It Pains Me To Admit This, But...

Chelsea looks great so far against Pompey.  Roman still makes me sick (the only reason he isn't in jail is that he licks Putin's boots- and he ran away anyway) and their payroll makes the Yankees' look miserly,  but they have played with creativity, offensive flair and joy- in other words in marked contrast to their style under the self-proclaimed "Special One".  The most impressive thing to me is the way that Ballack, Deco and Frankie have meshed- I have loudly proclaimed that this wouldn't work, but based on this one performance it certainly looks possible.  I still hope it goes horribly wrong from here, but score one for pilfered Russian money and all that it can buy.

Oops- I was wrong...

...Andy Gray does hate referees- he spent a fairly large part of the Euro final criticizing the referee and his assistants.  However, he was right in almost all of his comments.  The ref made a large number of questionable calls and the game seemed on the verge of spinning out of his control.  The only two times Andy agreed with the ref was first on a play that looked like a hand ball by the Spaniards but wasn't called (good no call), and then when the Germans were called for a foul when they were threatening the Spanish goal- and this time both he and the ref were wrong as there was clearly no foul and a good German chance was whistled down.

I ask again- why don't the authorities insist upon full-time professional referees at this level?  This guy is director of a hospital during the week.  The NFL has the same penny pinching approach and it is crazy.

I Like

Andy Gray.  His accent is a bit thick, but he knows the game.  I get no anti-ref bias from him.  The ref missed the foul by the Turks on Lahm and he said so.  The rules (especially offsides) have to be looked at to ensure tha attacking football is paramount, but I think you are too sensitive here.

i hate

Andy Gray... no not my Uncle Andy... but Andy Gray the new jackass at ESPN... he thinks all the referees are against having a beautiful game..

he needs to be cut just as tommy smyth should be from espn.... they are just negative against the game not highlighting the good but just the bad...

now espn's feed has been cut.. stupid

Howard Webb has.....

OK so to round up the finish of the 2nd round of group A one has to say that the commentators for once were right. Let me say I like the White Turkey uniforms as I much prefer the white meat over dark. The pool that doubled as a soccer pitch in the first half gave the Swiss the benefit because the Turks are used to such technical play. The deflection on the 2nd goal would deflate and probably did deflate the whole Swiss nation. Its too easy to make comparisons to swiss cheese so Ill leave those be. Portugal is through as expected, yet they could have a hell of a 1st knockout game facing the runner up of Group B.

Has anyone thought of a re-seeding knockout round? Because the 2nd day of action for Group B saw Germany lose to the Croatians. Lackluster is the best one could say of the German attack. Podolski’s left foot is the only thing that is keeping Germany alive at this point. And no worries he has no Polish passport for that country to take back, look into google news if you haven’t heard the story. Anyways because Croatia now has the run of the group they will most likely win, that means the likely runners up – Germany, will go against Portugal. Which is unfortunate for Portugal but very fortunate for me, the viewer. Schweinsteiger got the red. I have no issues with it either, no place for that kind of pushing.

Back to Howard Webb, yes he has a pair. So two things about the Poland v Austria game. He was the 12th center referee of the tournament, the last one to get his chance. They have already given some 2nd game assignments obviously but it will be interesting to see if any referee is sent home after one game. I also wonder if any center referee will not get a game because of an AR messing up a call, they are a team right? Poland’s goal was offside, someone tell me I’m wrong and Ill be fine with that too, hate going against a FIFA referee. Anyways, Howard Webb has balls. Great PK call and I wish more of a standard like his would be set for that kind of shirt holding in the box. He had just warn the players against being stupid yet Poland decided they wanted to be stupid and settle for a point.

Vastic now receives a lifetimes supply of free beer for Austria’s first goal of the tournament.

Euro 1

Ok so no one has taken the lead so I will

Euro has been very entertaining so far. Only one 0-0 draw so far. And the subplots have been great. Germany v Poland is always interesting and right now as I write Turkey are playing the Swiss in a downpour and one can only hope a mass brawl doesn’t start on the slick n slide that is the field.

Group A has had by far one of the most impressive teams in Portugal. They scored two easy goals against Turkey in the opener and then came back and put their only real competition in their group, the Czechs, to shame with a 3-1 win. While the Czech probably deserved a point from the game, Baros seemed out of form in front of the net. C. Ronaldo opened up his account with both a nicely slotted goal, a great assist in stoppage time that actually showed his maturity by passing up the shot, and multiple chances on long range shots. You better savor my plaudits for his play cause it wont happen again anytime soon. Teams that Progress: Portugal and Czechs

Group B has the power Germany. Podolski had two great goals. And you have to admire his non-celebrations due to his polish heritage. I don’t know how to spell and never will Scweinsteiger needs to not have bleached hair you could see him when he subbed on, all over the pitch from the tv. But he still had a hell of a crack on net from distance. Croatia got the deserved penalty, it was stupid by the Austrian player to commit that foul. Although you have to admire the Austrians for pressing the entire match. Teams that Progress: Germany and Poland

Group C-arnage has had the controversy that isn’t a controversy. I have been told by more than a few national referees that it was not offside for Mr horse-y face RVN. It has sparked a lot of discussion and I can email you the discussions I have had with other referees if you need clarification. And I played devil’s advocate at that too. The dutch played great counter attacking football and their left back played probably the best individual game of the tournament so far. France has left a lot to be desired and it should be interesting to see how they attack the Dutch. One thing about Italy and maybe this is haunting them is that they have an old team. I know it might be mean but they had only one player under 30 on their roster. New Blood might be needed for the world champs. Teams that Progress: Netherlands and France

Group D has had some great goals. The first hat trick of the tourney with David Villa was very impressive and the partnership of him and Torres has paid off, for him at least. I wonder if Guus has another 4-1 drubbing to either Sweden or Greece he would still be up for the Chelsea job. Sweden’s first goal by Ibrahimović. Yes I went to the website to get that name right. Greece needs to attack a little bit more because they just didn’t get enough set pieces. Teams that Progress: Spain and Sweden.

Overall the teams that should be the contenders all won their first games: Portugal, Germany, Dutch, Spain. After the 2nd set of group games Ill give my final prediction. Its cheating but we will see.

Now referees! Overall no one should be complaining. Cards have been warranted and not overused. Offside has been called properly and it’s not FIFA’s fault that not everyone is educated. The only offside issue could be David Villa’s 3rd goal against Russia, I believe when the shot was taken and originally saved he was in an offside position. But no one for Russia was complaining because they we leaving a lot to be desired. If you want to argue RVN’s goal against Italy go ahead, you will lose.

Good stuff let me know your thoughts and hope Europe keeps entertaining everyone

for euro?

how about we update more often?

great commercial

here

enjoy!

Fulham USA FC

Can we just call that team what it is? Its an American National team abroad, much like Arsenal is/was depending on the day a mini French team in England. I wont go into what this says about England not developing English players because the more Americans abroad at the current time can only help us. Eddie Johnson just signed thru 2011 to play for Fulham, making him the 5th American player to join the club and now we have 11 (I looked it up) in the premiership. Once Benny "he scores against mexico so i will always love him" Feilhaber gets out of Derby, Fulham will have half the americans in the epl... i am getting way into the statistics but thinking back to my sophomore year of HS the JV team for SSHS should have just been called what it was - the LWS somewhat team... i say somewhat cause if we had others from the school join in I am sure we could have put together a decently strong side - but as a UEFA Championship, I digress...

just recently I read something on myfootballclub.co.uk about how the MLS will always be second rank solely due to its playoff structure, and i wont disagree with that but i think the current issue with the mls is the talent issue. the level of play needs to rise, with beckham coming over and more international attention I think that will happen. But i also think having those players go overseas and then come back a little seasoned will help. Once McBride finishes playing overseas, I hope he comes back and helps out with an MLS team, gives a few youngsters some tips and helps them and our country move up the ranks...

thats all on my mind right now... good luck to eddie

1 youth

what to say?

when I should be working on my finals and the massive amount of writing that has to happen before I leave the hilltop for the winter I find myself wanting to write for the blog.

Well plenty has happened. England has lost a coach, has gone after the Special One only to lose him and now seem interested in Capello. Good for them, although not so good for the 3 billion pounds the british economy will miss out on during Euro 2008. Who should we root for? Not sure really, maybe the french I guess? Maybe it will save me the 180 dollars of buying the payperview package of the games.

But the WC2010 draw has happened. The big news for us is that we could end up in a group round with Cuba. How many will defect when they play the home game on US soil? Even more interesting is the Europe draw for the WC. If you look at Israel's group could this be their chance? Not much of a challenge.

just a little on my mind, let me know whats on yours

MLS CUP AND RANDOM RAMBLINGS

1. Watched the MLS championship game today and was impressed by the quality of play. If this game proves anything, it shows that while it certainly has a long way to go the league is on the upswing at least in terms of eye appeal. It was a reasonably attractive game to watch and the skill level exhibited was pretty darn good. The whole playoff system is a big joke however and the fact that almost every team makes the post season (almost including the Galaxy which is shocking after seeing them play in Denver- they looked like a bad rec league team) makes the whole season painful to watch. How hard would it be to have the US Cup culminate the season (like the FA Cup) and make the league's regular season leader be the champ?

2. Nate Jaqua looked pretty good for Houston and while i know that he stunk for LA early in the year, he played well after his trade and it's easy to imagine that he could have been a good target for Becks. More proof that Lalas is over his head?

3. Kudos to Israel for their spirited play against Russia. The lifeline they gave to England is amazing, but I wouldn't be overly shocked if Mclaren's boys blow it. The fact that he is national team coach is amazing- he has never really done anything (I don't count losing in the UEFA Cup final as anything) except be Sir Alex's assistant.

4. Some guys from MLS Cup to look for in Europe someday- Wells Thompson, Michael Parkhurst, Sharie Joseph (I know he just signed a deal but he has talent) and Twellman. He has a nose for goal and appears to be really tough- I know that he is not supposed to be great with ball at his feet and he is not that big, but it seems that he could play at the bottom of the Prem or in Germany. He has got to get more minutes with the MNT- who else do we have? He and Johnson seem like they would work well together.

5. One final thing- a question for the Ref and AR: why wasn't TT's bicycle kick called a dangerous play? Great piece of skill, but he almost kicked the defenders in the face.

The Right Decision

US Soccer fired Greg Ryan today. It was the right decision.

Notwithstanding his gaudy 45-1-9 record, the performance of the USWNT in the 2007 World Cup was lackluster during the opening rounds and his decision to bench Hope Solo in favor of a rusty and underplayed Brianna Scurry will go down in soccer history as one of the biggest blunders ever. I don't know that much soccer history, but I can't imagine mistakes of this magnitude occurring that often. (I've already opined on this issue here (go to point 4); so no need to beat a dead horse.)

The article at the US Soccer site says that U.S. Soccer president Suni Gulati, U.S. Soccer Secretary General Dan Flynn and Hall of Fame Women’s National Team forward Mia Hamm will head the search for a new coach.

who knows what?

So as I have said before, the pressure is too much. When a team wins 3 - nil, one would think that there wouldnt be criticism or hating on such a performance. But then again whenever England wins there is some hating. They beat Jamaica on the run up to the WC 2006 and people were still talking about a 6 goal difference not being good enough.

Sure, there is reason to have concerns. McClaren is ok, and they havent had a great full 90 but we will see how it turns out come this week against Russia. 3 nil over Estonia means that with a win in Russia they will clinch a spot in Euro.

ok i realized I am all over the place... writing with ADD in many ways

1 - The goals Estonia gave up are the goals you have to capitalize on. SWP's first goal was soft and thru Poom's leg but then again you take it. Rooney coming back and getting the deflection for his first goal in a long time serves him well before the Russia game. Then the OG was pretty impressive for an 18 yard header.

2 - Everyone talks about playing mistake free. This is something Estonia obviously didnt do. When you make mistakes you hope they dont capitalize. England did that. They should be happy with that too. Something none of the commentators mentioned. It seems like every commentator has something to say and some reason that the game was another piece of evidence that English football is going down the tubes.

3 - England should be happy that the didnt take Big Phil as their coach as we have now seen how much crap he is in terms of sportsmanship but then again McClaren might not be the best choice. He has taken some chances and he has won but then again when has he done something people have said is right.

4 - v Russia, it should be interesting to see how Paul Robinson answers to the different turf. Its the stuff we here in the states are used to with the black rubber pellets. I am not happy that this is being used for an international match but oh well it is. He has said he does not want any excuses yet if he gets pulled from the number 1 spot he might start saying some excuses. His play hasnt been up to par and I think he would agree.

Now on to the States.

1 - Its an interesting roster that will face the Swiss come wednesday and I am looking for the states to get out of this slump with international games. Bradley will of course say that this is a learning experience, which Im sure it is. But its time we go out there, especially in Europe (like we should have done in South America), and get some wins and prove people need to be afraid of us.

2 - Hope is back with the team and of course is sitting on the bench. At this point I think Ryan is just taking her and sitting her because she is a contract player and is getting paid anyways and doesnt want to seem like he is wasting money. Abby added to her goal total which is now 85. A machine. Thats all I can say she is. Here are the match facts.

thats all for now folks

That.FIX

As you all know I have a radio show for georgetown radio. the link to the URL to listen to it can be found here. It is on Tuesdays now from 8 to 10 eastern time..

What you might not know is that I am the official HIP HOP director for WGTB (Georgetown Radio) and as such my first review was for Talib Kweli's Ear Drum which can be found here!

enjoy

catchin up with the ref

First off I have to say there are some huge kudos to go to the AR for his previous post and its unlimited amount of links.

I havent gone on a rant about refereeing and the state of the youth game in a while so I decided now was the best time out of any. Over the past few weeks I have had some ups and downs. Downs include boring games and some not so great partners. This brings me to my "Hope Solo" moment. I know you never criticize a teammate and that is what some might say I am about to do with fellow referees, but some of this stuff is ridiculous.

Example. I am proud that I am a Grade 7 referee. I means I have taken an interest in improving. Going through the extra hours and maintaining a just above satisfactory level in my fitness. All you need is one assessment every year. The AR has seen the assessments I have gotten and everything has come back with very positive remarks. Just two weeks ago I wanted an Upgrade to 6 assessment - means I would be a State Referee, a lot more rides with that on the badge. My game was canceled but the one after it held true to form and that center referee asked for his upgrade to 7 assessment. Lets just say he did a less than stellar job but still passed the assessment. While he didnt do anything to affect the outcome of the game, he didnt exactly handle the game all that well. I felt like it kind of demeaned the meaning of the badge and the steps I took to get there. Maybe thats how Hope felt, all that she did to get there demeaned because Bri had two previous games against Brasil?

I also had a game with 7 yellow cards and one red card. 4 were for dissent. both Gks got yellows because they rushed out at my ARs. Jens Lehmann has had a wonderful affect on our youth. My 5th red of the 2007 year was for Serious Foul Play, the kid kicked another kid in the face trying to go for the ball, which was about 5 feet up in the air. I asked him if he was seriously trying to argue with me over a red card for kicking a kid in the face. But hey, at least that game was interesting.
On to some good news. I have been "nominated to serve in the State Cup Finals delegation." Yes I used quotes because it was just that formal. It will be a three day weekend extravaganza.

October 27th - Dinner, Training, "Social Event"
October 28th - Training Session, Games, Dinner, Review of Assessments
October 29th - Games

As the AR will point out, a lot was riding with being nominated to State Cup, because I was at a point of being fed up with the politics, but we will see how this pans out.

Believe it or not I am the most excited for the assessments. I know I just wrote stuff against the assessment above, but when I can get good quality feedback I am all for it. That is why I am upset with how the USA Cup panned out for me, cause i didnt get the feedback that I really wanted when I was up there.

More to come - this upcoming Sunday I am working some adult men's league games. There will be plenty to talk about I promise

WWC - Thoughts

Some thoughts about the just-completed WWC:

1. The best team won. Germany certainly wasn't the flashiest team or the most interesting to watch. But they sure were the best team, and Birgit Prinz knows what to do the the ball near the net. The goal keeping was more than up to the task: yes, they didn't concede a goal, but I thought this less because of Nadine Angerer's goal keeping than a defense that didn't give up too many scoring opportunities. Angerer's luck held on Marta's PK: one of the weakest attempts seen this side of the men's game, though she earned her money a couple of minutes later, when she knocked aside a strong effort that would have tied the game at 1.

2. Brazil was fun to watch. But I couldn't support them after the display of poor sportsmanship in the US game. Specifically, after Cristiane tripped over Shannon Boxx and fell, and the Swiss referee, Nicole Petignat, ran over to the two players, Cristiane immediately looked over the ref and held up two fingers in the air, telling the referree both to card Boxx and to show the red card, and then applauded when Petignat pulled out the card. There's no way Cristiane couldn't have known that she tripped Boxx. That is, she ran over the back heal of Boxx's foot. Was this the worst call ever in a WC, male or female? I have no idea. Is it up there? Absolutely. Where was the AR or fourth official? Brazil was entertaining, but this game left a bad taste. (By the way, Petignat was the ref in the notorious US-Nigeria WWC game from 1999, when the Nigerians spent the first 60+ minutes hacking away at Mia Hamm without anyone getting tossed. US Soccer used the video from that game in its training program, highlighting what not to do and how not to referee, and when it's important to card players for egregious misconduct.)

3. Even at full strength, the US wouldn't have won this game. I think they lost it before it started with the mind-blowing decision of Coach Ryan to substitute Brianna Scurry for Hope Solo. All Solo had done was shut every one out in all of the games when the US played at full strength. For 10 minutes in the N Korea game, the US played down as Abby Wambach was off getting stitches. NK scored twice in those 10 minutes and no one scored after. Solo seemed a bit nervous to start, then played up to her potential. Why the switch to a keeper with, what, 6 games played all year. Nothing about the decision made sense.

4. Coach Ryan should be fired. As for Solo, she has some apologizing to do -- not to Ryan, but the team. And while maybe truth is a defense to a libel claim and maybe she would have stopped some of the balls that got by Scurry (watching the replay, I think she's right), calling out a teammate is not a particularly gracious way of demonstrating team loyalty. Apparently it was a team decision that kept Solo off the bench for the 3rd place game and Kristine Lilly may have been sending a message when she put the captain's arm band on Scurry when she was subbed out late in that Norway game. So Solo has some work ahead of her.

5. Coach Ryan should be fired. Not just because of the Scurry-Solo debacle, but also because of the US team's poor play during most of the tournament. Aside from one half of the England game and the Norway game (from what I've read: no way was I getting up for a 3d place game at 5 am on a Sunday), the US didn't show very well. The team was badly outplayed in the NK game and was fortunate to escape with a tie. I don't think one can derive much from the Nigeria game, which was played during a typhoon. As for the game against Sweden - I think that the Swedes were a bit over-rated coming in, and they showed less for a high FIFA ranking than the Yanks. We need better mid-field play, so it's time to begin urging the UNWNT to take a better and longer look at available midfielders, beginning with Lori Lindsey.

6. Will anyone be able to stop Marta? She was the best player in the tournament, bar none, and is likely to get better. She's 21 and Cristiane is 22. If Brazil supports this team, they should be the favorites at the Olympics next year and in the 2011 WWC.

Is anyone out there?

This blog has been dead so let's throw some quick thoughts into the mix:

Watched the end of the US women's game today and was shocked at how poor we looked. The Koreans dominated the last 35 minutes, pushing us around and controlling possession. Yes it was raining hard, but what a howler for Solo- we were lucky to get a tie.

Man U is in big trouble. Ronaldo has been sorely missed and I don't think his return is going to be enough. and as i said last year with Ballack and Lamps, how could they think Carrick and Hargreaves belong on the field together? they play the same damn position.

Welcome back SWP! it seems that maybe Jose didn't suck all the life out of your career after all.

Fox Soccer Channel showing Russia v Macedonia and games of that ilk is an insult. I have to believe that if they put the big games on instead of saving them for PPV, their ratings would spike and the ad rates would follow. Who is going to pay 24.95 for Israel v England?

Liverpool looks like the team to beat this year- Torres looks great. They really should let Crouch go at the transfer window this winter- can't see him getting a game. Arsenal will fold up as the year goes on- too young, not enough leadership. Man U will fall short and Chelsea will hang around despite continuing to play the most boring soccer for the money I can imagine. Top 4? Lpool, Man U, Chelsea, and not Arsenal. I look for either Everton or maybe even Tottenham in a big comeback (if Jol keeps his job).

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.