tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39975132009-07-14T11:19:04.656-04:00Don't blame us, we voted for Ricky for Sunnyvale Trailer Park Supervisor.Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.comBlogger479125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-34973842270918351642009-07-13T00:20:00.001-04:002009-07-13T14:10:15.800-04:00

Maybe it's just me, but hasn't this been a rather quiet "silly season"? Aside from the Real Madrid money press snatching up stars and Manchester City linked with every single player alive, it's been rather dull. (Not that I mind.) Look at England's 'Big Four'. Michael Owen? Zuri Zhirkov? Thomas Vermaelen? Glenn Johnson?Slow going, but unfortunately other than in Liverpool's case I doubt its due

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-2964683269035272932009-07-11T22:15:00.006-04:002009-07-11T22:50:56.027-04:00

So yeah...if you noticed I pretty much mailed in my pre-game thoughts for the U.S./Haiti 2009 Gold Cup match. (DHL, if you're wondering.)Nobody told me the U.S. team on the synthetic field at Foxborough got the same memo. (Rim shot.)At least the game ended 2-2 on Stuart Holden's golazo in stoppage time. Only U.S. soccer could field a team that beats Spain 2-0, gives Brazil a run for its money in

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-71804521399098925872009-07-09T00:25:00.001-04:002009-07-09T10:53:18.363-04:00

Considering the U.S. is currently in the midst of its Revolutionary War (Washington, New England, Philly) tour section of the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2009 extravaganza, this post comes with a preamble -- free of charge. Bear in mind the following truths whilst proceeding: a) This game was watched on TeleFutura. b) Watched following an gratifying softball victory, pushing the CARP Engery winning streak

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-19742537412970327852009-07-08T12:22:00.002-04:002009-07-08T13:34:23.483-04:00

As they say, honesty is the best policy. So with that in mind, folks, I don't have all that much to offer ahead of Wednesday night's U.S./Honduras CONCACAF Gold Cup group match. If you want to take the approach that the boys from Tegucigalpa mount the biggest test in this miserably weak group for the U.S., that's fine. Me, I'm just curious to see if the entire lot of Los Catrachos will be

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-50702638571186804332009-07-04T00:00:00.002-04:002009-07-05T01:39:05.028-04:00

Walking into my parent's house with a tummy full of Fourth of July fried hot dogs and fried dough to give my father some company for the all-time epic grudge match between the U.S. and Grenada in the opening match of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Saturday night, my first impressive probably summed up the ensuing 90 minutes. Looking at the images beaming from Fox Soccer Channel on the flat screen

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-2988558380315389812009-07-03T11:10:00.002-04:002009-07-03T11:18:24.773-04:00

As you probably know, I don't just post silly quickee links. Not my style. In honor of the birth of our great nation, I felt like sharing. 1. Can 2011 get here quick? In case you missed it, the Seattle Sounders/Portland Timbers U.S. Open Cup game was an outlier for a couple reasons, namely people actually were excited for an Open Cup game. Just check out some of the stuff on Portland message

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-24222805873151456542009-07-02T20:08:00.002-04:002009-07-03T11:23:08.207-04:00

"There's gold out there I tells ya, gold." -- colloquial prospector talk, possible from 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' So...here we are, the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a.k.a. a poor excuse for Jack Warner to pick a man's pocket every two years. There's probably no way to sugar coat or dilly-dance around the fact that in the wake of the Confederations Cup last month, this tournament is going to

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-34978014496536683662009-06-28T19:00:00.014-04:002009-06-29T11:46:22.929-04:00

"You can try the best you canIf you try the best you canThe best you can is good enough" -- Radiohead, 'Optimistic' As explained in the quickee recap post, I needed to walk this one off. There was simply so much swirling after Brazil's nearly epic 3-2 comeback over the U.S. at the 2009 Confederations Cup final that it was like watching a mindblowing 'Lost' episode. I needed to hit pause on the

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-69980410236142977642009-06-28T16:25:00.007-04:002009-06-28T16:57:51.750-04:00

Word to the wise, never start writing a blog post at the halftime of a game. Up 2-0 at the half I was digging up video of Benny Feilhaber's 2007 Gold Cup Golazo. I was examining all the Facebook status updates from people who usually don't give a lick about the game. I was trying to figure out a way to gauge how historic this match would be, even if its a tournament that exists somewhat inside a

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-79600152607172583502009-06-26T15:45:00.005-04:002009-06-29T11:40:56.125-04:00

"To be the man, you gotta beat the man. Whoo." -- Ric FlairIn the wake of the Wednesday's crazy 2-0 win by the U.S. over Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals, we've seen the term 'Miracle on Grass' tossed around. Pardon me while I go vomit. Not to turn this post into another media examination, but drawing comparisons to the 1980 U.S. hockey win over the Soviets at the Lake Placid Olympiad

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-83779979292179534472009-06-25T09:45:00.006-04:002009-06-25T11:34:07.602-04:00

I'm just going to come right out and say it, I was a big fan of ESPN's 'Cheap Seats.' Yeah, it's hard to believe that since the Sklar Brothers were in the film 'Wild Hogs' which nearly mitigates their entire career. Still, 'Cheap Seats' was quality. It's hard to naysay a show that features cameos from guys like Ian Roberts, H. Jon Benjamin and Michael Showalter. Some of the clips from the old

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-85566386171213238432009-06-24T16:09:00.017-04:002009-06-24T18:14:29.451-04:00

Wow, wow, wow, wow. U.S. 2, Spain 0 ... it happened? Are you sure? If you glance at it quickly, it seems like a typo. Or if not that, a fluke. Watching this unfold, it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't luck. It wasn't Spain playing poorly. See, what the heck do I know. (Oh right, starting Carlos Bocanegra at left back, but who's counting.) The U.S., to cue the Offspring, came out and played. Before the

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-28822962461925003422009-06-23T11:02:00.007-04:002009-06-23T11:17:13.974-04:00

Other than for the games, I don't watch much ESPN. I don't listen to its radio stations either, or read its magazine. Yes, I do read Bill Simmons and check out Soccernet, but still don't own an Insider web account. If it ever came down to it, I probably could live without ESPN in my life. Still, let's throw out a number -- 90 percent -- maybe more, of American sports fans get their agenda set by

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-45290330773368585272009-06-22T14:04:00.004-04:002009-06-22T14:24:45.820-04:00

With a day or two to catch our breath before U.S. v. Spain on Wednesday -- aka Bob of La Mancha (the impossible dream) -- let's discuss a couple other things floating around the world these days with a nice quickee post. 1. Carlos Tevez leaves Manchester United. Carlito was a weird case study at Old Trafford. He didn't start, but it seemed every one of his 18 goals were important or came at

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-92122343184970756482009-06-21T17:00:00.016-04:002009-06-21T19:06:01.131-04:00

Wow. U.S. 3, Egpyt 0. Howdoyalikethat?It was almost like Thebes answering the riddle of the Sphinx with the answer so obvious nobody else saw it -- it was all DaMarcus Beasley's fault. Joking aside, I'm tickled pink (for lack of a better term) we'll get to see the U.S. lose to Spain Wednesday and now get to put a positive spin on the rest of the Confederations Cup with the inevitable third place

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-45711231363385472962009-06-20T14:55:00.003-04:002009-06-20T15:54:22.340-04:00

"When you listen to fools ... the mob rules." -- Ronnie James Dio.As a would-be history buff, the French so-called 'Reign of Terror' is fairly fascinating. My modern mind can't comprehend how the peasant rabble would get so excited a guillotine be-headings. Maybe it's just because I have a weak stomach for that sort of gore. Anyways, the Inter-nets is all abuzz with its own Jacobin movement in

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-89487878579091710282009-06-19T15:42:00.003-04:002009-06-19T20:14:57.204-04:00

Sorry, simply couldn't resist the lay-up of a Bangles joke, what with the U.S. playing Egypt on Sunday in the Confederations Cup. It's an excuse, anyway, to mention that Susanna Hoffs is still spry after all these years. That said, 80s novelty pop songs probably don't have too much to do with the upcoming match, especially with the rancor flowing from the 3-1 Italian Job and 3-0 Brazilian

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-27668003455733790362009-06-18T13:10:00.007-04:002009-06-19T00:56:47.754-04:00

"This is awful. I can't wait for this to be over. ... I'm rooting for Brazil to score a goal just to see some action." -- My friend Nick, in the wheezing, gasping moments of the U.S's 3-0 loss to Brazil Thursday. Well...what more is there really to say?If you watched that shit show play out, you don't need me to rehash how disheartening the limp U.S. performance really was. Instead, let's just

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-13270813020492582352009-06-17T15:00:00.002-04:002009-06-17T18:43:16.436-04:00

With less than 24 hours before the U.S. kicks off against Brasil in the Confederations Cup, let's maybe try an unconventional look. There are so many different emotions and ideas floating around, it's important to realize this is just one game of many. Somehow finding a way to upset Kaka & Co. doesn't all of a sudden mean the U.S. is a favorite at the 2010 World Cup and losing doesn't mean we're

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-84769585100330650242009-06-16T09:18:00.003-04:002009-06-16T11:32:29.672-04:00

First off before diving in feet first, thanks for all the comments and chatter. Definitely nice to come back from a crummy softball loss to read all your thoughts, especially since I stupidly slammed a weight bat on the top of my foot by accident. D'oh. Well, on Monday the U.S. and Carp Engery both losers. The difference, no one is blowing up the web complaining about our, nay, my lack, of

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-49942582876215818062009-06-15T16:02:00.008-04:002009-06-15T17:20:55.802-04:00

Hey gang. Feel free to vent about Italy 3, U.S. 1I have a softball game I have to run off to, so I'll marinate on my thoughts and come up with a meatier post later tonight. My quick reaction. Maybe the casuals watching the highlights on ESPN will see that New Jersey born Giuseppe Rossi scored two cracking goals for ITALY, not the U.S. That's have to leave a lot of people scratching their heads,

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-43930590094652191682009-06-14T12:00:00.002-04:002009-06-14T15:01:58.601-04:00

Let's talk Confederations Cup, why not chief?Specifically, does the U.S. national team have a death row inmate's chance in Texas to to advance from the Italy/Brasil/Egypt group?Realistically, this shakes out like your type World Cup group. The U.S. will need at least four points to advance, theoretically making the final game against the Pharaohs a must-win. That said, there's a high likelihood

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-90315860087048333592009-06-11T16:00:00.002-04:002009-06-11T16:13:13.740-04:00

After venting on Tuesday, I thought I would take a break from the ranting and raving about the U.S. National Team and move toward a more conventional breakdown of the upcoming Confederations Cup. Then I got a couple things in my mail. First, Wednesday night, there was a big package sitting on my stoop. I figured it was a couple sets of 'Trailer Park Boys' episodes I'd ordered. Wrong. It was a box

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-49127031136998877162009-06-09T14:46:00.004-04:002009-06-09T17:44:31.647-04:00

Readers, subscribers, what have you, you're in for a bonus Tuesday post. It was definitely nice to see all the post U.S./Honduras chatter. Sometimes I wonder if people are able to figure out how to comment on a post here. For anyone that cares, I set my initial blogger template like six years ago and have carried a lot of that to today, until major changes in 2006. Maybe it's time for something

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997513.post-34757312848830500052009-06-07T10:47:00.007-04:002009-06-07T15:18:02.809-04:00

"There are three sides to every story, yours, mine and the truth" -- Robert Evans. Sorry for the lack of a post immediately after Saturday night's U.S. 2-1 win over Honduras at lively Solider Field on Chicago. This was one I had to sleep on, since there was so much going on from the time ESPN went live ... on ESPN Classic. The first thing I wrote down on my notepad was a pretty simple statement -

Cardillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14367359718628992293hoopscardillo@yahoo.com19