hahahahaha this is hilarious If we could get EPL games off of FSC and onto ESPN in the states, I wouldn't be that upset with the champions league move. Now, if they use an HD sky sports feed on their new HD channel, that would be sweet.
Since they're going to have to make the move to HD for Champions League they should be able to show their other programming in HD as well, so it has that added benefit.
Bump for the game today. Obviously Spain is heavily favored, but what tactics do you guys think Bradley should employ to neutralize Spain's firepower?
I'd worry more about our attacking. When B.Bradley gets too concerned with the other team, he plays not to lose. Against teams like Spain, that's exactly how you lose. He has to attack and pressure from the forwards and the midfield. I'm confident enough in Clark, Onyewu, DeMerit, and Spector to contain Spain's attack. I'd like to see Heath Pearce in instead of Bornstein. Not that Pearce is a lot bigger or better, but I'm concerned about Borstein's size and that he was constantly out of position in the Egypt game. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bocanegra get the start in the middle, though. He was apparently healthy enough to play in the Brazil and Egypt games.
I wouldn't mind seeing Bocanegra at left back if he plays. DeMerit and Onweyu have done well enough in the middle and I don't see any reason to break up that pairing at this point, and Bocanegra plays left back for his club so he's familiar with the position and would likely be a better option than Bornstein.
Didn't think about that. That would be the best case option since Pearce has been out of the lineup for quite a while. A back line of Spector, Onyewu, DeMerit, and Boca would be pretty solid, IMO.
Jorge Larrionda is the ref today. You may remember him as the ref who gave out 3 reds in the USA-Italy match in the 2006 World Cup.
FYI: teams who play in the semis and later in the 3rd place or championship game would have played 5 games in South Africa, giving them a slight edge over future rivals if they were to successfully make it past their region's qualifiers. A coworker said to me: "If they win the game vs. Spain, do [U.S.A] make it to the World Cup, or are they eliminated?" and I answered with how the tournament is just a "dress rehearsal" but has no implications on qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, but that it gives these teams a slight edge. He said "Meh, if it is not qualifying for anything, I am not watching. There's no edge for nothing." Typical non-football-fan's answer in the U.S. Would you agree with me if I said that these games are very important... and he should watch, because teams playing would have some sort of edge next year? Same climate, same stadiums, etc.? 2-2 Spain over U.S.A., pk's edge for Casillas or Reina
I disagree. I think too much emphasis is put on that sort of thing. In a neutral site, the edge goes to the better team. I think familiarity plays a significant role in these types of matches. I do agree that these games are important, though. How we fare against a football powerhouse will pay dividends in future matches.
Here's the start XI: Howard Spector Onyewu Demerit Bocanegra Dempsey Bradley Clark Donovan Davies Altidore I love moving Bocanegra to LB, I was calling for it after the Brazil match.
U.S. with a terrific start. They've had 3 or 4 good scoring chances. It's probably only a matter of time before Spain starts heavily dictating play. The U.S. needs to score early.
The U.S. defense is loose and soft. They are gonna get burned any minute now if they don't make a quick adjustment to whatever they're doing.
