***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[NewlyRetired]

Here is a nice highlight package of the last US Costa Rica qualifier.

 

[The Z Machine]

Here is a nice highlight package of the last US Costa Rica qualifier.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krnTfNmw3io

Bornstein...

 

[NewlyRetired]

Here is a nice highlight package of the last US Costa Rica qualifier.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krnTfNmw3io

Bornstein...

So much happened in that game. It was the game that basically ended Gooch's career as a top player. Costa Rica went in one second to making the world cup to getting stuck playing Uruguay in the playoffsUS wins the hex when everyone most hated player scores the winner at the death.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Arena Q&A:

MLS has a stated goal of becoming one of the best leagues in the world by 2022. How realistic is that?

We're a long way away, to be honest. Our teams still make roster cuts because of the salary cap. We continue to grow, but unless we spend considerably more on wages, we're not going to be competitive with the top teams in the world.

What do you say about people who watch the English Premier League but don't think MLS is worth their time?

I say they're pretty stupid. MLS is like any league: There are good games and bad games. If someone would rather watch Barcelona than an MLS game, I'd probably agree. But our league has grown substantially, and many people enjoy it. Our biggest problem is that we continually beat down on ourselves.

When will MLS produce its own global star?

We're interested in developing players for the Galaxy who can make our national team better. If players continue to develop, naturally they'll be pursued by big clubs. The goal is to improve the American players to make our league better and, at the international level, to challenge to win a World Cup. Unfortunately people think we're supposed to have a Lionel Messi and win World Cups overnight.

No team has won three consecutive MLS Cups. If the Galaxy pull that off this year, what would it mean for the team and the league?

I don't think the league would be happy. The league's plan is to not have any club be particularly good for an extended period of time. That's the basis of the single entity [ownership structure], to bring about parity. It would be good for our organization, but that's not our focus.

You've coached Landon Donovan for 12 of the last 13 years. Recently he took leave from the Galaxy. What persuaded you to let him skip the start of the season?

I'm not necessarily okay with it, but if a player doesn't want to play, you don't want him playing. He's unique. He just got to a point where fatigue became a factor and he needed to step away. If not, he was going to be useless to us anyway, so it made sense to let him have his time. I think Landon will come back and be better having had the rest. Do I think it's ideal? No. Again the modern athlete is a little different. That is an example of it.

How closely do you follow the national team?

Not as closely as I used to. I don't even know some of the players, which is odd as the former coach. Players on the national team should be -- and this is my own feeling -- they should be Americans. If they're all born in other countries, I don't think we can say we are making progress.

The players on the national team are now mostly European-based. When you coached the U.S. in 2002, more than half of your starters came from MLS.

It should still be the case, in my opinion.

Why isn't it?

I can't answer that. That's the job of the coach. But from what I've seen over the past couple of years, plenty of MLS players can play an important role on the national team.

Are they getting enough opportunities?

You can do the math and figure out if they are or not.

How do you think the national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, is doing?

That's not for me to state publicly. I think his goal is to get his team to the World Cup, and I think they'll do that.

The U.S. lost its first World Cup qualifier of 2013 in February. Hypothetical question: If the team is in danger of missing a trip to Brazil and you're asked to return as coach, what do you say?

I think it's not proper to respond to that question. There's a coach in place. I don't think it's right for a fellow professional to comment on somebody else's job.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Arena Q&A:

No team has won three consecutive MLS Cups. If the Galaxy pull that off this year, what would it mean for the team and the league?

I don't think the league would be happy. The league's plan is to not have any club be particularly good for an extended period of time. That's the basis of the single entity [ownership structure], to bring about parity. It would be good for our organization, but that's not our focus.

.

Two things strike me here1) It is a bit laughable that he talks about parity when they spend 3-4 times what an average team does on salary. I don't begrudge them, they earned it but it is kind of a silly statement to make.

2) I may be reading the last part of his answer wrong but is he saying it's not the teams focus to win the championship?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Looks like Orlando just took another step forward in their hunt for an MLS team

http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-74934412/

In three separate votes, the House Finance & Tax Subcommittee voted in favor of $60 million in sales-tax subsidies for efforts to expand Daytona International Speedway in Volusia County; build a Major League Soccer stadium in Orlando; and renovate EverBank Field in Jacksonville, home of the Jaguars of the National Football League.

Legislation sought by Orlando City Soccer Club and the city of Orlando was similarly scaled back. The original version of the bill (HB 219) would have increased the number of slots available for a $60 million stadium subsidy from the existing eight to 10, reserving both of the new ones for Major League Soccer teams.

The revised bill would create only one additional slot, though it would still be reserved for an MLS team. Orlando officials are banking on the state money to help finance construction of a $110 million soccer-specific stadium downtown, which they say would help persuade MLS to award the city an expansion franchise.

The soccer bill also creates a new sales-tax exemption for tickets sold to an MLS All-Star game, which supporters say could help Florida lure that annual event. The state already exempts from sales tax the tickets to all-star games for hockey, baseball and basketball.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Arena Q&A:

No team has won three consecutive MLS Cups. If the Galaxy pull that off this year, what would it mean for the team and the league?

I don't think the league would be happy. The league's plan is to not have any club be particularly good for an extended period of time. That's the basis of the single entity [ownership structure], to bring about parity. It would be good for our organization, but that's not our focus.

.

Two things strike me here1) It is a bit laughable that he talks about parity when they spend 3-4 times what an average team does on salary. I don't begrudge them, they earned it but it is kind of a silly statement to make.

2) I may be reading the last part of his answer wrong but is he saying it's not the teams focus to win the championship?

I think he's saying parity isn't his problem. That while it might be good for MLS it's not his concern. Nothing else makes much sense.I also read his comments to suggest that if they did win another title they might find signing players to be harder going forward. That's always been my problem with the SEM -- the perception that the league puts its finger on the competitive scale to affect on-field outcomes. The league should be 100% agnostic as to who wins and who loses, and IMO that's never been the case in MLS.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Arena Q&A:

No team has won three consecutive MLS Cups. If the Galaxy pull that off this year, what would it mean for the team and the league?

I don't think the league would be happy. The league's plan is to not have any club be particularly good for an extended period of time. That's the basis of the single entity [ownership structure], to bring about parity. It would be good for our organization, but that's not our focus.

.

Two things strike me here1) It is a bit laughable that he talks about parity when they spend 3-4 times what an average team does on salary. I don't begrudge them, they earned it but it is kind of a silly statement to make.

2) I may be reading the last part of his answer wrong but is he saying it's not the teams focus to win the championship?

I think he's saying parity isn't his problem. That while it might be good for MLS it's not his concern. Nothing else makes much sense.I also read his comments to suggest that if they did win another title they might find signing players to be harder going forward. That's always been my problem with the SEM -- the perception that the league puts its finger on the competitive scale to affect on-field outcomes. The league should be 100% agnostic as to who wins and who loses, and IMO that's never been the case in MLS.

That does not make sense to me. The individual teams have pretty much full control over who they sign with the one caveat that the league protects against is that they don't want two teams bidding on the same player, which is understandable as that is a complete waste of money. Hell, LA has pretty much rewritten the rules at times as AEG tried to get MLS out of the infant stage and move into childhood when they signed Becks. Other than that, as long as teams follow the rules, they can build their roster how ever they want.

The biggest issue with the leagues growth is the salary cap. They either need to raise it in the next CBA or come up with new ways to enhance the DP rule.

As for whether the league is agnostic or not, I can't speak to but it has produced many different Supporter Shield winners and many different MLS Cup winners over the years, much more than what you see in most countries with the same 2-3 teams winning year after year after year.

I fear the way MLS is headed, it will turn into a highly uncompetative league if the spread between the haves and have nots continues to widen.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I did not see this coming.

Clint Dempsey will captain the U.S. national team in its crucial upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico, manager Jurgen Klinsmann said on Wednesday.The announcement comes as Klinsmann prepares for two matches in the coming week amid reports of growing rifts in the U.S. locker room and questions about the former German captain's leadership skills.Klinsmann said he had chosen 30-year-old Dempsey to succeed defender Carlos Bocanegra, citing Dempsey's clutch goal-scoring prowess as one key reason he chose him for squad captain."Clint is one of our most experienced players and ready to assume a more vocal leadership role," Klinsmann said in a statement. "He has been huge for us in World Cup qualifying so far and is already one of our key leaders. We know he will do a great job for these two important games."The 33-year-old Bocanegra, the American captain since 2007, was dropped Monday from the U.S. roster for the two qualifiers after losing his starting job with Spanish side Racing Santander. Bocanega, on loan from Glasgow Rangers, has not appeared in a game since Feb. 2.With Bocanegra dropped after 110 international appearances and goalkeeper Tim Howard recovering after breaking two bones in his back on Feb. 26, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones were widely thought to be the leading candidates to take over as captain. But Klinsmann announced Wednesday he appointed Dempsey to wear the captain's armband, after telling the team.This week's games against Costa Rica and Mexico are the U.S. squad's first qualifiers since it was beaten by Honduras 2-1 in the CONCACAF qualifying opener on Feb. 6 and mark a crucial double-header for Klinsmann.Dempsey, who has been sidelined by a calf strain since Feb. 21, returned Sunday to play the second half in Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Fulham.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well Bradley is doing his best to distance himself from KlinsmannGate

Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider)

3/20/13, 8:20 PM

"Shameful, embarrassing": Bradley's reaction about Klinsmann story. "U cross a line when u take your disappointment outside inner circle

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Like Bradley's take. Was surprised Arena said as much as he did TBH.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Like Bradley's take. Was surprised Arena said as much as he did TBH.

Arena has never been one to mince words. And Bradley is 100% correct. Someday we may find out who said these things.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I just saw a tweet from a media member who linked an article with the following important paragraph.

Talent aside, the country's biggest advantage no longer exists. That would be Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, the former home of the national team that featured rock-hard artificial turf and equally unforgiving fans. In the 2014 cycle, the supporters remain, but La Sele will play home fixtures at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.

I could have sworn I read that CR intended to use Saprissa for US and Mexico games. But I can't find that info online. It would be huge to not have to play in that living hell hole.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I just saw a tweet from a media member who linked an article with the following important paragraph.

Talent aside, the country's biggest advantage no longer exists. That would be Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, the former home of the national team that featured rock-hard artificial turf and equally unforgiving fans. In the 2014 cycle, the supporters remain, but La Sele will play home fixtures at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.

I could have sworn I read that CR intended to use Saprissa for US and Mexico games. But I can't find that info online. It would be huge to not have to play in that living hell hole.

I just read on Big Soccer on the CR board that they have registered Saprissa to be used in the Hex. It just has not yet been announced against who yet. Crap.

 

[Mjolnirs]

As a Klinsmann fan since Italia '90, I truly hope he gets a couple of positive results in the next week and all of this noise settles down.

 

[NewlyRetired]

As a Klinsmann fan since Italia '90, I truly hope he gets a couple of positive results in the next week and all of this noise settles down.

Two positive results would be fantastic. I don't think anyone is really expecting that. 3 points on Friday and not losing by more than 2 or 3 in Mexico is about the over/under line for most peoples panic level I think.

 

[Mjolnirs]

As a Klinsmann fan since Italia '90, I truly hope he gets a couple of positive results in the next week and all of this noise settles down.

Two positive results would be fantastic. I don't think anyone is really expecting that. 3 points on Friday and not losing by more than 2 or 3 in Mexico is about the over/under line for most peoples panic level I think.

Agreed on Friday. I consider a respectable showing against Mexico a positive. To use the line my boxing coach (my dad) told me before each bout, "win, lose or draw, make it look good."

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well it was nice while it lasted.

==========

From Big Soccer

Journalist Juan Carlos Agüero from Fox Sports and "La Afición", the agency that provides PR services to several Costa Rican players (including NT members Campbell, Oviedo, Calvo, Bolaños, and Saborío, among others) has confirmed that Sabo himself told him there will be no problem with him playing this Friday. The knock was a minor one, and he'll be 100% ready to face the US

 

[NewlyRetired]

Mikey's full response and Dempsey's minimal response to the article. Mikey seems fired up and Dempsey just kind of shrugs it off

Bradley initially told the media Wednesday that were no chemistry or morale problems in camp following the release of the article, but then added that he had read the piece and had strong opinions on those who were anonymously involved.“It’s shameful, and it’s embarrassing,” he said. “I think for every guy who has ever played on a team, you give everything you have … and on every team in the world, not every guy is going to be happy. There’s going to be guys who go back to their room and talk with their roommate about things they wish were different. But that’s normal.“…But you cross a line when you take those thoughts and you take your disappointments outside of the team, outside of the inner circle.”“It doesn’t help anybody or anything we’re trying to do this week,” Bradley said. “When you play on a team you have a chance every day to give everything you have, and part of that means having the [guts] to say things to guys to their face, and having the [guts] to say things in front of the team. I think in those ways, that this is really disappointing that in a week as important as this ... that you’d have something like that happen.”Bradley assured that the team hasn’t faced any chemistry issues since the release of the article, and added that the players discussed the article and cleared the air about the anonymous allegations.Forward Clint Dempsey, who on Wednesday was named captain for the Costa Rica match, said he had not read the article, and largely brushed the controversy aside.“We did talk about it as a team, but it’s something that doesn’t matter, really,” he said. “It doesn’t matter about the little petty things here or there.”Added Bradley: “The challenge of every guy is to step on the field Friday night and make sure that for every American watching, that there is no sign of anything that’s gone wrong this week. It’s our job to represent ourselves, to represent our country in a way that makes everybody proud.”

 

[NewlyRetired]

Heh, I just remembered that it was not all that long ago that Klinsmann surprisingly called out Dempsey saying "he hasn't done #### yet". Guess he has done enough for you to make him captain Oh and speaking of Dempsey

Dempsey said he’s “at least 45 minutes fit” for the match against Costa Rica, but didn’t assure he could play a full 90 minutes.“It’s one of those things where you gotta play to find out,” he said. “I’m more fit now [than the Fulham game] because I have some more training sessions under my belt, and I’m feeling good.”

 

[NewlyRetired]

And Gomez checks in. I like how each players response is so different from the rest. Boca's was a pure PR statement. Cam's reasoning was obvious as he knows what Klinsmann meant to his careerDempsey could care lessMikey seems personally insulted Gomez puts things in an interesting perspective

While the publication of the piece clearly rattled the team internally, it’s difficult to sense any dissonance in the team. When asked if the report would add any pressure to win Friday, forward Herculez Gomez noted he’d been through far worse.“If this is pressure, I’ll take this any day of the week. I’ve been in some tricky situations, I’ve been in some real pressure, and this right here?” he said. “This is fun. I enjoy coming with the national team. I enjoy seeing my teammates. These are great people. I enjoy seeing the coaching staff. I enjoy coming and playing in front of these great crowds. We’re playing at home. We’re playing in a beautiful city, and we have a chance to put a hurting on a good team.”The Santos man contrasted the atmosphere in the States after the report with the pure havoc that would’ve ensued had a similar situation taken place with Mexico.“It’s funny because they’re making a bit of a hoopla right now out of it, and it’s almost, in a sense, ‘cute’, but if this was Mexico, this would be on ESPN all day,” he said.Gomez went on to say he loved the increased media scrutiny when compared with past World Cup qualifying cycles. “It’s about damn time you guys took some interest and started asking some tough questions,” he said. “I think that shows us growing as a footballing nation, I really do.”Gomez still expressed frustration with the situation, but expressed optimism about the future. “I think this for us is a learning experience,” he said. “I think we get out of this, and we will get out of this, we’ll be a better team for it.”

 

[NewlyRetired]

I wonder if Landon even knows what happening? I can just see him walking on the beach with his dogs totally clueless.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

a few interesting quotes today from Bruce Arena :

MLS has a stated goal of becoming one of the best leagues in the world by 2022. How realistic is that?

We're a long way away, to be honest. Our teams still make roster cuts because of the salary cap. We continue to grow, but unless we spend considerably more on wages, we're not going to be competitive with the top teams in the world.

What do you say about people who watch the English Premier League but don't think MLS is worth their time?

I say they're pretty stupid. MLS is like any league: There are good games and bad games. If someone would rather watch Barcelona than an MLS game, I'd probably agree. But our league has grown substantially, and many people enjoy it. Our biggest problem is that we continually beat down on ourselves.

When will MLS produce its own global star?

We're interested in developing players for the Galaxy who can make our national team better. If players continue to develop, naturally they'll be pursued by big clubs. The goal is to improve the American players to make our league better and, at the international level, to challenge to win a World Cup. Unfortunately people think we're supposed to have a Lionel Messi and win World Cups overnight.

No team has won three consecutive MLS Cups. If the Galaxy pull that off this year, what would it mean for the team and the league?

I don't think the league would be happy. The league's plan is to not have any club be particularly good for an extended period of time. That's the basis of the single entity [ownership structure], to bring about parity. It would be good for our organization, but that's not our focus.

You've coached Landon Donovan for 12 of the last 13 years. Recently he took leave from the Galaxy. What persuaded you to let him skip the start of the season?

I'm not necessarily okay with it, but if a player doesn't want to play, you don't want him playing. He's unique. He just got to a point where fatigue became a factor and he needed to step away. If not, he was going to be useless to us anyway, so it made sense to let him have his time. I think Landon will come back and be better having had the rest. Do I think it's ideal? No. Again the modern athlete is a little different. That is an example of it.

How closely do you follow the national team?

Not as closely as I used to. I don't even know some of the players, which is odd as the former coach. Players on the national team should be -- and this is my own feeling -- they should be Americans. If they're all born in other countries, I don't think we can say we are making progress.

The players on the national team are now mostly European-based. When you coached the U.S. in 2002, more than half of your starters came from MLS.

It should still be the case, in my opinion.

Why isn't it?

I can't answer that. That's the job of the coach. But from what I've seen over the past couple of years, plenty of MLS players can play an important role on the national team.

Are they getting enough opportunities?

You can do the math and figure out if they are or not.

How do you think the national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, is doing?

That's not for me to state publicly. I think his goal is to get his team to the World Cup, and I think they'll do that.

The U.S. lost its first World Cup qualifier of 2013 in February. Hypothetical question: If the team is in danger of missing a trip to Brazil and you're asked to return as coach, what do you say?

I think it's not proper to respond to that question. There's a coach in place. I don't think it's right for a fellow professional to comment on somebody else's job.

 

[NewlyRetired]

a few interesting quotes today from Bruce Arena :

Yeah this was a good piece. We talked about this earlier today when Wdcrob posted the interview if you want to look back for some comments.http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15408336

 

[The Gator]

a few interesting quotes today from Bruce Arena :QuoteMLS has a stated goal of becoming one of the best leagues in the world by 2022. How realistic is that?

I'm sure I missed some chat on this, but this was a specific topic on The Football Show yesterday. Basically it came down to- "USA, why don't you worry about being the best team in your own region first. When you don't have to worry about a home game against a country of 28 with two car axels for goal posts then you can talk about being a top league."i may have been paraphrasing

 

[NewlyRetired]

a few interesting quotes today from Bruce Arena :QuoteMLS has a stated goal of becoming one of the best leagues in the world by 2022. How realistic is that?

I'm sure I missed some chat on this, but this was a specific topic on The Football Show yesterday. Basically it came down to- "USA, why don't you worry about being the best team in your own region first. When you don't have to worry about a home game against a country of 28 with and two car axels for goal posts then you can talk about being a top league."

Not sure I get the connection?MLS is a league not a national team. The league is made up of a ton of non American players. In fact there can be some decent arguements made that MLS is going to help the rest of Concacaf quite a bit in the coming years.And unless I have been following another country for the last 20 years, since the mid 90's, I think it is very fair to say the US was either #1 or #2 in our region.

 

[The Gator]

a few interesting quotes today from Bruce Arena :QuoteMLS has a stated goal of becoming one of the best leagues in the world by 2022. How realistic is that?

I'm sure I missed some chat on this, but this was a specific topic on The Football Show yesterday. Basically it came down to- "USA, why don't you worry about being the best team in your own region first. When you don't have to worry about a home game against a country of 28 with and two car axels for goal posts then you can talk about being a top league."

Not sure I get the connection?MLS is a league not a national team. The league is made up of a ton of non American players. In fact there can be some decent arguements made that MLS is going to help the rest of Concacaf quite a bit in the coming years.

i was summarizing a 2hr talk. Basically US soccer(league/usmnt) in general. sorry, i'm pretty hammered

 

[NewlyRetired]

a few interesting quotes today from Bruce Arena :

Quote

MLS has a stated goal of becoming one of the best leagues in the world by 2022. How realistic is that?

I'm sure I missed some chat on this, but this was a specific topic on The Football Show yesterday. Basically it came down to- "USA, why don't you worry about being the best team in your own region first. When you don't have to worry about a home game against a country of 28 with and two car axels for goal posts then you can talk about being a top league."

Not sure I get the connection?MLS is a league not a national team. The league is made up of a ton of non American players. In fact there can be some decent arguements made that MLS is going to help the rest of Concacaf quite a bit in the coming years.

And unless I have been following another country for the last 20 years, since the mid 90's, I think it is very fair to say the US was either #1 or #2 in our region.

i was summarizing a 2hr talk. Basically US soccer(league/usmnt) in general.

sorry, i'm pretty hammered

Keep some of that available for Friday. We may all need a shot or 12 come midnight

 

[Moe.]

I'm starting to feel like we're going to destroy Costa Rica on Friday. Based on Bradley's comments above I'm expecting a Herculean effort from him.

 

[The Gator]

Keep some of that available for Friday. We may all need a shot or 12 come midnight

 

[NewlyRetired]

I'm starting to feel like we're going to destroy Costa Rica on Friday. Based on Bradley's comments above I'm expecting a Herculean effort from him.

Are you also expecting a Michaelean effort out of Gomez I too am trying to find the good in this mess. Perhaps instead of the worst case splintering the team, it is going to be a rallying force instead (especially if they come to the conclusion that little of the anon comments actually came from this current group.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Jesus. Enough already.

The senior side has a ton of injuries and the U20 side will miss two starters on defense in the finals with the Packwood and Pelosi injuries and now the revelation of the qualifying round just tweeted this. I don't know if this would keep him out of the finals.

Daniel Cuevas (@danielcuevas33)

3/21/13, 12:03 AM

Just found out i have a small tear on my meniscus and i might have to get surgery...

 

[NewlyRetired]

Hexagonal Countdown: Snow shouldn't bother TicosBy Paul Kennedy Thursday, March 21, 2013The forecast is for light snow when the USA hosts Costa Rica on Friday night at ****'s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.You's think such conditions would work against the visitors from Costa Rica, where temperatures are in the mid-80s these days, but many of the Ticos are used to playing in cold weather. Five play in Scandinavia, three play in MLS and two play in England.The MLS contingent includes Real Salt Lake's Alvaro Saborio, the subject of much speculation on Wednesday as he was reported to have injured his knee in training.Saborio is the star of the Ticos, who are on a roll so far this year, having won the Copa Centroamericana in January and opened the Hexagonal with a 2-2 tie with Panama in Panama City in a match they trailed by two goals after only 26 minutes.The Ticos' strength is in their attack with Saborio, who is still expected to play on Friday, Bryan Ruiz, who plays for Fulham in England, and 20-year-old Joel Campbell, who has been playing so well at Real Betis that the Spanish club wants to extend its loan deal with Arsenal for Campbell for another season.Campbell, who came on at halftime against Panama, could start against the USA. Other changes from the starting lineup against Panama could be Michael Barrantes in midfield for Celso Borges, Christian Gamboa at right back for Jose Salvatierra, who is not in Colorado, and perhaps Bryan Oviedo, who plays for Everton, at left back for Christopher Meneses.Coach Jorge Luis Pinto will also have to decide whether to again go with Patrick Pemberton in goal or replace him with Keilor Navas, who plays in Spain for Levante. Navas had started all six games in goal during the semifinal round of qualifying. The Ticos' two losses were to Mexico (2-0 and 1-0) when the defense was exposed on set pieces.LAST TIME OUT. After quickly going 2-0 down at Panama, the Ticos pulled one back thanks to Saborio six minutes before halftime, and the Real Salt Lake star set up Ruiz for the tying goal on a scissor kick in the 84th minute to give Costa Rica a share of the points.Costa Rica vs. Panamaemberton; Salvatierra (Gamboa, 68), Umana, Gonzalez, Meneses; Bolanos, Borges (Barrantes, 57), Rodriguez; Ruiz, Brenes (Campbell, 46), Saborio.WHO'S IN AND OUT. Five players were dropped from the team that traveled to Panama, including two starters, forward Randall Brenes and Salvatierra. Also out are Rodney Wallace of the Portland Timbers and Johnny Acosta, a last-minute scratch because he couldn't get his visa processed in time. Veteran Douglas Sequeira, who will retire at the end of the season, was brought out of international retirement for the Panama game but he ended up not playing. The six new players Pinto brought in are all domestic players: Juan Diego Madrigal (Santos), Kendall Watson (Perez Zeledon), Keylor Soto (Perez Zeledon), Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa), Mauricio Castillo (Cartagines) and Diego Calvo (Alajuelense).WHY THE USA SHOULD BE CONFIDENT. The USA has won every Hexagonal home opener by shutout and at least two goals since Concacaf's inaugural six-team tournament in 1997:Hexagonal home openers:1997 USA-Canada 3-0 in Palo Alto, Calif.2001 USA-Mexico 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio2005 USA-Guatemala 2-0 in Birmingham, Ala.2009 USA-Mexico 2-0 in Columbus, OhioWHY THE USA SHOULD BE WORRIED. The USA has failed to beat Costa Rica in almost eight years. Since its 3-0 victory in Salt Lake City in June 2005, it is winless in five meetings with the Ticos. The USA didn't beat them during the Bob Bradley era (two games), and Jurgen Klinsmann's first loss as U.S. coach came when it fell to the Ticos in September 2011. During that span, the USA has beaten Honduras and Panama six times each, Mexico five times and Jamaica three times.USA-Costa Rica:2005 USA-Costa Rica 0-0 (Gold Cup)2005 Costa Rica-USA 3-0 (World Cup qualifying)2009 Costa Rica-USA 3-1 (World Cup qualifying)2009 USA-Costa Rica 2-2 (World Cup qualifying)2011 USA-Costa Rica 0-1 (friendly)ON THE SIDELINES. The 60-year-old Pinto returned to coach Costa Rica in October 2011 after Ricardo La Volpe's resignation two months earlier. La Volpe, the former Mexico coach, had been brought in to turn the national team around after it failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, but poor showings at the 2011 Gold Cup and Copa America accelerated the Argentine's exit. Pinto previously coached Costa Rica in 2004-05 as well as his native Colombia in 2007-08. The long list of clubs at which he has worked -- 10 in all -- includes Costa Rica's Alajuelense, which won three league titles during his short tenure in 2002-03.Costa Rica Roster:Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Levante, Spain), Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense).Defenders: Juan Diego Madrigal (Santos), Christian Gamboa (Rosenborg, Norway), Michael Umana (Saprissa), Kendall Watson (Perez Zeledon), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Valerenga, Norway), Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls) Bryan Oviedo (Everton, England), Christopher Meneses (Alajuelense).Midfielders: Celso Borges (AIK, Sweden), Osvaldo Rodriguez (Santos), Cristian Bolanos (FC Copenhagen, Denmark), Ariel Rodriguez (Perez Zeledon), Keylor Soto (Perez Zeledon), Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa), Michael Barrantes (Aalesund, Norway), Bryan Ruiz (Fulham, England), Mauricio Castillo (Cartagines), Diego Calvo (Alajuelense).Forwards: Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake), Joel Campbell (Betis, Spain), Jairo Arrieta (Columbus Crew).

 

[NewlyRetired]

As a warmup to the feast tomorrow, Brazil hosts Italy today on beIN Sport at 3:30pm eastern.

 

[Slapdash]

I don't really understand why Bocanegra was dropped from the roster, don't we have a lot of injuries in the back?

 

[NewlyRetired]

I don't really understand why Bocanegra was dropped from the roster, don't we have a lot of injuries in the back?

Klinsmann is near impossible to figure out. He has been kind of consistent (outside of Edu last round) in that if you are not actively playing, he won't call you. Boca has not played a minute since the end of January I believe. But who knows really.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

This is more of a placemarker than anything else... something I may want to come back to.

I thought it seemed obvious when Gulati hired Klinsmann that he didn't think an American coach could get things done and that he was starstruck by the glamor of a big-name overseas coach. I don't remember now if that was because he more or less said those things or if he just had a dreamy look in his eye, but I do recall it. I disagreed with him at the time -- for my money Arena and Bradley both did great jobs with the team

The more general point is that Gulati's always struck me as having a little too much flash. And now I'm wondering if Gulati is too much of a show pony to get the work done for the US? Can anyone point to a major success of his?

He's apparently a well-regarded academic economist at Colubmia, but he was dismissed from his role as Deputy Commissioner in 1999 (for unilaterally picking up the option year on a max contract with the 33 year old Tab Ramos over the wishes of the Metrostars brass - flash!!), the Revs have one trophy in 17 years, the US bid was not seriously in the running for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, and now his hand-picked coach may be off to a terrible start in qualifying.

Worth watching? Or am I reading too much into all this?

 

[Slapdash]

I don't really understand why Bocanegra was dropped from the roster, don't we have a lot of injuries in the back?

Klinsmann is near impossible to figure out. He has been kind of consistent (outside of Edu last round) in that if you are not actively playing, he won't call you. Boca has not played a minute since the end of January I believe. But who knows really.

Yeah, I just kind of missed that earlier in the week. I would hope the long-time captian of the team gets more leeway than to be dropped because he is out of favor with a terrible Racing team. I don't understand this choice with the clear lack of leadership this team has been putting out on the pitch, particularly in the back.

 

[NewlyRetired]

This is more of a placemarker than anything else... something I may want to come back to.I thought it seemed obvious when Gulati hired Klinsmann that he didn't think an American coach could get things done and that he was starstruck by the glamor of a big-name overseas coach. I don't remember now if that was because he more or less said those things or if he just had a dreamy look in his eye, but I do recall it. I disagreed with him at the time -- for my money Arena and Bradley both did great jobs with the teamThe more general point is that Gulati's always struck me as having a little too much flash. And now I'm wondering if Gulati is too much of a show pony to get the work done for the US? Can anyone point to a major success of his? He's apparently a well-regarded academic economist at Colubmia, but he was dismissed from his role as Deputy Commissioner in 1999 (for unilaterally picking up the option year on a max contract with the 33 year old Tab Ramos over the wishes of the Metrostars brass - flash!!), the Revs have one trophy in 17 years, the US bid was not seriously in the running for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, and now his hand-picked coach may be off to a terrible start in qualifying.Worth watching? Or am I reading too much into all this?

My comments1) He has not worked for NE since 2011. And even when he worked for the Revs, not a single hard core fan could figure out what he did outside of help give Foxboro an inordinate amount of US games over the years. 2) His biggest failure to me remains the World Cup bid. Although I think it is unfair to say the US was not in the running. If Qatar did not put a ton of money late into the proper pockets, I still think the US was the favorite. I think Gulati seriously misunderstood the level of corruption in the process. Not sure he could have done much else but some of the enormous amount of money they spent on the bid should have be separated out to unearth the cheaters in the process before the vote was made. After Qatar was voted in, no matter what evidence came to light, nothing was going to change.3) He has been chasing Klinsmann for years but they never came to a deal because it was reported that Gulati never wanted to give as much power to JK as he wanted. After a couple of failed romances, the loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup gave Klinsmann the upper hand in negotiations and Gulati relented4) Gulati is going after Blazers Concacaf seat. If he wins that I am unsure if he needs to step down from the US Soccer post. If he does, it will be fun to watch the various groups (youth, womens, pro etc) fight to get their candidate in.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I don't really understand why Bocanegra was dropped from the roster, don't we have a lot of injuries in the back?

Klinsmann is near impossible to figure out. He has been kind of consistent (outside of Edu last round) in that if you are not actively playing, he won't call you. Boca has not played a minute since the end of January I believe.

But who knows really.

Yeah, I just kind of missed that earlier in the week. I would hope the long-time captian of the team gets more leeway than to be dropped because he is out of favor with a terrible Racing team. I don't understand this choice with the clear lack of leadership this team has been putting out on the pitch, particularly in the back.

yeah, some one earlier posted Boca's caps and compared them to the entire defense on this roster and it was pretty shocking.I would have had no problems with Boca's inclusion but I wonder if the problems talked about in the article in the Honduras game when Klinsmann dropped him late from the lineup related to why he was not included.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

San Marino not in great form heading into its tie with England tomorrow - - last 24 qualifying matches, Scored 1, Conceded 116.

 

[NewlyRetired]

San Marino not in great form heading into its tie with England tomorrow - - last 24 qualifying matches, Scored 1, Conceded 116.

This was a fun memory for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGdQvqbIexk

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

My comments

1) He has not worked for NE since 2011. And even when he worked for the Revs, not a single hard core fan could figure out what he did outside of help give Foxboro an inordinate amount of US games over the years.

2) His biggest failure to me remains the World Cup bid. Although I think it is unfair to say the US was not in the running. If Qatar did not put a ton of money late into the proper pockets, I still think the US was the favorite. I think Gulati seriously misunderstood the level of corruption in the process. Not sure he could have done much else but some of the enormous amount of money they spent on the bid should have be separated out to unearth the cheaters in the process before the vote was made. After Qatar was voted in, no matter what evidence came to light, nothing was going to change.

3) He has been chasing Klinsmann for years but they never came to a deal because it was reported that Gulati never wanted to give as much power to JK as he wanted. After a couple of failed romances, the loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup gave Klinsmann the upper hand in negotiations and Gulati relented

4) Gulati is going after Blazers Concacaf seat. If he wins that I am unsure if he needs to step down from the US Soccer post. If he does, it will be fun to watch the various groups (youth, womens, pro etc) fight to get their candidate in.

Understood on some of those, but what has he ever actually accomplished?And why was he chasing Klinsmann all that time? We had two really good coaches IMO. That's what really bothers me the most I guess. He reminds me of a superfan who thinks that we're not winning today because our coach 'doesn't understand the international game.'

Again, this is more something I'm batting around for myself. I'm not even sure how much of it I really believe. But Gulati does make me uneasy.

 

[Slapdash]

I don't really understand why Bocanegra was dropped from the roster, don't we have a lot of injuries in the back?

Klinsmann is near impossible to figure out. He has been kind of consistent (outside of Edu last round) in that if you are not actively playing, he won't call you. Boca has not played a minute since the end of January I believe.

But who knows really.

Yeah, I just kind of missed that earlier in the week. I would hope the long-time captian of the team gets more leeway than to be dropped because he is out of favor with a terrible Racing team. I don't understand this choice with the clear lack of leadership this team has been putting out on the pitch, particularly in the back.

yeah, some one earlier posted Boca's caps and compared them to the entire defense on this roster and it was pretty shocking.I would have had no problems with Boca's inclusion but I wonder if the problems talked about in the article in the Honduras game when Klinsmann dropped him late from the lineup related to why he was not included.

If that were the case, it seems like JK is going all in right now.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

San Marino not in great form heading into its tie with England tomorrow - - last 24 qualifying matches, Scored 1, Conceded 116.

But what do their players think of the coach?

 

[Steve Tasker]

Daniel Cuevas (@danielcuevas33)3/21/13, 12:03 AMJust found out i have a small tear on my meniscus and i might have to get surgery...

I tore my meniscus fairly badly and was back on the field at full strength in a matter of weeks. I'm sure that a professional athlete will be fine, IMO.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Daniel Cuevas (@danielcuevas33)3/21/13, 12:03 AMJust found out i have a small tear on my meniscus and i might have to get surgery...

I tore my meniscus fairly badly and was back on the field at full strength in a matter of weeks. I'm sure that a professional athlete will be fine, IMO.

cool! Thanks! The finals start in the 3rd week of June

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Daniel Cuevas (@danielcuevas33)3/21/13, 12:03 AMJust found out i have a small tear on my meniscus and i might have to get surgery...

I tore my meniscus fairly badly and was back on the field at full strength in a matter of weeks. I'm sure that a professional athlete will be fine, IMO.

It's kind of hard to predict. My brother tore the meniscus in both knees. The first surgery was nothing. He was the same after two weeks. The second surgery, the knee swelled up on him and remained stiff for months (I imagine he probably pushed it too hard too soon because of his earlier experience, but who knows).

 

[CBusAlex]

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-National-Team/2013/03/Venues-Set-for-US-MNTs-Last-Four-Home-World-Cup-Qualifiers-and-Centennial-Celebration-Match.aspx

The U.S., which kicks off its home stand in World Cup Qualifying tomorrow night against Costa Rica at sold-out ****’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., will host the other four Final Round opponents in the following venues:

- June 11 against Panama at CenturyLink Field (Seattle, Wash.)

- June 18 against Honduras at Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)

- Sept. 10 against Mexico at Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)

- Oct. 11 against Jamaica at Sporting Park (Kansas City, Kan.)

 

[NewlyRetired]

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-National-Team/2013/03/Venues-Set-for-US-MNTs-Last-Four-Home-World-Cup-Qualifiers-and-Centennial-Celebration-Match.aspx

The U.S., which kicks off its home stand in World Cup Qualifying tomorrow night against Costa Rica at sold-out ****’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., will host the other four Final Round opponents in the following venues:- June 11 against Panama at CenturyLink Field (Seattle, Wash.)- June 18 against Honduras at Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)- Sept. 10 against Mexico at Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)- Oct. 11 against Jamaica at Sporting Park (Kansas City, Kan.)

no real surprises there.The big question is whether Seattle will be field turf or if they will overlay grass.