lopez? Is Diego's loyalty to Boca Juniors that overwhelming?
I realize Javier Mascherano is one of Diego's two guaranteed starters, but isn't Cambiasso nearly his equal? The dude is going to play in the Champions League final, isn't he?
Hell, it's amazing Newcastle United (Jonás Gutiérrez, Fabricio Coloccini) may send as many Argentines to the World Cup as Inter (Diego Milito, Walter Samuel).
In a way, I can understand and admire what Maradona is trying to do by valuing players who play domestically in Argentina. And rewarding stalwart veterans like Palermo does take guts.
But is the World Cup the venue to prove this point?
* Judging by his team selection, Dunga is one step away from banning jewelry and samba music from the Brazil locker room. You almost have to expect him to channel his inner Mr. Burns pretty soon -- "Kaka I TOLD YOU TO SHAVE THOSE SIDEBURNS!!!"
It's truly a remarkable team selection. Gilberto Silva AND Kleberson!?!
The only forwards are Robinho, Nilmar, Grafite and Luis Fabiano?
Is Dunga trying to take the exactly opposite approach as Carlos Alberto Parreira four years ago, when the ex-Metrostars boss tried to shoehorn an attacking player at every spot on the field?
A Brazil without flair?
What's next, the cast of "Jersey Shore" stepping out without spray-on bronzer?
* Ray Domenech? What more can be said, really? The man is a walking sad trombone sound effect at this point.
* Maybe it was a bit whiny and immature to bash ESPN yesterday for the way it handled the U.S. roster announcement. The network is trying to get better. It still boggles my mind why ESPN would pay so much money for the tournament, then gloss over a huge news day. The WWL didn't just ignore the USMNT, but pretty much all the world news.
Most American do have a fleeting idea who Ronaldinho is, right? Shouldn't they be informed he wasn't playing? Non-stop baseball highlights and talk about the NBA could be put on hold for, say, five minutes, couldn't they?
John Skipper? You still with us buddy? Or are you still vacating on cloud nine after last week's Spurs win over Manchester City?
As promised, here are the previous installments of "World Cup Wednesday" (WCW).
March 24 -- Bottom Barrelled, the three teams with no chance to win.
April 7 -- Seeing Red Coats, Americans obsession with the England match.
April 14 -- Group of Death, Too. Why Group D is tougher than Group G
April 21 -- Heads and Hands, Examining the managers and goalies of the contenders.
April 28 -- OMATW, Some "one man" teams, plus some prescient thoughts on Davies. (Beware Fulham fans, that Forlan fellow features prominently.)
May 5 -- Achilles Heeling, Looking at the flaws of the contenders. (Note England.)
Buy, Steal or Read this Book:
Let's face it, if you're going couch-potato like me for the months of June and July and watching as many games of the 2010 World Cup as possible, you'll need something to do between matches -- especially the gap after the 9:30 a.m. match ends and the 2 p.m. match starts.
And if a certain Mr. Onions is anywhere near the set at halftime breaks, you'll need something to occupy your time.
Enter, "The ESPN World Cup Companion." It's only $20 on Amazon.com and probably double or triple that value.
It really is indeed the perfect book to occupy your coffee table during the World Cup -- or the other 11 months of the year.
From a snazzy design to the great picture to the snarky-yet-informative tone of the writing from author (and friend) David Hirshey this book has everything you'd probably want -- aside from the ability to pour you a fresh pint of lager.
Bad haircuts? Check.
Bad teams? Check. (Steve Sampson, I'm looking at you.)
Hagi, Stoitchov, Ardiles? Check, check, check.
Tragic 1970s short-shorts? You betcha.
A entire chapter devoted to "Hard Men"? Umm ... yes.
A dissection of the art of diving? Sad part of the game, but yeah, it's there.
All the scores, all the stats all the key date? Indeed.
Perhaps the best thing I can say about this book (beside my name mentioned in the acknowledgments, oops) is you'll pick it up, flip through and find something fascinating to read for 20 minutes, put it down and do the same thing a day or two later and still be informed and entertained, impressively at the same time.
One other book thing:
Finally cracked New York Daily New writer Filip Bondy's "Chasing the Game: America and the Quest for the World Cup."
Haven't gotten too deep into it, though it's been a good refresher on the marathon CONCACAF qualifiers.
It's a shame that writing, as Bondy does in flash backs, to the early days of soccer in America prove to be so dull. It's probably nobody's fault since records from those days are spotty at best. Anyone that played, say, pre-1950 has long since passed away. If only soccer had a helpful Brit in its infant days like baseball did with its early chronicler, Henry Chadwick.
Anyway, if you can get the book before the World Cup starts and power-read through it, it's a nice refresher course. Bondy does seem to have good access to the players and Sunil Gulati in particular.
A good meat-and-potatoes read so far.
Requiem for Fulham:
Sorry to tacknthis one right here, but the timing just fit for the post.
Sad, sad, sad end for Fulham in the Europa League final.
Not much more to say. Four minutes from penalty kicks, a historic, probably once-in-a-lifetime run comes crashing to an end.
Fulham have found the resolve to come back against Juventus and Hamburg, but simply seemed to run out of gas Wednesday in northern Germany. When it looked like Zoltan Gera might run into a long ball played over the top in the 119th minute, my heart was in my throat, with the blood rushing out of my hands. (It was also nerve racking to see Clint Dempsey draw foul-after-foul late in the match.)
The usual cliches about "holding their heads high" seem to apply, but this was different. It was indeed a fairytale. Fulham were supposed to find a miracle in the last second for an equalizer.
Didn't happen.
And these amazing run probably isn't happening again for Fulham.
As someone who saw his beloved Detroit Tigers come literally from nowhere to make the 2006 World Series and then lose to the Cardinals, falling short of the Championship, it hurts like a bitch. All the consolation doesn't help. It doesn't matter, at least in the immediate aftermath, that Fulham did it the "right way."
Nothing helps to full the bleak, empty feeling inside.
If there's any way to dull the pain for Fulham fans worldwide, at least it was Diego Forlan that scored. He is a world class player.
Too bad the centering ball from Kun Aguero went through the legs of Chris Baird, followed by Forlan's semi-amazing back-to-goal moving away back-heel squirting through the wickets of Breda Hangeland and into the far corner.
Just gutting.
It was a great run for Fulham, the kind of run that will be warmly regarded for years and year. It comes to an end, though, in the bitterest of bittersweet fashions.
Sorry 30f.
Labels: Argentina, diego maradona, England, Soccer, world cup 2010, world cup wednesdays
