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Post 06 Jun 2011, 12:12 pm

RUFFHAUS 8 wrote:Why it takes an entire three games to weed out the likes of Grenada, Guadeloupe, Cuba, and El Salvador is beyond me. I supposed that to have a valid competition, you really need to invite a broad array of teams, but the reality is that this isn't the NCAA tournament where upsets happen every year, and top seeds go down to Cinderella. International soccer is an entirely different game, and then talent range between the top team is oceans wide. While they do have qualifying for this event among the minnows, I'd really prefer to see this limited to 8 teams and two groups, but whatever, it's a chance to see some national teams going at it for continental pride.
Well, if it is just 8 teams, I suppose the chances are that it will always be the same teams that take most of the places. Besides, even if there are minnows, they can cause upsets (as New Zealand did at the World Cup last year)

As much as I'd like to pick the USA, I think that ‘and our progress has stagnated, and I’m not impressed with his recent player call-ups or player management. Now there needs to be a Bradley in US Soccer, but it's Michael Bradley not ‘Cheatin' Bob. And while the USA is spinning its wheels, Mexico has found new energy, and a new scoring sensation in Javier Hernandez. The USA team is not bad by any means, but their defense has the same exploitable liabilities that hurt them in the World Cup, and has not developed a scoring threat outside of Landon Donavan and Clint Dempsey (i.e. we have no forwards who score goals). I’d love to be wrong on this pick, and force to eat crow, but Mexico will make use of the ‘away’ crowd at the Rose Bowl, and take the Gold Cup 3-1 in the final.
When is the final? we need Clint back so he can play in Europe!
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Post 07 Jun 2011, 7:15 pm

Randy, I agree with everything you've said. My dark horse is Jamaica. Ricketts is one of the top 3 keepers in the tournament, and the rest of the team is getting better. I expect a USA vs Mexico final, and Chicharito (combined with our sorry CBs) terrifies me. I do think we'll do what it takes to pull it out, but I am not certain of that.

Regarding BOoB Bradley's picks, I don't understand why he keeps bringing in Ream and Lichaj. They are not international quality. Omar Gonzalez is much better, and the best center defender in the US--and I don't mean just in MLS.

To be honest, Danivon, you can have him. I love Dempsey (his almost ridiculous goal against Canadia is typical Dempsey), but his position is the most easily replaceable on the US squad.
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Post 08 Jun 2011, 10:59 am

Guapo wrote:To be honest, Danivon, you can have him. I love Dempsey (his almost ridiculous goal against Canadia is typical Dempsey), but his position is the most easily replaceable on the US squad.
I guess so - you need an out and out striker, not another attacking midfielder with flashes of brilliance.

I guess we'll have to try and get past various obscure European clubs without him.

Mexico are looking good at the moment aren't they?
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Post 08 Jun 2011, 7:31 pm

Randy, you're more generous to the defense than I am. I think they had a poor game--particularly considering that Canada isn't exactly an offensive powerhouse. Had Timmy not made a few great saves, we would have ended that match with a miserable draw.

With regard to Dempsey, I said that his position was replaceable, not him. However, I do believe that he needs to play less often. He doesn't play at 100% pace all the time, and those efforts are getting fewer and farther between. And we shouldn't need him in the Gold Cup. I'm not saying I want him to go, but I wouldn't mind seeing some other attacking midfielders play. Even if he stays there, I'd rather use him as a super-sub. He's not going to play up top. Bob's not going to make that change at this point. It's clear that Bob wants to groom some young strikers, and there's really no reason for him to divert from that plan. While I like him as a striker, it's really all about 2014, and Bob is Bob.

I'm getting more and more impressed with Jr, though. Michael Bradley played a stellar game. His distribution is getting much better, and that's what we need. I was curious as to what you thought about Edu converting to CB--or even LB. I don't know if he can play a left winger position, but his defending is better than most of our backs.
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Post 09 Jun 2011, 8:14 am

Had Timmy not made a few great saves, we would have ended that match with a miserable draw.


and had not the first goal scored by Altidore been supremely soft. Hirshfeld is not consistent and doesn't exactly follow in the footsteps of the top quality keepers Canada usually has fielded. (Forrest, Dolan) Ali Gerber should have scored twice. Howards saves were 10's....
If Canada managed to keep its best talent playing for the country rather than other nations (England, Bosnia) we'd do better. Out best striker is with Blackburn and hasn';t committed to the international team.
Frankly I'm waiting for the Womens World Cup where our ladies have an outside chance. June 26.
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Post 09 Jun 2011, 7:35 pm

I want Nowak to be the next national coach--as much as I want him to stay with the Union. He makes more adjustments than any coach I've seen, and that's respectable. He seems to give a lot of respect to his assistants, and I like that, too.

When did Bob put Edu on the back line (besides as a sub)? I know he did it with Beasley--who I think responded well, then disappeared.

In many ways, I look at Sebastian LeToux as a poor man's Dempsey. But to me, it's just as important who you put around him, as it is where you put him. I like him as an attacking midfielder, but not necessarily a target man up top. He goes down too quickly, in my opinion, and that wastes chances. But I think he'd be a great feeder to Agudelo or Altidore. Speaking of which, I'm not sure why you're so down on Juan. Sure, he's young and extremely inexperienced, but I think he deserves a shot, and against concacrap is a good way to do it. I think it was unfair to play him against Spain. He looked scared and confused out there. I think that we ought to play our younger players more often. So I can't complain about that. Moreover, we really don't have a striker to play. Davies got injured, though I don't think Bob would have selected him anyway.

Did anyone see El Salvador vs Costa Rica? It was hilarious. El Sal went to stoppage time with a 1-0 lead. It was only 4 minutes, considering they spent as much time play-acting as playing (as Central Americans do). CR was pressing all the way to the very end when--once again--a Salvadorean decided it was time to play act. It was with less than a minute left. Well after that, CR scored a goal in the 5th minute of stoppage time. Time wasting lost them 2 points. :)
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Post 10 Jun 2011, 6:31 am

Ricky, is Charmaine Hooper still playing for Canada's women? I guess not at 43 years old

She retired 8 years ago. She was a marvel. Played every postion on the field for the WCC except keeper. Christine Sinclair is the captain and inspiration now. If you follow US University Womens soccer I'm sure you remember her. And Dianna Matheson (Princeton). and quite a few others.

Regarding time wasting. The practice could be easily stopped by referees with a no nonsense approach. Very clearly indicate that any stoppages are being added to ...and hand out some yellow cards for obvious stalling....
There is one thing i really like about US University soccer that I'd love FIFA to adopt. Have the clock controlled by the referree. And by that I mean a remote switch that ?he/she turns off when she /he considers the run of play has been interrupted. Imagine if the Central Americans are rolling around the pitch but the clock has visibly stopped moving. They now have to leave the pitch, leaving their team short, when play resumes...
A stubborn ref would leve them sit on the side for a minute or two and again you'd see the stalling stop.
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Post 11 Jun 2011, 1:38 pm

I just saw that Mexico lost 5 players to suspension. Does that change anybody's prediction for the finals.
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Post 12 Jun 2011, 10:48 am

What happened to the US against Panama? I mised the game, and the only reports I've seen are scant on detail.
BTW, I wouldn't take Guadaloupe lightly. They've had really bad luck but thats not amateurs on the field. They all play professionnally in France, and they have a couple of particularly dangerous striker/midfielders...
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Post 15 Jun 2011, 6:19 am

Thing is Ruff, if the USA wins against Jamaia, then in the semis, all be be forgotten. How one wins is usually not remembered so much as the end result...
Unfortunately sometimes that breeds boring soccer.
I watched the games last night. The US looked skilled and polished but just didn't convert its chances. Dempseys failure to take a goal from 2 feet, was particuarly appalling although one does have to applaud the french defenders pluck.
I think that generally the Concacaaf region has seen the quality of the game enhanced over the last two decades. A lot of what previously were lesser teams seem to have not only improved their athleticism but their discipline. It wasn't that long ago Panama were push overs. They have attacking qualitites now that are pretty good. (And they put to shame Canada's defenders who gave away a goal on a corner in extra time just by being passive....)
Point is, that i think while the US may be a little stagnant but is only that the rest have improved that this is noted. By the way, none of Mexico's players ended up testing positive... Very confusing. I'm thinking the fajitas were off...
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Post 15 Jun 2011, 1:29 pm

rickyp wrote:I watched the games last night. The US looked skilled and polished but just didn't convert its chances.


Interestingly, I find this discription to be accurate to a lot of teams in the MLS.
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Post 15 Jun 2011, 1:49 pm

Interestingly, I find this discription to be accurate to a lot of teams in the MLS.

Maybe its because i watch promarily Toronto FC, but I think that MLS tends to have players with ball skills and touch about equal to a mid-table championship league team in England. Without the touch and skills its hard to execute the kind of skillful play one sees regularly in the Premier or the top leagues of Spain or Italy. Sometimes that comes down to execution of a scoring chance...
What I found interesting about the Gold Cup I've seen is the ball skills of even the lesser teams. Even a Guadaloupe. (Yeah, no great concept about team defending but still... no one tore them apart.)
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Post 15 Jun 2011, 8:13 pm

RUFFHAUS 8 wrote:The problem is that we have not learned a damn thing from since the wolrd cup. Ricardo Clark is gone, but Bradley's new bitch appears to be Jermaine Jones, who continues to start in spite of the fact that he sucks. Jones is better than Clark, but not much, and it's a crime to have him starting with Edu available.


I'm not so down on Jones. And maybe I'm just glad that Clark is gone, but I think he's the least of our problems. When the Union were playing with 2 holding midfielders, they weren't doing well. They had very little offense and the 2 defensive midfielders often cancelled each other out. I think that's the same thing that's happening with Bradley and Jones. Either move Bradley up to an attacking midfielder, or leave him as the sole cdm. I prefer the former option, but I'm fine with either.

And I think last night's game ended any validity to the idea that Dempsey is a striker. How many point blank shots/volleys did he shank over the bar?
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Post 16 Jun 2011, 9:34 am

RUFFHAUS 8 wrote:This may sound like I'm down on the players, but I'm not really. It's the manager's job to *manage* the players, and dictate the style of play that a team emplos.


Question for you Randy. One of my pet peeves in the big 4 prosports (especially football) is that Managers/Coaches have a "system" they want to use but the players on the team don't really play in said system well. Instead of modifying his "system" to take better advantage of the talent he has, he tries to force the players to play the "system" better. The outcome is always the same. The team sucks and what could be good players look horrible.

I don't know soccer well enough to recognize if this is what is going on with your above complaints but that seems to be what it is.
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Post 16 Jun 2011, 3:43 pm

RUFFHAUS 8 wrote:With all that said, you want a coach to have a system, but ideally you want that system to be one that blends with the personnel that you have or are likely to have at your disposal.


I can kind of agree with this. It is kind of why I am beginning to like Peter Nowak. At the start of the season he seemed to be playing a primarily defensive midfield and relying on his 2 forwards for making the goal scoring playes. However, when it became apparent he didn't have the forwards to pull it off, he seems to have adjusted his midfield to be much more balanced if not leaning a little more to the offensive side.


RUFFHAUS 8 wrote:Toronto, nor Philadelphia got anyone near this caliber. Vancouver and Portland didn't really either for that matter. Yet somehow the league pours players into New York and to a lesser extent Los Angeles.


Well the four cities you named are all smaller markets (with the possible exception of Philadelphia for sports). New York and Los Angles are both large markets. The MLS is trying to build a following that will bring it at least close to the same level as the 4 majors. But the best players in the large markets to get the most excitement out of those markets to build a reputation and get more interest in expansion

Of course the down side of this is if the competition sucks to bad as to make games uninteresting, no body is going to want an expansion.