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)

CCL update: Sorry about the jinx Liberia

You take a 3-0 lead into the second leg and you should be okay, right? Not if Real Espana HULKS UP and wins 6-0. Yes, 6-0. Carlos Pavon wreaked havoc all over the field, scoring 3 and having a hand in 2 more.

At least the Red Bulls didn't lose 6-0...

After San Juan Jabloteh and Arabe Unido overcame first leg deficits last night, here's your 2009/10 CONCACAF Champions League group stage:

Group A
Houston
Pachuca
Árabe Unido (PAN)
Isidro Metapán (ES)

Group B
Toluca
Marathón (HON)
DC United
San Juan Jabloteh (T&T)

Group C
Columbus
Saprissa (CR)
Cruz Azul
Puerto Rico Islanders

Group D
UNAM Pumas
Communicaciones (GUA)
W Connection (T&T)
Real España (HON)

Must see TV:
August 18- Columbus v. Puerto Rico
August 26- DCU v. Toluca, Cruz Azul v. Columbus
September 15- Puerto Rico v. Cruz Azul
September 16- Pachuca v. Houston, Saprissa v. Columbus
September 23- Columbus v. Cruz Azul
September 24- DCU v. Marathón
September 30- Houston v. Pachuca
October 20- Toluca v. DCU, Puerto Rico v. Columbus, Saprissa v. Cruz Azul

Other thoughts:

• Houston gets 2 out of the last 3 at home. The home and away with Pachuca will be great to watch, nice rivalry building with those teams.
• DC also gets 2 out of the last 3 at home. They do not want to be going into Toluca on October 20 needing points to survive, that place is really tough. Stealing points on the road in Trinidad on September 15 would be huge.
  
• Columbus needs to survive the first half of the schedule. They have to go to Cruz Azul and Saprissa, and they host the always tricky Islanders. Their last game is also a tough one, going to Puerto Rico.
  
• Puerto Rico gets 3 of their last 4 at home. They need to maximize points at home to have a shot. It won't be easy to steal points on the road against this group.
  

I'm really looking forward to this again, lots of interesting storylines...

Who's got predictions?

ESPN blowing up footy, good or bad for MLS?

First, ESPN grabbed the rights to some La Liga games. Good move for ESPN Deportes and ESPN360, with over 20 games also getting on the big boy networks. Then, the four letter drops an unexpected preview of the Gold Cup final, which they weren't even televising.

Now, they've bought the rights to some English Premier League games. Cue the squealing of EPL fanboys...

My question, is this a good thing for American soccer? I love that ESPN is focusing a lot of attention on the US national team. However, with their investment in televising the World Cup, it's a smart move.

Will it help MLS? I don't see how. As much as I love watching MLS, if you're comparing it in quality to La Liga or the Premiership, MLS is going to come up short. While it will produce some entertaining games, MLS just isn't seen as an equal of the biggest leagues in the world.

As long as MLS can keep its relationship with ESPN strong due to SUM's influence, things could work out. SUM has been brilliant in producing money for MLS by piggy-backing off of the cache of the Mexican national team, international exhibitions, and TV rights to the World Cup.

The minute MLS loses that connection, we'll have to start looking back to buying time on ESPN or going the Versus route.

CONCACAF Champions League: 3 MLS teams in group stage

Poor New York...

Poor Toronto...

At least DC United was able to advance out of the qualifying round. Luckily for them, they're in a manageable group with Toluca, Marathon (Honduras), and either San Francisco (Panama) or San Juan Jabloteh (T&T). San Fran is taking a 2-0 lead to Trinidad tonight.

In other series, Cruz Azul and Pachuca waxed their opponents to no one's surprise. The defending Costa Rican champs Liberia look to be in good shape as they take a 3-0 lead to Honduras against Real Espana tonight. Olimpia of Honduras is taking a narrow 2-1 lead to Panama to face Arabe Unido tonight.

I gave Toronto too much credit when I predicted they'd top SUPER BILL GAUDETTE and his Puerto Rico Islanders. While Colin Clarke doesn't have a bunch of stars to choose from, he has one of the deeper rosters in MLS or USL and it shows in this competition. They are a very organized team, hard to break down, and if you let them get ahead of you, you will suffer. Toronto honestly didn't even look that interested in their loss down in Bayamon, so maybe they're not too upset. Shame...

New York is just snake bitten. Get in the VooDoo priestess to change the club's luck, whatever it takes. If I wasn't a DC fan, I'd probably feel sorry for them.

Early thoughts on the group stage:
-Houston-Pachuca in group A? Yes, please. Must see TV.
-Group of Death? Group C with the Crew, Cruz Azul, Saprissa, and Puerto Rico.
-Tom Soehn really needs to learn how to manage his roster in these competitions. He won't get by with his mix and match approach because then he's always at less than full strength. Sometimes, he's going to have to put out a weak lineup and rest all of the key players in an MLS game, especially prior to tough games with Toluca and Marathon. MLS gives you an out with the playoffs, you don't have time to waste in CONCACAF.

Early predictions for the quarterfinalists: Houston, Pachuca, Toluca, DC United, Cruz Azul, Columbus, Pumas, Liberia.