Just a heads up with live links to come a little later. I've decided to house the podcast in "real-time" over at Ourmedia/the Internet Archive. The downside to this is that you'll have to stream the episode as I don't believe you can jump around in it.
However, and not to be overly confusing, episodes will later get archived over to Podomatic where you *should* be able to surf the episode for parts pertinent to your interests.
Anyway, so there you have it, 2 locations and styles for whatever best suits your interests. I'll have the links to each as soon as they become available.
Update: Episode 2 is live and you can listen to it here. I'll have the Podomatic link as soon as it is uploaded over there as well.
In soccer,
BF
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Absurdities, playoffs and bears, oh my!
First and foremost, apologies to anyone who has not been able to check out the podcast. I had been led to believe the link was live prior to yesterday but that had not been the case. Needless to say, I'm going to try to work around this kind of delay/lag or just find a faster way to get things posted.
At any rate, let's have a quick look around: the MLS playoff race is nearly done with the post-season just around the corner. At this moment, FCD, the Gals, TFC, and the Quakes are out. Ives has a great bit about this on his blog. I won't get too deep in repeating his points but I'd say pay special attention to what he had to say about TFC and the Quakes looking ahead to next year. I'll expound a little on this and the futures of the other teams who are soon to be knocked out of the race as well in the next show.
On the national team front, I'm keeping a close watch on any info that comes out about yet another potential MFL "defection" to MLS. I am also looking for info on the Cuban players who left their team in D.C. I'll have a look at how some guys are doing abroad and maybe talk a bit about guys on the fringe that should take action to get more PT either at their clubs or with El Bobbo's squad.
Now for West Ham, a crashing defeat at Hull on the weekend? Not so much. They're playing out of their minds right now. Still, not a good time to be coming up on a game against the Arse. Meanwhile, in Europe, there's another rumor flying about that Becks is off to Milan to play for AC. If this happens and I'm Phil Anschutz, Berlusconi is going to caugh up quite a bit of money to cover the wages doled out to the England midfielder.
At any rate, this is just a small look at some of the things I'm going to talk about in the next episode alongside some content on the USL and WPS. I promise!
Radio edit: From Goff's blog - "Oft-injured Ben Olsen looked good on the sideline as an assistant coach. Hmmm....." speaking on United's game against Cruz Azul this week. This is something I've been quietly contemplating for some time but now that Goff's put it out there I'll feel a little less "aluminum foil hat" about talking it up on the show.
in soccer,
Bill
At any rate, let's have a quick look around: the MLS playoff race is nearly done with the post-season just around the corner. At this moment, FCD, the Gals, TFC, and the Quakes are out. Ives has a great bit about this on his blog. I won't get too deep in repeating his points but I'd say pay special attention to what he had to say about TFC and the Quakes looking ahead to next year. I'll expound a little on this and the futures of the other teams who are soon to be knocked out of the race as well in the next show.
On the national team front, I'm keeping a close watch on any info that comes out about yet another potential MFL "defection" to MLS. I am also looking for info on the Cuban players who left their team in D.C. I'll have a look at how some guys are doing abroad and maybe talk a bit about guys on the fringe that should take action to get more PT either at their clubs or with El Bobbo's squad.
Now for West Ham, a crashing defeat at Hull on the weekend? Not so much. They're playing out of their minds right now. Still, not a good time to be coming up on a game against the Arse. Meanwhile, in Europe, there's another rumor flying about that Becks is off to Milan to play for AC. If this happens and I'm Phil Anschutz, Berlusconi is going to caugh up quite a bit of money to cover the wages doled out to the England midfielder.
At any rate, this is just a small look at some of the things I'm going to talk about in the next episode alongside some content on the USL and WPS. I promise!
Radio edit: From Goff's blog - "Oft-injured Ben Olsen looked good on the sideline as an assistant coach. Hmmm....." speaking on United's game against Cruz Azul this week. This is something I've been quietly contemplating for some time but now that Goff's put it out there I'll feel a little less "aluminum foil hat" about talking it up on the show.
in soccer,
Bill
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
expansion bids announced
and the bids are in from... Atlanta, Miami, Montreal, Ottawa, Portland, St. Louis, and Vancouver.
So, no real surprises besides no Aquilini involvement at this time with the Vancouver bid. Apologies to the folks in St. Louis for not discussing them in the podcast. There's not really much to note here except for maybe a bit of dissection on Abbott's body language and some of the things he both did and did not say but I'll leave that to the Big Soccer types for now.
I'll just say he did look quite animated when they discussed the ticket sales in Seattle and any potential corollary for Portland. I'm still not sold on Atlanta, either but more on that later. There you have it folks.
So, no real surprises besides no Aquilini involvement at this time with the Vancouver bid. Apologies to the folks in St. Louis for not discussing them in the podcast. There's not really much to note here except for maybe a bit of dissection on Abbott's body language and some of the things he both did and did not say but I'll leave that to the Big Soccer types for now.
I'll just say he did look quite animated when they discussed the ticket sales in Seattle and any potential corollary for Portland. I'm still not sold on Atlanta, either but more on that later. There you have it folks.
Great? news
Hi everybody, great news. I finally got the podcast recorded and am uploading it right now. It was all done in one, unedited take. I figured I would give you the rawest version possible and we can only go onwards and upwards from here. Be sure to let me know about technical issues, content issues, whatever. If all you're going to say is "you're an idiot, you suck" been there, done that don't waste either of our time. Now, if you have a reason why behind it, then fire away. Here's the cheat sheet for the show since it turned into a mammoth hour:
minute 1:00-15:00 US National Team
15:00-28:00 MLS Playoffs and such
29:00-40:00 potential affect on USL by MLS expansion
40:00-50:00 USL1 Final commentary
50:00-end West Ham/Euro commentary PLUS scores from Euro Qualifiers during the last 3ish minutes, so beware if you've taped any of the Euro games from today.
One correction to make from the cast - Francesco Aquilini is, of course, the owner of the NHL's Canucks.
In the next couple of hours I'll be posting the info from the MLS Announcement on expansion applicants which comes out at 5ET. After that I will try to post some pertinent links from the show.
And finally, the link to the show. It should be active shortly. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
In soccer,
Bill
minute 1:00-15:00 US National Team
15:00-28:00 MLS Playoffs and such
29:00-40:00 potential affect on USL by MLS expansion
40:00-50:00 USL1 Final commentary
50:00-end West Ham/Euro commentary PLUS scores from Euro Qualifiers during the last 3ish minutes, so beware if you've taped any of the Euro games from today.
One correction to make from the cast - Francesco Aquilini is, of course, the owner of the NHL's Canucks.
In the next couple of hours I'll be posting the info from the MLS Announcement on expansion applicants which comes out at 5ET. After that I will try to post some pertinent links from the show.
And finally, the link to the show. It should be active shortly. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
In soccer,
Bill
Good grief....
Okay, I'm going to spare EVERYONE the lengthy laundry list of real life reason why there has been no blog or podcast out of me as promised. Suffice to say the overwhelming majority of it is highly personal. For those who are friends of the blog/myself you guys can fire away. You know where to reach me.
Onwards and upwards. Tonight I will be doing some audio testing and getting things online to see if I can "demo" my set-up. In the meantime, here's a taster of what I'm going to talk about:
Torres for the USA! How about this kid? Yeah, it was mop up duty but I was really thoroughly impressed and i seems like others were as well. Hopefully he starts tomorrow/tonight against T & T. I'm also hoping to see some sort of Szetela, Torres, Adu combination from the get go but that's probably too much for El Bobbo. We shall see.
MLS Expansion. I have to be honest, I've been keeping tabs on this much more closely than the playoffs, although, I will admit to rooting for an RSL-Crew final. I'd settle for Chivas against the Crew as well for the sake of having a home team in it. Otherwise, Chicago would be intriguing for the McBride, Blanco, Hamlett storylines. I just really don't want to see NE-Houston again and if one of them has to be there, how about it be the Revs FINALLY getting over the hump? That would be nice... to put it mildly.
USL schtuff - particularly the attempted "defections" of the ATL, Montreal, Vancouver, Miami, Ottawa, Portland... oh hell, pretty much everyone besides the Islanders, Battery and Railhawks. Okay, Rochester, too, but you get my point. Hopefully I can get some comments from people in the know about these situations particularly with the Silverbacks in mind. I know I'd be smashing a few things tonight if I worked in their front office. What I really want to know is, has there been any contact or offer from Blank and co. to work with the 'Backs who have been working so hard on this whole futbol things down South? Of course, I still believe MLS really wants to get St. Louis in and barring that, the Vancouver and Montreal deals look potentially massive. Miami's now got Barca going to bat for them? Yeah, I wonder if this isn't a bit of a, pardon the pun, hail mary from the NFL's Falcons owner? I will say this, the notion of the following expansion sequence would intrigue me:
2011: St Louis, Vancouver
2014-15: Montreal, Portland
2017-18: Atlanta, Miami
There are a whole lot of dilemmas wrapped up in this thing which I plan to spend a lot of time discussing in the podcast, especially how to keep interest stoked for those left out of upcoming rounds and what about NY2, as we know it's another pet project of Garber's, does the USL become a full-on MLS expansion incubator? Moving along...
Over in England, my Hammers have been... tumultuous to say the least, in regards to their front office. This disguises the fact that they have actually been fairly consistent in the season so far. It's beginning to look, however, like new manager Gianfranco Zola will have to make due with budget signings like this week's free transfer signing, former Depor great, Diego Tristan. Many will quickly remind you, though, that "great" is hardly a term that springs to mind from the last couple of seasons for the striker.
Aside from these topics, I'd like to see if I can get some talk in about WPS and maybe some added Euro leagues and WC Qualifying discussion but we'll have to see how the voice holds up and how much time I really want to yak for in the premiere.
At any rate, hopefully many of you will actually be hearing me instead of just reading me soon.
In soccer,
Bill
Onwards and upwards. Tonight I will be doing some audio testing and getting things online to see if I can "demo" my set-up. In the meantime, here's a taster of what I'm going to talk about:
Torres for the USA! How about this kid? Yeah, it was mop up duty but I was really thoroughly impressed and i seems like others were as well. Hopefully he starts tomorrow/tonight against T & T. I'm also hoping to see some sort of Szetela, Torres, Adu combination from the get go but that's probably too much for El Bobbo. We shall see.
MLS Expansion. I have to be honest, I've been keeping tabs on this much more closely than the playoffs, although, I will admit to rooting for an RSL-Crew final. I'd settle for Chivas against the Crew as well for the sake of having a home team in it. Otherwise, Chicago would be intriguing for the McBride, Blanco, Hamlett storylines. I just really don't want to see NE-Houston again and if one of them has to be there, how about it be the Revs FINALLY getting over the hump? That would be nice... to put it mildly.
USL schtuff - particularly the attempted "defections" of the ATL, Montreal, Vancouver, Miami, Ottawa, Portland... oh hell, pretty much everyone besides the Islanders, Battery and Railhawks. Okay, Rochester, too, but you get my point. Hopefully I can get some comments from people in the know about these situations particularly with the Silverbacks in mind. I know I'd be smashing a few things tonight if I worked in their front office. What I really want to know is, has there been any contact or offer from Blank and co. to work with the 'Backs who have been working so hard on this whole futbol things down South? Of course, I still believe MLS really wants to get St. Louis in and barring that, the Vancouver and Montreal deals look potentially massive. Miami's now got Barca going to bat for them? Yeah, I wonder if this isn't a bit of a, pardon the pun, hail mary from the NFL's Falcons owner? I will say this, the notion of the following expansion sequence would intrigue me:
2011: St Louis, Vancouver
2014-15: Montreal, Portland
2017-18: Atlanta, Miami
There are a whole lot of dilemmas wrapped up in this thing which I plan to spend a lot of time discussing in the podcast, especially how to keep interest stoked for those left out of upcoming rounds and what about NY2, as we know it's another pet project of Garber's, does the USL become a full-on MLS expansion incubator? Moving along...
Over in England, my Hammers have been... tumultuous to say the least, in regards to their front office. This disguises the fact that they have actually been fairly consistent in the season so far. It's beginning to look, however, like new manager Gianfranco Zola will have to make due with budget signings like this week's free transfer signing, former Depor great, Diego Tristan. Many will quickly remind you, though, that "great" is hardly a term that springs to mind from the last couple of seasons for the striker.
Aside from these topics, I'd like to see if I can get some talk in about WPS and maybe some added Euro leagues and WC Qualifying discussion but we'll have to see how the voice holds up and how much time I really want to yak for in the premiere.
At any rate, hopefully many of you will actually be hearing me instead of just reading me soon.
In soccer,
Bill
Saturday, September 6, 2008
USA-Cuba live commentary
Tonight, NTC will be doing it's first and best effort to provide a live blog on the match in Havana between the US and Cuba...
I'll have the lineups for you as quickly as possible... in the meantime Cuba is off to a flying start. Looks like it could be another long night for the Red, White and Blue.
Ok, those lineups for you...
Sadly, no real surprises from the Bob.
Minute 9:
Looks like the US is struggling mightily with this surface. I wonder how long it may take for them to settle in and whether Cuba can take advantage?
11th minute:
The Cuban support sounds awesome. Nice to see in a country where futbol comes 3rd... or 4th.... or 5th in the popularity race. Meanwhile, the US is playing a little better in short combinations which begs the question why they are lumping so many balls forward? The guys seem a little jumpy.
14th minute:
Dempsey has a scintillating bullish run that ultimately ends in some strange pseudo-cross/shot. Positive play, though, as it looks like the US is getting the hang of how to attack the Cuban defense especially as it seems their opponents may still be a little over exuberant from the energy in this place. I've gotta wonder if it's as electric in the ground as it sounds on Mexican tv?
16th minute:
Cuba's Linares makes a nice move but is unceremoniously dumped by Gooch. That'll be a fun battle to watch tonight.
20th minute:
Linares and Villegas providing some danger. The US needs to assert itself in midfield.... Yes, Young Michael, I'm looking at you.
23rd:
Hmmmmmm... 50/50 ball between US attackers and the keeper, raise your hand if you're surprised a foul was called.
Yeah, that's what I figured.
24th minute:
CONCACAF reffing, Ladies and Gentlemen.
27th minute:
The longer this match continues in this pattern the more I think it is tailor made for one of those semi-patented Freddy Adu lateral dribbling runs across the top of the 18. Anyone with me on this?
30th minute:
Gooch saves Bradley's bacon... time for the first NTC beer break, courtesy of some Belhaven yumminess.
32nd minute:
The US could really use some extended possession and build-up play for a goal here. The crowd's back in this in a big way and it probably won't be long before it gives a real lift to the home side.
36th minute:
The US looks like they're in 2nd gear right now and struggling to get out of it yet somehow they just managed to have arguably the most dangerous scramble of the match so far. This may be why it's often so frustrating to watch our play in these kinds of qualifiers.
and OH HEY, look at that, a dangerous challenge by Baby Bradley. cue much *facepalming* all over Big Soccer.
40th minute:
GOOOOOOOOOOOOL Estados Unidos. Clint gets his first of the night off of some nice combinations in the box. It's always great to get a goal and lead in an away qualifier but even better if you can nearly mortally wound Big Mo before he gets on the side of the underdog just before the half.
45th + minute:
Some really ticky tack fouls being whistled here as the half draws to a close. Dempsey took a nasty looking spill there at the end. Hopefully he'll be able to continue.
Ok, HT - I'll be back in a few minutes with some thoughts on the 1st half overall. Our score from the Big Cigar: USA 1 Cuba 0
For the half I'd have to give everyone adequate marks. I was particularly fond of the performances by Edu, Dempsey and Gooch. Overall, it's been a workman-like effort with some flashes of flair on the ground. Seems to me we need to see much MUCH more of that.
50th minute:
Here come the Cubans again. There's an intense ebb and flow to this match moreso than some of the more grueling hack-fests we usually engage in during qualifiers. High marks to Cuba for the style of play and their attempts at an freely attacking style. It's a far cry from the cynical approach we saw from Guatemala last time out.
55th minute:
Beasley into the pits for a tire change, record time on the stop by his crew on that one... whoops, wrong channel.
57th minute:
Really getting tired of long balls from the defense going straight to the Cubans or into touch. It's negating a lot of the good work being done in tight quarters by the midfield.
And there's Cuba nearly with the equalizer. Frankie's a-makin' me NERVOUS!
59th minute:
WHOA! Lovely work there culminates in a blast from Edu. I like the initiative there and eventually he'll start getting those on target. Keep it up, young fella!
61st minute:
Corner goes for naught...
63rd minute:
I... don't.... Yeah. Hmmm. Beasley made a mess of that didn't he? Moving right along...
65th minute:
Looks like they agreed to take a 30 second breather. Guess that means it's time for beer break #2 brought to you by Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale. Hello, Wisconsin.
ARGH! And this time DMB is just barely off... ok, he was off by a fair margin AND he wasted the shot. I'm starting to have flashbacks to Germany... somebody get my Prozac.
70th minute:
So... Bob, I'll buy you a beer if you put Sacha on and take your son off. Deal?
73rd minute:
*Capt. Obvious alert*
Might be a good idea to get Dempsey some touches again since, ya know, he was kinda good during the first half. Just a thought...
By your powers combined...
75th minute:
HOW?! How?!!? Oh. CONCACAF, that's right.... sheesh.
And, is that Sascha? I bet he takes off Dempsey...
77th minute:
Oh, Bob.
78th minute:
Oooooooooooooooh, lookie! A Landon Donovan sighting!!!!
82nd minute:
Brian Ching = Indiana Jones or John McClane of US Soccer? Anyone else with me on this one?
And stray free-kick from Landon. His Cakes aren't bringing anyone to the yard tonight.
85th minute:
Looks like Edu could use a sub, he's getting a little lackadaisical in his tracking back. Hey Bob, got Rico?
86th minute:
Edu proves he's superhuman by knocking the lights out so he can get a breather.
88th minute:
Oh my. The lights almost went down on the US there after another close shave that the Cubans just couldn't squeeze by Timmy.
And yes, I am going for as many bad one-liners as I can. I've gotta set the bar hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh since this is only the beginning of qualifying.
90+ minute:
Well, just about done... and there it is. I've got to say that the score doesn't quite give justice to what I thought was a fairly dominant match for the US. This one easily could have been something in the realm of 5-2 if both teams had some kind of inkling about how to "clinically" finish their chances. Oh well. Maximum points from two road tests, mission done in rather milquetoast fashion but this was an improvement from the last game, IMHO.
And a quick shout-out to what looked to be some of the American Outlaws in the stands. Good job of getting past the wire. Get home safe.
I'm out.
I'll have the lineups for you as quickly as possible... in the meantime Cuba is off to a flying start. Looks like it could be another long night for the Red, White and Blue.
Ok, those lineups for you...
| Odelin Molina | (G) | |
| 2 | Silvio Pedro Minoso | (D) |
| 3 | Jeniel Marquez | (D) |
| 13 | Carlos Domingo | (D) |
| 5 | Jorge Luis Clavelo | (D) |
| 16 | Reysander Fernandez | (D) |
| 10 | Roberto Linares | (M) |
| 11 | Hensy Munoz | (M) |
| 14 | Jaine Colome | (M) |
| 7 | Luis Hermilo Villegas | (F) |
| 18 | Heriel Cordoves | (F) |
United States | ||
| No. | NAME | POS |
| 1 | Tim Howard | (G) |
| 2 | Frankie Hejduk | (D) |
| 5 | Oguchi Onyewu | (D) |
| 3 | Carlos Bocanegra | (D) |
| 15 | Heath Pearce | (D) |
| 17 | DaMarcus Beasley | (M) |
| 12 | Michael Bradley | (M) |
| 13 | Maurice Edu | (M) |
| 8 | Clint Dempsey | (F) |
| 10 | Landon Donovan | (F) |
| 11 | Brian Ching | |
Sadly, no real surprises from the Bob.
Minute 9:
Looks like the US is struggling mightily with this surface. I wonder how long it may take for them to settle in and whether Cuba can take advantage?
11th minute:
The Cuban support sounds awesome. Nice to see in a country where futbol comes 3rd... or 4th.... or 5th in the popularity race. Meanwhile, the US is playing a little better in short combinations which begs the question why they are lumping so many balls forward? The guys seem a little jumpy.
14th minute:
Dempsey has a scintillating bullish run that ultimately ends in some strange pseudo-cross/shot. Positive play, though, as it looks like the US is getting the hang of how to attack the Cuban defense especially as it seems their opponents may still be a little over exuberant from the energy in this place. I've gotta wonder if it's as electric in the ground as it sounds on Mexican tv?
16th minute:
Cuba's Linares makes a nice move but is unceremoniously dumped by Gooch. That'll be a fun battle to watch tonight.
20th minute:
Linares and Villegas providing some danger. The US needs to assert itself in midfield.... Yes, Young Michael, I'm looking at you.
23rd:
Hmmmmmm... 50/50 ball between US attackers and the keeper, raise your hand if you're surprised a foul was called.
Yeah, that's what I figured.
24th minute:
CONCACAF reffing, Ladies and Gentlemen.
27th minute:
The longer this match continues in this pattern the more I think it is tailor made for one of those semi-patented Freddy Adu lateral dribbling runs across the top of the 18. Anyone with me on this?
30th minute:
Gooch saves Bradley's bacon... time for the first NTC beer break, courtesy of some Belhaven yumminess.
32nd minute:
The US could really use some extended possession and build-up play for a goal here. The crowd's back in this in a big way and it probably won't be long before it gives a real lift to the home side.
36th minute:
The US looks like they're in 2nd gear right now and struggling to get out of it yet somehow they just managed to have arguably the most dangerous scramble of the match so far. This may be why it's often so frustrating to watch our play in these kinds of qualifiers.
and OH HEY, look at that, a dangerous challenge by Baby Bradley. cue much *facepalming* all over Big Soccer.
40th minute:
GOOOOOOOOOOOOL Estados Unidos. Clint gets his first of the night off of some nice combinations in the box. It's always great to get a goal and lead in an away qualifier but even better if you can nearly mortally wound Big Mo before he gets on the side of the underdog just before the half.
45th + minute:
Some really ticky tack fouls being whistled here as the half draws to a close. Dempsey took a nasty looking spill there at the end. Hopefully he'll be able to continue.
Ok, HT - I'll be back in a few minutes with some thoughts on the 1st half overall. Our score from the Big Cigar: USA 1 Cuba 0
For the half I'd have to give everyone adequate marks. I was particularly fond of the performances by Edu, Dempsey and Gooch. Overall, it's been a workman-like effort with some flashes of flair on the ground. Seems to me we need to see much MUCH more of that.
50th minute:
Here come the Cubans again. There's an intense ebb and flow to this match moreso than some of the more grueling hack-fests we usually engage in during qualifiers. High marks to Cuba for the style of play and their attempts at an freely attacking style. It's a far cry from the cynical approach we saw from Guatemala last time out.
55th minute:
Beasley into the pits for a tire change, record time on the stop by his crew on that one... whoops, wrong channel.
57th minute:
Really getting tired of long balls from the defense going straight to the Cubans or into touch. It's negating a lot of the good work being done in tight quarters by the midfield.
And there's Cuba nearly with the equalizer. Frankie's a-makin' me NERVOUS!
59th minute:
WHOA! Lovely work there culminates in a blast from Edu. I like the initiative there and eventually he'll start getting those on target. Keep it up, young fella!
61st minute:
Corner goes for naught...
63rd minute:
I... don't.... Yeah. Hmmm. Beasley made a mess of that didn't he? Moving right along...
65th minute:
Looks like they agreed to take a 30 second breather. Guess that means it's time for beer break #2 brought to you by Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale. Hello, Wisconsin.
ARGH! And this time DMB is just barely off... ok, he was off by a fair margin AND he wasted the shot. I'm starting to have flashbacks to Germany... somebody get my Prozac.
70th minute:
So... Bob, I'll buy you a beer if you put Sacha on and take your son off. Deal?
73rd minute:
*Capt. Obvious alert*
Might be a good idea to get Dempsey some touches again since, ya know, he was kinda good during the first half. Just a thought...
By your powers combined...
75th minute:
HOW?! How?!!? Oh. CONCACAF, that's right.... sheesh.
And, is that Sascha? I bet he takes off Dempsey...
77th minute:
Oh, Bob.
78th minute:
Oooooooooooooooh, lookie! A Landon Donovan sighting!!!!
82nd minute:
Brian Ching = Indiana Jones or John McClane of US Soccer? Anyone else with me on this one?
And stray free-kick from Landon. His Cakes aren't bringing anyone to the yard tonight.
85th minute:
Looks like Edu could use a sub, he's getting a little lackadaisical in his tracking back. Hey Bob, got Rico?
86th minute:
Edu proves he's superhuman by knocking the lights out so he can get a breather.
88th minute:
Oh my. The lights almost went down on the US there after another close shave that the Cubans just couldn't squeeze by Timmy.
And yes, I am going for as many bad one-liners as I can. I've gotta set the bar hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh since this is only the beginning of qualifying.
90+ minute:
Well, just about done... and there it is. I've got to say that the score doesn't quite give justice to what I thought was a fairly dominant match for the US. This one easily could have been something in the realm of 5-2 if both teams had some kind of inkling about how to "clinically" finish their chances. Oh well. Maximum points from two road tests, mission done in rather milquetoast fashion but this was an improvement from the last game, IMHO.
And a quick shout-out to what looked to be some of the American Outlaws in the stands. Good job of getting past the wire. Get home safe.
I'm out.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
fear and loathing in Guatemala City
I have to admit a certain level of disappointment with the US performance against the Chapines last week. Many have focused on criticisms leveled at Bob Bradley's player selections while still other take issue with the tactics employed. My main concern was with the mentality with which it appeared the US players and staff seemed to come out in this match.
Looking over the rosters for these two teams and the most recent history of the US program, I find it a bit disconcerting that while we assert that we are on par with, and some even suggest above, Mexico we would still look utterly timid in a match of this ilk. On paper, and yes, I know how faulty it is to even base a sporting opinion on that all-too-often used phrase, the US 11 at the beginning of this match should have had advantages in experience and talent to outpace their opponents. This is where I think a question over the level of motivation for the US team comes in handy. I'm well aware of the old adage "win at home, draw on the road" but in our region, has it not become a little disingenuous to feed into that mentality anywhere outside of Saprissa and Azteca?
To that end, I wonder if el Bob has the capability to truly fire up the troops in the ways that great coaches do when they know their players could come out complacent or overconfident? Is it possible or even probable that he did more in his team talk to make our players more on edge and nervous about the game as opposed to convincing them they could, should and would win if they played to their strengths and obviously talents?
In contrast, look at the Women's win in Beijing. I don't know how many out there seriously thought the ladies would win this one especially after the 2-0 loss to Norway in the opener and Brazil's subsequent shellacking of ze Germans. One constant, however, in all of the coverage and comments out of the US camp at the Olympics was Pia Sundhage and her persistence that she knew what the team was capable of and that they would accomplish it. She was critical of her charges at times but also proved a capable motivator.
So I ask, is Bob not the type of coach to kick our guys in the rear to get them up for bigger games? Is he just a man with a plan to keep the US from losing winnable games? I don't know the answer but qualifying is a very harsh magnifying glass and mirror for all of your faults. I think the US has a great opportunity as well with the upcoming qualifier in Havana to face what should be an extremely intense environment with confidence instead of timidity.
What do you think? E-mail me (fcfetty [at] yahoo [dot] com) or comment with your thoughts and I'll cover them in this week's podcast.
Looking over the rosters for these two teams and the most recent history of the US program, I find it a bit disconcerting that while we assert that we are on par with, and some even suggest above, Mexico we would still look utterly timid in a match of this ilk. On paper, and yes, I know how faulty it is to even base a sporting opinion on that all-too-often used phrase, the US 11 at the beginning of this match should have had advantages in experience and talent to outpace their opponents. This is where I think a question over the level of motivation for the US team comes in handy. I'm well aware of the old adage "win at home, draw on the road" but in our region, has it not become a little disingenuous to feed into that mentality anywhere outside of Saprissa and Azteca?
To that end, I wonder if el Bob has the capability to truly fire up the troops in the ways that great coaches do when they know their players could come out complacent or overconfident? Is it possible or even probable that he did more in his team talk to make our players more on edge and nervous about the game as opposed to convincing them they could, should and would win if they played to their strengths and obviously talents?
In contrast, look at the Women's win in Beijing. I don't know how many out there seriously thought the ladies would win this one especially after the 2-0 loss to Norway in the opener and Brazil's subsequent shellacking of ze Germans. One constant, however, in all of the coverage and comments out of the US camp at the Olympics was Pia Sundhage and her persistence that she knew what the team was capable of and that they would accomplish it. She was critical of her charges at times but also proved a capable motivator.
So I ask, is Bob not the type of coach to kick our guys in the rear to get them up for bigger games? Is he just a man with a plan to keep the US from losing winnable games? I don't know the answer but qualifying is a very harsh magnifying glass and mirror for all of your faults. I think the US has a great opportunity as well with the upcoming qualifier in Havana to face what should be an extremely intense environment with confidence instead of timidity.
What do you think? E-mail me (fcfetty [at] yahoo [dot] com) or comment with your thoughts and I'll cover them in this week's podcast.
back in the swing
I suddenly find myself in a shiny world of newness since last we spoke. I've long since relocated to the lovely environs of Madison, WI and have found myself with quite a bit more free time of late. So, with that in mind, I will be slowly but surely be returning to the world of pseudo-soccer journalism. As always has been the intention of this blog, I will be bringing you my opinions on the world of soccer as I see it. This will also soon entail a weekly podcast.
Now, I wish I could say my coverage will be bias-free but if there's one thing I will quickly admit to it's that I have my biases. For those new to this corner of the soccer webs, that means I will always be keeping a closer on the US scene, particularly the National teams, as well as my personal favorite clubs; in this case DC United, the Charleston Battery, and in England - West Ham United. Also, it's not entirely unlikely that clubs I follow to varying degrees will be mentioned such as Saturn in Moscow, Inter Milan, 1.FC Koln, and any number of clubs where Americans are plying their trade.
I am currently still putting together my thoughts on the Men's match in Guatemala this past week as well as the state of US Women's soccer after a rather surprising gold medal win in Beijing. In addition, I'll have something to say soon on the US Open Cup Final between DC and Charleston, as well as the stretch run in USL 1. I won't claim this as the re-birth of my former coverage on uslfans.com (formerly a-league.com) but I do hope to provide some of the entertainment for value that some of you may have come to expect over the years.
If you have questions of comments that you'd like me to address "on air" with the podcast send them over to fcfetty [at] yahoo [dot] com
Now, I wish I could say my coverage will be bias-free but if there's one thing I will quickly admit to it's that I have my biases. For those new to this corner of the soccer webs, that means I will always be keeping a closer on the US scene, particularly the National teams, as well as my personal favorite clubs; in this case DC United, the Charleston Battery, and in England - West Ham United. Also, it's not entirely unlikely that clubs I follow to varying degrees will be mentioned such as Saturn in Moscow, Inter Milan, 1.FC Koln, and any number of clubs where Americans are plying their trade.
I am currently still putting together my thoughts on the Men's match in Guatemala this past week as well as the state of US Women's soccer after a rather surprising gold medal win in Beijing. In addition, I'll have something to say soon on the US Open Cup Final between DC and Charleston, as well as the stretch run in USL 1. I won't claim this as the re-birth of my former coverage on uslfans.com (formerly a-league.com) but I do hope to provide some of the entertainment for value that some of you may have come to expect over the years.
If you have questions of comments that you'd like me to address "on air" with the podcast send them over to fcfetty [at] yahoo [dot] com
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