USSoccer

We had 8 yellow cards and 1 red in 3 games. That's stupid, stupid soccer. A couple of those could be chalked up to refs calling a youth tournament tight, but we played dumb. We played tactically dumb, physically dumb and, as you noted, made some glaring errors that a team in a group like ours can't make. One thing that's getting old is the mainstream soccer media talking about "guts" and "effort". That ish is meaningless now. No one in the USSF should be happy with that. I really, really think we're better than this, and I don't want to see a generation and a half of real, real talent pissed away at the hands of Nowak/Rongen/Bradley.

Orozco took a red in the third minute, they dropped Jozy into the midfield and eventually brought Feilhaber in to be a more defensive presence. I can't believe I wake up two hours early, turn on my dvr and settle in just in time to see a bonehead elbow get Orozco sent off. F me. All I know is that elbow was pretty standard fare. There are elbows like that thrown in every run of the mill soccer game you'll ever see from high school games to Champions League games. Difference being that the people who throw them usually are smart enough to realize the ref is two feet away and they should wait until he's gone to get their shot in. Unfreakingbelievable. Orozco plays in the mexican league and going by what I've seen of the mexican teams in Super Liga and with the MNT, I can't say I'm surprised it happened. It very easily could have cost us a medal. If we won, which I think we could have, we would have drawn Ivory Coast. We can beat them and we're in a medal game. Bah...I hate this. Now visions of the elbow, Holden's stupid soapdropping non-pass against the Netherlands, his stupid foul against the Netherlands and being the only guy in the wall who jumped on that free kick. F%$* Edit - I guess the bright side is that we have a full squad for the qualifier in Guatemala City. Really this is all I care about: -------Altidore--------Cooper--------- If those are the starting forwards then I'll be happy (I'm not gonna be happy). You aren't going to be happy. Be prepared for: ----Ching----Johnson------- And that ref apparently has a reputation for being quick with the whistle. However, that actually underlines a kind of disturbing trend. In two of our last 4 serious competitions we've had card-happy refs work important games, and in all of them, we've had players sent off. Why aren't our coaches prepping our guys for this? Or is it that our players are just that stupid? Either way, today's loss was really disappointing. It's no longer acceptable to point to 65 good minutes out of 270+ and say we gave a good effort. Yeah, we pulled 4 points, but we played like dogcrap when it mattered. Tactically, in the Nigeria game, Nowak might as well have put on a Bruce Arena mask, because we sat back until the 75th minute and his subs were idiotic.

I seriously would like to kick Michael Orozco in the sack. EDIT: And Nowak did exactly what I thought he would do, which was "something stupid tactically". Jesus, the USSF is it's own worst enemy.

Wow. I meant within, not in each of the next 3. I realized I wrote that a little funny. Gotcha. Either way, that'd be amazing. All it takes really is a quasi-favorable group draw. We went to the quarters (and should have won) in 2002 with what's really a crappy overall roster when you look back. The only guys from 2002 I would travel in time to bring forward would be Mathis, O'Brien and Pope. I think Jozy will be better than McBride was, I think any one of our current mids can be better than Reyna, our role players are all better, our defenders should be better, and the keeper is about a wash. Anyways, with the talent we have currently on the senior team and what's forthcoming, all that stands between us and progress is tactical awareness and coaching.

Wow. I meant within, not in each of the next 3. I realized I wrote that a little funny.

If he can't figure out a way to get a result v Nigeria (even without Adu and Bradley) he should be sacked. And by sacked I mean forced into a sack, beaten with soap and tossed into the Yalu River. Seriously. You have Jozy. Szetela. Benny. McBride. Holden and Rogers. You should be able to draw. Glad to see you still have high standards. I'm so scared before every USS game that I just convince myself to be happy with a good effort. I'd love to see him go to the Galaxy on the merit of how hilarious it would be to see his stubborn ass yelling at Beckham and his handlers for mailing it in. If it's not him, it'll be Arena and I won't be able to watch that fellating joke fest between he and Beckham's nuts without getting really pissed off. Nowak in LA would be a stitch. I could see him doing something stupid like benching Landon and getting torched for it. Then again, Arena+Beckham+Buddle=high comedy. And yeah, I have high standards for this group. The Sachca/Jozy/Adu generation is talented, and if we ever get a technical mind in charge of them, great things could happen. And Nigeria isn't Argentina. They don't have two of their better players, and I honestly believe that we have the skill level with this roster to beat them. I truthfully expect a top 4 finish in the next 3 World Cups with this group. We have too much talent coming to fail, and too much money invested in the product.

If he can't figure out a way to get a result v Nigeria (even without Adu and Bradley) he should be sacked. And by sacked I mean forced into a sack, beaten with soap and tossed into the Yalu River. Seriously. You have Jozy. Szetela. Benny. McBride. Holden and Rogers. You should be able to draw.

Now that sucks.

CROWN JEWEL OF MLS. Seriously, though, Lalas is a wank who should never have been given the opportunity to run his third team into the ground.

It seems like Fukudome is a little edge and tempermental, based on some of his quotes this season. Not that I care-I actually kind of like my people moody. And any comparisons from Matsuzaka to Russ Ortiz are some of the funnier things I've read here.

Reed Johnson can platoon with Pie if we absolutely must hinder him any more. Unless Edmonds wants bench player money, we give him his ham and say thank you so much.

If he puts together some good decision making on when to get forward and some good crosses, that boy has some unbelievable speed as a right back. He seriously had two steps on Drenthe all game, who is supposedly Holland's burner. I like the idea of his athleticism in our back four. Right now our senior team's defense really lacks anyone who's a good athlete. If he improves his touch (which can be improved) and, like you said, learns how to read the game as far as going forward, he's going to be intruiging.

Unless Nowak goes 4-5-1 thinking he can get a draw that way, I'm inclined to agree with your formation. BTW, what's up with Marvelle Wynne looking like an international prospect? He's not been on my radar for a while, but in these two games he's been very good.

That was a nice overall effort. Drawing against Nigeria is doable. Even without Freddy and Bradley.

Aren't we allowed to criticise and challenge her opinions, especially when they're completely ridiculous? No one has violated board rules here.

I, too, once owned something. We must have much in common, Mr. Loria.

Ryan Babel is going to eat whoever mid is on that side alive. However, Adu might tear it up since the Oranje don't exactly pressure the ball much.

See my previous post. Sorry walking on eggshells here trying not to offend or say to wrong thing while making my point. Kind of makes me sorry to have revealed my background in the game. I still don't get it though. Loria is famous for low payrolls and throwing a fire-sale seemingly every time the Marlins accomplish anything. Going by what Cuban has done with the Mavericks, what possible connection is there? The connection is that RedIvyCub is grasping at straws.

i love RIC so much.

Isn't that the problem with the senior team as well? We don't really have a mid that can link up from the back to the wings and strikers? The only way Bob's idiotic "Empty Bucket" works is with a real linking mid. And the only one we have is Benny, and he's such a question mark. From the formation you posted, it appears that we used the Bucket again, which is really inexplicable at the u-23 level because our players certainly don't fit with that system. Sascha isn't a linking mid. Freddy isn't. They're both CAM's, or in Sascha's case, a wing mid right now. MB is just a destroyer right now. Who the F is our technical director, anyway? Someone should be pointing this out.

Some would, some wouldn't. It's still be a huge story because of the amount of money involved, and the fact that the Trib has owned the team for so long...it's going to be a massive change no matter who gets the team. I know you don't like Cuban, but I think you're letting that keep you from looking at this situation with much objectivity. Whoa, wait a minute. That's unpossible.

US v Japan in the opening Olympic game this morning: Also, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to stay at Man U for at least one more season.

That's really odd since I wouldn't ever associate the two. Oh BR Ramirez never used to walk before this year, so its not that surprising to me. He's also about as fast as I was on one leg and didn't strike out, either.

That's really odd since I wouldn't ever associate the two. Oh BR

If Kenny Cooper isn't in Chicago for the T&T game, I'm going to jump onto the field and smack Bob Bradley with a wiffle bat