Crashing Out

Vuvuzelas sound awesome when you're stoned.

If anything, the fact that Clark showed so well is very important in that our depth is just awful. With Bradley unavailable and Torres either silently injured or completely in Bob's doghouse, the only midfield option left was Feilhaber. With him starting we had exactly zero reasonable midfield options left on the bench (Beasley was beyond useless, and Sacha has been crap every time for quite some time now). Since Feilhaber isn't in 90-minute form, the Bradley BS red card was a double whammy -- we lost one of our most consistent players in the starting lineup, and we lost our most consistently perfect substitution. Feilhaber-for-striker with Dempsey moving forward around the 65th or 70th minute had worked beautifully.

Basically, when we needed subs we brought in Bornstein and Kjlestan. Brazil brought in freaking Dani Alves. That's a monstrous advantage.

And in the final I think we finally saw Jozy's lack of playing time catch up with him. He just wasn't on the level of fitness needed to play all these games. He needs regular playing time, not just as a sub, but as a starter in order for him to be what we need for 2010.

I might also add that having numerous central midfield options is important because both Bradley and Clark are card machines. If Bradley is starting along side Jones, we'll need quality options on the bench for the likely scenario where Bradley gets suspended for yellow accumulation or a red, while still having a real bench option for that game as well.

I feel exactly the same about this as I did about UVA's CWS run. Even being there was a bonus and I was fully prepared for the eventual flame-out, but not for the way it happened (UVA lost in 12 after blowing a two-run lead to an Arkansas team we'd probably beat three out of four times.) As a fan I'd rather get blown out in games like this than lose a close one, especially one in which we had a lead, because you can go back to every little point in the game and go "if only" and that's no fun. But I think it's a much better motivator for the team than a blowout is. I'm just bummed the Gold Cup is between now and August 12 because I really wish the last actual-game memory we had before going into Mexico City was this one.

start your blog --- there is a growing popularity for the US mens soccer, despite what epsn will tell you (anyone who went on facebook sunday afternoon will say the same thing). especially with the world cup coming up, id love to be able to read up on the team without sifting through a bunch of garbage.

im really at a loss for words. taking brazil to the brink is nothing to be ashamed about, but godamn, 2-0 in the first half? the M.O with this team has been inconsistency, and i would love if they could actually build off this, like they were all saying postgame.

dempsey crying after the game was an interesting moment. the US was sooo close to winning a big time tournament and lost it - im hoping this lights the fire under their ass for next year.

Great post Brian, and yea i think most of us can agree that you should start that blog and maybe for the european soccer lovers like myself include some epl, liga, and serie a as well. As for the game, I agree, we got considerably worse when we brought on our subs. we just don't have the depth of great teams like brazil and spain, granted we didn't have our best player michael bradley (in my opinion). I just hope our players can have consistent playing time this upcoming season for their respective teams (ahem, Jozy, freddy) because it's clear that in order to achieve our potential our players need to play and improve.

and one more thing....ARRGG ROSSI!

Keep up the good work on the soccer posts. A USMNT blog would also be sweet.

Overall, the tournament was a success for the US team. However, let's not get too hyped up - they still had a 2-3 record.
I'd like to see more of the guys get over to Europe. Once we have an entire team consisting of english or european STARTERS, we will have a shot on the world stage.

Even on the worst day of sports, when no team plays. I would rather not talk about Hackie Sack. A bunch of scrub American players that weren't good enough to play a sport took up the hobby of running sprints down a field while kicking a ball and all of a sudden it is good enough to post on Mgoblog. DISSAPOINTING!!!

That said as the great Patriot I am I actually watched the game chanting USA, only to see the US team become disinterested in their hobby half way through and roll over to the Brazil team in the 2nd half. DISSAPOINTING!!!

I love dissing on soccer. :)

.. don't see the problem in rooting for one of the big 4. Unless, of course, it's Man U, Arse, or Chelsea.
You could say the same for La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A. There are plenty of teams in mid table (Everton, Westham, Spurs, Villa, Fulham) that can challenge the big boys. I often find myself rooting for teams to pull "the great escape." Relegation is a very real, palpable thing; ask Newcastle fans about it.

nice idea ... we need more US soccer content ... i am still feeling the let down from that loss but it wasnt as bad for me as the wings loss was ... that being said i think donavan's post game comment hit it on the head with "too bad we didnt win now cause we might not get anither chance" ... that said im pumped to move up fifa's international rankings and mabye squeak into the top 8 to draw from the top seed in the world cup (does anyone have info on this? last time we were #9 whuch screwed us because we got put in the pool with teams like iran so we didnt have a chance to play them)

Another vote for a USMNT blog. It would be great to have a quality, well-written place to hear about the Nats without having to sift through a bunch of main stream drabble

I think the soccer blog is a great idea, as long as, like you said, it doesn't take away from your MGorepsonsibilities.

I like the idea of the US just being happy that we beat Spain and go from there. In reality this doesn't mean a damn thing for the World Cup so let's just get off of it and worry about qualifying.

The lack of depth for this team is kind of amazing. How could a nation of 300 million people not be able to field 30 or so world class soccer players? The answer is somewhere in between "we are getting there" and, "we never have."

Landon Donovan was a force in this tournament. I hope when his contract expires at the end of this season that he gets a real shot in Europe. He'll be 27 and that is still relatively young. He's my second favorite player behind Aaron Lennon.

"European soccer is structured such that you can either pick the Yankees or the Toledo Mud Hens."

this is why god invented the bundesliga. i mean, wolfsburg?

I played Soccer at a very high level during middle school so I am not the "Soccer Sucks" guy. I liked playing it and it doesn't make my eyes bleed to watch, but I do not watch or seek it out. When the whole "Soccer" argument comes up I am always intrigued when the Soccer fan tells the dolt who says "1-0 nice sport" that there is a lot of strategy that you don't see. Much like hockey I think Soccer is the sport most exposed to luck due to the low scoring and the goals are rarely things of beauty and more scrums or random deflections. My coach was a doofus who had an absolute magician of a son who we road to very successful seasons and tournament wins(we were like the Cavs with 2 Lebrons..I was Varejo) so I played Center Mid ran around and caused havoc and got the ball to 1 of the Lebrons and got out of the way. So we didn't have much strategy. So to my question after all the preamble is....Is there more going on out there then we see?? Do any of the Soccer Elite have a strategy they can describe that the average guy doesn't see when he watches guys continually losing the ball and they fumble around midfield playing patty cake??

For the Brazil game did you guys have a scouting report on Brazil and from that report could you tell what the US was trying to do and if it was successful.

+ Love the idea of a blog, especially the UFR
+ Castillo is a New Mexican and I don't think he is the panacea to LB he will at least be another left footed option to the depth. If it keeps Beasley off the pitch in any situation I approve Castillo's addition.
+ I think Dempsey gets a bad rap. He never looks to be playing hard and he gets up slow. He has a long gait that doesn't give off the appearance of hustle but I don't know how people can question his dedication and determination. Boy was in tears at the end.
+ I think Dempsey should be the target forward up top and let Altidore and Davies run off him. Deuce has a nose for the goal and I'd like to keep him close to it. Of course we lack an attacking wing replacement if Deuce moved up top. I wish Benny could fill those shoes.
+ I feel empty now that the Confed Cup is over.

gotta team up with Michael from Braves and Birds, for sure.

I'm also a soccer fan who's only emotionally vested in the USMNT. Would love to have a place to keep up with and converse about US team developments without having to wade through all the club-related stuff.

Please do the soccer blog!!!

And if its off-site, please link often for those of us who enjoy USMNT soccer analysis but are too lazy to actually go find it!

Go for it Brian, would love to see a USMNT blog out there. Other than the official ussoccer blog, http://www.matchfitusa.com/ is the only solely USMNT focused blog out there that I know of. Another site, while not dedicated to USMNT, is http://yanks-abroad.com/ which is pretty self explanitory and follows Americans in their foreign leagues. There are a lot more Americans playing abroad that one might think.

It's funny that you mentioned doing something UFR-like because after watching replays via torrent of the Egpyt and Spain matches I was thinking to myself 'hey, it'd be cool to do a UFR for this stuff!"

Loved the post and would love to see a soccer blog. I was a letterwinner on the first 4 years of Michigan's Men's Varsity team (2000-2003). During the second season of the team's existence we played Furman in the Florida International Tournament. Furman had both Clint Dempsey and Ricardo Clark on their team - needless to say they taught Michigan a lesson in the form of a 4-0 thrashing with Dempsey scoring a goal. Not sure if you were aware that Michigan played them but thought you would find it interesting.

I too would appreciate a quiet USMNT soccer blog where we don't have to start every soccer thread with a "soccer is gay/boring/sucks" comment like on Fark, here or TheWolverine.

The US is never going to be world class at soccer. It is a matter of specialization. Even with talent, succeeding at the highest levels requires focus. Americans are focused on football, basketball, baseball and NASCAR. Some small degree of attention is paid to some Olympic sports like track and gymnastics.

My parents were born in the Netherlands. I may have been born in Canada, but there is only one team to chear for in our house when it comes to soccer. A country of 16 million people, the Dutch team would kill the American National soccer team 19 times out of 20 if not more frequently. That is just the way it is. Other than soccer, the only other sports that Dutchmen routinely excel in are speed skating and cycling.

I grew up in Canada, a country that has less population than many US states, yet we fill 50-65% of the ranks of the NHL. No matter who is playing in the playoffs, it is easy to find a hometown boy to root for.

Canada is a world power in the sport of rowing. Does the US even have a rowing team?

And realistically, with the large influx of Latino players in MLB there really are two "American" sports: Football and Basketball [which was invented by a Canadian FWIW]...and you might toss in NASCAR with that. There is nothing wrong with that. Great sports. Football is God's sport. You just cannot be good at everything. You just can't. If all the world class American athletes now playing football went into soccer, yeah, they would likely field a competitive team and dominate the sport. I know you love to chant "USA, USA, USA" whenever you get the chance, but really boys...and here is my Canadian roots coming into play...it was fun to watch as your soccer experience mirrored a Greek tragedy. Americans are such insufferable winners, that it is fun, it is first class entertainment, to watch you lose, even struggle at any sport, especially a sport that the rest of the world finds so captivating.

And Brian, you need to get out of the state of Michigan once and while, live somewhere else, broaden your loalties and join this great cosmopolitan global community. I grew up in Toronto, played hockey growing up and don't need a glowing puck to follow the game, and am a died in the wool Leafs fan. In MLB, I am a Jays fan who really did not notice that Cito was black until an American broadcaster pointed out that he was the first black manager to win the World Series. In the MBA I follow the Raptors and in football I watch the Bills. I don't watch CFL since the expansion and contraction. Then I left home and went to grad school and fell in love with college football and basketball and am now Maize and Blue to the core. But having taken up residence in London, I have begun following OHL hockey and the London Knights. And since my school days and now that I live in much closer proximity to Detroit than my hometown, I tried to fall in love with Red Wings and the Pistons and the Lions, but just can't. I cheered when Pittsburg beat you in 7 in your own arena. Ohhh that was sweet. But at the same time, Ohio is hated place filled with hooligans and boors and come the 5th of September I will be in section 42 decked out in all my finest team wear singing the Victors and cheering our boys as they spread and shred WMU...