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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (6 Viewers)

Even without the goals, that's the best I've ever seen Bradley play. He broke up plays and (for once) managed to not have so many stupid giveaways.I was a little shocked with how shaky Gooch looked at times, though. Not his best game.
Totally agree, Gooch looked awful more than a handful of times.
 
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Like what I saw out of Beasley and Donavon tonight. Dempsey and Ching felt kind of worthless. Obviously Bradley played well and you can never say enough good things about Howard.

Terrible challenge by Rafa tonight, particularly given he is currently on suspension in la Liga for red card. Starting to show a trend.

 
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Like what I saw out of Beasley and Donavon tonight. Dempsey and Ching felt kind of worthless. Obviously Bradley played well and you can never say enough good things about Howard.Terrible challenge by Rafa tonight, particularly given he is currently on suspension in la Liga for red card. Starting to show a trend.
I might have to watch it again but I thought Landon struggled - he really missed on a lot of through balls - he just couldn't get it through the 18. However the move to get in position on the header was good especially in that kind of wind and he never quits working hard.
 
Germany looked completely out of sorts today. I think we've learned that Klose and Gomez do not make a good combination up top. I did like the fact that after the five subs Germany had a very good looking and young team on the field. The future looks good.

Now for a rant :confused:

How is it that Gol and FSC can show a game live in a two hour slot and you get to see the entire game, but ESPN2 slots a game for two hours and the end gets clipped. Since I was watching the recorded Germany match I recorded the US game which cut off with just under two minutes left on the clock. I completely missed the second goal. :rant:

 
Like what I saw out of Beasley and Donavon tonight. Dempsey and Ching felt kind of worthless. Obviously Bradley played well and you can never say enough good things about Howard.Terrible challenge by Rafa tonight, particularly given he is currently on suspension in la Liga for red card. Starting to show a trend.
I might have to watch it again but I thought Landon struggled - he really missed on a lot of through balls - he just couldn't get it through the 18. However the move to get in position on the header was good especially in that kind of wind and he never quits working hard.
There were some missed chances, but he did set up both of the goals tonight.
 
Well, I take back most of my comments about Bradley playing favorites with his kid in the lineup....

Actually, I wasn't very impressed today. A few of the players stood out....Bradley and Hejduk, IMO, were awesome tonight. A few of the other players looked listless and merely average...my beloved Kljestan, Brian Ching. And Gooch was downright awful. I like the guy, I really do, and hopefully tonight was an anomaly because of the weather, but he looked horrible out there.

I guess you can't complain too much about a win over Mexico to start off the WCQ final round, it would have been nice to have a real amazing performance though. I have no doubts that we'll qualify for the WC, but play like we saw tonight isn't going to get us past the first round or MAYBE round of 16.

 
David James

Glen Johnson ------------ John Terry ---------- Phil Jagielka ------------Ashley Cole

Shaun Wright-Phillips ------ Michael Carrick ------- Gareth Barry ------ Stewart Downing

Emile Heskey ------- Gabriel Agbonlahor
I know England's got some injuries, but....my how the mighty have fallen. I honestly think that a top USMNT squad could draw this team on a good day or beat them on US soil. Just my opinion...
Name a current US international (i.e. not Friedel) that would make that team. The only one who come close is Howard. I think you're being quite optimistic in your judgement.
I'm as big an EPL homer that there is around...but this is a week English side. James is old and not very good anymore. There are three US keepers better than him. Ashley Cole, Terry, Heskey, SWP and Agbonhlahor are the only guys out there that are very good. The rest could pretty easily be replaced by a number of top Americans.
Which American MF could easily replace Carrick or Barry? Any one of those guys (maybe excluding Jagielka and Johnson) would be our best player.
I'm not debating that their players wouldn't be stars on our squad, but the whole is more than just the sum of its parts (see England, 2008 Euro Qualifiers).To be honest, the only player that strikes me as a scoring threat in that lineup is Agbonlahor. Downing is :thumbup: from like 25-yards every once in awhile, and Shaun Wright-Phillips can make one or two slashing runs per game, but he's been a colossal disappointment his whole career.

Terry and Carrick are studs too, sure.

Which American would start over any of these guys? No one but Tim Howard, possibly. Some guys could be bench players for this lineup...Gooch, Donovan, maybe Beasley.

But in Houston or Chicago, with a pro-US crowd, I honestly think that the US could beat this team. Take Agbonlahor out of the game, and I think England barely sniffs the net for the entire game.

 
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Well, I take back most of my comments about Bradley playing favorites with his kid in the lineup....Actually, I wasn't very impressed today. A few of the players stood out....Bradley and Hejduk, IMO, were awesome tonight. A few of the other players looked listless and merely average...my beloved Kljestan, Brian Ching. And Gooch was downright awful. I like the guy, I really do, and hopefully tonight was an anomaly because of the weather, but he looked horrible out there. I guess you can't complain too much about a win over Mexico to start off the WCQ final round, it would have been nice to have a real amazing performance though. I have no doubts that we'll qualify for the WC, but play like we saw tonight isn't going to get us past the first round or MAYBE round of 16.
I agree with the above for the most part. It was a win against Mexico and that is pretty much all. Ching was bad, Klejstan was nonexistant. Frankie had a hell of a game.Tactics seemed off from coach Bradley. Ching should have been replaced at halftime with anyone. Play was completely through the middle and we could have attacked the wings. The field seemed narrow on TV so I might be wrong on that(never been to that stadium).Reality is that both goals were luck. The first was caused by a great play by Donovan to center it to the middle for the header and then a right place right time put back. The second was a failure on the Mexican goalie. Easy stop on that shot. Luck wins games and I'm fine with that. But neither goal was from a build up or particularly skillfull play. Bradley was the benifactor on the score sheet and he did have a fine game.This was at home of course. There is no chance the US advance out of the group stage in SA with the quality of play that was shown today. It would take a very favorable draw or an insane result to get the US through. We need to be an attacking team when we are favorites.Did anyone watch the Iran v SKorea game? The 2nd half was pretty nice to watch and from what I gathered it was in Tehran to a huge crowd.
 
2nd goal was definitely misplayed by Sanchez. First goal, while it was partially luck, sure, had a lot to do with great positioning by Bradley. Some people might look at it like "right place at the right time", but IMO Bradley wasn't just lucky that he was in the right place. :kicksrock: that's just how I saw it.

 
2nd goal was definitely misplayed by Sanchez. First goal, while it was partially luck, sure, had a lot to do with great positioning by Bradley. Some people might look at it like "right place at the right time", but IMO Bradley wasn't just lucky that he was in the right place. :kicksrock: that's just how I saw it.
That's cool and I'll agree with that, but it could have been anyone in that position. Smart play for Bradley to play the poacher.
 
2nd goal was definitely misplayed by Sanchez. First goal, while it was partially luck, sure, had a lot to do with great positioning by Bradley. Some people might look at it like "right place at the right time", but IMO Bradley wasn't just lucky that he was in the right place. :kicksrock: that's just how I saw it.
That's cool and I'll agree with that, but it could have been anyone in that position. Smart play for Bradley to play the poacher.
Yeah, could have been anyone.
 
That was the worst I've seen Gooch play on the big stage...very disappointing.

As for Landon and Dempsey...I thought they both played pretty well actually. Dempsey makes WAY fewer mistakes now than when he was just coming up...he's really blossomed into a solid player. No matter what Landon does it's not good enough...guy set up both goals and was marked by at least two defenders the entire game.

Also, how powerful did Jozy look when he came into the game...if he doesn't start in front of Ching going forward there's something wrong with Bradley's vision.

 
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Generally thought few US players really shined in this game. Bradley played well but neither goal was exactly spectacular. I really thought Pearce was bloody awful. He's so hit and miss but tonight was a miss. He did little to control his sideline and made a lot of really poor feeds. And again, I have yet to see Dempsey make any sort of mark on the international level against good competition. I generally think he is much too soft and goes down easier than even LD while lacking the creativity. I know he has played really well recently for Fulham but he is either a really poor fit for Bradley's scheme or he has some mental block on the int' stage. It's time that someone else be given a shot at the right wing because he simply isn't cutting it.

I think our problem in general right now is that we don't have any good options for wings at either midfield or fullback though. DMB is probably the only player who plays even average out wide on the int'l level. Obviously a return of Dolo will help but we really need to find some options here. I actually think our long term options in the middle with Kleijstan, Bradley, Edu, and Adu have possibilities. I just see so few young players that have wing skills for the US and the few that do seem to either be outside their comfort (LD) or not performing up to their capabilities (CD) or simply not skilled enough to be a true international star (DMB). It's somewhat puzzling bc the wings generally don't require as high of a soccer IQ and are more based on physical skills which seems to, sadly, fit US soccer pretty well.

I also agree with LHUCKS that we need to see what Jozy can do up top. He certainly is going to be a better option than Ching for 10 so we ought to give him more time in these qualifiers.

 
1)Even with out the goals, Bradley looked smooth and strong. Won the ball many times and played simple smart balls through the midfield all night

2) Sacha played poorly in my opinion. Bad touches, did not take anyone on all night. Almost looked nervous

3) DMB had a nice solid outing. Tracked back well on Dos Santos as was mentioned earlier in this thread and did some good things on the wing.

4) Landon had a very average game IMO. He was covered all night long by mutliple players and the few times he got free, he did not take the chance to run at people

5) The US first half was excellent, even with the bad chance given to Dos Santos.

6) Gooch looked out of sorts all night long. Not sure if it was the weather or not. Got to give him credit though, he seems to get himself involved in many goals and did again last night

7) Both wing defenders did ok, especially defensively, while neither had a good game offensively. Frankie ran his ### off as usual, but did not make the 1-2 dumb plays that have plagued him in the past. Until Spector makes an appearance, it seems clear that Pearce (who led the team in minutes in 2008) likely owns the left back spot now, more out of lack of any one else than actually winning the spot himself.

8) Ching is what he is. He is likely the perfect player for the round of WCQ. Its an un-enviable position playing by yourself up top. However, like others, this is where he tops off. He is going to be a liability come 2010 and I do hope that Jozy finds a way to become the starter sooner rather than later as his upside is greater than Chings.

9) The formula against Mexico is becoming all too easy no matter who the coach is or who the players are. Get a lead and wait for them to do something stupid. I know people get all excited because they have some players who have nice touches on the ball, but there is so much more to the sport than having a good touch. Mexico continues to lack many many components that can not be made up by skill alone. I have no idea what Marquez was doing last night, but Mexico deserved a draw and may have gotten it if he wasn't so stupid.

10) Mexico now has to play with out their captain against Costa Rica and possibly be breaking in a new coach. They are very lucky that game is at home else they could be looking at a horrendous start.

 
I'm not gonna lie... Wynne and Bornstein playing on the edge of the defense against a Mexican team with good wingers scares the crap outta me. We are lucky that Guardado and vela aren't healthy as I think they'd eat those two gringos alive.
Uh, what's wrong with Vela? I didn't know he was injured.
Turns out he was out because of suspension (an issue the Mexicans seem to deal with more than most teams as they accumulate cards at a very quick rate especially any time they are down in a game).
 
Thoughts on last nights game:

US Starting XI was pretty much what I expected coming out from Bradley, he got in some older guys and rewarded Klejtan for his game against Sweden. I was surprised with the run of play the entire game, I was expecting the US to hang back, keep a lot of guys behind the ball and let Mexico have the majority of possession and then try and counter-attack, but the game was exactly the opposite. In the first half it seemed like Mexico was sitting back a lot more than I was used to seeing. For most of the game I remember seeing eight green jerseys back in box even if the US only had three or four guys up. I was surprised that the US had possession most of the game. Just different. The rain and wind definitely caused some mistakes from both ends of the pitch, but it actually seemed that more US players were slipping around (specifically Gooch, don't know if he was just too big for his own good last night or what).

Players:

Tim Howard - Huge game. Save at the beginning of the game set the tone. A bit of sloppy defending, but Howard came up big with the stop on Dos Santos. Again in the second half he made some big stops and owned his box. The US needs to find a way to develop other positions like we do keepers. Howard is one of the world's best in my opinion.

Frankie Hejduk - Great game out of Frankie. He was winning balls and dispossessing all up and down the right side. I don't know if the confidence of playing in Columbus bolstered him or what, but this was as good a game as I've ever seen him play. I thought he could have gotten a yellow for a couple of aggressive tackles he made, but he was one of the best out there last night for the US.

Gooch - He seemed to struggle with his footing last night, a lot. He was never really out of position and he made Ocoha a non-factor the whole game, but he had a few missed clearances and questionable passes. I'm not sure they would have existed with out the weather, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Boca - Another solid game from him. He and Gooch had a couple of miscommunications in the first 15 minutes, but he was rock solid after that. Nothing really spectacular, made a lot of good tackles and kept the backline. Another thing that surprised me was how high a defensive line the US played in the first half, it seemed like we were really pressing up. Just stuff I'm not used to seeing.

Pearce - Largely forgettable. In fact, the only time I really remember anything about him in the game was when Dos Santos blew by him in the second half and then missed the cross. Pearce is okay, but we've seen the best out of him. Leftback is still the weakest position for the USMNT.

Dempsey - Decent, but not spectacular game. He was aggressive going forward and chasing the ball. He fell down a little too easy for much of the game looking like he was trying to draw calls, but the ref was doing a really good job last night and not calling anything like that. He definitely looked as if he was getting on the nerves of many of Mexico's players, but I've seen better out of him.

Bradley - This was the best I've seen Bradley play, regardless of the goals (like Scooby said). He was making quick decisions and crisp passes all night. He got the ball to his feet and immediately knew where he was going to play it. He was winning tackles and not giving the ball away all night in the midfield. I was really impressed with him last night.

Klesjtan - He was okay. To me he looked like a kid that hadn't gotten a lot of playing time with the Starting XI before and a kid that had never played in as high a pressure game as last night. A lot of his passes and tackles seemed a step behind, almost as if he was thinking too much instead of just playing. I haven't seen him play too much, but to me it looked like he had the read of the game right, but he wasn't just reacting to the play and was forcing things.

Beasley - If the game ended at halftime he would have been man of the match for me. He was all over the field. Beasley and Donovan have some unreal chemistry, they always know what the other is thinking and make the right runs and passes for each other all game. He tracked back well and he and Dempsey would switch sides on occasion. He looked like he tired in the second half (the entire US team looked this way to me) and he wasn't as aggressive, but he was our best player in the first 45 in my opinion.

Donovan - Made a lot of really good plays all game. Whenever he touched the ball almost everyone from the Mexican side pushed back into the box, clogging the middle. He played an excellent ball back to Hejduk towards the end of the second that Hejduk just seemed to tired to hit properly. I would have liked to have seen him have more time with Jozy up front, Ching just seemed to lack the footskills to keep up with some of Donovan's passes.

Ching - He was okay. He held the ball up and got fouled, but really was a non-factor. He does a lot of things decently, but doesn't really except at anything. He is a very smart player, but just doesn't have that much technical skill. I would have liked to see Jozy come on earlier, because frankly Ching looked gassed.

 
Thoughts on last nights game: I would have liked to see Jozy come on earlier, because frankly Ching looked gassed.
this concerned me last night as well.I loved both subs Bradley made but I hated that they came so late. I felt both would have been better served between the 70-75th minute. Mexico caused some scary moments out there in the second half because the US was not killing off the game as they should have.
 
Thoughts on last nights game: I would have liked to see Jozy come on earlier, because frankly Ching looked gassed.
this concerned me last night as well.I loved both subs Bradley made but I hated that they came so late. I felt both would have been better served between the 70-75th minute. Mexico caused some scary moments out there in the second half because the US was not killing off the game as they should have.
Yeah, I was surprised about the subs being so late as well. I definitely expected Hejduk off after he got injured, but that never even happened. Bradley is one odd coach.
 
Pearce - Largely forgettable. In fact, the only time I really remember anything about him in the game was when Dos Santos blew by him in the second half and then missed the cross. Pearce is okay, but we've seen the best out of him. Leftback is still the weakest position for the USMNT.
Besides a lack of foot speed, passing skills and good positioning, he's a pretty good left back.
 
So here it is Friday and I have not seen any evidence that the Becks situation is getting settled today.

Even though Garber set today as the deadline, I think it may get extended.

 
Is there any DC area soccer fans on this thread?

I was just reading about DC United intention to move to Prince George County in a new 24k stadium. How far is that from the current RFK and any feel for how that may affect attendance? If I understand correctly, the new stadium will be in Maryland, not in DC proper.

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washingt...09/daily85.html

And here is the press release.

WHO: Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson, Delegation Chairs Sen. Anthony Muse and Del. Melony Griffith, Members of the General Assembly, as well as D.C. United co-owner Victor B. MacFarlane and team president Kevin Payne.

WHAT: Sen. Muse and Del. Griffith have introduced legislation that will enable D.C. United, the most successful professional soccer club in American history, to move to Maryland and work with the Maryland Stadium Authority to build a stadium.

County Executive Johnson and other elected and community leaders will join the team and legislators to support this effort.

WHEN: Monday, February 16, 2009, 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Prince George's Community College

Kent Hall, Room 262

301 Largo Road

Largo, MD 20774

Media members may park in Lot H

WHY: D.C. United's mission is: "Win Championships and Serve the Community." This effort would bring a great team and committed neighbor to Maryland.

Real Economic Stimulus: According to an independent report commissioned by the Maryland Stadium Authority last fall, a new D.C. United stadium will generate $65 million to $80 million annually in economic impact - the equivalent of more than 1,000 jobs. Construction alone will create more than 250 additional jobs.

A Stadium That Pays For Itself: The stadium is projected to cost $180 million to $195 million, seat approximately 24,000 fans, and will be funded by D.C. United and new revenue generated by the team and stadium. It will not draw on the existing tax base or require lottery funds.

Bringing The Best To Prince George's County: D.C. United is the most successful club in the history of American professional soccer - with 12 major championships and fan attendance of more than 20,000 per game over the past two years.

A Good Neighbor: D.C. United has a 14-year history of community involvement in the region, serving thousands of underserved children with United Soccer Club after-school programs, United Reads educational incentives, and more than 8,000 free tickets per year through Kicks for Kids.

Promoting Real Opportunity: D.C. United is minority-owned, led by Victor MacFarlane and William Chang, and is committed to providing real opportunity for residents and businesses in Prince George's County.

 
Isn't JPeace a DC guy? He's never really around anymore though.
You are correct he is. He still has the DC United avatar I think.He posts infrequently but according to his profile he was logged in as recently as yesterday. This seems to be the only thread he posts in so maybe he will see this.
 
Exciting FA Cup today so far.

A couple lower level teams forcing replays....Swansea City and Fulham, Sheff United and Hull....

Coventry City goes down 1-0 to Blackburn in the 2nd minute, and then scores in the 61st and 76th.....and then Chris Samba equalizes in the 90th to force a replay....

West Ham and Boro drew as well.

 
Berlin beat Bayern today 2:1. Berlin's keeper made a number of amazing saves including one on a snap header from Donovan. Donovan subbed in for Toni around the 35th minute and took a few corners and had two shots on goal.

With Hoffenheim's loss on Friday this puts Berlin on top of a very tight table.

40 Hertha Berlin

39 Hoffenheim

38 Bayern München

36 Bayer Leverkusen

36 Hamburg (play on Sunday)

 
I like the result of that one! It was a right beatdown. Now if they could just finish up the Premier League strong and snag a "Europa League" spot at worst.

 
Wow, Man U is only up 1-nil on Derby County? They should be up 4-nil by now (40 minute mark).
Poor reffing brought back 1 ronaldo goal. They made it 2-0 right after this and then 3-0 right after the half. its now 3-1
And now 4 to 1.Judging by the fact there's an actual shirt about it, I take it Derby has historically had #### defense?
KindaThey were in the Premier League last year and were absolutely dominated. Finished with like 12 points and gave up close to 90 goals in the 38-game season.
 
Real Madrid is trying to make a statement today... winning 4-0 while Barça drew 2-2 with Betis. I doubt they'll have enough in them to go on a 10 match win streak while Barça draws or loses a couple... but it could happen.

I didn't watch either game... I think Barça's attacking lineup did them in... they started Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry, Xavi, and Iniesta in the top 6... you tell me which one of those is a holding MF, or has good-great defensive skills. It looked like Pep wanted to blow Betis out early with some quick goals, but the exact opposite happened as Betis went up 2-0 in 24 minutes.

Look for Pep to put out a more defensive lineup in the future.

 
Oh and my Atleti can jump up into the 4th or 5th spot with a win today against Getafe (who isn't as good as they were over the last 2 years). Let's hope they're "Abel".

¡Aupa Atelti!

 
and a 4-1 finish to the day, United on to the next round

Nani, Gibson, Ronaldo and Welback the United scorers.

Tevez, Vidic, Berbatov, Van der Sar, Rooney, Carrick all sat this one out.

 
Wow, Man U is only up 1-nil on Derby County? They should be up 4-nil by now (40 minute mark).
Poor reffing brought back 1 ronaldo goal. They made it 2-0 right after this and then 3-0 right after the half. its now 3-1
And now 4 to 1.Judging by the fact there's an actual shirt about it, I take it Derby has historically had #### defense?
KindaThey were in the Premier League last year and were absolutely dominated. Finished with like 12 points and gave up close to 90 goals in the 38-game season.
Jesus.And I see they're a middling team in the 2nd tier league they're in.
 
Real Madrid is trying to make a statement today... winning 4-0 while Barça drew 2-2 with Betis. I doubt they'll have enough in them to go on a 10 match win streak while Barça draws or loses a couple... but it could happen.I didn't watch either game... I think Barça's attacking lineup did them in... they started Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry, Xavi, and Iniesta in the top 6... you tell me which one of those is a holding MF, or has good-great defensive skills. It looked like Pep wanted to blow Betis out early with some quick goals, but the exact opposite happened as Betis went up 2-0 in 24 minutes.Look for Pep to put out a more defensive lineup in the future.
I was shocked by that line up. Particularly given that the back line was without Puyol or Marquez. A questionable move when Barca has 4 players that can hold with the best of them in midfield.
 
Like I said, I think Pep overstepped his bounds here. Barcelona can't just put whatever players they want on the field and blow teams out, regardless of the attacking firepower they have at their disposal.

There something to be said for tactics.

 

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