US Soccer 2009

Colt Sterling, since you're the one who started this:

1998 World Cup:

Mex:makes second round, loses to Germany 2-1

USA:dead last of 32 teams

1999 Confederations cup:

Mex: beats Brazil 4-3, CHAMPIONS

2003 Confederations cup:

USA: last place in group play

2005 Confederations cup:

Mex:Semi-finalist, loses to Argentina in Penalty kicks

2006 World Cup:

Mex: makes second round, loses to Argentina 2-1

USA: last place in group play

2007 Copa America:

Mex: 3rd place in tournament

USA: dead last of 12 teams

Boyscoutt wrote:

Onyewu is a big goon with speed. He can't cover the best in the world, he can't even slow them down. His boneheaded play cost the US the ghana game (yes it was a penalty, yes it was the correct call, yes he shouldn't have done it)

I think you under selling Gooch. He is a monster in the air. He takes away numerous chances from crossed balls every game he plays and that ghana call was absolute horse shit.

Colt 45 wrote:

Colt Sterling, since you're the one who started this:

1998 World Cup:

Mex:makes second round, loses to Germany 2-1

USA:dead last of 32 teams

1999 Confederations cup:

Mex: beats Brazil 4-3, CHAMPIONS

2003 Confederations cup:

USA: last place in group play

2005 Confederations cup:

Mex:Semi-finalist, loses to Argentina in Penalty kicks

2006 World Cup:

Mex: makes second round, loses to Argentina 2-1

USA: last place in group play

2007 Copa America:

Mex: 3rd place in tournament

USA: dead last of 12 teams

You're deliberately leaving out results which favor the US, but fine. Have it your way.

Only one North American team makes every Confed. Cup, so the US qualifying means they beat Mexico to get there. Mexico themselves is not immune to finishing dead last at the Confed. Cup either, 2001 losing to Japan, Brazil, and Cameroon.

Aside from a few boneheaded plays that cost us goals, I think we've seen some pretty good stretches of play by the US. For example, we looked quite dangerous at times with Spectre and Donovan working together on the right side. I think had Jozy not been taken out, we could have pulled a few back. Before the red to Sasha (why was he even playing anyhow?), I thought we had a very legitimate chance of getting back in the match.

I thought Donovan and Spectre played excellent games, while Onyewu, Dempsey, Howard, Feilhaber, Jozy, MB and Bornstein all played fine.

It was Demeritt, DMB, Sasha and Casey who really irked me with their poor play. I would really hope none of them get serious time from here on out, as I haven't seen anything from them this year to justify it (Sasha's hat trick aside, but that was a fluke).

I think a lineup of:

Spectre - Bocanegra - Onyewu - Bornstein/Hejduk

Donovan - MB - Failhaber/Adu - Dempsey

Jozy - Davies (?)

I like the 2 striker look, but we really don't have a second striker. A 4-5-1 with MB and Failhaber holding and Adu pushing forward could be a good lineup as well.

The US may now be better than Mexico. Do people realize that they are currently in 5 place in qualifying?

Bradley with the exception of the Gold Cup win has a poor record in international play.

The US is a washout in this tournament and they might as well play players like Adu.

However, all team go through this. Remember, last year when England did not even qualify for the EuroCup.

This team is proving to be awful!

My issue is the midfield. The inability to make any sort of attack out of the midfield is a problem. The constant turnovers. The mistakes which lead to chasing and red cards. Oh yeah, and goals for Brazil.

It's been a while now since the US has put together a solid game of soccer. The Crew Cat and I are depressed and we are just going to sleep until the next Crew game.

I generally like Feilhaber, but he pissed the ball away numerous times against Italy, and lay there as Rossi stripped the ball and scored that rocket to tie the game. I think Bradley needs to give Adu a chance. He is a hard-working, gifted player, with enormous potential, yet never gets the opportunity to play. Complete waste of talent by the US powers-that-be. Sure, they can claim he doesn't get the games in, but his potential as a US offensive-midfielder type with that certain combination game-changing pace and skill that far exceeds that of any player, except maybe Donovan when he is on.

The problem with Adu is he doesn't like to defend and is pushed around alot. The larger Altimore with comparable skills does not have this problem.

Brad ONeil - SR - Coe College wrote:

Only one North American team makes every Confed. Cup, so the US qualifying means they beat Mexico to get there.

You just proved my point. They earn the right to play in the Confederations Cup and then embarrass themselves and the region. Mexico has a much better big tournament record over the past ten years. It's called not wilting in the big show.

nicklefront wrote:

You just proved my point. They earn the right to play in the Confederations Cup and then embarrass themselves and the region. Mexico has a much better big tournament record over the past ten years. It's called not wilting in the big show.

I don't know if you've seen Mexico play in CONCACAF, but I've watched all of their games. They are horrible -- the worst Mexico team I've seen in recent history and you have to question their National Program, their player pool, their league, etc. even more critically than the US where soccer is a not a first tier sport. I would assume that with the huge population of Mexico (circa 110 million), the fact that soccer is their number one sport (no American football or basketball to steal the best athletes away) that they would be much better. They should be MILES ahead of the US in development, but they aren't. And they change coaches every couple of months which can't be good. At least the US doesn't have players with undeniable beer guts on the field like Blanco!

Mexico got to the second round in the 2006 World Cup because they got the seed from the region which was some sort of soccer politics FIFA conspiracy. If the US had been in the group with Angola, Portugal and Iran they would have gotten out of their group easily. Angola and Iran were terrible and Portugal is a second tier European team.

The US should fire Bradley and get a new coach. They need a good lesson in tactics at major tournaments. I would say talent wise they aren't so horrible - they just need a good coach with tactical astuteness that doesn't play the American way.

Colt 45 wrote:

Colt Sterling, since you're the one who started this:

1998 World Cup:

Mex:makes second round, loses to Germany 2-1

USA:dead last of 32 teams

1999 Confederations cup:

Mex: beats Brazil 4-3, CHAMPIONS

2003 Confederations cup:

USA: last place in group play

2005 Confederations cup:

Mex:Semi-finalist, loses to Argentina in Penalty kicks

2006 World Cup:

Mex: makes second round, loses to Argentina 2-1

USA: last place in group play

2007 Copa America:

Mex: 3rd place in tournament

USA: dead last of 12 teams

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2009

Happy Anniversary

2-0.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2009

Happy Anniversary

2-0.

Ah, the greatest moment in U.S. Soccer History (for the men, at least). The image of Donovan going unmarked for the header that put the US up 2-0 still brings joy to me. I remember screaming and yelling with joy at like 4 in the morning. I am sure my neighbors appreciated it!

And of course, the sissy Mexicans, realizing they just got beat by the hated US at their national sport, have to resort to cheap tactics, like elbowing our players in the face.

If the Mexico does not qualify for the world cup it is not going to make the situation for the US any better. Their international record with Bradley is very poor. These confederation cup showings are just getting embarrassing.

Altidore and Adu are not comparable players. Altidore is a more complete player at this point but neither are finished products.

I blame Clint Dempsey, not Feilhaber for the first Rossi goal. Clint is the one that made a very poor play.

Whether we are better than Mexico or not is irrelevant. While I wasn't thrilled w/ the Italy game it was something I could live with. The Brasil game was awful. That team had no fire, no heart, and quit out there. It is a good thing the Brasilians got bored and/or rested in the second half or it would have been 5-0 or something.

Since the US started qualifying for the World Cup this is the first minor step backwards for the team. Maybe they are getting the bad play out of their system before the world cup.

He's one player, if a cross doesn't go near him he's not a 'monster'. But he is a center back, and apparently our only solid one. So if they go after him, which every opposing team will, his height won't matter. His lack of shutdown defensive tactics will. Now, he brings positive things to the table, and he is our top defender at this moment, but until he gets someone to help him in the middle (which in a flatback is the most important thing) he will not succeed.

3-1 3-0, 6 goals in two games. I don't care what we want to say about the goals, teams with great defenses don't lose two games by that much in an important tournament.

I could see if Italy's third goal was on transition from the US bringing 10 guys forward for one last ditch effort, but it wasn't. I can't remember who, but someone got burnt BADLY on the sideline with a little flick, and then a man was able to jog unmarked towards the penalty spot and have an uncontested half volley 18 yards out? That's piss poor defense.

US coach Bruce Arena said: "We are very disappointed by the judgment of the referee. I would like to have come out after halftime even. The call was the big call of the game."

A real coach would've said ''F*** it, a ref is part of the game like the weather, can't control it, everyone's dealing with it.'' Towards the end, Bruce Arena was riding the coat tails of 2002.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOCLXoSyqPU

Only thing positive was that goal by Dempsey.

First goal - they let Reyna dribble out of the 18 with noone supporting him? Brilliant!

Second Highlight - a through ball in a flatback 4 should be nearly impossible if the formation is done correctly

Penalty - the Ghana guy stopped running, planted his feet, and was ready to jump. Onyewu put his arms out like a pansy (which is the first sign he fouls him. Arms out = I'm fouling, always and forever). He does not stop running, and he uses his body to knock him down. If a man goes from standing still to on the ground, and someones body forces him to the ground, it is a foul, regardless of where it is.

After his knee reconstruction Beasley has not been the same. He seems tenative, and does not turn as fast. It is hard to play when you are thinking about how your knee will hold up. He has to get through this barrier.

Here is a podcast from ESPN concerning the Confederation Cup and Bradley.

http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?id=4271903

Only a half in the books, but so far a much improved performance going on today. Hell if we can knock a few more of our chances in moving on is actually possible now. Not that I'm holding my breath...