The demo for EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer 10 came out last week, so we’re on the spot with some early impressions after a stint of play-testing. Apparently, the game drops in Europe tomorrow, but on this side of the Atlantic we have to wait until October 20. That gives all those Euros nearly three weeks to refine their skills before I open up the whip-ass on them.
I’ve played FIFA 09 into oblivion so I definitely have some opinions about the next version. First off, based on the demo, the general physics are more lifelike and accurate. This not only improves player movement and the way the ball flies around, but nuances such as passing, defensive challenges, and shooting position. Most of the familiar online features will make a return, and you can always count on a few new tweaks. The graphics have some subtle improvements, the soundtrack will be updated, and most importantly, the rosters will be current and (hopefully) adjusted to reflect the world of football. For me it will be interesting to see if the USA team has improved in the eyes of the EA Sports developers – particularly in light of the Confederations Cup showing; I thought our players were given short shrift last time, but then again I’m biased. Read the rest of this entry ?
The US Under-20 World Cup team looked solid today en route to their 4-1 victory over Cameroon. Just a few days earlier, they looked extremely shaky losing to Germany 3-0. With youth teams, you can always cover yourself with the cliche: they’re young and inconsistent, blah-blah-blah. But Coach Thomas Rongen’s latest squad is even stranger than most. In the last cycle we had a group of heralded players headlined by Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, and Michael Bradley. This time we have Dilly Duka, Ike Opara, and Brek Shea – a group familiar to only the hardest of the hardcore US Soccer fans. The team includes a fair amount of college players, some guys from Europe, and some guys playing in PDL and USL-1. Not many guys from MLS (even fewer who actually play). It’s a very random-looking team. What does this say about the state of USA soccer development? Not much, unfortunately.
It’s a Catch-22 with American players getting lost in the shuffle. MLS teams would rather pay more for foreigners with pedigrees than develop the home talent, and since the Reserve-lead closed down last year, and with entry-level salaries so ridiculously low, staying in college has seemed reasonable for guys like Duka, and keeper Brian Perk. The young guys find it difficult to head for Europe unless they can secure a European passport, which eliminates many. That’s why you have guys like Tony Taylor and Gale Agbossoumonde who play in USL-1 (the USA second division). It all adds up to us being behind the countries with more established leagues – this despite many promises by US Soccer, MLS, Nike, and now Adidas. Take, for example, Germany. Their U20s are mostly signed to Bundesliga clubs. They train with the senior team and play reserve matches in the German Third Division, or go out on loans to Second Division teams, etc. This means they’re playing in competitive games. Unlike the guys warming the bench in MLS or playing NCAA soccer, with all it’s weird rules and questionable coaching. No wonder we looked disjointed and inept in the opener. Read the rest of this entry ?
With a 3-1 (oops, I mean 2-1) victory over El Salvador in Utah, Saturday night, Team America remains in the mix to win the hex. Here are the standings with three more to play – one game on Wednesday and two more in October: Honduras – 13 pts, USA – 13 – pts, Mexico – 12 pts, Costa Rica – 12 pts. Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador are both virtually eliminated with 5 apiece. The top three teams qualify automatically for South Africa, while 4th place is a play-in with the 5th place team from South America. As that could be Argentina the way things are rolling, the USA would do well to avoid the drama.
It's a goal for Jozy!
Wednesday we travel to Trinidad in a game we should win and the chance for some breathing room. As we have two of the more difficult matches next month – at Honduras and home against Costa Rica – you take your three points from the Soca Warrior if at all possible.
Against El Salvador, Coach Bradley trotted out the more attack-oriented lineup many of us we’re hoping to see. Finally, we saw Altidore and Davies starting up top with Feilhaber, Donovan, and Dempsey in the midfield. The result was some attractive soccer at points, as well as some defensive lapses. Five points in the pentagram…
With the dog days mostly behind us, Major League Soccer looks towards the stretch run and the playoffs. September and October usually showcase the best of MLS, as teams jockey for position and try to gain post-season momentum. Ironically, you often see your best soccer this time of the year, the kind a casual fan could enjoy, when most people are occupied elsewhere.
Houston Dynamo (40 points), Columbus Crew (39 points), and Chicago Fire (38 points) are locks for the playoffs. Of these three, the Dynamo, who just signed Mexican forward Luis Landin and are starting to get healthy again, look the best. Columbus seems a little shaky, and they have the distraction of the CONCACAF Champions leauge, but they continue to get results. The Fire have plenty of points but haven’t played particularly well. Starting defender, Bakary Soumare, seems to be on his way to France, and Coach Hamlett seems to have some issues. Chicago could still put it together, though. Read the rest of this entry ?
Well, you win some, you lose some. At Azteca, you mostly lose. But that doesn’t mean you have to like it. Sure there are a few positives: the continued ascent of Charlie Davies, who scored the first goal at the Azteca by Team America in many moons, the fact that we’ve been able to take the early lead on Italy, Brazil, Spain, and Mexico in Mexico. But… We’ve only managed to hold that lead in one of those games, and let’s face it – luck was with us that day. A troubling trend.
It’s not the fact that Mexico beat us on their home soil. Again. No, it’s the way the USA played after conceding that first goal, attempting (ineffectively) to bunker 70 minutes on the road, unable to string together passes, and conceding possession at all turns. You could claim that both of Mexico’s goals were fortunate (and they were) but that’s the beside the point. El Tri carried the play, dominated possession, and deserved their day. Now with Honduras’ victory over Costa Rica, we have a logjam at the top the standings for the region. Costa Rica with 12 points, Hoduras and the USA with 10 points, and Mexico with 9. Five points in the Pentagram…
In what was surely the most noteworthy U.S. sports story of yesterday, U.S. National Team defender Oguchi Onyewu debuted for AC Milan yesterday against Club America of Mexico – a preseason friendly in Atlanta. Gooch was last seen dominating everything in the box during the U.S. run through the Confederations Cup. His contract with Standard Liege of Belgium was done, making him a free agent. And signing with Milan, one of the world’s most famous and high profile clubs is a huge deal for American Soccer. Not only does it give us a reason to buy the Milan jersey, it gives me an Italian team to follow.
Yeah, yeah, Gooch looked a little awestruck and was caught out on that first goal.
All kinds of soccer going on this summer. The U.S. takes on Honduras (again) in the semi-final of the Gold Cup tonight (6:00 CST, Fox Soccer Channel). That Beckham guy is back in L.A. making waves. And our pals over at ESPN decided it would be a good time for a public service announcement:
NOTE: Thanks to the Rube and Grubb for specifically requesting this video…
Saturday was an official soccer day in Beemsville, starting with last-minute preparations for our trip north to Chicago for the World Cup Qualifier. But before that, my daughter’s team had one last youth soccer game.
The Bandits have made some progress over the last few months, notably in advanced tactics such turning and going the right direction and actually passing it to someone open. Yeah, someone should give that coach a raise…
After that it was northward to Chi-town. The typical road construction, multiple stops, and general procrastination meant we were way behind in our pre-game plans. Didn’t make the pre-pub and march to the stadium or the tailgate, which sucked. I never fail to underestimate our ability to get around in a city like Chicago. Of course we were heavily outnumbered at the game. Hondurans made up, I would guess, about 70% of the crowd. I read that a lot of folks planned or incorporated family reunions with this game; that’s how important it was to them.
In the most watched sporting even on the planet this year, FC Barcelona defeated Manchester United 2-0 in Rome to take the UEFA Champions League title. For the neutral observer or non-aligned soccer fan this was a great game to watch – not only because it pitted the two reigning champions from England and Spain, not only because these two teams are among the most popular in the world, not only because it matched the two best players in the world in Messi and Ronaldo, but Barca and Man U also just won their respective leagues this year as well.
World Cup qualifying gets is nearly upon us again, with the USA taking on Costa Rica on the road on June 3, and then a home match against Honduras on Saturday, June 6 in Chicago. What’s at stake? The chance to take a commanding lead in the final round of qualifiers and sew up that bid for South Africa 2010.
Unfortunately, a co-worker and his wife who were set to accompany us have had to back out do to an unforeseen work conflict, and I bought one extra because my sister said she might go. What’s it all mean? If you want to come hang out with us in Chicago and go to the game, drop me a line! I have three extra tickets. Even if you’ve never been to a soccer match before, I virtually guarantee a good time. We are staying up there Saturday night and there are still good deals to be had on priceline for hotels. Give me a shout.
Eight games in to MLS and as usual you have a few surprises. D.C. and Toronto on top of the East while Columbus is in the basement. Houston’s slow start and the surprising Seattle Sounders in the West. But most puzzling are the strange cases of Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire.
Paulo 'Sweep-the-leg' Nagamura
Chivas, the less-glamorous but more effective LA team, is 7-1-1 with a commanding lead atop the West. This from a squad appraised in the pre-season as mediocre at best. So how has this happened? Well, five of those games are against Dallas (twice), the Galaxy, Colorado, and Columbus – teams which are turning out to be pretty poor. They’ve only played two Eastern Conference teams, and they’ve had six home games. That’s helpful, but it’s not the whole story.
Start with Zach Thornton. Many had written him off as past the sell-by date, but big Zach has come in leaner (for him) and has shown some of the agility that made him an all-star with the Fire. Chivas have also benefited from timely goals from a variety of players. Especially helpful when some of their most talented players either haven’t played much or played well (see Kljestan S., and Galindo, M.). Read the rest of this entry ?
The demo for EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer 10 came out last week, so we’re on the spot with some early impressions after a stint of play-testing. Apparently, the game drops in Europe tomorrow, but on this side of the Atlantic we have to wait until October 20. That gives all those Euros nearly three weeks to refine their skills before I open up the whip-ass on them.
The US Under-20 World Cup team looked solid today en route to their 
Houston Dynamo (40 points), Columbus Crew (39 points), and Chicago Fire (38 points) are locks for the playoffs. Of these three, the Dynamo, who just signed Mexican forward Luis Landin and are starting to get healthy again, look the best. Columbus seems a little shaky, and they have the distraction of the CONCACAF Champions leauge, but they continue to get results. The Fire have plenty of points but haven’t played particularly well. Starting defender, Bakary Soumare, seems to be on his way to France, and Coach Hamlett seems to have some issues. Chicago could still put it together, though. 
