Time, Unfortunately, Proceeds: Ghana Comment Count

Brian

Do we have to? Does it really have to be Saturday? Gah. I've felt resentment at the tennis guys or General McChrystal and everything else that keeps happening and the people who keep talking about it when all I want is a day to do nothing but get in the Clockwork Orange machine and hear "OH, IT'S INCREDIBLE" over and over again. (The only exception: Slovakia bombing Italy right out of the World Cup.) From time to time I would take breaks to listen to Andres Cantor lose his mind and his voice. Also if we could get the Japanese announcers' reactions that would be fantastic too.

Yes. We have to. But not before this bit where I link to a lot of stuff.

THE AWESOME

My favorite is the kid in his basement who treats his stairs like a rollercoaster. Girl, you'll be a blogger soon.

If you want that broken down into individual clips, the New York Times has you covered.

The best things that are writing are Orson's Proustian journey into his Nats fandom and the Run of Play writing on alternate universes and happiness. There is also Dan Levy's clutch interview with Ian Darke.

 Brian Phillips:

I’ve been reading match reports—you know, the analytic, intelligent, fullbacks-were-used, the-universe-didn’t-explode-into-radiant-particles variety—and I have a feeling of simultaneously understanding them and not understanding them, like a patient who’s too drugged to follow his own diagnosis. There’s another order of reality, and it’s sheared off the top of the sky. It’s incandescent. I have a broken jaw, and all my perceptions are beautiful.

And Orson:

A silhouette of a fan appears at the top of the hill. He's wearing an Uncle Sam top hat and American flag across his shoulders as a cape. I don't know why he's out there. In retrospect, maybe he just wanted to tell someone, anyone what had just happened. In Little Five Points at five in the morning, this would likely be a homeless man looking for grain alcohol, but he would have told him all the same, and possibly bought him a beer.

Instead he sees me, and screams at me down the hill.

"WE'RE UP ON PORTUGAL TWO-NIL! FREAKING PORTUGAL!!!"

I start sprinting up the hill. Every fan has a focal moment, a point where, like a serial killer, you crossed the line from being a normal person to someone who would discard everything in the name of obsession. With U.S. soccer, being up two goals against Portugal at five in the morning is mine.

THE HAT

Question: did the ridiculous American flag soccer hat spontaneously materialize on Maurice Edu's head when Landon Donovan scored?

edu-hat

Later they put it on Torres's head, which successfully made him look 12:

 ricardo-baba-yaga

Also Ricardo Clark looks like the Baba Yaga.

DAMARCUS BEASLEY'S EYES POP OUT OF HIS DAMN HEAD

damarcus-beasley-yellow-card-vs-algeria

This is forever going to the image that pops into my mind whenever a terrible refereeing decision happens.

CLINT DEMPSEY AND LANDON DONOVAN

clint-landon-algeria-goal

In one way—the dumb way—they're the least "diverse" members of the USA team, but Landon is admittedly a fancy lad even if "Landycakes" is so dead it's giving Beano Cook a run for his money and Dempsey, well, Dempsey:

The kid [Altidore] is part bull, though, and this time he muscled into the box and cut it to Clint Dempsey, a Texan who claims his parents sold some of their guns to finance his youth soccer career. UNITED STATES! UNITED STATES!

When I was in Chicago, Orson Swindle and I got up at the obscenely early (for me, anyway) time of 7 AM on a Saturday to catch the Australia friendly before the World Cup, and during that 90 minutes we decided that Dempsey has never ended any sentence spoken on a soccer field with a word other than "…bitch." Check the OMG Yanks photo archive for proof.

ON CONVERSION

An ton of post-match commentary has focused on the Donovan goal as yet another galvanizing moment that will thrust soccer into the national consciousness. I find this depressing. Who cares? I mean, it's great that a lot of people will no longer look at you funny, but if your primary reaction to that goal is to think about what people who don't care about the national team think now that's a wasted opportunity to write something about what will probably stand as the the greatest moment in USMNT history on the day you die instead of what Jim Rome thinks about it.

The worst (the worst), though, are the That's On Point commenters who are worried that this might make soccer more popular and decrease their indie cred. Triple guh.

And, Finally, Moving On: Ghana

The situation is "win or go home."  FWIW, The US is actually a slight favorite according to the bookies at +165 to Ghana's +195. Better to be us than Mexico, which is –200 against Argentina.

The Opponent

African sides are stereotypically athletic, skilled, disorganized, and prone to horrible mistakes. Ghana defies the latter two, and possibly latter three. They are a compact, organized defense that puts a lot of guys behind the ball and tries to counterattack with a limited number of attacking players. The result is not thrilling scoreboards:

Not since November last year, when it drew 2-2 with Mali in a World Cup qualifier in Kumasi, has Ghana scored twice in a game, and yet in that time it has reached the final of the African Cup of Nations and, after two games of Group D, looks the likeliest of the African teams to reach the knockout phase. Of its past seven competitive games, four have been won 1-0, and only Ivory Coast, which inflicted a 3-1 defeat in the Cup of Nations, has managed to score more than one against Ghana's defense.

Those streaks were extended a game each in Germany's 1-0 defeat of Ghana in the final group match. Jon Wilson, the author of the above, does point out that when Ghana was pressing for a goal against 10-man Australia they "lost shape" and unleashed a torrent of harmless long-range shots. They're not very good at breaking down a set defense, and managed to get through their group without scoring a goal from the run of play—both Ghanian goals were penalties. Their tournament has been the USA's Algeria game writ large:

Despite Germany having the better of the game, Ghana were breaking and creating chances of their own. Yet again, they lacked clinical finishing, and for all the pace and direct running they offered, you were never completely sure they were going to actually put the ball in the net. They’ve been extremely impressive at this tournament and yet have relied on two penalties for the goals.

Their setup is basically a 4-3-2-1:

gha-srb

Asamoah Gyan is the yellow circle, Prince Tagoe the blue circle most advanced, and then you've got a blender of midfield folk plus the standard split between very defensive center backs and somewhat attacking fullbacks. This is a slightly more attacking setup for the World Cup than they did in their surprise Essien-less run in the African Cup of Nations, replacing Inter central midfielder Sully Muntari with Prince Tagoe, who plays as an extremely advanced winger.

Gyan, a teammate of Carlos Bocanegra at Rennes, is the lone striker. He looks like Manny Harris's older brother, and his role is a cross between Brian Ching and Jozy Altidore: he is left alone up top and is asked to run on to a lot of long balls, hold them up, and wait for the midfield cavalry to arrive. He hasn't gotten a lot of his own opportunities as a result, and hasn't finished anything except the two PKs. That doesn't mean he's bad

Ghana’s use of one man upfront meant they struggled to make too many clear-cut chances, but Gyan’s intelligent running into the channels did cause a constant threat to the Serbia defence. Ghana only had three shots on target, and they all came from the Rennes striker. He also hit the post twice – once from a near post header on the right, once from a low shot from the left. Lone strikers need to be able to cause a nuisance to both centre-backs, and Gyan does that excellently.

…it's just the tactical setup.

Leaving Gyan up top alone gives Ghana an extra guy in midfield, and as you can see by the big glob in the middle of the field above, that means a lot of tough-tackling, athletic guys right in the middle of the park breaking up attacks and holding possession. The presence of Ballack-slayer and newly minted Ghanaian international Kevin Prince Boateng has provided the team with an increased ability to build from the middle of the park, and it will be important for the strikers to come back to harry Anthony Annan, their version of Pablo Mastroeni.

The Us

Bob Bradley has some interesting tactical decisions going into the game:

Onyewu? With the quick turnaround Onyewu will likely be at least as fit as either Bocanegra or Demerit, who are coming off 270 minutes. Meanwhile, Ghana attacks the right flank with a lot more determination and skill than Algeria—which is almost entirely left-sided—did. This would expose Bornstein to an active, physical Prince Tagoe. On the other hand, Onyewu was rusty in the first two games and at least partially responsible for the three goals the US gave up.

This is a tough choice I don't envy Bradley for having to make. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think the tie-breaker is Bocanegra's extensive familiarity with Gyan. I'd put him in the middle and start Spector. Bradley will start Bornstein.

Who's the second striker? I'm with Stars and Gripes in advocating the addition of Dempsey to the front line; surely at this point Robbie Findley has played himself out of the starting lineup. Both Gomez and Buddle have been more dangerous in brief cameo appearances than Findley has been in two starts, and the most attractive attacking soccer came with Findley out of the lineup. S&G has a similar opinion:

Through two weeks, however, it’s become far too obvious that he doesn’t have the technical skill or vision to compete on this level—yet.  Speed only gets you so far against world-class defenders, and Findley prematurely ended a number of promising attacks by running into a crowd and losing the ball.  I was rather shocked he made the starting XI twice, and I believe that feeling has been vindicated.

Buddle and Gomez were about on par, more likely than Findley to find some space and launch a shot at goal but not exactly thrilling. The Shin Guardian expects Findley to get the nod, but… seriously… no. He will be consumed whole by Ghana's experienced back line.

Wings? Maybe one wing? Ghana's defenders are stout but short. With Isaac Vorsah out of the lineup with an injury, the back line for Ghana maxes out at 5'10". I know I suggested this for the Algeria game, but this could be a game in which Stuart Holden's crossing ability finds a use.

Who partners Bradley? If Edu is fit, you'd think it would be him, since he's the guy who's looked the best in recent games. Torres is right out since the overload in midfield will require the USA's central midfield to cover a lot of ground crossly. The quick turnaround might argue in favor of the rested Clark, but Edu came off at halftime for Feilhaber and should be fine.

My eleven:

G: Howard

D: Spector, Demerit, Bocanegra, Cherundolo

(Spector is a better matchup for the physical Tagoe and I have lingering Bornstein terror. I think you have to sit Onyewu.)

M: Donovan, Edu, Bradley, Holden

(Holden's fresh and if Dempsey has to play, and he does, I'm a little worried he'll fade if he's supposed to track counter-attacks.)

F: Altidore, Dempsey

(Dempsey can drop back into an attacking mid spot if necessary, and can pace himself if necessary.)

I'm betting Bradley goes with Bornstein and either Buddle or Gomez with Holden on the bench, though.

Comments

UMQuadz05

June 25th, 2010 at 4:51 PM ^

I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw the post-game photo and thought "wait...who's the little kid in there?"

Seriously, I haven't gotten any work done since Tuesday.

FGB

June 25th, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^

you have to have Dempsey in a reserved role if he's playing forward, because a lot of his value in the middle portions (chronologically, not geographically) of the Algeria game was the linkage between Bradley at midfield and Lando/Jozy/Mediocre US Forward B in the final third.

I understand he's been working a lot in these games, but he also plays an EPL schedule and all that comes with it (FA Cup, Europa, Carling Cup), so a Wednesday-Saturday turnaround is not uncommon.

turbo cool

June 25th, 2010 at 5:22 PM ^

It's interesting that Holden hasn't even gotten on the field so far yet he could still have a notable impact on our tournament run. He's in a tough position because he's basically backing up Landon and Dempsey and those are our two best players.

Though I agree that Holden probably should've started last game, I wouldn't mind if he came off the bench pushing Dempsey up top to pair with Jozy, taking Gomez or Buddle off depending on how things are looking in the 2nd half (IMO anywhere from 60th-70th min max). Really, IMO it's a toss up between Buddle and Gomez but I like Gomez, because he's one of those forwards who doesn't have the most technical ability, but he just knows how to score and/or create scoring opportunities. And really, that's exactly what you want out of your forwards.

I don't think Spector will play. As ridiculous as it sounds, I can see Bornstein starting in this game. He played well vs Algeria and Bob loves this kid ever since their Chivas days. I wouldn't be surprised if we had the same starting lineup vs Algeria tomorrow. Another reason for this, and more importantly, Boca played MUCH better in the center with Demerit than on the left. Keep in mind that Boca is a natural centerback so that makes sense but I really like him and Demerit together. So whatever, left back is a revolving door and there will likely be some sort of Bornstein/Spector/Beasley combination there tomorrow with the most likely being Bornsteing/Beasley (damnit, I hate when subs are wasted on defenders).

PurpleStuff

June 25th, 2010 at 9:17 PM ^

One or both of us are wrong (the truth does often lie somewhere in the middle) but I thought he was terrible against Algeria.  Never had a useful touch going forward the whole game (whereas Cherundulo was really the engine of the US attack in the first half) and he seemed way out of position at least a half dozen times.  I haven't rewatched it and a lot can be missed at first glance (especially in such an emotional game) but I was terrified every time he came onto the screen and really think a more dangerous team in the final third could have taken big advantage of his play.

That being said, in a lesser of two evils debate I'd rather be sound in the middle than on the wings, even if that means having to bring Bocanegra inside, though I would pick Spector over Bornstein any day.

grand river fi…

June 25th, 2010 at 9:57 PM ^

That being said, in a lesser of two evils debate I'd rather be sound in the middle than on the wings, even if that means having to bring Bocanegra inside, though I would pick Spector over Bornstein any day.

Ghana, despite the packed midfield has more natural width in Ayew and Tagoe then any team the Nats have come up against in this tournament.  The thought of either Bornstein or Spector with their usual horrible postioning attempting to mark either of them is terrifying, and seems likely to result in rash challenges from behind and penalties.

w2olvesg

June 25th, 2010 at 5:42 PM ^

call me crazy but what about starting torres in holden's spot?  i feel like he could thrive here against ghana's packed midfield, and his crosses could do wonders against ghana's short back line

jamiemac

June 25th, 2010 at 6:08 PM ^

Great stuff, Brian. And thanks for the JCB link.

I dont think Ghana looked as good in legs 2 and 3 as they did in their opener. They should have scored so many goals against Serbia. I'd worry if they keep rolling up the chances like they did in that one.

I dont think Onyewu plays. Gyan is not the guy you want to check if you're still a step slow from injury. I do wonder if familiarity vis a vis Bocanegra will help. Its still hard to imagine the US D not pulling Gyan down or something obviously worse in the box to get a PK shot. The dude is always in the air or something and defenders panic at that. Hopefully ours wont

I dont think any of these games in this bracket quadrant are being decided in 90 minutes.

The official JCB prediction is a 2-1 US win with a Clint Dempsey goal coming sometime after the 100th minute.

Buckle in, it will be a fun day or soccer

USA #1!!!!!

grand river fi…

June 25th, 2010 at 6:11 PM ^

I loved this comment:

"I find this depressing. Who cares? I mean, it's great that a lot of people will no longer look at you funny, but if your primary reaction to that goal is to think about what people who don't care about the national team think now that's a wasted opportunity to write something about what will probably stand as the the greatest moment in USMNT history on the day you die instead of what Jim Rome thinks about it."

The constant talk of wether or not Americans will embrace soccer has been incredibly frustrating.  It's even become a central talking point in the English press now. 

I'm really interested to see how the US backline does with the Ghanaian pressure.  Tagoe, Ayew and Gyan have been fantastic at working hard without the ball, and neither Onyewu, Demerit or Bocanegra are very technically gifted and I can see them giving the ball away in their own half quite often.

Also, I would definetly play Dempsey in the middle up front and force Annan to mark him.  I think Bradley's normal 4-4-2 will leave the Nats desperately undermanned in the middle.

turbo cool

June 26th, 2010 at 12:09 AM ^

I agree that this can be frustrating. For us true soccer fans here it is annoying. We don't care about if Joe Schmoe likes the game or not. However, this is a big deal. If the news reporters and talking heads like the Sportscenter anchors or public figures like big-time actors and actresses or a walking corporation like an Oprah-type figure, actually appreciate the game and basically endorse the game, then this is a good thing. And I can't emphasize that enough.

For instance, 16 years ago, having the World Cup in our own backyard brought the game to the consciousness of the average American and from there MLS was born. Even if it was a fad at the time, people got into it. MLS teams don't even make much money and most still don't. However, that spike in interest helped create our own professional league which has become an extremely valuable tool in developing our young talent (see Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore, etc.).

Again, soccer is a product that unfortunately needs to be marketed still to the American consumer who normally wouldn't care. And if you are able to continue widening the influence of soccer, you can attract more talent to the game. Think about all the cornerbacks, safeties, point guards, or short-stops who would make great soccer players had they cared about the sport or even had an outlet to play. Perhaps if it was the "cool" or accepted sport in their neighborhood they would've been soccer stars.

grand river fi…

June 26th, 2010 at 12:33 AM ^

 Perhaps if it was the "cool" or accepted sport in their neighborhood they would've been soccer stars.

I agree that all the increased attention will likely result in more young, talented kids become soccer players.  I was just talking about how it's annoying how everyone is trying to extrapolate so much from the results of these games.  Now as a fan i'm hopeful that increased attention and popularity will increase the number of games were given access too (through normal broadcasts), and it'd be nice to believe that one more Nats victory tomorrow would spare me from future mornings of watching choppy Ligue 1 matches on my laptop.  But this habit of acting like the future of something as diffuse as "American soccer"  is absurd.  These games are tense and entertaining enough already, it seems unnecessary, and a bit annoying that everyone thinks they have to connect each game to some greater narrative.

grand river fi…

June 25th, 2010 at 6:44 PM ^

It's a complete toss up when it comes down to penalites,, and I really don't think the results of penalties in the normal sequence of the game offer much insight (eg. the Donovan MLS cup miss, or Trezegut missing in the France-Italy final) into how the penalty sequence will play out. 

Although Howard is definelty an advantage over the Ghanaian,  It normally comes down which group of penalty takers better deals with the pressure.  So I'd go with Ghana, a bunch of their players have been through a penalty shoot out in the final of the U20 World Cup, and that experience should do them well.

That said, unless England or Germany are involved penalties are basically a coin flip.

jamiemac

June 25th, 2010 at 6:35 PM ^

But, I will attempt to forward this discussion by guessing who the US would use......and, by all means neg bang away if this is something thats already been announced and I just missed it.....but how about Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, Altidore and Bocanegra.

Actually, i do think Ghana could be dangerous. There's obviously Gyan who is 2/2 in the WC on PKs. And, the Black Stars just won the U20 WC and Asamoah and Ayen were two of the best players. They won the championship on PKs over Brazil. I have the highlight clip linked and posted on the JCB, but I cant tell who is taking the kicks. The announcers aint talking amurican and you cant really tell otherwise from camera angle who the numbers are. But, you have to think one, if not both, were taking the shots. ghana hit four of five, btw.

njf520

June 25th, 2010 at 7:22 PM ^

anyone have a link tothe CBC's call of the donovan goal?  or easy-ish instructions to dancing around the fact that the CBC won't let you watch clips if you have a non-canadian IP?

GoBlueBrooklyn

June 25th, 2010 at 7:31 PM ^

Bradley vs Boateng will be the match-up to watch... I think Bradley can do very well and if he gets forward and Edu plays (I think he offers the best counter attack protection to the back four), I think we have a chance to control the game. My main fear is the penalty; we've conceded none yet and they live on them. We are hitting above our average there-- just incredibly nervous for a mistake in the back four.

Also, if Dempsey can be as positive as he was against Algeria, he's good for one and I think our height advantage on set pieces may finally yield a goal that's allowed to stand. Donovan has been deadly putting balls in the area; I think it finally pays off.

I am 50-50 on this match; history tells me not to get my hopes up, but really, I'm not that afraid of them; I'm more afraid of us. Fingers crossed that we can get it done... we owe them.

My name ... is Tim

June 25th, 2010 at 7:42 PM ^

Brian, next time I'd appreciate a little warning on the video clip so I don't start getting emotional and embarrass myself by tearing up in front of people.



Everyone else got emotional, right? Right?

Kilgore Trout

June 25th, 2010 at 9:23 PM ^

The worst (the worst), though, are the That's On Point commenters who are worried that this might make soccer more popular and decrease their indie cred. Triple guh.

I love this line.  One, very true.  Just like those clowns that suddenly don't like a band anymore when they get popular.  Two, including a Chris Rock and Amy's Aunt Linda reference in the same thought is impressive (unless of course I've completely screwed up the references).

MGoShoe

June 25th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^

....interview is here.  Definitely worth a listen.  Besides the discussion of his call of the Donovan goal, it also includes discussion about the impact of the results on the US chances for winning the 2022 World Cup and:

...comments about England's tumult, the mess in Italy and France and whether or not America is full of conspiracy theorists or actually getting screwed by bad calls.

zlionsfan

June 26th, 2010 at 1:50 AM ^

I remember that match well. It was the last year I lived in an apartment - only a couple of months later and the noise wouldn't have been an issue at all, but as it was, because I was a kind and considerate person, I was watching in my bedroom (I'm a fan, but I'm lazy too and not a morning person, and damn was that early) with the sound nearly off.

Keeping quiet after the first goal was easy; after the second, it was more difficult; and when it was 3-0, I may actually have rolled onto my back and thrashed my arms and legs in the air to get the excitement out. 3-0! On Portugal!

That was a great match, but there was something better about being in a soccer bar with about three dozen other crazy people, agonizing over every shot that inexplicably avoided an empty Algerian net ... and being able to celebrate with them when Donovan finally put it away, that was awesome.

Here's hoping we have something more to celebrate this afternoon.

msoccer10

June 28th, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^

The final players on the field in the Algeria game were the ones (minus Beasley) who should have been starting all along. And the goal against Algeria was scored by Howard, Donovan, Altidore and Dempsey. Those were four players who played the whole game and were clearly our best players for the tournament. Anyone would have had them in the lineup.

In fact, I was upset Bradley took Altidore out against Ghana. The guys I  watched with thought it was a good move, but I thought that was a mistake as well. The players on the field lost the game, but Bradley made mistakes that directly effected the game, imo.