USSoccer

Wow, USSoccer is finally converted to office policy. 8) Just for a fortnight.. :D

What's your phone number? :twisted: This guy here...funny guy.

Break your work computer. Thus far I've come up with the following: -iPod in the car for my commute, preventing me from listening to sports radio or stumbling onto an NPR or other FM update. -Instituting a "Bring CD's to listen to at work" day so that the crap light FM station our office has doesn't further prove its sucktitude by babbling a score at some point. -Going nowhere near Cnn.com, ESPN.com, or nsbb.com during the day at work. -Having my wife get the TiVo ready so that, when getting ready to watch, I don't end up seeing the end of the game because our dvr likes to do that. So basically all that's left is to try and prevent a babbling client or co-worker from wrecking my game-watching by telling me the score.

I didn't mind that they were on at 3am. It meant I was guaranteed to see the games. :D

All 64 games are live on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The full TV schedule is on ESPN.com

1 week to go before the US kicks off against the Czechs, and I'm still working on an airtight "World Cup Blackout" scheme to prevent me from learning the score before I get home from work to watch on TiVo. Any suggestions?

There's nothing wrong with giving a guy coming off shoulder surgery an extra day. He hasn't been shut down.

Nothing like a "told you so" post. We'll see what his #'s look like in October. I think everyone here would be thrilled if he hit .300 and hit for power for the length of a season. However, the odds on that happening are long. I don't think he was saying "I told you so"; I think he was opining that the majority of the bd. is wrong about Jones. As I am part of that majority, I: a) hope he's right; b) hope I was wrong; and c) am not offended by what he wrote. I'm not offended either, but I also feel that his point could have been made without the last sentence.

Nothing like a "told you so" post. We'll see what his #'s look like in October. I think everyone here would be thrilled if he hit .300 and hit for power for the length of a season. However, the odds on that happening are long.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=369827&cc=5901 Smicer out for the Czechs. Good news for us... And anyone who does the robot after a goal is automatically awesome.

What I don't get is why Hendry gets the optimism pass, when he's clearly responsible for the mess he's made of this team. What reason has he given us as fans to give him the benefit of the doubt?

c'ya Matty. In light of the fact that Dusty has had ample opportunity to bench Matt already and has not done so, I'm taking a wait and see approach. Murton has been hot lately. Let's see how this plays out. I like this move. Nevin can play first until Lee returns and then gives use RHed pop off the bench, and hopefully a platoon partner for Jones. Baker won't bench Jones for Nevin, and isn't smart enough to platoon them.

Good for KC.

You're basically talking about the need to "Dusty-Proof" the team.

Crazy thought: Did picking Womack off the trash heap make Pierre expendable in a deal? I would like to believe his inept play made him expendable. That and he could conceivably end up with a contract near 10M per this offseason. Yeah, I meant it from Hendry's "Need a fast leadoff guy no matter what" perspective.

He's behind Prior in rehab. So, no way he was called up.

Crazy thought: Did picking Womack off the trash heap make Pierre expendable in a deal?

Well, we're "only" 12.5 out right now, and coming off the worst stretch in recent memory. Lee, Prior and Pagan should all be back before the break. Wood had made 3 starts. The bats are getting better, the pitching seems like it might be settling down with Wood, Z and Maddux. That said, we're going into our toughest stretch of schedule, all against division foes. I think the worst is over, and we're between 7-10 out by the break. I doubt we climb back into contention, but keep in ming that the NL in general and the Central in particular aren't really strong.

England have real problems. The best two strikers - Rooney and Owen - will be nothing like fit (Rooney won't even play until the knock-out stages, Owen is just getting his fitness back) for the finals. The central defence, where England have such strength, is weaker than I can recall - Campbell's been out with mental problems for a while, Ferdinand lapses regularly, which leaves John Terry to have confidence in. Anything further than the quarter finals I'd see as a huge achievement. The Dutch are well-equipped. However, they're always well-equipped. I'd be shocked if Man U release Rooney for WC duty. He's not going to be anywhere near game ready, so why risk the long term health of a 20 year old who will likely have 2 more chances to play for England in the WC for a run this year that he's not likely to have much of an impact on?

I have said before that Pope is going to be like Agoos in 2002. Overmatched and outplayed. It's imperative that Mastro and Gooch are able to help him out, or else we're toast. Oh no, not Jeff Agoos. That can't be good. Thankfully Oguchi is a much better defender than Agoos. Pope isn't, though. He's in the perfect position to be found out.

I have said before that Pope is going to be like Agoos in 2002. Overmatched and outplayed. It's imperative that Mastro and Gooch are able to help him out, or else we're toast. The only possible justification for not starting Rappin' Clint is his defense, and even that's a bit thin, since O'Brien's value is in the attacking third of the field. I can see Arena starting O'Brien and putting Dempsey in after half time. Johnson coming off the bench is about the only sub I trust. Beasley's been so poor, you are almost stuck. If you bench him, he'll sulk (I see a bit of petulance in him at times). If you start him, I think you're not putting your most effective player out there. I don't like Wolff; he hasn't done anything meaningful in 5 years. I'm terrified of Berhalter and Conrad, and Ching is a waste of a spot. I guess the key is finishing. If we can get a lead, Mastro can sinkback and can help the backline, and that will open up our conterattack. If we fall behind, well, we saw how much we struggle against mediocre teams that pack the defensive third. Imagine trying to come back against Italy.

I'm with you on Dempsey. He's one of the few players on this team who can be creative and run at defenders. He should be starting, no ifs ands or buts about it. Twellman should be there ahead of Ching. He and Wolff blow more scoring opportunities than anyone else on the roster.

My opinion is that I'm amazed and concerned that we didn't beat their brains in. Any other European team would have tied that game late. The Latvians had a couple of really good chances that they blew, and again, the US was content to knock it around the 18. Eddie Johnson can't finish, and gets caught offsides like a high school sophomore. Beasley looks like he's playing tentatively all the time, and probably shouldn't be in the first 11. He just looks like a shell of his former self. Maybe 4 years of getting crushed on the wing made him let up or lose something, but it's really concerning, because he's our best outside mid if he's on. Donovan desperatly needs to have Reyna in the lineup. He sent a few nice balls through, but made some mistakes and looked indecisive at times. Bad of restarts and set pieces. Our defense is suspect, still. If Latvia had any decent attacking players they'd have won the game. Conrad sucks, Cherundolo played decently but still had lapses of judgement, Mastroeni shouldn't have played if he had the flu, Convey should have scored when he found himself wide open at the penalty spot, but didn't, and McBride is good. Brian Ching continues to suck. If we play in Germany like we played in these 3 games we're going home early. FWIW, my starting 11 is Cherundolo, Gooch, Pope and Lewis in the back 4, Mastro, Reyna, Dempsey and Convey, Donovan withdrawn, and McBride up front. Beasley, Johnson and O'Brien and the primary subs.

Because up is down and the sky is elephant with the Cubs.

Valentine is a very good manager. I'd be thrilled if he came here. Plus, we'd get to see film clips of time time he wore a fake nose/moustache combo in the dugout after he was run from a game.