The U.S. beating TnT was basically expected, so the big news to come out of the latest round of qualifying games was by far Cuauhtemoc Blanco's retirement announcement.
He'll close things out at Azteca, but it looks like that's going to be it for seeing the bunny hop performed by the man himself during international play.
I have to say, since he'd been playing well lately, I didn't expect that move. Yet there's something to be said for going out when they'll still miss you rather than ignoring any expiration date and sticking around to get really stinky instead.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Column tales
I haven't heard from the player (who shall remain nameless unless he chimes in) so I'm back to writing my CONCACAF column. I did some more research on the United States' road "struggles."
The answer is below but before you click on the link to read the entire post, can you guess when the last time the US lost a road World Cup qualifier to a nation other than Mexico or Costa Rica?
Canada, in 1980. During that span, they beat Trinidad twice and El Salvador on the road and even threw in a 1-1 draw in Costa Rica. And those were the dark ages of US soccer.
Now, I don't expect the US to win by three goals on the road. In fact, this is more reflective of how poor CONCACAF is, not necessarily how strong the US is. You want tough road qualifiers? Go to South America. You want winnable games in a difficult environment? Then CONCACAF is for you.
The answer is below but before you click on the link to read the entire post, can you guess when the last time the US lost a road World Cup qualifier to a nation other than Mexico or Costa Rica?
Canada, in 1980. During that span, they beat Trinidad twice and El Salvador on the road and even threw in a 1-1 draw in Costa Rica. And those were the dark ages of US soccer.
Now, I don't expect the US to win by three goals on the road. In fact, this is more reflective of how poor CONCACAF is, not necessarily how strong the US is. You want tough road qualifiers? Go to South America. You want winnable games in a difficult environment? Then CONCACAF is for you.
Lake Balaton Rankings (Sept. 8)
Five points if you can guess what country Lake Balaton is in?
For the record, I'd have scored a zero.
Anyway, here are the rankings. One team is on a surge and has shot up, up, up the rankings. They're not in a playoff position yet but I'd take them to beat all the teams from 6-14 without question, at least at home.
1. Columbus (13-6-4). Impressive takedown of Revolution, even if Revs are struggling.
2. Houston (10-5-8). Kei Kamara might be this year's Joseph Ngwenya, struggling forward who comes in, finds his way and helps club in playoffs.
3. Chicago (11-7-5). No Blanco, no problem as Fire dispatch former coach with a shutout win.
4. New England (11-7-5). Went from Supporters Shield favorites to a third-place spot in East in no time.
5. San Jose (7-9-7). 4-0-1 in last five games, more than two months without a loss... still can't believe all this is from expansion team.
6. DC United (10-11-2). Last week wasn't all that bad - after all, they did win a cup.
7. New York (8-7-8). No goals in last two road games as overall road record (1-6-5) is still abysmal.
8. Chivas USA (8-9-6). Won game despite no Kljestan, Harris, Marsch, Suarez, Thomas, Talley, Vaughn, Galindo.
9. Real Salt Lake (8-8-7). Were 22 minutes away from massive step forward.
10. Colorado (9-12-3). Don't give 'em up for dead yet... even though I did a week ago.
11. FC Dallas (6-9-8). Awful result for FC Dallas.
12. Los Angeles (6-9-8). So this team can score without Becks and LD.
13. Kansas City (6-9-8). Only Kevin Hartman is keeping this team from losing 5-0 every week.
14. Toronto FC (7-10-6). With or without its internationals, this team just isn't very good.
For the record, I'd have scored a zero.
Anyway, here are the rankings. One team is on a surge and has shot up, up, up the rankings. They're not in a playoff position yet but I'd take them to beat all the teams from 6-14 without question, at least at home.
1. Columbus (13-6-4). Impressive takedown of Revolution, even if Revs are struggling.
2. Houston (10-5-8). Kei Kamara might be this year's Joseph Ngwenya, struggling forward who comes in, finds his way and helps club in playoffs.
3. Chicago (11-7-5). No Blanco, no problem as Fire dispatch former coach with a shutout win.
4. New England (11-7-5). Went from Supporters Shield favorites to a third-place spot in East in no time.
5. San Jose (7-9-7). 4-0-1 in last five games, more than two months without a loss... still can't believe all this is from expansion team.
6. DC United (10-11-2). Last week wasn't all that bad - after all, they did win a cup.
7. New York (8-7-8). No goals in last two road games as overall road record (1-6-5) is still abysmal.
8. Chivas USA (8-9-6). Won game despite no Kljestan, Harris, Marsch, Suarez, Thomas, Talley, Vaughn, Galindo.
9. Real Salt Lake (8-8-7). Were 22 minutes away from massive step forward.
10. Colorado (9-12-3). Don't give 'em up for dead yet... even though I did a week ago.
11. FC Dallas (6-9-8). Awful result for FC Dallas.
12. Los Angeles (6-9-8). So this team can score without Becks and LD.
13. Kansas City (6-9-8). Only Kevin Hartman is keeping this team from losing 5-0 every week.
14. Toronto FC (7-10-6). With or without its internationals, this team just isn't very good.
Tuesday column
My previous thoughts on CONCACAF's Big Three and their road matches all came down because of my PE column. I'm writing about the qualifying in this region, sort of an ultra-expanded, thought-out actual column spinoff from my first thought about qualifying a few posts down.
This blog sometimes serves as a sort of pre-rough draft venue, see.
Anyway, my column topic and everything else may have all been for nothing.
I've got a call in to a local player and if he calls me back (we actually already spoke briefly in the morning) I'm going to write a column on him. If not, back to Plan A, which actually was Plan B to begin with... but nevermind that.
That's how this business is sometimes. You put a lot of thought and effort into a story and then it vanishes and you pursue something else. I had to re-write completely a 2005 LA Galaxy season preview story I wrote for someone because of the Landon Donovan trade, for instance.
So if the player calls me back and we chat, I'll wind up just using my mostly-written Tuesday story right here.
This blog sometimes serves as a sort of pre-rough draft venue, see.
Anyway, my column topic and everything else may have all been for nothing.
I've got a call in to a local player and if he calls me back (we actually already spoke briefly in the morning) I'm going to write a column on him. If not, back to Plan A, which actually was Plan B to begin with... but nevermind that.
That's how this business is sometimes. You put a lot of thought and effort into a story and then it vanishes and you pursue something else. I had to re-write completely a 2005 LA Galaxy season preview story I wrote for someone because of the Landon Donovan trade, for instance.
So if the player calls me back and we chat, I'll wind up just using my mostly-written Tuesday story right here.
Debunking a myth
There is an adage in CONCACAF that seems to be prevalent, one that American coaches and players alike say all the time.
"It's tough to play away in CONCACAF."
I've found startling new evidence that may help enlighten us all on just how tough it is to play away in CONCACAF.
Now, if you are talking about physically going down to a CONCACAF nation and playing a game of soccer, that may well be tough. There can be some hectic travel involved, you might play on a bad field and the fans hate the US and all that stuff. Fine. But in terms of pulling out results, it's NOT tough to play away in CONCACAF.
For the lesser teams I suppose it is. I didn't check to see how El Salvador and Honduras had done in their respective road games over the last decade. But for the US, Mexico and to a certain extent Costa Rica, aka the Big Three of CONCACAF, it's not tough to play away in CONCACAF.
To begin with, I did not count games the US played at Mexico and Costa Rica, games Mexico played at the US and Costa Rica and games Costa Rica played at the US and Mexico. Because that's part of the new redefined theorem which we'll get to later.
So anyway, save for games away to each other, the US, Mexico and Costa Rica are a collective 17-7-12 on the road in World Cup qualifying in the qualification for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. So out of 36 games, the US, Mexico and Costa Rica lost a combined seven.
Now - here's the kicker - guess how many of those losses were from the United States? Take a second, think back, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005...
Zero.
Astounding. Really astounding. Not one loss came from the Americans. Don't believe me? Look for yourself:
2001
T 1-1 Guatemala
W 4-0 Barbados
W 2-1 Honduras
T 0-0 Jamaica
T 0-0 Trinidad
2005
W 3-2 Grenada
T 1-1 Jamaica
T 1-1 Panama
W 2-0 El Salvador
W 2-1 Trinidad
W 3-0 Panama
T 0-0 Guatemala
Count 'em up and you get a combined road record of 6-0-6 for the US in away games, Mexico and Costa Rica notwithstanding.
Already this cycle, we've got the US adding two wins to that collective total and bringing their own total up to 8-0-6 in qualifiers since 2000.
So when we hear how fantastic it is for the US to have pulled out 1-0 wins in Guatemala and Cuba and how all these other nations would struggle to even get to the Hex if they had to deal with the conditions the US has to deal with... well, forgive me for laughing.
So you might say 'Why don't you include away games to each other?' Well, save for Mexico at Costa Rica, the Big Three struggles at the Big Three. Costa Rica beat Mexico in 2001 in Azteca and Mexico returned the favor in Costa Rica in 2005 but aside from that the Big Three usually loses away to the other Big Three teams. Neither Mexico nor Costa Rica can touch the US here in qualifying and same is true in reverse when the US plays away to Mexico and Costa Rica.
But nobody needs worry about that. Mexico, the US and Costa Rica will lock up spots 1-2-3 in the Hex next year; who can pull out a result against the other two nations away will determine the positioning.
Thus, the new theorem which will replace the old myth is this:
Unless you are the Big Three playing at the Big Three, away games in CONCACAF are not tough.
Oooh, that's a bit wordy. Perhaps someone can offer a shorter condensed version.
"It's tough to play away in CONCACAF."
I've found startling new evidence that may help enlighten us all on just how tough it is to play away in CONCACAF.
Now, if you are talking about physically going down to a CONCACAF nation and playing a game of soccer, that may well be tough. There can be some hectic travel involved, you might play on a bad field and the fans hate the US and all that stuff. Fine. But in terms of pulling out results, it's NOT tough to play away in CONCACAF.
For the lesser teams I suppose it is. I didn't check to see how El Salvador and Honduras had done in their respective road games over the last decade. But for the US, Mexico and to a certain extent Costa Rica, aka the Big Three of CONCACAF, it's not tough to play away in CONCACAF.
To begin with, I did not count games the US played at Mexico and Costa Rica, games Mexico played at the US and Costa Rica and games Costa Rica played at the US and Mexico. Because that's part of the new redefined theorem which we'll get to later.
So anyway, save for games away to each other, the US, Mexico and Costa Rica are a collective 17-7-12 on the road in World Cup qualifying in the qualification for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. So out of 36 games, the US, Mexico and Costa Rica lost a combined seven.
Now - here's the kicker - guess how many of those losses were from the United States? Take a second, think back, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005...
Zero.
Astounding. Really astounding. Not one loss came from the Americans. Don't believe me? Look for yourself:
2001
T 1-1 Guatemala
W 4-0 Barbados
W 2-1 Honduras
T 0-0 Jamaica
T 0-0 Trinidad
2005
W 3-2 Grenada
T 1-1 Jamaica
T 1-1 Panama
W 2-0 El Salvador
W 2-1 Trinidad
W 3-0 Panama
T 0-0 Guatemala
Count 'em up and you get a combined road record of 6-0-6 for the US in away games, Mexico and Costa Rica notwithstanding.
Already this cycle, we've got the US adding two wins to that collective total and bringing their own total up to 8-0-6 in qualifiers since 2000.
So when we hear how fantastic it is for the US to have pulled out 1-0 wins in Guatemala and Cuba and how all these other nations would struggle to even get to the Hex if they had to deal with the conditions the US has to deal with... well, forgive me for laughing.
So you might say 'Why don't you include away games to each other?' Well, save for Mexico at Costa Rica, the Big Three struggles at the Big Three. Costa Rica beat Mexico in 2001 in Azteca and Mexico returned the favor in Costa Rica in 2005 but aside from that the Big Three usually loses away to the other Big Three teams. Neither Mexico nor Costa Rica can touch the US here in qualifying and same is true in reverse when the US plays away to Mexico and Costa Rica.
But nobody needs worry about that. Mexico, the US and Costa Rica will lock up spots 1-2-3 in the Hex next year; who can pull out a result against the other two nations away will determine the positioning.
Thus, the new theorem which will replace the old myth is this:
Unless you are the Big Three playing at the Big Three, away games in CONCACAF are not tough.
Oooh, that's a bit wordy. Perhaps someone can offer a shorter condensed version.
X Gs
The Galaxy has always had a history of former players doing damage in the league. Before, I couldn't figure out if it was bad scouting that led to the release of so many players that did well elsewhere or perhaps just the natural consequence of trades, or maybe just roster limitations that did not allow the Galaxy to keep all of their players. I suppose it's just a combination of everything.
Now, after the most recent player purge the number of ex-Galaxy players across the league is astounding. So you're going to get good performances by former Galaxy players like you did last weekend.
Four former Galaxy players combined for five goals this weekend. Ante Razov had a goal and two assists for Chivas USA. Of course, Razov is an ex-Galaxy player from way back in the day but he still fits the criteria.
More recent and players are:
- Santino Quaranta, who scored for DC
- Nate Jaqua, who scored twice for Houston
- Daniel Paladini, who scored for Chivas USA
Also, the two coach of the year candidates I talked about yesterday - Sigi Schmid and Frank Yallop - are former Galaxy coaches, of course.
Anyway, food for thought if nothing else.
Now, after the most recent player purge the number of ex-Galaxy players across the league is astounding. So you're going to get good performances by former Galaxy players like you did last weekend.
Four former Galaxy players combined for five goals this weekend. Ante Razov had a goal and two assists for Chivas USA. Of course, Razov is an ex-Galaxy player from way back in the day but he still fits the criteria.
More recent and players are:
- Santino Quaranta, who scored for DC
- Nate Jaqua, who scored twice for Houston
- Daniel Paladini, who scored for Chivas USA
Also, the two coach of the year candidates I talked about yesterday - Sigi Schmid and Frank Yallop - are former Galaxy coaches, of course.
Anyway, food for thought if nothing else.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Week 24 Spotlight
Week 24 is beyond us now... or is it Week 23? Each team has played 23 games but the league called it Week 24.
Regardless, seven games remain for each team in the league and every week from now on, whether it's been counted correctly or not, gains in significance. Last week, for instance, we saw some great performances from some great players trying to will their teams into the playoffs.
G: Jon Busch
D: Chad Marshall
D: Bakary Soumare
D: Mike Petke
M: Arturo Alvarez
M: Stephen King
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Darren Huckerby
F: Nate Jaqua
F: Yura Movsisyan
F: Ante Razov
Top coach: Preki. Missing key players and key backups, Chivas USA traveled to Toronto FC and somehow pieced together another come-from-behind victory.
Top player: Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Give him the MVP already.
Top goal: I guess what happens during international weekends is that a lot of the quality of the league is gone and consequently you don't get spectacular goals. So the goal of the week is Darren Huckerby's against DC United as it was probably the most important goal scored this week.
Top save: It didn't mean much but FC Dallas' Dario Sala had a stellar reaction save early against Colorado on Thursday.
Best game: I'm partial to the San Jose-DC match. I had it on my laptop as the Galaxy-RSL game played out before me live. I figure, if I went to those lengths to watch the game (or at least snippets of it) it must have been a good matchup.
LOWLIGHTS
For the last time (until mid-October) I'll pile on MLS for their scheduling. Key players in key games were absent and teams had to shuffle massively to fill out their lineups. MLS lessens the quality of its league for the sake of playing games and doesn't even care. Shame.
New York's Diego Jimenez is apparently a defender. So we've heard. On Saturday, though, he played the role of Chicago playmaker as he set up Stephen King on the game's only goal.
Andrea did well to recount Fabian Espindola's tale. Poor guy. When you see something like that (and for those late to the party, Espindola broke his leg celebrating a goal that was eventually called back), you likely think 'Ha. Serves him right' or something. But when you have to stand in front of him and see how dejected he looked and see the tears in his eyes, well, you can't help but feel bad for the guy. Unfortunately for him - and this is why he was probably crying - it's got to be one of the most embarrassing moments of the season.
Regardless, seven games remain for each team in the league and every week from now on, whether it's been counted correctly or not, gains in significance. Last week, for instance, we saw some great performances from some great players trying to will their teams into the playoffs.
G: Jon Busch
D: Chad Marshall
D: Bakary Soumare
D: Mike Petke
M: Arturo Alvarez
M: Stephen King
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Darren Huckerby
F: Nate Jaqua
F: Yura Movsisyan
F: Ante Razov
Top coach: Preki. Missing key players and key backups, Chivas USA traveled to Toronto FC and somehow pieced together another come-from-behind victory.
Top player: Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Give him the MVP already.
Top goal: I guess what happens during international weekends is that a lot of the quality of the league is gone and consequently you don't get spectacular goals. So the goal of the week is Darren Huckerby's against DC United as it was probably the most important goal scored this week.
Top save: It didn't mean much but FC Dallas' Dario Sala had a stellar reaction save early against Colorado on Thursday.
Best game: I'm partial to the San Jose-DC match. I had it on my laptop as the Galaxy-RSL game played out before me live. I figure, if I went to those lengths to watch the game (or at least snippets of it) it must have been a good matchup.
LOWLIGHTS
For the last time (until mid-October) I'll pile on MLS for their scheduling. Key players in key games were absent and teams had to shuffle massively to fill out their lineups. MLS lessens the quality of its league for the sake of playing games and doesn't even care. Shame.
New York's Diego Jimenez is apparently a defender. So we've heard. On Saturday, though, he played the role of Chicago playmaker as he set up Stephen King on the game's only goal.
Andrea did well to recount Fabian Espindola's tale. Poor guy. When you see something like that (and for those late to the party, Espindola broke his leg celebrating a goal that was eventually called back), you likely think 'Ha. Serves him right' or something. But when you have to stand in front of him and see how dejected he looked and see the tears in his eyes, well, you can't help but feel bad for the guy. Unfortunately for him - and this is why he was probably crying - it's got to be one of the most embarrassing moments of the season.
The more things change...
Remember 2005 and the CONCACAF hexagonal? That seems like ancient history in many ways as players and coaches and uniforms and seemingly everything has changed.
Yet, 2009 is promising to look a lot like 2005.
Consider Saturday's results:
Group 1: The US won and sits on six points atop the group. Trinidad tied and is second on four points.
Group 2: Mexico won and sits on six points. Honduras also won and is in second with three points.
Group 3: Costa Rica won and sits on six points. El Salvador won and is in second with three points.
Yawn.
If results hold, the final six will look like this:
United States
Trinidad & Tobago
Mexico
Honduras
Costa Rica
El Salvador
In 2005, the final six were:
United States
Trinidad & Tobago
Mexico
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Panama
So with all the evolution and progress and development and moving forward and all that, we get Honduras and El Salvador in place of Guatemala and Panama. Not exactly a big surprise there, and not much difference there. Two Central American teams in place of two Central American teams. Of course, Honduras and Guatemala are quite different, but in general terms they are similar. Both teams can be dangerous but can also be fragile. For that matter, El Salvador and Panama are alike. Not much will be expected from them, and if El Salvador can finish in fifth place next year, that alone will be a surprise.
It just seems that no matter how things play out in CONCACAF, the same teams are on top. Which begs the question, why even bother with the semifinal round? Why force teams like Mexico and the US and Costa Rica to play 18 games, really to play eight extra games when we all know they will all reach the Hex anyway?
Yet, 2009 is promising to look a lot like 2005.
Consider Saturday's results:
Group 1: The US won and sits on six points atop the group. Trinidad tied and is second on four points.
Group 2: Mexico won and sits on six points. Honduras also won and is in second with three points.
Group 3: Costa Rica won and sits on six points. El Salvador won and is in second with three points.
Yawn.
If results hold, the final six will look like this:
United States
Trinidad & Tobago
Mexico
Honduras
Costa Rica
El Salvador
In 2005, the final six were:
United States
Trinidad & Tobago
Mexico
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Panama
So with all the evolution and progress and development and moving forward and all that, we get Honduras and El Salvador in place of Guatemala and Panama. Not exactly a big surprise there, and not much difference there. Two Central American teams in place of two Central American teams. Of course, Honduras and Guatemala are quite different, but in general terms they are similar. Both teams can be dangerous but can also be fragile. For that matter, El Salvador and Panama are alike. Not much will be expected from them, and if El Salvador can finish in fifth place next year, that alone will be a surprise.
It just seems that no matter how things play out in CONCACAF, the same teams are on top. Which begs the question, why even bother with the semifinal round? Why force teams like Mexico and the US and Costa Rica to play 18 games, really to play eight extra games when we all know they will all reach the Hex anyway?
Top coach?
With the finish line in sight, the coach of the year award in MLS seems to be headed down towards two candidates. Many coaches have done well this year and there is still a huge portion of the season remaining, so perhaps someone else will distinguish themselves.
For now, though, we've narrowed it down to Sigi Schmid and Frank Yallop. Of course, the opinions differ.
It would be hard to argue against Sigi Schmid. After all, few expected Columbus to even contend for a playoff spot let alone contend for the Supporters Shield. But that's where Schmid has the Crew, poised to run away with the league's best record.
Still, I've got to give some props to Frank Yallop. San Jose is in a fantastic position given everything San Jose has gone through this season. Remember the 'Quakes are an expansion team, and we all know how terrible Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC did in their respective expansion seasons.
Of course, this is contingent upon San Jose making the playoffs. If San Jose misses out on the postseason, all bets are off.
For now, though, we've narrowed it down to Sigi Schmid and Frank Yallop. Of course, the opinions differ.
It would be hard to argue against Sigi Schmid. After all, few expected Columbus to even contend for a playoff spot let alone contend for the Supporters Shield. But that's where Schmid has the Crew, poised to run away with the league's best record.
Still, I've got to give some props to Frank Yallop. San Jose is in a fantastic position given everything San Jose has gone through this season. Remember the 'Quakes are an expansion team, and we all know how terrible Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC did in their respective expansion seasons.
Of course, this is contingent upon San Jose making the playoffs. If San Jose misses out on the postseason, all bets are off.
All quiet on the Southern front
If you're wondering how the Mexican league played out this weekend, wonder no more. The league was not in action, as many other leagues around the world were on Saturday.
The Mexican league ran things as they should run on international fixture dates and gave way for the national team.
Saturday, unfortunately, was status quo in MLS.
I got to the press box early to watch US-Cuba. At the same time as that game, Columbus-New England and New York-Chicago were going on. I felt bad for the fans who had to choose between club and country, especially season ticket holders. On the one hand, you want to go support your club. But at the same time, the US national team only plays meaningful games every now and then. After all, Saturday's game in Cuba was one of eight that really matter this year. And for season ticket holders, Saturday's home games were one of 15 games they paid money for.
And there's MLS, putting fans in a position to choose between club and country.
When I saw the Galaxy-Real Salt Lake lineup, I couldn't help but shake my head. MLS is willing to go forth with such a product, with the Galaxy starting six defenders because they were shorthanded, with Toronto having to sign players to one-day contracts and bring in a scout just to fill out their roster.
Let's be glad that MLS didn't schedule any games on Wednesday to go head-to-head with the national team.
The Mexican league ran things as they should run on international fixture dates and gave way for the national team.
Saturday, unfortunately, was status quo in MLS.
I got to the press box early to watch US-Cuba. At the same time as that game, Columbus-New England and New York-Chicago were going on. I felt bad for the fans who had to choose between club and country, especially season ticket holders. On the one hand, you want to go support your club. But at the same time, the US national team only plays meaningful games every now and then. After all, Saturday's game in Cuba was one of eight that really matter this year. And for season ticket holders, Saturday's home games were one of 15 games they paid money for.
And there's MLS, putting fans in a position to choose between club and country.
When I saw the Galaxy-Real Salt Lake lineup, I couldn't help but shake my head. MLS is willing to go forth with such a product, with the Galaxy starting six defenders because they were shorthanded, with Toronto having to sign players to one-day contracts and bring in a scout just to fill out their roster.
Let's be glad that MLS didn't schedule any games on Wednesday to go head-to-head with the national team.
Cuba - a look back
Faitelson: In the end, it was a historic night here in Havana. The United States defeated Cuba 1-0, an expected victory, but Cuba demonstrated that they have advanced, that they can fight and keep a game close. In the end, they nearly earned a draw.
Frankie says his thing.
Alain Cervantes: I think we had a good attitude. We didn’t play so well in the first period. In that half, we were pushed back. The game ended 1-0, but I think we played well. The U.S. is a good team and a good rival. There wasn’t more we could do. They’re first in CONCACAF. They were able to dominate the first period. We had more of the play in the second half, but in soccer, it’s the result that counts.
Leonel Duarte: We’re improving. We’re becoming a force in the Caribbean. Things are changing – it’s the first time we’ve had this stadium full of people. That encouraged us so much, to have the support of fans. It’s not just that our soccer is growing, it’s that the understanding of the fans is rising, too. There’s still a long way to go, but with hard work and heart, and with the advice of good coaching to raise our tactics, we’re going to have results.
Faitelson: The U.S. has six points from two games and now returns home to face Trinidad and Tobago. Cuba has no points from their two games, and their dream of the World Cup is fading.
Flipping out
So Fabian Espindola hurt himself on a backflip celebrating what he thought was a goal. Then Bryan Jordan scored a minute later - and guess what he did?
If you thought backflip, you'd be wrong. He did a front flip. Check out both on the video.
Since I've been watching gymnastics in the Olympics recently, I'm going to carp on Espindola's landing. He straightened the leg too much, creating more impact on the landing than his foot could take.
"I didn't do anything different," he told me in the locker room. "That's the way I've always celebrated."
Meanwhile, BJ didn't land his front flip perfectly, either, but his legs were bent enough to cushion the landing a bit more. He had no regrets about risking injury on his front flip.
"I wanted to make sure I celebrated. It's been my thing since college. I feel confident doing it."
For Will Johnson, a simple fist pump sufficed to celebrate his score. I don't even remember Buddle's celebration. Yura Movsisyan ran over to acknowledge family and friends who came to the game, I think.
Granted, getting hurt celebrating is not good. "I remember (NFL's) Martin Grammatica hurting himself," said Kyle Beckerman.
But I also agree with Kreis when he said, "We're entertainers. That's what we're here for."
I like flips and other impressive goal celebrations. They don't have to be acrobatic. Clint Dempsey used to have great goal celebrations in MLS and he never flipped around. He was creative, though.
If you thought backflip, you'd be wrong. He did a front flip. Check out both on the video.
Since I've been watching gymnastics in the Olympics recently, I'm going to carp on Espindola's landing. He straightened the leg too much, creating more impact on the landing than his foot could take.
"I didn't do anything different," he told me in the locker room. "That's the way I've always celebrated."
Meanwhile, BJ didn't land his front flip perfectly, either, but his legs were bent enough to cushion the landing a bit more. He had no regrets about risking injury on his front flip.
"I wanted to make sure I celebrated. It's been my thing since college. I feel confident doing it."
For Will Johnson, a simple fist pump sufficed to celebrate his score. I don't even remember Buddle's celebration. Yura Movsisyan ran over to acknowledge family and friends who came to the game, I think.
Granted, getting hurt celebrating is not good. "I remember (NFL's) Martin Grammatica hurting himself," said Kyle Beckerman.
But I also agree with Kreis when he said, "We're entertainers. That's what we're here for."
I like flips and other impressive goal celebrations. They don't have to be acrobatic. Clint Dempsey used to have great goal celebrations in MLS and he never flipped around. He was creative, though.
The rest of the story
Luis wrote a post-game article that included a Kyle Beckerman quote, but he left out the Nick Rimando cameo.
Luis and I were part of a group of reporters around Kyle in the locker room. Just as Kyle said his bit about Edson taking advantage of an inch of space, Nick walked by.
"He got more than an inch," the goalkeeper asserted. "He got two inches, at least." He walked on, shaking his head. Apparently he was a bit frustrated, either at himself for giving up the rebound, or his defenders for not clearing the ball. Maybe both.
Kyle apparently agreed with Nick, because he then said the second part of the quote. He also mentioned how well Edson has been playing this year, said it's clear that he has the momentum of self-belief.
As for Edson, he agreed that scoring this season was helping him play well and have patience when trying to score. It led to him being a bit tricky on the goal he scored, as he confused the defenders a bit. "They thought I was going to hit it first time. To take a touch gave me a bit more space to slot that ball. If I didn't have so many goals right now, I probably would have blasted it, first time. I'm a little more confident now in that situation."
Espindola was really upset about his injury, fighting back tears in the locker room as he sat, disconsolate, with crutches. He said he'd celebrated goals with flips before, but never suffered an injury. He swore never to take the chance again. It was a particularly disheartening moment for him because not only was he playing so well lately, but the goal he celebrated was called back.
"If I'd seen the offside flag just two seconds sooner - I wouldn't have celebrated and this wouldn't have happened."
Yet if any coach in the league would be understanding about Espindola's celebration, it would be Kreis. A backflip was his trademark for years. He also scored a lot, so he flipped around a lot.
Sure enough, Kreis didn't fault his player's actions. "I did that for years," he pointed out. "These things happen. It's possible for him to get hurt going down a flight of stairs."
Or up a flight of stairs. I was taking the stairs to the pressbox soon after talking to Espindola. I tripped and pitched forward. I was carrying my laptop, so I turned to take the brunt of the impact on one arm, holding the laptop away safely.
I hurt my wrist, but I don't think it's broken. Still, it felt like Espindola's misfortune was contagious.
Luis and I were part of a group of reporters around Kyle in the locker room. Just as Kyle said his bit about Edson taking advantage of an inch of space, Nick walked by.
"He got more than an inch," the goalkeeper asserted. "He got two inches, at least." He walked on, shaking his head. Apparently he was a bit frustrated, either at himself for giving up the rebound, or his defenders for not clearing the ball. Maybe both.
Kyle apparently agreed with Nick, because he then said the second part of the quote. He also mentioned how well Edson has been playing this year, said it's clear that he has the momentum of self-belief.
As for Edson, he agreed that scoring this season was helping him play well and have patience when trying to score. It led to him being a bit tricky on the goal he scored, as he confused the defenders a bit. "They thought I was going to hit it first time. To take a touch gave me a bit more space to slot that ball. If I didn't have so many goals right now, I probably would have blasted it, first time. I'm a little more confident now in that situation."
Espindola was really upset about his injury, fighting back tears in the locker room as he sat, disconsolate, with crutches. He said he'd celebrated goals with flips before, but never suffered an injury. He swore never to take the chance again. It was a particularly disheartening moment for him because not only was he playing so well lately, but the goal he celebrated was called back.
"If I'd seen the offside flag just two seconds sooner - I wouldn't have celebrated and this wouldn't have happened."
Yet if any coach in the league would be understanding about Espindola's celebration, it would be Kreis. A backflip was his trademark for years. He also scored a lot, so he flipped around a lot.
Sure enough, Kreis didn't fault his player's actions. "I did that for years," he pointed out. "These things happen. It's possible for him to get hurt going down a flight of stairs."
Or up a flight of stairs. I was taking the stairs to the pressbox soon after talking to Espindola. I tripped and pitched forward. I was carrying my laptop, so I turned to take the brunt of the impact on one arm, holding the laptop away safely.
I hurt my wrist, but I don't think it's broken. Still, it felt like Espindola's misfortune was contagious.
Kreis post game
This is it for the post-game video. I had a specific assignment to talk to a player from RSL. Their locker room opened up early, so I left the presser before Bruce Arena spoke.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Galaxy/RSL running blog
Here we go - a depleted Galaxy team versus Salt Lake's finest.
Luis thinks former Galaxy player Clint Mathis can still do some damage. I'm thinking it might be Robbie Findley who hurts LA, but we'll see.
RSL: Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Ian Joy, Will Johnson, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Clint Mathis, Kenny Deuchar, Fabian Espindola
LA: Josh Wicks, Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Troy Roberts, Mike Randolph, Eduardo Dominguez, Josh Tudela, Greg Vanney, Bryan Jordan, Edson Buddle, Alan Gordon.
Apparently, Vanney and Dominguez are playing in the midfield. Luis predicts a 6-1-3 formation.
Kickoff!
2 - The Galaxy are on the defensive immediately. Deuchar gets to a pass over the top, but the Galaxy are able to clear the cross.
3 - There's a blue balloon on the field - not anymore. Jamison Olave popped it neatly by stepping on it.
4 - Galaxy mount an actual attack. Buddle turns playmaker, with a nice pass to an overlapping Randolph. However, Randolph is shadowed by an RSL defender and can't get a decent cross off.
5 - Espindola on the run into the box, shoots - SAVE. Wicks gives up a rebound, though, but the ball gets cleared.
6 - NO GOAL! Offside. Beckerman nailed a shot from distance, but Espindola was obstructing the goalkeeper's view, I guess.
9 - GOAL! Bryan Jordan! Buddle did the hard work on that play. He got the ball off Olave, and he took the ball into the box immediately, stepping over the ball a couple of times, then juking Olave completely, catching up to the ball and sending a tough angle shot that beat Rimando but was going wide until Jordan, trailing the play, put the ball into an open net. 1-0 Galaxy.
Jordan celebrated by leaping the boards and going into the arms of the Galaxians.
13 - Vanney misses an outlet pass and RSL counters. The Galaxy recover, but Buddle tumbles just as Vanney sends him a long pass. No call.
14 - Morales falls trying to reach the ball at the arc. Galaxy break on goal, but the RSL defense recovers.
15 - Galaxy have a corner. Vanney takes it - not too bad, but it goes far post and the RSL defenders box out the Galaxy players well.
17 - RSL on the attack. Corner. Mathis takes it, getting catcalls from the Riot Squad as he sets up. Wicks catches.
18 - Morales in on goal, Wicks is beaten, but Morales is off balance. He kicks as he falls - outside side netting. Close.
19 The crowd is pretty lively, trying to encourages the rag-tag Galaxy players. FK to RSL. Dangerous. Morales sets up. He sends it into the box, Nat Borchers snaps a header - Wicks catches.
21 - GOAL! Movsisyan, who came in for Espindola. Klein and Franklin both got beaten to ball in the air by Deuchar, who flicked it to an open Yura. Wicks came out late and not really assertively - Movsisyan put it past him low. 1-1
25 - Tudela fouls Beckerman. The ball is pretty much in the Galaxy's half most of the time.
27 - Morales with some nifty play, but the Galaxy defenders force him into a throw instead of a corner or cross.
29 - The crowd wants to cheer, but there's not much to applaud as the Galaxy defend nearly exclusively. Well, of course. They have a midfield of defenders.
30 - RSL FK - it's sent in front of the arc, but the shot is blocked. Galaxy clear. Hey, they passed the halfway line!
32 - Vanney sends a long pass to Jordon, who attacks the box and runs into his defender. He's done that a couple of times now.
33 - Gordon is down after a crash with Beckerman. Kennedy doesn't call it, and the crowd boos RSL as they continue to play. Shot over the bar finally stops play.
34 - Buddle on the attack, lays a ball back for Vanney, who shoots, beats Rimando - wide. Pretty close, though.
35 - Wicks is out of his box to clear a ball - right back to RSL.
37 - Jordan breaks for a ball in the box, trying to get around his defender to get the ball. He gets bumped hard and goes flying. That didn't look like there was any attempt to play the ball, but Kennedy isn't calling it. Crowd is pissed.
40 - Randolph steps in front of a cross, taking the ball off his chest for Wicks to scoop up.
41 - The Galaxy are getting out of their own half more now, but their set up passes are missing.
42 - By the way, in case you're wondering where Pete Vagenas is - he was a late scratch. Leg injury. And Rimando is out - punching a ball away before Buddle can get to it.
43 - The Galaxy are basically in a 4-4-2, by the way. Gordon is playing back a bit.
45 - Wow, a whole bunch of reinforcement arrived for the Galaxy just now. Their youth team is out here for some halftime thing. For a second, though, it looked like the cavalry had arrived for beleaguered LA.
Halftime - Well, the Galaxy don't look completely overmatched. But they are missing four starters - and that's without counting the injured players. RSL is only missing one guy for international duty. Guess who?
48 - Galaxy still having trouble getting decent midfield play going. Well, there is really only one midfielder out there.
51 - Duecher with the cross, but the Galaxy put the ball out for a throw.
52 - Will Johnson with a shot from distance - Wicks catches.
53 - GOAL! WillJo ghosts by the referee - getting a pass that surprises the Galaxy defense. He works a give and go with Yura, and beats Wicks going far post, banging it in off the post. 2-1 RSL.
55 - That really took the energy out of the crowd.
56 - Brandon MacDonald is in for Dominguez.
57 - Galaxy FK leads to a Gordon header - over the goal.
60 - Beckerman with a low shot - Wicks catches.
62- Franklin gets a yellow for a high tackle. The FK is into the box, but as the players go up for it, the header isn't clean and ball is out for a goal kick.
64 - RSL's midfield is just having fun with the Galaxy now. With Beckerman, Mathis and especially Morales, they've got guys who can control the ball at will. They're running the LA players ragged. As they should.
65 - Jordan earns the Galaxy a corner. Vanney takes it and Franklin heads it back in front of the goal, where Rimano catches it.
68 - Vanney shoots wide from distance.
69 - GOAL! The Galaxy are still fighting. A long pass out wide finds Tudela, who hits a cross that misses Gordon, but finds Jordan, who attacks the goal. His shot deflects out to Buddle, who takes a touch and shoots into goal. 2-2.
71 - RSL come right back with a shot that deflects for a corner. That leads to a header - wide.
72 - Jordon crosses - Gordon fouled trying to head the ball. GK.
73 - Duechar offside.
74 - Jordan dribbles too long and ultimately loses the ball. RSL attack - Roberts clears a cross out of the box.
75 - Tackles are flying fast and furiously. Robbie Findley comes into the game for Duechar. Speed kills. Didn't I say I was looking for Robbie to hurt his old team?
77 - Roberts cuts off a pass for Findley, who blocks the clear out of bounds. The crowd is livid when Kennedy calls the ball for RSL.
78 - RSL attacking with impunity and intensity now - they're in the box - ooooh, so close - out for corner.
79 - Cleared, but RSl claim it quickly. and set up another attack.
81 - The game is announced as a sell out - 27,000. Mike Munoz subs in for Josh Tudela. Seacrest and Patty cheer.
82 - MacDonald picks a ball off Morales - not an easy thing to do. Foul is called on Javi.
84 - Both teams look tired, but since RSL still has better connection in midfield, they look crisper.
85 - Gordon called for a foul fighting for a header.
86 - Beckerman with a shot as RSL hits the Galaxy box in numbers - wide.
88 - MacDonald tries a give and go with Gordon, but Gordon hits his pass behind MacDonald.
90 - Buddle is fouled, but it's far from goal. The FK turns into a pass from Klein to Jordon, who still has speed left. He goes to goal and gets fouled on the corner of the box. FK
90+ FK gets headed out - shot on goal by Klein gets blocked back.
Izzy Sesay subs in for Gordon.
MacDonald with a shot from distance - Rimando dives and misses, but the ball goes wide. Izzy races for a long ball, defender puts the ball out and Izzy into the air.
Final whistle.
Well, the Galaxy finish with a rather valiant draw, all things considered. Their winless streak continues, though.
Luis thinks former Galaxy player Clint Mathis can still do some damage. I'm thinking it might be Robbie Findley who hurts LA, but we'll see.
RSL: Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Ian Joy, Will Johnson, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Clint Mathis, Kenny Deuchar, Fabian Espindola
LA: Josh Wicks, Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Troy Roberts, Mike Randolph, Eduardo Dominguez, Josh Tudela, Greg Vanney, Bryan Jordan, Edson Buddle, Alan Gordon.
Apparently, Vanney and Dominguez are playing in the midfield. Luis predicts a 6-1-3 formation.
Kickoff!
2 - The Galaxy are on the defensive immediately. Deuchar gets to a pass over the top, but the Galaxy are able to clear the cross.
3 - There's a blue balloon on the field - not anymore. Jamison Olave popped it neatly by stepping on it.
4 - Galaxy mount an actual attack. Buddle turns playmaker, with a nice pass to an overlapping Randolph. However, Randolph is shadowed by an RSL defender and can't get a decent cross off.
5 - Espindola on the run into the box, shoots - SAVE. Wicks gives up a rebound, though, but the ball gets cleared.
6 - NO GOAL! Offside. Beckerman nailed a shot from distance, but Espindola was obstructing the goalkeeper's view, I guess.
9 - GOAL! Bryan Jordan! Buddle did the hard work on that play. He got the ball off Olave, and he took the ball into the box immediately, stepping over the ball a couple of times, then juking Olave completely, catching up to the ball and sending a tough angle shot that beat Rimando but was going wide until Jordan, trailing the play, put the ball into an open net. 1-0 Galaxy.
Jordan celebrated by leaping the boards and going into the arms of the Galaxians.
13 - Vanney misses an outlet pass and RSL counters. The Galaxy recover, but Buddle tumbles just as Vanney sends him a long pass. No call.
14 - Morales falls trying to reach the ball at the arc. Galaxy break on goal, but the RSL defense recovers.
15 - Galaxy have a corner. Vanney takes it - not too bad, but it goes far post and the RSL defenders box out the Galaxy players well.
17 - RSL on the attack. Corner. Mathis takes it, getting catcalls from the Riot Squad as he sets up. Wicks catches.
18 - Morales in on goal, Wicks is beaten, but Morales is off balance. He kicks as he falls - outside side netting. Close.
19 The crowd is pretty lively, trying to encourages the rag-tag Galaxy players. FK to RSL. Dangerous. Morales sets up. He sends it into the box, Nat Borchers snaps a header - Wicks catches.
21 - GOAL! Movsisyan, who came in for Espindola. Klein and Franklin both got beaten to ball in the air by Deuchar, who flicked it to an open Yura. Wicks came out late and not really assertively - Movsisyan put it past him low. 1-1
25 - Tudela fouls Beckerman. The ball is pretty much in the Galaxy's half most of the time.
27 - Morales with some nifty play, but the Galaxy defenders force him into a throw instead of a corner or cross.
29 - The crowd wants to cheer, but there's not much to applaud as the Galaxy defend nearly exclusively. Well, of course. They have a midfield of defenders.
30 - RSL FK - it's sent in front of the arc, but the shot is blocked. Galaxy clear. Hey, they passed the halfway line!
32 - Vanney sends a long pass to Jordon, who attacks the box and runs into his defender. He's done that a couple of times now.
33 - Gordon is down after a crash with Beckerman. Kennedy doesn't call it, and the crowd boos RSL as they continue to play. Shot over the bar finally stops play.
34 - Buddle on the attack, lays a ball back for Vanney, who shoots, beats Rimando - wide. Pretty close, though.
35 - Wicks is out of his box to clear a ball - right back to RSL.
37 - Jordan breaks for a ball in the box, trying to get around his defender to get the ball. He gets bumped hard and goes flying. That didn't look like there was any attempt to play the ball, but Kennedy isn't calling it. Crowd is pissed.
40 - Randolph steps in front of a cross, taking the ball off his chest for Wicks to scoop up.
41 - The Galaxy are getting out of their own half more now, but their set up passes are missing.
42 - By the way, in case you're wondering where Pete Vagenas is - he was a late scratch. Leg injury. And Rimando is out - punching a ball away before Buddle can get to it.
43 - The Galaxy are basically in a 4-4-2, by the way. Gordon is playing back a bit.
45 - Wow, a whole bunch of reinforcement arrived for the Galaxy just now. Their youth team is out here for some halftime thing. For a second, though, it looked like the cavalry had arrived for beleaguered LA.
Halftime - Well, the Galaxy don't look completely overmatched. But they are missing four starters - and that's without counting the injured players. RSL is only missing one guy for international duty. Guess who?
48 - Galaxy still having trouble getting decent midfield play going. Well, there is really only one midfielder out there.
51 - Duecher with the cross, but the Galaxy put the ball out for a throw.
52 - Will Johnson with a shot from distance - Wicks catches.
53 - GOAL! WillJo ghosts by the referee - getting a pass that surprises the Galaxy defense. He works a give and go with Yura, and beats Wicks going far post, banging it in off the post. 2-1 RSL.
55 - That really took the energy out of the crowd.
56 - Brandon MacDonald is in for Dominguez.
57 - Galaxy FK leads to a Gordon header - over the goal.
60 - Beckerman with a low shot - Wicks catches.
62- Franklin gets a yellow for a high tackle. The FK is into the box, but as the players go up for it, the header isn't clean and ball is out for a goal kick.
64 - RSL's midfield is just having fun with the Galaxy now. With Beckerman, Mathis and especially Morales, they've got guys who can control the ball at will. They're running the LA players ragged. As they should.
65 - Jordan earns the Galaxy a corner. Vanney takes it and Franklin heads it back in front of the goal, where Rimano catches it.
68 - Vanney shoots wide from distance.
69 - GOAL! The Galaxy are still fighting. A long pass out wide finds Tudela, who hits a cross that misses Gordon, but finds Jordan, who attacks the goal. His shot deflects out to Buddle, who takes a touch and shoots into goal. 2-2.
71 - RSL come right back with a shot that deflects for a corner. That leads to a header - wide.
72 - Jordon crosses - Gordon fouled trying to head the ball. GK.
73 - Duechar offside.
74 - Jordan dribbles too long and ultimately loses the ball. RSL attack - Roberts clears a cross out of the box.
75 - Tackles are flying fast and furiously. Robbie Findley comes into the game for Duechar. Speed kills. Didn't I say I was looking for Robbie to hurt his old team?
77 - Roberts cuts off a pass for Findley, who blocks the clear out of bounds. The crowd is livid when Kennedy calls the ball for RSL.
78 - RSL attacking with impunity and intensity now - they're in the box - ooooh, so close - out for corner.
79 - Cleared, but RSl claim it quickly. and set up another attack.
81 - The game is announced as a sell out - 27,000. Mike Munoz subs in for Josh Tudela. Seacrest and Patty cheer.
82 - MacDonald picks a ball off Morales - not an easy thing to do. Foul is called on Javi.
84 - Both teams look tired, but since RSL still has better connection in midfield, they look crisper.
85 - Gordon called for a foul fighting for a header.
86 - Beckerman with a shot as RSL hits the Galaxy box in numbers - wide.
88 - MacDonald tries a give and go with Gordon, but Gordon hits his pass behind MacDonald.
90 - Buddle is fouled, but it's far from goal. The FK turns into a pass from Klein to Jordon, who still has speed left. He goes to goal and gets fouled on the corner of the box. FK
90+ FK gets headed out - shot on goal by Klein gets blocked back.
Izzy Sesay subs in for Gordon.
MacDonald with a shot from distance - Rimando dives and misses, but the ball goes wide. Izzy races for a long ball, defender puts the ball out and Izzy into the air.
Final whistle.
Well, the Galaxy finish with a rather valiant draw, all things considered. Their winless streak continues, though.
Cuba - USA running blog
Already started, I'm late to the party because of traffic.
18 - Good non-call there, the U.S. was defending but there was no foul.
23 - Ball into the box - the U.S. players go up for it, but not only does it get punched out, someone gets whistled for a foul.
24 - Dempsey pushes someone on the attack and gets called for the foul.
26 - Hejduk gets fouled hard by Villegas - who sees a yellow for it.
27 - Off the free kick (a poor one by Beas), LD gets onto the ball, tries to set something up, but the ball is moving very funky on the wet field and nothing comes of the effort.
28 - Luis, who is watching the match in the press box here at the HDC as well, votes that this match is more poorly lit and difficult to watch than the Guatemala match. Whose bright idea it was to make this a night match?
30 - Ching's poor touch ruins a great chance off a good pass from M. Bradley in front of the net. Instead, the ball runs long.
33 - Cuba attacks and the U.S. shuts it down, but Edu loses the ball in a bad spot in the middle, leading to a long shot. Howard is yelling at his defenders, even though the shot was wide by quite a bit.
The Spanish announcers call Timmay "Howard the Duck", by the way.
36 - M. Bradley gets a yellow for a foul - late tackle.
39 - Hejduk's hard work on the right earns a corner for the U.S. It gets knocked out for a throw.
40 - GOAL! Gooch with a long pass out of the back. Demps knocks it down a bit, gets it to Ching, who lays the ball back for Dempsey. LD distracts the defense a little bit with a run, and there's enough space left for Clint to do his thing - he fires a low shot past the keeper.1-0 U.S.
43 - LD lays the ball back for Chingy, but his shot gets blocked off a defender.
45 - Cuban FK but it's way wide of goal and Howard jumps more for practice than anything else.
45 + Dempsey is down, injured when he was grabbed by behind. There was a foul by Hejduk just before that, so Cuba gets a free kick. They don't get to do anything much with it, though.
Halftime - Under bad conditions, the U.S. team gets a scrappy goal from, no surprise, their biggest scrapper - Clint Dempsey. In a rainy game, though, anything can happen. The game is still within Cuba's reach.
46 A shot to start off the half! Howard back pedals for it, but it's over the bar.
The pressbox is drinking Cuba Libres. Virgin ones, of course.
51 - Cuba has a corner kick. The U.S. clear the danger.
53 - Cuba is playing a more open game, and not looking bad at it, either.
55 - Cuba's got the ball in the box - it's headed out before a shot happens.
56 - Cuba corner kick - cleared.
57 - The U.S. defense is looking really sorry now. Cuba on a counter, low, hard shot, Howard with a great save gets down low for it.
59 - Edu with a shot from distance. He teed off on it, but it's wide.
60 - Dempsey with a shot from distance - it's wide because it bounced off a Cuban defender. Corner for the U.S.
LD takes the kick but a U.S. foul turns the ball over.
62 - Bizarre. Beas beats the goalkeeper to a pass over the top, holds the ball while keep dives and misses, has the whole goal in front of him and shoots wide. Ugh. There's a quick shot of U.S. fans. If they weren't covering their faces before, they should now.
65 - Hejduk is playing quite well. He must be fueled by the Cuban coffee.
67 - Bease misses again! Oh, well, it was called offside anyway. It was close on the replay, though. Even is on.
69 - Another Cuban shot! A bit high.
71 - Chingy gets fouled hard. Yellow card gets pulled as LD helps him up.
75 - The U.S. is controlling the ball a bit more - Handball! Oh, well, I guess not if it's not called.
77 - Bease is called offside again.
78 - Sacha is on for the U.S. He replaced Dempsey.
80 - LD with a nice pass to Sacha, but Sach gets shouldered off the ball. No call.
83 - U.S. FK. LD takes, sends it in nicely, but it ends up going to Bease and he can't get a shot off.
85 - Pearce with a pretty cross - or it was until it overshot every U.S. player. To be fair, there were three of them crashing the middle. Spread that out, guys. Cuba counters and gets a shot off, but it's far and Howard gets there.
87 - The LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT! I'd fault Communist technology, but it's happened at the HDC before, actually.
88 - Cuba with a freekick in a dangerous spot. It's sent to the box, where it deflects off and heads towards goal, surprising Howard, who gives up a rebound as Cuba rushes in. He gets down for the ball, though, and grabs it away.
90 + It's almost over, but Cuba is attacking furiously. It's very hard to see what's happening, though. A long cross overshoots a forward, and Howard escorts the ball over the line for a goal kick.
Ching with a shot - right to the keep.
Final whistle!
The U.S. takes the historic match by a single goal. It wasn't pretty or elegant, but the bottom line is that the U.S. has taken full points in both away qualifying games.
Hey, readers, you and I were right about the game in the poll. "Close victory" won, and that's how things turned out.
Post your Man of the Match in the comments. My vote goes to Clint Dempsey - for obvious reasons, I'm sure. Tim Howard is also a solid candidate.
18 - Good non-call there, the U.S. was defending but there was no foul.
23 - Ball into the box - the U.S. players go up for it, but not only does it get punched out, someone gets whistled for a foul.
24 - Dempsey pushes someone on the attack and gets called for the foul.
26 - Hejduk gets fouled hard by Villegas - who sees a yellow for it.
27 - Off the free kick (a poor one by Beas), LD gets onto the ball, tries to set something up, but the ball is moving very funky on the wet field and nothing comes of the effort.
28 - Luis, who is watching the match in the press box here at the HDC as well, votes that this match is more poorly lit and difficult to watch than the Guatemala match. Whose bright idea it was to make this a night match?
30 - Ching's poor touch ruins a great chance off a good pass from M. Bradley in front of the net. Instead, the ball runs long.
33 - Cuba attacks and the U.S. shuts it down, but Edu loses the ball in a bad spot in the middle, leading to a long shot. Howard is yelling at his defenders, even though the shot was wide by quite a bit.
The Spanish announcers call Timmay "Howard the Duck", by the way.
36 - M. Bradley gets a yellow for a foul - late tackle.
39 - Hejduk's hard work on the right earns a corner for the U.S. It gets knocked out for a throw.
40 - GOAL! Gooch with a long pass out of the back. Demps knocks it down a bit, gets it to Ching, who lays the ball back for Dempsey. LD distracts the defense a little bit with a run, and there's enough space left for Clint to do his thing - he fires a low shot past the keeper.1-0 U.S.
43 - LD lays the ball back for Chingy, but his shot gets blocked off a defender.
45 - Cuban FK but it's way wide of goal and Howard jumps more for practice than anything else.
45 + Dempsey is down, injured when he was grabbed by behind. There was a foul by Hejduk just before that, so Cuba gets a free kick. They don't get to do anything much with it, though.
Halftime - Under bad conditions, the U.S. team gets a scrappy goal from, no surprise, their biggest scrapper - Clint Dempsey. In a rainy game, though, anything can happen. The game is still within Cuba's reach.
46 A shot to start off the half! Howard back pedals for it, but it's over the bar.
The pressbox is drinking Cuba Libres. Virgin ones, of course.
51 - Cuba has a corner kick. The U.S. clear the danger.
53 - Cuba is playing a more open game, and not looking bad at it, either.
55 - Cuba's got the ball in the box - it's headed out before a shot happens.
56 - Cuba corner kick - cleared.
57 - The U.S. defense is looking really sorry now. Cuba on a counter, low, hard shot, Howard with a great save gets down low for it.
59 - Edu with a shot from distance. He teed off on it, but it's wide.
60 - Dempsey with a shot from distance - it's wide because it bounced off a Cuban defender. Corner for the U.S.
LD takes the kick but a U.S. foul turns the ball over.
62 - Bizarre. Beas beats the goalkeeper to a pass over the top, holds the ball while keep dives and misses, has the whole goal in front of him and shoots wide. Ugh. There's a quick shot of U.S. fans. If they weren't covering their faces before, they should now.
65 - Hejduk is playing quite well. He must be fueled by the Cuban coffee.
67 - Bease misses again! Oh, well, it was called offside anyway. It was close on the replay, though. Even is on.
69 - Another Cuban shot! A bit high.
71 - Chingy gets fouled hard. Yellow card gets pulled as LD helps him up.
75 - The U.S. is controlling the ball a bit more - Handball! Oh, well, I guess not if it's not called.
77 - Bease is called offside again.
78 - Sacha is on for the U.S. He replaced Dempsey.
80 - LD with a nice pass to Sacha, but Sach gets shouldered off the ball. No call.
83 - U.S. FK. LD takes, sends it in nicely, but it ends up going to Bease and he can't get a shot off.
85 - Pearce with a pretty cross - or it was until it overshot every U.S. player. To be fair, there were three of them crashing the middle. Spread that out, guys. Cuba counters and gets a shot off, but it's far and Howard gets there.
87 - The LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT! I'd fault Communist technology, but it's happened at the HDC before, actually.
88 - Cuba with a freekick in a dangerous spot. It's sent to the box, where it deflects off and heads towards goal, surprising Howard, who gives up a rebound as Cuba rushes in. He gets down for the ball, though, and grabs it away.
90 + It's almost over, but Cuba is attacking furiously. It's very hard to see what's happening, though. A long cross overshoots a forward, and Howard escorts the ball over the line for a goal kick.
Ching with a shot - right to the keep.
Final whistle!
The U.S. takes the historic match by a single goal. It wasn't pretty or elegant, but the bottom line is that the U.S. has taken full points in both away qualifying games.
Hey, readers, you and I were right about the game in the poll. "Close victory" won, and that's how things turned out.
Post your Man of the Match in the comments. My vote goes to Clint Dempsey - for obvious reasons, I'm sure. Tim Howard is also a solid candidate.
Friday, September 5, 2008
The heat is on
Something is coming to the mysterious island of faith and melancholy, to the indifferent streets, from the fort to the city, from the sacred waters of the Caribbean, to the Central Park where rest the bones of Jose Marti.
The ancient Chevys that run by a miracle, the balconies where the women watch, the neighborhoods that time forgot, with people who have yet to show much passion for soccer. It’s far away in Havana where people still argue why Cuba lost the gold medal in baseball versus South Korea.
They argue, they debate, they laugh and yell. The hot topics on the street corners – U.S. versus Cuba in soccer doesn’t exist there.
(Arguing)
They just put the lights on in the stadium, where the home team took their final practice. Cuba lost its last qualifying match – versus Trinidad and Tobago. They’re well aware that on Saturday night, they are playing for a lot.
Minoso:
This team always comes ready to play. We know we’re facing a great rival. Beyond that, it’s the United States. These matches are always motivating. We want to do this.
The sun beats down unrelentingly. The historic scene unfolded last night. A U.S. soccer team, for the first time in decades, came to Cuba, to the hotel Melia (oooh, free advertising).
LD: We don’t know them well. It’s been three years since we faced them in the Gold Cup. We know that they’re very athletic, fast and large. But tactically, I don’t think they play so well. If we can keep the game scoreless for a while, the match should open up and then we can score goals and win the game. We should win. But if the game is tied for a long time, well, we’ll take the draw. But we want the three points.
Faitelson: Even if soccer isn’t the primary sport here in Cuba, it’s the U.S. versus Cuba in Havana for the first time. That’s saying a lot.
Once on this isle
Cuba, Cuba! I don't know how much culture the U.S. team is going to get to experience during their visit to the infamous island, but I hope it's more than just the soundtrack of the 'Buena Vista Social Club'.
Here's a few takes on what's going on down in Castro's Kitchen.
It's just a game.
It's a long time.
Cuba's viewpoint
Who likes the Nike brown shirts?
Martin quotes Castro.
Grant is chilling in Cuba - mojitos and all.
Here's a few takes on what's going on down in Castro's Kitchen.
It's just a game.
It's a long time.
Cuba's viewpoint
Who likes the Nike brown shirts?
Martin quotes Castro.
Grant is chilling in Cuba - mojitos and all.
Hey, little cousin!
Did anyone notice that I now have family in the U.S. U17 national team program? It's in the genes, I tell ya.
Seriously, I don't think we're related, but it was still fun to see the name on the list.
Back when I was covering games for TopDrawerSoccer, I watched a few of the guys on this list play at the U14 camps, including one young Charles Renken. However, players develop at different rates or display different levels of dedication as they get older and perhaps distracted. I think some of the greatest players for the U.S. may still be some unexpected talents that don't come up through the standard system.
Still, congrats to all the young players for making it to the first competitive stage of the youth national team.
Seriously, I don't think we're related, but it was still fun to see the name on the list.
Back when I was covering games for TopDrawerSoccer, I watched a few of the guys on this list play at the U14 camps, including one young Charles Renken. However, players develop at different rates or display different levels of dedication as they get older and perhaps distracted. I think some of the greatest players for the U.S. may still be some unexpected talents that don't come up through the standard system.
Still, congrats to all the young players for making it to the first competitive stage of the youth national team.
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