Obviously, Timmy Chandler didn’t have a very good game outside of his cross that bounced through to Dempsey. Chandler was badly positioned a few times, and he gave away the ball in a very embarrassing way to practically gift Turkey a goal. Personally, I hope we see a little bit of DeMarcus Beasley to see how he does comparatively. I thought Yedlin, generally, did fine. I like Brad Davis in the lineup. Julian Green had one or two good moments, and about 10 bad moments. Like Klinsmann, I can see the potential, and I hope having him in the lineup doesn’t end up coming back to haunt us later. I think Jermain Jones tried to do too much with his passing, and Beckerman did a good job with his passing. However, I was impressed by Jones’ defensive intensity and determination to hustle and make plays. I think Jozy fouled the Turkey keeper. If the play had happened the other way around US fans would have been screaming for a foul. On his one-on-one with the keeper I think he should have done better to lift the ball a little and get the ball over the keeper’s foot. He did shoot it with his left foot, which I hope isn’t a too much of a sign of a limited scoring ability with his left for that opponents will exploit. We have to be clinical with our chances in Brazil.

I would be interested to see, at least for experiments sake at one point in the next two games, Diskerud at the top of the diamond and Bradley at the bottom with Davis and Zusi on the wings. If Diskerud is a #10 then that is the best position for him. Bradley can still make plays as long as the team is committed to filling his void when he makes a run forward as he should do. The US always looks great when he runs at pace to take the space in front of him. That is how the second goal came about. Bradley has everything you need in a defensive midfielder, and this combination would be very interesting to see for its potential offensive strength. Late in a game I might even take out the D-mid instead of a winger/shuttler to put in Diskerud, so he is in the middle of the park where he is more effective. I don’t really see Diskerud as a winger. However, Diskerud does worry me a bit. I only remember seeing him come into a game late when games are generally more wide open, and opposing defenders are fatigued. It would be interesting to see how he would do from the outset.

The post Diskerud as a #10 and other thoughts from the USA v Turkey game! appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

photo credit: seriouslysilly via photopin cc

Brad Davis’s inclusion and the infusion of youth in Jurgen Klinsmann’s 23-man roster could be potential explained by a healthy respect for the Brazilian climate’s potential to impact a team’s performance. Even though it will be winter time in Brazil everyone is planning on the heat and humidity of Brazil to play a significant role in the World Cup. The Brazilian players union has even sued FIFA about the kick-off times for games.

The players’ federation filed a lawsuit this week to change kickoff times of the 24 matches scheduled to start at 1 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), saying players would be at risk because of intense heat and humidity in some venues. It said FIFA, at least, must introduce two-minute water breaks in each half during those matches. – CBS News

Apparently, the heat is such a worrisome issue that some people think it is worth suing over. Having grown up in North Carolina (I had a 6 inch wide vine in my yard), lived in Southern California (I experienced 122 F heat out int he desert), and currently living in Utah I have experienced different types of heat. Heat and humidity definitely can sap your energy quickly, and you can almost get used to playing in it. I think that is part of the reason why Brad Davis is on the team and not Landon Donovan. Playing in LA is very different than playing in Houston. Thus, part of the reason why the Houston Dynamo have the longest home unbeaten streak in MLS history. One has to manage their effort more in heat and humidity.

Plus, the USMNT will have to deal with long travel times that their bodies will need to recover from. In 2002, when the World Cup was played in South Korea and Japan (not really known for heat and humidity) Bruce Arena was quoted as saying that the World Cup is a ‘young man’s game’. I would guess that Klinsmann is betting that the climate will play a big part in Brazil, and he has decided to bet a little more on youth and those with experience dealing with heat and humidity. European teams have historically done much worse in South America than in Europe and vice versa. Interestingly, a lot of South American teams have players who play in Europe. I wonder how much this will affect their acclimatization. Also, I recognize that the heat and humidity will not have the same impact in all venues. Plus, I think Donovan would have done just fine with the heat and humidity as a sub.

Basically, I believe the Brazilian climate and the expected especially grueling nature of this upcoming World Cup campaign significantly influenced Klinsmann’s recent roster decision.

The post How Much Has the Brazilian Climate Affected Klinsmann’s Roster? appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

I thought about calling this ‘Who does the USMNT need to contain Cristiano Ronaldo?’, but, obviously, defense is a team effort. It is just as important to think about formation as to think about personnel. Matthew Doyle thinks that Jurgen Klinnsman might man mark Cristiano Ronaldo, and he mentioned Maurice Edu as a candidate. Recently Landon Donovan was quoted as saying, “[Cristiano Ronaldo] is a special player and a special talent. We could play an amazing game against Portugal, and he could pull off two plays that only he can pull off, and we could end up losing. So what has to happen is we have to play well, no question.” The United States has been placed in what some would call the Group of Death. I feel like there are others that could earn that title as well. Additionally Matthew Doyle explained, “First and foremost is that the US will be facing a glut of left-sided inverted wingers in the group stage, starting with Ghana’s Wakaso Mubarak before continuing onto Ronaldo and probably finishing with André Schürrle.”

I’m sure that someone a lot smarter than me has figured most of this out, but I just thought I would put some of my thoughts out there. First, if someone who is going to man mark Cristiano Ronaldo or other dangerous inverted wingers what position/player can be sacrificed. Since marking him man-to-man is a defensive task then maybe a defender could be sacrificed, but I think the easy answer would be to sacrifice a midfielder. Maybe, it would be necessary to have a lone striker up top to supplement the midfield if a midfielder is sacrificed to mark Ronaldo.

Isn’t a defensive midfielder’s job to stop inverted wingers. They’re supposed to be there just in front of the defense cutting off lanes and double teaming. Maybe that is why Kyle Beckerman has been given more opportunities to prove himself recently. Beckerman has always played a very specific role, and he has been relatively consistent. Beckerman is having a career year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Klinsmann has given him more minutes after he saw that US group draw. Edu would be a midfielder that could play defensively, but he is more than willing to make deeper offensive forays than Beckerman. Geoff Cameron seems like a logical choice to creepily follow and harass Cristiano Ronaldo. I only said it that way because I would feel weird man marking a whole game in soccer.

With some of the decisions to be made it seems like Klinnsman has to decide between a player who positions himself really well or a player with good make up speed. Ronaldo plays on the right, so it seems like Klinnsman might have to choose between left backs like Fabian Johnson (speed) or the aging DeMarcus Beasley (experience and positioning).

The USMNT needs to maximize their players skills sets in order to just get out of the group stage, and then I’m sure they’ll hope they have enough clubs in the bag to make it a little further. How do you think the US needs to stop the dangerous inverted wingers that the US will face? Chad Marshall looked really good this week? He always seemed to be in the way of the opposing team. Is there something I’m missing as to why he isn’t higher on the pecking order than guys like Goodson, and maybe even equal to Gonzalez and Besler?

The post What does the USMNT need to contain Cristiano Ronaldo? appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

photo credit: Evgeni Zotov via photopin cc

Every now and then when people talk about home games for Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids they talk about the effect of altitude on visiting teams. Michael Bradley mentioned it when he said”[Real Salt Lake] is a good team…Obviously, playing in altitude always presents certain things you’ll have to deal with and, again, we’ll go on the road to a difficult place to play against a really good team and be excited by the challenge.” Some credited altitude for hindering Real Salt Lakes performance in their first home game against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Real Salt Lake trained at a lower altitude for their preseason and first two away games before arriving in Utah a few days before their home debut. Fortunately, playing in Utah and Colorado is nothing like playing in La Paz, Bolivia which is at about 10,000 feet above sea level.

According to “Preparation for football at moderate to high altitude” (1) teams that play at an altitude above 2000 meters or about 6,500 feet do have an advantage. However, this advantage is mitigated by the sea-level teams having an advantage against high-altitude teams at their home stadiums. The effects of altitude can likely be mitigated by about 2 weeks of acclimatization at altitude, and simulated exposure is another somewhat less effective option. Initially at high-altitude one can experience acute mountain sickness which can be seen in about 25% reduced maximum aerobic power with an increased heart rate. Basically, there is less oxygen in your system with a faster heart rate. From what I have read and heard there seems to be two options to try mitigate the affects of altitude. The first is to arrive as close to game time as is reasonable to keep as much oxygen in the blood as possible, or two arrive about two weeks early to fully acclimate. Two weeks seems excessive, especially in the MLS, so I assume most teams subscribe to the first option. The worst thing to do is play two to three days after arriving and train at altitude before the match. Real Salt Lake seemed to do this for their first home opener whey they seemed to “hit a wall.”

I imagine that there is still some effect that altitude has on teams playing in Utah and Colorado, but it seems clear that it shouldn’t be very significant. I guess this is why it is only occasionally mentioned in pregame discussions. One soccer blog cited a study that said that about a third of goals scored at higher altitudes were in the final fifteen minutes, and most of those were by the home team. This could suggest that teams might not be able to be unaffected by the altitude for a full 90 minutes of high-level physical exertion. However, it doesn’t seem that Real Salt Lake Colorado are particularly known for scoring at home in the last fifteen minutes. A lot of goals in the MLS are scored in the last fifteen minutes, and lately it seems like the last fifteen seconds.

Also, I was wondering if some people thought that older players might be affected more by altitude. Another thought I had is that certain tactics and formations might be better for playing at altitude. I wonder if Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids have larger fields for this reason. I think Colorado has the largest field in MLS and they are at the highest altitude, about a mile high (5,201 feet). Colorado also plays with three forwards. This combination could force opposing teams to do a lot more running at altitude and maximize the effect of altitude. Colorado has three targets for long ball up front which will tend to travel farther at high altitude. Real Salt Lake has traditional had a speedster up front, as a lot of teams do, that can take advantage of quick, long passes behind the defense. Real Salt Lake favors a possession style that forces other teams to exert more energy chasing the game. Psychologically, the slight fatigue caused by altitude, the atmosphere created by the fans, and the lack of possession could cause a team to not play up to their normal potential. Rhythm and tempo can significantly affect a teams confidence and ability, altitude could affect those things.

I know that MLS has been trying to limit travel times, but it seems like teams don’t play two away games against Real Salt Lake. I wonder how much of a difference it would make for a the second road game at altitude, if any. Recently, Major League Soccer has demonstrated a lot of parity. The race to make the playoffs seems to come down to the last few games, and just a few points can make a huge difference. It is interesting to note that both Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids made the playoffs last year. I wonder how much altitude helped their cause. I know how difficult finding accurate statistics can be difficult with all of the variables that affect the outcome of a match, but it would be interesting to see comparisons in the MLS for games at altitude if all other factors could be held constant. It could be impossible to accurately figure that out.

Altitude has presented a unique challenge for teams during CONCACAF Champions League. San Jose had to play against Toluca at about 9,000 ft. So, when the USMNT practices and plays matches in Utah and Colorado they are giving some valuable experience to domestic players who only spend a day or two at altitude a year.

Different Field Elevations

• Dick’s Sporting Goods Park: 5,201 ft
• Rio Tinto Stadium (RioT- get it? “here at the riot…”): 4,430 ft
• Sporting Park: 980 ft
• Toyota Park: 615 ft
• Toyota Stadium: 625 ft
• Columbus Crew Stadium: 255 ft

Everywhere else is practically at sea level

1. Gore, C. J., McSharry, P. E., Hewitt, A. J. and Saunders, P. U. (2008), Preparation for football competition at moderate to high altitude. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 18: 85–95. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2008.00836.x

Another interesting site –> High Altitude Effects on Sport Performance

Wikipedia is always helpful –> High-altitude football controversy

The post Does High Altitude Make for a Serious Home Field Advantage in the MLS? appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

NE 0-0 VAN

With the Goncalves situation supposedly resolved Revolution earned it’s first shutout of the season. However, the Rev’s offense still has not been clicking on all cylinders. Vancouver’s high-octane offense came up blank for the first time this season. Vancouver attempted to adjust at half time with Pedro Morales coming on for Sebastian Fernandez. Unfortunately for Vancouver they couldn’t finish their chances. There were a number of times that goalies had to come up big on some decent shot attempts.

Highlight: Full match highlights

RSL 1-1 LA

Goal: Saborio 19′ (Assisted by Joao Plata)

Goal: Keane 34′ (Assisted by Juninho)

In this strange early re-match early season rust and possible CCL fatigue made this a RSL v. LA match-up to forget. RSL went up early with a long set piece cross from Plata to Saborio. Saborio was left unmarked and had plenty of time to collect the ball and place towards the far post. Robbie Keane showed some individual skill by going at pace towrads newly returned Chris Schuler. Robbie Keane cut inside and then back out to slot it near post past Nick Rimando. Joao Plata was subbed out due to injury, and Olmes Garcia was subbed into the game. The partnership between Garcia and Saborio was not as polished as that between Plata and Saborio. RSL coach Cassar said that they would work on that this week in practice.

Highlight: Here is Sabo’s goal.

TOR 1-0 DC

Jermain Defoe does it again. Fortunately for the rest of the MLS he showed a little weakness by not finishing more chances. Still a good choice for fantasy captain for me! TFC’s Jackson was back at it again with his cheap shots. Hopefully the disciplinary committee does something this week. Part of the story of this one was the terrible condition of the field which some said was worse than a high school soccer field.

Goal: Jermain Defoe 60′

Highlight: Jermain Defoe goal

CLB 2-1 PHI

Higuain went to work again with another masterful performance. My fantasy forward Jairo Arrieta was very close to finishing a goal early on. However, Columbus would end up scoring two in the first half anyway. Bernardo Anor had a ridiculous blast from about 25 yards out. Philly was able to get one back in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to crack the Columbus defense.

Goal: Bernardo Anor 24′ (Assisted By Frederico Higuain)

Goal: Bernardo Anor 45’+ 2″ (Assisted by Wil Trapp)

Goal: Leonardo Fernandes 62′ (Assisted by Sebastian Le Toux)

Highlight: My fantasy team member Le Toux gets an assist to Fernandes!

COL 2-0 POR
There was some snow falling for this one. Ricketts comes out and misses the ball, but he nails Deshorn Brown to earn a red. The penalty was converted, and then the backup keeper gets Sanchez for the second penalty that made the difference in this one. Portland is clearly off to a slow start. Jose Mari got an interesting red in the ninetieth minute.

Goal: Vicente Sanchez 73′

Goal: Deshorn Brown 75′

Highlight: Sanchez earns a penalty, and Deshorn Brown knocks in the rebound.

SKC 1-0 SJ

Opara gets as close to scoring as you can get without scoring. It was kind of funny actually, unless you’re Opara. I’m not sure what Lenhart was thinking later when he smacked the ball down to his feet in his own box. Dwyer took the opportunity and drove into the back of the net from the penalty spot. Wondo misses a great shot late in the game.

Goal: Dominic Dwyer 57′

Highlight: Dwyer continues SKC’s good penalty taking form.

DAL 3-1 CHV

Mauro Diaz shows again why he is such a young Designated Player. Dallas could have scored a few more in this one. It was a strong performance by them. This was a rough one with 7 yellow cards and 1 red card given. Erick Torres came through for me again on my fantasy team. Bofo was interesting to watch again. He isn’t particularly bad, but he makes good choices and protects the ball. It is kind of like a lot of Chivas’ players.

Goal: Fabian Castillo 71′ (Assisted by Hendry Thomas)

Goal: Je-Vaughn Watson 78′

Goal: Erick Torres 81″(Assisted by Kristopher Tyrpak)

Goal: Michel 86″

Highlight: Maybe, I shouldn’t have taken Michel off of my fantasy team. He keeps coming on as a sub, so it is a bit risky to put him on your team. His goal here was a bit lucky, but it went in.

CHI 1-1 NY

I loved the first title that mlssoccer.com had for this one that included something like, “Gingers Go Wild.” The redheads, Larentowicz and McCarty, both scored. I enjoyed McCarty composure on the ball for his goal. Mostly because I know I would be that guy that would have a heart attack and kick it a mile over the goal. I’m liking the play from Chicago’s Amarikwa and Shipp. Shipp could be a good fantasy steal. This was a relatively evenly matched game.

Goal: Jeff Larentowicz 6′ (Assisted by Harrison Shipp)

Goal: Dax McCarty 21′

Highlight: Dax McCarty calmly lifts the ball through traffic into the back corner of the net.

MTL 0-2 SEA

Seattle was fortunate to get the early lead, but they reinforced it with another head from Obafemi Martins. He is proof that positioning is more important than height in heading in goals. Montreal still has not been able to convert chances well. Eric Miller, a rookie defender, almost miraculously went straight at goal past a few defenders and scored. It would have been amazing.

Goal: Lamar Neagle 8′ (Assisted by Kenny Cooper)

Goal: Obafemi Martins 28′ (Assisted by Gonzalo Pineda)

Highlight: Lamar Neagle’s header bounces of the cross bar then Troy Perkins for a goal. So, it was an own goal by Troy Perkins. Should Neagle at least get assist points in MLS Fantasy League? Why not?

The post Week 3 Game Recaps appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

1. Impact’s Felipe deserved a red. Being apologetic doesn’t get you out of a card Felipe.

2. Yep, Impact’s Bernadello should have gotten a red instead of a yellow for his cheap swipe from behind.

3. Borg is wrong. Impact’s Felipe totally dove and should have gotten a yellow.

4. Impact’s Mapp should have gotten a yellow and should have been disciplined. Another dive from Montreal. It looks like Mapp is anticipating the foul. If he had continued his run right and earned the foul he could of gotten a penalty kick.

5. How does Dom Dwyer not earn a penalty kick in this one? I’m not sure why people get saying the referees didn’t make themselves the story on the weekend. It seems like the referees are being talked about a lot, and they made and missed some big calls that affected games. What would a referee have to do to make themselves a ‘real’ story? Maybe if they trip someone to deny a goal scoring opportunity and said ‘oops’ that would have the referee’s actually be the story of the weekend.

6. What is with SKC’s Dwyer’s ninja kick on Seitz? I would think a soccer player would appreciate not getting cleated more than Dwyer apparently does. Kick the ball at the referee’s head, not the goalie. The ref is the one who made the bad call. Seitz almost gave Dwyer a free goal.

7. Borg must be blind because the footage is perfectly clear on SKC’s Peterson’s second possible penalty kick. He got nailed and should have gotten a penalty. He probably should have gotten a penalty when his arm got pulled on earlier, but referees seem to reward those who embellish unfortunately. That would seem to encourage diving.

8. What’s with punching by FCD’s Jair Benitez? How does he not get suspended while Dempsey does?

9. It seems like we are getting to know RBNY’s Armando very quickly, and what we have learned is that he is a dirty player. Great, the MLS definitely needs more of those (insert sarcasm here).

10. RBNY’s Olave fouled Benitez. The penalty was deserved. I could understand how Olave might have been trying to brace himself and hold his ground against the coming contact, but he was a bit over zealous.

11. Chivas’ Pelletieri gets the ball. It seems like it is the other guys fault that he put himself in that situation. If you’re not going to get to the ball first you might get hurt and sucks for you. Pelletieri wasn’t trying to step on the guy. I’m not sure why the disciplinary committee was particularly upset by this.

12. Vancouver’s Fernandez probably dove. It doesn’t look like anyone tripped him up.

13. Chicago’s Amarikwa played it masterfully and drew the penalty. Bad luck for Papparato, but it would have been weird if they didn’t call it.

14. Michael Harrington, you dirty rat. It does look like he purposefully raised his arm while in the box to deflect a cross.

15. Nyarko just takes out Portland’s Diego Chara. Sure, Chara might have had it coming from all the times Chara has done something similar, but Nyarko deserved what he got.

16. In the Philly v NE game that Farrell feel to hard to have just fallen by himself. I think Fernandez probably used his arm to give him an extra nudge in the back. Keep the shoving out of soccer please!

17. It looks like Berry fouled Bengston but the referee is too afraid to make the call.

18. Wondo was clearly offside for SJ’s first goal. That play should have died!

19. I don’t think the disciplinary committee needs to waste its time on wild, half-hearted swings of an arm that didn’t hit anything. Come on Simon!

20. Jackson should have gotten a red, and I can’t believe Jackson didn’t get a punishment dished out by the disciplinary committee.

21. Dempsey should have gotten a red for swiping Rey from behind. The referees need to help Dempsey out so he doesn’t feel like he has dish out vigilant revenge, and the disciplinary committee didn’t help things.

22. I’m not sure how Dempsey’s crotch tap sends bloom to the ground for so long. Sure, it hurts, but being balled up on the ground doesn’t make it feel any better. I doubt that Dempsey was trying to hit blooms arm away, but it did seem like bloom was staying awkwardly close to Dempsey’s back while the ball was dead. I would have won’t him to give me some more space too.

23. Bloom should have gotten the red against Neagle. I officially am not a fan of Bloom, whoever he is.

The post Review of Borg’s Instant Replay Video appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

Toronto FC 2014 Preseason

Basically, during this past preseason Toronto FC CEO Tim Leiweke went crazy spending tons of money and signing a bunch of new players, including three DPs. He tried make the world bend to his will and have four designated players, but it didn’t work and Matias Laba was traded to Vancouver. I am writing this just after Defoe scored to solid goals in a TFC victory away in Seattle. It seems that all of that money might actually have bought something that will win games. It’ll be exciting to watch. However, for far more information check out the assortment of links and videos below.

Toronto 2014 regular season preview video. Watch…

Off-Season Events

Toronto announces USL Pro partner in Wilmington Hammerheads. Read more…

Toronto’s 2014 kit is unveiled. Read more…

Chemistry building will have to wait for Toronto FC and their DPs. Read more…

Bright Dike suffers torn achilles during training session. Read more…

Jonathan Osorio spends part of preseason training in Europe. Read more…

Players Subtracted

Matias Laba, DP, traded to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Read more… and more…

TFC decline options for 7 players: Earnshaw, Convey, Russell, Thomas, Koevermans, Braun, and Frei. Read more…

Richard Eckersley is traded to NY Red Bulls. Read more…

New Players Added

Jermain Defoe transfers from Tottenham Hotspurs. Read more…

Michael Bradley moves from Roma to Toronto FC. Read more…

TFC sign Brazilian striker Gilberto to DP contract. Read more…

Julio Cesar is loaned to Toronto FC. Read more…

De Rosario returns to TFC in re-entry draft. Read more…

Toronto FC trade allocation money for Justin Morrow. Read more…

Toronto signs defender Bradley Orr. Read more…

Jackson traded from FC Dallas to Toronto FC. Read more…

Toronto FC signs academy forward Jordan Hamilton. Read more…

 Preseason Matches

Union v TFC

Full Match Video

DC United v TFC

Highlights

Full Match Video

Columbus Crew v TFC

Full Match Video

OCSC v TFC

Full Match Video

Preseason Highlight: Michael Bradley curls beautiful free kick. Watch…

The post Toronto FC Off-Season Summary appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

First, this is hilarious!

This is a hilarious GIF of Victor Bernardez avoiding a cheek kiss. By the end he looks very uncomfortable. Read more…

Roster Changes

San Jose can’t afford to keep Steven Beitashour. Read more…

Justin Morrow leaves as well. Read more…

Marvin Chaves is traded for Atiba Harris. Read more…

San Jose sign Brandon Barklage, Shaun Francis, and Bryan Meredith to strengthen defense. Read More…

San Jose sign French midfielder Jean-Baptist Pierazzi. Read more… Apparently he really likes the US. Read more…

San Jose win Billy Schuler in lottery. Read more…

San Jose draft promising mid at No. 9., JJ Koval. Read more…

‘Quakes sign homegrown player Tommy Thompson. Read more…

David Bingham and are loaned to the San Antonio Scorpions. Read more…

Andreas Gorlitz joins the team as a right back. Read more…

Ryan Neil, RSL draftee, and Joe Sofia are signed by San Jose. Read more…

SJ Rebrand

San Jose reveal new jerseys one of which is a new red. Read more…

Rancid member pens SJ ‘Quakes new anthem. Read more…

San Jose’s rebranding has a retro feel. Read more…

Player Development

SJ and Portland have joint affiliate agreement with Sacrament Republic FC. Read more…

Stadium Construction

Stadium finally passes slow beginning and hurdles to start rising from the foundation. Read more…

Rebranding introduction video below.

Preseason Games

LA Galaxy defeat San Jose 2-1. Read more… (with highlights)

Full Games

Portland vs San Jose

Full Video

San Jose vs. Vancouver

Full Video

Seattle vs. San Jose

Highlights here…

Full Video

The post San Jose Off-Season Summary appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

Background Information (Feel free to skip this) Ukraine defeated a squad of most of the US’s European based players in Cyprus to a very small crowd. The match was originally scheduled to take place in Ukraine but due to internal politics between different factions that differed in opinion about whether or not they wanted more European Union or Russian involvement and aid in their country. Dozens have died in the unrest. The former Ukrainian Prime Minister was pro-Russian and the new PM is more pro-western. Different parts of the country have very different opinions about the situation. In southern Ukraine there is a peninsula on the Black Sea, the Crimean Peninsula, hosts a large Russian fleet. Russia sent in some of their military forces to occupy the peninsula on the premise that they wanted to ensure the safety of their citizens living there. The new prime minister has said that Russia has pushed their country to the brink of war, members of the international community have threatened sanctions, and one person said that it is the greatest crisis in Europe this century. Apparently, the Ukrainian national team sat on the tarmac for a few hours in Ukraine before leaving still unsure whether or not they were going to play the game.

Now, The Game

Ukraine is ranked 18th by FIFA, and they are the highest ranked country not in the World Cup. They brought most of their best players to play. They have excellent wingers that can get in behind the defense with pace. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they did. The US back line was bypassed with ease on several occasions. The first half only had a few bright moments. Klinsmann kept the same line-up for the second half, and the team responded and did much better. Yet, against the run of play Ukraine scored their second goal. Some of the subs came in made things a bit more interesting. Johannsson had the best shot of the night that was blocked at the goal line. I thought Jermain Jones had a really good game. Ukraine marched straight up the field and scored after her was subbed out. He showed a veteran presence that helped pull things together when everyone seemed very disconnected and out sync. The back line has not spent much time together and it showed. I think this game cemented in my mind that F. Johnson is more valuable as a left back than a left midfielder.

Check out this highlights to see some of this yourself.

I know that this isn’t close to the team that is going to Brazil, but even several of our core players have been in poor form (Dempsey and Altidore). I hope if the time cf comes Klinsmann will stick to his guns and make the tough decisions. I thought Claudio Reyna was rather poor in his last World Cup; unfortunately, some good players fall out of form and don’t deserve to play in the World Cup.

Player Grades

Jermain Jones 8

Tim Howard 8

Aron Johannson 7.5

Geoff Cameron 7.5

Clint Dempsey 7

Alejandro Bedoya 7

Danny Williams 7

Fabian Johnson 6.5

Brek Shea 6

Jozy Altidore 6

Sacha Kliejstan 6

Oguchi Onyewu 6

Edgar Castillo 5.5

John Anthony-Brooks 5.5

The post US v. Ukraine Grades and Review appeared first on That Soccer Guy.

I have an obvious RSL bias. So, I would use a diamond with Beckerman in the back. He covers a lot of ground so you can commit others forward. Morales would be up top to pull the strings. Keane and Casey or Keane and Manneh would be great pairings. O’Neill and Parke would be solid center backs. Decent in the air and on the ground. Wingert and Jewsbury would be tough on defense, and both are willing to push forward at the right times. Fondy, Hairston, Allen, Palmer-Brown, and E. Miller.

Let me know what you think and share with me your own versions. You can hit reset without using any transfers and put everything back after you’re done. Try it out! It’s fun!

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