Top Stories

Mexico 4, USMNT 2: The Highlights

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fTvZqC-ycE]

Comments

  1. first off, its you ARE not your

    second, usually the broadcasting company who owns the rights to the game is allowed to present the trophy. In this case the company was Spanish language Univision. and yes it was both in English and Spanish. and yes the comments were borderline “hurr durr ‘merica” maybe not xenophobic, but definitely sour grapes

    Reply
  2. Good point about Adu. Dos Santos is a player for Mexico that has bounced around a bit too and doesn’t light it up at club level but that chic, errr that duded is crafty and great for his NT. Here’s to hoping Adu finds himself in more favorable club setting from here on out and becomes a main stay for the US. After all who can forget his U21 (or was it U19) world class display from about three years ago.

    As fans we keep looking for who’s the next American player to make an impact over in a top Euro leagues. It seems like we’re ebbing in that regard right now but I’m sure it will flow again with a new generation of US players staking their fortunes overseas.

    BB has to be reconsidered though. Good coach that got us to another rung on the ladder but we’re far from the top still. His best decisions in this GC came from desperation and we’re all tired of the constant “back against the wall” (ie all heart) performances.

    Reply
  3. No one is leaving and that sucks, I´m totally with you on this one, BB and Sunil need to go, oue program is regressing and we are becoming pretty predictable as a team, BB tactics and game control sucks, give Klinsmann everything he needs and we will see players with more skill and better ball control, it sucks losing to a team we use to dominate.

    Reply
  4. Agreed. But you get the point that Mat’s raising? BB seems to have a reached a comfort level with this player pool. That’s when you know things are stagnating.

    Reply
  5. Kimo, thanks for the fantastic post. I was getting tired of all the Bornstein scapegoating. Bad decision? Sure. But we have bigger problems that need to be fixed right now.

    For one, our CB position needs desperate revamping. What’s the plan here? Stick with Boca and Goodson? I really can’t see Boca lasting until next WC. Yeah, he’s the captain but he’s slowed down and has to rely completely on his positioning and experience to hang in there. That’s not going to cut it. Goodson is quite ‘good’ but he needs improvement to play such a key position. Who else do we have? We don’t have a lot of time to fix this gaping hole.

    Bradley/Jones MF needs rethinking too. I would love to see a Jones/Edu, Holden pair in the center.

    We need a fresh start NOW. If Bob needs to go for that to happen, so be it. Btw, this is coming from a huge BB fan.

    Reply
  6. Bielsa is very media friendly. He answers any and all questions and doesn’t do so in vague and obtuse corporate speak like BB.

    Reply
  7. Klinsman hired Jogi when he was appointed manager for Germany. Either he knew exactly what he was doing in hiring Low or he was lucky in having a friend who is an excellent tactician.

    Germany finished 3rd in both the 2006 and 2010 WC. That isn’t much of a difference between the Klinsmann and Jogi regimes. Also, Jogi had 4 years of control before the Cup while Klinsmann only had 2.

    Reply
  8. I’m really surprised at Tim Howard’s post-match comments I’ve always thought he was a really cool, mature guy. The ceremony was conducted in both English and Spanish, so his annoyance was unfounded. Sour grapes methinks. Maybe he should express his frustration to the powers that be that choose the locations for these matches.Wonder what his Hispanic teammates make of this?

    Reply
  9. I wish I could afford to fly across the country and attend games at will; really, I do. However, not all of us are rolling in cash like you euroman.

    Reply
  10. I’m pretty surprised no one is talking about Tim Howard’s play or should I say lack of playing. IF he played like he normally does we win this match and probably get the shutout…this would be a much different conversation today. Mexico surely had the run of play but Tim could have made plays on every goal scoring situation but didn’t on Saturday.

    The other issue is the lack of USA support in the stadium, so if you weren’t there please shut your pie hole because YOU are a big part of the problem.

    Reply
  11. I like the way you erase my Landon Donovan comment. The truth hurts, doesn’t it?

    I was convinced that Landon Donovan had matured. I wanted to start respecting the guy. But his little chicken dance was not only disrespectful but premature. He’s still the classless small man he was in Germany where he didn’t earn a spot.

    Reply
  12. That’s crazy. I’m not BB fan, but nothing he has done has put the US in the same turmoil that Domenech and France were in. Not even close. Not even worth comparing.

    Reply
  13. I was convinced that Landon Donovan had matured. I wanted to start respecting the guy. But his little chicken dance was not only disrespectful but premature. He’s still the classless small man he was in Germany where he didn’t earn a spot.

    Reply
  14. Below? Name a Mexican player who is below his US counterpart. I realize you’re attempting to compliment the Mexican team but it seems like a backhanded compliment. This was about gutsy to a certain degree, but ultimately many more elements were involved (skills, cohesion, individual talent).

    Reply
  15. I like the way you scapegoat your poor leftback. Don’t forget that battles are fought in the midfield, where the core of your star players lie.

    Reply
  16. Mexico very well still could have won, they are a talented side. However, putting in Bornstein was a horrible mistake. Putting in Bornstein and making another young defender switch to an uncomfortable position to do so is unforgivable.
    Bradley should go for that. Sure he gets ‘points’ for starting Adu. It wasn’t as ultra-gutsy as many claimed, the guy played exceptionally well in the semis so he earned it. (I’m no Adu lover but he is by far the most talented person we have on the ball and it is good to see him back)
    Bradley must go. Wilmer Cabrerra would be a great choice to replace him. He knows all of our youth players and emphasizes a possession game over the atrocious Brit-ball we currently employ. I’m sorry, but Bradley’s time is up. He’s out of ideas. Thanks for a good run. Goodbye, Bob.

    Reply
  17. You may be right about the 5-0 game being their “tipping point.” I think until that match (and despite the fact it was against a US B or C team), they may have really believed that they couldn’t beat the US on American soil. That game proved that myth wrong, and after that they fully believe they can beat the US, anywhere. Coming back after being two goals down proves that.

    Reply
  18. I think the intent was always to do the ceremony in both English and Spanish. The Univision announcer (who is not Mexican, BTW), got a little excited at times and stuck to Spanish, but it’s not surprising. Mexico had just won, and probably 80-90 percent of the spectators spoke Spanish.

    Reply
  19. The tactics played a big part in the game. The US did not drop back after getting 2-0 lead, which left its slower backline with all the free space behind them exposed against through balls to fast Mexican players. Just look at the first goal, it starts with a long ball from Mexico, followed by a diagonal through ball, leaving Barrera in a one-on-one situation with Howard. Second goals started with a long lobbed pass to Dos Santos behind the back four with acres of space, followed by the low cross and the mayhem ensued in the box resulting in the second goal. Sitting back and defending would have neutralized Mexico’s advantage in speed to a certain extent. This was a tactical adjustment that was never made. In contrast, as soon as Mexico got 3-2 lead, it immediately dropped back, changing its formation to 4-4-1-1, and played on counterattacks. Zonal Marking has a pretty good assessment of tactics, explaining that Mexico’s coached handily won his chess game against BB.

    Reply
  20. “Was I the only one to notice that many of the US players didn’t seem really into the whole tournament, that they severely underperformed when compared to their club play”

    +1 wow Mat, you hit that on the button!!!

    Reply
  21. Time to clean House. Gulati and Bradley should both resign in the best interest of U.S. Soccer. U.S. fans should band together and purchase shares of the team similar to how the Green Bay Packers organization is run. There will be accountability to the fans and Support, financing, media involvement will skyrocket.

    Reply
  22. +1
    Exactly what I’m trying to tell people on these boards!! Thank you!

    The USA has NEVER had such a broad talent pool, so many choices for the national team as it does today.

    Certainly, we should be playing better than we are right now.

    IMO, something is broken with BB in the same way something was broken with Domenech and the French team. Was I the only one to notice that many of the US players didn’t seem really into the whole tournament, that they severely underperformed when compared to their club play? I guarantee there is a malaise in the ranks of our USMNT, and I think it’s simply the players not believing in the coach.

    I think we have a an average MLS level coach with good European level players, and it’s why things aren’t clicking.

    We HAVE the player pool. We need a new coach with a fresh vision to take a step back and look at this with unbiased eyes.

    Reply
  23. Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. I sort of looked away from them for a while, to be honest, came back for the GC and was horrified. Things briefly got better, and I thought maybe it was just the typical slow start at fault, but clearly the problems go much deeper. To be honest, the US reminds me of certain NFL teams whose players say all the right things about the coach and the system, but the dispirited play and poor results speak for themselves.

    Reply
  24. Having played D1 in college I will be the first to agree that as long as we are relying on former college players to build our national team and to a far greater extent, MLS rosters, we are in for more hurt at the highest level. Keg parties and sorority girls vs. professional training in a professional environment…Messi had his priorities in line at the age of 11. 21 or even 18 year old college players are already a long way behind. Our system has taken us as far as we can go, in my opinion. Wholesale changes are needed if we are ever going to sustain competition with the top 10 world teams.

    Reply
  25. We have talent players overseas and even MLS….why is BB so bent on the likes of Gooch, Boca, Ream etc. Everyone needs to play for their position….no exceptions. You could be great for you r club but suck for the national team. We need speed on the flanks and in the back field….right now we are lacking Big time. We have Lichaj and chandler on the wings (Dolo is money but he’s 32) that are going to be assets for the US in the future. We need to be constantly testing our player pool abroad to find a good “receipe”: Ball control, speed on the ball, timing in the air etc. We have alot of players oversea that have represented the US in the U-17 and U-20 levels, which mean they have potential:
    Agbossoumonde (19) Рdefender with Djurg̴rdens IF.
    Ogunbiyi(24) – defender plays for Viborg (Denmark)
    Daniel Williams(22) – defender plays for FC Freiburg, bundesliga
    Nazzani(21) – Defender with Bologna on loan.
    Sean Cunningham(18) – defender Molde, his coach… Solksjaer.
    Igwe, Amaechi(23) – Defender (was a forward with the REVs) FC Ingolstadt 04.
    Adeleye, Ryan(24) – Defender Hapoel Be’er Sheva Isreal
    Funicello, Giuseppe(24) – Defender IFK Mariehamn Finland
    Garza, Greg(19) – Defender Estoril-Praia Portugal

    For our pool of defenders that should have been at least called to camp for evaluation for the Gold Cup:
    Zat Whitbread(27)
    Michael Parkhurst(27)
    Ryan Miller(26)
    Kazlauskas, Charles(28)
    Simek, Frank(26) – Defender Carlisle United England.

    Mexico played with:
    Rafael Marguez – NY RED BULLS!!!!!
    Hector Moreno – Espanyol hasn’t played a game yet in 2011!!!!
    carlos salcido – plays for Fulham, only 23 games 2010 – present!!!
    Gerardo Torrado – plays for Cruz Azul in mexico
    Dárvin Chávez – Monterrey in Mexico
    Néstor Vidrio – Atlas in Mexico
    Israel Jiménez – UANL in mexico

    Look where mexico gets their defenders but how well they perform. Is their league just that superior or is their coach just that good?? If you can’t spot talent, regardless of who the players play for, then you can’t harvest talent, which means you don’t know what to do with talent.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Eric120 Cancel reply