My Take On The DeRosa Deal

It may be trendy to fall in love with the young hard throwing relievers coming up through the Cards system, but I thought we were doing the whole "build from within" thing in part because it allows us to make a move for immediate help, which DeRosa clearly is. We have no one on the farm who can really replace the missing production in the outfield and third base this season. That being the case, it makes sense to grab a DeRosa to fill in here and there. He is a plus bat and we need one right now. LaRussa has a good handle on how to use guys like this, and from what I read the in PD he's keen to have someone like DeRosa aboard.

Yes, it would be great to keep Perez and see how he develops, but I never bought that whole "closer of the future" stuff. In my experience, if a kid is really ready to step in like that they do it right away (think of that ass Papelbon or Todd Worrell.) Now, some players do work their way into the position, but it usually takes a few years. Perez obviously isn't ready to be the full time guy, and maybe he will be in 2012...but we need a bat now.

I'm less sanguine about the possibility of a deal for Matt Holiday, but only because I fear he will never be the player he was for the Rockies. We shall see, maybe.

Choke Job

You know, if the US had just got outplayed by Brazil and lost 2-0 I wouldn't have minded. I could have said, "Hey boys, good job. You really proved yourself."

But this????? This is a choke job of the first order and as dis-spiriting a loss for US fans as can be imaginable.

Oh, I know the game isn't over yet. But, trust me, it most definitely is over.

USA v. Spain: Post Mortem

OK, I've had a couple of hours to decompress from that surprisingly tense semi-final. And I say "surprisingly tense" because I really wasn't sure we were gonna be in this match for long. I know Spain didn't look great against Iraq (or South Africa for that matter), but I chalked that up to them taking it easy waiting for the knockout stages. Yes, the US played a great game against Egypt, but, c'mon it was Egypt. Don't get me wrong, they are a good side, but they are no Spain.

Anyway, here are some of the highlights from the press roundups:

New York Times:

Unlike that loss to Brazil last week, though, the Americans were confident, not nervous, in the opening minutes Wednesday. They bothered Spain with early high pressure, and the defense remained alert and cohesive throughout. By kickoff, the temperature had dipped near freezing early in the Southern Hemisphere winter, and Spain’s attack immediately congealed.

Tackling by the United States was superb, deference was nonexistent, recovery was vigilant and dramatic:

A muscular shoulder halted a Spanish run. A head arrived just in time to clear a ball away. A desperate slide smothered a shot. A leg raised at the last second deflected a threatening pass.

After a 3-0 win over Egypt on Sunday and an unlikely advance to the semifinals after defeats to Italy and Brazil, the United States’ previous caution became assertiveness. Against a team so secure in possession of the ball, the United States dictated the action at times, while Spain seemed back on its heels, out of sorts, its players grumbling and frustrated, raising their arms and leaning their heads back in exasperation.

Goal.com:

So how did it happen? What magical tactics were used to help the U.S. pull of this shocker? Here are my initial reactions to what I just saw, even if my eyes don’t believe it happened.

Tim Howard: Without question, my man of the match. Save after save, Howard was subject to a furious red firing squad for most of the match, and well, look at the score. The usually lethal Spanish frontmen couldn’t beat Howard who looked as good as he ever has.

The Midfield: Against Italy and Brazil, the center four players in the U.S. XI were non-existent. Not only that, but when on the ball, it just seemed like they wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible and they certainly didn’t show any determination. The same can’t be said about their performance in the Spain match. Flowing and aggressive, the ball was pushed around the pitch at will they made their opposition look lackluster for stretches, particularly in the first half.

The Center Backs: How strong were Oguchi Onyewu and Jay Demerit? For the entire 90 minutes they played excellent defense, guarding Tim Howard’s net like two hawks guarding their nest (the way it should be played, mind you). Every time the ball came inside, it was immediately sent flying in the other direction thanks to Onyewu and Demerit’s play in the middle. Much of the credit has to go to them.

The BBC:

Time and time again in the first half, the USA managed to read Spain's trademark killer passes by sticking tight to potent forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres.

In fact, prior to USA's goal, Spain's best opportunity fell to Liverpool hot-shot Torres whose attempt at a volley from six yards was superbly scuppered by Watford's Jay DeMerit.

What was starkly apparent on the Free State Stadium pitch, was the superior athleticism of the Americans.

On occasions during the opening 45 minutes, they had as many people in their attacking third as they did in their own box.

They went close on a couple of occasions before taking the shock lead, with Charlie Davies sending his bicycle-kick two yards wide before Dempsey missed by the same margin with a low 20 yard drive.

The goal came as a result of a one-two between Carlos Bocanegra and club team-mate Dempsey who found well-built forward Altidore.

The Villarreal striker turned Capdevila far too easily before smacking his drive, which Iker Casillas only managed to get a weak hand to en route, into the back of the net.

The Kansas City Star:

The United States' 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup Wednesday was nothing short of miraculous.

As I said when they were losing earlier games, it wasn't just the results, it was the way they went about the game. But, clearly, the fact that they're now in their first Confederations Cup final is a bonus.

I'd joined a chorus of voices after the first couple games of this tournament calling for head coach Bob Bradley to be fired. The reasons, at the time, were obvious. The team was playing without passion, without commitment and without a clue.

But, as the book title tells us, that was then. On Wednesday, Bradley's U.S. team was brilliant. If it needs saying, here it is: Bradley has certainly now earned the right to coach this team through next summer's World Cup.

This is what the Americans look like when they're at their best. They were energetic and fast. They made the most of what the game gave them. They took space away from the Spanish side, closing them down on both ends throughout the first half.

They gave up more possession than they kept, but Spain fielded an entire team of players who are more skilled than the U.S. This was a Spanish team that had just set a record for consecutive victories, and was hoping to set a record for consecutive games without a loss on Wednesday.

But when the Americans got ahold of the ball, they pushed forward quickly and smartly. Special praise has to go to Landon Donovan, who baffled the Spanairds from the wings (both wings, as he switched back and forth with Clint Dempsey).

Donovan always works hard, but too often he's looked lost. Now, he's finally found a permanent home. Playing on the edge of the field he's able to control the flow of the American attack, and the U.S. is much the better team for that.

In addition to Donovan, the American defense was stunning, from Tim Howard in goal, to Jonathon Spector to Gooch. But no on the field played any better than Jay DeMerit. DeMerit is always all action, all effort, but light on experience and skill. Wednesday, he controlled arguably the world's best striker in Fernando Torres. It was a defensive masterclass, from a defender who had many wondering if he'd ever graduate.

I'll add a couple of observations:

1. This game was nothing like the US topping Brazil 1-0 back in the day. Howard had to be good today, real good, but he did not have to make a ton of miracle saves as Keller did against the Brazilians. Where the US excelled today was in getting defenders between the Spanish shots and the goal. I've never seen a US side block as many shots as this one did today. Gooch and DeMerit were great, and Spain seemed a little surprised by their ability to recover quickly.

2. We still look out of sorts in midfield. Clark played better, but he is still making bad decisions, not supporting the attack when he should and not playing the smart ball when needed. Donovan played a good game out wide, but Dempsey played too centrally at times.

3. I love playing Davies up front with Altidore. Until Davies legs fall off this should never change. I don't think I've seen Davies play a minute before this tournament (or if I did it didnt register) but I think I love him.

My ratings:

Howard: 8
Bocanegra: 7
Onyewu: 7
DeMerit: 8
Spector: 7
Clark: 6
Bradley: 6
Donovan: 7
Dempsey: 7
Davies: 7
Altidore: 8

Feilhaber: 6
Casey: NR
Bornstein: NR

Final note: If FIFA doesn't rescind the red card to Bradley they are pond scum.

I Know I'm Just An American...

...but I know more about soccer then the motherfucking idiots that FIFA allows to ref international tournaments. There have been three offsides calls on the US that were obviously onside (by a yard or two in each instance.) Now there is yet another straight red card (to Bradley) that was complete and utter bullshit. (Not even a foul as Bradley won the ball fair and square...but hey, he's just a greasy American I guess.) It's a fucking joke.

BTW, the US has played great, and they deserve the win against Spain.

Yeah, I mean that.

Fucking Kiwis

Now FIFA is using legally blind New Zealanders (I presume) to ref US games. The asshole calls fouls (and gives yellow cards) against US players who NEVER TOUCH THE OTHER PLAYERS. Now, the asshole doesn't see a obvious hand ball used to deny a US goal.

Goddammit.

How Bad Are The Refs In MLS?

Oh wow I wish that was a rhetorical question! Unfortunately, I can tell you exactly how bad the refs in MLS are. In today's Galaxy/Earthquakes match I've seen...

A) A ref give a card to a player for not setting the wall on a free kick the required 20 yards away. What's that? They are only supposed to set up 10 yards away? Someone better tell the ref as he's convinced its 20.

B) I just saw an offsides call on a throw in. What's that? There can be no offsides on a throw?? Once again, that would come as news to MLS officiating.

FIFA Should Be Embarrassed

If FIFA cannot find refs who can call the game on the field and not just the names on the jerseys they should just give it up.

The US has gotten two red cards now and both of them have been complete and utter bullshit.

Really these refs should have bodily harm done to them. I for one wouldn't shed a tear.

Double Speak From Bradley

Saw this today from the AP: U.S. phenom Adu told to start playing regularly

With the hype largely behind him, Freddy Adu is being told he needs to start playing regular club football to continue his development as a key member of the United States' squad.

A two-year spell in Europe with Benfica and Monaco, spent mostly on the bench, has helped dampen much of the spectacular fervor and unrealistic predictions of superstardom that greeted him as a 14-year-old professional athlete....

He played just 169 minutes over 10 matches on loan at Monaco this past season and is set to return to Portuguese side Benfica, which paid Major League Soccer $2 million for him in 2007.

Even so, his one goal in 13 international matches would be more than respectable for most young strikers who rarely play at club level.

But his immigrant background and precocious talent long since led sponsors and agents to see him as a perfect marketing figure and trumpet him as the United States' first true football superstar.

At 14, Adu's impending stardom was alluded to by his appearance alongside Brazil legend Pele in a soft drink commercial, and he soon became the youngest player and scorer in Major League Soccer.

But the anticipation generated among many fans was so great that Adu's failure to match the likes of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo was always going to be judged harshly.

A two-year spell in Europe has helped reset those expectations, and United States coach Bob Bradley is just happy for Adu to continue his sporting education at the Confederations Cup.

"I think that sometimes when so much is said and written from the beginning, it creates unrealistic expectations of a young player," Bradley said. "Obviously, the fact that we call him in is an indication that we still see talent and the hope is that he can continue to move himself along.

"Every now and then there might be an example where a player skips a hundred steps -- goes from one to 101 very quickly -- but that's not normal."

This, of course, would make sense were it not for the fact that Jozy Altidore is a regular starter only for the USMNT. As stated there certainly does seem to be a double standard at work here. One for Altidore (and to some extent Demarcus Beasley) and another for Adu. This is unfortunate since the US could use Adu even if Monaco and Benfica cannot.

The questions marks surrounding the US Men's National Team continue to grow in number as they prepare to finish up qualifying for next year's World Cup. That is not a good sign. At this point in the proceedings the U.S. should be nailing down much of their lineup. Instead, more positions are being thrown up in the air. Before it was just right and left backs and forwards giving us trouble. Now you have to add right and left wing AND central and defensive midfield to the list. That is totally unacceptable, but Bob Bradley seems fine with it.

I'm not. Here are some modest suggestions to sort out the mess we have in the USMNT program.

1. Landon Donovan: For God's sake pick a slot and fit him in already. He's playing in central midfield...No striker...No wait! On the wing. Oh just stop it. Landon has always played best as a withdrawn striker but Bradley doesn't want to do that because he wants to play Altidore and Ching at the forward spots. All I can say is Altidore, YES; Ching, NO! Ching is not Brian McBride. Ching is not going to magically turn into Brian McBride. I can see in some limited tactical situations, against some opponents, Ching might be an OK option. However, he is not the full time answer at forward. Never will be either.
2. Defensive Midfield: Why is this even an issue? Only an idiot would not see that Michael Bradley should play this role on this team. Clark and Mastroeni should be riding the bench praying that Bradley doesn't get injured so they won't be exposed by quality opposition.
3. Attacking Midfield: OK, here we are basically screwed. No one is in the position to slot in here without a care. But this isn't new. We haven't had a good playmaker in this role since Tab Ramos retired. The only player that possesses the needed skill-set is Freddy Adu, but no one wants to give him the role. I say, why the hell shouldn't we put Adu in there? It isn't like anyone else is giving anything other than inconsistent play there. Even if its a longshot, Adu at least has a chance to develop into the role. Others simply do not. (I mean Torres??? Give me a break.)
4. Backs (Left/Right): Once again I think we are probably screwed. Wynne and Spector maybe have some potential but they would need to explode developmentally to be super solid by 2010. And still, our lack of depth means we are one bad step away from a world of hurt. Frankie Hedjuk has played his heart out for the Nats and we should all be thankful for that, but should we really be in the position where we have to pray he recovers from injury??? That's scary.
5. Wings (Left/Right): OK, this I don't get either. If you are going to play a 4-4-2 you are gonna have to have Dempsey on a wing, for good and ill. Live with that. As for the other side, I'm not sure there is another options more logical than Beasley. I know, I know, its not ideal but who else have we got?

Look, as you can see, the USMNT would have issues no matter who was coaching it right now. However, Bradley is making his life unnecessarily complicated. In fact, he is reminding me more and more of Steve Sampson every day.

That is not a good thing.

Bullshit

There is no doubt that the US cannot get a fairly ref'd game in CONCACAF. I don't know if they are racist or its a political thing, but I'm tired of it. We should petition to get in UEFA. Sure we would never get to a World Cup final, but at least the games would be fair.

UPDATE:

Perfect example: Ball handled by the last defender as the ball would have fallen to a US player in the box. That is not only a no brainer penalty (which was NOT immediately called by the ref) but also a no brainer Red card (which was not given of course.)

Typical.

FURTHER UPDATE:

More typical. Donovan gets a yellow card for tapping a guys leg. Only problem? Guy rolling on the ground holding the wrong leg. Oops. But, hey, it had to be a card! Players from a Spanish speaking country were demanding one.

Stupid floppers.

Here We Go Again?

Sheesh. Now we are down to Honduras early.

I'm thinking Bradley needs to be fired, even if the US comes back in this game. This team is terrible and there is no reason ti should be. They certainly have seemed unprepared, and that falls on the coaching staff, like it or not.

Besides, I think the USMNT has outgrown our domestic coaches. We may need to have an outsiders eye. At least they would be able to see that Mastroeni is not good enough.

Vomit Inducing

Those are the only words one can use for the pro-Red Wing coverage on Versus.

Stupid motherfuckers.

Oh, Let Me Add

CONCACAF should outlaw World Cup qualifiers on astroturf. The surface in Costa Rica is a joke. Its clown soccer. And while, yes, Costa Rica is playing better clown soccer than the US...who gives a shit? Its clown soccer!

Sheesh. It's Only 16 Minutes In...

...and the US is down two to Costa Rica, and Pablo Mastroeni is quickly becoming my new least favorite USMNT player.

The game has passed Pablo by. Way passed him by.

My God this is ugly.