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U.S. Men's National Soccer (Official Thread)

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To the finals we go!

But getting to the Finals doesn't get you to Brazil '13 Confederations Cup. Need to win.

Unfortunately, I think Mexico, and Chicharito in particular, are going to slice this team at the seams. They will be out for blood and the US probably can't keep up with them. Gonna have to win ugly.

Go Honduras. Don't want Mexico @ Pasadena Saturday Night.
 
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But I am in a pretty good mood tonight and I don't want to forget to post this tomorrow...

364 days ago. :)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALJu7YPMNBI"]YouTube - ‪Landon Donovan goal vs Algeria called by Andres Cantor‬‏[/ame]

:banger:
 
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USA-Mexico on Saturday... Should be a really good matchup, IMO. Took Mexico into extra time (93rd minute) to score their first, Hernandez added one more in the 99th. I liked how Adu was able to get the offense going, and get separation from defenders. Wouldn't mind seeing him as a sub on Saturday.
 
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Just watched the final 60 minutes after having to pause my DVR earlier tonight.

Adu was a revelation. With as high as Panama were extending their ball pressure on defense, this match was begging for an American who could do something positive with the ball at his feet. That ball into space that set up the goal was not just the best play but the best decision of the match. As a fan watching a match on TV you can often the space and where players off the ball should be making runs, and I often find myself cursing at the screen when a player fails to make the run or when a player with the ball fails to pick out the space. The moment Adu struck that pass I immediately said "GREAT BALL" and sat up before Donovan even had a chance to run onto it. That's why I love this sport - when a sequence like that comes together, it's a work of art.

Credit has to go to Bob Bradley for making the move to bring on Adu and move Dempsey to the top of the formation. Agudelo was active early but wore down quickly. Even at full energy though, I don't think he's ready for the game at this level. He wouldn't have scored that goal that Dempsey was in his spot for.

Donovan is the best player on this team. He has been The Man since 2002, and because no other American is in his realm in terms of decision-making and vision he will like continue to be the best player the USA has until the day he retires. I think the decision to keep him on the bench again was dumb as hell. It reeks of the decision to start Robbie Findley in the WC - a manager tying to be too cute by half. Donovan is not accustomed to coming off the bench and I don't think he has handled it well. It took him a long time to find his bearings tonight, and against Jamaica he was virtually invisible. Put him back in the role he belongs in. I don't think Bradley is obtuse enough to keep him on the bench again in the final, but I would have said the same thing about tonight's match.

What has happened to Michael Bradley? He looked pretty good in South Africa a year ago, and now he seems like a liability. Slow decisions, poor decisions, poor touches, bad turnovers... it's painful to watch at times.
 
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Meanwhile, in the U17 World Cup:

Uzbekistan 2
USA 1

The Uzies lost to mighty New Zealand 4-1 in their first match. :ohwell:
 
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jlb1705;1943692; said:
What has happened to Michael Bradley? He looked pretty good in South Africa a year ago, and now he seems like a liability. Slow decisions, poor decisions, poor touches, bad turnovers... it's painful to watch at times.
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I'd really like to blame it on Aston Villa and rust, but, IIRC, He was benched a couple of matches before he was loaned to Villa. Maybe he'd already started to regress before the loan, and we're just seeing combination of that and rust from sitting the last half of the season. Whatever the reason, he has looked really bad during this tournament.
 
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IronBuckI;1944550; said:
I'd really like to blame it on Aston Villa and rust, but, IIRC, He was benched a couple of matches before he was loaned to Villa. Maybe he'd already started to regress before the loan, and we're just seeing combination of that and rust from sitting the last half of the season. Whatever the reason, he has looked really bad during this tournament.
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Too late to rule out the possibility of him coming to the MLS? I really hate saying that, because I honestly don't feel players improve themselves by competing in the MLS, but it seems to be the best option for him at this point. Unless he can find a club who wants him, Germany possibly.
 
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TooTallMenardo;1944633; said:
Too late to rule out the possibility of him coming to the MLS? I really hate saying that, because I honestly don't feel players improve themselves by competing in the MLS, but it seems to be the best option for him at this point. Unless he can find a club who wants him, Germany possibly.
Click to expand...

He's still under contract to Gladbach for another year... so, maybe they try to sell his contract to someone else, or he goes back.
 
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TooTallMenardo;1944633; said:
Too late to rule out the possibility of him coming to the MLS? I really hate saying that, because I honestly don't feel players improve themselves by competing in the MLS, but it seems to be the best option for him at this point. Unless he can find a club who wants him, Germany possibly.
Click to expand...

I agree. Look at Stuart Holden. He has improved a lot over the past year for Bolton. I wish he was healthy for this game.
 
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jlb1705;1943692; said:
Credit has to go to Bob Bradley for making the move to bring on Adu and move Dempsey to the top of the formation. Agudelo was active early but wore down quickly. Even at full energy though, I don't think he's ready for the game at this level. He wouldn't have scored that goal that Dempsey was in his spot for.

Donovan is the best player on this team. He has been The Man since 2002, and because no other American is in his realm in terms of decision-making and vision he will like continue to be the best player the USA has until the day he retires. I think the decision to keep him on the bench again was dumb as hell. It reeks of the decision to start Robbie Findley in the WC - a manager tying to be too cute by half. Donovan is not accustomed to coming off the bench and I don't think he has handled it well. It took him a long time to find his bearings tonight, and against Jamaica he was virtually invisible. Put him back in the role he belongs in. I don't think Bradley is obtuse enough to keep him on the bench again in the final, but I would have said the same thing about tonight's match.
Click to expand...

http://www.mlssoccer.com/goldcup/ne...goal-goal-breakdown-brings-end-donovan-debate

Great article on MLSSoccer.com about how Donovan has been the man for the USMNT during Bradley's tenure and also how Dempsey is one of our most prolific scorers. The problem is, we play Dempsey in the midfield and it leaves him out of the attack at times, when he really is one of our strongest strikers and really has a nose for goal. The graphic at the end of the article is well done also.
 
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