Soccer 101

Dynamo Houston hosted a soccer clinic tonight with a public viewing. The courses included:

1. Organizing a Defense
2. The Midfield: A Tool for Setting Up the Forwards
3. Let's Get Physical: Soccer as an Effective Contact Sport
4. Play the Odds: Shooting in Bunches and the Goals that Can Result
5. Chillin' & Killin': How to stay refreshed and end a match

And finally,
6. How to Create a Strong Franchise within a Budget.

The willing student were the Red Bulls-NY. I don't know how much RBNY picked up in class, but we obliged with much repetition to help with the learning. We ended the game 4-0, but it could've been 6-0 or more.

Sometimes it's hard to figure out this team. We always have solid defense, and our midfield is among the best in the league, but we're not always that good in the final third. Tonight we were. Ngwenya had two (with his head), Ching had one (with his foot), and Holden had a "cracker of a shot" (as the English are wont to say) to add to his 2 (and a half) assists. Ngwenya almost had another, Ching almost had two more (including an outstanding shot that hit the post), DeRo could've had two (a brilliant free kick and a powerful kick following his own dummy and a Ching backheel), and substitute Cory Ashe could've had two of his own as well. After the second goal, the team was so relaxed that they were playing confidently and creatively.

If memory serves, the first three goals were off corner kicks, right? (Ching's being immediately following one.) That right there is unusual for the team this year. And we didn't have to rely on a single defender to score for us tonight.

All this after a forgettable day at Frisco. I guess Houston still wilts under a harsh sun (who doesn't?), but humidity ain't no thang.

And the newbie, Nate? As a sub he laid off the pass that opened Holden up for his "CoaS".

I'm just going to sit back and bask in it all. I've got it taped, so I might even rewatch it. I may have to save it to watch after the DC game this weekend if that goes sour.

But if the team finishes on a regular basis like it did tonight, things won't go sour often, and we'll take the Supporters' Shield.

Other bits:

• Good to see Goldthwaite again. Second time this season we've faced him, and in his second uniform. Trading Goldie was good for his career, I think, but I feel for him not getting the chance to gel with one team. Hopefully he gels with the Taureaux Rouges. He didn't have a particularly good game tonight unfortunately (or fortunately for us). How nice it would have been for him to have his goal count tonight, with him returning to Robertson. We likely won't see him again, unless he gets traded again or we see him in the post-season.
  
• Speaking of former Dynamos, here's a nice article on Alejandro Moreno from the Columbus Dispatch.
  
• The "First XI" have been identified for the All-Star team. To have two center mids from the same club chosen as "the best" says a lot for the club's quality.
• Oh yeah: the US lost to Colombia. While we didn't look overmatched like we did against Argentina, this one hurts the most because of the fact that Colombia is not the quality of Argentina, that Colombia had to play with 10 men and a striker in goal for the final 3+ minutes of the game, and Guzan managed to save a PK and we still were outscored.

Go Dynamo!

Paraguay Cheese & Daggers

Okay, I'm getting cheesed by the USMNT. Tonight we played a Paraguay team that, as good as it is, is several notches below Argentina. That played a major role in the fact that the US looked much more solid than in its first game. Not only did we have good possession, we had a half dozen (or more) solid chances on goal. Great goal by Dynamo-Clark to end the first half, and he almost ended the second half with an even better strike.

And for all the grief I give Twellman, his assist was complete quality and showed amazing vision.

But good gravy! The game should've ended 1-1, except for a horrible back pass by Bornstein to Keller that left the GK out to dry. Perhaps Conrad could've gotten to it, but he was caught flat-footed by the lazy pass as well. (I hinted at this before, but now I'm loudly proclaiming that Bornstein has talent, but those talents do not involve defense. Put the bloke in as left mid.) And that final Paraguayan goal was well placed, but (1) what a horrible and unnecessary foul by Califf that should never have happened, and (2) I can't help but believe that Keller could've gotten to it had he been better positioned from the onset.

The first goal was well played right down our middle and we were completely disorganized as a result. An organized and disciplined (as in, "non-ball-watching") defense could have stopped that run, but I'll give a pass on that one since it was executed so quickly. Yet those last two goals were, I think, completely preventable.

This result cheeses me more than the Argentina result. On the positives, I've got to say that Clark had a good game and I'm glad he bounced back. Moor did better than I thought he would, shame about the missed open header at the end. In the "beating a dead horse" category: can we please, PLEASE find some forwards in this nation of 302 million people? Our defense has usually been strong and our midfield is becoming more and more talented, but our corps of forwards is very weak, with even the talented ones seemingly hesitant to go to goal or put away good opportunities. I think this might haunt us for some time, but hopefully we figure it out before 2010.

***
Speaking of lame forwards...

Here's some other news that cheeses me. Dynamo are losing Gray and gaining Nate Jaqua. Gray had his faults, but he was a good utility player to fill holes due to call-ups or injury. He is also young and cheap. Jaqua is a forward (don't we have a bunch of those already?) and not a very good one. And he's expensive. So we're obliging AEG's favorite team, the Gals, by taking their expensive cast-offs. Great.

I think this means that Dalglish is no longer a Dynamo. Daggers, we hardly knew ye. I guess that'll put an end for good to the Braveheart game intro.

It's just a day to be cheesed.

How I'd change things up for Paraguay

Tonight we meet a Paraguay team that posted an impressive 5-0 victory over Colombia. (Maybe "Los Cafeteros" should have called up JP Angel and Juan Toja after all.) We've faced Paraguay four times, with us winning twice and drawing twice. That means zilch of course.

If I ran the zoo, this is the lineup I'd select for the US, partly because I think it might work, partly because I just want to shake things up, and partly because I don't get into trouble if things go awry. I still think the forward selection is the weakest pool of talent we've brought with us, but our wide defenders could be the most troublesome weakness. Still, if our forwards could stretch out the opposition and set them back on their heels, it would make things easier for our harried defense.

GK: Keller (stay with experience one more game as long as we have hopes of advancing)
DEF: Wynne (one more chance to see if he learned from the first match...but if not, then he might be the first sub out), DeMerit, Conrad, Pearce
MID: Nguyen (an exciting prospect?), Clark, Feilhaber, Bornstein (it's not his normal position, but I think his strengths and weaknesses would work here)
FOR: Johnson (yet another chance), Davies (a first chance)

Olsen would be the first sub of the second half if we are fortunate to have a lead to protect.

It was pure coaching brilliance on Bradley's part to ensure our first game blowout makes Paraguay overconfident coming into this match...go US!

Copa America

America didn't start the Copa America on a strong foot. On Thursday, as I sat in an Outback restaurant, I saw the score 4-1 scroll across the screen and I figured that the worst had come to pass--that Argentina had rolled up 4 quick goals then put in some scrubs to give them experience and only then did the US manage to eke out a goal in garbage time.

Having watched the game post-facto, I have to say I'm relieved. Or at least I'm as relieved as one can be when one's team has lost 4-1.

First of all, we scored first. Second of all, we managed some periods of possession and even some one-touch passing combinations amongst a group that mostly hadn't played together, and we even did so at times in Argentina's half. Thirdly, I thought DeMerit and Conrad looked pretty solid as center backs. Finally, we limited Argentina's chances on goal and most of the goals can be directly linked to one (or two) of our players deciding not to do his job.

Having said all that, Argentina definitely controlled the game. They didn't dominate the game, but they could've. They took a tentative approach for some reason, perhaps because they don't know the US that well or perhaps because they are trying to conserve their energy for a long tourney. The US had no serious threats on the Argentine goal, and had the South Americans not fouled Johnson, the US probably would have had no goals. (Johnson already looked to be indecisive as he approached goal.)

It seems that Johnson and Twellman are not international-caliber forwards. I can only hope that Johnson grows into that role eventually, but I have my doubts. (I've long since given up on Twellman.) Unfortunately, there's no one on this roster that offers immediate hope either, so we will struggle to score in the tournament unless our midfield steps up dramatically. I'd like to see Charlie Davies get some time. I've heard he's full of promise at least.

In the midfield Feilhaber continues to impress, and Olsen is the Pablo Mastroeni of the wingers. Clark played well overall, and Mapp shows promise but needs plenty of seasoning. The sub, Gaven, didn't do much. While the successive onslaught wasn't his fault, there was a decided defensive edge that was lost when Olsen departed the field. Beckerman also showed some spunk on the attack. Strong shots from distance are one of his hallmarks, and he had his opportunities from afar, but the shots were much too anemic to pose any threat. On the left side, I think Bornstein might do well moved up to left mid. I also hope Lee Nguyen gets some time on the field. It would be good for him and I think it would even be an improvement for the team.

In the back, I think DeMerit and Conrad looked solid for the most part. DeMerit has already faced Tevez in the Premiership at least. The two outside backs, Wynne and Bornstein looked okay when we were in possession, but were defensive liabilities at times...and easing up just a moment can be fatal at this level, and is an inexcusable sin for defensive backs. Keller got a lot of grief for some of the goals, but it's hard to blame him.

Goal 1: The line thought the free kick would be a shot directly on goal and didn't adjust to the runs made on the chipped kick. Chaos in front of the goal is usually bad.

Goal 2: Messi works the ball through the gut of the US and slots a through pass to Crespo, who Bornstein charitably lets run free for the goal.

Goal 3: Wynne jogs at a leisurely pace to ensure Heinze has plenty of time on the flank. Heinze uses the time to make a perfect cross. Clark, meanwhile, lets Aimar make an unchallenged run up the middle to head in the goal. Both DeMerit and Conrad almost got to the cross in the air, so perhaps Clark thought they'd get the ball before Aimar, but that's a risky gamble.

Goal 4: Bornstein again lets his man (some guy named Tevez...can't be too dangerous, can he?) run free onto a perfectly timed pass from the centerline. Tevez has so much time that he stops for a cappuccino on his way to scoring the final goal.

Much has been made of this being a US B-Team, but I don't know how much of a factor that is. Up front we really haven't found our dependable forward (I'd say Ching is the best true forward we have at this point, but most disagree with me), so what we put out there was as good as any. In the midfield we were missing some definite strength, with Donovan, Dempsey, and Beasley gone, and that definitely affected our attacking ability, but we still had some solid (in terms of USMNT standards) fare with our two center mids: Clark and Feilhaber (and even Beckerman, though it's hard to tell based on when he came in). As for the back line, I don't think that our centerbacks were much of a drop (if they even were a drop) in quality from our Gold Cup tandem of Onyewu and Bocanegra, but our wing backs were definitely problematic at times...but are Hejduk and Spector that much of improvement? Simek maybe defensively.

So, yes, a definite loss of quality with our wide mids and attacking mid, but the questions we already had at the other positions means we can't smugly say "Well, this was our reserve team you beat." In short, we have some definite newbies, but the drop in quality overall was less than what most US fans would believe. Had we sent our so-called A-Team (namely, just added the consensus favorites: Donovan, Beasley, and Dempsey), the scoreline might be different, but I think the result would be the same. That might be a fatalistic view, but I think our World Cup experience supports the theory for now. At least with this loss we've exposed some new players to the best of the best, so to speak. Maybe Bradley has even found out that some who he thought might be staples (Twellman, perhaps) should remain in the US as club heroes.

But, yeah, it would've been nice to see what difference (if any) our supposed USMNT starters would have made. It's always best to put your country's starters against another country's.

(Oh, and another excuse I hate is that "we were pooped from playing the Gold Cup just a few days before." Mexico's win over Brazil eliminates that excuse.)

Final notes:
On the Telefutura broadcast, who thinks the US fans cheering around the reporter were really US fans? I think they were studio plants to create atmosphere. That's my impression at least. The Argentine fans at least were sporting team jerseys and had passion in their eyes.

Didn't sober Maradona look happy when his team finally cranked up the level of play? What a sad off-field story he has become though.

More on the USMNT

Copa America
Bob Bradley announced his roster for the Copa America. He is definitely using the opportunity to give his younger players a crash course in international play, versus high caliber players, in hostile environments. The roster includes three (Moor, Wynne, and Gomez) who don't even have a cap. Here's the roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany)

Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Danny Califf (Aalborg BK, Denmark), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Heath Pearce (Nordsjaelland, Denmark), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Colorado), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg SV, Germany), Eddie Gaven (Columbus), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago), Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Ben Olsen (D.C. United)

Forwards: Charlie Davies (Hammarby, Sweden), Herculez Gomez (Colorado), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Taylor Twellman (New England)

I'm not that opposed to the young lineup, but I do find some of the choices curious, particularly at forward. Gomez must be an experiment, but based on what? He hasn't really delivered in the MLS, though he does have potential. Twellman is virtually an old man on this roster, but I guess he's here to get some experience since his international play is as refined as the play of the newbies. Johnson I understand: he shows potential; Bradley just hopes he can tap into it.

Beckerman is a good risk, and I hope we see Nguyen and Clark on the field. Drew Moor is one that I question in the back. He doesn't seem very reliable at the club (FCD) level, so how can he compete against some of the world's best?

Bottom line: this is a lineup that's doomed to not get out of the group stage, but it should be good experience for the players.

Tobias' take on the Copa Oro
The Ft Worth Star-Telegram has a brief commentary on the USMNT's performance (and Fox Soccer Channel's broadcasting performance) for the Gold Cup. I can't say that I disagree with much that he writes. I like FSC, but I'm not a fan of Max Bretos' banter nor his bias towards certain teams, and I absolutely hate his scream when a goal is scored. It's something like "Yeeaahhaaaarrggggh!" What is WITH that?

The Offside Discussion
It's interesting that something so concrete as a rule or law can appear so different to people of a different perspective. The offside call at the end of the US v Canada game is still generating chatter, with people clamoring for both sides. I guess the only definite thing to come out of it is that the call was close enough that -- as infuriating as it is to the Canadians -- it can only be chalked up to a ref's on-the-spot opinion and not to international conspiracy.

Here's the BigSoccer discussion (full of locker room lawyers, be warned)
Bobby McMahon with the more common view that Canada was robbed
Robert Burns has a more unusual take, saying the call was correct because DeRo was offside, and he was part of the play (even though Onyewu deflected the ball before it got to him)

It's no surprise that people have differing opinions. It is a surprise that people can't believe others have a different point of view.

T. Henry
ESPN reports that the deal is done. Thierry Henry is on his way to Barcelona. That's good for him and good for Barca, but poor, poor Arsenal...