US Soccer thread

[00PS]

Next Game: Poland (Tomorrow)

5/28: England at Wembley

6/4: Spain

btw, Argentina also in the works...

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/vie...p_5799937.html

...thoughts on any of the games? the team? the opponents?

[Jaffa Cake]

Originally Posted by 00PS

...thoughts on any of the games? the team? the opponents?

I don't think much of your second opponents, to be honest.

[shikimo]

As team USA is almost never on non-satellite TV in Europe, I don't have much to add...but I would love to hear some news from something besides the soccernet game summaries. How do we look? This team ought to be very different than the 2006 team no matter what, but how much are the young guys going to play in the important games? What strategic changes have marked the coaching change?

I'm stuffed to the gills with games and news of the English, Italian and (of course) French leagues, but while living over here if you don't go looking you would believe that there is no soccer outside of Europe and the occasional match in South America. I hope this thread takes off...

[pknz]

Ah USA v Poland, just like the 2002 World Cup.

C'mon Polska!

[Luis]

Looking forward to the Costa Rica vs. US match somewhere in the World Cup elimination rounds.* The US has really progressed in it's soccer skills throughout the years, and this has surprised me.





*Although our team is sucking more than ever. It's a shame to watch them really..

[00PS]

Originally Posted by shikimo

As team USA is almost never on non-satellite TV in Europe, I don't have much to add...but I would love to hear some news from something besides the soccernet game summaries. How do we look? This team ought to be very different than the 2006 team no matter what, but how much are the young guys going to play in the important games? What strategic changes have marked the coaching change?

I'm stuffed to the gills with games and news of the English, Italian and (of course) French leagues, but while living over here if you don't go looking you would believe that there is no soccer outside of Europe and the occasional match in South America. I hope this thread takes off...

http://www.youtube.com/user/ussoccerdotcom

this should bring you up to speed on a little bit of US soccer (straight from the horse's mouth so to speak). As for me, I am VERY optimistic about the young players. 6 or 7 U-23 players have already broken the starting lineup for the senior team, and Bob Bradley has done a great job of bringing along the young players and mixing them in with the vets. This is a MUCH better team than the embarrassment of a world cup team we had under Bruce Arena. That guy absolutely mystified me with tactics and the 4-5-1 formation. Bob Bradley has really maximized the talents of players like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and his son Michael Bradley by letting them play their natural roles. This was something that I could not understand with Bruce Arena. Landon Donovan should never go back to a holding midfielder role. Right now Bradley seems to have the middle of the field in order, but the right and left midfield and defenders are suspect. This is where we don't have a strong contingent of young players and, frankly, inconsistent veterans.

As for the European soccer, I am the complete opposite. I am lucky to get a CL game, much less a regular league game here in the US.

Hope this helps...

[mininyaba]

nice summary of the situation, i completely agree. some of the upcoming players i've been impressed with have been:

michael bradley - i'm ashamed to admit that i first cried "nepotism!" when i heard he was starting for the US last year, but with 16 goals in the dutch league and an aggressive style of play he has become easily the biggest, if unproven, talent in our squad.

jozy altidore - no offense to brian mcbride, but the US has consistently struggled to produce quality strikers; thankfully, it looks like altidore may be a nubreed. if a suspected european transfer deal goes through this summer look for him to mature and progress as he gains experience.

freddy adu - after all of the hype, freddy has become a role model for young players looking to advance their careers abroad. respect is due for sticking it out at benfica through numerous coaching changes and limited playing time (as opposed to returning to america with his tail between his legs...ala landon d-bag). his recent form in portugal and for the u-23 has ensured his spot in the national team.


honorable mentions: sal zizzo, maurice edu, and kameni hill

[shikimo]

Originally Posted by 00PS

http://www.youtube.com/user/ussoccerdotcom

this should bring you up to speed on a little bit of US soccer (straight from the horse's mouth so to speak). As for me, I am VERY optimistic about the young players. 6 or 7 U-23 players have already broken the starting lineup for the senior team, and Bob Bradley has done a great job of bringing along the young players and mixing them in with the vets. This is a MUCH better team than the embarrassment of a world cup team we had under Bruce Arena. That guy absolutely mystified me with tactics and the 4-5-1 formation. Bob Bradley has really maximized the talents of players like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and his son Michael Bradley by letting them play their natural roles. This was something that I could not understand with Bruce Arena. Landon Donovan should never go back to a holding midfielder role. Right now Bradley seems to have the middle of the field in order, but the right and left midfield and defenders are suspect. This is where we don't have a strong contingent of young players and, frankly, inconsistent veterans.

As for the European soccer, I am the complete opposite. I am lucky to get a CL game, much less a regular league game here in the US.

Hope this helps...

Right on...thanks for the link and the info. I'll study up and see if I have anything intelligent to add .

[asrmatt]

I love this thread!
I still remember going to see the Italia '90 world cup match Italy-USA
It was my first time at a soccer stadium (i was only a kid)

Became a big soccer fan ever since!

C'mon AS Roma!

[00PS]

wow. I find kinda astounding that only me and mininyaba live in the US. I would think that someone who doesn't live in this country wouldn't care about US soccer (or football). Obviously i'm wrong...

[tobefirst]

I followed a little bit closer in the past couple of years, but I'm without cable now, and especially without the sports package, so it's been hard to follow the team. Making it even harder is the lack of inspired play as of late. The run upto the World Cup (including qualifying) made it a lot easier to be a US fan.

[00PS]

I feel you. I'm trapped in a dorm at the University of Alabama where soccer is only an afterthought to football. Standard cable is the only thing I have, lucky to get the occasional US game.

Anyone else have thoughts on our team? To be honest I know nothing about Poland and a little worried about it. Anyone have any insights?

btw, ussoccer.com will have a match tracker up for the game if you are like and can't get FSC. (I would kill to have FSC!!)

Also this thread is completely open to ALL US soccer, including MLS and americans abroad so fill free to leave some comments!! Is anyone doing a fantasy MLS team?

[00PS]

USA up 2-0 against Poland.
-11' Bocanegra
-24' Onyewu

Bocanegra heads in a free kick from Landon Donovan, and Onyewu heads in a corner also from LD. Quick start so far for USA...

EDIT: -75' Lewis

Eddie Lewis scores from a 22-yard free kick, and that should seal the deal for USA.

[UWSpindoctor]

Good start, basically the opposite of the last Poland game.

I really like Altidore. I'm hoping he becomes the striker that the US needs to take the next step up IMO. I had high hopes for Eddie Johnson but he hasn't lived up to his hot start.

[mininyaba]

eddie johnson was awful awful awful. painful to watch. c'mon altidore!

[shikimo]

Originally Posted by 00PS

wow. I find kinda astounding that only me and mininyaba live in the US. I would think that someone who doesn't live in this country wouldn't care about US soccer (or football). Obviously i'm wrong...

I can't speak for the others, but for me there are lots of reasons to like US soccer. I followed the national team when I lived in the US--especially when I lived in Portland--but admittedly I paid more attention to hockey, football and basketball, in that order. Now I live in a soccer saturated world: my home team here (Lyon) is about to win its 7th straight French league title, I have a part-time job covering local teams for an English-language sports-info company...and I almost never get to see American sports live. Add to that the fact that American soccer gets no respect here, which means I get the thrill of always rooting for the underdog. I love listening to french or english announcers marvel at a Michael Bradley or DeMarcus Beasley goal, or when Tim Howard denies a European or Brazilian soccer god a sure score, marvelling that America could produce such players. For 45 glorious second-half minutes during the otherwise-atrocious 2006 WC, the french announcers couldn't help rooting for the Americans against hated Italy, while they gutted out a draw against the soon-to-be champions...in France it's perfectly acceptable for announcers to root for one team or the other, and it was great to hear them cheer for Team USA, whom they and the rest of the press had been trashing for weeks.

When you compare this with the miserable embarrassment that the US "Dream Team" dishes out every 2 years in basketball, or the dope-fueled dominance of American track and field athletes, or the general sense of (often deserved) mistrust that goes with most media coverage of the US over here, Team USA is a breath of fresh air for an expat sportsfan.

[00PS]

2 interesting videos i found...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCXokP3o1KM
david beckham vs. reggie bush

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in666797.shtml
video about tim howard starting GK of US MNT.

[00PS]

VERY intringuing rumor (but rumor nonetheless).

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/seattle-already-in-the-rumor-mix/

I really dont know what Thierry Henry was thinking in the first place. Was he just going to blow Samuel Eto'o or Messi off the team? Nonetheless, I would love to see him move stateside but it would seem that california would be stockpiling all the stars I wish it was a east coast team instead.

[UWSpindoctor]

Seattle's not exactly in California.

[wordmunger]

Originally Posted by 00PS

2 interesting videos i found...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCXokP3o1KM
david beckham vs. reggie bush

That's not exactly a fair comparison. Beckham was taking PKs against Bush -- that's his specialty. Bush was playing DB against Beckham. That would be like asking Beckham to play goalkeeper.

They should have had Beckham try to tackle Bush.

[Lord Blackadder]

Brian McBride used to play for my "home" team, the Columbus Crew (I'm an Ohioan, though not living there now).

I have to agree that Bob Bradley has done a very good job and is leading the national team in the right direction - playing outside the US against tough opposition - unlike Arena, who was content to play the Swedish B-team in California. I was disappointed that we failed to sign Jurgen Klinsmann because I thought we needed a foreign coach to take the team forward. Bradley seems to be proving me wrong.

I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I believe we can draw with England at Wembly, and with some luck even *gasp* beat them. England are a significantly more talented side but seem to be playing well below their potential. The USA, on the other hand, has no illusions about their need to prove themselves.

Freddy Adu made a good move by going to Europe - for a while he looked set to stay in the MLS and I thought he would turn into another Landon Donovan.

The 2010 World Cup has the potential to be a quite strong showing for the USA.

[UWSpindoctor]

I still wish we had gotten Klinsmann although I have no complaints about Bradley.

[00PS]

Originally Posted by UWSpindoctor

Seattle's not exactly in California.

thanks. just realized that. I knew there was a reason I was in engineering and not geography...

[00PS]

Originally Posted by wordmunger

That's not exactly a fair comparison. Beckham was taking PKs against Bush -- that's his specialty. Bush was playing DB against Beckham. That would be like asking Beckham to play goalkeeper.

They should have had Beckham try to tackle Bush.

I was surprised their teams actually let them do the commercials. This was right before becks came to LA and I could just see him rolling an ankle or something just playing around.

[Lord Blackadder]

Originally Posted by 00PS

I was surprised their teams actually let them do the commercials. This was right before becks came to LA and I could just see him rolling an ankle or something just playing around.

Well, he did get hurt anyway (playing for Real Madrid), and it spoiled his introduction.

LA Galaxy apparently need more than Becks and Donovan to win games, because they still appear to be crap.