U.S. vs. Ghana
This is the big one for U.S. soccer. The boys must win to have any chance of qualifying for the second round. Even then, they'll need some help from the Italians against the Czechs. It's a long shot, but if they put up a performance like the gutsy one against Italy at the weekend, they might, might just do it. It'll be thrilling to watch it in any case. Join me?
posted by gatorbob @ 9:51 AM
53 Comments:
USA
18. Kasey Keller
22. Oguchi Onyewu
13. Jim Conrad
6. Steve Cherundolo
3. Carlos Bocanegra
8. Clinton Dempsey
10. Claudio Reyna
7. Eddie Lewis
17. DaMarcus Beasley
21. Landon Donovan
20. Brian McBride
Good enough to beat Ghana?
I am here at school
Heya Dave. Any predictions for today?
Both sides are of course missing two suspended players. The U.S. Mastroeni and Pope and Ghana their two goalscorers Muntari and Gyan.
We have a shot. I would not be surprised if we get the win. I am not sure about the other result.
Did you just see Times Square. Five people!!
Essien is now out for the next match if they get there; yellow for a hack on Reyna.
Now Eddie Lewis is in the book. Isn't this ref the wanker that screwed England in 2004 in that infamous match with Portugal?
I think so. He was also the ref who Harry Kewell had a problem with vs Brazil
Not very advent adventurous so far by the US. They need to attack!!!
Heya AZ. You may not want to watch the blog then; we're all following the U.S. match. But welcome. How's Rome?
I agree, Dave. The U.S. is far too slow in the transitions. That's always been my criticism of Reyna. He's very South American in his style - plodding. It works for Riquelme, but then he's Riquelme.
Nasty head wound for my boy Lewis. That deserved a yellow.
absolutely hopeless. GET REYNA OFF
GOAL: 1-0 Ghana; Shocking mistake by Reyna allows a free run on goal. I don't see a way back now.
This however, may provoke something out of the Czechs, who now must win in order to qualify for the next round.
Either Claudio is humiliated by that howler or he's really injured. In either case, he's been stretchered off.
hopefully it will make the US attack the big rectangular thing at the end of the field
They do need a quick response somehow.
At least we won't be 32nd this time around!
Italy are one up
Now the Italians have scored! We need two goals here.
Newsflash!! I agree with an american commentator.
The US have to start going forward
Donovan and Beasley have both been shocking in this World Cup. You'd think that they were thinking this was just a bit of a kickabout, not the biggest stage in world soccer. On your bikes, boys!
Landy is hopeless!!
Did you see him look at the ground. It isn't the ground buddy, it's you!!
Free kick coming.....
Nice one from Eddie Lewis barely saved by the keeper. I can see us scoring from set pieces rather than open play.
I agree, Landycakes is shite. That was the worst shot I've ever seen!
it was the ground
is olsen the right choice
Why are the U.S. fans applauding Reyna as he comes off? He gave up the goal, lads? I'm not advocating booing, but no need to reward crap play.
Olsen's the only one left that can theoretically play the holding role, although I think the Plan A goes out the window and we have to push for goals at some point. The other holding midfielders we've got are Chris Armas, who was crocked before the WC, Mastro who's suspended and Reyna who's now off.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOAL: 1-1; Just when I was about to give us hope, my boy Clint Dempsey steps up to slot home! Good cross from Beasley - his first decent move today. Dempsey's been about the only U.S. player who has improved his value in this WC.
It's the first goal actually scored by a U.S. player in this tournament!
Good time to score too. We only need one more. Is it too much to dream?
i do not believe that the ref has called a penalty. NEVER
Oh no, just when I was starting to hope, Merck has screwed us again, giving the softest of soft pens. There was absolutely nothing to that challenge from Gooch. I was fully expecting Merck to send him off too!
Ghana: 2-1.
Criminal decision. When is this muppet going to be stricken from the FIFA rolls?
Half-time: 2-1 Ghana. It was all starting to look up again after a shaky start. But after a soft first goal and a softer penalty call, it'll take a heroic effort in the second half for us to claw our way back into this one.
good point
Some outrageous play-acting to waste time on the part of the Ghana team. The ref really should stamp that out.
I've really lost a lot of respect for the Ghana team today; they've come out intent to cheat there way to the second stage and the ref has been conned every step of the way.
The only consolation will be to see them thumped by Brazil in the second round.
This is the time when we could really use Taylor Twellman. Instead it's Eddie "Shellshock" Johnson coming off the bench. And why bring Ching along if you're not going to give him a game?
Oh, nearly there. Brilliant cross from Eddie Lewis and header from McBride onto the near post. But this is better.
And Gooch has a header just over the bar! Very, very close.
there goes Bob's Elland Road man
Now, Lewis is coming off to be replaced by Convey. A straight swap. It doesn't seem as if Arena understands the bloody urgency of this situation. Keller's got to start coming up for corners in a minute. There are only 15 minutes left!
Hey, Eddie's been one of our better players today.
More rolling on the ground from the Ghanaians. They've obviously been playing in Europe too long!
I don't know what's more dispiriting. The Ghanaians outrageous cheating or Donovan's shockingly poor play. Another complete waste of a free kick.
another horrible cross
well, this one has been a pathetic display!!!It stuns me that professionals can play so bad on such a big stage.
Which game are you going to watch this afternoon?
I am going to watch the Aussies
I'm watching the Aussies; I have a feeling that Brazil/Japan is going to be useless given that Brazil is through and Japan is going home.
I agree - very frustrating performance and the frustration is enhanced by the referee and the Ghanaians' gamesmanship.
Eric Wynalda: "Bruce Arena screwed up this World Cup for the U.S. national team."
Interesting. Any thoughts?
Johnno, without Muntari and Gyan, those Ghanaians were pet meat quality at best. I'm with Bob and Dave who find it distastful that the first thing they've learned at their European clubs is to fall over and stay down at the slightest touch. Pimpong especially I'm hoping sits the bench while the Brazilians feast heavily on them. The sooner he fecks off back to just being that fat African bloke with the dodgy name and extremely dodgy hair at FC Copenhagen or worse, the better for football.
But Bruce didn't help. Tonight we saw two Bruce errors.
The first was his continual use of players in positions that they are not comfortable. Beasley has played in this world cup simply everywhere except the right side. Tonight, he was stuck in the center of the midfield and he was very ineffective. And we've seen other players played similarly wrong. That's down to Bruce. Despite all the qualifiers, despite all the friendlies, and despite the clear injuries and out of form players in the run-up to June, he arrived in Germany without a clear starting 11 and even what the players in his squad were capable of.
The second goes back to his initial selection of players for this tournament. If he selected Ching ahead of Twellman because he wanted a bigger body to throw at the Czechs, Italians, and Ghanaians, why didn't he play him? In fact, was he even off the bench lumber--sorry, limbering up while McBride was being stiched up? If he selected Wolff ahead of Twellman, or Noonan or Ralston or Eddie Gavin, why did Wolff's only contribution end up being a quick runaround in the Czech game? Why did he take a chance on a poorly O'Brien when he had healthy Noonans or Zavagnins to choose from.
Arena's performance has convinced me that he plans well in advance. I think he knew more or less what he wanted sitting there watching the balls marked Italy, Czech Rep. and Ghana come out of the bowls at Christmas-time. But in so many games in the past year and in every single game of this tournament, he's got it wrong or it's gone wrong because of red cards and injury. But unlike a Hiddink or a Klinsman, he isn't capable of looking down his bench and recognizing an Aloisi or a Cahill or a Neuville who can come on the pitch and save the team's bacon. If Bruce has picked the right player match-up at the start, we're ok. If he doesn't, he doesn't possess the ability to change or salvage it and we're f***ked.
But Arena isn't the only American to leave Germany with a damaged reputation. Landon Donovan has just been hopeless, listless, and uninterested in 2006. Just what Arena saw to be confident that he'd come good in this tournament is anyone's guess. A moment of hope here and there, sure, but his play and general attitude won't get him any new admirers and will add to the chorus of detractors.
And Beasley did not show what he could do either. When did he ever push the ball behind the fullback and run? When ever, when he did find room to run, did he follow through to the byline? Where was the speed? All I kept seeing was him jogging along, dinking the ball about a foot in front of him, never seeming like he would bother to turn on the jets and try to get around someone. Even when he did run, he'd screech to a halt as if he'd found the edge of the world, and twirl around to pass the ball back or sideways. He just never got into the box like the Beasley of old.
Eddie Johnson looks a long way away from that exciting start he had last year. Again tonight, he just jogged towards the ball or an opponent on the ball and never looked like he'd threaten. He was supposed to be the bloody cavalry and he looked more demoralized in his arrival than any one who'd been on from the start.
The bright spots in the American adventure were the generally strong play by Onyewu who will have attracted Premiership clubs despite his sometimes clumsy challenges. That wretched Pimpong waster was sly tonight and victimized him badly on that penalty. Gooch must be simmering at the injustice of that penalty. I think Bobby Convey did well. When he got a run in the Czech game and with one moment tonight, he demonstrated that Bruce should have used a little more imagination and found a way to include him earlier and more often. Dempsey was very hardworking and with a little more luck and continued development, he can convert that hard work into goals for the US. Jimmy Conrad is developing a good partnership with Onyewu. And McBride did himself proud. Tireless battling, good sportsmanship, and displays of team spirit will remind Fulham of just what a good player he is. The Lance Armstrong of American Soccer.
But the US should take this elimination seriously and start to put some players like Pope and Reyna and Berhalter and the real loss, McBride, out to pasture. In two years when qualification starts, they'll be past it and well past it in four. They should also start experimenting with a team that is not so dependent on Donovan and Beasley model 2002 unless their careers and form take off again. But if those guys are going to continue to show a lazy attitude and bad form, then sorry, that's the Galaxy's and PSV's problem to fix and we've got to treat them like England did Andy Cole, "Sorry, you're outrageously talented, but you break our hearts." We need to make room for Eddie Gavin, maybe Brian Carroll and other new faces. Not Freddie Adu necessarily but if he improves, maybe. We need to ask guys like Convey and Dempsey to take more of a leadership role because of Donovan's failure of character. We need to ask ourselves if Maestroeni will ever learn not to go to ground in a tackle and be prepared to find someone else if the answer is no. And we need to start preparing for a day without Keller in goal. Tim Howard should be that man, but he needs to get out of Old Trafford NOW and start playing a game every week. And not at a club where he's going to get shelled behind a complete shambles of a defence every game and end up like Robert Green, shattered mentally and physically.
And maybe, just maybe, we need to dump the Mad Hatter for someone that by 2008 and certainly by 2010 knows basically who his best 11 are and who in the remaining 10 outfield players can change and salvage a game when things go wrong.
Two words for you - Jurgen Klinsmann. The guy lives in LA, travels back and forth to Europe where he could keep an eye on players and we'll be looking for a new job after the Germans are eliminated by the Argies in the quarters.
I didn't know he'd be fired. You think? If so, abso-bloody-lutely.
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