US v Guatemala in Birmingham

Big game tomorrow night in Birmingham. We need this one after the Mexico loss. I'll be there to support the lads. Hopefully Boca and McBride can contribute to a victory. USA! USA!

Cheers,
Martin

 

This is definitely a big game tomorrow night. If the US does not watch it, they will lose this match too. Guatemala is not a bad side. With Carlos Ruiz scoring goals for them, they could cause some problems for the US.

The tough thing for the US is that they can no longer sneak up on teams as they have been able to do in the past. Teams know they have quality in their team and will be geared up to face them.

Have fun at the match Martin. I will be watching on the Deuce.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

any patriots on board tonight? usa have a big game coming up, if boca play's will chris rest him at the weekend, and will mcbride start on wednesday

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

I am guessing that McBride will start tomorrow night for the US. However, to me the US problems on Sunday came from the back and the inexperienced defense. With an injury to Eddie Pope the US had to field a pair ofplayers that had not played together. I would not be surprised to see Boca back in the center of defense, but I could be wrong. We will see what Bruce does.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

I'm wondering what Bruce is going to do about Landon. He gently smacked him around in the press a little today -- which was kind in comparison to some of the other stuff I've been hearing.

Personally, if it all possible & we can win, I'd like to the child sit it out. His move back from Bundesliga set back American Football is ways I don't want to imagine. What will this mean for other players who actually WANT to play in Europe? Will clubs be trigger shy on them now because of the "Darling of American Soccer's" track record?

Yeah, I'm a little steamed.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

With Beasley suspended, the first 11 will change at least a bit. I wouldn't be surprised to see McBride start. I would be surprised, however, if Donovan didn't.

I'm not sure what to make of Donovan's return from Germany. He's a popular player, so it will be a boost to the MLS. But, if Team USA is ever going to be a serious contender internationally, we need to have our best players honing their skills in the best leagues. I would have liked to see Donovan stick it out and earn a first team spot over there.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

The Landon Donovan situation is a very interesting one. I obviously wish he would have made it over there in Germany, but I am not one of those who think this is a major setback for Soccer here in the States or sending players abroad.

The bottom line is this, players such as Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson, Eddie Gaven, Danny Szetela and others will be carrying the torch for American soccer in the next five years. Right now, players like DeMarcus Beasley, Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, Casey Keller, Bobby Convey, etc are making a name for the US in Europe.

While I think Landon should have tried to continue, I do not know if Germany was the right place for him. Perhaps he should have tried the Dutch league or a team in England before heading back to the States.

The bottom line is that the future of US Soccer does not rest squarely on the shoulders of Landon Donovan. Who proclaimed this guy the US's 'Golden Boy' anyways? We have an abundance of talented players that can and will represent the US in Europe and other parts of the world.

The US needs to continue its' run of succer on the International scene in the Qualifiers and in the World Cup to gain the attention and respect of clubs in Europe. If the US is successful in World Cup 2006, more players will get the chance to play in Europe.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

It was quite a match in Birmingham. Team USA easily could have scored 5 or 6 goals. They just couldn't finish. Guatemala was way outclassed.

Eddie Johnson is the man. Enjoy him while you can, because his future is in Europe. Casey Keller was rock-solid and made a few big saves. Onyewu was a force in defence. He won every battle in the air and dominated the smaller Guatemalan forwards. Their only option was to flop and dive, which they did with great flourish. The ref got a nice round of applause when he finally booked one of them for diving late in the second half.

It was a relatively quiet match for the Fulham lads. Boca had a decent match, nothing spectacular. McBride had a lovely view from the bench.

Big ups to the Guatemala supporters. They were out in full force and were quite enthusiastic. I was shocked to see a sea of blue and white shirts when I entered the stadium. The place would have gone nuts if they scored.

My only complaint was the venue. It was great to have a qualifier near enough that I could travel to it, but Legion Field is a dump. It is impossible to get into and out of, there were huge lines for everything because the staff was way too small, and the facility itself is old and decrepit. It's a shame we can't lay out a first-class spread for such a match.

Overall, it was a great night for football and a great result for Team USA.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

Birmingham getting US team games is always a puzzle to me... they arent nearly in the running for an MLS franchise... if there's a southeast site that will get one, I'd say it's Atlanta.

There's more than one reason for the Falcons hiring a marketing manager from the Crew. ... see Houston.

 

RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

Yeah, I did not understand the selection of Birmingham either. Any ideas?

 

Re: RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

Birmingham has hosted international matches in the past, including some during the 1996 Olympics. One reason I read for this particular match, and I'll try to dig up a link, is that Birmingham has a relatively small Hispanic population so the organizers thought it would feel more like a "home" game. That really didn't turn out to be the case, as the Guatemelan fans were as numerous and loud as the Americans.

 

Re: RE: Re: US v Guatemala in Birmingham

The Central American fans will travel any distance necessary to support their team. I saw El Salvador play the US in Foxboro a few years ago and it was the same way - only about one-third to half of the fans were rooting for the US. Going into the stadium there were cars from up and down the East Coast, as far away as Florida. These matches are what all their sports fans live for - with so many choices it will never be like that for the US.