Gold Cup: USA vs Guatemala

Comments like those made by PCB and jmh just warm my heart.

Thank you for the Fulham fans perspective and I can't wait till the match tomorrow. Saturday I am hoping for...

Howard
Simek - DeMerit - Boca - Bornstein
Dempsey (if healthy) - Bradley - Feilhaber - Beasley
Johnson - Donovan

 

....but didn't you hear? We will not be purchasing the services of any new players.

Or does it just seem like that? *sigh*

 

I could see Donovan in a more withdrawn role. I think it would suit him well, because he can link up with the midfield better than Johnson IMO.

PCB...lets not lose hope already. The transfer window is an emotional rller coaster and I am in a rut right now. I need some optimism...anyone...please.

 

I didn't realize how BIG Demerit is!!! He's like a linebacker. He and Gooch together would be pretty formidable - that is if Gooch used is brain every now and then. He's falling into the overrated category for me.

What did people think of Deuce up top and Donovan playing more on the wing? Looked pretty good to me. Is Deuce morphing into a striker? Could we have an All American forward pairing at FFC next season?

Bradley seems not quite ready for prime time to me. Though, Feilhaber seems like the real deal. As talented as Beasley is, I wish he'd attack more, rather than always trying to be so damn cutesy with the ball. But maybe that's the attack-the-net hockey player in me.

 

Bradley and Feilhaber are both primed and ready. Bradley at 19 is already light years ahead of some of the other players on the USMNT in terms of knowledge and vision during a match.

DeMerit is fantastic and wish he was still in the prem. Odds are a club will pick him up sooner rather than later. He has one of those great stories to go along with his talent as well...a bit of a talented Rudy Ruettigger if you will.

 

I would be happy to see DeMerit sporting the Whites, Red Stripes, and Funny Blue, but we're not in the market...for anyone.

As far as Bradley and Feilhaber, they need a little more time. But I'm picking Feilhaber to break out this season. The kid's got skillzzzz.

 

I can accept that. Feilhaber has more experience and is a bit older than Bradley, so this or next year could be his breakout year. All depends on how much playing time Hamburg gives him.

Bradley will be a fixture in the CM position for years to come for the USMNT. I have high hope for both him and Feilhaber. Talented young duo.

 

I would agree. The players have the extra motivation to achieve something special, promotion, and it allows them the opportunity to dig in and work for every result.

The Championship is tough and it will build a lot of character in them. It will be great to see DeMerit gain more of a leadership role with Watford, because I think he has it in him to be a future captain.

 

Is anyone interested in reading Jen Chang's ESPN Insider blog on last night's game? I'd just post the link, but you need to be a subscriber to access it. If people are interested, I'll cut and past it into a post here. (it's kind of long in comparison to the usual post size)

 

here's my analysis of last night....keep in mind i only was able to watch until the 65th minute, so they could have gotten better or worse after. I probably will mispell some names too so forigive me:

Howard: does a good job organizing the defense. you can see him yelling at guys when the make the tiniest of mistakes which is a good thing to have from your goalie.
Hejduk: I thought Frankie was terrific. He covered a lot of ground bursting up the right flank time and time again, yet always getting back to cover. He had one mistake where he let his man get by him but quickly hog tied the guy (taking a yellow) so he couldn't break away. good match!
Gooch: he has all the physical tools to be an outstanding center back...but I question his mental toughness. he let Ruiz and his antics get into his head and committed some stupid fouls. had it been a team better at set pieces, those could have been costly. a poor performance in my opinion that won't get gooch many looks from the Prem. still....he's got an incredible upside if he can just get his head on straight.
Boca: solid in the air as always and distibuted out of the back better then he normally does.
Bjornstein: gave away possession too much. he went head to head with who i thought was Guatemala's best player (agila or something?) and had a difficult time. if not for beasley tracking back a lot and Boca sliding over, I feel he would've been beaten easily. i've seen him play better and he's young, so don't give up on him now but i would like to see heath pearce in copa whatever it's called.

i'll post the rest in the next one

 

Only saw the 2nd half and it certainly looked like the ref had zero control of the game. I can't remember the last time a guy got fouled (Gooch, the US free kick) then picking up a yellow while sitting on the ground. His second yellow was deserved and totally unnecessary and can't help his prospects. A couple of other points..

- Wouldn't be surprised to see Deuce held out for the next game.

- A tip of the hat to Frankie for his efforts, but much rather see Simek or Spector

-Agree w/jmh on Bretos. He reminds me of Chris Berman...overbearing is good for a studio pre/post game host, but for play-by-play guy is terrible. As far as the rest of the coverage where were the replays (Gooch's 1st card, Landycakes getting laid-out)??

 

or i'll mispell fogive.

 

Donovan: He was my man of the match. I think he may have found a new home on the right wing because when the ball is switched it really gives him a chance to run at people, and he can also delve into the middle of the park with Frankie overlapping. Man that was awesome to watch. I hope Bradley keeps him there for a couple of matches so i can see if it's something that will really work for him.
Feilhaber: got better and better as the match progressed. he has some technical ability along with speed. did a great job of dropping back and making himself available to receive the ball from the CB's. I'm excited about him.
Bradley: I also thought he got better as the match went on. part of that is the goal made guatemala come out of their compact defense and opened up the middle of the park a bit. i'd like to see him link up better with Feilhaber, but i can't complain as he's so young.
Beasley: I thought Beasley was very good, and i hope FFC try to get him. his crossing was outstanding (that one to Demps where he tried the scissor kick was awesome to watch). I'd like to see him try to run with the ball into the middle more like Donovan did, but i have no complaints with his performance.

 

in case you didn't know...i mispelled forgive purposely the second time.

 

ok...the strikers

Dempsey: was terrific. got himself into quality position for scoring opportunities several times. did a nice job finding teamates and slotting the ball through to them while running with the ball...something that's not easy to do. i don't know how Sanchez can keep him off the field next year.
Twellman: nobody's been a bigger critic of Twellman's performances at the international stage then me, but i thought he was great last night. covered a lot of field (similar to that #20 guy on Fulham) and linked up well with Dempsey. The thing i like about Twellman is how he attacks the ball. he does a great job on crosses of waiting til the cross is made and then attacking it with aggression. i'm looking forward to seeing him more as this tourney goes on, although i'm sure we'll see some EJ as well.
Johnson: i can't rate him as he came on about the time i had to leave.

 

last little bit from last night...sorry i've written a novel about it. i thought guatemala got away with a lot of late challenges that the referee let go because the ball would bounce over to a teammate of ours and the referee would act as though it were an advantage to keep playing. what pissed me off is it kept happening. i think there comes a time when you're the ref and you have to stop it on one of the challenges...give the offender a good talking to about not doing it anymore.

 

So Dogg...are you attempting to forge a new career path as a color commentator or sports journo? Real possibility.

Thanks for the post. I was at Rice-Eccles last night so I missed the match. RSL 1-0 China...Alecko finally on the scoresheet.