OT: US soccer vs Costa Rica open thread
The U.S. lineup vs. Costa Rica tonight: Howard; Chandler, Orozco Fiscal, Bocanegra (capt.), Castillo; Donovan, Edu, Torres; Rogers, Altidore, Shea.
Subs: Hamid, Goodson, Spector, Larentowicz, Kljestan, Ream, Agudelo
Game on espn2 and espn3, 11pm ET, from Home Depot Center in Cali. Discuss.
Can we still have soccer threads during the OT limitations? Delete if necessary.
September 2nd, 2011 at 10:56 PM ^
Saw this and started wondering if it will last the night before a game. Either way Go Yanks! Give 'em hell!
September 2nd, 2011 at 10:59 PM ^
Enough of soccer. Yes, it was fun for a while in the summer. But it is football season now.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 PM ^
but I fear the wrath of the mods so much.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:04 PM ^
I took a risk. Usually get nice soccer threads on here. No harm no foul if deleted.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 PM ^
Roddick and Jack Sock (great name) locked at 3 all in the 3rd. Will let you know what happens with the tv coverage if/when figure out the programming.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^
Guh. At least Baylor/TCU is proving to be a good game, of course I picked Baylor to win... so that may be why i'm liking it
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 PM ^
Is that on a national broadcast? I just settled in for lingerie football on MTV2
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^
It's on Espn but I think you may of just persuaded me to change the channel
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:02 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:06 PM ^
It's just a friendly. Their league clubs pay them to play.
If it were WC qualifying time, they would schedule it so all internationals could play with their national team.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^
http://www.fulhamfc.com/MatchAndTeam/FixturesList.aspx
Dempsey just wants to avoid the travel of England - Cali - Belgium - England. He's only playing in the Belgium game this week.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:12 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:15 PM ^
None of the big leagues are playing this week as qualifying for the European Championships (taking place next summer) is going on.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^
in Europe take this week off. The EPL has no games until next Saturday, so players at those clubs are mostly available, save for injuries.
Englands Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 are still playing this weekend.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:06 PM ^
There are weekends where no European games are scheduled, so that players can take part in Euro qualifying and friendlies. This weekend is one of them and there's one in October as well. Dempsey has elected to only play in the second friendly in Belgium in order to not travel so much (From England to Cali to Belgium to England)
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:04 PM ^
my bad.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:11 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:11 PM ^
Although he's quickly been hailed the next wunderkid, he's played a ton of games recently and has to be exhausted. Whatever he does tonight, keep that in mind.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:12 PM ^
Has the game not started yet? I have ESPN3 up, since currently I don't have cable, and I'm getting a message about the event "about to begin." Can someone watching on ESPN2 confirm?
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:13 PM ^
Match just ended. We'll find out soon.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:14 PM ^
No soccer action yet though
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 PM ^
Ahh, ok. Thank you!
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:14 PM ^
Us open match just finished. ESPN2 about to swtich over. Twitter indicating teams just walking out. Game hasn't started yet.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:21 PM ^
He's one of the stars of the MLS on Real Salt Lake. Unfortunately, they are without 18 year old Joey Campbell who was just bought by Arsenal. I would've liked to see him tonight. They're also without standouts Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges (at least that's what Ives Galarcep called them). Costa Rica is historically a pretty good team, but they've taken a dip in form over the last 5-ish years.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:24 PM ^
Saborio, striker, is solid for Real Salt Lake in MLS. Other than that, there aren't any very notable names on their squad. For the most part, Costa Rica is a smaller fish in CONCACAF. They challenge for a World Cup bid usually, but they haven't recently. Of course, before the US became a power for CONCACAF, Costa Rica was definitely a higher-quality team.
To comment on Klinsmann's selections, is anyone else happy that Timmy Chandler is playing? I was getting nervous that he was going to switch his allegiance back to Germany after the last few no-shows. Hopefully he'll progress greatly for the next World Cup, and be a quality starter.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:18 PM ^
Nice to join you all for another USMNT match.
Always good to embrace one's national pride.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:22 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:26 PM ^
I think it was an opener and they went through the motions. I also think they're overrated.
Also - M has frequently had underwhelming games against inferior opponents early in the season, and has also regularly won B1G championships in those very same seasons. So I don't think these games necessarily indicate much, and thus I don't take much from tonight.
In sum: a win's a win, they're overrated, and that's fine with me.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^
Have some more bread and water.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
I do pretzels dammit.
And I have to be up early tomorrow - so no prophylactic measures needed tonight.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:55 PM ^
September 3rd, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^
I'm not even parking cars.
September 3rd, 2011 at 12:13 AM ^
I see that Michigan State degree just pays for itself. Good choice!
September 3rd, 2011 at 12:19 AM ^
I'm rich as fuck.
Despite that I keep singing "god-dammit" to myself like that old "By Mennen" advertisement.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^
Nice set up there by the US! Good to see some offensive-minded play this early.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^
staying wide, passing relatively well. I like the shape of the team so far. We should see a very assertive US side tonight against a weaker Costa Rica.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:28 PM ^
I really like Landon in a roaming middle role too, especially with wide mids like Shea and Rogers.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:30 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:33 PM ^
Landon is a pretty douchey guy. If he wasn't the best US player ever, he'd drive me nuts. But he balances it with hard work, so he's tolerable. There's a reason he's rarely the captain.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:34 PM ^
between this: http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/luke-rodgers-vs-landon-donovan-war-of-words/12577
and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALJu7YPMNBI
He can be a crybaby at times, but he's also Captain America. You need to remember that being a crybaby is much more the norm in soccer than the exception. Look at Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Most fans just accept the crybaby part and look past it.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:36 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:41 PM ^
Most of the time a post defender in basketball falls over when being backed down, it's completely overacting, but the overacting is what it takes to get the call. There is an appropriate way to do this and the Manu Ginobli way to do it. I think it's very similar in soccer, there is a certain line where it's ok to go down easy and grab a body part, but when you stay down for 30 seconds and the stretcher comes out, it's crossing the line.
The good thing is that the US players hardly ever take part in this excessive gamesmanship.
http://www.mlsfanblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/bloody-mcbride.jpg
When this happened to Brian McBride, he just waited till the play was over and ran off, a la Zack Novak.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:50 PM ^
In basketball, they man up, take the charge, get the call or don't get the call, and walk away. They don't pretend they are hurt and roll around on the ground and cry like littlle girls.
I blame the refs for that. The players do it because too often it works. The refs don't need to give yellow cards to stop the drama, they just have to stop calling the fake fouls so easily. Play on.
September 3rd, 2011 at 1:12 AM ^
Did he cry and pretend he was hurt? No. He gave it a shot (a piss poor one that Duke usually gets away with) and it didn't work. Then he got up and went back to the game.
No magic spray.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:42 PM ^
I just really got into international soccer the summer before you (not really a fan of club yet) and I am the same exact way. HATE it also the reason 95% of NBA players bug me (e.g. Paul Pierce getting wheeled off the court and then playing shortly after)
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:46 PM ^
Apparently our coach (much as I like him [a lot]) was a posterchild for this as a player.
But I hate this shit too - I don't need a club full of Manny Ramirezes.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^
because he plays like a world-class player. And frankly, being a diving, douchey, pussy is the way that all world-class players play.
In general, the US is at a disadvantage because we are taught to "throw some dirt on it and get back out there," and not be a pussy and wail around until magic spray and towel comes out. We need to learn to become more douchey to be effective against the world in futbol. SRSLY.