Taking it Back
So the US has clinched a spot in the grandest tournament of them all. They did it away, against a pretty solid team. I'm impressed. Certainly centerback and center mid have some things to be worked out, but that is what time is for. Now myself and all the other US fans don't have to go through a gut wrenching Wednesday game against Costa Rica. Not that this one wasn't gut wrenching enough. Chamo was kind enough to text updates, and I had other plans for the evening that didn't allow me to watch the game. Probably better that way, as I take US games pretty seriously and they put me on an emotional rollercoaster. I chuckle at people who talk about their team and how much they love them, because soccer fans passion is so much greater then fans of any other sport. It is the truth. So instead of giving you a recap of the game, which hopefully Chamo will do instead, I'd rather give you some posts on the USMNT that I have written across a couple blogs in this qualifying period. Be warned, it's long.
Game one, the first in qualification, at Guatemala. It was ugly, but a win is a win on the road.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
"The US has just won a street fight in Guatemala"
Couldn't have been much more true. the game was poorly played by the US, and they didn't look particularly special. However, a win is a win, and certainly on the road it is a brilliant win. scattered thoughts from the game:
- wtf espn. cut away from the baseball game and go straight to the soccer. the pennant race is not going to be decided in august anyway. bump them onto espn classic.
- Landon needs to attack from the wings when he gets the ball out there. He did way too much pulling the ball back when either driving a ball in to streaking forwards or dribbling at defenders were both much more dangerous options.
- On the same note, that kinda went for the whole team. where was the creativity/flair? I think it is time to bump bradley or mastroeni from the center mid, and let either dempsey/adu have a run as a withdrawn forward with the other as an attacking mid. we aren't beating world powers attacking like tonight, and unless Bradley gets some attacking freedom, two dmids is not getting it done.
- well done Chingy. you didn't do much early, but second half you were a difference maker. loved the backscreen on Boca's goal, and your workrate up top was first class.
- Oh how having Damarcus beasley on the field changes things. We miss you D, get back to fitness quick please.
-Carlos Ruiz is a piece of crap. how he didn't have a red by sixty in is beyond me
-Scrappy win fellas. good teams win even when they suck, and so does the US apparently.
Usain bolt is incredible, his running is so dominant. It made me think how sick Olympic track events would be with soccer players only. think of donovan, messi, eto'o and torres all squaring off in the 200. the combinations would be awesome.
The US goes to Cuba
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Skydiving was sick, pics later.
Oh Clint Dempsey, how you play with my heart. you are inconsistent, maddening, and i love you. you may pain my heart, but your moments of brilliance are incredible. please, keep playing for bob b and the cottagers. because everytime you are on, you remind me that you could be the great white hope.
thoughts from the us game
- way to clutch up dempsey. you brought the sizzle, and your runs were dangerous again. i still dont think the right flank is your spot, but you were good anyway. the run midway through the first half showed the grit that you have been missing the last couple games. and that finish was clinical.
-after the goal, the us really looked like they were killing off the game, and as much as i didn't like it, i didn't hate it either. 1-0 is not the way to go but it is def better then a loss. the posession was good, especially for a sloppy field.
-having damarcys beasley in the line up makes the team so much more dangerous, especially going forward. you can tell he isnt completely fit, but he created some sick chances, and how there wasn't a pk awarded to the us on his cutback where the defender slid in the box and stopped his cross with his hand is beyond me
-chingaling (brian ching) played classy again. he might be better then i thought. i have always loved him, but he is playing some really impressive target forward right now. granted, its against cuba, but still.
-cuba 5 nothing but respect for these peeps right here. literally straight up, well earned, i may not like you but i respect you Anchorman status respect. and love. and jealousy that i am not one, but cuba cinco has a lot nicer ring then cuba seis.
-overall game - meh, us needs to start finishing chances. the field was poor as was the referee, as he missed at least 3 dangerous fouls that would have given the us great free kick/pks. a win is a win, and clint dempsey sacking up makes this game a B+. the formation was better, landon wasnt on the wing, but they need to try sasha wide, with landon as the withdrawn forward and demps as the attacking midfielder, or call freddy into camp. please.
Friday night in the bay area we had a minor earthquake. Tonight we had a major one.
HUCK STRIKES AGAIN!!!
who knew that Washington DC was so earthquake prone??
again, the quakes WILL make the playoffs. huck and artie are rampaging up top right now. well done frank yallop well done.
peace
December 08
ive been out of the loop for a couple months, viruses plus school have minimized my blogging.
brag: us is in final round of world cup qualifying
beat: i'm still poor, and adsense hates my blog
varience: school is almost over for the quarter.
oops that last one is a brag :)
Confed Cup wrap
the old confed cup has been beaten to pieces in terms of analysis, so I’m gonna hit on a couple things that haven’t covered that extensively yet.
-The US would have been beaten Italy minus the BS red card. Pretty simple. They were outplaying them, and still managed to score post red card. From the way Rico played the rest of the tournament, you can see that he was soul crushing opposing central midfielders, and would have done so to the Italians too. Silly Italy got lucky again. Seems thats really about all they can get. They look pretty miserable against competent teams when refs dont hand them gifts.
-Getting to the final is going to benefit the US players and the national team in a major way: not because of the respect or even the experience. those will help too, but mainly because of the upcoming transfer window. Landon has proven he can play on the big stage and should be starting for someone in Spain. Jozy torched his club teammate Capdevilla, and should get a starting look at Villareal. Gooch is gonna go somewhere big. Rico, Charlie and Benny have all shown that they can ball in the big leagues. Getting all the US starters in major european leagues in starting elevens will benefit the national more then anything else possible. It also might help solve that depth problem.
-Inter is extremely foolish to let Maicon walk away. The dude is the best right back in the world, hands down. Whoever ends up with him, well figure them in for a deep run into the CL.
-The talent is there for the US. This is the first time I’ve felt that the US could really get it done on the world stage since 2002. The back with spector looks miles better, the center midfield is quickly becoming a hotbed of talent, Donovan and Dempsey are arguably two of the sneakiest strongest attacking players in the world, and jozy+charlie= 42. that would be 42 years old total. In a year, watch out. The US will get to the quarters.
-Bob Bradley needs to figure out how substitutions work.
-I’m really struggling with my man crush, should it be dirty dempsey? Spectacular Spector? Jubilant Jozy? Timmmmmay? landycakes? its getting harder to hold down just one. which is a good thing. still demps for the way he plays with my heart for the time being…
-The decision to take a bunch of youngins to Copa America 2007 worked. Hopefully doing the same to Gold Cup 2009 will do the same. Either way, I’m excited to see Freddy and Stu Holden run the show.
-I cannot wait until next summer. World Cup SA 2010 here I come.
It Was All A Dream
Certainly the start was. These dream starts are starting to wear on me. Certainly I was not pleased with the lineup, but such is life.
Then boom. Landon to Charlie.
The past met the present and the future in one fell swoop and we had the unthinkable, a goal lead in the first fifteen at Azteca. Another dream, much like the final in Brazil. Unfortunately, the best possible start seemed to be the worst too, as the US retreated defensively and decided to try and weather the storm for 80 minutes instead of going for the kill, getting the second goal and all but locking up the trip to South Africa next summer. Instead they decided to park the bus and stop possessing the ball. Carlos doesn't step against the shot of Castro's life, and it's one to one. Then the US coughed up what would have been such a huge point with less than ten minutes to go.
So much pain. Enough pain that I spent the entire afternoon watching season one of Entourage and eating Flaming Hot Cheetos to cope. Saying that it still stings would be an understatement if there ever was one. However writing these takeaways will hopefully console my soul, and make Bob Bradley wake up to some ideas somehow.
-Brian Ching's international career is drawing to an end – I love Chingy. He is a stud, a workhorse, and a fighter. However he is no longer dangerous (if he ever was?) at the international level. I understand Bob wants a target forward. This was his game to shine. He did not hold, or really do anything. The Jozy Charlie combo has to be the choice selection now, at all times. Jozy out of form is not the end of the world. It allows Bob to let them work together for 60+ minutes, then shift Demps up top, and bring in Benny/Stu/Maurice to help in the mid. Ching is not getting it done. If he cannot compete with Mexico's relatively small backs, he will not stand a chance against Terrys/Mertasackers/Lucios of the world. It’s time to unleash Jozy. I think he will play a ton at Hull and this will no longer become an issue come September.
-Conservativeness with leads is a bad idea. Look, we now have the horses. In CONCACAF there should be no more conservative game plans. We can take it to ANYONE. It's time to start doing it. The US did it until they scored a goal, then got all passive/defensive, which is the only thing worse than passive/aggressive. It's frustrating when all the other US fans see this too. Really, really frustrating.
-At some point, in a major international match, the US will not get a questionable referee. Dear FIFA, what is the deal? It's hard enough to be the underdog, but when the referee is particularly inconsistent in favor of one team, it's impossible. I won't say the ref cost the US this game because poor defending did that, but if he was any more inconsistent with his requirements for cards (Nery Castillo grabbing another US guy's head anyone?) you might have sworn that it really was 14 on 11. There were multiple clear tackles from behind and studs up from different Mexican players that deserved a yellow, and Torrado going for Feilhaber's throat is certainly arguably red. The fact that Nery Castillo walked out with no cards is insane. The ref missed what looked to be a blatant foul while Donovan was dribbling then dispossessed right before Mexico's first goal. Certainly the defense has to step up, but it is ridiculous the double standard the US has faced this summer.
-Charlie Davies is the real deal. Stuart Holden looks to be as well. Davies caused so many problems and came so close to snatching what would have been a winner off of the Holden cross in the second half. The youth is rearing their head at the right time and I couldn't be happier. Anyone who can celebrate with the stanky leg or act like a bobble head is stellar in my book.
-Mexico fans and players are classless. Congrats Mexico fans, you can throw stuff out of the stands. For some reason, most Latin American supporters thinks pelting players with batteries and other objects is productive. This only accentuates many stereotypes, and while we understand it unsettles visiting teams, it sure doesn’t help your image. People I was watching the game with were so livid with the Mexican fans and the players for their shenanigans that I'm pretty sure race relations go back fifteen years every time the US plays in Mexico. It's too bad because for such a good rivalry it's getting a lot uglier lately. Really not impressed by the players as well, when Davies was down, three Mexican players tried to drag him up when he was clearly hurt, starting what could have been a massive brawl. However moments later, two Mexican players spent multiple moments on the ground over minimal tackles, and there was no rush to get them up from their teammates. Strange. Castillo then tried to take the ball from Onyewu with hands to his face at one point, which is truly classless. Especially when it actually isn't your corner.
-The US defense isn't there yet. Ugh. Is it that hard to step? Really, Carlos Bocanegra and Landon Donovan have responsibility for a goal given up each after relatively lackluster moments in defense. Landon, you are the fastest guy on the field, your mark should not trot past you on a forty yard run and play a garbage ball for the winner. Carlos, is it that hard to step to the ball and then get in front of it? Goal number one never occurs if Bocanegra steps responsibly. When Tim is beaten from that far out, it is your fault. Demerit also had a game to forget. It will be interesting to see what happens in SLC when Gooch is out on yellow card suspension. I predict either Spector – Bocanegra – Demerit – Cherundolo or Bocanegra – Demerit – Marshall – Spector. We will see though.
-So who was constantly offside?
Clint Dempsey was for his utter lack of impact. Sure he had a lack of service but, being the most dangerous offensive player the US Deuce needs to get into games and not just be anonymous all the time.
Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra for their lack of defensive effort. From the two most experienced and really most responsible players for the team’s success, being the captain and the quasi captain, you have got to put in a better defensive effort. So painful. Get onside boys, maybe you will actually make a difference.
Fortunately, this isn't the end of the world. Simply put, it's not. It is soul crushing and raises more questions, but as long as the US shows up in Salt Lake City in early September and take care of business, they will be fine.
For me, it's back to Entourage and season two until I'm okay. Hopefully that will be before September.
Nice how it all worked out in the end. SA2010, inbound, Team America, can we do the dang thing one time
Chamo Note: Biggy's past blogging efforts involved the use of no capitalization. I read about a quarter of this, tried editing, then gave up. Sorry.
