World Cup 23 man roster named. no Donovan

[slufanskip]

Balls get turned over all game. He never got the ball settled and couldn't have just played it into the corner. He was trying to retain possession. However Ronaldo crossed the ball into 1 player surrounded by 3 US players who appeared to not even realize he was there. We added a 3rd central defender. Yea blame the guy who played a pretty good game for 94 minutes in those conditions and turned the ball over 60 yes up field and never really even had control.

On the plus side ....i never thought id say this, but Jermaine Jones has been great lately. Not just because of the goal. He's been defensively good with a level of restraint he didn't use to show. His yellow was a poor call.

For those who question if soccer is getting better in the US, we thoroughly outplayed the 4th ranked team in the world ecept for two defensive miscues. What cost us was what everyone knew might, central defense. Howard also looked bad on their first goal, but made some great saves.

In the end its a point and we all would have taken that going in.... as heartbreaking as it feels now.

[JettFlight5]

Balls get turned over all game. He never got the ball settled and couldn't have just played it into the corner. He was trying to retain possession. However Ronaldo crossed the ball into 1 player surrounded by 3 US players who appeared to not even realize he was there. We added a 3rd central defender. Yea blame the guy who played a pretty good game for 94 minutes in those conditions and turned the ball over 60 yes up field and never really even had control.

On the plus side ....i never thought id say this, but Jermaine Jones has been great lately. Not just because of the goal. He's been defensively good with a level of restraint he didn't use to show. His yellow was a poor call.

For those who question if soccer is getting better in the US, we thoroughly outplayed the 4th ranked team in the world ecept for two defensive miscues. What cost us was what everyone knew might, central defense. Howard also looked bad on their first goal, but made some great saves.

In the end its a point and we all would have taken that going in.... as heartbreaking as it feels now.

It was the perfect storm of mistakes that led to that goal. Jones played a great game. It's the silly mistakes that kept this from being a watershed moment for US Soccer.

Bradley was much better today than against Ghana.

Can the US get a point off the Germans?

[slufanskip]

It was the perfect storm of mistakes that led to that goal. Jones played a great game. It's the silly mistakes that kept this from being a watershed moment for US Soccer.

Bradley was much better today than against Ghana.

Can the US get a point off the Germans?

It wasn't a perfect storm of mistakes. No matter how good the cross, the guy never should have had the space, it should have been a routine clearance. He also ran right by a jogging Brooks who was fresh. I'm not sure Cameron even knew he was there.

I also went back and watched the turnover again thinking maybe I missed what others seemed to see. I didn't miss anything. Can't blame Bradley for that goal. There could be a case for a foul on Portugal as the guy just knocked Bradley off the ball, had he been from Latin or south america he'd have went down and got the call.

For me the star was Jones, followed by Dempsey, Bradley, Beasley, and Fabian. Also good were Howard, Beckerman, Zusi,

[moytoy12]

Where the f was gonzo on that goal? Why wasn't he parked between the 6 and 18 yard boxes in the center from when he came on?

Bradley has to put that ball "anywhere but here" in that spot. Less than a minute left with a tired team, just boot the f out of the ball if you can't get control. He had some poor distribution too (Bedoya wide open on the left on a break sticks out). He hasn't been good this tourney.

Brooks didn't enter the game.

[moytoy12]

Jones, Beasley, Fabian and Besler for me as players of the game. Bedoya was invisible and Zusi was absolutely horrendous outside of the one ball to Dempsey, which fortuitously fell to Zusi in the that spot.

[Zink]

A collective brain fart on the final goal. Too many guys too high up the pitch when we should've been in our prevent defense. Then Bradley turns the ball over instead of booting it and they have space to work with that should never have been there. Finally, Cameron fails to track the runner and because we were too high up the pitch there are no other defenders around to win the header. Perfect ball in from Ronaldo, great finish by Varela, and a potential triumph turns into a game of what-ifs.

Bradley hasn't been at his best, but he is catching a lot more flak than he deserves. Cameron had two colossal f-ups that lead directly to both goals.

Jones' shot was world class. Dempsey played well holding the ball up and being in the right spot to win the game for us, but his heroics will be pushed aside due to the late equalizer.

I'm bummed, but only because I thought we had won. If you told me two weeks ago what our situation would be right now, I would've been ecstatic. It will take quite a bit of bad luck for us to fail to advance at this point, so let's hope our guys stay sharp and use this letdown as further motivation. I believe.

[slufanskip]

Where the f was gonzo on that goal? Why wasn't he parked between the 6 and 18 yard boxes in the center from when he came on?

Bradley has to put that ball "anywhere but here" in that spot. Less than a minute left with a tired team, just boot the f out of the ball if you can't get control. He had some poor distribution too (Bedoya wide open on the left on a break sticks out). He hasn't been good this tourney.

Brooks didn't enter the game.

You're right Omar not Brooks

Bradley didn't have the chance to put the ball anywhere but here. I disagree completely with you on Bradley this game.

[slufanskip]

A collective brain fart on the final goal. Too many guys too high up the pitch when we should've been in our prevent defense. Then Bradley turns the ball over instead of booting it and they have space to work with that should never have been there. Finally, Cameron fails to track the runner and because we were too high up the pitch there are no other defenders around to win the header. Perfect ball in from Ronaldo, great finish by Varela, and a potential triumph turns into a game of what-ifs.

Bradley hasn't been at his best, but he is catching a lot more flak than he deserves. Cameron had two colossal f-ups that lead directly to both goals.

Jones' shot was world class. Dempsey played well holding the ball up and being in the right spot to win the game for us, but his heroics will be pushed aside due to the late equalizer.

I haven't looked at all tiebreakers but it would take a Ghana win by 2 if we lost by 1 or any Ghana win if we lost by 2. A Portugal win would need to be by a larger margin. I'm assuming if we end up tied with Ghana we go due to head to head, but this is FIFA so ... We just need to hold our own against GE. Ghana is capable of beating Portugal by 2 with Portugal having 1 less days rest and just leaving that hole of a place they played.

I'm bummed, but only because I thought we had won. If you told me two weeks ago what our situation would be right now, I would've been ecstatic. It will take quite a bit of bad luck for us to fail to advance at this point, so let's hope our guys stay sharp and use this letdown as further motivation. I believe.

[kshoe]

You're right Omar not Brooks

Bradley didn't have the chance to put the ball anywhere but here. I disagree completely with you on Bradley this game.

Skip, I honestly don't know how you can say Bradley was one of the top 3 U.S. players in that game. Besides turning the ball over on the play that led to the goal, he also was given a chance 10 yards from the goal with the goalkeeper out of the play. He ends up kicking it directly at the one defender in the goal box. At this level of play, you simply can't miss opportunities like that.

Even the second goal he basically mishit his shot from near the top of the box. It was pure luck that it trickled away to Zusi before passing it to Dempsey for the goal.

Here were ESPN's rankings of the play. Bradley got a 5 (0-10 scale) which was second worse on the team with only Cameron being lower.

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/world-cup-central/59/post/1903782/usa-grades-yanks-hopes-halted

[For-DaLove]

A collective brain fart on the final goal. Too many guys too high up the pitch when we should've been in our prevent defense. Then Bradley turns the ball over instead of booting it and they have space to work with that should never have been there. Finally, Cameron fails to track the runner and because we were too high up the pitch there are no other defenders around to win the header. Perfect ball in from Ronaldo, great finish by Varela, and a potential triumph turns into a game of what-ifs.

Bradley hasn't been at his best, but he is catching a lot more flak than he deserves. Cameron had two colossal f-ups that lead directly to both goals.

Jones' shot was world class. Dempsey played well holding the ball up and being in the right spot to win the game for us, but his heroics will be pushed aside due to the late equalizer.

I'm bummed, but only because I thought we had won. If you told me two weeks ago what our situation would be right now, I would've been ecstatic. It will take quite a bit of bad luck for us to fail to advance at this point, so let's hope our guys stay sharp and use this letdown as further motivation. I believe.

I agree with the majority of this, but it wouldn't take much bad luck at all for us not to advance. If Ghana wins by 1 and we lose by 2, they advance

[JettFlight5]

It wasn't a perfect storm of mistakes. No matter how good the cross, the guy never should have had the space, it should have been a routine clearance. He also ran right by a jogging Brooks who was fresh. I'm not sure Cameron even knew he was there.

I also went back and watched the turnover again thinking maybe I missed what others seemed to see. I didn't miss anything. Can't blame Bradley for that goal. There could be a case for a foul on Portugal as the guy just knocked Bradley off the ball, had he been from Latin or south america he'd have went down and got the call.

For me the star was Jones, followed by Dempsey, Bradley, Beasley, and Fabian. Also good were Howard, Beckerman, Zusi,

That play should never have happened. Worst case scenario is that one of the backs take down the guy from behind outside the box. You can blame the entire team for falling asleep. I thought Howard should have made the save, but I'm extremely hard on goalies. My only problem with Bradley's play is that he did get knocked off the ball.

From other message boards, you are the first person to say anything positive about Beckerman. Jones was really good.

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

Skip, I honestly don't know how you can say Bradley was one of the top 3 U.S. players in that game. Besides turning the ball over on the play that led to the goal, he also was given a chance 10 yards from the goal with the goalkeeper out of the play. He ends up kicking it directly at the one defender in the goal box. At this level of play, you simply can't miss opportunities like that.

Even the second goal he basically mishit his shot from near the top of the box. It was pure luck that it trickled away to Zusi before passing it to Dempsey for the goal.

Here were ESPN's rankings of the play. Bradley got a 5 (0-10 scale) which was second worse on the team with only Cameron being lower.

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/world-cup-central/59/post/1903782/usa-grades-yanks-hopes-halted

ESPN is probably a little more credible than Skip. A 5 it is for Bradley. I still can't believe he didn't score on that play. WTF.

[slufanskip]

Skip, I honestly don't know how you can say Bradley was one of the top 3 U.S. players in that game. Besides turning the ball over on the play that led to the goal, he also was given a chance 10 yards from the goal with the goalkeeper out of the play. He ends up kicking it directly at the one defender in the goal box. At this level of play, you simply can't miss opportunities like that.

Even the second goal he basically mishit his shot from near the top of the box. It was pure luck that it trickled away to Zusi before passing it to Dempsey for the goal.

Here were ESPN's rankings of the play. Bradley got a 5 (0-10 scale) which was second worse on the team with only Cameron being lower.

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/world-cup-central/59/post/1903782/usa-grades-yanks-hopes-halted

I didn't say he was one of the top 3. I listed Jermaine as the star and then Bradley in a group of 3 others ... so top 5. I watched the game a second time and would say I'd give him a 6.5 maybe. It would be higher probably 7.5 if not for the missed goal, which he of course shouldn't have missed. The play ran through him all game and he was probably the major reason along with Jones that we held the majority of possession.

I'll stand by saying Zusi had a good game also and after the 2nd watch, I'd put Besler in the top group just under Jones

[slufanskip]

That play should never have happened. Worst case scenario is that one of the backs take down the guy from behind outside the box. You can blame the entire team for falling asleep. I thought Howard should have made the save, but I'm extremely hard on goalies. My only problem with Bradley's play is that he did get knocked off the ball.

From other message boards, you are the first person to say anything positive about Beckerman. Jones was really good.

You don't need to take him down. You simply jam him a little, obstructing his run and then mark him. I'm still not sure Cameron even knew he was there, which is a huge communication problem. Cameron was watching what was in front of him and then tracked back following the flight of the ball trying to get a head on it.

[slufanskip]

ESPN is probably a little more credible than Skip. A 5 it is for Bradley. I still can't believe he didn't score on that play. WTF.

and ... this is just a silly statement

[BACKHANDtheRICAN]

and ... this is just a silly statement

Skip. OWNED. Shake it off and come back with actual decent analysis after the Germany game.

[JettFlight5]

From the comments, it looks like Bradley was downgraded from 6 to 5 later. I'm hard on goalies, but Tim Howard is probably the best player on the team.

[moytoy12]

When Bradley lost the ball, he should have tried to professionally foul. Same with Beas on Ronaldo. If we win then who gives a sh!t about a yellow card.

Zusi turned the ball over all game. He had one good moment that he lucked into (but the pass across was quality). Otherwise, he was a nightmare on the field.

[Zink]

When Bradley lost the ball, he should have tried to professionally foul. Same with Beas on Ronaldo. If we win then who gives a **** about a yellow card.

Zusi turned the ball over all game. He had one good moment that he lucked into (but the pass across was quality). Otherwise, he was a nightmare on the field.

The biggest issue I had with Zusi was his abysmal service on set plays. Jones' goal came after a horrible delivery fortuitously dropped to him. His balls in were consistently dreadful. He made good runs up the field and defended well, but struggled to make passes under pressure.

Collectively, we struggled with their high press, particularly Zusi and Bedoya. Cameron and Besler weren't good enough at distributing to relieve the midfield of Portugal's pressure either, although Besler defended admirably most of the game. Johnson did a wonderful job of exploiting space on our right flank, but the end product was missing. Beckerman and Jones marked Ronaldo out of the game for long stretches. Dempsey did a phenomenal job of retaining possession and finding space. Beasley was completely mediocre as usual. Portugal should have put Ronaldo on his side of the field earlier in the game. Bradley struggled to play the decisive ball or finish, but dictated play for us and tracked back extremely well. I would share ESPN's rating of a 5 for him; he played well for 95% of the game, but his mistakes were glaring. Howard had one error, but immediately made up for it. Could he have come out on the final goal? Maybe, but he had a characteristically phenomenal game for us either way.

Cameron would get a 3.5 from me. Totally at fault on the first goal, didn't distribute well at all, defended well enough for most of the rest of the game but was completely out of position on the counter that lead to the draw (along with just about everyone else on the team), and then failed to challenge Varela on the header. Rough game for him. He was great vs Ghana so hopefully we see a bounceback game from him.

Phew. I can't stop thinking about that game and need to vent somewhere. Sorry for the long posts.

[slufanskip]

When Bradley lost the ball, he should have tried to professionally foul. Same with Beas on Ronaldo. If we win then who gives a **** about a yellow card.

Zusi turned the ball over all game. He had one good moment that he lucked into (but the pass across was quality). Otherwise, he was a nightmare on the field.

Since we're going by espn rankings ... Zusi gets a 7, tied for 3rd best on the team.

[moytoy12]

Since we're going by espn rankings ... Zusi gets a 7, tied for 3rd best on the team.

Carlisle's rankings are generally laughable and I don't put much stock in them (even if they supported my argument about Zusi).

[moytoy12]

And I'd rather see Yedlin than Bedoya. I didn't realize that Yedlin could play a wide mid position. At a minimum, Yedlin could be a very nice change of pace guy around the 60-70th minute.

[slufanskip]

Carlisle's rankings are generally laughable and I don't put much stock in them (even if they supported my argument about Zusi).

My bad, I was thinking it was you who posted espn's ranking of Bradley ... thought I had you lol.

[slufanskip]

And I'd rather see Yedlin than Bedoya. I didn't realize that Yedlin could play a wide mid position. At a minimum, Yedlin could be a very nice change of pace guy around the 60-70th minute.

Yedlin looked good for the few minutes he was on.

[For-DaLove]

Yedlin looked good for the few minutes he was on.

Except for his bone-headed cross instead of taking the ball to the corner, but that was just inexperience. We have some good young talent to build around for the future