Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3; David Bowie: Best of Bowie; David Gray: Draw the Line; Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest; Andrew Bird: Noble Beast; Owl City: Ocean Eyes; Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon; The Bird and the Bee: Please Clap Your Hands; The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D.; U2: No Line on the Horizon

My favorite album of 2009 was undoubtedly Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix which I previously wrote about.  Of the albums listed above–and previously unmentioned in this space–none quite captivated me in a way that inspired me to write about it until I wanted to solicit recommendations after receiving a bounty of amazon gift cards for Christmas. I am probably to blame for this phenomenon because my selections over the last two years have overwhelmingly been indie/arty/folk/chamber pop type selections. To earn the recommendations I seek, I will post some brief thoughts on each of the albums pictured above.

Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3

“Empire State of Mind” is an awesome song, probably my favorite of the year.  The piano, the beat, Alicia Keys, Jay’s rapping, they are all perfect.  Stephen Colbert tried to give Jay a run for his money with his own version of the song with Alicia Keys and the performance is hilarious, but just doesn’t compete.  “D.O.A. [Death of Auto Tune]” is another great song, one that I particularly appreciate because I only like auto-tune when the Gregory Brothers auto-tune the news. Honestly I can only stomach three or four Jay-Z songs at a time before I get bored.  The third song that I usually choose from this album before finding something else to listen to is “Run This Town” which features Rihanna and Kanye West and is fun and catchy.

David Bowie: Best of Bowie

How weird is it that I went to a U2 concert and saw Muse and U2 and yet walked away not able to get “Space Oddity” out of my head?  U2 walked onto stage to the song, and it intrigued me.  I’ve been meaning to check out Bowie ever since Nirvana covered “The Man Who Sold the World” on Unplugged in New York, and it only took me another chance encounter and 15 years to do it.  I’m glad I finally did, and not just because I learned “Heroes” was not written by Jakob Dylan.  The songs are rich and diverse, and make me want to explore Bowie further.

David Gray: Draw the Line

I’m a big David Gray fan and while I enjoy this album, I was not immediately grabbed like I was when I heard White Ladder and Life in Slow Motion.  It may take a couple more listens to grab me and that’s just fine.

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

What strikes me funny about this album is that I only ever remember one song from it, “Two Weeks”.  I never regret listening to the album, but it is too easy to forget.  It’s possible that I’m just not hipster enough (at all) to appreciate chamber pop.  Maybe next year.

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

Armchair Apocrypha gets better with each listen.  I hoped Noble Beast would also, and it does.  It is a very polished album: I need to listen to it more.  I never thought I would appreciate onomatopoeia, but I do.  Bird is very creative with every part of his music from the instruments he uses, the way he turns a phrase, to his lyrics, and timing.  I am really impressed.

Owl City: Ocean Eyes

Owl City is not my cup of tea.  The lyrics are inane and the music is bland.  If it’s not auto-tune, it is a poor imitation of auto-tune.  I got talked into buying this album and I regret having it.  It reminds me of bad music I listened to in high school and early college like Something Corporate and Stroke 9.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

I bought this album because it was available for just $5 when it was one of amazon’s daily deals.  It seems like it’s one of those albums that I should own so it was too hard to pass up at that price.  I’ve listened to it twice, and it’s good.  Maybe someday I’ll understand why it is such a profound album.

The Bird and the Bee: Please Clap Your Hands

For some reason I am drawn to male-female duos.  I like The Bird and the Bee mainly because of Inara George’s voice, but also because of the excellent keyboarding and programming by her partner in crime Greg Kurstin.  It’s like a delicious mixture of Regina Spektor, Andrew Bird, Luscious Jackson and M Ward/Zoey Deschanel.   “Polite Dance Song” is my favorite song on the EP: it borders trite like The Gourds’ cover of “Gin and Juice” or “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Travis where the singer’s voice and the music doesn’t fit with the lyrics, but on this occasion it works well.

The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D.

The Black Eyed Peas know how to make me want to shake my moneymaker.  I’m not a fan of Oprah, but this was cool.  The album has a lot of filler, but just having the songs “I Gotta Feeling” and “Boom Boom Pow” available to play when I crave something fun and upbeat makes this purchase worthwhile.

U2: No Line on the Horizon

I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, for U2 to make one song as good as any of the songs on their albums pre-1991.  That may not be fair.  For me, when I want to listen to U2 I am not going to choose this album.

Happy New Year!

Photo from dcunited’s flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcunited/4014318316/

The US overcame a two-goal deficit, horrendous finishing, playing down a man, and playing with heavy hearts with their teammate  Charlie Davies in the hospital to tie a Costa Rica team desperate for the win that would qualify them for next summer’s World Cup.  Jonathan Bornstein’s header from a Robbie Rogers corner kick in the 95th minute leveled the score 2-2 and secured first place in CONCACAF for the US after a grueling 16-month tournament.  On the other side, it was heartbreak for Costa Rica; the tie pushed them into fourth place which means a two-game playoff with Uruguay, CONMEBOL’s fifth place team, will decide which nation will be the final team to qualify for South Africa.

It was a very strange match.  It started as an open, attacking affair which saw both sides with chances in the first 30 minutes.  Unfortunately for the US it was Costa Rica that was able to capitalize, building a two-goal lead after 24 minutes thanks to a three minute, world-class  display by Bryan Ruiz.  The first goal was a deadly combination of attacking verve and defensive timidity.  Ruiz turned Oguchi Onyewu at the corner of the 18 and then made a beeline for the goal.  Carlos Bocanegra was slow to react and Howard was soft coming off his line.  ESPN commentator Alexi Lalas mentioned the idea that the timid display could be the result of the US playing to not get a red card.  Whenever you play with the purpose to not do something, bad things happen.  Just three minutes later the Costa Ricans played an impressive sequence of passes to undo the left side of the US defense before Ruiz hit a laser into the far upper V.  The US was shell-shocked.  Costa Rica had one foot in Cape Town.  From there, however, the US took over and generated chance after chance.  Before the goals, on 9 minutes, Conor Casey missed a 100% opportunity after a wonderful individual display by Jozy Altidore.  Before half-time Altidore would miss a similar opportunity as would Landon Donovan.

The goals would come.  Michael Bradley followed up a Donovan shot and awkwardly forced the ball into the ground and over the onrushing keeper; it took sheer determination to break the seal.  Even after Onyewu went down with a torn patella tendon and the US was playing with 10 men, substitute Jose Francisco Torres dictated play and the US was relentless in their pursuit of the second goal.  Finally, with seconds remaining Bornstein rose to meet a well-driven corner kick from Rogers and the celebrations began.

In the post-game celebration the team posed in front of a Charlie Davies banner.  Captain Carlos Bocanegra thanked the fans for their support throughout qualification.  With Trinidad and Tobago tying Mexico, the US finished first in CONCACAF.  Again.  Even with the excitement of the game and clinching first, soccer is still secondary.  The US soccer community all wishes Davies a speedy recovery, and we pray for comfort for the family and friends of the passenger who died.  Though the injuries are less severe, we all are also hoping Onyewu and Jay DeMerit are able to recover quickly and fully as well.

Sidenote: We US fans weren’t the only people excited by last night’s late night.  Check out the radio call from Honduras.  Keep in mind all three CONCACAF matches were played simultaneously and the US tie propelled Honduras into the World Cup aka El Mundial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tL-Wfs1ZjU

Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

Mission Accomplished. The US is going to South Africa after scoring three goals in the second half and surviving a few scares in the dying moments against a Honduras team that had won all eight of its prior home games in 2010 qualifying.  Conor Casey scored the first two goals and drew the foul that led to the third.  Donovan scored the third, expertly hitting a direct kick over a five-man wall and into the upper corner from 20 yards.  Honduras had scored in the first two minutes of the second half on a similar direct kick.  They were fortunate to be credited with a second goal after a missed offside call, but unfortunate to miss a penalty with five minutes remaining.  Having missed the first 30 minutes and only able to watch the remainder of the game on an Internet feed, it is difficult to judge individual performances.  What I will say is that qualification is not easy, no matter where you are in the world (ask fans of Portugal or Argentina or Nigeria), and the US is in for the sixth consecutive World Cup.  Kudos to Bob Bradley.  The US won all its home matches (with one remaining) and won in Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras.

Here are some good articles/posts from journalists who were either at the game or able to watch it on a decent feed.

Americans Qualify for World Cup Steven Goff, Washington Post

Where’s the Love for U.S.’ Casey? Greg Lalas, Sports Illustrated

USA 3, Honduras 2: The U.S. is in the 2010 World Cup Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated

(AFP/Bertrand de Peaza)

With two matchdays remaining, the United States is back on top of the CONCACAF table after it posted a rare away victory against Trinidad and Tobago.  In the 24 matches played in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, the away team has only won three times (the US and Costa Rica at T&T, and Mexico at Costa Rica).  In the other two CONCACAF matches last night the home team won 1-0: Mexico over Honduras and El Salvador over the suddenly pedestrian Costa Rica.  The US also won 1-0 on the strength of a wonderstrike by midfielder Ricardo Clark, who particularly relished scoring while his Trinidadian father was in attendance in the Port of Spain.

The performance of the US is not something to remember: looking tired and unmotivated, it was only the woodwork that kept Cornell Glen and T&T off the scoreboard in the first half.  The US was unable to possess the ball or close down T&T quickly which can often lead to exciting open matches.  On this night, however, it led to sloppy play that just left me scratching my head.  Is this the team that beat Spain 2-0?  Excuses abound: you play down to the level of your opponent; eight plus hours of travel from Salt Lake City to Port of Spain, just seven miles off the coast of Venezuela, took its toll; it was hot; the pitch was bumpy; T&T was playing without pressure; the stadium lacked atmosphere as the stands were only half-full.  As a family friend used to say, “Excuses are like b-holes; everyone has one.”  So it was good to see an improved performance in the second half and a grind-it-out victory that teams with greater histories are known for.

Three performances stood out to me.  1-Jonathan Bornstein: I ripped into Bornstein after he had a howler against El Salvador on the weekend.  Bob Bradley kept faith in Bornstein, and Bornstein responded well.  He was less panicked, defending and in possession.  T&T attacked him for the first 30 minutes of the match and then seemed to surrender.  Well done Johnny B.  2-Landon Donovan: in a post-game interview Clark said Donovan is a big-time player doing big-time things.  Not the most eloquent quote, but he gets the point across. Donovan passed well and made several unsettling runs at the heart of the T&T defense.  He picked up yet another assist to add to his record as the US player with the most points. 3-Ricardo Clark: his goal was all that was needed.  The ability of the deep midfielder to hit a bomb like that is invaluable, not just for goals but for opening up defenses.  His pressure in the midfield in the second half helped the US start to defend with urgency and purpose.

The end of qualifying is just a month away, with another double fixture in the second week of October.  The US will play at Honduras on the weekend and then at home against Costa Rica midweek.  With the logjam at the top of the table, there are a number of circumstances in which the US will qualify.  The easiest to remember is that one win and the US is in.  There is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of playing composedly and possessing the ball better, but at this point the value is in getting points.  A perfect six points from this round is what was required and it is what was achieved.

(AFP/File/Pierre-Philippe Marcou)

In a press conference leading up to last night’s World Cup Qualifying match against El Salvador in Utah a reporter asked manager Bob Bradley when it becomes about style rather than just points; Bradley said, “It’s always about points.”  Though I agree it sure would have been nice to see a neater performance from a makeshift US side that needed the full three points to remain in one of the three top spots in the table that guarantee a spot in South Africa next year.

Similar to the Honduras match, the US went down 1-0 in the first half.  El Salvador’s two best players on the night, Zelaya and Castillo, combined to beat five US players with a cutback, cross and an innocuous header that Tim Howard badly misplayed.  Zelaya collected a “clearance” from Jonathan Bornstein that landed at the top of the 18.  Ridiculous.  Bornstein had the worst game of the US players, defending with panic and consistently turning the ball over when trying to possess.  Too often with the ball and without an idea, Bornstein would simply lump it forward. His chance for continued playing time took a severe blow when it was announced that Mexican-American Edgar Castillo is now eligible to play for the US, after FIFA accepted his transfer request from Mexico.  Last night I was hoping to see Jonathan Spector on the left side of defense with Steve Cherundolo on the right, something we’ll likely see Wednesday against Trinidad & Tobago.  Spector was beat on the goal, but put enough pressure on Castillo to force a weak, savable header.  The rest of the night he was solid defending and composed in possession.  He delivered a wonderful cross to Clint Dempsey, but Dempsey bungled it.  It is hard to imagine a fully healthy US side without Spector.

With Oguchi Onyewu suspended and Jay DeMerit injured, Bradley elected to slide captain Carlos Bocanegra to the middle of defense and partner him with Chad Marshall.  Marshall was the MLS player of the month in August.  He was called for several fouls early before settling in and playing solidly.  His forward passing was impressive as well.  I still rate him behind Onyewu and DeMerit, but Marshall proved capable.  Bocanegra did everything that was required of him.  In the post-match conference Bradley singled him out as a player who had a large, positive influence on the match in terms of organizing an untested backline.

Only minutes after flubbing two great chances, Dempsey headed home a sublime Landon Donovan set piece.  El Salvador tried to pull the U12 offside trap and was left with huevos on its collective face.  Dempsey was very active all night; in his determination to score he put himself in dangerous positions and played fearlessly.  It was one of his better performances of the year.  Donovan played another wonderful match.  He was the best player on the field yet again, tirelessly buzzing about like a man with three lungs.  Donovan provided the service on the second goal as well, a header by Jozy Altidore.  He led by example, tracking back when needed and always looked to impose his will.

Altidore got the goal that won the game and was robbed of a second by a dubious call by the Honduran referee Jose Pineda.  Dubious is an understatement: the US was cheated.  In a lightning-quick counterattack Dempsey sprung Altidore with a sliding pass and then Altidore took a couple touches before finishing.  Celebration quickly turned to confusion when the rejoicing players turned around and saw El Salvador was moving forward with the ball; no explanation was granted, but replays indicate that Pineda called a foul on Dempsey for his follow-through, an absolute travesty of a call–if anything Dempsey was fouled.  It wasn’t the only mistake of the night by the referee.  He started the match calling several phantom calls, nearly exclusively against the US.  He stopped play for an off-side infraction against El Salvador when the US was launching a promising counter-attack.  It is an embarrassment to CONCACAF, FIFA and indeed the beautiful game itself to continue to staff these hugely important matches with incompetent buffoons at best, cheaters at worst.

For me Altidore still has some work to do.  I love his brazenness and the fact that he scores goals and I want to continue to see him play meaningful minutes, but…for a man his size he gets pushed around too much; he doesn’t hold the ball that well; he too often will pull up in his runs rather than making the first hard run to the near post; it sometimes looks like he wears bricks for boots.  That said you can’t argue with production.  He scored three goals against Trinidad & Tobago, two last night though only one counted and one against El Salvador earlier in qualifying.  It was fun to watch him partner our hottest forward Charlie Davies.  Davies was a handful for the Salvadorans.  I love his direct style and his appetite for goal.  Last night he didn’t get on the scoresheet, though he came close on a couple of occasions.  He is the kind of player that makes room for Altidore and deep runs from Donovan, Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber and others by instilling fear in the hearts of the opposing defenders.  As long as he stays healthy and in-form the US will have a weapon against any team in the world.

Feilhaber and Bradley partnered in the middle for the US.  Both put in solid performances.  Most of the play was on the wide parts of the field so they didn’t get as many touches as normal.  El Salvador did not maintain any possession, nor did it generate any chances through the midfield so the dropping of more defensively minded Ricardo Clark did not cause problems.  Feilhaber added a creativity and calmness to the midfield.  He had a few standout moments, sombreroing a Salvadoran on one occasion, lulling another to sleep before blowing past and delivering a cross that Dempsey should have finished on another.  Bradley picked some good moments to move forward but apparently did not wear his shooting boots because his attempts at goal never challenged the goalkeeper.  A few times Bradley slowed the attack by taking an extra touch when one would have sufficed.

Bradley waited until the 73rd minute to make a substitution, before exhausting all three with Stuart Holden, Kyle Beckerman and Jose Torres entering for Davies, Altidore and Feilhaber.  Holden was an instant spark.  He delivered a cross to Torres that was saved nicely by the Salvadoran goalie.  Beckerman, playing in his first qualifier, looked nervous.  With more time I am sure he will settle in.

It will be interesting to see what changes Bradley will make to the lineup for Wednesday’s qualifier against all but eliminated Trinidad and Tobago.  With Mexico winning in Costa Rica last night and Honduras beating Trinidad and Tobago, the US sits tied for first on points with Honduras, a point ahead of Mexico and two ahead of Costa Rica.  There’s such a logjam at the top that Costa Rica went from first to fourth in one matchday.  So let’s not fret about style Wednesday: just win, baby.

Rivalry games are rarely pretty.  Yesterday was no exception: the US defended for the better part of 90 minutes and ended up paying for it when it surrendered the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute after a defensive breakdown and a lucky bounce.  I hoped for better after such a bright start.  A quick passing sequence, from Michael Bradley to Landon Donovan to Charlie Davies, led to a goal inside 10 minutes.  Unfortunately we were only able to hold the lead for 10 minutes.  Besides Panamanian referee Roberto Moreno, the most disappointing performances on the day came from Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey, the occupants of the left side of the US defense where both goals came from.

The first goal for Mexico was a spectacular 25 yard shot.  The ball flew over Tim Howard and then dipped under the crossbar.  For me, the play started when Moreno didn’t call a clear foul on Mexico which allowed Mexico to unbalance the Americans.   If you don’t believe me, go to the video (the foul is at 1:20).   Israel Castro clearly grabs Donovan as Donovan dribbles past him.  Then Donovan is possibly fouled a second time on the tackle though that is not clear from the video.  Central midfielders Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley got caught on the right side covering for Donovan when Cuauhtémoc Blanco broke the pressure with a cutting move and then toe poke to the cheater Castro.  Castro hit the shot of his life.  I’m still not sure how Howard didn’t get a finger on it.

After Moreno refused to call more fouls committed on Donovan and issued cautions to three of our four defenders for tackles that went uncalled or uncarded when committed by Mexico, Mexico took the lead after a defensive breakdown and a lucky bounce.  The officiating really set the tone.  We lost all aggressiveness when the yellows started flying for innocuous challenges.  The telltale sign that the referee was in Mexico’s pocket came toward the end of the game before the second Mexico goal.  Nery Castillo, grade A b-hole tried to pick up Davies off the ground by his neck and he went unpunished.  Even with all the valid complaints about refereeing there was room for improvement from the Americans.

Our clearances were panicked when they did not need to be and often resulted in absorbing attack after attack from Mexico.  I would have liked to have seen a halftime double switch of Jose Torres and Benny Feilhaber for Clint Dempsey and Ricardo Clark.  Feilhaber and Torres are possession players who would have helped the US keep some of the ball.  Chasing the ball all game surely tired the US players and directly resulted in an inability to stay with the Mexican attacker who split Donovan and Bocanegra on the second goal.  That said the effort was there and without the lucky bounce off of Jay DeMerit to Sabah, the game likely ends 1-1.  Mexico did not create many quality chances.  DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu were defensive stalwarts.  Steve Cherundolo was steady on the right.  Brian Ching battled but rarely had anything to work with.  It was a solid effort.

Now we are left with four games, two at home against El Salvador and Costa Rica, and two away against Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras.  With Honduras thrashing Costa Rica 4-0 last night the group is very tight and four formidable teams are battling for the three automatic bids.  It’s not going to be an easy road to South Africa, but nobody ever said it would be.

Photo by ISI Photos

The US, fielding a roster of mostly second and third choice players, won its group and qualified for the Gold Cup quarterfinals on the strength of two wins and a tie.  Manager Bob Bradley has chosen to use the tournament to give fringe players a chance to impress.  For those who have not seen the matches, you have not missed much.  Unfortunately everything about the tournament has been second-rate: the opponents were weak; two of the three games were on artificial turf; and the games are only available on Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura.

A handful of first-team players have made appearances.  Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies appeared as substitutes in the game against Honduras and both were clearly a step above everyone else on the field.  Almost from the moment they entered the game it was clear why they are first-team players and players like Freddy Adu, Logan Pause and Brad Evans are not.  Before returning to their club teams this week Heath Pearce and Steve Cherundolo patrolled the fullback positions.  Both were excellent as you would expect players with their experience to be in less challenging circumstances.

The only players making strong claims for inclusion on the first-team roster are Stuart Holden and Robbie Rogers.  Holden has shown the ability to score, with a headed goal in the first game and a rocket from 25 yards in the third game, while proving to be an adept two-way midfielder with an excellent work rate.  Rogers looked strong in the Grenada much before falling somewhat flat against Honduras.  His speed can cause real problems for defenders.  Rogers is good with both feet and he can serve a good ball.  Defensively he is a liability, however, so I don’t see him pushing for anything more than a supersub role when we need a goal.  Chad Marshall, Kyle Beckerman and Santino Quaranta have all shown well also and with strong performances in the knockout stages may garner more attention. Unfortunately for Marshall and Beckerman, each plays a position (central defender and central midfielder) where we have depth.  Marshall is big and strong, and a threat on set pieces.  His feet are pretty good.  He may be our fourth best central defender behind Onyewu, Bocanegra and DeMerit.  Beckerman has been very influential controlling the flow of the game.  He does the work of two, and he can pass incisively.  We haven’t seen it in this tournament but Beckerman can shoot from distance as well.  He is a long shot to make a first-choice team, however, due to the long list of central midfielders ahead of him: Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Pablo Mastroeni, and possibly Jermaine Jones.  Quaranta is a player who can create opportunities from wide spaces and as a second forward.  In this tournament he has only been used as a midfielder so far.  He has a skillset not many Americans have, the ability to see things a second before anyone else and to pass accurately over distance.

The evident dropoff from first-choice to second- and third-choice players has been somewhat of a revealing disappointment.  In the first two games Adu showed the form that caused Bradley to leave him on the bench for the entire Confederations Cup.  He looked slow, in terms of thought and movement.  His decisions were poor and his passing ordinary.  Most of the Confederations Cup I was calling for Bradley to employ Adu, but now I am glad he did not.

Next up for the US is the quarterfinal match in Philadelphia Saturday against Panama on grass thank goodness.  Panama has proved to be a difficult opponent in the last three years.  It is a physically gifted team with some individual talent.  The US can certainly succeed with the personnel at its disposal, but it won’t be easy.

AP Photo

What a heartbreaking way to lose.  The US went up 2-0 before the half before surrendering three second half goals to a powerful Brazilian team that features several of the world’s most expensive players.    In the first half the US was clinical, finishing its first two shots on goal on excellent passing sequences and movements.  The first goal came on a Spector to Dempsey combination, the same that was responsible for the third goal against Egypt.  The second goal was very similar to the second goal the US surrendered to Brazil in their group match.  The US progressed 90 yards at full speed with three passes–Ricardo Clark to Landon Donovan, Donovan to Davies, Davies back to Donovan–before Donovan cut inside the box and buried a low left-footed shot into the corner.  The first international trophy was within our grasp.  The US was playing excellent, smart soccer: defending in blocks with conviction and then moving forward purposefully after it won possession.

The second half began as poorly as it could have with Brazil picking up a goal inside a minute.  Fabiano turned on Jay DeMerit and somewhat luckily slotted a shot between his legs that US goalkeeper Tim Howard presumably saw late; the ball trickled into the corner of the net and the Brazilians never looked back.  Wave after wave of attack came at the Americans.  Watching the match, I had a sense of impending doom battling a hopeful belief that we’d hold on.  Unfortunately the second goal came 20 minutes later after Kaka beat Jonathan Spector to the end line and hit a cross that was deflected past Carlos Bocanegra into the path of Fabiano.  He put the initial shot off the crossbar before finishing to tie the match.  The clincher came 10 minutes later on a Lucio header off a corner.  Certainly the most preventable of the goals, Clint Dempsey lost his mark and Lucio made no mistake.

With the US under siege and Jozy Altidore obviously fatigued I was pleading with Bob Bradley to make a substitution around the 60th minute.  The substitutes did not come until after the second Brazil goal and they were the wrong substitutes.  Sacha Kljestan came in and played as poorly as he did in the first match against Brazil.  Jonathan Bornstein did well but he is not the kind of player that is going to help maintain possession and slow down the game.  The two players who have that capability, Jose Torres and Freddy Adu, have been left on the bench all tournament.  Bradley loves to talk about what happens ‘inside’ versus ‘outside’; it is hard for me to imagine a scenario in which those two are so poor ‘inside’ when they’ve proven their worth on the ‘outside’ with performances in less meaningful games.  Bradley obviously is willing to rely on younger players (e.g. Altidore) so I don’t know what he sees that we don’t.  For me the half-time substitution would have been Torres for Altidore with Dempsey pushing forward.  That said, Bradley’s successes in the Gold Cup and now here at the Confederations Cup earn him some capital that he can spend with player selection, which is very difficult to grant when players like DaMarcus Beasley and Conor Casey see the field and Torres and Adu do not.  Also, not to beat a dead horse, but if referee Jorge Lorrionda from the Spain match did not make the hideous decision to eject Michael Bradley, Bob Bradley would not have been in the position of not trusting his substitutes.  Bradley surely would have been influential in slowing down the Brazilians and then Benny Feilhaber would have been available as a substitute.

I am nothing but proud of the performances of the team, collectively and individually.  Facing the adversity of unjust red cards and increased scrutiny from American media and fans, the team rallied and put together three spectacular performances that propelled it to a historic finish in a major international tournament.

What did we learn?

• Jay DeMerit is a stud and belongs on the field.
• Ditto Jonathan Spector.
• Our best option at left back right now is Carlos Bocanegra.
• Many of our most talented players are very young.  Our starting forwards combined age is 42 (Altidore-19, Davies-23).  Michael Bradley is 21.  Jonathan Spector is 23.
• Though somewhat stubborn, Bob Bradley will adjust (e.g. Beasley was removed at half and never re-inserted after the worst of a string of poor performances.)
• Bob Bradley doesn’t trust Freddy Adu, Jose Torres, Marvell Wynne or Heath Pearce.
• Jozy Altidore is dangerous, but still somewhat raw and his fitness or work rate needs to improve.
• Charlie Davies is a modern forward.  The physical abilities are there; his decisions need to improve.
• Clint Dempsey is a clutch scorer.
• Landon Donovan can no longer be accused of not showing up for big games.
• Michael Bradley is a key player, perhaps our most important.

I am encouraged and excited by these developments.  With the Gold Cup starting this weekend, we’ll have another opportunity to watch a fresh batch of players.  Though there will be a large turnover I hope the momentum continues and we continue our regional dominance.  As always I’ll be watching.

Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images

It is hard to imagine the US playing better than it did against Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinal.  We all knew it would take 100% commitment to compete with the heavily favored, unfairly talented Spain team that had not lost in 35 matches and 100% commitment is what we got.  Pictured above, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey scored goals on each side of half-time to propel the US to the first final of a major competition open to the world’s best.  In post-match posts I typically rate the performances of players and personnel or tactical moves of the manager.  For every player who played, 1-14, I only have the highest respect and praise for what they accomplished.  This is the team we love to love, why we are fanatics.  I’ll let the headlines from around the world (most via the USMNT blog) tell the rest of the story.

From Spain
Marca
“Humble Pie” (print version)
http://www.marca.com/multimedia/primeras/09/06/0625.html

“The Yankees bring us down from the clouds”
no link available

“Shipwreck on the United States Coast” (online version)
http://www.marca.com/marcador/futbol/2009/copa_confederaciones/semifinal/spa_usa/

El Pais
“The Party’s Over”
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/Fin/fiesta/elpepudep/20090624elpepudep_10/Tes

El Mundo
“The U.S. Destroys the Spanish legend”
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/2009/06/24/futbol/1245862885.html

“Yes They Can!” (headline in English)
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/especiales/2008/08/liga/blogs/elcortadordecesped.html

From Around the World….
La Cronica (Mexico)
“Made In USA” (headline in English)
http://www.cronica.com.mx/especial.php?id_nota=441076&id_tema=1284

Gazeta (Brazil)
“The Miracle Workers from the U.S. Appear Once Again and Eliminate ‘The Fury’”
http://www.gazetaesportiva.net/nota/2009/06/24/585569.html

L’Equipe (France)
“The American Dream”
http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/20090624_231919_le-reve-americain.html

Sky Sports (England)
“USA Stuns Spain to Make Final”
http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3152727,00.html

Clarin (Argentina)
“The United States Shocks the World of Football and Takes Down Spain”
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2009/06/24/um/m-01945348.htm

The New York Times
“US Victory Was a Miracle on Grass”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/sports/soccer/25vecsey1.html?_r=1

My only harsh words come for the a-hole referee who sent off Michael Bradley for one foul with less than five minutes remaining; that’s right, it was his only freaking foul of the game.  There was no call for the red card.  The Spaniards and Americans alike were shocked.  It means Bradley will again miss the final match for the US in a huge tournament.  In the Gold Cup he was rightfully ejected in the dying moments for a nasty tackle against Julian DeGuzman.  In the Olympics he appeared to intentionally get a second caution when qualification for the second round was all but solidified before Holland scored in the final moments of the game.   Bradley has been awesome all tournament.  He will be hugely missed against Brazil on Sunday.