Bruce Arena today proclaimed that playing Germany was a "mistake." Let's see...
*defending World Cup finalist
*playing at home
*desperate for a win
*starting most of its best players, whereas the US was playing at most three guys who are likely to start in June
Granted, the U.S. wouldn't have known #3 when the game was scheduled, but the first two were obvious and the fourth one must have seemed likely considering the timing of the game.
Here's what I'm worried about. The U.S. is going to enter this tournament with a lot of pressure. If you believe they're the #5 team in the world, then you think "well, they should make the knockouts." If you don't - and most people don't - then you want them to screw up so you can say "I told you so." Either way, anything besides at least a round of 16 appearance is going to be painful. I shouldn't be dreading the tournament so much, but it's hard not to at this point. Even when the full team was out there (against Poland), they didn't look great. I guess there's still plenty of practice left, though.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Slaughterhouse five
Way to celebrate getting the #5 world ranking by looking like absolute ass, United States. I realize that this was by no means a full A-team, and when you find yourself saying "let's start Brian Ching at striker" that might be a clue that you're not trying as hard to win as maybe you could. But I'm less concerned with the offensive showing - which, like the game against Germany in Korea, was one of those "controlling the pace for a while, but not quite able to break through" games that are so unendingly frustrating to watch - and much more concerned with the defensive showing. The announcers were busy flattering the U.S. defense in the first half, which made me wonder what game they were watching - sure, the Germans didn't score, but it wasn't for lack of trying on the Americans' part. There was way too much space all around the box, as though three guys couldn't be bothered to come back upfield to defend, during large parts of the game. The back-passing was frequently way too dangerous. The fact that the U.S. lasted the whole first half without giving up a goal was less a testament to the U.S. defense and more a testament to the ineptitude of the German attack in that half.
The second half presented no such problems. And the less said about that, the better. I will say that if you're looking to see why the U.S. lost so badly, just watch the tape on goal #2. Good shot by Neuville, but some of the worst defensive ball handling you will maybe ever see from a supposed top five nation was what allowed the shot to happen. And that's all I have to say about that.
The second half presented no such problems. And the less said about that, the better. I will say that if you're looking to see why the U.S. lost so badly, just watch the tape on goal #2. Good shot by Neuville, but some of the worst defensive ball handling you will maybe ever see from a supposed top five nation was what allowed the shot to happen. And that's all I have to say about that.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
FAde out
Intense yet profoundly depressing exit for City in the FA Cup sixth round, falling at home - the second home defeat in three days - to West Ham. It's hard to be surprised, really; Samaras was out and Bradley Wright-Phillips, while a decent player, is not who you want starting at second striker in the biggest game of your season to date (and as City threaten to fade from the European chase, it probably will turn out to have been the biggest game of the year). Vassell can be an excellent scorer but I really think he needs a strong second option to push him. Samaras provided that after Cole's injury, but Wright-Phillips - just 21 last week and looking barely old enough to shave - is too timid a presence and, indeed, Vassell was held in check for most of the game.
Not held as well was Dean Ashton. When one team has the best scoring option on the pitch, that team has pretty good odds of winning, I think. And in fact, Ashton created the first West Ham goal pretty much out of whole cloth, making the City defense look pretty foolish before blasting one past James that you could barely even feel bad about.
The second goal was the result of another defensive breakdown, but this one was a bit more forgivable since it came after a fairly harsh sending off of Sun Jihai. I can see where the ref would say he took a swing; I think it looked like an attempt to yank his hand free except he forgot his hand already was free at that point. Either way I don't know if it was a straight red, but what are you going to do?
City seemed to play with more urgency after going down 1-0, and even more after dropping to ten men. But you do have to wonder where that urgency was earlier. This game was City's focus, so much so that they basically tanked against Wigan to save up for it, and yet aside from a couple of middling chances early on, City practically seemed content to play for a draw (which surely could not have been the case considering their away form this season) before Ashton opened the scoring in the 41st.
I actually put the game on fast-forward after the second goal, but Musampa's strike sucked me back in for the last nine minutes, which were heart-stopping but never quite good enough. Then the recording ran out at 93:49 and I had to run onto the internet just to confirm what I quite naturally suspected. And with that, City were out.
A disappointing end, but it wasn't a bad run for a team that had only gotten this far twice in the last two decades plus. The back-from-the-brink Villa game only has me more attached to this club, and as depressing as their results can be, I usually enjoy watching the way they play, with crisp ball movement throughout the midfield. (Of course, this always manages to stop as they approach the 18-yard box.) I think it's about time to pick up a jersey (though I will need to manage a little more cash first), though I'm not sure what name I'd put on it. I don't feel a real compulsion to put my own name on, but it's even more dangerous in soccer than in other sports to put a player's name on and then watch as he leaves the team. (I bet there were plenty of SWP sky blue jerseys that look pretty silly now.) I wouldn't mind a Barton jersey, honestly, but with the rumors apparently swelling that Arsenal are interested, it's too risky (that's hardly the only reason it's risky, but it's the most presently compelling). Reyna's part of the reason I even started following the club in the first place, but he's been all over; you'd sort of like a homegrown guy if you can get him. We'll see. By the time I actually have the money, half the team might be different. Maybe I'll just get a blank one.
Not held as well was Dean Ashton. When one team has the best scoring option on the pitch, that team has pretty good odds of winning, I think. And in fact, Ashton created the first West Ham goal pretty much out of whole cloth, making the City defense look pretty foolish before blasting one past James that you could barely even feel bad about.
The second goal was the result of another defensive breakdown, but this one was a bit more forgivable since it came after a fairly harsh sending off of Sun Jihai. I can see where the ref would say he took a swing; I think it looked like an attempt to yank his hand free except he forgot his hand already was free at that point. Either way I don't know if it was a straight red, but what are you going to do?
City seemed to play with more urgency after going down 1-0, and even more after dropping to ten men. But you do have to wonder where that urgency was earlier. This game was City's focus, so much so that they basically tanked against Wigan to save up for it, and yet aside from a couple of middling chances early on, City practically seemed content to play for a draw (which surely could not have been the case considering their away form this season) before Ashton opened the scoring in the 41st.
I actually put the game on fast-forward after the second goal, but Musampa's strike sucked me back in for the last nine minutes, which were heart-stopping but never quite good enough. Then the recording ran out at 93:49 and I had to run onto the internet just to confirm what I quite naturally suspected. And with that, City were out.
A disappointing end, but it wasn't a bad run for a team that had only gotten this far twice in the last two decades plus. The back-from-the-brink Villa game only has me more attached to this club, and as depressing as their results can be, I usually enjoy watching the way they play, with crisp ball movement throughout the midfield. (Of course, this always manages to stop as they approach the 18-yard box.) I think it's about time to pick up a jersey (though I will need to manage a little more cash first), though I'm not sure what name I'd put on it. I don't feel a real compulsion to put my own name on, but it's even more dangerous in soccer than in other sports to put a player's name on and then watch as he leaves the team. (I bet there were plenty of SWP sky blue jerseys that look pretty silly now.) I wouldn't mind a Barton jersey, honestly, but with the rumors apparently swelling that Arsenal are interested, it's too risky (that's hardly the only reason it's risky, but it's the most presently compelling). Reyna's part of the reason I even started following the club in the first place, but he's been all over; you'd sort of like a homegrown guy if you can get him. We'll see. By the time I actually have the money, half the team might be different. Maybe I'll just get a blank one.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Ice Station Kaiserslautern
There's a reason the World Cup is played in the summer. The US-Poland friendly, one of two taking place in the host nation of Germany this month, was practically whited out by blizzard-like conditions for much of the second half. The 80th minute even saw the introduction of a yellow ball for improved visibility on the field (though perhaps ironically, I found it harder to see on the TV).
The first half was pretty brutal. The US didn't look very good, with mediocre passing and a problematic tendency to allow effective Polish counterattacking. They also didn't get too many good offensive sequences going. I know the field was hard and it was freezing, but Poland didn't seem too bothered (although I guess they don't have a place in their country they can really retire to in the winter to avoid these sorts of conditions).
The second half was a different story. Even with the snow picking up, the US came out of halftime looking like a different team. Of course, to some degree they were, with a couple changes made at the break; both teams put in their B goalies to start the second half, in particular. Did Clint Dempsey's goal, just three minutes in, result from a minor mistake that Jerzy Dudek might not have made? Considering that Artur Boruc apologized to his coach, and the coach still told the media, "That's not enough; you need to concentrate more," I guess it did. But it was still Dempsey being in good position at the right time, and if Taylor Twellman isn't getting in there to disrupt Boruc's punch attempt, probably nothing happens. Either way, however, the US team looked markedly better in the second half - better than their first half form, but also just better than the Poles in general. The offense looked more dangerous, the defense made fewer mistakes, and Tim Howard was good in his few chances.
Still, does this game tell us much going forward? Maybe not. Certainly the US cannot afford to have a first half like that against Italy or the Czechs - or Ghana, for that matter. When you end up in a group with two of the best attacking teams in the world (and certainly in Europe), you have to play the best defense possible, and I think this team does have a good defense, or at least the pieces for it, but it took a half to show up in Kaiserslautern, and against another team it might have been fatal. Of course, there should be more training time, and there are still two more friendlies (though this was the only one with the full A team), so we'll see.
The match against Germany should be interesting. I assume it can't be a coincidence that the two major friendlies the US scheduled for March are against the two teams that defeated the US in 2002, and it's certainly not a coincidence that both are in Germany - counting today's win, the Americans have just two wins (to seven defeats and two draws) in Europe under Arena. (The other: a friendly win over... Poland, in Poland in 2004.) A little worrying for June? Well, yeah. But then, I'd be worried about the draw no matter where it was. Still, getting two major European sides, playing close to their home countries... a bit problematic. Let's see how the game on the 22nd preps the US for that kind of atmosphere.
In other news, I also watched the England-Uruguay game. Tough break for Uruguay, but then they really didn't deserve the win anyway - still, England seemed to mail it in for much of the first half and, ironically, really only started to cook when bench players entered - the tying goal was scored by sub Peter Crouch (bizarrely wearing a uniform with 12 on the back and 21 on the front, which cannot possibly be legal) and the winner set up by a great cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips. (To be fair to the starters, Joe Cole set up the first goal and scored the second.) Rio Ferdinand made several mistakes - maybe this guy still has a job at Man U because he cost so much, but how does he keep starting for the national team when everyone thinks he sucks? - but the defense was pretty strong overall despite the early loss of Wayne Bridge. Pouso's goal was brilliant; you can't defend against that. But apart from that, Uruguay had few real chances. I don't know if you'd say England deserved the win, but they were certainly the more dominant team for at least the second 45.
The first half was pretty brutal. The US didn't look very good, with mediocre passing and a problematic tendency to allow effective Polish counterattacking. They also didn't get too many good offensive sequences going. I know the field was hard and it was freezing, but Poland didn't seem too bothered (although I guess they don't have a place in their country they can really retire to in the winter to avoid these sorts of conditions).
The second half was a different story. Even with the snow picking up, the US came out of halftime looking like a different team. Of course, to some degree they were, with a couple changes made at the break; both teams put in their B goalies to start the second half, in particular. Did Clint Dempsey's goal, just three minutes in, result from a minor mistake that Jerzy Dudek might not have made? Considering that Artur Boruc apologized to his coach, and the coach still told the media, "That's not enough; you need to concentrate more," I guess it did. But it was still Dempsey being in good position at the right time, and if Taylor Twellman isn't getting in there to disrupt Boruc's punch attempt, probably nothing happens. Either way, however, the US team looked markedly better in the second half - better than their first half form, but also just better than the Poles in general. The offense looked more dangerous, the defense made fewer mistakes, and Tim Howard was good in his few chances.
Still, does this game tell us much going forward? Maybe not. Certainly the US cannot afford to have a first half like that against Italy or the Czechs - or Ghana, for that matter. When you end up in a group with two of the best attacking teams in the world (and certainly in Europe), you have to play the best defense possible, and I think this team does have a good defense, or at least the pieces for it, but it took a half to show up in Kaiserslautern, and against another team it might have been fatal. Of course, there should be more training time, and there are still two more friendlies (though this was the only one with the full A team), so we'll see.
The match against Germany should be interesting. I assume it can't be a coincidence that the two major friendlies the US scheduled for March are against the two teams that defeated the US in 2002, and it's certainly not a coincidence that both are in Germany - counting today's win, the Americans have just two wins (to seven defeats and two draws) in Europe under Arena. (The other: a friendly win over... Poland, in Poland in 2004.) A little worrying for June? Well, yeah. But then, I'd be worried about the draw no matter where it was. Still, getting two major European sides, playing close to their home countries... a bit problematic. Let's see how the game on the 22nd preps the US for that kind of atmosphere.
In other news, I also watched the England-Uruguay game. Tough break for Uruguay, but then they really didn't deserve the win anyway - still, England seemed to mail it in for much of the first half and, ironically, really only started to cook when bench players entered - the tying goal was scored by sub Peter Crouch (bizarrely wearing a uniform with 12 on the back and 21 on the front, which cannot possibly be legal) and the winner set up by a great cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips. (To be fair to the starters, Joe Cole set up the first goal and scored the second.) Rio Ferdinand made several mistakes - maybe this guy still has a job at Man U because he cost so much, but how does he keep starting for the national team when everyone thinks he sucks? - but the defense was pretty strong overall despite the early loss of Wayne Bridge. Pouso's goal was brilliant; you can't defend against that. But apart from that, Uruguay had few real chances. I don't know if you'd say England deserved the win, but they were certainly the more dominant team for at least the second 45.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)