Tied 1-1
USA vs Denmark
37 - Sorensen
44 - Donovan (PK)
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Real-time, blog style
So here I am in the press box watching the US-Denmark game. I realize it's only about 15 minutes in but I'm kinda worried we won't see a goal today. There are some games that have a 0-0 feel to it and this is close to that. Just call me the king of the overreactions I guess. Still, the InterLiga was a dreadful six-game borefest so maybe there is something about this building in 2007... okay, won't make that giant leap.
Anyway, I decided to put up a Bueno's Eye View shot of the USMNT and the Danes for your viewing pleasure.
Last time out
I got up at exactly 4:30 this morning, Saturday morning. Today, after all, is Bob Bradley's debut as U.S. coach, the first U.S. game since last June and my first chance since last January to watch the US in person.
But I didn't exactly get up in eager anticipation. My 15-month-old woke up screaming, like she usually does every morning between 4 and 6, and crawled into bed alongside me. She was able to go back to sleep until 5:55 but not I.
As I lay there, trying to squeeze out every last minute of sleep from her tiny body, I thought about the game and imagined the scene and kept thinking of last year. But it will be a huge difference from a year ago.
To refresh your memory, the U.S. beat Norway 5-0 at Home Depot Center on Jan. 29, 2006. Bruce Arena was the coach. Taylor Twellman was the hat-trick hero. Todd Dunivant was the big revelation. Twellman, Eddie Pope and Chris Klein accounted for the offense.
So what came from that game? Fast forward a few months and neither Twellman nor Dunivant nor Klein were anywhere near Germany. Arena and Pope were present for the United States' forgettable performances and that 5-0 win seemed as meaningless as ever.
Today, of course, will be a different game. Last year, Arena was trying to find that one player who could have made a difference. I still contend that that person would have been Dunivant had he not gotten hurt. Nevertheless, the game did not produce that. But today, Bob Bradley will start his five-month job audition. Players like Kenny Cooper and Jonathan Bornstein will try to show their international worth while others like Eddie Johnson will try to show that they still have it.
I normally don't get too excited about friendlies. As evidenced by last year's 5-0 U.S. rout, they typically mean little. But today's will carry extra weight and should be an enjoyable match.
I just hope my early-morning wake-up call doesn't make me fall asleep at halftime.
But I didn't exactly get up in eager anticipation. My 15-month-old woke up screaming, like she usually does every morning between 4 and 6, and crawled into bed alongside me. She was able to go back to sleep until 5:55 but not I.
As I lay there, trying to squeeze out every last minute of sleep from her tiny body, I thought about the game and imagined the scene and kept thinking of last year. But it will be a huge difference from a year ago.
To refresh your memory, the U.S. beat Norway 5-0 at Home Depot Center on Jan. 29, 2006. Bruce Arena was the coach. Taylor Twellman was the hat-trick hero. Todd Dunivant was the big revelation. Twellman, Eddie Pope and Chris Klein accounted for the offense.
So what came from that game? Fast forward a few months and neither Twellman nor Dunivant nor Klein were anywhere near Germany. Arena and Pope were present for the United States' forgettable performances and that 5-0 win seemed as meaningless as ever.
Today, of course, will be a different game. Last year, Arena was trying to find that one player who could have made a difference. I still contend that that person would have been Dunivant had he not gotten hurt. Nevertheless, the game did not produce that. But today, Bob Bradley will start his five-month job audition. Players like Kenny Cooper and Jonathan Bornstein will try to show their international worth while others like Eddie Johnson will try to show that they still have it.
I normally don't get too excited about friendlies. As evidenced by last year's 5-0 U.S. rout, they typically mean little. But today's will carry extra weight and should be an enjoyable match.
I just hope my early-morning wake-up call doesn't make me fall asleep at halftime.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Frankie?
I was thinking of participating in the Galaxy's open tryouts. I have some experience against MLS caliber players. I tripped Landon Donovan once, too, walking beside him for an interview, so I've got that part of the game down pat.
But I was stymied by the requirement of "MALE soccer players over 18". Hmm.
Nothing is holding back this guy, though, except a few thousand miles and perhaps the part in his audition video where he waxes nostalgic about Frank Yallop. Hilarious.
But I was stymied by the requirement of "MALE soccer players over 18". Hmm.
Nothing is holding back this guy, though, except a few thousand miles and perhaps the part in his audition video where he waxes nostalgic about Frank Yallop. Hilarious.
Tak, Denmark!
Tak is "thanks" in Danish. Today when I arrived at Denmark's training, their press officer, Lars Berendt, came over to inform me that media access was usually at the start of practice. I'd forgotten that, but he said not to worry, he'd get players to talk to me after practice, but they just couldn't stay too long. I watched the Danes run through some scrimmage plays. Morten Olsen still gets out and demonstrates to his players what he wants to see them do with the ball. A few Danish fans watched from the sidelines, respectfully observing. I asked Lars who on the team was comfortable speaking English. I felt silly when he answered, "They all speak English just fine." True enough, the three players I finally spoke with were more articulate than many Americans. It was harder to get to talk to the U.S. players, actually. The scrum around Landon Donovan after practice was discouraging. I took a picture instead of asking any questions.
Best gossip at left back
There goes Luis, stealing my thunder. I was at practice today, and it was pretty much confirmed by a regular observer that Johnny Bornstein will start.
From what I've seen of the three options, my observations are - Heath Pearce is the most athletic, physical defender, Todd Dunivant has the sweetest cross, and Bornstein has the best attack and shot.
It looks like Bradley is going with the shot.
From what I've seen of the three options, my observations are - Heath Pearce is the most athletic, physical defender, Todd Dunivant has the sweetest cross, and Bornstein has the best attack and shot.
It looks like Bradley is going with the shot.
Best guess at left back
I haven't been out to US training as often as I would have liked so I'm not about to formulate a guess in terms of a possible lineup for Saturday's game against Denmark, but I will take a guess at one position.
I think Jonathan Bornstein will get the nod at left back. Bob was around a group of reporters two days ago and, when asked what players had impressed, the only player he mentioned specifically was Jonathan Bornstein.
I think Jonathan Bornstein will get the nod at left back. Bob was around a group of reporters two days ago and, when asked what players had impressed, the only player he mentioned specifically was Jonathan Bornstein.
The clincher
So the U20 team can sew up qualifying, while Bob Bradley can start sealing the deal on earning his post permanently tomorrow.
Bob isn't Bruce Arena, though they respect each other. Players have pointed out that this camp has been more regimented than others in the past.
, though. He was practically whistling as the squad left practice. Maybe their sightseeing trip was to the beach. Or Disneyland.
UPDATE: They went to Universal Studios Hollywood. Not a bad local option.
Bob isn't Bruce Arena, though they respect each other. Players have pointed out that this camp has been more regimented than others in the past.
, though. He was practically whistling as the squad left practice. Maybe their sightseeing trip was to the beach. Or Disneyland.
UPDATE: They went to Universal Studios Hollywood. Not a bad local option.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Denmark - First look
They're tall. And, well, ok, I'll admit, I missed their practice, and got there only to see them stretch and walk off the field, so I don't have much of a scouting report for Bob Bradley. I did talk to the coach of the Danes, though, so that info will go in another article later. Grahame Jones of the LA Times was also there. He was very popular with the Danes, because he fondly recalled with the training staff their World Cup run in 1986 and the 1992 European championship - when the Danes won the title. Grahame covered all those games.Bob and the Boys
Two days from now the US will return to action for the first time since, uh, well, it seems like years, doesn't it? Remember back in June when Zinedine Zidane was in the same class as Maradona and Pele, when David Beckham was a key figure for both England and Real Madrid and Bob Bradley's Chivas USA team was still trying to gain respect in MLS.
A lot has changed since then. Bob's gone from Chivas and Preki has replaced him. Several US players have walked off into the sunset and a new batch of players has been called up.
When Bob left Chivas, I was both delighted and disappointed. In the year he spent with Chivas, I got to know Bob fairly well on a professional level. I gained the utmost respect for Bob. There was a scene in an episode of The Sopranos where Tony and Christopher are having some sort of confrontation and Christopher tells Tony "I would walk with you to the gates of hell." That's kind of how I feel about Bob.
I was disappointed with his departure because I thought he could have built something really special out here and I would have liked to have had him around for that. I think Chivas has the pieces in place to do something special this year and Preki is a good fit but I'll miss Bob this year.
I hope Bob's Boys win 4-0.
Clausura Eve
Well, I finally made picks on the other teams for the Clausura 2007.
Group 2
Pachuca
Atlante
San Luis
Monterrey
Veracruz
Tecos UAG
Group 3
America
Toluca
Tigres
Pumas
Santos
Morelia
Group 3 is very, very strong. Among the players who joined clubs in Group 3 are: Oswaldo Sanchez, Kikin Fonseca, Julio Cesar Caceres, Daniel Bilos, Daniel Luduena, Erwin Avalos, Nicolas Pavlovich, Hugo Sanchez Guerrero, Francisco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia. That's a pretty damn good list.
Season starts Friday with Tecos-Tigres on Fox Sports Espanol. Can't wait.
Group 2
Pachuca
Atlante
San Luis
Monterrey
Veracruz
Tecos UAG
Group 3
America
Toluca
Tigres
Pumas
Santos
Morelia
Group 3 is very, very strong. Among the players who joined clubs in Group 3 are: Oswaldo Sanchez, Kikin Fonseca, Julio Cesar Caceres, Daniel Bilos, Daniel Luduena, Erwin Avalos, Nicolas Pavlovich, Hugo Sanchez Guerrero, Francisco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia. That's a pretty damn good list.
Season starts Friday with Tecos-Tigres on Fox Sports Espanol. Can't wait.
Ready for action
Mostly out of boredom while waiting for the TV interviews to finish at Preki's press conference, I picked up the Chivas USA ball that their new coach displayed in this picture. I was still holding it when Preki came over for print interviews."Hey, you want to play? No problem," he said. I knew by his smile that he hadn't forgotten how he scored during the Chivas USA media game.
Preki is going to practically be a player-coach. He's out on the field mixing it up with the squad every day. I've seen him participate in finishing drills where he smokes the other Chivas USA players. Honestly, I don't know if it lights a fire under them or demoralizes them a bit.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
New World/Old World
Proof positive that language can mean different things to different people. Back when Roberto Duran of Panama said "No mas" in his famous bout with Sugar Ray Leonard, the boxer meant the fight was over. No more. He was done.
However, the Spanish in Spain is apparently different. When Fabio Capello said, "Beckham no jugara mas." his "no mas", I suppose, was just a "maybe".
What else are we supposed to think when Capello backtracks so profoundly?
However, the Spanish in Spain is apparently different. When Fabio Capello said, "Beckham no jugara mas." his "no mas", I suppose, was just a "maybe".
What else are we supposed to think when Capello backtracks so profoundly?
Boys vs girls
The women's national teams have traditionally taken on guys teams for practice. Often, they pick boys club teams. It's an interesting rivalry, because even if the girls are older, the guys really don't want to lose. Here, the U16 girls, in camp under the direction of Kazbek Tambi, take on Valley United's U14 squad.
It was really cold on the sidelines, so I missed the one goal of the game, scored by Jenna Richmond, though the moment just after is shown here.
Ya lo ves
It was crowded in the room where the announcement of Preki as head coach of Chivas USA was held. It was also a little tense. Many of the Spanish press present were asking, as tactfully as possible - considering Preki was right there, if a Mexican, or more generally, a Spanish-speaking coach would not have been a better fit for the squad. I think owner Antonio Cue really learned his lesson about going with someone who has experience with MLS and knows the league well. Still, the question will be asked of any coach of Chivas USA for a long time - and there is some validity to the fact that there is only one Hispanic coach in the league (Fernando Clavijo) and if a Mexican-owned team like Chivas USA isn't going to extend a helping hand, who will?
Happy camper
Rico Clark might be one of the U.S. players to watch for in the future. One of the things he offers in his skillset is a pretty nice shot from distance. I was curious if the U.S. camp coaches were emphasizing using that as an offensive weapon. Here's Clark's response."I think anytime you get around the goal, you should be ambitious, whether you’re a midfielder, forward, what-not. There’s nothing wrong with shooting. Now, that’s not really what I’m going to be going after in the game. Like I said, I want to fulfill my role, play one-two touch and keep the ball moving, be a connection on the team. But if I’m around the goal, I’m definitely going to shoot, especially in a game."
Brad the Goalie
As a beat writer for Chivas USA, the only goalkeeper named Brad that I usually deal with is Brad Guzan. Today, though, I interviewed Brad Friedel of Blackburn and formerly of the USMNT. I talked to Brad Friedel for about 15 minutes on a wide variety of topics. I'm sure I'll link to the stories when I publish them and that will only happen until after I write them, of course.
Brad's a cool guy. Any guy that can take time out to talk to me from across the pond while holding a 10-week-old in his arms is a cool guy. We chatted about the Premiership, Becks and the MLS, the US and his Youth Academy. That was actually the reason behind the interview. He's been trying to get publicity for the academy and I wanted to talk about that and all the other stuff as well.
I gained a lot of respect for Brad Friedel in the short amount of time we talked over the phone. I've always had respect for him as a player because of his accomplishments for the US and helping the US reach the quarterfinals in 02 and for becoming a top-flight keeper in the English Premiership. In some ways, guys like Clint Dempsey and Bobby Convey owe a lot to guys like Brad Friedel for going over to England and having success and giving Premiership clubs reasons to look at MLS for players.
Anyway, Brad is very serious about the academy and developing soccer players. He called the current system here "farcical" and said that about 70 percent of youth soccer coaches are only in it for the money. He said that lately MLS and US Soccer have gotten better about their own youth development programs. He also said... wait, I don't want to scoop myself. You'll have to wait for the story to be written to find out all of the interesting stuff he said about youth development.
At the end of the interview, I was down to my final question and he asked me if he could call me back. He'd been going back and forth between a pesky reporter (me), his 10-week-old and another older child in the background and a roofer that showed up to do work on his home. It didn't bother me because I was trying to hide from my own children. It went something like this:
---
Me: Okay, final question Brad. In my opinion, there haven't been enough minority players represented on the youth and senior national teams over the years. It's gotten better recently with the inclusion of several African-American players on the 2006 World Cup team but the level of Mexican-American players is, in my opinion, short of what it could be. Are you going to target minority players and go into inner cities to try and get players that might choose a different sport or choose a different path altogether?
Brad: Hey Luis (he pronounced it Lewis), can I call you back later today and answer that question? I've got a roofer waiting outside and I'm trying to hold a 10-week-old.
Me: (Laughing) Sure, no problem.
---
I just thought it was kind of funny how I asked this intense thought-provoking question and he had to go. I didn't care, really. He called me back and I totally understand having to deal with kids and life in general. So when he called me back I started to ask him the same question and he said "Oh yeah, minorities. We intend to target..."
Oh yeah, you'll have to wait for that response.
Brad's a cool guy. Any guy that can take time out to talk to me from across the pond while holding a 10-week-old in his arms is a cool guy. We chatted about the Premiership, Becks and the MLS, the US and his Youth Academy. That was actually the reason behind the interview. He's been trying to get publicity for the academy and I wanted to talk about that and all the other stuff as well.
I gained a lot of respect for Brad Friedel in the short amount of time we talked over the phone. I've always had respect for him as a player because of his accomplishments for the US and helping the US reach the quarterfinals in 02 and for becoming a top-flight keeper in the English Premiership. In some ways, guys like Clint Dempsey and Bobby Convey owe a lot to guys like Brad Friedel for going over to England and having success and giving Premiership clubs reasons to look at MLS for players.
Anyway, Brad is very serious about the academy and developing soccer players. He called the current system here "farcical" and said that about 70 percent of youth soccer coaches are only in it for the money. He said that lately MLS and US Soccer have gotten better about their own youth development programs. He also said... wait, I don't want to scoop myself. You'll have to wait for the story to be written to find out all of the interesting stuff he said about youth development.
At the end of the interview, I was down to my final question and he asked me if he could call me back. He'd been going back and forth between a pesky reporter (me), his 10-week-old and another older child in the background and a roofer that showed up to do work on his home. It didn't bother me because I was trying to hide from my own children. It went something like this:
---
Me: Okay, final question Brad. In my opinion, there haven't been enough minority players represented on the youth and senior national teams over the years. It's gotten better recently with the inclusion of several African-American players on the 2006 World Cup team but the level of Mexican-American players is, in my opinion, short of what it could be. Are you going to target minority players and go into inner cities to try and get players that might choose a different sport or choose a different path altogether?
Brad: Hey Luis (he pronounced it Lewis), can I call you back later today and answer that question? I've got a roofer waiting outside and I'm trying to hold a 10-week-old.
Me: (Laughing) Sure, no problem.
---
I just thought it was kind of funny how I asked this intense thought-provoking question and he had to go. I didn't care, really. He called me back and I totally understand having to deal with kids and life in general. So when he called me back I started to ask him the same question and he said "Oh yeah, minorities. We intend to target..."
Oh yeah, you'll have to wait for that response.
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