What A Ride

Yes it does

Was that the biggest two weeks in U.S. soccer history? If not, it was certainly the one most resembling a roller coaster. It went from the lowest of lows following the Brazil loss where the U.S. didn’t look like they belonged in the same stadium, let alone on the field, to 45 minutes from the highest of highs against the same Brazilian team.

Mark tossed in his two cents earlier and I’ve some thoughts of my own. No surprise right?

- Several players will be decidedly better next year. Charlie Davies and Ricardo Clark have already been looked at by new clubs with Rico potentially joining Carlos Bocanegra at Rennes and Davies, who wanted to move on from Hammarby prior to this tournament, getting interest in Germany, Holland, and France. Jozy Altidore will play more next year, whether it’s with Villarreal (even if he doesn’t want to return, should Giusseppe Rossi move on there would open a big opportunity) or another club. If Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, and Benny Feilhaber can stay healthy all three will be ready to make an even bigger contribution. And Landon Donovan might be ready to make a permanent leap to Europe, which would only benefit LD’s game. Add that to another year of experience for Michael Bradley and Oguchi Onyewu (who will also be on the move), and who knows, the Yanks might make some noise in the knockout round next summer.

- Back to Donovan, if he doesn’t tear MLS a new asshole in the next two months, then I might just give up on this whole reporting thing. That counter attack goal was a thing of beauty and will be played for decades to come in USMNT highlights. His decision-making was spot on throughout the tournament and I thought he should’ve been ahead of Dempsey in the Golden Ball voting, but he didn’t have the stats (or the Castrol Player Rating) to give media members an easier time of making the choice. For someone who hasn’t always been a fan of Landon’s, he’s the guy that the offense needs to be built around and his comparatively diminutive shoulders are now ready for the heavy lifting. If he can go to Spain and get more seasoning under his belt, next summer will be an even bigger joy to watch.

- Speaking of Spain, a quick aside if you will, how about this as a stat I haven’t seen anywhere else: Fernando Torres scored 3 goals in his first 17 minutes, none in his final 350.

- Clint Dempsey, on the other hand, is now the image when you check Wikipedia for “starting slowly.” Deuce scored in the final three games and, like others mentioned above, will be better with another EPL season under his belt. I just hope he doesn’t lose that chip on his shoulder assuming he finally has a starting spot going into this season. Oh, and keeping the beard might help too.

- It did occur to me I was sitting on the same sofa in my parents basement from seven years ago when the U.S. upset Portugal. Perhaps the different furniture arrangement prevented a similar finish.

- As good as the midfield was for the U.S., their three best options in the middle weren’t available for this game. Mo Edu was home with a knee injury, Michael Bradley was being restrained in the tunnel, and Jermaine Jones has a broken leg, aside from that whole “isn’t eligible yet” technicality. That trio will lessen the pressure put on the backline and, hopefully, decrease the number of saves Tim Howard is forced into.

- Golden Gloves winner T-Ho had a hell of a tournament. I still say he’s the most irreplaceable player for the Yanks, and don’t use Brad Guzan’s shutout of Egypt in his defense. (For my money, it goes Timmy, Landon, Gooch as the top three in order.) My only wish for Howard is that he’d catch a few more saves instead of always parrying or punching shots. Don’t get me wrong, he made some incredible saves -- the two that immediately pop into my mind were on Robinho’s curler early and on smothering Luis Fabiano’s mini-breakaway -- and I know you can’t catch everything, but he’d do himself and his defense some good by holding the ball and slowing the game down. Oh, and not making saves two yards behind the goal line would help too.

- Bob Bradley…I’m not ready for that one yet. Suffice it to say I disagree with Bushman, but I’m going to leave that discussion to its own post (hopefully) tomorrow.

I think the word for the tournament is “unbelievable.” It was unbelievable they got out of the group on the third match day. It was unbelievable they ended Spain’s massive run. It was unbelievable they went to halftime up two on mighty Brazil. Unfortunately, it was all too believable that Brazil could and would come back to win their third Confederations Cup.

But like they say at Wrigley Field, there’s always next year...

- Pat Walsh

Let me say this up front; the U.S. didn't choke yesterday. Brazil was the better team, had the better chances, and you just KNEW once they got the 1st goal, they'd get 4 (true, they got 3, but the goal that wasn't called would have been 4).

So was yesterday a gut punch when you relinquish a 2-goal lead in the championship of the 4th or 5th biggest tournament in soccer? Maybe a little bit, at least that's what I've been reading on message boards and comments from other soccer media. After what I've seen the past 2 weeks from this American team, I think the future is much brighter than it was after the opening day debacle against Italy.

There were some negatives yesterday, but not too many. And we've focused on the bad stuff the first week, so let's examine the positives of week 2.

1. Jonathan Spector is the right back - No, he's not a "serviceable replacement for Steve Cherundolo or Frankie Hejduk," as one reporter said. The job is, and should be, Spector's until he loses it. He played nearly every minute in the tournament, and was solid. Yes, he got burned by Kaka more than once yesterday, but don't most of the defenders in the world get burned by that guy? Nothing to be ashamed of about that. Granted, he doesn't have the pace of Cherundolo or Hejduk, but here's what else he brings; quality service. When was the last time we saw that from an outside back? Some perfectly placed crosses were knocked in for goals or for chances, something the U.S. hasn't had in some time. And the kid is only going to get better.

2. Welcome back, Clint Dempsey - Sure, there's still a knock against him that his defense isn't great, but the Clint we saw in these past 3 games has made that forgivable, right? I still think he's more effective as a forward, but then that would impact Davies or Altidore. Interesting to see how Coach Bradley uses him over the next year. A motivated Clint reminds me of another Clint...Mathis. Had a good 2002 tourney and fizzled out. Hopefully we'll see these kinds of performances from Dempsey on a regular basis.

3. Landon is a beast - Arguably the MVP in the tournament, although he didn't receive a nice trophy to show for it. His knifing runs, his inspired play on both sides of the ball, his finishing, his role of leadership that was previously absent...all of these made him the Landon Donovan that seemed to be missing over the past few months. Maybe he was just burned out? Regardless, if he's serious about making one final attempt to make it overseas, these past few games are seeing to it that he's a player to get some serious offers when the transfer window opens up this winter.

4. Defensive Midfielders - how many is too many? - Michael Bradley is a starter when healthy or not suspended (wonder what he would have done in yesterday's game?)... The other d-mid could be Rico Clark, who was strong in this tourney, Feilhaber, who also made his mark, or what about the injured Mo Edu, who is a regular in Europe, or the new addition of German-based Jermaine Jones? 5 guys for 2 or 3 spots will make for some interesting camps. Which is great, because our bench was not deep after the team's 5 games in 13 days. This leads me to my final thought;

5. Bob Bradley was NOT outcoached by Dunga yesterday - Yep, I just said it. Bradley put on the best 11 he could, with his son suspended. They played with skill, heart, and guts, something we weren't sure they had over the past 2 months. The team has obviously rallied and has an "us against the world" mentality, similarly to what former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson used to motivate his players when they were winning Super Bowls. Bradley's problem yesterday was depth. I wasn't thrilled w/ some of his subs, but looking down the roster, other than Torres (who might have been a real asset for possession in the 2nd half), who else could he bring on to make a difference? Dunga had Alves; Bradley had Bornstein...um, yeah, that's a wash, right? Hopefully, the injuries to the 3 or 4 other key players on this team will be done soon, and the U.S. can approach these games (especially South Africa next year) with a team of 17 or 18 who can be counted on and be effective.

1 last thing; I mentioned Torres in the previous paragraph, and how I think he might have made a difference in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, he didn't see a minute of action in this tournament. I would really like someone in the mainstream press to ask about why this guy isn't being given a chance. He can start in the Mexican 1st division but can't be higher than DaMarcus Beasley on the depth chart? Still trying to figure that one out.

Yes, yesterday was a tough pill to swallow, but it's nice to see a bit of change in the U.S. mentality; instead of just hoping to win yesterday, there was a brief time when it was almost expected. Against Brazil, or Spain, that type of thinking didn't exist before. If these guys believe they can win, anything is possible... Are you looking forward to the Azteca game as much as I am?

P.S. - Why was DaMarcus Beasley the only U.S. player who actually didn't wear his medal? Just held it in his hands...not enough bling for ya' pal? Can we just be rid of this guy and move on, please? I know, it's just me and a pet peeve, but the rest of the guys, as upset and crushed as they were, sported those things with pride. Beasley looked at it as if he were trying to think of how much he could sell it for on e-bay...

Eating Crow, Part 2?

Who want to sex Dempsey?

Honestly, I’m not sure that Bushman and I are eating crow this morning. We weren’t wrong about how the U.S. had been playing. In hindsight, I would have written everything the same.

Did we expect the win yesterday? Nope, not at all. But neither did anyone who looked at this game without bias. And no, John Harkes isn’t in that group.

With that said, all the congratulations in the world to Bob Bradley and his team. Yesterday was one of those days why we love sports. It’s when the unexpected happens and those kind of upsets makes suffering through multiple poor outings worthwhile in the end.

Like Bushman, a smile was plastered on my face for the balance of the day.

Watching the game it was like seeing a completely different team. Clint Dempsey has been a different player the last two games, as if his beard has brought new life to a guy who was nearly invisible in the first two losses. Carlos Bocanegra reappeared and went the full 90 at left back, a spot pundits (like the jackasses at My 2 Cents) have been clamoring for. Tim Howard took back goalkeeping duties from Brad Guzan and made huge saves all night.

Tactically, Spain played right into the hands of what the U.S. (seemingly) wanted them to do. The wings were wide open all night, as they have been all tournament, but the Yanks wanted to force their counterparts to go wide and cross, a weakness for Spain and a strength for the U.S. When they came through the middle, specifically with Xavi, the midfield did a good job of shutting down other options. Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark have forged a nice pairing in the middle of the park and had a largely invisible performance defensively which is exactly what you want. Of course Bradley finally was sent off -- as a former fellow Goal.commer told me “who had Bradley and a red in three games? I had one” -- for the weakest of the three reds the U.S. has been shown, that went out the window and makes things for Sunday even more difficult.

I noted to Bushman with about 20 minutes left in the game that it was almost like watching the Indianapolis Colts with the ball at the 5-yard line. There just wasn’t enough room for them to effectively use their weapons. However, it’s also interesting that Spain never shot from distance as ESPN’s gamecast shows. It would have seemed to me they would have tried some long-range shots to see if they could open up the defense a bit more, especially after Howard was beaten by that bomb from Rossi last week and has looked shaky on longer shots recently.

The center duo of Onyewu and DeMerit might be better than Onyewu and Bocanegra, even if that is sacrilegious to say. When Gooch and Boca pair, it seems like one is on and the other if off, and there’s rarely a game where they are both at their best. DeMerit and Gooch, however, have been spot on all tournament. I will say one thing about Onyewu though: he’s like the Dwight Howard of the national team. Gooch has blocked everything coming into the center; however, like “Superman” it’s rarely back to a teammate. I understand a lot of times the ball has to be knocked out for safety, but there are too many times that Gooch needlessly surrenders possession and puts the U.S. on the back foot again. But things have played out in his favor as he looks for a new contract, assuming the Fenerbache deal hasn’t been signed at this point.

Charlie Davies has also done himself a world of good in the past two games. He’s looking for a transfer from Hammarby to a bigger club and should see one with his effort the past two games. I think he’s also shown he needs to be on the field for the Nats, perhaps at the long-term expense of Brian Ching. Ching still will have a spot, but I see it as a sub role to help kill the game off, an area the U.S. could have used some help in, as Conor Casey is not the answer there.

Donovan has probably had the best tournament of anyone in a U.S. shirt. If he really does want to leave this winter, like the previous two guys his stock has jumped significantly. Playing out wide is certainly where he’s best for the Yanks and his fitness is unparalleled on the team.

Lastly, again congrats to Bob Bradley. I still have issues -- what the hell did Torres do to you? -- but you’ve done exceptionally well in the past two games. As Bushman said, that performance yesterday is what we expect from the USA, but haven’t seen for sometime. I’m saddened it took this much criticism to put a collective chip on your team’s shoulder, and for that we will take some of the credit for yesterday’s win, but you rallied the troops and got a bigger win than Bruce Arena ever did. I hope you smiled for more than five seconds in celebration Bob

Now bring on the finals. Lightning can strike twice, right?

- Pat Walsh

Eating Crow, Part 1...

Walsh and I will both be writing today, so I'll take the first bullet this morning:

They did it. Yes, I was stunned and amazed. Yes, I was happy and was smiling for a good chunk of the afternoon and into the evening. Every time the highlights came on ESPN while I was working out at the gym, I let out a loud "Woo Hoo! U.S.A. baby!!!" I didn't care what anybody thought. Still don't, even though this site has been particularly hard on the team these past several days.

Admit it; they deserved it after the previous 3 or 4 games. They looked like a 1-armed man in a rowboat, going 'round and 'round in circles.

But that has changed since Sunday. This team is still not a world superpower, but they played the way we've come to expect from the U.S. team; some decent skill, an unequaled work rate, and solid defense. All 11 players busted their asses for 90 minutes and showed they can beat anybody on the day.

Earlier yesterday, Walsh emailed me and gave me Bob Bradley's quote that "we're going to play American-style soccer." Admittedly, we weren't sure what that was anymore. On Wednesday, against one of the top 2 teams in the world, they rediscovered what that style was.

It's not going to win every game. I don't expect a win over Brazil Sunday (assuming that's who they play), but I do expect the same kind of effort we've seen in the past 2 games. Be competitive boys, and you will earn the respect you have lost in the past month and a half.

And with former Furman alumni Clint Dempsey and Ricardo Clark becoming mainstays with the team, I got this text message from former Furman player and current Richmond goalie Ronnie Pascale:

"Furman Paladins Baby!!!!"

To which I responded, "You're a dork!"

Maybe Furman is a soccer factory? Who knew?

Anyway, the most important thing we can take out of this is that we, as fans, and those in the media, should be able to EXPECT this level of effort from the Americans now. I think when Michael Bradley went off on his tirade the other day about shutting everybody up after beating Egypt, he seemed to imply we doubted the team's ability. We don't doubt it, Michael, we just don't see that ability often enough.

We need to see that against lesser opponents, such as El Salvador. We need to see it against better than average opponents like Costa Rica and Honduras. There was a certain fear factor that seemed to have gripped these teams over the past few years as the U.S. had undoubtedly become the regional powerhouse. That had slipped a little bit. Now it's time to put the pedal to the floor and mop up the competition over these next few WCQs, and re-establish that grip on our dominance. The next step? Europe...

So, with this lineup, and with the solid contributions coming off the bench, is it too far to think that maybe, just maybe, this team can go into Azteca in 2 months and put a dagger in Mexico's World Cup hopes? I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but it's no longer out of the question.

The Kool Aid

Oh No, I’m not drinking it!!!

I promise we’re not trying to be overly negative on this site. Both Mark and I are obviously fans of the USA and want to see the team succeed. However, right now that isn’t the case and it won’t be the case next year back in South Africa, assuming we qualify of course.

Coming into the tournament the Egypt game was the only realistic shot of winning. And that’s just what the Yanks did. I’m just confused as how that game became like the “flashy thing” in Men In Black and a lot of folks on the internets forgot about the serious problems that still plague this team, some of which still remained in the thrashing of the Pharaohs. 

Giving credit where credit is due, the team came out and played hard. But that’s what American teams are known for. And it’s just what they haven’t been doing over the past few months. Going back to the El Salvador game, the team was flat until an inspired last ten minutes salvaged a road point. The T&T game was a walk in the park. Since then, there have been three complete stinkers and a win over Honduras that I still feel would have gone the other way had Los Catrachos not taken their foot off the pedal after the first ten minutes.

So excuse me for not jumping up and down after this result. Plus, I’m lazy and the most you’d get out of me is throwing my hands up in the air for one of the multitude of waves you see in the South African stadiums.

Even in this win the flanks were lost for the U.S. Jonny Bornstein keeps getting sucked inside and, more often than not, it’s Clint Dempsey who isn’t tracking back to provide coverage for the wide attacker. Expect Spain to take advantage of this and see Sergio Ramos getting forward much like Maicon did on Thursday. One way Bob Bradley could counter would be to leave Jay DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu together in the center where they’ve been strong and play Carlos Bocanegra, who reportedly trained at full speed prior to the Egypt game, out to the left where he plays for his club. But that would take some imagination in the lineup so don’t go holding your breath.

Much like the Brazil game, possession will be lost for the Yanks. To counter, giving Jose Francisco Torres a run out would help to not only even those percentages, but give the back line a few breathers rather than seeing Gooch play Route 1 all night. Apparently Bradley is not happy with the defense of either Torres or Adu, forgetting that while defense may win championships, you still have to score to win. Again, you’ll be blue as a Smurf if you hold your breath for this one.

Continuing on Bradley -- and yes, I am going to keep fucking talking about your dad, Michael -- two straight games he’s gone to the locker room at the end of the game with a sub in his pocket. In-game tactics aside, this is just foolish when you know for sure you have three games in seven days. Guys need breathers. In the three games Bob has used just 16 of his 23 players. Two of those were keepers, so just 14 of 20 outfield players have seen time. Bocanegra has been injured, but you have to believe he would have taken all 270 minutes from DeMerit if he were fit. But the other six guys got a lot of frequent flier miles, so they’ve got that going for them.

Two of the changes were forced due to red cards, but Sacha Kljestan and Ricardo Clark basically combined to take all of those minutes. A third (DaMarcus Beasley) was forced because FIFA won’t allow players to step on the field with a huge fork protruding from their back. Say all you want about Bradley bringing in fresh faces in his tenure, but unlike his predecessor Bruce Arena, he doesn’t use his bench nearly enough. That will come back to haunt the team as much as anything on Wednesday against Spain.

Plus, you can't tell me that bringing on Adu in the final ten minutes wouldn't have been the dagger for Egypt. They Pharaohs were tired, having used all three subs by the hour mark thanks to injuries. Adu's fresh legs and darting runs -- remember the friendly against Spain last year? -- would have put their defenders even more on their heels. Though the results held, another goal by the U.S. would have let Bushman slide off the edge of his seat for the final minutes.

Clint Dempsey was one of those guys who needed a breather it appeared. Yes, he went forward and got the winning goal -- thanks mainly to a beautiful cross by a right back, the first one of those we’ve seen from the USA since the Clinton administration -- but his work rate defensively has been off. Of course, through his rose colored glasses, that doesn’t matter to Bradley because the name on the back of the #8 jersey is not Adu or Torres. Meanwhile, Tim Howard, who hasn’t been great but does lead the tournament in saves, got a rest after a long season for Everton. Why the ‘keeper gets a rest while a midfielder/forward plays three full games in seven days is beyond me.

An aside on Dempsey: as pointed out by the USMNT blog, Dempsey is the second highest rated midfielder thus far in the tournament, trailing only Kaká. It’s a FIFA ranking, so I take it with a grain of salt, even though I said no salt for the margarita. Plus, Maicon is rated as the seventh best defender while two South Africans top the list. Once again, Moneyball doesn’t translate to soccer.

Look, I understand the problems for the national team lies deeper than Bob Bradley’s head. The player pool, as pointed out by a few, is not what it has been in years past. But by not putting Bradley on a hot seat after a sub par June is too complacent for where the national team is now. Remember Project 2010? Yeah, that’s still a decade off, at least.

Unfortunately, in the grand scheme of things, it appears that U.S. Soccer is more concerned about its finances than the play on the field. And until a World Cup is missed and their coffers aren’t refilled with those millions of dollars qualification brings, the status quo will remain.

- Pat Walsh

"Don't Read Too Much Into This..."

This was a quote given to me years ago, right before the 2002 World Cup, by then-U.S. coach Bruce Arena after his team had tied the Richmond Kickers 2-2 in an exhibition match in Cary, North Carolina. Several members of the sports media (myself included) asked him if he was concerned about the results of the match. He responded with the quote above. Who knew he would be so correct, as the team went on to the quarterfinals of the world's biggest soccer tournament that year.

Fast forward to June 21st, 2009. The U.S. team is 0-2 in the Confederations Cup, been outscored 6-1 and looked clueless and dispirited. They need a miracle to advance in the tournament, and lo and behold, it happens. A dominating 3-0 win over Egypt, an identical 3-0 Brazil drubbing over World Champions Italy, and the Yanks move on to face Spain in the semis on Wednesday...

But, folks, don't read too much into this...

Yes, it was a great win for the U.S., the type of win that should give the team some confidence heading into Wednesday's match with Spain, the #1 team in the world (even though I think Brazil can lay claim to that after the way they've played these past few months). Hopefully the U.S. will be competitive, but I'm not really holding my breath.

Cal me pessimistic, but I'm not back on board after 1 win. As my colleague Pat Walsh texted me yesterday, "glad lots of people are happy about a 1-2 record and a -2 goal differential."

That pretty much sums it up. Look, this team has stunk it up in 3 of its past 5 games, looked okay at home against a solid Honduras team, and looked really good against one of the better teams in Africa. That type of inconsistency will get us an 0-3 or 0-2-1 record next year in the Cup and an early ticket home.

There is still no imagination in Bradley's lineups. Why bring Adu and Torres when they won't even step on the field? Think Torres might be wishing he had played for Mexico, where the team would probably make better use of his skills? The guy can possess and pass, something the Yanks haven't proven they can do. It's still a very direct style of play, which works against teams with inferior skills and athletes, but not so much for anybody in the top 30 in the world (and despite the FIFA rankings, I barely put the U.S. in the top 30).

The team still lacks discipline, as the stupid red and yellow cards continue to accumulate. Granted, as someone told me, the reds we got against Italy and Brazil might not have been reds if the roles were reversed, but our players need to understand that. Consider it a soccer version of the "Michael Jordan" rules.

By the way, did you see Bob's face yesterday when the final whistle blew and the U.S. had advanced? As The Washington Examiner's Craig Stouffer texted me, "it was the 'can you believe we got away with that?' look."

Precisely. They got away with one. The heat is off Bradley, for now...but should it be?

Okay, I'll try to end this on a (hopefully) humorous note.

Pat and I texted throughout the game yesterday, and here are some of the gems, albeit out of order, but you can put it together yourself (most of them are from Pat)...

"Dempsey's performance was the quintessential striker being invisible for the entire game, getting the last-minute strike, and all is forgiven."

"Bring on Beasley to kill the game off!!!"

"Davies has played well, but since he actually plays for his club, unlike Jozy or Beasley, he doesn't see as many minutes for the U.S."

"Why can't ESPN just kill the stadium audio so we don't hear those stupid horns?"

"WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT PASS LANDON? Tell Bianca to give you your balls back!"

"Is Dempsey trying to disguise himself as someone else with that beard? We already know he hasn't shown up all tournament."

"I almost don't even want to watch with this lineup Bob's trotting out..."

"Does it look like the Egyptians are targeting Bornstein?" (I admit I said that one...it's politically incorrect, but still, get a sense of humor!)

"Watching Bradley smiling before the game makes me want to punch babies!"

"God D*mmit! Now these f*ckers have me on the edge of my seat thinking they're actually going to pull this off!"

Con-Fed Up

I could've won if it was a staring contest...

Since Bushman’s living it up in sunny Florida -- at least he’s not on the government dime this time -- the reaction to yesterday’s game is left completely in my hands. As an initial thought, the outcome was about what I expected, though the game didn’t play out as I envisioned which was one similar to Costa Rica with a late tally by the U.S. to save a bit of face.

I’ll start out with the negatives to end on an upbeat note.

The Negatives

- If I gave player ratings, I might give Clint Dempsey an incomplete despite playing 90 minutes. He’s got to be the most frustrating player for the national team, as he just can’t fit into Bradley’s system for whatever reason. Sure, he has moments of brilliance, but far too often he’s invisible and yesterday the large majority of his passes were negative. Not something you want from one of your alleged creative players.

- Rico Clark deserved the red. He was late and he was high with his challenge. I thought at the time it could have been a yellow, but wasn’t shocked it was red. No matter what you think of the color of the card, though, Clark cannot put himself in position to be sent off. It was a reckless challenge 65 yards from your own goal, just not a smart play. Even with Clark out there, though, the U.S. doesn’t win.

- Here’s a two-part question: when was the last time one of Bob Bradley’s subs significantly changed a game? And when was the last time a decision Bradley made a move against the norm that worked out for him and gave us media types some crow to eat? I’ve no idea on either answer. My hope at this point is that Bradley the elder does not return with the Yanks to South Africa next year as I can’t really see how he’s improved this team since taking it over. He hasn’t significantly improved the player pool -- which, to be fair, has something to do with the pool itself not expanding, but his continued faith in certain players *cough* DaMarcus Beasley *cough* shows an unwillingness to change. In my cynical mind I almost wonder if Bradley purposefully ran out the 4-3-3 a lot of people wanted to see in a situation it was sure to fail in so that he could say “Hey, I tried it and it didn’t work so I’m sticking to my system.” Unfortunately, I don’t see how he’s fired unless Haiti or Grenada knock us out in the group stage of the Gold Cup. But this is setting up to be a second straight 0-3 in an international tournament on foreign soil.

- From that, I obviously think we’ll lose on Thursday. The Italian midfield sat back for much of the first half allowing the U.S. to dictate the play. In hindsight I wonder if that was Marcello Lippi’s plan to let the U.S. run themselves out of gas and take the game in the end (more on this in a sec). But Brazil won’t do that. Kaka will dominate the midfield and kill the back line with his passes. Danny Alves will fly up and down his flank with abandon. Gooch and Boca, if he’s healthy, won’t be able to keep up with Robinho and any fouls in our own third will be punished (as will continued poor clearances from the former Standard Liege defender). Gilberto Silva won’t let anything through and the U.S. will have to resort to playing long ball, which did work to a certain extent against Italy. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Julio Cesar Baptista, aka The Beast, in the lineup to see how the Yanks deal with his size and pace. In short, Thursday is going to be worse than Monday.

- Fitness was an issue, perhaps the deciding one. Benny Feilhaber made more and more mistakes as the game went on and his turnover to Rossi gave the Jersey-born Italian a good amount of space, which he took full advantage of in leveling the game. By the end of the match only Bradley was still chasing down balls from the remaining six starting field players. Again, the subs didn’t come in and help much, if at all. This goes back to playing guys who don’t see much time with their club. Jozy was gassed and had to come out. Feilhaber mentally broke down. Donovan showed that the international game is that much tougher than MLS as he started to disappear down the stretch. But I think the saddest part was seeing the team sit back and not challenge the Italians down a goal in the late stages. Why there were only four guys in the box on a deep throw in around the 87th minute is beyond me. But in midfield the Italians could do what they pleased over the final half hour and that’s when Pirlo showed his brilliance. Yes, Clark would’ve helped close down some of this room, but that overlooking the glaring issue at this point.

The Positives:

- For once, the U.S. didn’t look intimidated coming out of the gates. Maybe it’s playing the Italians, but you didn’t see much fear from the guys in white. Let’s hope that, and not conceding a goal in the opening 10 minutes, continues against Brazil.

- Jozy Altidore grew up a bit yesterday. After that performance I don’t see how Ching can start for the national team when Jozy’s healthy. Sure, he’s still raw and should’ve buried his chance in the first half hour, but he did well holding the ball up against a tough Italian back line and did a great job in drawing the penalty. If he was in shape and played the full 90 he might’ve been my Man of the Match.

- Instead I think that needs to be Donovan. The guy Americans love to hate has brought it in back-to-back games for the first time in a while against quality opponents. He was running at the Italians and set up Altidore’s chance with a great diagonal pass. Plus he finished from the spot -- it’s something that should be a foregone conclusion at the national level and that’s exactly what it is with Donovan. He faded down the stretch, but it was another solid outing. Think he might have visions of a European contract next winter dancing in his head?

- Tim Howard came up big several times and kept the score respectable, which is something given it was a 3-1 final. He’s going to be tested again on Thursday, that’s for sure and the Everton netminder will have to have a blinder for the U.S. to get a point.

- Lastly, the outside backs acquitted themselves well. Spector more so than Jonny B. But both had solid, if not spectacular outings. At this point I think Spector needs to be a regular starter either at right or left back. For my money, I thought DeMerit played well enough to look at leaving him in the center and moving Bocanegra out left, but that will not happen with Bradley. But going forward in qualifying, maybe one of the many questions facing this team has been answered.

- Pat Walsh

Whooah, We’re Halfway There

I'm rich biatch!!!

No, that's no Jon Bon Jovi, but I couldn't stomach posting a picture of him. More on Cristiano Ronaldo later because after last night’s wins by Mexico and Honduras, the Hexagonal has officially hit the midway point with all teams having played five games. Despite all the hand wringing and “the sky is falling” from a week ago, the U.S. is in a pretty good spot to qualify even if a pair of draws last night would have been better results.

Costa Rica tops the group with an impressive 12 thanks to winning four of their five games. The U.S. sits two behind and, assuming they beat El Salvador at Rio Tinto and win away to T&T, that gives them 16 points regardless their other three games. However, if they leave any points on the table, things could get dicey with the final two games being a trip to Honduras and hosting Costa Rica. Granted, Costa Rica will almost assuredly be through by then and have nothing to play for, but you don’t want to leave things to chance in qualifying.

As for Mexico, who are on six points with a -2 goal differential, they’ll still take third. They still have three games at home, including the critical next matchday hosting the U.S. and as long as they hold form at home, with a cushion of still playing an away match to T&T, they’re looking at 16 points and safe passage to South Africa. The only hiccup is it will likely come down to the final two matchdays -- hosting the pesky El Salvador and then away to T&T -- which will be fun for U.S. fans to watch from afar. (Assuming we’re in by then).

One last thing, Bob Bradley -- who is almost the Teflon Don when it comes to the hot seat, no? -- should be grateful to scheduling the U.S. got. Consider this: where would the Yanks be if their schedule was flip flopped with Mexico?  Their schedule would’ve been: @ Mexico, v Costa Rica, @ Honduras, @ El Salvador, and v T&T (which would've been played last week). How many points do we have after five games? Best case scenario I say is 7 w/ three coming from home win against Costa Rica and T&T and a draw (again) in El Salvador. And that might be bumped down to 5 with a draw at home against the Ticos. So right in that 6-point range that Mexico is at right now. Would Bradley still be on the bench for the Confed Cup at that point? Just food for thought...

Other Stuff:

- Oh, yeah, MLS is still going on. To little surprise Dom Kinnear has Houston out of another early season rut and the Dynamo are firing on all cylinders. I like their pickup of Cam Weaver who never really had a chance on a poor San Jose team. Granted I jinxed him by picking him up on multiple fantasy teams, but he had a great flick to assist Stuart Holden’s game winning goal, nearly won a penalty kick, and scored a goal that was wrongly ruled offsides. Having just seen the highlights, it seems like only a matter of time until Houston, three points behind the Goats with two games in hand, overtakes Chivas for first in all of MLS. Another question that popped into my head while watching: if the Dynamo had a healthy Brian Ching and Rico Clark on their roster, how would they fare against the U.S. national team? I know the international game is a fair amount quicker, but I think Houston has the chemistry edge and a decent sized one when it comes to the guys on the bench.

- Speaking of MLS highlights, they do a great job of editing them down and getting them up on MLSnet.com pretty quickly. However, how tough would it be to have an intern or two, say a COMM major from NYU, do a voice over for the highlights SportsCenter style? It would bump up the production value a lot and would give better context to what is being shown rather than just listening to the commentators refer to something that just happened that didn’t make the cut for the highlights.

- Big showdown at RFK this weekend as Chicago comes to town for a 1 vs 2 matchup in the East. The Fire haven’t lost on the road and D.C. hasn’t lost at home, so obviously this game will be a draw. And, perhaps a rather high scoring one at that?

- United ticket reps have to be pretty damn happy this morning. Just days after Real Madrid -- playing DCU at FedEx Field in August -- set a record in buying Kaka from Milan for $90 million, they thrashed it this morning when they bought Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a whopping $131.6 million this morning. First, I don’t know where the hell they got that kind of money. But I suppose it’s not a shock as Florentio Perez is back in power for Madrid and is quickly bringing back the age of the Galacticos. The move certainly shifts the power in both La Liga and the EPL and muddies the idea that both Barcelona and ManU will repeat next season. It will be interesting to see who is brought in to fill the void for United. One player isn’t going to replace him, especially if it’s the rumored Franck Ribery. Personally, I’m surprised Sir Alex didn’t demand a player heading the other way, perhaps Rafael van der Vaart (and his wife Sylvie) or Wesley Sneijder. Or they could use all of that money they received for CRon to take on Arjen Robben and his medical bills.

- One last bit of non-soccer “news.” If you’re into good music, check out Phish’s current tour at LivePhish.com. Make any jokes you want, but the Vermont foursome are playing their best music since at least 1999 and getting better with every show this tour. I just caught them in Camden, NJ -- a lovely setting with the sun setting behind the Philly skyline as long as you make it in and out of the venue -- and it reminded me of the first time I saw Phish at that spot. It was July 10, 1999, which also happened to be the day Brandi Chastain made sports bras even more famous, and no I’m not linking to that image. In the age before cell phones and text updates every ten minutes, my buddy and I had no idea who won the Women’s World Cup final. That is until the second set when we realized Trey was wearing a Mia Hamm jersey. Pretty cool and very memorable way to find out we won. And one much more pleasing to the eye than Brandi Chastain nearly topless. Not that you don’t believe me, but here’s a short piece by our friend Grant Wahl on Trey being a soccer fan.

- Pat Walsh

You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers...

So are you feeling much better this morning than you were around 8:35 Saturday night? I know I am, as are the multiple people I was texting and speaking w/ via phone throughout the evening. I'm going to do a "My 2 Cents Q&A" segment today, and I'll be asking the questions and providing the answers... Let's go:

1. Did You Think The U.S. Was In Trouble 5 Minutes In Saturday Night?

Yep, I sure did. In fact, I texted Walsh and said "over already." After Wednesday's game, I thought we would roll over, as I swear I could hear the calls for Bradley's head throughout the land. However, this team showed the most guts and fortitude seen in some time. They have not necessarily handled adversity well over the past several years, and this game showed me that the players showed tremendous passion and a will to win...of course, maybe it had something to do with the players on the field...

2. Okay, So Who Really Made The Difference For The U.S.?

Landon Donovan had his best game in recent memory, knifing through the Honduran defense and making the 30 and 40-yard runs we haven't seen from him in some time. Conor Casey held the ball well and seemed to work well with Jozy Altidore, even though they had only practiced once or twice together. Ricardo Clark's athleticism enabled him to make the plays Mastroeni couldn't, and Pablo, God love him, may have just played his way off the roster. Benny Feilhaber coming on for Pablo at the half was a GREAT sub. He went forward and pressed the attack. Most importantly, Jonathan Spector and John Bornstein did what Marvell Wynne and DaMarcus Beasley couldn't do Wednesday; actually play defense.

3. Turning Point In The Match?

Well, there are a few. Feilhaber coming in to start the 2nd half was big. The handball leading to the penalty was massive. However, I think the biggest point in the match was something I haven't seen many people talking about... Honduras had the U.S. on the ropes. They were up 1-0 early and had good possession and seemed to have already figured the Americans out, and then they just...withdrew. They went almost into a bunker, and let the U.S. come after them. Had they kept pressing, I thought they could get another one and effectively end the match. Coach Reynaldo Rueda's tactics have to be questioned after this one.

4. So What Does All Of This Mean For The Yanks?

Well, it gives them 10 points through the first half of qualifying, so in reality, only 5 more points (possibly 4) is needed to get them secured in the top 3 and go to South Africa next year. It also gives them some confidence that was sorely needed after Wednesday's drubbing. Does this mean they're going to surprise people at next week's Confederations Cup? I doubt it, but it'll give Bradley some more time and some big games to get some of the younger players involved in high pressure situations. That'll be key when they go to Azteca later in the summer and then as they wrap up qualifying in the fall. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though; let's get into the Cup first, then worry about personnel a little closer to the tournament.

5. Thoughts On Other CONCACAF Matches?

I watched the El Salvador/Mexico game, and it was incredible! Not necessarily because I like El Salvador (I don't) or despise Mexico (I do), but it was so neat to watch this tiny country finally beat a regional power (let's face it; they should have beaten us a few months back). I can only imagine the partying going on in San Salvador, or DC, or any other place with a high percentage of El Salvadoran residents. It also gives them 5 points heading into Honduras Wednesday night. With them coming off a huge win and Honduras coming off a huge loss, is it far-fetched to dare hope for a draw, which would not really allow either to gain on the U.S.?

Mexico, despite their troubles, is still very much in the mix. They'll beat a deflated T&T squad who at one point led Costa Rica Saturday night at home. El Tri has 4 of their last 6 matches at home. They'll win at least 3 of them, giving them 12 points. They will probably lose to Costa Rica, as a win would most likely put the Ticos into the tournament. If they get a win in the last game against an already eliminated T&T, they have anywhere from 13-16 points. It should be interesting to see them battle it out with the Hondurans for the 3rd spot. And no, I'm sorry, but El Salvador just doesn't have the talent to keep up their form. They could play the role of spoiler, but that's about it.

6. 1 Last Question: Your Wife's Facebook Status Asked How Getting High Blood Pressure Watching the U.S. Was Entertaining For Her Husband?

To be honest, it's absolutely agonizing for 90 minutes. But when that final whistle blows, and our boys get the 3 points, I can exhale and relax, because, once again, all is right with the world.

Quick Prediction For Wednesday's Games:

A. Mexico vs. T&T - Mexico is reeling, but they're desperate. Plus, they're playing at home. I think they win this going away. 3-0 win for El Tri.

B. Honduras vs. El Salvador - As I mentioned earlier, the ideal result here would be a draw. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening. Honduras will attack from the start, and has superior firepower. They'll put a couple in early and coast from there. 2-0 win for Los Catrachos.

Good some great comments last week. Thanks for the support!

"Everybody's Got A Plan, Until They Get Hit!"

Believe it or not, that quote is from Mike Tyson, not exactly one of the most intelligent of men on the planet. However, it's one of my favorite quotes in sports.

He was speaking to a reporter who asked a question about how opponents planned to fight him, and that was his response.

Cue the U.S. National Team last night in Costa Rica.

They had a plan, right? Start Altidore, Dempsey, and Donovan up front and attack the Ticos from the start. Put the pressure on the home team. Play Torres in support and let him possess and distribute. Have Bradley and Mastroeni disrupt the Costa Rica attack, while Beasley and Wynne guard the flanks and keep the opposition at bay for fear of getting beaten on counterattacks. Have the steady and reliable Gooch, Boca, and Howard clean up everything inside the 18.

Yeah, that WAS the plan...

Then they got hit...

80 seconds into the match...

There WENT the plan...

Went a little further south with another goal less than 15 minutes later...

Good night Gracie!

I'm not going to sit here and crush this team like nearly every other website and soccer reporter and fan will do, because it'll do little good.

We need to face the facts, people; we simply aren't that good this time around. Sure, there's almost no way we'll finish below El Salvador and T&T, so we'll at least finish 4th in CONCACAF and go to the 2-game playoff qualifier against the 5th place CONMEBOL side (I might be wrong, but it's too early in the morning and I'm too lazy to verify it).

However, I'm not convinced we'll place in the top 3 for the automatic bid. Mexico, despite their troubles, is still Mexico. Costa Rica proved last night they might be the class of CONCACAF this time around, and Honduras, even without David Suazo, is fielding their best team in 10 years.

Don't believe me? Still drinking the Kool-Aid? That's fine, but let me ask you this...

If we're so "deep," why are we still starting Pablo "The Butcher" Mastroeni? Sure, Edu was hurt, but there's nobody else? Ricardo Clark brings more athleticism to the game; hell, Clyde Simms is one of the top d-mids in MLS right now. You don't think he might be more effective? Experience (which is why Pablo was supposedly on the field) doesn't mean jack when you no longer have the talent to do anything with it.

Are we so thin at left back that we're forced to start Beasley, who clearly hasn't "embraced the position?" (don't worry, that's the only John Harkes reference I'll make in this column)

Another question; when was the last time Landon Donovan OWNED a game internationally that meant something? I'm not talking friendlies either. I'm talking about a game where so much was on the line. Sure, he says the right things, like they had their eyes opened after the El Salvador game, and they know what to expect and what they need to do to succeed. Really? Sure looked like those eyes were closed last night. Maybe the lights were too bright...

Regardless, that was the worst performance I've seen by a U.S. squad in more than a decade. They looked unorganized, confused, and worst of all, timid and scared.

I won't really blame Coach Bradley on this one. He fielded a lineup most of us have been asking for, and they completely s*it the bed. I guess now we get to go back to the conservative tactics Saturday for our "home" game against Honduras. Maybe we'll get a point? That actually wouldn't be terrible, as the U.S. would have 8 points for the 1st half of qualifying, and as Walsh and I have stated, we think the "magic number" to get through is 14. A loss on Saturday, though, and all bets are off.

Can they take the "hit" and get up for the standing 8 count, or will they roll over and take the knockout? We'll find out in about 48 hours...

Update from Walsh to finish the My 2 Cents 1-2 combo:

For the most part I guess I agree with Bushman that not all of the blame can be put on Bradley’s shoulders. It was interesting to see an attacking lineup on the road, but, as he said, it failed miserably. Perhaps had the group had a chance to get into the game it’s a different story, but being down a goal about 90 seconds in never gave them that opportunity. So here are some lingering thoughts from the night:

- To go beyond what Bushman said about Donovan, how, at age 27 can he still not consistently hit crosses on set pieces? There might’ve been one or two that gave the guys in the box a chance to get their head on it from LD. Too often they can’t get past the first man/wall. That’s just not good enough at this level and won’t get you a spot on a European roster. Perhaps that’s why so many short corners were played late in the game, which is really poor considering the big guys -- Gooch, Boca, Jozy, Dempsey -- that can all get their head on the ball.

- I haven’t seen any reason in my limited reading this morning, but I don’t understand taking Torres off at the half. Even more so when it was Kljestan, whose stock was in Bushman’s plummeting portfolio in the past six months, who came on. Torres was one of the few composed players on the ball after a rough first ten minutes. Kljestan seemed to be dead tired after 15 minutes and gave no effort in closing down on the ball prior to the third goal. On current form Brad Davis or Colin Clark should have his spot on the roster.

- Going back to what I said on Tuesday, if the U.S. was going to lose, might as well see the disaster that is Beasley at left back. Best plan for Saturday would be to move Bocanegra out to the left, where he plays for Rennes, and pair Jay DeMerit with Onyewu in the middle. But we all know that has as good of a chance of my late game text to a friend last night saying, “Bring back Regis. Even if he’s retired he can’t be this bad.”

- Staying with the defense, Spector has to start at right back against Honduras. A question about Marvell Wynne: if he ran the 40 in say 4.7 instead of 4.3 or so, would he even be on a USL-2 roster? His speed makes up for mistakes, for sure, but it might help if he was within 5 yards of his man when that player received the ball. I don’t think that happened all night outside of the box.

- Charlie Davies came to play. Having said that he certainly wasn’t Man of the Match as Stoner and Alexi said post game. That should go to Bradley, but that’s only due to a lack of other options and Torres only playing 45 minutes. While Davies was on he ran at players, something few others did all night. However, he threw an elbow into the face of a defender -- apparently a 5-game suspension in Sweden didn’t teach him a lesson -- and whether he kicked another guy in the balls (it didn’t appear so), Davies can’t have that reaction as the intent could have earned him a red card. Again, it’s not like the U.S. gets many calls on the road.

- On that note, good game for the referee aside from the weak card on Bradley that will force him out on Saturday. He did switch jerseys at halftime, which was odd. I also wondered why Gooch was still on the field after the hour mark when a card to him would have crushed any hopes for Saturday by fielding a lineup without Bradley and Onyewu.

- I still feel sorry for Timmy Howard. As did my girlfriend so you know it must have been bad.

- One last thought: the Confed Cup really screwed the U.S. This game should have been played next Wednesday, after the Honduras game. Then Bradley is eligible for Saturday’s game and maybe Mo Edu or Hejduk recovers with a few extra days. Ching as well. Then you field your strongest lineup in the game you have to get three points from and can go on the road and bunker and play for a draw. Not the most attractive soccer, but sadly it’s all about results. Instead a tired U.S. team will face Honduras, who can pull into a tie with the U.S. in the standings should they pull an upset, in front of a 50-50 crowd at best. Knowing a trip to Azteca is on deck the pressure is ratcheted up to win the game. Not an ideal scenario to say the least.

Tuesday Thoughts

No jokes, just a cool pic from U.S. Soccer's blog.

There’s been plenty said, and I haven’t even heard a peep from Alexi Lalas, about tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier for the U.S. in Costa Rica. So I’m not up for a full-blown preview. But I do know the game starts at 10 pm ET and I’m sure by then a few beers will have been opened to see if some spirits can lift me up during the game.

I’m not expecting a win. And, to be honest, a point would almost be one stolen, while also keeping two off the board for the Ticos.

But the lack of Mo Edu in this one is the biggest disappointment for me. As a Terp, it’s been even more fun watching the kid grow up over the past few years, even if he is playing for Rangers and not Celtic. I was looking forward to seeing him paired with Michael Bradley in the center of the park and find out just how much he’s grown in the past few months in the SPL. Now we’ll have to wait -- hopefully -- for the Confed Cup if his knee heals.

My other hope is that Jozy starts. Bob Bradley claims he’s fit for 90 minutes, though I wonder how much of that is gamesmanship. The only positive is without Altidore in the starting lineup we won’t see more of the DaMarcus Beasley experiment at left back. Actually, on second thought, if we’re going to lose the game anyway, why not put Beas back there and hopefully end that one. Is that cynical on my part? Sure. But he’s not the future at that spot and, apart from an embarrassing performance, I don’t know what will make Bradley realize it.

My prediction: 1-0 Costa Rica thanks to some big Tim Howard saves

Other thoughts:

- Going off a thought from Bruce over at du Nord, who mentioned Jozy, M.Bradley, Dempsey, Hejduk, and Gooch are all on yellows and facing a suspension, why is it just two in qualifying that merits a suspension? As we saw with Tim Howard, they even carry over from previous rounds. For yellows it needs to be bumped up to at least four, if not more should they continue to carry over from previous rounds. Should Bradley or Gooch pick one up tomorrow -- not that calls have ever gone against the U.S. in San Jose -- that makes the game on Saturday that much more difficult.

- Carlo Ancelotti has officially joined Chelsea. All things considered this is probably the best move the Blues could make, aside from keeping Guus. Certainly heats things up for the transfer window as the former Milan boss already said he wants Pato and Glen Johnson from Portsmouth. So then who heads the other way? Anelka seems the obvious choice even if he did win the Golden Boot. However, the looming suspension to Drogba will play a role too. Personally I’d be sending Michael Ballack packing from that congested midfield, but that’s just me.

- Conor Casey won PotW in MLS. He’s already had a cup of coffee with the national team, and probably gets a look during the Gold Cup if this current form keeps up, but I see him in the Taylor Twellman/Jason Kreis mold of scoring goals in MLS, but not transferring it to the national team level. His teammate, Colin Clark, should be an interesting look in that same tournament. Oh, and can Brad Davis finally have a legit look from the Nats?

- The Galaxy has 9 draws in 11 games. Wow. You turn their record around and it reads 9-1-1. Bruce Arena might want to dial that with Landon Donovan set to miss the next few weeks w/ national team duty.

On a related note, two reasons -- aside from the lack of consistently posting on Friday -- for not doing predictions: 1. I’d just be doing 1-1 for every game and probably be doing better than I was and 2. Dallas 3, Chicago 0. Just when you think you have a handle on this league, that happens.

Pat Walsh

Weekend Roundup

Former Gunner Adrian Bumbutt fouls former Gunner teammate Danny McGarry (photo courtesy of Suz Kitsteiner)

Another busy week of soccer has come and gone. We saw Barcelona become Champions of Europe (I've got a story I'm putting together on that one and I'll have it up later in the week), lots of MLS, USL, and WPS action, and we've got the next 2 rounds of the CONCACAF WCQ this week. Let's review the weekend first and then I'll make my hexagonal predictions...

1. MLS - Okay, I know that I am slightly biased toward DC as I see them and cover them more than any other team in the league, but that penalty call in the 92nd minute for New England has to be one of the worst I've ever seen. It's a 4-point swing. Teams go from 1 point each to -2 for a steady DC and + 2 for a badly slumping New England. If you thought Tom Soehn is an ornery guy after a win or a draw, imagine being in that press conference Saturday night (shudder)... In other action, Freddie Ljungberg misses a penalty as Seattle draws w/ defending champions Columbus, who look like they're starting to find a rhythm... Chicago follows up a huge and dramatic come from behind win at Chivas Thursday night with a flat performance against Dallas and get blown out... Conor Casey gets his 7th and 8th goals of the season for Colorado but has yet to receive a phone call from Bob Bradley... Finally, Gregg Berhalter has obviously been watching tapes of Pablo Mastroeni, as he gets ejected once again in a 1-1 draw with Kansas City.

2. WPS - The Washington Freedom stay unbeaten in 5 games with a 3-1 win over the FC Gold Pride. Cat Whitehill and Sonia Bompastor once again lead the resurging Freedom, who have vaulted into 2nd place after a rough start... L.A. continues to run away from the rest of the league after a 2-0 win against St. Louis... And in new Head Coach's Kelly Lindsey's debut for Sky Blue FC, they reward her with a 2-1 win over Boston. Ian Sawyers has officially been relieved of his duties with the team. Does this mean Julie Foudy will withdraw her support for the league? I mean, it's no longer about her, so does she really care anymore? Seriously, though, would love to find out the real story behind Sawyers' departure. Anybody have a clue?

3. USL 2 and PDL- Didn't get to see any USL1 action this week, but...

A. I watched Richmond get a convincing 2-0 win over Western Mass. in a game that could have been 6 or 7-nothing had it not been for the Pioneers' James Thorpe in goal. He made some great saves, while I'm not sure if his counterpart, Ronnie Pascale, had to break a sweat. Richmond might not have solved their offensive issues, but defensively, particularly with a rotating centerback trio of Yomby William, Kelvin Jones, and rookie Henry Kalungi, they're pretty solid and will keep the team in most games. Also of note that might only interest me, there were 3 former Fredericksburg Gunners playing in that game (Kalungi and Adrian Bumbutt for Richmond, and Danny McGarry for Western Mass. Not bad for a club in only its 3rd year of existence). Elsewhere, it was an interesting weekend with Charlotte destroying Pittsburgh 5-1, with the Riverhounds turning around and beating Wilmington 3-1 the next night. Real Maryland beats Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Maryland derby, and then Harrisburg solidifies their hold on 1st place with a 3-2 win over the Monarchs...speaking of Harrisburg:

B. PDL - The City Islanders might have a tougher than expected U.S. Open Cup game against the PDL's Reading Rage on Wednesday. I watched Reading absolutely hammer FC Frederickburg 5-0 yesterday at the Fredericksburg Academy Athletic Complex. The Gunners boast some quality talent, but were played off the pitch. If you look at the Rage, they don't look like the best athletes and they're not very big. However, their passing and skill were dazzling yesterday, as they look like a better team than the one that made it to the final Four of the PDL tournament last year. They're already running away with the Mid-Atlantic Division, and if Harrisburg takes them lightly this week, you could see an upset.

4. United States at Costa Rica - The U.S. has never won there. At times, they've been blown out. This is a solid Costa Rica squad who will give the U.S. all they can handle. Although the U.S. has taken care of business at home, that was one ugly draw in El Salvador. We'll see how Bradley and the boys can adjust to an even wilder scene Wednesday night at Estadio Saprissa. I think Bob goes with a conservative and defensive alignment, hoping to get a draw. The tea leaves say he won't get it, and the pressure will REALLY be on Saturday in Chicago against Honduras. Costa Rica 2 - U.S. 0