USSoccer

And Jerry had plenty of time to put together some semblance of a solid line knowing you had Martz coming in whose offenses rack p a ton of sacks. The line has been bad since the 2nd half of 2006.

Cutler is going to get killed at some point this season. Like, dead.

They aren't going to host a World Cup in effing Doha, Qatar. It's us or the Aussies.

Holden has to play. Do you put him in the middle with Landon and Clint on the wings or Clint in the middle/withdrawn striker and Holden on the right? I prefer the second. I prefer Stu in the center for a couple reasons: Clint is better when he touches the ball more, and if you put him opposite Donovan it prevents teams from concentrating on one or the other. Also, I feel Stu in the center makes for a nice balance with our attacking players. He can still provide some defensive bite if we're pinned back, and he can shoot from distance. I think it's the best arrangement for our attack, although Clint can certainly play in the center.

Yeesh. That was ugly. There were some positives, but overall a lethargic performance. Lichaj showed well on the right. I think tonight showed if Clint or Landon aren't on the field, we're not very good in the final third right now. ETA: I want to see our full strength lineup with LD and Clint on the wings with Jones and Bradley in the middle. I really, really like Jones a ton, and once he gets fully integrated we're going to be strong in the center.

Guzan looked sharp at least in the first, and Pearce ditched his hideous pornstasche. Both are positives. Harkes actually brought some decent analysis at the half, showing how the 3 CMs just got into each other's way. If you're going to play that Xmas tree, you dont use Jones, Edu and Bradley, you use two of the three and use Holden or Clint as the CAM. If Specs were a baseball player right now, he'd be the definition of replacement level. Ooooo, EJ with a clever ball that Jozy didn't read just there (I'm catching up on the DVR.) Offense looks way, way better with Clint in there.

I actually think Sean Franklin will fit in really nicely for him. One of the few next gen back liners I have no worries about. I like Franklin too, but I think 'Dolo is really underrated. He's really good.

For the most part, the Polish fans around me were cool. Our seats were in the front next the the aisle, though, and these two hammered girls and their weird guy friend decided to stand the entire game there and scream POLSKA POLSKA. Even they were alright, though. The only thing that really happened was he spilled beer on me after the 1st Polish goal, and I told him he better not have got any on my daughter-he apologized really fast, though. Everyone else was pretty cool; the girls were fawning over my daughter the whole time since she was rocking her USMNT kit/scarf. The Polish fans brought the atmosphere, but I wish we weren't ridiculously outnumbered everywhere. Things I noticed: -There was a concerted effort to try and build possession through the back. It's a good goal for the first part of this cycle. Edu was having giant, giant issues communicating with Boca and Gooch. He was okay, but I have a feeling he'll only see time in the back in the same context of why he was at CB in the Slovenia game. Speaking of Gooch, he was good the entire game save the AYSO clearance on the first Polish goal. Dolo is class, and we will have issues replacing him. He's the only functional back we have that knows how to overlap, and is actually good at it. Boca tries, but he's offensively useless unless on a set piece. -Jones and Mikey didn't mesh well at all. Jones is really fantastic-a significantly better Rico Clark, and was doing a lot of communicating with the other mids and the backline. Bad, bad, bad clearance led to the equalizer, but I liked what I saw. Mikey's touch was poor much of the game and looked unsure of where to be in a midfield that looked cluttered. Benny is a great sub to have on the bench when you're chasing a goal, but he's not a starter. His defense left Boca out to dry the entire 1st half. Stu was good offensively, but not defensively. Both Benny and Stu were pinching in, which they aren't good at, and since we were basically playing 4 central players at once, our ability to hold possession suffered since the middle of the pitch was a damned mess. -Clint was great. There was a gulf in class between him and everyone else save Jones. There were some passing sequences in the offensive third which were really, really nice. Jozy beat his marker like he owed him money the entire game. His finish was nice, and should have really had 3 in the end. Once he gets more confidence in front of goal he's going to be what we all hope. None of the defenders could handle his strength and pace. However, someone on our team needs to start taking some shots outside the 18. -Bedoya does nothing for me. He's a guy. A squad player. Not impressed. Not fast, not strong, doesn't move well off the ball.

My daughter and I just got back from the game. Intense atmosphere. We were in the front row behind the north goal...and it's getting old to be completely outnumbered anytime we play anyone in Chicago. I'll reserve comment on much of the match until I watch it on TV, but I will say it's always nice to earn a draw at an away game. :roll:

Either way, it's clownery from a guy who should know better than to allow himself in that situation again.

Is this the part where the stupid turn on Cutler and call him soft and a coward and such? Nothing like Bears fans eating their own.

He's done as soon as they find an owner. BLACKPOOL? Really? Torres is going to leave in January. They're even money to get Newcastled' right now. That team is either full of players past it (Carragher, Skrtl), or overrated (Torres in his current incarnation, Cole, Glenn Johnson). Gerrard is the only reason they aren't worse than they are. Seriously, the hated owners, the fan protests, the oft-injured, once prolific striker, the captain who looks like he wants to shoot himself, the overrated collection of crap in defense...it's Newcastle.

Gee, Roy Hodgson, good thing you left a potential bottom table team for a strong one...oh wait, you're in the relegation zone now.

Robert Green is going to see Clint in every nightmare, ever.

You know who's in blisteringly good form right now? Benny Feilhaber. He has like 6 goals in his last 3 games or something, and his latest was an injury-time free kick game winner. Yes, its the Danish 2nd division, but its still good form. If we aren't looking at a 5 man midfield, we're nuts. The depth can help give Donovan and Dempsey a little rest, since we're going to need to save their legs if they are to be useful by 2014. You could line up: Bedoya-Holden-Benny Mikey Edu or Donovan-Benny-Dempsey Mikey Jones And that's not including guys like Torres, Dikserud, Seba Lleget, Ryan Smith, Rico Clark or anyone else that I'm leaving out.

Mikey's goal was one of his better finishes. Players scuff or sky that shot all the time, but Mikey's technique was perfect. Ream is very, very intelligent. Calm on the ball. I'd like to see him and Gonzalez as the pairing in the Camp Cupcake game. I like the combo of size and skill between the two. I was at the Fire/Sounders game last night, and hoo boy, the Fire are terrible. No one on that team wants to shoot. SSFC had a travelling group of 300 or so fans that brought it all game. It was a fun time.

This is why supporters' groups are awesome and why the bleachers at Wrigley need to re evaluate their chants.

That's fantastic. In other fantastic news, my daughter and I will be in the first row behind the north goal on October 9th for the Poland game.

Way to ballwatch EDIT: hahahahaha. MLS cannot buy a break down there. DOUBLE EDIT There's the awful PK

I'm watching right now, waiting for the inevitable red card/PK/collapse a la RSL a couple weeks ago.

Yeah. Klinsman was on the WWL during the World Cup talking about that. There was also a detailed link posted in here that was written by Klinsi. Klinsi is real good at self promotion. That's been a bit of a red flag this time around.

Isn't that what he had in Germany? And isn't he credited(with a couple others) for putting them in the outstanding position they're in today? He had control of his staff, not of overall operations of the national team. He put Low in charge of tactics, which was his best move-identifying a fantastic assistant and giving him free reign. The overhaul of Germany's youth development system had nothing to do with Klinsi.

The other thing is, at the end of the day it won't be USSF or Bradenton making the big developmental strides that take us from the 2nd tier to the top tier of international play. It's going to be the MLS developmental/residential academies. MLS is making some serious strides in this area. FC Dallas is opening a residential academy and keeps signing players from its DA into the senior side, and it's paying dividends. Other sides in the league are also working on or opening DA's. Red Bull New York is pumping a mint into player development in the Tri State area. The Generation Adidas money that's being pumped in and the new developmental contract Adidas just signed is going to make a ton more difference than any USMNT coach changing the program at Bradenton. Not all of those players will end up being US players (Najar) or end up as impact players, but the more developmental guys there are, the more will succeed. The league sees this, too, and is moving more toward the feeder league model that it needs to be (Erdevisie) than the past business model (?). MLS teams have figured out they can make bank. If they can turn a Rodney Wallace into Steve Cherundolo a few times, it pays for itself and then some. If they can turn one Cherundolo into a Phillip Lahm, or a Pontius into a Dempsey or a Dempsey into a Ronaldo, then they really make bank. This is the area that serious fans of the USMNT need to embrace. MLS is going to be the make or break for our program, and it's imperative that fans of the USMNT find a way to support MLS.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/09/20/klinsmann.usa.ap I don't buy it. This smells of spin to me. Sounds similar to 2006. Grant Wahl sent a question about it to Gulati about it and his response was "No Comment." I edited my original post: EDIT: I have zero issue with Klinsmann, or Bradley, or anyone as USMNT coach having final say on their coaching staff, and if USSF really made that an issue, then they're idiots. However, if Klinsi wanted complete, final decision making authority on everything from roster selection to friendly scheduling and youth development, USSF was spot on in denying him those things, because at the end of the day, that isn't the job of the USMNT manager. That's way, waaaay too much control asked of someone who's done nothing to deserve it.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/09/20/klinsmann.usa.ap I don't buy it. This smells of spin to me. EDIT: I have zero issue with Klinsmann, or Bradley, or anyone as USMNT coach having final say on their coaching staff, and if USSF really made that an issue, then they're idiots. However, if Klinsi wanted complete, final decision making authority on everything from roster selection to friendly scheduling and youth development, USSF was spot on in denying him those things, because at the end of the day, that isn't the job of the USMNT manager. That's way, waaaay too much control asked of someone who's done nothing to deserve it.