© isiphotos.com
Fast. Dynamic. Clinical. The US was in control of tonight’s World Cup qualifying match from the first whistle. The US players were bigger, faster, stronger and more technical than the Cubans. Other than a rather fluky Cuban goal there were only positives to take away from the win that clinched passage to the hexagonal, the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
Yesterday morning I flipped over my mountain bike’s handlebars about a half mile from my house as I was making a turn to go up a short, steep hill. I was wearing a helmet. No broken bones, just two broken teeth, a sore neck and some scrapes…and a bruised ego. I’m not exactly sure how it happened. The front tire of my bike needs a little air and I felt it wasn’t turning properly as I was rounding the turn so I applied the brakes. I must’ve braked too hard, especially the front brake because as I was braking I went over the handlebars and face-planted into the pavement. I was obviously shook up after I hit the pavement but immediately stood up to make sure no cars were coming. A car did slowly approach and the driver put down his window and asked if I was ok as I stumbled to the side of the road and spit out a couple of broken teeth and a mouthful of blood. I said “I don’t know” which was all he needed to hear in order to feel it was fine to drive off. I picked up my bike which seems fine and walked it home.
In tonight’s World Cup qualifying match in Chicago there was never a doubt that the US would win against a Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) team that was lacking in confidence, effort, commitment and organization. Michael Bradley deftly flicked in a Landon Donovan set piece inside of 10 minutes and the US never looked back. From the first minute the US midfielders had time and space to play because T&T sat back so deep. ESPN commentator Shaka Hislop defended the low pressure, zone style defense by saying that it relieved the T&T players from having to track runs from the fast US midfielders from deep in the midfield. If the aim was to limit goals, to an extent the tactic worked as only one of the three goals came from the run of play. If the aim was to win, it failed miserably as T&T had severely limited possession and only generated one decent chance which came from a corner kick while it surrendered a bucketload of chances to the US. There were many factors that led to the US dominance, one being a flat, wide, well-lighted field–a luxury the US did not enjoy in its first two matches in less than ideal conditions in Guatemala and Cuba.
The historic match was played in Havana four days ago. It leaves the US with a perfect six points after two matches, both away. The score should have been three or four to nothing, but a win is a win.
ussoccer.com posted the Pro Zone analysis of the match which reinforced my impressions and will take the place of them since I am so late to the game. Beasley and Dempsey were bad. Onyewu and the defense were good.
Tonight the US has its first home qualifier; the opponent is Trinidad & Tobago and the match is being played in the Chicago Fire’s soccer-specific stadium, Toyota Park, in Bridgeview. The game is on ESPN2 at 8pm, hopefully in HD. Here’s hoping for more than one goal.
Not that funny. Not that poignant. Unabashedly self-indulgent. I am a big fan of David Sedaris and his absurd sense of humor. His latest collection of essays in When You Are Engulfed in Flames, however, was a disappointment. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of disbelief induced head-shaking moments, but the vast majority of the book is spent detailing Sedaris’s mildly interesting idiosyncracies. Whereas past essays focused on his bizarre family and peculiar upbringing, this book relays unrelatable stories of a rich, famous, first-class flying author who lives an insular life in some of the world’s most desirable cities. Hardly a page passes without Sedaris mentioning his drug-riddled past. It becomes quite tiresome; the constant referencing of the past reveals an insecurity in the present. Maybe naming the spiders who live outside his Normandy home and following their exploits is as rewarding as it sounds.
Win pretty, win ugly. Just win. At the end of tonight’s opening match of the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying ESPN commentator Glenn Davis aptly shouted: “The US has won a streetfight in Guatemala!” In matches against the US, Guatemala plays just about the ugliest brand of soccer. Foul, dive, cheap shot. Not necessarily in that order. The US was not able to possess the ball well, nor was it able to effectively counterattack. The US simply grinded out a win on the strength of captain Carlos Bocanegra’s header. Bocanegra broke free thanks to a butt pick from Brian Ching and was able to guide an expertly placed DaMarcus Beasley corner kick in the lower right corner of the goal. Before the goal the highlights/lowlights were two ejections: Steven Cherundolo was sent off on two dubious cautions; Guatemalan defender Cabrera was given a straight red for absolutely T-boning Eddie Lewis, leaving him dazed and bloodied. Lewis could not continue.
AP Photo
It’s official: German referees hate USA Soccer. Marcus Merk effectively eliminated the USA from the 2006 World Cup by calling a ridiculous penalty against Oguchi Onyewu. Today it was Wolfgang Starg’s turn. He dealt a devastating blow to the USA’s chances of advancing by ejecting USA defender Michael Orozco for a petulent elbow in the 3rd minute of the final game of the first round in which the USA needed a draw. Not all the blame can be placed on Starg’s shoulders. It was a foolish risk for Orozco to take: there was absolutely no reason for the cheap shot even if it was a rather impish blow. The Nigerian player who received the blow did not help. He did what most soccer players would do: fall to the ground and pretend like he was shot.
© Brad Smith/isiphotos.com
After falling behind 1-0 and playing poorly for the first 30 minutes, the USA took it to the heavily favored Dutch team that has won the last two U21 European championships before settling for a 2-2 draw. For 20 minutes it appeared that the USA would be in the quarterfinals. The Netherlands was unable to mount a meaningful attack after goals in the 64th and 72nd minutes by Sacha Kljestan and Jozy Altidore. It was only a rash challenge by Stuart Holden and a rather fortunate free kick that earned Holland a point at the death. As seen in the picture above Silbon was the beneficiary of a poor decision by the USA wall to jump as he struck a free kick from 22 yards; Silbon’s worm-burner found its way into the back of the net, under the wall and between goalkeeper Brad Guzan and defender Michael Parkhurst. No wall inside 30 yards should jump. If a player can get the ball up and down with enough pace to beat the goalkeeper, he deserves the goal. Any player can hit a low ball. The risk far outweighs the benefit, risk of a worm-burner rolling in, risk of a hand-ball, risk of a deflected goal. Guzan should’ve communicated this message to his wall. Or the coaches. Or McBride. Someone. The last minute goal took the tarnish off a wonderful USA performance and left a bitter taste in the mouth of players and fans alike.
© Brad Smith/isiphotos.com
In the opening match of the 2008 Olympic Men’s football tournament, the USA beat Japan on the strength of a 47th minute Stuart Holden goal. Right back Marvell Wynne was instrumental in the build-up to the goal; from his right fullback position he pressed into the attack and delivered a cross that could only be deflected into the path of the on-rushing Holden who powered the ball into the back of the net. The match was rather uneven with bogged down midfield play and persistent fouling from both sides. The heat and humidity in Beijing was responsible for the dull moments as much as the players and tactics. Both sides typically like to play up-tempo. constant pressure soccer but the heat was no match for their collective capacity.
Excluding the first and last 50 pages The Omnivore’s Dilemma is a fascinating look at how Americans’ turn energy into food and how we choose to prepare, package and consume that food. The book is broken into three parts: industrial, pastoral and personal. Each section goes to great lengths to holistically analyze how food is produced in the specified paradigm. Author Michael Pollan spends time working at different farms in the first two sections before being transformed into a Jewish Hemingway as he attempts to hunt and gather his own food in heroic fashion. Pollan’s effort, diligence and attention to detail cannot be faulted. There are sections that could certainly be more concise and moments when the book becomes more about the author than the subject, but on the whole Pollan does an excellent job of presenting all sides and allowing the reader to make his own conclusions.
|
| North Atlanta Pick-up Soccer |
| Visit this group |