Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Gamenight
The U.S. and Jamaica will kick off shortly. By the time you read this, they will have likely wrapped the game up. Here's my prediction of what you saw...if you watched! [Game over: U.S. ends with a disappointing 1-1 tie.]
JOB: He made his expected appearance at the 70 minute mark. The crowd cheered wildly and he worked 20 injury-free minutes. He even gave a distribution to the wings that lead to a goal. On to Germany! [I think I nailed that one! Who cares that no one could finish tonight. And I didn't count on a couple of bad miscues by John by we'll let that slide. Welcome back. And you know what? You better get in form because you have a bit to go based on these initial 20 minutes. ]
The Team: Of course, this was of secondary importance to JOB's appearance. Well, the team cruised to an easy two goal victory. Of course, all the hacking in the second half made it more of an injury worry than a worry about the scoreline. [Half right. You can always count on Jamaica to hack their way through the game although Frankie set the tone early with a boots up sliding challenge that deserved a card. If we played with our second half team the whole game, we would have won by two. But tonight was a night for showcasing who can cut it and who can't. And there were many guys out there tonight who can't cut it and will make Bruce's choice easy. In fact, outside of LD, Dempsey and Pope and maybe Pablo, everyone else made a case for lifelong MLS employment.]
Taylor Twellman: He couldn't be stopped. He has only one mountain yet to climb (scoring against world class defenses) and Jamaica certainly didn't provide that! [Totally wrong. TT is back in the slump. Actually I don't think he's in a slump at all. He can only score with good service and there wasn't much of that tonight.]
Josh Wolff: Lest their be any confusion, Josh was a handful. He didn't score, of course, but he was a vital cog in the offense. [1/4 right? Josh was certainly better than TT but also didn't do much as we played so shaky the first half. But he does show flashes, and we're lousy at forward depth (can you say Freddy Adu for the last time, or even Chris Rolfe) so I say book your plane ticket to Germany, Josh.]
Bruce Arena: Bruce knows better than anyone else that this game would yield no clues as to performances in Germany...but it did show who was "in form" and who was still injured. As such, the favorite for the last man on the team, Pat Noonan, looked healthy and ready to punch his lucky ticket to Germany. [1/2 wrong. The game did yield clues as to who could perform in Germany. See TT's comments above. But it was a showcase for who was fit. Noonan looked fairly healthy to me and did enough to make the team. Just barely. And if Ralston wasn't an injury waiting to happen, Noonan would be off the team.]
Brian Ching: The striker laid an unexpected egg. He knew he needed at least a goal and wound up trying to create too much...and we all know that's not his game. [1/2 wrong. He didn't get that goal he needed but I thought he possessed the ball well and one touched the ball well and opened up some free kick opportunities for Albright. Just having Ching in the box makes me feel good about our chances.]
Tony Meola: See ya Tony! Thanks for the memories. At least we didn't pull you from the nets and put you at forward. You gave us a nice save but also showed the mental lapses that you're famous for. No problem. You're a Jersey guy and now you're headed to the soccer HOF. [Tony was a little slow off the line on their goal. And he didn't get that signature punch save we were all hoping for but you got your 100th cap nonetheless.] (Bostrom)
JOB: He made his expected appearance at the 70 minute mark. The crowd cheered wildly and he worked 20 injury-free minutes. He even gave a distribution to the wings that lead to a goal. On to Germany! [I think I nailed that one! Who cares that no one could finish tonight. And I didn't count on a couple of bad miscues by John by we'll let that slide. Welcome back. And you know what? You better get in form because you have a bit to go based on these initial 20 minutes. ]
The Team: Of course, this was of secondary importance to JOB's appearance. Well, the team cruised to an easy two goal victory. Of course, all the hacking in the second half made it more of an injury worry than a worry about the scoreline. [Half right. You can always count on Jamaica to hack their way through the game although Frankie set the tone early with a boots up sliding challenge that deserved a card. If we played with our second half team the whole game, we would have won by two. But tonight was a night for showcasing who can cut it and who can't. And there were many guys out there tonight who can't cut it and will make Bruce's choice easy. In fact, outside of LD, Dempsey and Pope and maybe Pablo, everyone else made a case for lifelong MLS employment.]
Taylor Twellman: He couldn't be stopped. He has only one mountain yet to climb (scoring against world class defenses) and Jamaica certainly didn't provide that! [Totally wrong. TT is back in the slump. Actually I don't think he's in a slump at all. He can only score with good service and there wasn't much of that tonight.]
Josh Wolff: Lest their be any confusion, Josh was a handful. He didn't score, of course, but he was a vital cog in the offense. [1/4 right? Josh was certainly better than TT but also didn't do much as we played so shaky the first half. But he does show flashes, and we're lousy at forward depth (can you say Freddy Adu for the last time, or even Chris Rolfe) so I say book your plane ticket to Germany, Josh.]
Bruce Arena: Bruce knows better than anyone else that this game would yield no clues as to performances in Germany...but it did show who was "in form" and who was still injured. As such, the favorite for the last man on the team, Pat Noonan, looked healthy and ready to punch his lucky ticket to Germany. [1/2 wrong. The game did yield clues as to who could perform in Germany. See TT's comments above. But it was a showcase for who was fit. Noonan looked fairly healthy to me and did enough to make the team. Just barely. And if Ralston wasn't an injury waiting to happen, Noonan would be off the team.]
Brian Ching: The striker laid an unexpected egg. He knew he needed at least a goal and wound up trying to create too much...and we all know that's not his game. [1/2 wrong. He didn't get that goal he needed but I thought he possessed the ball well and one touched the ball well and opened up some free kick opportunities for Albright. Just having Ching in the box makes me feel good about our chances.]
Tony Meola: See ya Tony! Thanks for the memories. At least we didn't pull you from the nets and put you at forward. You gave us a nice save but also showed the mental lapses that you're famous for. No problem. You're a Jersey guy and now you're headed to the soccer HOF. [Tony was a little slow off the line on their goal. And he didn't get that signature punch save we were all hoping for but you got your 100th cap nonetheless.] (Bostrom)
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I thought that two guys that really helped their causes were Olsen and Albright. Olsen has been in very good form lately for club and country. Not only is he providing a dirsuptive force in breaking up the other team's attack, he has been dangerous on the offensive end as well. Plus, he can play on the outside as well so I think he's got a real good shot at going to the WC.
Albright played very well and showed how much of an aerial threat he is. In his last two competitive games, he has had four excellent headers off of set pieces and if it wasn't for a couple of saves and a crossbar, he would have scored all four times. Granted, it may be too late for him, but I think two factors that cannot be overlooked:
1) For a veteran player, Hedjuk looked extremely shaky last night. Balboa was correct that Frankie's two-footed, cleats up challenge should have been a straight red. A player with his experience can't be playing that reckless. On the goal, he wasn't the only person to blame, but he needs to provide better coverage than that.
2) Another comment that Balboa made that was spot on was that last night's contest was like a WC match. That being said, most of the goals in the WC are either scored on counter attacks or restarts. Bruce has to be intrigued on using Albright's aerial ability on set pieces. Think about it, he would probably draw the fourth best defender in the box after McBride, Oneywu and Pope. I would like my odds on him being able to win that match up.
Overall, I think that none of the forward candidates helped themselves. I think that Wolff and EJ are already on the team (I was happy to see Wolff get his shot on goal before the offside whistle blew), but that last spot between Ching and TT is still open. Before MLS started, I would have thought TT to be a lock as I think the Japan game really solidified his standing, but his form has been subpar lately and Ching has been playing much better. Ching will win you some free kicks with his ability to hold the ball up while TT has yet to show that skill. (George)
Albright played very well and showed how much of an aerial threat he is. In his last two competitive games, he has had four excellent headers off of set pieces and if it wasn't for a couple of saves and a crossbar, he would have scored all four times. Granted, it may be too late for him, but I think two factors that cannot be overlooked:
1) For a veteran player, Hedjuk looked extremely shaky last night. Balboa was correct that Frankie's two-footed, cleats up challenge should have been a straight red. A player with his experience can't be playing that reckless. On the goal, he wasn't the only person to blame, but he needs to provide better coverage than that.
2) Another comment that Balboa made that was spot on was that last night's contest was like a WC match. That being said, most of the goals in the WC are either scored on counter attacks or restarts. Bruce has to be intrigued on using Albright's aerial ability on set pieces. Think about it, he would probably draw the fourth best defender in the box after McBride, Oneywu and Pope. I would like my odds on him being able to win that match up.
Overall, I think that none of the forward candidates helped themselves. I think that Wolff and EJ are already on the team (I was happy to see Wolff get his shot on goal before the offside whistle blew), but that last spot between Ching and TT is still open. Before MLS started, I would have thought TT to be a lock as I think the Japan game really solidified his standing, but his form has been subpar lately and Ching has been playing much better. Ching will win you some free kicks with his ability to hold the ball up while TT has yet to show that skill. (George)
I agree that Albright showed well but the two times that Jamaican dudes blew past him will be hard for Arena to forget...especially the instance in the first half.
Hejduk was flat awful.
All things considered, I'd rather have Ching than TT hands down at this point. Neither creates much, but Ching is so much more dangerous in the air and with Ching, McHead and others (I do fervently hope Albright goes) we have a much better chance on all-important free kicks in the WC. Of course all three wouldn't likely be in the game at the same time, but with our lack of height we need all the targets we can get.
That being said, LD's free kick services alternated between horrible and excellent. I wouldn't be concerned, but this is not the first time I've seen that. Frankly, I'm not sure I want him taking corners any more but he adds little in the box so anyone have any ideas?
All the guys last night have to be evaluated for their ability to fit in with the real first team. Unfortunately for Albright, Hejduk has shown that ability (not tonight, though) and if he can regain his form over the next month, he'll go for sure, even ahead of Spector. Arena loves attacking outside backs, but they have to be able to lock down first. (Bostrom)
Hejduk was flat awful.
All things considered, I'd rather have Ching than TT hands down at this point. Neither creates much, but Ching is so much more dangerous in the air and with Ching, McHead and others (I do fervently hope Albright goes) we have a much better chance on all-important free kicks in the WC. Of course all three wouldn't likely be in the game at the same time, but with our lack of height we need all the targets we can get.
That being said, LD's free kick services alternated between horrible and excellent. I wouldn't be concerned, but this is not the first time I've seen that. Frankly, I'm not sure I want him taking corners any more but he adds little in the box so anyone have any ideas?
All the guys last night have to be evaluated for their ability to fit in with the real first team. Unfortunately for Albright, Hejduk has shown that ability (not tonight, though) and if he can regain his form over the next month, he'll go for sure, even ahead of Spector. Arena loves attacking outside backs, but they have to be able to lock down first. (Bostrom)
Nice article by Ives Garclep on ESPN about the final roster.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=364781&root=mls&cc=5901
He brings up an interesting name, Conor Casey. If he can prove he's healthy and in good form, there's a good chance that he beats out Twellman and Ching for that last forward spot.
The more that I think about it, the more that I like Ben Olsen on the squad. He's been in terrific form and is great insurance if Mastroeni goes down.
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http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=364781&root=mls&cc=5901
He brings up an interesting name, Conor Casey. If he can prove he's healthy and in good form, there's a good chance that he beats out Twellman and Ching for that last forward spot.
The more that I think about it, the more that I like Ben Olsen on the squad. He's been in terrific form and is great insurance if Mastroeni goes down.
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