A mile high today the Burnt Orange are playing Colorado. And the Men In Orange are playing the Rapids. Both orange teams face the prospect of an upset, but the Dynamo have an advantage: the Rapids are playing well. If the Rapids were slumping and looking like a pushover, the Dynamo would get a draw at best. Why? Because that's how they roll.
We have won only 1 time since August. Luckily, we haven't lost even that many times; but the four draws stick out like a sore thumb. Those from the CONCACAF tourney are actually accomplishments, given that they were on hostile fields and at altitude on one occasion. But the MIO need 3 points from their MLS matches to secure home field for the playoffs. The Western Conference is too tight -- and the parity of the conference is too unsettling -- to leave things to chance.
Keep your TV tuned to The Tube.
And to the human side of the MIO: Here's a great article that talks about how the Dynamo (and particularly Pat Onstad) reacted to Hurricane Ike. "We're really ingrained in the community, so what happens to Houston happens to us as well."
In other news: After this game, Ching is off to help the USMNT secure their passage to the next round as they face Cuba in World Cup Qualifications. A win puts us through to the 6-team final round and allows Coach Bradley to experiment with personnel with the remaining matches.
Just a day before the roster was announced a co-worker of mine was talking about Pachuca and asked if I heard of Jose Francisco Torres. "Nope," said I. He told me that Torres was a middie for Pachuca and was from Longview, Texas. (The Longview part sounded familiar to me when he said that, so I must have heard a commentator talking about that when we played Pachuca in SuperLiga, but my memory is not what it was.) My co-worker continued by saying Torres is a great talent and is someone that my co-worker would love to see on the USMNT. He'd bring a fresh style and presence to a team that is devoid of creativity.
Less than 24 hours later, and Torres has been called up to the team. My co-worker didn't even know the USMNT had a match coming up. THAT was a weird coincidence.
Okay, Bradley, let's cup-tie this phenom and bring some style to the USMNT...but let's secure our berth to the next round most importantly.
Showing posts with label USMNT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USMNT. Show all posts
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Win vs Soca Warriors gives us 9 pts in 3 games
Nice game by the Americans, though I think our job was made easier by a timid (whether through mentality or personnel availability) T&T team. Recap.
Ives has a take on Brian Ching. He isn't a goal-machine, and he isn't making anybody forget Brian McBride, but he can still serve a purpose on this team. Some folks get caught up in him being a target forward and thinking that the current U.S. team isn't equipped to provide service from the flanks to make Ching effective. This ignores the fact that Ching is better with the ball at his feet that some realize, and he's great at holding up the ball for teammates to make runs off him. The job should eventually fall to a player like Jozy Altidore, but for now, Ching doesn't do a bad job.
Jeff Carlisle gives both of the Dynamo boys a "5" rating:
[Ching's] hold-up play was typically solid, and he deserves credit for being well-placed to score his goal. But for the most part, his play in the box was subpar, in that he either failed to convert some clear chances or wandered offside.
[Clark's] fresh legs were certainly needed, but his overall performance was erratic, as some sharp passes were mixed in with some careless giveaways.
I didn't see many of Clark's giveaways, maybe because I was doing other things at that point in the game, I guess. I did see his diving header that almost resulted in a goal.
As for Ching, I think Carlisle's rating was a little low (for Ching contributed greatly to the win through his holdup play), but it WAS irritating to see his missed opportunities and the lack of awareness that resulted in several inopportune offside calls.
And that reminds me that we might be lucky to have won 3-0. The replays of the first goal sure suggest that Ching and Bradley were still offside at the time that Donovan struck the free kick -- great outside of the foot volley by Bradley though. The replays of the second goal show that it began with a turnover when the ball hit off Gooch's arm -- great through ball by Beasley and strike by Dempsey though. The last goal was a gimme for Ching, but it may have been the only goal that wasn't tainted by a foul or offside. (John Harkes initially said that he thought Ching was offside, but replays show the Hawaiian clearly wasn't.)
Nevertheless, we took the 3 points and it was well deserved. Bob Bradley may feel more comfortable now, so he might stop playing conservatively and starts looking at experimenting a little. Maybe the USMNT will feel loose enough to play joga bonito style soccer...
Good luck with Hurricane Ike, everyone!
And go Dynamo! (I hope we have power to watch your game vs San Jose on Saturday.)
Ives has a take on Brian Ching. He isn't a goal-machine, and he isn't making anybody forget Brian McBride, but he can still serve a purpose on this team. Some folks get caught up in him being a target forward and thinking that the current U.S. team isn't equipped to provide service from the flanks to make Ching effective. This ignores the fact that Ching is better with the ball at his feet that some realize, and he's great at holding up the ball for teammates to make runs off him. The job should eventually fall to a player like Jozy Altidore, but for now, Ching doesn't do a bad job.
Jeff Carlisle gives both of the Dynamo boys a "5" rating:
[Ching's] hold-up play was typically solid, and he deserves credit for being well-placed to score his goal. But for the most part, his play in the box was subpar, in that he either failed to convert some clear chances or wandered offside.
[Clark's] fresh legs were certainly needed, but his overall performance was erratic, as some sharp passes were mixed in with some careless giveaways.
I didn't see many of Clark's giveaways, maybe because I was doing other things at that point in the game, I guess. I did see his diving header that almost resulted in a goal.
As for Ching, I think Carlisle's rating was a little low (for Ching contributed greatly to the win through his holdup play), but it WAS irritating to see his missed opportunities and the lack of awareness that resulted in several inopportune offside calls.
And that reminds me that we might be lucky to have won 3-0. The replays of the first goal sure suggest that Ching and Bradley were still offside at the time that Donovan struck the free kick -- great outside of the foot volley by Bradley though. The replays of the second goal show that it began with a turnover when the ball hit off Gooch's arm -- great through ball by Beasley and strike by Dempsey though. The last goal was a gimme for Ching, but it may have been the only goal that wasn't tainted by a foul or offside. (John Harkes initially said that he thought Ching was offside, but replays show the Hawaiian clearly wasn't.)
Nevertheless, we took the 3 points and it was well deserved. Bob Bradley may feel more comfortable now, so he might stop playing conservatively and starts looking at experimenting a little. Maybe the USMNT will feel loose enough to play joga bonito style soccer...
Good luck with Hurricane Ike, everyone!
And go Dynamo! (I hope we have power to watch your game vs San Jose on Saturday.)
Monday, September 08, 2008
KC withers and Dynamo soar
What a hot, miserable time to play a soccer game. The players and coaches will say that everyone has to play under the same conditions, but the fact is, it feels a lot hotter when you're behind than when you're ahead.
And, as B-Fall put it: Sunday's 3-1 home victory ... was as good as they come.
Pre-game guide.
Post-game recap.
Says one article: Entering Sunday's match against the Kansas City Wizards, Kamara, an MLS veteran of 54 matches, had never recorded a single assist in his career. Before the match he told a few friends of his that he wanted to get rid of that donut that, to some, makes him look like a selfish player.
The post-game quotes include this one from ERob: "We knew that mentally, if this beautiful weather today wouldn't get to them, just being down might." I'm sure that "beautiful weather" was said with sarcasm, not praise for the 12th man (or 13th man, if you count the fanbase as the 12th).
I remember The Dom complaining about a 3 o'clock game in summer of the 2006 season. That one was scheduled due to TV commitments; but surely this game wasn't played at this godforsaken hour because of Telefutura!?
My two favorite events of this game:
I do think Brad Davis may be practicing his attacking headers this week. Minutes after his first goal, he missed what should have been an easy header on goal from the back post. It was nearly identical to one he muffed in the previous game versus Chicago. My wife said he shouldn't be doing headers anyway, because his ears probably unbalance him. (She is actually a big fan of "Keebler".) Luckily, in both games Davis made up for his muffs with a dynamite assist in one game and a dynamite goal in the other.
So now we're solidly in the Western Conference lead, 7 points ahead of #2 RSL. Overall, we're behind only Columbus (which has 43 points) and tied with New England and Chicago. The Supporters' Shield is a longshot, but still a possibility. Taking the Western Conference and having homefield advantage through the MLS Cup tourney is something that is not only feasible, but had better be realized. I'm still holding out for the Supporters' Shield, even though our upcoming schedule congestion will make that a difficult feat.
In his weekly MLS recap, Steve Davis has this to say about Brian Mullan:
USMNT
Solid showing by the USMNT in Cuba, I thought. Ching did well in his role holding up the ball, and got the assist on the goal, laying off the pass that Dempsely put away. I agree with Doug McIntyre that Ching was the field player that probably did his respective job the best. (Tim Howard being the best and most valuable player overall.) People clamoring for new faces up front will rip him for missing that sitter near the end, but the big Hawaiian played his role as a target forward to perfection. He was able to effectively body up with his back to goal from start to finish and set up the winning strike doing just that.
McIntyre also has an article that laments the lack of offensive umph from the USMNT. Although the U.S. team deserves full credit for winning two difficult road matches to begin this potentially treacherous round of qualifying, it has done so by using a combination of grit, good fortune and Howard. The Americans didn't create many quality chances against either Guatemala or Cuba, and with all due respect to Brian Ching, who next to Howard was the best player on the field Saturday, their forwards still simply cannot score.
Other Soccer Coaching News
After a 3 year hiatus, I've been pulled back into the soccer coaching ranks to coach my son's U16 team. The kids are older and more sarcastic since I last coached, so I'll have that obstacle to overcome.
I have a new philosophy that I'm instituting now that I'm running the zoo. My focus is to ensure every player has the individual dribbling skills to hold their own regardless of the team (whether club or school) they play for next year. I've always worked on passing exercises and taught positional play in past terms as coach, but now I want every person -- regardless of position -- to be an excellent First Attacker (or "guy with ball") and excellent First Defender (or "guy on the guy with the ball"). To work towards this, the first 30 minutes of each practice is on footwork and 1v1. In this first half hour I'm also working on receiving skills, since players with good footskills must be able to pluck the ball out of the air and get it to their feet for their footskills to work.
After the first 30 minutes, I am working on some tactics, mostly in 4v4 mini-matches. But the emphasis is individual development.
The most likely result is that we won't win a lot of games since I'm not focusing on masking weaknesses through teamwork. Hopefully another result is that the players do become more adept at individual play...but it remains to be seen if the kids will do their part to make this happen. It takes practice and discipline and patience, and I don't know if this group of teenagers has that. We'll see.
And, as B-Fall put it: Sunday's 3-1 home victory ... was as good as they come.
Pre-game guide.
Post-game recap.
Says one article: Entering Sunday's match against the Kansas City Wizards, Kamara, an MLS veteran of 54 matches, had never recorded a single assist in his career. Before the match he told a few friends of his that he wanted to get rid of that donut that, to some, makes him look like a selfish player.
The post-game quotes include this one from ERob: "We knew that mentally, if this beautiful weather today wouldn't get to them, just being down might." I'm sure that "beautiful weather" was said with sarcasm, not praise for the 12th man (or 13th man, if you count the fanbase as the 12th).
I remember The Dom complaining about a 3 o'clock game in summer of the 2006 season. That one was scheduled due to TV commitments; but surely this game wasn't played at this godforsaken hour because of Telefutura!?
My two favorite events of this game:
- In the first half: Brad Davis' one-touch rocket into the net from a Kei Kamara layoff.
- In the second half: Stuart Holden's unselfish and prescient touch off to Nate Jaqua to get the goal that effectively won the game. Stuie had a good look on goal with that ball, but his pass was pure class. And the goal, coupled with the heat, crushed all of KC's motivation.
I do think Brad Davis may be practicing his attacking headers this week. Minutes after his first goal, he missed what should have been an easy header on goal from the back post. It was nearly identical to one he muffed in the previous game versus Chicago. My wife said he shouldn't be doing headers anyway, because his ears probably unbalance him. (She is actually a big fan of "Keebler".) Luckily, in both games Davis made up for his muffs with a dynamite assist in one game and a dynamite goal in the other.
So now we're solidly in the Western Conference lead, 7 points ahead of #2 RSL. Overall, we're behind only Columbus (which has 43 points) and tied with New England and Chicago. The Supporters' Shield is a longshot, but still a possibility. Taking the Western Conference and having homefield advantage through the MLS Cup tourney is something that is not only feasible, but had better be realized. I'm still holding out for the Supporters' Shield, even though our upcoming schedule congestion will make that a difficult feat.
In his weekly MLS recap, Steve Davis has this to say about Brian Mullan:
Because Brian Mullan is usually surrounded by more dynamic players (De Rosario, for instance), several internationals (Pat Onstad, Clark) and younger, emerging forces (Stuart Holden), it's easy to forget what a guy like that means to Houston. Manager Dominic Kinnear knows exactly what he'll get from Mullan every time on the pitch.
When opponents are in possession, Mullan tucks inside reliably when the ball is on the other side. When it's on his side, he's always in the right spot, helping the right fullback. On offense, Mullan consistently, effectively links with the man playing behind him and can be counted on to supply two or three good crosses a half.
Brad Davis, on the left, does some of the same. But where he's more of a goal-scoring threat with a tendency to drift inside often, Mullan is more of a classic flank attacker, always providing the width that stretches defenses.
You need guys like De Rosario and Clark to win championships. But you'll never get there without the dependable workadays such as Mullan.
USMNT
Solid showing by the USMNT in Cuba, I thought. Ching did well in his role holding up the ball, and got the assist on the goal, laying off the pass that Dempsely put away. I agree with Doug McIntyre that Ching was the field player that probably did his respective job the best. (Tim Howard being the best and most valuable player overall.) People clamoring for new faces up front will rip him for missing that sitter near the end, but the big Hawaiian played his role as a target forward to perfection. He was able to effectively body up with his back to goal from start to finish and set up the winning strike doing just that.
McIntyre also has an article that laments the lack of offensive umph from the USMNT. Although the U.S. team deserves full credit for winning two difficult road matches to begin this potentially treacherous round of qualifying, it has done so by using a combination of grit, good fortune and Howard. The Americans didn't create many quality chances against either Guatemala or Cuba, and with all due respect to Brian Ching, who next to Howard was the best player on the field Saturday, their forwards still simply cannot score.
Other Soccer Coaching News
After a 3 year hiatus, I've been pulled back into the soccer coaching ranks to coach my son's U16 team. The kids are older and more sarcastic since I last coached, so I'll have that obstacle to overcome.
I have a new philosophy that I'm instituting now that I'm running the zoo. My focus is to ensure every player has the individual dribbling skills to hold their own regardless of the team (whether club or school) they play for next year. I've always worked on passing exercises and taught positional play in past terms as coach, but now I want every person -- regardless of position -- to be an excellent First Attacker (or "guy with ball") and excellent First Defender (or "guy on the guy with the ball"). To work towards this, the first 30 minutes of each practice is on footwork and 1v1. In this first half hour I'm also working on receiving skills, since players with good footskills must be able to pluck the ball out of the air and get it to their feet for their footskills to work.
After the first 30 minutes, I am working on some tactics, mostly in 4v4 mini-matches. But the emphasis is individual development.
The most likely result is that we won't win a lot of games since I'm not focusing on masking weaknesses through teamwork. Hopefully another result is that the players do become more adept at individual play...but it remains to be seen if the kids will do their part to make this happen. It takes practice and discipline and patience, and I don't know if this group of teenagers has that. We'll see.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
"The better team won"
Well, that was easy.
With most of Chivas USA back home nursing injuries, there was no surprise that the Dynamo got 3 points last night. We knew there'd be goals scored even without Ching and DeRo, but there was the worry that Chivas would get one or two past Caig as well. The surprise was that by halftime we had amassed a 4-nil scoreline (and we could have scored more). The second half saw a more conservative Dynamo come out, but even then we had some great opportunities and Kei Kamara was terribly unlucky to not get his hat trick. It was a great night for the Sierra Leone native (Sierra Leonean?). Could Caraccio have had the same night?
Nate Jaqua also had a big night. I don't know what he did in Austria, but he is twice the player he used to be in the buildup.
Stuart Holden is looking more and more like the franchise player he could be. After a solid Olympic showing, he had a great run and a confident game-winning goal to start things off. He also does so well in the midfield. The Dom has got to find a way to keep Stuie on the field with DeRo, Mullan, and Davis. But where?
And Caig got a shutout, doing well on the three or so dangerous opportunities generated by Chivas, and also not turning otherwise tame Chivas opportunities into dangerous opportunities.
In all, I think the only complaint I have is that The Dom didn't substitute earlier. With a game on Sunday in New Jersey, he could have given some of his tender starters some rest.
As of last Friday, the Dynamo had never scored four goals in one half. As of Wednesday night, the Dynamo have accomplished that feat twice.
And we're only 4 points from the once-distant Supporters' Shield. We have 32 points (as does Chicago), the Crew have 34 points, and the Revs are at the top with 36 points. Can we catch them? That would be a first for the club and would gain us entry into all of the international tournaments of 2009.
Game recap
Another article: Four goals in the first half hasn't happened in the MLS since the Galaxy did it 10 years ago in 1998. Kamara said. "I am playing with -- every game now -- the best players in the league. This is my third year now and I have been around a lot of good players, but now, being around these guys, they are making me better every time I step on the field."
Article focusing on Chivas. Preki, "The better team won, they were sharp from the first minute, and that's the end of that."
Other Quotes.
USMNT
I saw only the last half of the USMNT match in Guatemala. (Game recap.) From what I saw, the US couldn't match Guatemala's passion and zeal. The US couldn't maintain possession for long on the attack and looked flustered on defense. They were lucky to get all three points, which is a fantastic result for the US in a hostile stadium in Central America. The fact that we got a goal off a free kick isn't all that surprising, but the way Guatemala was torching our defense, it was surprising they didn't get a goal (or three) of their own. Tim Howard, MOTM.
Ives has a good recounting of the post-match sentiments. Tim Howard had a few choice words about El Pescadito (or "Peccadillo" as I deem more appropriate).
USSoccerplayers.com has a good summary of the obstacles the USMNT faced off field and how it affected the on field performance. Sometimes the challenge is more than just matching the skill of the opposition.
With most of Chivas USA back home nursing injuries, there was no surprise that the Dynamo got 3 points last night. We knew there'd be goals scored even without Ching and DeRo, but there was the worry that Chivas would get one or two past Caig as well. The surprise was that by halftime we had amassed a 4-nil scoreline (and we could have scored more). The second half saw a more conservative Dynamo come out, but even then we had some great opportunities and Kei Kamara was terribly unlucky to not get his hat trick. It was a great night for the Sierra Leone native (Sierra Leonean?). Could Caraccio have had the same night?
Nate Jaqua also had a big night. I don't know what he did in Austria, but he is twice the player he used to be in the buildup.
Stuart Holden is looking more and more like the franchise player he could be. After a solid Olympic showing, he had a great run and a confident game-winning goal to start things off. He also does so well in the midfield. The Dom has got to find a way to keep Stuie on the field with DeRo, Mullan, and Davis. But where?
And Caig got a shutout, doing well on the three or so dangerous opportunities generated by Chivas, and also not turning otherwise tame Chivas opportunities into dangerous opportunities.
In all, I think the only complaint I have is that The Dom didn't substitute earlier. With a game on Sunday in New Jersey, he could have given some of his tender starters some rest.
As of last Friday, the Dynamo had never scored four goals in one half. As of Wednesday night, the Dynamo have accomplished that feat twice.
And we're only 4 points from the once-distant Supporters' Shield. We have 32 points (as does Chicago), the Crew have 34 points, and the Revs are at the top with 36 points. Can we catch them? That would be a first for the club and would gain us entry into all of the international tournaments of 2009.
Game recap
Another article: Four goals in the first half hasn't happened in the MLS since the Galaxy did it 10 years ago in 1998. Kamara said. "I am playing with -- every game now -- the best players in the league. This is my third year now and I have been around a lot of good players, but now, being around these guys, they are making me better every time I step on the field."
Article focusing on Chivas. Preki, "The better team won, they were sharp from the first minute, and that's the end of that."
Other Quotes.
USMNT
I saw only the last half of the USMNT match in Guatemala. (Game recap.) From what I saw, the US couldn't match Guatemala's passion and zeal. The US couldn't maintain possession for long on the attack and looked flustered on defense. They were lucky to get all three points, which is a fantastic result for the US in a hostile stadium in Central America. The fact that we got a goal off a free kick isn't all that surprising, but the way Guatemala was torching our defense, it was surprising they didn't get a goal (or three) of their own. Tim Howard, MOTM.
Ives has a good recounting of the post-match sentiments. Tim Howard had a few choice words about El Pescadito (or "Peccadillo" as I deem more appropriate).
USSoccerplayers.com has a good summary of the obstacles the USMNT faced off field and how it affected the on field performance. Sometimes the challenge is more than just matching the skill of the opposition.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Calm returns
Calm in quietude is not real calm; when you can be calm in the midst of activity, this is the true state of nature.
Happiness in comfort is not real happiness; when you can be happy in the midst of hardship, then you see the true potential of the mind.
-Huanchu Daoren
A few days after the Dynamo defeat, and I am once again at peace. In rewatching the game, I see that we played quite well, except for three plays on defense (two of which cost us) and except for an inability to get the ball into the net. We did nearly everything else right, though.
In looking at the standings, we're still well positioned. This is partially due to the fortune of being in the Western Conference, yes; but good teams will take advantage of good fortune.
I also noticed in my review of the match, that the Dynamo did, in fact, do more on the field than Marlen did. Apologies, fellas.
So, I'm spending Father's Day with a bit less REVulsion and less spite than I felt in the hours after the New England game.
However, should Barbados surprise the USMNT this afternoon, I reserve the right to throw peace and tranquility out the window and revert to venomous frustration.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Dynamo 2008 schedule
The MLS schedule came out yesterday. The Dynamo's 30 game include every team once at home and once away, and an extra match versus four of the six other Western Conference teams. We play Chivas and Dallas in an extra home game, and we play Colorado and San Jose in an extra away game. I think this works out perfectly: Chivas and Dallas have trouble getting results at Robertson, so it's good to have them come here to Houston (particularly given Chivas' strong home record). Colorado can be difficult due to the altitude, but the Dynamo often uses these trips to Colorado to recuperate at Philip Anschutz's nearby ranch -- assuming AEW still owns the Dynamo in June and October (brrr!) when the Dynamo venture to Commerce City. I'm sure the Dynamo also won't mind the extra trip to their old stomping grounds in San Jose either.
The week before that October date in Colorado (brrr!), Dynamo play in Toronto on September 27. That's my birthday weekend; maybe I'll use that as an excuse to travel to Canada.
Dynamo's first match is March 29 at Foxboro, MA. The first home game is the following Sunday, April 6, versus FC Dallas. There is only one Dynamo game scheduled in July due to SuperLiga, the US Open Cup, and the MLS All-Stars all occurring that month. The final game of the season is October 25 versus Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.
The league schedule will be strained because of the usual extracurricular tournaments (such as the aforementioned SuperLiga), and international play will also be an issue. We host Chivas USA on August 20, the day the US is likely to play Guatemala in a semifinal round World Cup qualifier. (Probably means we'll face a Guzan-less Chivas.) We host the Wizards on September 7, when the US will likely be at Cuba. We host DC United on October 12 when the US will likely host Cuba.
B-Fall has some observations on the schedule in his blog at chron.com.
TV coverage is still being fleshed out, but hopefully Channel 55 The Tube will pick up some games to fill in those dates that are currently left to Direct Kick or HDNet.
Oh yeah, and the Galaxy come to Houston once: October 19. If you're a Beckham groupie and seeing him once is not enough, you can take a road trip to Frisco to see Becks play Dallas twice: May 18 and July 27. The other celebrity, Blanco, comes to Houston with the Fire on August 31.
In other Western Conference News:
Du Nord reports that former DC United center mid, Christian Gomez, is heading to Colorado. With him as the attacking mid and Beckerman (or Mastroeni) as the defensive mid, Colorado is now a much bigger threat in the West. It seems the quality of the opposition improves each season. Hopefully the Dynamo continue their trend of adapting and improving this season.
The week before that October date in Colorado (brrr!), Dynamo play in Toronto on September 27. That's my birthday weekend; maybe I'll use that as an excuse to travel to Canada.
Dynamo's first match is March 29 at Foxboro, MA. The first home game is the following Sunday, April 6, versus FC Dallas. There is only one Dynamo game scheduled in July due to SuperLiga, the US Open Cup, and the MLS All-Stars all occurring that month. The final game of the season is October 25 versus Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.
The league schedule will be strained because of the usual extracurricular tournaments (such as the aforementioned SuperLiga), and international play will also be an issue. We host Chivas USA on August 20, the day the US is likely to play Guatemala in a semifinal round World Cup qualifier. (Probably means we'll face a Guzan-less Chivas.) We host the Wizards on September 7, when the US will likely be at Cuba. We host DC United on October 12 when the US will likely host Cuba.
B-Fall has some observations on the schedule in his blog at chron.com.
TV coverage is still being fleshed out, but hopefully Channel 55 The Tube will pick up some games to fill in those dates that are currently left to Direct Kick or HDNet.
Oh yeah, and the Galaxy come to Houston once: October 19. If you're a Beckham groupie and seeing him once is not enough, you can take a road trip to Frisco to see Becks play Dallas twice: May 18 and July 27. The other celebrity, Blanco, comes to Houston with the Fire on August 31.
In other Western Conference News:
Du Nord reports that former DC United center mid, Christian Gomez, is heading to Colorado. With him as the attacking mid and Beckerman (or Mastroeni) as the defensive mid, Colorado is now a much bigger threat in the West. It seems the quality of the opposition improves each season. Hopefully the Dynamo continue their trend of adapting and improving this season.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
A tie with El Tri
It's always exciting to see international soccer -- particularly US international soccer, of course -- here in Houston. Last night Reliant Stadium was LOUD. The crowd was passionate but surprisingly amicable. Heck, in the final 10 minutes of the game, US and Mexico fans alike sent a few waves around the stands.
(But then this morning has reports of a shooting in a parking lot. Cue the xenophobic, bigoted rants on chron.com.)
I thought a 2-2 draw was a fair result. The US goals were quality goals (and they almost had a 3rd) and the US should not have conceded goals it did. On the other hand, Mexico could have easily had at least two in the run of play without relying on the US being uncharacteristically disorganized on set plays. Furthermore, the US was too often disorganized at the back and its flanks were weak on both sides of the ball. Thus, 2-2 was a result both teams should appreciate.
As for that 3rd US goal, it turns out Dempsey was offside when the ball was initially passed to him. It's unfortunate that the center ref waited for -- what? -- 10 minutes and an apparent goal before calling it?
On the other hand, I think Jozy Altidore's breakaway in the first half -- long before the game's first goal -- was wrongly whistled dead. Altidore won the ball off clumsy possession play by Rafael Marquez, then Marquez successfully covered his gaffe by flailing to the ground after minimal contact, and Altidore's one-on-one with Mexico's GK, Ochoa, was whistled dead before Jozy could show us what he could do.
Some rambling thoughts...
- I am surprised that Bradley never subbed out any of his defenders, given how pathetic the back line looked at times. I expected to see Parkhurst at some point, and hoped to see Robinson, but Parkhurst was the only defending option on the bench (other than Lewis, when necessary).
- Bad news: the Dynamo website states that "Brad Davis is out indefinitely after suffering a right groin strain while training with the US Men's National Team, the team announced today. Davis has been evaluated by Dynamo medical staff. Stay tuned to houstondynamo.com for further updates." That explains why he didn't play. I think he would've fared better than Bobby Convey.
- And what has happened to Bobby Convey? He used to be a "player of the future." Now he looks indecisive and clumsy. He's had a hard road recovering from his past season-ending injuries and surgeries.
- I've always been on the fence with Michael Bradley, but his recent club play converted me to a Boy Bradley supporter. But his game last night was weak. His tackles are always suspect, but his passing is usually his strength. Last night saw several errant and intercepted passes -- which is inexcusable given that he should be in mid-season form. He maintained good possession on several occasions and successfully won back a ball after he had lost it near our defensive third, but wasn't much of a factor (in my opinion) overall.
- Maybe it's because there was no true attacking mid to work with, but I thought Clark, like Boy Bradley, was limited in his effectiveness in the middle. He had a journeyman effort, but not the creative and even controlling role he can demonstrate from the middle.
- Dempsey is still playing out of position I think. He's better as a right midfielder, but that's not a position where we're lacking in options.
- I'm trying to think of who did impress me. No one with any consistency. Several had shining moments, including those who I whined about in this post. I'd have to say Oguchi Onyewu fared the best. I wondered why he was taking the one throw in, then as it flew 50 yards into the penalty box I said "Oh, that's why." Then he followed up with that quality long range header into goal. He held the center of the back line pretty well (defense had its issues, but the biggest weaknesses were the flanks and he wasn't responsible for the poor coverage on the two Mexico goals) and his yellow card was undeserved. Furthermore, without Dave O'Brien in the booth, we didn't have to hear the constant reiteration that Onyewu is built like a linebacker. Other thoughts: Altidore probably had more good than bad. Tim Howard too, although I partly blame him for the disorganization of the back line. He realized the noise made communication difficult (and nearly took his captain, Bocanegra, out of the game), but he never seemed to take the opportunity to take corrective action. He had trouble controlling the wall formation even after halftime. He was having so much trouble with that in the first half that I thought the break would see that easy fix made, but nope!
- I can blame the rustiness of Clark, Donovan, Moor, and Altidore (if he had any) due to the fact that they are in pre-season form (and Moor and Altidore are young). Feilhaber and Convey might be excused because of their lack of time on the field for their clubs (but if they're not good enough for their clubs, what does it say about us that they're part of the top 18 for their country?). As for the others: no excuses.
- Dynamo fans, take heart: both of Mexico's goals can be blamed on FC Dallas. Drew Moor of Dallas blew his positioning and his marking on both goals. On set pieces no less. To repeat: the US lost to Mexico on set pieces.
- Moor halfway made up for his error with the great service to Jozy Altidore for the 2nd US goal. But that only accounted for half of the deficit Moor put us in. Moor had good service to Altidore late in the 2nd half too, but the cross was slightly deflected which affected ALtidore's timing and made his header go wide. Moor's successes are described on the MLS recap of the game, but the MLS recap attributes Moor's gaffes to anonymous "defenders".
- Question, is Jonny Magallon, who scored the brace for Mexico, any relation to Consul General of Mexico Carlos Gonzalez Magallon? The Consul General attended a Dynamo function (a reception for FMF Secretary General Decio de María) the night before the US-Mexico match. He must have enjoyed seeing his last name on the scoring sheet for his national team, even if he's not related to Jonny.
- And finally, we got to see the new ESPN broadcasting team of John Harkes and JP Dellacamera. I like both guys in general. It sounded like they've still got some work to do on their integration and chemistry; they didn't combine well on some of their commentary. Harkes has apparently worked on eliminating some of his annoyingly overused phrases/tics. Maybe the sound wasn't too good in the broadcast booth, because JP seemed to be lost at times, particularly when play was stopped; this is where Harkes needs to step in. And Harkes, it's okay to decry a bad call when the ref deserves it! It may be that I like Harkes better as a person than as an announcer, with Wynalda as the converse.
Most surprising quote of the night, leading me to question the translation or transcription: "These are hard-fought games. As far as play, we probably deserved the win, but the result is fair because they capitalized on their style of play,which is one we have a lot of respect for." That was Hugo Sanchez who said that (with the italicized emphasis my own)!
Monday, July 02, 2007
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.
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!
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!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Club vs Country
Tonight on ESPN2, Dynamo host the Colorado Rapids at sea level, while on FSC the US faces Carlos Ruiz and 10 defending Guatemalans. Looks like I'll have to record the US MNT match.
Dynamo seem to have the Rapids' number, but the Rocky Mountain Gang won't be facing the standard Dynamo tonight. Last weekend Dynamo showed that it can play without DDR, but can it play without DDR and Clark? We'll see. Ching hasn't made an obvious contribution to our attack for a while, but without him in the lineup drawing double coverage, it's going to be a little more difficult to open of the Colorado defense and find the net.
My guess at the lineup tonight
GK: Wells
D: Waibel, Cochrane, Robinson, Barrett
D Mid: Mulrooney
R/L Mid: Mullan, Holden
A Mid: Davis
F: Ngwenya, Wondo
Kelly Gray might fit into the lineup as well. His natural position is a defending mid, and he is a physical player, which matches up well with Mastroeni (who is sitting out of the US MNT match due to a red card) and Beckerman. I think Mulrooney has the edge on Gray though, and I don't think Gray would do well as an Attacking Mid, so if he is in the lineup, I'd guess it'd be on the back line. I lean towards Waibel starting because he has done well defending and supporting the attack in the past two games. His bench time has made him hungry.
I imagine we'll see Corey Ashe in the second half, especially if we're down a goal. He's brought life to the game. This is rare for a rookie in the Kinnear system, which makes his success all the more exciting.
Given Dynamo's national team departures from its attacking core and Colorado's defensive starters being back in good health, we're going to have a hard time scoring. Luckily, our stalwart back line is largely intact, except for Onstad who will be replaced by the capable Wells. This portends a low-scoring affair. If the Dynamo-D keeps its head in the game and does its part, I think we'll manage a 1-0 win. Maybe Ashe will tally his first...
Fun fact: Tonight's referee, Abbey Okulaja has doled out 2 red cards in the 5 Dynamo matches he's officiated.
As for the USMNT, Guatemala will look to bunker and defend and pray for a productive Ruiz flop. I think we'll eke out a goal, which will force "La Azul y Blanco" to open up a bit and giving us a chance for another. US begins the defense of the Gold Cup with a 2-0 victory. Optimistic?
DDR and Onstad helped their team to a win over Costa Rica, perhaps the toughest opponent Canada will face in its group.
Dynamo seem to have the Rapids' number, but the Rocky Mountain Gang won't be facing the standard Dynamo tonight. Last weekend Dynamo showed that it can play without DDR, but can it play without DDR and Clark? We'll see. Ching hasn't made an obvious contribution to our attack for a while, but without him in the lineup drawing double coverage, it's going to be a little more difficult to open of the Colorado defense and find the net.
My guess at the lineup tonight
GK: Wells
D: Waibel, Cochrane, Robinson, Barrett
D Mid: Mulrooney
R/L Mid: Mullan, Holden
A Mid: Davis
F: Ngwenya, Wondo
Kelly Gray might fit into the lineup as well. His natural position is a defending mid, and he is a physical player, which matches up well with Mastroeni (who is sitting out of the US MNT match due to a red card) and Beckerman. I think Mulrooney has the edge on Gray though, and I don't think Gray would do well as an Attacking Mid, so if he is in the lineup, I'd guess it'd be on the back line. I lean towards Waibel starting because he has done well defending and supporting the attack in the past two games. His bench time has made him hungry.
I imagine we'll see Corey Ashe in the second half, especially if we're down a goal. He's brought life to the game. This is rare for a rookie in the Kinnear system, which makes his success all the more exciting.
Given Dynamo's national team departures from its attacking core and Colorado's defensive starters being back in good health, we're going to have a hard time scoring. Luckily, our stalwart back line is largely intact, except for Onstad who will be replaced by the capable Wells. This portends a low-scoring affair. If the Dynamo-D keeps its head in the game and does its part, I think we'll manage a 1-0 win. Maybe Ashe will tally his first...
Fun fact: Tonight's referee, Abbey Okulaja has doled out 2 red cards in the 5 Dynamo matches he's officiated.
As for the USMNT, Guatemala will look to bunker and defend and pray for a productive Ruiz flop. I think we'll eke out a goal, which will force "La Azul y Blanco" to open up a bit and giving us a chance for another. US begins the defense of the Gold Cup with a 2-0 victory. Optimistic?
DDR and Onstad helped their team to a win over Costa Rica, perhaps the toughest opponent Canada will face in its group.
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