In the 4th Minute

2006-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Petit Hombre

Pictured to the left is Jonah Blum, one of the US team's rising fans
and a true developing soccer mind in the Atlanta suburbs. Recently, I was able to get a few minutes of his time.

MK: Jonah, your thoughts on the US's world cup flameout ?

JB: nuzzhhh... zabab zzababa
MK: So, it sounds like you're blaming Arena for the team's lacklustre performance...
JB: unga... zabbbab... zhhss (biting sock)
MK: Strong words, indeed. Do you think he can be successful with RBNY?
JB: nnaapppzaz dugaduga mpat
MK: Well said. On to the next question. Freddy Adu.. ready for Europe ?
JB: Brilliant...I've authentically been impressed with Fredinho this year. He's adjusting on the pitch to the withdrawn striker spot, and is reading passing lanes well. Novak has succeeded in teaching him better defensive awareness and technique. Before, he was just out there to impress everyone. And, lest we forget.. the lad is only bloody 17!
MK: Where do you see him ending up ?
JB: uaannns zapa nahng nhanb.
MK: There you have it.

2006-07-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Meet the New Boss (same as the old boss)

Well, Bruce Arena is the new coach of Red Bull New York, which is a complete non-surprise, overall. Bruce is a NYC guy, and RBNY wanted a name coach, so I can see the match. I've always liked the NY/NJ franchise, dating back to their original taxicab logo.

Most coaches, after they leave their WC team, travel, golf and generally do nothing noteworthy for a few months after (I have a feeling Klinsmann is at a Jamba Juice enjoying the anonymity). It's kind of a susprise to see Bruce back in the news so soon after, but I guess he wanted to do something, and NY needed him, so it all fits.

I have no doubt Bruce will win at Giants Stadium. He'll figure out a way to get it done. I wonder what his future holds; it's not like he's going to be one of these Kinnear or Yallop-type guys who bounces around MLs teams. After being the big man in the US, that's a step down, and he's not a step down kinda hombre.

I wouldn't be surprised, honestly, to see him coach another small to midsized national team like Canada - a team with some skill that needs a coach with a resume. ehh ?

2006-07-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Out of Left Field

I read in yesterday's Washington Post that the DC United and Real Madrid are discussing a possible exhibition match to be held... in Baltimore!
Howzzabout that?
I can't imagine anything that I'd like more.. close to town, in a unique stadium. My fave club team versus one of the world's top clubs. I can't imagine Ronaldo, Raul, Roberto Carlos and Beckham all making the trip over, but I'd think some would be here.

2006-07-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Guten Tag, Jurgen.

Grant Wahl wrote today about the US's chance of signing former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann. I certainly hope they can. It makes all the sense in the world, plus there's really nobody else who fits the bill. Let's hope Gulati let Bruce go, knowing he had a good replacement.

2006-07-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Bruce.

Well, you heard it here 27th. Bruce Arena is out as US coach. - his contract wasn't renewed.
I have a feeling this was all pre-decided, but I have respect for Gulati.

I'll take your questions now.

Is this because he failed to get out of the first round ?
Mostly, yes.

Are you surprised ?
No.

If we beat Ghana, would Bruce still be here ?
I think so, yes.

So, why was Bruce one bad PK call away from being retained ?
Sports are a funny thing. When good things happen, we overlook a lot. Conversely, when bad things happen, we review a lot.

Klinsmann ?
There's a chance.

Are you sad to see him go ?
This isn't like the ending of "Cheers". 8 years is a very long time. Bruce will be OK. He's a smart guy. It's soccer. Bruce was a great - great coach, but his time to go had arrived. Fresh blood is a good thing in international soccer.

2006-07-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Wilkommen.

So, the news is that Jurgen Klinsmann has resigned as German coach.
Completely surprised me as with many people. Germany had a great run in this World Cup and he was again regarded as a national hero. I've no doubt that he was much loved by his players. The common thinking was that he'd stay until Euro 2008.

I can't imagine that he left for personal reasons. Klinsmann isn't an angry or spiteful guy. Just makes it look more like he's doing it to become the next US coach. Timing is a little weird, though. The last German game was Saturday - he celebrates, enjoys and he announced his leaving on Tuesday night. Seems a little pre-meditated for me.

2006-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

War of The Words

Two days after the World Cup final, and news outlets are getting some deeper information about what Materazzi said that got so under Zidane's skin.

I agree with what most people have said about this - that no matter what insult flew that Zidane has to keep his cool there - violence is a far worse thing than an insult. The latter happens all the time in sports; it's well known that teams are taught how to insult opponents in their native language.

Now, in no way do I condone what was said. If I was in the heat of battle, and someone slung something anti-semitic at me, I'd want his head bitten off, but I'd fuel that rage into performance on the field.

And, speaking of sports pundits, I've heard opinions from the usual soccer minions, as well as SI's football elder statesman Paul Zimmerman, Mike Golic, Dan LeBatard and Wilbon and a host of others. Hey, that's progres... regular sports journlists stepping in with their 2 cents. CNNSI's website even had a list of the top-ten sports meltdowns. I pretty much hate those silly lists, but atleast its' genesis was soccer.

And, getting back to Materazzi's quote, he said something like, "I'm a cultured man, I've never heard of a muslim terrorist". I realize that English isn't his first language, or maybe it came via an interpreter, but I think he meant to say something like, "I'm a cultured man; I don't believe Muslims are terrorists" or "I don't know any Muslim terrorists", to show his open-mindedness for Muslims.

2006-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hot Potato

There's a lot of soccer-related hot potato/blame game over the last few weeks, vis-a-vis the US team. I realize this post shoulda come a few weeks ago, but it took me a few weeks to digest the whole thing.

OK, so we got 1 point, and were lucky to get that. We lost badly to the Czechs and unspiritedly to the Ghanians. I'm not sure if it's an American thing, but people like pointing fingers. It's tidy and it makes for good news. Wynalda blames Arena, Arena blames MLS Donovan and Beasley, Donovan blames himself (sorta), I don't know whom Beasley blames it on. Some reporters blame it on our youth system, and pretty much everything else.

I'm curious what South Korean writers are saying, or Japanese, Ivory Coastan, Czech or even Serbian, for that matter.. all teams with aspirations of getting into the knockout phase of the Cup. It makes it look as though each defeat has a definite reason; as if all of life's outcomes have a definite reason that we can learn from. There's something psychological there - that we can always improve and learn from mistakes, which I think it's great, but I don't think that's always so.

Not everything in life happens b/c of a definite reason. People like and don't like each other; stocks appreciate, people get hired for jobs. Sometimes, the reasons are harder to distinguish from others, but when it comes to sports, which is much more about percentages than people know, sometimes things just happen. Most of the time when a team or an individual loses, it's because their opponent was better. OK, so maybe if Ching comes in, or Convey played longer, or Gibbs stays healthy, we do better, but we don't know - it's just conjecture. The easiest explanation is the correct one here - teams get beat by better teams; maybe players or tactics or preparedness, but our opponents were just better. It happens. We don't need committees to look into it, or meetings or anything else.

2006-07-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

See You in South Africa

Johannesburg is in the same time zone as Berlin. Initially, I wouldn't have believed this, but it makes perfect sense. Africa is below Europe and to the west of the Middle East. I suppose I thought South Africa was like 27 hours ahead of us, b/c it takes so long to fly there, but that's because of north-south distance, not east-west distance. So, call me enlightened.

I doubt I'll be in South Africa in 2010, but it would be fun. My friends Mark, Bill and Dino might be there. I'm sure it wouldn't take too much to convince them. As for me, it's not exactly economically feasible to do so, but it's not impossible. Odder things have happened.

And so, herewithin, I thank all of the people with whom I've shared this World Cup, either in fandom, defense or explanation - Amy, Mark, Scott, Vadim, Susan, Joe, Peter and Lois, Dino, blogger Isis, Jeff, BigSoccer.com, my parents, Amy's parents, the guy at BWI airport in the US jersey, the guy outside of ESPN zone who shared my disgust after the US-CZE game, the cute Irish waitress at James Joyce, SoccerTowne in Hunt Valley, the guy at the Senator who asked about my shirt, the guy at Nordstrom who got the wrong 2006 kit, WNST, like-minded reporters and all who share in the passion, love and wonder.

2006-07-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

And So, the Clasp is Shut

This evening, I have 2 errands - to mail some things from the Post Office, including a request for trial for a parking ticket (ack) and a gift for my second cousin. After that, I will visit Staples, to buy a large single clasp binder which will hold the literature I have purchased for the World Cup.
I've done this for every WC since 1994.

Added will be the preview issues from World Soccer, FourFourTwo, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, The Washington Post, and today's NY Times Sports Monday. I'll check them out in the months/years to come, but they serve as a little time capsule so I can look back and reread the writers projections, reflect, smile and remember where I was and what I was doing during the monthly tournament - mornings at James Joyce, afternoons at Rocky Run, watching US-Italy in Washington DC, some first-round playoff games with my in-laws in Tampa and the final with my friend, Jeff in Baltimore.

The last item to get will be the official WC2006 DVD which will come out in November, or so.

2006-07-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Uy Campari

In the hours leading up to Sunday's final, I did my best to get my Italian on. I downloaded the Pavarotti "Funiculi Funicula" from Napster, I listened to my Putamayo 'Italian Odyssey' CD and wore my black AC Milan jersey. That I watched the game at a neighborhood sports bar in Timonium, Maryland is inconsequential. I was about 65% agreed on going to the Little Italy neighborhood of Baltimore after the game, if the Azzuri won. When they did, I started heading downtown. I figured it would be a fun memory; I could honk my horn, see some flags and get some gelati. Well, my wife called while I was on my way. She was OK with me going, but she wanted to be able to go to dinner before we saw my brother's family for dessert. So, I turned around and we got sushi. I'm Ok with that; my wife trumps my World Cup interests, but I read a piece in today's Baltimore Sun about people rooting in Little Italy - I wished I'd known that before.

2006-07-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

I Did My Part.

Story in the Baltimore Sun about Baltimore-area bars reaping WC profits.
Read it here.

2006-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Next USMNT Coach

After a long and unprecedented series of evaluations, I am happy to be the first site on the blogosphere to report the next manager of the USMNT. It is no other than Ginger Tompkins, (pictured). Some might know Ginger for his uncanny goalkeeping ability, having bested such competition as Hugh Jass. Others have mentioned his uncanny resemblance to British comedian Benny Hill, which is merely speculative. Regardless, Ginger brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and a great red afro to the US Men's Team. Stay tuned - there's more to come.

2006-07-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

Vive Le...

Well, Les Bleus are in, after a very exciting game yesterday.
This was the first sports game I'd ever watched over the Internet, using ESPN's 360 feature. Was just like TV - same image, everything. I always figured eventually I'd watch TV online, and yesterday, I did.
I thought Ronaldo played great, and while I tend to think that French GK Fabien Barthez is a liability, he's won a World Cup and a European Championship with a chance to hoist another Rimet trophy, so he must be doing something right.

Throughout this cup, I've been defending/explaining/promoting the World Cup to friends and co-workers and people who are a little of both. Yesterday's game, while great, is a reason I have to do the former 2. Basically, the second-most important game of the tournament was won on a somewhat disputed call that cost the game, especially after the ITA-GER game was such an epic. I've listened to radio call-in shows wherein all manner of sports fans who admit to not liking soccer are all-too ready to give their ideas for improving it, such as removing the offsides rule or other things to increase scoring. Sorry to tell them that soccer is fine, and attempts to make it appeal more to American non-soccer fans are not the issue. But, that being said, I wish there was something that could be done to halt the fact that one questionable call can make a game - especially at the highest level. Problem is.. I don't know what it is. Refs can't stop calling things, nor can they use instant replay to further examine acting on tumbles, so I guess we're stuck.

2006-07-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Darker Side of things

From CNN.com --

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/07/05/somalia.world.cup.ap/index.html

2006-07-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Can't I do anything original?

CNN story on the popularity of 2006 World Cup Blogs.

Also, some of the blogs I've been reading will discontinue at the end of the Cup.
As for myself, I plan to keep on blogging until... well, for a while atleast.

2006-07-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Viva

Well, Italy books their ticket for the Sunday game in Berlin. I remember people talking up Italy's chances a few months back, but I don't think they could see it under these circumstances - drawing with the US, Brazil's sudden departure, the Serie A scandal, Totti's injury, Toni's scoring drought. But, they're there and that's all that matters. I gotta think they'll be favored, as well. They're younger and have more heart than either of their potential foes.

Of course, rooting for Italy is easy, si ? Everyone likes Italy for their food, their style of life, their names, their fashion, etc. I'm sure that there are some people who dislike them, but not many. Germany, on the other hand, is a tough country to root for - you need a reason to root for them. Deutschland is a vast place with great contributions to literature, music, lederhosen and of course, beer and pretzels. But, their actions from 1933-1945 coupled with the corporate and unemotional way that people think about them, make them a tough sell. It's like rooting for Microsoft to have a great quarter, I guess.

2006-07-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Saving Time

I've noticed that watching games with the first forward setting on Tivo is a great time-saving measure. It plays at about 2x speed which is still understandable, and it's kinda interesting to see the ball speed down after a long volley. You should try it some time. The games only take 45 minutes to watch.

2006-07-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Four Tops

So, we're down to four - Portugal, Italy, France and Germany. Much has been written about Brazil's loss to France, so I won't comment too much but to say that I'm really surprised. I had told anyone who would listen that the tournament was Brazil's to lose. I didn't put much weight in the theory that Brazil can't win big games in Europe, until now. And, I saw potential weaknesses in all of the other teams, save maybe Argentina.

Max Bretos made the comment last night the Brazil being out helps the tournament b/c it opens it up (obviously) and derails Brazil's quadrennial dynasty, assuming they win each time it's NOT in Europe. I suppose that means they'll win in South Africa come 2010.

The sad thing about tomorrow's game is that it's on July 4th at 3pm, which isn't a time I was preparing to be home. But, it's a game I need to see. My only saving grace is a rainy day, wherein I'm forced to be inside. I suppose I could justify a 3-5pm home spell.

2006-06-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Icing

About 10 years ago, I briefly dated a gal whose initials were CR. We met at a party, and hung out for about a month and a half. We had great phone chemistry, and I can say without fear of being wrong that she was the most attractive woman I've been involved with. I remember before I went out with her for the first time, I told a friend of mine that thought. I also mentioned that no matter what happened, or didn't happen between her and I that it would be icing on the cake - house money. Because she was so attractive, I didn't have any particular expectations, and no matter how it ended, I would be happy b/c I had nothing to lose.

I've basically adopted a similar mindset for the US soccer team. We have good but not great international experience. Our domestic league is fun, but doesn't turn out world class players. We get the athletes in this country who are good athletes, but perhaps not good enough for our other domestic leagues. Outside of a few of them, I can't see Convey playing football or DMB playing basketball, etc. So, if I don't expect great results from them, it's more fun to see them evolve. Don't get me wrong here - I bleed for the USMNT, but I don't get down when they lose to better and more efficient clubs.

2006-06-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

Progress

I've noticed that there are US soccer fans who seem to have a mindset (and I know this because I'm one of them) that because we're a developing soccer country, that each successive 'generation' of players will be better than the previous. While I think this is potentially correct overall, it doesn't work when reduced to specific players.

In other words, the thinking goes that the players whose last gasp was WC 98 - Ramos, Harkes, Wynalda, Lalas, Meola weren't as good as those who bowed out in WC 06 - McBride, Keller, Pope, Reyna. I don't want to get into a player v player scenario, other than to say that Ramos, Reyna, Wynalda and Keller were all great in their time. Obviously, as more Americans play in Europe and we're getting a deeper player pool, our overall team will improve, but it doesn't mean that we're definitely creating players with better individual skills.

I honestly believe that we're seeing the closing of the first American 'golden generation' in McBride, Reyna, Keller, Pope and Friedel. These are guys, some of whom used MLS as their springboard, and some who didn't. Nevertheless, they all had great careers both on their club and national teams, and won't be easily replaced.

2006-06-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Begging to Differ

There are 2 things often written or said about this World Cup:

1. The Refereeing is Bad
2. Brazil isn't playing well

While the Refs are showing a lot of yellows and reds, I have no reason to think that collectively, they're doing a bad job. Every soccer game ever played comes with the requisite controversial calls.. that's nothing new. Every team in every sport in every game has grounds to complain about something with how their games are officiated. And, on top of that, FIFA mentioned they were going to crack down on rough play; so, the giving of additional cards is something we could have expected. In 2002, South Korea got breaks in their Round of 16 and Quarterfinal games.

Brazil have given up 1 goal in 4 games. Granted, their competition wasn't top-notch, but whose was. When some entity is at the top, people always expect the world. Brazil has oddles of all-universe players, and when their interplay is anything less than watching ballet, they're accused of underperforming. Nike shows clips of Ronaldinho and his cronies dancing with the ball, and we expect that their competition is going to be the Washington Generals, to their Harlem Globetrotters.

2006-06-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

France's victory over its' southern neighbor is the upset of the Round of 16.
Other than that, the POR-NED and SUI-UKR games were the only ones seen as evenly matched. I think from this point on, I'll root for Argentina and England. I doubt they'll be rooting for each other.

2006-06-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ask what you can do for your country

I was wondering what US team supporters as fans can do to help the team as we move forward. The obvious answer is to support the club. But, what does this mean, in real terms?

First, we need to put our muscle behind the team. Buy US or MLS shirts. Buy from their sponsors and let them know you're buying because of their support of US soccer. I used to buy the store brand of sports drink, but b/c of Gatorade's soccer ads, I buy their stuff. Watch ESPN or ESPN2 game telecasts. Visit soccer-related websites and participate in them. Go to local international matches. Closer to home, support an MLS club. And, let people know you're a fan. Spread the gospel a little bit. Buy a soccer ball and kick it around. The idea is that we need to get the sport of soccer some visibility in this country.

2006-06-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

The Amen Corner.

Blog HarazQuack reports that the Argentine captain, Juan Sorin and coach are both Jewish. I thought Pekerman might be, and I knew one of their players was, but I thought it was Walter Samuel, who isn't on the club.

2006-06-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

Where do we go from here ?

Another World Cup has gone for American fans, and we're all upset. Even though we knew that our players weren't world class, and that we were placed in a very tough group, it doesn't ease the malaise.

After the 2002 result, there was reason for optimism...until the draw, that is.
We had a great run in South Korea and played the eventual second place team very tough.

Truth be told, the intervening 4 years were fun. In 2003, US soccer fans got to watch some of the giants of European soccer play on our soil. I was lucky enough to be at the Manchester - Juventus game in August of 2003 when Tim Howard impressed his teammates enough to become their starter. Beasley, Convey, Gibbs and Bocanegra also became starters on good European clubs while Cherundolo, Johnson, Onyewu and Dempsey made us glad representating the next wave of American soccer. Landon Donovan went back to Germany, until he came bacl to LA.

Well, we're back to Earth now, replete with the understanding that a quadrennial tournament can break your spirit. There's no tomorrow and no 'next season'.. it's a long wait and there are no guarantees. Four years ago, I hadn't met my wife yet. In 4 years, I hope to be a father and living in a house. Will I even have time to watch the games? Will my son need feeding during the US-Chile match?

And, it's different for US fans. European, African and South American fans have their regional tournaments, so Juan, Pascual and Ejay are never more than 2 years away from a big game.

Until the next match in anger, we can root for our MLS teams and their continued development of good talent. We can follow the current "Yanks Abroad" and look towards the next group to make there way over there. There are more US national players in Europe than ever before and that's an exciting thing. Soon, Freddy Adu will be one of them.

We should play more overseas and domestic friendlies against big teams - France, Spain, Holland, England. We should be in the next Copa America. We should reinstitute the US Cup, although it is a drag on MLS. OK, so we'll make it a winter tournament.

We don't need a sea change of ideas, basically because there's nothing we can do that would represent an overhaul. We just need to promote the game, and train our players best as we can.

2006-06-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

No One Ever is to Blame

Apologies to Howard Jones....

I was in Tampa over the wknd, at the in-laws. No internet access, so I couldn't update my postings. Remind me to get a laptop one of these days, if only b/c the idea of adding things from a remote location has a certain romanticism to it. It's probably good I didn't post Thursday afternoon or Friday, b/c I had so much on my mind about the Ghana game and the US performance in general.

That being said, I don't think any particular person or persons are to blame for the US not making it out of Group E. We all knew going in that it would be tough, that we'd need some breaks and great health from our players. Well, we got a few breaks/missed out on a few others, some key players like Gibbs and O'Brien were hurt, and we still had a chance to make it to the 2nd round with a win over Ghana.

But, I digress..

People talk about Blaming the Refs, but I don't think anybody is really doing it. The Refs have been quick to show yellows and reds, but that's how FIFA wanted it. Basically, if you want to blame a referee for your team losing, no matter what sport.. get in line, pal.

Bruce Arena said some things after the Czech game that I didn't think were typical of him, but it's not his fault that his team couldn't muster much offense. We were outplayed. Beasley wasn't in form; Donovan was guarded well, and McBride got headers, but couldn't do much with them. I think the whole tournament was shaped by the 3-0 loss to the Czechs, but that's not really Arena's fault. People are saying that he didn't prepare his team well enough for that game, but if you're a pro athlete, nobody should have to prepare you to play a big game.

So, I really think it comes down to talent. When we needed more offense after the first game, what were the US choices - Eddie Johnson, who hadn't done much, ditto for Brian Ching and Josh Wolff. If you're in a World Cup, and you're offensive choices when you need goals are those 3, you're in trouble. We have good players, but no great ones. Many of our players have certain skills - speed, crosses, dribbling, but not enough of them. Maybe these games verify for some of us what we've thought all along - that as much as we love this team, we're still a ways away from where we need to be.

2006-06-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Throwing the first (Rob) Stone

OK, I mentioned before about soccer being mentioned by non-soccer people. Mostly, it's good.
But, I'm getting a little annoyed by the people are just using it for reference sake and for their own advantage. Colin Quinn was on NBC this morning, and he mentioned the World Cup. I like Colin Quinn, so I'll cut him some slack.

What I'm getting at are writers and other media people who say things like "so and so happens as often as the US scores in a World Cup game", or "such and such has less interest than America in the World Cup"

And so, tongue-in-cheek, here is my checklist for people who wish to use the World Cup as a reference/humor point.

1. You must be able to identify what a 4-4-2 is
2. You must know that Freddy Adu is not playing for the US during this tournament.
3. You must be able to name at least one US roster player, and "that guy with the red beard" isn't an acceptable answer.

That's it.. 3 simple points.

2006-06-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

Popping up all over

I've seen more references to the World Cup from non-soccer sources than ever, which is a really nice thing to see. Makes me feel that more people are getting into this tournament than ever before. I realize that it won't carry over, but you gotta start somewhere.

Today, I read a story about how web browsers are getting smarter and it mentioned that the next wave will be able to do things like check for updates, or soccer scores. Granted, that was from an Opera spokesman, which is European, but it's something. Also, sex columnnist Dan Savage mentioned that something was as common as "Laura Bush's orgasms or US goals at the World Cup". Personally, I don't doubt that GW can bring it, but the fact that the World Cup gets mentioned in a sex column is Burell's points waiting to happen.

2006-06-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

Discredit where Discredit is due

With each World Cup comes American sports journalists who pay varying degrees of interest to the world's biggest sporting event.

On the rarified level are the guys who know soccer and can report on it well. This includes George Vecsey of the NY Times, Filip Bondy of the NY Daily News, William Gildea of the Washington Post, and a few others.

Below them are writers who don't necessarily know soccer, but respect it, and are follow the games. This list includes John Eisenberg of the Baltimore Sun, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe, and Steve Rushin of SI.

Ok.. the final level on the ladder is reserved for a special kind. Now, it's OK to hate soccer. Nobody is forcing them to like anything. The reason why this group bugs me is that they write quadrennial stories bashing the World Cup. There are writers who write about how Americans don't follow it, which is true. Nothing wrong with that. But, they don't write anti-Olympics stories. They don't write anti-WNBA stories, or anti-Iditarod stories. I wish they could find a ghost-writing intern who could write something with a little creativity. Sitting at this table are Mike Lupica, JC Whitlock, Norman Chad and Tony Kornheiser, and I adore TK otherwise.

2006-06-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Polls and Poles

ESPN.com had an online poll Sunday afternoon asking people which item more interested them - US Open golf, the World Cup, or the NBA playoffs. The World Cup won, and although that officially means nothing, it's pretty cool. Also, the US-Italy game got the highest rankings of a first-round soccer game since 1994, which sounds good, but it's like comparing apples to oranges. A Saturday afternoon 3pm start game against a big-time opponent is going to draw more people than a 5am game or one against a lesser-known foe. Still, those are pretty good indicators that this World Cup is reaching more people than ever, which is something I enjoy seeing. I've had friends who don't know what offsides is, asking me about things, and coming to games with me. Most newspapers are at least dedicating a few inches to the American and overseas games. In Sunday's Baltimore Sun, the Len Bias story was top of the sports page, followed by the US Open, and the Italy game was on the left column. On the far bottom of the page was a report of the previous day's Orioles game.
Many papers ran the bloody McBride pic, and my favorite show, PTI, is finding a way to include daily soccer updates. Of course, this is all predicated on the fact that the US is still alive. Once we're eliminated, whenever that is, I'm curious how much coverage knock-out round games are going to get.

2006-06-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Our Friends in Ghana

Any catch this ? After scoring a goal against the Czechs, a Ghanian player pulled out an Israeli flag and waived it. The player plays for the Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv, as do a few other Ghanian players. I thought it was great - the guy probably likes playing in Israel and has some friends he knew would be watching the game.

Of course, the Egyptian response is pretty much what we'd expect.
Sadly.

2006-06-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Beckenbauer ?

I'm getting bored of the ad with the 2 young Spanish boys who choose players and then play on the dirt lot.

Firstly, I know Nike has all the Brazilian players, so that's why they can't choose Ronaldinho, but they choose Kaka.. maybe he's with Nike. Also, if you're creating a worldwide team.. you wouldn't choose Cissi first. The Beckenbauer thing is cool, but it's been done in other ads. And, there's like 47 different varieties of the commercial.

On the other hand, the one that I LOVE is the extended spot of the Brazilian team in their lockerroom before the game, just playing around with the Samba song in the b/g. The regular length one is cool, but the longer version is amazing. I downloaded it, and I've probably watched it like 10 times. Each time I do, I'm inspired to go outside and do amazing things with a ball, until I realize I can't.

2006-06-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Scenarios

OK, if we win on Thursday versus Ghana, and the Italians bet the Czechs, we're in.
Beating Ghana won't be easy, but that's OK. It's not supposed to be. I gotta think that Italy plays to win on Thursday. They want to win the group, not finish second and face Brazil. And, you can't really play for a tie, if they other team is trying to win. I hope I got that right. FORZA!

2006-06-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Exhausting

I watched yesterday's game at a place along Connecticut Avenue in DC called The Big Hunt. Knowing I would be in DC, I originally figured I'd go to the Lucky Bar, where I had seen some games before, but they actually had a line outside (!) leading up to the 2:55 kick-off.
Great atmosphere.. simply amazing. Pretty much filled with US soccer fans and a few Italians. We all had the same jokes, the same knowledge and we all met each Italian dive/feigned injury with the same sarcastic "awww...". Great location to watch such a big game.

As for the game itself ??? I was exhausted watching it. I probably yelled/screamed/hit the bar and made more noise than the combined NFL games I watched last season. Of course, I wish the US woulda won, but we're going into a must-win game on Thursday with a chance to go onto the round of 16. Isn't that the idea ? This is so much fun. During the game, I emailed or text messaged Joe, Jeff, Susan, Vadim, and Bill. We were all watching, all passionate for the US, all enraged at the refs.. who wasn't ?

2006-06-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from a friend in Germany for the Cup. He's loving as much as I am enjoying watching it. I just got back from watching the first 70 minutes of the Holland-Ivory Coast game. Some really good soccer.. crisp passing, chances, good possession.. that's what it's all about, and why the US pissed me off so much; I can accept them losing, I get angry when they don't atleast play well.
The Sweden-Paraguay game had a great ending, as did the England-Trinidad game.

2006-06-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Busy..

2 interesting things have happened since the Cup started last Friday. I haven't been posting as much as I thought I would, and I've been watching more games that I thought I would. Infact, I don't recall when I've ever watched this many first-round games. It helps that there is a bar down the street from my office. I saw the first half of FRA-SUI there yesterday, and I'll see the beginning of NED-SER there this coming Friday. So far, I've loved it. Watching it on HDTV doesn't hurt, either.

2006-06-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Why I Do What I Do...

Today, I took the day off of work. I left for the bar at about 9am, brandishing US shirt and scarf. I was the only person watching the JAP-AUS game, which was actually pretty cool. Why do I do this silliness ?

There's a line from the Woody Allen movie 'Hannah and her Sisters' where he's complaining (imagine that) to his assistant. I don't remember it 100%, but it's something like:
Woody - "I wish I were back at (former job)".
Assistant - "You were miserable there"
Woody - "No, I was happy, I just didn't know it"
I remember thinking it funny at the time, but in retrospect I know exactly what the character was getting at.
It's very easy to look back in our lives to times when our current problems didn't exist, and think how much better we had it. Of course, we had our own set of seemingly insurmountable problems then and the turned out to be easily navigable. We just didn't know it.
As you know, it's the World Cup, when the world convenes for a month every four years to remind each other how much hostility still exists and why we're divided in the first place.
That aside, I have some nice memories of doing things and watching games for the 94, 98 and 02 games. Nothing lavish, but places I went to watch the games, the anticipation, the surroundings, and other things during that month. At the time, they were enjoyable, but 12, 8, 4 years down the road, they're nice memories. That's important - because we never think of making memories when we do - we just try to have a fun time when we're there. Only in retrospect do the good times seem increased.
I realized that when life provides you with the potential for passion and memories, I make the. So, I wear the shirt, I surf the sites, and I collect the magazines.
And, it's free, easy and all yours :)

2006-06-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

Not Much to Say...

Well, what can I say ? The US lost 3-0 to a clearly more impressive and more prepared Czech Republic team. Keller looked mortal, and the rest of the team needed someone to search for a heartbeat.
On the plus side were Mastroeni, Reyna and that's about it. Eddie Johnson showed that he should have been a starter, and when we're gambling on underwhelming Josh Wolff and gimpy John O'Brien .. well, that pretty much says it all.
Still, this is my team, this is my country and I did have a fun time watching the games. More to come..

2006-06-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

The Final Countdown

Well, this is it. I mean, really, this is it. This is the game we've waited for since the quarterfinal game with Germany ended in June of 2002. This is the game we've waited for since Bocanegra, Howard, Convey, Beasley and Onyewu went overseas. We've had this day in our minds since the first qualifiers against Grenada, since the hexagonal games against T&T and Panama... since the final CONCACAF matches with Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.. since we clinched a spot in the final 32 last Septemeber and the draw last Decemmber.

The bottom line is... This Is It. This is the reason I started this blog. This is the reason I bought the shirt and the scarf and took out my US flag. This is the reason I took the day off work, and called Jeff, Vadim and Joe and told them to meet me at the James Joyce Pub.

The 2006 Men's US National Soccer Team begins their tournament tomorrow against the favored Czech Republic and I couldn't be more excited.

2006-06-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

This Won't Fit into my Schedule Well

Tomorrow morning, instead of sleeping in with my wife, I'll be going to see England play Paraguay with my good friend, Jeff.

Sunday morning, instead of sleeping in with my wife, I'll be going to see Holland play the Serbs and Montenegrans.

Monday, instead of going to work, I'll be watching the Japan-Australia game, the US-Czech game, and the afternoon Italy-Ghana game.

So, over the next few days, weeks and month, I'll be watching many games when I might be doing other things. When I was explaining to my wife about the early morning games, she told me that she'd see me in a few weeks and said she wished she had met me before the 2002 World Cup, and not after.

So, inasmuch as I hate not sleeping in, and not being with Amy, our agreement is that I can watch some games, but still see her and feel connected, which is fine in my book.

2006-06-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it.
The one we've been waiting for :)
4 years, hundreds of countries, and thousands of games in the making.
I'm seeing Germany-Costa Rica at a bar down the street from my office.
Tomorrow morning, I'm seeing the early England-Paraguy game, and Sunday, the Holland - Ivory Coast game.
I'm not sure whom to root for in the Germany game.
But, that doesn't matter.
HD, Plasma, LED TVs, Worldwide audience, naive fellow Americans.
Bring it on !

2006-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Grains of Salt

The AP is reporting that US captain Claudio Reyna is "fully fit" for the Monday opener. I'm sorry, but Reyna is never fully fit for anything. I love what a healthy Claudio to the side, but this is like saying that
Michael Jackson has been cleared to visit DisneyLand, or that Donald Trump's ego was in check during a visit to Nobu. Some people have core things about them, and Claudio's injuries are one of them. He missed the 94 WC because of them, was hampered in 98, missed the 2002 opener. This isn't a player that can ever be listed as "fully fit". Something tells me that on blackboards in the Czech dressing room come Monday, their coach and all of the consonants in his last name will be telling his team to pressure Reyna, in hopes that his leg acts up again.

In other news, I'm now swimming in World Cup preview magazines; in the past 4 days, I've purchased the Sports Illustrated edition, and the 4-4-2 edition, which is their regular June edition, plus a separate glossy World Cup preview magazine. Nice job, on both. I suppose it tells you something about the respect that US soccer is getting around the globe that the US publication has us 3rd in our group, and 4-4-2 has us getting out.

2006-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Gooch to Boro.

SkySports is reporting that EPL side Middleborough are dealing for US defender Oguchi Onyewu, whom they refer to as
an "American Ace".

My online thesaurus gives the following synonyms for the word monster: Frankenstein, abnormality, barbarian, beast, behemoth, bogeyman, brute, centaur, colossus, demon, devil, dragon, fiend, freak, giant, hellcat, hellhound, hellion, horror, leviathan, little devil, lusus naturae, mammoth, miscreation, monstrosity, mutant, ogre, phoenix, savage, titan, villain, whale.

I vote for 'lusus naturae'

2006-06-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

8 DAYS TO GO!

I can't think of anything more I could write that says it better than that.

2006-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Checklist

Heres' my list of what I need to do before the tournament gets underway.

Request days off during US games - Done
Buy 2006 US kit - Done
4-4-2 Preview Issue - Need it
World Soccer Preview Issue - Got It
ESPN the Magazine Preview Issue - Got It
Sports Illustrated Preview Issue - Need it
Washington Post Preview Issue - Need It
NY Times Preview Issue - Need It
Find where to watch the games - There are options, I need to decide
Set TIVO for US games - Not yet
Set TIVO for other related programming - Not yet
Explain to my wife what this is all about - Not yet
Determine which Non-US games to Tivo - Not yet
Determine which Non-US games to see live - Not yet
Wear my US kit(s) around town leading up to tournament - Ongoing

2006-05-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

2010: South African Odyssey

A fellow Jewish soccer fan asked me today if there were any Jewish players on the 2006 team. Unlike 2002, there are none (no Agoos), and only one whose name sounds Jewish (Wolff, no Friedel). I did mention that by 2010, we might see young Benny Feilhaber.

Got me thinking a little, that while I have no idea if 2010 will be the US's BEST World Cup team, that it will undoubtedly be our most anticipated team, from the obsessed fan POV.

In goal, TIM HOWARD will be 30, with a few more years of EPL experience, and be the US's number 1 keeper.

ONYEWU will be 27, and have more European seasoning. CHERUNDOLO will be 30, and presumedly still a capable defender. More than likely, we'll see JON SPECTOR, CHAD MARSHALL, MARVELL WYNNE and possibly ZAK WHITBREAD or FRANKIE SIMEK. CORY GIBBS will be 30 then, and a few more years of Europe, as well.

In the midfield, DONOVAN and BEASLEY will only be 28 (!) and CONVEY will be 27. We might see the afforementioned FEILHABER, EDDIE GAVEN, young Dutchmen LEE NYUGEN and MICHAEL BRADLEY, and a kid named ADU.

EDDIE JOHNSON will be all of 25 (or 26), and might be joined by CHRIS ROLFE, PRESTON ZIMMERMAN or even potential Yank/potential-Italian GIUSEPPE ROSSI, who still might be deciding come May, 2010. In the looking glass, we see DAVID AVIZVU (sp?).

Have I missed anybody here ?
Of course I have.. some MLS players between now and then will kick it up a notch, and some mainstays will find a place on the US radar. Time to brush up on your Afrikaans.

2006-05-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

Places, Everyone

I think these are the players whose position in the US starting line-up are solid: Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Eddie Pope, Eddie Lewis, Landon Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni, and Brian McBride. That makes 8, and it includes the entire backline, 1 forward and 2 midfielders. The remaining 3 will come from a group that includes: Eddie Johnson, Josh Wolff, Claudio Reyna, DaMarcus Beasley, Clint Dempsey and Bobby Convey. Kinda hard to imagine a starting lineup without Reyna, but his health is a concern. Ditto O'Brien. Beasley isn't injured, but his play has lacked a little bit. Convey has looked great, but lacks some of Beas's defensive tenacity. GAM looked dangerous on Sunday; had he converted one of his chances, his inclusion into the starting lineup would have been more solid.

Much of it depends on the opponent's size, speed and offensive strengths. Injecting Beasley and/or Convey gives more speed and flank play, while using Reyna and O'Brien gives better ball control. Dempsey is always a threat, and we do need a right-sided mid.

As we saw from the friendlies, players like Lewis and Cherundolo were able to get into the offense and make some crisp crosses. Inserting Eddie Johnson would give us 2 guys with aerial skills to receive, and you do get the sense from the Latvia game that GAM has a little fire in his play.

2006-05-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Vinaigrette on the Side

Did I spell vinaigrette correctly ? Hmm.. Anyways, I've been a busy reader this past weekend. I bought the ESPN the Magazine and World Soccer World Cup previews. Not to be outdone, National Geographic has an article about soccer's worldwide passions and even a pull-out section - something for the egghead set amongst us.

I noticed a few very interesting things looking at some team photos. If I were a better writer, I could better espouse this kind of stuff. Anyways, the French team consists of only 5 'white' players. The rest are from African, or Middle-Eastern roots. This is a profoundly cool fact, despite who your parents were. As with all European nations, France had their unfortunate share of colonizations and on the brighter side, immigration - the former and the latter from Algeria, Martinique, Senegal, Morocco, etc. Now, those players are now representing France at the higest sporting level, and little kids of many hues from Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Nantes look up to them. The Trinidad & Tobago Soca Warriors have one white player on their team, and even Germany boasts one player with African roots. All over these guides are Croatians with Dutch history, Japanese players born in Brazil, Aussies with Middle-Eastern blood. Granted, some of these guys took a chance to represent a country b/c they wanted to play in a W/C. America has had some of these 'passport' players like Wegerle, Earnie Stewart and Tom Dooley. Does it mean the same thing to Louis Saha to represent France as it did to Michel Platini ? Maybe not to some traditional French people, but to Saha, I bet it does.

2006-05-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Wing and a Prayer

The US removed the formerly bad taste from their mouths with a convincing 2-0 victory over Venezuela Friday night. Bobby Convey was clearly MOTM, assisting on the game-winning goal, and basically being a terror/inspiration on the left flank. He made a very convincing argument for his inclusion in the starting 11 come June 12. I gotta think that with some of the less-than-stellar recent performances by Eddie Johnson, Josh Wolff and others, Bruce needs all of the offensive spark he can get, and Convey certainly provides that. Unforunately, DaMarcus Beasley has been a sure thing as left-sided midfielder, so it'll be interesting to see in which direction Il Bruce goes.

I've been scowering local Border's and Barnes and Noble locations, trying to locate a copy of 4-4-2's World Cup Preview issue. I have one from 2002, and I've really enjoyed it - yes, I still check it out occasionally. I found and purchased World Soccer and ESPN's preview issue, but 4-4-2 is the real find. The places I've gone to do have the May issue, but no luck with the June offering. 2 weeks to go.

2006-05-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Good, bad and indifferent....

I try not to be fickle with things, but I realized earlier that I get fickle with regards to the USMNT.

We win a big game, I think we're on a path towards greatness. We lose a friendly to Morocco, and I fear that it's 3 and out in Germany. Of course, that all could change by the time I see 2 more friendlies between tomorrow night and Sunday night.
And, speaking of that.. isn't that delicious ? Two World Cup prep matches within 48 hours... Bliss. (Not Brian)

Looking objectively, it's one thing for our Europe-based players to beat a Mexican team of mostly Mexican-based players, but it's quite another for our team of European-based and some MLS players to beat teams like CZE and ITA whose players mostly play in upper European leagues. Of course, I thought that 4 years ago against the Portugese, and look what happened. See how tough this is ? Just when I arrive at a POV about this team, something changes it.

2006-05-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Apologies to Peter Noone

The kind of hush all over the US soccer-fan world has been calmed.
Reports indicate that US midfield captain Claudio Reyna is OK.
Claudio is on the downside of his career, but his abilities are important to the US attack, because he allows players like Convey, McBride, Donovan et al to get open, while he takes ball duties.

People get on Claudio for not having the guts of players like Armas or DMB. I've been guilty of saying that. Claudio knows too many doctor's offices intimately, but when he's healthy, he can play a big role.

Sadly, other teams know that the US lineup will include 2 important players - Claudio and John O'Brien, both one rough contact away from being subbed off.
Someone call Mr. Miyagi.

2006-05-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

That's all I can say to those of you looking for some manner of silver lining in tonight's 1-0 loss to Morocco.
Reyna gets hurt; O'Brien is a little off. Donovan passes when he should shoot.
Yeah, I know.. it's only one game, but if you're going to go up against Italy and the Czechs at full strength, you need to handle Morocco's B+ team at home.

2006-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Non Soccer Playing US World Cup Team
(I wrote this a few years ago, but it's still somewhat relevant)

Coach - Bill Cowher
Not interested in the flashiness or snobbery of the South American or
European game, Cowher champions the tough, dog-eat-dog style, which
has come to symbolize the current US game.

Assistant Coach - Phil Jackson
Yes, the ZenMaster himself. Call him odd, call him Buddha, but his
results speak for themselves.

Forwards--

Randy Moss
"Still learning the game" as he is described, but nobody can deny the
flashiness of the 6'4 target. True, he needs to mature, and might not
be a part of every transition, but when he's on, he's lethal. Replays
of his give-and-gos with Real teammate David Beckham are legendary.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe shook up the MLS when he came out of 10th grade into the draft,
but there's no denying that he's the best scoring threat that the US
possesses. The Mallorca striker is lethal from inside, outside,
downtown, uptown, and across town.

Shawn Green
"The Kosher Kid" had a breakout season at White Hall Lane, cementing
his position on the US squad.

Brian Giles
Yes, we know he's plying his trade for Bundesliga doormats Rostock,
but that hasn't deterred Giles from endearing himself to local and US
fans alike.

Tracy McGrady
Like teammate Bryant, McGrady's early arrival in MLS was seen as a
negative trend in the world sport. 5 years later, Deportiva is glad to
have the trendsetter.

Ken Griffey Jr
Son of the former Cincinnati MF, Griffey was the US squad's 'Player of
the 90s'. After a few off seasons, Griffey seems poised to make the
2006 World Cup HIS World Cup.

Midfielders --

Alex Rodriguez
Dont let the salary fool you. The Rangers MF is perhaps the best
5-tool player on the American team. Shoot, pass, score, dribble and
defense.

Derek Jeter
Yes, he still packs them in at Ajax, with his aw-shucks worth ethic
and All-American charm. His statistics might be dwarfed by teammates
Garciaparra and Rodriguez, but nobody is more clutch in big matches.

Michael Vick
RAW as sushi, but there is a reason why Everton shelled out the money
they did for this explosive MF prospect.

Nomar Garciaparra
This former NE Rev star made a successful transition to Perugia this
season, welcomed by the Serie A standouts. Hampered by injuries, his
engagement to US star Mia Hamm, and a health qualifying campaign have
put him back on track.

Craig Biggio
Often overlooked because of his size, "Biggio is our hidden MVP" quips
co-manager Jackson. His speed, and ability to do the 'little things'
have impressed his coaches at Udinese.

Allen Iverson (Defensive Midfielder)
Generously listed at 5'11, Iverson personifies the "fight in the dog"
so beloved by Cowher. 'The goalie's best friend' says netminder
Keller.

Fullbacks --

John Lynch
"Tough as they come" offers his Munich coach. And, a family man, to
boot. Don't let his genteel nature fool you. When youre in the US half
of the field, you're in HIS half of the field.

Charles Woodson
For those who remember the hey-day of American football, and the
Oakland Raiders, Woodson would have fit in perfectly. His nickname,
"Black Saturday" is well-deserved.

Mike Piazza
Did someone dial 10-10-220 ? Liverpool is sure glad they did.

Ben Wallace
"Sometimes, I feel I want to guard the whole other team at once".
Enough said.

Jeff Kent
Dont worry about his motorcycling, "Easy Rider"esque lifestyle. The
6'1 "terminator" for AS Roma comes to play.. and play and play.

Torii Hunter
A surprise inclusion on this year's staff, but having formerly played
at Madrid's reserves under coach Jackson, the US squad is well-aware
of his speed, size and "gut" for finding the ball.

Goalies--

Kasey Keller, Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann
(Here are 3 guys who made the right choice) ;)

2006-05-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

Passing Thoughts

Tonight, the US scrimmages Morocco in Nashville.
I used to think that I was heavily looking forward to the US
March friendly with Poland. Well, I'm immensely heavily looking forward to this game... dripping with sentiment. Like... this is the team! These are the players! How great are WC warm-up games ? Granted, Morocco aren't world-beaters, but they're not a bad club. Plus, I like Morocco in that they're a secular Muslim country. If Morocco and Turkey ever played, I don't know who I'd root for.

Questions to be answered:
Who will start alongside McBride? Wolff? Johnson? Ching?
How does Deuce look in midfield?
How will the backline look?
And, what's the deal with John O'Brien's hair ? This is the US soccer equivalent of concerns over Tom Hanks's hair in DaVinci Code.

Hello, Larry
ESPN are running some early World Cup promos.. the first features Bono's voice extolling the worldwide passion and attention played to the tournament. I saw the second one this morning with U2's drummer, Larry Mullen, talking about the Scottish fans - the "Tartan Army". The idea of the ad was that the Scots aren't in the tourney, but their fans would be there.
Excuse me, but who picks U2's drummer for this voiceover? Bono's speaking voice is great, and he's well-known, but nobody knows Mullen's voice...was there a U2 2-for-1 ? Also, why discuss Scotland ? And, couldn't they get another famous person to do this ? Kofi Annan, or another foreign voice that Americans might know ? I hope there are more ads tonight.

2006-05-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

All the way Jay

Jay DeMerit is an American defender with Watford. On Sunday, he scored the winning goal off of a header to lead his club into the English Premier league, beating Leeds United, whose squad includes American midfielder/defender Eddie Lewis.

Jay is 26 and has never played for the USMNT; I don't even know if he's been looked at by the US high command. He's been so off the radar, it's not surprising to me. It's not like he came up through MLS or a big college. He went to school in Wisconsin, and when he didn't make an MLS roster, he moved to England, and performed well enough at their lower ranks, to get a contract with Watford. (tidbit - Elton John is a part-owner). This is curious to many people - the guy is good enough to suit up for a club that will be in England's highest rank next year, yet he's never been at a US camp. 26 is late to start an international career, but I hope it's not too late. Go Jay !

2006-05-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Forward to This

The US scrimmages against Morocco this coming Tuesday night. The last game I looked forward to as much as this game, was the friendly against Poland in March. The next game I'll look forward to this much will be the Friday night game, and then the Sunday game, and then June 12th versus the Czechs. Get it ? World Cup warm-ups are really great fun. I was fortunate enough to see their send-off games at RFK in DC in years past, versus Scotland and Uruguay, but because RFK is also used for baseball, it no longer houses the USMNT, which is unfortunate. It's all about optimism, ain't it ? We've never seen this group of US players play together, and that's what makes it so much fun. Up to now, it's all been about speculation and guessing. Now, we can see what some of these guys look like in the new kits. How does Gooch look back there ? Is Dempsey ready to loom large ? Is Convey still wowing them ? Can't wait...

2006-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Lucky Than Good

In the 2002 World Cup, the US defense was a rotation of Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, Tony Sanneh, Frankie Hedjuk, Gregg Berhalter and Carlos Llamosa, who basically saw time as end-of-game insurance. This group gave up 1 goal to Portugal, 1 to South Korea, 3 to Poland, none to Mexico and 1 to Germany. This is a great example of preferring to be lucky than good.
Tony Sanneh is a good soccer player. Nothing great. Same goes for Frankie Hedjuk. Yet, both played above their heads during this run. Frankie's limitations aren't hard to see. He doesn't cross very well, and is often beat off the dribble. Yet, he's fast enough and tenacious that his abilities occasionally show up, as well. He's outperformed, but never outhustled, or outworked. He's probably got the best endurance of any US player.
Tony Sanneh doesn't have Frankie's speed or tenacity, but he doesn't have some of his weaknesses, either. He was able to shut down Figo, and used his athletic abilities to come up way big for the US squad. When I first saw him for DC, I would never have believed he'd start for a World Cup Quarterfinal team.

Jeff Agoos was neither lucky nor good. I love Goose, but you can't build a defense around him. I remember before the Portugal game, Ty Keough said that it was Agoos's job to keep the game close. When Agoos had the own-goal, a friend remarked that he was just 'doing his job'. Hysterical.

Gregg Berhalter has good size, and good seasoning, but he's never really established himself as a 'must have' on the US side. He seems to be a little bit of an odd guy - moody, and maybe a little distant. Not that those are bad things, but I can't see him being a defensive captain kind of guy.

In 2006, the only luck we can ask for amongst our defense is that Pope, Bocanegra and Gibbs are healthy. World Cup debutantes Gooch, Cherundolo and the others already have the good part down-pat.

2006-05-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Too few to mention...

If I wasn't getting married this year, I would have gone to the World Cup. I even had a ticket. Not that this was a difficult decision. After I got engaged, I realized that I wouldn't be able to both plan and afford a wedding and a trip to Germany in the same year, not to mention a honeymoon, time away from work, etc. I know that I'll miss not being there, but I do have certain priorities, I hope :) Someday, perhaps in 2014 when it's held in Brazil, I'll get there. I'll be 45 then, but I'll still be passionate about the team. I have a friend fluent in Brasilian culture, despite growing up in the Virgin Islands, and England (?). Another friend with an eye towards soccer and spectacle has also expressed interest, and if the US team keeps in improving, 2014 might be a good trip to see them. I did harbor many excited bits of anticipation about going to THIS summer's fest, tho. The ability to party, meet and drink with like-minded fans from the world over, the chance to see Germany, and feel a part of something. Not to mention, watching the games, which sometimes seems like an after-thought when these things are concerned. And, to top if off, I would have brought an Elvis costume, and worn it to the games and the bars. I'm 100% serious. People would have loved taking pics with an American dressed as Elvis, and I woulda probably got on TV. But, there will be other chances. I'll get there eventually.

2006-05-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

It Won't Be Long Now.. Yeah !

Four weeks from today, the USA plays their first match of the World Cup, against the favored Czechs. If we can somehow manage a win, it might be one of the most enjoyable sports days of my life.

In 1994, I remember going to a bar in downtown Baltimore to watch the US-Switzerland game. But, I didn't know the team much then; I was excited about going, but I didn't have the history with the team that I now possess.

In 1998, my friend Vadim and I went to my friend Jeff's house to watch the US's inaugural game versus Germany. Again, a fun viewing, but on a small TV, and not much atmosphere.

2002 was a little more fun - waking up at 5am EST to see us beat Portugal. In all honesty, didn't matter where I was that day, the result was the main thing.

Now, it's 2006, and boy, do I have a history with this club. And, I'll be taking my first ever day off from work to basically watch TV. I'm not sure where I'll be going, but I know what I'll be wearing, and I know what I'll be doing - watching all 3 of the matches that day.

Wow.. a month to go. I can't hardly believe it.

2006-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Cuffs, Mr. Bocanegra ?

So, in addition to being named to a World Cup squad, training with your team, facing the world's best, creating life-long memories and everything that comes with it, defender Carlos Bocanegra and his teammates get a closet full of Nike clothing. Non-soccer, as you can see. I love how he's on the beverage cooler and the tailor is adjusting his trousers. Like THIS doesn't get his teammates, and pretty much everyone on the team laughing.

My guess at the top 3 clothing-related comments heard at the US Soccer Nike clothing measurement event.

"That's not how they do pants!"

"Something in a low-rise brief - mesh if possible".

"Can I cough now?"

I know the third one is a little weak. Anybody have anything to add ?

2006-05-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

By any other name..

Yesterday, the monitor of soccerblogs.net told me that I should change the name of my blog to something a bit snappier than 'USA World Cup Blog', which is 100% true. I was trying to come up with something that was equal parts funny, unique and historically relevant - something a US soccer fan would identify. There is a soccer blog called Logan's Revenge, which always makes me laugh. So, I'm now posting under the title "In the 4th Minute", to honor John O'Brien's 4th minute goal versus Portugal in June of 2002. Happened at 5 minutes after 5am, EST - my friend Jeff hadn't even arrived to watch the game, and we were already up a goal - great memory.

2006-05-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

A tip of the hat to the folks (or folk) over at Triangle Soccer Fanatics, who posted THIS LINK with some comments and great pics from today's first day of practice. I occasionally ask my friends this question - "Other than your life and your job, what subjects do you know the most about ?" For me, it's probably this team. It's a little strange when I can look at the group running pics, and identify EVERY player, when neither my wife, nor ANY of my friends could identify any of them.. they'd probably ask where Freddy Adu, or the red-headed guy with the goatee is. Still, there is a unique combination of sunshine, bright photos and the fact that these are the 23 best soccer players in the country, stretching before something which will last 5-7 weeks, and will be one of the most enjoyable experiences they ever have. For some, their last. For some, their first.

2006-05-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Job Security

There are probably 4 statements that 90% of US Soccer fans would agree with

1. Kasey Keller is a deity

2. DaMarcus Beasley is tougher than most international players twice his size

3. Landon Donovan, while a star, isn't as ambitious as we'd like him to be

4. Bruce Area REALLY knows what he's doing.

If Bruce were coaching the Lions of England, the Tri-Colores of Mexico, or the Azurri of Italy, he'd be criticized daily. Reporters would be listing his successors, and offering him daily advice on his to do his job.

This has much to do with the importance of soccer in those countries, much to do with the traditional relationship between national soccer coach and the media, and mostly to do with the fact that America is still a developing soccer country. When your historical competition is Bob Gansler, Bora, Steve Sampson and a bunch of guys that nobody can name, it's not hard to look pretty good. Still, Bruce has an almost untouchable quality about him. He's like the Whitey Herzog of baseball, unconcerned with being liked, and supremely confident in his mental acumen. When asked about up-and-comer Bobby Convey, Bruce praised him, but added that he still needs to prove himself. About former scoring phenom Eddie Johnson, Bruce reminded that his scoring prowess was mostly media-created, and came against lower competition. While both statements are true, this isn't a guy trying to earn his players trust and respect. I once stood next to him in an elevator at RFK Stadium. Nothing flashy about him; he doesn't carry the air of celebrity - he's just a guy who knows how to do what he needs to, and is no-frills about getting there. In short, exactly the kind of guy whom I would want as national team coach.

2006-05-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tom Petty was Wrong

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me about the months leading up to the World Cup. "Must be pretty boring, just waiting" he said.

For any of you reading, you know that this pretty much IDs him NOT as a soccer fan. If your country is in the World Cup, the months leading up to it are GREAT....second only to the anxiety/anticipation the morning of gameday, and the elation of evening after, should your team win.

First, you watch the World Cup graw and hope your team gets a good draw.

Then, you analyze your team versus your first-round opponents, and look for potential knockout round match-ups, if your team gets that far.

The big apparel manufacturers like Nike and Adidas introduce their shirts early in 2006, so you need to order one of those.

In April and May, your team's roster comes together. You obsess over potential inclusions and exclusions.

If your boss is cool, you ask for the days off when your team plays. If not, you figure out your sickness for those days.

Of course, you have to figure out which local 'pub', or which friend with a great TV will be blessed with your viewing presence.

Link your favorite World Cup sites, blogs and information portals.

Am I missing anything ?

Whew.. maybe it's good this thing only comes up ever 4 years.

2006-05-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Steven Goff, the Washington Post's soccer reporter hosted this chat this afternoon online. Goff is one of the better US soccer reporters, not that there are many. Pay special attention to the question from Pikesville about the ethnic makeup of the US team.
I wonder where that would rank on a list of best possible jobs - soccer reporter for a big newspaper.
Travel, access to players, respect, and not much stress. It's not like many people would be second-guessing my comments. Gotta rank up there.

2006-05-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

F in FIFA

FIFA, which is soccer's governing body, is allowing Iranian PM
Ahmadinejad to attend the world party this summer. To repeat, I have absolutely no opinion about this kind of lunacy. Iran is one of the 32 countries represented. My thoughts are that if you deny the Holocaust and call for the destruction of another country, it's probably worse than having confusion over who packed your bags for you before you left home.

This isn't the only misstep that they've made.

It's been publicized that the Taliban has used halftime at soccer games to dole out their brand of justice.

During Saddam's reign in Iraq, the national team players would be injured following losses.

Iran doesn't allow women to attend games.

.. For all of these, there was silence from Zurich.

A few months ago, Israeli intelligence learnt that some terrorists were training on a soccer field in Palestine. Hoping to keep them from killing innocents, Israel had no choice but to attack them.

This, however, awoke FIFA, who made their first-ever political statement condemning Israel for attacking a soccer field. Of course, when Israeli fields were bombed, FIFA was surprising silent.

I don't necessarily think that FIFA is any more or less anti-Israel or pro-Palestine than anyone else in Switzerland...(pause)... but, I didn't feel right not including my .02 on this one in my World Cup-related blog.

2006-05-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

On the Move..

Two of the American World Cup players - Tim Howard and Cory Gibbs will be wearing new uniforms next year, joining Everton and Charlton, respectively, of the English top division. For the athletic but occasionally erratic Howard, it's a chance to recapture former glory and for the promising Gibbs, a chance to continue his European dream. These moves really have no World Cup impact, other than changing the bios of both of these players. Plus, the British announcers will be able to say things like "... the Charlton signee clears the ball well..." when Gibbs makes a play.

Needless to say, I like both moves. Whenever an American signs to play in a top European league, it's nothing but good news. Gibbs with potentially 4 years of EPL seasoning before the 2010 World Cup, and Howard getting the starting nod with a good club.

2006-05-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Bobby

I mentioned earlier that Bobby Convey is one of my favorite players on this team. He's also the only one whom I've ever talked to in person. Since 2004, I've been doing freelance (emphasis on free) reporting on the DC United for a company called TSV Media, and I've had access to the team's clubhouse. Some of my stories have appeared online, including the soccer area of espn.com, which might be one of the coolest experiences I've had without being naked. I talked to Bobby in April of 2004, and he seemed to be pretty decent. He was only 20 at the time, but he wasn't shy, wasn't silly or cocky; gave me some good answers and seemed respectful. He started playing professionally at age 16, and moved to an English club called Reading in 2005. He didn't have an easy go of it, but he persevered, and now he's a starter, and on a World Cup squad. Go Bobby.

2006-05-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

How to follow the World Cup.

People talk about the Super Bowl being the world's biggest sporting event; it's not. It's kind of funny, really. How many people watch the Super Bowl ? Maybe 180 million. They always talk about how it's being BROADCAST to 2 billion people, or so.
Well, they can broadcast it to the moons of Mars (which are Delos and Phebos, by the way).. doesn't mean people watch it.
Well, the World Cup final will be watched by perhaps 2.5 or 3 BILLION people - that's 20 times the people who watch the Super Bowl. Soccer is the only true worldwide language. Remote ice stations in the arctic, desert huts in the Sahara, European bars, South American houses, and New Zealand farmers will all be doing the same thing on July 9th - trying to figure out why the Brazilians have such odd names. "Mary, what the hell is a Kaka ?"
Besides that, there are things that Americans can do to follow and support their and other teams.

1. Watch the games - ESPN will show each and every game, and it won't be hard to find them.

2. Go to a bar during a game. You think people who tailgate are fans ? Try checking out a bar on a World Cup viewing day.

3. If your town has unique ethnic neighborhoods - Little Italy, neighborhoods with hispanic immigrants, Germans, Carribeans, Poles, etc.. try to visit them when their countries are playing. It's a wonderful visceral experience of ethnic pride.

4. Find your team. No matter where you live now, someone's grandparents or great-grandparents or Uncle came from a country represented. Learn about your roots.

5. If you like rooting for the powerful teams, follow Brazil. If you like tragic loss (ie the Red Sox), Spain is your side. You say you like passion and flair ? Meet Italy. Fan of the underdog, are you ? Choose any of the 4-time African teams, or perhaps Ukraine, Australia or the great tin drums of Trinidad and Tobago.

2006-05-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Everywhere signs...

Nike unveiled THIS billboard recently in Times Square, with the tagline "The World No Longer Wants to Play With Us', featuring Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, and someone I can't identify on the left. It's similar to the ESPN cover of the US team in 2002, which featured Landon, DaMarcus and then cover-boy Clint Mathis (How the mighty have fallen). Well, 'the world' sees a match against the US as less of a 'sure win', but they hardly "No Longer Want to Play Us". But, Nike are the masters of this kind of sports advertising. There's also a great Gatorade ad on TV right now to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", showing the surroundings that our players find themselves in when they play in Central America.

2006-05-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

If..

I posted something at BigSoccer yesterday, which was picked up on the granddaddy of all World Cup Blogs, at this URL. Yes, I do a fair amount of posting at 'BS', and was just curious how our 'bench' looked should someone go down with an injury. Sadly, someone will get injured.. happens every cup. Whether the players can come back is the question.
And sadly, the US bench isn't very deep. Granted, nobody wants to have to go to their bench, but ours isn't in great shape if we do.

2006-05-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Is that one 'r' or two ?

One of my favorite baseball writers, Bill James, once opined that people who think that Babe Ruth isn't the best baseball player of all time are trying to make a point. In other words, Ruth's evidence to that title is so overwhelming that people who champion Cobb, Mantle, Mays or Bonds are trying to prove that their reading of the statistics highlights something different. I feel the same way about Brazil's chances this summer. The Italians, English and Argentinians bring strong teams to Germany, but I see no reason why Brazil won't win. Their players are young, embarrassingly talented. They're able to do things with the ball and in certain situations that words can't describe. Imagine a major league baseball team figuring out how to hit home runs by swinging the bat ABOVE your head. Most important to the Brazilians is that they're very motivated. Their coach knows that his team tends to be overly cocky and wilt when they're 'supposed' to win, and he for sure doesn't want Brazil to underperform under his watch. Now, simply because he's guarding against complacency doesn't mean it automatically transfers onto his team. Every coach in every sport guards against over-confidence, but if Ronaldinho's very strange teeth aren't smiling come July 9th, I'll be surprised.

2006-05-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Drew

Drew Carey is the only outwardly verbal celebrity fan of the US World Cup team that comes to mind. I wrote about it a year ago, after seeing him on the Late Show with Craig Ferguson (Is that show still on ?). He was on ESPN last week, and it seems every time I see him on TV, he's wearing a US kit. Is there a more unlikely US soccer fan ? It would be like finding out that Kanye West really likes "Trading Spaces" or that Bob Dole really likes Good Charlotte. Even before I found this out, I always liked Drew, and now even more so. Rock on.

2006-05-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

The 23-man US squad this summer includes 5 African-American players - DaMarcus Beasley, Eddie Johnson, Eddie Pope, Cory Gibbs, Oguchi Onyewu and Tim Howard has an African-American father. I doubt there are any major league baseball teams with as many African-Americans on their roster. That sounds bad. I'm not trying to make too much of the racial content of this team, but it's interesting to me, and I hope it's something that the mainstream US press reports. The visual that most people have of American soccer is that it's a sport played by suburban white kids and those of Hispanic origin, and one that generally is missed by African-Americans. Definitely not so. At a time when major league baseball has its' lowest percentage of African-Americans since soon after integration, and the NBA is seeing an increased number of European, South American and Asian players, it's a nice sidebar that the US soccer team is reflecting more of the country, as well. One of the US players of the future is 18-year old Lee Nyugen (thanks for the correction, Wolf), born of Vietnamese parents, who is playing for the developmental side of Dutch powerhouse PSV Einhoven.

2006-05-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

And, starting...

One of the battles on this summer's US team is that for the "other" centerback position (assuming that Onyewu has the other).
It's between Eddie Pope and Cory Gibbs. At their best, both are solid players; but I doubt either will be peaking come mid-June. Eddie was one of the US's best players in 2002, but he's gotten a step slower, and has had some recent troubles. Gibbs got injured last summer, and is still playing himself back into health. It's the eternal battle between smarts and experience (Pope) versus youth and athleticism (Giibs). I don't even think Bruce knows who he'll pick - might depend on their performances in training camp, and who the opponent is.

2006-05-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

373 Words about Marcus Hahnemann

Marcus Hahnemann is one of my favorites on the 2006 US squad. Maybe I’m partial to goalies, because I used to be one. Maybe I’m partial to premature balding goalies who aren’t thin, b/c I also used to be one of those. “Bald Yank” as he’s known is one of those pseudo-Walter Mittyish sports stories that people love because he’s the eternal underdog who succeeds. He went to a college called Seattle Pacific to play soccer. I’ve never heard of ol’ SPU, and I doubt many people outside of their local Pizza Hut have either. I’m assuming that some well-intentioned college coaches saw him play in High School and thought he wasn’t tall enough or didn’t jump high enough, so he ended up at a lower-level college. Anyway, after his college career, he joins the Seattle Sounders of the A-League (the US soccer version of AAA baseball), and plays well enough to get added to the Colorado Rapids of MLS, leading them to the Championship Game in 1997. He parlays that into a job with an English team called Fulham, but mostly stays on the bench. Then, he gets interest from a club in the First Division called Reading. In England, the second level of soccer used to be called the ‘First Division’, now it’s called the ‘Coca Cola Championship’. Go figure. But, he hits his stride at Reading, and the fans love him. He’s like one of those big mid-western white guys who play tight end in the NFL– fun-loving, irreverent, a fan favorite.. you know the type, like Jeremy Shockey. This year, Reading played lights-out in the ‘Championship’, which is really the second level (?) and got promoted to the Premiership of English Soccer, which is really their highest level (honest), and it’s a great story, really. Marcus brings his fun-loving American act to the big stadiums in England.
Most likely, Marcus will be the #3 keeper for the US, which is one less than he should be. Given his performance and sharpness, he should be #2, but Bruce Arena didn’t take my advice and probably put ManU backup Tim Howard as #2.
But, it’s not like either of them will see serious minutes, so they’re just there for the ride

2006-05-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

On the Spot

One of the great things about the World Cup are the commercial tie-ins. Some hit, some miss and some REALLY hit. Nike, in particular, does some absolutely great ads, using their stable of current greats. 1998 saw the Brazilian team running playfully through an airport before leaving for France. 2002 had Cantona hosting a secret 3-on-3 tournament backed with Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation". So far, I'm a little unimpressed with this year's ads featuring former France and ManU badboy Eric Cantona, imploring his peers to play soccer from the heart (jago bonita). But, I have a feeling more ads are coming. I really can't wait. Here is a good link where they can be downlaoded. Incidentally, two of my favorites aired in non-World Cup years: Devils vs. soccer players and the Portugal-Brazil friendly that erupts into a keep-away in the stadium hallways.

2006-05-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Stepping Out

In case you're curious, the US plays three first-round games in the World Cup.

June 12 - Czech Republic*

June 17 - Italian Republic

June 22 - Ghanian Republic
If we're able to get into the second round of the tournament, we'll play either Brazil, Brazil, Brazil, Japan, Croatia or the Aussies, if you get the idea. Of course, South Korea won their group last time around, so you really never know. In 2002, we ended up playing the easier opponent (Mexico instead of Italy) by finishing second, but there's no real chance Brazil will finish second.
* - On the same night, one of my faves, Joe Jackson, will be playing in DC. I don't know if I can handle seeing the US play a big soccer game and Joe Jackson in the same day. I'd be exhausted.

2006-05-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Names

Brazilian soccer players have great one-word names like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Bebeto, Adriano, Kaku, Cafu, Emerson, Denilson, etc. One of their former players was named Socrates. They're kind of like the Ramones of soccer. I used to think the one name thing was done to honor Pele, but my friend Dino (whom I call Dininho) told me that it's because Brazilians have really long names, so they shorten them. One of their former stars, Romario's real name was Romario de Suze Fario, or something like that. I think it's more of a rite of passage. If I played for the Brazilians, I'd call myself Gazpachio

2006-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

About Gooch

I mentioned above that Oguchi Onyewu is one of my favorites on this team.
He's 6'4, about 200 pounds, and he's just a monster out there. Honestly. If he played in New York, they'd name a candy bar after him, or maybe a side of beef. Well, maybe not really.. if he played in New York, he'd play for the MetroStars, and nobody would know about him, but you get the idea.
I think his parents are Nigerian; he grew up in Maryland, went to college at Clemson, and left early to play in Europe. After a lack of success with a French club called Metz, he moved to Belgian side La Louviere, and settled in on a team in Belgium called Standard Liege, which is where he blossomed. (Ever notice how bizarre that some European soccer team names are ?)
His size and playing ability is what makes him unique for the US. Since soccer is an after-thought to most US athletes, the brightest prospects are tagged early for basketball, football and/or baseball, so we don't see many guys his size playing for us. When you see the teams lined up for anthems, it often looks like a Varsity-JV scrimmage.

While most of our players are fast, we have mostly finesse players on our team, and not many guys who are just pure force out there, but Gooch is. He plays centerback on defense, which means he's responsible for going one-on-one with the other team's main offensive players, and shutting down their attack, which is something he does well. Most people expect that after this tournament, a richer club in a more established league - perhaps Germany or England, will make a play for his services. That kind of thing happens often after World Cups. Bye-bye Brussels, Hello Everton.

2006-05-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hello, USA Soccer Fans across Gaia.With the World Cup approaching, I wanted some outlet for my fandom of the USA World Cup team, so I decided to create a blog. I apologize for the name not being more creative.
The US team roster was announced Wednesday. Like most fans, I felt that there were 2 confusing choices - Defender Jimmy Conrad and Forward Brian Ching being named instead of Gregg Berhalter and Taylor Twellman, respectively.

Other that that, no real surprises.
My favorites on this team are Bobby Convey, Oguchi Onyewu, Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo and Marcus Hahnemann.