USA v. Spain Confed Cup

Also, and as long as Guantanamo is still open for business, can we round up Jorge Larrionda and use some enhanced interrogation? :banana:

 

I agree w/ToM about the only win slightly better was Portugal, but only because it was a WC match. We went to an Angels game last night and this win was a topic for many people in our general vacinity.

HD, yo coprehendo mui poquito espanol and I watch only telemundo. I accidently watched the first 5 minutes on ESPN and woke up when JP and Harkes were sounding like nails on a chalkboard and changed it. I understand around 25% of what they are saying in Spanish, but it's better than 100% of the dynamic duo. I did switch it back to espn for the postgame and Lalas is proving to be as good an analyst as he was a gm :roll:

Hopefully the leaders on the team have got the guys feet back on the ground today with the thought the job isn't finished yet.

P.S. GO South Africa, GO South Africa!!!!

 

"a" Dempsey? Both teams have THE Dempsey!

 

I fired up the dvr late last night to watch the match and found I'd recorded John Harkes' "Football My Way" instructional video by mistake. Upon closer inspection though, turns out it really was the US v Spain and Harkes is just an ass. Lalas on the other hand has come off as knowledgable and reasonable all of the sudden. Cue the twilight zone music.

What an effort and performance all the way around. We came out attacking, moved the ball around well and outplayed Spain for the better part of the first half. It got pretty hairy once we started playing a bunker style, but the guys came through with great defending and did a good job of out-muscling Spain in the box.

Hard to tell if Boca can move to LB since he really played more of a 3rd CB once we got the lead. Good strategy as Spain couldn't get it done from outside and the defense pretty well shutdown the inside. Gooch and Demerit were huge in that. And Timmy was big in stopping the shots from the wings (and elsewhere). I would have liked to have seen some better decisions in the midfield and up front to maintain possession and take pressure off the back, but the result is all that matters and that result was awesome!

This match went a long way to showing what many US supporters believe, that we can play with the best. We're not better, but we can play with them and sometimes be the better team for 90 minutes. The key for Bradley and Co is to find out how to consistantly motivate the team to the mentality they had the last two matches. And to play intelligent football and not long ball. We're so much more effective doing the former.

I'm hoping South Africa knock off Brazil b/c we're going to miss Bradley in the Final.

 

Substitute Edu for Clark and yesterday's team looks like our Best XI for the foreseeable future. (Kudos to Clark for working his ass off and making some great blocks, I just don't trust him on the ball). Love the way the back 4 played. DeMerit has earned a starting spot and Boca is vastly better than our other LB options. Benny as our super sub and it's a very respectable team if they always play with the heart they showed yesterday. And as someone who has never been a Donovan fan, I have to say he's had a great tournament. About time he showed a little grit!

The only negatives were the BS red card and F'ing Harkes! You would have thought he had played for Mexico! Does he burn a voodoo doll of Dempsey in effigy? Does he have a shrine to Donovan with a full size doll of Landy that he makes sweet sweet love to? I mean, for F's sake! That's the most egregious slobbering over someone I've seen since, well any time Dick Vitale calls a Duke game.

But hey, nothing can really take away from the most enjoyabe sporting event I've seen in quite some time!!!!!! I don't think this gets us over the hump or anything, but it sure as hell was fun to watch the team bounce back from Italy and Brazil with so much heart and determination!

 

Holy CRAP!!!!

I watched the DVR at the early hours this morning and I was NOT expecting this-- I didn't know the outcome until I was done!! Cue up one for self control.

DeMerit and Gooch, especially, but the whole back line -- I have nothing else to say that hasn't already been said. Gooch just set himself up like a champ for the transfer window and DeMerit better have the hierarchy at Watford recognizing what a pearl they have in the CCC.

Donovan has looked like a freakin' champ. I can't even call him Landycakes anymore.

The ref can blowhimself for that crap red card. Thanks for nothing, jackass. God, I can't stand the dictum that this is now a non contact sport.

I had a theory on Harkes that he is a better announcer than ESPN will let him be, because of their mandate that he talk too much about side areas of the game. I will still hold true to that theory, against my better judgement, because he obviously knows what he is doing. I will still surmise that he is pleasing his bosses by being an ass. I'm probably wrong, but I'll hold to that theory for at least a little while.

 

The US has a soccer team? What city do they play in? Filll me in - are they any good?

 

She lives!!!!

We've missed your USMNT commentary around here...good to have you back, Mo!

 

The US has a soccer team? What city do they play in? Filll me in - are they any good?

 

:3d funny:

I want what she's having!

 

My God, what a win. How we could go from abysmal (vs Brasil) to miraculous in such a short time is beyond me. But I'll take it! USA! USA! USA!

 

It's nice to be missed Nevzter - thanks. I've moved to a new house so I didnt have internet for a while or the time to be on the computer. For the Spain match we were without a TV and were planning on skipping the game. Our neighbor's son, who was helping us with the heavy lifting, went in to his house to check the score. When we heard "oh my God!" coming from his window we decided to take a two hour break to watch the game. What a result for the RW&B, what a game.

 

I know i'm late to the party here, but still want to sound off.

I did my best not to follow the ESPN gamecast ... and sure enough, a buddy calls me up and blurts out "the US are up 1-0 at halftime" and so from then on I was gamecasting like crazy, lol.
I got home and watched the DVR'd footage and was blown away. I don't think i've ever seen this US team perform that well. Defensively it was reminiscent of the scoreless match against Argentina last year, but on the whole it was amazing.
In attack we were more consistently cleaver then i'd ever seen, and defensively they were finally a unit ... a stop the ball or die trying unit. The heart was there and you could see it in every step they took.

I'm in favor of keeping Davids and Jozy as the resident strike due and for Spector to hold onto that right back position.
I'm still not 100% sure about DeMerit as a permenant partner for Gooch, but i'll say that he did give 100% out there against Spain. He got beat a few times but definitely worked his @ss off.

Here's what I'm most glad about ... in two games (against good and best opposition) we've managed to score 5 goals from open play. Granted, they weren't the most amazing goals you've ever seen, but for two games now we actually looked very dangerous in attack and weren't relying on PK's for our goals. We are on the verge of a legitimately goal-happy offensive unite when you have Altidore and Davies up front, Clint slotted in behind them and Landon and Bradley behind him.
That's what has me most excited.

Either way COYRWB!!!

 

AMEN