The Soccer Thread

April 2, 2009

Wow, Jozy! (Tivoing the match.)

USSoccer · April 2, 2009

And that's 3-0 Honduras, and likely the end of SGE in Mexico.

Wow. They got beat down, too. It isn't a cheap 3-0 or playing at 57,000 feet like Argentina had to deal with.

EDIT: As I wrote this, Carlos Vela just drew the crappiest PK ever. Mexico just pulled one back, but it's too late. They aren't good enough.

wolf stansson · April 2, 2009

A top side in South Africa might give you one. Our finishing, our final pass in the final third, needs to be better.

This is what I took away among other things.

1) Putting away chances is what separates us from being a top side, or second-tier top side that is. It's what separates us from being a Holland or England level team.

2) Now that Mikey is more confident going forward and not just hanging back throwing his feet at people, I like Mastro as a partner. It's not double destroyer. It's two rough dudes, but one of them will push forward. Granted, this will only ever work with good wing play. Bradley needs to tailor it. Some sides necessitate going up the wings, some necessitate playing it on the carpet and doing it like a poor man's Spain. Hopefully Sacha will continue to improve and inter-changing he and Mastro for a couple years and then he and Edu will be what allows that.

3) CONCACAF sucks. Between our dog [expletive] draw, Mexico being dog [expletive] in general and our next competition getting blown off the pitch when we only finished half our chances, there isn't a lot to rep in North America right now.

4) Jozy and Ching make a really, really strong pairing. Best forward pairing I've seen for the MNT. Granted it's one game, but I think it could continue.

5) We have no flawless defenders. Every single one of them has something wrong with them. Carlos is prone to gaffe, Gooch too and also not the smartest center back, Pearce can't get a game, Cherundolo isn't super physically gifted, Frankie is but and is smart but has no skill, Orozco is young, Parky too small, Califf just bad, etc. It is beyond time to see what guys like Spector, Marvelle Wynne and Chad Marshall can do. Probably not much, but still. I'm looking forward to the Gold Cup this year just to see what those guys and guys like Danny Szetela, Benny Feilhaber, Kenny Cooper and Yura Movsisyan can do.

Btw, when I called Sacha would be the next MLS guy to break through the MNT a la Clint, I was right. Now I'm calling Yura.

Who will be the next coach at Mexico, Sven might as well and fly back to Sweden if they lose? They could always go back to Hugo Sanchez for the 38th time.

Javier Aguirre left Madrid and has been waiting in the wings for a few months now. He's going to pounce and I'm not happy about it.

brinoch · April 2, 2009

Ching and Altidore make a pretty good combination. I was pleased with both of them. Ching held the ball well, draws fouls, and I liked his flicks and his ideas. Altidore missed a sitter but got a gimme from the keeper -- three goals was well deserved. Jozy needs to get stronger on the ball, but that'll come. His instincts are nice and having multiple players who will run at defenders is critical -- and Jozy is one of them.

Bradley was okay in the middle -- not great, but not bad. Pablo, on first glance, didn't do much. But given his role, that means he did it well: no mistakes. Dempsey was actually very good. I'll touch on why he's getting undue criticism below. Donovan was our best player, hands down. He was really creative, and that's what we need. Torres adds a dimension that is also very necessary and valuable. I liked what I saw from Torres in the short time he was in there. We need to find a place for Adu, too. He's just too good to let rot.

DMB is not a full back. Hejduk is not an asset. He was out of position time and again and his crosses are terrible. I'm pretty sure that the reason Dempsey hasn't looked very good is primarily because Hejduk does one thing: run. I wish Spector were out there. Onyewu was pretty solid; we missed him last game. A lot. I'd like to see Dolo-Gooch-Boca-Spector.

Howard was untested, but we know he's our Timmy.

USSoccer · April 2, 2009

A top side in South Africa might give you one. Our finishing, our final pass in the final third, needs to be better.
This is what I took away among other things.

1) Putting away chances is what separates us from being a top side, or second-tier top side that is. It's what separates us from being a Holland or England level team.
2) Now that Mikey is more confident going forward and not just hanging back throwing his feet at people, I like Mastro as a partner. It's not double destroyer. It's two rough dudes, but one of them will push forward. Granted, this will only ever work with good wing play. Bradley needs to tailor it. Some sides necessitate going up the wings, some necessitate playing it on the carpet and doing it like a poor man's Spain. Hopefully Sacha will continue to improve and inter-changing he and Mastro for a couple years and then he and Edu will be what allows that.
3) CONCACAF sucks. Between our dog [expletive] draw, Mexico being dog [expletive] in general and our next competition getting blown off the pitch when we only finished half our chances, there isn't a lot to rep in North America right now.
4) Jozy and Ching make a really, really strong pairing. Best forward pairing I've seen for the MNT. Granted it's one game, but I think it could continue.
5) We have no flawless defenders. Every single one of them has something wrong with them. Carlos is prone to gaffe, Gooch too and also not the smartest center back, Pearce can't get a game, Cherundolo isn't super physically gifted, Frankie is but and is smart but has no skill, Orozco is young, Parky too small, Califf just bad, etc. It is beyond time to see what guys like Spector, Marvelle Wynne and Chad Marshall can do. Probably not much, but still. I'm looking forward to the Gold Cup this year just to see what those guys and guys like Danny Szetela, Benny Feilhaber, Kenny Cooper and Yura Movsisyan can do.

Btw, when I called Sacha would be the next MLS guy to break through the MNT a la Clint, I was right. Now I'm calling Yura.

Javier Aguirre left Madrid and has been waiting in the wings for a few months now. He's going to pounce and I'm not happy about it.

-I'd rather see Clint up high with Jozy and more speed on the flank, but for qualifying, I'm 100% ok with that pairing. Ching plays the role Bradley requires in his system really well. I've come around on that. He just needs a real striker next to him.

-Our next 2 games are going to be huge. Away to CR at the Saprissa and home to Honduras in a city that's not had the best rep for home support, unfortunately. If we draw in CR, we have to hold serve, otherwise we're in trouble, since T&T and ES are going to be done really soon.

-I'm also 100% comfortable with a Pablo/Bradley pairing for the rest of qualifying on the road. At home, I think we can allow Sacha to feature, since other than the Honduras fixture our home schedule remaining should be fairly easy.

-I really, really would like Spector to emerge as a consistent player in the back 4. Boca and Gooch have so much trouble with fast, quick strikers. DMB isn't a viable option at left back because the last two games have really shown how his pace has eroded.

-It's not just finishing. It's also the final pass, because more often than not, it's not Landon or Clint having the flash of a chance to make a quick, incisive pass to unlock the defense, but Hejduk on the flank, and he's just not technically sound.

-Aguirre is a good coach. Unfortunately, Mexico isn't all that good this cycle. They're going to get in, so he'll have time to reshape the roster for 2010.

USSoccer · April 2, 2009

Ching and Altidore make a pretty good combination. I was pleased with both of them. Ching held the ball well, draws fouls, and I liked his flicks and his ideas. Altidore missed a sitter but got a gimme from the keeper -- three goals was well deserved. Jozy needs to get stronger on the ball, but that'll come. His instincts are nice and having multiple players who will run at defenders is critical -- and Jozy is one of them.

Bradley was okay in the middle -- not great, but not bad. Pablo, on first glance, didn't do much. But given his role, that means he did it well: no mistakes. Dempsey was actually very good. I'll touch on why he's getting undue criticism below. Donovan was our best player, hands down. He was really creative, and that's what we need. Torres adds a dimension that is also very necessary and valuable. I liked what I saw from Torres in the short time he was in there. We need to find a place for Adu, too. He's just too good to let rot.

DMB is not a full back. Hejduk is not an asset. He was out of position time and again and his crosses are terrible. I'm pretty sure that the reason Dempsey hasn't looked very good is primarily because Hejduk does one thing: run. I wish Spector were out there. Onyewu was pretty solid; we missed him last game. A lot. I'd like to see Dolo-Gooch-Boca-Spector.

Howard was untested, but we know he's our Timmy.

Clint is becoming a little overlooked because he's adjusted his game to be much better at hold up play. He can hold the ball in traffic and eat up pressure on the ball better than any other outfield player we have. He doesn't have the pace that some want in a wing player, and he should be playing more centrally, closer to goal, but he's such a valuable part even if he's not juking and scoring.

And Hejduk makes him look bad by not being in the right place to receive passes as well.

April 2, 2009

-It's not just finishing. It's also the final pass, because more often than not, it's not Landon or Clint having the flash of a chance to make a quick, incisive pass to unlock the defense, but Hejduk on the flank, and he's just not technically sound.

They definitely still struggle in that final third. I was really pleased tonight with how well they moved the ball around. The stupid repetitive long balls were mostly gone and they really mixed things up. I know it's just T&T and not a decent European or South American squad, but it was good to see them pinging passes around a clearly overmatched opponent like they should have done against El Salvador.

chuckywang · April 2, 2009

I want to get better at watching soccer. Any tips?

wolf stansson · April 2, 2009

I want to get better at watching soccer. Any tips?

Turn on the correct channel and the correct time for the match you want to watch.

Go to a soccer pub.

Hang with soccer people.

HD!

Fox plans expanded coverage of the European Champions League next season, with matches appearing on Fox Sports Net and FX in addition to the Fox Soccer Channel.

After beating out ESPN for rights to the world's most-followed club competition, Fox will broadcast 31 live and 79 delayed matches on FSC next season. Sixteen games will air on Fox Sports Net on Tuesdays, and the final from Madrid on May 22, 2010, will be on FX as the Union of European Football Association switches the championship to Saturday from its traditional Wednesday.

....

FSC, which reaches 34 million households, plans to launch HD telecasts at the end of this year.

....

While ESPN announcers called the games from its studios in Bristol, Conn., FSC may take the international English audio feeds provided by UEFA.

I'm tentatively ok with all of this.

Jon · April 2, 2009

I like the championship on a Saturday.

Considering FSN and FX (I think) are already in HD, hopefully that would mean more HD coverage. Still need a weekly highlight show, though.

The UEFA feeds also sound nice.

CubInOK · April 2, 2009

-It's not just finishing. It's also the final pass, because more often than not, it's not Landon or Clint having the flash of a chance to make a quick, incisive pass to unlock the defense, but Hejduk on the flank, and he's just not technically sound.

They definitely still struggle in that final third. I was really pleased tonight with how well they moved the ball around. The stupid repetitive long balls were mostly gone and they really mixed things up. I know it's just T&T and not a decent European or South American squad, but it was good to see them pinging passes around a clearly overmatched opponent like they should have done against El Salvador.

Speaking of decent South American squads...

Bolivia 6-1 Argentina

What was with this score?

brinoch · April 2, 2009

SVG is out as Mexico's manager.

wolf stansson · April 2, 2009

-It's not just finishing. It's also the final pass, because more often than not, it's not Landon or Clint having the flash of a chance to make a quick, incisive pass to unlock the defense, but Hejduk on the flank, and he's just not technically sound.

They definitely still struggle in that final third. I was really pleased tonight with how well they moved the ball around. The stupid repetitive long balls were mostly gone and they really mixed things up. I know it's just T&T and not a decent European or South American squad, but it was good to see them pinging passes around a clearly overmatched opponent like they should have done against El Salvador.
Speaking of decent South American squads...

Bolivia 6-1 Argentina

What was with this score?

Extreme altitude combined with a great team not taking an opponent seriously and a manager with weak tactics and motivation techniques.

bukie · April 2, 2009

Maybe this is the year Mexico fails to qualify....naaaah. Only way for that to happen is if they lose some matches in Azteca, and I don't see anybody beating them there, even the US.

wolf stansson · April 2, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

Mark Priors Calves · April 2, 2009

I want to get better at watching soccer. Any tips?
Turn on the correct channel and the correct time for the match you want to watch.

Go to a soccer pub.

Hang with soccer people.

HD!
Fox plans expanded coverage of the European Champions League next season, with matches appearing on Fox Sports Net and FX in addition to the Fox Soccer Channel.

After beating out ESPN for rights to the world's most-followed club competition, Fox will broadcast 31 live and 79 delayed matches on FSC next season. Sixteen games will air on Fox Sports Net on Tuesdays, and the final from Madrid on May 22, 2010, will be on FX as the Union of European Football Association switches the championship to Saturday from its traditional Wednesday.

....

FSC, which reaches 34 million households, plans to launch HD telecasts at the end of this year.

....

While ESPN announcers called the games from its studios in Bristol, Conn., FSC may take the international English audio feeds provided by UEFA.

I'm tentatively ok with all of this.

I love a lot about this post. Audio feeds from some English blokes and a Saturday final in HD is glorious.

April 2, 2009

SVG is out as Mexico's manager.

Man, I figured he would at least last through the next US game. But even then, it's not really surprising.

Transmogrified Tiger · April 2, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

Nothing of any substance according to Google Translate.

wolf stansson · April 2, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

Nothing of any substance according to Google Translate.

So you're saying it isn't a public apology and resignation letter by the management staff for not playing the Jozy. I didn't think so.

USSoccer · April 2, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

Nothing of any substance according to Google Translate.
So you're saying it isn't a public apology and resignation letter by the management staff for not playing the Jozy. I didn't think so.

Villarreal was looking to rescind the loan and send Jozy to some other Segunda side last I heard...

wolf stansson · April 3, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

Nothing of any substance according to Google Translate.
So you're saying it isn't a public apology and resignation letter by the management staff for not playing the Jozy. I didn't think so.

Villarreal was looking to rescind the loan and send Jozy to some other Segunda side last I heard...

Geez...debacle.

USSoccer · April 3, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

Nothing of any substance according to Google Translate.
So you're saying it isn't a public apology and resignation letter by the management staff for not playing the Jozy. I didn't think so.

Villarreal was looking to rescind the loan and send Jozy to some other Segunda side last I heard...
Geez...debacle.

Pretty much. Xerez faced a locker room revolt if they started Jozy when they were top of the table and headed towards promotion. I can't blame Xerez's manager for making the choice he made, but Villarreal isn't ever going to loan a player there again, and I'd bet money if they earn promotion, Villarreal are going to attempt to pummel them.

sethuel1 · April 3, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?

It says he was the player of the match, scored a hat trick, and then boarded a plane to go back to work with his Xerez teammates.

USSoccer · April 3, 2009

http://www.xerezcd.com/noticias.php?id=3700

Does that say anything?
It says he was the player of the match, scored a hat trick, and then boarded a plane to go back to work with his Xerez teammates.

Nothing about brothel shootings in this one?

sethuel1 · April 3, 2009

http://www.ussoccer.com/common/stContent.jsp_182-USSCIndex.html

US Soccer decides to be asses and milk everyone for an extra $50 if they want WC tickets. Glad I applied for mine through FIFA.

Also, if you want some ominous ideas about what US Soccer wants to turn their supporters sections into, read the fine print for the exclusive ticket offers for home matches.

If I were in Sam's Army or American Outlaws I'd be livid right now. I'm pretty pissed about it anyway, really.

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