US v. Ecuador

Don I've not read anything about the european players flying home so I think they'll be playing. Any chance Dempsey will be satisfied with playing only part of the game?

Heather I like the line-up. I hope that's what we see with Spector coming on earlier than he did against Honduras.

A draw is the best result I can see. I dont know anything about the players for Ecuador but they have had some convincing wins of late. Just beat Costa Rica 4 - 0 and Jamaica 5 - 2.

Finally, Klinsmann has named Chris Wood as goalkeeper coach for the USA. He's Howard's coach at Everton. He's also a former England International goalkeeper. Is that last bit a good thing or a bad thing. :? Don?

 

On soccernet, explains thought process behind number changes. Also you gather from his words and the players words that he does more than roll the ball out on the pitch. Glad the team visited Ground Zero (it was on the video that accompanied the article). As for the Ecuador match, probably a similar lineup, but please don't play Clint, Timmy, and Jozy more than the first half. I would expect both Ageudelo and Ream to feature in their home stadium at some point.

HARRISON, N.J. -- Jurgen Klinsmann stood on the field and talked into a hand-held microphone, welcoming several hundred fans who sat in the first deck of Red Bull Arena.

After more than a decade of secrecy under Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley, the new U.S. coach opened a national team training session to the general public Monday, a day ahead of an exhibition game against Ecuador.
Klinsmann had already made big changes since replacing Bradley on July 29, and more are ahead. For instance, he wants to eliminate the two-to-three months off that Major League Soccer players get each year.

"The big challenge is for MLS overall, how can they stretch that season into a format that is kind of competitive with the rest of the world?" he said. "Right now it's not competitive. If you have a seven-, eight-month season, that's not competitive with the rest of the world."

MLS teams start training in January and their seasons last until mid-October or late November, depending on playoff success. European clubs begin practice in July and play through late May. The World Cup and European Championship fill June every other year.

Klinsmann spent 17 years in major European leagues and won world and European titles with Germany. That's made it easier for American players to respond when he has them go through two-a-day workouts when they arrive from their clubs.

"I think the guys are coming into it with an open mind, saying, look, he's done it. He's won World Cups. He's played for the biggest clubs in the world," American captain Carlos Bocanegra said, sweat dripping from his face after practice. "There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. He's done it, and he's talking about it. If Phil Jackson talks to you about winning championships, how he coaches, he's done it."

In many respects, Klinsmann is far more one of the guys than Bradley. DaMarcus Beasley said that after Saturday's 1-0 victory over Honduras, the first win in four matches under Klinsmann, the coach walked over to an iPad in the locker room and turned up some music.

"He's come in and he's felt he's needed to change the landscape," goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "He's a very upbeat kind of guy, really positive. He's given us so much encouragement to say, look, you make mistakes. But play. Keep going. He believes, and we're beginning to believe, that the upside of controlling the tempo starting in the back will be a positive for us going forward."

The U.S. had tentative starts much of the time under Bradley, falling behind England and Slovenia before rallying for ties at last year's World Cup, then needing an injury-time goal against Algeria to advance before losing to Ghana in the knockout stage. Bradley was dismissed after the U.S. wasted a two-goal lead to Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing 4-2, and has since signed on as coach of Egypt.

Having lived in California for the past 13 years with his American wife and their kids, Klinsmann has perhaps unrivaled perspective on what changes American soccer must make to close the gap with the world's powers.

"If there's a national team player, he has to do extra work," Klinsmann said. "He has to do extra weeks, and he can't go on vacation even if he says, 'Well, but I'm supposed now to have six weeks off.' If he comes and says that, then I give him a hug and say, 'Have fun the six weeks, but don't come back here."

Klinsmann had spent five years as coach in waiting, negotiating with U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati in 2006 and 2010 before breaking off talks each time.

He wears a top to training with his initials "JK" in the European coaching style. He has gotten rid of specific numbers on each players' uniform, preferring the old system where the starters were assigned Nos. 1-11 based on position, so as to encourage competition.

"It's a pretty good system. It's the way in works in Europe, like nothing is yours forever," Howard said. "I don't think some of the younger guys quite get it. That's OK. It's more my family, trying to explain to them what the numbers are."

Klinsmann has jettisoned Bradley's assistants and fitness coach Pierre Barrieu, bringing in former English national team goalkeeper Chris Woods, former Chivas USA coach Martin Vazquez and Javier Perez, a development coach at Real Madrid. He also has hired Phoenix-based Athletes Performance, a company he worked with during his time with Germany's national team (1994-96) and Bayern Munich (2008-09).

Woods has been Everton's goalkeeper coach for 13 years, and Klinsmann says Everton manager David Moyes had given permission for Woods to take the U.S. job while continuing his role with the Toffees.

Tactically, Klinsmann has moved Clint Dempsey from wide midfield to withdrawn forward, and he's given the outside backs more freedom to roam forward -- on the condition one of them stays back while the other moves upfield.

"The biggest thing is how quickly can you get behind the ball when it turns over," Bocanegra said. "He's been staying on Jozy (Altidore) really hard, and Jozy's been responding well."

While the U.S. and Mexico have dominated the region for two decades, the Americans have played with an inferiority complex. Klinsmann is here to change that. And to talk about it. For nearly an hour after practice, he was on the field still speaking with reporters, something Bradley would never do.

"We've been a defend-and-counterattack team," said Howard, standing a few feet away. "I think he's trying to get us to dictate games and control games. Be more in control. And the way you go that is by passing and opening teams up and having confidence."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

Actually Don I was trying to tee you up for a joke about English goalkeepers on the international stage. I just hope their bad luck doesnt rub off via Wood on the US keepers because like you said that has been a strong position for us.

 

The US looks more organized through the first 25 minutes as compared to the Honduras match. Ecuador has some damn fast wingers that will cause problems all night. I can't wait for Donovan to link up with Shea and Dempsey - that's gonna be fun.

 

Ream sucks at the international level. Seriously.

 

A friendly and all, but another ^#%!#*!(& loss. Growing pains are hard, but Ecuador was there for the taking and the US didn't. Still no cutting edge - WTF. I don't ever, ever want to see Tim Ream again, especially given the George Johns and Tim Gonzalezes of the world. Each of whom can probably eff up as well as Ream. Damnnit, just damnnit all to hell right now. I'm angry.

 

The US has the best athletes in the world and Tim Ream is the best we can come up with at CB? WTF? I can't believe the state of our defense. So horrible.


Lets not forget that we have scored 2 goals in 5 games. How the hell does this happen with all that talent. You would think we could accidentally score a goal a game. Fire Klinsmann and hire Bielsa!

 

Losing always sucks, but I'd rather lose here than in an elimination match.
Still pretty anemic on offense, but, except for the obvious mistake from Ream, decent enough on defense. I'm not ready to write off anybody at this point, I just want our best players in form by Brazil. Ream has plenty of time to erase this night, as do the rest of the call-ups from this cycle, although most didn't hurt themselves as bad as he did.
Still have to find a way to score more goals, not just get good chances, only to miss them.
Bottom line, we shouldn't be getting shut out and beaten by one goal by this team. Back to work, Herr Klinsi!

 

Ecuador was there for the taking and the US couldn't do it. I'm irrationally livid, so may cooler heads prevail but this performance, which teetered on the precipice of good, makes me sad. Somebody score a friggin goal.
COUSMNT

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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"!!!

 

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