1. U.S. Announce Roster for Qualifier vs. Cuba Saturday

    October 10, 2008 by admin

    Head Coach Bob Bradley announced last week the 23 players he will include on the roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup Qualifying match versus Cuba this Saturday.  The game will begin at 7 pm EST at RFK Stadium in Washington DC and can be viewed on ESPN Classic.

    © John Todd/isiphotos.com

    The United States can clinch a spot in the final World Cup qualifying round with a win over Cuba this Saturday. 

    As far as the roster is concerned, it appears that we’ll be seeing the same old crew we usually see. Whether or not Bradley chooses to use his roster in a different, more effective way is yet to be seen. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am tired of seeing boring games where the U.S. has trouble putting a solid game together…even when playing against a poor team. We’ll see if Bradley has come up with a better scheme tomorrow evening.


    The U.S. Roster Saturday will include:

    GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, Tim Howard (Everton FC), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF).

    DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock).

    MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca).

    FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy).

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  2. U.S. Beats Trinidad & Tobago: There’s the Offense!

    September 10, 2008 by admin

    © John Todd/isiphotos.com

    The United States rebounded from a meager offensive performance versus Cuba with a dominant 3-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago in its World Cup Qualifier Wednesday night.  Starting the game off with a quick goal from Bradley and second from Clint Dempsey in the first 17 minutes, the U.S. took a 2-0 lead into halftime.

    However, the United States started off shaky early on in the second half as they almost gave up a goal on a corner kick when the American’s post defender saved the day.  Shortly thereafter, the U.S. scored on a busted set kick as Oguchi Onyewu won a header in the box which landed as a gift in Brian Ching’s lap for an easy goal in the 57th minute.

    By way of opinion…is it just me, or should Brian Ching really be starting for the U.S.?  How many golden opportunities does one need before actually finishing?  I know, I know, Ching put one goal in in the 57th minute, but it was on a broken play where the opportunity fell into his lap on the goal line.  That said, I’m surprised he didn’t botch that opportunity!  Sorry, just venting…maybe he’s just had a couple of off-games.

    On a more positive note, it was nice to see the United States bring some offense into this match.  After a couple of offensively disappointing games versus Guatemala and Cuba, the U.S. netted three goals and had ample opportunities to run up the score.  Hopefully they can keep it up in the second round of qualifying to help their offense gain the momentum and confidence necessary to propel them back into World Cup legitimacy and give us a better performance in 2010.

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  3. Trinidad and Tobago Matchup

    by Jordan

    When most of us think of Trinidad and Tobago going up against the US, we probably first think that this should be a walk in the park for the Americans.  But, as we look closer, we may come up with a different outlook on the upcoming World Cup Qualifier.  In their first two qualifier matches, TNT beat Cuba 3-1 (The Americans squeaked out a victory against the Cubans 1-0) and tied Guatemala 1-1.  In looking at the stats, one person on the TNT squad stands out - Keon Daniel - who has netted 3 of the 4 goals for his team so far.  He is an explosive player who has the ability to find the back of the net.

    For the Americans, they find themselves on top of the CONCACAF region having won both their matches by the score of 1-0.  The main question I have is, who is the American go-to-guy when they need a goal?  I think so far, the team has underachieved and will continue to do so until somebody, anybody, steps up and takes the reigns.  Donovan hasn’t done much, neither has Dempsey nor Bradley.  These are supposed to be some of the best players around, and I haven’t seen them play like they should be able to play.

    Realistically, the only guy who has shown up for each game is their goalkeeper, Tim Howard, who has played lights out.  Two shutouts in two games is impressive even if the two teams were Guatemala and Cuba.  

    Like what Zach posted a few days ago, I have a very hard time believing that the Americans will make it very far in 2010 unless they find somebody who is a true goal scorer.  They need an American Rooney, Ronaldo, Villa, etc.  Perhaps the Americans haven’t come as far as we thought in the beautiful game.  What do you think?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Who will win the United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago game?

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  4. USA vs. Cuba: Where’s the Offense?

    September 8, 2008 by admin

    In what one would expect to have been a total blowout, the U.S. Men’s National Team struggled in a 1-0 victory over Cuba in Havana. Sure, the U.S. got their three points in the qualifier, but certainly did not look impressive versus the Cubans.

    While the American’s dominated play, the Cubans had ample opportunities to even the score; however, thanks to the exceptional performance of goalkeeper Tim Howard, the U.S. managed to dodge a couple of bullets and hold on for the victory. Concerns regarding the ability of the United States offense continue as Ching, Donovan, and Johnson were unable to get the job done against a weak Cuban side.

    It is apparent that things are going to have to change quickly if the U.S. is going to stand a chance in the World Cup in 2010. History has shown that the United States have had a plaguing inability to finish in just about any situation. Until the lack of offensive firepower ceases, the U.S. will have the usual disappointing World Cup.

    Despite the disappointing performance last weekend, the U.S. managed to climb in the FIFA rankings three spots from 31 to 28. It’s hard to believe that just two years ago this team was positioned as the 4th best team in the world! Currently ranked as the 28th best team in the world, the Americans are flirting with falling back to their lowest ever FIFA ranking of 35 (October 1997).

    Will the U.S. make it out of the first round in the 2010 World Cup?

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