Posts Tagged ‘Clint Dempsey’

« Older Entries

USA vs. Ghana: Let The Blame Games Begin

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley
(OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

happier days in Ellis Park – photo cred: Alex V.

Team USA’s magical cup run has sadly come to an end. With tons of hype and momentum behind them USA had to beat their old foe Ghana. Unfortunately much like in 2006 Ghana got the better of the yanks once again. In the three out of the four games team USA played they found themselves down a goal early on. In all the other games they dug deep and found a way to claw back and salvage a point. Today though was just not their day.

Many will wonder now who they can blame for team USA’s failure to get past the round of 16. The finger will be solely pointed at one person, Mr. Bob Bradley. Heralded as the saint and savior of soccer in America just this morning before the match, many will be asking for his resignation of his post as head coach of team USA. Bradley did mostly everything right leading up to the game against Ghana. He won the Gold Cup, helped the team finish second behind Brazil in the Confederations Cup, and had team USA finish first in group C of the 2010 world cup. Still though a lot of his decisions need to be questioned.

When you have a good thing going, why change it? Many will be asking Bob Bradley that very same question in regards to playing Ricardo Clark tonight. Clark played poorly in the opening group game and hadn’t played since. Suddenly, and rather shockingly, he was reinstated in the starting lineup for an extremely important match. Bradley has been known to be a gambling man and sometimes taking a risk pays off, and sometimes it doesn’t. Replacing Oguchi Onyewu with Jonathon Bornstein was a huge gamble that paid off for Bradley. Replacing Maurice Edu/Benny Feilhaber with Ricardo Clark was a gamble that most definitely did not pay off. Clark started the Ghana game by giving up possession in the middle of the park that resulted in a goal, and then picking up an extremely dangerous yellow card almost immediately after. Give Bradley credit for admitting his mistake by subbing Clark after 30 minutes, but still he took a huge risk by playing Clark that really hurt team USA.

Bradley has done a wonderful job with team USA and exceeded everyone’s expectations, but after this loss to Ghana USA fans will be thinking that team USA could have, and should have, done better. Sometimes you have to stick with what works, and for some reason Bradley decided not to. USA had a respectable run, but excuses aside for why they didn’t go farther, they need to do better

Player Ratings:

Howard-6- Made some good saves tonight but probably should have done better with the opening the goal. Much like his central defenders in the opening minutes, Howard was ball watching and out of position.

Cherundolo-6.5- Not his best game by a long shot. Had some shaky moments in the beginning but got better as the game went on. Dolo probably has the most dangerous cross on the team and he used it to good effect today.

Bocanegra-6- Had both good and bad moments throughout the game. His poor communication with DeMerit and ball watching cost his team the game unfortunately.

DeMerit-6- One of the more consistent players on team USA throughout the tournament. Today though he made a lot of costly errors that hurt the team quite a bit. Won a lot of balls in the air like he always does, but had a really hard time communicating with his partner in central defense.

Bornstein-7- I never thought I would say this but…Johnny B. had a great game today. The best player on the backline, absolutely owned the left side of the field. A very surprising solid and mistake free game from Bornstein.

Bradley-7- Has raised his stock significantly in this tournament. Worked tirelessly today and did all he could to keep team USA in it.

Clark-3- An absolutely dreadful performance from Clark. Clark put on a real horror show today. His two most cringe worthy moments were giving the ball away in the middle field to help setup Ghana’s opening goal and then getting a silly yellow, which could have easily been a red, for a vicious tackle on Kevin-Prince Boateng. Clark was hauled off on the 30th minute, and walking off the field was the best thing he did the whole game.

Donovan-7- Superbly finished his penalty kick to tie the game and take his goal tally to three, but didn’t play as well as he had in the other games.

Dempsey-8- Great game from Deuce today, did everything but score a goal. Worked hard and was a constant threat on the attack. Made some great touches and was a real nuisance for Ghana’s backline. Drew the penalty that led to the tying goal.

Findley-4- Continues to not take advantage of good opportunities to score. Findley is just not good enough to compete at this level.

Altidore-6.5- Without a doubt the hardest working forward in this tournament, who cannot score goals. He has a real knack for keeping possession and drawing fouls, but his finishing really needs to get better. Solid game today but could have been even better had he done more with the chances he had.

Substitutions:

Edu-6- Made an immediate impact after he came on for Ricardo Clark. Broke up plays and won balls in the middle of the park. If he can improve his passing game he will become an infinitely better player. Wasted a lot of possession with errant passes.

Feilhaber-7.5- What is going on with Benny? Ever since his laser volley against Mexico in the Gold Cup he has been on downward spiral in terms of his form. Suddenly in the last two matches he has featured in, he has looked and played like a new man. Fantastic creative play and a newfound urgency in his defensive game has made him start to live up to his hype. The real question is why did Ricardo Clark start against Ghana and not the in form Benny Feilhaber?

Gomez-6- Next to Charlie Davies team USA only has one other player who has a real eye for goal and knows how to be in the right place at the right time. That player is Mr. Herculez Gomez. The super-sub from Las Vegas came on after regulation to push the Ghanaian defense but didn’t do much. He pushed up hard and did well to make things difficult for Ghana but never got the chance to put the ball in back of the net. Would have been a much more suitable forward to start alongside Altidore instead of Findley.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

USA vs GHANA: Match Preview

Friday, June 25th, 2010

by Philip Cramer

All eyes will be fixed on LD tomorrow – photo cred: Alex V.

This USA team reminds me of the 2002 squad that made it to the quarterfinals only to lose 1-0 to Germany in a match where the Americans outplayed the opposition. The United States should have had a penalty kick, and Germany should have had a red card for a handball on the goal line.

That team came out with fire in its eyes, believing that its could beat anybody. And the Americans did, blowing away a very fancied Portugal side with three goals in the first half-hour of the opening game.

The 2010 team has that same fire and that same self-confidence that didn’t exist on the 1998 or 2006 squads.

The United States faces a tricky game tomorrow against a Ghana team that stumbled into the Round of 16 thanks to Australia. Ghana’s two biggest problems are the absence of star midfielder Michael Essien for the entire tournament, and an offense that has only scored two goals thus far—both from penalties. Those two problems are related.

The Americans are coming off the incredible high of Landon Donovan’s extra time goal to save their tournament. That will be a huge asset as confidence is essential in the knockout stage. Ghana will have a huge weight on its shoulders as the last team standing from Africa. That can cut both ways.

The U.S. is stronger at the back because of Tim Howard, and he has been excellent throughout this World Cup. It’s often the little things that make the difference in a game, such as his quick and accurate throw that led to Donovan’s game-winning goal against Algeria.

For Ghana, Richard Kingson is solid in net and has likewise been error-free in the tournament.

The U.S. defense has been solid with Jay Demerit and Carlos Bocanegra both having exceptional tournaments. Oguchi Onyewu should be back for this game as well. His height and size will help keep Ghana’s attack at bay.

Ghana have a solid defense that has given away little including holding Germany to one unstoppable goal. John Pantsil, John Mensah, and the newly promoted Jonathan Mensah have all been solid and disciplined and will force the U.S. attack to work hard.

The midfield matches up fairly evenly despite Essien’s absence. For the U.S. Michael Bradley has been stellar with a controlled level of aggression. Donovan can break open a game and Clint Dempsey is showing the wealth of experience he has garnered playing for Fulham.

Ghana’s midfield has surprised. Anthony Annan has become one of the standout holding midfielders in the tournament, and 20-year-old Andre Ayew is excelling. Kevin Prince Boateng is another player who could cause headaches for the Americans.

Up front Jozy Altidore has played well, proving he can play at this level despite not scoring yet. A goal would surely boost his confidence. Ghana needs Asamoah Gyan to come unstuck for them to have any chance at a victory. He was woeful virtually every time he got the ball in a critical situation against Germany, wasting a number of chances.

Despite struggling through the group stage, Ghana has been consistent with few errors. The ball control skills and short passing of the midfield could give Team USA headaches. The U.S. will need an error-free defense to win.

The intangibles favor the United States. The Americans’ team unity, commitment, and aggression can get under Ghana’s skin, and if that happens the United States will prevail quite comfortably. It could be a game of few clear-cut chances and whoever takes advantage of them will win.

This game could end up hinging on a lucky break, and after the group round the United States seems to have used up their allotment of bad breaks.

Soccer at this level can be a fickle mistress. The odds slightly favor the United States which is an accurate reflection of the game’s prospects. Ghana has more skill but the United States has heart, cohesion, and determination, attributes that have not been as evident for Ghana.

The United States should prevail by the odd goal, but expect a well-played, tight game.

read more from Philip at Irritable Liberal Syndrome!

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

USA vs. Algeria: Thoughts and Players Ratings

Friday, June 25th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

(OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

Group C of the 2010 world cup has been nothing but an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved.  Underdogs prevailed and shook things up in the beginning.  Slovenia got an unlikely stranglehold on the group’s lead, and England struggled immensely to get anything going.  Algeria started with a loss thanks to a major goalkeeping howler, but shocked everyone by tying England in a game that many thought they would lose.  In the end though team USA prevailed and surprised everyone by winning group C.

After making the most of the gift that Robert Green awarded team USA with his now infamous goalkeeping error and coming back against Slovenia in the most controversial game of the tournament so far, USA had to beat Algeria to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.  The game started in typical USA fashion with a miscommunication in the USA backline that resulted in Rafik Djebbour of Algeria letting off a blistering shot that flew past a hapless Tim Howard and smacked the crossbar.  From there USA went on the attack and relentlessly pressed the Algerian backline and went on to score a goal that was controversially disallowed.  One must think that the cries of a conspiracy must be lurking in the background because twice now USA has controversially been denied two legitimate goals.  Surprise starter Herculez Gomez let off a powerful shot that missed the goal, but allowed a waiting Clint Dempsey to pounce on the rebound and score.  Unfortunately Frank De Bleeckere of Belgium, the latest error prone referee to officiate a game, called the goal offside.  Replays would show that Dempsey was most definitely onside, but unfortunately De Bleeckere would only be able to see those replays after the game was over.

After the goal had officially been disallowed, both teams furiously attacked each other.  USA had more chances but they just couldn’t seem to take advantage of them, and with news that England was beating Slovenia desperation was beginning to set in.  There was a moment of hope when Clint Dempsey curled in a perfect shot that beat the keeper but hit the post instead of going in the net.    Just when everyone was ready to throw in the towel and brace themselves for another disappointing world cup campaign the unexpected happened.  In a goalmouth scramble in the 91st minute a loose ball fell to the feet of Landon Donovan.  In a game full of missed chances and blown opportunities Donovan did not hesitate and scored a dramatic game winner that will not only take USA to the next round but allowed them to win group C all together.  Donovan’s goal will be one of the most important ones ever for him.  It keeps USA in the tournament and more importantly it gives the team more support from their country than ever before.  USA is off to arguably one of their best starts ever to a world cup and looks set to use their momentum to progress even farther in what is becoming one of the most wild and unpredictable world cup’s ever.

Player Ratings:

Howard – 7 – In what is becoming a frightening recurring trend, Howard was nearly scored on by a powerful shot in the opening minutes.  Thankfully for Howard and team USA the crossbar prevented the shot from going in.  Solid play from Howard tonight, made some pointblank saves that kept team USA in the game.

Cherundolo – 7 – Dolo has looked pretty great on the right so far in this tournament.  He did his usual thing with relative ease tonight, he held down the right side and came up on the attack with penetrating runs and dangerous crosses.

DeMerit – 8 – It’s pretty amazing that DeMerit only plays in the Championship league in England because he has shone the world that he can compete at the highest level.  His passing game still needs work but his game in the air is unbelievable.  Has a knack of winning just about every aerial ball he goes for, great game for DeMerit.

Bocanegra – 6.5 – Looked a little uncomfortable in the middle at times.  Despite some unfamiliarity in the middle he had a solid yet forgettable game for the captain.

Bornstein – 6.5 – Came in for Gooch to provide more speed out of the back.  Had a solid game, played smart and contributed to the attack on a few occasions.  It was rare error-free performance for the Chivas USA defender today.

Donovan – 8 – Faded in and out of the game and was having trouble getting past the stingy Algerian defense.  Kept his recent goal scoring streak alive with a HUGE goal in stoppage time. Landy Cakes is trying to make everyone forget about his poor performances in 2006, and so far its working.

Bradley – 8 – Bradley is a star in the making, and this world cup is proving to be his showcase.  Endless amounts of energy and great vision on the field, what more could you want from a box to box midfielder?  He looked fearless today, and never seemed like he was resigned to be knocked out of the tournament.

Edu – 6 – Broke up lots of plays and won possession, but kept giving the ball away with poor passes.  Needs his offensive game to be as good as his defensive one.

Dempsey – 7 – Played a hard fought game and was unlucky to have his goal get disallowed, and was also unlucky to hit the post in the second half.  Was getting abused by the Algerian defenders and midfielders throughout the game but he still fought tirelessly.  Had a big hand in Donovan’s goal to win the game.

Gomez – 6 – A shock starter.  Very surprising to see him get the start today in such an important game.  Made the most of his chance and looked dangerous today.  Would have liked to have seen him play a little longer than he did.

Altidore – 7.5 – Jozy Altidore, the forward who does not score.  Did all the dirty work today up top.  Won balls, kept possession, and picked up fouls in all the right areas for team USA.  Will be frustrated not to have scored yet, but should be happy with his play.

Substitutes

Feilhaber – 7 – Came on at the half for Gomez and looked like a different player than from the one in previous games.  Played with intensity and grit, broke up plays and made dangerous passes.  Looked really solid today in the midfield.

Buddle – 5 – Held the ball up well but looked too slow to be playing at this level.  Needs to make better decisions with his passing game.

Beasley – 5 – Came on at the end as USA’s last attacking option off the bench.  Wasn’t able to do much except pick up some hard fouls and get a silly yellow card for a handball.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

England vs. USA: Thoughts and Players Ratings

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

( OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

The most anticipated match of the tournament thus far has come and gone.  England vs. USA was one for the ages, and will go down in both USA and English soccer history.  After a stunning opening strike from Steven Gerrard, England drew first blood and looked set to break American hearts.  Clint Dempsey however, was having none of it and scored what will be one of the most talked about goals in world cup history.

Only Robert Green will ever know what really happened, but his handling of Clint Dempsey’s shot was the howler of all howlers.  A shot that most keepers would have stopped with ease somehow got past Green and gave the Americans a most surprising lifeline.  Blame it on Green or blame it on the much talked about Jabulani ball, the goal stunned England and brought the Americans to life.  It was a hard fought game for the Americans, and if the world didn’t think this team could compete with the world’s best they saw first hand today that they most definitely can.  Thanks to an amazing display from Tim Howard and the back four, Steve Cherundolo in particular, USA played resiliently and came back from an early goal to get a much deserved point.

Player Ratings:

Tim Howard (G)-9- Was a rock in the goal today, an absolutely brilliant performance from Timmy Howard.  Time and time again thwarted England’s vicious attacks on goal and made some brilliant saves.  Emile Heskey will be having nightmares about Howard’s point blank stop on his shot.

Jay DeMerit (D)-8- After a moment of poor communication between him and Onyewu for the opener, DeMerit put on a great defensive display and effectively helped shut down Rooney.  The pride of Wisconsin wore his heart on his sleeve and played a great game today.

Oguchi Onyewu (D)-7- Sort of a surprise starter due to his lengthy injury and forgettable play in friendly matches leading up to this game.  Was caught ball watching on the opening goal but seemed to come to life afterwards.  Gooch started to look like his old self today, no longer afraid to jump for balls and threw himself into some hard tackles.  Gooch is back…well maybe.

Carlos Bocanegra (D)-6.5- Had a hard time dealing with the pace of the speedy England wingers at times. Still put on solid display and should be happy with his overall performance tonight.

Steve Cherundolo (D)-8- Absolutely fantastic game from the right back tonight.  Was an ever present threat in the attack and defended very well.  Made mince meat out of James Milner.

Ricardo Clark (M)-6- Forgot he was on the field at times.  Got the job done but never really put his mark on the game.  Would have liked to have seen a more creative midfielder like Torres or Feilhaber in his place.

Michael Bradley (M)-6.5- Much like Clark had a fairly anonymous game.  Still though he put in the dirty work in the middle of the field and had a solid game.

Clint Dempsey (M)-7- Wowzers.  What a goal and what a horrible howler from West Ham’s Robert Green.  This is a goal that will be talked about for many years to come. Dempsey made something out of nothing, got his goal and ran with it. Bad save, bad keeping, bad whatever the goal was clutch and allowed team USA to get a share of the points on the day.

Landon Donovan (M)-7- A Landon Donovan performance on the wing that we have all come to expect from our little internationally unknown superstar.  Donovan worked very hard today and had a good battle with Ashley Cole.  Also had some nice set pieces that his teammates should have done better on.

Jozy Altidore (F)-7- Worked hard and ran all over the place the whole game.  Was unlucky not to get a goal in the second half when Robert “Stone Hands” Green pushed his effort off the post.  Also had a great moment where he out muscled Jaime Carragher on a run towards the goal.  Needs to start making all that hard work turn into goals.

Robbie Findley (F)-4- Looked completely out of place. The only player on team USA who didn’t look like they belonged in the game. He was there for his speed and nothing else, and unfortunately all he really seemed to do was aimlessly run really fast.  Just about completely faded out of the game in the second half. Time to give Buddle or Herculez a chance up top.

Substitutes:

Edson Buddle (F)-4- Came into the game late and had very little impact.

Stuart Holden (M)-4.5- Replaced Altidore and came on bolster the midfield.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

WORLD CUP ANALYSIS: GROUP C

Monday, June 7th, 2010

by Philip Cramer

Group C: USA, England, Slovenia, Algeria.

Sixty years ago England played the U.S. in the World Cup in Brazil. American soccer at the time barely had a pulse, while England was considered the best in the world, matched only by the host nation. We all know what happened then; the U.S. shocked the world winning 1-0. When news first filtered back to England everyone assumed it was a misprint and that England had won 10-1.

They meet again in the opening game of the group. If the U.S. beat England this time it will still be considered an upset, but nothing compared to the epic of 1950.

Either way, England and the U.S. are clear favorites to advance with the luck of the draw putting two soft opponents, Algeria and Slovenia in their group.

Despite the loss of Rio Ferdinand, England is the class of this group despite some weaknesses. David James, the first string goalie is nicknamed ‘Calamity James’ for good reason. Ashley Cole and John Terry will hold the defense together. Beyond them, Glen Johnson and Ledley King are more than adequate but could find problems in later rounds. In midfield only Gareth Barry has strong defensive credentials but it is moving forward that they are strongest with Lampard, Gerrard and Joe Cole capable of dominating any team. In reserve they have Aaron Lennon and James Milner who can more than hold their own. Up front, Rooney has matured into one of the best in the world. He works hard, is happy to fall back to help and can create goals out of nothing. Jermain Defoe will, in all likelihood partner him up front but I am still mystified as to why Capello excluded Theo Walcott who has incredible speed and is a gamechanger as we saw when he brought Arsenal back from the brink against Barcelona in the Champion’s League. I’ve always considered Peter Crouch to be out of his depth against the best in the world and Darren Bent might have been a better choice than the old warhorse Emile Heskey,

Capello has brought about renewed confidence, and while England will sail through the group they will do their usual swoon in the later rounds. The cooler weather will suit their frenetic style of play.

The U.S. should advance no matter what happens in the England game. They have an excellent goalkeeping squad who all play in the Premier League and as a group are better than the English trio. Their backline is a little sketchy with Onyewu the only standout at this level. Jonathan Spector is suspect while DeMerit, Cherundolo and the others will have their work cut out in keeping Rooney quiet. At midfield Landon Donovan is world class while Clint Dempsey has considerable experience in the Premier League. Michael Bradley has shown maturity beyond his years and his strength and tenacity will prove useful in helping out the defense. Francisco Torres will contribute for years to come and DaMarcus Beasly has the experience if not the recent form.

Up front Altidore has immense talent but will be tested at this level. Edson Buddle has been stellar for the Galaxy this year and scored twice against Australia over the weekend. He too, will be called on to play at a higher level than ever before.

As a team, fitness, strength and discipline are assets and coach Bob Bradley has proved he is more than capable. They will need to be at their best and might need a bit of luck but beating or drawing with England will not be much of a surprise.

Algeria has a tough road ahead of them. One of their best defenders, Nadir Belhadj is suspended for the opening game. The goalkeeper who led them to victory over Egypt, Faouzi Chaouchi is suspended for the first two games. Mourad Meghni, a gifted midfielder, nicknamed Le Petit Zidane is out of the WC with a knee injury and Majid Bougherra, a defender who plays for Scottish champion, Glasgow Rangers, is struggling to get fit in time. Many of their players play in Europe but for lesser teams, and while that experience might help them they will be lucky to get a point out of their encounters with either England or the U.S.

Spare a thought for Algeria who were cheated out of advancing in 1982. They opened with a shock 2-1 win against West Germany and beat Chile 3-2 in the third game in the group. The last game matched West Germany and Austria and the only scenario that would keep Algeria from advancing was a 1-0 German win by one or two goals. West Germany attacked and 10 minutes into the game scored and that was the end of the contest as the two German speaking teams passed the ball around with no attempts to score for the next 80 minutes. Angry Algerian fans waved banknotes and even the German fans booed. The game resulted in FIFA changing the format so that the final group games are played simultaneously to prevent any possibility of collusion. Algeria has never made it past the first round.

Slovenia, the country with the smallest population of any of the finalists finished second in their group thanks to a stingy defense that gave up just four goals in ten games. The surprising failure of the far higher ranked Czech team allowed them to finish second to meet Russia in a two leg playoff. Russia took a 2-0 lead at home as expected but Slovenia pulled one back in the last minute. In the return leg, Slovenia held on for a 1-0 win and qualified on the away goals rule while accusations that the Russian team partied too much dogged their collapse, despite having Guus Huddink as coach.

Arguably the best known is Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic, who scored five times during qualifying and, at 30, is approaching the peak of his powers. The Ljubljana-born striker describes himself as making up one third of Slovenia’s “backbone”, with goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and captain Robert Koren, a talented attacking midfielder are the standouts. Their dogged determination should keep them in contention but they too, will be lucky to get a point against England and the U.S.

Fearless forecast:

1 England
2 United States

Read more from ONELOVE Ambassador Philip Cramer at Irritable Liberal Syndrome.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

USA vs TURKEY: There is Hope Yet

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

by Craig Hutcheson

The US National Team needed a good performance from their last game on home soil before flying out to South Africa for World Cup 2010.

It’s important from a confidence perspective to gain some belief in yourself as a player and just as importantly, your teammates. Today’s game against Turkey was never going to be easy, but a tough competitor is just what times like these demand to really prove where you are as a team.

click here for ticket info!

Things didn’t look good at the beginning. Turkey took control of the game and made the US look very sloppy in the opening minutes. This was somewhat understandable because this starting XI has not played together in months.

Questions can be raised about Bob Bradley’s continual inclusion of Benny Feilhaber in his best XI. Benny never seems tough enough to handle central midfield duties but today he started out on the left side of midfield. Would Stuart Holden have been a better choice?

The answers came soon enough as Feilhaber consistently gave the ball away without much pressure and never provided the width needed from the position. He was a big part of why it took the US 22 minutes just to find their footing in this game after repelling wave after wave of Turkish attacks.

Turkey seemingly could do no wrong, playing a short passing game through and around US players like they were standing still. Quite frankly, the US looked simply overmatched. This had the appearances of being a very long afternoon for the Stars and Stripes.

But around the 22nd minute the Americans began to gel and the team was getting more possession of the ball. Early on, the defenders were just whacking it downfield when playing through the midfield would have been a better option.

Turkey would just collect the ball and build another attack, time and time again. But as time wore on you could see the US starting to gain some belief a get a foothold in the game. Jonathan Spector won a ball in defense and instead of just booting it, he made nice run, dribbling about 40 yards upfield before the ball was tackled away by Turkey.

After Turkey won the ball, you could see if they could find Arda Turan wide open on the left, the US would be in trouble. After Spector made his run he showed little urgency in getting back to defend his position and with no one covering for him, Turan had nothing but green grass in front of him.

A good ball out of defense did find Turan, and away he went towards the US goal with Spector trudging up from behind trying to catch him. Jay DeMerit also tried to close down the run from his position in the middle of the field. Neither US player could get there in time and as US goalkeeper Tim Howard came out, Turan slotted it home calmly underneath him. 1-0 Turkey.

Both sides created chances before the end of the first half but it was obvious the Americans needed to make player changes in order to get a look at new players before the World Cup and to try to turn this game around.

Coach Bob Bradley responded, ringing in four substitutes after the halftime break. Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jose’ Torres and Robbie Findley replaced Clarence Goodson, Spector, Ricardo Clark and Feilhaber respectively.

We’ve been hard on Robbie Findley here in the Supporters Group, but this time he would be playing out wide on the left side of midfield as opposed to his customary position as forward. The US took control of the second half early and you could see the additions of Torres and Findley in particular were paying off.

Whereas the team had been mostly dominated in midfield in the first half, Torres’ skill and confidence were paying dividends by winning possession, getting into open spaces and playing a controlled passing game.

Pace is Findley’s game (with not much else, some might say) and he immediately started to trouble the Turks down the left flank, opening up things in the middle of the pitch. The width that seemed so foreign to the team in first half was now there in abundance.

In the 59th minute, Findley worked his way over to the middle of the field and played a good first touch as he saw Landon Donovan make a run just to his left. Robbie’s deft pass chipped the Turkish defender for Donovan to run onto, where Landon’s excellent first touch took him around the onrushing goalkeeper.

Landon then squared the ball across for a wide-open Jozy Altidore to finish. With nothing but net gaping in front of him, Jozy calmly side-footed the ball in for a 1-1 score. The US’s dominance in the first 15 minutes of the second half had paid off with a well earned goal.

The game continued to go the US’s way and they continually put pressure on Turkey, with Torres and Findley playing the roles of shining stars.

In the 75th minute, that pressure would pay off once again. After a US throw in, Donovan would once again turn provider. He found Clint Dempsey, who had been quiet for much of the game, to his left and clipped a ball over which Clint controlled with his right hip, bringing it down and through the first Turkish defender.

As the Turk’s ‘keeper came out to close down the angle, Dempsey deflected the shot off of him before following through and sending it underneath the ‘keeper and into the back of the night. It was a true fighter’s goal, with Dempsey battling his way through to make sure he would score, no matter what.

Clint set off the celebrations and the already raucous Philadelphia crowd of over 55,000 exploded. Dempsey even added a cool little dance move at the end, seemingly a tribute to injured teammate Charlie Davies.

Dempsey and Torres, the team’s Texas two-steppers, came close to adding a third goal, which would have put an exclamation point on this well earned American victory.

The USA got what they came in looking for out of this game: the appearances and evaluations of several players, the building of a cohesive unit as the team heads towards its June 12 opening game against England, and a victory.

A standing ovation should go to the crowd in Philadelphia. Time after time you could hear great songs and chants coming through the TV speakers, something not often experienced at American soccer games with such volume.

The team will fly out to South Africa tomorrow and play it’s last warm up game against Australia next Saturday morning in Roodepoort at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

About the Author: Craig Hutcheson is a lifelong player who lives and coaches out of Sparta, NJ. He also runs a growing community for USMNT supporters – click here to become a fan!

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

USA 23 Man Roster

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

(ONELOVE U.S. Correspondent)

The time has finally come! The 23-man roster for team USA has been announced.  Bob Bradley has picked the best of the best to show their worth on the world’s stage this summer.  Still though Bob Bradley made a few roster decisions that will leave a lot of people scratching their heads.

The obvious picks were made in terms of goalkeepers and defenders, Bornstein is only there because sadly he is the closest thing we have to a left back, but there were definitely some surprises in the midfield and forward selections.  Most of the players I thought would not make the trip didn’t, however I was quite surprised to see Beasley make the team.  All credit to him, he successfully played his way back on the team.  Sorry not to see Bedoya make it, but Beasley earned his place. Is the old Beasley back in time to make a difference in 2010?

The forward dilemma has been the big story all year long.  I’m sure no one ever would have guessed that both Edson Buddle and Herculez “Goal: The Dream Begins” Gomez would be on the team, but sure enough here they are.  The most surprising thing to me is that Robbie Findley made the team.  He must have some incriminating pictures of Bob Bradley because it seemed like there was no way he would make the final roster, especially since he didn’t even play in the friendly on Tuesday.  Tough break for Brian Ching, he looked good against the Czech’s.  Elated to see Eddie Johnson will not be making the trip to Africa.  The guy just can’t compete at the international level, then again neither can Findley.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (All-Time World Cup Roster Appearances)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (2010), Marcus Hahnemann (2006, 2010), Tim Howard (2006, 2010)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (2006, 2010), Jonathan Bornstein (2010), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006, 2010), Jay DeMerit (2010), Clarence Goodson (2010), Oguchi Onyewu (2006, 2010), Jonathan Spector (2010)

MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006, 2010), Michael Bradley (2010), Ricardo Clark (2010), Clint Dempsey (2006, 2010), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006, 2010), Maurice Edu (2010), Benny Feilhaber (2010), Stuart Holden (2010), José Torres (2010)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (2010), Edson Buddle (2010), Robbie Findley (2010), Herculez Gomez (2010

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

WORLD CUP PRELIM ROSTER: TEAM USA!

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Bob Bradley had to make the tough decision of excluding Charlie Davies. How does everyone feel about the breakdown? Will Eddie Johnson, Edson Buddle, Maurice Edu, Beasley, and Torres make the final cut?

GOALKEEPERS:

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Tim Howard (Everton)
Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)

DEFENDERS:

Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes)
Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover)
Jay DeMerit (Watford)
Clarence Goodson (IK Start)
Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)
Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)
Heath Pearce (FC Dallas)
Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS:

DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers)
Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro)
Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Maurice Edu (Rangers)
Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus)
Stuart Holden (Bolton)
Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA)
Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
José Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS:

Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)
Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)
Herculez Gomez (Puebla)
Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

SHOULD BOBBY ZAMORA PLAY IN SOUTH AFRICA?

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

photo credit: Getty Images

The Fulham marksman has earned his stripes this season and many are wondering when he’ll get his call up for international duty.

If Fulham can bring a Europa League championship home to Craven Cottage, there’s a good chance that we’ll see Zamora join the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, and Rooney in South Africa.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

DEMPSEY SHINES IN FULHAM LOSS

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Check out video highlights. Dempsey reps the USA like no other in the EPL. Even after a 3-0 first half in Stoke’s favor (Stoke City played brilliantly), Dempsey had Fulham fans thinking that a tie was in the works. Dempsey is pure heart.

Bobby Zamora is out with a dislocated collarbone which presents a whole new set of problems for Fulham. Hopefully they can find some balance in the striker’s absence.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries