USA CUP 1

After settling into the dorms we made our way over for a rules clinic for the Tournaments. Dad got a polo even though he technically wasn’t supposed to get one. Ah whos keeping track anyways?

Friday was the first day of games and ended up being plenty fun. I worked with a few Brits and they are always trying to have a laugh. I was an AR on 15 boys, 16 girls, and 19 Boys. I was also the center on a 15 girls. All my games on that day ended up with one team being shut out. The 19 boys game had an incredible pace and was fun to be on the line. The center was a Brit and he told them in the captains meeting he would let them be physical. A different approach but I think they appreciated his honesty. He got away with showing only one yellow as well. However in my girls game I gave 3 yellows. I should have held back but they were three easy yellows. The first for a bad tackle, the second for a little kick at an opponent while on the ground and the third for running into the keeper. The game ended up 1-nil and I was happy with my performance. I was just upset that I wasn’t assessed because I think it would have helped me get higher level games.

Since the first day I have been going down in level of play. Friday brought 4 more games but I was actually scheduled for only 2 while on standby for another time slot. I picked up a game during that slot and then filled in on another slot. My centers ended up being 13 boys, 12 girls, and another 13 boys. The one AR slot was a 12 boys game. I ended up seeing the Australia team twice. Once as the line on the 12 boys game and then as the center on the 13 boys game. I ended up with 4 yellows. 3 for tackles and one for dissent. One of the Aussies just mouthed off a little too much for his age and for the game. My 13 boys center at the end of the day went all the way to penalties which was the first for me. It was fun getting everything organized and keeping things on track. The Aussies ended up winning 4 to 1 on the penalties as the Minn. Team could not convert their first and third attempts.

Saturday night saw the coaches and referee game and that was fun. I ended up running around for another 2 hours. Probably not the smartest but it was fun.

Sunday saw me on the line for a semi-final on a 12 girls game. The Canadian team went up 1 – nil into the break but then ended up losing 2 to 1. I was then in charge of a final for the 11 boys flight B championship. Everything went well in the game while the team who seemed better ended up losing basically on two defensive errors. The first goal coming on a ball through the keepers legs. Yet the excitement mounted in the end of the game when I had to show a red card for denying an obvious goal by handling the ball. I wonder if that 11 year old will be scared for life due to that red card. Yet no one was really upset and everyone understood including his coaches. The game ended 2 to 1 with the team down a man winning (They were from ND).

I then got my medal for being in a final match. Along with my assistants Art (From MD) and Hamilton (from Jamaica).
Sunday evening brought another viewing of Harry Potter IV with my dad before he departed along with some mellow time. Monday meant a trip to the Mall of America which I can confirm is still huge and still has about 3 footlockers, 3 footactions, and 3 finishlines. Half the sign of the beast if you tell me. But on the ride back I got to talking to the Jamaican referees which includes a FIFA AR and they told me about life down in the Caribbean. I was then invited down to referee and prove myself down there because they said if I can referee there, then I can referee anywhere. We then had a clinic from Steve Mortimer and George Cain on Offsides along with just overall game control. Some interesting tips to use out on the pitch next time. Then the opening ceremonies in the stadium. There is one team from Damascus MD and a few from Colorado but otherwise no teams directly representing any place I might call a somewhat home. When the referees were announced I did waive my DC flag (I got at the Mall for the occasion) and promptly had to correct someone saying that was the state flag of DC by saying that we are not a state.

Tomorrow I have two lines on 12 girls and then a center on 11 boys. If my Wednesday games stay the same I might get a little frustrated.

So Far – 5 Centers = 7 yellows and 1 red.

Pictures to come

My Take on Life

Aight, So I took a break to let the old guys finally have a say, even if they are lost in their old fashion ways... I kid them and I hope they know that although I am sure meanbaldguy will be just that, a very mean bald guy to what ever I say.

First - Gold Cup final was great. We should have put it away in the end and it made my nerves go a little more along with more gray hair on top of my head. With that I have to say there is no better feeling for the rest of the day than beating mexico. We could be playing them in the WC 3rd place game after barely missing the WC final and beat mexico then and I would still act like we actually won the WC. So going along with the AR - we need a striker. I liked how Bradley put Demps up top because he seems to be the only one cocky enough to run at people and be risky and creative. Bornstein's goal... one word... unbelievable.... He was not American when he struck that goal and that goal I believe crushes all hopes mexicans have of beating us on our soil. All we need is that in mexico city, sans pollution or 120,000 people chanting racist chants. (you have noticed that anything to do with the team of the country to our south will never be capitalized due to their dirty play highlighted by their coach hugo).

Second - Bradley - He got my respect with the way we played in the Gold Cup. But since then I am just not sure. I had voiced this concern to meanie and the AR but I really feel like we are disrespected the Copa along with not showing that we are a footie country. These countries do not know that we arent sending our A team and they invited us into their tournament. Its not a given that we will be asked to the tournament everytime they have it and Bradley just say hey ok well lets give some kids a run out... kids like Benny Olsen. Great player no question, but past National Team prime... Yes we should have beat Paraguay - but we had no striker or person willing to take the shot... Twellman will never count as long as he keeps hiking up his shorts and if he is trying show off to the ladies, which will never love him as long as he keeps missing that 24 by 8 box that is the point of the game. So in short, great job on the Gold Cup. Disrespect in the Copa and who can tell who will be the team come fall 2007.

Third - Keller - Howard's reflex save v mexico gives him the #1 jersey for the next 2 years no question. He is getting great experience for the toffies and I hope he continues to progress. Keller should be commended for his past with the US and the big games he has had. But what should be noted is that Keller has no team. He is playing for a contract even more so than Gooch was because he has his with the magpies. His team in deutchland dropped down a league and then dropped him. I think that uncertainty is playin in his mind even though he is getting some Caps. He will be picked up I am sure just not sure by who. Yes Keller has been less than par but in response to the ar, no way should Perkins be brought into the mix. He might be making some great saves but he has a long way to go to prove himself to me about National team merits.

Fourth - We can not rely on our youth forever. It worked in 2002 no question - we stormed the scene and crushed down on Portugal. But we only got to the round of 8. The project back in 2000 was called project 2010 because they said they wanted to be called a threat to any team by 2010 world cup. We need a mixture of youth and experience in order to get through some of the later rounds and have a cool head when the money is on the line. It worked in 2002 with Beaz along with Stewart, or McBride and Donovan. Look we are an athletic country and we should use it as our style and I still have not seen a style that defines the US...

Ill write some more before I head up to Minny for my tourney and Ill try to post while I am there. I have been playing on the weekends and been getting goals and assists 4 goals 6 assists in 3 weeks of playing.

we are currently down 1 - nil to columbia and Eddie Johnson needs to shoot the ball

US U-20 team- our great hope?... Kasey has seen better days, but let's cut him some slack

Watching the 2nd half of the U20 game against Poland, I couldn't help but be impressed by Adu (who looked much quicker than he did in the poor game against S. Korea), Altidore (ditto), Szetela, Wallace, Zizzo, Bradley and the rest. I will be shocked if the core group of this team,, does not push aside most of the guys on the senior MNT (Dempsey, Howard, Feilhaber, Demerit, Bornstein and a few others- not including Lando and Beaz- excepted) before South Africa. The future of soccer in this country will be better for it.

I have to agree with the AR's conclusions re Kasey- he has clearly lost a step, seems more hesitant than before and his distribution is worse than ever (who can ever forget when he kicked it into a Mexican player and it went into goal). However, he has been a warrior for the US MNT in the past and deserves some love. In his day, he was one of the top shot blockers in the world and he was our best player. His Copa America performances have not been top drawer, but we should give him a break.

Troy Perkins - The Anti-Keller

I was able to watch a bit of the DC United - Kansas City Wizards game yesterday. And what I saw was pretty amazing: Troy Perkins made save after save, clearly earning man of the match honors. I can't begin to recount the number of turnovers in his defensive third, leading to great goal scoring opportunities for KC. Unlike what happened in the USA-Paraguay game when Keller was unable to cover-up for a huge blunder, Perkins made the saves on bad defensive miscues. (Greg Vanney, newly acquired from Colorado for Erpen, my least favorite member of the DCU defense, had an OK game, though he, too, turned the ball over a bit too easily on a couple of occasions.)

Read the WaPo article to get more info about the game and Perkins' performance.

ISO -- A Finisher

Two games down and two losses. This one didn't have to be. The US lost an early chance to take a lead when Sacha Kljestan missed an open header off a beautiful cross. Other misses followed. Many other misses followed. And then, disaster. Jonathan Bornstein was trying to clear the ball back to Keller, Jimmy Conrad let the ball go by, and a Paraguayan pounced. Unlike the US, this fellow knew what to do with the ball, a frozen keeper and and open net. A 2-1 deficit gave Paraguay the opportunity to play 10 back of the ball and counterattck. Nonetheless, we had more chances. None were converted. (And the Paraguay keeper made a couple of solid saves. Unlike . . . well, see the post below.)

So one more game to go with this collection of guys. Some positives, some negatives (can't anyone score!), some porous defense.

Keller's not the answer

Just a quick note at halftime of the USA-Paraguay game.

Kasey Keller is not the answer to the US goalkeeping question. He's been getting a lot of playing time here and got a lot in the Hold Cup. I think that's a mistake. We should be trying out some of the other keepers who are playing in MLS or overseas. I leave it to the Ref to know who they are. But my problem with Keller is that he doesn't make that kind of save that energizes his team. Was the goal in the Paraguay game his "fault?" Probably not. But it seems like the type of goal that the Mexican keeper would have saved (based on his performance against Ecuador). And in the Argentina game, Keller was let down by his defense, but he seemed slow off his line and slow to react to the play coming at him.

The Ref, before donning the yellow jersey, played keeper for the local public high school team (not the school he attended -- see this one), so he may have a different or more nuanced appreciation for the challenges playing that position. But I think we need a change between the nets.