Filed under: World Cup Qualifiers
A Ricardo Clark howler set up by (Who Else?) Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan gave the U.S. its first three road points of the Hexagon and vaulted the Americans to the top of the group and ever closer to South Africa 2010 last night in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. That’s about all you can say about the game that doesn’t involve guarded optimism or outright criticism.
The good news now is that it would take a monumental collapse in the final two games, especially given Costa Rica’s defeat against El Salvador last night, for the Yanks not to qualify. That couldn’t be stated with anything but optimism before the result last evening. The Yanks essentially need one point in their final two matches to assure themselves of a spot in South Africa (loss to Honduras is okay if they tie Costa Rica @ RFK on October 10).
The bad news is that the campaign itself seems to be limping along. The heroic night against Spain and the first 70 against Brazil seem to be fading into the Caribbean night, and the Americans are playing a brand of soccer that at best is serviceable and utilitarian and at worst is downright mediocre. San Jose Earthquake Cornell Glen just missed sending tremors throughout the region when his chipped shot beat Tim Howard in the 30th minute after Carlos Bocanegra and Gooch had taken a nap on a throw in, only to have his effort denied by the woodwork. Tim Howard made a brilliant save on a T and T free kick a few minutes later that kept the Yanks, who played most the first half without a pulse, alive.
Ricardo Clark’s goal in the 62nd minute was just what the doctor ordered, and it was orchestrated by the Yanks only real midfield attacking presence of the second half, Landon Donovan, who cut back to the middle of the field off a nice Clint Dempsey feed and fed Clark the ball he was touch once and let loose. Making the goal even more fortuitous was the fact that Stuart Holden was about to come on for Clark, who had been more or less an enigma wrapped in invisibility for the first sixty minutes of the match. Which leads me too…
Bradley’s lineup choices. I don’t get it. I don’t understand his damned determination to play a double destroyer formation that features two holding midfielders. While Benny Feilhaber wasn’t spectacular off the bench, at least he offers an attacking pulse in the center of the field. Last night, no such pulse was present outside of Donovan drifting to the center. While MB 90 played his best game since the summer, he was much more unsettled in the second half and committed a few turnovers that were the result of unnecessary forced movements of the ball. As for building possession from the back to the middle– the best illustration of the American inability to do this occurred after the goal, when Spector and Oneywu worked nicely off one another and Bradley continued the distribution train they had set up near the center of the field. As the Yanks found good attacking spaces as a result of this calm passing, Oneywu, rather than working the ball to the middle, where Clint Dempsey was headed to help, made the puzzling decision to play a long ball to Charlie Davies, which was well over his head and retrieved easily by T and T goaltender Clayton Ince. It is these sort of choices that make the backline last night, and the lack of Frankie Hejduk on this roster (until Edgar Castillo arrives), even more puzzling. There is no serious threat from the American back who offers good possession. So what do about this dilemma ? The answer is complicated.
As CNN SI writer Ridge Mahoney notes,Jon Spector can be such a threat, as he is very comfortable on the ball, but he had his hands full with T and T side back Carlos Edwards last night, and smartly decided that he needed to be cautious going forward. Spector was burnt by Edwards pace early, but never allowed the Ipswich winger to get in front of him, and that is all you can ask.
Jon Bornstein was much better last night (quite good in fact), but his man to mark, Hayden Tinto, is an MLS caliber player who the World Cup won’t serve to Bornstein on a platter. At the end of the day, the Yanks will need Castillo or a rejuvenated Cherundolo to step up and solve the possession in the back problem, especially if The Dude is not on the plane.
The Americans must be better in attack and in possession and take the initiative against lesser opponents, or else they will be punished, perhaps as early as next month in Honduras, where they face a squad who was quite frankly unlucky against Mexico last night, losing on a phantom penalty in the box converted by Blanco in the 74th minute. Possession and composure in the back is essential on the road, and despite sluggish performances last night by Clint Dempsey and Charlie Davies, the active and confident performance by Jozy Altidore at least hints that the Americans will be rewarded if they are better at being patient with the ball.
As for Bradley, one wonders why he went back to the well with Bornstein instead of Cherundolo last night, though he was rewarded by Bornstein’s performance. One wonders about the Clark/Bradley pairing, which offers little in attack, though he was rewarded by Clark’s splendid strike. Better to be lucky than good ? Maybe. Or maybe he is limited by the absence of likely starter Maurice Edu, whose two-way game makes the American midfield immediately better. Jermaine Jones is in the discussion as well, and as you know, neither were available last night. We’ll see if they are in the mix in the final two games, but given Bradley’s penchant to remain conservative, it seems likely that they’ll both only see the field when qualification is assured, which means not until after the trip to Honduras. For the sake of the American attack, let’s hope that is not the case, and hope Edu’s knee is fully healed.
For now, we and Yankette Audrina Patridge will have to settle for a Ricardo Clark howler, and hope that Audrina’s howler film Sorority Row is as satisfying as the three points the Yanks earned last night.
Filed under: Bobbo Hate Speech
Dear Sir:
Bobbo, Bobbo, guess what?!?!?!?!! Neil and I figured out a way to make all of your problems go away! Here’s what we realized – the US National Team must have a player named “M-something-90” on the pitch at all times. This is because Brian McBride retired; he would have been B-M-90, but I think internally Bobbo….you kind of switched the letters. I’m actually 100% sure this is what happened, but it’s OK, I got your back on this one and I’m here to help. I understand you get confused sometimes – coaching must be tough! It’s not like this kind of mistake hasn’t happened before. I know you don’t realize that Beckerman is not the same person as Beckham, and it’s only a matter of time before you mistake J.F. Torres for Fernando Torres, but one thing at a time….
Back to the McBride thing. The necessity for some combination of the letters M and B lead you to the conclusion that instead of needing a BM90, we had to have an MB90, and therefore your son must play all the time. You believe in your team’s inner chi and balance. You subscribe to the theorem of the Tony Meola curse, and thus Timmy Howard must be your keeper and Brad Guzan must be your backup. This also means that Troy Perkins has no place on this team – I totally understand. Where there’s no hair, there must be an M-B or B-M in some order.
The solution to your problem though Bobbo is quite simple. Mo Edu is coming back from injury soon. His initials are M-E. I know this is different than M-B, but the letter B kind of sounds like the letter E. If you say it fast enough Bobbo, you won’t even notice. It can be our little secret that you don’t watch the games you’re coaching, so if you make the switch from M-B-90 to M-E-90, I think we both know that you’d never really notice what’s going on. Mikey will probably start crying and/or beating up an official if you decide to make the switch, but I think even his inner balance will be satisfied when you explain this rationale to him. How can you argue with it – it makes perfect sense! And you can’t put both M-E-90 and M-B-90 in the game at the same time! That would be like the Seinfeld episode where George’s worlds collide – the results would be similar to an antimatter explosion that would consume the universe, and none of us want this. Explain all this to Michael, and I’m sure he’ll let you off the hook. Then you can play a team that has the potential to win some games, and all will be well with the world….
Best,
Raf
Filed under: September 2009 | Tags: CONCACAF, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, USA
Look, it is well known and established below that the United States has had a few issues in being as impressive as we know after this summer they are capable of being in the last two qualifying matches. Tonight’s match in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago is one more chance for the U.S. to play the complete game it is capable of. Let’s put the cookies on the lowest shelf too: The United States has to play a huge game tonight because these three points are the ticket to South Africa.
If the United States doesn’t want to play two games against two of the top three teams in the Hexagonal that matter next month to close qualifying, a win against the struggling Soca Warriors is essential. The logjam at the top of the Hexagon sees the Yanks in second on goal difference, but with Mexico at home tonight, a tie or loss will see them AT LEAST TO THIRD. And with Argentina’s struggles well-documented– yeah Diego, we’re ALL LOOKING AT YOU HOMEBOY-- the fourth place CONCACAF ticket has about a 50/50 chance of being a Sarah Palin death-panel ticket to a two game playoff tie with the Argentinians, which essentially means what a death-panel suggests– eleven Argentinian men more or less get to decide whether or not the fourth place CONCACAF side travels to South Africa or they do. My bet in that matchup is on Leo Messi.
While T and T is struggling, there are three things that make the qualifier immensely tricky.
One, the Soca Warriors want a repeat trip to a World Cup and three points is the only way that dying dream remains an ember and not black ash.
Two, the game is on the road where the U.S. has lost twice in qualifying and managed a desperation point thanks mostly to Frankie Hejduk, who for whatever reason, is not on the roster at this point.
Third, the Soca Warriors have upgraded coaches, players, and attacking savvy since we traveled to Nashville to see Jozy’s coming out party. While you wouldn’t know from the beating they took Saturday, a 4-1 clubbing at the hands of Hexagon leader Honduras, they’ve upgraded in the back with Bolton Wanderers starter Jlloyd Samuel, and they’ve added Deuce’s pal from Europa group stage team Fulham, West Ham youth product Bobby Zamora.
Couple that with the ever dangerous Kenwyne Jones, who you’ll recall nearly put the Soca Warriors ahead 1-0 five minutes into the game in Nashville, and you see the challenge facing the Yanks tonight in the Port-of-Spain.
These challenges all melt into the overarching problem with the Yanks of late– which is building possession from the back and taking the initiative in attack, especially on the road. While as Raf noted there were glimpses of this Saturday, the U.S. has yet to demonstrate it can sustain midfield possession in a game on the road, much less build attacks and possession from the back. Much of this is the fault of Jon Bornstein, who seems absolutely uncomfortable when he goes forward (sad, because this is supposed to be a strength), but it is an immense problem nonetheless. To make matters more complicated, the U.S. was excellent in this regard against the Soca Warriors in Nashville in this facet of the game, but much of that had to do with the success of Frankie Hejduk terrorizing the Trinidad flank for the majority of the evening. Since the Dude isn’t walking through the door tonight,
the U.S. will likely try to build that possession with Jon Spector again or with Carlos Bocanegra, neither of whom are greatly comfortable in this role. Spector has played adequately, but not as well as he did in South Africa this summer, of late, and quite frankly, as Steve Davis notes, it would do a great deal of good if someone at West Ham would decide exactly what position it is that Spector plays. Until that happens, he will continue to exist in a sort of Mike Mordecai meets Ryan Church’s talent level type state of being where he is adequate everywhere but not particularly great anywhere.
The problem with Bocanegra playing on the left in this game and helping build possession is further compounded because this is a tactical area of the game where you would feel a tinge of concern. Certainly the Soca Warriors have a player in Carlos Edwards whose pace can exploit Bocanegra. Boca will have to be careful about going forward (that is, more or less, he’ll need to mostly avoid doing it at all), and pay constant mind to his positioning, because he won’t be able to recover from mistakes easily because of Edwards’ pace.
These negatives aside, in all other aspects of the game, and with Gooch back from suspension to contain Jones, the US defense matches up well with T&T’s attackers, and should allow the 4-4-2 to open up scoring fairly easily for the US, particularly with Davies’ pace and work-rate being something that the T&T backline is ill-equipped to deal with (and, one should note, has never faced before — Davies didn’t play in the last match against T&T, and I suspect he will be a nasty surprise for the Soca Warriors).
The bottom line is that someone needs to understand that on the road it is important to maintain a semblance of order and possession, and that more build-up is required in attack. Clint Dempsey disappears in road games at times because only MB 90 and Landon Donovan seem to have the situational sense to realize that you can’t always blitzkrieg while on the road– sometimes you need to be patient and hold the ball. Couple more intelligence on this front with more solid hold up play from Altidore and Davies, and the U.S. may find a great deal of success tonight, especially given Trinidad’s precarious position in the Hexagon. Many teams are content to settle for 1 point against the Americans in the region, and if they capture three- well, terrific. Tonight, the Soca Warriors need three points and certainly T and T coach Russell Latapy and assistant Dwight Yorke may be tempted to push forward more in attack, a style that would benefit the lethal American counterattack. We shall see.
Either way, an American loss means only one thing– next month’s qualifiers will have a death panel feel, and the Yanks will find themselves certainly not assured of a trip for the first time since 1990. That would be a national tragedy, because this is the best talent pool in American history. Given these circumstances, it’s safe to say it has been a while since an American road fixture took on this meaning, but these things happen when you tie at El Salvador in a game you should absolutely win.
Filed under: September 2009 | Tags: El Salvador, Herb Brooks, Jon Bornstein
There’s a poignant moment in the vastly underrated Disney film “Miracle”, which of course documents the triumph of a group of U.S. collegiate hockey players over the seasoned and world’s more talented Soviets in Lake Placid in 1980, when Kurt Russell, who plays Herb Brooks, is talking to Craig Patrick, excellently portrayed by Noah Emmerich, and a couple of other U.S. hockey advisors. Brooks and Patrick are hopeful and bold, but at base realize that the matchups are very poor. We’ve got guys like Mike Ramsey, and Mark Pavelich, they lament, and the Soviets have some of the best players in the world. I got to thinking about this scene after watching the film again the other day, and it made me remember the “Miracle on Grass” this summer and a similar discussion Raf and I had about the American matchups against Spain.
“We’ve got JON BORNSTEIN”, I remember Raf saying, and I quickly replied, “Yep– and they’ve got Cesc Fabregas.” Now El Salvador didn’t have Cesc, but the point remains, Bornstein just simply isn’t good enough at this level. In order for him to be good enough, he has to buy completely into the U.S. system and play at nearly a heroic level, as Ramsey, Pavelich, and others were able to do for sixty minutes in Lake Placid. And even if he does do that once, he has to do it consistently, which quite frankly, would be a miracle. His clearance the other day was so bad that one couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to cause the U.S. to be in an enormous and nearly unrecoverable position heading into the Port of Spain tonight against Trinidad and Tobago, well-previewed here by Jeff Carlisle at Soccernet.
At the end of the day, the real answer at left back may have to be either Carlos Bocanegra, who played absolutely brilliantly Saturday in Utah, or newcomer Edgar Castillo, whose offensive pace is similar to Bornstein but who actually has the technical skill and soccer savvy to be successful in the other facets of the game Bornstein, to be quite frank, simply lacks on the international level. Castillo very well may be on the plane (If there is a plane) to South Africa, and I tend to believe, given his work at Club America, and as Paul Kennedy suggests rather cautiously, that he is a long-term answer at the left back spot. Unfortunately, none of that helps the Yanks tonight in the Port of Spain, as they once again go to battle without at least two likely World Cup roster members, Maurice Edu of Rangers and Schalke’s Jermaine Jones, as well as Castillo. Expect all three to get a look next month, especially if the Americans backs are against the wall.
Again, I don’t think you can really do a better job wrapping a game than Raf did, and I didn’t have a bunch to add. I will briefly comment on the Jon Bornstein “situation”, as it were.
On to Raf’s comments, which are numbered below.
My thoughts on the El Salvador game:
1.) Best game Clint Dempsey has ever played for the US internationally, and I totally mean that. He was REMARKABLE, and if not for his heroics, we don’t win this game. Although he is not a “traditional” winger in terms of his skill set or where he plays at Fulham, he is growing into the role of winger on the US squad superbly. His defense (which is what all the Deuce-haters always bring up), was fine and offensively he was the spark we needed to get the 2 goals necessary to shake off an earlier Bobbo debacle. This segways perfectly to the next couple of points…..
2.) What the fuck is Bobbo doing with his lineup choices and his mid-game choices? Seriously, what does this guy do as a coach that’s so remarkable? Other than figuring out that Deuce and Lando need to be wingers (which I probably could have figured out myself a year ago), he really doen’t do shit. Let me start with the most obscene and work my way down. Why does he think that JONATHAN FREAKIN’ BORNSTEIN needs to EVER be in an international US game? We are STACKED defensively in terms of talent on the back 4. We have (in no particular order) Spector, Cherundalo, Boca, Demerit, Hejduk, Marshall (who I’ve really liked since he got some PT this summer), and Gooch. That’s by my count 7 defenders who are LEAPS AND BOUNDS better than Bornstein. Why is he ever in the game? He’s freakin Heath Pearce only worse. The decision to ever give him minutes is as bad as starting Keller over Howard in the last World Cup. I understand that Gooch was suspended and that Demerit was hurt, but why can’t you start Hejduk (and why wasn’t he on the roster) or Cherundolo? I say “homeless man version of Sergio Ramos” with the utmost respect for Hejduk; I really like it when he’s in the game, and I’ve NEVER seen him gaff as bad as Bornstein did THE ENTIRE GAME last night. Bornstein is 100% responsible for the goal that we gave up – after blown coverage, he made up for it by biffing on a clearance, and low and behold, they score. Really Bobbo, forget Chivas and move on. I love Kljestan, but at a certain point, maybe you need to put Bornstein in the Kljestan category for now – give him some time to develop and maybe eventually he can contribute. Stop it with the Nepotism and stop deferring to your favorites from your Chivas days!
3.) Really, someone explain to me what MB90 does other than exist as Bobbo’s son that warrants him getting 90 minutes every game? I know I’ve already beaten this point to death, but I’m not going to stop now. He was simply average during the game last night – he really didn’t do jack. His defense was OK (not great), he didn’t do anything creatively (big surprise), and for long stretches of the game, he just disappeared. It also needs to be noted that he is now getting benched by his club team for “not recognizing his mistakes.” Hmm….coach’s son can do no wrong EVER, as evidenced by the fact that Daddy won’t ever take him out of a game. He gets to a club, and he doesn’t understand how to self-evaluate because he’s never had to! And now he develops an attitude problem! Bobbo, for the sake of your kid’s career and for the sake of US Soccer stop using a double standard when dealing with this kid. I know he’s your kid, and you’re in a tricky position, but what you’re doing isn’t working.
Bobbo, when are you going to try something else? Or will you get fired first? That’s probably most likely, but the thing about that is, I really believe that this group has the talent to do some damage in S. Africa next summer, and I don’t want to waste another World Cup cycle and chalk it up to another “Coach’s Learning Experience.” C’mon man! J.F. Torres (who can play where your boy has been “locked in”) was spectacular in the 10 minutes that you let him see the field (I’ll get to that in point #5). Just try something else! Humor me!
4.) The pairing of Jozy and Chuck D really gets me excited! Last night, it was ON, and I haven’t felt this way about a couple of young US players since last summer with Kljestan and Edu. These kids need to be on the field as much as possible together because last night they showed everyone what this could blossom into. That really was impressive on their parts – they dominated the game in a way that no US striker pairing has ever done as long as I’ve been watching US Soccer.
5.) Does Bobbo watch the games that he’s coaching? I understand that his starting lineup choices may be wrong but for one reason or another – loyalty to Bornstein from Chivas, loyalty to his son – and people can make excuses for him. But, is it just me, or does he look freakin clueless when the whistle to start the game begins? Let’s start with the first sub – Holden for Davies. What the fuck?!?!?! Are you serious? I know that Holden did OK at the Gold Cup, and that Davies was hurtin’, but uhh….you have Chinger on the bench and you HAVE TO win this game. And you go with Holden? Really? Why? I like Holden, but I like Holden for like a replacement for Deuce in 4 years. Why do this when you have the Ching option?
2nd sub – Beckerman for Feilhaber in the 80th minute. Did anyone else just go “huh?” when this happened. Beckerman was adequate at best this summer during the Gold Cup and now you’re going to reward him with PT? Furthermore, you’re going to take out Feilhaber – who by the way was superb – for what reason? We got the lead by running our offense out of the back 4 (totally bypassing MB90 by the way), through Feilhaber (the lone creative presence in our midfield right now), to the wings, and to the dominant striker pair. Now, you want to cut-off the creative presence, or the engine that makes this whole thing go (here at the AFH, we call Feilhaber “The Maestro” because he orchestrates goals through his creativity), and put in Beckerman? EHH? That’s really not explicable, ESPECIALLY if you knew you wanted to work JF Torres into the game. If you were unhappy with Feilhaber – which there was no reason to be – but if you were, put Torres in for him. He played GREAT when he finally got some PT. Or, better yet, get Junior the fuck out of there and put in Torres. Junior was freakin’ worthless.
3rd sub – Torres for Jozy. OK, Jozy clearly needed to come out (actually in like the 65th minute he needed to come out). He just gets gassed because he plays so hard and so fast all the time. But you don’t make this sub earlier? Or, you don’t use this last sub for a defender who’s been playing badly (Bornstein anyone!?!?!). You did have Cherundolo on the bench. I don’t know – it seems like you’ve let Jozy go this far, you ride it out with him through the 90, especially after wasting your 2nd sub on Beckerman. Again, was Bobbo even watching the game?
What I would have done is put in Chinger for Chuck D as soon as he got hurt. In the 75th minute, I would have put Torres in for MB90 and renamed MB90 MB75. Then, I would have used the last sub to get rid of the inadequate Bornstein in favor of a defensive substitution – Cherundolo anybody!??!!?!?!
Really, Bobbo needs to get his shit together…..
6.) Timmy is a top-5 goalie in the world, this point is beyond debate, and to argue it further would be hopelessly naïve. Every time we play, he makes at least 2 great saves that only like 3 or 4 goalies in the world can make. Casillas, Reina, Buffon, and maybe Schwarzer are in this category. Timmy freakin’ rocks – thank god we got that guy.
7.) Boca stepped the fuck up and showed why he’s captain of this team. We badly missed our best field player (Gooch) and not having Demerit didn’t help. He cleaned up mess after mess from Bornstein and a few gaffs by Spector (also not his best game, but really not disastrous) and was able to channel the ball through the Feilhaber effectively. Before the game, I was kind of the opinion that if Boca wasn’t captain, he might not even play. Now, I get it, and I’m back on the Boca train.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for NWB’s analysis, a T&T preview from one of the 3 of us, and postgame analysis.
Sure, we’re in the middle of two of the most important qualifying matches the U.S. has played in ages, and there’s a nerve-wracking logjam at the top of CONCACAF that would make Congressional gridlock over health care reform blush. But let’s not forget to celebrate Southern California’s Audrina Patridge, the September 2009 Yankette of the Month.
If you are as excited as I am about this Friday, and I imagine you are, you’ll know that Audrina has a huge role to play in the sure to be blockbuster film Sorority Row, a horror story about– get this– sorority girls getting murdered by a serial killer after a “sisterhood prank” goes awry. I’m glad Audrina’s getting the work, as it appears she was doing Carl’s Jr. commercials while waiting for MTV to launch her Hills spin off reality show.
Most of us Audrina as one of the early star’s of MTV reality show “The Hills”, where she was more or less second on the “I’m not nice and it’s really hot” totem pole, next to Lauren Conrad.
Of course, The Hills is not at all a reality show, a fact of life that troubled my bourgeoise mind nearly to tears when I found out the bitter truth. For an idea of how bad I felt, imagine the seven year old who just found out about Santa Claus multiplied by a Saturday morning cold fraternity house shower, and multiply that by 200. Needless to say, I need Sorority Row, with all its well-advertised, this idea is in no way original and people won’t care grandeur more than I’ve neded a B list horror film in a long, long time. If you don’t believe me– check out the Theta Pie or Die!! trailer yourself and call me a liar when I say this could be the must-see film of 2K9.
I might even hold off on my Friday evening pile of empties to go check it out– but I doubt it– after the spoiler alert that our Yankette of the Month is killed off quickly, the movie already is fighting an uphill battle. The good news is that Carrie Fisher– yep, the same bazooka toting I’m going to kill Jake Elwood and really it’s only because I’m projecting my Mark Hamill bitterness Carrie Fisher– is actually in the film.
Like I said, can’t miss.
And after all, a horror movie actress from a not-reality, reality, immensely successful, opium of real-life sorority girl masses show is the perfect Yankette for a month that tonight features what ultimately may be the most critical game in the South Africa qualifying campaign. More on the T and T match in a moment– but first enjoy Audrina and be sure to read Raf’s wrap on the El Salvador game at the Rio Tinto that follows this particular blog. There really wasn’t much I could add to his analysis after I wrote my own entry, other than to mention that I think Brian Ching’s service to the national team starting 11 is more or less finished with the continued development of Davies and Altidore, and to note that while he tries very hard, Jon Bornstein’s contributions to the U.S. National Team should no longer be needed as he is terminally a liability on the international level.
Much like the sorority girls in Audrina’s new film, the stakes couldn’t be much higher for the national team at this stage. It’s a kill or be killed world out there. And we are the hunted. I will now shower for having typed anything that ridiculous.
Filed under: August 2009
The Yanks showed two different faces on Wednesday in The Azteca; unfortunately while one of those faces was on display for only one moment of brilliance, the other reared its ugly mug for the other 92 minutes. Landon Donovan’s through ball to Charlie “Chuck D” Davies and the ensuing cool finish conjured images of everything that was right about the American attack in the Confederation’s Cup. As for the rest of the soccer match, the only images it conjured took place at the Saprissa in Costa Rica a couple months ago… and that was a ball possession beat down U.S. soccer fans were hoping not to relive anytime soon.
So why? Why did the good guys have so little of the ball that I was forced to hope against hope for a scoring chance every time they progressed the ball over the halfway line (which was about once every fifteen minutes in the second half)? And even more disheartening is that the Yanks kept repeating the same routine hoping for a different result! Mexico attack results in goal kick. Howard boots a long ball or passes short to a defender who boots a long ball. Mexico gains possession at midfield and starts to build an attack. Repeat. You may have missed a couple of these thrilling American possessions while the TV coverage was showing replays of the previous Mexican attack on goal or requisite shots of Javier Aguirre scowling.
While the failure to possess the ball and build an attack (gasp!) is a whole team problem, the responsibility falls on a couple positions more than others. The side backs and central midfielders have to be better in both keeping the ball and passing to men who aren’t forced into a challenge immediately. This requires better pass placement than we saw on Wednesday. I have no doubt that each one of Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Bradley, and Clark can pass a ball to an open man, but they need to be better than they were yesterday at getting the ball into space on the proper side of their intended target. This is the difference between a Tom Brady and a David Carr. Even under pressure Brady can deliver the ball to his target in a spot that a defensive back (or Mexican for our purposes) can’t get to it. David Carr gets pressured and makes passes that look a lot like what we saw yesterday, and we all get to talk about how he’s a nice player to have on the bench.
I’ve seen the four players in question make these passes routinely in the past, but I don’t know that they represent the right combination of starting sidebacks/central mids. I’ve previously stated my belief that Spector should start on one defensive flank and Cherundolo on the other, with Bocanegra shifting back to the middle. With Boca looking suspect on the left yesterday, despite the fact that he plays wide for his club in Ligue 1, I’m forced the stand by Spec (yeah yeah he’s my boy, I get it).
What’s a more interesting discussion is what to do with the center mids. We seem to have a wealth of options at those positions, but no Stevie G or Xavi that’s good enough to force themself into the lineup without question. Seemingly the closest we have to the total package is Michael Bradley who brings hard-nosed defense and to the table along with safe passing (usually) and a Howitzer of a shot going forward. But Bradley is far from a creative offensive player, and while he doesn’t lack for “want to” in the defensive department, he’s not exactly a paragon of defensive positioning. This is exemplified by his yellow-a-game record. While it may seem like all of Bradley’s cards come as a direct result of his fiery temper, most are actually more run of the mill; player gets caught in defense and does what he has to do to recover.
But this isn’t some sort of glaring indictment of Junior. He’s one of the best of an okay bunch. What Bob Bradley must be charged to do is find the right two person combination of Mo Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Stu Holden, Jose Francisco Torres, and his son. If the right combo includes Michael Bradley then so be it, but Bob may have to get realistic about the fact that his team might benefit from starting his son on the bench. I don’t think that’s the case, but if I was coach I’d definitely explore some different combinations.
Four of the aforementioned CMF options saw the field on Wednesday, but the inclusion of Stu Holden in the second half calls J.F. Torres’ role on the team into question. Is Bob looking at Torres as a wing forward or side midfielder exclusively? Is he looking at Torres at all? Everyone on the Conf. Cup roster has gotten a run out with the national side in the last month or two, even Brad Guzan… but not Jose Torres. He never saw the field in South Africa, and unlike Adu he wasn’t given a shot in the Gold Cup. This is because he was needed back at Pachuca, but the fact remains that he keeps making the trips with the national team and never gets in the game. Even off-form players like Beasley and Kljestan have been given chances to get their games back on the field, but all Bradley sees fit to give Torres are butt splinters. If he can’t touch the field against Mexico where he already plays his club ball then when can he? Hopefully soon, maybe even against El Salvador, otherwise his spot on the plane will go to someone else. Sacha Kljestan back in form and ready to be a creative offensive force? I can hope.
Finally, we got a great look at an American back four yesterday that stood rather tall considering they were up against a 47 minute barrage in the second half. We also got another look at one of the best goalkeepers in the world playing up to the billing, and no I’m not talking about Guillermo “Nothing To Do” Ochoa. The only real critique I had of the D was the lack of proper defensive shifting, and that was mostly due to mistakes by the midfielders. Israel Castro should have been marked by a midfielder near the top of the box before he fired home his rocket of a goal, but Bradley and Clark were BOTH busy pestering Cuauhtémoc Blanco for his autograph. Meanwhile, Jay Demerit had to help on the Sabah goal because of Landon Donovan’s defensive shortcomings, otherwise Jay would have been marking Sabah.
After the beating the team is still in good position as far as qualifying is concerned and they should be able to put this loss behind them. The real question is whether they’ll learn what they should from the loss and make the right changes, either in tactics, personnel, or both.
In the meantime, Premier League starts Saturday, so… CMON YOU IRONS!
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I just watched the USA vs. Mexico monstrosity, and I’m FURIOUS with that game, the general direction of US soccer, and most importantly Bob Bradley’s (who from this point onward will be known as Bobbo) baffling lineup choices. Before I explain any further, let me introduce myself. I am member #3 of the USA power rankings. I’ve been a contributing thought provider for TYAC since its inception, and I’ve been alluded to several times since the creation of the blog. As my associate, Mr. Neil W. Blackmon so eloquently put it during the latest USMNT power ranking segment, I’m the persons who knows a lot about soccer but hates to “write shit.” I am angry enough about the latest disaster at the Azteca, that even I felt the need to broadcast my thoughts on US Soccer.
I’ve been on the “Bobbo’s a bad coach” train for quite some time (a little over a year now). I began developing this argument after watching Sacha Kljestan dominate the Olympics last summer while Michael Bradley (MB90, Junior, Nepotism, etc.) was rather pedestrian. I recognized the need for a defensive midfielding presence like Junior’s but I really didn’t think he was very good. In my opinion, he was adequate much like Stu Holden, Robbie Rogers, and Benny Feilhaber were adequate, but I didn’t really see anything special out of him the entire tournament. In fact, Nowak’s decision to place Mo Edu at left back during the tournament confused me a little, but I understood where he was coming from. Although Mo Edu is and was our most promising young player, and he’s our best defensive midfielder (by a lot), the problem with that Olympic team was that it was severely lacking in terms of defenders that could shut down a man one-on-one. The decision to place Edu in the back at the time seemed to be a recognition on Nowak’s part that the biggest weakness of that Olympic team was the back 4. Likewise, he had a player (MB90) who could adequately play in the central midfield. He was maximizing the talent with which he was given – I get it.
After the tragedy that was the Olympics, I was SOLD on Mo Edu and Kljestan. I thought that the future is now for these kids, we need to get them up to the senior team and get them on the field. Junior – yeah, he could play OK, but really we needed to focus on developing a pairing where Kljestan would play a creative midfielding role in which he could dominate and allow Edu to play a shut-down defensive midfielding role much like Javier Mascherano does so well at Liverpool and for Argentina. My thinking was that although the back 4 of the Olympic Team was inarguably weak, the back 4 of the Senior Team is its strongest asset. There would be no more need for Edu in the back (even though he excelled at the Olympics), so Bobbo could focus on the central midfielding pairing that made the most sense in terms of the talent pool. After the Olympics, Bobbo talked a lot about “getting these young kids on the field” and I was hopeful that maybe US Soccer finally had the kind of progressive thinking coach that we desperately needed throughout the Bruce Arena tenure. Perhaps Bobbo and I were seeing eye-to-eye on this one.
Then, three things happened. First, Edu got hurt, and that severely hurt any chance of my Master Plan ever coming to fruition. Second, Kljestan cut his hair and started playing horribly. Then, something much more troubling then all of this happened, and this is what got me questioning everything – Bobbo made it abundantly clear that he thought his boy, Michael, was one of the best players in US Soccer. Throughout the past year, MB90 has been paired in the midfield with Kljestan, J.F. Torres, Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, and probably some others I’ve been forgetting. The common theme here is that MICHAEL BRADLEY NEVER COMES OUT OF THE FUCKIN GAME! He plays 90 minutes of every game every time the A-Senior Team takes the field, unless of course he gets himself red carded for mouthing off to an official or making an ill-advised tackle somewhere on the pitch. In fact, if you look at the statistics from US Soccer, you will notice that in terms of minutes during 2009, the only people with more minutes than MB90 are Brian Ching (keep in mind he played the Gold Cup after being hurt in the Confed Cup, so his stats are slightly skewed), Clint Dempsey (footballer of the year at Fulham), Landon Donovan (all-time leading soccer in US Soccer history), Timmy Howard (our best player and arguably a top-5 goaltender in the world; certainly in the conversation with Iker, Pepe, and Buffon.), and Gooch (best defender in US Soccer, just signed a big-time contract for AC Milan….enough said). Then, it’s MB90.
You’re telling me that Michael freakin’ Bradley is the 6th best soccer player in the United States? I find that hard to believe, but that seems to be what Bobbo is indicating that he thinks. As a general rule in soccer (I know this, I used to play), you have 6 or 7 guys that never come out of the game. On the US squad it would be appropriate to put Chinger, Deuce, Lando, Gooch, and Timmy in that category. With everyone else, you need to maximize your talent and find combinations that work. Bobbo it seems has added his boy to the “lock” category and tried to develop combinations around him. Junior doesn’t nearly have the resume that his compatriots have, nor does he really bring anything to the table in terms of creativity with the ball.
What Junior is as a player is a homeless-man’s version of Xabi Alonso much like Frankie Hejduk is a homeless man’s version of Sergio Ramos. Referring to Hejduk, he makes runs up the flank like Ramos, he defends (kind of) like Ramos, but he does everything….well not quite as well as Ramos. Referring to Junior, he does everything that Alonso does….but not quite as well. Both Junior and Xabi are adequate central midfielders, they both defend adequately, they both possess a howlitzer of a shot, they both look to back-pass a little too much, and they both rely on someone else to provide creativity in the midfield. Alonso got a lot better with the creativity aspect during his 2008-2009 season at Anfield, and the Galacticos rewarded him with a hefty contract a couple weeks ago. Before last season though, he was mostly the beneficiary of being in a midfield with Stevie G. Xabi also benefited last season from “finding his role in Rafa’s System” much like Dirk Kuyt finally did with the Reds. During Dirk’s first year and a half he was LOST on the pitch, but eventually he figured how to play winger in Rafa’s 4-1-3-1-1 system, and he excelled. Likewise, last season Xabi found his role as the “center” of the “central midfielders” in between Mascherano and Stevie G, and he too had a great year.
The problem with all of this is that Xabi doesn’t really play much for Spain on the international level. This is because Spain doesn’t use Rafa’s 4-1-3-1-1 system; rather they employ a more traditional 4-4-2. In the “Rafa System,” there is a strong need for a central midfielder who does everything solidly and adequately but nothing overly creative or spectacular. If you have the striker that can play up-top by himself (and Rafa inarguably does in Torres), then you can afford to drop another player into midfield to control things through the center of the pitch like Alonso and feed the ball to the striker. If you don’t have the striker to play up-top by himself, or if you have two talented strikers like the Spanish National Team does in Villa and Torres, it makes sense to drop to a 4-4-2. Within the 4-4-2 then, you need two solid wingers like you do with the 4-1-3-1-1, AND you need your central midfielders to both be SPECTACULAR at what they do. One central midfielder MUST be a defensive powerhouse and the other MUST be a creative genius. Xabi is neither of these things, and hence he doesn’t really play much internationally. Michael Bradley is neither of these things either, yet Bobbo has made it very clear that he’s going to play a 4-4-2, and yet somehow his boy still plays every minute of every game. Bobbo is correct to employ a 4-4-2 because the USMNT does not have the striker to play up-top by himself anymore. Altidore may be that strike someday, and McBride certainly was 7 or 8 years ago, but right now there is a void where we do not have a top-notched striker. As Fernando Torres said after Spain was defeated at the Confederations Cup, the US is a completely different team with Davies paired with Altidore. Therefore, a 4-4-2 is the correct lineup, but within the context of this lineup, it is a necessity to have a creative force in the midfield to feed the ball into the strikers.
After watching the recent debacles that were USMNT performances, it is clear to me that our squad consistently gets dominated in the midfield because there is no creativity through the center of our formation. Ricardo Clark is a serviceable defensive midfielder, although when Edu is healthy again, I can’t see Clark retaining his starting role. That leaves MB90 to serve as the sole source of creativity, and he has failed miserably in this role. I will use recent game results to illustrate my point.
I know national-team patriotism is high because we knocked off #1 Spain, but suppose that didn’t happen or suppose we weren’t given the opportunity to do so? What everyone forgets, and what bang-wagon USMNT fans who jumped on-board after the Spain game probably don’t even know, is that the opportunity to play Spain was the confluence of a series of events that looked almost impossible. First, the US lost to the Italians, and then they were defeated soundly by the Brazilians in group play. During the Egypt game, we played well, but no one could have foreseen the Brazilians ringing up 3 goals on Gigi and his boys. That’s what even gave us the opportunity to play against Spain – after a red card and being dominated by Italy, and a humiliation by Brazil, we played 1 good game, and we backed our way into the Spain match. Then we played Spain, got 1 counter-attacking goal, 1 scrappy Chuck D goal, and then we defended the Alamo for the rest of the game. Spain deserved to win that game; during the second half, I can count on one hand the number of times we got the ball past midfield. Our back 4 during that game played courageously and remarkably; DeMerit and Gooch’s display during that match was one of the best center-back defending exhibitions I have ever seen in my life. However, they shouldn’t have been put into that position to begin with if we had a creative presence in the midfield.
The second half of the Brazil game was similar – we tried to defend the Alamo again after gaining an early scrappy lead, but to ask Gooch and DeMerit for an encore performance like the first one was not realistic. If we had a midfield that could control the ball and play creatively through it instead of relying on the long-ball all the time, we could have held onto that two goal lead. MB90 supporters say “well if Michael had been in the game, we would have held the lead….blah blah blah…..” I’m not sure if MB90 is in the game if we even get that lead to begin with! We got that lead against Brazil by attacking through the midfield and by displaying creativity with the ball. I’m pretty sure MB90 would have made a lot of back-passes and never pushed the envelope, thus making it so that we never got a lead at all.
So, to summarize, in the midfield, we lost the battle to Italy (controversially), we lost the battle to Brazil, we beat Egypt, we lost to Spain, and we lost again to Brazil. Fast-forward to today’s Mexico debacle. We were again absolutely CLOWNED in the midfield by Mexico. Freakin Mexico! This isn’t Spain, this isn’t Brazil, this is an opponent that on paper we should be able to control the game against. In 5 of the last 6 games, we have relied solely on the long-ball, we have been clowned in the midfield, and without Gooch and Demerit’s heroic performances against Spain, combined with Brazil’s schlacking of the Italians, we could very easily be looking at things from a completely different perspective.
All of this adds up to the inarguable fact that Michael Bradley cannot provide the creative presence that we need in the midfield. If he could do so, he would have done it against Mexico today, but he did not. Is he a serviceable player? Yes. Is there a role for him on this team? Yes, much like there is a role for Xabi Alonso on the Spanish team. However, he is not the answer in the center of the pitch. We need an in-form Sacha Kljestan, and even though I am super-fan #16, even I cannot argue that he should be playing right now. Kljestan needs to regain his form FAST because we need him desperately right now. Benny Feilhaber is a good poor-man’s solution for now, but we really need someone who can creatively play with the ball at his feet. There are other options that Bobbo has ignored – J.F. Torres and Freddy Adu for example – but as I said before, Bobbo it seems has decided that his boy is a “lock” on this team.
What makes this even more troubling is that Edu will be fit really soon. Jermaine Jones is eligible to play right now. When will Bobbo get MB90 off the pitch? Will he ever take his son out of the lineup and allow these more talented players who are better suited to a 4-4-2 to take the pitch? So far he has demonstrated that he will not. If he continues to ignore the obvious truth that his kid, Michael, is an adequate player, but that he is not suited to play all the time with the talent pool that he has around him, embarrassments like that one that we saw today at the Azteca will persist.
Will we still qualify for the World Cup with MB90 in playing all the time? Probably, because we play in CONCACAF. However, I would like to think that US Soccer has developed to the point where just making a World Cup should be a given. I would like to think that we’re hoping to be a two-seed at this World Cup, that we’re hoping to get out of group play, and that we’re hoping to win a game or two during the elimination rounds. Against mediocre opponents like we see in CONCACAF, MB90 seems like an adequate player for us, but against top-tier competition like Spain and Brazil, he has shown he is not. In fact, even against second-tier competition like Mexico, he failed miserably. At some point, Bobbo needs to take his kid out of the lineup, and experiment with other options. Will he have the stones to do it? This isn’t to say that experimentation will not lead to the status-quo. On the contrary, it may prove that MB90’s presence is “our best option right now.” If that’s the case, fine, leave him in until someone better develops out of our youth system or Sacha figures his shit out. MB90 needs to be in the conversation, but it needs to be a conversation. This notion that Bobbo has that his boy is a lock is wrong, and if it continues I predict another World Cup embarrassment next summer much like the disaster in Germany.
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porques Mexico jeuga como chicas este ano. Or something like that. Three custodial things before a final game preview:
a. The game is on Mundo 2, as noted before. If you would like a link to a live stream b/c you are at work, or because you found that finding Mundo 2 on your cable company’s channel guide is like trying to find Sasquatch– here you are:
www.futbolestelar.tv.
b. If you haven’t read Kristian Dyer’s piece about Landon Donovan’s immense summer, which dives into his otherwordly form at the moment and his immense leadership and performance for the USMNT this summer– you can do so here.
c. If you haven’t seen Landon’s golazo volley against the Rev last weekend, which propelled the Galaxy to yet another victory, stop what you are doing, hit the boss button on the computer and view that here. That goal was just stupid.
Now to the game– and if you aren’t excited for this one– you have ice water veins or no soul. I bet even Skeletor himself is excited for this one. First, note that no team in CONCACAF has failed to qualify for a world cup since the 1997 qualifying session when they’ve achieved 15 points. This means what you probably already knew– if the United States does win today at the Azteca, you can finally book the plane tickets to South Africa. If they lose– the Yanks are still in good shape– with maybe a point on the road at either Honduras or Trinidad and Tobago, and with 3 available at home against Costa Rica and El Salvador, respectively. The T and T road game just got a bit more difficult, with the additions of Fulham Striker and Duece’s pal Bobby Zamora and Bolton Wanderers strong man Jlloyd Samuel, but a point is there for the taking nonetheless.
What does this mean ? It means the game is huge– but only realistically enormous if you are a Mexico fan. If Mexico fails to win three points– the campaign for them because immensely more difficult, even with two home fixtures remaining. Even a draw leaves Mexico with only 7 points with four to play (meaning they fall 8 below the 15 point magic number)- and that means they would need nothing short of a miracle to not finish fourth. If you finish fourth– that ensures a two-leg tie with the Fifth place CONMEBOL team to determine who goes to the World Cup. Normally, you are talking Columbia (difficult but not insurmountable), Ecuador (difficult, especially on the road but not insurmountable), or Uruguay (not as difficult). Yet with Diego Maradona’s Argentina side struggling terribly– the fact is that it is very likely at this point that a fourth place finish in CONCACAF means a two-leg tie against the Argentines for the final berth to South Africa from our side of the world. And my money is on Leo Messi. So today’s match is huge for Lady Gaga backup dancers Guillermo Ochoa and Andres Guardado.
Now- much has been made of the U.S. decision to not travel to Mexico until the day before the match. Many talking heads feel this is bad, given the fact that the air quality in Azteca is about as good as a Hartsfield International smoking room and the altitude is 7,600 feet (about what you experience on an Aspen ski trip). I don’t have as many problems with it. While training in the heat of Miami might not have been optimal (a trip to Salt Lake City would have made more sense)– it kept the travel down and made the Americans deal with oppressive August Florida heat. Couple that with the fact that the South Africa matches were all played around 5,000 feet of altitude, and you understand why Bradley feels comfortable with his choice. Add the fact that there’s a decent chance the game will be played in a driving rainstorm, and I think the Yanks are more concerned about flying bags of urine, flares and batteries than they are the air quality or altitude.
Minka Kelly
and I are confident the Yanks will show up, and the real questions I think are whether the more fit Brian Ching starts in place of Charlie Davies (giving the Yanks a real threat off the bench), and whether Bradley opts offensive and utilizes Benny Feilhaber in the starting 11 rather than the defensively sound Ricardo Clark. Containing the ever dangerous Andres Guardado will be a key, and with Guardado carrying a bit of a knock, there is hope that Rico Clark can stay with him in terms of pace– but we will see.
Two other things. First, much has been made of the inclusion of Jose Francisco Torres to the lineup. I think he’ll be in the Gameday roster b/c he’s played at Azteca before (with his club Pachuca against Club America, Azteca’s home side). What I don’t know is whether or not he’ll play in the match. Remember that Torres is a pure attacking midfielder, a Latin flair player who is the first of his kind to actually don the Red, White and Blue. The problem with Torres is that in a traditional 4-4-2, it is difficult to include a player who plays his style. As such, I’m inclined to think no Torres unless the U.S. are in trouble. Remember when Torres did play, it was in an experimental 4-3-3 against Costa Rica. This formation better suits a player like Torres whose pace is blinding even with the ball directly at his feet. The problem is that the Americans don’t have mids particularly suited to this style, and it leaves defensive gaps and decreases the emphasis on the counterattack, which suited the Yanks so well in South Africa. For more on the Torres dilemma, which is a good dilemma to have, see Jonah Freedman’s column here.
Finally, it has been very interesting to see all the talking heads, whether it be “Around the Horn”, “PTI”, Sportscenter, or Sports Talk Radio shows– talking about this game and the national team. I have some musings on this. First, it is quite funny to hear. Hearing Woody Paige, or better yet Tim Cowlishaw, or even Kornheiser or yep– the Jungle Master himself Jim Rome, stipulate things about the USMNT as if they were experts sounds about as good as I would if I were to give an oral treatise on thermodynamics. No good. Most of them have said we have no chance, which I also like. Lastly, it does prove that the summer in South Africa, and the success of the reserves in the Gold Cup, has really elevated the presence of the game in this country. People care now. You can see it in facebook statuses and you can see it on cable television. You can see it in articles that are all over the various sporting websites. A victory today would be immense for that growing momentum– but a loss I don’t think would be devastating– partly because the talking heads, outside of me and Minka Kelly, don’t really think we are going to win anyway. Just fascinating that an ESPY upset of Spain can really make you matter. The boys have always mattered to me.
My take: United States 2-1, though a draw wouldn’t surprise me. Vamos a Ganar !!
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Diminutive Mexican mid Andres Guardado sure is confident heading into tomorrow’s clash between the Yanks and El Tri @ the Azteca. (4 PM, Mundo 2 for an English Broadcast)Insisting that the presence of a U.S. “A Team” will not matter, Guardado, who is battling a bit of a knee injury, said Monday morning– “Of course we will win, 3-0. We have players of high quality and you can see that the team has prepared well, now there is only the question of showing it on the field on Wednesday.”
According to Ives Galercep, Guillermo Ochoa joined the cause as well, claiming Mexican superiority both “soccer-wise and physically.”
At least on our end, Jozy Altidore has tweeted that he’s excited to leave England for Mexico and thinks we are going to win (Vamos a ganar!!). He’s also noted how excited he is to train in the 10,000,000 degree weather. That’s a real tweet, but a joke I think.
Either way, the Mexicans are talking pretty boldly for a couple of guys who look like Madonna backup dancers. Nice perm, Guillermo.
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Ahead of Wednesday’s important World Cup qualifier/grudge match/bounce back game against El Tri the USMNT has plenty of questions to answer: Can the Yanks pick up their first win in The Azteca? Will the team be able to keep up its blistering form from the last three games of the Confederations Cup? Will Landon Donovan be in a throat-slitting mood to backup his comments? How does J.F. Torres fit into Bob Bradley’s view of the team? Have we seen the last of Frankie Hejduk, Sacha Kljestan, or DeMarcus Beasley on the USMNT? Will Jay DeMerit rock a Kid Rock concert tee under his jersey?
Some of these questions will surely be answered on Wednesday… some of them surely will not. The Yanks can expect another tightly fought battle with the Mexicans, much more akin to the 2-0 game from the beginning of WC qualifying than the Gold Cup final. The game should be more exciting than the first half of the Gold Cup match, and much more tightly contested than the second half. And of course it will feature the U.S. first team. But the fact that this one’s being played in The Azteca would lead one to believe that it could be another 2-0 finish, this time for the Spanish speaking dudes.
Here’s why that’s not going to happen. The U.S. has found something with Dempsey on the right and Donovan on the left linking up with the young striker combo of Altidore and Davies. The team is scoring the run-of-play goals that it lacked in the past and is still dangerous on the patented* USA set piece (*patent pending).
But as good as they’ve been in attack as of late, Bradley is still searching for his back four. Seemingly The States are chock full of talented fullbacks, but the four that will start in South Africa in a year need to start playing together and developing the communication they’ll need. I think those four should be Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Onyewu, and Spector. But even if those four start on Wednesday I don’t see Mexico being shut out at home.
El Tri has finally found a good mix of their young Golden Generation (Gio Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Guillermo Ochoa, etc.) and consistently effective veterans. Conventional wisdom would say that after their confidence building 5-0 drubbing of some version of the American team, Mexico will find the net back at home.
Conventional wisdom might also say that with both teams playing such flowing offensive football lately we could see one of the prettiest USA/Mexico matches ever.
No. Dumb.
Though the sport is the same, USA/Mexico will always look less like Barca/Real and more like Bears/Packers. Expect cards, drama, and pissed off players. In other words, abandon the concept of the beautiful game on Wednesday and getcha popcorn ready.
My prediction: USA 3-1 Mexico. The Yanks get a late goal on the counter-attack with Mexico pushing forward this time.
