It had to be the Revs, didn't it?

The New England Revolution ate all the cupcakes! Thanks to Prairie Rose Clayton, the team received a little reward for making the playoffs, check it out...

On a side note, I'll try to get back into the bakery and update things more frequently than every month or so around here. I can't make any guarantees, but I'll give it a shot...

The US Soccer Blame Game

Mexico 2, USA 1.

USA still can't beat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, even after a one goal lead.

So, who's to blame?

BLAME THE REF
I thought the cards were inconsistently given, although it wouldn't have led to anything substantial. No one deserved a send off. Yes, I think Nery Castillo deserved a yellow after the Davies incident, but so did Feilhaber.

However, the ref had nothing to do with the result today.

BLAME CONCACAF
This usually follows the blaming of the referee. I don't think there's a grand conspiracy against the US in CONCACAF. There's way too much money to be made by CONCACAF in the United States. Why do you think they have the Gold Cup here every time?

CONCACAF assigns the referees, yes. I don't think they've ever screwed the US over with a referee assignment. If you want to argue about the competency of referees in the region, take that up with the national associations who train and develop referees, not CONCACAF.

BLAME THE COACH
There's lots of Bradley haters out there, I'm not exactly sure why. Is he the best coach in the world? No. Has he done a good job in charge of the US national team? I would say yes.

I'm not the biggest fan of Bocanegra on the left. In this game, I think he was the best option we had. It's a position that is a weakness right now. If you have a kid, teach him to play left back.

I thought he had a good, balanced group on the field. I don't believe it was his call to park the bus after the Davies goal. The team began to play scared and couldn't even complete a pass. Ching was wasted up top, because we couldn't even find him so he could hold the ball. We were not able to relieve the pressure in the first half, and the goal was always coming.

Things seemed better in the second half. I think he did the right thing with Altidore. Jozy was never going to be able to go very long in this game, he hasn't been training consistently and didn't have 90 minutes to give. The Holden sub was the only one I wonder about, I don't think it worked very well. I believe the idea might have been to go to more of a 4-5-1, but it never worked out that way.

Again, I don't think Bradley is the best in the world, but I think he's doing a good job overall. Definitely good enough to get to the World Cup. Who would you replace him with right now? Dominic Kinnear will end up being the coach of the US national team, but bringing him in now wouldn't change things very much. Give him the team at the beginning of the cycle so he can start to build his own team. Right now is about knuckling down and getting the necessary results to qualify for the World Cup.

At the beginning of the hexagonal, who thought we'd beat Mexico in Mexico this time anyway?

Unfortunately, Mexico was the better team today. That's okay. It was a game that they HAD to win, while it was a game that we never counted on winning.

Personal thoughts on the game:

• Too much whining about the refs by the announce team of Schoen and Balboa, I think that might be coloring the fans' opinions.
  
• Definitely a big game feel to today, I love these types of games...
• Donovan needed to see the ball more. Beautiful pass on Davies' goal.
  
• The altitude/smog definitely took our legs away as the game went on. Bradley really didn't have much else he could do with the calendar on this one. Can't blame him for going into the DF at the last minute. At least we didn't pull an Argentina in Bolivia type of fiasco...

I'm just not that disappointed after today. A little frustrated, yes. Thinking it was an opportunity wasted, yes. Disappointed in the team or the program, nope.

Come see me if we don't make it to the World Cup or go 3 and out in South Africa and then we'll talk...

The Showdown, the Questions

USA v. Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, not bad for a Wednesday afternoon, huh?

Does the US have to win this? No, I don't think so. I don't think it will kill our qualification hopes or anything like that. However, if Mexico gets 2 wins in a row over the US, and especially if they win in convincing fashion tomorrow, the CONCACAF momentum will definitely swing their way. Also, there is the issue with the seeding for the World Cup draw. A win in Mexico would be helpful in improving the US chances of getting a seed and avoiding the 2006 group scenario.

Does Mexico have to win this? Pretty much. A loss would put El Tri in serious trouble when it comes to qualifying for the World Cup. Staying home next summer will have some serious ramifications on the FMF and the Mexican league, less money will be on hand for sure.

Will a loss be disappointing? Not necessarily, it depends on the performance. I don't think there are very many people who are realistically expecting a US win tomorrow. I'll personally be happy with a point, ecstatic even. I'm mainly looking to see a US team that plays Mexico straight up, doesn't get defensive and negative, and doesn't fold under pressure. I think those are traits that will be needed in South Africa next summer.

Who are the key figures? Tim Howard will be called on to make some big saves, no doubt. Landon Donovan will be the spark, and he is respected and feared by the Mexicans. Jozy Altidore provides serious match-up problems for the Mexican defense, something I'm hoping to see exploited.

Will my phone hold up to the text wars? Probably not. You see, I coach a team of high school boys, 90% from Mexico. I had so many camera phone pictures of Mexico jerseys sent to me during the Gold Cup final I finally had to turn it off. I'd like to be able to talk some trash after that awful game...

What are your questions going into tomorrow's BORDER WAR?

Mexico-USA, 8/12, is this your starting lineup?

GK- Howard
LB- Bocanegra
CB- Onyewu, DeMerit
RB- Spector
LM- Donovan
CM- Bradley, Clark
RM- Dempsey
F- Altidore, Ching

For the whole roster, get it here.

My thoughts...

• I think the above lineup is your safest bet for this away match. Maybe Cherundolo reclaims his starting spot, but it's hard to pull Spector after his performances this summer.
  
• With all the love for Davies, I think Ching is the better starter. You're going to be under severe pressure from the Mexicans and will need to play long. Ching is better at holding the ball up and letting you build an attack than either Altidore or Davies. Davies' speed makes him an ideal sub to change a game, Ching can't do that sort of thing. Besides, you already have Conor Casey on the bench to fill the hulking big man center forward role if you need that sub.
• Hard to pick 2 out of 3 between Bradley, Feilhaber, and Clark. I'd rather see Clark start due to his workrate, I think he forms a better partnership with Bradley. Feilhaber and Bradley play a more similar style that makes it more difficult for them to play together. Clark will do the dirty work that the others don't, making him a better starting option. If you need offense later, pull him for Feilhaber.
  

What's your starting lineup?

Sorry Toronto FC, your execs don't like you

When talking about the Toronto-Real Madrid friendly tonight, one of the TFC higher-ups said...

“It’s a temporary solution to reflect the quality of the team that we’re playing Friday night,” Bob Hunter, executive vice-president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

TORONTO FC ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO GET REAL GRASS, IS THAT WHAT HE JUST SAID???

(HT: theoriginalwinger.com)