USMNT vs. Mexico

[washingtonhoya]

Thoughts go here.

Ching-Davies up top? I would have liked to see Altidore but we'll see what happens.

[CO_Hoya]

Is Altidore on the bench, or not in Mexico City?

[washingtonhoya]

Went over to Hull for a few training sessions but he is on the roster and on the bench.

[washingtonhoya]

CHARLIE DAVIES! GOLLLLLLLLL! Wonderful play to set up the goal

[Boz]

Can we suck any more at clearances today?

[guru]

Aug 12, 2009 15:13:00 GMT -5 washingtonhoya said:

CHARLIE DAVIES! GOLLLLLLLLL! Wonderful play to set up the goal

for a split second I thought this said CHARLIE DANIELS! and I thought the greatest thread in Hoyatalk history had returned

[washingtonhoya]

Wish I didn't spend the entire game trying to get a consistent video stream online, only to have each successive stream crap out after about 90 seconds. Most of the time audio was working, so it was like listening to a radio broadcast all in Spanish, which is to say I have no idea what really happened.

That said, Giovani Dos Santos is going to be annoying to watch for the next ten years or so.

In what limited actual gameplay I saw, there were at least three horrible turnovers in the defensive third. Don't think altitude can explain that away. Mexico looked like a team much more confident on the ball and thoroughly controlled possession after the first ~15 minutes. Not the most inspiring first game post-Confederations Cup for the true national team (as opposed to the bunch of people in USA jerseys that rolled over and died after surrendering the first goal to El Tri in the Gold Cup final.)

[FLHoya]

Oy.

That result was coming from about the 15th minute (yep, when it was still 1-0), and it was a deserved result.

US just could not link the defense to the midfield today...at times it was downright tragic (you'd think Jay Demerit had never completed a pass in his life). Without any kind of sustained possession over the last 75 minutes, there were just too many opportunities for Mexico not to break through. Okay, the first was a pretty darn sweet golazo, but Sabah's goal was just straight out fatigue from chasing for so long.

Mexico was never gonna break the US whipping in crosses from the flank--US central defense is too solid in the air. Small wonder the two goals came off of a good layoff pass in the center and someone dribbling through the defense.

Maybe if the US can hold the ball more in the second half and control the tempo the result is different...but oh well.

Now it's down to business in early September with the back to back against the minnows (El Salvador and T&T). If Honduras holds on for a W tonight against the Ticos, then we've got CRC on 12, USA and Honduras on 10, and Mexico on 9, all more than a game clear of El Salvador and T&T.

So looks like the Big Three + Honduras will likely be clear of the "drop" as it were, but it sets up a verrrrrrrrry interesting final four games--US at least has the toughest two road games (Saprissa and Azteca) out of the way. But this one won't be resolved for sure AT LEAST until the US gets out of San Pedro Sula on Oct. 10, and I can see the real possibility that the finale against the Ticos at RFK will mean something to one or both teams.

[whatmaroon]

Terra's stream worked for pretty much all of the game for me, though at times it was difficult to identify just who was who. I figured MEX 2 - USA 1 for the result, pregame, so I'm not too disappointed even though I thought at late as the 80th minute the US still had a decent chance of escaping with a point. Ah well.

[FLHoya]

Aug 12, 2009 21:33:39 GMT -5 whatmaroon said:

Terra's stream worked for pretty much all of the game for me, though at times it was difficult to identify just who was who. I figured MEX 2 - USA 1 for the result, pregame, so I'm not too disappointed even though I thought at late as the 80th minute the US still had a decent chance of escaping with a point. Ah well.

The mun2 broadcast was just bizarre...they kept throwing it to a studio guy named "Guadaloupe" (I'm not joking) to endlessly pimp this niche network that you're never going to watch again after this match ends. In the first half, they "brought in" Andres Cantor for a "special message"...hmmmm...preeeeeeeeetty sure he's in the Telemundo closet calling the game right now, but nice pre-taped spontaneous conversation. mun2 was gonna milk their only opportunity for publicity for all it was worth.

Easily the best part--the lineup screen called the USA's #9 Charlie DAVIS, and Marcelo Balboa and...ummm...you know that dude who does the voiceovers for La Liga highlights on GolTV? yeah, him...called him Charlie DAVIS until at least the middle of the second half.

Well frickin' done there.

[washingtonhoya]

Aug 12, 2009 21:33:39 GMT -5 whatmaroon said:

Terra's stream worked for pretty much all of the game for me, though at times it was difficult to identify just who was who. I figured MEX 2 - USA 1 for the result, pregame, so I'm not too disappointed even though I thought at late as the 80th minute the US still had a decent chance of escaping with a point. Ah well.

Could not get Terra's stream to consistently work, although that might have been a function of being in the Seattle exurbs on a sloooooow broadband connection. Thanks to FL for the recap.

[hifigator]

FL, I'm glad someone else noticed that. For a minute, I began to doubt myself and wonder if Charlie's name really was Davies ... even after that, I wondered if maybe, just maybe he did pronounce it as "da- vis" ...

[hifigator]

By the way, I don't pretend to be a soccer expert and in fact, I hope I have been quite clear in noting that I am a total soccer newbie. Still, from my very limited experience and knowledge in the field, it seems to me that we have one of the best goalies in the game right now in Howard. I think that our backline and forwards are very good as units. But our midfield play is awful. I don't know enough to know for sure that it is the "midfielders," but that is what I tend to think.

Questions to those of you who follow much more than I do:

1. Do you agree with this view, and why or why not?

2. While I think our frontline is solid as a unit, I still think we lack that special playmaker. I know that not everyone has a Renaldo (in his prime) or a Ronaldhino, but do you see any truly world class playmakers of that style coming up through the ranks? If not, why not?

3. Lastly, do you think that it is simply a factor that our best athletes are playing football and basketball, whereas the rest of the world's best athletes tend to be playing futbol?

[theexorcist]

Hifi - on the last point, that's at least part of it. If you're a world-class athlete, even at a very young age, you're probably less likely to go into soccer - less money, fewer American success stories, not as popular with the redheaded cheerleader, and a weakened competitive environment here.

[FLHoya]

Aug 13, 2009 14:32:44 GMT -5 theexorcist said:

Hifi - on the last point, that's at least part of it. If you're a world-class athlete, even at a very young age, you're probably less likely to go into soccer - less money, fewer American success stories, not as popular with the redheaded cheerleader, and a weakened competitive environment here.

Plus side, that whole "what happened to MY country!" thing that vexes the Birthers and health care reform opponents will end up benefiting the USMNT in the long run.

More kids of immigrants = more soccer players brought up in a "futbol" vs. "soccer" culture, and more potential MNT players offering a different skill set. There's a good article somewhere from the past few days (want to say CNNSI) about the dilemma of someone like Jose Francisco Torres (who's Mexican-American and has played his professional career south of the border). Torres brings a very unique skill set and style of play to the midfield, but it's not one currently well suited for the 4-4-2 that Bradley uses.

The whole Giuseppe Rossi thing aside (funny how people stopped caring as much about that right around the time Dempsey scored the third goal vs. Egypt), the USA has done a good job getting the kids of immigrants--your [pick a country]-Americans--and folks with choices to make on their country to play for.

I can think of on Wednesday's roster--Onyewu, Torres, and Altidore for sure are kids of immigrants or foreign nationals. Jermaine Jones will be with the team by the end of qualifying. Freddy Adu has an outside shot of making the roster for 2010. And there are at least a few good ones in the pipeline in the coming years.

On getting good athletes--having big strong dudes like Onyewu and Altidore is one thing, but one of the reasons Charlie Davies is one of my favorite players is b/c he's a different kind of good athlete, with some blazing speed (how awesome was that goal?) and his wrestling background.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Ok, I just watched the game via torrent. We got jobbed by the referees.

These games have a funny effect on me - see if you can determine the difference:

Normal Life:
Random Person:"SPH, what do you think about immigration reform?"
Me: "That's a tricky issue that should be managed in the best interests of the American economy but with an eye towards morality."

During the 90 minutes of these games
Random Person: "SPH, what do you think about immigration reform?"
Me: "We can't build that wall high enough. I'm joining the Minute Men tomorrow."