Fulham USA: US Supporters club of Fulham FC

Sep
25
by HatterDon at 9:24 PM
(3,426 Views / 6 Likes)
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Sometimes, everything you try works

Fulham renewed their rivalry with their near neighbors Friday evening before what must have been the largest crowd since the hosts left the Premier League. Manager Kit Symons had been saying that once the new boys got their feet under them, the football at Craven Cottage would be something to see. And so it turned out to be.

Fulham put out what looks to be their default lineup – until James Husband's loan expires anyhow – with the exception of Ryan Fredericks who replaced the injured Jazz Richards. The way the speedy number 7 patrolled the right touchline, it may be hard to get him off the pitch.

Fulham began the match by knocking the ball about comfortably. There was a lot of one touch stuff on display, with O'Hara and Tunnicliffe especially catching the eye with their accurate long passes. The first goal came just at the end of the 2nd minute when QPR's Angella calmly watched Moussa Dembele rise alone to...
Sep
13
by HatterDon at 11:58 AM
(3,391 Views / 7 Likes)
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Another Weekend, Another Mixed Bag

For most of the first half, I told myself that if today's lineup was Fulham's default starting XI for the rest of the season, I'd be happy with it. Fulham started brightly, striking deep and quick into Blackburn's unsettled defense with a great example of – dare I say it – direct, long-ball strikes. With Cairney and Pringle playing as out-and-out wingers and with McCormack and Dembele an actual strike pair, quick counters looked to be on all day. When O'Hara and Tunnicliffe got into the mix with excellent short passing, Fulham looked to be a very good side indeed.

And so it was as early as the 4th minute, when Dembele shook off his defender a few yards into the Rovers' half and headed straight for the goal line. A quick stop and a blind pass to his left was all it took for Fulham's captain to be one-on-one with Blackburn's keeper. Ross doesn't miss these and it was 1-0. From then on throughout most of the...
Jun
18
by HatterDon at 2:04 PM
(4,039 Views / 5 Likes)
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The View From South Texas – Notes on the 2015 U-20 World Cup

This year, for the first time in my life, I watched the United States perform in an U-20 World Cup. I watched every minute of every match the lads played, and enjoyed much of it. I learned a considerable amount about the state of our game vis-a-vis the rest of the world at this age group. Here's some thoughts.

This is the first time I've ever seen American soccer players in a competition where they were not the fittest and most disciplined players on display. Fitness, discipline, and a total commitment to the team is the trio that was immortalized by Sir Alex Ferguson as “that American thing.” With the exception of our match against New Zealand, this was not this case. If our players were remarkable in this, it's certainly not down to any of them. What it IS down to is our system of player development in this country.

In countries like Ukraine, Germany, Serbia, and...