Why is the US fielding a team of reserves? Lack of respect for the competition? Is Bradley conceding that they have absolutely no hope of winning this match so might as well rest the first team? Critcs won't be able too read too much into a horrible result? What's the deal?
I am so sick of people complaining about this team, in the longterm no one cares if they win this tourney. This is an excellent chance for some young talents guys to play top notch internationals. And right now we are tied with Argentina! So go Bradley!!
Did you watch the gold cup? Even though we won, our supposed A team did not look this good. I am A ok with this team, you gotta look at the bigger picture, for the US it is all about preperating for the World Cup.
Rico:
I agree regarding the complaining and the opportunity to blood the younger guys.
Did you see the Argentine starting lineup? This should have been a blow out by now.
Good work by Keller and the positive attitude displayed by the US; at least up to half time.
Let's hope for another upset.
Arriba USA!
Here is the way I see it to further prove my point. We bring the A team, we maybe make it out of the round, but we won't win the tourney people will forget in a month, and we really prove nothing.
We bring this team, worst case scenario we lose every game. Best case, we make it out of the round our youngesters get invaluable experience for our boys as we prepare for the next world cup.
That and damn I wish we had a decent free kick taker!!!
This is a solid squad with of professional talent from europe and, incidentally the players with a chance of getting us out of the group stages in 2010. Bradley HAD to win gold cup. Now that he has his cake he can get a look at talent for the future.
As for those who feel we are disrespecting the COPA and won't be invited back-inviting the US squad brings fans and TV revenue-the reason we are the standby country for the 2014 and 2018 World cups (and possibly 2010 if South Africa doesn't get it's stadioums built). #### Crespo scores
What's killing us is that without Brian McBride or DeMarcus Beasley we've got nobody up front with the killer instinct. Sure we get the occasional flash but all in all there's no consistant pressure, and that's especially true of the MLS guys. There I said it. I'm sorry but that's just the way it is.
Looked good for 2/3rds of the game. Positives I thought were Demerit and Conrad. Here's hoping Wynne and Bornstein gain something from the experience because otherwise they were completely out of their depth. Clark and Feilhaber played well until they tired half way through the second half.
I don't think I have ever seen anything as quick as Messi when he hits top gear. Typical couple of goals from Crespo.
If you still an Arsenal fan and you've Thierry Henry's name or initials you in denial now change them and start your healing process. And this time I'd advice you to pick something that has to do with the club not players.
Further confirmation: there are no easy games in the sport and a squad of unknown, untested players, can complicate the lives of any side-- no matter how disciplined.
Milito was the weak link in the backline. Cambiasso didn't have much influence in the left, but Aimar did.
Impressive performance by Argentina. I understand the reasons that have been given as to why the US did not field its top team. However, one should never enter an invitational tournament without the intent of putting forth your best effort and team. While players for the US are "gaining invaluable experience" (supposedly), of the ones playing in the Copa only a very small percentage have even the slightest chance of making the US first team in WC qualifying. There are players on the U-20 team that have a GREATER chance of making the MNT than some of the players that are suffering at the hands of the Argentinians. I feel sorry for the US players - lambs to the slaughter. Truly unfair. Shame on Sunil Gulati. Either go full bore or do not go at all. In truth, it is Donovan and Beasley who "need the experience" - not Olsen.
Bobby, how can you not like the performance of Bornstien, I felt he shut Messi down. Wynne, got beat, but fortunatley his speed saves his ####. When Wynne learns not to depend on his speed to be a good defender, he could become one of the worlds best defenders. But he does have a ways to go on touch, and passing and crossing. Don't worry not getting ahead of myself.
And Atleti you took the blog down already? Your klling me!!
Bobby, I too feel like Bornstien was possibly our best player, Messi had to switch sides to become a threat.
Wynne got burned for the second and third goals, but in the long run he'll be better for it, his teammates can just tell him to stop acting like he's the #### b/c Argentina tore his butt to shreds.
Good luck to the USA(I have a feeling we'll need it)
This result is about what I expected after seeing the team roster, though for 63 minutes the U.S. certainly had their share of the play and never resorted to bunker ball. We definitely should have sent a stronger group. I agree with those who are mystified about Bobby's assessment of Bornstein. I thought he played very well for most of the game.
I do agree that this is a good chance to get some young guys some experience but then they stick Twellman up front? And Olsen in midfield? These guys have as good a chance at seeing the field in 2010 in Africa as I do and I'm old and fat. Oh well, the young guys looked good though, and better to get them some exposure to this type of football now, than in a world cup qualifier that means so much more I think. Did anyone else notice two things that bugged me too? 1-Gaven...seemed to be way too slow or carefree with his touches in midfield, not realizing how fast the Argentines would close on him and getting dispossesed everytime...2-Mapp...used the same move 4 times on the edge of the box to try to beat his defender and run around him only to be toyed with and knocked off the ball way too easily...geez those moves might work in MLS, but against Argentina? School was in session tonite. But actually, the team as a whole? I give them a passing grade tonite with no doubt, in spite of the lopsided/misleading scoreline
Gunner44;
I’m still trying to heal from Bergkamp’s departure !!
We are all in denial about one thing or another regardless of our blog ID’s.
As to changing our logon: I have tried but apparently the FSC blog registration archive and/or FSC server is tying our blog logon to our PC’s IP address and will not allow for a user name change.
What’s the secret solution?
Next time I think I’ll go with “Wenger” as my ID since we all know he will be at Arsenal forever….
Bobby, incorrect about Bornstein, he is inexperienced but played well
Espana - wrong, now Bradley can see how more young talent plays at the top level, he'll be heading North as soon as he is able.
He will also get the coaching experience for himself, and as no one expects a win, there is no pressure, possibly this helped the team against the Argies
A promising performance
4 4 2 rocks
twellman & johnson need time to gel, they may a be good combination
Bornstein good
Keller one fluff and one blinding save
Olsen OK
Mapp in too deep
Demerit Conrad good
Wynne Ok with some promise
Feilhaber excellent
Clark OK
Will Bob make changes for the game against Paraguay, a draw will still keep them in the hunt for the next round.
I'm still not sure whether Bob is the right man for the US MNT job but this performance speaks to me of his managerial nouse.
If you get GolTV you can watch an english language broadcast (just go to your TV options), Roy Hudson (I think I got his name correct) is a blinder of a commentator / analyst
Completely agree with Bobby McMahon - Bornstein and Wynn were not good. I thought the two central defenders played OK, but not great. I couldn't tell whose fault it was that Aimar got completely free for his header, but it was pretty embarrassing that he got that free - I suspect one of the central defenders should have gotten there and cleared it.
That said, I thought the problem was not really the defenders, but rather the midfield. They simply could not hold the ball, so our entire attack was limited to kicking long balls up to EJ and hoping to make something of that. And if you give the likes of Messi, Riquelme, etc. too much time with the ball, they are eventually going to be able to get it to someone in scoring position. We needed better midfielders in the second half.
BTW - also agree with Espana - we should have brought out best team to this tourney. I really don't see what we get out of the Gold Cup. Our "A" team - Landon, Beasley, Dempsey, etc. - have plenty of experience playing games against the likes of Guatemala and El Salvador (even Mexico). What they DON'T have is a lot of experience playing big games against the likes of Argentina. And that's what we need if we are going to play well in the World Cup.
Not sure what match people were watching. I thought that Argentina where stroking the ball around like a day at the park. They were just going through the motions. No panic or concern. The US team did keep it close but that is what happens when you put eleven behind the ball. Seemed to me that Argentina was poking and proding to find the opening. The US got a clinic in what possession and give and go passing. IT was so bad that the lads became quickly tired. I also noticed A LOT of BALL Watching. As one can clearly see, the US team plays to slow and lacks any creativity or vision in their play. I do not think with the additions of Donovan, Beasley, Dempsey, would have made much difference.
Let's deal with facts and remember almost every member of Argentina's starting 11 plays for a perennial contender for the Champion League or their domestic top flight league titles. Don't dismiss that.
Argentina was patient, marvelously skillful and consistantly smart. The US with a "B-or C" side played defensively and paid for it in the end. Bradley's defensive tactics and lack of attacking solutions delivered a predictable result although I did not think they would hold Argentina for 60 plus minutes.
I believe the core of the US's problem is that it lacks creativity in midfield and our attack is just not attack minded.Taylor Twellman is just not a quality striker, period.
He has had enough exposure as a MNT member and IMHO does not cut it.
Eddie Johnson showed a bit of a resurgance but I don't understand why he doesn't run at goal when he has no help, he always seems to pull up and slow the game up.
Our defense played admirably. Bornstein owned Messi for most of the match. Wynne was okay. Conrad and DeMerit played well considering who they were dealing with and Keller is a terrifc shot stopper but has always been less comfortable coming off his line and policing the 6 yard box.
Feilhaber and Clark were adequate. Mapp was okay defensively but just did not have any creative spark and constantly delivered poor crosses. Olsen played his usual defensive MF game and was never a threat offensively.
Our subs? No impact. We ran out of gas against a fabulously talented side that has something to prove and IMHO will win this tournament. I love watching Argentina play.
Last edited by gongatore on June 29th at 10:12 AM.
I agree that Argentina kind of hung out at times and passed around but I think that shows you how hard those guys were working for 65 or so minutes. With the lineups played Argentina should win 4-1.
I thought Bornstein played great and shut Messi down when he was on the right. Wynne looked lost and appears to have a long way to go internationally. He kept the whole Arg team onside on the first goal and was beat all night long no matter who was on the left.
I think if EJ puts that much effort into every game he plays going forward, he could end up where he ultimately wants to be which is Europe. He needs to play with a chip every game. He did slow down a few times when he should have used his speed but this tournament should help him immensely.
Arsenal sent its kids to the domestic cup competitions. Not exactly the same situation, but there are similarities! From a positive standpoint, it speaks to a long view and to some growing strength of the MLS. On the negative side, it's unfortunate that our league timetable forces us to make concessions at times when credibility concerns encourage us to put our best foot forward (thinking also of DCU and Dynamo possibly being weakened by the pre-season timing earlier this year...).
I am on a mission of education...
It would be nice if we could bring our "A" team to Copa America BUT...
..Bradley couldn't as Copa America isn't an 'A' event for CONCACAF. The players who are on regular starters who also figure into their Euro club's regular first XI or are one of the first 3 off the bench weren't released. Bradley has said as much. Nor did their clubs have to release them according to Chapter XIII Article 36 of the FIFA regulations.
Also, we lost some to the U-20's which is a FIFA international event which is a must release for clubs according to the same passage.
The only solution would be to straight up decline the invite. However, we have a lot of youngsters who we wanted to take a look at to see if they could contribute anything in the future.
So far it's not all that bad. We looked OK for 2/3 of a match against one of the top 5 teams year in and year out on the planet using what can be called at best, our C team.
It's not all gloom and doom. These kids and Bradley will know where they stand after this trial by fire and that's a good thing.
If clubs would not release the players, then nothing truly could be done about this - agreed. If this is true, documentation of this would be appropriate and not heresay. Do you find it odd that European based US players would not be released from their clubs yet European based Argentinians were released? This is unlikely considering the Argentinians are far more valuable to their teams than US players (Messi, Aimar, Crespo). Once again, this is possible, by doesn't seem plausible. Donovan simply did not want to play citing a need to rejoin his club team (LA would have released him). I am a phenomenal supporter of the US and avidly follow the team and individual players. I also am objective enough to know that constructive criticism helps to improve and drive people and situations. If the US wants to evolve from a big fish in a small pond to a big fish in a big pond, mentality must change. Passion must be parleyed into growth and development.
It will be interesting to see how we play against Paraguay on Monday. I think Bornstein is definately going to be a valued member of the squad in the future. He is young and learning. I honestly don't think having our A-team would have mattered. US players still don't have the vision on either half of the field to compete with a tean the likes of Argentina. It is coming but will take time. I am impressed with the progress that has been made in just the last 10-15 years. To me the key is MLS. If it takes off in the future and is able to offer big money to big time players it will have a huge affect. It will give the US players the quality playing time needed to accell at the "beautiful game".
Last edited by Soccer_Nut69 on June 30th at 8:21 AM.
OK, we can disagree on Bornstein.
What about Mapp, oft touted as the a future US MNT star he was pretty mediocre against Argentina, seemed out of his depth. Thompson (NE Revolution) may be a better prospect on the right.
From what I saw of the U20s Adu wasn't particularly good either?
1. Bornstein was amazing. I'm a Barca fan and haven't seen anyone play this well against Messi all year.
2. EJ had an excellent game in my mind. He latched on to every ball and held it up well. I would like to see him run at the D like he started to do in MLS this year. His speed will cause problems for anyone. He just doesn't realize that on this level yet.
3. Olsen. No idea why people hate him. I've always wanted to see him on the national team. He's a much better player than people give him credit for and plays his heart out every game. He was awesome.
4. Wynne. Excellent! A debut for the national team and against a loaded Argentina away from home? Are you kidding me?! Can anyone possibly expect anything better than what he did out of him. I saw this kid in the U20 WC and told everyone to watch him. He's so quick that even when he screws up he's able to recover.
5. Central D. From everything I have seen Conrad is our best CD. Period. I feel safe with him back there and he always makes correct decisions. Gooch is overrated and scares the #### out of me. Our starting D should ideally be Conrad and Boca.
6. Mapp. Excellent game. It's hard to expect him to run past the best defenders in the world like he does in the MLS.
7. Feilhaber did very well. What a world class pass to EJ for that run that resulted in the PK. Wasted his free kick though. Love this kid... ever since I saw him in the same U20 WC I mentioned earlier.
8. Clark was excellent. Not sure why you didn't notice how much defensive work he did and how safe his passing was
9. Keller's gotta go. He looked shaky in the Gold Cup and did not do well in this game. He can't be blamed for the goals, but he stayed on the line twice when he should have cut the angle down. He looks like he's lost his confidence and swagger. Way too much hesitation. Keller playing serves no purpose because he's gonna be gone by the next WC anyway.
10. DeMerit did well. That guy always battles like crazy. He did a lot of that for woeful Watford this year.
11. People are a bit tough on Twellman. I thought he didn't play that badly. He earned both of the dangerous FKs we had (wasted both). Having said that I'm starting to lose hope that he can score at the international level. I was one of those people who were very upset that he got cut from the WC roster, but he needs to stop being unlucky for the nats to keep his place. I think you guys are being too harsh though because he does battle and does get chances. He's been unlucky, but I think that once a few go in he'll be fine. He does need to play a little quicker when ge gets the ball. This is not MLS.
12. Gaven was absolutely atrocious. He wanted more time upon receiving the ball than I can expect in a Sunday morning pickup game. He didn't get it and lost it every single time. He's had a bad year in the MLS too. Why is he on this team?
13. Beckerman looked good in the little time he spent on the field.
14. Can't really judge Gomez. Played little and didn't get the ball much.
15. The score really flattered Argentina. It was a much tougher game for them than the score indicates.
Just to clarify about Mapp. While he didn't have a very good game offensively he worked his butt off and played very well defensively - something that he's often accused of not doing. He definitely didn't coast.
Olsen was a ball winning monster in midfield.
Bhoys - I actually don't know what match were YOU watching. Suggestion - ingest less beer during a course of the game and you might see what everyone else sees. US DID NOT put 11 men behind the ball at all! They actually kept possession quite well in midfield until they got tired.
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