USA vs. Czechs
This is the moment of truth for Bruce Arena's boys. They need a point out of this match to be realistic contenders for a spot in the next round, and - given what we've seen already with European sides struggling in the...um, European heatwave - they may have a shot. If the Czechs try to sit on a draw or a slim lead, we may catch them out.
A lot of gamesmanship before this match, with Arena not releasing the names of his starting side and the Czechs listing more injuries than are probably real. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Smicer didn't jump off the gurney and run on the pitch in the second half.
Let's go Sammers, are you up for the Cup? Join me if you're out there.
posted by gatorbob @ 11:46 AM
18 Comments:
As had been predicted on some of the websites, the U.S. seems to be going into this one with McBride up top, Landycakes in the hole, Convey and Beasley out left and right respectively, Reyna running the midfield, Mastroenni in front of the backfour of Cherundolo, Lewis, Onyewu and Pope, and of course Kasey Keller in goal.
What do you think? Is that the side? I might have Dempsey on instead of Convey. He's usually good for a goal out of nothing.
GOAL 1-0 Czechs. Oh dear oh dear, this does not look good. We've been reduced to trying to hack down Rosicky and Nedved. They're getting lots of space wide and that was the most free of free headers you could care to see for Koller.
We've responded reasonably well to going down 1-0, picking up the pace and trying to hit McBride with some long balls.
If the Czechs sit on the lead, we could get back into this one.
Surely, we'll need two up front in order to get back into this one. The Czechs are just eating up the balls in to McBride. I can't see him doing the damage alone. But who to put in - Eddie Johnson?
OOOOOHHHHHH, Reyna nearly - against the post. Good move from the U.S. I like how we're spreading it out wide to Convey. He looks our best player right now. Beasley looks uncomfortable on the right. The back four has settled down a bit.
it was always a gamble. we really don't have the personnel that are in-form to take on the czechs.
reyna's shot aside, i see that he's responsible for keeping nedved quiet, a task he's not up to.
looks like beasley's having trouble getting forward because he's too slight. and donovan has slunk back into the midfield instead of running off mcbride.
we're really narrow too. they're getting a lot of joy on lewis's side. dempsey would be a good choice. i was thinking that too.
i just have a feeling that they're a bit too classy for us. too bad.
Yeah, I agree with you. Donovan and Beasley are just not right. We're trying to get Eddie Lewis out wide, but that exposes us. Grygera is eating him up as the Czechs go forward - he looks tasty. And Nedved is running riot over Reyna. Do you still not rate him? The hair's naff but you've got to admire the technique.
GOAL: 2-0; Outrageous strike from your new Arse boy Rosicky. Nothing that Kasey could do about that one - pick that out!
I can't see us getting back now. Curtains.
Looks like Koller's done his hammy. He's done for the day. That'll be a big blow for the Czechs down the line. With Baros crocked, they're a bit light up front when they come up against the big teams.
yeah, outclassing reyna sure does prove that nedved is the bestest player in the world.
it does take a bit of the sting out of this to see rosicky having a blinder.
yes, losing koller quickly does bode ill for their hopes of getting into the semis. the news on baros is not helpful, and this guy they've replaced koller with looks a bit ponderous.
too bad that koller had already done the damage before he got crocked.
halftime.
don't know how we can improve here with the squad we have.
obviously, the czech defenders are loving all of the high balls to mcbride. they're happy to head those away all day. and your pin-up nedved hasn't felt a tackle all day because reyna won't keep up with him.
i'd switch onyewu off, because conrad can do his job and onyewu is carrying the card.
i'd switch lewis off and tuck convey back wide, creating a space for o'brien or dempsey to get into their midfielders a bit. rosicky, nedved, and co must think this is a training match.
and again, i'd pick beasley and donovan up by their nutsacks and tell them to pull themselves together and quit screwing around.
even with koller off, and lurch on, it's curtains in this one.
Finally, someone knocked Prague Barbi over. Make that twat think about it is all I'm asking. Well in, John O'Brien.
And again from Claudio Reyna. Look at Barbi roll around, the big girls blouse.
Good points, Trev. I agree that the U.S. don't look terrible, but they have been outclassed today. It puts the lie to the hype about the team before today. The ugly reality is that we're a mediocre side and won't improve unless more people take an interest.
I'm not sure that fouling and picking up yellows is the key to getting us back in the game. Certainly the changes that Bruce made at half time haven't made the difference. Johnson's still wandering about looking like a refugee from Darfur. What the hell's happening to him?
Blimey, you've got to be drooling over those shots from Rosicky, Gooner Steve! He's having them for fun - could've easily been 3-0.
Reminds me of a shot taken during a practice match by a certain Trevor Brooking fan that dipped and bent and smacked me right in the face while I was trying to keep goal. I blame it on the overly light and round ball!
This is a sad spectacle now. 'Cello's trying to make the argument now that we can get a result against the Italians. Yeah, right. It's fun to pretend.
Landycakes has been shocking today. No bollocks at all. Maybe, maybe this will put to rest the idea that he's the hope of U.S. soccer.
To their credit, the ESPN guys stayed on for the full hour after the U.S. match and gave it a fairly honest appraisal, 'Cello saying that "they played awful" and Lexi and Julie really licking the wounds in the studio. They're all hyping the idea that we can get something out of Italy, but that's more marketing than sense.
The post-match interview with Arena was revealing. He called out both Donovan and Beasley for their poor performances. Does that mean changes for the next match?
what changes? after watching italy and ghana you must be left with the conclusion that the US is the minnow in this group.
the us midfield is just not solid, and beyond the help that starting dempsey and o'brien could be. reyna didn't have a bad game, but he also isn't good enough to stay close enough to Barbi and Rosicky and Galasek and Plasil. They had the run of the midfield and just pushing them over is not going to do it.
The guys we have available to boss the midfield, pull the strings, disrupt the other teams attack aren't good enough to stave off the Ghana and Italy we saw later on.
Arena's right that Beasley and Donovan were not good, but that doesn't get close enough to the point that Donovan hasn't been good in qualifying and Beasley has no business playing on the right, even if PSV think he does.
It's 3 and out and then we can have a real regroup and try again to get US players playing in top leagues where they learn to mark tight, and learn to develop the invention that was so sadly not in evidence tonight.
Oh, and hell yeah, i'm looking forward to a bit of rosicky in an arsenal shirt.
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