Bruce Arena rolls the dice. If O'Brien and Johnson for Mastroeni and Cherundolo doesn't work then this one could turn ugly. Three at back could back fire but the game is lost at the moment anyway.
The Czech's are going to be quite happy to hold the ball and to wait for a chance. Poor marking from USA on a free kick and it could have so easily been 3.
The US has a tempo to their game unfortunately it is a slow tempo. They are never going to break down the Czech defense playing at this pace.
An hour gone and there is nothing to indicate the USA can comeback in this one. The Czech's are very comfortable. Every third USA pass is a chip - it is a complete waste of possession.
In the space of one minute we see the difference. Convey has a chance that he chips into the box only to have it intercepted. Nedved in a similar position, finds Lokvenc, and creates a half-chance.
Mr. McMahon, I just have to say that I am glad USA is getting beat soo bad just because of your and your fellow cohosts comments last night on Ticket to Germany. You gave 2 votes for USA win and only one tie! Are you kidding me!? Check Republic is one of the favorites in this world cup and such underestimation o####reat team by you guys is outrageous and it makes me sick. You need to start looking at things more realistically and realize that USA is 3 strikes and out. They have no chance agains Italy and maybe they can do something agains Ghana. My guess is that when USA plays Italy you will all pick USA again and underestimate the strength of Italy, which will lead to another "dissapointing" loss. Wake up MR. McMahon, it's 3:0 pm.
Anyone noticed that one US fan predicted 3:0 for Checks last night, and they all laughed at him saying what kind of fan is that when he picks agains his own team. Let me think, must be the only smart guy on the show last night :)
Not easy picking todays winner? Czecks are one of the favorites this year, have a great team full of stars, picking against them in this game was shamefull. What does US have? I agree that they should be optimistic and hope for the best but on TV they should be more realistic because everyone watches this channel, not just Americans. They are talking about US like they are truly 6th in the world like FIFA ranking is saying, when in fact US does not belong in top 20-30. I hope they will learn from this and be more realistic in the future so I don't have to be so harsh on them.
A good question was asked and I have to ask it again where was the poster child of MLS, and the U.S. National team, Landon Donovan was nowhere to be found, he’s a good young player but I was extremely!!! disappointed in his performance, and with the rest of the U.S. National team. Also last night show was more of a hope increase and increase in moral for the U.S. soccer team and the fans in making people believe that the US had a very good chance of wining, in reality any team has a chance to win, but a win would not come easy against Czech Republic, and last night the commentators outright underestimated the Czech Republic. The U.S. still can come out of the group stage but in reality in my opinion its not going to happen, Italy has more to play for than just establishing a name in history of World Soccer they want the cup and for the next show I hope you and your fellow comrades give a realistic report for the next US game and its never good to underestimate your opponent, as Italy is a strong opponent and you cannot deny the power, and skills of the Italian squad.
Mr. McMahon I hope you have a plan for a new job because after this world cup I would say that nobody will pay any attention to this team or sport in the US specially with your predictions from last night, it was a pleasant surprise 4 years ago to find out that an american team was winning something on asian soil, but now after all the interviews, media attention and advertising this team had is a disappointment how these guys and their coach behaved, it is my intention to say that officially after the germany loss months ago and this; the US soccer is DEATH.
LET'S TALK ABOUT NBA FINALS AND BASEBALL ALL STAR GAME please....
The US players and coaching staff were both outclassed and outworked by a much superior Czech team. The US players are whining, but, in all honesty, have no right to comment about anything. They showed no passion, no heart, no intensity and no courage out there yesterday. It was a disgraceful performance. The coaching staff’s comments after the game were equally appalling. They did not adjust or adapt to the Czech’s type of play. The Czech’s coaching staff had the US’s number from the start and Arena could not do a thing to retort. Both are to blame and both must look in the mirror at themselves, before pointing any fingers. 2nd class performance!
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
Thank you to all who take time to visit this blog and especially to those of you who post your comments and thoughts.
PS - If you have questions please post them on the regular Monday blog. I am unable to answer e mails posted to the inbox on this site.
And one more thing. If you have questions or complaints or compliments about programming please contact Fox Soccer Channel or Fox Sports World Canada directly. I have no control over what the stations televise.
