US v. Ecuador

[nevzter]

Gotta say, in response to HD, that
Ecuador never was "on top" til Ream let In the goal. It was fairly even in my book

[jumpkutz]

All due respect to those of you who have been following the game for much longer than I have...Clint is our best player right now, IMHO, not Landon (no disrespect). Why play international friendlies at all if they're meaningless. In our case, it's simple...we need the practice. What seems to come easily to most of the rest of the planet when it comes time to play for your mother or fatherland doesn't seem true for us Yanks. We need Clint on the pitch to have any chance to a) get to Brazil 3 years from now and, b) have any chance of being competetive there. We have no chance of either without heavy involvement from our most reliable scoring threat.

Reality check...money aside, how much more meaningful are the upcoming matches, i.e., realistically, what's the best Fulham can hope for? Win the PL? Qualify for the CL? Only in our wildest dreams are those even remotely possible. City have effectively replaced Arsenal at the top of the food chain. With our wretched start, which is probably due to the unnecessary (meaningless?) manager change (since Hughes didn't get the Villa job), the meaningful matches are to avoid relegation.

How meaningful is that?

Someone, please prove me wrong.

[Clevelandmo]

Meaningless friendly? meaningless friendly? What do you mean? The USA officially has it's big lionheart, Oguchi Onyewu, back. That is not meaningless, and he is perhaps better than he ever was. Oooohhh I could say some negative things, but I wont. Oguchi Onyewu is back. Tonight he played superb defense, and midfielder and forward. He made a statement, and that is what matters.

Surely the baggage you carry as a US MNT supporter is a little lighter now.

[CarolinaTim]

Totally agree Mo. We've got to look at the big picture. These are "practice games" for JK to learn who can hang on the big stage and who can't.

We had some nice one-touch passing in the final third in the 1st half with CD in the middle of it..What was Edu doing on that beautiful play? Damn, we need another finisher besides Clint, but doesn't a lot of teams around the world need a closer. That's why they get the big bucks.

Most of all, thanks to all involved with getting the site "remodeled"!!!

[bosniaba]

Klinsman had the best team in Germany in Bayern and couldn't make them win anything what can he do with USA sure he had great results coaching Germany but who wouldn't with players like that why couldn't he do that with Bayern i don't know but he is not right coach for USA he only took a job because he lives in California. yea

[tim]

Dempseys use was poor - I though he'd be subbed, at least, in the ecdr match. Bad use and I hope fulham will fight future friendly call ups

For his part, Dempsey played his friggin heart out until the final whistle. I sometimes wish he didn't feel like he had to do it all on his own, but until someone else steps up, I'll forgive him that.

Not sure exactly what Klinsi was thinking leaving him out there for the full 90, but have to give Demps credit. He was still chasing down balls in stoppage time.

[DCHeather]

highlights:


I did manage to watch the entire game afterall. I managed to convince my 2 year old that Curious George was not on TV that night...does this make me a bad mother?

Anyway...the positives. We played a very good 1st half against a very good opponent. We definitely won't have any trouble qualifying for the WC if our starting line-up remains healthy...especially the back four of Dolo, Onyewu, Boca, and Chandler. The past two games have shown that Onyewu is getting his confidence back and can be regular starter again. I loved the fact the he regularly got forward on the attack and made some pretty good passes. With the addition of Williams, possibly Fabian Johnson and some past regular contributors who have been out due to injury we have some very good depth and options off the bench for midfield.

The negatives...just a couple. There were a lot of subs made for the start of the second half and it pretty much killed all the attacking momentum we had in the first. It is a friendly afterall and you need to assess some players...but that was the biggest problem of the night. The fact that we played pretty much all our starters from Saturday's game with the exception Onyewu, who came on in the second half of the last game. I didn't understand the line-up, which was loaded with our European players who needed the rest. I knew Klinsmann was going to stick with Dempsey no matter what. He needed him to get any kind of result and there is really nobody on that bench who can replace him. Dempsey is playing really well and offers that bit of class no else can deliver in a US shirt right now. Maybe if Donovan was available Dempsey would have possibly came off at the half...but I'm not sure. But part of me is convinced Dempsey didn't even want to come off no matter what...that guy is one fierce competitor! The other negative is that Ream is not ready for international duty, and our search for more defenders continues. He looked like he was lost on the touchline just moments before he was subbed in. And immediately I thought to myself, "please don't screw us out of a draw Ream." And proceeds to commit a defensive brain fart in less than 10 minutes to allow his man to get a header past Howard.

Overall, we played well and showed that the results will come in the future. Also, a draw would have been a more just result instead of a defeat.

[SCFulhamFan]

Classic match of two halves, but as stated before JK needs these matches to see who is going to be able to make it in his new system and who isn't. Arguing if you like the system or not is a whole other can of worms. Fact, Dempsey is just a class player who can and has adapted his game to many different styles of play (Roy, Sparky, Jol, Bradley, etc). What we need from a USMNT point of view is a team that can gel well and play the style JK wants. Which in the end I feel will help us get to Brazil.

[Clevelandmo]

I hope the US soccer braintrust that thinks and has been trying to brainwash us into believing Tim Ream is the future for the US MNT and the Red Bulls has started to get a clue. Every time I see that kid play he makes a basic soccer 101 mistake. Last night he was looking at his player only and had no idea what was going on with the ball. What is the big deal about a defender that can distribute if he cant defend to save his life. And I think the US soccer braintrust mistakes the fact that he really doesnt care enough for composure and intelligence. Not only is he not ready he will never be ready.

I dont think Williams is good enough to start at the moment. Even with the injuries we have. He's a good player and he's young so keep him in the mix, but frankly I'm pissed that Klinsmann started him from the get go.

The second half subs were head scratchers. Why bring in Spector at RB when 'dolo, who is faster, was already struggling to keep up with the ecuadorian left flank? If anything he should have been brought in for Williams or Beckerman. Why not take off Beckerman who was again too slow and had little impact instead of Edu who was busy the entire first half. Two goals in five games against teams that are all ranked below the US, except for Mexico, is simply not good enough. While they are friendlies and apparently no one cares about whether or not we win, I dont see how anyone can feel confident about WC qualifying at this moment.

I did manage to watch the entire game afterall. I managed to convince my 2 year old that Curious George was not on TV that night...does this make me a bad mother?

Naw, but perhaps a candidate for Mother of the Year.

[SoCalJoe]

Got home in time to catch final 10 minutes live (got it on dvr, but haven't watched yet). Jumpkutz, I hear what you are saying, but while these games are very important in developing the style JK wants, this isn't WC qualifying. The Fulham matches do count in the standings. Under the current Prem structure (and the club's finances) contending for a league title will never happen in our lifetime. However, we all know that going deep in the Europa League is attainable. 2 matches in 3 days, followed by an 8 hour flight means Clint will be not be 100% for this weekend, and Jol will have to be very careful with his minutes. There was no reason to play him more than a half.

The glass is half-full people! Jozy, Juan, Shea, Williams, and Chandler are KIDS. I really hope that these players are the backbone for qualifying for the Olympics this spring.

Chandler is a fantastic player. He can play on the left, but since he's right-footed he wants to cut back too much. Will the elusive, endangered species known as a Left Back ever appear??

Gooch looked lean and mean. HE'S BACK The scowl he gave the Ecuador player that hit him, flopped, but couldn't avoid a yellow card was Gooch-Borgetti good. Not sure if Goodsen and him could pair, but if they can't, give me Gooch everyday of the week.

**Welcome Back CarolinaTim!!

[jumpkutz]

"I did manage to watch the entire game afterall. I managed to convince my 2 year old that Curious George was not on TV that night...does this make me a bad mother?"

Absolutely not! You are, in fact, quite Biblical in your priorities...

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he shall not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6

Curious George and Chelsea FC are of the devil!

[DCHeather]

Curious George and Chelsea FC are of the devil!

I'll go with the Chelsea FC being evil...but a curious, toddler like monkey that runs rings around that dumbass in the yellow hat? I won't go that far. My son LOVES that monkey. Sleeps with the plush version of him every night...and he was pretty disappointed when I told George wasn't being aired last night.

But soccer takes priority over a cartoon monkey!

[nevzter]

Curious George and Chelsea FC are of the devil!

I'll go with the Chelsea FC being evil...but a curious, toddler like monkey that runs rings around that dumbass in the yellow hat? I won't go that far. My son LOVES that monkey. Sleeps with the plush version of him every night...and he was pretty disappointed when I told George wasn't being aired last night.

But soccer takes priority over a cartoon monkey!

I have a feeling The Man in the Yellow Hat's favorite club is Villareal.

[DCHeather]

Curious George and Chelsea FC are of the devil!

I'll go with the Chelsea FC being evil...but a curious, toddler like monkey that runs rings around that dumbass in the yellow hat? I won't go that far. My son LOVES that monkey. Sleeps with the plush version of him every night...and he was pretty disappointed when I told George wasn't being aired last night.

But soccer takes priority over a cartoon monkey!

I have a feeling The Man in the Yellow Hat's favorite club is Villareal.

Nah...he's probably an Ecuador fan, and that's why the show didn't air. He had tickets to match he couldn't pass up.

[nevzter]

Nah...he's probably an Ecuador fan, and that's why the show didn't air. He had tickets to match he couldn't pass up.

Hahaha!! My son only recently discovered that there's a cartoon of George on PBS. Before that, we only read the stories to him - now, we have a DVR full of episodes that showcase a monkey who is very curious.

And, back to The Man in the Yellow Hat, I think he's actually 'fog's cousin and a Crew supporter.