USSoccer

Ignoring the picture of not-Jon Spex, this is an interesting rumor. Personally I'd rather he stay with West Ham where he has a track record and will get (Premier League) minutes. USS, I need you to effort this rumor's veracity. Word on the street is that this rumor is BS.

-Wynalda is a tool. It must really chap him that Donovan broke his record. -I'll see whats up with this Fiorentina thing. -The longer the game tomorrow stays 0-0, the more pressure that Mexico is going to feel, and that backline of theirs blows. They'd better hope we get gassed and they score early.

If this doesn't work, say hello to MLS. Man, he should just come back to MLS now. Denmark?

So I'm starting to get kind of pumped about Wednesday.

This is a good thing. Id rather he stay at Fulham where he's first choice than go to an Everton and struggle for PT.

How many years does Mo Johnston have to be in the league before he realizes you can't build a team on Championship level players and be any good? He's got DeRo, Frei, Guevara, Wynne and dog crap. Gerba, Dichio, etc. Johnston does a really poor job of understanding MLS. I think its arrogance more than any other thing. MLS isnt great, but its better than the Colaship.

And yet it's tempered by the fact that Toronto FC suck, and suck hard. Rafa Marquez is out of the game next Wednesday, which is both good and bad.

Leo Messi is really really good.

Have to think so. Especially if DeMerit provides the cover he did against Spain and Brazil. I see Boca getting smoked on the wing though. I would almost, almost be tempted to start Hejduk and Spector with Boca/Gooch in the center. Why do you think that little head band wearing girl would expose Boca when Fabregas, Ramos, Maicon and Robinho didn't? With Boca out there, it's all about bend but don't break. If they stay organized, they should be fine. Spain didn't attack the flanks. They kept trying to jam the ball through the center of our defense either out of stupidity or arrogance. Xavi had a ton of passes in that game-and most of his touches came in the center of our third. Boca was pinched in a ton in that game. Brasil did the same thing in the 1st half, but when they attacked the flanks, they broke us because Boca and Spector kept getting smoked. Brasil adapted and we didn't counter. Obviously Guardado and Dos Santos aren't Robinho and Kaka, but its still a concern. And in Azteca I have worries about bending and breaking. Communication will be tough because of the noise-might it be simpler to put the experienced pairing in the middle and have faster players on the wing? I dunno. The best way to protect whoever is in the back four will be to score early and not have the midfield get overrun. Clark/Bradley in the center, right? If Bradley is smart, he'll start Jozy and Charlie and bring on Ching with a lead to play the Casey holding/possession forward, which would be a role Ching would actually be good at. If we're behind, who provides late game speed off the bench? Will Bradley continue to make his subs ten minutes too late?

Have to think so. Especially if DeMerit provides the cover he did against Spain and Brazil. I see Boca getting smoked on the wing though. I would almost, almost be tempted to start Hejduk and Spector with Boca/Gooch in the center.

This was a solid interview. So on August 12th, do you start the same back 4 as the Spain game? Can Boca hang with Dos Santos/Guardado?

Billy Swift Chad Fox

It says something about BMG's opinion of him that he's taking the PK's at his age.

If they are spending money to send people to Mexico, why didn't they just buy the rights to air the game? That's a difference in cost of a couple million dollars. Clearly. They'll also be generating some ad revenue by airing it. I'm more or less surprised ESPN is covering the match with additional coverage. They've shown a tendency to ignore or provide very minimal coverage of things they don't air. They recognize the significance of the game but didn't want to spend the money on picking its rights, I just find it a little surprising considering they air most of the rest of the USMNT's WC qualifiers. Yeah, you're right. It seems like a slam dunk considering they seem to have set themselves up to be the spot for US MNT games. I've heard some conflicting stuff regarding the price. ABC whispers that they were asking for an exorbitant price and NBC whispers that it was reasonable and ABC didn't try to buy it. Supposedly it was payback for bidding on the Olympics combined with a desire to plug Mun2. Given ESPN's balls out WC coverage they have planned next summer, I'm a bit surprised they just didn't ante up anyway, high price or not.

Sounds to me like Villarreal agreed to a price and then United blocked it with their first buy back clause. I don't think it's a great move for Milan anyway. He and Pato play the same second-striker position and Pato plays it better. Milan needs a target. Not that he's a target player, but Jozy would like nice in red and black...

nevermind, the bigsoccer posts were probably bs. Davies' was mellow and Sacha's wasn't that bad either. I'm still pretty embarrassed right now. Losing is one thing; getting asswaxed like that is different.

The real 'Nats are twittering now, and they're pissed.

This is [expletive] humiliating. I can't wait til August 12th now. All this did was piss our real players off and make the next 2.5 weeks more irritating.

C team or not, you don't let a team hang 4 on you on your own soil. This game proves who can play at this level and who can't.

I've spend a good portion of this season working on the field as a field guard. Certainly not a clubhouse attendant, but I'm still in close proximity with the players and have the opportunity to see them interact during warmups before gates open. Thus, I can assure you based on what I see that they do not "hate" each other. Next time, try getting your facts straight before you make smartass comments. Oh, my fault. That makes a world of difference. Being 50 feet away instead of 150 feet away gives you remarkable insight into the innermost thoughts and feelings of the team, as well as the overall mood and tenor of the clubhouse and camaraderie of the roster. I'm happy you have a cool job at the park, but get some perspective. Not even the beat reporters always know if those guys get along. Your statement is no more or less a guess than the other one.

I am there every day and I can assure you this team does not "hate one another." oh come on. Problem? You're security in the bleachers, not the clubhouse attendant.

So evidently Freddy Adu isn't with Benfica for pre season, which begs the questions: -What the hell is he doing not on the Gold Cup roster? -Where is he going to play next season? Personally, at this point, he should come back to MLS, or else I feel his career is going to go the Kirovski route.

I'm almost certain we'll lose. However, if we do win, it's going to be a giant blow to their psyche. Our midfield needs to not get overrun. WIth Gio in the form he's in right now, that might prove tricky.

MLS officiating is horrid. Freddie Ljunberg just got tossed for dissent after getting a yellow on a dive. The yellow was harsh and undeserved, and yeah, Ljunberg went nuts, but throwing him out for dissent was idiotic. Ditto to the first yellow Thorrington got for dissent. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's final. If our C team beats Mexico's B team, it is going to really say something about our depth.

Good on MLS. Its the principle of the thing, not the amount.