RISE UP! One great thing about the homemade video mixes: they take their footage from anyone and everyone. Thus these guys have the Feilhaber golazo from the 07 Gold Cup Final, which is a clip you rarely see.
We also have the video U.S. Soccer commissioned as part of our bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cups. Sort of a counterfeit Sportscenter vibe…
And who is our perceived chief rival for this bid? That’s right, England. Who do we open against in South Africa on 6/12/10?
Yeah.
*Double-click on videos to open them in youtube and watch full-screen
The most critical day for U.S. Soccer this year was the win in Honduras that secured the trip to South Africa. But nearly as important was yesterday’s draw to set the field of 32. And after much gnashing of teeth when FIFA put the USA in the pot of what was essentially #4 seeds, after hearing from everyone we would once again get the Group of Death, the draw occurred. And lo! It was good…
Charlize with the Draw
It doesn’t get much better than that. We open against England on June 12 – a game that’s likely to set TV ratings records for soccer in this country. Get points from the limeys and we could win the group. Even with an opening loss, you’re looking at a pair of games against Algeria and Slovenia in which we will be the favorite. Watching the draw over lunch, I was so psyched to see Algeria (one of the weaker African teams) pop up on the screen, then for the final slot I was just hoping we could avoid France or Portugal… Slovenia has some good players, but it’s their first World Cup and they simply don’t provide as many problems as most of the other European teams. Read the rest of this entry ?
The World Cup field is set (though Ireland may yet have something to say about that), and the U.S. acquired another pair of losses in Europe over this latest international break. After dominating Slovakia everywhere except the final third, it was 1-0 Slovaks. And then, with an 80% second-tier squad, Team America proceeded to get spanked by Denmark 3-1.
I’ve often called for Coach Bob Bradley to trust his depth and play other guys beyond his chosen core group of 7-8 surefire starters, but performances like these illustrate that without guys like Donovan, Gooch, Dempsey, and yes Jermaine Jones, Team America looks very average. The midfield was completely overrun versus the Danes, with Michael Bradley (who starts every game he’s eligible) attempting to run the show. Not a good sign. A couple of upward trends from these games included Jeff Cunningham’s workrate and finishing ability, Jonathan Bornstein’s continued play and Jon Spector showcasing his versatility.
So without further adieu, here’s The 23 – the players Beemsville would bring to South Africa if we were in charge: Read the rest of this entry ?
An eventful week for the US Men’s National Team saw qualification for next year’s World Cup overshadowed by the terrible news of a deadly car wreck that left promising forward Charlie Davies severely injured and a young woman dead. Much has been written about this, so I won’t add to it; suffice to say that our thoughts go out to the affected families.
So Team America battled to a 2-2 tie against Costa Rica in D.C. Wednesday. It was an emotional and error-plagued performance that really means nothing in the grand scheme other than putting the more-deserving Honduras in the World Cup instead of the Ticos. The U.S. wins the hexagonal for the second straight cycle, which is the rough equivalent of winning your low-major conference tournament by 20 in March: you still know you’re going to get a crappy seed. Also the U.S. lost defender Oguchi Onyewu to a knee injury that will keep him out for several months and puts his Milan career in doubt. Read the rest of this entry ?
Team America is World Cup bound. All the teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing about the squad’s inconsistent play, their inability to score goals from the run of play, Coach Bob Bradley’s squad selection – it can all go away, at least for a little while. The US beat Honduras 3-2 Saturday night in San Pedro Sula, the only team to win down there during qualification. And they did it by battling hard, refusing to quit even after going down a goal, and riding the superior skill and tireless efforts of one Landon Donovan.
I ended up watching this game on my computer via alternating webfeeds from Central America and Iraq (of all places). The quality was bad and the feed lagged at times, but at least I was able to watch. Five point in your bound-for-South Africa Pentagram…
In a strange and annoying turn reminiscent of the mid-90s, US Soccer has managed to not have the second-to-last World Cup Qualifier broadcast tomorrow. Oh, the game is available for viewing, via closed-circuit TV in a handful of bars across the country, but no pay-per-view, no web-cast, nada. For me, this would mean a drive to Chicago if I really wanted to watch this game. And I really want to watch this game – just not enough to spend six hours in the car.
It’s an important, vital match. Win or tie and Team America is in the World Cup. Lose and the last game against Costa Rica in D.C. next Wednesday becomes scary. Just to review: tomorrow I can watch Bahrain v. New Zealand or Denmark v. Sweden, or even freaking Liechtenstein v. Azerbaijan. But no USA v. Honduras. 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…
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…
Today Team America tries to take points from Mexico at Estadio Azteca – something we’ve never been able to do. We’ve managed a tie and a whole lot of losses in Mexico City. The two sides are evenly matched from an objective viewpoint, and it will likely come down to mentality and execution. If the USA can avoid the mental lapses that led to the lion’s share of this summer’s losses, if we can withstand the early Mexican bull-rush and finish a chance or two, a tie or even a win are definitely possible. But Mexico always plays its best at the Azteca. The 5-0 spanking of the Yanks B-side in the Gold Cup has the monkey off their back, and they really need a win. Drop points today and Mexico is looking at a dogfight to qualify for South Africa. Truthfully, all the pressure is on El Tri.
Beemsville will cover the match from the unofficial watch party at Sammy’s Sportsbar (5th and Adams) in downtown Springpatch. Come on out and join us. Kickoff is 3:00 CST. You can watch the match in English on obscure Spanish network Mun2, which is now widely available on Dish, DirecTV, and most major cable providers (today only!) thanks in no small part to the outrage expressed when we all learned we might not be able to watch our team. In English. Stay tuned for postgame analysis…
There’s nothing like a 5-0 ass-whipping by your greatest rival in a tournament final to provide a little perspective on where you stand. The American Soccer community has had two basic reactions to the Gold Cup loss to Mexico: the initial righteous outrage and then rationalization combined with eager roster projections.
While it’s true the U.S Team that took the field against Mexico in New York (facing a 90% pro-Mexico crowd) included exactly one first-team choice in Brian Ching, with Mexico fielding probably four first-choice players, and it’s also true the penalty call that opened the floodgates was a bad, bad decision by the ref, no one can deny the U.S. crumbled and capitulated over the final 35 minutes. After nearly a decade of domination on home soil (despite often facing pro-Mex crowds) the U.S. conceded the psychological high ground. And you could tell it on the faces of players like Torrado and Dos Santos, to say nothing of their coach, Javier Aguirre. You could see their relief and exhiliration. They did not care that it was a U.S. B-team, the only thing that mattered was beating the gringos and lifting the trophy. Maybe we didn’t care that much about winning the Gold Cup (and judging by the team selection and mass exodus of players from the initial roster), but to concede anything prior to the August 12 showdown at the Azteca, especially in terms of confidence is troubling.
Team America is 7-5-1 over this busy summer stretch, with two more World Cup Qualifiers looming in the coming weeks. The Confederations Cup and Gold Cup showed us a lot about this team and about Bob Bradley’s coaching and roster management. So let’s try to sum it up, pentagram-style… Read the rest of this entry ?
I’ve often called for Coach Bob Bradley to trust his depth and play other guys beyond his chosen core group of 7-8 surefire starters, but performances like these illustrate that without guys like Donovan, Gooch, Dempsey, and yes Jermaine Jones, Team America looks very average. The midfield was completely overrun versus the Danes, with Michael Bradley (who starts every game he’s eligible) attempting to run the show. Not a good sign. A couple of upward trends from these games included Jeff Cunningham’s workrate and finishing ability, Jonathan Bornstein’s continued play and Jon Spector showcasing his versatility.
Team America is 7-5-1 over this busy summer stretch, with two more World Cup Qualifiers looming in the coming weeks. The Confederations Cup and Gold Cup showed us a lot about this team and about Bob Bradley’s coaching and roster management. So let’s try to sum it up, pentagram-style… 
