Weekend Action and World Cup Qualifying Draw
English Premier League
The premier league was well underway this weekend. Arsenal moved away at the top of the table with Manchester United slipping up against Bolton, while Bolton finally move out of the relegation zone. Derby still sit at the bottom with 6 points. Benny Feilhaber made a substitute appearance against Chelsea, but couldn’t keep them from losing yet again. After the game, the team parted ways with manager Billy Davies. You have to feel bad for him. He lost his job for over achieving if you think about it. The team was obviously not ready for the Premier League, but over achieved and got promoted anyways. Regardless, look for their new manager to spend quite a lot of money in the January transfer period to try and rebuild the team. If we’re lucky, he’ll like Benny Feilhaber much better than Davies did.
A struggling Reading lost yet again. Stephen Ireland unleashed a rocket in stoppage time to give Manchester City all 3 points. Even though they lost, it was nice to see Bobby Convey get a full game under his belt. Tim Howard looked good yet again for Everton, even though he didn’t need to be. Everton’s offense unleashed a 7 goal performance on Sunderland. The team seems to be revitalized with the return of Tim Cahill after a long injury. Roy Keane’s side has really fallen off the pace after a good start to the season, and if they continue this play they could see themselves back in the Championship. Fulham played good once again, but failed to hold on to all 3 points. With a little tweaking in the transfer window, this side could move into a comfortable mid-table position. This will be a much needed improvement, as year after year they find themselves in the relegation battle.
Liverpool, one of two undefeated teams in the league, are apparently going through some sort of crisis. At least that’s what American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks think. You can see where they are coming from, though. With all the money they spent over the summer, Benitez should have his side higher than 5th. That being said, the public arguing is doing nothing but hurting the team. If it continues, especially Benitez calling out the owners again, we may see a change in management at the team.
Portuguese Liga
Freddy Adu seems to have found his scoring stride for Benfica. He scored yet again in the teams 3-1 win over the weekend. He’s starting to look like their ’super-sub’, but if he continues to perform, we could be seeing him start very soon. The team is sitting comfortably in second place behind FC Porto.
The goal can be seen here.
Champion’s League
The Champion’s League began it’s second to last group stage round today. DaMarcus Beasley and Rangers were unlucky to lose to Stuttgart 3-2. Marica found the winner for the German champions in the 85th minute. Beasley played well getting an assist from a corner kick. Once again, he had to leave the game with an injury. That’s not surprising at all. If I was a betting man, I would put my money on the fact that he’s made of porcelain, and will get injured every other game. It’s frustrating that a player with his skills has such bad luck with injuries. Hopefully he doesn’t become the United States’ ‘Michael Owen’.
LA Galaxy
The Galaxy played a friendly against Sydney FC in their Beckham tour. The game was anything but friendly. I’ve had trouble finding highlights, but some of the Galaxy players really made the league look bad, starting quite a few little skirmishes. There was even a pretty deliberate stomping towards the end. There was a game played too, and both Beckham and Donovan were able to get on the scoreboard. It was not enough as Sydney won 5-3. Beckham’s was a trademark freekick, while Donovan scored towards the end after the game was already out of reach. Sydney dominated the game, making the Galaxy look like the kind of team that they really are. A terrible one.
Highlights can be seen here.
World Cup Draw
The drawing for World Cup qualifiers happened over the weekend. All the publicity goes to England, as they drew Croatia in what is sure to be an intense match-up. There are some things to talk about in the CONCACAF division. The United States drew Barbados (124), Dominica (129), and Cuba (70). That pretty much translates into easy win, easy win, and easy win. It may seem cocky to say, but our qualifying group is a bit of a joke. There are some political matters in the background in group, though that probably won’t improve the football being played. It will be the first time the United States has ever played against Cuba, and the first time we’re playing them at all since 1949. Still, however, I predict an easy win.
USA vs England In 2008?
As most of you know, the English National Team crashed out of the Euro 2008 qualifying stages after losing 3-2 to Croatia. With this loss, English coach Steve McClaren has been fired. Because England will not be going to Euro 2008, it does not have any competitive matches for at least the next 6 months. You probably know where I’m going with this by now. The US should jump at the opportunity to play England, especially if they can play them at Wembley.
In terms of strength of schedule, one could argue that England isn’t be best side we could play. Right now, they are downright terrible and leaderless. However, the argument can be made that England has not been at full strength for months now, and when they have the likes of Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, and Rio Ferdinand in the side, they become a much more formidable team to play against. Combined with the fact that they are at home in London, and you have what is potentially a world class side. So where does the US come in? The USMNT should be looking to play as many top opponents as they can, and say what you will about England, but they are a top opponent. Look at it like this. This would be a good way for David Beckham to get his 100th cap for England, and also for the US to expose its players to another hostile environment. For the English, it gives them an opportunity to play a quality opponent that is not a European side. I think it would be a win win for both countries. What do you guys think?
US Soccer 2007 Year In Review
2007 is in the books for the USMNT, as they finish with a 12-5-1 record under new Head Coach Bob Bradley. Let’s take a look back at some of the good and bad things US Soccer had to offer this year….
The Good
1. The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship. The US finished this tournament as the champions, defeating Mexico 2-1 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Goals from Benny Feilhaber and Landon Donovan sealed the win for the US. The US went relatively unchallenged throughout the tournament, except for the games against Mexico and Canada. Canada caught an unlucky break, but in all honesty, the US desevered their win, and unlucky breaks happen. (See Germany vs USA, 2002.)
2. The Emergence of Young Talent in the US Pool. While the likes of Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley emerged for the US in 2002, 2007 saw players such as Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, Danny Szetela, and Freddy Adu came in and hopefully will form the core of the team that will go to South Africa in 2010. While Szetela and Altidore have not seen as much time with the national team as the others, the future does look bright for these youngsters.
3. Tim Howard. Tim Howard has solidified himself as the # 1 keeer for the next few years. He has had an oustanding year for Everton and the USMNT, and he should be a lock to man the posts for the next World Cup.
4. The Tougher Schedule: For too many years, the US has been OK with playing the likes of El Salvador over and over again. This year signaled a change in that philosophy as Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, and South Africa were all opponents for the US. The USSF has now realized that stronger competition can only help the US, so with that in mind, we played much better teams this year. The thing I love the most about this is the away games. The US is going to have to play away games if it is ever going to become a world power, and this is a great start.
The Bad
1. Copa America: The US brought a subpar team to Copa America and it showed as they did not win a single game and finished last in the entire tournament. While the blame lies with MLS for schedule issues, the fact that we could not win a point was disheartening, especially after the huge Gold Cup win.
2. The Forward Position: 2007 marked the first year without American striker Brian McBride, who announced his retirement after the 2006 World Cup. It became very obvious that the US lacked replacements for McBride, as players like Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson were put into the sign even after repeated subpar performances. With Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, and Danny Szetela in the fold now, this may not be an issue in 2008, but 2007 will be remembered as a year where the US was forwardless.
3. The Jurgen Klinsmann debacle: USSF president Sunil Gulati made it no secret that he planned on hiring a big name coach to replace Bruce Arena. After setting his sights on Klinsmann, the deal eventually fell through because of money issues and control issues. I’m not saying that Klinsmann would have done a better job, but if this really was the reason Klinsmann isn’t the national team coach, then US Soccer has bigger problems than we think.
In the end, I’d give the US a solid B for their efforts this year. I’m looking forward to 2008, where we will start the year with tough friendlies against Sweden and Mexico. World Cup Qualifying will also begin in June, so there is that to look forward to as well. 2007 was a year to remember, and hopefully 2008 will be even bigger. Happy Thanksgiving!
Houston Dynamo Repeat As MLS Champions
The Houston Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 today, after Dwayne De Rosario scored the game winning goal in the 74th min to put Houston ahead. We’ll be back later with a detailed match report.
USA 1 - 0 South Africa
Well, another victory to Bob Bradley’s record and a good way to end the 2007 season. The teams both played evenly in the first half, with little scoring opportunities between them. Near the half-hour mark, Edu turned and made a pass through the South African defense to meet Steve Cherundolo, who rocketed it over Fernandez. It was only the veteran’s second international goal. Besides the goal, there was not much attacking threat from the United States. Clint Dempsey had an opportunity when he intercepted a back pass, but his chip was caught by the South African keeper.
The second half was a different story. Bob Bradley made some changes in order to give everyone some playing time. After taking off Bocanegra, it was easy to see how important he is too our team. The defense looked very unorganized the entire second half. Benny McCarthy, who was shut down for the entire first half, came to life. Their attack began to flow more smoothly, but they were never able to create any real chances. McCarthy had a shout for a penalty in the area, but a second look showed that the official was right in not calling it.
Feilhaber, who in my opinion had a very poor match, was taken off later in the game. Not getting regular playing time at Derby looks like its starting to have an effect on him. Dempsey was also taken off and replaced with Altidore, for his first international appearance. Jozy never got into the game. By the time he came on, the team was too busy defending the steady South African attack to get him any good service. Hopefully we’ll see more of him next time.
In my opinion, the USA man of the match was Edu. I criticized him last game for his inability to distribute the ball well. This game, he worked very well with Bradley and dominated the midfield for most of the game. South Africa didn’t even mount a single attack in the first half. With his high level work rate, he was all over the field, and able to maintain this tempo even with the high altitude.
The next time we see the team together will be for another friendly against Sweden on January 19th. They’ll be looking for revenge after their defeat earlier this year (which came off a completely obvious penalty).
US Defeats South Africa 1-0
The USMNT defeated South Africa 1-0 this morning in Johannesburg this morning. Steve Cherundolo scored the winner for the Red, White, and Blue in the 27th min with a blast from a tight angle. We’ll be back later with a more detailed match report.
Soccerlens.com Interview With Steven Goff
Soccerlens.com is very pleased to welcome Mr. Steven Goff, one of the most respected and prominent soccer writers in North America. Soccerlens was able to get an interview with Mr. Goff, which can be viewed here. Mr. Goff writes at the Washington Post. Congratulations to Soccerlens.com for this wonderful opportunity.
USA vs South Africa Preview
As you all know, the USMNT will play South Africa at 9 AM tomorrow. The game will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel. So what should we look forward to? Here are a few things to keep an eye on…
1. When will Jozy Altidore make his debut? We know that he will play tomorrow, but when will he get into the game? I can almost guarantee that he will not start the game. But I could definitely see him coming into the game around the 60th or 70th minute. I’m anxious to see who he comes in for. I would love to see him playing up top with Clint Dempsey. Hopefully Bob Bradley makes it happen.
2. The back line. Bocanegra and Onyewu are sure fire bets to be in the side tomorrow. I would have liked to see Jay Demerit get a start over Onyewu, but its not that big of a deal. The left back spot will be an issue. Who will play there? I’d like to see Heath Pearce, actually.
3. How much will this team miss Landon Donovan? I’ll be anxious to see how the US goes about making up for Donovan’s absence at the top of their formation.Dempsey, Beasley, and Adu will have to step up and move the ball if the US is going to have any chance against South Africa.
4. Prediction: 3-1 to the US with Dempsey, Adu, and Altidore hitting the back of the net for the US.
And for my crack at the lineup….
————Dempsey————–
Beasley——————–Feilhaber
—————Adu—————–
——–Edu———-Bradley——
Pearce——————–Bornstein
—–Bocanegra—Onyewu———
————-Howard—————-
Altidore to Spain?
Just a quick update before the game against South Africa tomorrow morning. Jozy Altidore will be in the squad for the first time. There are rumors linking him with Atletico Madrid at the moment, but not too much information has come out on that. The source is Sky Sports, so it’s somewhat reliable.
In London, Lawrie Sanchez has stated that he plans having captain Brian McBride back from injury for their game against Wigan on the 22nd of December. It would be a great early Christmas present for a Fulham side who have played well this year, but haven’t managed to secure the results. Most of their losses are when teams come from behind, so McBride’s leadership may stabilize the team.
In Spain on Tuesday, Danny Szetela finally made his debut for Racing Santander in their 0-0 draw against Malaga. He played almost 70 minutes before being subbed out.
In MLS news, Luciano Emilio has been named MVP of the league, beating out fellow newcomers Angel and Blanco. An ESPN article about it can be seen here.
That’s it for now. Come back for a preview of tomorrow’s game later today. Also expect an MLS Cup Final preview tomorrow.
UPDATE: There is now a report coming out of Spain that Real Madrid is also scouting the Red Bulls Star. Here is a link to the article. Its in Spanish so good luck reading it, but a translation website pretty much told me everything I needed to know. I thought there might have been a chance that Altidore stayed, but I do expect him to be sold in January now.
USMNT To Face Mexico Feb. 8th In Houston, TX
The USMNT will face its arch-rival Mexico on Feb. 8th, 2008 in Houston, TX. The USSF announced the match today. I have to say, we have had Mexico’s number on our home soil going 8-0-1 since 2000. This will probably be the last chance for Hugo Chavez to show that he can guide Mexico to a win on US soil as well. I’m looking forward to this game, as it will probably be the start of a new age for US Soccer with Altidore, Dempsey, Adu, and Michael Bradley now patrolling the pitch for the Red, White, and Blue. With Mexico’s young stars Carlos Vela and Giovanni Dos Santos also in the mix, this game already has the makings to be a classic. I can’t wait!