Gold Cup 2011 - USA 2 - 0 Canada

The United States opened up Gold Cup group play against their neighbors to the north Canada on Tuesday with a two goal victory. The starting strike force of Agudelo and Altidore proved dangerous, with the two making good runs at the top and getting open for their midfield supporters. Timmy Howard came up huge again to preserve a shutout, something that must have felt good coming off the poor showing against World Cup holders Spain.

Jozy struck first in the fourteenth minute, to the delight of Detroit soccer fans, taking one touch to settle a Donovan pass, and only a second touch to power his shot under keeper Lars Hirschfeld at the near post. Failing to score first has been a major source of frustration for Bob Bradley and his squad over the past year, so it was good to see how the US could hold the advantage.

Thankfully, the second half saw another goal for the red, white, and blue; this one from one of its biggest superstars: Clint Dempsey. Deuce slid home a cross from the Man of the Match, Altidore, to put the Canadians away. Looks like the Texan's stock continues to climb as he is anticipated to draw interest from Champions League level clubs in Europe this offseason.

The only dangerous threats the Canadians mounted were snuffed out by the US' #1 between the posts. An acrobatic save and constant stability in the eighty-fifth minute aided Howard in preserving his clean sheet for the Americans. The United States played a much better game to open the competition and campaign to re-establish their dominance as the power of North American soccer.

Granted, the passing could have been tighter and the bulk of the offense was being facilitated by a few too many long balls instead of short-sided, one-touch passing. The center of the midfield still looks to be evolving with Bradley and Jones dropping deep to ensure the safe passage of possession from the defense to the strike force. The backline will continue to be a carousel of players that will look to solidify their international experience, but they'll have a few more quizzes before a big time exam against Mexico in the later rounds of play.



Photo Credit: Paul Sancya/AP
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USA 1 - 1 CHI @ the HDC

A pitch full of youngsters and a whole lot of red, white, and blue filled the Home Depot Center last night for both teams during the USMNT friendly against Chile.

With veterans abroad competing in the mid season European campaign, it was a night to bolster the experience of fresh blood. Bob Bradley wisely fielded a team whose average age was 23, and made use of his six substitutions to explore new options, particularly at the defense and striker positions.

After conceding a well volleyed goal to the Chileans, Bradley put in the 18 year old Juan Agudelo in the second half. Now, many other American soccer journos are being very cautious with how they discuss young Agudelo, being wary of casting the Freddy Adu Curse (glorifying American soccer talent at such an early age, only to fizzle out and under perform later on).

However, I was there. I was watching him warm up at halftime when the cameras were off. And I saw something in this boy that I hadn't seen in an American jersey ever before: a sense of fun in his touch on the ball. He juggled and preformed in front of our section at the Home Depot Center. He played with the ball doing nifty stepovers, backheels, and impressive juggles. I could see where he picked up this style and sense of carefree fun: South Africa. His experience abroad and the things he saw during the Nelson Mandela Challenge showed in his demeanor. It brought me back to that amazing country where I spent the summer with other passionate soccer fans, delighting in the welcoming culture of Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, juggling and playing soccer with the locals.

In the second half, Agudelo's confidence shined as he went at defenders and put together a beautiful combination of short, quick passes with Alejandro Bedoya. Agudelo's efforts payed off, earning the US a Penalty Kick. This is a player we have been waiting for. A player that can dazzle the crowd and be a persistent menace to the opposition's back line.

Teal Bunbury stepped up to slot home the well placed kick from the spot, and again, the youngsters showed us something to build on: the bond of teammates dancing and celebrating at the corner flag. Bunbury and Agudelo are bonding on and off the field, a pairing that could mean big things for the future of US soccer.

Paired with veteran leadership and strong distribution out of the back and midfield, these young guns will take our game to the next level. But they better pay attention and respect their elders who got us to where we are today. Bocanegra, Donovan, Dempsey, and the boys still have much to teach them.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone 4.

Last of the US MNT for 2010

Well their record after the World Cup is decidedly worse than their record during the World Cup. Having lost to Brazil, and tied both Poland and Columbia, the US Men's National team wrapped up play for 2010. Their next game lies far ahead in the spring of 2011 when they will return to South Africa and take on Bafana Bafana at Green Pointe Stadium in Cape Town.

What have we learned? We've learned our weaknesses and experimented with some new strategies. Pulling from more unused talent as of late, Bob Bradley has found another asset in the midfield with Jermaine Jones. His physical play is coupled with some good vision to support our less than strong attack. It seems that a 4-5-1 formation will suite our developing style much better with Donovan or Dempsey falling in behind Jozy Altidore (or perhaps Edson Buddle or Charlie Davies) as the lone striker.

Our defense remains our greatest weakness still, as only Stuart Holden has stepped up and showed that he has intentions of replacing a back line of veteran players. As solid as Bocanegra has been throughout his captaincy for the U.S., he has been the only reliable piece as of late. Onyewu clearly needs to find more professional minutes than he's not getting with AC Milan and Cherundolo may not see action in Brazil 2014.

We need some solid youth defenders, most notabley a defender on the outside that can push ahead and get involved in the attack, much like a Sergio Ramos or a Dani Alves. The US have never really had a defender that can distribute the ball out of our third with real patience. Our defenders need to be able to start long stretches of possession instead of quickly dumping balls over-top.

It will be interesting to watch MLS' postseason and see if some more homegrown stars develop, as well as the progression of our boys abroad. But until we start plugging these holes, the edge may go to Bafana Bafana in Cape Town.

Coach Bradley re-signed by US Soccer MNT

Coach, you've done a fine job since taking over as the manager of Sam's Army. A Gold Cup win in 2007, an exciting run with a second place finish at the Confederations Cup in 2009, and first place qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa...not a bad list of achievements for one's first gig as a national team coach.


You're dedication to picking from the farm crops of Major League Soccer, with talent such as Sacha Kljestan, Jonathan Bornstein, and Ricardo Clark, helped to give the young American pros some valuable international caps. While adding to the credibility of MLS, the very league you made a name for yourself in (Chicago Fire, Chivas USA), our young talent was able to bolster their stock abroad. Now, Sacha's boots are planted in the Belgium First Division, Clark is enjoying Oktoberfest with the rest of the German Bundesliga, and Bornstein...well, he's still a Goat.


However, praise must be accompanied by some constructive criticism for the sake of striving to form a more perfect soccer union. We came up short at the World Cup in beautiful South Africa, plain and simple. It should have been US in the quarterfinals. It should have been US with the strong chance to go through to the semifinals. It should have been US with proud smiles in busy Johannesburg, instead of disappointed frowns in cold Rustenburg. I was at that game. It still hurts...bad.


I have a serious question in regards to your tactics: Did you sew Edson Buddle into his warm ups? Why was MLS's hottest player left to do drills behind the goal during that game against Ghana? During the second half, I shouted with all I had in me, "YEAH EDSON! THIS IS YOUR GAME! LA GALAXY!" while he warmed up at your command. I had seats 4 rows up, right next to the corner flag where he turned to me and smiled, flashing the thumbs up. Edson and I waited...and waited...and waited. Then when you made your final substitution, it was clear.


Lionel Messi led La Liga with the most goals before the World Cup began. Didier Drogba led the English Premiere League in the 2009/2010 season. Antonio Di Natale wore the golden boot in Serie A last season. All three were called upon to work their magic on the pitch wearing their country's colors at critical times. Next time, perhaps we should follow the trend.