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The SBI Show: Episode 50 (Previewing USMNT-Cuba, MLS Week 20, and more)

WondoLandon (janeGershovich)

By IVES GALARCEP

The U.S. Men’s National Team is back in action on Saturday in Gold Cup play against Cuba, and Episode 50 of The SBI Show looks ahead to a match the Americans will be expected to win handily.

Co-host Garrett Cleverly and I discuss Saturday’s match, and consider the lineup options Jurgen Klinsmann has at his disposal. We look at the potential for wholesale lineup changes, and what sort of challenge Cuba will present.

Among the other topics discussed on Episode 50 include the latest rumors and reports of Clint Dempsey’s potential departure from Tottenham. I give my take on that situation, and whether I see him leaving or staying at White Hart Lane.

Give Episode 50 of The SBI Show a listen after the jump:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100772314″ params=”color=0700ff&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=’166′ iframe=”true” /]

What do you think of the show? Agree with our take on the U.S. lineup? Where do you hope Clint Dempsey winds up? Who do you see winning this weekend’s top MLS match-ups?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Happy 50th! Well done, Ives & Garrett! Thanks for answering my question on this podcast about MLS Miami. That was cool to hear on my drive home from work! Enjoy the weekend!

    Reply
  2. Congratulations on number 50! Also, can we get a status update on guest appearances and frequency, please? Thanks, and of course, great show!

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  3. Congrats on Five-O. Love the show. Love the web site. There is a long way to go in the Gold Cup and still a long way to go until the ’14 World Cup. However I am cautiously optimistic with the direction of the MNT as of today. I love being able to see discussions on who should be playing. Only a few short years ago we had a very diffucult time putting a truly competitive 11 on the field and rounding out a roster of 18 for an international match was a crap shoot. It is really nice to see how much depth has been created. Bob Bradly deserves some credit as does Klinsman as does MLS as does USSF with their continuing attempt to cultivate skilled soccer players from early ages. The US seems to be getting some swager and even though this Gold Cup does not have the level of competition to really get excited about it is still nice to see the approach of taking it to the competition and not playing down (or up) to their level of play. Hopefully they will continue to gain momentum and also be put in some tight situations to see how they respond under pressure. This will be the litmus test for Klinsman and perhaps we will be rearding him as a fine coach in the near future. What I like about him is that he does not seem to be so full of himself (like so many of the coaches in Europe). After the scahthing article a few months ago he did not act like he was god. He made some changes and it sure seems to have paid off at least in the short term. I will continue to be excited and hope for the best.

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    • I agree about the depth. I don’t know if we have made much headway with creating superstars, but I believe the depth is so much better. I remember when Charlie and Gouch went down and we were in trouble. Not to mention the left back situation.
      At the same time, I am worried about our center backs against the upper tier teams.

      Reply
      • I would not say “super stars” just yet however I would say that we do have more good quality players with Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore etc. and the overall technical ability is improving. I also like the creativity we are starting to see from some of our boys. I am all about being proficient at the technical aspects of the game. But when an attacking player puts fear in the defense because he can beat them in many different ways (see Messi) it opens up a new realm.

  4. Thank you for posting this 5 minutes before I had to do an hour of mindless busy work at the office! Seriously.

    Reply

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