Jamaica couldn't see Clint Dempsey, will Panama?
Update:
No Donovan in the starting 11
USA lineup: Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Lichaj; Bradley, Jones; Bedoya, Kljestan, Dempsey; Agudelo
It’s the United States.
It’s Panama.
All over again.
Probably for the right to play Mexico in front of 90,000 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
The States will attempt to keep their midfield from being stretched while Panama will look to bunker more than counter in this one.
Most expect a big States win. 1-0, 2-0 after Panama starts pressing, perhaps?
Starting line-ups coming up.
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The Shin Guardian 
Posted by Alex on 2011/06/22 at 3:06 PM
Supersub Landy D. I can dig it. Tell Bedoya to run hard for about 45-65 mins then Landon comes in for the deathblow. Really think Bedoya can finally net one today though. Just have that feeling, and he’s looked so dangerous and energetic lately.
Posted by elizabeth on 2011/06/22 at 3:50 PM
Bedoya scoring wouldn’t suprise me. And to be honest, neither would Lichaj. He almost had one against Jamaica and he looks pretty dangerous on the flank
Posted by Isaac on 2011/06/22 at 3:07 PM
Wow…..Donovan NOT starting….. again…….
Well…….. If it ain’t broke…….
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 3:13 PM
I never thought I’d be excited to see Landon not starting, especially less than a year after Algeria. But I’m gonna take this as a sign of progression for our team.
Also, this saves Dolo’s legs a little bit. Bedoya on the right wing keeps Stevie from having to come up the right wing every time down the field.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 3:25 PM
Ever since Bradley released the roster, he’s been riding a series of “I’d better be right here” decisions. Confusing.
Posted by matthewsf on 2011/06/22 at 3:31 PM
http://twitter.com/#!/shinguardian/status/83658592028340224
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 3:34 PM
Can the U.S. pass through a lineup with an equal number of midfielders? Will Agudelo get isolated? Do Goodson/Boca have the pace to hang with Panama? Will the game be decided before I leave for the Caltrain to enjoy the sweet wonders of America’s most scenic ballpark? (Yeah, more than Wrigley.)
Posted by Rich on 2011/06/22 at 5:56 PM
I went to the Giants game last night. Unbelievable implosion by Bumgarner giving up 8 earned runs on 9 hits to the first 10 batters (at least he struck out the opposing pitcher). First time I’ve seen a starting pitcher pulled after 1/3 inning. Great experience at AT&T Park though. Enjoy!
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 4:08 PM
The thing about Bedoya is that he is exceptional at defending one-v.-one.
Posted by Jen on 2011/06/22 at 4:11 PM
I love the way the Univision guy says Lichaj.
Posted by Soccernst on 2011/06/22 at 4:12 PM
Leeeeeeeeeeeeee-hi!!!, ortra vez Leeeeeeeeehi! That was an unexpected lol moment from the univision guys.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 4:16 PM
Panama appears to realize Eric Lichaj is right-footed. Only took two opponents to figure this out!
Posted by cfig on 2011/06/22 at 4:19 PM
Only about half full here, LOTS of green outside. Very pro-USA so far tho.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 4:29 PM
Shaun – please volunteer your services to FSC! Listening to Dellacamera and Martino is painful.
Posted by Jen on 2011/06/22 at 4:31 PM
Man, Stevie C should have like 5 assists already in this tournament. So close Juan.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 4:35 PM
Yeah, it was a great cross.
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/22 at 4:37 PM
I’m I the only person who thinks maybe Jamaica just maybe made Kljestan look good?
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 4:39 PM
In the sense that Jamaica allowed the U.S. more possession, sure. The U.S. is playing too helter-skelter for Kljestan’s skills to be used to good effect.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 4:42 PM
Forgot he was on the pitch – he’s been anonymous.
Posted by KickinNames... on 2011/06/22 at 7:41 PM
Except when he was giving away the ball. His touch under pressure is atrocious.
Posted by Jared on 2011/06/23 at 5:08 AM
Yeah, the Klejstan experiment needs to be over against tough competition.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 4:38 PM
Panama has the physical advantage at several positions–our guys keep on getting bumped off of the ball on legal physical challenges.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 4:46 PM
US playing a very narrow back four out of possession.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 4:47 PM
Or back three to some people!
Posted by BernieBernier on 2011/06/22 at 4:48 PM
Landon for Sasha at half move Dempsey in the hole?
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 4:57 PM
Yeah, I think Landon’s got to come on at the half. Not much more than five minutes in, certainly.
Posted by americanfutbol on 2011/06/22 at 4:58 PM
I’ll second that motion.
Posted by Jake Claro on 2011/06/22 at 4:56 PM
Sasha needs to go. Frankly, I wasn’t awed by his performance against Jamaica and his play thus far today verifies my apprehensions.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 5:00 PM
After Agudeo hit the woodwork, I thought he was going to rifle it in. Got stage fright, me thinks…
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 4:56 PM
Juan, you’ve got to finish that header, son. Not sure about the foul called on him in the Panamanian box after that play, though. Sure looked like the Panamanian jumped over his back.
Damn, Baloy is a beast.
Posted by Jake Claro on 2011/06/22 at 4:59 PM
Agudelo has been overall good, but there has been a few occasions where he was slow in finding a supporting run(s) and keeping the counterattack going.
Posted by Jake Claro on 2011/06/22 at 5:00 PM
*good overall
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/22 at 5:23 PM
Now that he’s gone Sascha is looking better. The US are losing it in the middle.
Posted by Eric on 2011/06/22 at 5:24 PM
HERE HE COMES…
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 5:24 PM
Oh god no. Freddy Adu.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 5:26 PM
“HEY! I KNOW! I’LL THROW A SLIGHT PLAYER WHO CAN’T TAKE A CHALLENGE AND NEEDS TIME AND SPACE INTO AN ILL-TEMPERED, PHYSICAL GAME IN WHICH MY OPPONENTS ARE SKILLED AT DENYING TIME AND SPACE.”
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 5:32 PM
And there’s your first example of Adu getting bumped off of the ball on a nothing challenge. There’s a reason he’s in the Turkish second division, Bob.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 5:34 PM
Freddy Adu is the only black hobbit in the world.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 6:17 PM
It’s not Adu’s size that’s disqualifying, it’s his balance. If you compared adu and David silva, you’d think both would be about equal in withstanding challenges; if anything, that Adu would be better. And yet Adu is disturbed by the slightest of challenges and you need a two-by-four to get the ball off of Silva.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 6:29 PM
Or Lionel Messi, for that matter.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 6:35 PM
Messi has such a thick lower body–probably the thickest of the three. So not as surprising as Silva for me.
Posted by Joamiq on 2011/06/22 at 6:06 PM
Yeah, that clearly didn’t work at all. Oh wait
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 6:19 PM
Just because something works doesn’t mean it was the right move.
Posted by Joamiq on 2011/06/22 at 6:27 PM
But… it was. Sure, sometimes he dances with the ball too much, but he’s also one of the only players we have capable of doing something with the ball before defenders as organized and tough and quick as Panama’s close in. Only someone really determined to hate on Bob Bradley would refuse to admit that this was why Bradley inserted him, or would ignore the fact that once inserted, Adu dictated the play when he had the ball rather than reacting to the defense, which is all that most of the rest of the team did. Did he turn the ball over a couple of times? Sure. But you can’t score goals unless you take those chances.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 6:33 PM
You can’t dictate play if you have the stuffing beaten out of you. Of the first three possessions Adu had, two of them ended with Adu sprawled on the ground. The first had that pass, but that was the
consequence of a Panamian mistake. There’s no reason Agudelo couldn’t’ve punished panama equally well on the break, and plenty of reason to believe Adu would spend most of the time losing the ball because he can’t hold onto it.
This isn’t some idea I came up with specifically to hate on Bradley–I’ve been saying it for ages now.
Posted by Joamiq on 2011/06/22 at 7:04 PM
There’s nothing inherently wrong with plays that end up with a player on the ground, and yes, you can dictate play before you get knocked down. Getting knocked down itself might mean that you’re causing the opposition so much consternation that they can’t do anything but foul you. Look, “that pass” was brilliant. There’s no getting around it. Agudelo holds up the ball pretty well, but he hasn’t shown that kind of vision in distributing the ball, on top of which, he was pretty gassed in the second half. His effectiveness was clearly lower than it had been in the first half. More than anything, the entire team looked out of ideas. A lot of square and back passes. No running off the ball or with the ball and no incisive passes. Yes, Adu gets knocked off the ball easily. But he also shows some initiative and can operate quickly in tight spaces. It wasn’t just that one pass, by the way – he had a couple of other great plays as well, especially the time he used a mix of hesitation and sprints to make something out of nothing on the right and deliver a ball that really should have at least resulted in a dangerous chance. His ball skills were also really useful in retaining possession to kill the game off (and, I must point out, he held the ball pretty well without getting knocked off after those first couple of plays). This is all stuff that, by the way, Adu has done in the past, and stuff that almost no other US player has done. It would be unfair not to believe that Bob saw something in training that made him think that Adu could do this effectively in the situation the team found itself in today. I mean, you don’t put in a player who hasn’t played in two years by accident. It was a risky but smart move, and it was the right move. In this situation, it worked. In others, it might not – Adu has deficiencies, clearly. But you have to give the coach credit for making the right call today. If he’d listened to you, this match would have gone to penalties.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/23 at 12:13 AM
There’s nothing inherently wrong with plays that feature players knocked on their backside. Nevertheless I think anyone being objective would concede that if a player gets knocked on his backside, and it’s not a foul, guess what? You lost the ball. That’s Freddy Adu: a guy who will lose the ball because he will get knocked over again and again because he has no balance and no speed to separate himself from defenders. A perfect example came on the first lost ball from Adu: he actually beat a guy, but didn’t have the speed to separate himself…so he ended the play on his ass and without the ball. It doesn’t matter how creative you are, or what skills you can do on the practice pitch, if you lack the ability to express it on the field on a consistent basis. Adu doesn’t have that ability. I hope Bradley doesn’t get it in his head that he can, because he’ll probably fail.
And, sure, Bradley can see what he wants in practice. But he’s also seen things from Onyewu in practice and Robbie Findley in practice. His judgment is not only not infallible, but often times pretty shaky. There was no reason to expect the Freddy Adu substitution to work, and he got lucky for it to have worked. Sometimes if you draw for an inside straight you get the right card. That’s poker. That’s soccer. That’s life. I wouldn’t plan on it though.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 5:36 PM
Especially goofy, I think, since Agudelo had actually been playing OK-to-well.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 5:37 PM
He was gassed…and I think Bob wanted him fresh for the next Gold Cup.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 5:39 PM
Gorgeous ball from Freddy. Still a dumb sub.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:10 PM
Give credit where credit is due. There was a tonne of space opening up as players got tired. Maybe if the space wasn’t there, Bradley doesn’t bring him on? Who knows?
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/22 at 11:53 PM
which is approximate 1.1 american tons.
A lot of space, but nonetheless, at first it looked like Adu was more likely to make his contribution to the game in the form of a card.
Posted by Eric on 2011/06/22 at 5:25 PM
Breaking out the nuclear weapon… ADDDUUUUU
Posted by Eric on 2011/06/22 at 5:26 PM
Hope it works… everyone looks tired. Are we going to go to 3 in D?
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 5:26 PM
I was just looking at the subs thinking what change can be made around 70mins. The I saw a shot of Adu. Wow. Did not see that coming.
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 5:28 PM
Jesus, Bob, you just lost me.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 5:33 PM
Hey Bob…in the words Vizzini: “DID I MENTION THAT YOUR JOB IS AT STAKE?!?!”
If I’m found dead of a stroke tonight, blame it on Bob Bradley and Freddy Adu.
Posted by kaya on 2011/06/22 at 5:40 PM
Nice bait and switch to the right side… twas Adu that found the space for Landycakes =)
Posted by david on 2011/06/22 at 5:41 PM
Adu with the left to donovan. Big LD with the cross to dempsey!!! GOAL! About time we have a proper lefty to make those crosses.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 5:41 PM
Bob Bradley, riverboat gambler.
Posted by BernieBernier on 2011/06/22 at 6:47 PM
I need someone to explain to me how to reconcile bunker defense/rope a dope conservative Bradley with bench Donovan twice use Adu as a a sub riverboat gambler Bradly.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 5:45 PM
“Dempsey was so close that it would’ve been almost criminal to call offsides.”
Has everyone forgotten how much we got shafted last summer?
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:51 PM
I did not realise how close it actually was until I saw the replay…
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 8:10 PM
Close enough that I thought it was going to get called back…I was watching Dempsey the moment Landon started to mosey into the box. My kid brother and my mother can both attest that I was screaming at him to stay onside…and if I’m honest, I don’t think he was. At least, FIFA would’ve called it back, even though the attacker’s supposed to have the advantage.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 8:19 PM
When Wynalda was showing the frame-by-frame replay after the game, he seemed hesitant to show the whole play [Dempsey’s exact position when Donovan kicked the ball forward]… plus the camera angle he showed didn’t look along the line. I would have loved it if Sky covered this game because there would have been 50 camera angles to look at!
Posted by Brian Markwart on 2011/06/23 at 2:00 PM
I was afraid that Dempsey was offside when I saw it. In fact when Deuce was pointing at Landon during his celebration, I thought he was pointing and yelling at the ref, but you can see from this angle that he is clearly not offside.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 5:46 PM
Aren’t you glad Dempsey did not start on the right?
Posted by AdamFromMich on 2011/06/22 at 5:49 PM
Why didn’t Bradley shoot???
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 5:51 PM
Why did Bradley dilly dally on the ball a moment earlier – Dempsey was pointing where he wanted the ball to be played, and he would have been in on goal.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 6:26 PM
Bradley has been very poor the past two games with the number of leisurely touches and the soft weight of his passes. The U.S. needs to play at a faster tempo and Bradley is the chief culprit in making it slower than it needs to be. THIS is where we miss Holden.
Posted by mbw on 2011/06/22 at 6:27 PM
He did that a lot tonight. His level has dropped off sharply since the group phase.
Posted by syght on 2011/06/22 at 6:41 PM
Bradley had a real poor night.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:52 PM
Do you think it is a function of match fitness / sharpness from sitting on the bench for close to 6 months?
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 5:58 PM
Phew.
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/22 at 5:58 PM
Michael bradley is performing so horribly. Its like he’s thinkijng too much out there. He’s had over a doze chances to switch play or find a teammate in a good position. Terrible. On the ither hand, my MOTM is Pepe Baloy. An absolute monster the whole tournament for Panama. Shut our s#*+ down both using his team and individually. Bradley was tactically destroyed today. We only won because we have better players IMO. Panama desrved to win today
Posted by Joamiq on 2011/06/22 at 6:03 PM
Michael Bradley was excellent until he hit a wall around the 75th minute or so. I worry about his fitness for the final.
BB’s insertion of Adu was only slightly short of genius. It was, despite what some of the commenters here seemed to think, EXACTLY what was needed. Without Adu, this game is still in extra time right now.
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/22 at 6:10 PM
I totally agree with you on Adu. He seemed to have something no other USMNT player. besides bedoya early on) had. OFF BALL MOVEMENT. Not to mention the vison and creativity.
On bradley, I disagree. Although his indecison and foot-glued-to-balll syndrome might be a product of the US’s off-ball stagnation, i still think he spent way to much time on the ball. Midfielders dictate play by making quick passes and switching play among other things. Bradley did neither
Posted by Joamiq on 2011/06/22 at 6:23 PM
I think that’s somewhat fair. He does spend a bit too much time on the ball (and I do think you’re right – we just don’t move off the ball, and it’s terribly frustrating). But I think he was OK for most of the game and just got really, really slow to do anything by the end of the game.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:06 PM
It really was a tough fought game. I honestly thought that the US would win more comfortably, precisely because you have better players. But saying that, Panama only created a couple of half chances – difficult to say that they deserved the win, but perhaps a little unlucky if that makes sense?
Agree about Baloy – he was like a magnet at times.
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/22 at 6:22 PM
I’d like to see a stat on passes completed in the opponents half. I think panama takes the cake with that one. But in general, panama looked way more dangerous in the attacking third and pushed US to the limit regarding bend and bend some more defense. Their ball movement (on and off) was sublime.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:38 PM
That’s just the thing though – you can look at those sorts of stats til you’re blue in the face – they didn’t create that much, did they?
Sasha Kleijstan was very disappointing today. He had such a big opportunity to get in Bob’s head for the final…
Posted by Joamiq on 2011/06/22 at 7:13 PM
I disagree. They created very few real chances. They never really looked like they were going to score.
And I don’t think Panama would be ahead on that stat either. The US strung together over a dozen passes in the Panama half on multiple occasions. Those passes just weren’t very dangerous for the most part.
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 6:04 PM
I wonder if Panama are legit contenders for 2014, or if they just match up really well against us.
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/22 at 6:16 PM
Both
Posted by Jared on 2011/06/23 at 5:34 AM
They are legit contenders if they can find some consistency. It seems like they will go through stretches where they look like they belong at the top of Concacaf and then stretches where it looks like they have never played the game before. Big questions will also be how long Blas Perez and Baloy can play at the top level as both are now 30.
Posted by donumdei on 2011/06/22 at 6:04 PM
First half was good and, my God, Jones had a ton of energy today. Great too see. But is it just me or did we seem to stop trying again in the second half? It’s like we only alot so much energy per showing and, if we have a really energetic half, it’s time to shut down. Can we not play with stamina and purpose for an entire game against a challenging opponent anymore?
Posted by JW on 2011/06/22 at 6:18 PM
Yeah, Coach Sweats earned some respect tonight. Both subs and a position switch combine on the goal. Freddy Adu looks dangerous when surrounded by tired legs, good weapon to bring on late, but for now not much more. Was so glad to see Donovan take someone on there… he looked hungrier than normal, and that’s a good thing.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:18 PM
Big ask: anybody know where I can watch the 2nd SF in English?
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 6:27 PM
Probably CONCACAF.com.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 6:48 PM
Cheers – thought of that, but cannot find my HDMI cable…. can’t bring myself to watch on the laptop when I have a 50″and 5.1 system…
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 7:09 PM
Be honest: do you want Mexico to win so that you have a US vs Mexico final, or would you prefer to avoid them?
Posted by Jake on 2011/06/22 at 7:50 PM
Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Posted by Spiritof76 on 2011/06/22 at 7:53 PM
US vs either side would be a good game. The first half of the Honduras/Mexico game is great. Physical, fast, skillfull, back and forth, but Mexico is clearly the stronger side, are on-form, and are not a team that I want to be standing between us and anything.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/22 at 8:52 PM
Clearly superior? Must’ve missed the memo on that one.
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 8:01 PM
Well, I want them to lose this game, not because I want to avoid them, but rather because I always root against Mexico these days – and I put a chunk of money on the US to finish ahead of Mexico in this tournament, so I’d rather not have that weighing on me Saturday as well.
Posted by Braden Lang on 2011/06/22 at 8:02 PM
My dream final is a win against Mexico. My first priority is a win for the tournament. Also, I hate the Mexican National Team (just how rivalries work where I’m from) I’m cheering for Honduras, but expect Mexico to win and will not be disappointed if they do. Should Honduras win, I’d be happy tonight, but I’d feel ambivalent about it tomorrow.
Posted by CJ on 2011/06/22 at 8:05 PM
Def want Mexico to win! I live for watching teams play their rivals and best football. If we lose and it’s an showcase of both sides skill and desire to one up the other, I don’t mind the loss. A hard fought loss is as good if not better than an easy win or less climactic one. With that said, I think we can outdue Mexico in the final if given the opportunity.
Posted by KickinNames... on 2011/06/22 at 8:06 PM
Love nothing more than beating those dirty hacking B-tards! Can’t beat if you don’t play em!
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/22 at 8:07 PM
Part of me wants mexico to fail horribly but nothing’s better than them failing at our own hands. Therefore technically I’m rooting for Mexico to get to the final -_-
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 8:12 PM
I understand – nothing sweeter than beating your rival. But also great happiness seeing them knocked out by whoever. Either way, seeing their fans *cry* is brilliant!
Posted by Antonio H. on 2011/06/23 at 9:43 AM
It’s a wonderful feeling!
Posted by Eric on 2011/06/22 at 8:08 PM
If we want to win the Gold Cup and challenge to be the best in CONCACAF. I think we have to (pull the upset) and beat Mexico. I will be very disappointed if we don’t go head to head. No backing down. whether that decreases our chances of making the Confed Cup or not, is secondary to the team coming out and proving they can fight for every possession, every match.
With that said man we look tired. Hopefully Honduras and Mexico goes into extra time.
Posted by Ufficio on 2011/06/22 at 7:29 PM
Wow, that was an ugly challenge. Honduras lucky not to be down a man right now.
Posted by dikranovich on 2011/06/22 at 7:39 PM
everyone has to give credit where credit is due. coach bradley deserves serious credit. he really does and that is the truth. mexico might make the finals of the copa oro, usa is already in. adu deserves some credit and these people on here going on about this and that, adu is a playmaker and tucked into the central attacking spot in front of jones and junior, and behind aguedelo, he can be most dangerous. of course he can interchange with donovan and deuce. donovan must be suffering from something and deuce is a monster to be going as hard as he is. one win away from an early trip to brasil, that is very nice. lichaj is getting better every game and it should always be noted the players missing from the us roster, just to add spice to just exactly how nice this team really can be.
Posted by John Henry on 2011/06/22 at 7:45 PM
Haha…. ok silly comment: Listening to World Football Daily from yesterday or Monday, Kenny was blasting the stars and stripes for a lack of camaraderie and a bad attitude. In particular, he was saying that there was an “alpha dog” (bill simmons) issue between demspey and donovan, and in evidence he said how they never seemed to celebrate each others goals. Kenny was also calling for Adu to see some minutes.
So what happens? Adu splits the D on a gorgeous diagonal to Donovan, who sets up Dempsey’s goal, and they proceed to jump into each other’s arms pointing at each other “you” “no, you!” “no, you!” “no, you’re the man!”
Think Bradley and the boys listen to WFD or what?
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/22 at 7:55 PM
Were you tuning in from Amsterdam?!
Posted by John Henry on 2011/06/22 at 7:57 PM
ha… no podcast.
Posted by KickinNames... on 2011/06/22 at 8:02 PM
I’m as big a Bob Doubter as anyone but the Adu sub was exactly what the team needed to unlock a tired Panama squad. He seems to have grown and thickened quite a bit but haven’t seen enough to argue points above.
I spent more time than I would like tonight shouting at Mikey to move the ball FORWARD occasionally. Notice the difference between when Jones manages possession and Mikey. I agree above that he is dominating the ball far too much and their style of play suffered because of it. I don’t hate him out there to be clear but he seems to kill the tempo when he has the ball this much. And if one more person refers to him as a “destroyer” I’m going to puke. His man defense would be comical if it didn’t result in free distribution and movement by his mark.
Howard saves our bacon again. Still cannot figure out why no one at this level can clear or head the ball where they want it to go.
Lichaj is a beast and will only get better with reps.
TSG rocks!
Posted by dikranovich on 2011/06/22 at 8:28 PM
when you really get down to it with the adu situation, he went to benfica and was playing behind rui costa and angel di maria. at monaco, he had a president fighting with the coach over his place on the team, and then there was some gun charges, or maybe that was jozy at club xerox. anyway, freddy does go to greece and looks pretty good, when the fields are not complete mud pits, which was like one out of five games. he has obviously done well enough in turkey. all the rest like sion and randers and blah blah blah, its all hyperboil.
seriously, freddy has never stunk it up in a usa jersey, and that is the truth. if anything, he was relied on to heavily and that probably cost the usa against austria in the under 20 in canada and maybe even in beiijing. coach bradley has been smart with freddy and hopefully it will really start to pay some dividends, because it sure did tonight.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/23 at 12:07 AM
Uh huh. Sion in the Swiss First division wuz wrong, Ingolstadt a bottom-feeding 2. Bundesliga team wuz wrong…it finally took a Turkish second division team to see the light and bring in Freddy Adu.
Do Freddy Adu proponents realize how silly they sound sometimes?
Posted by dikranovich on 2011/06/23 at 11:17 AM
seriously dth, your blogging about how freddy cant do this and that last night during the game, meanwhile freddy comes on and does this and that. now that is silly. plus you are a soccer officianado, so you know how benfica likes to buy and sell players. freddy did not need to go to europe to become a stock option, he needed to go and learn his way into a system. but whatever, today is a new day and last night freddy adu did what was asked of him by his country and dth, you were on here blogging about something or other. thanks for your support.
Posted by Wixson on 2011/06/22 at 8:37 PM
Bob has balls of steel.
Tough to bech landy again but its the right call, adu sub could have been his immediate pink slip, now he could be a good super sub type.
Sasha looked a step slow like always.
Was very surprised bob didn’t pull jones after we had lead, a yellow for him would have been on bobs shoulders, he got lucky there.
Juan worked hard and I appreciate that but he didn’t much besides that.
The collective gasp at the bar tonite when the camera went to adu was just classic.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2011/06/23 at 6:28 AM
You seem to forget that he only picked 3 forwards in the first place.
But like I said above, give credit where credit is due.
Posted by tmuck on 2011/06/22 at 8:48 PM
Is anyone else watching the Mexico vs Honduras game? Currently goose eggs for all. Mexico is maintaining a lot of pressure but Honduras will get counters that look really dangerous at times. Mexico doesn’t look organized at all at times.
Posted by John Henry on 2011/06/22 at 8:48 PM
By the way, when was the last time the USA had 3 clean sheets in a row??? Underrated aspect of these past few games?
The switch to Boca over Ream has been a revelation… revealing how not ready Ream is. Or am i wrong?
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 8:55 PM
Partially that, partially the fact that we haven’t been heavily bothered on the left flank for the last three games. Lichaj’s pretty damn good.
Posted by John Henry on 2011/06/22 at 9:01 PM
yeah good point
Posted by mbw on 2011/06/22 at 9:26 PM
I think basically everything has gone right at once. They’ve become very solid on the flanks, haven’t faced an opposing striker who can expose Boca’s physical limitations, and have gotten a couple good matchups in a row. Mexico’s style of play will pose much greater challenges.
About Lichaj, anyone who watched his midseason A.V. (mis)adventure knows that, on a good day, he’s already EPL quality. His inexperience and nervousness rendered him mistake-prone, and, fair or not, he wasn’t afforded the time to grow out of it. You gotta think he’ll be back.
Posted by thebostinian on 2011/06/22 at 10:17 PM
Is there a more likely player to wind up in the starting XI on a major European team than Lichaj, among players who aren’t currently doing so? I don’t think that there is.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/23 at 12:05 AM
Timothy Chandler has a higher ceiling than Lichaj, I think.
Posted by Michael Adams on 2011/06/23 at 1:14 AM
+1 Here…Lets just hope he stays with the US and A.
Posted by cfig on 2011/06/23 at 7:56 AM
There was a mention from the German FA a week or two ago saying they weren’t interested, let’s hope that continues to be the case. With Chandler and Lichaj on the defensive flanks that’s a bright looking future.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/23 at 11:54 AM
People are just being paranoid. The Germans say they won’t call him up, his agent says he won’t call him up, he himself has had nothing but enthusiastic things to say…it’s incredibly paranoid at this point to believe that Timmy Chandler will play for anyone other than the U.S.
Posted by Turd Ferguson on 2011/06/22 at 9:04 PM
Watching Mexico-Honduras as well. I thought Honduras had a goal on that last strike.
And John Henry, I agree with you on Ream. He didn’t look ready. Plus, moving Boca inside improves not just one but two positions in the back line given Lichaj being nailz.
Posted by dth on 2011/06/23 at 12:20 AM
One question: is anyone aware of rebroadcasts of the Gold Cup final? I’m attending a wedding at the same time and would prefer not to have to wait until 8 PM the next day (naturally trying to keep myself in a state of ignorance.)
Posted by Ricky on 2011/06/23 at 11:07 AM
To the above: No replays of the games, but if you search for file downloads you will find them.
Next: Bocanegra never gets his due for what he does best. Defensive clearances, especially with his head. He is incredible in the air, wins everything. He’s a quick jumper, has excellent hops, and has the timing of Kevin Love. Lichaj has been great, but the real difference in the back has been Boca in the middle: deflecting attacks, pressuring opponents, and providing cover.