USSoccer

Did Scheyer end up like 3-20?

-Saturday's game against the Sallies is going to be interesting. Guzan or Hahnneman? Sacha or Pablo? We also get our first taste of CONCACAF bunker-y goodness. It will be interesting to see if we're any better at breaking down a packed third of the field than we were 3 years ago. -Mexico's NT is completely melting down. Marquez took a veiled shot at the FMF a day before Nery Castillo lost it on a reporter at a press conference. -The home tie of the Hex on Wednesday against T&T should be the one where we see a start from Jozy, maybe Freddy, probably Jonathan Spector, and Torres.

He got benched so that's probably why you haven't seen him this year. I think I've watched like 40 minutes of college ball this year, but he's sucked ever since he's been there.

Is that seriously Greg Paulus? I thought he graduated.

If they'd bring the Sex Cannon back we wouldn't have to worry about this.

Guzan making his Prem debut.

Bad. Btw, keep a head's up for Kenny Cooper's goal against the Fire today. Coop doesn't get called up and responds by scoring from behind the midfield line, and the keeper wasn't even that far off his line. Colorado is one of the worst teams in MLS. That game was crap. And the field was a real issue in the early game, along with the crowd that showed up somewhere around the 60th minute.

Roy Hodgson made smart subs today. Kamara and Gera for Zamora and Deuce were well timed. Clint had food poisoning and was a little off all day, and Zamora sucks. The extra bit of pace helped open up the 10 man United. Of course, the paranoid US fan in me says Gera's goal might cut into Dempsey's PT.

Wow. 2-0 Fulham. Rooney sent off, too.

Fulham are up 1-0 and also up a man as Paul Scholes was sent off early. And Soccer Jesus is pissing and moaning more today than I've seen him do in the last 2 years. The FFC fans want to kill him.

Sigh. EJ has been in better form for Cardiff. The problem is that Bradley is mistaking form for quality. EJ isn't quality. What's more, do you really want to take a chance at shattering his slowly rebuilt confidence by featuring him in a WCQ and having him suck? Because if he sees the field, he will suck. He shouldn't be a 'Nat. He should be like the 7th option at striker. Maybe. I like that my guy Jon Spector is on the roster. Good for him finally getting healthy. But, man...I don't like EJ being there.

Eh. I know it doesn't necessarily 'matter', but if you're going to go about 'retiring' numbers forever, the criteria for doing so should probably be set fairly high. I just can't think of anything he did for the Cubs that merits it. Unless you're retiring his number in his name as a means of reminding people of how god-awful terrible the years 1990-98 were.

you are missing 1992, apparently. Whoops, nice sort job, USS. Fine, I'll just use Mark Prior's 2003 and 2005. 178 and 120. Or Ryan Dempster's 2008 (151). My point is that Greg Maddux's Cubs performances don't merit the retiring of his number. I think pretty much everyone agrees with you. But retiring #31 without Maddux involved doesnt really make sense either. Why not? What says he has to be included? He wasn't consistently great for us. Yes, it sucks we had him and he walked due to a stupid management decision, but the fact is, the vast number of his great seasons (including his best) came in a different uniform. Leon Durham wore the number 10 shirt, yes? Did anyone say he should be involved in the retiring of Santo's number 10? No. Why? Because that would have been idiotic. This is sort of the same. I recognize he had 2 strong seasons for us, and was one of the best pitchers of this era, but retiring his number at the same time as Jenkins seems wrong somehow, like trying to bootstrap the Cubs onto his legacy as something more than wasted opportunity.

you are missing 1992, apparently. Whoops, nice sort job, USS. Fine, I'll just use Mark Prior's 2003 and 2005. 178 and 120. Or Ryan Dempster's 2008 (151). My point is that Greg Maddux's Cubs performances don't merit the retiring of his number.

Also, just for fun: Maddux's Cub best ERA+: 128 Ted Lilly's: 122

2 seasons of good? what? Yeah, 1989 and 1992. Unless you think ERA+'s of like 115 are 'retire a number' worthy. EDIT: Just to give you some perspective, Zambrano has 1 season nearly as good as Maddux's best as a Cub, and several better than Maddux's 2nd best season. If he retired tomorrow, no one would be clamoring for 38 to be on a flag anywhere.

If they are going to retire that number, it had best be for Jenkins, and not for 2 seasons of good young Greg Maddux, and 2 seasons of bad, old, overrated Maddux.

Pretty good weekend for some of our key players: -Mikey B scoring twice in a Derby game. -Clint notching an assist and playing strong in FFCs 1st away win this season. Fulham have a shot at Europa Cup play -Howard, again. -Boca is playing well for Rennes. -Adu actually made the bench for the 1st time in forever for Monaco (still needs out though) But frickin Xeres keep sitting Jozy, and their coach offered up some b.s. about his training habits as the reason. You have to think Villarreal are pissed that they didn't loan him out to Everton, where he would have actually seen important minutes.

I thought Inter were the better side in the 1st half, but Man U are just very good. Ibra is getting killed in the press, but I thought he was more unlucky than anything. I mean, 6 inches on 2 shots difference and Inter are through. Clint played out of his mind for Fulham today. Too bad they lost, because that was his best performance I've seen in England.

I hope he doesn't play well enough to give more false hope to the MNT staff. Apparently (according to the Sheep City fans on BS) EJ's goal was absolutely wildly celebrated by fans and teammates alike, and apparently his workrate has improved significantly, hence the wild celebration. Way too early to say, but if his workrate and skill level are improving, that's a good start. http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/javaImages/6b/53/0,,10335~5460843,00.jpg Also, Fulham hung with Man U for about 20 minutes and had a ball cleared off the line before the Red Devils stomped them 4-0. Clint played ok...but there was such a gulf of class between the two sides, even without Man U's 1st team playing.

How does prozone grade passing? I've seen Edu put a couple of pinpoint longballs onto onrushing strikers that I can't imagine Pablo ever doing. Maybe I'm just biased against Pablo but I see him as much more of a "win the ball and outlet it to an open man" sort of player. But then again, I know nothing about prozone. Enlighten me. Prozone is a stat engine that tabulates completed passes, shots, etc. USSoccer.com typically posts prozone stats a few days after USMNT matches, and it's always somewhat interesting to see the results. (for instance, it rated Sacha K higher than I would have at first glance) Now, prozone is flawed in that it doesn't make a distinction between an easy square ball or a cutting through ball (incidentally, its one of the metrics that rate Reyna highly), but considering Pablo was always a deep lying mid, a high pass % from him means more than one from a 'playmaker' like Reyna (who, as we know, liked to play square balls to death). The thing that it seems to reveal about Pablo (i'm drinking, so my memory may or may not be flawed) is that he had a high completion percentage and a low giveaway percentage, which suggests he was either very efficient in his distribution out of the back, or he made a lot of high percentage passes which would artificially inflate his numbers. Considering his usual role in the Arena system (supporting Reyna as a destroyer), a high completion percentage would indicate an efficiency beyond simply average at his position. He'd typically win balls in situations that would not immediately lend themselves to lame assed back passes and square balls. Thus, his numbers would be more easily taken at face value (contrasted with Reyna, who would have good numbers inflated by back pass after back pass, which, given his role were totally useless). Add in his ability to frustrate and disrupt a midfield and you have a very useful player. I'd compare peak Pablo to Gattuso, in that neither have a obviously useful offensive game (although Pablo could shoot from distance fairly well) but both have a definite defensive value and the ability to make the link between the back 4 and the front 4 efficiently. EDIT The thing about Pablo is he would have a tendency to do exceedingly stupid things (like go studs up in the offensive third at the end of a half you dominated) but would execute his role very well. He's an extremely useful role player to have, and paired with a good offensive mid, is an asset. What I see in Edu is an offensively limited player with defensive bite and a ton of athletic ability. My hope is he takes that defensive bite, and learns to make intelligent linking passes to a box-to-box mid or attacking wing in order to spring an attack. I see a ton of careless giveaways from Mo at the CONCACAF level. Elimiate those and learn some offensive savvy, and you have Pablo.

Prozone always had Pablo as one of our better passers

Speaking of players I think arent any good, apparently that guy who used to wear the number 9 shirt for the 'Nats and had a ton of 'potential' and such had a good run out for his club team in Sheepsville, UK yesterday

I'll streak through Mexico City painted in Red White and Blue if he ever becomes near as good as Essien. I'd settle for him being as good as Mastroeni. I don't rate him that highly, really. ouch Mastro at his best was a pretty decent D-Mid.

I'll streak through Mexico City painted in Red White and Blue if he ever becomes near as good as Essien. I'd settle for him being as good as Mastroeni. I don't rate him that highly, really.