B Maverick
Footballguy
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?...;name=chang_jen
Greetings from Bristol, CT. It's actually my first day back at work after a semi-hiatus and for the benefit of those without access to ESPN Classic or the ability to discreetly watch ESPN360 while at work, I will be writing a live play-by-play blog during the U.S. vs. England game. The teams are set to kick off in about two hours, so if all your other options to follow the game have fallen through, you can catch it right here.
Both teams are close to full strength, with England missing only Michael Owen and Micah Richards, while the U.S. will be without the services of teen sensation Jozy Altidore and possibly Landon Donovan.
The big news emerging this week out of London is of course the appointment of Chelsea's sure-footed John Terry as England captain. Some U.S. fans might object to Terry's inclusion on the basis of some rumored indiscretions on his part several years ago which involved a nightclub, alcohol, some American tourists and some allegedly poor taste 9/11 comments. The rest of the world will simply object to Terry on the basis that he's just not that likeable.
For the U.S. the big debate that's raging across the nation (other than whether or not two-year old Suri Cruise is too old to be using a bottle) is who will replace Landon Donovan in the U.S. lineup if the Galaxy forward is unable to go? Will it be Freddy Adu (part of the Holy Trinity of U.S. teen phenoms along with Greg Oden and LeBron James that look twice their age) or Josh Wolff (who once outscored Thierry Henry in some nameless U-23 tournament in France many years ago)?
As for the game itself, it's likely to be a very close contest between two teams that are very similar in style. There's a chance that both could start out fielding formations that are reliant on the presence of dual defensive holding midfielders. Assuming liberal substitutions, we could see as many as six defensive midfielders take part in this game, or as some would put it, two less than Rafa Benitez fields in his usual Liverpool starting 11.
Anyway, I'll be back here when the game starts with the play-by-play.
I have been informed by the two very reliable sources that Landon Donovan will not be playing in tonight's game. The U.S. lineup that will take the field is:
GK: Tim Howard
D: Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Heath Pearce
M: Josh Wolff, Michael Bradley, Rico Clark, DaMarcus Beasley
F: Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson
Greetings from Bristol, CT. It's actually my first day back at work after a semi-hiatus and for the benefit of those without access to ESPN Classic or the ability to discreetly watch ESPN360 while at work, I will be writing a live play-by-play blog during the U.S. vs. England game. The teams are set to kick off in about two hours, so if all your other options to follow the game have fallen through, you can catch it right here.
Both teams are close to full strength, with England missing only Michael Owen and Micah Richards, while the U.S. will be without the services of teen sensation Jozy Altidore and possibly Landon Donovan.
The big news emerging this week out of London is of course the appointment of Chelsea's sure-footed John Terry as England captain. Some U.S. fans might object to Terry's inclusion on the basis of some rumored indiscretions on his part several years ago which involved a nightclub, alcohol, some American tourists and some allegedly poor taste 9/11 comments. The rest of the world will simply object to Terry on the basis that he's just not that likeable.
For the U.S. the big debate that's raging across the nation (other than whether or not two-year old Suri Cruise is too old to be using a bottle) is who will replace Landon Donovan in the U.S. lineup if the Galaxy forward is unable to go? Will it be Freddy Adu (part of the Holy Trinity of U.S. teen phenoms along with Greg Oden and LeBron James that look twice their age) or Josh Wolff (who once outscored Thierry Henry in some nameless U-23 tournament in France many years ago)?
As for the game itself, it's likely to be a very close contest between two teams that are very similar in style. There's a chance that both could start out fielding formations that are reliant on the presence of dual defensive holding midfielders. Assuming liberal substitutions, we could see as many as six defensive midfielders take part in this game, or as some would put it, two less than Rafa Benitez fields in his usual Liverpool starting 11.
Anyway, I'll be back here when the game starts with the play-by-play.
I have been informed by the two very reliable sources that Landon Donovan will not be playing in tonight's game. The U.S. lineup that will take the field is:
GK: Tim Howard
D: Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Heath Pearce
M: Josh Wolff, Michael Bradley, Rico Clark, DaMarcus Beasley
F: Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson
Mexico has a long strong history in the sport and that is what gives them a higher then they should ranking. Plus they play really tough games, and even beat, some of the top teams in the world. When it comes to the US, Mexico is so over the top with rage that they end up trying to beat us up instead of just beating us. They get out of their game and get sucked into the 'got to beat the us" mentality that we end up winning. If they got out of their own heads and away from the hatred they should beat us. If they treat us like any other team and not the hated Americans, they would have a chance.
