6.29.2006

Makes me wanna break out the old soccer shoes

I just LOVE this video. What a fun idea, I need to get out my old shoes and give my wife the recorder, and add my 10 seconds of fame.

6.27.2006

Back to Being Off Topic

Due to popular demand, here is the info that Tilam finds so valuable.

"Fabiana" was born and raised in Brazil, she works at the same company I do as an admin, and she's everything you'd expect from a tall, lean, beautiful blond Brazilian chick. And kudos to her today for wearing tight black pants, heels, and a tight Brazilian soccer jersey today during the game. She's friendly, and has a wonderful portugese accent. And she loves football!

Who says soccer isn't a spectator sport!

On Topic; Off Your Rocker

If by "initiates contact" you mean Grosso grabbed Neill and threw him down in front of him, I must have missed that. But if you didn't mean that, then Grosso did not "initiate" contact.

Shourin is flat out wrong. Look at the video again. Grosso did not even continue along the path he was travelling, he tried to go around Neill on the right.

Review the video slowly: Grosso beats the first Aussie and sends the ball to toward the touchline, the ball travels a few yards and Neill slides/sticks out his leg, Grosso uses his left foot to redirect the ball hard right to go around Neill, the ball passes Grosso's right foot (AT THIS POINT NEILL IS ROLLING BACK TOWARD GROSSO), and Grosso plants his left foot (by Neill's arse) and steps with his right foot past Neill's right hand (a frame by frame view, it even looks like Neill is making contact with Grosso's left foot), Neill continues to fall back and, in the process, has his (Neill's) shoulder fall behind Grosso's right leg. At this point, Grosso looks off balance and falling. Neill ducks underneath Grosso's left leg and Grosso hits the deck.

So what was the ref thinking? He was thinking that Neill took Grosso out of the play. Direct kick in the box for a PK. Is there any doubt this would have been a direct free kick if it happened outside the box? In the 60th minute? The problem is that you can agree that it would have been a DFK in the 60th minute, but not in the box in stoppage time. I have no time for that kind of ref.

If he embellished the fall, I don't think he had to much. This is not a "dive." A "dive" is when a player after minimal contact "creates" a foul out of whole cloth. Say what you will about Grosso's motives, but this was not a dive.

Contrast this with Adriano's yellow in the Brazil-Ghana match. Adriano dove. Slight contact with the keeper and BOOM! on the ground. The ref (properly) gave him a yellow card.

I think this is a case where first impression rules regardless of the "facts." I don't buy what Grosso said as proof either: replace the word "option" with the word "choice" and you will get what Grosso meant. "I had no choice, but to go down."

Stay on Topic Please

We are not debating whether Neill should or should not have gone down and slid.
We are not debating whether Grosso should or should not have gone around him.
We are not debating what the players could or could not have done, what they were or were not thinking...we are asking "WTF was the referee thinking?!".

We are debating the fact that the Italian player INITIATES contact, trips over a body that happened to be there (no or minimal prior contact) in his way due to a slide and attempted block, takes a dive (and not even a good one! - for good dives, see "Portugal"), and sells a PK that the referee clearly screwed up in calling. On Soccerblog, Shourin details the quote that comes out "...I had no option but to go down...". THAT does not warrant a PK. That warrants a "thank you" from Thew to his lovely wife (no salacious comments about blowing the whistle!). I agree with Shourin, that indicates that he had a conscious choice of actions, and he chose to try and dive to draw a penalty.

And I'm sorry, big guy, but the REALITY is that you NEVER call a foul like that in a game like that at a time like that...

Grosso-out

"Total idiot call"?

Gooch's penalty was a TIC. The non-goal for the French was a TIC. Three yellow cards for one player was a TIC. There have been plenty of TICs in this WC. But to say this was a "total idiot call" is crazy.

Yes, Grosso could have gone around Neill and maybe avoided him. Might Grosso have been a "gentleman" and allowed Neill to obstruct him while the Aussies cleared the ball? Been noble about entering 30 minute of OT with a man down? Maybe...but I would not have.

Neill offered Grosso the opportunity and he took it. Bravo to Grosso.

6.26.2006

FOOOOSH!!!

Flame time!

Ahh, back to the good old days when Tilam and Thew disagreed!

After seeing it live and on several replays, I have to go with the concensus at soccerblog.com and say it was a total idiot call. Regardless of whether Neill should or should not have slid (I cannot count the number of goals or crosses I blocked because of a slide), the truth of the matter (IMHO) is that there was little contact during the slide itself. The italian player tried to run over Neill, INITIATED contact himself more than Neill, then performed is Emmy award winning dive. It's a crappy way to determine a game, especially since it was handed to the Italians. Not with less than 30 seconds to go. Make them earn it.

Also, I will agree with the fact that a referee should never look at the watch to determine a call. But the REAL WORLD is that they should, and do. In ever sport. To have played such a game then with less than 30 seconds left in stoppage time call a PK is a shitty way to determine the outcome of a game.

I wonder, does this show that "favorites" are being given some leeway or benefits to ensure that certain teams make it deep into the tournament. I certainly can see that "non-favorites" are getting royally screwed (i.e, US)...

Aussies & English

I might have to tread VERY lightly here, but I just don't see the foul called on the Australians in the league as some of the others that have been made to date.

Okay, Grosso "embellished" but the ref was not out of line in calling for the PK. And do not tell me that you don't make the call with 15 seconds left - the referee should NEVER look at the watch to determine the call.

I will need to take a look again at the replay from YouTube, but let me cast blame in a different direction. What the hell was Neill thinking going to the ground??? Whenever you slide tackle across the travel of play, you set yourself up for this call. Stand up, clear it out and give away the CK. Soccer is played on your feet, not on your arse.

I do wholeheartedly agree that this was a crappy way for the Socceroos to go, but I also don't see this call being as bad as some.

Let the name calling begin...

***

On another subject, what is it with all the England bashing? From the British press to Alexi Lalas to PowerLineBlog have had a field day on the Boys.

Let me state that other then a natural affection for the Anglosphere, I have no particular love or hate for the English. But I think they have been doing what it takes to win and move on. They have been solid, though not imaginative, and have been doing just enough to beat their opponents.

They are facing the match against Portugal without losing anyone to cards (Portugal will be down two starters); have been relatively injury free (with obvious apologies to Michael Owen); certainly have not been dominated by anyone and with Rooney looking better with each touch.

Further, to plagiarize from a comment I made elsewhere: I do not understand all the antagonism toward Beckham. It seems to me that he has had a pretty good tournament. 1 goal (plus the own goal off of his kick) plus 2 assists - more than the whole US team can say.

The guy is 31 and reminds me of Lawrence Taylor in his later years with the Giants. He has lost a step, but commands attention on the field and will occasionally show a flash of what made him an all world player. The goal he scored was beautiful...EVERYONE knew it was coming, but he still pulled it off.

Paul Mirengoff (an Everton fan for God’s sake) stated: “England prevailed…, but for the fourth straight match did not play anywhere close to the level required to challenge for the Cup.” Three more underwhelming 1-0 wins and they are hoisting the Cup.

6.23.2006

?!

What do we care about hockey trophies...

What we care about is an explanation of "HOT Brazilian soccer fan chick who watched the game with us." Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Post Awards Analysis

Calder Trophy - SPOT ON! :)
Selke Trophy - SPOT ON! :)
Hard Trophy - SPOT ON! :)
Pearson Trophy - 1/2 & 1/2 here - I said I'd vote for Thornton but the league will favor Jagr.
Vezina Trophy - SPOT ON! :)
Norris Trophy - Swing and a Miss! Listrom is skilled but he wins more based on reputation of Detroit I think. You cannot question the guy's skill, but good faction and having won this 3 times before I think gave him a boost in the voting.
Adams Trophy - Swing and a Miss! I chose Laviolette for a few reasons, but his standing as the 'Canes coach has quite a bit to do with it. Considering the fact that the 'Canes weren't picked to make the playoffs, much let win the Cup, I'd say he did to exceed the preseason predictions than Lindy Ruff. HOWEVER, Ruff did a fantastic job with Buffalo, and is deserving as well. Close vote, 1 point difference. Ruff said it best though - "I'd trade him the point for that big silver cup he has over there". Look for Buffalo to be a contender next year as well.
Lady Byng Trophy - Swing and a Miss! I have no clue on this award. I guess it means "sportsmanship" on the ice, instead of quality person and sportsman on and off the ice? Not really sure. I like Brad Richards. But Datsyuk is a fine choice, and based on him having the least penalty minutes, well, umm, congratulations.

So, all told, 8 awards, I hit 4 1/2 of 'em. Better than the local weatherman.

*****

Chubby scored 2 goals yesterday! Lemme tell ya, despite the fact that he's following Diego Maragona into the "ex-soccer stars with expanding waistlines" club, Ronaldo can still turn on a dime and blast a rocket or drop a header into a square foot of space. Don't make him run, but find him in a miniscule open space and the guy can launch the ball into the net. So even as a model for Chunky Soup he's as dangerous as they come.

And OMG, kudos to the HOT Brazilian soccer fan chick who watched the game with us. Woo Woo! Thanks for the eye candy in the middle of the World Cup.

I agree with Jason Whitlock. Mark Cuban needs to be dealt with. His coach must be dealt with. But sorry, Mark, your team has already been dealt with....

Am I the only one kind of tired of Roger Clemen's shtick? It seems like each year it's "well, I'm not sure if I'm going to retire, I'll let you know". DECIDE early, not when you feel like it! Leaving the Astros hanging while you play with the kids and fish and hunt isn't cool. I don't care WHAT you've earned as a 300 game winner and such, you have more class than to ack like a primadonna. Of course, if the Astros didn't bend over and grab their ankles for him, this probably would have never taken place anyway...

6.22.2006

NOT Done with the NHL just yet...

Okay, time to make my choices for awards:

Calder Trophy (Outstanding Rookie)
Sorry Sidney Crosby, the next "Great One", but Ovechkin gets the nod over you.

Selke Trophy (Defensive Forward)
Rod Brind'Amour

Hart Trophy (MVP)
Joe Thornton over Jaromir - big Joe turned the Sharks into a powerhouse, his impact was immediate.

Adams Trophy (Coach)
Can anyone vote against Peter Laviolette and his guidance of the 'Canes to the Cup?

Norris Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman)
Niklas Lidstrom, on the powerhouse Red Wings, is an easy choice. But he was a whopping -4 in a first round knock out by the Oilers.
Scott Niedermayer was +5 in the playoffs; frankly, he was better for a worse team.
I'll go with Niedermayer

Lady Byng Trophy (Sportsmanship & Gentlemanly Conduct)
Ron Francis...oh wait, he retired. Brad Richards. I don't know why, I just like him.

Pearson Award (MVP voted by the players)
Who knows? I'd vote for Thornton again, but people have gone gaga over Jagr (much to my wife's dismay).

Vezina Trophy (Outstanding Goaltender)
Mikka Kiprosoff - just better stats than the rest. But here's to hoping Cam Ward wins it next year. :)

At least we don't suck as bad as Costa Rica

My Post-World Cup thoughts (of course, now that the US is out, I'm just a spectator hoping for an exciting tournament):

We CLEARLY are not as good as we think. We CLEARLY do not play with the same joy and passion and effort as the top teams (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Ghana) do. So we, as American soccer fans, need to change our outlook - as Tilam says "if you want into a bar and no one meets your standards, lower your standards". We must do this with the US soccer team. Based on this showing, we need to consider ourselves a lower tier team - face the reality, we have a BUTTLOAD of work to do here. Where to go from this point? I will leave that to Tilam in his post, I'm sure he has ideas. :)

We cannot score because we cannot finish. Good teams finish. Top teams finish. We didn't/don't. I don't know how many good chances inside the penalty box (or close to it) we had in the second half, only to muck it up time and again. You win because you put balls in the net, not off the crossbar and into the stands. Quality chances come so seldom, you need to bury them. And what is with this reluctance to shoot from outside the box?!

Eddie Pope, Landon Donovan, DeMarcus Beasley; all these guys have seen their soccer value/stock go down like a $3 whore. Anyone who thinks that Reyna was captain because of his stellar play is blind - he was (and potentially is) the most useless player on the field, next to the "no defense playing" Pope. Gooch barely kept his status. Dempsey and Mastreoni went up. Johnson, well, maybe. But the so-called big 4 didn't play like it.

All that being said, NEVER in my life have I seen such a stream of poor decisions by referees affect the outcome of a game - and I mean POOR decisions. I don't know how you can call a PK based on what happened in the game, can it be a significant anti-US stance? The Italy game was despicable refereeing, and I thought that nothing could top those assinine calls - except the PK that ultimately doomed the US. It is unconscionable to me to make a call like that, except if you really want a team to lose a game and, in our case, not advance. " Let's put the Americans back in their place." Of course, we had several opportunities to tie the game in the second half, but see my paragraph above about "finishing".

Ultimately, this wil drive many fringe soccer fans in the US away from the game of soccer. And that's a shame...

Wondering What Might Have Been

We have had a few entries on the quality of officiating in this Cup. The US's last two games (unfortunately) are a prime example.

Now let me state that I just don't think that the US would have advanced regardless, but both referees changed the fundamental nature of the game with their calls. I really and truly hate blaming the refs, but I hate an activist referee even more. You simply cannot predict what would have happened if the US would have maintained a man advantage or have been even. You also cannot know what would have happened if the US-Ghana game remained square - might the Ghanese have pressed more creating a counter opportunity?

But the fact remains that the US players were not putting itself in a position to win, and I think the coaching strategy was abysmal. It is time for the US MNT and Bruce to part company. He has done a fantastic job re-building the program from the '98 disaster, but like Grady Little of the Red Sox, he has taken them as far as he can.

And that isn't far enough...

6.20.2006

Straight from Stanley Cup Euphoria

NHL thoughts: the NHL was truly the winner in this series. QUALITY series, QUALITY hockey, and a fantastic set of conference and Stanley Cup contests. Granted, this squirrel is happy cuz he's found his nut, but overall, this was a dream post-season for Bettman and the league. Let's hope this is the start of a higher degree of popularity for the NHL.

Also, is there anyone better at calling a game than Mike Emrick & John Davidson? Davidson is so knowledgeable and Emrick is a happy lunatic, his joy evident in the way he called games with excitement and enthusiasm. Perhaps Gary Thorne & Bill Clement? Close, but not quite. Although I'll take either team, I love listening to Emrick at the mike. The 'Canes' announcer, Chuck Kaiton, is also a great play-by-play man, but TV is way different; although it was truly humorous listening to Kaiton fall all over himself trying to get the words out "empty net goal" for Williams, since he was so happy and ecstatic that the 'Canes were about to score the Cup clinching goal.

Noted Celebs in attendance: Cuba Gooding, Ronnie Franchise, Tim Robbins, Kid Rock (sporting a "hockey redneck" t-shirt), Kristi Yamaguchi (okay, so she's Mrs Bret Hedican),

Here's to another great season of hockey next fall.

*****

I think Phil said it best "I'm such an idiot". I don't think anything else needs to be said regarding this subject. I feel bad for him, but he has no one else to bonk on the head...

*****

Tilam has too much time on his hand to detail THAT much into the tie breaker and goal differential rules for the World Cup. That being said, his insight is surprising intelligent and fundamentally accurate.

*****

I LOVE to see Mark Cuban throw a hissy fit and twist in the wind. I hate that egocentric, arrogant, wanna-be professional athelete. I cannot fault him with the money he spends on making his team a winner, but he believes he is above rules and the game - berating the refs, ranting about them to the media and on his blog, and running onto the court at times. So, against all odds and logic, I am rooting for Shaq. Gosh it hurts me to say that! :)

*****

The Yankees suck right now. Don't argue, they do.

World Cup Round 2

Okay, after the first and second round of the World Cup, 8 teams have qualified automatically, 7 teams have no mathematical chance at qualifying and 17 teams are in contention. The next few days will be brutal on fans world wide.

Saturday's 1-1 US v. Italy game was both excellent (play by both side) and awful (how did the referee ever make it into the CUP?). The first red card against DeRossi was proper, but the red against Mastroeni was awful. It wasn't a cleats up tackle at all! I seriously doubt it was a yellow card offense, let alone a red card offense.

Pope's foul was a yellow card offense, but his first yellow card was an awful call. That said, what the hell was Eddie thinking? He has a yellow card on him, the referee has already tossed two players. Why risk that tackle? Given has spotty play, I am not sure the US will miss him.

But props to the boys in red, white and blue. Has they played like that against the Czechs, they could have won that game. They now face a must-win against Ghana (though we always knew that this games was going to be a must-win). And please, run up the score! If Italy wins and the US wins, we are in. If Italy-Czech Rep. tie, we are out. If the Czechs win and the US wins, then our magic number is 6, but if the US wins by 3, then our magic number is 5. The magic number is any combinations of goals scored by the US or against Italy.

Why? In tie breakers, after total points, you go to goal differential, The goal difference between the US and Italy is 5, so 6 total goals by the US or against Italy and we win by virtue of the fact that we will have 1 better goal difference then the Italians. At five, the goal difference would be even, so the next tie breaker is total goals scored. The US has 1 and Italy has 3, so the US must score 3 to beat the Italians on total goals. If they score only 2, the rest of the determination is based on head-to-head competition. Since US v. Italy was a 1-1 tie, they would draw lots.

6.14.2006

He asks me for my opinion?!

Top 3 Disappointments:

United States - despicable. That new Joga Bonita where they say "America, the world no longer looks forward to playing you" seems to be a bit premature...
England - BOOORING, only a LUCKY own goal saved their bacon from a horrendous draw.
The Dutch - never fail to come into the World Cup with hype and fall flat on their East-West passing asses.

I would not call the Brazilians a disappointment so far. Everyone KNOWS they cruise through the initial round robin, loafing around, doing just what they need to do to advance...then BAM, they come to life with a vengeance during the Medal round. The sleeping giant is still snoozing.

Top 3 Surprises

Socceroos mate! Put another shrimp on the barbie, and another shot in the net!
Ecuador - not sure if this is a BIG surprise against Poland, but still, I'd go with it.
T&T - my new George Mason pick. I love those guys! And even though they drew against a still standing Swedish team, they still have more points then the US.

Other news...

Ben Roethlisberger - just proves that you don't have to be smart to be a good quarterback. My vote for idiot of the week! Then again, maybe Peyton Manning should look into riding a 2 wheeler.

'Canes one win from the Stanley Cup. It's been a great series, and I hate to see the Oilers lose because I'm a fan, but tonight could be an exciting night in the Thew household, and not only because it's time for my monthly nookie with the wife!

Will Roger Federer EVERER beat Rafael Nadal? 1-7 versus the clay court specialist. BLEAH...

By the way, Tilam's O is never H...

Hey Ref, Your Seeing-eye Dog is S***ing All Over the Locker Room

Cross posted at SoccerBlog.

I thought I would open up a discussion on the officiating.

First a comment and a war (literally) story. I was a certified official for several years in the early 1980s in Illinois. Coming from the playing side (I still was playing in leagues in Chicago), I had some definitive opinions on refereeing. They were wrong.

IMHO, the first 10 minutes of the game make or break an official. During that time, you will either establish your credibility or cede the game to the players. A referee must be decisive, fair and right. Do this in the first 10 minutes and the rest of the game falls into place. No gamesmanship, no BS.

In mid-May 1982, I was assigned a game between two club teams; the English and the Argentineans. Look again at the date and look again at the clubs. I vividly remember the sinking of the British destroyer by an Exocet missile, because the game occurred less then a week afterwards. Within 6 minutes, there were 3 red cards and 4 yellows. During this time, a soccer game briefly broke out during a brawl. Taking the captains aside (who were friends incidentally), the three of us reestablished the game and it continued without incident (relatively speaking).

This was extreme, but my sense in watching the games this year is that a number of referees are ceding control to the players. Thoughts?

Round 1 is Done (Almost)

While the last game of Group H has not been played yet, I thought I would ask for your Top 3 disappointments and surprises.

Mine are:

Top 3 Disappointments:
1) US. Thank God for the Ukraine. At least we don’t have the most lopsided loss in the first round.
2) France. Out of sorts. Bickering amongst each other, Les Bleus have as big an internal challenge as the US does.
3) Brazil/England/Netherlands (Pick 'em). While I give the opponents credit, these teams need to step it up to make the deep runs expected of them.

Top 3 Surprises:
1) Australia. Go Socceroos! After the US is 3 and out, they may the team to cheer for.
2) Germany. Ballack who? Great pace and good football, though the Costa Ricans were not impressed with the hospitality.
3) Spain. A surprise only in that they disappoint so often. Pulling the scorers in the 55th minute was a sign of confidence.

Thew?

CNN Bias?

From CNN front page this morning:

"Boot muscle for Baghdad

About 70,000 troops, mostly Iraqis, are rolling out to dominate Baghdad's streets. They've got new uniforms and a unity-pushing name for the effort. But as the crackdown started, insurgent bombs went off, and people were still dying."

I guess no one died in the US (or Cuba or Somalia or Saudi Arabia) yesterday. Though if someone did, it was no doubt Bush's fault.

Is it me or is the tone of this paragraph defeatist? This past week represented the best week Iraq has had in a while (new cabinet, Z-man dead, several other Al-Killda honchos arrested), but CNN can't bring itself to pat anyone on the back. Afterall, someone, somewhere died.

6.13.2006

10 Spot

From Pete McEntegart:

"The U.S. soccer team played abysmally in a 3-0 defeat to the Czech Republic in its World Cup opener Monday. Coach Bruce Arena's highly touted team looked so unprepared for international play that Arena has emerged as the logical candidate to replace Larry Brown as Knicks coach.

Not even a good-luck call from President Bush before the game helped the Americans. On the plus side, though, at least the U.S. World Cup team has a well-defined exit strategy."

Cue laughtrack...

Improving the MNT

Cross-posted at SoccerBlog.

Shourin Roy asks the question: how do we improve the MNT and MLS?

I think one can look into improving our soccer level of play in two time horizons. First, what can we do to bring the level of play up for 2010? Second, what can we do to bring the level of play up for 2018 or 2022? (That for a later post.) I also believe the issues of how to improve the MNT and the MLS are separate.

Focusing on the MNT, I do not think there is a “miracle cure” or elixir for improving the MNT. I firmly believe that the 2010 MNT will be better (on paper) then the 2006 team. We have some rising stars (most notably Adu, but my guess is that different players will emerge as leaders), but I am not sure the “skill” level can be brought up in a short time. Face it, we have a finite group of players to pick from for 2010.

As a brief aside, I am also not sure we have a skill level problem. I think we have the talent to be a Top 15 team, maybe even Top 10. What there was a decided lack of yesterday was confidence and heart. If we played with the drive that Togo played with today or T&T against the Swedes, the results would have been different and better. How you instill heart in your players? Donovan and Co. SAID all the right things in the lead up, but their actions spoke far louder.
The answer is not in the MLS either, at least not short term. The standards of play will go where the money is, and for now the big soccer money is not in the MLS. Further, even if we could make the MLS rival the EPL tomorrow, all we would see is a shift in foreign talent from Europe to here. Where would the US players go? The Hungarian Football League? The Russian Premier League? (Christian’s proposal is feasible, but I am not sure it is workable. The MLS becomes a combination of a farm system and the Seniors Tour. It may work for the MLS, but I am not sure how it helps the MNT.)

So what would I do? First and foremost: stop this cupcake scheduling and play some real teams in the next four years. With the exception of Mexico, CONCACAF is not helping us. We need to rigorously schedule quality European and South American teams in the friendlies. To use a NCAA basketball analogy, we have to strengthen our “non-conference” schedule. We will learn more from getting our butts kicked by England, the Dutch or Italy in Europe then we will by beating Jamaica in East Rutherford.

It Is an Honor to Be Nominated...

I have been asked to guest blog at SoccerBlog.com. Aw, shucks. I will handle this like most guest bloggers and cross post with my entries here. Check out the site. Any fan of soccer will enjoy the commentary and video.

6.12.2006

More poopie to throw

Comments from the World Cup analysis/blog of Michael Davies:

5th minute - GOAL TO THE BAD GUYS. Nightmare, Eddie Pope and Gooch completely fail to stay with Koller and he head butts it in at about hundred miles per hour past his long lost cousin, Keller. That was the worst minute of the Gooch's footballing life.

Key Points: "...completely fail to stay with Koller..."

23rd minute - Another bad giveaway from Beasley; this guy is so unlike himself I'm starting to think he might actually be someone else pretending to be DaMarcus. Perhaps, DaOtherMarcus.

Comments: while eating a hearty steak during the game, Tilam and said this nearly verbatim.

36th minute - A poor defensive header from the Gooch and wham ... ahead of me laser-guided footballs blaze through the air (a Lichtenstein reference -- YES!!!) and GOAL FOR THE BAD GUYS. Rosicky blasts a furious slider past and away from Keller into the top corner.

Comments: see the pattern here?!

The last goal was a perfect beat down of the mostly ineffective offsides trap. And the Rosicky simply outran a battered and uninspired and disheartened US defense. No blame on Keller, only maybe 1 or 2 goalies in the world stop that breakaway. As this level 1v1 against the goalie is death.

Italy beat Ghana 2 nil...that's not a good result for us. The Italy game is a MUST WIN at this point. The Czechs will beat Ghana and hopefully draw against the Italians to win the pool with 7 points. Ghana should finish in 4th place in this pool. If the US draws against Italy and beats Ghana, then we must hope that Italy and the Czechs draw. That will give the US and Italy 4 points apiece, and it will come down to goal differential. Shoot...

Thew Was Too Kind

Even the "bright spots" were merely average, but wonderful in comparison to the overall effort. As Thew said, someone should keep on reminding the US that they were wearing BLUE.

When I played a dead giveaway about the confidence of the opposing player was the length of his strides. The longer the stride, the more confident they were. Small strides and we knew lunch was served. When you watch the game on replay, look at the baby steps the US players took with the ball.

There is no sugar coating this. It was a disaster. Often, you can look at positives in defeat (or in the case of England, negatives in triumph), but I don't see any right now. The best I can hope for is a tremendous kick in the ass. All the basics were missing. They were tentative, the passing (even short passing) was awful, there was NO anticipation, no hustle, they did not play as a team.

At one point I am watching the game at a local bar (late lunch) and Beasley was dribbling down field. I am watching him and thinking, "oh, no don't make THAT pass." The guy down the bar says, "oh, no," at roughly the same time. Beasley does (maybe a 13 yarder) and it is picked off cleanly by the Czechs. If two guys in a bar can tell what Beasley is doing, how does he have any hope against pros on the field.

Arena went with a different game plan the I would have - much more defensively oriented. (I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I read we were going with a 5-4-1.) That would have been good, if we can play defense! I always felt the defense was our weakest point and we needed to press the offense.

We are not eliminated yet, but the Boyz need to show much, much more.

I will let Tilam do the major ranting

Wow. Ok, not sure where to start here...

We played like shit. Like a team of 4th graders. Any American soccer fan who is not totally ashamed and embarassed and mortified at the complete lack of skill and desire displayed by the Americans should be deported to Siberia...and you know that Siberia won't want 'em.

To say it was ugly is rounding UP.
We can't trap.
We can't pass.
When we CAN pass, we can't pass to a blue shirt, we give it to the white shirts.
The Czech's won 95% of all 50/50 balls, and 90% of all other loose balls.
They ran, we jogged.
They had purpose and organization, we looked, in the most eloquent words of Randy Quaid in Days of Thunder - 'like a bunch of monkeys f**kin a football!'.
We are standing and watching on offense; worse yet, we are standing and watching on defense too.
Someone needs to tell the US that "showing up" isn't good enough. "Well, we tried hard" isn't going to cut the mustard. PLAY LIKE WORLD CUP SOCCER PLAYERS, not like out mother of mercy 4th grade catholic girls!
What the HELL is up with short corners? You hit it 10 feet to another guy and expect that guy to cross it into the box under Czech pressure? Drop it into the middle of the box right off the bat!

This game showed CONTENDERS v PRETENDERS. This US team will NOT beat the Czech's (of course), we will NOT beat the Italians, we'll be lucky to draw against Ghana. Unless there are wholesale changes in effort, philosophy, and we grow some balls and actually play SOCCER, I expect 3 and out - the only pressing question at this point is if we'll finish in DEAD LAST again. Despicable...

USA - Czech Rep.

To say the Americans played like shit, does a huge disservice to shit...

A more extensive rant to follow.

6.07.2006

Who wants to be a Lead Guitarist?!

I have no idea what "...Navel Gazing..." has to do with soccer. Until Now.

No, I cannot fathom the intent of Tilam's reference, but after some searching, I have realized that my dreams of becoming a lead guitarist and getting all the girls was sadly misplaced; I should have continued my soccer career. Top players get all the hot chix!!

6.05.2006

More Pre-World Cup Navel Gazing

SI has its Power Ranking out for the 32 World Cup Teams. I have some quibbles (Germany #2!), but it has it better than the FIFA Rankings. Like any Rankings, it is a lot of fun. One interesting point is that Jonah Freedman is certainly not jumping on the Czech bandwagon:

"Their No. 2 world ranking is, quite honestly, almost as overinflated as the Americans are at No. 5. Add to that a ridiculous rash of injuries, a load of aging players, rather pedestrian tactics and an unimaginative coach in Karel Bruckner, and the Czechs aren't nearly as intimidating as everyone's making them out to be."

Tell us what you really think, Jonah!

I also tripped over this "Greatest Team Ever" roster. That is the fun of a "Greatest Ever" team: the idea of watching Puskas and Pele on the same front line. (Don't know Puskas? Pele scored 77 goals in 94 international matches in the 60s, Puskas scored 84 goals in 85 matches in the 50s.) Some of the players (Eusebio at right striker/Lev Yashin at goalie) I am not so familiar with, but I will say it has a good mix of the different eras of soccer. I might have put George Best with Puskas/Pele, but I also would concede I might be over emphasizing potential versus performance. I also like DiStefano up front, and he in combination with Puskas, made Real Madrid THE most dominating force is soccer during the late 50s/early 60s. (DiStefano gets the sympathy vote too: how would you like to have scored a hat-trick in the 1960 European Cup finals and be the SECOND leading scorer for the team in the match?)

That is right 7-3 in favor of Real Madrid. Back when the striker was king. It is no accident that all the strikers (except Gullit) are pre-1970.

6.01.2006

USA, USA!

So what are the realistic chances of the US soccer team in the World Cup. On paper, things certainly don't look so good in the group of death. (Okay, I have come to agree that Group C is the 2006 Group of Death in caps.) But you could see a simple scenario play like this:

1 - 2 loss to Czechs;
0 - 0 tie with Italy; and
2 - 0 win against Ghana

with the US advancing on goal differentials behind the Czechs.

A more optimistic scenario takes into account the injury trouble of the Czechs and the Juventus referee fixing scandal plaguing the Italians.

1 - 1 tie with the Czechs as Gooch manhandles Jan Koller;
2 - 0 win against a distracted Italian club; and
1 - 0 win against Ghana with several players resting.

I will say the scheduling helps us. I think the Italians can sleep walk to a 1 - 0 win against Ghana in their Game 1, but Ghana is set up best against the Italian "defense first" game. (They are not particularly well-suited to beat the faster paced Czechs or Americans.) If the US plays well in the first two games it sets up a BIG match for Italy v. Czech Republic in their Game 3. Assuming the above and a "big" win for the Czechs against the Ghanese in their Game 2, the Italians must win big to advance and knock out the Czechs and the Czechs must win to advance and must win big to avoid Brazil in the next round.

There is also clearly the worst case scenario of three clean sheets and out, but I simply do not want to think about that.

Unity '08?

I seem to be reading a lot about "third party" candidates lately. By way of example, Unity '08 is an attempt to run an alternative ticket for President/Vice President in 2008. They frame their platform into "Crucial" (terrorism, national debt, etc.) and "Important" (gun control, abortion, gay marriage, etc.) issues. Though they are very careful not to stake out a position, it can be assumed that they would generally consider themselves "centrists." They are attempting to get a split ticket (Rep and Dem) as Pres and Veep, though not in any particular order. It is telling that they would like to draw their candidate from the "established" parties.

Peggy Noonan has her take on this in the WSJ today and points out that the divide seems to be a DC vs. USA or Elites vs. Everyman. I think she is on to something when she says that the government is out of touch, but the sickness runs deeper. Maybe she should characterize it as Royalty vs. Peasants.

The problem with a third party is that for one to really catch fire, it has to 1) make an enemy of that which it seeks to be and 2) remain loyal to his/her philosophy. By the first I meant that policy issues are not as divisive as you might think on the Crucial issues. Raise your hand if you are in favor of terrorism? A high national debt? Are you in favor of GREATER dependency on foreign oil? MORE corruption? I did not think so.

But the achievement of these goals are were reasonable minds differ and the difference comes down to one metric: the role of government. That is, do you believe a bigger governrment effort will make things better. I would suspect the problem with Unity is that they would say, "yes." I suspect most Americans would want a clear articulation on how much government is required to achieve all these laudable goals and IF the government should be a part of the solution.

I am a rabid free marketeer. I believe that given a blind choice between some government and a lot of government, I would choose NO government. But I also realize that there are times when government policy and resources are a good thing. The first, obviously, is national defense. The second is "interstate commerce" or more accurately refereeing the battle between the states (a largely underappreciated effort). Finally, there is the broad charge of providing for the "common good." I believe in a safety net for citizens that is real, but temporary (unemployment insurance is an example). We need to abolish Social Security and Medicare in their current form and replace them with something market based.

Beyond those...let's make the states be the accountable entity. Push the responsibility down the political food chain. Go as far as Town Meeting (remember it is not "a" Town Meeting or "the" Town Meeting, it is simply - Town Meeting). Cut federal taxes and let the states and localities decide was is worth spending money on.

An anti-government platform would ignite a third-party candidacy. Everything else is politics as usual.