USSoccer

Later in the blog it goes on to say he isn't going to be loaned out anytime soon. Oh. My. God. I hate the USSF. This isn't AYSO where you have to behave if you want your orange slice. Christ on crutches.

If Ives is implying that Bradley or Nowak has some sort of problem with Jozy than this is/should be the last [expletive] straw. I hope Cuba beats us so they get fired.

Thanks a lot, Chicago, how are we going to keep getting matches when we can't sell out a WCQ?

I think Dusty is some sort of zombie that harvests ulnar nerves to feed.

Rumor has it he wants to play for Germany. Apparently Rongen really pissed him off. Yeah, I think he's going to play for Germany when it's all said and done. I think he's eligible to play for Serbia as well.

If the American soccer press is touting that game as some sort of "gutty, hard won victory that showed our character" they all deserved to get nutpunched. A real soccer country with a real soccer press would be tearing the team to shreds today.

I still can't get over how funny it is that Bradley took a veteran team designed to play against a bunkering, physical opponent and then got pantsed when Guatemala attacked us for 90 minutes. Seriously, if their player keeps his elbow down, we lose that game. We were dominated.

Guus. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES Bring in the mercenary.

I'll also add that it's a joke that Ruiz didn't get carded for kicking Howard in the head. I frickin' hate Central American qualifiers. EDIT: After further consideration...Eddie Lewis had a lot to do with how bad Pearce was at first. Eddie couldn't keep up with his mark at all, and that's poor scouting on the part of Bradley to put Old Man Lewis against a burner on the flank.

His role is different with the Nats, but I agree. If we insist on playing this dumbass empty bucket (which minimizes the impact 2 of our best players can have, BTW) then you can't have twin destroyers on the field. You have to sit either MB or Mastro...and honestly I trust old-ass Mastro over MB right now. His passing sucks and the system doesn't allow him to play box-to-box like he does in Holland. Landon and Dempsey are tweeners. They each lack something necessary to play up top, and yet aren't suited for the midfield. The 4-3-2-1 would be best for them, but that's not gonna happen, and if we're fielding our best XI right now, in the Bucket, you have to leave one out. Jozy, Freddy and Benny need to be fixtures. They're better than the guys blocking them.

I'm going to list the Americans that had a good game: Howard (easily the best player tonight) Bocanegra Gooch. That's it. 'Dolo was BAD before he got sent off (again, completely deservedly. His 1st yellow was a stupid temper tantrum and his 2nd was necessary but deserved). Pearce got owned all night. Both our wing backs got exposed, and I don't know if it was the conditions, coincidence or just an off night, but they looked like absolute garbage. Ching was only good when we went to bunker mode. Lewis wasn't good. DMB was ok, but again, bunker mode. Hejduk had a horrible giveaway. Donovan was invisible. Dempsey was quiet overall aside from a couple instances. However... These two were bad because our center mids blow. Bradley and Mastro can't link. They can't hold. They can only disrupt, and that's a BIG reason why we got lucky. We deserved to lose this game because we can't create, can't hold possession and can't link from back to front. I'm glad we got a win, but it was a lucky 3 points. We can't play like that and expect to win. Ironically enough, I'm going to give Hardworkin' Bob Bradley a backhanded compliment here: He managed his terrible roster properly. I think he needed Jozy and Benny at the least, and then all this is moot, but his subs were the right subs. Clint was carrying a card, and DMB has pace. If Clint is card-free, Ching should go off, but that was the right move. Hejduk's pace and workrate were correct. Edu for Mastro-again, Mastro had a card. Well played. I hate his tactics but tonight he played his hand right, and a fair amount of credit for the win should go to him. He managed the game correctly. I hate saying that. I want him fired.

'Dolo deserved the sending off. He wasn't fouled and he did what he had to to prevent a break. That Guatemalan desevres to get his ass kicked. That was completely violent. And Clint is my guy, and I know he's pissed he got taken off, but Dempsey for Beasley is the right move in a 10 v 10 game. DMB has pace that Clint does not, and Clint's skill in tight spaces is less useful now.

Okay... Dempsey has looked good, when he's had the ball. Crap yellow. He needs to be more central and more towards the midfield. Donovan's first touch has been crap. We'll give him a break since the field is soaked. Swap him and Clint, I think. 'Dolo needs to overlap more and get forward. Eddie Lewis is getting bent over on that side. Ditto for Pearce. Bradley can't be a linking mid. Benny needs to be on the field. Let MB play the Mastro role. Ching has been worthless. Gooch has been stepping up really well. I hate it when we play in Central America. It's soccer at it's most annoying. Although credit to Guatemala-they are attacking us, which makes me chuckle a little bit at our roster, because if we had Wynne, Benny and even one of Adu/Jozy, we could counter them to death. I could see us giving up a goal here and losing...which would be a bad thing and a good thing.

For tonights game...I'd love to see something like a 3-0 statement win. But we don't have the roster for that. We took a conservative roster down simply due to the venue. We'll be lucky to win 1-0. I wouldn't be stunned to see 0-0. They will probably bunker against us (because that always works) and we'll struggle as usual to break down the bunker (because we never play our best tactical lineup/formation and we don't have our best techical players down there). If we score, look for it on a set piece and not the run of play.

OH GOD PLEASE DON'T ATTACK THE MEMORIES OF A SIMPLER TIME BASED ON LOGIC AND REASON, JEFF

I just like seeing stupid people get their comeuppance. That would simply be the best way to do it to Bears fans.

I never could imagine when I would truly root against the Bears, but if Rex gets another job and starts against the Bears. I might. Oh god, I'd have sex with that moment. I'd give up something to listen to the reaction if we cut him, he ended up in Minnesota and just demolishes the Bears twice. Oh man, that would just be like schadenfreude heaven.

Since they'd rather not be invaded and colonized by a country that needs the space and resources.

Everyone remember this moment when we're fighting China in 10 or 15 years

I am so bored I decided to wade through the cesspool that is the ChicagoSports.com comments section on the Orton/Grossman stuff. Someoe called Rex "Chicago's Battered Wife". I laughed. Someone else pointed out that people should be as critical of Orton as they were of Grossman. They won't be. And for what it's worth, I hope the Bears are stupid enough to cut him, because there's a team in this division that could pick him up, and has enough talent that Rex could absolutely murder teams. I'd just like to see the meatball Bears fans deal with that.

Gooch isn't facist enough for Lazio. Honestly, Gooch isn't going to get any better no matter where he plays. His limtations aren't really technical at this point. He is what he is: a guy who can shut down forwards like Klose, Toni (big, physical forwards) and a guy who is gonna have trouble handling smaller, faster guys. Playing in Serie A isn't going to change that. That said, if one thinks he can improve on that flaw, then maybe a league like the Erdevisie makes some sense, given how high scoring it is.

WHEN DOES THE MEN'S TRAMPOLINE START

I watched about 88 minutes of the Gals v Chivas USA... Beckham kind of sucks. I think I could have provided better services from the wing than he did. He looked like an MLS player. Which is pretty shite. His touch was bad, his crosses weren't on target, most of his through passes weren't weighted well and he beefed a scoring opportunity than an England captain shouldn't ever miss.

I know the thinking is that this is going to be the toughest tie in the 2nd round of WCQ, on the road, hostile stadium, etc, so thus the veteran heavy lineup... ...but do you really think we'd drop points to fricking Guatemala if we had Parkhurst in the central defense, Wynne at least on the roster, Benny and Bradley in the middle, and Cooper and Davies or Dempsey up front? Come on, Bradley. This ish is getting old fast. There are 5 really questionable decisions on this roster: No Kenny Cooper (Pending) Hejduk over Wynne No Benny Feilhaber EJ Eddie Lewis I mean, I like Sascha getting the call, but Hejduk shouldn't be in the pool anymore except in case of a rash of injuries to the backs. He's not going to figure into 2010 (at least he'd better not). The Hejduk thing pisses me off more than anything else, really. Lewis, fine. He's actually still pretty decent. Benny? He should be there if he's fit because he's our only real linking mid. But if he needs to report to Derby or find another club, I kind of get it. EJ? F him, but at least he's still theoretically with some upside. Cooper will likely be the 18th guy, so that tempers EJ wearing the shirt. Jozy is hurt or whatever, so fine. But Hejduk? And are we seriously going to only play Gooch and Boca in the central defense? Heaven help us if one of them get hurt in the Hex. We haven't played anyone else in that spot yet. If this were the Hex and not the goofy assed 2nd round...I'd almost wish for a shock loss just to kill off some of these vets and put some pressure on Bradley to do something other than this crap.

Roster for Guatemala: Now, there's one open spot....which should go to Kenny Cooper. If it doesn't, I'm not going to be happy. EJ completely doesn't deserve the call up. I don't get that at all. He peaked in 2004. He sucks. Ching is a less skilled Cooper. I get the no Jozy, no Freddy thing, cause they need to meet their clubs. But why no Benny? And Frankie Hejduk shouldn't be there. Our lineup, as it stands, is going to look like this: -------Howard--------- --Pearce--Gooch---Boca---'Dolo --Bradley----------Mastro--- --Donovan------Lewis ---Ching----Dempsey