The Soccer Thread (V)

Fourth one is on him because if you're going to come out that aggressively as a goalie, you have to get the ball. His defense put him in a terrible spot, but he needed to cut his looses after the first dive and miss because he ended up just making the situation worse.

Third goal was a misread of the shot, which is something you can take.

First goal he got himself wrong footed and ended up with far too much weight on his outside leg cause he was thinking far post. The forward read that and went near post.

And the second goal was offside, which is why he was so screaming mad about it. That one I can give him.

 

The second goal was not offside. Chicharito never touched it.

The first goal was basically one on one. He had zero chance.

 

Well now our summer 2013 calendar opened up.

 

Was he offside on the initial cross? The actual goal, he was good.

Other than his shot off the bar, Clint Dempsey was the invisible man. Juan Agudelo did nothing. Freddy Adu may have been the player of the game for the USA. Bradley did some decent things but had two horrible giveaways.

Mexico's depth and creativity dwarfs that of the USA's. They have so many play makers, so many guys who do some dazzling shit on the ball, so many guys who can score goals. Chicharito was one of Mexico's least impressive players, and yet they still win 4-2.

 

He was a hair offsides on the cross. Not sure if it would have been called, but a smart move not touching the ball.

Adu can have moments of brilliance, but how many times can he dribble aimlessly into the right sideline?

Dempsey was invisible and sulky.

Bradley needed to be great and he drifted too often. Jones was also not there.

 

Drives me nuts the number of times Dempsey takes himself out of a play with a horrible dive.

The defense looked like the Washington Generals tonight.

Adu was very good again tonight, but it's very frustrating to me that someone could come in from exile and instantly be the architect of so much of the offense.

That Dos Santos shot was outrageous. It would have been nice if someone stopped him before he waltzed through the box, but damn, was that a nice finish.

 

1. Blowing dos a cero is what makes me really angry.

2. Yeah, the Dos Santos chip was amazing. But there were six (6!) defenders in the box who failed to close him down. That doesn't even include Howard, who by all rights should be allowed to stab his back-line defenders.

3. The youth program better be churning out some new players soon.

4. The FSC color guy was horrible. He made Jack "Mine eyes have seen the glory" Edwards sound neutral. And worse than homing up on the USA, he often seemed like he was watching a different match.

 

I don't give a shit if Univision is partisan. It's a much better viewing experience.

 

I don't get all the love for Howard. He rarely makes a transcendent save, and has come up small a time or two.

 

The third goal was unstoppable. One timed, thing of beauty.

In no way can that be on Howard.