The USMNT didn't have an international friendly this weekend, unfortunately. Their next game is October 9 at Soldier Field in Chicago against Poland. However, this week has seen another big event for US Soccer, as FIFA delegates made their rounds around the US to a handful of stadiums and other proposed venues for USSF's World Cup bids. I didn't realize the vote was coming up so soon-- apparently it's December 2. Today's September 9. That's not too long a wait.
Apparently Obama didn't meet the delegates in person when they visited the White House. Instead, some of his "delegates" did it. I can't believe he skived off. America will never let him get away with this.
During the World Cup, I wrote that ESPN.com had made the "Soccer" link on its main page direct you straight to its World Cup page. Since the World Cup, it now directs you straight to "Soccernet US." To go along with this change, it has remixed the type of material it includes in "Soccernet US;" in the past, it was totally MLS and US Soccer-related, and there wasn't much material turnover. Now, it seems as though ESPN has loaded the page with global news that it thinks enterprising fans in this country might find interesting. For example, it includes controversial English news such as that related to Wayne Rooney at present, as well as anything it can come up with that insults France, or that reminds us of France's World Cup debacle. I'm not sure exactly how this "Soccernet US" evolution reflects the state of soccer in this country, but it's at least indicative that the attention is changing, for sure.
Barcelona won and Real Madrid drew in La Liga matchday one. Good.
Champions League starts in less than a week. Good.
America's game starts tonight (not to be confused with America's pasttime, which did not start tonight). It started an hour ago, in fact. Brett Favre is playing. He wears Wrangler jeans. For some reason I entered a fantasy football league this year with a $50 buy-in. I haven't played for the past three seasons. Wish me luck if it's in you.
-John
Showing posts with label US MNT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US MNT. Show all posts
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bradley stays on
After a month and a half of speculation concerning the future of USMNT manager Bob Bradley, yesterday he grabbed the torch and jumped into the legendary gauntlet which no American manager has ever before successfully negotiated: the English Premier League. Fellow American Randy Lerner has assigned Bradley the daunting task of succeeding Martin O'Neill at Villa Park!
Just kidding.
After a month-and-a-half-long job search, after prodding the managerial job market in Europe (but with "no opportunities at this point"), and after heavy rumors linking Jurgen Klinsmann to the USMNT post, Bob Bradley has signed on with the USMNT for another four years. This one is true, as you know.
I love this news.
Enough from me.
-John
Just kidding.
After a month-and-a-half-long job search, after prodding the managerial job market in Europe (but with "no opportunities at this point"), and after heavy rumors linking Jurgen Klinsmann to the USMNT post, Bob Bradley has signed on with the USMNT for another four years. This one is true, as you know.
I love this news.
Enough from me.
-John
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Couple other things
As Andrew mentioned two posts down, there has been a lot of other news that we haven't posted about due to busy personal schedules. Here's my take on a few.
The Sporting-Celtic game at Fenway was awesome. It was really cool to see a soccer game in that stadium, with a greater number of constantly-enthusiastic fans than any baseball game you'll see there. Seriously. People aren't loud non-stop for any baseball game, anywhere, no matter the stage; it's due to the nature of the sport. I already loved Fenway before this game happened, but to see it with a crowd the quality of which it deserved was pretty incredible.
Another positive concerning that game was my T ride going in. It's common to see the trains loaded with Red Sox fans on home game nights, but it was something else to see them loaded with Celtic and Sporting fans, all dressed in green. A lot of them were visibly passive soccer fans-- their green Boston Celtics T-shirts suggested this. But the atmosphere was nevertheless great.
The other major thing I'm writing about today has to do with the USMNT. After speculation about Bob Bradley going to Fulham, and a host of names thrown around for the US job, Mark Hughes has been hired at Fulham. It also came out today that Bradley will in fact coach the team for the August 10 friendly with Brazil. His contract does actually last through that game, so it's not as if this means he's staying on once it expires. However, I'm surer (and equally hopeful) that he and the team are leaning toward renewing his contract. I've been a Bradley fan pretty much since he took over, through all the "fire Bob" moments, and I hope he stays on.
The Brazil squad for that friendly looks great. Out with the old, in with the young. I wish I could go to that game, and if it were on a weekend I would.
Yeah, so Steve Ralston retired. Poor guy. Can't agree on a contract with the Revs. Goes to his hometown to get a 2nd-division team off the ground alongside Nicolas Anelka's brother. Half the ownership group backs out. Team can't afford to pay Ralston. Comes back to the Revs. Comes into a friendly for thirty seconds, and suffers a freak injury unrelated to the knee problem he recently came back from. That's his career ended.
-John
The Sporting-Celtic game at Fenway was awesome. It was really cool to see a soccer game in that stadium, with a greater number of constantly-enthusiastic fans than any baseball game you'll see there. Seriously. People aren't loud non-stop for any baseball game, anywhere, no matter the stage; it's due to the nature of the sport. I already loved Fenway before this game happened, but to see it with a crowd the quality of which it deserved was pretty incredible.
Another positive concerning that game was my T ride going in. It's common to see the trains loaded with Red Sox fans on home game nights, but it was something else to see them loaded with Celtic and Sporting fans, all dressed in green. A lot of them were visibly passive soccer fans-- their green Boston Celtics T-shirts suggested this. But the atmosphere was nevertheless great.
The other major thing I'm writing about today has to do with the USMNT. After speculation about Bob Bradley going to Fulham, and a host of names thrown around for the US job, Mark Hughes has been hired at Fulham. It also came out today that Bradley will in fact coach the team for the August 10 friendly with Brazil. His contract does actually last through that game, so it's not as if this means he's staying on once it expires. However, I'm surer (and equally hopeful) that he and the team are leaning toward renewing his contract. I've been a Bradley fan pretty much since he took over, through all the "fire Bob" moments, and I hope he stays on.
The Brazil squad for that friendly looks great. Out with the old, in with the young. I wish I could go to that game, and if it were on a weekend I would.
Yeah, so Steve Ralston retired. Poor guy. Can't agree on a contract with the Revs. Goes to his hometown to get a 2nd-division team off the ground alongside Nicolas Anelka's brother. Half the ownership group backs out. Team can't afford to pay Ralston. Comes back to the Revs. Comes into a friendly for thirty seconds, and suffers a freak injury unrelated to the knee problem he recently came back from. That's his career ended.
-John
Sunday, June 13, 2010
USA 1-1 England
A few notes on the US's 1-1 draw with England. It was an okay performance by the US. It was a normal performance by England. I expected the US to win going into it. England has bigger names than the US does, yes, and they qualified more easily than the US did. However, my account of both teams comes from experience watching both teams pretty regularly throughout qualification. By that perspective, the actual performance of England measured up to how the the team has performed in recent history. By the same perspective, the US's performance was not quite where it has been over the past year, but still respectable.
I'd like to see Buddle or Gomez start in the remaining two group matches. Findley was alright, but he doesn't have the nose for goal that Buddle or Gomez has. I also want Clark out of there. Having watched Slovenia-Algeria this morning (and once or twice in qualification), I don't think either team needs any more help running up its tally of incomplete passes. Bradley will be enough disruption for both teams. I wouldn't mind seeing a start from Torres, Edu, Feilhaber, or Holden.
The tournament so far has been very even, and very low-scoring. The games haven't been totally defensive; the teams just haven't been good, overall. Greece is just awful. South Korea should be cautious in its celebrations, because I expect Nigeria and Argentina to beat Greece too, and the scorelines might be even more crooked than 2-0.
I haven't seen Twellman on that CSN show yet; I turned on the 10:30 edition last night to see his commentary on the US-England game, but the first 15 minutes of the show were about the Celtics and Red Sox so I turned it off. Nothing against the Celtics or Red Sox, but I wasn't particularly interested in those subjects at the time.
Revolution-Cruzeiro tonight.
-John
I'd like to see Buddle or Gomez start in the remaining two group matches. Findley was alright, but he doesn't have the nose for goal that Buddle or Gomez has. I also want Clark out of there. Having watched Slovenia-Algeria this morning (and once or twice in qualification), I don't think either team needs any more help running up its tally of incomplete passes. Bradley will be enough disruption for both teams. I wouldn't mind seeing a start from Torres, Edu, Feilhaber, or Holden.
The tournament so far has been very even, and very low-scoring. The games haven't been totally defensive; the teams just haven't been good, overall. Greece is just awful. South Korea should be cautious in its celebrations, because I expect Nigeria and Argentina to beat Greece too, and the scorelines might be even more crooked than 2-0.
I haven't seen Twellman on that CSN show yet; I turned on the 10:30 edition last night to see his commentary on the US-England game, but the first 15 minutes of the show were about the Celtics and Red Sox so I turned it off. Nothing against the Celtics or Red Sox, but I wasn't particularly interested in those subjects at the time.
Revolution-Cruzeiro tonight.
-John
Thursday, May 27, 2010
US 2-4 CZE and USMNT 23
The US men's national team lost to the Czech Republic, 4-2, on Tuesday in Connecticut. The following day, Bob Bradley announced his final 23-man roster selection.
The main player I was looking at was Stuart Holden...not because his place was in jeopardy, but because I hadn't seen him play since Nigel De Jong broke his leg. He looked totally 100% to me. In fact, he was the best player on the field as far as I'm concerned. Not only does he have technical skill, but he flat-out knows what he's doing. You can see him going through his options when he makes decisions with the ball, especially in transition. He played very well with Steve Cherundolo on the right side of the field; they looked like they'd been playing together for a while. If Dempsey ever moves up top, I absolutely trust Holden with the right midfield role. Actually, I'd prefer to see him start in central midfield in front of Bradley, but I highly doubt that will happen. You should too.
A position to keep an eye on was striker. Buddle was okay up top. Gomez was a bit better. Eddie Johnson actually had a pretty decent game too, but didn't do anything to really make a mark on the game. Ching, who came on for Johnson at halftime, also played very well. I've become a Ching fan over the past few US games...I just don't like what he did to the Revolution in the MLS Cup Final a few years ago about three seconds after an extra time Twellman goal. Robbie Finley didn't play.
Coming out of this game, I felt Gomez was a sure thing for the final roster, with a decent chance to start against England. He's been the hottest goalscorer for his club, and he looked the most comfortable in front of goal, with the exception of a poor decision he made to shoot (at least in the manner in which he did) on a nice 2-on-2 counterattack. Buddle looked like he ought to have edged out Johnson. I thought Ching should be there because of his cool hand and general soccer intelligence. Finley was out. All told, the strikers I supported going into the game looked like the ones who would make the cut.
The defense is still up in the air, at least in my mind. For a long time I favored the Confed Cup defense of DeMerit-Onyewu in the middle, Bocanegra out right, and Spector on the left. However, I forgot about Cherundolo because he'd been injured and out of the US fold for a little while. Now I'm really liking him at right back. Bocanegra, however, is the captain, and if he plays centrally then DeMerit is probably out. Anyway, between them, there are four good players to cover right, center.
Left back, however, remains a thin position for the US. After Spector, there's either Jonathan Bornstein or Heath Pearce. What a game they both had! In a bad way. I don't mind Bornstein overall, but he continues to make a few crucial mistakes here and there. On Tuesday he got totally owned 1-on-1 by RIGHT FULLBACK Ondrej Kusnir, and decided to just tackle him, while ignoring the ball.
Then in the second half, Heath Pearce's most crucial error was allowing Jan Polak to run right across him for the goal from a David Lafata pass. I don't think he even knew he was there...he certainly didn't look like he knew, by his body language; he was nonchalantly watching Lafata counterattack down the left side. Then, his first reaction after the goal was to throw up his arms and yell at the linesman for offside. But it was obvious that he was not playing for an offside. He never stepped forward as the ball was passed, and Goodson and Onyewu made no indication that they were playing the trap. It was just a lapse on Pearce's part, who should have been watching for the run. He's probably become too used to MLS, being back at Dallas.
Onyewu was out-jumped for a set-piece goal. Hopefully it was just a blip, because we need him to be very, very close to 100% come June 12. Goodson was pretty good individually, but the US defense had some sloppy moments which can maybe be indirectly attributed to him, as a central defender. Onyewu too. Anyway, Goodson's been good for the US lately, and I'm comfortable with him backing up Onyewu/DeMerit/Bocanegra.
This is already too long so I'll move on to the 23-man selection. I don't get the Robbie Finley selection over Brian Ching. At all. Okay, on to DaMarcus Beasley's inclusion. Eh, yeah, I guess I like it. I was hopeful that Bedoya would make it over him, but Bedoya wouldn't have played anyway now that Edu and Holden are 100%. Beasley is more valuable for his experience, which will probably get more substitute minutes than yet another young fringe player. He's been pretty good lately too, so it's probably the right decision.
The rest of the team is good, and it's nice that none of the non-Charlie Davies injuries lasted this long; Dempsey, Holden, Onyewu, and Cherundolo have all been injured in the past few months, and all have made it back.
-John
The main player I was looking at was Stuart Holden...not because his place was in jeopardy, but because I hadn't seen him play since Nigel De Jong broke his leg. He looked totally 100% to me. In fact, he was the best player on the field as far as I'm concerned. Not only does he have technical skill, but he flat-out knows what he's doing. You can see him going through his options when he makes decisions with the ball, especially in transition. He played very well with Steve Cherundolo on the right side of the field; they looked like they'd been playing together for a while. If Dempsey ever moves up top, I absolutely trust Holden with the right midfield role. Actually, I'd prefer to see him start in central midfield in front of Bradley, but I highly doubt that will happen. You should too.
A position to keep an eye on was striker. Buddle was okay up top. Gomez was a bit better. Eddie Johnson actually had a pretty decent game too, but didn't do anything to really make a mark on the game. Ching, who came on for Johnson at halftime, also played very well. I've become a Ching fan over the past few US games...I just don't like what he did to the Revolution in the MLS Cup Final a few years ago about three seconds after an extra time Twellman goal. Robbie Finley didn't play.
Coming out of this game, I felt Gomez was a sure thing for the final roster, with a decent chance to start against England. He's been the hottest goalscorer for his club, and he looked the most comfortable in front of goal, with the exception of a poor decision he made to shoot (at least in the manner in which he did) on a nice 2-on-2 counterattack. Buddle looked like he ought to have edged out Johnson. I thought Ching should be there because of his cool hand and general soccer intelligence. Finley was out. All told, the strikers I supported going into the game looked like the ones who would make the cut.
The defense is still up in the air, at least in my mind. For a long time I favored the Confed Cup defense of DeMerit-Onyewu in the middle, Bocanegra out right, and Spector on the left. However, I forgot about Cherundolo because he'd been injured and out of the US fold for a little while. Now I'm really liking him at right back. Bocanegra, however, is the captain, and if he plays centrally then DeMerit is probably out. Anyway, between them, there are four good players to cover right, center.
Left back, however, remains a thin position for the US. After Spector, there's either Jonathan Bornstein or Heath Pearce. What a game they both had! In a bad way. I don't mind Bornstein overall, but he continues to make a few crucial mistakes here and there. On Tuesday he got totally owned 1-on-1 by RIGHT FULLBACK Ondrej Kusnir, and decided to just tackle him, while ignoring the ball.
Then in the second half, Heath Pearce's most crucial error was allowing Jan Polak to run right across him for the goal from a David Lafata pass. I don't think he even knew he was there...he certainly didn't look like he knew, by his body language; he was nonchalantly watching Lafata counterattack down the left side. Then, his first reaction after the goal was to throw up his arms and yell at the linesman for offside. But it was obvious that he was not playing for an offside. He never stepped forward as the ball was passed, and Goodson and Onyewu made no indication that they were playing the trap. It was just a lapse on Pearce's part, who should have been watching for the run. He's probably become too used to MLS, being back at Dallas.
Onyewu was out-jumped for a set-piece goal. Hopefully it was just a blip, because we need him to be very, very close to 100% come June 12. Goodson was pretty good individually, but the US defense had some sloppy moments which can maybe be indirectly attributed to him, as a central defender. Onyewu too. Anyway, Goodson's been good for the US lately, and I'm comfortable with him backing up Onyewu/DeMerit/Bocanegra.
This is already too long so I'll move on to the 23-man selection. I don't get the Robbie Finley selection over Brian Ching. At all. Okay, on to DaMarcus Beasley's inclusion. Eh, yeah, I guess I like it. I was hopeful that Bedoya would make it over him, but Bedoya wouldn't have played anyway now that Edu and Holden are 100%. Beasley is more valuable for his experience, which will probably get more substitute minutes than yet another young fringe player. He's been pretty good lately too, so it's probably the right decision.
The rest of the team is good, and it's nice that none of the non-Charlie Davies injuries lasted this long; Dempsey, Holden, Onyewu, and Cherundolo have all been injured in the past few months, and all have made it back.
-John
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