Special US|UCLA Soccer Open Thread: Celebrating Red, White & Blue
by Nestor on Jun 28, 2009 11:10 AM PDT
in Other Sports
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PrintWell 4th of July is just about a week away. So consider this an extended preparty celebration of the Red, White and Blue here on Bruins Nation.
We have already talked about the UCLA angle in today's team USA's quest to pull of another miracle on grass. The heart and soul of the Yank's defense is none other than a UCLA alum : Captain Carlos Bocanegra (number 3):
Photo Credit: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images via katnguyen2's photostream (flickr)
Carlos is not the only Bruin representing the four letters in Red, White & Blue. UCLA alums Benny Feilhaber, Jonathan Bornstein, and Marvell Wynne have also been contributing to Team USA's magic carpet ride down in South Africa.
Today's final match against Brazil (which is the Yankees of world soccer) will be a ginormous challenge. However, per the LAT we might have a shot. Apparently Brazil which has stars pretty much in every position hasn't been showing its usual flair of playmaking abilities all over the field.
For more on the game here is ESPN's preview and if you are not around a television you can watch it on ESPN360.com. It all gets started on WWL around 2:30 pm EST.
We will be following the action in our game thread here. So once again you know what to do. Fire away. GO BRUINS and ...
USA! USA! USA!
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Yep.
In a non- Olympic year.
Love My Bruins
by Bruingirl83 on Jun 28, 2009 11:50 AM PDT up reply actions
;-)
There is not a more All-American young man than KL.
Love My Bruins
by Bruingirl83 on Jun 28, 2009 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions
I LOVE
the way they’re playing! They are there to WIN, not just “make a good showing.”
Love My Bruins
Cobi Jones is excited
@cobijones 2-0 is a great start. The boys are holding there own and more. Playing very well so far.
My biggest regret as a Utd supporter...
…was us losing Tim to Everton. Especially given how he has developed the last few years, having him at Old Trafford to take over when Van der Sar hangs it up sometime in the next few seasons.
by Bellerophon on Jun 28, 2009 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Let me rephrase what I just deleted
I don’t really dislike Van der Sar … but I think they really needed someone to groom to take over for him … because he seems be losing a step. Just my perception.
He's definitely a step behind
And as much as I like Ben Foster, I don’t think him or Kuszczak are really the answer for the future.
Then again, Tim is 30 and Foster is only 26, so if he develops and takes over England’s #1 shirt, then maybe it’ll work out well for the Red Devils.
And as long as we have Rio and Vidic anchoring the back line, we can get away with having a less-than-stellar keeper.
by Bellerophon on Jun 28, 2009 12:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah not like this
the first 10 mins of second half is going to be key because our defense is about to face multiple Category 5 hurricanes (in waves).
oh man I wish I had checked for a thread here earlier
what a half though, Boca definitely saved a goal at the end there.
Although I expect us to come out conservatively, I hope we keep attacking and don’t move into a more defensive tactic.
O.A.
haha ya thankfully indeed, that was a goal IMO
my dads english and he still hasnt let the hand of God go..
O.A.
From Cobi Jones
@cobijonesThis game is not even close to being over. The US can’t just sit back. One close call already.
Even if we lose 3-2...
…we beat Spain 2-0 and we gave Brazil a hell of a scare. We played well on a huge stage and I think now that the new generation of Americans is starting to gel, we have a real solid shot going forward, both in 2010 and after.
Well, that's about it folks...
60 seconds left. It’s 5:20am… I gotta get ready for work.
Proud of my team for sticking with it.
Great game thread everyone
I hate moral victories.
We will have our day. They are hearing footsteps for sure.
definitely
we showed some heart and some grit, i really think if we just work on our structure a bit, we can get better. I think we started to tire out because Brazil had control of the ball, same situation with Spain.
We can’t continue to bank on counter attacks and long balls forward. We have to start switching the field and getting more U.S. players near the box with possession.
Howard was brilliant this whole tournament, I think playing in Europe has really helped him. He always in control, confident, and smart. Anyway well done boys, you made us proud
O.A.
the US does not have the ability to hang with elite teams
they have gotten good, and can sometimes upset them, but even the win against Spain was lucky if you watch the game. Spain had way more shots on goal and controlled the tempo.
This game, I was very disappointed in the drop off in the second half, the complacency of allowing Brazil to dictate the terms and pace of the game, and the fear the players played with.
there is never an excuse to lose a 2 goal lead at half time other than just flat out getting outplayed.
I wouldn’t consider this game a moral victory. Not by giving up 3 goals in the second half.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jun 28, 2009 1:24 PM PDT reply actions
Our lack of talent and depth is our own fault...
…while most countries in the world put primary focus on soccer, we have relegated it to maybe our fourth, fifth, or even sixth most important sport, depending on who you ask. Most of our elite athletes are playing basketball, football, or baseball. Imagine the kind of talent base we’d have if soccer was our country’s primary focus.
Even with that major handicap, we beat Spain 2-0 and gave Brazil a hell of a run. We’re not there yet, but we’re making strides. Bear in mind that Brazil blew us out 3-0 earlier in the tournament. We had a drop-off after our run to the 2002 WC quarter-finals, but now that the new generation of Yanks are starting to gel, I like our chances to go deep next year in South Africa and beyond.
Moral “victories” suck, I know, but think about it this way: for most Americans, soccer is some game they play in Europe and South America. But after we beat Spain, our national team joined the national conversation. If we had got blown out by Brazil today, that interest would have died. But we made a show of it and I think our boys converted quite a few of our countrymen, which is good for the long-term health and viability of American soccer, both locally and on the international stage.
It's because of attitudes
like dodger2009’s that soccer just doesn’t get off the ground here. There are way too many people who think like he does. That’s why most of our players look like little kids against the elite teams. If they’re big enough, they go play another sport that’s more “macho” and their career ends after high school, a waste of their athletic abilities. And the whole “soccer mom” movement does not help either, it makes it look like it’s a game for kids.
As for the game itself, it was a pretty epic choke job. The team started playing prevent defense when the second half started, when they should have done what they did the first half, counterattacking and pressuring and keeping Brazil on their heels. Instead, they just watched, gave the Brazilians tons of space and lost just about every 50/50 ball. Howard was awesome, but he could only do so much.
I hope I live to see the day the US gets over the hump in soccer…so close, so many times the last 15 years…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
That one
was right in front of us, and it got away. That was ours. That said, we played our hearts out and gave a gritty performance.
We ran out of gas
They scored that goal right after half and five minutes later I turned to my brother and said, “we’re in trouble. We’re out of gas.” You could see it especially in Dempsey and Jozy, who didn’t press as high and weren’t pressuring the ball as well as they did in the first half. Not having Bradley was a killer as we we lacked a top-notch midfielder to bring off the bench. Clark and Feilhaber were decent, but struggled to maintain possession and had Bradley been in there, we could have brought Benny off the bench to settle the match down and hold some possession. Overall, the match was pretty good. I’m going to gather my thoughts on it later today and put it together in a post for Global Futbol, but I don’t feel as if we gave this away like some have said.
P.S.- While he didn’t attend UCLA (he turned pro at 16), Michael Bradley lives in LA during the summer and I’ve seen him around campus a few times. He even attended a few basketball games when he was in town.
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Jun 28, 2009 1:47 PM PDT reply actions
Heartbreaker
I was hoping to see the USMNT pick up their first big trophy, but at least I feel better for their chances next year in the world cup. Where as before I figured it would all come down to the draw for them continuing to the round of 16, now they have show they can compete with anyone. Hopefully the young guys like Jozy can get more experience and PT for better conditioning working up to next summer.
Here's my recap over at Global Futbol
A short intro and players ratings:
http://www.globalfutbol.com/2009/6/29/928583/usa-player-ratings-vs-brazil
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Jun 28, 2009 9:26 PM PDT reply actions
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