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Thursday Kickoff: Jamaica ties Mexico, Blanc linked to Roma job, and more

BY DAN KARELL

While American soccer fans may be feeling doom and gloom, the situation isn’t much better south of the border, following Mexico’s goalless draw against Jamaica on Wednesday at the Estadio Azteca.

The Reggae Boys ended Mexico’s 18-match winning streak at home in competitive matches, as the visitors frustrated El Tri all evening, and never tired late in the match, despite the altitude of Mexico City.

Both goalkeepers, Donovan Ricketts of Jamaica and Jose de Jesus Corona of Mexico, were kept busy, with an early double save by Corona keeping Jamaica off the board, and Ricketts doing likewise in the second half, robbing Javier Hernandez from close range.

El Tri manager Jose Manuel de la Torre and his side were booed off the field by the 45,000 strong at the Azteca, and will now have to look forward to a visit to the Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula on March 22, where they’ll face the momentum laden Honduras.

Here are some more stories to start your Thursday:

PANAMA TIES COSTA RICA

Costa Rica rallied from two goals down, courtesy of an Alvaro Saborio goal and dramatic Bryan Ruiz bicycle kick, to earn a point after a 2-2 draw against Panama in Panama City on Wednesday.

The ‘Canaleros’ jumped all over the visitors early, courtesy of goals from Luis Henriquez and Roman Torres in the first 27 minutes, but Saborio gave the ‘Ticos’ a lifeline with a goal just before halftime.

Ruiz saved Costa Rica yet again, converting a spectacular goal in the 86th minute to help Costa Rica earn a point on the road in their Hexagonal Round World Cup qualifying opener.

DEFOE SET TO MISS THREE WEEKS

Tottenham have been dealt a blow to the squad, as starting forward Jermaine Defoe has been ruled out of contention for at least three weeks, after a scan showed ankle ligament damage.

The England international was hurt during Spurs’ 1-0 victory on Sunday against West Bromwich Albion, being substituted after just 39 minutes on the pitch. He was unable to join up with the England side this week due to the injury.

In the meantime, Tottenham must hope that Emmanuel Adebayor can get back from South Africa in time for their next match, on Saturday against Newcastle at White Hart Lane. Defoe has been held scoreless the last five matches, but still has 10 goals and three assists in Premier League action this season.

LAURENT BLANC LINKED WITH ROMA JOB

Since Zdenek Zeman’s sacking last Saturday, AS Roma has been quiet on potential replacements, whether they will be signed now or in the summer. But according to reports today, the Italian club is interested in bring in former France manager Laurent Blanc to take the role.

Blanc has been out of work since the end of EURO 2012, where his France side struggled in group play and were unceremoniously knocked out of the tournament by eventual champions, Spain, but it seems that if he were to take charge of Roma, it would not be until this summer.

Blanc is a former World Cup winner as a footballer, and he played in Italy for Inter Milan and Napoli during his 21-year playing career.

CARRAGHER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT DATE

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher announced on Thursday afternoon that he would retire at the end of the current season, ending a run of 16 seasons at the Merseyside club.

The 35-year-old joined Liverpool’s academy in 1990, and has stayed with the club ever since, amassing over 700 appearances in all competitions. Carragher has also amassed an impressive trophy collection, which includes two FA Cups, three League Cups, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, and two UEFA Super Cups.

The former England international’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, but the news of his retirement ends any speculation of him playing his football elsewhere.

QUICK KICKS

Holland and FC Schalke forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar missed his country’s friendly match against Italy, after a blood vessel in his left eye ruptured. (REPORT)

Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber has signed a new deal with the club through 2017. (REPORT)

In addition to Ashley Cole picking up his 100th cap on Wednesday, Carles Pujol of Spain achieved the same honor, in their 3-1 win over Uruguay. (REPORT)

Former AC Milan forward Pato made his first start for Corinthians on Wednesday, though he admits he is still not close to 100 percent fitness. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports?

Do you believe that Mexico were unlucky to win? Do you think Tottenham can get by without Defoe up top? Where do you rank Carragher among the Liverpool greats?

Share your thoughts below.

 

Comments

  1. Here are my thoughts:

    1. Knowing that he’s now #1 on the depth chart at DM, Edu goes into beast mode at Bursaspor and comes into camp next month ready to beat Costa Rica and get another result at Azteca.

    2. Shea regains enough fitness to merit a call up and make an appearance as a sub.

    3. Boyd gets the call up, and plays.

    4. Fabian at LM, Castillo at LB? Vice Versa?

    5. Chandler surely has to play better knowing he will never play for Germany, and if he doesn’t he will never play in a WC.

    6. Jones & Bradley stay (get?) in shape despite coaching shakeups.

    Reply
  2. BTW…not only was Mexio booed off the field, they were booed during the majority of the second half whenever they had the ball.

    Reply
  3. I had never heard a home national get booed/jeered so loudly by their own fans, as they did at the Azteca last night. Not only that but they were cheering the Jamaicans like they were the home team!

    Funny….but also classless. I loved it!

    Reply
    • Not sure why you find it classless. As a fan, you can support whatever team strikes your fancy. The fans started out as Mexico fans and ended up as Jamaican fans. Nothing wrong with that. Unless you’re one of those people who insists that you can only be a fan of the team in which country you reside in.

      Reply
  4. If Jamaica knew how to score they would have won this match at least 2-0

    A draw away though is always a good thing though especially at Azteca.

    Reply
  5. Just curious, but why are we not having all our players arrive altogether in the away country to train where the game is to be played. Is it a customs regulation? Seems to be a lil much in this case for players traveling, especially from Europe, to make the trip to Miami and stay for a day then travel again to Honduras to play a game in such a short peroid of time. Wouldnt it have been more convenient for everyone to have met up in Honduras to get acclimated before the game. Travel seems to be much!

    Reply
    • Alex, they didn’t stay overnight, because San Pedro del Sula has the highest murder rate in the world. Plus, the fans would likely have beseige the hotel and kept everyone awake all night long with drums, fireworks, gun shots, fire alarms, etc.

      Reply
      • I understand specifically San Pedro del Sula has the highest murder rate in the world; just wondering couldn’t they have stayed outside the city such as an hour or two away, with also hired beefed up security? I agree w/the fans beating the drums, etc; I guess nowadays w/medica there is no where to hide.

  6. If you want to know who to blame for yesterday look no further than this site’s golden boy.

    The tactics were fine and we absorbed a ton of pressure and held serve most of the match. Gonzalez does his job and doesn’t want a Honduran player run on goal unmarked AFTER THE KEEPER CAME OUT and we aren’t having this discussion.

    Tactics were fine. Player selection was fine. Gonzalez was lazy, not paying attention and cost the team the game.

    Period.

    Reply
    • He’s green. He messed up but he’s very green. I would have preferred him getting the call after LA sells him to Europe. But you go to war with the army you have, not the army you wish you had. (Rumsfeld yeah I know but it was still wisdom).

      Reply
      • That’s fine. He did mess up and that’s all good. He’s young.

        But that isn’t on Klinsmann as people suggest. Sometimes a loss is because a player made a mistake.

      • That is all great but the fact remains without his mistake the score is still 0- 0.

        Tell me that it is not easier to defend a 0-0 tie than to chase the game for a tying goal?

  7. If Jamaica can get fourth place in concacaf beat the New Zealanders. We’re in the world cup. Not caring about the Caribbean Cup seems brilliant now.

    Just get a few results beat the all whites we can finally get the last player I think we need to do this. Junior Hoillet a chance to play in the world cup… England won’t call you and Canada won’t make it. What’s up.

    Sorry we missed out on Sterling but he can prob vet there on his own. Based on his growth. Lets do this.

    Reply
  8. Enough of comments saying we’re playing 3 DMs. WE ARE NOT PLAYING 3 DMS.

    Bradley is not a DM. He is a CM. Jones is not a DM. He is a CM. They don’t play DM for club or country. In fact, Bradley has never played DM.

    Blame your players for not giving full effort and movement.

    The only DM on the field was Williams. End of story.

    Reply
    • You’re very quick to blame players. The only player who didn’t seem to give full effort and movement was Chandler, and that’s probably because he seemed overwhelmed by the occasion and way out of his comfort zone. I didn’t notice any lack of effort by players. What I did notice was that the players often just didn’t seem to know what they were supposed to do on the field. And the blame for that rests squarely with the coaching staff.

      Reply
      • Stop responding to my comments.

        If you didn’t see a lack of effort by the players then you have no business replying to me.

        You think the players are programmed robots? They’ve been playing soccer their entire lives at a high level. Trapping the ball, looking up quickly and moving the ball around fast are soccer 101. That has nothing to do with formation or strategy. They didn’t execute even the most basic and fundamental of soccer skills and paid the price for it.

        They didn’t move off the ball. They didn’t make easy passes. They panicked and kicked the ball long.

        That has nothing to do with the coaching staff or a “system” that people keep searching for. Coach put the players in a position to succeed and they crapped the bed.

      • A and David,

        Before you both start holding your breath and turning blue, here’s something you both should consider.
        This game came down to two plays:
        • Honduras’ miracle goal. 9 times out of ten it goes out.
        • A stupid mistake by Omar Goodson
        Otherwise the US wins or at worst draws.
        Every single US outfield player did nothing to distinguish themselves.
        I blame three entities, in this order, the players, the coaching staff and the USSF for caving and allowing such a screwy opening schedule.
        If you really want to engage in fun second guessing how about this?
        We should have played Howard; Cameron, Gonzo, Besler, Castillo, Edu, Bradley, Davis (or JFT), EJ, Dempsey, Gomez.
        That would have given you a mix of your Euros and players acclimated to the crappy climate.
        Cameron sucked but would have been less detrimental out on the wing and Besler and Omar Goodson already have some understanding having played the Canada game together. Plus Besler seems to me to be better center half than Cameron. I know heresy, saying that about an MLS guy vs an EPL man but there you have it.

  9. I think yesterday’s results show how much more competitive CONCACAF has become and that this hex is going to be a tough one. I only caught the last 30 mins of the Mexico-Jamaica game, but Jamaica looked good. They retained their shape, maintained their hustle and worked Mexico over. They were sharp on defense and quick on the attack. If the USA could have played with that same kind of awareness, concentration and energy we would have dominated Honduras.

    I cut Chandler some slack. This was his first competitive game with USA, after all , and his first game in Central America. Cherundolo would probably have been better, but he was injured, so can’t do much about that. We could have played Cameron at RB and Bocanegra with Gonzalez, but I think it was important to cap-tie Chandler. I think he’ll come good for us, he’s shown that quality before in friendlies.

    I do not cut Klinsmann slack though. I generally support him, but in spite his talk of wanting to play possession-based attacking soccer that can play eye-to-eye with England and Germany, he keeps selecting 3 DMs in midfield. I like Jones best when he’s screening the back 4. Despite his excellent dink pass to Dempsey, he usually gets caught in possession or mishits his passes. Same goes for Williams, but he’s the future. Bradley is the most creative of the three, but he’s not that creative. I think he’s a great player and a solid rock for the midfield to be built around, but where’s the creativity? Mainting possession isn’t about having 3 bruisers in midfield, you need guys who can play quick, precise passes and who are tactically aware.

    Dempsey is a great attacking midfielder, always a threat, but he’s not a creator or a playmaker. Without Donovan, the team looks lost on what to do in the final third. Somebody needs to step up and be a leader amongst the forwards.

    Reply
    • I agree with most of the above as well. I think Jamaica followed the same game plan the US used to win in Azteca over the summer–drop deep, clog the middle of the field, and force Mexico to just resort to putting crosses into the box where your taller defenders are going to win 90% of them. Every once in a while, the ball will fall for Chicharito, but then you have to count on your keeper to come up big, which Ricketts did. Then have a couple wide/forward players with pace to hit Mexico on the counter.

      I agree that the current US midfield mix isn’t going to lead to the US maintaining possession. I’m just not sure it’s all on Klinsmann. I don’t know that we have any midfielders in the pool who can consistently make quick, accurate passes under pressure (and probably haven’t had any since Reyna and O’Brien). I think Klinsmann wanted Torres to be this player, but he’s shown he can’t do it. Klestjan another candidate, but hasn’t proven he can do it either. So I just don’t know what the alternative is.

      Reply
    • Casey,

      Since you are cutting people slack, how about this?

      It was an uncharacteristically bad performance by every outfield player. I would not give any of them anything over a grade of 2 out of 5.

      Zusi was embarrasing. The US got the wrong KC midfielder.Only Howard played well. Jozy and EJ looked dangerous in spurts but this team does best when they are pressing and swarming and it seemed the heat and humidity did not allow that.

      The US doesn’t like to stand on the ball and then attack from a standing start.
      So to me the question to ask is won’t Brazil be hot and humid like this and so why are we cultivating a style of play not suited to do well in Brazilian climate?

      Since everyone else wants to jump out of windows, I would point out that there are still 9 games left to get 27 points. 16 is generally seen as the minimum requirement. Since it looks like everyone is going to be very competitive it should be very entertaining. Should the US lose or tie Costa Rica in Denver, then you can start buying euthanizing formula and syringes.

      I look at this as a UEFA style tournament i.e. two legs home and away, aggregate score except the away goals rule isn’t in effect ( though it should be).
      As far as I’m concerned, the US lost the first half and now they have to win the second half.

      Reply
  10. Why is it that we can have Costa Rican refs in thi sgame when we play Costa Rica next. I was worried the whole game they were going to give a yellow to one of our boys who has a yellow already. Is that normal? I guess if the refs wanted to cheat, a yellow card would have been an easy way for them to do it.

    Reply
    • It’s a good point; however, I think yesterday’s officiating was very good. No cards. The offside flag could’ve easily gone up on Dempsey’s goal but it didn’t. Similarly, the flag could’ve stayed down when Honduras scored an offside goal, but it went up. Both excellent decisions by the linesman — but both could’ve been different in favor of the home team. So, we certainly can’t complain about yesterday’s officiating.

      I kept thinking throughout much of the game that Howard was going to get a yellow for time wasting. He never did, but we certainly could’ve used some extra time at the end. Shows you how dangerous time wasting can be — you never know if you’ll need that time.

      Reply
    • Well, first game = no one carrying a card. Not to mention that, like David, I thought the officiating was very good. Nothing to complain about there.
      To answer your “is that normal?” question, as far as I know, the only rule regarding the ref crews in qualifying are: 1) must be from CONCACAF, 2) can’t be from either of the countries playing.
      I assume that towards the end of the Hex it gets a little stricter in terms of not having refs from other countries that could be affected by the result of the game in question (for example, if Team A needs to beat Team B to qualify and that win will knock out Team C, the ref can’t be from country A, B or C).

      Reply
    • The Mexico Jamiaca game was reffed by an American. My guess is the refs all come from other CONCACAF nations.

      Presumably this gives them equal opportunity to sabotage each other.

      Reply
  11. I think if you eliminate poor coaching decisions, we tie pretty easily. I’ve got no problem getting Gonzo some time, but 3 caps and to put him into the game on the road in Honduras with another relatively inexperienced CB, inexperienced RB, and inexperienced LB, was nuts. Save the experimentation for when we’re at home against CR, a game we should win easier. Start Boca and Dolo now when experiences matter.

    Reply
    • I agree. While I understand inexperienced players can’t get experience without, you know, playing, experimentation should be done during friendlies or home games. Due to some unfortunate circumstances with Gonzalez’s injury this was the first time we’ve seen this back 4 together. Cherundolo is injured so he couldn’t have played. If this back 4 can gel and gain experience together, I think we’re set for 2018 as well. Time will tell though.

      Reply
  12. Yesterday showed the least favorable side of Euro based players. Only one starter and one sub on the pitch for the Americans play for Western Hemisphere clubs. These guys are playing in hot weather, and travelled some very long distances for barely a day of training. Would this game been different had we seen Castillo in the game and moved Johnson to the wing. Had Gomez and Zusi start I doubt they would have looked so gased.

    Also, the games yesterday proved one thing MLS has really brought some parity to CONCACAF. MLS has given the region a second quality league that can attract internationals from around the world, even if it is towards the end of careers. And when Americans show up in Concacaf now not only do these teams not only want to beat the ugly American they want to prove that we can beat players from Europe. These teams have more to win right now than we have to lose.

    Reply
    • Forget about crap like this. He comes back because he finds his inkling, if not good riddance. However if it strokes his ego enough he may consider it. Great player with huge ego.

      Reply
  13. Why are we even mentioning Wondolowski? He should be out of the picture. For good.

    USA needs a link from midfield to the forwards…that needs to be someone like feilhaber…or Holden.

    Or Lando…but USA will figure things out, they always do.

    Reply
  14. CONCACAF definitely improving. Hope the USA remembers that no game is an automatic. Donovan isn’t the player he was, but they sure could use his veteran presence. Jones may be a veteran, but he’s never done CONCACAF qualifying before.

    Reply
  15. The US wins the Hex or comes in second but probably wins it as they have the last two times. The U.S. has a great chance to get a result in Mexico. Mexico now plays Honduras in Honduras. Let’s see if Honduras can get a result.

    Reply
    • And to elaborate on A’s comment, as I see it:

      1. Even the weaker teams are better than you might think, and they are improving. Exhibit A: Honduras. Exhibit B: Jamaica. MLS seems to be helping our competition as much as (or more than?) it’s helping us. Good thing we have mostly Euro based players on our squad…

      2. Travel fatigue can diminish the level of play, especially for Euro-based players who either just played (Dempsey, Altidore, Bradley… not sure if Timmy or Fabian are starting) or are riding the pine/suspended (Williams, Jones). That’s at least 5 of our latest starting 11 who were either tired or out of shape, on top of being jet-lagged. 7 if you count Timmy and Fabian.

      3. Typically, our opponent’s approach to the game combines with biased officiating to create an extra level of physicality. This means more fouling and a stop-start type of game with little to no rhythm, hence our dying tradition of stealing victories off of late set pieces. Although I have to say, I didn’t notice too much of this physicality against Honduras (no one could connect a pass anyway), and I noticed even less in Mexico v Jamaica.

      4. Teams are playing to qualify for the World Cup. You think a few players might bring it in that scenario, like, ya know, the sorts of players who actually join the team to represent their country instead of their resume.

      5…6…whatever… Lump in all the standard excuses that apply anywhere, like loud hostile crowds, hostile fans harassing you at 2am, lack of familiarity with your surroundings, lack of familiarity with each other, missing your boo, etc.

      Reply
  16. In 2010 World Cup qualifying we finished first–a point ahead of Mexico in the final standings. These were out memorable results.

    We lost to Costa Rica–badly.
    We tied Costa Rica at home.
    We lost to Mexico.
    We tied El Salvador.

    We beat several teams on 90+ minute goals that we pulled out of our behinds.

    Bottom line is that playing at Honduras was bar none our second most difficult game, and we didn’t need any points from it. Reasonably we expected to lose. A tie would have been a win essentially.

    CONCACAF is not easy and with a combination of the poor (read crooked) officiating, weather, security concerns, travel lag, and furthermore bad pitch conditions we are not going to be able to play with skill in many of these places.

    Spain played Costa Rica in Costa Rica and could barely beat them. It isn’t easy to even tie away games in CONCACAF.

    Reply
  17. I don’t think we can be too happy with Mexico’s tie. Mexico will end up in the top three, and the tie only means that Jamaica, which has shown they can beat the USMNT, was able to steal a valuable point that in the end could come back to haunt the USMNT, could be the difference between third and fourth place in the Hex.

    Reply
    • Mexico’s tie chips away at their aura of invincibility at Azteca. This can only help the US who may have to get a result when they go there. Every little bit helps.

      Jamaica was always going to be a problem for the US since they beat us last round. You never know it might make them over confident.

      Reply
  18. This isn’t blame but rather stating the importance: Jozy needs to show up asap. No excuses, no claims of poor/little service.

    He needs to go beast mode.

    Reply
    • But wait, Old School. That is not fair. When Jozy doesn’t score, it’s because he gets no service and because Klinsi is such a bad coach. But when Wondo doesn’t score playing with B- and C-teamers it’s because he doesn’t have the right stuff for international play. This is called a double-standard.

      Reply
      • wondo doesn’t score playing with a-teamers either. sometimes it’s kind of obvious that one player is better than another. it’s not like jozy hasn’t produced at the international level before. he has, and wondo hasn’t.

        that said, i think gomez should’ve come in for jozy early on yesterday.

      • You’re telling me USMNT fans freak out about everything possible in order to protect their favorites/shun their least favorites? Hard to believe….

        But I think the point is right. The biggest problem is we struggle to create any situations for the forwards to score. Regardless of what people want to believe, Jozy/Wando/Boyd/Gomez/whoever will not come in and suddenly score 3 goals a game because they’re better than whoever played that day. We sit back and blame the forwards for never creating goals, when essentially they’re left up there to go 1 v 4 against a defense until the platoon of d-mids can catch up and play behind the ball. Until JK starts listening to his own press conferences and actually plays an attacking lineup, I think the forward bashing mentality is bound to continue.

      • Biff, there is no double standard. Jozy has a track record of producing at the international level – he lead USMNT in scoring in the last WC qualifying with most of his goals scored during the Hex, he lead USMNT in scoring at the last Gold Cup prior to his tournament ending injury, he scored against Spain in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, he is one of the top scorers in a European league. Wondo, on the other hand, has never produced at the international level.

    • You’re spot on.

      Poor service is a legitimate claim for a game or two, but we’re going on a third of a league season at this point and other players are scoring for the USMNT. Jozy needs to watch how Rooney plays and imitate that. Rooney drops into the midfield often and plays in possession with the midfielders. Rooney isn’t overly fast, but has size and can hit the skin off the ball like Rooney.

      He just mopes around way up top and hurts the team by doing so. Being a lone striker doesn’t mean you just sit around alone. It means you’re just the only striker and you can come into the midfield and connect with the midfielders to provide a good target.

      Reply
      • How about we just include a creative midfielder that links up the play instead of 3 DMs? Bradley is the most creative of the bunch, but he’s more a box-to-box kind of guy. Despite Jones’ nice dink to Dempsey all he and Williams tend to do is get caught in possession. Dempsey is an attacking midfielder, but not much of a creator or playmaker.

      • why would poor service only be legit excuse for ‘a game or two’?

        if the service doesn’t change, how would that improve jozy’s prospect of scoring?

        demps is the only player scoring regularly, and he plays every minute of every game (i think). jozy’s gotten, what, 4 starts in klinsmann’s charge?

      • The problem with that Rooney comment is that is essentially Clint Dempsey’s role. We don’t need Jozy to play back with the midfield and then go forward. Dempsey is essentially a CAM for our team that plays back in defense when he needs.

      • In 2010 Rooney had 1 goal for England in 11 games.

        If you are suggesting Jozy copy what Rooney does then he will run smack into Dempsey, who does the same thing.

  19. Win at home tie on the road. We dropped one point Mexico drops 2. So thats good.

    If Klinsman comes out toothless against Costa Rica he has to get sacked. Klinsman has shown no imagination, no creativity, and looks clueless.

    Reply
    • Please start banning comments like this, Ives.

      Sack the coach because the PLAYERS did not give good effort and made mistakes while jet lagged, playing in a war zone on a jungle-like pitch in caribbean heat and humidity with new teammates?

      How about waiting until after qualifying is over with, mmmk? And great advice! You’re really looking out for the team by firing the coach mid-qualifying.

      Reply
      • What will be too late by then?

        You know what happened during the last World Cup qualifying group that we came out of in first?

        We tied El Salvador.
        We lost to Costa Rica–badly.
        We tied Costa Rica at home.
        We lost to Mexico.

        And the teams are much better than they were even then.

      • Firing is a little strong..

        But A, Klinsmanns tactics better start to show up with results on the field. I havn’t had a glimpse of this new style of football Klinsmann promised..

      • I’m not saying fire him today. But if he does not improve drasticly at home against Costa Rica, his neck must be on the chopping block. Lets say we tie costa rica at home and lose to mexico away. 3 games = 1 point. Will we still qualify, most likely. But we must hold our coaches to higher standards if we want to improve as a soccer nation

      • DownInTX is right. And what they hell is up with that formation? There were no outside midfielders or wingers. Zero width. Zusi was in way over his head. With the talent on this team we need a basic 4-4-2 to at a minimum guarantee proper positioning. If we want to change formations as the game goes on because the opportunity presents itself fine. But leaving acres of space, applying zero pressure, it’s embarrassing.

      • Sacking manager during qualifying is not unheard of…

        But there were definitely some poor decisions by Jurgen; we all think he’s great, but it’s not like he really did that well with Bayern now then, did he?

        Bocanegra is needed for leadership, Chandler is only chosen because he’s from Germany and he was arguably the worst player on the pitch yesterday. Bring me Lichaj or Dolo back, thanks.

        Also, give us some true wingers!! Yesterday was so frustrating not having any pace or people able to take someone on! Give me Gatt, Bedoya, Shea (when fit, of course), or, hell, even Adu! And where were Goodson and Gomez? And give Boyd a shout – he’s been doing fairly well with his new club!

      • Bocanegra is needed for leadership – No, there are other players who have to assume leadership roles on this team. Boca as great as he was is declining and fast and if he’s a starter @ the World Cup in 2014, we are screwed.

        Chandler is only chosen because he’s from Germany and he was arguably the worst player on the pitch yesterday. Bring me Lichaj or Dolo back, thanks. – Again wrong. He had 1 bad game, deal with it so did everyone else. Chandler is a lot better then what we saw, with some more time he will play to his skill level. Lichaj can sometimes barely make the 18 for a BAD Aston Villa and you want him on the team? And Dolo is out, he had surgery on his knee, oh and he’s 34, how long do you think he’s going to last?

        Give me Gatt, Bedoya, Shea (when fit, of course), or, hell, even Adu! – Bedoya is without a team and hasn’t played in a few months, not ready. Shea is not even fit and we don’t know how he will turn out, to early to call yet and Gatt need to work on his game, he only has speed. Need are ready to be on the team and lead it. As for Adu (HA HA!) the guy has been kicked out from every team he has gone to, while he maybe young unless a miracle happens, I don’t ever see him living up to his pontential.

        And give Boyd a shout – he’s been doing fairly well with his new club! – Boyd from what I read is in preseason with his club, let the boy get settled and call him in for the next games.

      • How many games have the players not lived up to their potential? Maybe it is not the players fault? maybe it is.

        If we go 3 games with only 1 point or 0 points that is grounds for firing. You can’t change 23 players but you can change 1 coach

      • Wait — who chose those players? Who put in a ridiculous formation, starting three defensive midfielders? Who put a guy in to start at CB who hasn’t played that position at the club level in over 6 months?

        Right now, sacking the coach seems like a pretty reasonable response.

      • Have you got 23 other players another coach would choose?

        How many of the current roster would Bradley not have chosen?

        JK showed the kind of faith in Gonzo all of you have been demanding for months . Arena has been bitching about Gonzo’s cap being overdue.

        Then he f**ks up.

        Forget everything else. If he does not make that mistake there is a good chance the US ties this game.

        That is not the manager’s fault. Omar Goodson let him down.

    • While I agree with your first statement, let’s not get too riled up here.

      Klinsmann could have handled the lineup better, but seriously… who would have expected Fabian, Chandler, Altidore, and Eddie Johnson all to have such a stinker. Heck, compared to his high standards, even Bradley had a crappy game. It seems like most analysts would have put Edu in over Williams, but JK’s reasoning there seemed solid (he said Danny’s worked his way back into the starting XI for several diff coaches @ Hoffenheim). Still, most of the blame here lies on an uninspired performance from the majority of our team.

      True, the subs could have been better. That’s all on JK. Leaving a fresh, creative, left-footed Brad Davis (who is used to going the full 90′ in even harsher weather conditions than yesterday’s) on the bench was nigh criminal.

      Reply
  20. Also Costa Rica and Panama tied…I guess we are getting some help from the soccer gods :)…btw..talking about help….CONCACAF trying to help Mexico by adding 6 minutes stopage time??!! really??!!!

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    • Meanwhile only three minutes added to the Honduras/US match even after a two minute delay so a Honduran player could take the requisite time-killing stretcher ride off the pitch.

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      • Let’s be honest. The (Costa Rican) ref did a really good job yesterday, and the US wouldn’t have done anything with another 3 minutes of stoppage time. They got 4 minutes anyway.

    • Subs plus Peralta and the Jamaican defenders’ injury adds up to about 6 minutes.

      Nothing shady about that.

      No mention of the ref allowing the US to take that corner at the end of the game even though injury time had already expired?

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      • Injury time doesn’t expire. It represents a minimum amount of injury time. The game ends at the ref’s discretion.

        The ref can call for 1 minute of stoppage time and call the match 10 minutes later if he pleases.

    • Did you watch the game? Concussion worries took up a lot of that time.

      The ref was an American so he would have to be complicit in any conspiracy against the US and for Mexico.

      Is that what are you are suggesting?

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  21. I couldn’t believe the scene in Azteca. First of all, there were 40,000 out of 100,000 capacity. Really?? The atmosphere was terrible.

    Secondly, Jamaica should have won 2-0. Their striker somehow it straight at the keeper with an open goal from 5 yards, and Johnson turned a breakaway into a slow dribbler right at the keeper again.

    In my mind, Mexico is slightly worse off than the US. We lost our second toughest game in the Hex. Mexico did not win their easiest.

    Both teams will finish 1-2.

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    • agreed, mexico’s tie was a lot worse of a result than ours, but do we really want Mexico dropping pts because we know they will qualify. Is Jamaica’s pt worse for us? probably but I can’t root for Mexico so i love it!

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      • I’ll disagree with you guys. Mexico looked a whole lot better than the US and Honduras. Jamaica played outstanding but Mexico still put lots of pressure on goal and had lots of chance. The US looked lost and seems scared to take people on or take things wide.

        At least the Mexico game was entertainment. Even with the awesome goals in the US game it was boring

      • Seriously.

        It’s fair to say Jamaica should have been up by 2 goals at half time but Rickets saved three goal bound shots too.

        Jamaica played very well but the amount of unforced turnovers by Mexico was scary. We can only hope they cough up the ball like that when we go to Mexico in March.

      • I don’t know who is better off but Jamaica’s chances were well earned and were of the type where it should have been harder to miss than to make them.

        On the other hand, Mexico’s chances were well handled by Jamaica’s defense and Ricketts.

        I just had the feeling for most of the game that Jamaica were not going to concede.

      • I don’t think it really matters that Mexico looked better than we did in their first game. They were at home, where they’re always dominant, and were fully expected to win. We were playing a tough road game where I think a lot of us would have been happy with a tie.

        Fewer points across the board after the opening round of games is pretty good for us, but we don’t really need Mexico dropping points to teams we might be in competition with for a spot. That said, I don’t think the situation for us is really all that dire yet.

    • Mexico tied Jamaica is worse? Didn’t the USMNT already lose to Jamaica? This should give Jamaica all the confidence in the world against all other opponents.

      BTW, a lot of Mexican outlets picked up on klinsman’s comments that even Mexico would have a hard time in the last two days. Typical of the media said he was crazy. Mexico was true lone giant in concacaf. Wonder if they still feel the same.

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    • While it is nice to see Mexico stumble, Their tie had Mexico dominate possession and shots, while Jamaica countered well and missed arguably better chances, while the US loss looked, well like a US loss. From watching the games, Mexico wins 8 or 9 times out of 10 vs Jamaica, the US not so much vs Honduras.

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    • Yeah I know it’s a pat phrase but you can’t really say “45,000 strong at the Azteca” when that’s under 50% capacity and you expect the place itself to sort of spell doom for opponents…

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    • The score should have been Jamaica 2 – Mexico 1. Talk about poor finishing.

      The US has dropped 3 out of 30 points. Which means there are 27 points left to get.
      16 should get you through.so they can only afford three more losses and two draws.

      It looks like this will be an interesting Hex.

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    • The crazy thing to me was the fans were ‘Ole’ing Jamaica when they were on the ball and whislting/booing Mexico on the ball.

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    • I recally Bradley was at least having conversations about managing in England, but I don’t think they were too serious. If he gets Egypt to the WC, maybe things will change.

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      • I think Arena was much closer to a job in England, but even still….

        There’s a belief that Americans don’t know anything about tactics. I imagine there’s a concern that European players would consider an American coach to be a joke.

    • Because at this point in their life they aren’t willing to be an assistant for years and learn the game.

      Coaching in the US is completely different than managing in England.

      1. Players are paid way more, have bigger egos, and command more respect
      2. Media
      3. You have to actually manage the club, not just team
      4. They don’t have the connections needed to make transfers
      5. They aren’t used to playing in multiple tournaments at once
      6. They aren’t used to working such long seasons
      7. The tactics in Europe are different
      etc etc etc

      The best they can hope for is getting a gig in one of the Nordic leagues then to the lower rungs of England/Germany/Italy/Spain.

      The first US born manager of a proper team in a proper league will have worked himself from the bottom up. Not just move there because of his success in MLS.

      Reply
      • I know. It’s a shame no American manager has had to deal with managing players like Beckham, Keane, Xavier…
        It’s crazy that U.S. teams don’t have to play in multiple tournaments at once (aside from that Champions League thingy and the U.S. Open Cup, and Superliga back in the day).
        It’s a shame Arena only has experience as the head coach… well, except for also being technical director and GM of the Galaxy until recently.
        It’s a shame Americans play different tactics from Europeans, especially since all Europeans play the same tactics!

  22. Defoe is out for 3 weeks and Adebayor doesnt return for a week. Dempsey must take advantage and make that spot his own. Score some damn goals and assists

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    • Nah, we don’t need Wondo. Much more entertaining to have Jozy taking it easy for 90 minutes and not scoring like he’s going on a stroll in the park, don’t you think? Fourteen games in a row now for Jozy without a goal in the run of play. Count ‘em.

      Wondo is not even close to that outstanding statistic.

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      • Jozy pestered the Honduras CBs all game. He was unlucky to not score what would have been an outstanding goal. You really think Wondo would have done better with the same poor service the USA was dishing up all game?

      • The second sentence is, more or less, correct. Jozy narrowly missed what would have been an outstanding goal. I’m not user that I would say he was unlucky, though. As for the first sentence — about him pestering the defense all game….I barely even noticed him in the second half.

      • The poor service excuse is getting old. Dempsey seems to be scoring.

        Jozy just refuses to get himself into games. His mindset is “If it’s not coming to me, it’s not my problem.”

        Dempsey thinks “If it’s not coming to me, I’m going to find it and jam it down the throat of their keeper.”

    • The irony of people fed up with a forward’s weak performances and excuses about service and the structure of the team around him, clamoring for….wait for it…

      Chris Wondolowski.

      “If he didn’t have B and C team players around him, he’d nail those 4 yard sitters!”

      Reply

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