I'm trying to crank out my PE column tonight so I don't have to worry about it on Monday morning, which is a good thing since I'm going to be out and about most of the day. I'm writing a column on the horrendous scheduling by Major League Soccer and how they're playing right through World Cup qualifying.
John Carver actually got me to thinking about dedicating my column to it. Originally, I was going to write about Chivas-Tauro but forget that, especially after what Carver said on Saturday.
If you missed it, skip below a few posts.
Here's the players who will be absent from Toronto FC this weekend:
TORONTO FC
Greg Sutton and Jim Brennan (Canada)
Amado Guevara (Honduras)
Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala)
Tyrone Marshall (Jamaica)
Carl Robinson (Wales)
Marvell Wynne (US)
Jarrod Smith (New Zealand)
Julius James (Trinidad)
Let's see... that's pretty much their whole team. They'll have Danny Dichio, Tyler Rosenlund, Kevin Harmse... uh, like I said, that's their whole team.
It's an extreme case for sure but the schedule will cripple many teams. The Galaxy will be without three players, Houston will make do without a quartet, Chivas has two absent players, Chicago is sacrificing a trio of players I believe... seemingly every club will be without players. Why exactly is it necessary to play through this schedule? Ridiculous. The league really ought to be ashamed of itself.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself... Back to writing...
Read more...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Pay to play
Paying for field access has become part of the price of the beautiful game for some.
On the one hand, it's a great thing that soccer fields are in such high demand.
On the other hand, things shouldn't get to the point where people are gouged to use a field.
Read more...
On the one hand, it's a great thing that soccer fields are in such high demand.
On the other hand, things shouldn't get to the point where people are gouged to use a field.
Read more...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Standings
A colleague shouted this out as the "statistic of the night" after the Chivas USA match on Saturday:
With David Beckham and Landon Donovan in tow, the LA Galaxy has the same exact record of the expansion San Jose Earthquakes.
The Galaxy almost had their first win in quite a while on Saturday. The Revs came back though to tie 2-2 after Ladnon Donovan put them up with a brace. San Jose meanwhile got a late goal from Darren Huckerby to beat Kansas City 2-1 at home.
And yes, the Galaxy and San Jose each sit on 6-9-7 with eight games left. San Jose has all the momentum while the Galaxy is twisting in the wind. Saturday's match against Real Salt Lake will of course be played without Landon and Beckham as the duo will be with their respective national teams. Not sure if San Jose will lose anyone, so they may in fact surpass the Galaxy sooner rather than later.
Read more...
With David Beckham and Landon Donovan in tow, the LA Galaxy has the same exact record of the expansion San Jose Earthquakes.
The Galaxy almost had their first win in quite a while on Saturday. The Revs came back though to tie 2-2 after Ladnon Donovan put them up with a brace. San Jose meanwhile got a late goal from Darren Huckerby to beat Kansas City 2-1 at home.
And yes, the Galaxy and San Jose each sit on 6-9-7 with eight games left. San Jose has all the momentum while the Galaxy is twisting in the wind. Saturday's match against Real Salt Lake will of course be played without Landon and Beckham as the duo will be with their respective national teams. Not sure if San Jose will lose anyone, so they may in fact surpass the Galaxy sooner rather than later.
Read more...
Esky returns
Alecko Eskandarian was the last player in the locker room on Saturday night. I don't know if he was getting treatment or not but he walked into the shower after nearly everyone else was dressed and on their way out to whatever they had going on after the game.
As I took an empty seat next to him, a camera crew approached him and began recording as I fired away some questions. That set up a pretty comical scene as Preki interjected some thoughts from across the locker room.
Here's audio of the interview. See if you can make out what Preki said to Esky, jokingly... I think...
Read more...
As I took an empty seat next to him, a camera crew approached him and began recording as I fired away some questions. That set up a pretty comical scene as Preki interjected some thoughts from across the locker room.
Here's audio of the interview. See if you can make out what Preki said to Esky, jokingly... I think...
Read more...
Not holding back
John Carver didn't hold back much after Toronto lost to Chivas 2-1 on Saturday.
He said he was "absolutely furious" with his defense and also was disgusted with the league and its scheduling. In fact, he even said Toronto FC asked the league to postpone next Saturday's match against Chivas due to extreme hardship.
Here's audio of the interview.
Quickly, TFC has these guys absent on international duty: Greg Sutton, Tyrone Marshall, Jarrod Smith, Jim Brennan, Amado Guevara, Carlos Ruiz, Marvell Wynne, Carl Robinson and two others I'm missing.
Listen to the audio to see how he thinks he may have to fill the void.
Read more...
He said he was "absolutely furious" with his defense and also was disgusted with the league and its scheduling. In fact, he even said Toronto FC asked the league to postpone next Saturday's match against Chivas due to extreme hardship.
Here's audio of the interview.
Quickly, TFC has these guys absent on international duty: Greg Sutton, Tyrone Marshall, Jarrod Smith, Jim Brennan, Amado Guevara, Carlos Ruiz, Marvell Wynne, Carl Robinson and two others I'm missing.
Listen to the audio to see how he thinks he may have to fill the void.
Read more...
Posts coming shortly
Long time between posts. Sorry for not having posted in the last couple of days. Lots has happened with international callups and such but life has intervened here on this trusty blog. We do it for free, and sometimes free things don't take priority.
Anyway, I'll be posting up some audio of the Chivas-Toronto fallout shortly.
Read more...
Anyway, I'll be posting up some audio of the Chivas-Toronto fallout shortly.
Read more...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Sangre americana J6 update
Another game, another goal. This time, it's from Jose Francisco Torres, and this time we've got highlights.
Torres started and played 58 minutes for Pachuca in their 2-0 win over Puebla. He picked up a yellow card as well as scoring his first-ever goal in the Primera Division.
Also in action...
Edgar Castillo: Played 90 minutes in Santos' 2-0 win over Tecos
Marco Antonio Vidal: Played 90 minutes in Indios' 1-0 win over Morelia
Read more...
Torres started and played 58 minutes for Pachuca in their 2-0 win over Puebla. He picked up a yellow card as well as scoring his first-ever goal in the Primera Division.
Also in action...
Edgar Castillo: Played 90 minutes in Santos' 2-0 win over Tecos
Marco Antonio Vidal: Played 90 minutes in Indios' 1-0 win over Morelia
Read more...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
"The Dream" plays on
I wrote a story on Jorge Flores for both espn.com and Futbol Mundial. As one can see, Flores make the cover of F.M. I used different quotes for each article, and there's one by Claudio Suarez in the F.M. article that is very prophetic. He talks about how young players can burst on the scene and make an impact because they're somewhat overlooked. He says the hard part is doing well when other people figure out a player actually worth defending against.
Flores is actually doing that, because he's had some good play recently and he hasn't lost his ability to provide a spark. However, he's not scoring like he used to, either.
Read more...
Developing talent
About a year ago, I talked to Brad Friedel about his plans for a youth academy in Ohio. It was actually still in the process of being built and planned and such. I believe it's in its just completed its first full year or it's been opened right around there. Things seem to be heading in the right direction for Premier Soccer Academies.
The PSA just had two of its year-round members invited to Bradenton for the full-time residency program there - Victor Garza of Edinburg, Texas and Joel Nash of Birmingham, Ala.
I know Friedel sounded enthusiastic about the project when talking about it and how the entire youth system in the United States was ass backwards. He said something to the effect that kids train once a week and play a bunch of games on the weekend and he said it should be multiple training sessions a week and one game on the weekend. He also said many youth coaches were just in it for the money. It was a really good interview and he seemed very passionate about it.
Anyway, here's what he said in a press release about Garza and Nash and the US national team.
“It is a tremendous honor to have any of our players be selected for their current national team,” said Brad Friedel, President and Co-Founder of PSA. “We are delighted to have Joel and Victor further their career playing for their country. It is our goal at PSA to give every player the opportunity to reach their goals and this is a prime example as these two players move to the next level.”
And this is the description of the PSA from the same press release
PSA is the first residential soccer academy of its kind offering full year-round scholarships to athletes in an effort to develop the next generation of professional soccer players. Each year players from across the globe, ages 12-17, will be recruited based on ability and skill level, not the parents’ ability to pay. Additional athletic, academic, and health/nutrition programs along with an assortment of different level coaching clinics, will be offered throughout the year targeting all ages and skill levels. Facilities are state-of-the-art and include three and a half soccer fields, indoor fieldhouse, 5,000-square-foot workout facility, student housing and academic learning center. PSA officially opened August 20, 2007 with the arrival of the first class of residency members.
MLS' development system is nowhere near as developed as Brad Friedel's which is a shame because they've got a 12-year head start on him. And even if teams do develop young talent there are so many loopholes and restrictions and stuff that they could miss players anyway.
Perhaps it will take Friedel and others like him to get a true youth development system in place in the US so we can start seeing youngsters develop like they should right here in the US.
Read more...
The PSA just had two of its year-round members invited to Bradenton for the full-time residency program there - Victor Garza of Edinburg, Texas and Joel Nash of Birmingham, Ala.
I know Friedel sounded enthusiastic about the project when talking about it and how the entire youth system in the United States was ass backwards. He said something to the effect that kids train once a week and play a bunch of games on the weekend and he said it should be multiple training sessions a week and one game on the weekend. He also said many youth coaches were just in it for the money. It was a really good interview and he seemed very passionate about it.
Anyway, here's what he said in a press release about Garza and Nash and the US national team.
“It is a tremendous honor to have any of our players be selected for their current national team,” said Brad Friedel, President and Co-Founder of PSA. “We are delighted to have Joel and Victor further their career playing for their country. It is our goal at PSA to give every player the opportunity to reach their goals and this is a prime example as these two players move to the next level.”
And this is the description of the PSA from the same press release
PSA is the first residential soccer academy of its kind offering full year-round scholarships to athletes in an effort to develop the next generation of professional soccer players. Each year players from across the globe, ages 12-17, will be recruited based on ability and skill level, not the parents’ ability to pay. Additional athletic, academic, and health/nutrition programs along with an assortment of different level coaching clinics, will be offered throughout the year targeting all ages and skill levels. Facilities are state-of-the-art and include three and a half soccer fields, indoor fieldhouse, 5,000-square-foot workout facility, student housing and academic learning center. PSA officially opened August 20, 2007 with the arrival of the first class of residency members.
MLS' development system is nowhere near as developed as Brad Friedel's which is a shame because they've got a 12-year head start on him. And even if teams do develop young talent there are so many loopholes and restrictions and stuff that they could miss players anyway.
Perhaps it will take Friedel and others like him to get a true youth development system in place in the US so we can start seeing youngsters develop like they should right here in the US.
Read more...
Champs League highlights
Maybe there's something strange that happens somewhere over the southern border. Maybe when MLS teams head into Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, they lose all sense of themselves.
Maybe that's why both Chivas USA and New England looked like garbage on Tuesday.
And yes, I'm fully aware that DC and Houston won home-and-away series just this year against non-Mexican CONCACAF teams and all that. The tally, though, for MLS teams against CONCACAF competition on their turf is tilted way against the MLS teams' favor. Anyway, here are highlights of the games.
Joe Public-New England
Tauro-Chivas USA
And here's another result of interest - Cruz Azul destroyed Hankook Verdes 6-0 in Mexico City.
Read more...
Maybe that's why both Chivas USA and New England looked like garbage on Tuesday.
And yes, I'm fully aware that DC and Houston won home-and-away series just this year against non-Mexican CONCACAF teams and all that. The tally, though, for MLS teams against CONCACAF competition on their turf is tilted way against the MLS teams' favor. Anyway, here are highlights of the games.
Joe Public-New England
Tauro-Chivas USA
And here's another result of interest - Cruz Azul destroyed Hankook Verdes 6-0 in Mexico City.
Read more...
Doble jornada for Mexican-Americans
There will be a near-full slate of action in Mexico tonight as Jornada 6 will continue.
Of course, two games have already been played while another is slated for November and those three games involve teams who have some of our players on them: San Luis-Cruz Azul, Toluca-Chivas and Jaguares-Pumas.
But there should be some Mexican-Americans in action regardless.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo, Santos vs. Tecos, 2 p.m. Castillo has played every minute of every game for Santos this season as Santos needn't worry about any sort of drop of form from Castillo. In fact, Castillo is taking the next step towards stardom as he has been part of El Tri's roster under Sven Goran Eriksson. With Santos, Castillo should provide some danger on the left side as usual. It's another foreign-born Mexican national team player, though, who is garnering attention as Argentine Matias Vuoso scored two goals in a 5-3 win over Chivas a week ago. TV: Azteca America (delayed to 8:30 p.m. PT)
Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs. Puebla, 6 p.m. Torres has not enjoyed much success this season, but then again neither have Los Tuzos. Torres has played in four of five games with just one start. He's logged just 167 over the first five games of the season. Pachuca have started the season off with an 0-3-2 clip and desperately need a win against Puebla to get some points and stay in the playoff chase. Perhaps Torres can help earn himself some more playing time if he can get a start and show well in a Tuzo victory. If Pachuca continues losing, it seems only a matter of time before Enrique Meza is shown the door at which point Torres' future might be up in the air. TV: Azteca America (delayed to 10:30 p.m. PT)
Marco Antonio Vidal, Indios at Morelia, 6:30 p.m. Vidal's season has been a bit of back-and-forth. He played all 90 minutes in Indios' season opener, lost his starting spot, went down to the second division, went back to the top flight and sat the bench before starting on Sunday against Toluca. And that's just five games into the season. Maybe it's a bit ff uncertainty on Vidal's part or a lack of confidence or just a lack of first-division skills. Whatever the case, Vidal has not enjoyed consistency this season at all. Maybe he'll start, maybe he will come off the bench, maybe he'll do neither. Who knows? At least we'll get to see this game live. TV: Azteca America.
Primera Division A
All games will be played on the weekend.
Read more...
Of course, two games have already been played while another is slated for November and those three games involve teams who have some of our players on them: San Luis-Cruz Azul, Toluca-Chivas and Jaguares-Pumas.
But there should be some Mexican-Americans in action regardless.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo, Santos vs. Tecos, 2 p.m. Castillo has played every minute of every game for Santos this season as Santos needn't worry about any sort of drop of form from Castillo. In fact, Castillo is taking the next step towards stardom as he has been part of El Tri's roster under Sven Goran Eriksson. With Santos, Castillo should provide some danger on the left side as usual. It's another foreign-born Mexican national team player, though, who is garnering attention as Argentine Matias Vuoso scored two goals in a 5-3 win over Chivas a week ago. TV: Azteca America (delayed to 8:30 p.m. PT)
Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs. Puebla, 6 p.m. Torres has not enjoyed much success this season, but then again neither have Los Tuzos. Torres has played in four of five games with just one start. He's logged just 167 over the first five games of the season. Pachuca have started the season off with an 0-3-2 clip and desperately need a win against Puebla to get some points and stay in the playoff chase. Perhaps Torres can help earn himself some more playing time if he can get a start and show well in a Tuzo victory. If Pachuca continues losing, it seems only a matter of time before Enrique Meza is shown the door at which point Torres' future might be up in the air. TV: Azteca America (delayed to 10:30 p.m. PT)
Marco Antonio Vidal, Indios at Morelia, 6:30 p.m. Vidal's season has been a bit of back-and-forth. He played all 90 minutes in Indios' season opener, lost his starting spot, went down to the second division, went back to the top flight and sat the bench before starting on Sunday against Toluca. And that's just five games into the season. Maybe it's a bit ff uncertainty on Vidal's part or a lack of confidence or just a lack of first-division skills. Whatever the case, Vidal has not enjoyed consistency this season at all. Maybe he'll start, maybe he will come off the bench, maybe he'll do neither. Who knows? At least we'll get to see this game live. TV: Azteca America.
Primera Division A
All games will be played on the weekend.
Read more...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Borja tallies
Sorry I'm just getting to this but I just ran across it.
Seems like an American scored a goal for Chivas de Guadalajara's second-division side. And it wasn't El Gringo either.
On Monday, Carlos Borja scored the only goal for Tapatio in a 1-0 win over Academicos, Atlas' Primera A side. Borja, ex-Chivas USA developmental player, scored his first goal with Tapatio in the 76th minute.
Read more...
Seems like an American scored a goal for Chivas de Guadalajara's second-division side. And it wasn't El Gringo either.
On Monday, Carlos Borja scored the only goal for Tapatio in a 1-0 win over Academicos, Atlas' Primera A side. Borja, ex-Chivas USA developmental player, scored his first goal with Tapatio in the 76th minute.
Read more...
Chivas USA/Tauro running blog
Predictions only get worshipful prophetic credit before kickoff.
Here we go!
Tauro: Dominguez, Rojas, Palmas, Manotas, Moreno, Vega, mclean, Parris, Canales?
Escobar, Aguilar
Chivas USA: Thornton, Bornstein, Suarez, Thomas, Mendoza, Naga, Chiles, Paladine, Flores, Kljestan, Harris
Weird, the broadcast missed kickoff.
1 - Mancilla, the coach of Tuaro, well he looks like he enjoys a beer now and again.
4 - Flores is active early on, but his cross misses Harris.
5 - Tuaro has apparently won more championships in Panama than any other.
6 - GOAL! A weird mix-up in front of the goal, as the cross, popped way over, then a Tauro player dribbled a bit in the box, nutmegged Shavar, and another Tuaro guy, Edwin Aguilar, got a foot on it to poke the ball past Thornton. 1-0 Tauro
9 - Chivas USA corner. Sacha received a short corner, passed to Paladini, who made a hash of the cross - Tauro recover the ball.
11 - Flores with a much better cross, but Kljestan gets beaten to it, just barely, by a defender. Corner. Out for a throw. Flores crosses to Harris - header! Wide.
14 - Kljestan's pass is too far, but Flores fights for it regardless in the box. Gets called for foul.
17 - The announcers applaud CONCACAF for setting up this tournament, saying it's the first step in matching Europe. I choke a little on my iced tea.
19 - Yikes, Flores has been playing well, but he blipped on that play. Bornstein crossed the ball well, and Flores' first touch left the ball about eight feet away from him. He'd have been better off shooting.
21 - Two shots by Tauro are closer to killing fans in the stands than in scoring.
23 - CROSSBAR! Thornton beaten again and only the heavy metal saved him. It was a free kick from distance, but it floated high and Thornton backed up and jumped too late.
26 - Escobar from the edge of the box - barely misses the far post.
27 - Corner - caught by Thornton.
30 - The announcers are seriously harshing on Thomas and his mistakes in this game. He gives up a dangerous foul here, just in front of the arc. FK tips the crossbar - very close.
34 - Midfield muckery. Oh dear. Ball popped out to Harris, thanks to a nice Kljestan pass, and Harris came in alone on the goalkeeper and kicked the ball right into him. "He was alone and he failed horribly," says the announcer. Pretty much.
36 - One announcer puts Harris as the fourth forward on the squad, behind Justin Braun.
38 - Nags brings down a Tauro player. Threatening FK. Hits wall.
39 - Nags from distance, hits downtown. The skyscrapers, at least.
44 - Suarez fouls Canales (how dare he?) and Tauro gets a FK. It's served into the box, but no one gets a shot off. It looked to the announcers that Harris fouled somebody and it just didn't get called.
45 - Flores! Why doesn't he shoot? Ball gets away from him in the box and the clearance hits Paladini in the face, first, then his arm.
Halftime.
Hah, hah - the announcers replay not the flukey goal as the "Key play of the game", but Harri's miss alone against the goalkeeper. Cruel, but funny.
Well, with missed opportunities like that, though, Chivas USA have only themselves to blame at this point, depleted roster or no.
46 - The announcers are shocked that Jim Curtain replaces Suarez. They were sure Preki would get rid of the almost-worthless Thomas (their words). They are less surprised that Alecko Eskandarian comes in for Paladini.
48 - They call Esky Alexander, though.
49 - Esky with a close shot - he took it first touch and impressed the announcers by barely missing the far post.
55 - Tuaro player down and off the field.
59 - Another player down. I'm beginning to suspect it's to gain a bit of rest in the humid and hot weather.
60 - FK for Chivas USA. Kljestan puts it over the bar - couldn't get the dip down.
63 - Chivas USA look like they're running out of steam.
64 - Yellow on Vega for clipping Mendoza.
65 - Vaughn is on.
69 - GOAL! Aguilar picks up a pass and the defense breaks as he moves in on goal. they anticipate a pass and no one steps to him until Thornton comes out - Aguilar puts the ball calmly past him. 2-0 Tauro "The goal that kills," the announcers say.
73 - Corner for Chivas USA, but it's cleared.
75 - Esky from distance. Close, but wide.
76 - Chivas USA corner. Caught by the keep.
79 - Chivas trying hard to get a goal to cut into the differential, but Tauro break on the counter and nearly nick a third goal.
80 - Chivas USA with a FK, but goalkeeper is able to snag it. Now the goalkeeper is wasting time with an injury that the announcers don't believe exists.
83 - Panchito's cross misses the box, his teammates, the goal.
84 - Nurse has not played this game and the announcers don't understand why.
85 - Corner for Chivas USA. "A goal would be a marvelous miracle for the MLS team" It doesn't happen. Corner gets cleared.
88 - Flores telegraphs a pass, gets a corner out of it. It gets cleared for another corner, but Dominguez catches that one.
90 - Aguilar gets the MOTM. His second goal convinced the announcers.
7 minutes of stoppage? Wow.
Sach tries to save a ball on a Chivas USA buildup, but he's tired and it goes out.
Nags gets a yellow for clipping Aguilera.
Final whistle. Pretty horrid game for Chivas USA.
Read more...
Here we go!
Tauro: Dominguez, Rojas, Palmas, Manotas, Moreno, Vega, mclean, Parris, Canales?
Escobar, Aguilar
Chivas USA: Thornton, Bornstein, Suarez, Thomas, Mendoza, Naga, Chiles, Paladine, Flores, Kljestan, Harris
Weird, the broadcast missed kickoff.
1 - Mancilla, the coach of Tuaro, well he looks like he enjoys a beer now and again.
4 - Flores is active early on, but his cross misses Harris.
5 - Tuaro has apparently won more championships in Panama than any other.
6 - GOAL! A weird mix-up in front of the goal, as the cross, popped way over, then a Tauro player dribbled a bit in the box, nutmegged Shavar, and another Tuaro guy, Edwin Aguilar, got a foot on it to poke the ball past Thornton. 1-0 Tauro
9 - Chivas USA corner. Sacha received a short corner, passed to Paladini, who made a hash of the cross - Tauro recover the ball.
11 - Flores with a much better cross, but Kljestan gets beaten to it, just barely, by a defender. Corner. Out for a throw. Flores crosses to Harris - header! Wide.
14 - Kljestan's pass is too far, but Flores fights for it regardless in the box. Gets called for foul.
17 - The announcers applaud CONCACAF for setting up this tournament, saying it's the first step in matching Europe. I choke a little on my iced tea.
19 - Yikes, Flores has been playing well, but he blipped on that play. Bornstein crossed the ball well, and Flores' first touch left the ball about eight feet away from him. He'd have been better off shooting.
21 - Two shots by Tauro are closer to killing fans in the stands than in scoring.
23 - CROSSBAR! Thornton beaten again and only the heavy metal saved him. It was a free kick from distance, but it floated high and Thornton backed up and jumped too late.
26 - Escobar from the edge of the box - barely misses the far post.
27 - Corner - caught by Thornton.
30 - The announcers are seriously harshing on Thomas and his mistakes in this game. He gives up a dangerous foul here, just in front of the arc. FK tips the crossbar - very close.
34 - Midfield muckery. Oh dear. Ball popped out to Harris, thanks to a nice Kljestan pass, and Harris came in alone on the goalkeeper and kicked the ball right into him. "He was alone and he failed horribly," says the announcer. Pretty much.
36 - One announcer puts Harris as the fourth forward on the squad, behind Justin Braun.
38 - Nags brings down a Tauro player. Threatening FK. Hits wall.
39 - Nags from distance, hits downtown. The skyscrapers, at least.
44 - Suarez fouls Canales (how dare he?) and Tauro gets a FK. It's served into the box, but no one gets a shot off. It looked to the announcers that Harris fouled somebody and it just didn't get called.
45 - Flores! Why doesn't he shoot? Ball gets away from him in the box and the clearance hits Paladini in the face, first, then his arm.
Halftime.
Hah, hah - the announcers replay not the flukey goal as the "Key play of the game", but Harri's miss alone against the goalkeeper. Cruel, but funny.
Well, with missed opportunities like that, though, Chivas USA have only themselves to blame at this point, depleted roster or no.
46 - The announcers are shocked that Jim Curtain replaces Suarez. They were sure Preki would get rid of the almost-worthless Thomas (their words). They are less surprised that Alecko Eskandarian comes in for Paladini.
48 - They call Esky Alexander, though.
49 - Esky with a close shot - he took it first touch and impressed the announcers by barely missing the far post.
55 - Tuaro player down and off the field.
59 - Another player down. I'm beginning to suspect it's to gain a bit of rest in the humid and hot weather.
60 - FK for Chivas USA. Kljestan puts it over the bar - couldn't get the dip down.
63 - Chivas USA look like they're running out of steam.
64 - Yellow on Vega for clipping Mendoza.
65 - Vaughn is on.
69 - GOAL! Aguilar picks up a pass and the defense breaks as he moves in on goal. they anticipate a pass and no one steps to him until Thornton comes out - Aguilar puts the ball calmly past him. 2-0 Tauro "The goal that kills," the announcers say.
73 - Corner for Chivas USA, but it's cleared.
75 - Esky from distance. Close, but wide.
76 - Chivas USA corner. Caught by the keep.
79 - Chivas trying hard to get a goal to cut into the differential, but Tauro break on the counter and nearly nick a third goal.
80 - Chivas USA with a FK, but goalkeeper is able to snag it. Now the goalkeeper is wasting time with an injury that the announcers don't believe exists.
83 - Panchito's cross misses the box, his teammates, the goal.
84 - Nurse has not played this game and the announcers don't understand why.
85 - Corner for Chivas USA. "A goal would be a marvelous miracle for the MLS team" It doesn't happen. Corner gets cleared.
88 - Flores telegraphs a pass, gets a corner out of it. It gets cleared for another corner, but Dominguez catches that one.
90 - Aguilar gets the MOTM. His second goal convinced the announcers.
7 minutes of stoppage? Wow.
Sach tries to save a ball on a Chivas USA buildup, but he's tired and it goes out.
Nags gets a yellow for clipping Aguilera.
Final whistle. Pretty horrid game for Chivas USA.
Read more...
Got Gol?
Gol TV has my favorite soccer announcer, Phil Schoen.
Problem is, it's not that easy to find the channel any more.
It's only on DIRECTV.
And as far as what's only on GolTV - the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifying matches and exclusive TV coverage of Spain’s La Liga.
Read more...
Problem is, it's not that easy to find the channel any more.
It's only on DIRECTV.
And as far as what's only on GolTV - the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifying matches and exclusive TV coverage of Spain’s La Liga.
Read more...
Sorting out the West
The headline for this could have read How the West Will be Won except for one thing: the West will be won by Houston. The rest of the conference will have to battle for the scraps that are the second and third places and playoff spots. Fourth place this year will likely get you what fourth place got you last year - crap.
I tried to figure out who that would be in my Tuesday PE column.
I wasn't high on RSL because of their road struggles and their 5 remaining road games. I talked about the Galaxy's challenges yesterday and I think Chivas USA will face a similarly tough schedule should they get into the CONCACAF Champions League proper. Colorado's a mess. FC Dallas has problems scoring and San Jose is an expansion team.
What a great conference! Someone has to finish second and third, right? Who do you think will fill those slots?
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I tried to figure out who that would be in my Tuesday PE column.
I wasn't high on RSL because of their road struggles and their 5 remaining road games. I talked about the Galaxy's challenges yesterday and I think Chivas USA will face a similarly tough schedule should they get into the CONCACAF Champions League proper. Colorado's a mess. FC Dallas has problems scoring and San Jose is an expansion team.
What a great conference! Someone has to finish second and third, right? Who do you think will fill those slots?
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Champions League underway
I go back and forth on this brand spankin' new tournament.
The CONCACAF Champions League gets underway today for MLS teams as Chivas USA visits Tauro FC of Panama and New England visits Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago.
Part of me is anxious to see how MLS teams do on the road against some regional competition while another part thinks this is a complete waste of time. I guess I could become a regular schizophrenic debating this topic with myself.
On some level, more games against more regional competition is a good thing. We can only truly know how good MLS is in this region by MLS teams matching up against regional competition. SuperLiga doesn't exactly fit the bill since all the games are played on American soil.
The Panamanian national team might not be much but how good is their league? Trinidad & Tobago has a decent national team but is their league up to par as well? We know how MLS teams struggle in Mexico - that has long been documented. But how do MLS teams fare against Central American and Caribbean foes? The occasional Champions Cup series has given us some mixed results as MLS teams have not done well against Costa Rican sides but have been able to get past Jamaican and Honduran teams.
On the other hand, is that really important? Is it necessary to dedicate much of the latter portion of the season on the Champions League? We're talking about six midweek games in September and October, games that could place a heavy toll on the participating MLS teams. Will MLS teams even be able to place their full attention on the Champions League with the league slate bearing down on each club?
Ultimately though I... uh, well, I can't decide. I wasn't in favor of it at first just because it didn't seem necessary but I can't say I'm not intrigued to watch the games tonight and that I won't be interested when the group stage gets here, regardless if Chivas USA and/or New England get through.
What say you?
Read more...
The CONCACAF Champions League gets underway today for MLS teams as Chivas USA visits Tauro FC of Panama and New England visits Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago.
Part of me is anxious to see how MLS teams do on the road against some regional competition while another part thinks this is a complete waste of time. I guess I could become a regular schizophrenic debating this topic with myself.
On some level, more games against more regional competition is a good thing. We can only truly know how good MLS is in this region by MLS teams matching up against regional competition. SuperLiga doesn't exactly fit the bill since all the games are played on American soil.
The Panamanian national team might not be much but how good is their league? Trinidad & Tobago has a decent national team but is their league up to par as well? We know how MLS teams struggle in Mexico - that has long been documented. But how do MLS teams fare against Central American and Caribbean foes? The occasional Champions Cup series has given us some mixed results as MLS teams have not done well against Costa Rican sides but have been able to get past Jamaican and Honduran teams.
On the other hand, is that really important? Is it necessary to dedicate much of the latter portion of the season on the Champions League? We're talking about six midweek games in September and October, games that could place a heavy toll on the participating MLS teams. Will MLS teams even be able to place their full attention on the Champions League with the league slate bearing down on each club?
Ultimately though I... uh, well, I can't decide. I wasn't in favor of it at first just because it didn't seem necessary but I can't say I'm not intrigued to watch the games tonight and that I won't be interested when the group stage gets here, regardless if Chivas USA and/or New England get through.
What say you?
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Monday, August 25, 2008
Arena in the kitchen
Somehow Bruce Arena struck me as a bit of a foodie, though I never heard much more about his taste in cuisine other than "he likes a good steak". Simply from the hotels that he approved for the U.S. national team, one could surmise that Arena liked to pick from the best options available. Nothing too remote and spa-like, though, usually something in the heart of the city (often with a good steakhouse on site).
I could picture Arena as the host of some traveling food show, "Bruce's Beef" where in some remote location of Guatemala, for example, Arena tries to find someplace that cooks a decent steak.
Anyway, that's a bit of a wandering intro for an article in which I'm of the opinion that the heat is on Bruce. He's going to have to whip up something good, and I'm not sure he has the ingredients he needs. It's not that I think that Eddie Lewis is a disaster move, but not shoring up the defense immediately could really come back to haunt Arena.
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I could picture Arena as the host of some traveling food show, "Bruce's Beef" where in some remote location of Guatemala, for example, Arena tries to find someplace that cooks a decent steak.
Anyway, that's a bit of a wandering intro for an article in which I'm of the opinion that the heat is on Bruce. He's going to have to whip up something good, and I'm not sure he has the ingredients he needs. It's not that I think that Eddie Lewis is a disaster move, but not shoring up the defense immediately could really come back to haunt Arena.
Read more...
Galaxy's huge challenge
I wrote my PE column on the Western Conference and how the playoff picture may sort out. I actually predicted which teams I think will join Houston in the postseason.
Now, I won't reveal who I think will come through but I will add a little bit more here on the Galaxy and why I think it will be hard for them to reach the playoffs. Maybe you can put two and two together and decide if I think the Galaxy is among the two teams I gave a shot at the playoffs.
Before I start, every team in the West is saying the same thing - if we can just win one or two in a row, everything will be okay. Yeah, that's all well and good but let's look at statistics, people, not just some pie-in-the-sky sentiment. How many times has each Western conference team (besides Houston, they are excused and may go to recess early) won two or more games in a row? (And I'm only looking at consecutive wins, not unbeaten streaks because you aren't going to tie your way to the playoffs)
- Real Salt Lake: Zero
- FC Dallas: Twice (won two consecutive games on separate occasions)
- Colorado: Zero
- Chivas USA: Once (won three-in-a-row in late May, early June)
- Galaxy: Twice (won two consecutive games on separate occasions)
- San Jose: Once (won two straight earlier this month)
In other words, it's not just as easy as flipping the switch.
Now, as far as the Galaxy goes, the Galaxy has not beaten a team with a winning record. Four of their remaining nine games are against teams with winning records: at New England, at Chicago, at Columbus, Houston. Also, DC has a 10-10-1 mark now and will play at the Galaxy.
Of the Galaxy's remaining four home games, two could be played without Landon Donovan and David Beckham as international calendars become congested on Sept. 6 (Real Salt Lake at Galaxy) and Oct. 12 (Colorado at Galaxy). I suppose you could throw Eddie Lewis in there as well, and possibly even Ante Jazic.
Five road games loom on the calendar and the Galaxy has a 2-5-3 road record thus far.
Now, you can say what you will about the players and the cohesion and the affect Bruce Arena may have on the team (because I know some of you are thinking that very thing right now!). I'm merely bringing up statistics. And these stats don't lie. It's going to be extremely difficult for the Galaxy to reach the playoffs.
As for my thoughts on the other Western teams, well, you'll have to wait for the column to find out about that.
Read more...
Now, I won't reveal who I think will come through but I will add a little bit more here on the Galaxy and why I think it will be hard for them to reach the playoffs. Maybe you can put two and two together and decide if I think the Galaxy is among the two teams I gave a shot at the playoffs.
Before I start, every team in the West is saying the same thing - if we can just win one or two in a row, everything will be okay. Yeah, that's all well and good but let's look at statistics, people, not just some pie-in-the-sky sentiment. How many times has each Western conference team (besides Houston, they are excused and may go to recess early) won two or more games in a row? (And I'm only looking at consecutive wins, not unbeaten streaks because you aren't going to tie your way to the playoffs)
- Real Salt Lake: Zero
- FC Dallas: Twice (won two consecutive games on separate occasions)
- Colorado: Zero
- Chivas USA: Once (won three-in-a-row in late May, early June)
- Galaxy: Twice (won two consecutive games on separate occasions)
- San Jose: Once (won two straight earlier this month)
In other words, it's not just as easy as flipping the switch.
Now, as far as the Galaxy goes, the Galaxy has not beaten a team with a winning record. Four of their remaining nine games are against teams with winning records: at New England, at Chicago, at Columbus, Houston. Also, DC has a 10-10-1 mark now and will play at the Galaxy.
Of the Galaxy's remaining four home games, two could be played without Landon Donovan and David Beckham as international calendars become congested on Sept. 6 (Real Salt Lake at Galaxy) and Oct. 12 (Colorado at Galaxy). I suppose you could throw Eddie Lewis in there as well, and possibly even Ante Jazic.
Five road games loom on the calendar and the Galaxy has a 2-5-3 road record thus far.
Now, you can say what you will about the players and the cohesion and the affect Bruce Arena may have on the team (because I know some of you are thinking that very thing right now!). I'm merely bringing up statistics. And these stats don't lie. It's going to be extremely difficult for the Galaxy to reach the playoffs.
As for my thoughts on the other Western teams, well, you'll have to wait for the column to find out about that.
Read more...
No defending the west
I got an e-mail earlier today from a faithful reader asking me to help stick up for the Western Conference.
Now, as much as I would like to defend the West, I just can't do it. Not right now.
The Western Conference is clearly the weaker of the two conferences. There's no debating that. The only thing you might be able to debate is just how much distance there is between the two conferences. Maybe you think none of the Western teams could compete in the East, maybe you feel that the Western conference has some of the league's best players and that it's only a matter of time before they get their act together, or maybe you want to let the season play out until making a final decision.
But there's not much to debate. Here are some stats way in favor of the Eastern conference:
- Kansas City and Toronto are tied for last in the East and are five points out of a playoff spot. In the West, each team would be tied for third.
- Two Eastern teams have a negative goal-differential, compared to five in the West.
- Four Eastern teams have more wins than losses. One Western team has the same.
- Eastern teams have won a combined 22 road games; Western teams have combined for 11 road wins.
- Eastern teams have yielded an average of 26.9 goals. Western teams have given up nearly three goals more, with a 29.7 clip. The Galaxy is throwing off the average, you say? Take out the Galaxy and Western defense are still more porous with a 27.5 average.
- Even with the Galaxy's prolific but slowing attack (which DC United may surpass soon) Eastern teams have outscored Western teams 199 to 197.
Now, those should be some sobering statistics for Western teams. It's a good thing the league allowed for three Western teams to reach the playoffs instead of the two guaranteed spots a year ago because three is two more spots than the West deserves this year.
Of course, we can only hope that this would send a message to the league, that conferences should be done away with, that there should only be one table with the top six or eight teams getting into the playoffs regardless of anything else save points. Balance the schedule, let every team play every other team once at home and once on the road and have equal footing for everyone.
We all know, though, that such moves are too drastic for a league that is often reactive instead of proactive, especially when it comes to playoffs and the like.
Read more...
Now, as much as I would like to defend the West, I just can't do it. Not right now.
The Western Conference is clearly the weaker of the two conferences. There's no debating that. The only thing you might be able to debate is just how much distance there is between the two conferences. Maybe you think none of the Western teams could compete in the East, maybe you feel that the Western conference has some of the league's best players and that it's only a matter of time before they get their act together, or maybe you want to let the season play out until making a final decision.
But there's not much to debate. Here are some stats way in favor of the Eastern conference:
- Kansas City and Toronto are tied for last in the East and are five points out of a playoff spot. In the West, each team would be tied for third.
- Two Eastern teams have a negative goal-differential, compared to five in the West.
- Four Eastern teams have more wins than losses. One Western team has the same.
- Eastern teams have won a combined 22 road games; Western teams have combined for 11 road wins.
- Eastern teams have yielded an average of 26.9 goals. Western teams have given up nearly three goals more, with a 29.7 clip. The Galaxy is throwing off the average, you say? Take out the Galaxy and Western defense are still more porous with a 27.5 average.
- Even with the Galaxy's prolific but slowing attack (which DC United may surpass soon) Eastern teams have outscored Western teams 199 to 197.
Now, those should be some sobering statistics for Western teams. It's a good thing the league allowed for three Western teams to reach the playoffs instead of the two guaranteed spots a year ago because three is two more spots than the West deserves this year.
Of course, we can only hope that this would send a message to the league, that conferences should be done away with, that there should only be one table with the top six or eight teams getting into the playoffs regardless of anything else save points. Balance the schedule, let every team play every other team once at home and once on the road and have equal footing for everyone.
We all know, though, that such moves are too drastic for a league that is often reactive instead of proactive, especially when it comes to playoffs and the like.
Read more...
Week 21 spotlight
In the 21st week of the MLS season, there were some several outstanding performances this week but unfortunately the week was one in which many star players were missing due to international duty, something that could easily have been prevented.
G: Louis Crayton
D: Jimmy Conrad
D: Chad Marshall
D: Richard Mulrooney
M: Andre Rocha
M: John Thorrington
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Mike Magee
F: Luciano Emilio
F: Kei Kamara
F: Taylor Twellman
Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio somehow is turning around a New York team that had seemingly been left in the rear-view mirror by the Eastern frontrunners. Juan Pablo Angel is back to his old self but Mike Magee is proving to be a splendid complement to the Red Bulls' attack.
Top player: Guillermo Barros Schelotto had a goal and two assists and was easily the most influential player of the week. For all the hype the Galaxy gets for being dangerous on set pieces, Columbus is for my money the league's best team on set pieces. And that's largely due to the crafty Argentine.
Top goal: Andre Rocha's strike against Kansas City was a well-taken shot from distance, the kind we'd like to see on a more regular basis every weekend.
Top save: Zach Thornton kept Chivas USA from falling into last place in the Western Conference with a diving effort to turn away San Jose's Ronnie O'Brien.
LOWLIGHTS
When will Major League Soccer learn? When will MLS take into consideration the international calendar when making the schedule? On Wednesday, the US and the rest of CONCACAF kicked off the semifinal phase of qualifying. The league didn't care apparently and had two games scheduled on Wednesday and another on Thursday. Such players absent from their MLS squads included Pat Onstad, Brian Ching, Dwayne De Rosario, Sacha Kljestan, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Gonzalo Segares, Landon Donovan, Eddie Lewis and David Beckham, who played in an England friendly on Wednesday. It's beyond ridiculous that MLS plays through the World Cup but the league should at least have the foresight not to shoot itself in the foot and lower the quality of its regular season games by forcing teams to play through qualifiers and play without their top players. The league turned Galaxy-Chicago from potentially one of the most anticipated matches of the year to one devoid of most of its luster. Upcoming qualifying weekends will also cost teams players on Sept. 6-7 as well as Oct. 11-12. MLS needs to stop this nonsense. All the Hexagonal dates for next year are already set, so there is no excuse for this happening in 2009.
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G: Louis Crayton
D: Jimmy Conrad
D: Chad Marshall
D: Richard Mulrooney
M: Andre Rocha
M: John Thorrington
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Mike Magee
F: Luciano Emilio
F: Kei Kamara
F: Taylor Twellman
Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio somehow is turning around a New York team that had seemingly been left in the rear-view mirror by the Eastern frontrunners. Juan Pablo Angel is back to his old self but Mike Magee is proving to be a splendid complement to the Red Bulls' attack.
Top player: Guillermo Barros Schelotto had a goal and two assists and was easily the most influential player of the week. For all the hype the Galaxy gets for being dangerous on set pieces, Columbus is for my money the league's best team on set pieces. And that's largely due to the crafty Argentine.
Top goal: Andre Rocha's strike against Kansas City was a well-taken shot from distance, the kind we'd like to see on a more regular basis every weekend.
Top save: Zach Thornton kept Chivas USA from falling into last place in the Western Conference with a diving effort to turn away San Jose's Ronnie O'Brien.
LOWLIGHTS
When will Major League Soccer learn? When will MLS take into consideration the international calendar when making the schedule? On Wednesday, the US and the rest of CONCACAF kicked off the semifinal phase of qualifying. The league didn't care apparently and had two games scheduled on Wednesday and another on Thursday. Such players absent from their MLS squads included Pat Onstad, Brian Ching, Dwayne De Rosario, Sacha Kljestan, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Gonzalo Segares, Landon Donovan, Eddie Lewis and David Beckham, who played in an England friendly on Wednesday. It's beyond ridiculous that MLS plays through the World Cup but the league should at least have the foresight not to shoot itself in the foot and lower the quality of its regular season games by forcing teams to play through qualifiers and play without their top players. The league turned Galaxy-Chicago from potentially one of the most anticipated matches of the year to one devoid of most of its luster. Upcoming qualifying weekends will also cost teams players on Sept. 6-7 as well as Oct. 11-12. MLS needs to stop this nonsense. All the Hexagonal dates for next year are already set, so there is no excuse for this happening in 2009.
Read more...
Nery to Spain, for Real
Nery Castillo seems to have found a new home. Though rumors to Italian side Roma were gaining steam, it seems Nery has found a home in Spain, with Real Betis.
Perhaps now one of Mexico's most talented can find some club stability he has not enjoyed for more than year.
Castillo had spent most of his career in Greece, with Olympiakos. But he left the Greek club for Shakhtar Donetsk last summer. His Ukrainian stay didn't last long as he joined Manchester City over the winter, and while that partnership didn't last his manager there is now in charge of the Mexican national team as Sven Goran Eriksson is with Mexico.
Castillo now seems poised to settle down with a club in the Spanish league, which is already home to Mexicans such as Rafael Marquez, Omar Bravo and Andres Guardado. Perhaps with some solid footing underneath, Castillo can shine for Sven as he did for Hugo Sanchez.
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Perhaps now one of Mexico's most talented can find some club stability he has not enjoyed for more than year.
Castillo had spent most of his career in Greece, with Olympiakos. But he left the Greek club for Shakhtar Donetsk last summer. His Ukrainian stay didn't last long as he joined Manchester City over the winter, and while that partnership didn't last his manager there is now in charge of the Mexican national team as Sven Goran Eriksson is with Mexico.
Castillo now seems poised to settle down with a club in the Spanish league, which is already home to Mexicans such as Rafael Marquez, Omar Bravo and Andres Guardado. Perhaps with some solid footing underneath, Castillo can shine for Sven as he did for Hugo Sanchez.
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Luca Brasi Rankings (Aug. 25)
It isn't quite time yet to sink any teams but there are several clubs who look like the should be sleeping with the fishes. There seems to be a big dropoff between six and seven this week. I'd take any team from the top six over any team from the bottom eight - with the possible exception of the slowly climbing number eight club - in a home-and-away series or a one-off match.
1. Columbus (11-6-4). The Crew might be starting to really come together as a team, which is a scary thought for rest of the league.
2. Chicago (10-6-5). Blanco and McBride have yet to start a game together, but that should change Sunday at Houston.
3. New England (11-6-4). Four points in two games is quick turnaround from previous skid.
4. DC United (10-10-1). Two shutouts in three games for Louis Crayton? Should have made the move sooner.
5. Houston (8-5-8). Chinks in the armor? Houston gets slapped hard by New York...
6. New York (8-6-7)... who despite the win still find themselves one spot under the Dynamo. Sorry, can't discount Houston's midweek 4-0 win.
7. FC Dallas (6-7-8). Payback's a bitch as KC pulls out late draw.
8. San Jose (5-9-7). Road draw moves 'Quakes to within striking distance of playoff spot.
9. Real Salt Lake (7-8-6). Gonna have to do better than 1-8-1 road mark, worst in the league.
10. Toronto (7-8-6). Banking on aging Carlos Ruiz to get back into playoff chase; quite a risky proposition.
11. Kansas City (6-7-8). Back to old KC as only offense comes from a defender.
12. Chivas USA (6-9-6). Need more minutes from Razov, Eskandarian, et al for Red-and-White to have a chance.
13. Colorado (7-11-3). So much for getting off to good start under new coach.
14. Los Angeles (6-9-6). Bruce Arena learns tough lesson in first game: no Landon, no Becks, no offense, no hope.
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1. Columbus (11-6-4). The Crew might be starting to really come together as a team, which is a scary thought for rest of the league.
2. Chicago (10-6-5). Blanco and McBride have yet to start a game together, but that should change Sunday at Houston.
3. New England (11-6-4). Four points in two games is quick turnaround from previous skid.
4. DC United (10-10-1). Two shutouts in three games for Louis Crayton? Should have made the move sooner.
5. Houston (8-5-8). Chinks in the armor? Houston gets slapped hard by New York...
6. New York (8-6-7)... who despite the win still find themselves one spot under the Dynamo. Sorry, can't discount Houston's midweek 4-0 win.
7. FC Dallas (6-7-8). Payback's a bitch as KC pulls out late draw.
8. San Jose (5-9-7). Road draw moves 'Quakes to within striking distance of playoff spot.
9. Real Salt Lake (7-8-6). Gonna have to do better than 1-8-1 road mark, worst in the league.
10. Toronto (7-8-6). Banking on aging Carlos Ruiz to get back into playoff chase; quite a risky proposition.
11. Kansas City (6-7-8). Back to old KC as only offense comes from a defender.
12. Chivas USA (6-9-6). Need more minutes from Razov, Eskandarian, et al for Red-and-White to have a chance.
13. Colorado (7-11-3). So much for getting off to good start under new coach.
14. Los Angeles (6-9-6). Bruce Arena learns tough lesson in first game: no Landon, no Becks, no offense, no hope.
Read more...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sangre americana J5 update
Michael Orozco is back with San Luis. He reported earlier this week back to his club and will now try and regain his starting spot in San Luis' defense. San Luis hasn't necessarily missed him. While Tigres and Pumas have yielded fewer goals than San Luis, los Gladiadores have a whopping 16 points through five games. With Orozco back, the club's defense could become even more sound than it already is.
So, how'd Orozco do in his first game back? Actually, he didn't play. But other Mexican-Americans did.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 5-3 win at Chivas
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 45 minutes in Pachuca's 3-1 loss at Pumas
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 victory over Tigres
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 3-2 win at America
Marco Antonio Vidal - Started and played 45 minutes in Indios' 1-1 draw over Toluca
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress in Morelia's 2-0 loss at Puebla
Jesus Padilla - Served one-match suspension for picking up red card in J4
Primera Division A
Sammy Ochoa - Played final six minutes in Tecos' 1-1 draw with Irapuato
Carlos Borja - Tapatio plays Academicos on Monday
Noel Castillo - Did not play in Indios Chihuahua's 0-0 draw with Correcaminos
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress in Chetumal's 2-0 loss to Pumas Morelos
Read more...
So, how'd Orozco do in his first game back? Actually, he didn't play. But other Mexican-Americans did.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 5-3 win at Chivas
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 45 minutes in Pachuca's 3-1 loss at Pumas
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 victory over Tigres
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 3-2 win at America
Marco Antonio Vidal - Started and played 45 minutes in Indios' 1-1 draw over Toluca
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress in Morelia's 2-0 loss at Puebla
Jesus Padilla - Served one-match suspension for picking up red card in J4
Primera Division A
Sammy Ochoa - Played final six minutes in Tecos' 1-1 draw with Irapuato
Carlos Borja - Tapatio plays Academicos on Monday
Noel Castillo - Did not play in Indios Chihuahua's 0-0 draw with Correcaminos
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress in Chetumal's 2-0 loss to Pumas Morelos
Read more...
LA Soccer beat
Luis wasn't at the game last night, exploring other possible career options instead. So that meant I had a Chivas USA assignment to cover the game.
Here's my match article. And reaction piece.
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Here's my match article. And reaction piece.
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Saturday, August 23, 2008
Preki post-Quakes
Here's some of Preki's thoughts after his team split points with the 'Quakes. There's not going to be any video of Frank Yallop, because he didn't do a post-game presser.
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Chivas USA/Earthquakes rb
Chivas USA versus the new and improved Quakes in a major clash for points for two playoff desperate teams.
I ran into Sacha Kljestan's dad, Slavko, in the elevator. He looked at the Free Kick magazine, where his son is the coverboy and said, "Who is that guy?" The younger guy with him (a friend of Sacha?) said dryly, "Yeah, he must have an ugly dad."
I cracked up a little at that. Slavko shook his head at the magazine. "He needs a haircut, don't you think?" He turned to me.
By then, the elevator had opened and the pair had stepped out. "You tell him that," I said before the doors closed.
Quakes
* 1 - Joe Cannon (GK)
* 2 - Eric Denton
* 3 - Nick Garcia
* 4 - James Riley
* 6 - Darren Huckerby
* 7 - Ronnie O'Brien
* 10 - Francisco Lima
* 12 - Ramiro Corrales 14 out
* 17 - Arturo Alvarez
* 21 - Jason Hernandez
* 33 - Scott Sealy
Chivas USA
* 28 - Zach Thornton (GK)
* 3 - Jim Curtin
* 4 - Shavar Thomas
* 5 - Paulo Nagamura
* 6 - Francisco Mendoza
* 9 - Ante Razov
* 13 - Jonathan Bornstein
* 16 - Sacha Kljestan
* 19 - Jorge Flores
* 24 - Atiba Harris
* 37 - Kraig Chiles
Kickoff!
5 - Chivas USA have a corner. They take it short and get a throw. Quakes clear the danger.
7 - Ante caught offside. The Quakes have a pretty impressive traveling contingent sitting in the regular Riot Squad section. that's good to see. They're loud too, spurring the Union Ultras and the Legion to try to drown them out.
12 - Corrales is down. Apparently he stepped on Atiba Harris trying to make a tackle and his left ankle turned. He limps off after at least three minutes.
15 - Kelly Gray comes in for Corrales.
19 - Eeeek moment for the Quakes. Razov hit a long pass to Harris, but Garcia got there first. His backpass to Cannon almost didn't make it and Cannon had to run outside his box to play the ball.
20 - Chivas USA corner. It's cleared.
23 - The Quakes had the ball in the Chivas USA box and Alvarez was trying to turn but Curtin cleared the ball way out first.
Bad news for Ramiro Corrales. It's actually his knee that's the problem. He has a left knee MCL sprain.
25 - Harris is offside, again.
27 - Sealy gets undercut going for a header, and topples acrobatically. It's interesting that sometimes the most spectacular falls are where the player bounces back but just fine, and the ones that look like no big deal are often the worst.
29 - Razov earns a free kick right at the arc. Joe got burned by 'Te FK the last time the teams played here.
30 - 'Te went near post - and barely missed wide right.
34 - Jase Hernandez just had a nifty take-away tackle on his old teammate, 'Te.
37 - Riley gets a yellow for his takle on Flores.
39 - Bornstein heads a dangerous long ball out.
40 - Atiba Harris is down. It looked on the replay like Garcia caught him on the ankle as he was clearing a pass.
42 - Someone asked about the formation for CHivas - looks like a 4-4-2, with Flores breaking forward on the attack.
44 - Denton slidetackles a dangerous ball out.
45 - Sach with a shot off a feed from 'Te! Joe saves it.
45 - Too often, games where a lot is on the line end up like this - tightly contested affairs where not a lot happens - 000hhhh, Flores fights his way into the box, great job there, lays off a perfect little pass to 'Tiba - ugh, he shoots way wide.
46 - Chivas USA right off the bat with a chance, but a Quakes defender clears the cross into the box.
48 - Chivas USA moving the ball well around the perimeter of the Quakes' box. Joe finally claims an errant pass.
50 - Chiles cross in front of goal - no one. Oooh, deep Quakes pass nearly gets through while Zach is off his line.
52 - O'Brien with an outside shot. I could see that one coming. He dips his head slightly before he shoots.
'Te on the counter! Tries to finesse the ball low into the corner and misses wide.
53 - Shaver Thomas gets a yellow card for a tackle.
55 - Denten with a foul on Chiles deep. Chiles sends in the FK like a cross, but the Quakes clear. It gets served back in - over the line. Goal kick.
56 - Some in the pressbox think this is Huckerby's worst game since he joined the league. He's done little of note.
57 - Hernandez is given a yellow for a clumsy shoulder challenge. It's a FK in a dangerous spot, but Sacha doesn't do much with it. High over the bar.
60 - Alecko Eskandarin is in for Chiles.
63 - 'Te tumbles, but kicks out at Hernandez at the same time - gets called for the foul. Sach had a nice play to get 'Te the ball, but Hernandez was all over it.
66 - Bornstein rampages up for a shot - wide.
67 - Joe comes out for a cross - oddly, he hesitated a bit and made it more scary for his defender than it should have been.
68 - Attendance is announced as 12,209.
69 - Kelly Gray high on a FK, but it deflected and the Quakes have a corner. It's taken short, put out and another corner follows.
70 - Zach punches this one out, heaving his bulk through the crowd in the box.
73 - Offside! No goal for Alecko there.
75 - Quake corner - headed wide.
77 - Ooh! Joe saves a touch Harris shot, give ups the rebound, Mendoza chases it down and slips a pass to 'Te, who shoots wide of the far post.
81 - Quake FK - Zach catches.
84 - Ned Grabavoy comes in for Sealy.
89 - Crappy backpass gives Ante a chance in the box - Quake defense barely recovers.
90 + O'Brien gets a yellow for a bad tackle.
Quake corner. Alvarez header - over the bar.
Deep Quake throw. Huckerby fights his way into the box, but Zack saves the shot.
Final whistle
No late game heroics. The teams split the points.
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Out of the gym, onto the field
Someone pointed out to me the moment he knew the U.S. was going to defeat Brazil for the gold medal.
It was during the break for the overtime periods, when Brazil's players fell to the ground to rest, exhausted. The U.S. players were obviously fitter, and a tired Brazilian defense would probably give up chances.
When I was watching Argentina versus Nigeria, I had a similar epiphany when the referee stopped play for a water break. Argentina had looked plodding, but as their players hydrated and received encouragement and instruction from their coach, I thought, "This break will save them. They get the water they need, they catch their breath against the athletic Nigerians, they get that little second wind they need to create something."
There's always that push-pull between athleticism and artistry. In the U.S., we're so competitive as a country that we push kids into formal soccer games as young as four. They're lugging around little trophies.
Though they're not on the exact same topic, I found these points of view interesting. The first is from an article on the Argentine team, which quotes their coach, Batista.
"In Argentina we are making some mistakes," he told me. "We are emulating things that take us further away from our football. And we are depriving children of their childhood. There is too much emphasis on work in the gym, on weight-training and speed. And too much pressure on kids as young as seven or eight to win. This is not good."
"The child is not treated as a child," Batista argues. "I believe strongly in respecting the stages - there is a time when you have to play for fun, enjoy the game. Argentina's strong point has always been technique. If you look at the best players in Europe, they are always the ones who are technically excellent. Gyms and machines can never give you what keepy-uppies and contact with the ball do for a child."
The other viewpoint arrived in my email inbox from a reader. If other readers have any thoughts on the merits of fitness and strength versus technique and the best balance, or if anyone wants to tackle the question this reader posits, post in the comments.
I just wanted to say that your article a few months back on college soccer hurting the development of our young players should be on the front of soccernet and required reading for everyone high up in the USSF and MLS. We have more and more people playing the game as soccer grows more popular, but we still will still have a serious lack of quality players unless our youth player development system is completely overhauled. We can't insist on following the high school-college-draft model we use for basketball and football. Soccer is a completely different game that relies much less on size and athleticism (which can be developed anywhere) than the other two.
We need to look towards Europe and Latin America for how to develop soccer players. They've been playing the sport longer than we've played anything, and they have it figured out. If we have any desires of turning into a powerful soccer nation we need to adopt the same system of youth teams owned by the professional clubs. There are innumerable problems with our current model, as I'm sure you're familiar with, so I'll just stick to the most obvious.
The first and most important is that the current model has our talent far too spread out over the country. There are thousands of high school soccer teams in America, so none of our young players are exposed to a really high level of competition. In other countries, it's centralized, so you have the top youth division, with 20 teams, followed by the next, followed by the next. Thus the best young players week in and week out get exposed to the highest level of competition and the best coaching available in the country. If a player isn't good enough, he's cut and a better one takes his place, so this elite level of play is maintained, and obviosuly every young player's dream is to be a part of these leagues. It is the most nurturing environment possible to create good soccer players. In the United States, we may have 12 year olds with the potential to be the next Zidane, but unlike their European and Latin American counterparts they will spend the ages of 12-22 unexposed to a high level play, not to mention very, very poorly coached (relatively speaking, let's face it, in the older generations soccer was much less popular, thus we have a smaller pool) by coaches who have the wrong objectives, which brings me to my next point.
The coaches of high school and college teams in the United States have one thing in mind: winning. That is how their success is measured and their only incentive. Youth teams in the rest of their world have one objective, and that is churning out top quality players for the parent club. The end product is not only technichally superior but far more creative and tactically aware than American soccer players, who may be just as athletic. No one cares if the youth team wins or loses, as long as it yields great players for the club. But in the US the youth teams only focus on winning, thus our prodigies spend their practices focusing on conditioning and learning how to play the American youth soccer game, aka running war. How on earth we decide our youth game to allow unlimited substitutions, I have no idea. It's barely soccer at that point.
There is also the issue of scouting, how do we expect ourselves to find talent (which evaluating is much more subjective than basketball and football, it's not just a matter of who's bigger and faster and who gets the best stats) when there are thousands of high schools spread out over this vast nation, and then come age 18 all of the players move to completely different systems? And I'm not even getting into how bad the youth programs in this country are, the profiteering, the poor coaching, etc. etc.
Though our current system may be decent for developing mid level talent, ie lots of pretty good high school soccer players, I am amazed that despite having to grow up playing their game in America we still have some decent players that can make mid level European leagues. But if the MLS is to survive (with it's rapid expansion, the talent pool is going to be spread very thin, and since the last draft was very weak, as well as the one before it with the exception of Edu, I fear things are only going to get worse) and if we are to have any real success on the international level, we need to adopt the European system as soon as possible.
It'll take a long time for the changes to come into effect as developing a good youth system takes years, not to mention it'll take 7 or 8 years before we have our first young ones who have made it all the way through the system. There need to be major incentives for MLS teams to create these systems, as well as funding from the MLS. Each MLS team needs to have sole access to the contract rights of its youth players (they cannot go to the draft, then there'd be no incentive), and I think players from a team's youth system, at least at the beginning, should have a portion of their salary not count toward's the team's salary cap. The youth teams need to get the best facilities and coaches and need to be exposed to the best competition. We need all of our young soccer players striving to play these teams so that our very best are all put together in the most nurturing environment possible.
Am I the only one that thinks this way? Is there any chance of the European system becoming the norm here? What can the average frustrated American soccer fan do to help bring about change?
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Friday, August 22, 2008
Arg/Nigeria gold medal game
Why not? I was late to my computer, but no one has scored yet.
Ambruse Vanzekin (G)
2 Chibuzor Okonkwo (D)
4 Onyekachi Apam (D)
5 Dele Adeleye (D)
13 Adefemi Olubayo (D)
8 Sani Kaita (M)
12 Ajilore Oluwafemi (M)
10 Isaac Promise (F)
9 Victor Nsofor Obinna (F)
11 Solomon Okoronkwo (F)
14 Peter Osaze Odemwingie
Argentina
18 Sergio Romero (G)
2 Ezequiel Garay (D)
3 Luciano Fabian Monzon (D)
4 Pablo Zabaleta (D)
12 Nicolas Pareja (D)
5 Fernando Gago (M)
10 Juan Riquelme (M)
14 Javier Mascherano (M)
11 Angel Di Maria (F)
15 Lionel Messi (F)
16 Sergio Leonel Aguero (F)
15 - Nigeria isn't backing down. They're using their speed well to push Argentina back.
18 - Romero grabs the ball in the box.
20 - Riquelme and Messi hook up well on the give and go, but Nigeria's defense then presses in and gets the ball back.
21 - Zabaleta on the wing sends in a cross, but it's cleared.
22 - Messi in the box, cuts back, beats one guy, trips, appeals for a penalty, ref denies it.
23 - Romero has to clear outside of his box and he hits the ball awkwardly. Argentina get away with it, though, as their midfielders claim the ball.
27 - Nigeria is pressing in on the Argentine goal. Argentina is forced to defend and they look unaccustomed to the task. Landon Donovan mentioned that, said, "They hate to defend."
30 - Odemwingie with a shot - wide. Still, it's the guys in green who look dangerous.
31 - Wow, I've never seen this before. The heat in China is so bad that they're letting the players take a break and drink. Players are drenching themselves in water.
34 - Messi and Aguero nearly connect right at the top of the box, but the final pass fails.
35 - The ball falls to Promise in the box as Nigeria push hard for a goal. Promise doesn't get a real shot off, but the ball pops up and Romero has to grab it.
37 - Odemwingie nearly gets by on the endline, but the ball bounces over the line. Goal kick
39 - Balboa keeps going on about how Argentina isn't playing well. They do look tired. Zabaleta crosses, and now Argentina has a corner.
40 - Corner is short, but leads to a header chance - right to Vanzekin.
41 - Balboa rips Kun for not taking a shot. His cross gets too far and it's a throw.
43 - Zabaleta just gave up on that pass. Argentina is definitely tired. Or drained from the heat.
44 - Odemwingie nearly gets to a long pass in the box - but he's bumped off the header and Romero collects.
45 - Monzon from 40 feat and it's on frame! Vanzekin has to dive to push the ball out.
45 + Corner is cleared. Messi drives in, sends ball out, Nigeria are falling over each other in the box trying to clear. They eventually do.
Halftime.
As Messi walks off the field, about three Nigerian players push him, but in front, so the ref can't really see. Balboa mentions they're trying to provoke a retaliation. Messi just bats their arms away. Actually, he's so short, they look like bullies pushing him around.
47 - Argentina has been better this half already, threatening to score and looking lively.
50 - Save! Vanzekin! He denies Messi after a spin move freed him for the shot.
51 - Yellow card. Zabaleta got hit and the ref pulls the card quickly.
55 - Nigeria with a rejuvenated stretch of play. It leads to a shot that way high, but the ball was in Argentina's half for a matter of minutes.
57 - Nigeria again circles the Argentine goal. If Argentina breaks, they will have space.
58 - GOAL! Di Maria gets a fabulous, perfect pass from Messi, and breaks toward goal. Vanzekin comes out and Di Maria chips him delicately. 1-0 Argentina.
61 - This Argentina can do - hold the ball and teasingly possess it, fall over on fouls as a suddenly desperate Nigeria try to score.
64 - Save! Romero gets ball and holds.
65 - A scramble near the Argentine goal. It results in a Nigerian corner.
66 - Corner is cleared. Argentina release the counter leisurely. They're in no rush.
68 - Argentine FK as Di Maria was brought down there. Riquelme take the kick, but it's headed out for a corner. Messi takes it short, gets the ball back and fires a low shot that Vanzekin catches.
70 - Ekpo is getting ready to come in. MLS representing in the goldmedal match! Water break here, too.
72 - Ekpo sends in a cross, gets to Argentina, but a forward crashes in on it and the ball is pushed toward goal, surprising Romero, who dives late. Lucky for him, it's wide.
74 - Di Maria gets beaten and yanks hard on the shirt of his man to kill the counter. He gets yellow.
75 - Ball in the box ! Ekpo nearly gets to it. Argentina lucky there. Then the world is lucky to watch Messi's skill on display as he makes a run and beats three defenders before getting the pass off - the ball is out for a corner.
76 - Short corner needs to another Argentine attack and Vanzekin has to dive and smother the ball.
78 - Messi on the break! Okonkwo just saves it by getting a touch on the ball. Balboa goes on about how short Messi is and thus hard to knock off the ball.
79 - Ekpo lays the ball off and the ensuing shot is - high. Not a bad effort, though.
80 - Kun Aguero is off for Sosa. He trudges off tiredly.
82 - ooh, yellow card for time wasting on Argentina's Garay.
83 - Now Riquelme sees the same card for the same reason.
84 - Romero saves a shot! And perhaps the gold for Argentina there.
86 - Anichebe pushes off Riquelme. He takes his time with the free kick, but not as long as before.
88 - Di Maria is down and a stretcher comes out for him. Argentina could be timewasting there.
89 - Ever Banega is in.
90 - Nigeria have a corner here. Messi plays a little defense, takes the ball off Obinna and skips out on the counter. He's pulled down for a FK.
90+ Ekpo nearly stopped on the sideline, but he hustles to get the ball out to a teammate and is successful.
Ekpo helping Nigeria threaten, but then gets called for a high kick.
Messi is subbed out, as the fans roar his name. He really set up that goal. Lavezzi is in.
Ball in the box! But Argentina clear.
Riquelme gets the ball in midfield, turns and releases Lavezzi, who touches to Sosa, who pops the ball out to the wing instead of going for goal. Lavezzi gets there and babysits the ball until he gets pushed down. Great timewaster and perfectly legal.
Romero catches a long ball.
Final whistle! Argentina wins! They win gold! They repeat as champions and deservedly so. If Messi is going to flake out on his club commitment to Barca, this is the way to return - covered in Olympic glory.
.
Read more...
Ambruse Vanzekin (G)
2 Chibuzor Okonkwo (D)
4 Onyekachi Apam (D)
5 Dele Adeleye (D)
13 Adefemi Olubayo (D)
8 Sani Kaita (M)
12 Ajilore Oluwafemi (M)
10 Isaac Promise (F)
9 Victor Nsofor Obinna (F)
11 Solomon Okoronkwo (F)
14 Peter Osaze Odemwingie
Argentina
18 Sergio Romero (G)
2 Ezequiel Garay (D)
3 Luciano Fabian Monzon (D)
4 Pablo Zabaleta (D)
12 Nicolas Pareja (D)
5 Fernando Gago (M)
10 Juan Riquelme (M)
14 Javier Mascherano (M)
11 Angel Di Maria (F)
15 Lionel Messi (F)
16 Sergio Leonel Aguero (F)
15 - Nigeria isn't backing down. They're using their speed well to push Argentina back.
18 - Romero grabs the ball in the box.
20 - Riquelme and Messi hook up well on the give and go, but Nigeria's defense then presses in and gets the ball back.
21 - Zabaleta on the wing sends in a cross, but it's cleared.
22 - Messi in the box, cuts back, beats one guy, trips, appeals for a penalty, ref denies it.
23 - Romero has to clear outside of his box and he hits the ball awkwardly. Argentina get away with it, though, as their midfielders claim the ball.
27 - Nigeria is pressing in on the Argentine goal. Argentina is forced to defend and they look unaccustomed to the task. Landon Donovan mentioned that, said, "They hate to defend."
30 - Odemwingie with a shot - wide. Still, it's the guys in green who look dangerous.
31 - Wow, I've never seen this before. The heat in China is so bad that they're letting the players take a break and drink. Players are drenching themselves in water.
34 - Messi and Aguero nearly connect right at the top of the box, but the final pass fails.
35 - The ball falls to Promise in the box as Nigeria push hard for a goal. Promise doesn't get a real shot off, but the ball pops up and Romero has to grab it.
37 - Odemwingie nearly gets by on the endline, but the ball bounces over the line. Goal kick
39 - Balboa keeps going on about how Argentina isn't playing well. They do look tired. Zabaleta crosses, and now Argentina has a corner.
40 - Corner is short, but leads to a header chance - right to Vanzekin.
41 - Balboa rips Kun for not taking a shot. His cross gets too far and it's a throw.
43 - Zabaleta just gave up on that pass. Argentina is definitely tired. Or drained from the heat.
44 - Odemwingie nearly gets to a long pass in the box - but he's bumped off the header and Romero collects.
45 - Monzon from 40 feat and it's on frame! Vanzekin has to dive to push the ball out.
45 + Corner is cleared. Messi drives in, sends ball out, Nigeria are falling over each other in the box trying to clear. They eventually do.
Halftime.
As Messi walks off the field, about three Nigerian players push him, but in front, so the ref can't really see. Balboa mentions they're trying to provoke a retaliation. Messi just bats their arms away. Actually, he's so short, they look like bullies pushing him around.
47 - Argentina has been better this half already, threatening to score and looking lively.
50 - Save! Vanzekin! He denies Messi after a spin move freed him for the shot.
51 - Yellow card. Zabaleta got hit and the ref pulls the card quickly.
55 - Nigeria with a rejuvenated stretch of play. It leads to a shot that way high, but the ball was in Argentina's half for a matter of minutes.
57 - Nigeria again circles the Argentine goal. If Argentina breaks, they will have space.
58 - GOAL! Di Maria gets a fabulous, perfect pass from Messi, and breaks toward goal. Vanzekin comes out and Di Maria chips him delicately. 1-0 Argentina.
61 - This Argentina can do - hold the ball and teasingly possess it, fall over on fouls as a suddenly desperate Nigeria try to score.
64 - Save! Romero gets ball and holds.
65 - A scramble near the Argentine goal. It results in a Nigerian corner.
66 - Corner is cleared. Argentina release the counter leisurely. They're in no rush.
68 - Argentine FK as Di Maria was brought down there. Riquelme take the kick, but it's headed out for a corner. Messi takes it short, gets the ball back and fires a low shot that Vanzekin catches.
70 - Ekpo is getting ready to come in. MLS representing in the goldmedal match! Water break here, too.
72 - Ekpo sends in a cross, gets to Argentina, but a forward crashes in on it and the ball is pushed toward goal, surprising Romero, who dives late. Lucky for him, it's wide.
74 - Di Maria gets beaten and yanks hard on the shirt of his man to kill the counter. He gets yellow.
75 - Ball in the box ! Ekpo nearly gets to it. Argentina lucky there. Then the world is lucky to watch Messi's skill on display as he makes a run and beats three defenders before getting the pass off - the ball is out for a corner.
76 - Short corner needs to another Argentine attack and Vanzekin has to dive and smother the ball.
78 - Messi on the break! Okonkwo just saves it by getting a touch on the ball. Balboa goes on about how short Messi is and thus hard to knock off the ball.
79 - Ekpo lays the ball off and the ensuing shot is - high. Not a bad effort, though.
80 - Kun Aguero is off for Sosa. He trudges off tiredly.
82 - ooh, yellow card for time wasting on Argentina's Garay.
83 - Now Riquelme sees the same card for the same reason.
84 - Romero saves a shot! And perhaps the gold for Argentina there.
86 - Anichebe pushes off Riquelme. He takes his time with the free kick, but not as long as before.
88 - Di Maria is down and a stretcher comes out for him. Argentina could be timewasting there.
89 - Ever Banega is in.
90 - Nigeria have a corner here. Messi plays a little defense, takes the ball off Obinna and skips out on the counter. He's pulled down for a FK.
90+ Ekpo nearly stopped on the sideline, but he hustles to get the ball out to a teammate and is successful.
Ekpo helping Nigeria threaten, but then gets called for a high kick.
Messi is subbed out, as the fans roar his name. He really set up that goal. Lavezzi is in.
Ball in the box! But Argentina clear.
Riquelme gets the ball in midfield, turns and releases Lavezzi, who touches to Sosa, who pops the ball out to the wing instead of going for goal. Lavezzi gets there and babysits the ball until he gets pushed down. Great timewaster and perfectly legal.
Romero catches a long ball.
Final whistle! Argentina wins! They win gold! They repeat as champions and deservedly so. If Messi is going to flake out on his club commitment to Barca, this is the way to return - covered in Olympic glory.
.
Read more...
Simply Solo
Ok, here's an easy one. This post will have stuff on Hope Solo, so if one is tired of that, don't read the rest of it.
Ann's take.
Hopeful celebration
Helene's take
Jeff's view
Mark's observations
Michelle muses
Scott says
Art's aware
People pipes up
Scott F. says
Hope reaches out and touches someone
It doesn't take a genius to guess that the second imitation gold medal Hope celebrated with was for her father, Jeffrey Solo.
Read more...
Ann's take.
Hopeful celebration
Helene's take
Jeff's view
Mark's observations
Michelle muses
Scott says
Art's aware
People pipes up
Scott F. says
Hope reaches out and touches someone
It doesn't take a genius to guess that the second imitation gold medal Hope celebrated with was for her father, Jeffrey Solo.
Read more...
The Pia Principle
I think if there was ever any doubt that Pia Sundhage is the ideal coach for the U.S. women's team, they've been erased. In gold.
This piece highlights some of the reasons why her approach works.
I can't help but wonder if the men's senior team had taken a similar chance, had been willing to go a different route and stretch their concept of the game by bringing in someone who looks at play in a fundamentally different way, if they might not be better off in the long run.
Sundhage knew she couldn't overcome the resistance the U.S. players had built up to a possession style all at once. Everyone saw a lot of long balls punted by the American players during the tournament. No one could do a complete 180 from the way they played for so long.
She stayed positive, however, and kept preaching the message, in close games, in blow-out wins. She'd emphasize again and again: keep the ball, be creative, work together, look for each other.
Sundhage walked the walk as well. There was no wholesale replacement of the team, but there was a steady infusion of young blood. Players were rewarded for playing well, not just scoring goals. Heath, Rodriguez, Cheney, Hucles and Barnhart all moved up the depth chart. Solo was brought back into the fold with as little drama as possible. When Briana Scurry complained about Nicole Barnhart being made the second goalkeeper at the games, Sundhage didn't bat an eye. She named Scurry as the alternate and got on with the business of preparing the team.
One thing that I was concerned about before the Olympics was the claustrophobic nature of residency camp with the same players over and over. It's hard to avoid cliques and petty issues in such a fishbowl environment. Sundhage told me that yes, it definitely affected players to not be involved in more competitive games. She made the best of the situation, though.
Now that the WPS is in place, players will scatter to different teams. Sundhage can monitor games, see who is progressing, who is breaking out and hold camps instead of trying to simulate a competitive environment with the same players taking on club teams of teenage boys anxious to show off their latest dribbling tricks (actually, that was probably good practice for Brazil).
In some ways, as the U.S. team continues to improve, I think we'll really see then how good of a coach Sundhage is. She was under the gun all year, signed to a short-term performance-based contract, but now, the future looks golden. This Olympic medal, earned against the odds and against the grain, could signify the sunrise of a new era for the U.S. women.
Read more...
This piece highlights some of the reasons why her approach works.
I can't help but wonder if the men's senior team had taken a similar chance, had been willing to go a different route and stretch their concept of the game by bringing in someone who looks at play in a fundamentally different way, if they might not be better off in the long run.
Sundhage knew she couldn't overcome the resistance the U.S. players had built up to a possession style all at once. Everyone saw a lot of long balls punted by the American players during the tournament. No one could do a complete 180 from the way they played for so long.
She stayed positive, however, and kept preaching the message, in close games, in blow-out wins. She'd emphasize again and again: keep the ball, be creative, work together, look for each other.
Sundhage walked the walk as well. There was no wholesale replacement of the team, but there was a steady infusion of young blood. Players were rewarded for playing well, not just scoring goals. Heath, Rodriguez, Cheney, Hucles and Barnhart all moved up the depth chart. Solo was brought back into the fold with as little drama as possible. When Briana Scurry complained about Nicole Barnhart being made the second goalkeeper at the games, Sundhage didn't bat an eye. She named Scurry as the alternate and got on with the business of preparing the team.
One thing that I was concerned about before the Olympics was the claustrophobic nature of residency camp with the same players over and over. It's hard to avoid cliques and petty issues in such a fishbowl environment. Sundhage told me that yes, it definitely affected players to not be involved in more competitive games. She made the best of the situation, though.
Now that the WPS is in place, players will scatter to different teams. Sundhage can monitor games, see who is progressing, who is breaking out and hold camps instead of trying to simulate a competitive environment with the same players taking on club teams of teenage boys anxious to show off their latest dribbling tricks (actually, that was probably good practice for Brazil).
In some ways, as the U.S. team continues to improve, I think we'll really see then how good of a coach Sundhage is. She was under the gun all year, signed to a short-term performance-based contract, but now, the future looks golden. This Olympic medal, earned against the odds and against the grain, could signify the sunrise of a new era for the U.S. women.
Read more...
Hope and Glory
That was a pretty good movie, actually. Rent it sometime if you haven't seen it.
It's cool to see Meredith Viera get excited for the team. She actually knows more than a bit about soccer and I think that's what also made this interview a good one. I really like what the players said about Pia as well.
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McTough
Eddie Lewis was passing through the Galaxy locker room, his head stitched up from where he'd sustained a cut in the match versus Guatemala. Back in the pressbox, one of the reporters brought up Eddie's age and wondered about his durability in the rough and tumble world of MLS. I pointed out that Brian McBride was older.
"Yes, but he's McBride!" someone responded in exasperation, as if that explained everything.
Actually, I did bring up the age of both McBride and Cuauhtemoc Blanco to their coach, Denis Hamlett. I was trying to ask if it was a concern or affected team strategy in any way. Hamlett cut off my query halfway through.
"Did you see the Mexico game?" he asked impatiently. "Did you see what happened when Cuauhtemoc got into the game? He lifted his team. That's what a player like him can do."
Hamlett went on to explain that McBride was a similar sort, in his ability to make a difference and compete hard for his team.
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"Yes, but he's McBride!" someone responded in exasperation, as if that explained everything.
Actually, I did bring up the age of both McBride and Cuauhtemoc Blanco to their coach, Denis Hamlett. I was trying to ask if it was a concern or affected team strategy in any way. Hamlett cut off my query halfway through.
"Did you see the Mexico game?" he asked impatiently. "Did you see what happened when Cuauhtemoc got into the game? He lifted his team. That's what a player like him can do."
Hamlett went on to explain that McBride was a similar sort, in his ability to make a difference and compete hard for his team.
Read more...
My little gamer, reactor
"Gamers" are what sports people call game articles. They're a pretty straightforward report of the game itself.
The post-match press conferences are also termed "pressers". It's a bit of a race to file a gamer before running downstairs to catch the presser. It may be exciting for fans to watch stoppage time goals that change the match outcome, but there's always a couple of frazzled reporters hoping that doesn't happen.
Post game reaction articles, well, they focus mostly on players' thoughts on the match.
Read more...
The post-match press conferences are also termed "pressers". It's a bit of a race to file a gamer before running downstairs to catch the presser. It may be exciting for fans to watch stoppage time goals that change the match outcome, but there's always a couple of frazzled reporters hoping that doesn't happen.
Post game reaction articles, well, they focus mostly on players' thoughts on the match.
Read more...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Denis dishes on new addition
I asked Hamlett how relieved he was to be done with the protracted negotiations to bring Brian McBride to the team. "You have no idea," he answered with a look that said twice as much as his words. He had only nice things to say about McBride, though.
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Arena post coaching debut
Here's some of what Galaxy coach Bruce Arena had to say after the loss in his first game in charge.
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Galaxy/Fire
Well, the intermittent blogging night begins. Andrea is at the match but unfortunately I am not. Family matters came up and I had to take care of some stuff. Anyway, we'll try and blog on the match as much as possible.
For now though a couple of interesting tidbits as none of the big three will be in action tonight.
No David Beckham.
No Landon Donovan.
No Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
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For now though a couple of interesting tidbits as none of the big three will be in action tonight.
No David Beckham.
No Landon Donovan.
No Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
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Clavijo's done
It's probably not the way anyone wanted his tenure to end but Fernando Clavijo's days with the Colorado Rapids are over.
Clavijo resigned due to personal reasons as he and the Rapids reached some sort of mutual agreement that allowed the two to part ways.
Still, Clavijo probably shouldn't have been around this long to being with.
Colorado has been one of the most head-scratchingly irritating clubs in MLS in recent years. They always seem to have better talent than their record would indicate yet they've played in the Western Conference final in 2005 and 2006. Now, the latter is a byproduct of MLS' asinine playoff system more than anything but it's also probably what allowed Clavijo to stick around as long as he had.
Colorado has some great talent this year as well. Christian Gomez has been one of the league's best players for several seasons; Colin Clark looks like a future star that is on the cusp of a breakout season at times; Pablo Mastroeni is solid, Facundo Erpen, Herculez Gomez, Omar Cummings... some really solid talent but it hasn't come together.
That usually is a sign of the coach's ability to put the talent together, and yet Clavijo has stuck around.
On a personal level, it's tough to finish out a job this way and there seem to be some worries about his loved ones.
On a soccer level, this move is nearly two years too late. Who knows how the players will react? It's good an assistant is taking over as there is some sort of stability but the players have just 10 games left to sort this one out.
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Clavijo resigned due to personal reasons as he and the Rapids reached some sort of mutual agreement that allowed the two to part ways.
Still, Clavijo probably shouldn't have been around this long to being with.
Colorado has been one of the most head-scratchingly irritating clubs in MLS in recent years. They always seem to have better talent than their record would indicate yet they've played in the Western Conference final in 2005 and 2006. Now, the latter is a byproduct of MLS' asinine playoff system more than anything but it's also probably what allowed Clavijo to stick around as long as he had.
Colorado has some great talent this year as well. Christian Gomez has been one of the league's best players for several seasons; Colin Clark looks like a future star that is on the cusp of a breakout season at times; Pablo Mastroeni is solid, Facundo Erpen, Herculez Gomez, Omar Cummings... some really solid talent but it hasn't come together.
That usually is a sign of the coach's ability to put the talent together, and yet Clavijo has stuck around.
On a personal level, it's tough to finish out a job this way and there seem to be some worries about his loved ones.
On a soccer level, this move is nearly two years too late. Who knows how the players will react? It's good an assistant is taking over as there is some sort of stability but the players have just 10 games left to sort this one out.
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Better chance of playing - Cuau or LD?
They both played Wednesday, both a manageable distance away and both will be at Home Depot Center tonight.
But who stands a better chance of playing - Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco or the Galaxy's Landon Donovan?
We know David Beckham won't be there. He's off in China for the Olympics closing ceremony.
Blanco played the final 20 minutes for Mexico. Donovan played the entire game in Guatemala.
The Galaxy need Donovan more than the Fire needs Blanco, considering who else will and won't play (Brian McBride debuted on the weekend for Chicago). Eddie Lewis took a nasty knock on Wednesday as well and he may not play because of it.
But does that mean new coach Bruce Arena will be desperate and throw Donovan into the fray from the start? Or will he save him as a second-half substitute? Or does he not even dress?
Conversely, does Blanco not start because of his game action and travel to LA? Does Chicago not risk Blanco? Does he start? Play the final 45 minute? Not play at all?
If I'm a betting man, I take Blanco to start and come out during the second half if Chicago has the lead and I take Landon to play the final 20-30 minutes in Bruce Arena's debut. But I've been wrong before. Like for instance this morning I made some coffee and I thought it was going to taste like crap but it came out pretty good. So that's one strike against me already...
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But who stands a better chance of playing - Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco or the Galaxy's Landon Donovan?
We know David Beckham won't be there. He's off in China for the Olympics closing ceremony.
Blanco played the final 20 minutes for Mexico. Donovan played the entire game in Guatemala.
The Galaxy need Donovan more than the Fire needs Blanco, considering who else will and won't play (Brian McBride debuted on the weekend for Chicago). Eddie Lewis took a nasty knock on Wednesday as well and he may not play because of it.
But does that mean new coach Bruce Arena will be desperate and throw Donovan into the fray from the start? Or will he save him as a second-half substitute? Or does he not even dress?
Conversely, does Blanco not start because of his game action and travel to LA? Does Chicago not risk Blanco? Does he start? Play the final 45 minute? Not play at all?
If I'm a betting man, I take Blanco to start and come out during the second half if Chicago has the lead and I take Landon to play the final 20-30 minutes in Bruce Arena's debut. But I've been wrong before. Like for instance this morning I made some coffee and I thought it was going to taste like crap but it came out pretty good. So that's one strike against me already...
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Mexico struggles
Good news for Mexico: they got the three points. Bad news: they were trailing in the 70th minute.
The match could have different early on, though. Mexico had several chances to score early on but couldn't find the back of the net. Had one of those chances gone in, perhaps the game could have been different. As it stood, though, Mexico trailed Honduras for some 40 minutes in a qualifier at home.
Perhaps it was the newness of it all: Sven-Goran Eriksson's first game in charge, the first game for the players in a new system, the first game for at Leandro Augusto.
Mexico won and ultimately that's what matters most. But is this struggle indicative of anything greater than an inability to finish first-half chances? Or does Mexico need not worry too much about qualifying?
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The match could have different early on, though. Mexico had several chances to score early on but couldn't find the back of the net. Had one of those chances gone in, perhaps the game could have been different. As it stood, though, Mexico trailed Honduras for some 40 minutes in a qualifier at home.
Perhaps it was the newness of it all: Sven-Goran Eriksson's first game in charge, the first game for the players in a new system, the first game for at Leandro Augusto.
Mexico won and ultimately that's what matters most. But is this struggle indicative of anything greater than an inability to finish first-half chances? Or does Mexico need not worry too much about qualifying?
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Brazil/U.S Olympic final running blog
This is it, people. For country, for glory, for gold.
The U.S. versus Brazil.
Anthems. All the U.S. players are singing along.
Solo, Mitts, Rampone, Markgraf, Chalupny, Tarpley, Boxx, O'Reilly, Lloyd, Hucles, Rodriguez.
Brazil
Barbara, Simone, Tania, Renata Costa, Erika, Maycon, Daniela, Formiga, Ester, Cristiane, Marta,
Kickoff!
1- THe ball slips off ARod's foot as she tries to cross. It's raining.
6 - Marta gets the ball forward, but Rampone puts it out for a throw.
7 - The U.S. is hustling well in midfield, breaking up Brazil's linking play. Brazil is slowly, but steadily working the ball into U.S. territory, though.
8 - Marta is offside.
9 - Solo gets to a cross before Cristiane can. Then she cuts off a pass over the top to Marta.
12 - Brazil gets a corner. There's a foul on the play even before it's taken and the U.S. gets the ball.
13 - Chastain opines that trust issues still linger for the U.S. team after the Solo incident. Oh, get over it, players. It's the gold medal match.
15 - The U.S. has a corner. All tournament long, they haven't really taken advantage of these. Hucles hits it close to goal, actually lands it on top of the net. Somehow, Chastain thinks this is the right thing. Ok, she means right idea, but it has to be said that was poor execution. It give the corner kick no chance.
18 - Rampone knocks a ball too far.
19 - ARod with a shot from distance. It's wide.
20 - Daniella tries to do the same, but her shot is blocked. Lloys backpass nearly gets picked off, but Chalupny's quick feet saves the ball for the U.S.
22 - Chalupny just beats Marta to a ball, the foul means the U.S. get the ball back.
23 - Chastain rightly points out the U.S. is playing perhaps the best soccer they have yet. I think that's the problem. If this this the U.S. at their best, and they're not generating chances, the U.S. is doomed. They're not playing badly, but they have to kick it up a notch and score.
24 - Right there, ARod's quickness gets a pass off in close, but it's just a bit too far for Tarpley.
27 - Cristiane runs onto a pass, but the U.S. defense gets back in time.
28 - Lloyd goes down near the box. She doesn't get the call and I wish she would have just tried to shoot it. I don't think the U.S. has a shot on goal, yet.
30 - The long-ball style could work for Brazil if they use it to advance to a close, quick play. Right now they have a corner. But the U.S. clear it - good header by Lloyd.
31 - Cristiane gets the ball in the box, rides a bump from Chalupny and continues, but somehow doesn't shoot and Solo gets to the ball in time. Cristiane goes down.
32 - Chastain goes on a little tirade against gamesmanship as Cristiane stays down, probably furious at herself for not shooting.
34 - Marta with an acrobatic dribble beats two defenders and then gets squirrely with her shot, putting it way wide. Awesome talent and nerves both on display there.
37 - Mitts cuts down Formiga on the break, gets a yellow. The tackle took a toll on Mitts as well, she's limping a bit. Brazil attacks that side, but Solo catches the cross.
39 - FK for Brazil, and their players flood the box. Solo is out for the catch. She falls, but hangs on.
40 - Marta with another amazing play beats two defender and gets a cross off, Solo is stuck on her line, but Chalupny puts the ball out for a corner.
41 - Solo punches out the corner kick. The ball works it's way to Hucles near the arc and she shoots - high.
42 - Maybe it's contagious - Cristiane shoots high.
44 - Chastain calls O'Reilly's pass "optimistic". It was actually a bad pass right to the Brazil defense.
45 - Solo scoops up a pass in the box.
The U.S. then stops another Brazilian attack. They've been putting out fires fairly well, but can't seem to start any of their own.
Halftime
Well, the U.S. has been feisty in their defense, not so much on the attack. Still, the strategy by Sundhage might be perfect, because it does seem to be frustrating Brazil. They're an emotional team, and if they get flustered about not scoring, it could provoke a mistake that the U.S. can exploit.
The cheerleaders at the stadium have the crowd going to HSM's "We're all in this together." It's cute. Very innocent compared to the U.S. halftime routines I've seen. Not that I was really expecting China to get raunchy.
47 - Coach is right, this is s a very tactical match. Both teams are almost too careful with the ball. Someon will have to take a chance.
48 - Brazil is pushing the pace early on.
49 - ARod faces and attacks the Brazil defense. She earns a corner. Hucles knocks it to the far side of the box - too far for anyone to reach.
51 - Mitts foul on Cristiane and Chastain, a former defender, questions the intelligence of that move, because Cristiane wasn't in a threatening spot and Mitts already has a yellow.
52 - ARod trying to break through two defenders. Who does she think she is - Marta?
53 - Mitts loses the ball in a deep defensive position versus Cristiane. It leads to a Brazil corner. It's taken short, then Marta runs behind, picks up the ball and runs the endline with a quick dribble and gets a cross off that Solo cuts off quickly.
55 - Tackle on Hucles leads to U.S. FK. Lloyd practices a bit of gamesmanship as well - when Cristiane won't back up far enough, Lloyd keeps moving the ball forward, as in, "If you don't back up, I'm placing this ten feet forward, then."
57 - Mitts tackles Marta. She gets ball, but another yellow would see her gone.
59 - ARod is bleeding, apparently, so the U.S. is a man down at this point. I'm getting my blondes mixed up - Rodriguez is the one bleeding.
60 - Brazil attacks in force now. Chalupny puts the ball out for a throw with a desperate lunge.
61 - Renata Costa nutmegs the U.S. defense, earns a corner. Who does she think she is - Marta?
62 - Corner leads to another corner. On this one, ARod tries to break, so the U.S. is even on numbers.
63 - Marta shoots high.
64 - Mitts is playing with fire, fouling on a header and Brazil wants that second yellow. They don't get it, but a very dangerous FK, just outside the box.
65 - Or not. Daniella hits the wall.
68 - Play has settled down in the midfield a bit. The U.S. is outclassed a bit there, but they are breaking up Brazil's play, at least.
70 - I promised myself I wouldn't start talking about a scoreless draw until the 70th. I don't think it favors the U.S. They're already tired. They've already played extra time.
71 - Tarp goes out, Lauren Cheney comes in.
72 - SAVE! In yo face, Greg Ryan! Solo can make the reaction saves. She keeps her team in this by stoning Marta point-blank.
73 - Foul by Mitts again sets up another deep FK for Brazil. It's cleared.
75 - Tired passes from both sides leading to a lot of giveaways.
76 - Lloyd from distance. No. Wide.
78 - Daniela is out for Brazil. Fabiana comes in. Who? That's what I thought, too. If she scores, though, we'll never forget the name.
79 - Fabiana with a nice attack knocks the ball to Simone. The U.S. puts the ball out for a corner. Solo is struggling to reach the ball - she gets a punch off and the U.S. finally clear.
81 - Even though I picked Brazil to win, I think this match clearly puts the lie to all those who said last year that "It didn't matter who was in goal, or the red card on Boxx - Brazil was so clearly superior that they would have won no matter what." No, no, no.
82 - Marta from distance. She wants a foul call on the shot, which Solo catches.
83 - Fabiana caught offside.
84 - Tired defending from the U.S. leads to an extended run of Brazil possession.
86 - Tanya dribbles too long, and the U.S. takes the ball away, ARod in the box and Barbara is out scrambling. She kicks the ball out for a corner.
87 - The corner is cleared. Hucles gets another chance when the ball comes to her on the play after a throw and she puts the ball on frame. Barbara saves it, but finally the U.S. put a ball on frame.
88 - Fabiana tries to reach a long ball, but Mitts cuts it off. I really don't like how Mitts plays up the sideline so often. It gives Brazil too much of a chance to cut the ball off.
89 - Marta draws a foul from Boxx, just at the corner of the box. Dangerous. Cristiane heads the ball - up and out.
90 - ARod on the break! Why, oh why the chip? Barbara gets her hands up to it and makes the save.
90 + Fabiana earns Brazil a corner. The U.S. clear it and regulation time is done.
Chastain takes ARod to task over the chip. It's true - a golden opportunity wasted.
The U.S. look like their spirits are high. They're smiling and nodding as Sundhage talks to them. It's helps a lot to have a coach who instills confidence and believes in the youth of the team. That's going to go a long way to helping ARod shake off her chipped shot.
Extra time
2 - Brazil trying to be more cagey, build up their opportunities. It's not a bad move, but it's not taking advantage of the weariness of the U.S.
4 - Cheney and ARod hook up on a play. Pass, pass to Lauren - but ARod shoots instead and Barbara has it.
5 - Both sides are so wary right now they're downright tentative.
7 - GOAL! Cheney helps build the play up, getting a tricky little pass in to ARod, who holds the ball up for a bit, then pops it out to Lloyd, who unleashes with venom. Barbara dives, but it's too late. 1-0. U.S.
8 - Marta into the box - a touch too far.
10 - Brazil came back from a goal down versus Germany, and there's still lots of time left. Corner for Brazil. It's cleared.
11 - Natasha Kai is hippetty-hopping on the sideline. She's in for O'Reilly.
12 - Boxx goes down on a foul. She's been a rock for the U.S. Ooh, and
Ooh, Brail in in the box! Marta's shot gets blocked again, and again as the U.S. defenders scramble. Wow. So close.
14 - Speaking of close, Fabiana is called offside in the box. It looked even.
15 - Rosana comes in for Simone.
Brazil has a corner. It bounces around in the box a bit, but Brazil finally clear.
First period of extra time ends.
Well, Solo kept the team in it, ARod shook off her miss to make the right pass, and Lloyd didn't miss.
17 - Yello card for Rosana, taking down ARod.
18 - Kai tackled by Erika. FK for the U.S. in a dangerous spot.
ARod can't quite get a cross off, though.
19 - Solo slips. But the defense holds.
20 - For a while at least. Brazil corner. It's cleared for another corner. on the other side.
21 - This corner crosses the face of the goal as Solo misses, but Cheney holds off her player and puts the ball out for yet another corner.
This one lands on top of the goal.
21 - Marta beats three defenders and lets loose with a shot! High by a few feet.
23 - Brazil in the box, attacking furiously, while the U.S. clear like mad. Marta gets another shot off, but it's blocked.
24 - Brazil FK - close in. Marta takes it, and the ball bends toward the far post - it nearly goes in! Solo was pegged to her line, trying to cover the deflection. Very close.
26 - Kai gets fouled on the outlet. The U.S. just hoofs the ball far.
27 - But now the U.S. actually builds up a play. ARod to Kai, to Cheney, to Lloyd, who breaks into the box and shoots, off the post! Game ender was on her foot. Still good to see.
29 - The U.S. is actually stretching the field a bit, playing in Brazil's half. But Brazil get the ball back and earn a corner through Fabiana.
30 - The U.S. burns a bit of time with a sub. ARod comes off for Stephanie Cox. Chastain questions the move.
Solo punches the corner, but not far and the follow shot - is into the outside side netting!
31 - Marta with a daring run crosses in front of goal, Solo misses on the dive, but the u.S. just barely clear.
Last chance for Brazil. Corner whips in to the box, Cristiane heads the ball - just wide.
Final whistle.
GOLD, GOLD for the USA! They did it. They lost versus Norway, they were behind versus Japan, they went to extra time twice. They didn't have Wambach. They hung tough and they did it.
To me, the best part is that Sundhage keeps her job and she can continue to make this team even better. Make it happen, Sunil.
The stadium is playing techno to celebrate the win. It might not be Kai's style, but she's dancing around anyway. Of course. Brazil's players are weeping. Again they're the bridesmaids.
The U.S. may have been outplayed by Brazil at times, but they were never outworked and they finally outfought the South Americans.
Now the stadium is blaring the Queen classic. You know the one.
I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world
Now some plaintive Chinese song is playing. I'm sure it's about persevering, never giving up. The female singer is hitting some astounding high notes.
Chastian 'fesses up to criticizing Lloyd sometimes for her outside shot, but gives her props for composure on the goal.
JP points out how no U.S. vets were there. If I were Rampone or Markgraf, I'd be offended.
JP also points out how much the win means for U.S. Soccer and the new women's pro league. That gets to start off with a golden sheen.
Out comes Germany, skipping and jumping, looking cheery as bronze medals winners. THe U.S. team is holding hands - nice show of solidarity. Brazil marches out, looking glum. A lot of people have stayed in the stadium for the ceremony, which is a bit unusual.
Solo is standing next to Lloyd. Why does that not surprise me? The two friends stuck together through everything, and now they have gold to show for it.
Germany gets their medals. They're gracious and pleased. Wonder how many of them will join the WPS. Prinz - this is likely her last Olympics. It's Germany's third consecutive bronze medal. Can't say they're not consistent.
JP lauds Brazil's play, calls them "most entertaining". I think they could have won, though, if they hadn't tightened up in crucial moments. The players still are somber and teary-eyed, especially Barbara, who looks heartbroken. Marta is crying as well. The silver medal is no consolation.
The U.S. team is holding hands still, ready to step up to the podium. Chastain reminisces about how special the moment is.
It's a smiling contest for the U.S. team as they receive their medals. They're grinning like crazy. Kai adds a fist pump. Chastain points out that Pia taught the players to enjoy the game again. The players have to untangle their arms from each other's shoulders to receive their bouquets.
The U.S. anthem plays. Like they did hours ago, all the U.S. players sing along.
Hee - the camera catches Solo taking time to smell the roses on her Olympic bouquet. As well she should. Enjoy it, Hope.
The U.S. team shakes hands with Germany, and then with Brazil. They pose for the winning team shot. We'll see that on U.S. Soccer's website soon, I'm sure. Rylie Rampone runs out to her mom. Keegan gets to Markgraf as well.
The camera fades out on the happy scene.
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The U.S. versus Brazil.
Anthems. All the U.S. players are singing along.
Solo, Mitts, Rampone, Markgraf, Chalupny, Tarpley, Boxx, O'Reilly, Lloyd, Hucles, Rodriguez.
Brazil
Barbara, Simone, Tania, Renata Costa, Erika, Maycon, Daniela, Formiga, Ester, Cristiane, Marta,
Kickoff!
1- THe ball slips off ARod's foot as she tries to cross. It's raining.
6 - Marta gets the ball forward, but Rampone puts it out for a throw.
7 - The U.S. is hustling well in midfield, breaking up Brazil's linking play. Brazil is slowly, but steadily working the ball into U.S. territory, though.
8 - Marta is offside.
9 - Solo gets to a cross before Cristiane can. Then she cuts off a pass over the top to Marta.
12 - Brazil gets a corner. There's a foul on the play even before it's taken and the U.S. gets the ball.
13 - Chastain opines that trust issues still linger for the U.S. team after the Solo incident. Oh, get over it, players. It's the gold medal match.
15 - The U.S. has a corner. All tournament long, they haven't really taken advantage of these. Hucles hits it close to goal, actually lands it on top of the net. Somehow, Chastain thinks this is the right thing. Ok, she means right idea, but it has to be said that was poor execution. It give the corner kick no chance.
18 - Rampone knocks a ball too far.
19 - ARod with a shot from distance. It's wide.
20 - Daniella tries to do the same, but her shot is blocked. Lloys backpass nearly gets picked off, but Chalupny's quick feet saves the ball for the U.S.
22 - Chalupny just beats Marta to a ball, the foul means the U.S. get the ball back.
23 - Chastain rightly points out the U.S. is playing perhaps the best soccer they have yet. I think that's the problem. If this this the U.S. at their best, and they're not generating chances, the U.S. is doomed. They're not playing badly, but they have to kick it up a notch and score.
24 - Right there, ARod's quickness gets a pass off in close, but it's just a bit too far for Tarpley.
27 - Cristiane runs onto a pass, but the U.S. defense gets back in time.
28 - Lloyd goes down near the box. She doesn't get the call and I wish she would have just tried to shoot it. I don't think the U.S. has a shot on goal, yet.
30 - The long-ball style could work for Brazil if they use it to advance to a close, quick play. Right now they have a corner. But the U.S. clear it - good header by Lloyd.
31 - Cristiane gets the ball in the box, rides a bump from Chalupny and continues, but somehow doesn't shoot and Solo gets to the ball in time. Cristiane goes down.
32 - Chastain goes on a little tirade against gamesmanship as Cristiane stays down, probably furious at herself for not shooting.
34 - Marta with an acrobatic dribble beats two defenders and then gets squirrely with her shot, putting it way wide. Awesome talent and nerves both on display there.
37 - Mitts cuts down Formiga on the break, gets a yellow. The tackle took a toll on Mitts as well, she's limping a bit. Brazil attacks that side, but Solo catches the cross.
39 - FK for Brazil, and their players flood the box. Solo is out for the catch. She falls, but hangs on.
40 - Marta with another amazing play beats two defender and gets a cross off, Solo is stuck on her line, but Chalupny puts the ball out for a corner.
41 - Solo punches out the corner kick. The ball works it's way to Hucles near the arc and she shoots - high.
42 - Maybe it's contagious - Cristiane shoots high.
44 - Chastain calls O'Reilly's pass "optimistic". It was actually a bad pass right to the Brazil defense.
45 - Solo scoops up a pass in the box.
The U.S. then stops another Brazilian attack. They've been putting out fires fairly well, but can't seem to start any of their own.
Halftime
Well, the U.S. has been feisty in their defense, not so much on the attack. Still, the strategy by Sundhage might be perfect, because it does seem to be frustrating Brazil. They're an emotional team, and if they get flustered about not scoring, it could provoke a mistake that the U.S. can exploit.
The cheerleaders at the stadium have the crowd going to HSM's "We're all in this together." It's cute. Very innocent compared to the U.S. halftime routines I've seen. Not that I was really expecting China to get raunchy.
47 - Coach is right, this is s a very tactical match. Both teams are almost too careful with the ball. Someon will have to take a chance.
48 - Brazil is pushing the pace early on.
49 - ARod faces and attacks the Brazil defense. She earns a corner. Hucles knocks it to the far side of the box - too far for anyone to reach.
51 - Mitts foul on Cristiane and Chastain, a former defender, questions the intelligence of that move, because Cristiane wasn't in a threatening spot and Mitts already has a yellow.
52 - ARod trying to break through two defenders. Who does she think she is - Marta?
53 - Mitts loses the ball in a deep defensive position versus Cristiane. It leads to a Brazil corner. It's taken short, then Marta runs behind, picks up the ball and runs the endline with a quick dribble and gets a cross off that Solo cuts off quickly.
55 - Tackle on Hucles leads to U.S. FK. Lloyd practices a bit of gamesmanship as well - when Cristiane won't back up far enough, Lloyd keeps moving the ball forward, as in, "If you don't back up, I'm placing this ten feet forward, then."
57 - Mitts tackles Marta. She gets ball, but another yellow would see her gone.
59 - ARod is bleeding, apparently, so the U.S. is a man down at this point. I'm getting my blondes mixed up - Rodriguez is the one bleeding.
60 - Brazil attacks in force now. Chalupny puts the ball out for a throw with a desperate lunge.
61 - Renata Costa nutmegs the U.S. defense, earns a corner. Who does she think she is - Marta?
62 - Corner leads to another corner. On this one, ARod tries to break, so the U.S. is even on numbers.
63 - Marta shoots high.
64 - Mitts is playing with fire, fouling on a header and Brazil wants that second yellow. They don't get it, but a very dangerous FK, just outside the box.
65 - Or not. Daniella hits the wall.
68 - Play has settled down in the midfield a bit. The U.S. is outclassed a bit there, but they are breaking up Brazil's play, at least.
70 - I promised myself I wouldn't start talking about a scoreless draw until the 70th. I don't think it favors the U.S. They're already tired. They've already played extra time.
71 - Tarp goes out, Lauren Cheney comes in.
72 - SAVE! In yo face, Greg Ryan! Solo can make the reaction saves. She keeps her team in this by stoning Marta point-blank.
73 - Foul by Mitts again sets up another deep FK for Brazil. It's cleared.
75 - Tired passes from both sides leading to a lot of giveaways.
76 - Lloyd from distance. No. Wide.
78 - Daniela is out for Brazil. Fabiana comes in. Who? That's what I thought, too. If she scores, though, we'll never forget the name.
79 - Fabiana with a nice attack knocks the ball to Simone. The U.S. puts the ball out for a corner. Solo is struggling to reach the ball - she gets a punch off and the U.S. finally clear.
81 - Even though I picked Brazil to win, I think this match clearly puts the lie to all those who said last year that "It didn't matter who was in goal, or the red card on Boxx - Brazil was so clearly superior that they would have won no matter what." No, no, no.
82 - Marta from distance. She wants a foul call on the shot, which Solo catches.
83 - Fabiana caught offside.
84 - Tired defending from the U.S. leads to an extended run of Brazil possession.
86 - Tanya dribbles too long, and the U.S. takes the ball away, ARod in the box and Barbara is out scrambling. She kicks the ball out for a corner.
87 - The corner is cleared. Hucles gets another chance when the ball comes to her on the play after a throw and she puts the ball on frame. Barbara saves it, but finally the U.S. put a ball on frame.
88 - Fabiana tries to reach a long ball, but Mitts cuts it off. I really don't like how Mitts plays up the sideline so often. It gives Brazil too much of a chance to cut the ball off.
89 - Marta draws a foul from Boxx, just at the corner of the box. Dangerous. Cristiane heads the ball - up and out.
90 - ARod on the break! Why, oh why the chip? Barbara gets her hands up to it and makes the save.
90 + Fabiana earns Brazil a corner. The U.S. clear it and regulation time is done.
Chastain takes ARod to task over the chip. It's true - a golden opportunity wasted.
The U.S. look like their spirits are high. They're smiling and nodding as Sundhage talks to them. It's helps a lot to have a coach who instills confidence and believes in the youth of the team. That's going to go a long way to helping ARod shake off her chipped shot.
Extra time
2 - Brazil trying to be more cagey, build up their opportunities. It's not a bad move, but it's not taking advantage of the weariness of the U.S.
4 - Cheney and ARod hook up on a play. Pass, pass to Lauren - but ARod shoots instead and Barbara has it.
5 - Both sides are so wary right now they're downright tentative.
7 - GOAL! Cheney helps build the play up, getting a tricky little pass in to ARod, who holds the ball up for a bit, then pops it out to Lloyd, who unleashes with venom. Barbara dives, but it's too late. 1-0. U.S.
8 - Marta into the box - a touch too far.
10 - Brazil came back from a goal down versus Germany, and there's still lots of time left. Corner for Brazil. It's cleared.
11 - Natasha Kai is hippetty-hopping on the sideline. She's in for O'Reilly.
12 - Boxx goes down on a foul. She's been a rock for the U.S. Ooh, and
Ooh, Brail in in the box! Marta's shot gets blocked again, and again as the U.S. defenders scramble. Wow. So close.
14 - Speaking of close, Fabiana is called offside in the box. It looked even.
15 - Rosana comes in for Simone.
Brazil has a corner. It bounces around in the box a bit, but Brazil finally clear.
First period of extra time ends.
Well, Solo kept the team in it, ARod shook off her miss to make the right pass, and Lloyd didn't miss.
17 - Yello card for Rosana, taking down ARod.
18 - Kai tackled by Erika. FK for the U.S. in a dangerous spot.
ARod can't quite get a cross off, though.
19 - Solo slips. But the defense holds.
20 - For a while at least. Brazil corner. It's cleared for another corner. on the other side.
21 - This corner crosses the face of the goal as Solo misses, but Cheney holds off her player and puts the ball out for yet another corner.
This one lands on top of the goal.
21 - Marta beats three defenders and lets loose with a shot! High by a few feet.
23 - Brazil in the box, attacking furiously, while the U.S. clear like mad. Marta gets another shot off, but it's blocked.
24 - Brazil FK - close in. Marta takes it, and the ball bends toward the far post - it nearly goes in! Solo was pegged to her line, trying to cover the deflection. Very close.
26 - Kai gets fouled on the outlet. The U.S. just hoofs the ball far.
27 - But now the U.S. actually builds up a play. ARod to Kai, to Cheney, to Lloyd, who breaks into the box and shoots, off the post! Game ender was on her foot. Still good to see.
29 - The U.S. is actually stretching the field a bit, playing in Brazil's half. But Brazil get the ball back and earn a corner through Fabiana.
30 - The U.S. burns a bit of time with a sub. ARod comes off for Stephanie Cox. Chastain questions the move.
Solo punches the corner, but not far and the follow shot - is into the outside side netting!
31 - Marta with a daring run crosses in front of goal, Solo misses on the dive, but the u.S. just barely clear.
Last chance for Brazil. Corner whips in to the box, Cristiane heads the ball - just wide.
Final whistle.
GOLD, GOLD for the USA! They did it. They lost versus Norway, they were behind versus Japan, they went to extra time twice. They didn't have Wambach. They hung tough and they did it.
To me, the best part is that Sundhage keeps her job and she can continue to make this team even better. Make it happen, Sunil.
The stadium is playing techno to celebrate the win. It might not be Kai's style, but she's dancing around anyway. Of course. Brazil's players are weeping. Again they're the bridesmaids.
The U.S. may have been outplayed by Brazil at times, but they were never outworked and they finally outfought the South Americans.
Now the stadium is blaring the Queen classic. You know the one.
I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world
Now some plaintive Chinese song is playing. I'm sure it's about persevering, never giving up. The female singer is hitting some astounding high notes.
Chastian 'fesses up to criticizing Lloyd sometimes for her outside shot, but gives her props for composure on the goal.
JP points out how no U.S. vets were there. If I were Rampone or Markgraf, I'd be offended.
JP also points out how much the win means for U.S. Soccer and the new women's pro league. That gets to start off with a golden sheen.
Out comes Germany, skipping and jumping, looking cheery as bronze medals winners. THe U.S. team is holding hands - nice show of solidarity. Brazil marches out, looking glum. A lot of people have stayed in the stadium for the ceremony, which is a bit unusual.
Solo is standing next to Lloyd. Why does that not surprise me? The two friends stuck together through everything, and now they have gold to show for it.
Germany gets their medals. They're gracious and pleased. Wonder how many of them will join the WPS. Prinz - this is likely her last Olympics. It's Germany's third consecutive bronze medal. Can't say they're not consistent.
JP lauds Brazil's play, calls them "most entertaining". I think they could have won, though, if they hadn't tightened up in crucial moments. The players still are somber and teary-eyed, especially Barbara, who looks heartbroken. Marta is crying as well. The silver medal is no consolation.
The U.S. team is holding hands still, ready to step up to the podium. Chastain reminisces about how special the moment is.
It's a smiling contest for the U.S. team as they receive their medals. They're grinning like crazy. Kai adds a fist pump. Chastain points out that Pia taught the players to enjoy the game again. The players have to untangle their arms from each other's shoulders to receive their bouquets.
The U.S. anthem plays. Like they did hours ago, all the U.S. players sing along.
Hee - the camera catches Solo taking time to smell the roses on her Olympic bouquet. As well she should. Enjoy it, Hope.
The U.S. team shakes hands with Germany, and then with Brazil. They pose for the winning team shot. We'll see that on U.S. Soccer's website soon, I'm sure. Rylie Rampone runs out to her mom. Keegan gets to Markgraf as well.
The camera fades out on the happy scene.
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
U.S./Guatemala running blog
World Cup qualifying action begins anew, folks.
------------------------Howard-------------------------
Cherundolo---------Onyewu------Bocanegra ------Pearce
-----------------Bradley--------Mastroeni------------------
----Donovan--------------------------------Lewis-----------
--------------Dempsey------------Ching---------------------
LD is interviewed talking about how qualifying isn't easy. Well, Mexico not making the Olympics might attest to that, but we'll see.
Guatemala
Ricardo Trigueno
Yony Flores, Gustavo Cabrera, Mario Rodriguez, Freddy Garcia, Guillermo Ramirez,
Luis Rodriguez, Fredy Thompson, Jose Manuel Contreras, Carlos Ruiz
David Beckham and England already played, of course. He assisted on a goal. Now the other two members of the Galaxy face off.
Guatemala's fans look pretty ardent in the stands. There's a shot of Ruiz carrying his soccer escort. I don't know what that's about. Stage fright?
The sound is cutting out. I thought Harkes was awful quiet. There's a lonely little American fan holding his flag out. Oh wait, there's a little group singing along to the anthem. Nice. They get soundly booed, but are otherwise left alone.
Carlos and the Guats are singing along to their anthem, a pretty bouncy tune, if a bit repetitive.
Kickoff!
1- Is Harkes doing commentary by phone? His voice is very disembodied and the sound doesn't match Glenn Davis.
2 - FK for the U.S. - LD takes, but a foul in the area leads to a mishit header by Bradley and a foul. Goal kick.
3 - What the heck happened to Gooch? The facial hair looks like a mangy animal attacked him. Pearce is fouled by Ruiz.
5 - Harkes predicts, shockingly, that the U.S. will win.
6 - Lewis is down after a deep run on the left.
7 - Dempsey tries to go around his defender by pulling his shoulder, but Harkes, for some reason, harps on the fouling tactics ofGuatemala.
8 - Or maybe he was being prophetic, as Pando brings down LD. Lewis serves the ball in, but Guatemala clear.
10 - Ramirez with about eight dribble moves too many and then a horrible shot from outside that misses badly. That should look familiar to Galaxy fans, circa 2005.
11 - Ruiz is barking at the ref already. Harkes means to say "resort", but it comes out "result".
12 - Nice flick from Dempsey to LD, but a desperate tackle saves Guatemala there.
13 - Davis and Harkes debate the LD as right midfielder issue. Davis is subtly skeptical of it.
Ruiz gets called for offside.
14 - Mo Edu bench shot, and his transfer comes up. The pride of the IE now plays for Rangers.
16 - I can't believe Davis just said the U.S. has started well, and Harkes agrees. No they haven't. They're created very few chances and imposed no superiority at all.
17 - And now 'Dolo picks up a silly yellow, tossing the ball away after a foul. Dude, that's just lame (Dolo knows what I mean, he's from San Diego).
18 - Harkes gives Arena his endorsement, refers to him and Dave Sarachan as "winning coaches". Yes, they are - winning coaches who were fired from New York and Chicago, respectively.
20 - LD crosses - it's out for a corner. The U.S. take it, Trigueno pushes the ball away. Harkes calls him "stone hands".
21 - Loco Rodriguez gets behind the defense, but touches the ball too far. Goal kick.
23 - Davis can't wrap his head around "anthracite" so he calls the U.S. uniforms gray that looks like dark blue.
Harks correctly diagnoses that Bradley and Mastro aren't shutting down the midfield.
24 - LD steps on Pando. And the picture cuts out briefly.
25 - Rodriguez gets behind the defense again, but Boca cuts off his cross.
26 - Boos rain down as the U.S. passes the ball around in the back.
27 - Dempsey from distance, it was Pando-like. Speaking of Pando, he tackles Dempsey late and Clint, sock-pushes him. Pando goes down like he's been shot. Both get yellows. Demps follows Pando around a bit, but they eventually hug it out.
29 - Bradley from distance. Trigueno isn't that bad of a keeper.
30 - Howard catches a Guat cross. I think Guatemala has gotten more crosses into the box than the U.S. has.
31 - Ching is offside - which is the first mention of his involvement, really.
34 - Mastro gets a yellow for a tackle on Ruiz.
38 - Ching earns a free kick. It's deep, but I mention it because, well, he was mentioned.
39 - And Ching gets a shot off, taking the ball off his chest and turning to shoot. Not too close as it whizzed over the bar, but the closest chance of the game thus far.
40 - Guatemala fans want a handball called on Pearce, but the ref waves play on.
41 - Ball in the box, but Dempsey can't get a shot off. Better from the U.S., though.
43 - Boca screws 'Dolo by keeping a Gallardo onside, but then makes up for the gaffe by disrupting the cross to Ruiz.
44 - Trigueno makes a shaky basket catch in the box.
45 - Ruiz tries to find the outlet man, but Pearce gets in the way.
Halftime
It's not that the U.S. is tied that's the problem. It's that they've looked pretty poor going forward, really. Three U.S. players also have yellow cards, and that's just asking for trouble in the second half.
49 - Guatemala has come out tough in the second half. The U.S is countering when they can.
50 - But now Guatemala counters and the ball gets into the box, where Boca again gets a timely toe on a ball meant for Ruiz.
52 - FK for the U.S. It's a ways out, but the U.S. sets up in the box. The ball gets there, but Guatemala heads it away.
55 - Howard grabs a long pass away from Rodriguez, who has some serious wheels. Harkes bawls out Pearce for turning his back on the keeper.
56 - Rodriguez gets a shot off, Howard dives and misses but the ball is wide.
57 - Now Guatemala is just teeing up on Howard. That shot just misses. The U.S. midfield isn't holding the ball at all.
60 - Another FK for the U.S. as 'Dolo commits another foul - ooh, it's a yellow, which means 'Dolo is gone. I knew that earlier card was a stupid move on his part. Now the U.S. might pay dearly. They've been pushed back even while the numbers were even.
62 - Lewis is down, with blood everywhere. He got to the ball on a header, and I don't know why Cabrera even went for the ball - he wasn't even close.
64 - Well, now Cabrera pays the price. He gets red and is gone. His elbow came up on the play. Teams are even steven again.
66 - Lewis trudges off to the lockers. He was stretchered off the field.
68 - Contreras gets yellow for not backing up ten yards on the FK. LD serves it in well, and Gooch sends a header to goal. Trigueno pushes it over the bar.
69 - GOAL! Bease sends in the corner and Boca gets to it, even as Gooch is pulled down hard. Boca nails his header into the corner of the goal. 1-0, U.S.
73 - Didn't mention it before, but Hejduk is on, as is Damarcus Beasley.
74 - Off a corner kick, Guatemala's Flores strikes - over the bar. Wow.
77 - An energetic attacking sequence by Guatemala results in a corner.
78 - Maurice Edu comes in for Mastro. The Ck goes to Castrillo, who shoots hard, but Howard is on it.
80 - Boca slips! Ruiz nearly through.
82 - Ruiz goes into the ball after Howard has claimed it, gets him on the head. Howard gets up and goes after Ruiz, gets a yellow.
84 - Ching hits a square pass to Edu, who shoots with his left. It's wide but it was a half-decent chance to put the game away.
85 - Who's your Pappa? Marco's just come on for Guatemala.
88 - Pappa shoots high. The U.S. is holding on for a historic win.
89 - Or not. Guatemala has a corner. Pappa with another shot, but Howard scoops it up.
90 - Rodriguez kicks the ball right into Pearce, who looks worn out by chasing him. Guat fans want a handball.
90+ Guatemala attacking furiously. The U.S. is trying to clear, but the ball isn't getting out very far.
U.S. is yielding everything but goal area to the Guats. Gooch cuts off a pass to Ruiz with a defensive header. Bradley cuts off a pass and relieves the pressure on the U.S. briefly.
Final whistle! Guatemala run out of time.
The crowd is screaming bloody murder. Flores is furious. It doesn't amount to much, though. The U.S. team goes to wave at their little group of fans.
The defense got it done tonight, specifically Boca with the goal and Howard with a few timely saves. It's interesting that the U.S. finally win in Guatemala in a game where they didn't play all that well. They gutted it out, though, and that's what road World Cup qualifying games are all about.
Read more...
------------------------Howard-------------------------
Cherundolo---------Onyewu------Bocanegra ------Pearce
-----------------Bradley--------Mastroeni------------------
----Donovan--------------------------------Lewis-----------
--------------Dempsey------------Ching---------------------
LD is interviewed talking about how qualifying isn't easy. Well, Mexico not making the Olympics might attest to that, but we'll see.
Guatemala
Ricardo Trigueno
Yony Flores, Gustavo Cabrera, Mario Rodriguez, Freddy Garcia, Guillermo Ramirez,
Luis Rodriguez, Fredy Thompson, Jose Manuel Contreras, Carlos Ruiz
David Beckham and England already played, of course. He assisted on a goal. Now the other two members of the Galaxy face off.
Guatemala's fans look pretty ardent in the stands. There's a shot of Ruiz carrying his soccer escort. I don't know what that's about. Stage fright?
The sound is cutting out. I thought Harkes was awful quiet. There's a lonely little American fan holding his flag out. Oh wait, there's a little group singing along to the anthem. Nice. They get soundly booed, but are otherwise left alone.
Carlos and the Guats are singing along to their anthem, a pretty bouncy tune, if a bit repetitive.
Kickoff!
1- Is Harkes doing commentary by phone? His voice is very disembodied and the sound doesn't match Glenn Davis.
2 - FK for the U.S. - LD takes, but a foul in the area leads to a mishit header by Bradley and a foul. Goal kick.
3 - What the heck happened to Gooch? The facial hair looks like a mangy animal attacked him. Pearce is fouled by Ruiz.
5 - Harkes predicts, shockingly, that the U.S. will win.
6 - Lewis is down after a deep run on the left.
7 - Dempsey tries to go around his defender by pulling his shoulder, but Harkes, for some reason, harps on the fouling tactics ofGuatemala.
8 - Or maybe he was being prophetic, as Pando brings down LD. Lewis serves the ball in, but Guatemala clear.
10 - Ramirez with about eight dribble moves too many and then a horrible shot from outside that misses badly. That should look familiar to Galaxy fans, circa 2005.
11 - Ruiz is barking at the ref already. Harkes means to say "resort", but it comes out "result".
12 - Nice flick from Dempsey to LD, but a desperate tackle saves Guatemala there.
13 - Davis and Harkes debate the LD as right midfielder issue. Davis is subtly skeptical of it.
Ruiz gets called for offside.
14 - Mo Edu bench shot, and his transfer comes up. The pride of the IE now plays for Rangers.
16 - I can't believe Davis just said the U.S. has started well, and Harkes agrees. No they haven't. They're created very few chances and imposed no superiority at all.
17 - And now 'Dolo picks up a silly yellow, tossing the ball away after a foul. Dude, that's just lame (Dolo knows what I mean, he's from San Diego).
18 - Harkes gives Arena his endorsement, refers to him and Dave Sarachan as "winning coaches". Yes, they are - winning coaches who were fired from New York and Chicago, respectively.
20 - LD crosses - it's out for a corner. The U.S. take it, Trigueno pushes the ball away. Harkes calls him "stone hands".
21 - Loco Rodriguez gets behind the defense, but touches the ball too far. Goal kick.
23 - Davis can't wrap his head around "anthracite" so he calls the U.S. uniforms gray that looks like dark blue.
Harks correctly diagnoses that Bradley and Mastro aren't shutting down the midfield.
24 - LD steps on Pando. And the picture cuts out briefly.
25 - Rodriguez gets behind the defense again, but Boca cuts off his cross.
26 - Boos rain down as the U.S. passes the ball around in the back.
27 - Dempsey from distance, it was Pando-like. Speaking of Pando, he tackles Dempsey late and Clint, sock-pushes him. Pando goes down like he's been shot. Both get yellows. Demps follows Pando around a bit, but they eventually hug it out.
29 - Bradley from distance. Trigueno isn't that bad of a keeper.
30 - Howard catches a Guat cross. I think Guatemala has gotten more crosses into the box than the U.S. has.
31 - Ching is offside - which is the first mention of his involvement, really.
34 - Mastro gets a yellow for a tackle on Ruiz.
38 - Ching earns a free kick. It's deep, but I mention it because, well, he was mentioned.
39 - And Ching gets a shot off, taking the ball off his chest and turning to shoot. Not too close as it whizzed over the bar, but the closest chance of the game thus far.
40 - Guatemala fans want a handball called on Pearce, but the ref waves play on.
41 - Ball in the box, but Dempsey can't get a shot off. Better from the U.S., though.
43 - Boca screws 'Dolo by keeping a Gallardo onside, but then makes up for the gaffe by disrupting the cross to Ruiz.
44 - Trigueno makes a shaky basket catch in the box.
45 - Ruiz tries to find the outlet man, but Pearce gets in the way.
Halftime
It's not that the U.S. is tied that's the problem. It's that they've looked pretty poor going forward, really. Three U.S. players also have yellow cards, and that's just asking for trouble in the second half.
49 - Guatemala has come out tough in the second half. The U.S is countering when they can.
50 - But now Guatemala counters and the ball gets into the box, where Boca again gets a timely toe on a ball meant for Ruiz.
52 - FK for the U.S. It's a ways out, but the U.S. sets up in the box. The ball gets there, but Guatemala heads it away.
55 - Howard grabs a long pass away from Rodriguez, who has some serious wheels. Harkes bawls out Pearce for turning his back on the keeper.
56 - Rodriguez gets a shot off, Howard dives and misses but the ball is wide.
57 - Now Guatemala is just teeing up on Howard. That shot just misses. The U.S. midfield isn't holding the ball at all.
60 - Another FK for the U.S. as 'Dolo commits another foul - ooh, it's a yellow, which means 'Dolo is gone. I knew that earlier card was a stupid move on his part. Now the U.S. might pay dearly. They've been pushed back even while the numbers were even.
62 - Lewis is down, with blood everywhere. He got to the ball on a header, and I don't know why Cabrera even went for the ball - he wasn't even close.
64 - Well, now Cabrera pays the price. He gets red and is gone. His elbow came up on the play. Teams are even steven again.
66 - Lewis trudges off to the lockers. He was stretchered off the field.
68 - Contreras gets yellow for not backing up ten yards on the FK. LD serves it in well, and Gooch sends a header to goal. Trigueno pushes it over the bar.
69 - GOAL! Bease sends in the corner and Boca gets to it, even as Gooch is pulled down hard. Boca nails his header into the corner of the goal. 1-0, U.S.
73 - Didn't mention it before, but Hejduk is on, as is Damarcus Beasley.
74 - Off a corner kick, Guatemala's Flores strikes - over the bar. Wow.
77 - An energetic attacking sequence by Guatemala results in a corner.
78 - Maurice Edu comes in for Mastro. The Ck goes to Castrillo, who shoots hard, but Howard is on it.
80 - Boca slips! Ruiz nearly through.
82 - Ruiz goes into the ball after Howard has claimed it, gets him on the head. Howard gets up and goes after Ruiz, gets a yellow.
84 - Ching hits a square pass to Edu, who shoots with his left. It's wide but it was a half-decent chance to put the game away.
85 - Who's your Pappa? Marco's just come on for Guatemala.
88 - Pappa shoots high. The U.S. is holding on for a historic win.
89 - Or not. Guatemala has a corner. Pappa with another shot, but Howard scoops it up.
90 - Rodriguez kicks the ball right into Pearce, who looks worn out by chasing him. Guat fans want a handball.
90+ Guatemala attacking furiously. The U.S. is trying to clear, but the ball isn't getting out very far.
U.S. is yielding everything but goal area to the Guats. Gooch cuts off a pass to Ruiz with a defensive header. Bradley cuts off a pass and relieves the pressure on the U.S. briefly.
Final whistle! Guatemala run out of time.
The crowd is screaming bloody murder. Flores is furious. It doesn't amount to much, though. The U.S. team goes to wave at their little group of fans.
The defense got it done tonight, specifically Boca with the goal and Howard with a few timely saves. It's interesting that the U.S. finally win in Guatemala in a game where they didn't play all that well. They gutted it out, though, and that's what road World Cup qualifying games are all about.
Read more...
Previewing Primetime again
The Galaxy face the Fire.
As Luis mentioned before, this match gets spicier with the new additions to both teams - McBride and Arena (though of course, Arena won't play, though he might be a better goalkeeper than Steve Cronin. Actually, probably not, considering that in the one game Arena played for the U.S. national team, he couldn't get a shut out, either.)
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As Luis mentioned before, this match gets spicier with the new additions to both teams - McBride and Arena (though of course, Arena won't play, though he might be a better goalkeeper than Steve Cronin. Actually, probably not, considering that in the one game Arena played for the U.S. national team, he couldn't get a shut out, either.)
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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Betting on Brazil
This makes the second time I've picked Brazil to win a major tourney. I did it during the World Cup of 2007. We know how well that turned out.
Honestly, I'm not picking against the U.S. because Abby Wambach isn't there. I'm picking Brazil because I think they're that good and they're finally ready to own that and win the big one.
I actually think the U.S. has more of a chance without Wambach. Abby's absence means that Brazil doesn't really have a complete understanding of the U.S. With Wambach in the picture, the U.S. was a bit Germanlike, despite Pia Sundhage's attempts to instill more variety. We all saw what happened to Germany in the semifinals. Now the U.S. is a bit more of a wildcard, which gives the team a greater chance, in my view.
I still think Brazil will take it, though. More than anything, though, I'm looking forward to seeing good soccer from both teams. I want to watch a great game.
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Honestly, I'm not picking against the U.S. because Abby Wambach isn't there. I'm picking Brazil because I think they're that good and they're finally ready to own that and win the big one.
I actually think the U.S. has more of a chance without Wambach. Abby's absence means that Brazil doesn't really have a complete understanding of the U.S. With Wambach in the picture, the U.S. was a bit Germanlike, despite Pia Sundhage's attempts to instill more variety. We all saw what happened to Germany in the semifinals. Now the U.S. is a bit more of a wildcard, which gives the team a greater chance, in my view.
I still think Brazil will take it, though. More than anything, though, I'm looking forward to seeing good soccer from both teams. I want to watch a great game.
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Commercials?!?
I guess soccer isn't as far along as I thought. I know it's not an upper-tier sport here; I'm not delusional. But I thought that soccer deserved enough respect to have an important match broadcast uncut, commercial-free, as it is around the globe.
But MSNBC doesn't quite feel that way, and that much was evident during the Brazil-Argentina match this morning.
I got up early, not necessarily to watch the game but I had some writing I had to knock out for an overseas client. After filing the story, I turned on the match. It had already started as I joined around the sixth minute. My girls were bound to wake up soon so I sort of didn't want to get too attached to the game because they wouldn't sit through soccer like I do. But still, it's Brazil-Argentina! You kidding me?!?
But then MSNBC ruined it for me. It was about the 14th minute when they cut to a commercial. Argh. Now, I watched another match on there earlier in the tournament, well, I tried to anyway, and wound up changing it because of the commercials. But I thought for a few minutes that Brazil-Argentina and an Olympic semifinal would supersede all that. I was wrong.
It's excruciating when you get interrupted from watching a soccer game. Sometimes the kids take precedence, sometimes other family members interrupt or the phone or the doorbell or whatever. That's fine. That's stuff you can control. You can sequester yourself somewhere for a truly important game if need be or just warn anyone that they'll get a taste of the dark side if they interrupt you. But when the network that is broadcasting the game is the one interrupting, well, that's beyond excruciating.
When they came back from the break, I was irritated. I had started to get stuff ready for the morning so I wasn't plopped down in front of the TV. When they went to another break, though, I snapped. It's not worth it. It's not worth the early-morning headache. I changed the channel and forgot about watching the game.
Now, I probably could have watched it online I suppose. But even it was available commercial free online it doesn't take away from the fact that MSNBC broke away from commercials and interrupted a semifinal match. Besides, not everyone has the luxury of watching the match online. And - God forbid - what happens if they miss a goal? I'm not sure that didn't happen as they had plenty of chances to not show a goal.
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But MSNBC doesn't quite feel that way, and that much was evident during the Brazil-Argentina match this morning.
I got up early, not necessarily to watch the game but I had some writing I had to knock out for an overseas client. After filing the story, I turned on the match. It had already started as I joined around the sixth minute. My girls were bound to wake up soon so I sort of didn't want to get too attached to the game because they wouldn't sit through soccer like I do. But still, it's Brazil-Argentina! You kidding me?!?
But then MSNBC ruined it for me. It was about the 14th minute when they cut to a commercial. Argh. Now, I watched another match on there earlier in the tournament, well, I tried to anyway, and wound up changing it because of the commercials. But I thought for a few minutes that Brazil-Argentina and an Olympic semifinal would supersede all that. I was wrong.
It's excruciating when you get interrupted from watching a soccer game. Sometimes the kids take precedence, sometimes other family members interrupt or the phone or the doorbell or whatever. That's fine. That's stuff you can control. You can sequester yourself somewhere for a truly important game if need be or just warn anyone that they'll get a taste of the dark side if they interrupt you. But when the network that is broadcasting the game is the one interrupting, well, that's beyond excruciating.
When they came back from the break, I was irritated. I had started to get stuff ready for the morning so I wasn't plopped down in front of the TV. When they went to another break, though, I snapped. It's not worth it. It's not worth the early-morning headache. I changed the channel and forgot about watching the game.
Now, I probably could have watched it online I suppose. But even it was available commercial free online it doesn't take away from the fact that MSNBC broke away from commercials and interrupted a semifinal match. Besides, not everyone has the luxury of watching the match online. And - God forbid - what happens if they miss a goal? I'm not sure that didn't happen as they had plenty of chances to not show a goal.
Read more...
From the outside
I always like to read columnists' opinions on soccer, well, columnists who can take an objective look at a game or a hiring or a move or whatever without having to drop in a "soccer sucks" reference.
Anyway, I always enjoy reading colleague Jim Alexander whenever he has the chance to chime in on Chivas USA and/or the Galaxy. Same with a former colleague in Steve Dilbeck, who I worked with for about a year and a half at the San Bernardino Sun.
Dilbeck's bread and butter is the big sports - Lakers, Dodgers, etc. - but he's been out at HDC before. I don't know that he's a soccer nut like I am - I'm guessing he's not - but that doesn't mean he can't formulate an opinion and back it up.
Dilbeck doesn't exactly stick a fork in Arena like I did somewhat but he's quite cautious about the hiring. He brought up the good - 2002 World Cup - and the bad - his stint in New York. He also summed up Arena's personality perfectly, as he wrote "He has always been somewhat difficult to like personally. He reeks of attitude, can be caustic. Has that 'I'm the toughest and smartest guy in the room' syndrome going."
That's pretty much Arena in a nutshell. But whether or not we like him is irrelevant. What matters is his coaching ability, and that's certainly in question whatever Tim Leiweke says.
It's good to see an relative outsider to the Galaxy comes away with that impression as well.
Read more...
Anyway, I always enjoy reading colleague Jim Alexander whenever he has the chance to chime in on Chivas USA and/or the Galaxy. Same with a former colleague in Steve Dilbeck, who I worked with for about a year and a half at the San Bernardino Sun.
Dilbeck's bread and butter is the big sports - Lakers, Dodgers, etc. - but he's been out at HDC before. I don't know that he's a soccer nut like I am - I'm guessing he's not - but that doesn't mean he can't formulate an opinion and back it up.
Dilbeck doesn't exactly stick a fork in Arena like I did somewhat but he's quite cautious about the hiring. He brought up the good - 2002 World Cup - and the bad - his stint in New York. He also summed up Arena's personality perfectly, as he wrote "He has always been somewhat difficult to like personally. He reeks of attitude, can be caustic. Has that 'I'm the toughest and smartest guy in the room' syndrome going."
That's pretty much Arena in a nutshell. But whether or not we like him is irrelevant. What matters is his coaching ability, and that's certainly in question whatever Tim Leiweke says.
It's good to see an relative outsider to the Galaxy comes away with that impression as well.
Read more...
Not a fan
What can I say, I'm not a fan of Bruce Arena. He did well with the US of course but he certainly is not the mastermind many made him out to be.
Here's my PE column that I wrote about Arena's supposed grandiose tenure with the US national team.
I guess I tried to counter some of what Tim Leiweke said about Arena, that the was the best coach in this country or something to the effect. The exact wording is in my column.
Anyway, yes, Arena won two titles but that was in the very early days of MLS. He had a chance to show what he could do with New York and did practically nothing. Okay, getting to the playoffs is an accomplishment, so he accomplished something - two playoff appearances.
But I also tried to break down Arena's coaching record. After all, he won just twice on European soil in his eight years with the national team. And the World Cup disaster was, well, a disaster, something he set in motion with wretched tactics against the Czech Republic.
Arena is a big name and the Galaxy wanted a big name coach. I'm not sure that was the best tactic, though. I think keeping Cobi Jones aboard for the rest of the season would have been the best move. Cobi is a fan favorite and he has the respect of players. And he knows what it means to play for and coach the Galaxy. That might not mean much to AEG but it should.
Oh well. Arena is here and at least now they might have some stability. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, they've already gone through three coaches. Arena is the fourth unless you count Cobi Jones. Seriously, though, I still cant believe Bruce Arena is coaching the Galaxy. Seems very, very strange.
Is there anyone who likes Arena in charge? Am I way off base with my thoughts on Arena?
Read more...
Here's my PE column that I wrote about Arena's supposed grandiose tenure with the US national team.
I guess I tried to counter some of what Tim Leiweke said about Arena, that the was the best coach in this country or something to the effect. The exact wording is in my column.
Anyway, yes, Arena won two titles but that was in the very early days of MLS. He had a chance to show what he could do with New York and did practically nothing. Okay, getting to the playoffs is an accomplishment, so he accomplished something - two playoff appearances.
But I also tried to break down Arena's coaching record. After all, he won just twice on European soil in his eight years with the national team. And the World Cup disaster was, well, a disaster, something he set in motion with wretched tactics against the Czech Republic.
Arena is a big name and the Galaxy wanted a big name coach. I'm not sure that was the best tactic, though. I think keeping Cobi Jones aboard for the rest of the season would have been the best move. Cobi is a fan favorite and he has the respect of players. And he knows what it means to play for and coach the Galaxy. That might not mean much to AEG but it should.
Oh well. Arena is here and at least now they might have some stability. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, they've already gone through three coaches. Arena is the fourth unless you count Cobi Jones. Seriously, though, I still cant believe Bruce Arena is coaching the Galaxy. Seems very, very strange.
Is there anyone who likes Arena in charge? Am I way off base with my thoughts on Arena?
Read more...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Brucey Bear
Grahame the wag, no, not that kind, spotted evidence of a cut on Bruce Arena's throat when he came over to answer questions from the press. "What happened?" Grahame asked. "Did you realize you had agreed to take over the Galaxy and then tried to cut your throat?"
Bruce smiled. "I had spinal fusion surgery. It took care of a back problem I had for a long time. I'm feeling better than ever now."
Bruce said a lot of the right things to the LA media.
"I'm excited about this opportunity."
"You see that a lot of teams that do well in this league have quality through the middle of the field - New England and Houston are great examples."
"We're going to have to be patient with this team (the Galaxy)."
"The U.S. team improved while I was there."
"I'd like to give back to the game. I have no regrets."
"I enjoyed announcing. It gave me a greater respect for that job." Bruce did mention that he has yet to try sportswriting, but he doesn't think it would be that difficult. Then he went on to add he does have respect for the work the media do.
On the Galaxy bringing in Eddie Lewis: "We need to continue to look at that."
On Becks: "Who wouldn't look forward to working with David Beckham."
"This organization is farther along than New York. It's a good organization. We need the technical side to catch up with the business side."
Flashes of Bruce's ego showed through, though, even while on his best behavior.
"I was the longest-serving national team coach in the world." No, you weren't, Bruce.
Other misc.
Bruce didn't watch all of the U.S. Olympic team's Nigeria match, but he said he went out of his way to check out Orozco's red card, and he was pretty dubious about it. Then he ran through a little history of iffy calls versus the U.S. in international competition. I'm sure our readers can recall the main ones he listed.
Bruce on the U.S. women's team: "I always think the women will win gold."
Bruce on Dave Sarachan: "If I get assassinated, it's important that there's somebody there to continue what we've been working on."
Dave on how to improve the defense: "You change the mentality."
Now we get to see that results Bruce produces with the Galaxy. Bruce may think he has an ace with his good relationship with Landon Donovan, but that won't save him. LD loved Frank Yallop, but that wasn't enough to keep Frank in the job when the team kept losing. Two coaches LD didn't especially care for (Ruud Gullit and Steve Sampson) actually got LD to produce a lot (a double championship and the league lead in goals).
Bruce plans to live in Manhattan Beach (of course) and he said he loves the West Coast. He shook hands with all the reporters and called a few by name.
AEG has handed Bruce a lot of power, yet there's a limited time for Bruce to show that his reputation isn't based on acts more circa 2002 than anything else. Bottom line, when a lot of money and power is handed over, results are also demanded. Being nice to the media is a minor detail if the team doesn't start winning.
Read more...
Bruce smiled. "I had spinal fusion surgery. It took care of a back problem I had for a long time. I'm feeling better than ever now."
Bruce said a lot of the right things to the LA media.
"I'm excited about this opportunity."
"You see that a lot of teams that do well in this league have quality through the middle of the field - New England and Houston are great examples."
"We're going to have to be patient with this team (the Galaxy)."
"The U.S. team improved while I was there."
"I'd like to give back to the game. I have no regrets."
"I enjoyed announcing. It gave me a greater respect for that job." Bruce did mention that he has yet to try sportswriting, but he doesn't think it would be that difficult. Then he went on to add he does have respect for the work the media do.
On the Galaxy bringing in Eddie Lewis: "We need to continue to look at that."
On Becks: "Who wouldn't look forward to working with David Beckham."
"This organization is farther along than New York. It's a good organization. We need the technical side to catch up with the business side."
Flashes of Bruce's ego showed through, though, even while on his best behavior.
"I was the longest-serving national team coach in the world." No, you weren't, Bruce.
Other misc.
Bruce didn't watch all of the U.S. Olympic team's Nigeria match, but he said he went out of his way to check out Orozco's red card, and he was pretty dubious about it. Then he ran through a little history of iffy calls versus the U.S. in international competition. I'm sure our readers can recall the main ones he listed.
Bruce on the U.S. women's team: "I always think the women will win gold."
Bruce on Dave Sarachan: "If I get assassinated, it's important that there's somebody there to continue what we've been working on."
Dave on how to improve the defense: "You change the mentality."
Now we get to see that results Bruce produces with the Galaxy. Bruce may think he has an ace with his good relationship with Landon Donovan, but that won't save him. LD loved Frank Yallop, but that wasn't enough to keep Frank in the job when the team kept losing. Two coaches LD didn't especially care for (Ruud Gullit and Steve Sampson) actually got LD to produce a lot (a double championship and the league lead in goals).
Bruce plans to live in Manhattan Beach (of course) and he said he loves the West Coast. He shook hands with all the reporters and called a few by name.
AEG has handed Bruce a lot of power, yet there's a limited time for Bruce to show that his reputation isn't based on acts more circa 2002 than anything else. Bottom line, when a lot of money and power is handed over, results are also demanded. Being nice to the media is a minor detail if the team doesn't start winning.
Read more...
Sangre americana J4 update
Things got a bit interesting for one of our own in the First Division this weekend. Jesus Padilla got some actual playing time for Chivas as he came on at halftime. He didn't make it to the end of the match, though, as he got a red card three minutes from time. So he's gone for next week as well, a suspension that I believe keeps him out of Tapatio's match as well.
Anyway, here is how the rest of the Mexican-Americans did down in Mexico. It was another quiet week, though, with a lot of DNPs.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 3-0 win over Indios
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 28 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw with Atlante
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 win at Atlas
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 1-1 draw with Atlante
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress for Morelia's 1-0 win over Pumas
Jesus Padilla - Replaced Sergio Santana at halftime and was sent off in the 87th minute in Chivas' 2-2 draw with Necaxa; Padilla had also played in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Dorados on Thursday and was booked in the second half
Marco Antonio Vidal - Dressed but did not play in Indios' 3-0 loss at Santos
Primera Division A
Carlos Borja - Did not play in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Dorados on Thursday
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress for Chetumal's 3-0 loss to Merida
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios' 4-3 loss to Santos
Sammy Ochoa - Tecos had a bye week
Read more...
Anyway, here is how the rest of the Mexican-Americans did down in Mexico. It was another quiet week, though, with a lot of DNPs.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 3-0 win over Indios
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 28 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw with Atlante
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 win at Atlas
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 1-1 draw with Atlante
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress for Morelia's 1-0 win over Pumas
Jesus Padilla - Replaced Sergio Santana at halftime and was sent off in the 87th minute in Chivas' 2-2 draw with Necaxa; Padilla had also played in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Dorados on Thursday and was booked in the second half
Marco Antonio Vidal - Dressed but did not play in Indios' 3-0 loss at Santos
Primera Division A
Carlos Borja - Did not play in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Dorados on Thursday
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress for Chetumal's 3-0 loss to Merida
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios' 4-3 loss to Santos
Sammy Ochoa - Tecos had a bye week
Read more...
Little Bill Rankings (Aug. 18)
The top six shuffled around but stayed unchanged. And the two local teams slipped to the bottom two spots.
Why? Because they aren't any good right now.
1. Columbus (10-6-4). Could the Crew be poised for a run at the top spot in the East?
2. Chicago (9-6-6). Positives: McBride and Blanco together on the field. Negatives: Pretty much everything else.
3. New England (10-6-3). Still wondering if those highlights I saw were real.
4. DC United (9-9-1). If Zach Wells doesn't play again for United, it might not be a bad thing.
5. Houston (7-4-8). Only Western team that's pretty much a lock for the playoffs...
6. Real Salt Lake (7-7-6)... though this one is close too.
7. New York (7-6-7). A winning streak? Can that be possible?
8. FC Dallas (6-6-7). Unlucky not to get result, but this team is looking better and better with each passing game.
9. San Jose (5-9-6). Welcome to the playoff race, San Jose.
10. Toronto FC (7-8-5). Edu's gone, and so are TFC's hopes.
11. Colorado (7-10-3). Casey wills team to victory but is it too little, too late?
12. Kansas City (6-7-7). Back to losing ways for KC.
13. Chivas USA (6-8-5). Mediocrity would be...
14. Los Angeles (6-8-6)... an improvement for these sad sack sides.
Read more...
Why? Because they aren't any good right now.
1. Columbus (10-6-4). Could the Crew be poised for a run at the top spot in the East?
2. Chicago (9-6-6). Positives: McBride and Blanco together on the field. Negatives: Pretty much everything else.
3. New England (10-6-3). Still wondering if those highlights I saw were real.
4. DC United (9-9-1). If Zach Wells doesn't play again for United, it might not be a bad thing.
5. Houston (7-4-8). Only Western team that's pretty much a lock for the playoffs...
6. Real Salt Lake (7-7-6)... though this one is close too.
7. New York (7-6-7). A winning streak? Can that be possible?
8. FC Dallas (6-6-7). Unlucky not to get result, but this team is looking better and better with each passing game.
9. San Jose (5-9-6). Welcome to the playoff race, San Jose.
10. Toronto FC (7-8-5). Edu's gone, and so are TFC's hopes.
11. Colorado (7-10-3). Casey wills team to victory but is it too little, too late?
12. Kansas City (6-7-7). Back to losing ways for KC.
13. Chivas USA (6-8-5). Mediocrity would be...
14. Los Angeles (6-8-6)... an improvement for these sad sack sides.
Read more...
Week 21 Spotlight
We're about two-thirds complete with the MLS season and we still haven't figured much out. One week, New England is the best team in the league, the next thing you know they are dropping their second straight game. San Jose meanwhile was given up for dead but now they are legitimately chasing a playoff spot. It's part of the topsy-turvy league that is MLS.
Top XI
G: Joe Cannon
D: Seth Stammler
D: Nick Garcia
D: Chad Marshall
M: Ricardo Clark
M: Fred
M: Paulo Nagamura
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Ronnie O'Brien
F: Conor Casey
F: Brian Ching
Coach: Tom Soehn. A day after acquiring Louis Crayton, he puts the Liberian into the starting lineup and is rewarded with a shutout. It came a lot sooner than Zach Wells' first clean sheet and may have spelled the end of Wells' tenure as starting 'keeper.
Top goal: Plenty to choose from but I'll go with Ricardo Clark's long-distance blast against Real Salt Lake.
Top save: Joe Cannon made a save midway through the second half that could have leveled terms. Adam Cristman knocked a shot on goal off a corner kick but Cannon did well to make the save. Had the Revs tied it, perhaps that late goal onslaught doesnt come as easily - or at all.
Top game: Galaxy-Chivas USA. Yes, it's a battle of struggling teams but the game was what we've come to expect from a Clasico.
LOWLIGHTS
Sean Franklin had a horrific, horrific night for the Galaxy. He was burned badly twice, and both plays resulted on goals. He actually got lucky that his elbow on Jesse Marsch didn't result in a red card. It may have been unintentional but an unintentional elbow cost a player a red card Sunday as Gabriel Cichero was sent off after elbowing Danny Dichio in New York's game with Toronto. Somehow, though, Franklin is thought to be a Rookie of the Year candidate.
New England fell apart at the seams against San Jose. Yes, the 'Quakes are better but New England shouldn't have lost 4-0 to them.
Cobi Jones should have been given more time as Galaxy coach. I thought he should have stayed the rest of the season, but Bruce is Bruce and the Galaxy management wanted to go in a different direction. With Cobi, though, that direction may have included the playoffs. Now, I don't see that happening.
Read more...
Top XI
G: Joe Cannon
D: Seth Stammler
D: Nick Garcia
D: Chad Marshall
M: Ricardo Clark
M: Fred
M: Paulo Nagamura
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Ronnie O'Brien
F: Conor Casey
F: Brian Ching
Coach: Tom Soehn. A day after acquiring Louis Crayton, he puts the Liberian into the starting lineup and is rewarded with a shutout. It came a lot sooner than Zach Wells' first clean sheet and may have spelled the end of Wells' tenure as starting 'keeper.
Top goal: Plenty to choose from but I'll go with Ricardo Clark's long-distance blast against Real Salt Lake.
Top save: Joe Cannon made a save midway through the second half that could have leveled terms. Adam Cristman knocked a shot on goal off a corner kick but Cannon did well to make the save. Had the Revs tied it, perhaps that late goal onslaught doesnt come as easily - or at all.
Top game: Galaxy-Chivas USA. Yes, it's a battle of struggling teams but the game was what we've come to expect from a Clasico.
LOWLIGHTS
Sean Franklin had a horrific, horrific night for the Galaxy. He was burned badly twice, and both plays resulted on goals. He actually got lucky that his elbow on Jesse Marsch didn't result in a red card. It may have been unintentional but an unintentional elbow cost a player a red card Sunday as Gabriel Cichero was sent off after elbowing Danny Dichio in New York's game with Toronto. Somehow, though, Franklin is thought to be a Rookie of the Year candidate.
New England fell apart at the seams against San Jose. Yes, the 'Quakes are better but New England shouldn't have lost 4-0 to them.
Cobi Jones should have been given more time as Galaxy coach. I thought he should have stayed the rest of the season, but Bruce is Bruce and the Galaxy management wanted to go in a different direction. With Cobi, though, that direction may have included the playoffs. Now, I don't see that happening.
Read more...
Grading Ruud
Before everyone moves forward with the Bruce Arena Era, I thought about trying to put some perspective with Ruud Gullit and his time with the Galaxy. I was actually considering writing a column on this but Arena's taken over so there goes that.
I wanted to compare Ruud with other big-name foreign coaches who failed in MLS. I came up with a list of six and tried to order them but kinda stopped there since it became apparent I wasn't going to write about it.
So I'll ask our readers to help sort out the list.
I wanted to do the Top 10 Foreign Coaching Busts but limited it to seven because there seemed to be a dropoff from the top seven to the rest. Plus, many of the others weren't that big of names.
So here are the seven in alphabetical order:
Ruud Gullit; 6-8-5, Galaxy (08)
Mo Johnston; 10-20-15, NY (05-06), Toronto (07)
Bora Milutinovic; 8-25-0, NY (98-99)
Carlos Alberto Parreira; 13-19-0, NY (97)
Carlos Quieroz; 12-12-0, NY (96)
Hans Westerhof; 3-14-4, Chivas USA (05)
Walter Zenga; 13-23-0, New England (98-99)
No coach on the list has a winning record. I think big things were expected from most if not all of these coaches and some of them have gone on to bigger and better things.
Anyway, where do you think Ruud ranks in this list? How would you rank the list in terms of biggest flops? Is there someone who doesn't belong on this list or someone I didn't include that does?
Read more...
I wanted to compare Ruud with other big-name foreign coaches who failed in MLS. I came up with a list of six and tried to order them but kinda stopped there since it became apparent I wasn't going to write about it.
So I'll ask our readers to help sort out the list.
I wanted to do the Top 10 Foreign Coaching Busts but limited it to seven because there seemed to be a dropoff from the top seven to the rest. Plus, many of the others weren't that big of names.
So here are the seven in alphabetical order:
Ruud Gullit; 6-8-5, Galaxy (08)
Mo Johnston; 10-20-15, NY (05-06), Toronto (07)
Bora Milutinovic; 8-25-0, NY (98-99)
Carlos Alberto Parreira; 13-19-0, NY (97)
Carlos Quieroz; 12-12-0, NY (96)
Hans Westerhof; 3-14-4, Chivas USA (05)
Walter Zenga; 13-23-0, New England (98-99)
No coach on the list has a winning record. I think big things were expected from most if not all of these coaches and some of them have gone on to bigger and better things.
Anyway, where do you think Ruud ranks in this list? How would you rank the list in terms of biggest flops? Is there someone who doesn't belong on this list or someone I didn't include that does?
Read more...
Japan/US running blog - semifinals
Here we go, here we go.
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 17-Lori Chalupny, 15-Kate Markgraf, 2-Heather Mitts, 3-Christie Rampone-Capt.; 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 5-Lindsay Tarpley; 16-Angela Hucles, 8-Amy Rodriguez
Japan: 1-Miho Fukumoto; 2-Yukari Kinga, 3-Hiromi Ikeda, 4-Azusa Iwashimizu, 7-Kozue Ando; 14-Kyoko Yano, 8-Aya Miyama, 10-Homare Sawa, 15-Mizuho Sakaguchi, 11-Shinobu Ohno, 17-Yuki Nagasato.
Kickoff!
1 - Japan is moving the ball well from the start - the U.S. is chasing a bit, scrambling on defense.
4 - The U.S. is barely getting much of the ball. Miyama crosses! Ooh, a miss on a shot right in front of goal. Japan should have had a great shot on goal right there.
6 - Lloyd takes a shot after the FK gets touched to her - it's on goal, but Fukumoto handles it well.
7 - O'Rielly in the box! The bounce is high and she can't really shoot, so she goes down in a heap as Fukumoto grabs the ball.
9 - Japan gets another corner. The U.S. clear and get a counter going, but O'Reilly is taken off the ball trying to dribble past a defender.
11 - Tarp also taken off the ball. So far, Japan's defense has blunted the U.S. speed advantage.
12 - Mitts long ball to Lloyd, but the Japanese cut off the ensuing cross into the box. Still, the U.S. getting more of the ball.
13 - ARod, lays off a close ball in the box to Chalups, whose shot is rather poor, wide.
14 - After Japan had the early momentum, the U.S. has hung in.
16 - GOAL! It looked offside, but Tarp had stayed back, keeping Ohno on, and the little pass to her in front of goal left her with an easy finish. 1-0 Japan.
18 - Unlike Japan, the U.S. has not come back from behind once this tournament. They've been ahead every match they've won. When they trailed, they lost to Norway, 2-0.
22 - Ohno with a shot! Solo dives to make the save. She gets there, but Ohno is on fire with confidence.
24 - Japan possessing the ball well. They're taking their time, moving the ball around. They force the U.S. to chase and keep the Americans from getting any rhythm. Smart.
27- U.S. cross into the box cut off by Fukumoto.
28 - ARod into the box with speed - looks like she's going to get a corner on the deflection, but Japan catches up to the ball.
29 - Chalupny fouls Sawa, but it's a ways from goal. FK is too far for Nagasoto.
31 - I wonder if Sundhage wishes the U.S. could play Japan's possession game.
33 - Poor pass over the top by the U.S. They seem to have run out of ideas early. Perhaps the Canada game and the long delay took a toll. Usually the U.S. has an advantage athletically. They might not there if their legs are heavy.
35 - It does seem at times that Chastain is talking more than the play-by-play, which doesn't add to the game, really. Over-analysis.
37 - Playing in the rain also probably wore on the U.S. players. The Canada match was a grind-it-out affair, and perhaps it's not surprising that the U.S. looks flat.
39 - ARod isn't holding the ball well when she drops into the midfield.
40 - O'Reilly late on a tackle - gets yellow.
41 - GOAL! Then O'Reilly gets the assist! She makes the run, beats her defender on the wing, crosses the ball in. ARod misses the chance, Tarp dummies or gets confused, but the ball goes past her and Hucles is perfectly positioned for the easy putaway. 1-1
43 - I completely agree with Chastain - Hucles had a great, simple finish. "The little pass to the net", as the Brazilians say. None of her goals have really been impressive this tournament, but she has gotten the job done.
44 - GOAL! Chalupny! The defender makes the run, as her U.S. teammates have been threatening since their goal, and she cuts into the box with the ball, then rockers a laser into the roof of the net. Now that was a pretty, pretty goal. 2-1 U.S.
Halftime - Well, the U.S. has to feel good about the last five minutes of that half, while the Japanese are reeling. However, Japan has been down before and crawled back almost every time. Only against China did Japan lead the whole way. Of course, only against the U.S. did Japan fail to rally.
46 - ARod on the run - gets a corner as Fukumoto parries the shot.
47 - Japan counters on the corner clearance. The U.S. with some sloppy defending there, but they clear.
49 - Cross overhit by Japan, out for a U.S. goal kick.
50 - ARod shoots wide. Mitts then gets a yellow for kicking the ball away. The service confuses the U.S. defense again, but they eventually clear.
52 - ARod beats her defender, rounds in on goal - shoots. Fukumoto saves. ARod could have passed that, just to unsettle Japan by exercising more options. Still, very nice run.
54 - Hucles goes down from a Sawa tackle. She looks in pain, but she gets up and shakes it off.
55 - Chastain opines that the U.S. isn't tired from the Canada game. I differ on that. It's just after the half right now, when they've had a chance to take a breather. Watch for more signs of fatigue in twenty minutes.
56 - Hara comes in for Ando, first sub of game.
58 - The U.S. is controlling more of the play, but that didn't guarantee an advantage for Japan in the first half.
61 - Fukumoto punches out a ball in her box, but the U.S. is keeping the pressure on. If Japan is rattled at all, the Americans will take advantage.
63 - Chastain correctly diagnoses that Japan isn't playing the nice possession style to set up attacks the way they did before.
64 - O'Reilly shot sets up a corner. Hucles takes, foul in the box gives ball back to Japan.
65 - Nice buildup by Japan.
68 - Oooh, chances for Japan as they get back to the play that made them successful. The U.S. defense is scrambling.
69 - Kai is in for Tarp, by the way.
70 - GOAL! O'Reilly scores against the run of recent play. It looked like an attempted cross, but it spun into the goal in a tricky trajectory that fooled Fukumoto. 3-1 U.S.
75 - Arakawa has come in, with her crazy hair. It's probably useful in headers - nice cushion.
76 - Kai on the run, but her cross gets to O'Reilly on a 50-50, and O'Reilly clips her defender.
77 - Chastain campaigns for Boxx to be subbed out.
79 - Sakaguchi from distance, but Solo sees the ball in the whole way for the catch.
80 - U.S. corner.
GOAL! Hucles takes the corner, gets the ball back, cuts around her defender and hits a loopy little cross that spins into the goal. Fukumoto leaned one way, then backpedaled too late. 4-1, U.S.
82 - Sawa in the box - misses.
83 - Cheney coming in for ARod. That open-heart surgery tidbit about Lauren gets mentioned as often as "Kai is Hawaiian" and "Jay Heaps played Duke basketball".
84 - Mitts cramps up and tries to quickly stretch it out during the run of play.
86 - Cheney shoots from the corner of the box - high.
87 - Stephanie Cox comes in for the cramping Mitts.
88 - Kai shoots, gets a corner.
89 - "Six - one for the United States," says Dellacamera. Chastain doesn't correct him, but maybe he didn't mean the score, but CK.
90 - Cheney earns her team a corner. It's taken short, which is nice to see for variety, even though the shot doesn't quite come off.
Ok, I predicted both the U.S. and Brazil would advance, but did I imagine both would go down early and then storm back to score four goals? Um, no.
Off the crossbar by Sawa! Japan still fighting. Counter going the other way leads to a Lloyd shot, but Fukumoto stuffs her one on one.
GOAL! Desperate push by Japan, ball off the post, Solo scrambling, but can't grab the ball and the ball slips by Rampone, shot by Arakawa gets in. 4-2.
Final whistle
The U.S. is in the goal medal match, where they will meet a very tough Brazil team. Should be a good game. The U.S. defense can't be happy about that last, late goal from Japan, so that might serve as a good reminder on when to stay sharp. Considering that it's likely that two of the goals by the Americans weren't really intentional, the last thing the U.S. should get is cocky.
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USA: 1-Hope Solo; 17-Lori Chalupny, 15-Kate Markgraf, 2-Heather Mitts, 3-Christie Rampone-Capt.; 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 5-Lindsay Tarpley; 16-Angela Hucles, 8-Amy Rodriguez
Japan: 1-Miho Fukumoto; 2-Yukari Kinga, 3-Hiromi Ikeda, 4-Azusa Iwashimizu, 7-Kozue Ando; 14-Kyoko Yano, 8-Aya Miyama, 10-Homare Sawa, 15-Mizuho Sakaguchi, 11-Shinobu Ohno, 17-Yuki Nagasato.
Kickoff!
1 - Japan is moving the ball well from the start - the U.S. is chasing a bit, scrambling on defense.
4 - The U.S. is barely getting much of the ball. Miyama crosses! Ooh, a miss on a shot right in front of goal. Japan should have had a great shot on goal right there.
6 - Lloyd takes a shot after the FK gets touched to her - it's on goal, but Fukumoto handles it well.
7 - O'Rielly in the box! The bounce is high and she can't really shoot, so she goes down in a heap as Fukumoto grabs the ball.
9 - Japan gets another corner. The U.S. clear and get a counter going, but O'Reilly is taken off the ball trying to dribble past a defender.
11 - Tarp also taken off the ball. So far, Japan's defense has blunted the U.S. speed advantage.
12 - Mitts long ball to Lloyd, but the Japanese cut off the ensuing cross into the box. Still, the U.S. getting more of the ball.
13 - ARod, lays off a close ball in the box to Chalups, whose shot is rather poor, wide.
14 - After Japan had the early momentum, the U.S. has hung in.
16 - GOAL! It looked offside, but Tarp had stayed back, keeping Ohno on, and the little pass to her in front of goal left her with an easy finish. 1-0 Japan.
18 - Unlike Japan, the U.S. has not come back from behind once this tournament. They've been ahead every match they've won. When they trailed, they lost to Norway, 2-0.
22 - Ohno with a shot! Solo dives to make the save. She gets there, but Ohno is on fire with confidence.
24 - Japan possessing the ball well. They're taking their time, moving the ball around. They force the U.S. to chase and keep the Americans from getting any rhythm. Smart.
27- U.S. cross into the box cut off by Fukumoto.
28 - ARod into the box with speed - looks like she's going to get a corner on the deflection, but Japan catches up to the ball.
29 - Chalupny fouls Sawa, but it's a ways from goal. FK is too far for Nagasoto.
31 - I wonder if Sundhage wishes the U.S. could play Japan's possession game.
33 - Poor pass over the top by the U.S. They seem to have run out of ideas early. Perhaps the Canada game and the long delay took a toll. Usually the U.S. has an advantage athletically. They might not there if their legs are heavy.
35 - It does seem at times that Chastain is talking more than the play-by-play, which doesn't add to the game, really. Over-analysis.
37 - Playing in the rain also probably wore on the U.S. players. The Canada match was a grind-it-out affair, and perhaps it's not surprising that the U.S. looks flat.
39 - ARod isn't holding the ball well when she drops into the midfield.
40 - O'Reilly late on a tackle - gets yellow.
41 - GOAL! Then O'Reilly gets the assist! She makes the run, beats her defender on the wing, crosses the ball in. ARod misses the chance, Tarp dummies or gets confused, but the ball goes past her and Hucles is perfectly positioned for the easy putaway. 1-1
43 - I completely agree with Chastain - Hucles had a great, simple finish. "The little pass to the net", as the Brazilians say. None of her goals have really been impressive this tournament, but she has gotten the job done.
44 - GOAL! Chalupny! The defender makes the run, as her U.S. teammates have been threatening since their goal, and she cuts into the box with the ball, then rockers a laser into the roof of the net. Now that was a pretty, pretty goal. 2-1 U.S.
Halftime - Well, the U.S. has to feel good about the last five minutes of that half, while the Japanese are reeling. However, Japan has been down before and crawled back almost every time. Only against China did Japan lead the whole way. Of course, only against the U.S. did Japan fail to rally.
46 - ARod on the run - gets a corner as Fukumoto parries the shot.
47 - Japan counters on the corner clearance. The U.S. with some sloppy defending there, but they clear.
49 - Cross overhit by Japan, out for a U.S. goal kick.
50 - ARod shoots wide. Mitts then gets a yellow for kicking the ball away. The service confuses the U.S. defense again, but they eventually clear.
52 - ARod beats her defender, rounds in on goal - shoots. Fukumoto saves. ARod could have passed that, just to unsettle Japan by exercising more options. Still, very nice run.
54 - Hucles goes down from a Sawa tackle. She looks in pain, but she gets up and shakes it off.
55 - Chastain opines that the U.S. isn't tired from the Canada game. I differ on that. It's just after the half right now, when they've had a chance to take a breather. Watch for more signs of fatigue in twenty minutes.
56 - Hara comes in for Ando, first sub of game.
58 - The U.S. is controlling more of the play, but that didn't guarantee an advantage for Japan in the first half.
61 - Fukumoto punches out a ball in her box, but the U.S. is keeping the pressure on. If Japan is rattled at all, the Americans will take advantage.
63 - Chastain correctly diagnoses that Japan isn't playing the nice possession style to set up attacks the way they did before.
64 - O'Reilly shot sets up a corner. Hucles takes, foul in the box gives ball back to Japan.
65 - Nice buildup by Japan.
68 - Oooh, chances for Japan as they get back to the play that made them successful. The U.S. defense is scrambling.
69 - Kai is in for Tarp, by the way.
70 - GOAL! O'Reilly scores against the run of recent play. It looked like an attempted cross, but it spun into the goal in a tricky trajectory that fooled Fukumoto. 3-1 U.S.
75 - Arakawa has come in, with her crazy hair. It's probably useful in headers - nice cushion.
76 - Kai on the run, but her cross gets to O'Reilly on a 50-50, and O'Reilly clips her defender.
77 - Chastain campaigns for Boxx to be subbed out.
79 - Sakaguchi from distance, but Solo sees the ball in the whole way for the catch.
80 - U.S. corner.
GOAL! Hucles takes the corner, gets the ball back, cuts around her defender and hits a loopy little cross that spins into the goal. Fukumoto leaned one way, then backpedaled too late. 4-1, U.S.
82 - Sawa in the box - misses.
83 - Cheney coming in for ARod. That open-heart surgery tidbit about Lauren gets mentioned as often as "Kai is Hawaiian" and "Jay Heaps played Duke basketball".
84 - Mitts cramps up and tries to quickly stretch it out during the run of play.
86 - Cheney shoots from the corner of the box - high.
87 - Stephanie Cox comes in for the cramping Mitts.
88 - Kai shoots, gets a corner.
89 - "Six - one for the United States," says Dellacamera. Chastain doesn't correct him, but maybe he didn't mean the score, but CK.
90 - Cheney earns her team a corner. It's taken short, which is nice to see for variety, even though the shot doesn't quite come off.
Ok, I predicted both the U.S. and Brazil would advance, but did I imagine both would go down early and then storm back to score four goals? Um, no.
Off the crossbar by Sawa! Japan still fighting. Counter going the other way leads to a Lloyd shot, but Fukumoto stuffs her one on one.
GOAL! Desperate push by Japan, ball off the post, Solo scrambling, but can't grab the ball and the ball slips by Rampone, shot by Arakawa gets in. 4-2.
Final whistle
The U.S. is in the goal medal match, where they will meet a very tough Brazil team. Should be a good game. The U.S. defense can't be happy about that last, late goal from Japan, so that might serve as a good reminder on when to stay sharp. Considering that it's likely that two of the goals by the Americans weren't really intentional, the last thing the U.S. should get is cocky.
Read more...
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Non-call on Torres
I'll be updating our Mexican-Americans after Jornada 4 is over but I just wanted to share this video of Jose Francisco Torres. He was taken down inside the box, and stepped on for good measure, but no call was made. Was it a PK? You decide.
Torres came on in the 62nd minute in the match, which finished 1-1. Gimenez, who missed the chance at the end of the clip there, had scored in the first half. Pachuca is a bit of a mess right now. Pachuca had a 1-0 lead and went up a man in the 59th minute but completely mismanaged the game from then on. America had multiple chances to score - twice America hit the crossbar - and finally equalized in the 89th minute.
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Torres came on in the 62nd minute in the match, which finished 1-1. Gimenez, who missed the chance at the end of the clip there, had scored in the first half. Pachuca is a bit of a mess right now. Pachuca had a 1-0 lead and went up a man in the 59th minute but completely mismanaged the game from then on. America had multiple chances to score - twice America hit the crossbar - and finally equalized in the 89th minute.
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Saturday, August 16, 2008
Deja vu all over again
It's not as if the final four haven't met before.
In fact, it was only days ago. Here's my picks for who will go through, and yes, I have changed my mind since the start of the tournament.
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In fact, it was only days ago. Here's my picks for who will go through, and yes, I have changed my mind since the start of the tournament.
Read more...
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sangre americana J4 preview
It's nearly one quarter of the way into the Apertura 2008 campaign for our beloved Mexican-Americans down south. While some players have done well for themselves, others are still awaiting to debut for their clubs this season while still others are hoping for increased playing times.
Also, thanks to our trusty, eagle-eyed readers we have a new member of this elite group to keep tabs on. Okay, maybe it's not quite elite but it's special nonetheless. At least to me.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo, Santos vs Indios, Sunday 4 p.m. Castillo has had an eventful season thus far. He's played every minute of every game, something he did not do a season ago, and has caught the attention of national team boss Sven Goran Eriksson. Castillo was part of the first group of callups to El Tri and is on the most recent list as well, the one that included a dozen players based abroad. It will be interesting how Sven sorts out the left side with Castillo and Andres Guardado. But for now, Castillo will have Indios on his mind. Indios are a rather sad sack of a club so Castillo should do well to find space and create chances and, of course, outrun the opponents to ever ball.
Michael Orozco, San Luis at Atlas, Saturday 6:45 p.m. It remains to be seen whether Orozco will have jet lag and not be in conditions to play or if he will step right into this match with San Luis. I actually think he might not play much this weekend in order to give his body a chance to recover from the time change. He wont be fatigued, at least not as much as some of his Olympic teammates. After all, Orozco only played three minutes in the third and decisive US match. Without Orozco, San Luis has allowed five goals in four games and have the most points in the league with 10.
Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs America, Saturday 5 p.m. Torres has played twice in three games and has just one start. He's logged a total of 95 minutes this season as Pachuca has stumbled to an 0-2-1 start. Coincidence? Well, probably not. Probably, it just reflects a possible reason for Pachuca's slide - inconsistency. Six players have started each game so that leaves five spots where coach Enrique Meza has juggled starters. This may be a decisive week for Torres though. If he starts and Pachuca wins, perhaps it could lead to more playing time for the Longview product. TV: Azteca America.
Daniel Hernandez, Jaguares vs Atlante, Saturday 3 p.m. Hernandez made his season debut a week ago after serving a two-match ban from a playoff brawl last spring. Hernandez, though, was partly responsible for giving up a pair of goals against San Luis. The ball seemed to go right past him on both occasions as San Luis won 2-0. Jaguares made the playoffs a year ago but it will take time for the club to regain the form that helped lead the club to the postseason. It should start now, if it's going to start, as Hernandez is among the players who missed time due to the brawl against Cruz Azul. TV: Azteca America.
Sonny Guadarrama, Morelia vs Pumas, Sunday 6 p.m. Guadarrama has been part of the first team since the start of the year but has yet to see any action. It's doubtful that he will start, well, highly unlikely would be more accurate. Again, we'll wait for him to get himself some playing time before we start to think about him starting or even playing any significant minutes.
Primera Division A
Jesus Padilla and Carlos Borja, Tapatio. Thursday night futbol isn't just for Major League Soccer. Tapatio played a match on Thursday. Jesus Padilla went the distance and picked up a yellow while Carlos Borja was an unused sub as Tapatio lost to Dorados of Sinaloa by 1-0. Borja had played in each game this season but missed the match altogether. Padilla meanwhile was on the bench for Chivas against Monterrey a week ago but did not play.
Marco Antonio Vidal and Noel Castillo, Indios Chihuahua vs Santos Laguna, Sunday 7 p.m. Vidal played all of one match for the senior club before he was shipped off to the Primera A side again. Castillo is on the opposite side as he is trying to become a Primera A regular. Indios' first-league team is struggling mightily in the top flight and their stay up top might only last one year but Vidal's opportunity may have already passed as the club could use as much experience as possible and Vidal wouldn't have much to offer.
Miguel Gonzalez, Chetumal vs Merida, Sunday 4 p.m. The latest addition to our Sangre americana family, Gonzalez is plying his trade with Chetumal. A bit of background on Gonzalez: He was born in Miami and was with New England for a spell. While with the Revs, Gonzalez played in some reserve games but not with the first team. Gonzalez, a midfielder by trade, also made some appearances with the U.S. Under-20 national team and played in a tournament in South Korea. He scored a few goals as well. Not sure how he ended up with Chetumal but he's there and playing.
Sammy Ochoa, Tecos. Ochoa served his three-match ban and promptly returned to inactivity. Tecos have a bye this week.
Read more...
Also, thanks to our trusty, eagle-eyed readers we have a new member of this elite group to keep tabs on. Okay, maybe it's not quite elite but it's special nonetheless. At least to me.
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo, Santos vs Indios, Sunday 4 p.m. Castillo has had an eventful season thus far. He's played every minute of every game, something he did not do a season ago, and has caught the attention of national team boss Sven Goran Eriksson. Castillo was part of the first group of callups to El Tri and is on the most recent list as well, the one that included a dozen players based abroad. It will be interesting how Sven sorts out the left side with Castillo and Andres Guardado. But for now, Castillo will have Indios on his mind. Indios are a rather sad sack of a club so Castillo should do well to find space and create chances and, of course, outrun the opponents to ever ball.
Michael Orozco, San Luis at Atlas, Saturday 6:45 p.m. It remains to be seen whether Orozco will have jet lag and not be in conditions to play or if he will step right into this match with San Luis. I actually think he might not play much this weekend in order to give his body a chance to recover from the time change. He wont be fatigued, at least not as much as some of his Olympic teammates. After all, Orozco only played three minutes in the third and decisive US match. Without Orozco, San Luis has allowed five goals in four games and have the most points in the league with 10.
Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs America, Saturday 5 p.m. Torres has played twice in three games and has just one start. He's logged a total of 95 minutes this season as Pachuca has stumbled to an 0-2-1 start. Coincidence? Well, probably not. Probably, it just reflects a possible reason for Pachuca's slide - inconsistency. Six players have started each game so that leaves five spots where coach Enrique Meza has juggled starters. This may be a decisive week for Torres though. If he starts and Pachuca wins, perhaps it could lead to more playing time for the Longview product. TV: Azteca America.
Daniel Hernandez, Jaguares vs Atlante, Saturday 3 p.m. Hernandez made his season debut a week ago after serving a two-match ban from a playoff brawl last spring. Hernandez, though, was partly responsible for giving up a pair of goals against San Luis. The ball seemed to go right past him on both occasions as San Luis won 2-0. Jaguares made the playoffs a year ago but it will take time for the club to regain the form that helped lead the club to the postseason. It should start now, if it's going to start, as Hernandez is among the players who missed time due to the brawl against Cruz Azul. TV: Azteca America.
Sonny Guadarrama, Morelia vs Pumas, Sunday 6 p.m. Guadarrama has been part of the first team since the start of the year but has yet to see any action. It's doubtful that he will start, well, highly unlikely would be more accurate. Again, we'll wait for him to get himself some playing time before we start to think about him starting or even playing any significant minutes.
Primera Division A
Jesus Padilla and Carlos Borja, Tapatio. Thursday night futbol isn't just for Major League Soccer. Tapatio played a match on Thursday. Jesus Padilla went the distance and picked up a yellow while Carlos Borja was an unused sub as Tapatio lost to Dorados of Sinaloa by 1-0. Borja had played in each game this season but missed the match altogether. Padilla meanwhile was on the bench for Chivas against Monterrey a week ago but did not play.
Marco Antonio Vidal and Noel Castillo, Indios Chihuahua vs Santos Laguna, Sunday 7 p.m. Vidal played all of one match for the senior club before he was shipped off to the Primera A side again. Castillo is on the opposite side as he is trying to become a Primera A regular. Indios' first-league team is struggling mightily in the top flight and their stay up top might only last one year but Vidal's opportunity may have already passed as the club could use as much experience as possible and Vidal wouldn't have much to offer.
Miguel Gonzalez, Chetumal vs Merida, Sunday 4 p.m. The latest addition to our Sangre americana family, Gonzalez is plying his trade with Chetumal. A bit of background on Gonzalez: He was born in Miami and was with New England for a spell. While with the Revs, Gonzalez played in some reserve games but not with the first team. Gonzalez, a midfielder by trade, also made some appearances with the U.S. Under-20 national team and played in a tournament in South Korea. He scored a few goals as well. Not sure how he ended up with Chetumal but he's there and playing.
Sammy Ochoa, Tecos. Ochoa served his three-match ban and promptly returned to inactivity. Tecos have a bye this week.
Read more...
Little things matter
I remember in 2005, when the Galaxy were struggling mightily in the regular season, how many players told me their Open Cup win turned everything around.
It gave them something to be proud of, to realize what they could accomplish together. They didn't finish the regular reason that strong, but they remembered that feeling in the playoffs and it pushed their work ethic to regain that feeling and eventually led to their second MLS title.
Now, some teams don't value the Open Cup, and obviously, no teams other than the Galaxy or Chivas USA care about the SuperClasico trophy. But it still does matter.
Pete Vagenas said last night, "Thing is, it's when you take care of the little stuff that the bigger things begin to fall into place."
A lot needs to fall into place for the Galaxy to make the playoffs, but one little thing has now been checked off the list.
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It gave them something to be proud of, to realize what they could accomplish together. They didn't finish the regular reason that strong, but they remembered that feeling in the playoffs and it pushed their work ethic to regain that feeling and eventually led to their second MLS title.
Now, some teams don't value the Open Cup, and obviously, no teams other than the Galaxy or Chivas USA care about the SuperClasico trophy. But it still does matter.
Pete Vagenas said last night, "Thing is, it's when you take care of the little stuff that the bigger things begin to fall into place."
A lot needs to fall into place for the Galaxy to make the playoffs, but one little thing has now been checked off the list.
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Marsch out
The injury list for Chivas USA grows longer as Jesse Marsch was ruled out 6-8 weeks with a fractured jaw.
Others such as Claudio Suarez and Jonathan Bornstein may be ready by next week's match against San Jose, but Marsch won't be one of them. In fact, the 6-8 week range puts him as possibly returning by late September, best-case scenario.
I'm still trying to figure out how there was no call made on the play. I didn't see the elbow but players around the play did and although they couldn't tell if it was intentional or not, an elbow was thrown. Usually referees are cautious about elbows being tossed around and will err on the side of caution in terms of calling a foul but nothing was called. I don't know if it was intentional or just a dumb boneheaded rookie mistake - ala Stephen Lenhart against Colorado a few weeks back - but I'm guessing if it was the former we'll see a suspension of some sort handed down.
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Others such as Claudio Suarez and Jonathan Bornstein may be ready by next week's match against San Jose, but Marsch won't be one of them. In fact, the 6-8 week range puts him as possibly returning by late September, best-case scenario.
I'm still trying to figure out how there was no call made on the play. I didn't see the elbow but players around the play did and although they couldn't tell if it was intentional or not, an elbow was thrown. Usually referees are cautious about elbows being tossed around and will err on the side of caution in terms of calling a foul but nothing was called. I don't know if it was intentional or just a dumb boneheaded rookie mistake - ala Stephen Lenhart against Colorado a few weeks back - but I'm guessing if it was the former we'll see a suspension of some sort handed down.
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Bragging rights
So, did I call the teams that would advance to the Olympic semis, or did I call them?
Let me check - yep, I called them.
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Let me check - yep, I called them.
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Crazy night
It was a crazy night at Home Depot Center. Between an early goal, a rally, en elbow and subsequent broken jaw and a stoppage-time equalizer, the game had a little of everything.
Of course, the on-the-field action wasn't the only thing that made the night a crazy one.
First, celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffmann was there. I'm actually a fan of her Simply Delicioso show and I got the chance to take a picture with her and everything. Kind of a random person to have at a game but I wasn't complaining!
Then, the game started. But of course the internet was not working. I wasn't online at all during the game. Not that I surf the 'net or anything during games but it did throw me off a little.
We got word that Tim Leiweke was going to be in the press box briefly. I dont remember how quickly everything happened but it seemed like Landon's goal, Leiweke on ESPN2 and then Leiweke before us all took two minutes, but it was probably more like 10-15 or more.
Of course, we had no choice but to stop watching the game to go back inside and talk to Leiweke. I was certain that a goal or two would be scored but it wasn't.
Halftime gave me a bit of a chance to catch up with my stories (no internet yet) but then we got word that Sacha Kljestan was going to be in the press box briefly. As a colleague said to me, we got a week's worth of stories in the first part of the game.
So we missed the first few minutes of the second half to talk to Sacha, who wore a white t-shirt with the word "Beijing" in front and "2008" in the back. As we were walking back towards our seats, Paulo Nagamura whipped a cross in, Roberto Nurse dummied it and Atiba Harris finished it. I think those were the first moments of the second half I saw.
The internet wasn't working but I had t write, which I was. But from about the 68th minute to the 80-something, there was a tech type person working on it. I couldn't write obviously so I hoped nothing major would happen. And it did, as Jesse Marsch had his jaw broken by Sean Franklin. I was in full writing mode by then though as I was several minutes behind.
Knowing the history of the Super Clasico, I didn't write a lede but rather evertyhing from then on. Sure enough, Alan Gordon scored a late header but it didn't ruin me though since I only had to slightly rework things. I got a connection after all though I had to move my laptop to use it but I was able to make deadline.
A memorable game indeed. But really, we've all come to expect as much from this rivalry.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. On my way down to the presser, a fan who I know is a reader of the blog was in a heated argument with security so I tried to stop him from getting arrested. With the help of his wife, I gently tried to usher him into an elevator and away from a possible arrest. He got into an elevator but some security followed him along. The last thing I heard him say was "F- all of you bitches" as the elevator door closed. I hope he didn't get arrested and I don't even know what happened. If you're reading this, e-mail me at lbueno99@hotmail.com ... if you're not in jail that is.
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Of course, the on-the-field action wasn't the only thing that made the night a crazy one.
First, celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffmann was there. I'm actually a fan of her Simply Delicioso show and I got the chance to take a picture with her and everything. Kind of a random person to have at a game but I wasn't complaining!
Then, the game started. But of course the internet was not working. I wasn't online at all during the game. Not that I surf the 'net or anything during games but it did throw me off a little.
We got word that Tim Leiweke was going to be in the press box briefly. I dont remember how quickly everything happened but it seemed like Landon's goal, Leiweke on ESPN2 and then Leiweke before us all took two minutes, but it was probably more like 10-15 or more.
Of course, we had no choice but to stop watching the game to go back inside and talk to Leiweke. I was certain that a goal or two would be scored but it wasn't.
Halftime gave me a bit of a chance to catch up with my stories (no internet yet) but then we got word that Sacha Kljestan was going to be in the press box briefly. As a colleague said to me, we got a week's worth of stories in the first part of the game.
So we missed the first few minutes of the second half to talk to Sacha, who wore a white t-shirt with the word "Beijing" in front and "2008" in the back. As we were walking back towards our seats, Paulo Nagamura whipped a cross in, Roberto Nurse dummied it and Atiba Harris finished it. I think those were the first moments of the second half I saw.
The internet wasn't working but I had t write, which I was. But from about the 68th minute to the 80-something, there was a tech type person working on it. I couldn't write obviously so I hoped nothing major would happen. And it did, as Jesse Marsch had his jaw broken by Sean Franklin. I was in full writing mode by then though as I was several minutes behind.
Knowing the history of the Super Clasico, I didn't write a lede but rather evertyhing from then on. Sure enough, Alan Gordon scored a late header but it didn't ruin me though since I only had to slightly rework things. I got a connection after all though I had to move my laptop to use it but I was able to make deadline.
A memorable game indeed. But really, we've all come to expect as much from this rivalry.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. On my way down to the presser, a fan who I know is a reader of the blog was in a heated argument with security so I tried to stop him from getting arrested. With the help of his wife, I gently tried to usher him into an elevator and away from a possible arrest. He got into an elevator but some security followed him along. The last thing I heard him say was "F- all of you bitches" as the elevator door closed. I hope he didn't get arrested and I don't even know what happened. If you're reading this, e-mail me at lbueno99@hotmail.com ... if you're not in jail that is.
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Preki on the Clasico
Preki talks about the game. He was about as upbeat as you can be after that effort, but it was obviously tempered by the late Galaxy goal as well as Sean Franklin's costly elbow that may have knocked Jesse Marsch out for quite some time.
After the presser, Preki was met in the tunnel by a former LA Laker.
I beat Preki to the tunnel in an attempt to get to the Chivas USA locker room before it cleared out when I noticed quite a tall fellow. I thought to myself, 'Man, that is quite a tall fellow' ... or something.
Anyway, I did a second take and realized it was Vlade Divac. Vlade shook Preki's hand and the two started conversing in their native tongue, so I have no idea what they were saying. I think Vlade may have gone into the coaches offices for some time but by that point I was interviewing players and the like.
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After the presser, Preki was met in the tunnel by a former LA Laker.
I beat Preki to the tunnel in an attempt to get to the Chivas USA locker room before it cleared out when I noticed quite a tall fellow. I thought to myself, 'Man, that is quite a tall fellow' ... or something.
Anyway, I did a second take and realized it was Vlade Divac. Vlade shook Preki's hand and the two started conversing in their native tongue, so I have no idea what they were saying. I think Vlade may have gone into the coaches offices for some time but by that point I was interviewing players and the like.
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Leiweke speaks
You'll probably see a lot of this circulating around today so I decided to post up the raw audio of it.
Here's audio of Tim Leiweke speaking to the media moments after he spoke to ESPN2 about all things Bruce Arena.
Leiweke doesn't often make halftime appearances for us hacks. And he actually didn't either on Thursday, as many of us missed about five minutes worth of the match to hear what was being said about Bruce.
Anyway, I'm up working on other stuff so I'll check in periodically. Don't think I'm getting to Week 1 Day 2 of the Becks workout anytime soon. Sad.
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Canada/US running blog
Here we go, the U.S. versus the Canadians in the quarterfinals.
Canada:
Erin McLeod, Emily Zurrer, Candace Chapman, Martina Franko, Clare Rustad, Sophie Schmidt, Rhian Wilkinson, Diana Matheson, Christine Sinclair, Melissa Tancredi, Kara Lang
U.S.
Hope Solo, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Kate Markgraf, Lori Chalupny, Lindsay Tarpley, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Amy Rodriguez, Angela Hucles.
Game on!
5 - It's raining, by the way. Huge puddles on the sidelines.
12 - GOAL! ARod up the wing, crosses, O'Reilly flicks it on and Hucles taps it in. The U.S. lead 1-0.
19 - McLeod is off. Karina LeBlanc comes in.
21 - Game is stopped. Rain delay.
Who knows if the delay will blunt the momentum of the U.S., because they were playing quite well up until the stoppage. The pause will certainly give Canada time to regroup and strategize. Still, losing McLeod and having to use up a sub is costly, no matter how welcome the rain delay breather might be.
21 - We're back! Already Canada looks sharper, but a foul stops an attack in the box.
22 - Canada FK, but Markgraf is fouled in the box going for the ball - goal kick.
24 - The U.S. finally work their way out of pressure, but Lloyd just lumps the ball up to ARod and loses it long.
25 - Chalupny overlaps, but can't get much of a square angle on the ball and LeBlanc catches.
26 - Tarp with a great pass springs O'Reilly, but a defender slows her up enough to let LeBlanc make the grab.
27 - Chalupny with another cross - it's cleared. The U.S. is looking more dangerous on the attack, no longer letting Canada dictate the way they were earlier after the restart.
30 - Markgraf knocks ball out for a throw near the box.
31 - GOAL! The U.S. gets it back, but a rather poor throw reception leads to a bad tackle by Lloyd and Sinclair pounces before anyone can close her down. She takes a crack on goal and Solo seems like the wasn't expecting the shot - she dives late and misses. 1-1
33 - Lloyd is losing too many balls in the midfield. The one she gave up near the U.S. goal was the most costly, but there are more.
35 - Ball behind the defense sets up Hucles who shows a strange shot choice - far post when it seems she had a better angle for a crack near post.
36 - ARod in the box - nearly gets on to the ball, but not quite.
37 - Scott French and I were discussing at the Dodger game how the U.S. players have regressed in terms of game awareness. Practice games don't stimulate real competitive conditions and the cost of mistakes and when to take the right risks. Basically, the residency program is just really weak competitive game training.
39 - Matheson two-foots Chalupny and gets yellow. The FK is far out and Lloyd hits it off a defender.
41 - U.S. is hitting the long ball again.
44 - Actually, the U.S. isn't playing that badly, but they're acting as if they still have the lead. There is no urgency in their attack. Canada looks like they want it more, though a bit less capable. If their heart combines with a solid chance, look out.
45+ ARod blows a scoring chance with a poor cross.
Halftime
The rain delay did help Canada, but more than that, a U.S. mistake helped them. Similar to how the U.S. mistakes versus Norway created chances for their rivals. The U.S. won't get away with that in the future. It might even haunt them now, as Canada can counter all day on them and the U.S. is not creating a lot going forward.
47 - Well, the U.S. are getting a chance to prove how well of a game manager Pia is.
48 - O'Reilly earns the u.S. a corner. A foul negates the attempt, though. Goal kick.
51 - A really steady rain is falling. In these sloppy conditions, anything can happen.
52 - Canada caught offside.
54 - Not much soccer going on, just dealing with the conditions. Tha ball is incredibly slick. O'Reilly just tried to take a first touch and the ball slid right off her foot.
56 - ARod deals with the slippage enough to sent in a cross, but it's cleared away.
57 - Chalupny is fouled outside the box and the FK is touched to Lloyd for a chance. Her shot is way off, but it's likely the ball slipped off the foot the moment she struck it. It's super-wet.
59 - Tarp to ARod, whose shot is deflected for a corner. Here's where the team really misses Abby. Nothing doing on getting a shot on goal.
61 - The U.S. is keeping better possession and it pays off in a corner. The ball bounces on headers that go more to the sky than the goal. But the U.S. serves the ball back in and bodies bang in the box.
65 - Lang from distance. I guess that's not such a bad idea. It's rainy and that can cause goalkeepers to make mistakes even on simple balls. Solo catches.
66 - U.S. corner. Hucles sends it in and Boxx gets a piece of it, but only enough to send the ball glancing wide of the goal.
68 - Lots of passing amongst the U.S. back four. That urgency I spoke of is still missing.
69 - Canada on the counter, but the U.S. is able to get back. That shot that defelcted off a defender might have easily slipped through, though.
Somebody shoot! The U.S has a counter of their own and three players pass instead of taking a shot on goal.
70 - O'reilly is down and Franko gets yellow for it. FK is cleared by Canada.
71 - Hucles is in the box with only the goalkeeper to beat. She has the right idea with the nutmeg, but she hits it a little high and the ball deflects back.
73 - The U.S. try to work the give-n-go off a throw, but offside is called on the final pass.
74 - The U.S. has better buildup now, but the final pass or attack is missing.
75 - Canada seems terribly unimaginative, but if one pass behind the defense connects with Sinclair, it won't matter.
77 - Lloyd misreads O'Reilly on a pass and hits the ball into the box just as her teammate cut to go wide instead.
78 - Sinclair! Solo makes the save, but on a rainy day, that wasn't a sure thing.
79 - Lloyd is looking weary. She should have kept the ball there, but was just out-hustled.
80 - There's more back and forth now - the U.S. isn't so onesided in terms of possession.
82 - A sub! Tobin comes in for Tarp.
83 - Boxx is such a gamer. I love how she competes.
84 - Lang gets a yellow for kicking Chalupney from behind.
85 - ARod and Tobi battle for the ball together, but ARod's cross to Boxx is too high.
86 - O'Reilly to Lloyd in the box, who has to elevate to try a volley flick and the ball goes wide.
88 - Lang send great pass through for Timko, but Rampone shields the ball just enough by crossing in front, so Timko bangs into a diving Solo blind. It looks like she hit Solo's knees hard, but that doesn't explain why she is down for so long.
90 - She never gets on the stretcher, though. She walks it off, so she's fine.
Pass to Sinclair, but her cross is picked off.
Tobs foul leads to Canada Fk, nervy moments in front of the U.S. box as ball pings around before it is finally cleared.
Lloyd to ARod entering the box. She shoots and LeBlanc makes the diving parry. CK.
Boxx can't get to it.
Whistle.
We're going to overtime!
2 - Lang is getting chippy. She fouls Chalupny again, but no yellow this time.
3 - Canada with a nice attacking run leaves the U.S. scrambling on defense.
5 - ARod into the box, but the ball is tackled away for a corner. Hucles sets up. Kai heads it high, loses it and can't get a decent shot off.
7 - ARod with a shot way high.
8 - Lloyd poor pass, trying to reach ARod.
10 - The U.S. is struggling to create anything resembling decent soccer in the muck.
11 - GOAL! Boxx finally hits that good cross this team needed and Kai dives to get down for the ball and head it well into the goal. 2-1 U.S.
13 - Now that the U.S. has worked so hard for the goal, they hopefully won't give the advantage away as easily as they did before.
Chalupny shot! LeBlanc saves.
First extra time period ends.
16 - The U.S. is trying to control the ball and play a bit of keep away.
18 - Lloyd shoots - LeBlanc catches. Too straight on of a shot.
19 - I love all of Tobin's tricky moves, but they don't really work in this rain. She just slipped, gave the ball away and landed on her butt.
ARod comes out for her buddy and college rival, Lauren Cheney.
20 - Kai is offside.
22 - Cheney gets a yellow for a tackle on Matheson.
FK for Canada, but it's cleared, shot back in is deflected for a corner, that's cleared, but only for a bit, because a cross comes back in, Solo tries to catch it and misses, but someone finally clears the ball out.
25 - Kai in the box - LeBlanc gets there first, but the collision knocks the ball loose. Canada clear, though.
26 - Replay shows how dicey the Canadian chance in the box was - Lloyd was the one who cleared the ball at last.
27 - Cheney with a shot - wide of goal. Decent effort, though.
29 - Kai caught offside again.
30 - Mitts rampaging up the wing - all the way into the box until leBlanc comes out. Mitts shoots - wide. Decent effort there, too, though. Best off all, keeping the ball in Canada's end late in the game.
Final whistle! The U.S. advance. It wasn't pretty, but the rain was to blame for a lot of that. Canada fought hard and Sinclair's goal was impressive, but ultimately, the U.S. had more time on the ball and finally got the winning goal out of it.
Aww, Jill Ellis is giving Kara Lang, who is crying, sitting on the ground, a comforting chat and hug. Lang plays for UCLA, where Ellis coaches.
Other Canadian players are also tearfully embracing. Canada didn't disgrace itself at all, but neither did they create a whole lot going forward.
As for the U.S., who knows if the extra half-hour of soccer is going to take a toll on their legs. Hopefully, the conditions in the next match will be try and they will not only appreciate it, but take advantage of the chance to use their possession play more to their advantage.
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Canada:
Erin McLeod, Emily Zurrer, Candace Chapman, Martina Franko, Clare Rustad, Sophie Schmidt, Rhian Wilkinson, Diana Matheson, Christine Sinclair, Melissa Tancredi, Kara Lang
U.S.
Hope Solo, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Kate Markgraf, Lori Chalupny, Lindsay Tarpley, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Amy Rodriguez, Angela Hucles.
Game on!
5 - It's raining, by the way. Huge puddles on the sidelines.
12 - GOAL! ARod up the wing, crosses, O'Reilly flicks it on and Hucles taps it in. The U.S. lead 1-0.
19 - McLeod is off. Karina LeBlanc comes in.
21 - Game is stopped. Rain delay.
Who knows if the delay will blunt the momentum of the U.S., because they were playing quite well up until the stoppage. The pause will certainly give Canada time to regroup and strategize. Still, losing McLeod and having to use up a sub is costly, no matter how welcome the rain delay breather might be.
21 - We're back! Already Canada looks sharper, but a foul stops an attack in the box.
22 - Canada FK, but Markgraf is fouled in the box going for the ball - goal kick.
24 - The U.S. finally work their way out of pressure, but Lloyd just lumps the ball up to ARod and loses it long.
25 - Chalupny overlaps, but can't get much of a square angle on the ball and LeBlanc catches.
26 - Tarp with a great pass springs O'Reilly, but a defender slows her up enough to let LeBlanc make the grab.
27 - Chalupny with another cross - it's cleared. The U.S. is looking more dangerous on the attack, no longer letting Canada dictate the way they were earlier after the restart.
30 - Markgraf knocks ball out for a throw near the box.
31 - GOAL! The U.S. gets it back, but a rather poor throw reception leads to a bad tackle by Lloyd and Sinclair pounces before anyone can close her down. She takes a crack on goal and Solo seems like the wasn't expecting the shot - she dives late and misses. 1-1
33 - Lloyd is losing too many balls in the midfield. The one she gave up near the U.S. goal was the most costly, but there are more.
35 - Ball behind the defense sets up Hucles who shows a strange shot choice - far post when it seems she had a better angle for a crack near post.
36 - ARod in the box - nearly gets on to the ball, but not quite.
37 - Scott French and I were discussing at the Dodger game how the U.S. players have regressed in terms of game awareness. Practice games don't stimulate real competitive conditions and the cost of mistakes and when to take the right risks. Basically, the residency program is just really weak competitive game training.
39 - Matheson two-foots Chalupny and gets yellow. The FK is far out and Lloyd hits it off a defender.
41 - U.S. is hitting the long ball again.
44 - Actually, the U.S. isn't playing that badly, but they're acting as if they still have the lead. There is no urgency in their attack. Canada looks like they want it more, though a bit less capable. If their heart combines with a solid chance, look out.
45+ ARod blows a scoring chance with a poor cross.
Halftime
The rain delay did help Canada, but more than that, a U.S. mistake helped them. Similar to how the U.S. mistakes versus Norway created chances for their rivals. The U.S. won't get away with that in the future. It might even haunt them now, as Canada can counter all day on them and the U.S. is not creating a lot going forward.
47 - Well, the U.S. are getting a chance to prove how well of a game manager Pia is.
48 - O'Reilly earns the u.S. a corner. A foul negates the attempt, though. Goal kick.
51 - A really steady rain is falling. In these sloppy conditions, anything can happen.
52 - Canada caught offside.
54 - Not much soccer going on, just dealing with the conditions. Tha ball is incredibly slick. O'Reilly just tried to take a first touch and the ball slid right off her foot.
56 - ARod deals with the slippage enough to sent in a cross, but it's cleared away.
57 - Chalupny is fouled outside the box and the FK is touched to Lloyd for a chance. Her shot is way off, but it's likely the ball slipped off the foot the moment she struck it. It's super-wet.
59 - Tarp to ARod, whose shot is deflected for a corner. Here's where the team really misses Abby. Nothing doing on getting a shot on goal.
61 - The U.S. is keeping better possession and it pays off in a corner. The ball bounces on headers that go more to the sky than the goal. But the U.S. serves the ball back in and bodies bang in the box.
65 - Lang from distance. I guess that's not such a bad idea. It's rainy and that can cause goalkeepers to make mistakes even on simple balls. Solo catches.
66 - U.S. corner. Hucles sends it in and Boxx gets a piece of it, but only enough to send the ball glancing wide of the goal.
68 - Lots of passing amongst the U.S. back four. That urgency I spoke of is still missing.
69 - Canada on the counter, but the U.S. is able to get back. That shot that defelcted off a defender might have easily slipped through, though.
Somebody shoot! The U.S has a counter of their own and three players pass instead of taking a shot on goal.
70 - O'reilly is down and Franko gets yellow for it. FK is cleared by Canada.
71 - Hucles is in the box with only the goalkeeper to beat. She has the right idea with the nutmeg, but she hits it a little high and the ball deflects back.
73 - The U.S. try to work the give-n-go off a throw, but offside is called on the final pass.
74 - The U.S. has better buildup now, but the final pass or attack is missing.
75 - Canada seems terribly unimaginative, but if one pass behind the defense connects with Sinclair, it won't matter.
77 - Lloyd misreads O'Reilly on a pass and hits the ball into the box just as her teammate cut to go wide instead.
78 - Sinclair! Solo makes the save, but on a rainy day, that wasn't a sure thing.
79 - Lloyd is looking weary. She should have kept the ball there, but was just out-hustled.
80 - There's more back and forth now - the U.S. isn't so onesided in terms of possession.
82 - A sub! Tobin comes in for Tarp.
83 - Boxx is such a gamer. I love how she competes.
84 - Lang gets a yellow for kicking Chalupney from behind.
85 - ARod and Tobi battle for the ball together, but ARod's cross to Boxx is too high.
86 - O'Reilly to Lloyd in the box, who has to elevate to try a volley flick and the ball goes wide.
88 - Lang send great pass through for Timko, but Rampone shields the ball just enough by crossing in front, so Timko bangs into a diving Solo blind. It looks like she hit Solo's knees hard, but that doesn't explain why she is down for so long.
90 - She never gets on the stretcher, though. She walks it off, so she's fine.
Pass to Sinclair, but her cross is picked off.
Tobs foul leads to Canada Fk, nervy moments in front of the U.S. box as ball pings around before it is finally cleared.
Lloyd to ARod entering the box. She shoots and LeBlanc makes the diving parry. CK.
Boxx can't get to it.
Whistle.
We're going to overtime!
2 - Lang is getting chippy. She fouls Chalupny again, but no yellow this time.
3 - Canada with a nice attacking run leaves the U.S. scrambling on defense.
5 - ARod into the box, but the ball is tackled away for a corner. Hucles sets up. Kai heads it high, loses it and can't get a decent shot off.
7 - ARod with a shot way high.
8 - Lloyd poor pass, trying to reach ARod.
10 - The U.S. is struggling to create anything resembling decent soccer in the muck.
11 - GOAL! Boxx finally hits that good cross this team needed and Kai dives to get down for the ball and head it well into the goal. 2-1 U.S.
13 - Now that the U.S. has worked so hard for the goal, they hopefully won't give the advantage away as easily as they did before.
Chalupny shot! LeBlanc saves.
First extra time period ends.
16 - The U.S. is trying to control the ball and play a bit of keep away.
18 - Lloyd shoots - LeBlanc catches. Too straight on of a shot.
19 - I love all of Tobin's tricky moves, but they don't really work in this rain. She just slipped, gave the ball away and landed on her butt.
ARod comes out for her buddy and college rival, Lauren Cheney.
20 - Kai is offside.
22 - Cheney gets a yellow for a tackle on Matheson.
FK for Canada, but it's cleared, shot back in is deflected for a corner, that's cleared, but only for a bit, because a cross comes back in, Solo tries to catch it and misses, but someone finally clears the ball out.
25 - Kai in the box - LeBlanc gets there first, but the collision knocks the ball loose. Canada clear, though.
26 - Replay shows how dicey the Canadian chance in the box was - Lloyd was the one who cleared the ball at last.
27 - Cheney with a shot - wide of goal. Decent effort, though.
29 - Kai caught offside again.
30 - Mitts rampaging up the wing - all the way into the box until leBlanc comes out. Mitts shoots - wide. Decent effort there, too, though. Best off all, keeping the ball in Canada's end late in the game.
Final whistle! The U.S. advance. It wasn't pretty, but the rain was to blame for a lot of that. Canada fought hard and Sinclair's goal was impressive, but ultimately, the U.S. had more time on the ball and finally got the winning goal out of it.
Aww, Jill Ellis is giving Kara Lang, who is crying, sitting on the ground, a comforting chat and hug. Lang plays for UCLA, where Ellis coaches.
Other Canadian players are also tearfully embracing. Canada didn't disgrace itself at all, but neither did they create a whole lot going forward.
As for the U.S., who knows if the extra half-hour of soccer is going to take a toll on their legs. Hopefully, the conditions in the next match will be try and they will not only appreciate it, but take advantage of the chance to use their possession play more to their advantage.
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
Post-clasico
I was a bleaty little journalist in the presser post game. "Anyone got a battery?" I couldn't run my camera, so I only have audio of Preki, who went first. But Becks and Cobi took long enough to come out that I was able to get the situation resolved.
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ChivasUSA/Galaxy running blog
We're finally online.
Chivas USA
Zack Thornton
Carey Talley
Bobby Burling,
Shavar Thomas
Francisco Mendoza
Keith Savage
Jesse Marsch
Paulo Nagamura
Daniel Paladini
Justin Braun
Atiba Harris
Galaxy
Steve Cronin
Chris Klein
Sean Franklin
Ante jazic
Greg Vanney
David Beckham
Alvaro Pires
Peter Vagenas
Ely Allen
Edson Buddle
Landon Donovan
Sorry I have no details about game atmosphere - we've been scrambling to get wireless here in the pressbox.
If I suddently stop posting- let's blame the wireless as well.
Cobi is wearing a suit. Preki is in his usual team warmups.
Kickoff!
1- Becks hits a cross too far, Zack catches it.
3 - FK Chivas USA - cleared to Becks, who gets grabbed.
4 - Justin Braun and Sean Franklin on the run - ball goes out for a GK
5 - Becks' cross gets cleared. Both teams seem nervous and the soccer is pretty rough.
7 - Becks springs Klein, who shoots - a bit wide.
8 - Vagenas springs Buddle, but his cross to LD gets cut off.
9 - GOAL! Klein springs LD, who gets in on Thornton, shoots past him and - side netting! 1-0.
10 - VERY Interesting. . . The TV shows a shot of Bruce Arena in the AEG luxury bos with Tim Leiweke.
12 - Crappy Vanney pass to no one.
13 - Jazic gets tackled hard, but the ref lets it go.
14 - Braun in the box - put his shot just wide.
15 - LD! But he puts it over the bar. It was a bit of a tough touch.
18 - Braun is out - he must've gotten hurt. Roberto Nurse comes in for him.
21 - Jazic fouls Savage on the wing.
22 - Paladini takes the FK, but it gets cleared. Outlet pass to LD gets cut off well by Shavar.
23 - LD on the attack, pretends he's going to pass to Buddle, then breaks for goal and shoots - high.
25 - Nurse in the box - high.
26 - Zack waits too long for a GK, hits LD, but eventually a foul gets called and the Chivas USA attack ends up at the Galaxy doorstep, where Cronin snatches the ball away just in the nick of time.
28 - Atiba Harris in the box, shoots, beats a diving Cronin, but just barely misses the far post.
29 - Burling just barely late on a tackle catches Becks. FK. A bit too central and far out for a shot on goal. Chivas USA clear the kick.
31 - Ely knocks a good pass to a breaking Becks, but Chivas USA get the ball out for a throw, then a goal kick.
32 - Lots of extracurricular kicks and pushes between players. Guess it wouldn't be a derby without that.
34 - Becks seems to be kind of wandering around the field. He overhits Buddle on a pass.
35 - Burling knocks down Buddle near midfield.
36 - It's a strange game. No real rhythm. Pires is down in the box, no call, Chivas USA counter quickly and Harris cuts the ball back in the box, then shoots, beats Cronin again - is wide again.
38 - Apparently Braun has an ankle injury.
39 - The Galaxy finally put together a real nice attack out of the back, and LD chases down a pass to knock a cross to Buddle, who one-times it. High. Too bad. That looked lovely until the end. MLS goals with that much team buildup are rare.
40 - Talley takes down Pires, who is rubbing his knee in pain. He limps to the sideline. It's a far off FK. Chivas USA get the ball right back and then knock it out of bounds themselves.
43 - Panchito's cross gets cut off by Franklin, but the Galaxy attack also gets blunted by the defense of Chivas USA.
44 - Nurse goes down versus Franklin, but doesn't get the call, much to the consternation of fans.
45 - FK for Chivas USA. I'm rather surprised that was called a foul.
Talley lines it up, beats the wall - Cronin dives and just barely parries it out.
Halftime.
Well, the Galaxy deserved their goal, and could have finished off a few more, but it wasn't as if Chivas USA didn't have their chances.
Buzz in the pressbox is that Bruce Arena might be coming in as Galaxy general manager. I guess that would leave it open still for Peter Nowak to be coach. A Polish reporter here is sure it's going to happen.
47 - Sloppy defending gives Chivas USA a FK in a good spot. The ball comes through and a bobbled clearance leaves Cronin flapping at the ball - out over the line.
49 - CK for Chivas - Harris with the header, but Cronin catches.
50 - GOAL - Nagamura crosses, then Nurse dummies wonderfully, leaving Harris practically alone on goal. He doesn't waste the chance, burying his shot into the underside of the net.
52 - Becks hits behind the defense for LD to run onto. He cuts back to beat Thornton, but looks to pass when his angle is cut off. Meanwhile, Zack runs back into goal. It's not even needed, though, when Ely receives LD's pass and shoots wide.
53 - No goal! Buddle was deemed offside.
54 - LD fouled, but FK cleared out.
56 - Thornton catches cross.
58 - LD cross caugh by Zack again.
59 - Marsch fouls Pires from behind - yellow. Far out FK, though.
61 - Becks runs down a long pass, but Mendoza takes it away from him, whereupon a clearly frustrated Becks fouls him from behind. Yellow.
60 - Chivas USA clear it to the sideline for a throw.
62 - The Galaxy are acting like the home team, possessing and pushing for the second goal, while Chivas USA breaks on the counter.
63 - GOAL! Becks goes down near the box, clearly expecting a foul call. Instead, Chivas USA takes off on the counter. Harris hits a little touch pass to Nagamura breaking in the box, and Nags nutmegs Cronin. 2-1 Chivas USA.
67 - Becks overhits a cross badly on a nice Galaxy attack. Ely chases the ball down and gets fouled for a FK.
68 - FK gets deflected for a throw.
69 - On the counter, Chivas USA pass into the box, Nurse header, is OFF THE POST!
71 - Galaxy corner. Becks sends it in, Zack comes out, but misses, Klein shoots a blooper towards goal and Pires ?!?!?!!? blocks his teammate's shot? Perhaps he was trying to lay the ball off, but no one was there to get the ball.
74 - Ely shoves Talley off the ball, gets a yellow.
76 - Gordon comes in for Pires, which doesn't speak well for how Cobi regards Carlos Ruiz, perhaps.
77 - Thomas is coming out for Jim Curtin.
79 - Marsch is down, but I didn't see why.
82 - Franklin with a shot - wide. Ely knocks a pass for Gordon, but Gordo can't quite get there. Ely is off now, for Mike Randolph.
84 - Ball in the box, Gordo is down, but no call.
85 - Nags gets a yellow for pulling LD down.
87 - Jazic earns the Galaxy a corner. Ball bounces out to Vagenas, who hits a sqare ball to LD, whose shot is high.
88 - Becks hits Randolph with a pass - he shoots past Thornton - OFF THE CROSSBAR!
90 - Becks hits Klein, whose cross hits Mendoza, but Panchito is able to save it before it goes out for a corner.
90+ Talley gets a yellow for timewasting.
GOAL! Jazic puts in the pass and it's GORDON with a header past Thornton. 2-2.
HOW IS THAT NOT A RED? Harris just tackled Becks down bigtime and it was way off the ball. FK cleared, shot put back in, out for corner. Chivas USA clear.
Final whistle. The trophy comes out for the Galaxy, because they didn't lose to Chivas USA this year. One win, two draws.
Read more...
Chivas USA
Zack Thornton
Carey Talley
Bobby Burling,
Shavar Thomas
Francisco Mendoza
Keith Savage
Jesse Marsch
Paulo Nagamura
Daniel Paladini
Justin Braun
Atiba Harris
Galaxy
Steve Cronin
Chris Klein
Sean Franklin
Ante jazic
Greg Vanney
David Beckham
Alvaro Pires
Peter Vagenas
Ely Allen
Edson Buddle
Landon Donovan
Sorry I have no details about game atmosphere - we've been scrambling to get wireless here in the pressbox.
If I suddently stop posting- let's blame the wireless as well.
Cobi is wearing a suit. Preki is in his usual team warmups.
Kickoff!
1- Becks hits a cross too far, Zack catches it.
3 - FK Chivas USA - cleared to Becks, who gets grabbed.
4 - Justin Braun and Sean Franklin on the run - ball goes out for a GK
5 - Becks' cross gets cleared. Both teams seem nervous and the soccer is pretty rough.
7 - Becks springs Klein, who shoots - a bit wide.
8 - Vagenas springs Buddle, but his cross to LD gets cut off.
9 - GOAL! Klein springs LD, who gets in on Thornton, shoots past him and - side netting! 1-0.
10 - VERY Interesting. . . The TV shows a shot of Bruce Arena in the AEG luxury bos with Tim Leiweke.
12 - Crappy Vanney pass to no one.
13 - Jazic gets tackled hard, but the ref lets it go.
14 - Braun in the box - put his shot just wide.
15 - LD! But he puts it over the bar. It was a bit of a tough touch.
18 - Braun is out - he must've gotten hurt. Roberto Nurse comes in for him.
21 - Jazic fouls Savage on the wing.
22 - Paladini takes the FK, but it gets cleared. Outlet pass to LD gets cut off well by Shavar.
23 - LD on the attack, pretends he's going to pass to Buddle, then breaks for goal and shoots - high.
25 - Nurse in the box - high.
26 - Zack waits too long for a GK, hits LD, but eventually a foul gets called and the Chivas USA attack ends up at the Galaxy doorstep, where Cronin snatches the ball away just in the nick of time.
28 - Atiba Harris in the box, shoots, beats a diving Cronin, but just barely misses the far post.
29 - Burling just barely late on a tackle catches Becks. FK. A bit too central and far out for a shot on goal. Chivas USA clear the kick.
31 - Ely knocks a good pass to a breaking Becks, but Chivas USA get the ball out for a throw, then a goal kick.
32 - Lots of extracurricular kicks and pushes between players. Guess it wouldn't be a derby without that.
34 - Becks seems to be kind of wandering around the field. He overhits Buddle on a pass.
35 - Burling knocks down Buddle near midfield.
36 - It's a strange game. No real rhythm. Pires is down in the box, no call, Chivas USA counter quickly and Harris cuts the ball back in the box, then shoots, beats Cronin again - is wide again.
38 - Apparently Braun has an ankle injury.
39 - The Galaxy finally put together a real nice attack out of the back, and LD chases down a pass to knock a cross to Buddle, who one-times it. High. Too bad. That looked lovely until the end. MLS goals with that much team buildup are rare.
40 - Talley takes down Pires, who is rubbing his knee in pain. He limps to the sideline. It's a far off FK. Chivas USA get the ball right back and then knock it out of bounds themselves.
43 - Panchito's cross gets cut off by Franklin, but the Galaxy attack also gets blunted by the defense of Chivas USA.
44 - Nurse goes down versus Franklin, but doesn't get the call, much to the consternation of fans.
45 - FK for Chivas USA. I'm rather surprised that was called a foul.
Talley lines it up, beats the wall - Cronin dives and just barely parries it out.
Halftime.
Well, the Galaxy deserved their goal, and could have finished off a few more, but it wasn't as if Chivas USA didn't have their chances.
Buzz in the pressbox is that Bruce Arena might be coming in as Galaxy general manager. I guess that would leave it open still for Peter Nowak to be coach. A Polish reporter here is sure it's going to happen.
47 - Sloppy defending gives Chivas USA a FK in a good spot. The ball comes through and a bobbled clearance leaves Cronin flapping at the ball - out over the line.
49 - CK for Chivas - Harris with the header, but Cronin catches.
50 - GOAL - Nagamura crosses, then Nurse dummies wonderfully, leaving Harris practically alone on goal. He doesn't waste the chance, burying his shot into the underside of the net.
52 - Becks hits behind the defense for LD to run onto. He cuts back to beat Thornton, but looks to pass when his angle is cut off. Meanwhile, Zack runs back into goal. It's not even needed, though, when Ely receives LD's pass and shoots wide.
53 - No goal! Buddle was deemed offside.
54 - LD fouled, but FK cleared out.
56 - Thornton catches cross.
58 - LD cross caugh by Zack again.
59 - Marsch fouls Pires from behind - yellow. Far out FK, though.
61 - Becks runs down a long pass, but Mendoza takes it away from him, whereupon a clearly frustrated Becks fouls him from behind. Yellow.
60 - Chivas USA clear it to the sideline for a throw.
62 - The Galaxy are acting like the home team, possessing and pushing for the second goal, while Chivas USA breaks on the counter.
63 - GOAL! Becks goes down near the box, clearly expecting a foul call. Instead, Chivas USA takes off on the counter. Harris hits a little touch pass to Nagamura breaking in the box, and Nags nutmegs Cronin. 2-1 Chivas USA.
67 - Becks overhits a cross badly on a nice Galaxy attack. Ely chases the ball down and gets fouled for a FK.
68 - FK gets deflected for a throw.
69 - On the counter, Chivas USA pass into the box, Nurse header, is OFF THE POST!
71 - Galaxy corner. Becks sends it in, Zack comes out, but misses, Klein shoots a blooper towards goal and Pires ?!?!?!!? blocks his teammate's shot? Perhaps he was trying to lay the ball off, but no one was there to get the ball.
74 - Ely shoves Talley off the ball, gets a yellow.
76 - Gordon comes in for Pires, which doesn't speak well for how Cobi regards Carlos Ruiz, perhaps.
77 - Thomas is coming out for Jim Curtin.
79 - Marsch is down, but I didn't see why.
82 - Franklin with a shot - wide. Ely knocks a pass for Gordon, but Gordo can't quite get there. Ely is off now, for Mike Randolph.
84 - Ball in the box, Gordo is down, but no call.
85 - Nags gets a yellow for pulling LD down.
87 - Jazic earns the Galaxy a corner. Ball bounces out to Vagenas, who hits a sqare ball to LD, whose shot is high.
88 - Becks hits Randolph with a pass - he shoots past Thornton - OFF THE CROSSBAR!
90 - Becks hits Klein, whose cross hits Mendoza, but Panchito is able to save it before it goes out for a corner.
90+ Talley gets a yellow for timewasting.
GOAL! Jazic puts in the pass and it's GORDON with a header past Thornton. 2-2.
HOW IS THAT NOT A RED? Harris just tackled Becks down bigtime and it was way off the ball. FK cleared, shot put back in, out for corner. Chivas USA clear.
Final whistle. The trophy comes out for the Galaxy, because they didn't lose to Chivas USA this year. One win, two draws.
Read more...
US roster for Guatemala
Here it is. Initially, don't see any big surprises. Of the Olympians, Bob Bradley chose to bring four along - Brad Guzan, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan and Michael Bradley.
Also, it's not a surprise but still disappointed to see Brian Ching selected over Kenny Cooper. Knowing Bradley, he'd probably like to get Cooper in a friendly or two before calling him for a qualifier so I suppose that's why I'm not surprised.
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
Midfielders: Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Eddie Lewis (Derby County), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado)
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)
More thoughts inside...
Some quick thoughts:
- Frankie Hejduk continues to get called up. I dont have a problem with Hejduk but I know some people don't care much for him. He's still fit, can still contribute and has experience. Fine with me.
- Pablo Mastroeni may have gotten himself back in the good graces of the coaching staff. He struggled with injury a year ago that led to a dip in form but now is playing like the Mastroeni of old. It's good to have an experienced Mastroeni in central midfield but he'll pass the torch along soon enough to guys like Edu.
- Only five midfielders are on the roster; I'm guessing Mastroeni and Eddie Lewis will start as well as young Michael. That leaves a spot for either Sacha Kljestan or Maurice Edu, unless Bradley starts Landon Donovan in midfield and goes with Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson up top. Still, I think I'd feel more secure with an extra midfielder instead of six defenders.
Also, it's not a surprise but still disappointed to see Brian Ching selected over Kenny Cooper. Knowing Bradley, he'd probably like to get Cooper in a friendly or two before calling him for a qualifier so I suppose that's why I'm not surprised.
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
Midfielders: Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Eddie Lewis (Derby County), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado)
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)
More thoughts inside...
Some quick thoughts:
- Frankie Hejduk continues to get called up. I dont have a problem with Hejduk but I know some people don't care much for him. He's still fit, can still contribute and has experience. Fine with me.
- Pablo Mastroeni may have gotten himself back in the good graces of the coaching staff. He struggled with injury a year ago that led to a dip in form but now is playing like the Mastroeni of old. It's good to have an experienced Mastroeni in central midfield but he'll pass the torch along soon enough to guys like Edu.
- Only five midfielders are on the roster; I'm guessing Mastroeni and Eddie Lewis will start as well as young Michael. That leaves a spot for either Sacha Kljestan or Maurice Edu, unless Bradley starts Landon Donovan in midfield and goes with Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson up top. Still, I think I'd feel more secure with an extra midfielder instead of six defenders.
Read more...
US roster soon
In case you were wondering, the US will announce their roster for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier in Guatemala later today.
I had originally thought that the game would have a massive affect on the Galaxy-Chicago Fire game but it may only be limit one player, albeit the superstar, from suiting up.
Still awaiting word on whether or not David Beckham will be part of England's game against Czech Republic on Wednesday. Apparently the roster will be revealed on Saturday. Barring something unforeseen, Becks won't play on Thursday. I doubt he does his two-games-in-two-continents-in-two-days thing again, because that didn't exactly work out well last time.
But Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz might be back in uniform for the game. After all, it's a much shorter flight from Mexico City and Guatemala City to LAX than it is from London. If the Galaxy's duo each plays 90 minutes, it might make it more difficult for them to see any sort of playing time with the Galaxy but at least they might be available.
Same for Blanco, though I don't think he's necessarily a player who is going to play 90 minutes for Mexico.
Anyway, some of the luster might be back on for Galaxy-Chicago, especially given that Brian McBride should play.
Read more...
I had originally thought that the game would have a massive affect on the Galaxy-Chicago Fire game but it may only be limit one player, albeit the superstar, from suiting up.
Still awaiting word on whether or not David Beckham will be part of England's game against Czech Republic on Wednesday. Apparently the roster will be revealed on Saturday. Barring something unforeseen, Becks won't play on Thursday. I doubt he does his two-games-in-two-continents-in-two-days thing again, because that didn't exactly work out well last time.
But Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz might be back in uniform for the game. After all, it's a much shorter flight from Mexico City and Guatemala City to LAX than it is from London. If the Galaxy's duo each plays 90 minutes, it might make it more difficult for them to see any sort of playing time with the Galaxy but at least they might be available.
Same for Blanco, though I don't think he's necessarily a player who is going to play 90 minutes for Mexico.
Anyway, some of the luster might be back on for Galaxy-Chicago, especially given that Brian McBride should play.
Read more...
More Clasico stories
A quick scan of the stories in local papers regarding the Clasico reveals that not a lot of local papers have their own stories on the game.
There are some good stories out there, though. Here's a short, short list of them.
Grahame Jones of the LA Times talks about the team's identity shift and talks to Peter Vagenas about identity issues and such.
Phil Collin of the Daily Breeze talks about the Galaxy's shift from Ruud Gullit to Cobi Jones. He also tells us that Sacha Kljestan will be arriving later this evening so don't get your hopes up that he'll step off the plane and into the right side of the midfield.
Collin's colleague Nick Green also has plenty of tidbits on his Cien Por Ciento Futbol Blog.
Read more...
High stakes
Chivas USA-Galaxy is a big game. We all are pretty much aware of that.
But it's also a game that can cost people their jobs. History dictates as much.
In trying to figure out a different angle for this match, I decided to pursue the high-stakes angle. There are probably lots of stories written about Cobi Jones in the papers this morning but I chose to look at Jones' arrival in terms of him being the latest person affected by this rivalry. Actually, it was his predecessor Ruud Gullit and former teammate/boss Alexi Lalas who were affected the most as they were both removed from their jobs this week.
And it wasn't exactly a coincidence that Chivas USA was on the schedule either. A win over Chivas and things might not seem so bad. Maybe it gives the Galaxy confidence that they can right the ship and then if they do it becomes more difficult to remove the coach and/or GM.
That was the case with Steve Sampson. He had been twisting in the wind for weeks and the Galaxy had their early season struggles in 2006, not being able to score or win much in the first part of the season. It was before a Chivas game that he met his fate. It was easier to fire him before a Chivas game than after a possible win over Chivas.
On the other side of the field, Thomas Rongen was fired after a loss to the Galaxy. Amado Guevara was removed from the team after a loss to the Galaxy. And Shawn Hunter was presented the day before a game against the Galaxy.
Those are lots of big moves from both sides. That they happened to come before or after a Clasico is no coincidence.
Read more...
But it's also a game that can cost people their jobs. History dictates as much.
In trying to figure out a different angle for this match, I decided to pursue the high-stakes angle. There are probably lots of stories written about Cobi Jones in the papers this morning but I chose to look at Jones' arrival in terms of him being the latest person affected by this rivalry. Actually, it was his predecessor Ruud Gullit and former teammate/boss Alexi Lalas who were affected the most as they were both removed from their jobs this week.
And it wasn't exactly a coincidence that Chivas USA was on the schedule either. A win over Chivas and things might not seem so bad. Maybe it gives the Galaxy confidence that they can right the ship and then if they do it becomes more difficult to remove the coach and/or GM.
That was the case with Steve Sampson. He had been twisting in the wind for weeks and the Galaxy had their early season struggles in 2006, not being able to score or win much in the first part of the season. It was before a Chivas game that he met his fate. It was easier to fire him before a Chivas game than after a possible win over Chivas.
On the other side of the field, Thomas Rongen was fired after a loss to the Galaxy. Amado Guevara was removed from the team after a loss to the Galaxy. And Shawn Hunter was presented the day before a game against the Galaxy.
Those are lots of big moves from both sides. That they happened to come before or after a Clasico is no coincidence.
Read more...
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
He's back
Cuauhtemoc Blanco, that is. Back with El Tri.Back where he belongs? At least right now, yes.
Blanco was one of 12 players called into the Mexican national team ahead of next week's World Cup qualifier against Honduras. The other 11 play in Europe.
Nery Castillo was not one of them, though, because Sven said Nery might be changing clubs soon.
Here's the entire list of 25 players that Sven Goran Eriksson has called in for the match. These players will arrive in Mexico on Sunday and train for three days ahead of the game. Presumably some of these won't make the gameday roster, whenever that comes out.
Oswaldo Sánchez (Santos), Guillermo Ochoa (América), Jesús Corona (Tecos)
Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart), Rafael Márquez (Barcelona), Aarón Galindo (Eintracht Frankfurt), Fausto Pinto (Pachuca), Jonny Magallón (Chivas), Carlos Salcido (PSV), Fracisco Javier Rodríguez (PSV), Edgar Castillo (Santos)
Giovani dos Santos (Tottenham Hotspur), Pável Pardo (Stuttgart), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Andrés Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña), Fernando Arce (Santos), Leandro Augusto (Pumas), Francisco Torres (Santos), Luis Pérez (Monterrey)
Guillermo Franco (Villarreal), Omar Bravo (Deportivo La Coruña), Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Matías Vuoso (Santos), Carlos Ochoa (Monterrey)
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Grading the youngsters
I had thought about going through each US player who saw significant playing time in the Olympics and judging him on whether his stock rose or fell in terms of his prospects with the senior team.
But I can't think of many players who improved their standings with performances in this tournament. I guess that's one aspect of a complete team collapse and failure - there's not much positive to go around.
Now, I do think there were some players who showed they could play at a higher level. However, even those performances were tainted with moments of stupidity, ignorance or (insert your demeaning adjective here).
For instance, I thought Michael Orozco did well in his first two games, especially considering he's a central defender by trade and not a left back. But how good can you feel about his overall performance given his red card against Nigeria?
Stuart Holden was another who showed good signs early on, especially with his goal against Japan and his early play against the Netherlands. But then he botched a two-on-one attempt against the Dutch that would have sealed the game and finished off his horrid half by giving away a foul that led to the equalizer.
I don't think we learned anything new about Marvell Wynne (lots of speed but that's about it), Sacha Kljestan (can disappear for long stretches), Freddy Adu (selfish), Michael Bradley (prone to yellow cards) and Michael Parkhurst (not a commanding presence in central defense).
Robbie Rogers did nothing to increase his own stock. Jozy Altidore scored a goal but his injury kept him from contributing more. Maurice Edu played out of position and I thought he had a poor game against the Netherlands, but it's tough to judge him as a possible central midfield candidate for the senior side on what he did at central defense for the Olympic team.
I don't think Brian McBride was that effective but I also think that's because the lack of service was poor throughout the tournament. And besides, he's been there and done that for the US and his international days have been over save for this brief period.
Anyway, do you think any player helped his cause? Are things really that bad or am I just being too pessimistic?
Read more...
But I can't think of many players who improved their standings with performances in this tournament. I guess that's one aspect of a complete team collapse and failure - there's not much positive to go around.
Now, I do think there were some players who showed they could play at a higher level. However, even those performances were tainted with moments of stupidity, ignorance or (insert your demeaning adjective here).
For instance, I thought Michael Orozco did well in his first two games, especially considering he's a central defender by trade and not a left back. But how good can you feel about his overall performance given his red card against Nigeria?
Stuart Holden was another who showed good signs early on, especially with his goal against Japan and his early play against the Netherlands. But then he botched a two-on-one attempt against the Dutch that would have sealed the game and finished off his horrid half by giving away a foul that led to the equalizer.
I don't think we learned anything new about Marvell Wynne (lots of speed but that's about it), Sacha Kljestan (can disappear for long stretches), Freddy Adu (selfish), Michael Bradley (prone to yellow cards) and Michael Parkhurst (not a commanding presence in central defense).
Robbie Rogers did nothing to increase his own stock. Jozy Altidore scored a goal but his injury kept him from contributing more. Maurice Edu played out of position and I thought he had a poor game against the Netherlands, but it's tough to judge him as a possible central midfield candidate for the senior side on what he did at central defense for the Olympic team.
I don't think Brian McBride was that effective but I also think that's because the lack of service was poor throughout the tournament. And besides, he's been there and done that for the US and his international days have been over save for this brief period.
Anyway, do you think any player helped his cause? Are things really that bad or am I just being too pessimistic?
Read more...
Becks Workout: enjoyable fatigue
I'm tired. I got back from the gym about a half hour ago and the workout is weighing on me. That and I'm about to get started on my Press-Enterprise story and just trying to prepare for that.
Anyway, I started the Beckham Workout with, of course, Week 1. And after Day 1 of Week 1, I came away with some mixed results.
In case you didn't read it or skipped over it, I came across the Beckham Workout in this month's Men's Health magazine, as he's on the cover... covers, actually. Both sides.
Anyway, here's the workout which is modified for the average guy.
For Becks: 5-minute run; Intensity: 85 percent Maximum Heart Rate (MHR); Rest: 4 minutes; Sets: 3
For Average Guy: 5-minute run; Intensity: 75 percent MHR; Rest: Until your heart rate is 60 percent of your MHR; Sets: As many as you can do in 30 minutes.
Now, I got a heart rate monitor a few months ago so I've come to know how hard I run at certain heart rates. For me, 75 percent of my MHR is about 142 beats per minute, and usually my cardio sessions typically stay above 160. So that's a bit less intense than what I am used to. However, I think that I could use a bit of a change of pace with my workouts and, who knows?, maybe I'm not working out properly. For me, working out isn't about losing weight but trying to improve my fitness. I've got it in the back of my mind to run a half-marathon next summer after I run a pair of 10Ks this fall.
Anyway, the workout itself was... well, I guess I should explain how I view my cardio sessions. I like to think of them as getting from Point A to Point B. I can get there with an intense workout or a lighter workout or a mix but as long as I get to Point B, I'm happy. Just depends on what I want out of them.
This particular Beckham Workout was a bit of a joyride. It was like cruising with my windows open, radio blaring, enjoying the scenery, like I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. I did want to open it up a bit and take off but I didn't. It was enjoyable - the workout - but wasn't overly taxing.
Afterward, I ran two miles on the treadmill. I just needed to get that pent-up energy out of my system. And I did.
The Beckham workout stats: my average heart rate was 133 and my max was 155. For my two-mile run, my average hr was 171 and my max was 186. Still, the first part of the workout did have an affect on the run as I was pretty fatigued, especially during the last half mile.
The workout is good because it incorporates intervals which I love. I'm all about the intervals and mixing up speeds and such, and that's what benefits soccer players. I notice myself when I play a cascarita, or pickup game. I usually can find an extra gear even after having played for more than an hour and I attribute intervals to that.
It makes perfect sense then that all five weeks of the Beckham Workout is about mixing intense workouts with rest periods. It's not just "Run 5 miles" and that's it. You run hard, rest, run hard, rest, do that over and over again and you build up your fitness.
I'm thinking of trying the Week 1, Day 2 on Friday (the mag recommends performing each challenge twice a week) so I'll let you know how that goes. I'm guessing it'll be another enjoyable ride.
Read more...
Anyway, I started the Beckham Workout with, of course, Week 1. And after Day 1 of Week 1, I came away with some mixed results.
In case you didn't read it or skipped over it, I came across the Beckham Workout in this month's Men's Health magazine, as he's on the cover... covers, actually. Both sides.
Anyway, here's the workout which is modified for the average guy.
For Becks: 5-minute run; Intensity: 85 percent Maximum Heart Rate (MHR); Rest: 4 minutes; Sets: 3
For Average Guy: 5-minute run; Intensity: 75 percent MHR; Rest: Until your heart rate is 60 percent of your MHR; Sets: As many as you can do in 30 minutes.
Now, I got a heart rate monitor a few months ago so I've come to know how hard I run at certain heart rates. For me, 75 percent of my MHR is about 142 beats per minute, and usually my cardio sessions typically stay above 160. So that's a bit less intense than what I am used to. However, I think that I could use a bit of a change of pace with my workouts and, who knows?, maybe I'm not working out properly. For me, working out isn't about losing weight but trying to improve my fitness. I've got it in the back of my mind to run a half-marathon next summer after I run a pair of 10Ks this fall.
Anyway, the workout itself was... well, I guess I should explain how I view my cardio sessions. I like to think of them as getting from Point A to Point B. I can get there with an intense workout or a lighter workout or a mix but as long as I get to Point B, I'm happy. Just depends on what I want out of them.
This particular Beckham Workout was a bit of a joyride. It was like cruising with my windows open, radio blaring, enjoying the scenery, like I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. I did want to open it up a bit and take off but I didn't. It was enjoyable - the workout - but wasn't overly taxing.
Afterward, I ran two miles on the treadmill. I just needed to get that pent-up energy out of my system. And I did.
The Beckham workout stats: my average heart rate was 133 and my max was 155. For my two-mile run, my average hr was 171 and my max was 186. Still, the first part of the workout did have an affect on the run as I was pretty fatigued, especially during the last half mile.
The workout is good because it incorporates intervals which I love. I'm all about the intervals and mixing up speeds and such, and that's what benefits soccer players. I notice myself when I play a cascarita, or pickup game. I usually can find an extra gear even after having played for more than an hour and I attribute intervals to that.
It makes perfect sense then that all five weeks of the Beckham Workout is about mixing intense workouts with rest periods. It's not just "Run 5 miles" and that's it. You run hard, rest, run hard, rest, do that over and over again and you build up your fitness.
I'm thinking of trying the Week 1, Day 2 on Friday (the mag recommends performing each challenge twice a week) so I'll let you know how that goes. I'm guessing it'll be another enjoyable ride.
Read more...
Nervous energy
I'm not sure Preki is particularly nervous, actually. I think he's just fidgety. What doesn't show up in the photos is that Preki was also kicking the tablecloth a little throughout the whole press conference. It kept shaking like bunnies were trapped behind the black cloth.
Read more...
Arenaball
Luis and I were discussing the possibility of Bruce Arena becoming the Galaxy's next coach.
Drama always makes for good copy, and I don't doubt that Bruce would bring some drama and a certain amount of swagger to the team.
On the other hand, I'd rather the club pick someone who has had more recent success in the league. Also, Bruce's ties to certain players led to choices like Reyna in NY, or John O'Brien on the national team in 2006. His objectivity is questionable because of those picks.
After that World Cup, Bruce probably had his biggest success with the signing of Juan Pablo Angel to the Red Bulls, so that was a positive choice in his factor. He also helped foster the emergence of Jozy Altidore. I think New York administration pulled the plug on his tenure too early, but for the money and power they had given him, they wanted to see success more quickly.
As a reporter, I see pros and cons to having Bruce around as a coach. He's very intelligent and has some great lines. Many of them are snide, however, even though he's a good quote. Bruce could probably be as obnoxious as he wants to be if he gets the team winning, though. People dote on winners.
It's a bit funny to think of Landon Donovan saying that he found Ruud Gullit disrespectful at times. Bruce can be hard on players, too, and he's said sharply critical things of many players before, while avoiding taking blame on himself. But LD thinks Bruce is great, so maybe it's not what one says, but the way one says it.
I thought that Bruce would be a good fit for Philly, frankly, though they don't play until 2010. If successful, he could wreck revenge on DC United (supposedly, DC didn't jettison Tom Soehn for Arena earlier this year because Kevin Payne didn't want to give up as much control as Bruce wanted).
Cobi Jones emphasized at the press conference for the SuperClasico that as far as he knows, he's the coach for that game, with nothing promised for later. Perhaps that means that AEG has a coach in mind.
The ultimate LA coach would be well-known enough to be respected internationally, bilingual in Spanish and English, with good knowledge of MLS, an advocate of solid, yet creative soccer, an excellent scout, well-spoken, charismatic and a good people manager.
Any suggestions?
Read more...
Drama always makes for good copy, and I don't doubt that Bruce would bring some drama and a certain amount of swagger to the team.
On the other hand, I'd rather the club pick someone who has had more recent success in the league. Also, Bruce's ties to certain players led to choices like Reyna in NY, or John O'Brien on the national team in 2006. His objectivity is questionable because of those picks.
After that World Cup, Bruce probably had his biggest success with the signing of Juan Pablo Angel to the Red Bulls, so that was a positive choice in his factor. He also helped foster the emergence of Jozy Altidore. I think New York administration pulled the plug on his tenure too early, but for the money and power they had given him, they wanted to see success more quickly.
As a reporter, I see pros and cons to having Bruce around as a coach. He's very intelligent and has some great lines. Many of them are snide, however, even though he's a good quote. Bruce could probably be as obnoxious as he wants to be if he gets the team winning, though. People dote on winners.
It's a bit funny to think of Landon Donovan saying that he found Ruud Gullit disrespectful at times. Bruce can be hard on players, too, and he's said sharply critical things of many players before, while avoiding taking blame on himself. But LD thinks Bruce is great, so maybe it's not what one says, but the way one says it.
I thought that Bruce would be a good fit for Philly, frankly, though they don't play until 2010. If successful, he could wreck revenge on DC United (supposedly, DC didn't jettison Tom Soehn for Arena earlier this year because Kevin Payne didn't want to give up as much control as Bruce wanted).
Cobi Jones emphasized at the press conference for the SuperClasico that as far as he knows, he's the coach for that game, with nothing promised for later. Perhaps that means that AEG has a coach in mind.
The ultimate LA coach would be well-known enough to be respected internationally, bilingual in Spanish and English, with good knowledge of MLS, an advocate of solid, yet creative soccer, an excellent scout, well-spoken, charismatic and a good people manager.
Any suggestions?
Read more...
Walking wounded
Unless something drastic changes, there is quite a bit of talent and experience that will be absent for Chivas USA against the Galaxy on Thursday.
Now, that doesn't mean that the club will field a reserve team or anything but there are concerns over certain aspects of Chivas USA's potential lineup.
The lineup probably won't include Claudio Suarez, Jonathan Bornstein, Alecko Eskandarian or Ante Razov. I doubt any of those guys suits up as none of the four trained with the team on Tuesday and Preki all but ruled them out yesterday.
So who does that leave? Oh yeah, before I go on any further, Sacha Kljestan won't play either.
Okay, getting back to the question. If I were Preki, I'd throw out this starting lineup:
Zach Thornton; Panchito Mendoza, Bobby Burling, Shavar Thomas, Lawson Vaughn; Justin Braun, Paulo Nagamura, Jesse Marsch, Carey Talley, Atiba Harris; Roberto Nurse.
Maykel Galindo should be available but I'd prefer to have him fresh for 30-45 minutes than to start him and hope he makes it an hour or something. But in attacking terms, you are left without many options so that's where the injuries will really take their toll.
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Now, that doesn't mean that the club will field a reserve team or anything but there are concerns over certain aspects of Chivas USA's potential lineup.
The lineup probably won't include Claudio Suarez, Jonathan Bornstein, Alecko Eskandarian or Ante Razov. I doubt any of those guys suits up as none of the four trained with the team on Tuesday and Preki all but ruled them out yesterday.
So who does that leave? Oh yeah, before I go on any further, Sacha Kljestan won't play either.
Okay, getting back to the question. If I were Preki, I'd throw out this starting lineup:
Zach Thornton; Panchito Mendoza, Bobby Burling, Shavar Thomas, Lawson Vaughn; Justin Braun, Paulo Nagamura, Jesse Marsch, Carey Talley, Atiba Harris; Roberto Nurse.
Maykel Galindo should be available but I'd prefer to have him fresh for 30-45 minutes than to start him and hope he makes it an hour or something. But in attacking terms, you are left without many options so that's where the injuries will really take their toll.
Read more...
Border battle
The quarterfinal pairings are set for the women's tournament.
Here's how I think it will all shake out.
Scott French told me before Japan pulled off their upset of Norway that the U.S. women were doomed to not even medal, because one half of the draw was so tough.
Instead, the U.S. is now facing neighboring Canada. Relatively, this a big break and the U.S. stands a really good chance of coming through this draw to the final.
Read more...
Here's how I think it will all shake out.
Scott French told me before Japan pulled off their upset of Norway that the U.S. women were doomed to not even medal, because one half of the draw was so tough.
Instead, the U.S. is now facing neighboring Canada. Relatively, this a big break and the U.S. stands a really good chance of coming through this draw to the final.
Read more...
Truth and daring - late running U.S/Nigeria blog
Well, well, the U.S. in the moment of truth.
The running blog woke up just in time to see Nigeria score. Now the African team looks confident and is playing some dominant soccer.
One think for sure, the U.S. can't keep depending on Japan to save their scalps.
45 - The U.S. give up a corner. Nigeria get a shot off - Szetela clears off the line! The U.S. barely hung on there.
Halftime: Obviously, Michael Orozco should not have thrown that elbow. And Sacha Klejestan shouldn't have jumped, or Stu Holden committed a foul, or Freddy committed his silly foul - heck, either of them. Or Bradley, for that matter. Even in this game, Rogers is getting beat defensively like a drum and Parkhurst didn't close down the defender who sent in the cross. There's blame lying everywhere.
51 - Holden! The U.S. had a chance there, and Holden wasn't ready, or hesitated, and instead put the ball high and wide of goal. Holden actually started the play. he beat his defender, crossed, Kljestan picked his defender's pocket, passed to Rogers and then Rogers hit a pass to the front of the box. Holden might have thought that McBride would move more aggressively to that ball. He seemed surprised to find it on his foot.
54 - Nigeria corner - shot! It curls wide of the goal.
55 - Stu stand over a FK - he serves it in and Kljestan gets his head on it - pops up over the bar.
The undermanned U.S. team is getting a few chances, though.
56 - Rogers made a defensive play! Wonders not ceasing.
57 - Wynne can't prevent a cross, but Guzan catches it.
58 - I was thinking that Kljestan might attract Euro attention, but perhaps it will be Wynne.
59 - Goal is open! Szetela's shot is weak, though, and the defenders clear the ball out before it even reaches the line.
60 - Benny F. gets a yellow for arguing with the ref - who missed a handball, though it didn't look like a deliberate one.
64 - Guzan watches a shot from distance go wide.
66 - Save! Guzan! The ball deflected off Benny in the box and headed toward goal. The U.S. defenders looked far too lax on a sequence that kept the ball in goal longer than it should have been.
67 - Rogers with another defensive play.
68 - Parkhurst does better on this attack, clearing the ball when he has to. The U.S. spurt looks to be over, though. Now very tired players are just hanging on.
69 - Dax! La Flecha Roja is in for Szetela. He was an alternate who made the team when Sturgis pulled out due to injury.
74 - The Dutch have finally scored against Japan, so the U.S. is out if the results hold.
75 - Nigeria give up a corner as Wynne gets up the wing and gets off a cross. The corner is taken short and Nigeria claim it before the U.S. can get a shot off.
77 - Stu comes out for Charlie Davies. Holden had perhaps the best U.S. chance for a goal.
78 - McCarty nearly gets the ball to a breaking Davies, but Nigeria cuts off the pass.
79 - GOAL! Parkhurst slips in the box and Wynne can't cover in time. It looks like curtains for the U.S. hopes, unless Japan scores. 2-0 Nigeria
82 - MLS representing - Ekpo is getting set to come on for Nigeria.
87 - Davies busts a great move to get into the box. He gets a corner, but Nigeria's goalkeeper catches.
88 - Penalty! The goalkeeper takes down Edu in the box. He gets a yellow, but he wasn't the last man, so no red. Sacha steps up and slams it home. 2-1 Nigeria
89 - FK for the U.S. as Benny is fouled near the top corner of the box. Good chance for the U.S.
90 - Dax sends in a great ball, Davies gets to it - snaps a header - Crossbar! Ooooh, how painfully close.
90+ Davies with a low shot, but the goalkeeper catches.
Nigeria goes the other way, off the crossbar! Wynne goes the other way, beats his defender and draws the foul. Dax sends it in, but Nigeria clear it out. The U.S. is desperately pushing forward, but Nigeria counter again. No goal from Japan, so the U.S. team is eliminated. Tough loss.
Jozy was taken out at the half, by the way.
Well, Sacha could presumably fly back for the SuperClasico now, but I doubt he'd have any legs left. The U.S. was run ragged out there.
Read more...
The running blog woke up just in time to see Nigeria score. Now the African team looks confident and is playing some dominant soccer.
One think for sure, the U.S. can't keep depending on Japan to save their scalps.
45 - The U.S. give up a corner. Nigeria get a shot off - Szetela clears off the line! The U.S. barely hung on there.
Halftime: Obviously, Michael Orozco should not have thrown that elbow. And Sacha Klejestan shouldn't have jumped, or Stu Holden committed a foul, or Freddy committed his silly foul - heck, either of them. Or Bradley, for that matter. Even in this game, Rogers is getting beat defensively like a drum and Parkhurst didn't close down the defender who sent in the cross. There's blame lying everywhere.
51 - Holden! The U.S. had a chance there, and Holden wasn't ready, or hesitated, and instead put the ball high and wide of goal. Holden actually started the play. he beat his defender, crossed, Kljestan picked his defender's pocket, passed to Rogers and then Rogers hit a pass to the front of the box. Holden might have thought that McBride would move more aggressively to that ball. He seemed surprised to find it on his foot.
54 - Nigeria corner - shot! It curls wide of the goal.
55 - Stu stand over a FK - he serves it in and Kljestan gets his head on it - pops up over the bar.
The undermanned U.S. team is getting a few chances, though.
56 - Rogers made a defensive play! Wonders not ceasing.
57 - Wynne can't prevent a cross, but Guzan catches it.
58 - I was thinking that Kljestan might attract Euro attention, but perhaps it will be Wynne.
59 - Goal is open! Szetela's shot is weak, though, and the defenders clear the ball out before it even reaches the line.
60 - Benny F. gets a yellow for arguing with the ref - who missed a handball, though it didn't look like a deliberate one.
64 - Guzan watches a shot from distance go wide.
66 - Save! Guzan! The ball deflected off Benny in the box and headed toward goal. The U.S. defenders looked far too lax on a sequence that kept the ball in goal longer than it should have been.
67 - Rogers with another defensive play.
68 - Parkhurst does better on this attack, clearing the ball when he has to. The U.S. spurt looks to be over, though. Now very tired players are just hanging on.
69 - Dax! La Flecha Roja is in for Szetela. He was an alternate who made the team when Sturgis pulled out due to injury.
74 - The Dutch have finally scored against Japan, so the U.S. is out if the results hold.
75 - Nigeria give up a corner as Wynne gets up the wing and gets off a cross. The corner is taken short and Nigeria claim it before the U.S. can get a shot off.
77 - Stu comes out for Charlie Davies. Holden had perhaps the best U.S. chance for a goal.
78 - McCarty nearly gets the ball to a breaking Davies, but Nigeria cuts off the pass.
79 - GOAL! Parkhurst slips in the box and Wynne can't cover in time. It looks like curtains for the U.S. hopes, unless Japan scores. 2-0 Nigeria
82 - MLS representing - Ekpo is getting set to come on for Nigeria.
87 - Davies busts a great move to get into the box. He gets a corner, but Nigeria's goalkeeper catches.
88 - Penalty! The goalkeeper takes down Edu in the box. He gets a yellow, but he wasn't the last man, so no red. Sacha steps up and slams it home. 2-1 Nigeria
89 - FK for the U.S. as Benny is fouled near the top corner of the box. Good chance for the U.S.
90 - Dax sends in a great ball, Davies gets to it - snaps a header - Crossbar! Ooooh, how painfully close.
90+ Davies with a low shot, but the goalkeeper catches.
Nigeria goes the other way, off the crossbar! Wynne goes the other way, beats his defender and draws the foul. Dax sends it in, but Nigeria clear it out. The U.S. is desperately pushing forward, but Nigeria counter again. No goal from Japan, so the U.S. team is eliminated. Tough loss.
Jozy was taken out at the half, by the way.
Well, Sacha could presumably fly back for the SuperClasico now, but I doubt he'd have any legs left. The U.S. was run ragged out there.
Read more...
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Battery in final
Charleston Battery! In the US Open Cup final!
It's true. A USL-1 side will play in the USOC final, just the second time since 1996 that a non-MLS team has reached the final.
Charleston will play DC United, who beat New England 3-1, in the USOC final.
The Battery beat Seattle Sounders, who for the second consecutive year got bounced in the semifinals. Charleston won 4-3 in PKs after the two USL-1 sides
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It's true. A USL-1 side will play in the USOC final, just the second time since 1996 that a non-MLS team has reached the final.
Charleston will play DC United, who beat New England 3-1, in the USOC final.
The Battery beat Seattle Sounders, who for the second consecutive year got bounced in the semifinals. Charleston won 4-3 in PKs after the two USL-1 sides
Read more...
LD chat
At practice today, I waited with other reporters to ask Landon Donovan questions. However, I wasn't aggressive enough in speaking up. I never got to ask him anything.
To his credit, LD seemed willing to answer one more question for me, but he was hustled away by media relations because coach Cobi Jones was waiting for him to join a short post-practice meeting.
I was mad at myself for not piping up sooner, and I wasn't exactly soothed by another staffer's stab at humor, "Don't worry, you can still ask Landon your question - he's doing an ESPN chat today. Just email it in."
Anyway, I made sure to speak up in all the other interview chances that day with other players. In fact, I might have cut a few other reporters off. Must find balance.
Read more...
To his credit, LD seemed willing to answer one more question for me, but he was hustled away by media relations because coach Cobi Jones was waiting for him to join a short post-practice meeting.
I was mad at myself for not piping up sooner, and I wasn't exactly soothed by another staffer's stab at humor, "Don't worry, you can still ask Landon your question - he's doing an ESPN chat today. Just email it in."
Anyway, I made sure to speak up in all the other interview chances that day with other players. In fact, I might have cut a few other reporters off. Must find balance.
Read more...
The Becks Workout
Each month, I look forward with anticipation to the arrival of my Men's Health magazine. It wasn't until about a year ago that I actually had any interest in reading a publication like that but once I picked up a copy of Men's Health and saw all the great fitness tips, recipes and articles, I was hooked. I finally subscribed about four months ago, hence my monthly anticipation.
When I got the latest edition, I wasn't expecting to see an MLS player on the cover. I wasn't expecting it but I wasn't exactly surprised. Actually, one of my first thoughts was "What took them this long to get David Beckham on the cover?"
The magazine is an intersting one. It's got two covers and both sides of the magazine open up to completely different stories. On the one side, Beckham is dressed in a black tank top and looks like he's ready to hit the gym... once he sheds his jeans. On the other, he's looking dapper in an $1,100 suit. The fitness side has, well, fitness tips among other things while the dressy side has style tips.
[On an aside, if you scoff at such style tips for men, then don't do the same to the guys who dress like that and the lovely ladies at their side. But I digress...]
On one of the Beckham profiles (he gets two, after all who can combine fitness and fashion like Beckham?) there is an accompanying Beckham Workout. It's a five-week workout that instructs the reader to "perform your challenge twice a week at an intensity tailored to your maximum heart rate (MHR)."
That caught my attention. Some of the other workouts have been a bit too challenging for me to even attempt, such as Jason Statham's workout, which is just ridiculously grueling.
Beckham's is challenging but it's got a bonus. It's been modified for the average guy becuase, as the magazine says, "Beckham is one of the fittest men on earth."
So I figured, I like to work out and all, push myself to the limit and try new things so why not? I've got about two months left until the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which I signed up for, so this could add some fun to my workout regiment.
Starting Wednesday, I'm going to try the first part of the five-week workout and I'll report my findings here.
Here's the workout, both the Becks one and the one for the Avgerage Guy, or Mine:
Becks: 5-minute run, 85 percent MHR, 4-minute rest, 3 sets
Mine: 5-minute run, 75 percent MHR, rest until MHR is at 60 percent, as many sets as I can do in 30 minutes.
Some notes: You calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220, so mine is 220 minus 33, I mean uh... 27, and I get, um 187 (it's fuzzy math). So 75 percent of my MHR is 140. Wow. That is actually a bit low. I ran for an hour on a treadmill last Friday and my average HR was 176. Hmmm... maybe I need to modify my usual workouts.
Or maybe I'll try the Becks workout.
Anyway, check back sometime Wednesday after I've tried the first of the first week of the Becks workout and I'll report my findings.
Read more...
When I got the latest edition, I wasn't expecting to see an MLS player on the cover. I wasn't expecting it but I wasn't exactly surprised. Actually, one of my first thoughts was "What took them this long to get David Beckham on the cover?"
The magazine is an intersting one. It's got two covers and both sides of the magazine open up to completely different stories. On the one side, Beckham is dressed in a black tank top and looks like he's ready to hit the gym... once he sheds his jeans. On the other, he's looking dapper in an $1,100 suit. The fitness side has, well, fitness tips among other things while the dressy side has style tips.
[On an aside, if you scoff at such style tips for men, then don't do the same to the guys who dress like that and the lovely ladies at their side. But I digress...]
On one of the Beckham profiles (he gets two, after all who can combine fitness and fashion like Beckham?) there is an accompanying Beckham Workout. It's a five-week workout that instructs the reader to "perform your challenge twice a week at an intensity tailored to your maximum heart rate (MHR)."
That caught my attention. Some of the other workouts have been a bit too challenging for me to even attempt, such as Jason Statham's workout, which is just ridiculously grueling.
Beckham's is challenging but it's got a bonus. It's been modified for the average guy becuase, as the magazine says, "Beckham is one of the fittest men on earth."
So I figured, I like to work out and all, push myself to the limit and try new things so why not? I've got about two months left until the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which I signed up for, so this could add some fun to my workout regiment.
Starting Wednesday, I'm going to try the first part of the five-week workout and I'll report my findings here.
Here's the workout, both the Becks one and the one for the Avgerage Guy, or Mine:
Becks: 5-minute run, 85 percent MHR, 4-minute rest, 3 sets
Mine: 5-minute run, 75 percent MHR, rest until MHR is at 60 percent, as many sets as I can do in 30 minutes.
Some notes: You calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220, so mine is 220 minus 33, I mean uh... 27, and I get, um 187 (it's fuzzy math). So 75 percent of my MHR is 140. Wow. That is actually a bit low. I ran for an hour on a treadmill last Friday and my average HR was 176. Hmmm... maybe I need to modify my usual workouts.
Or maybe I'll try the Becks workout.
Anyway, check back sometime Wednesday after I've tried the first of the first week of the Becks workout and I'll report my findings.
Read more...
Father and son
When Claudio Suarez explained that his father was a big baseball fan and really admired Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodger public relations people arranged an introduction with Fernando, who works Dodger games as a broadcaster.
I ran into Claudio afterwards and asked to see his souvenir. He showed it to me and explained that Fernando signed it to his father, Vicente, which meant a lot to him.
I asked to take a picture, and then I remarked that his father would probably be very happy to receive the ball whenever Claudio had a chance to take it to him. Claudio smiled sadly. "I'll have to take it to his grave, then. My father passed away earlier this year. I just wanted to have it signed for him as a reminder of him."
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Previewing Primetime
I'm covering this week for the usual ESPN Thursday Primetime writer, Jeff Carlisle. My preview went up earlier today. If it seems heavy on Chivas USA - quotes, well, their players were available yesterday and the Galaxy didn't practice or have any media availability until today. I mean, it's not as if I could use my old Ruud Gullit quotes.
One regular feature for the previews is the Five Players to Watch. I wanted to include Ante Razov, since he always seems to score against the Galaxy, but his sprained knee means that he might not play at all.
I asked Preki today who from their long list of injured players was back for today's practice (he'd told me a few might be ready). Preki sighed and said, "No one." He did say that Maykel Galindo is practicing very lightly - and Alecke Eskandarian, "even more lightly."
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Preki on the SuperClasico
Preki says his piece.
Notice how he downplays the rivalry with the Galaxy - that's been a successful tactic for him before. Incidently, Chivas USA have to win by more than three goals to retain the trophy, since the Galaxy have a 3-0 win and a draw on them.
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Notice how he downplays the rivalry with the Galaxy - that's been a successful tactic for him before. Incidently, Chivas USA have to win by more than three goals to retain the trophy, since the Galaxy have a 3-0 win and a draw on them.
Read more...
Firing links
As I mentioned yesterday, I chose to write my weekly column on the US Men's Olympic team before the Galaxy news broke. So there was a wire story in the PE about the Galaxy moves.
Here are some of the stories that ran in other papers around SoCal on the bloodletting at HDC.
Nick Green at the Daily Breeze said that instead of sexy soccer we got celibate soccer. Can't argue with much of what Nick says here. Missing the playoffs again would be a major humiliation but not necessarily a surprise. The team after all has had major issues from Game One.
Here's more from the Daily Breeze as Scott Wolf chimes in.
Grahame Jones of the LA Times quoted Tim Leiweke as saying the players have no more excuses, that Tim "eliminated all excuses."
Read more...
Here are some of the stories that ran in other papers around SoCal on the bloodletting at HDC.
Nick Green at the Daily Breeze said that instead of sexy soccer we got celibate soccer. Can't argue with much of what Nick says here. Missing the playoffs again would be a major humiliation but not necessarily a surprise. The team after all has had major issues from Game One.
Here's more from the Daily Breeze as Scott Wolf chimes in.
Grahame Jones of the LA Times quoted Tim Leiweke as saying the players have no more excuses, that Tim "eliminated all excuses."
Read more...
New Zealand/U.S. running blog
I probably should have called this the intermittent blog. Who wants to prophecy the margin of victory for the U.S. before kickoff?
Then again, who could have predicted the truth is stranger than fiction of the first five minutes versus Norway?
Anyway, I can't really post too much this morning, but I'll check in occasionally.
1- GOAL! HAO! O'Rielly takes a pass, turns and cracks a distance shot at goal and scores! Fastest goal score in Olympic soccer history.
3- Short corner to Tarpley. New Zealand counter, but Buehler snuffs the attempt.
12 - Boxx with a shot from distance well over the bar.
14 - Boxx with a feed to ARod but she can't quite het a foot on it and ball pops up for the goalie.
22 - the ball has been mired in the midfield for a few minutes here, and then there's a turnover by the us women, but new zealand gets a throw in
31 - Chalupny nearly gets the ball in a dangerous spot but the pass goes to far out of reach
31 - Japan-Norway is now 1-1
36 - New Zealand shot well over the crossbar; they haven't been in many dangerous spots of late
38 - Riley with a cross and forces the US to give away a corner
39 - Nothing comes of it as the ball goes nowhere, not a short corner there and not sure what it was actually
42 - GOAL! A Rod, ball over the top of the defense from the back, A Rod gets the ball just outside of the box, runs in and fires a shot into the back of the net. US are up 2-0
44 - US defense trying to give New Zealand a goal back with a terrible giveaway but New Zealand can't take advantage of a pair of crosses from right side
HALFTIME, US leads 2-0; the US had the bulk of possession and deserves its two-goal margin
47 - Game's back on. Hucles nearly scores another goal but fans on a shot just outside the six yard box
49 - Cross from the left from NZ but Hope Solo catches it and tosses the ball upfield, the US may catch NZ on a counter that way soon as NZ starts to throw numbers forward
53 - NZ's Hearn with space up top but shot goes slowly towards Hope Solo, who easily scoops up the ball
55 - Japan update, the Japanese have gone two up now on Norway. Score's now 3-1. The US could still win the group but they need to score a few more and hope Norway doesn't.
57 - GOAL! Tarpley! A Rod had a shot blocked by Binden, Hucles came close to finding the rebound but it was cleared to Tarpley who did well to knock the ball into an empty net. US 3-0. The US wins the group if these results stand.
60 - GOAL! Hucles! Chalupny started the play on the left side as she lofted a shot on goal that hit the crossbar. Ball bounced to Hucles who swung the ball on goal. Binden gets her hands on it but the momentum carries it over her head and bounces across the goal line. The rout is on. US 4, New Zealand 0
72 - Not much has been going on since the last goal. New Zealand already looked out of it before giving up those two goals but now they've just thrown in the towel completely. The US just needs to escape without any injury and they should win the group.
73 - Japan update - Japan 4, Norway 1. The rout is on in the other match as well.
78 - Hucles threatens to make it 5-0 but ball gets away from here
85 - Japan update - Japan 5, Norway 1.
88 - Hucles beats a defender and sends a ball to front of goal that nearly gets put across the goal line by a NZ defender
FULL TIME
US 4, New Zealand 0. Pretty convincing win by the US, who win the group after all despite a bad start to the Olympics.
Read more...
Then again, who could have predicted the truth is stranger than fiction of the first five minutes versus Norway?
Anyway, I can't really post too much this morning, but I'll check in occasionally.
1- GOAL! HAO! O'Rielly takes a pass, turns and cracks a distance shot at goal and scores! Fastest goal score in Olympic soccer history.
3- Short corner to Tarpley. New Zealand counter, but Buehler snuffs the attempt.
12 - Boxx with a shot from distance well over the bar.
14 - Boxx with a feed to ARod but she can't quite het a foot on it and ball pops up for the goalie.
22 - the ball has been mired in the midfield for a few minutes here, and then there's a turnover by the us women, but new zealand gets a throw in
31 - Chalupny nearly gets the ball in a dangerous spot but the pass goes to far out of reach
31 - Japan-Norway is now 1-1
36 - New Zealand shot well over the crossbar; they haven't been in many dangerous spots of late
38 - Riley with a cross and forces the US to give away a corner
39 - Nothing comes of it as the ball goes nowhere, not a short corner there and not sure what it was actually
42 - GOAL! A Rod, ball over the top of the defense from the back, A Rod gets the ball just outside of the box, runs in and fires a shot into the back of the net. US are up 2-0
44 - US defense trying to give New Zealand a goal back with a terrible giveaway but New Zealand can't take advantage of a pair of crosses from right side
HALFTIME, US leads 2-0; the US had the bulk of possession and deserves its two-goal margin
47 - Game's back on. Hucles nearly scores another goal but fans on a shot just outside the six yard box
49 - Cross from the left from NZ but Hope Solo catches it and tosses the ball upfield, the US may catch NZ on a counter that way soon as NZ starts to throw numbers forward
53 - NZ's Hearn with space up top but shot goes slowly towards Hope Solo, who easily scoops up the ball
55 - Japan update, the Japanese have gone two up now on Norway. Score's now 3-1. The US could still win the group but they need to score a few more and hope Norway doesn't.
57 - GOAL! Tarpley! A Rod had a shot blocked by Binden, Hucles came close to finding the rebound but it was cleared to Tarpley who did well to knock the ball into an empty net. US 3-0. The US wins the group if these results stand.
60 - GOAL! Hucles! Chalupny started the play on the left side as she lofted a shot on goal that hit the crossbar. Ball bounced to Hucles who swung the ball on goal. Binden gets her hands on it but the momentum carries it over her head and bounces across the goal line. The rout is on. US 4, New Zealand 0
72 - Not much has been going on since the last goal. New Zealand already looked out of it before giving up those two goals but now they've just thrown in the towel completely. The US just needs to escape without any injury and they should win the group.
73 - Japan update - Japan 4, Norway 1. The rout is on in the other match as well.
78 - Hucles threatens to make it 5-0 but ball gets away from here
85 - Japan update - Japan 5, Norway 1.
88 - Hucles beats a defender and sends a ball to front of goal that nearly gets put across the goal line by a NZ defender
FULL TIME
US 4, New Zealand 0. Pretty convincing win by the US, who win the group after all despite a bad start to the Olympics.
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Monday, August 11, 2008
National past time
I went to Dodger stadium to cover Chivas USA's Claudio Suarez throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. I needed quotes for my SuperClasico preview, plus I thought a pic of Nomar and Claudio would look good on the blog. I didn't intend to stay for the game, but it turns out that I parked in the wrong spot. Basically, I was blocked in by other parked cars and I couldn't leave until the game ended.
Normally, I'd enjoy a nice baseball game, but these days, the Olympic soccer schedule, the start of my teaching cycle, and other responsibilities have me running ragged. Some of you might have noticed that I haven't been posting as much. Well, that's why.
At the game, I was rooting for the Dodgers (of course), but especially because I didn't want the game to go into extra innings. The Dodgers seemed to be complying, scoring six runs in the third inning, much to the dismay of Scott French, who was also at the match. Scott is a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan. He roots against the Dodgers as a default.
There's a certain rhythm to a baseball game that I appreciated more as a child, I think. I liked the rituals, the "Play Ball" call, the crack of a bat. I thought garlic fries were the best invention ever.
I still like baseball, but I have to admit, after years of covering soccer games, it does seem slow. Players stand around a lot. Vin Scully is a great saving grace, though.
Scott passes by, reads a bit of what I'm writing and proceeds to argue that the Galaxy went downhill after firing Sigi Schmid. Considering how well Sigi is doing with Columbus this year, that's a valid point. But that's also two GM's and coaches ago.
We also agreed that someone needs to act fast and give Alexi Lalas a job - in television. He's actually quite an incisive and well-spoken commentator. Scott, however, admits he doesn't mind Marcelo Balboa on the microphone.
I wonder if Mia Hamm is here with the twins. Scott scoffs at the notion. He points out that Nomar isn't playing, and that Mia has small kids. I wonder if Mia's not here because her sleep schedule is screwed up by watching Olympic soccer. But perhaps she has Tivo and no burning desire or assignment to see the games live.
Tommy Lasorda just stopped by. I'm somehow not shocked to see him in the media dining area during the time they bring out the Dodger dogs. Tommy knows the servers by name and he greets them as he cuts the line to grab a dog (no bun). They smile and wave as he passes. However, they come out from behind the counter, giddy with excitement, when Suarez stops by for a quick bite. What's especially cute is when the ladies want to take a picture with El Emperador, but not while they have their aprons on. Suarez is patient and he waits for them to pull off their serving aprons and pose beside him. After that first picture, he's held up for a while as other workers press forward, wanting pictures.
Hey, it's the 7th inning stretch. "Take me out to see soccer, I want to see players running, shots on goal and saves near the post, for it's one, two, Lalas and Ruud are out - at the Galaxy!"
It's the 9th inning now and the Dodgers are still ahead, though the Phillies have cut into the lead. I'm just hoping it wraps up soon. Three and out, please!
The Dodgers have blown leads lately, but they end up holding on to this one and yay! I can go home.
Oh, and Vin jumps into the elevator and stands next to me. He's nice to everyone and says hi even to those he doesn't know, like me. He's taller than I'd expected. Covering soccer, it's usually the other way around.
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Aborted column topic
I had set out to write some of my column on the Chivas USA-Galaxy match and how the luster was off from this game. Then, I scrapped it and decided to write an all-Olympics column. I filed it, and then the Galaxy story about Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas broke.
We're still going with the Olympics stuff for tomorrow but when I follow up on the Galaxy and the Super Clasico later in the week, it will be with today's news in mind.
That being said, I have no use for what I wrote on the game earlier. So instead of zapping it, I'll put it here so the effort won't have been a complete exercise in futility.
Now, I was going to develop this a bit further on Thursday and talk about how this game could make or break one or both of the teams' seasons. Of course, that's not happening now. There's a connnection between the Galaxy, Chivas USA, jobs lost and the Super Clasico. Steve Sampson, Thomas Rongen, Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas all were fired or quit before a Super Clasico. There might be more names to add to that list in terms of players and such, but that's just off the top of my head.
Anyway, here's the aborted column, which actually stands on its own as a topic, just not the most timely one:
--
By LB
The Galaxy-Chivas USA rivalry dates back four years now. And while the two teams have yet to meet in a league playoff match, Thursday’s Clasico might be the closest they have come to date.
That’s not exactly a good thing.
Bad defenses, slumping offenses and little prospects of a championship have taken the Super out of the Super Clasico. Neither Chivas USA nor the Galaxy are anywhere near the playoffs entering Thursday’s contest.
Sure, both clubs sit just a few points out of third place in the Western Conference and a win by either side could do a lot to get the momentum back on their respective side. But the last time Chivas and the Galaxy played, it was a battle for first place.
Just one month ago, the clubs met for Western supremacy. Now, Real Salt Lake, Houston and FC Dallas have surpassed the teams. The revamped San Jose Earthquakes are within striking distance of the local teams and in fact may be the best team in California at the moment.
Although it’s a rivalry match and the two teams will try in earnest to throw their records out the window, it will be difficult to mask their respective shortcomings. For the Galaxy, it’s the league’s worst defense that has been thus far overshadowed the offense as the defense has yielded 40 goals in 19 games. Even the offense hasn’t been itself lately. In the last six games, the Galaxy has scored seven goals. In the six games before that, the Galaxy scored 17 goals. Not coincidentally, the Galaxy is 0-4-2 in the most recent stretch.
Chivas, meanwhile, can’t seem to get a healthy squad together. Just when Maykel Galindo and Alecko Eskandarian return, Ante Razov goes down with injury. Then Galindo and Eskandarian, who each played in a 1-0 loss to Chicago on Aug. 2, missed out Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Kansas City. An inconsistent lineup has led to inconsistent results all season long.
The Western Conference champions were also dealt a cruel blow when MLS and the club agreed to transfer Brad Guzan to English club Aston Villa. Although the club had all season to prepare for the move – Guzan was after all nearly property of Aston Villa in January – a replacement goalkeeper was not brought in until Chivas’ first official match without Guzan. Zach Thornton joined the club via trade on Aug. 1 and has started the last two games with his new club. Not surprisingly, he has struggled to gain his footing and has lost both games.
So while the teams prepare for a Clasico that probably won't be Super, at least contention for a playoff spot may be on the line. Thus, the game won't be a complete waste of time.
-30-
Read more...
We're still going with the Olympics stuff for tomorrow but when I follow up on the Galaxy and the Super Clasico later in the week, it will be with today's news in mind.
That being said, I have no use for what I wrote on the game earlier. So instead of zapping it, I'll put it here so the effort won't have been a complete exercise in futility.
Now, I was going to develop this a bit further on Thursday and talk about how this game could make or break one or both of the teams' seasons. Of course, that's not happening now. There's a connnection between the Galaxy, Chivas USA, jobs lost and the Super Clasico. Steve Sampson, Thomas Rongen, Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas all were fired or quit before a Super Clasico. There might be more names to add to that list in terms of players and such, but that's just off the top of my head.
Anyway, here's the aborted column, which actually stands on its own as a topic, just not the most timely one:
--
By LB
The Galaxy-Chivas USA rivalry dates back four years now. And while the two teams have yet to meet in a league playoff match, Thursday’s Clasico might be the closest they have come to date.
That’s not exactly a good thing.
Bad defenses, slumping offenses and little prospects of a championship have taken the Super out of the Super Clasico. Neither Chivas USA nor the Galaxy are anywhere near the playoffs entering Thursday’s contest.
Sure, both clubs sit just a few points out of third place in the Western Conference and a win by either side could do a lot to get the momentum back on their respective side. But the last time Chivas and the Galaxy played, it was a battle for first place.
Just one month ago, the clubs met for Western supremacy. Now, Real Salt Lake, Houston and FC Dallas have surpassed the teams. The revamped San Jose Earthquakes are within striking distance of the local teams and in fact may be the best team in California at the moment.
Although it’s a rivalry match and the two teams will try in earnest to throw their records out the window, it will be difficult to mask their respective shortcomings. For the Galaxy, it’s the league’s worst defense that has been thus far overshadowed the offense as the defense has yielded 40 goals in 19 games. Even the offense hasn’t been itself lately. In the last six games, the Galaxy has scored seven goals. In the six games before that, the Galaxy scored 17 goals. Not coincidentally, the Galaxy is 0-4-2 in the most recent stretch.
Chivas, meanwhile, can’t seem to get a healthy squad together. Just when Maykel Galindo and Alecko Eskandarian return, Ante Razov goes down with injury. Then Galindo and Eskandarian, who each played in a 1-0 loss to Chicago on Aug. 2, missed out Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Kansas City. An inconsistent lineup has led to inconsistent results all season long.
The Western Conference champions were also dealt a cruel blow when MLS and the club agreed to transfer Brad Guzan to English club Aston Villa. Although the club had all season to prepare for the move – Guzan was after all nearly property of Aston Villa in January – a replacement goalkeeper was not brought in until Chivas’ first official match without Guzan. Zach Thornton joined the club via trade on Aug. 1 and has started the last two games with his new club. Not surprisingly, he has struggled to gain his footing and has lost both games.
So while the teams prepare for a Clasico that probably won't be Super, at least contention for a playoff spot may be on the line. Thus, the game won't be a complete waste of time.
-30-
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Galaxy release
The Galaxy just sent out a press release with all the pertinent information regarding Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas. It doesn't really give much information (these types of press releases normally don't) other than to confirm these reports.
The release had some quotes from Tim Leiweke regarding both the ex-coach and ex-GM.
Press release quotes of course are always a bit suspect. It's not that I don't believe the person's sentiments but you wonder how many eyes that went through before being sent out. For instance, there are guys whose English is not their first language and speak with thick accents who come out sounding like an English professor in a press release.
Anyway, here's what Leiweke said and what I think he may have initially meant before the release was likely cleaned up and sent out.
Both parties have agreed on mutually-agreeable terms to part company. It is an amicable arrangement and we appreciate and respect the issues that Ruud has highlighted with the club and are very grateful for all the hard work he has contributed while with the organization. Hopefully, he has laid the foundations for future success for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
What he may have meant: This is good because he was going to get fired anyway. We still have some respect for him but that was slipping - I mean, come on, how the heck can you lose to San Jose? Hopefully he hasn't screwed things up too much for this club.
With [Ruud] moving on, we believe that this is the right time to make more sweeping changes throughout the organization. Our commitment continues to be focused on not only winning the MLS Cup this and every season but to build a club capable of competing at the international level. This decision (to relieve Alexi of his duties) is the right one for the organization, the right one for the players and the right one for our fans.
What he may have meant: There was no better time than now to fire Alexi, but then again we could have said that on any given day during the last two years. Our focus is not MLS Cup... I mean, not just MLS Cup, but rather peddling friendly games overseas. And if we can't even compete in a league foreigners think is third-rate, what makes us think we can market this team abroad?
Read more...
The release had some quotes from Tim Leiweke regarding both the ex-coach and ex-GM.
Press release quotes of course are always a bit suspect. It's not that I don't believe the person's sentiments but you wonder how many eyes that went through before being sent out. For instance, there are guys whose English is not their first language and speak with thick accents who come out sounding like an English professor in a press release.
Anyway, here's what Leiweke said and what I think he may have initially meant before the release was likely cleaned up and sent out.
Both parties have agreed on mutually-agreeable terms to part company. It is an amicable arrangement and we appreciate and respect the issues that Ruud has highlighted with the club and are very grateful for all the hard work he has contributed while with the organization. Hopefully, he has laid the foundations for future success for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
What he may have meant: This is good because he was going to get fired anyway. We still have some respect for him but that was slipping - I mean, come on, how the heck can you lose to San Jose? Hopefully he hasn't screwed things up too much for this club.
With [Ruud] moving on, we believe that this is the right time to make more sweeping changes throughout the organization. Our commitment continues to be focused on not only winning the MLS Cup this and every season but to build a club capable of competing at the international level. This decision (to relieve Alexi of his duties) is the right one for the organization, the right one for the players and the right one for our fans.
What he may have meant: There was no better time than now to fire Alexi, but then again we could have said that on any given day during the last two years. Our focus is not MLS Cup... I mean, not just MLS Cup, but rather peddling friendly games overseas. And if we can't even compete in a league foreigners think is third-rate, what makes us think we can market this team abroad?
Read more...
Cobi answers the call
After Frank Yallop resigned, I was wondering if the head coaching position at the Galaxy might be offered to Cobi Jones. It wasn't, of course, at least not directly.
Thing is, when I was talking to Cobi about becoming Ruud's assistant, back when they were introduced together as a team, there was one thing he made expressly clear. He wasn't interesting in becoming an assistant anywhere else other than the Galaxy. He deferred to Ruud's accomplishments and experience, but Cobi clearly had his eye on taking over eventually.
"If I was going to be an assistant coach, it wasn’t going to be with any other organization. To be honest, the fact that it’s Ruud Gullit makes it possible for me to do this. Unless it was someone of his stature, I probably wouldn’t have put myself in the position of being the assistant coach," Cobi said.
At the time, I remember thinking, "Well, that makes sense. Even if Gullit does well, I don't really see him staying in MLS - he'll probably go back to Europe at some point, and then Cobi can step up and in."
I wondered if Cobi had been offered, or would be interested in accepting a head coaching job for another MLS team, so I asked him.
"That’s always the possibility. I’m not writing off anything, but I know that my immediate future is to be the assistant coach here. I’d say that it doesn’t put me on a different path – it opens up another path."
MLS continues its run of being somewhat unkind to foreign coaches. They just don't seem to last long in the league - exceptions being those who understand it well from having played here first - like Steve Nicol (Granted, Steve didn't play all that long for the Revs, but he definitely was familiar with the American game from A-League.)
I don't buy the resignation story. Gullit's quote the day that his signing was announced turned out to be prophetic.
"Sometimes there are forces behind the scenes. The only certainty you have as a coach is that you’re going to be sacked."
I guess we'll see what Cobi can do as a coach for the rest of the season. I'm not sure he'll stay there, however. With Lalas out, Cobi could eventually set his sights on the GM job and hire an MLS veteran - Paul Mariner, perhaps - to handle the game-to-game reins. Cobi isn't as given to grand or preposterous statements the way Lalas was, and yet his profile is high enough to still be a very effective leader of the franchise.
The turnover doesn't necessarily doom the franchise, but I'm not sure it helps, either. At some point, stability is important to establish a sense of continuity, and I don't think the Galaxy have had that in years. Yet if anyone has a sense of what the Galaxy organization needs to be successful, it's Cobi.
"We are the Los Angeles Galaxy. We are going to attract attention. I think that was one of the points that was made clear. You need to be able to perform under pressure. That’s something that I think all the players that are in there need to learn. But it shouldn’t be stressful. You should relish that. I did. I loved it."
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Bloodbath begins
For weeks, it seemed the writing was on the wall for either Ruud Gullit or Alexi Lalas. The Galaxy's terrible results dictated that someone would have to pay the price.
It seems both have as both Gulllit and Lalas are gone.
Gullit resigned for personal reasons while Lalas and AEG have also parted ways.
Gullit had been doing a decent job until lately. He had put his house up for sale so the writing was on the wall. Lalas, meanwhile, had been under fire for quite some time. He survived last year's debacle but could not outlast the club's poor results this season.
Cobi Jones is going to take over for Gullit on an interim basis while Tom Payne and Paul Bravo will assume Lalas' roles.
What do you think about the moves? Surprised? Relieved? Upset?
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It seems both have as both Gulllit and Lalas are gone.
Gullit resigned for personal reasons while Lalas and AEG have also parted ways.
Gullit had been doing a decent job until lately. He had put his house up for sale so the writing was on the wall. Lalas, meanwhile, had been under fire for quite some time. He survived last year's debacle but could not outlast the club's poor results this season.
Cobi Jones is going to take over for Gullit on an interim basis while Tom Payne and Paul Bravo will assume Lalas' roles.
What do you think about the moves? Surprised? Relieved? Upset?
Read more...
Sven in LA
Sven Goran Eriksson will make his first of possibly many trips to the United States as Mexico coach when Mexico plays Chile in a friendly in September.
Not sure if he'll think that's a good thing or not.
Mexico, of course, plays more friendlies on American soil than they do in Mexican turf. World Cup qualifiers and the like are played on their home soil but when it comes to cashing in on friendlies, the money is greener in the United States.
Coaches and players have complained about such a schedule before - Tuca Ferreti's Guate-peor rant comes to mind - and now we'll have the chance to find out what a relative outsider thinks about it.
The game is on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the LA Coliseum.
Which brings up another point. The game will come 11 days after USC-Ohio State duke it out on the same turf. The money is greener but I believe the field will be, uh, shittier here as well. The Coliseum's nightmarish field conditions have been well documented.
If nothing else, maybe Sven and Becks can do lunch. That might be one of the few positives from the trip to SoCal.
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Not sure if he'll think that's a good thing or not.
Mexico, of course, plays more friendlies on American soil than they do in Mexican turf. World Cup qualifiers and the like are played on their home soil but when it comes to cashing in on friendlies, the money is greener in the United States.
Coaches and players have complained about such a schedule before - Tuca Ferreti's Guate-peor rant comes to mind - and now we'll have the chance to find out what a relative outsider thinks about it.
The game is on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the LA Coliseum.
Which brings up another point. The game will come 11 days after USC-Ohio State duke it out on the same turf. The money is greener but I believe the field will be, uh, shittier here as well. The Coliseum's nightmarish field conditions have been well documented.
If nothing else, maybe Sven and Becks can do lunch. That might be one of the few positives from the trip to SoCal.
Read more...
Lhasa Bound Rankings (Aug. 11)
We're almost due for another round of my awards updates. I ran one after most teams had played 10 games, back in June. We've got most teams now within one or two games of their 20th games, so that should come up soon enough.
For now, here's where the teams stand as I see them.
1. Chicago (9-5-5). Long climb back to the top punctuated by come-from-behind win over...
2. New England (10-5-3)... this team, who for some reason can't beat the Fire.
3. Columbus (9-6-4). Crew face three stiff Western tests: FC Dallas home and away, RSL at home.
4. Real Salt Lake (7-6-6). West seems like a three-team race, and RSL's part of that trio.
5. DC United (8-9-1). So much for building some momentum after first shutout of year.
6. Houston (6-4-8). Houston was due for a title-game loss to New England.
7. FC Dallas (6-6-7). Introducing Kenny Cooper, your 2008 Most Valuable Player.
8. Toronto FC (7-7-5). What's more surprising - that Toronto won a road game or that Chad Barrett scored a goal?
9. Kansas City (6-6-7). What's this? Signs of offensive life?
10. New York (6-6-7). After you play Barcelona, the rest of the league seems like amatuers.
11. San Jose (4-9-6). Best team in California right now.
12. LA Galaxy (6-8-5). Not looking forward to this upcoming Clasico...
13. Chivas USA (6-8-4)... at all. Wake me when it's over.
14. Colorado (6-10-3). Fernando Clavijo should pen a book called "Enduring Failure: How to Keep Your Job Despite Consistently Terrible Output."
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For now, here's where the teams stand as I see them.
1. Chicago (9-5-5). Long climb back to the top punctuated by come-from-behind win over...
2. New England (10-5-3)... this team, who for some reason can't beat the Fire.
3. Columbus (9-6-4). Crew face three stiff Western tests: FC Dallas home and away, RSL at home.
4. Real Salt Lake (7-6-6). West seems like a three-team race, and RSL's part of that trio.
5. DC United (8-9-1). So much for building some momentum after first shutout of year.
6. Houston (6-4-8). Houston was due for a title-game loss to New England.
7. FC Dallas (6-6-7). Introducing Kenny Cooper, your 2008 Most Valuable Player.
8. Toronto FC (7-7-5). What's more surprising - that Toronto won a road game or that Chad Barrett scored a goal?
9. Kansas City (6-6-7). What's this? Signs of offensive life?
10. New York (6-6-7). After you play Barcelona, the rest of the league seems like amatuers.
11. San Jose (4-9-6). Best team in California right now.
12. LA Galaxy (6-8-5). Not looking forward to this upcoming Clasico...
13. Chivas USA (6-8-4)... at all. Wake me when it's over.
14. Colorado (6-10-3). Fernando Clavijo should pen a book called "Enduring Failure: How to Keep Your Job Despite Consistently Terrible Output."
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Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sangre americana J3 recap
Well, here's the recap for the Mexican-Americans in Mexico. Outside obligations kept me from posting a preview of this week's action so I'll catch you up as much as possible here and now.
We had one player move up from the Primera A to the top flight as Jesus Padilla's goal against Barcelona apparently earned him some bench time for Guadalajara - well, that and Omar Arellano's injury. That honor went to the guy who may have the longest name in Mexican soccer today - Marco Jhonfai Fabian de la Mora.
Also, Marco Antonio Vidal was apparently demoted as he suited up for Indios Chihuahua (Primera A) instead of Indios Juarez (Primera Division).
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 0-0 draw with Puebla
Jose Francisco Torres - Started and played 75 minutes in Pachuca's 2-1 loss at Atlante
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss at San Luis
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not play in Morelia's 1-1 draw at America
Jesus Padilla - Did not play in Chivas' 1-1 draw with Monterrey
Michael Orozco - Is with US Olympic team
Primera A
Carlos Borja - Started and played 72 minutes in Tapatio's 0-0 draw with Tijuana
Marco Antonio Vidal - Played 90 minutes in Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 win over Monterrey
Sammy Ochoa - Will serve suspension for third and final match Monday against Academicos
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 win over Monterrey
Read more...
We had one player move up from the Primera A to the top flight as Jesus Padilla's goal against Barcelona apparently earned him some bench time for Guadalajara - well, that and Omar Arellano's injury. That honor went to the guy who may have the longest name in Mexican soccer today - Marco Jhonfai Fabian de la Mora.
Also, Marco Antonio Vidal was apparently demoted as he suited up for Indios Chihuahua (Primera A) instead of Indios Juarez (Primera Division).
Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 0-0 draw with Puebla
Jose Francisco Torres - Started and played 75 minutes in Pachuca's 2-1 loss at Atlante
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss at San Luis
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not play in Morelia's 1-1 draw at America
Jesus Padilla - Did not play in Chivas' 1-1 draw with Monterrey
Michael Orozco - Is with US Olympic team
Primera A
Carlos Borja - Started and played 72 minutes in Tapatio's 0-0 draw with Tijuana
Marco Antonio Vidal - Played 90 minutes in Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 win over Monterrey
Sammy Ochoa - Will serve suspension for third and final match Monday against Academicos
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 win over Monterrey
Read more...
Oly, oly, question's free
It's been a while since I've posted a trivia question.
In honor of the Olympics, here's this one: The U.S. men have participated in a dozen editions of soccer at the Games, beginning with Paris in 1924. In all that time, who has scored the most goals for the U.S. men's team?
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In honor of the Olympics, here's this one: The U.S. men have participated in a dozen editions of soccer at the Games, beginning with Paris in 1924. In all that time, who has scored the most goals for the U.S. men's team?
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Best of the best
Someone told me that they considered Marta to be "the best women's soccer player ever". I disagree, but not because I think it's impossible for her to one day make a solid claim to that title.
For me, Michelle Akers still occupies that "best ever" spot. Part of the reason why is that Akers was a gamer. She was a competitor who could raise her game when it was most needed. She was skilled, strong and tough.
Marta is a different sort of player, quick and tricky on the ball. Technically, she may be the best the women's game has ever seen.
Thing is, I've always thought that results matter, that game pressure reveals truth - and Marta has yet to prove she has the heart of the champion.
That's why these Olympics are especially important for Marta. She can fill out that blank spot on her resume and really put her team on the map. That's important, given that her home country tends to overlook women's soccer.
Read more...
For me, Michelle Akers still occupies that "best ever" spot. Part of the reason why is that Akers was a gamer. She was a competitor who could raise her game when it was most needed. She was skilled, strong and tough.
Marta is a different sort of player, quick and tricky on the ball. Technically, she may be the best the women's game has ever seen.
Thing is, I've always thought that results matter, that game pressure reveals truth - and Marta has yet to prove she has the heart of the champion.
That's why these Olympics are especially important for Marta. She can fill out that blank spot on her resume and really put her team on the map. That's important, given that her home country tends to overlook women's soccer.
Read more...
U.S. v Netherlands running blog
Red-White-n-Blue goes up against Le Oranje. Predictions, people. Get 'em in the comments before kickoff.
Holland:
Vermeer, Zuiverloon, Marcellis, Jaliens, De Guzman, Emanuelson, Maduro, Drenthe, Bakkal, Babel, Beerens
U.S.
Guzan, Wynne, Edu, Parkhurst, Orozco, Rogers, Bradley, Kljestan, Holden, Adu, McBride
Coach Peter Nowak is growing some facial scruff - a VanDyke I guess. For luck? I don't know whether to hope the team loses so he loses it. It's just coming in.
Kickoff!
1- Rogers on the attack from the start.
3 - The Dutch quickly find their feet and start pressuring the U.S. goal.
4 - Guzan stretches to reach a high cross, then tumbles, but hangs on to the ball.
5 - The u.S. is having trouble working the ball out of the back. They barely cross the centerline before the Dutch claim the ball and attack again.
6 - Balboa rightly notes that Holland, playing a 3-5-2, outnumbers the U.S. in the midfield and this is causing the Americans problems. But so is Kljestan making passes to the Dutch defenders, like he did just now.
8 - Granted, it's raining and conditions are crappy and slippery.
9 - Yay, better from Sach - nice run and move to force a foul there. Yellow card, too, on Marcellis.
10 - Decent FK, but Vermeer catches. The U.S. regain the ball and counter - Adu cross to Bradley, but he hits his volley awkwardly and wide.
13 - U.S. FK - goes to the Dutch immediately, but the U.S. plays some nice D to get the ball again and rogers takes off on the wing, then biffs the cross out.
15 - Better midfield play from the U.S. - They give up a header to the Dutch, though, but it's high and wide.
17 - GOAL! As soon as I praise the U.S. midfield, they then look crappy, giving up a nice long stretch of possession to the Dutch. The cross finally comes in to Babel, who snaps a header that Guzan blocks, but the ball pops right back to Babel while the defenders stand in amazement. Babel promptly slams the ball into the underside of the net. 1-0. Netherlands.
20 - Pointless possession ends with a long ball over the top that Vermeer claims easily.
22 - Even Balboa is calling for Jozy to start. i wonder if Joz might be injured. He had a bit of an ankle thing before he left NY.
25 - Dutch look supremely confident now. They ping the ball around, making good connections even on long passes. Orozco fouls, but it seems to be mostly a calculated drink break for the Dutch.
27 - Freddy! He makes an amazing run, refuses to give the ball up, beats three guys, gets in the box and - puts his shot high. Get that on frame, Fred.
28 - Maybe Nowak is inspired by Wynne, whose Van Dyke is looking snazzy.
29 - As opposed to Wynne's first touch right there - which was quite horrid. He got to the pass, of course with his speed, and then basically kicked the ball out accidently.
31 - Drenthe's outside shot deflects for a corner. Guzan catches it.
33 - Freddy goes down. He's not getting that call. Rogers on the run, shot gets deflected for a throw.
35 - This time Freddy gets the call - he was on a sweet run right into the box. The FK is just outside the line. Fred isn't taking the FK? Why? Bradley steps up.
36 - Hits the wall, U.S. corner. Vermeer misses the service, but the ball goes over the line for a GK.
37 - Freddy draws another foul, but this one is spotted far out. Holden stands on it, serves it into the box - Orozco! misses, but was closeish.
40 - Nice play by the U.S. culminates in a Holden shot. Freddy backheeds to Wynne, whose cross is poor, but the U.S. manages to retain the ball and Holden slams a shot that forces a Vermeer save. Rogers follows up from distance, but Vermeer catches.
41 - More pressure from the U.S. The Dutch look a bit rattled - mistakes are made.
43 - Rogers fouls and the Dutch take their time with the FK - wanting to go in to the half with the lead.
45 - Rogers receives a nice through pass on the wing, but his pass to mcBride doesn't have much of a chance and is easily cut off.
45 + Guzan claims a cross and starts the counter. Freddy is on the run, surrounded by orange shirts and coughs up the ball.
Halftime
Well, the U.S. are a bit unlucky, perhaps, but the bottom line is that the Netherlands made good on their chance and the U.S. didn't. That's skill beyond the obvious technical advantage the Dutch have. It's competitive coolness under pressure.
46 - We're back. The Dutch seem to have their second wind. They're making canny passes and waiting for chances, making the U.S. chase.
48 - Edu foul gives up deep FK on the right side. service across the box, header! Outside side netting. Lucky U.S.
49 - How is that not a U.S. corner? Rogers is also disgusted by the poor call.
50 - The U.S. get a FK here. holden to McBride! He finally gets a ball he can get his head on and he sends it straight towards goal. Vermeer leaps to punch ball over the bar.
52 - The U.S. maintain the attack, but Vermeer is ready to pounce on a loose ball in the box.
53 - Guzan punches the ball, not quite to safety, but the U.S. get out on the counter, actually passing well through the midfield until Holden is shielded from a chip pass in the box.
55 - Edu can't control his momentum - bangs into Vermeer. Gets yellow.
58 - Mucky battle in midfield. It's hard to be precise with passes when there are chunks of mud holding up the ball.
59 - Wynne on the run! freddy's pass blocked.
60 - Orozco moving forward - gets fouled by Marcellis. Yellow.
61 - Service into the box, Vermeer comes out against the wave of traffic to punch ball clear.
62 - "I like it" is Balboa's catchphrase today. He sounds like Mikey of Life cereal. It was McBride's shot on goal that Balboa liked. Vermeer caught it.
64 - Balboa also likes Orozco getting forward, but the Dutch counter. Wynne has to race back and cover.
65 - GOAL! Sach! Freddy Adu nutmegs a defender, creating a throughball on a counter and Sach is off to the races, cutting back once in the box and shooting past Vermeer. Nice. 1-1.
66 - Jozy is in for Rogers, too.
67 - Bradley is arguing something. Cool, boy. Keep coolly cool, boy.
FK for Holland. Guzan arranges the wall. No need. DeGuzman skies the shot.
69 - Jozy hasn't touched the ball yet. Oh, there he goes, weird pass to Freddy.
70 - Jozy is the only U.S. player on the field who had his 2005 U17 World Cup dream end to the Dutch in the quarters.
71 - of course Freddy can just pass into space Wynne will get there. His cross is blocked out for a throw. Wynne is good at those - better than his crossing, sure.
72 - GOAL! Wynne's throw is deep and discombobulates the Dutch defense. They can't clear as the u.S. keep scrapping for it. Orozco hits a hard cross that basically bounces off big guy Jozy and into the goal! yay for Jozy's positioning! 2-1 U.S.
73 - Jozy is so cute - he celebrates like he actually took a shot.
75 - M'kay - here comes Makaay. The Dutch are getting serious here.
77 - Jozy in the box - hard shot, while holding off his defender, but Vermeer blocks it.
78 - Freddy gets a yellow for dangerous play against the goalkeeper. He's out of the next match, because of the even more stupid yellow he got against Japan. Freddy! Why?
80 - Guzan smothers a Sibon shot. Freddy comes out for Benny Feilhaber.
81 - The next ten minutes will be wild. Orange bodies will fly everywhere.
82 - It's Dance of the Headers in the box for a while as the ball keeps popping up, bu the U.S. finally get a foot on the ball to clear it.
84 - For such a skillful team, the Dutch lack creativity right now. They must be tired.
85 - Guzan punches a ball clear.
86 - Better attacks from the Netherlands, but the final header pops over the bar. Guzan goal kick, but he doesn't take too long, because he already has a yellow card.
87 - Makaay takes a quick short corner, but Feilhaber steals the ball before the pass comes to the box.
88 - Netherlands pinging the ball foward.
89 - Holden breaks the press, pushes forward, shoots wide, ignores an open Kljestan.
90 - Guzan makes me nervous with his basket catches. Players could challenge those.
90+ Kljestan is down. He takes his time getting up and Makaay gets pissy.
Bradley gets another stupid timewasting yellow card. I hate those. I'm sorry, I never think those are a good idea. Just play.
Jozy nice defensive play but the Dutch come right back and Holden gets a yellow for a foul - came in just a bit late. Dangerous freaking free kick, right outside the arc.
GOAL! It's hard and low and gets in under the wall as the wall jumps and Guzan's dive is late. 2-2
Final whistle
Well, well, the U.S. blew the full points at the end. A tie wouldn't have been a horrible result, but with the lead and only seconds left? It stings, big time.
Freddy played well, but I'm still bitter about his petulant yellow in the Japan game. Bradley is out on cards as well. So by default, I suppose we'll see Feilhaber and Jozy start the next match.
Read more...
Holland:
Vermeer, Zuiverloon, Marcellis, Jaliens, De Guzman, Emanuelson, Maduro, Drenthe, Bakkal, Babel, Beerens
U.S.
Guzan, Wynne, Edu, Parkhurst, Orozco, Rogers, Bradley, Kljestan, Holden, Adu, McBride
Coach Peter Nowak is growing some facial scruff - a VanDyke I guess. For luck? I don't know whether to hope the team loses so he loses it. It's just coming in.
Kickoff!
1- Rogers on the attack from the start.
3 - The Dutch quickly find their feet and start pressuring the U.S. goal.
4 - Guzan stretches to reach a high cross, then tumbles, but hangs on to the ball.
5 - The u.S. is having trouble working the ball out of the back. They barely cross the centerline before the Dutch claim the ball and attack again.
6 - Balboa rightly notes that Holland, playing a 3-5-2, outnumbers the U.S. in the midfield and this is causing the Americans problems. But so is Kljestan making passes to the Dutch defenders, like he did just now.
8 - Granted, it's raining and conditions are crappy and slippery.
9 - Yay, better from Sach - nice run and move to force a foul there. Yellow card, too, on Marcellis.
10 - Decent FK, but Vermeer catches. The U.S. regain the ball and counter - Adu cross to Bradley, but he hits his volley awkwardly and wide.
13 - U.S. FK - goes to the Dutch immediately, but the U.S. plays some nice D to get the ball again and rogers takes off on the wing, then biffs the cross out.
15 - Better midfield play from the U.S. - They give up a header to the Dutch, though, but it's high and wide.
17 - GOAL! As soon as I praise the U.S. midfield, they then look crappy, giving up a nice long stretch of possession to the Dutch. The cross finally comes in to Babel, who snaps a header that Guzan blocks, but the ball pops right back to Babel while the defenders stand in amazement. Babel promptly slams the ball into the underside of the net. 1-0. Netherlands.
20 - Pointless possession ends with a long ball over the top that Vermeer claims easily.
22 - Even Balboa is calling for Jozy to start. i wonder if Joz might be injured. He had a bit of an ankle thing before he left NY.
25 - Dutch look supremely confident now. They ping the ball around, making good connections even on long passes. Orozco fouls, but it seems to be mostly a calculated drink break for the Dutch.
27 - Freddy! He makes an amazing run, refuses to give the ball up, beats three guys, gets in the box and - puts his shot high. Get that on frame, Fred.
28 - Maybe Nowak is inspired by Wynne, whose Van Dyke is looking snazzy.
29 - As opposed to Wynne's first touch right there - which was quite horrid. He got to the pass, of course with his speed, and then basically kicked the ball out accidently.
31 - Drenthe's outside shot deflects for a corner. Guzan catches it.
33 - Freddy goes down. He's not getting that call. Rogers on the run, shot gets deflected for a throw.
35 - This time Freddy gets the call - he was on a sweet run right into the box. The FK is just outside the line. Fred isn't taking the FK? Why? Bradley steps up.
36 - Hits the wall, U.S. corner. Vermeer misses the service, but the ball goes over the line for a GK.
37 - Freddy draws another foul, but this one is spotted far out. Holden stands on it, serves it into the box - Orozco! misses, but was closeish.
40 - Nice play by the U.S. culminates in a Holden shot. Freddy backheeds to Wynne, whose cross is poor, but the U.S. manages to retain the ball and Holden slams a shot that forces a Vermeer save. Rogers follows up from distance, but Vermeer catches.
41 - More pressure from the U.S. The Dutch look a bit rattled - mistakes are made.
43 - Rogers fouls and the Dutch take their time with the FK - wanting to go in to the half with the lead.
45 - Rogers receives a nice through pass on the wing, but his pass to mcBride doesn't have much of a chance and is easily cut off.
45 + Guzan claims a cross and starts the counter. Freddy is on the run, surrounded by orange shirts and coughs up the ball.
Halftime
Well, the U.S. are a bit unlucky, perhaps, but the bottom line is that the Netherlands made good on their chance and the U.S. didn't. That's skill beyond the obvious technical advantage the Dutch have. It's competitive coolness under pressure.
46 - We're back. The Dutch seem to have their second wind. They're making canny passes and waiting for chances, making the U.S. chase.
48 - Edu foul gives up deep FK on the right side. service across the box, header! Outside side netting. Lucky U.S.
49 - How is that not a U.S. corner? Rogers is also disgusted by the poor call.
50 - The U.S. get a FK here. holden to McBride! He finally gets a ball he can get his head on and he sends it straight towards goal. Vermeer leaps to punch ball over the bar.
52 - The U.S. maintain the attack, but Vermeer is ready to pounce on a loose ball in the box.
53 - Guzan punches the ball, not quite to safety, but the U.S. get out on the counter, actually passing well through the midfield until Holden is shielded from a chip pass in the box.
55 - Edu can't control his momentum - bangs into Vermeer. Gets yellow.
58 - Mucky battle in midfield. It's hard to be precise with passes when there are chunks of mud holding up the ball.
59 - Wynne on the run! freddy's pass blocked.
60 - Orozco moving forward - gets fouled by Marcellis. Yellow.
61 - Service into the box, Vermeer comes out against the wave of traffic to punch ball clear.
62 - "I like it" is Balboa's catchphrase today. He sounds like Mikey of Life cereal. It was McBride's shot on goal that Balboa liked. Vermeer caught it.
64 - Balboa also likes Orozco getting forward, but the Dutch counter. Wynne has to race back and cover.
65 - GOAL! Sach! Freddy Adu nutmegs a defender, creating a throughball on a counter and Sach is off to the races, cutting back once in the box and shooting past Vermeer. Nice. 1-1.
66 - Jozy is in for Rogers, too.
67 - Bradley is arguing something. Cool, boy. Keep coolly cool, boy.
FK for Holland. Guzan arranges the wall. No need. DeGuzman skies the shot.
69 - Jozy hasn't touched the ball yet. Oh, there he goes, weird pass to Freddy.
70 - Jozy is the only U.S. player on the field who had his 2005 U17 World Cup dream end to the Dutch in the quarters.
71 - of course Freddy can just pass into space Wynne will get there. His cross is blocked out for a throw. Wynne is good at those - better than his crossing, sure.
72 - GOAL! Wynne's throw is deep and discombobulates the Dutch defense. They can't clear as the u.S. keep scrapping for it. Orozco hits a hard cross that basically bounces off big guy Jozy and into the goal! yay for Jozy's positioning! 2-1 U.S.
73 - Jozy is so cute - he celebrates like he actually took a shot.
75 - M'kay - here comes Makaay. The Dutch are getting serious here.
77 - Jozy in the box - hard shot, while holding off his defender, but Vermeer blocks it.
78 - Freddy gets a yellow for dangerous play against the goalkeeper. He's out of the next match, because of the even more stupid yellow he got against Japan. Freddy! Why?
80 - Guzan smothers a Sibon shot. Freddy comes out for Benny Feilhaber.
81 - The next ten minutes will be wild. Orange bodies will fly everywhere.
82 - It's Dance of the Headers in the box for a while as the ball keeps popping up, bu the U.S. finally get a foot on the ball to clear it.
84 - For such a skillful team, the Dutch lack creativity right now. They must be tired.
85 - Guzan punches a ball clear.
86 - Better attacks from the Netherlands, but the final header pops over the bar. Guzan goal kick, but he doesn't take too long, because he already has a yellow card.
87 - Makaay takes a quick short corner, but Feilhaber steals the ball before the pass comes to the box.
88 - Netherlands pinging the ball foward.
89 - Holden breaks the press, pushes forward, shoots wide, ignores an open Kljestan.
90 - Guzan makes me nervous with his basket catches. Players could challenge those.
90+ Kljestan is down. He takes his time getting up and Makaay gets pissy.
Bradley gets another stupid timewasting yellow card. I hate those. I'm sorry, I never think those are a good idea. Just play.
Jozy nice defensive play but the Dutch come right back and Holden gets a yellow for a foul - came in just a bit late. Dangerous freaking free kick, right outside the arc.
GOAL! It's hard and low and gets in under the wall as the wall jumps and Guzan's dive is late. 2-2
Final whistle
Well, well, the U.S. blew the full points at the end. A tie wouldn't have been a horrible result, but with the lead and only seconds left? It stings, big time.
Freddy played well, but I'm still bitter about his petulant yellow in the Japan game. Bradley is out on cards as well. So by default, I suppose we'll see Feilhaber and Jozy start the next match.
Read more...
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Japan/U.S running blog
An important match versus Japan looms. Predictions?
USA: 18-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 15-Kate Markgraf, 3-Christie Rampone - Capt., 14-Stephanie Cox, 15; 9-Heather O'Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd, 5-Lindsay Tarpley; 16-Angela Hucles, 8-Amy Rodriguez.
JPN: 1-Miho Fukumoto; 2-Yukari Kinga, 3-Hiromi Ikeda, 4-Azusa Iwashimizu, 7-Kozue Ando; 5-Miyuki Yanagita, 8-Aya Miyama, 10-Homare Sawa, 15-Mizuho Sakaguchi; 17-Yuki Nagasato, 11-Shinobu Ohno.
Kickoff!
1- The U.S. needs to score quickly to gain confidence.
3 - ARod with a header after a nice run of U.S. attacking play. It pops over the bar, but a decent attempt from the shorty.
5 - The longer Japan can hang on, the more of a threat they become. The U.S. should win, but the fact is, all the pressure is on the Americans, because that's where the expectations are.
6 - A long pass to O'Reilly gets cut off.
8 - Tarp with a nice long pass to HAO, wo brings it down and gets off a cross, but Japan clears the ball for a corner. The header from Boxx goes over the bar.
9 - Tarp in traffic, gets off a decent shot on goal, but Fukumoto is on it.
11 - The U.S. has come out with verve in this match, but no matter how good the team looks or how much time they have on the ball, without a goal, it's all style without substance.
13 - Mitts gives up a foul - a bit of a tricky free kick now for Japan, but the U.S. clear it.
14 - Japan comes back, though, and Solo is forced to punch the ball out for a deep Japanese throw.
15 - Kinga shot! She beats Solo, but her shot is wide by a bit.
17 - Again, the U.S. is denied on the doorstep of Japan's goal. There's just a bit of hesitation, leading to shots blocked. Tarpley, Boxx, Lloyd. Someone just needs to have no fear and take the ball first time or something.
19 - U.S. corner, but Rampone can't knock in Lloyd's flick to the far post - it's too high.
21 - Boxx takes down Ohno after a Japan run of play.
22 - Sawa shoots off the FK - forcing a nice tip save from Solo, but still a corner chance. The U.S. clears, but gives up possession. Rampone passes out to Japan - second time this game I've seen her do that. If she can't find a teammate, it might be smarter to put it out of bounds.
24 - Lloyd from distance, not that close.
25 - ARod with a nice run to beat a defender and earn a corner. The U.S. needs something to happen soon on these. Rampone takes a really weird volley shot on a deflection - way wide of goal.
27 - GOAL! Cox makes the run and the cross - which creates tons of danger. ARod misses it, but pulls defenders to her in the attempt and Lloyd runs on to the the ball near the top of the box and hammers it home. 1-0 U.S.
30 - Japan is on the attack, looking to equalize. They came back from two goals down versus New Zealand. They are a capable team.
32 - ARod is caught offside. Japan is successfully pressuring the U.S., in terms of the territory the game is played in.
33 - A Japanese cross goes past Solo and across the face of the goal and the U.S. is lucky that wasn't met with a strike.
38 - Amy bangs a cross off a defender for a corner.
39 - Lloyd gets a shot off a deflection - but it's way high.
40 - ARod fights for a ball in the box - very tenacious. She doesn't latch onto it, but forces a desperate clear that falls to Tarp, whose cross is deflected for a corner.
41 - Japan clears and kicks out on the counter immediately, forcing the U.S. to chase the play.
42 - ARod on the break, Hucles sprung her with a great pass - but ARod's chip is soft and easily caught.
44 - Mitts in the box - nearly beats the goalkeeper to a ball. Nothing like a defender on the attack to disturb the equilibrium of a match. Of course, it leaves gaps going the other way.
45 - One minute of injury time.
Halftime
The U.S. dominated play, but Lloyd's goal remains the close margin of advantage for the U.S., which badly needs the whole three points. Japan has been dangerous on the counter, so one slip up by the U.S. could be deadly. On the other hand, the U.S. is still creating chances and just needs to slot one home to breathe more easily.
47 - Oooh, so close for Japan there, and now they have a corner.
48 - Crappy corner, though, into the outside side netting.
49 - Chastain on the commentary lapses into the royal "we" when describing the U.S. play. It would have been less obvious if she hadn't apologized for it.
50 - Sawa's shot is blocked - Japan has brought more energy to their second-half effort.
52 - Right now, the U.S. midfield isn't holding the ball well at all, which is allowing Japan a lot of chances to press the defense.
53 - Chastain comments on the technique of the Japanese players - which is solid. They don't have the explosiveness of the U.S. players, but they don't randomly lose control as often as the Americans do.
56 - ARod chases down the ball on a break. The little blonde has a motor. She crosses - Boxx eventually gets a shot off, but it's over the bar.
59 - Fukumoto is out of her box, misses the ball, but a defender clears before the U.S. can take advantage.
60 - Boxx tests Fukumoto on the restart, but the goalkeeper parries well.
62 - Nagasoto from distance. It gets through traffic and past the gloves of Solo, but it's wide.
63 - ARod on a counter chance, splits two defenders, shoots - high. Too bad, she set it up so well.
65 - Ikeda gets squashed by Hucles falling on her after Ikeda slide-tackles a ball to safety.
68 - No subs yet for Pia. She's got to start thinking about who needs to be fresh for the next match, though.
71 - Japan is pressing for a while, but the U.S. break back and HAO earns another corner for the Americans.
72 - Another corner for the U.S. It's odd how they've been so ineffective on set plays. Oooh, Mitts nearly chances that it a solid shot on goal from a deflection. Fukumoto parries it out.
74 - Tobin Heath comes in for Tarp.
75 - Boxx takes a tackle from behind. Yellow for Sawa.
77 - Corner for Japan, which is threatening the U.S. goal again.
79 - Heath busts a move into the box, gets off a cross that ARod can't quite convert into a shot.
81 - ARod just wide with a shot in the box - oooh, just wide. She's been dangerous all game, but not deadly.
82 - Arakawa comes in for Ikeda as Japn goes more offensive in search of their goal. There's a lot of time left, actually.
83 - Japan FK - Miyama takes it and boots it too far to be a major threat.
Buehler comes in for Cox.
85 - So far the U.S. hasn't been able to take advantage of the three back line. But neither has the U.S. given way to the three Japanese forwards.
86 - Kai comes in for ARod, who did everything but score for her team today.
88 - Solo way out of position as the cross comes in - lucky that the header missed.
89 - Kai on the counter, into the box, shoots near post - outside side netting.
90 - Arakawa with a dangerous cross - Boxx nearly puts it into her own goal. Her touch on the ball did create a corner.
90+ Solo punches, but Japan recover. The ensuing cross is dangerous, but no one from Japan manages to get on to the ball. They're stalking the U.S. goal, though. Nervy stuff.
O'Reilly with a runs takes some time off the clock - doesn't quite make it to the corner to waste time there.
Mitts cuts off a long pass, but her own pass is picked off - doesn't matter. ]
Final whistle! The U.S. women are in the win column again - just barely.
Overall, the U.S. really picked up their performance, but only once did they leverage their many, many chances into an effective strike. Japan was also more than a bit unlucky not to score on one of their chances.
However, if the U.S. continues on the curve of improvement, they should still be in medal contention.
Read more...
USA: 18-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 15-Kate Markgraf, 3-Christie Rampone - Capt., 14-Stephanie Cox, 15; 9-Heather O'Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd, 5-Lindsay Tarpley; 16-Angela Hucles, 8-Amy Rodriguez.
JPN: 1-Miho Fukumoto; 2-Yukari Kinga, 3-Hiromi Ikeda, 4-Azusa Iwashimizu, 7-Kozue Ando; 5-Miyuki Yanagita, 8-Aya Miyama, 10-Homare Sawa, 15-Mizuho Sakaguchi; 17-Yuki Nagasato, 11-Shinobu Ohno.
Kickoff!
1- The U.S. needs to score quickly to gain confidence.
3 - ARod with a header after a nice run of U.S. attacking play. It pops over the bar, but a decent attempt from the shorty.
5 - The longer Japan can hang on, the more of a threat they become. The U.S. should win, but the fact is, all the pressure is on the Americans, because that's where the expectations are.
6 - A long pass to O'Reilly gets cut off.
8 - Tarp with a nice long pass to HAO, wo brings it down and gets off a cross, but Japan clears the ball for a corner. The header from Boxx goes over the bar.
9 - Tarp in traffic, gets off a decent shot on goal, but Fukumoto is on it.
11 - The U.S. has come out with verve in this match, but no matter how good the team looks or how much time they have on the ball, without a goal, it's all style without substance.
13 - Mitts gives up a foul - a bit of a tricky free kick now for Japan, but the U.S. clear it.
14 - Japan comes back, though, and Solo is forced to punch the ball out for a deep Japanese throw.
15 - Kinga shot! She beats Solo, but her shot is wide by a bit.
17 - Again, the U.S. is denied on the doorstep of Japan's goal. There's just a bit of hesitation, leading to shots blocked. Tarpley, Boxx, Lloyd. Someone just needs to have no fear and take the ball first time or something.
19 - U.S. corner, but Rampone can't knock in Lloyd's flick to the far post - it's too high.
21 - Boxx takes down Ohno after a Japan run of play.
22 - Sawa shoots off the FK - forcing a nice tip save from Solo, but still a corner chance. The U.S. clears, but gives up possession. Rampone passes out to Japan - second time this game I've seen her do that. If she can't find a teammate, it might be smarter to put it out of bounds.
24 - Lloyd from distance, not that close.
25 - ARod with a nice run to beat a defender and earn a corner. The U.S. needs something to happen soon on these. Rampone takes a really weird volley shot on a deflection - way wide of goal.
27 - GOAL! Cox makes the run and the cross - which creates tons of danger. ARod misses it, but pulls defenders to her in the attempt and Lloyd runs on to the the ball near the top of the box and hammers it home. 1-0 U.S.
30 - Japan is on the attack, looking to equalize. They came back from two goals down versus New Zealand. They are a capable team.
32 - ARod is caught offside. Japan is successfully pressuring the U.S., in terms of the territory the game is played in.
33 - A Japanese cross goes past Solo and across the face of the goal and the U.S. is lucky that wasn't met with a strike.
38 - Amy bangs a cross off a defender for a corner.
39 - Lloyd gets a shot off a deflection - but it's way high.
40 - ARod fights for a ball in the box - very tenacious. She doesn't latch onto it, but forces a desperate clear that falls to Tarp, whose cross is deflected for a corner.
41 - Japan clears and kicks out on the counter immediately, forcing the U.S. to chase the play.
42 - ARod on the break, Hucles sprung her with a great pass - but ARod's chip is soft and easily caught.
44 - Mitts in the box - nearly beats the goalkeeper to a ball. Nothing like a defender on the attack to disturb the equilibrium of a match. Of course, it leaves gaps going the other way.
45 - One minute of injury time.
Halftime
The U.S. dominated play, but Lloyd's goal remains the close margin of advantage for the U.S., which badly needs the whole three points. Japan has been dangerous on the counter, so one slip up by the U.S. could be deadly. On the other hand, the U.S. is still creating chances and just needs to slot one home to breathe more easily.
47 - Oooh, so close for Japan there, and now they have a corner.
48 - Crappy corner, though, into the outside side netting.
49 - Chastain on the commentary lapses into the royal "we" when describing the U.S. play. It would have been less obvious if she hadn't apologized for it.
50 - Sawa's shot is blocked - Japan has brought more energy to their second-half effort.
52 - Right now, the U.S. midfield isn't holding the ball well at all, which is allowing Japan a lot of chances to press the defense.
53 - Chastain comments on the technique of the Japanese players - which is solid. They don't have the explosiveness of the U.S. players, but they don't randomly lose control as often as the Americans do.
56 - ARod chases down the ball on a break. The little blonde has a motor. She crosses - Boxx eventually gets a shot off, but it's over the bar.
59 - Fukumoto is out of her box, misses the ball, but a defender clears before the U.S. can take advantage.
60 - Boxx tests Fukumoto on the restart, but the goalkeeper parries well.
62 - Nagasoto from distance. It gets through traffic and past the gloves of Solo, but it's wide.
63 - ARod on a counter chance, splits two defenders, shoots - high. Too bad, she set it up so well.
65 - Ikeda gets squashed by Hucles falling on her after Ikeda slide-tackles a ball to safety.
68 - No subs yet for Pia. She's got to start thinking about who needs to be fresh for the next match, though.
71 - Japan is pressing for a while, but the U.S. break back and HAO earns another corner for the Americans.
72 - Another corner for the U.S. It's odd how they've been so ineffective on set plays. Oooh, Mitts nearly chances that it a solid shot on goal from a deflection. Fukumoto parries it out.
74 - Tobin Heath comes in for Tarp.
75 - Boxx takes a tackle from behind. Yellow for Sawa.
77 - Corner for Japan, which is threatening the U.S. goal again.
79 - Heath busts a move into the box, gets off a cross that ARod can't quite convert into a shot.
81 - ARod just wide with a shot in the box - oooh, just wide. She's been dangerous all game, but not deadly.
82 - Arakawa comes in for Ikeda as Japn goes more offensive in search of their goal. There's a lot of time left, actually.
83 - Japan FK - Miyama takes it and boots it too far to be a major threat.
Buehler comes in for Cox.
85 - So far the U.S. hasn't been able to take advantage of the three back line. But neither has the U.S. given way to the three Japanese forwards.
86 - Kai comes in for ARod, who did everything but score for her team today.
88 - Solo way out of position as the cross comes in - lucky that the header missed.
89 - Kai on the counter, into the box, shoots near post - outside side netting.
90 - Arakawa with a dangerous cross - Boxx nearly puts it into her own goal. Her touch on the ball did create a corner.
90+ Solo punches, but Japan recover. The ensuing cross is dangerous, but no one from Japan manages to get on to the ball. They're stalking the U.S. goal, though. Nervy stuff.
O'Reilly with a runs takes some time off the clock - doesn't quite make it to the corner to waste time there.
Mitts cuts off a long pass, but her own pass is picked off - doesn't matter. ]
Final whistle! The U.S. women are in the win column again - just barely.
Overall, the U.S. really picked up their performance, but only once did they leverage their many, many chances into an effective strike. Japan was also more than a bit unlucky not to score on one of their chances.
However, if the U.S. continues on the curve of improvement, they should still be in medal contention.
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Friday, August 8, 2008
More Tri-bound players
Sven Goran Eriksson added several players to his original list of call-ups on Thursday. The plan is for all players who have been called up so far to report next week for two days of training. Then, there will be another list next week and that one will presumably be the one that will be for the game against Honduras.
The interesting name here is Francisco Fonseca. He had a slow and painful fall from grace a year ago. After returning from a failed stint at Benfica, Fonseca went to Tigres but didn't do a whole lot there. He started to lose his spot on El Tri and eventually wasn't called up at all. He's had a god start to the season though he hasn't scored in two games.
Julio Cesar Dominguez, Gerardo Torrado and Cesar Villaluz (Cruz Azul), Alejandro Arguello (America), Israel Castro (Pumas), Alan Zamora (Atlante), Horacio Cervantes (Morelia), Francisco Fonseca (Tigres).
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The interesting name here is Francisco Fonseca. He had a slow and painful fall from grace a year ago. After returning from a failed stint at Benfica, Fonseca went to Tigres but didn't do a whole lot there. He started to lose his spot on El Tri and eventually wasn't called up at all. He's had a god start to the season though he hasn't scored in two games.
Julio Cesar Dominguez, Gerardo Torrado and Cesar Villaluz (Cruz Azul), Alejandro Arguello (America), Israel Castro (Pumas), Alan Zamora (Atlante), Horacio Cervantes (Morelia), Francisco Fonseca (Tigres).
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Catrachos ready
Honduras released its list of players it will use against Mexico on Aug. 20 in a World Cup qualifier.
The list includes a pair of MLS players in Amado Guevara and Ivan Guerrero.
Honduras and Mexico played a memorable game in Azteca, of course. Back in November 2001 Honduras needed a win to get into the 2002 World Cup and knock Mexico out in the process but that didn't happen as Mexico won 3-0 behind goals from Francisco Palencia and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
This will be just as difficult for Honduras. Not only is the game in Azteca but Mexico will play for the first time under Sven Goran Eriksson, who will likely have his squad fired up for the game.
For Honduras and the other two teams in the group - Jamaica and Canada - the key will be to win at home. They'll need to win at home and hope for a draw or two on the road. If any of the three can get a result in Mexico - even just a draw would be monumental - that team will have a great chance of getting through to the semifinal round.
I cut and pasted this list from MedioTiempo.com and they organized it by players based outside of Honduras and their domestic contingent so that's how I'm pasting it here. Sorry for the confusion.
David Suazo (Inter), Julio César León (Parma), Edgar Alvarez (Roma), Carlos Costly (Belchatow, Polonia), Amado Guevara (Toronto), Wilson Palacios, Maynor Figueroa (Wigan), Iván Guerrero (DC United).
Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Víctor Coello (Marathon), Víctor Bernárdez (Motagua), Miguel Castillo (Motagua), Milton Núñez (Marathon), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia), Sergio Mendoza (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Óscar Bonie García (Olimpia), John Aston Boden (Victoria), Saúl Martínez (Marathon) y Osman Chávez (Motagua).
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The list includes a pair of MLS players in Amado Guevara and Ivan Guerrero.
Honduras and Mexico played a memorable game in Azteca, of course. Back in November 2001 Honduras needed a win to get into the 2002 World Cup and knock Mexico out in the process but that didn't happen as Mexico won 3-0 behind goals from Francisco Palencia and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
This will be just as difficult for Honduras. Not only is the game in Azteca but Mexico will play for the first time under Sven Goran Eriksson, who will likely have his squad fired up for the game.
For Honduras and the other two teams in the group - Jamaica and Canada - the key will be to win at home. They'll need to win at home and hope for a draw or two on the road. If any of the three can get a result in Mexico - even just a draw would be monumental - that team will have a great chance of getting through to the semifinal round.
I cut and pasted this list from MedioTiempo.com and they organized it by players based outside of Honduras and their domestic contingent so that's how I'm pasting it here. Sorry for the confusion.
David Suazo (Inter), Julio César León (Parma), Edgar Alvarez (Roma), Carlos Costly (Belchatow, Polonia), Amado Guevara (Toronto), Wilson Palacios, Maynor Figueroa (Wigan), Iván Guerrero (DC United).
Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Víctor Coello (Marathon), Víctor Bernárdez (Motagua), Miguel Castillo (Motagua), Milton Núñez (Marathon), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia), Sergio Mendoza (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Óscar Bonie García (Olimpia), John Aston Boden (Victoria), Saúl Martínez (Marathon) y Osman Chávez (Motagua).
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