Despite having booed their team during their winning send-off match in the Stade de France, apparently over half of French fans think their team will reach the semis. Confusing.
However, there is a factor that I didn't mention during my last French post, which is that one boo-ee, Fabien Barthez, plays for Marseille, hated enemy of local team Paris Saint-Germain. Still, if you're going to let your club preferences influence you so much, then why would you bother going to a national team match in the first place. And Dhorasoo plays for PSG, so maybe there's something else going on here.
Another interesting wire article provides some context for French failure at World Cup 2002. Their story seems remarkably similar to the US story in 1998.
More friendlies today, including England-Hungary, which is on TV in the US on FSC. So far, the Czechs have beaten Costa Rica 1-0, and Poland has unimpressively lost at home 1-2 to Colombia, who aren't even participating in the Cup. Group A is looking more and more cupcake-y with every passing day.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Sweet cruelty
No matter who you support, it's always a terrible thing when someone can't go to the World Cup because of injury.
Wait, did I just say "always?" My bad. I meant "mostly." Because there are those rare occasions when someone picks up a heartbreaking injury that prevents Cup participation and it's just thoroughly awesome.
Handball, my ass. Or rather, Gregg Berhalter's chest.
Wait, did I just say "always?" My bad. I meant "mostly." Because there are those rare occasions when someone picks up a heartbreaking injury that prevents Cup participation and it's just thoroughly awesome.
Handball, my ass. Or rather, Gregg Berhalter's chest.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Weekend results
My internet at home has been going a bit wonky, so I haven't been posting quite as much as I would have hoped on the subject of the weekend friendlies, a couple of which I was able to watch:
France 1-0 Mexico. This was really the marquee match of the weekend. It was a tense, coiled affair, the sort of match that seems like it was always on the brink of bursting into life, only to settle down when the players remembered this was a warm-up and they shouldn't get injured. Florent Malouda scored a nice winner before halftime, although I was perplexed by his auto-erotic nipple-stimulation goal celebration.
What amazed me about the match was how utterly useless Zinedine Zidane was. Everyone has a bad game from time to time, but Zizou, who earned his 100th cap, was awful. Every pass he made was misdirected (Seriously. Every pass. I stopped keeping track after five in a row.) It's almost as if he thought right before the game "Wouldn't it be funny if I played like a total yutz in my last game in the Stade de France." It was so unbelieveable that it must be an aberration; his World Cup has got to be better than that.
Somewhat classlessly and perplexingly, the French crowd booed their own players, even while they were winning. Amongst the victims were coach Raymond Domenech, midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo, and keeper Fabien Barthez (okay, in his case I can kind of understand.) Understandably, the players are pissed off. Win notwithstanding, it hasn't been a good week for the French team.
Portugal 4-1 Cape Verde Islands. Through geographic proximity to a sizable Portuguese community, I get RTPI, and therefore get to see most Portuguese national team games. Not too much to tell here; Portugal understandably dominated, although they still look vulnerable on defense sometimes, even with a wholly revamped backline from the one Brian McBride laughed at in 2002. That said, it's worth mentioning how much better this team is than the 2002 version. They have Deco, they have Cristiano Ronaldo, they have Maniche... this team is not going out in the first round, and indeed they could go very far.
Matches I didn't see:
Ukraine 4-0 Costa Rica. I knew the Ticos don't travel well, but damn.... If a Shevchenko-less Ukraine smacks you like this, you're doing something pretty wrong. Bet they wish they hadn't fired Steve Sampson now!
Ghana 4-1 Jamaica. The tone of the wire articles on this one suggest this was a sign of the danger of the Ghanian team. Perhaps, but I think it's also a sign of an off-season Jamaican team on vacation. (Just like they were in Cary, North Carolina, right? Touche.)
Germany 7-0 Luxembourg. So the Luxemburgers didn't win after all. Poopie. Defender Robert Huth twisted an ankle in this one, by the way.
Croatia 2-2 Iran. And Croatia only got the draw on a last-minute penalty. Iran will pose problems this year.
France 1-0 Mexico. This was really the marquee match of the weekend. It was a tense, coiled affair, the sort of match that seems like it was always on the brink of bursting into life, only to settle down when the players remembered this was a warm-up and they shouldn't get injured. Florent Malouda scored a nice winner before halftime, although I was perplexed by his auto-erotic nipple-stimulation goal celebration.
What amazed me about the match was how utterly useless Zinedine Zidane was. Everyone has a bad game from time to time, but Zizou, who earned his 100th cap, was awful. Every pass he made was misdirected (Seriously. Every pass. I stopped keeping track after five in a row.) It's almost as if he thought right before the game "Wouldn't it be funny if I played like a total yutz in my last game in the Stade de France." It was so unbelieveable that it must be an aberration; his World Cup has got to be better than that.
Somewhat classlessly and perplexingly, the French crowd booed their own players, even while they were winning. Amongst the victims were coach Raymond Domenech, midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo, and keeper Fabien Barthez (okay, in his case I can kind of understand.) Understandably, the players are pissed off. Win notwithstanding, it hasn't been a good week for the French team.
Portugal 4-1 Cape Verde Islands. Through geographic proximity to a sizable Portuguese community, I get RTPI, and therefore get to see most Portuguese national team games. Not too much to tell here; Portugal understandably dominated, although they still look vulnerable on defense sometimes, even with a wholly revamped backline from the one Brian McBride laughed at in 2002. That said, it's worth mentioning how much better this team is than the 2002 version. They have Deco, they have Cristiano Ronaldo, they have Maniche... this team is not going out in the first round, and indeed they could go very far.
Matches I didn't see:
Ukraine 4-0 Costa Rica. I knew the Ticos don't travel well, but damn.... If a Shevchenko-less Ukraine smacks you like this, you're doing something pretty wrong. Bet they wish they hadn't fired Steve Sampson now!
Ghana 4-1 Jamaica. The tone of the wire articles on this one suggest this was a sign of the danger of the Ghanian team. Perhaps, but I think it's also a sign of an off-season Jamaican team on vacation. (Just like they were in Cary, North Carolina, right? Touche.)
Germany 7-0 Luxembourg. So the Luxemburgers didn't win after all. Poopie. Defender Robert Huth twisted an ankle in this one, by the way.
Croatia 2-2 Iran. And Croatia only got the draw on a last-minute penalty. Iran will pose problems this year.
US-Latvia
... match report is here, penned by yours truly.
All in all, as comfortable a victory as 1-0 is ever going to get. It was fascinating to see both teams collectively run out of gas at about minute 70 and watch the match come to a grinding halt, but that's just fine with me; an 89th minute injury to McBride or somebody would have been too much to bear. Really, the dynamic of these games is excrutiating. You want your team to play hard, but every tackle makes you wince, much more so than opposing shots on goal.
Steve Goff at the Post presents a set of unresolved questions from these three matches:
4) If he's fit he plays.
UPDATE: In his match report, Grahame Jones eschews optimism and instead traffics in his trademark crabbiness.
All in all, as comfortable a victory as 1-0 is ever going to get. It was fascinating to see both teams collectively run out of gas at about minute 70 and watch the match come to a grinding halt, but that's just fine with me; an 89th minute injury to McBride or somebody would have been too much to bear. Really, the dynamic of these games is excrutiating. You want your team to play hard, but every tackle makes you wince, much more so than opposing shots on goal.
Steve Goff at the Post presents a set of unresolved questions from these three matches:
· Has the oft-injured John O'Brien, who absorbed several hard challenges without incident Sunday, displayed enough endurance to regain the prominent role he held four years ago? And if so, where would he play?
· Is Landon Donovan more effective as a scheming midfielder or a withdrawn forward?
· Has the enigmatic Eddie Johnson earned Arena's trust to start alongside McBride on the front line?
· And what to do with team captain Claudio Reyna, currently sidelined with a hamstring injury?
Here are my guesses based on these three matches.
1) I think JOB will be primarily used as a sub. You want to have Mastroeni in the center of the field and you need to have Reyna. That leaves little room for JOB, assuming the other two are fit. If Mastroeni or Reyna have knocks, JOB plays.
2) I think he's more effective in the midfield, but I think it will be determined based on who the fifth attacking player in the lineup would be. If it's Convey or Dempsey, he's up front. If it's Johnson, he's in midfield.
4) If he's fit he plays.
UPDATE: In his match report, Grahame Jones eschews optimism and instead traffics in his trademark crabbiness.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Much better
... play from the US, as they beat Venezuela 2-0 on Friday night. It was hardly perfect--there were a few clear chances squandered and a couple of bumpy patches. But overall it was never uncomfortable; you never got the impression that the Venezuelans were ever going to win this game. And the increased energy from all participants was heartening.
Bobby Convey was clearly one of the stars on Friday. I wonder how close he is getting to taking DaMarcus Beasley's starting position in the attacking midfield. Convey was beating players on the dribble, crossing well, and generally being unpredictable, while Beasley's eprformances for the national team have been fairly anemic. The Beas will probably get his chance tongiht against Latvia, but if it doesn't work for him, it's possible that Convey could be starting against the czechs on June 12th.
The thing I thought was the worst aspect of the AMericans performance was their center midfield. Olsen did not impose himself as much as he should have, either as a ballwinner or a holding midfielder. And Josh Wolff as an attacking midfielder is a work in progress.
Tonight, Arena's starting options are limited, since he'll want to rely on those who played on Friday as little as possible. Also, Berhalter won't play, since he isn't yet match fit. I'd expect Lewis, Cherundulo, Pope and either Conrad or Bocanegra in the back, O'Brien, Beasley, Donovan and Mastroeni in the midfield, and McBride and Johnson up front. I'd expect Wolff and Onyewu, who started both the previous matches, to be rested, but the others will sub in as needed.
Bobby Convey was clearly one of the stars on Friday. I wonder how close he is getting to taking DaMarcus Beasley's starting position in the attacking midfield. Convey was beating players on the dribble, crossing well, and generally being unpredictable, while Beasley's eprformances for the national team have been fairly anemic. The Beas will probably get his chance tongiht against Latvia, but if it doesn't work for him, it's possible that Convey could be starting against the czechs on June 12th.
The thing I thought was the worst aspect of the AMericans performance was their center midfield. Olsen did not impose himself as much as he should have, either as a ballwinner or a holding midfielder. And Josh Wolff as an attacking midfielder is a work in progress.
Tonight, Arena's starting options are limited, since he'll want to rely on those who played on Friday as little as possible. Also, Berhalter won't play, since he isn't yet match fit. I'd expect Lewis, Cherundulo, Pope and either Conrad or Bocanegra in the back, O'Brien, Beasley, Donovan and Mastroeni in the midfield, and McBride and Johnson up front. I'd expect Wolff and Onyewu, who started both the previous matches, to be rested, but the others will sub in as needed.
Friday, May 26, 2006
US-Venezuela tonight
Thank god this match isn't in the World Cup itself, or it'd be the excuse for rampant Hugo Chavez chest beating.
Following their poor performance against Morocco, the US should really be up for this. I'm guessing you'll see a totally different backline tonight: perhaps Lewis, Bocanegra, Conrad and Albright. Ben Olsen, and Clint Dempsey should also see some time. I wouldn't be shocked to see Jphn O'Brien, who so badly needs match sharpness, in another 45-60 minute outing. Perhaps Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson will be given a chance in the front line.
The big news from the US camp this week is that Cory Gibbs is out of the squad with a knee injury; apparently, his right knee just started swelling up after the Morocco match, and it will take potentially weeks to settle. It's terrible news for Gibbs, whose Feyenoord career was essentially scuppered by a similar injury last year. He's unsurprisingly replaced by Gregg Berhalter, who brings a very similar skill set to Gibbs: he's a left-footed central defender who will play left back if you need him to. Berhalter has been in form for Energie Cottbus, who just got promoted to the Bundesliga, and he should be very comfortable in Germany.
The main thing the US loses here is Gibbs's speed; Berhalter isn't nearly as quick. I think this also makes it increasingly likely that Pope is the first-choice partner for Onyewu in Germany.
Following their poor performance against Morocco, the US should really be up for this. I'm guessing you'll see a totally different backline tonight: perhaps Lewis, Bocanegra, Conrad and Albright. Ben Olsen, and Clint Dempsey should also see some time. I wouldn't be shocked to see Jphn O'Brien, who so badly needs match sharpness, in another 45-60 minute outing. Perhaps Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson will be given a chance in the front line.
The big news from the US camp this week is that Cory Gibbs is out of the squad with a knee injury; apparently, his right knee just started swelling up after the Morocco match, and it will take potentially weeks to settle. It's terrible news for Gibbs, whose Feyenoord career was essentially scuppered by a similar injury last year. He's unsurprisingly replaced by Gregg Berhalter, who brings a very similar skill set to Gibbs: he's a left-footed central defender who will play left back if you need him to. Berhalter has been in form for Energie Cottbus, who just got promoted to the Bundesliga, and he should be very comfortable in Germany.
The main thing the US loses here is Gibbs's speed; Berhalter isn't nearly as quick. I think this also makes it increasingly likely that Pope is the first-choice partner for Onyewu in Germany.
B is for bad
Or perhaps "bizarre". Both adjectives could equally be applied to England B's 2-1 loss to Belarus yesterday.
It was an odd little match. On the play that led to Jermaine Jenas's goal for England, Michael Owen was a mile offside, but it went unnoticed. There was as blatant a handball as you'll ever see that when uncalled. but weirder still was the first Belarus goal. England keeper Robert Green badly shanked the ball straight to an opposing player, falling to the ground in agony as he did so, whereupon the Belarussian striker calmly (and perhaps unsportingly) shot the ball into an empty net. Green, who was only the third choice England keeper, is now out of the World Cup.
Overall. England looked like they were sleeping through this game. Tons of misplaced passes, and a general sense of torpor about the England midfield and backline. Carrick and Jenas alwys seemed to me to be a bit far away from their strikers; Owen and Crouch were constantly tracking back.
The two bright spots were Crouch, who generally looked dangerous, and Aaron Lennon, who tormented the visitor's defense all night long. Eventually, the defender marking Lennon clearly just gave up and started wantonly fouling him, a strategy that hilariously brought him two yellow cards in a matter of seconds. And Theo Walcott did have some time at the end of the match; he had one nice volley and a few good moments, but really Lennon was the star. The problem is that Lennon plays in David Beckham's position, so there's virtually no chance he will start. I'd look for him to be inserted in games at around the 70 minute mark; against tired defenders, he could be truly monumental.
It was an odd little match. On the play that led to Jermaine Jenas's goal for England, Michael Owen was a mile offside, but it went unnoticed. There was as blatant a handball as you'll ever see that when uncalled. but weirder still was the first Belarus goal. England keeper Robert Green badly shanked the ball straight to an opposing player, falling to the ground in agony as he did so, whereupon the Belarussian striker calmly (and perhaps unsportingly) shot the ball into an empty net. Green, who was only the third choice England keeper, is now out of the World Cup.
Overall. England looked like they were sleeping through this game. Tons of misplaced passes, and a general sense of torpor about the England midfield and backline. Carrick and Jenas alwys seemed to me to be a bit far away from their strikers; Owen and Crouch were constantly tracking back.
The two bright spots were Crouch, who generally looked dangerous, and Aaron Lennon, who tormented the visitor's defense all night long. Eventually, the defender marking Lennon clearly just gave up and started wantonly fouling him, a strategy that hilariously brought him two yellow cards in a matter of seconds. And Theo Walcott did have some time at the end of the match; he had one nice volley and a few good moments, but really Lennon was the star. The problem is that Lennon plays in David Beckham's position, so there's virtually no chance he will start. I'd look for him to be inserted in games at around the 70 minute mark; against tired defenders, he could be truly monumental.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
French bizarreness
It's been a weird week for the French squad. Some of the weirdness was unintentional, but some has been self-inflicted.
Earlier this week, Patrick Vieira was gassed by burglars who were robbing his house in the Cote d'Azur. Apparently, the thieves managed to pump gas into the house to keep the Vieira family sleeping while they took valuables. Best wishes to Vieira and his wife and daughter as they recover from the attack.
And today, the French squad hiked on an Alpine glacier as a team-bonding exercise. Apparently, coach Raymond Domenech thought the difficult hike, in which players were roped together, would be a good way to generate team spirit, but it seems to me like a good way to get your entire squad wiped out by an avalanche. Fortunately, nothing like that happened, but surprise!--one of the players picked up a calf injury in the hike. The good news for France is that it was just Fabien Barthez who got hurt; maybe they'll be forced to actually start a real keeper against Switzerland.
UPDATE: More nuttiness! Backup keeper Gregory Coupet just stormed out of camp briefly. Reason unknown... you'd think he'd be happy Barthez hurt his calf. Hmm... you think maybe Coupet tried to push him off the glacier or something? Awesome!
Earlier this week, Patrick Vieira was gassed by burglars who were robbing his house in the Cote d'Azur. Apparently, the thieves managed to pump gas into the house to keep the Vieira family sleeping while they took valuables. Best wishes to Vieira and his wife and daughter as they recover from the attack.
And today, the French squad hiked on an Alpine glacier as a team-bonding exercise. Apparently, coach Raymond Domenech thought the difficult hike, in which players were roped together, would be a good way to generate team spirit, but it seems to me like a good way to get your entire squad wiped out by an avalanche. Fortunately, nothing like that happened, but surprise!--one of the players picked up a calf injury in the hike. The good news for France is that it was just Fabien Barthez who got hurt; maybe they'll be forced to actually start a real keeper against Switzerland.
UPDATE: More nuttiness! Backup keeper Gregory Coupet just stormed out of camp briefly. Reason unknown... you'd think he'd be happy Barthez hurt his calf. Hmm... you think maybe Coupet tried to push him off the glacier or something? Awesome!
Reyna's hamstring injury...
... is not serious, according to Chris Cowles of Reuters. Great news... but it's looking like he'll miss the last two friendlies.
Rode by Morocco
Hmmm. Well, once again that was a pretty poor performance by the United States. Match report here.
Arena's postgame tip of the hat to their opponents was deserved. They did an excellent job of breaking up attacks through the center and they played very quickly when they had to. This being said, we never got to them down the flanks enough, which is odd since we came out in that trendy 4-5-1 formation designed to hurt teams down the flanks and isolate opposing fullbacks. This formation seems custom made for DaMarcus Beasley, but he and the other winger Josh Wolff never really got into this game. The US never found them the ball and when they did the Morocccans were back in numbers.
The crossing from the outside backs was also poor. Cherundulo got a couple of telling crosses in the second half prior to his gaffe, but not nearly what he should. And while Cory Gibbs is a great defender, he isn't yet convincing going forward.
Good points? A nice 45 minutes from John O'Brien, who looked like he was really having fun out there. Donovan and Mastroeni weren't bad.
And then there's Reyna's injury. You just knew that either he, O'Brien or Mastroeni would go down in one of these games. There's nothing to do but to wait on the results of the scan, but I'm guessing he's probably out against Venezuela and Latvia.
Arena's postgame tip of the hat to their opponents was deserved. They did an excellent job of breaking up attacks through the center and they played very quickly when they had to. This being said, we never got to them down the flanks enough, which is odd since we came out in that trendy 4-5-1 formation designed to hurt teams down the flanks and isolate opposing fullbacks. This formation seems custom made for DaMarcus Beasley, but he and the other winger Josh Wolff never really got into this game. The US never found them the ball and when they did the Morocccans were back in numbers.
The crossing from the outside backs was also poor. Cherundulo got a couple of telling crosses in the second half prior to his gaffe, but not nearly what he should. And while Cory Gibbs is a great defender, he isn't yet convincing going forward.
Good points? A nice 45 minutes from John O'Brien, who looked like he was really having fun out there. Donovan and Mastroeni weren't bad.
And then there's Reyna's injury. You just knew that either he, O'Brien or Mastroeni would go down in one of these games. There's nothing to do but to wait on the results of the scan, but I'm guessing he's probably out against Venezuela and Latvia.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
US Tactics
One story about the US camp that has gotten some attention among hardcore soccer geeks is Ronald Blum's article on how Claudio Reyna is going to play more of a defensive role in this World Cup. I'm not completely sure what practical effect this is going to have.
US fans generally think of Reyna as the primary "playmaker" for the US team. He is the player who sees the most of the ball, and generally determines the direction of the attack. But Reyna is not now, nor has ever been, the Valderrama-style "number 10" who plays behind the strikers and distributes to them and the advancing flank midfielders. Reyna plays very deep; he goes back to just in front of the defense to begin his distribution. When he plays with a strictly defensive midfielder such as Chris Armas or Pablo Mastroeni, you'll see him play almost alongside the d-mid when the US begins the attack. He will then advance to make himself available as an outlet or to support the attack he started. In other words, he plays a lot like a holding midfielder already, admittedly one with better attacking skills than the average.
The Blum article almost implies he will be the defensive midfielder for the US. I think this is probably not going to be the case, and I definitely don't think it should be the case. Because while Reyna often finds himself in a defensive midfielder position, he's not the greatest ballwinner and tough tackler when the opponents have the ball. The US has trouble disrupting opposing attacks when they don't have a Mastroeni or O'Brien in the midfield. I think it will be very important to have a dedicated d-mid in the World Cup, particularly since we'll be facing Pavel Nedved and Francesco Totti--talented midfielders whom we'll need to stifle in some way.
I think what will probably happen is that the US will play a "box" midfield with Reyna and Mastroeni or O'Brien playing behind two offensive midfielders who will play generally centrally, but have license to go to the flanks. The width will be provided by Cherundulo and Lewis and outside back. So in that sense Reyna might be more "defensive," but I think it will not make much difference when you see them on the field.
US-Morocco in an hour and a half, so maybe we'll see an indication of this soon. Enjoy.
US fans generally think of Reyna as the primary "playmaker" for the US team. He is the player who sees the most of the ball, and generally determines the direction of the attack. But Reyna is not now, nor has ever been, the Valderrama-style "number 10" who plays behind the strikers and distributes to them and the advancing flank midfielders. Reyna plays very deep; he goes back to just in front of the defense to begin his distribution. When he plays with a strictly defensive midfielder such as Chris Armas or Pablo Mastroeni, you'll see him play almost alongside the d-mid when the US begins the attack. He will then advance to make himself available as an outlet or to support the attack he started. In other words, he plays a lot like a holding midfielder already, admittedly one with better attacking skills than the average.
The Blum article almost implies he will be the defensive midfielder for the US. I think this is probably not going to be the case, and I definitely don't think it should be the case. Because while Reyna often finds himself in a defensive midfielder position, he's not the greatest ballwinner and tough tackler when the opponents have the ball. The US has trouble disrupting opposing attacks when they don't have a Mastroeni or O'Brien in the midfield. I think it will be very important to have a dedicated d-mid in the World Cup, particularly since we'll be facing Pavel Nedved and Francesco Totti--talented midfielders whom we'll need to stifle in some way.
I think what will probably happen is that the US will play a "box" midfield with Reyna and Mastroeni or O'Brien playing behind two offensive midfielders who will play generally centrally, but have license to go to the flanks. The width will be provided by Cherundulo and Lewis and outside back. So in that sense Reyna might be more "defensive," but I think it will not make much difference when you see them on the field.
US-Morocco in an hour and a half, so maybe we'll see an indication of this soon. Enjoy.
An unkinder, rougher Tico
Apparently, Costa Rica has been taking a nice guy approach all this time. Who knew?
Shevchenko
As you may know, the Ukranian national team consists of one guy named Shevchenko and ten guys named Please Spank Me. So it comes as a bit of a blow for Ukranians that the guy named Shevchenko may, in fact, be crocked. The purpose of this press conference was to reassure people he was getting better, but it seems to have had the opposite effect; his knee injury may not be healing as well as was first thought. Maybe Tunisia will be the one to get out of this group in second place.
I really like the BBC photo that accompanies this story. It looks as if Shevchenko, following a particularly violent sneeze, is astonished and appalled by the color of the snot in his hands.
I really like the BBC photo that accompanies this story. It looks as if Shevchenko, following a particularly violent sneeze, is astonished and appalled by the color of the snot in his hands.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Building up
Now that the Champions League final has concluded and the European season has completely run down, the countdown to the World Cup begins in earnest. All squads have assembled, and some have even arrived in Germany. And this week, some serious warm-up matches will be played. Here's the rundown for the next few days.
Tuesday night: USA-Morocco. Despite a large (for the US) media presence, the American camp has been largely incident free. Which is, of course, exactly the way you want it. Fresh from a 5-0 dusting of the Charleston battery in a scrimmage, the US travels to Nashville to take on Morocco. Bruce Arena is treating the next three friendlies as a dry run for the rigors of the group stage: there will be three matches in a week. So it's hard to say precisely what lineup Arena will use; pretty much every player will get a significant amount of playing time in these games. Some questions for the Tuesday night game: Is O'Brien ready? Who among the strikers will get the goals? And can we avoid the kind of injuries that derailed Chris Armas and Greg Vanney in 2002?
Wednesday night: Ecuador-Colombia. This one's at Giants Stadium, so if you are in the New Jersey area, come down and see how the Ecuadorians are adjusting to playing in oxygen rich environments. Although now that I come to think of it, East Rutherford NJ can hardly be called an oxygen rich environment.
Thursday afternoon: England "B" vs. Belarus. Huh? What precisely does England B mean? From what I'm reading, it means that you might see some players who won't actually be on the World Cup squad; Sven-Goran Erikkson wants to rest Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and Beckham, and he might be a bit short of numbers otherwise. But you probably will see Owen, Campbell and Ashley Cole, and even maybe Theo Walcott if his mum lets him come out and play. It'll be intriguing to see this (it's on FSC in the US.)
Friday afternoon: Saudi Arabia vs. Czech Republic. This is pretty much the first of the pre-Cup friendlies in which both teams will actually be playing in the tournament. If you're one of the six people in the US who gets GolTV, you can actually watch it.
Tuesday night: USA-Morocco. Despite a large (for the US) media presence, the American camp has been largely incident free. Which is, of course, exactly the way you want it. Fresh from a 5-0 dusting of the Charleston battery in a scrimmage, the US travels to Nashville to take on Morocco. Bruce Arena is treating the next three friendlies as a dry run for the rigors of the group stage: there will be three matches in a week. So it's hard to say precisely what lineup Arena will use; pretty much every player will get a significant amount of playing time in these games. Some questions for the Tuesday night game: Is O'Brien ready? Who among the strikers will get the goals? And can we avoid the kind of injuries that derailed Chris Armas and Greg Vanney in 2002?
Wednesday night: Ecuador-Colombia. This one's at Giants Stadium, so if you are in the New Jersey area, come down and see how the Ecuadorians are adjusting to playing in oxygen rich environments. Although now that I come to think of it, East Rutherford NJ can hardly be called an oxygen rich environment.
Thursday afternoon: England "B" vs. Belarus. Huh? What precisely does England B mean? From what I'm reading, it means that you might see some players who won't actually be on the World Cup squad; Sven-Goran Erikkson wants to rest Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and Beckham, and he might be a bit short of numbers otherwise. But you probably will see Owen, Campbell and Ashley Cole, and even maybe Theo Walcott if his mum lets him come out and play. It'll be intriguing to see this (it's on FSC in the US.)
Friday afternoon: Saudi Arabia vs. Czech Republic. This is pretty much the first of the pre-Cup friendlies in which both teams will actually be playing in the tournament. If you're one of the six people in the US who gets GolTV, you can actually watch it.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Smackdown to go
Rather amusingly, Germany are being trash-talked by the coach of Togo. Otto Pfister is German, so there is a logic here, but still... you know your team has a problem or two when the coach of Togo serves you up a diss sandwich.
Tears of a Lion
Apparently the firm that makes the World Cup mascot "Goleo" has gone bust. The BBC speculates that, being a lion, Goleo reminds too many German consumers of England. However, I speculate that consumers of all nationalities find the mere concept of a World Cup mascot a bit silly.
Mind you, as World Cup mascots go, Goleo is less disturbing than prior models: e.g. the unpleasant chicken of 1998, and the post-nuclear fallout Gummi Bears of 2002.
Mind you, as World Cup mascots go, Goleo is less disturbing than prior models: e.g. the unpleasant chicken of 1998, and the post-nuclear fallout Gummi Bears of 2002.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Squads
Through a combination of busyness and post-busyness laziness, I haven't been posting much; sorry about that. The big thing I missed, of course, is the announcement of everyone's World Cup squad on Monday. Socceramerica provides a helpful combined list.
I'm still too lazy to blog about all of them, and besides I want to go watch the Champions League final in a few minutes. So here are the stories as I see them:
Germany included veterans Jens Novotny and unknown (well, to me at least) David Odonkor.
Spain left out Morientes, which, if you've seen any Liverpool game this season, is not even slightly surprising.
Poland dropped Jerzy Dudek, so I won't be continually freaked out by the fact that he looks exactly like a guy I know (If you're reading, Michele, it's your husband.) They also didn't bring top scorer Tomasz Frankowski.
Italy included Gianluigi Buffon, despite the fact the waters of scandal are swirling around his jockstrap and rising.
I'm still too lazy to blog about all of them, and besides I want to go watch the Champions League final in a few minutes. So here are the stories as I see them:
Germany included veterans Jens Novotny and unknown (well, to me at least) David Odonkor.
Spain left out Morientes, which, if you've seen any Liverpool game this season, is not even slightly surprising.
Poland dropped Jerzy Dudek, so I won't be continually freaked out by the fact that he looks exactly like a guy I know (If you're reading, Michele, it's your husband.) They also didn't bring top scorer Tomasz Frankowski.
Italy included Gianluigi Buffon, despite the fact the waters of scandal are swirling around his jockstrap and rising.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Ghana
... announced their squad today. The Reuters guy says their selection is something of a surprise, with many players on their underperforming African Nations squad being cut. I'm not knowledgeable enough on Ghanian soccer to say, but one thing occurs to me looking at this team: it's going to have trouble scoring goals. Matthew Amoah's recent form for Borussia Dortmund has been steadily getting worse with every game he's played, (culminating in some Kirovski-esque ratings in the last two weeks) and no other name in the forward list really stands out. The onus will be on Appiah and Essien to provide a lot of support for their attackers, which will leave them vulnerable on the break.
Oh, and the country whose shirt resembles a tablecloth in a cheap Italian restaurant also announced their 23.
Oh, and the country whose shirt resembles a tablecloth in a cheap Italian restaurant also announced their 23.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
His name is Theo and...
... he... well, actually nobody knows what he does.
The inclusion of 17 year old Theo Walcott on the England World Cup has had a fascinating effect on English football fans. You might think that the inclusion of a boy who has never played a minute of first team soccer and who has only been seen by those handful of people in reserve games (his entire league career consists of just 1334 minutes of playing time and four goals, stats that are not dissimilar to those of my rec league career), might lead commentators either to call for the immediate dismissal of Sven on the grounds of insanity or generally to despair. But it hasn't. Reaction has been extraordinarily positive, both among sports journalists and fans in general. Which begs the question: has the entire nation gone bonkers?
Perhaps. But the fascinating thing about this whole affair is that they are in favor of Theo precisely because they have not seen him. All anyone knows is that he's 17, he's fast, and Arsene Wenger thinks he's good. Essentially, Theo is a tabula rasa, a blank slate on which fans can project their hopes for success. By including Theo, Sven has turned the national mood around 180 degrees from the gloom about Wayne Rooney's metatarsal. You see, there's a precedent for fast 17 year olds in the World Cup, and as long as we don't... you know... actually see him beforehand, we can believe he's the new Pele.
Marina Hyde makes precisely this point in her Guardian column today, saying that the inclusion of Theo is the potential set-up for an irresistible narrative, and so of course everyone likes him. She also compares Sven to Ibsen, which I thought was something of a stretch, until this biography informed me that Ibsen "had a few episodes of friendship with young women." They also have the same glasses, but Sven does need to work on the sideburns:
The inclusion of 17 year old Theo Walcott on the England World Cup has had a fascinating effect on English football fans. You might think that the inclusion of a boy who has never played a minute of first team soccer and who has only been seen by those handful of people in reserve games (his entire league career consists of just 1334 minutes of playing time and four goals, stats that are not dissimilar to those of my rec league career), might lead commentators either to call for the immediate dismissal of Sven on the grounds of insanity or generally to despair. But it hasn't. Reaction has been extraordinarily positive, both among sports journalists and fans in general. Which begs the question: has the entire nation gone bonkers?
Perhaps. But the fascinating thing about this whole affair is that they are in favor of Theo precisely because they have not seen him. All anyone knows is that he's 17, he's fast, and Arsene Wenger thinks he's good. Essentially, Theo is a tabula rasa, a blank slate on which fans can project their hopes for success. By including Theo, Sven has turned the national mood around 180 degrees from the gloom about Wayne Rooney's metatarsal. You see, there's a precedent for fast 17 year olds in the World Cup, and as long as we don't... you know... actually see him beforehand, we can believe he's the new Pele.
Marina Hyde makes precisely this point in her Guardian column today, saying that the inclusion of Theo is the potential set-up for an irresistible narrative, and so of course everyone likes him. She also compares Sven to Ibsen, which I thought was something of a stretch, until this biography informed me that Ibsen "had a few episodes of friendship with young women." They also have the same glasses, but Sven does need to work on the sideburns:
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Sloganeering
Sweden and Ecuador announced Cup squads today. But let's skip all the substance and analysis and get to the important stuff, like what slogans will be painted on the team's buses. Somehow, dammit, I missed the competition that allowed fans to choose their team's official slogan at the FIFA website. Now the final results are in, and they range from the obvious...
Australia - "Australia Socceroos – Bound for glory"
to the laughably implausible...
Saudi Arabia - "The Green Hawks cannot be stopped"
to the utterly bland...
Serbia and Montenegro - "For the love of the game"
to the very faintly praising...
Tunisia – "The Carthage Eagles... higher and stronger than ever"
to the threatening...
Costa Rica- "Our army is the team, our weapon is the ball. Let's go to Germany and give it our all"
to the nagging...
Sweden – "Fight! Show spirit! Come on! You have the support of everyone"
to the Gatorade-commerical-esque...
Togo – "A passion to win and a thirst to succeed"
to the brilliantly surreal:
Switzerland – "2006, it's Swiss o'clock" .
I encourage you, dear reader, to submit your own proposals for team slogans in the comments. Please ignore any scruples you might possess concerning issues of good taste, especially for your Serbian entry.
Australia - "Australia Socceroos – Bound for glory"
to the laughably implausible...
Saudi Arabia - "The Green Hawks cannot be stopped"
to the utterly bland...
Serbia and Montenegro - "For the love of the game"
to the very faintly praising...
Tunisia – "The Carthage Eagles... higher and stronger than ever"
to the threatening...
Costa Rica- "Our army is the team, our weapon is the ball. Let's go to Germany and give it our all"
to the nagging...
Sweden – "Fight! Show spirit! Come on! You have the support of everyone"
to the Gatorade-commerical-esque...
Togo – "A passion to win and a thirst to succeed"
to the brilliantly surreal:
Switzerland – "2006, it's Swiss o'clock" .
I encourage you, dear reader, to submit your own proposals for team slogans in the comments. Please ignore any scruples you might possess concerning issues of good taste, especially for your Serbian entry.
Monday, May 08, 2006
The England squad
... is, in the words of Football365, "absolutely mental:"
Robinson (Tottenham), James (Manchester City), Green (Norwich), G Neville (Manchester United), R Ferdinand (Manchester United), Terry (Chelsea), A Cole (Arsenal), Campbell (Arsenal), Carragher (Liverpool), Bridge (Chelsea), Beckham (Real Madrid), Carrick (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Totenham), Downing (Middlesbrough), J Cole (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Walcott (Arsenal).
Walcott? The 17 year old who hasn't yet had a first team game for Arsenal? That's bizarre.
Also bizarre: of the four strikers in the squad, one currently resides in an oxygen tank, and one is not yet a legal adult. Bearing that in mind, and the includion of Lennon and Downing, might Sven go 4-3-3 with wingers in Germany this summer?
UPDATE: After the initial shock, the reaction is positive; F365 have amended the adverb to "brilliantly." And their correspondents seem to like it too.
Robinson (Tottenham), James (Manchester City), Green (Norwich), G Neville (Manchester United), R Ferdinand (Manchester United), Terry (Chelsea), A Cole (Arsenal), Campbell (Arsenal), Carragher (Liverpool), Bridge (Chelsea), Beckham (Real Madrid), Carrick (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Totenham), Downing (Middlesbrough), J Cole (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Walcott (Arsenal).
Walcott? The 17 year old who hasn't yet had a first team game for Arsenal? That's bizarre.
Also bizarre: of the four strikers in the squad, one currently resides in an oxygen tank, and one is not yet a legal adult. Bearing that in mind, and the includion of Lennon and Downing, might Sven go 4-3-3 with wingers in Germany this summer?
UPDATE: After the initial shock, the reaction is positive; F365 have amended the adverb to "brilliantly." And their correspondents seem to like it too.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Frankie H.
If you haven't read it yet, please do check out Dan Loney's encomium to Frankie Hedjuk in his weekly column. The secret of Frankie's success? Steaming down the flanks like a madman while opposing players watch him in confusion, says Dan. Yep. The Babelfish translator at Altavista said it best, when, describing his brief glory days at Bayer Leverkusen, it said, "Hejduk's flank runs were an eye pasture."
Good luck with the recovery, Frankie. We'll miss you in Germany.
Good luck with the recovery, Frankie. We'll miss you in Germany.
That's confidence
The USA may have announced their squad a full two weeks before the roster deadline, but Carlos Alberto Perreira, coach of Brazil, has us beat. He's actually named his starting XI for the first match against Croatia. It's got the Fantsatic Four of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo and Adriano leading the attack (if they really were the Fantastic Four, I'm guessing Ronaldo would be The Thing.), and old-as-the-hills wing backs Cafu and Roberto Carlos providing the flank play. (I'm telling you Group F coaches: move your strikers into isolation situations against these two. First team to do that beats Brazil.) Robinho is presumably waiting in the wings for when Ronaldo is too tired of waddling around up front.
I guess when Brazil beats them 4-0, the Croutons can't claim that their opponent's fooled them with their formation and lineup.
I guess when Brazil beats them 4-0, the Croutons can't claim that their opponent's fooled them with their formation and lineup.
Blame Franz Ferdinand
No, not the Scottish post-punk band, but rather the original Archduke. That's the recommendation of the Guardian's Marina Hyde as she seeks to dole out blame for Wayne Rooney's injury woes. She also points the knobbly finger of culpability at Maggie Thatcher, Tsar Nicholas II, and Phil Knight. (Now there's a fun bunch of folks.) Damn you, Гаврило Принцип!
Clearly in a jolly mood, the Guardian also gives us an indication of what Rooney's oxygen treatment will be like. You might be thinking, oxygen? I like oxygen; sounds okay by me. But actually it sounds kind of unpleasant and grotesque, kind of like being the Man in the Iron Mask only 30 feet underwater.
Clearly in a jolly mood, the Guardian also gives us an indication of what Rooney's oxygen treatment will be like. You might be thinking, oxygen? I like oxygen; sounds okay by me. But actually it sounds kind of unpleasant and grotesque, kind of like being the Man in the Iron Mask only 30 feet underwater.
No Big Phil after all.
Meanwhile, back in Blighty, there's been news on the managerial front. For some reason, the FA has decided not to hire Scolari after all and instead is going to name Middlesborough boss Steve McClaren as manager later today. Apparently, Scolari either refused their offer or didn't want to commit until after the World Cup, so they up and hired McClaren instead. And why didn't they just wait for Big Phil, considering they already have a manager for the World Cup? Perhaps because they didn't want to have to be in the position of considering Sven again if England did well? But probably because they're a bunch of amateur clowns.
Anyway, for those who don't follow the English scene, McClaren is the manager of a mediocre club whose main items in his curriculum vitae are A) an implausible run to the final of the UEFA Cup this year and B) and English passport.
Anyway, for those who don't follow the English scene, McClaren is the manager of a mediocre club whose main items in his curriculum vitae are A) an implausible run to the final of the UEFA Cup this year and B) and English passport.
Damn, that was quick...
Apparently, when Bruce Arena alerted his alternates that they did not, in fact, make the World Cup team, he included a little reminder of what happened in the 2002 lead-up when two alternates were called. He could very well send a follow-up e-mail that just says "See what I mean?" For a mere 24 hours after the US squad was announced, one player has already been replaced. Frankie Hejduk has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, and Chris Albright has been called up to replace him.
Changing a World Cup squad 24 hours after you've announced it has to be some kind of world record. In any case, this renders my Hejduk vs. Albright comparisons of 48 hours ago completely moot.
Changing a World Cup squad 24 hours after you've announced it has to be some kind of world record. In any case, this renders my Hejduk vs. Albright comparisons of 48 hours ago completely moot.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The US squad
Here's me, 24 hours ago:
As bad as that half was against Germany, Berhalter otherwise hasn't put a foot wrong in his play for the US over the last year. (Don't believe me? His Sams Army ratings from 5/1/2005 to today are 5.72, 5.87, 7.14, 5.69 and 5.49; pretty good for a defender.) He's been in form for his club, who are in line for promotion. He's a veteran of the 2002 campaign. He also is based in Germany and has played in all these venues. Unless an injury happens, I'm pretty sure Berhalter is going.
Damn, that was eloquent, wasn't it? And a fine use of evidence to strengthen a thesis statement. Only problem is that it was ass-wrong. The US squad for Germany was announced, and Berhalter isn't on it:
Goalkeepers: Kasey Keller (Borussia Monchengladbach), Tim Howard (Manchester United), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Cory Gibbs (ADO den Haag), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake).
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Bobby Convey (Reading), Clint Dempsey (New England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado), John O'Brien (Chivas USA), Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City)
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Brian McBride (Fulham), Josh Wolff (Kansas City).
In Berhalter's place, clearly, is Jimmy Conrad. The logic here is twofold, I think. First off, Conrad played a lot of games for the US earlier in the year, and developed a nice partnership with Eddie Pope. Secondly, Conrad is right footed. Arena already has two left-footed center backs who can play left back in a pinch (Bocanegra and Gibbs), while Conrad can be a right back if necessary. I'm surprised, but I'm not really disappointed.
However, the biggest surprise is Ching for Twellman, and I think this decision is wrong. The logic, I suppose, is Ching's MLS form, coupled with his understanding with Landon Donovan, and the problems his size might cause. But Twellman has fared far better than Ching for the US this year, and presents a different kind of problem for defenses: he chases every ball down, harries defenders and throws himself at even the quarter chances. My MLS team is the Revolution, so I'm biased, but I really think Twellman is the better choice.
In any case, let us not forget that there is still a long way to go here. There's one last set of club games, as well as a month of preparation and training. In 2002, we had a player injured in mid-May, after which his replacement got injured, after which his replacement got injured, whereupon Arena just gave up. It's quite possible that one or more reserves could get called up between now and June.
As bad as that half was against Germany, Berhalter otherwise hasn't put a foot wrong in his play for the US over the last year. (Don't believe me? His Sams Army ratings from 5/1/2005 to today are 5.72, 5.87, 7.14, 5.69 and 5.49; pretty good for a defender.) He's been in form for his club, who are in line for promotion. He's a veteran of the 2002 campaign. He also is based in Germany and has played in all these venues. Unless an injury happens, I'm pretty sure Berhalter is going.
Damn, that was eloquent, wasn't it? And a fine use of evidence to strengthen a thesis statement. Only problem is that it was ass-wrong. The US squad for Germany was announced, and Berhalter isn't on it:
Goalkeepers: Kasey Keller (Borussia Monchengladbach), Tim Howard (Manchester United), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Cory Gibbs (ADO den Haag), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake).
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Bobby Convey (Reading), Clint Dempsey (New England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado), John O'Brien (Chivas USA), Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City)
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City), Brian McBride (Fulham), Josh Wolff (Kansas City).
In Berhalter's place, clearly, is Jimmy Conrad. The logic here is twofold, I think. First off, Conrad played a lot of games for the US earlier in the year, and developed a nice partnership with Eddie Pope. Secondly, Conrad is right footed. Arena already has two left-footed center backs who can play left back in a pinch (Bocanegra and Gibbs), while Conrad can be a right back if necessary. I'm surprised, but I'm not really disappointed.
However, the biggest surprise is Ching for Twellman, and I think this decision is wrong. The logic, I suppose, is Ching's MLS form, coupled with his understanding with Landon Donovan, and the problems his size might cause. But Twellman has fared far better than Ching for the US this year, and presents a different kind of problem for defenses: he chases every ball down, harries defenders and throws himself at even the quarter chances. My MLS team is the Revolution, so I'm biased, but I really think Twellman is the better choice.
In any case, let us not forget that there is still a long way to go here. There's one last set of club games, as well as a month of preparation and training. In 2002, we had a player injured in mid-May, after which his replacement got injured, after which his replacement got injured, whereupon Arena just gave up. It's quite possible that one or more reserves could get called up between now and June.
Off the Post.
The Washington Post has a cool graphic providing both their roster picks and their choice of starting XI. (Presumably the royal "we" of the article is Steven Goff and Jon DeNunzio.) They say Albright instead of Hejduk and drop Berhalter in favor of... Pat Noonan!
Bearing in mind their mysterious unnamed sources for Olsen's inclusion, are they giving us an unauthorized leak? After all, they were right about the whole Watergate thing....
UPDATE: And Soccer America's official prediction is... exactly the same as the squad I've predicted. All those years posting on the late lamented Soccer American Graffiti must have rubbed off. Amusingly, SA breaks the team down into five categories: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, forwards and Donovan.
Bearing in mind their mysterious unnamed sources for Olsen's inclusion, are they giving us an unauthorized leak? After all, they were right about the whole Watergate thing....
UPDATE: And Soccer America's official prediction is... exactly the same as the squad I've predicted. All those years posting on the late lamented Soccer American Graffiti must have rubbed off. Amusingly, SA breaks the team down into five categories: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, forwards and Donovan.
Procrastination
The deadline for Rooney to be replaced on the England roster is June 9th, according to FIFA. So Sven has a good five weeks to judge Rooney's recovery and make a decision.
Monday, May 01, 2006
The final countdown
Doo-doo-DOOO-doo. Doo-doo-DOOO-doo-doo.... err, sorry about that. I mean for the US World Cup roster which is announced tomorrow on ESPN2 during Sportscenter.
Clearly miking the mystery that this process generates, US Soccer has published a big chart of everybody's predictions for who's on. Looking at it, the thing I notice aside from Luis Bueno's off the wall pick of Tony Meola, is the doubt about Gregg Berhalter's inclusion.
As bad as that half was against Germany, Berhalter otherwise hasn't put a foot wrong in his play for the US over the last year. (Don't believe me? His Sams Army ratings from 5/1/2005 to today are 5.72, 5.87, 7.14, 5.69 and
5.49; pretty good for a defender.) He's been in form for his club, who are in line for promotion. He's a veteran of the 2002 campaign. He also is based in Germany and has played in all these venues. Unless an injury happens, I'm pretty sure Berhalter is going.
Some of this may be a numbers game; I think people are questioning whether Arena can really afford to bring five center backs (Pope, Oneywu, Bocanegra, Berhalter and Gibbs). I think he will. Keep in mind the effect of suspensions and knocks in the Cup. In that magical alternative world where we beat Germany in the last World Cup, we would only have had three defenders to face the Koreans.*
After the Germany game I posted a speculation about the Cup roster, in which I said that three spaces really were up for grabs:
1: One center back who can play outside. (Gibbs, Conrad, Spector)
2: One defensive flank player who can attack. (Hejduk, Albright, Dunivant)
3: One utility player, someone who could be used in a variety of roles. (Olsen, Ralston, Noonan, Hejduk.)
Number 1 is probably Cory Gibbs. He's stayed fit with ADO and had a good run in. Conrad is the first reserve if any of the five go down.
Number 3 was a big question but the increasing consensus is that Olsen has nailed it. He did well against Jamaica and scored a nice goal for DC United this weekend that might have sealed the deal. Plus, the Washington Post has mysterious unnamed sources that say he's in.
If there's going to be a surprise in this squad it's going to be in the Number 2 category. The CW has Hejduk as a lock, but I wonder. Chris Albright is a younger Hejduk with additional features: a better cross, a better shot, additional height and strength, and the ability to be a striker if called upon. He's also in form for club and country, whereas Hejduk has looked distinctly mediocre in both counts. What Hejduk has going for him is experience, plus the fact that he always turns up to play in the World Cup. (Mark Flannery of Yanks Abroad gives the case for Frankie here.) That might outweigh what Albright brings, but if it does it's a very near thing indeed....
* Pope, Agoos, Cherundolo, Mastroeni, Sanneh and Hejduk were all injured or suspended. So it would have been Regis, Berhalter and Llamosa versus a Korean onslaught. That would have been fun. And while we're dwelling in Bizarro World, it's worth noting that FIFA have emergency provisions if rosters get too depleted, and Arena might have used them to call up an extra central defender or two. Was there a fit, in-form defender with lots of international experience available at the time ? Why yes there was. Alexi Lalas would probably have been called in for a miracle comeback, and the World Cup would have been ours... ours I tell you!!!
Clearly miking the mystery that this process generates, US Soccer has published a big chart of everybody's predictions for who's on. Looking at it, the thing I notice aside from Luis Bueno's off the wall pick of Tony Meola, is the doubt about Gregg Berhalter's inclusion.
As bad as that half was against Germany, Berhalter otherwise hasn't put a foot wrong in his play for the US over the last year. (Don't believe me? His Sams Army ratings from 5/1/2005 to today are 5.72, 5.87, 7.14, 5.69 and
5.49; pretty good for a defender.) He's been in form for his club, who are in line for promotion. He's a veteran of the 2002 campaign. He also is based in Germany and has played in all these venues. Unless an injury happens, I'm pretty sure Berhalter is going.
Some of this may be a numbers game; I think people are questioning whether Arena can really afford to bring five center backs (Pope, Oneywu, Bocanegra, Berhalter and Gibbs). I think he will. Keep in mind the effect of suspensions and knocks in the Cup. In that magical alternative world where we beat Germany in the last World Cup, we would only have had three defenders to face the Koreans.*
After the Germany game I posted a speculation about the Cup roster, in which I said that three spaces really were up for grabs:
1: One center back who can play outside. (Gibbs, Conrad, Spector)
2: One defensive flank player who can attack. (Hejduk, Albright, Dunivant)
3: One utility player, someone who could be used in a variety of roles. (Olsen, Ralston, Noonan, Hejduk.)
Number 1 is probably Cory Gibbs. He's stayed fit with ADO and had a good run in. Conrad is the first reserve if any of the five go down.
Number 3 was a big question but the increasing consensus is that Olsen has nailed it. He did well against Jamaica and scored a nice goal for DC United this weekend that might have sealed the deal. Plus, the Washington Post has mysterious unnamed sources that say he's in.
If there's going to be a surprise in this squad it's going to be in the Number 2 category. The CW has Hejduk as a lock, but I wonder. Chris Albright is a younger Hejduk with additional features: a better cross, a better shot, additional height and strength, and the ability to be a striker if called upon. He's also in form for club and country, whereas Hejduk has looked distinctly mediocre in both counts. What Hejduk has going for him is experience, plus the fact that he always turns up to play in the World Cup. (Mark Flannery of Yanks Abroad gives the case for Frankie here.) That might outweigh what Albright brings, but if it does it's a very near thing indeed....
* Pope, Agoos, Cherundolo, Mastroeni, Sanneh and Hejduk were all injured or suspended. So it would have been Regis, Berhalter and Llamosa versus a Korean onslaught. That would have been fun. And while we're dwelling in Bizarro World, it's worth noting that FIFA have emergency provisions if rosters get too depleted, and Arena might have used them to call up an extra central defender or two. Was there a fit, in-form defender with lots of international experience available at the time ? Why yes there was. Alexi Lalas would probably have been called in for a miracle comeback, and the World Cup would have been ours... ours I tell you!!!
Bad Roon Falling
If you watched Manchester United's putatively Thermopylaean but ultimately lame attempt to stop Chelsea from winning the EPL title, then you know the big World Cup news of the weekend: Wayne Rooney broke his fourth metatarsal in an awkward fall. The projected layoff time is six weeks, throwing his World Cup participation into extreme doubt.
Will Sven-Goran Eriksson take Rooney on his World Cup squad even if he can't play until the knockout phase? Apparently so. However Alex Ferguson counsels realism.
Probably the immediate plan is for Sven to name him to the side and see how his recovery proceeds by the May 15th deadline. After that, he might be able to replace Rooney on the roster if he feels he needs to, but as the article I linked to above suggests, there is some confusion over whether FIFA would allow a player injured before May 15th to be replaced.
Is Sven crazy? I don't think so. The worst case scenario is that Rooney's foot doesn't recover in time (which is a big risk; when Rooney had a similar injury after Euro 2004 he was out for ten weeks), in which case he ends up being that 23rd man who never gets used. But the best case scenario is that you get him off the bench in the later rounds, rusty but a damn sight more dangerous than Darren Bent, or whoever else would have gotten Rooney's spot.
So who starts up front alongside Owen for England? Maybe this guy. I don't quite know how I feel about that.
P.S. This is all eerily familiar for England fans, since David Beckham picked up a similar injury before the World Cup. No nation in the world is more knowledgeable on the subject of metatarsals than the English.
P.P.S. Since the British press regularly compete against each other for the worst "Rooney" puns, I thought I'd give it a crack in the subject line. What do you think? It beat out "Roonquest" on the grounds that A) it fits with what actually happened and B) "Roonquest" is a reference that's too geeky and obscure even for this blog.
Will Sven-Goran Eriksson take Rooney on his World Cup squad even if he can't play until the knockout phase? Apparently so. However Alex Ferguson counsels realism.
Probably the immediate plan is for Sven to name him to the side and see how his recovery proceeds by the May 15th deadline. After that, he might be able to replace Rooney on the roster if he feels he needs to, but as the article I linked to above suggests, there is some confusion over whether FIFA would allow a player injured before May 15th to be replaced.
Is Sven crazy? I don't think so. The worst case scenario is that Rooney's foot doesn't recover in time (which is a big risk; when Rooney had a similar injury after Euro 2004 he was out for ten weeks), in which case he ends up being that 23rd man who never gets used. But the best case scenario is that you get him off the bench in the later rounds, rusty but a damn sight more dangerous than Darren Bent, or whoever else would have gotten Rooney's spot.
So who starts up front alongside Owen for England? Maybe this guy. I don't quite know how I feel about that.
P.S. This is all eerily familiar for England fans, since David Beckham picked up a similar injury before the World Cup. No nation in the world is more knowledgeable on the subject of metatarsals than the English.
P.P.S. Since the British press regularly compete against each other for the worst "Rooney" puns, I thought I'd give it a crack in the subject line. What do you think? It beat out "Roonquest" on the grounds that A) it fits with what actually happened and B) "Roonquest" is a reference that's too geeky and obscure even for this blog.
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