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The Soccer Thread (V)

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Inky_Wretch, Jun 28, 2010.

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  1. kingcreole

    kingcreole Active Member

    You're right in that Howard rarely makes the stunning save, but he can rarely be blamed on the goals he allows.
     
  2. mb

    mb Active Member

    So, guess we solved that starting-slow problem. What's next?
     
  3. Blitz

    Blitz Active Member

    Was out at dinner watching for all of the final period. What a dominant second half for Mexico.
    Had a friend two weeks ago who watches lots more soccer than me, calling for the U.S. coach's head when they lost to Panama.
    Does he survive this loss or is he in danger at all?
    I say keep him ... even though they are consistently falling short still, there is at least some excitement and interest generated with the US program.
     
  4. derwood

    derwood Active Member

    Bradley better be gone. We have conceded nine goals in last two GC finals.
     
  5. Big Circus

    Big Circus Well-Known Member

    Kyle Martino! I knew him a tiny bit at UVa. He can be a bit much on TV.
     
  6. kingcreole

    kingcreole Active Member

    I was in the "Fire Bob Bradley" camp after the Panama loss. Now I'm not sure, because the problems with soccer in this country are much deeper than Bob Bradley.

    Mexico has more depth, more skill and more goal scorers. Chicharito was a non-factor, and the Mexico still won 4-2. For the USA, it's gotten to the point where Michael Bradley is one of our bigger threats. Six games played, never more than two goals. And don't get me started on the defense. Cherundolo and Bocanegra are probably the best we have, but they are on their last legs. Between the current group of veterans (Donovan, Dempsey, etc.) and the young uns (Adu, Agudelo, Altidore), what does US soccer have?

    The last Gold Cup final was essentially our B-minus team against their A team. It was almost a miracle that game was 0-0 at halftime. Yesterday, you saw a dazzling team with tons of threats go to work.

    The US had chances for sure. Dempsey rattled the bar, and you would have seen a dramatic finish had Bradley put away the volley.

    The silence after Donovan's goal was golden. I swear, that place must have sounded like a movie theater.
     
  7. Big Circus

    Big Circus Well-Known Member

    Also, I think I'm inching over to the "Bob must go" camp. I know he got hurt, but Bornstein for Dolo was an absolute gaffe. Maybe his biggest personnel mistake since Ricardo Clark. Bornstein got torched time and time again on the left, and all of their strong attacks came from that side. And the fact is that we're just not organized at the back and rarely are over the past couple of years, and that's on the coach. He can't keep his team organized.

    I think a shakeup of the player pool is in order, too, and a new coach would likely accomplish that. We need serious roster turnover. I find it hard to believe that we don't have any outside backs anymore. An injury to Steve Cherundolo devastated our defense because we don't have a third outside defender of international caliber. That's mind-blowing.
     
  8. TrooperBari

    TrooperBari Well-Known Member

    Who's taking the job in his place? World Cup qualifying starts in a month or so. Better hop to it.

    Given how the previous coaching searches have gone, why do people have faith that the USSF will all of a sudden get its act together and convince a world-class coach to take charge of the US?
     
  9. TrooperBari

    TrooperBari Well-Known Member

    How? Who are all these international-caliber Americans who are being denied a place in the national team because of Bradley's intransigence?
     
  10. Webster

    Webster Well-Known Member

    Bradley has tried tons of players -- he has picked every MLS flavor of the month at forward and none have worked out. Where are the great wing defenders?

    I mean the pool is so thin that a player like Agudelo, who is inferior to a lower division English player like Luke Rodgers, always gets a game, as does Jozy, who basically hasn't played in 3 years.
     
  11. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Howard not happy the trophy ceremony was conducted in Spanish.

    “CONCACAF should be ashamed of itself. I think it was an [expletive] disgrace that the entire post-match ceremony was held in Spanish. You can bet your [expletive] if we were in Mexico City it wouldn’t all be in English.”

    http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ro-rogers_tim_howard_angry_after_loss_062511
     
  12. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    Plaschke writes same column he wrote in 1998, except this time he softens it a bit and then criticizes the U.S. team:

    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0626-plaschke-gold-cup-20110626,0,7072114.column

    Flashback:

    http://articles.latimes.com/1998/feb/17/sports/sp-20063
     
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