By IVES GALARCEP
The U.S. Men’s National Team kicks off an important 2014 today with its first match of the year, a friendly against South Korea at StubHub Center (5pm, ESPN2/UniMas).
The Americans will be featuring a lineup with plenty of experience and quality against the South Koreans, with Landon Donovan spearheading the attack, and Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez anchoring the central defense.
SBI will be providing live commentary on today’s match, so please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today’s commentary is after the jump):
Regarding on the possession knocking the ball backward etc.
At the highest level as in most matches, the first 5 – 10 minutes of the game is hectic and frenetic. That is why it is important for a team to settle the ball, have a few touches by as many players as possible particularly the defense.
This further allows a team to get a better feel for game conditions and the competition at hand.
This is how top flight teams build from the beginning control and then probing and gradually moving forward into attacking mode.
The team makes tactical analysis & adjustments on the fly.
As the game progresses a comfort level grows being able to dictate and control to the flow
and pace of the game.
In the end, a good win against a K-League, B. Team. and an MLS, B+plus side.
Cameron>Chandler>Lichaj>Parkhurst>Evans?
Yes, no, no, no, no
Better order: Cameron. Lichaj, Chandler, Evans, Parkhurst
Gil and Yedlin were fun to watch in their cameo
i know, but usa fans arent use to flair and excitment, and they will say they ran wild with no clue
+1
I thought Yedlin did fine.
No comment on Gil. I wasn’t paying attention to him.
yedlin looked way out of his depth. i also don’t know what ‘flair and excitement’ you were talking about with him. he completed a couple of passes, got run around a couple times, and tried a flick to himself that went out of bounds. that’s not really what i was expecting from people’s comments about him.
Win a la Bradley
We absolutely dominated possession and rarely attacked with a quick counter.
How is that similar to bunker bradley?
THE GAME IS OVER THANK YOU FOR WATCHING WITH ME
NO, NO FRANK. THANK YOU
“THE GAME IS OVER THANK YOU FOR WATCHING WITH ME”
FRANK IM TELLING YOU MAN YOUR POSTS , THEY MAKE GREAT BUMPER STICKERS.
Yeah Yedlin is being run over every time. Not at all ready for this.
+1
he made one bad pass other than that he was solid south korea just push the ball to the left side more. Still better than brad evans
+10
Kid had no clue what was going on. Was not expecting that bad of a start.
lol why does EJ suck so bad?
lol, true
he keeps getting called up….why? EJ has proven on a consistent basis to be utter useless
Other then scoring against Mexico and Panama in the Hex?
And Connor Casey and Frankie Heydude rescued the USA in WC qualifying 4 years ago against Honduras and Panama respectively. Are you saying by that logic that they should have been starters on the 2010 WC squad because of that?
No and I didn’t say EJ should be a starter either. My point was just he is clearly not useless.
Could Conor Casey made more of an impact coming off the bench in South Africa then say Gomez? I guess we’ll never know.
Both of these American commentators have praised Parkhurst.
W.T.F.???????????
If JK agrees, we are screwed in Brazil.
Compared to one-footed Zusi and no-pace Davis, I thought he was the best attacking player down the left. I’d put him just behind Cameron for the right back spot.
Did we watch the same match?
Sure, but he sees it differently.
He is wrong of course but he did watch the same game.
he did see*….
Come Ives, give us a way to correct our spelling errors.
They saw it differently from you.
I just tuned in. Is Bradley back as US coach?
Love how JK has deepened the pool…from Feilhaber, Beasley and Wondo to Gil, Yedlin and Mix, lots of dudes getting looks. Team will be much stronger for it going into Brazil.
Maybe has something to do with his experience coaching Germany—you know, a team that is stacked at every position. Jurgen maybe never believed that there was “only one guy” who could play X position.
😉
feilhaber, beasley, and mix all played under bob bradley.
Here come Yendlin and Gil.
Make your marks boys.
Yedlin* My mistake.
FINALLY gil and yedlin
Where’s Yedlin?
How many strikers going to Brazil?
Jozy
Aron
Paraphrasing wifey… No one else is scoring for the NATS so Wondo should go to the WC.
At this juncture, based on recent body of work… Wondo > Gomez for a spot on the WC squad. *not at all making a point about skill or quality of overall play between Herc and Wondo*
Didn’t this SK team get completely WAXED by the Mexican “C” squad Wednesday night?
What would make it there C squad? It was just as much a B squad as anyone elses.
Maybe the fact that there was players playing their first game for Mexico.
Yeah and we didn’t? If that was there C squad then it was our as well.
wasnt this pretty much the US gold cup starting squad? Also, Donovan, Besler, Zusi, and Gonzalez will likely start in Brazil. Beckerman, Parkhurst and Mix have frequently played under JK…the only 3rd team options were Wondo and Davis.
SK did get spanked by Mexico. That said, I think JK values a player who is taking advantage of his opportunities and the one player standing out in this respect is Wondo. If one buys this line, then it’s likely Wondo is in the mix for the 4th striker spot.
Cheers
hes definitely in the mix. not sure this match tells you what Wondo will bring against Portugal, Germany and Ghana.
he reminds me of a poor mans inzaghi. You don’t know why, but he can score
MLS 2 – 0 South Korea
Goodson in…but not Yedlin?
SEE WONDOWLOSKI WOULD SCORE AGAIN FOR JEURGEN
YOU CALLED IT FRAENK
WondoWOWski
Still ugly, but thanks Wondo, you are going to Brazil. Thank you for rescuing us today.
Naw, too many better Strikers. I’m not gunna talk about his virtues or failures but he is not one of top 3.
Eddie
Jozy
AJ
I never said as part of the squad.
Thinking you need one more…
Striker, that is.
With Clint and Donovan also being forwards, I think 3 proper center forwards should cut it.
Wondo > Eddie
WONDOOOFUL
i like that hes scoring but, man this guy gets lucky, or does he?
He gets lucky a lot and on a consistent basis.
But to be perfectly cliché, I’d rather be lucky than good.
And the Concacaf train continues on S. Korea….
Wondo doing what he does best – right spot, right time, good finish.
Dear Jeremy,
Suck it.
Love,
Wondolowski
lol…
Ugly so far…60 min.
Twellman just said Parkhurst has played well.???
Ji-Sung Parkhurst?
well done!
Yes he did. Muppet.
I can”t wait for the second half to find out what else Lalas has eaten.
US soccer players are being expelled from Europe do to lack of talent, desire and performance. Altidore may be next. Going back to MLS is a sign of mediocrisy.
troll much, or late comment
If that were the case they would be leaving on a free because their contract ran out and their old team couldn’t find a buyer. In actuality your analysis of the situation is a sign of your mediocrisy.
“mediocrisy” = mediocrity + hypocrisy ?
+1
HAHAHAHA
I love it!! mediocrisy
That explains Cameron at Stoke, and Dempsey being loaned back to Fulham. And Jozy starting for Sunderland. And Bedoya in France. And on and on…
Its a sign that MLS is ready to pay a few American players more then there value anywhere else.
rarely are haters so obvious…
Just some observations: Brad Evans shouldn’t be our RB come June, Taylor Twellman and Alexi Lalas are idiots, and some players are reitterating why they aren’t part of the A team. Mixx looks decent, but needs to not play so conservative.
Alexi Lalas is such a clown. Who likes this kind of pretentiousness?
Dude you sucked as a professional too.
lol
First half analysis
1) S. Korea is getting too much space and liberty in the US box. Totally unacceptable. Against any team in our group, we get scored on. Perhaps several times.
2) I get that JK wants the team to play out of the back but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, this knocking it back and forth from midfield to winger, to midfield to winger to goalkeeper is too frustrating. It reminds of that Simpsons episode where the family goes to see a soccer match and the ball gets passed around to the same three players. You all know the one I am talking about.
3) Our fullback situation is night-of-the-living-dead scary. Both Evans and Parkhurst have been beaten on several occasions and according to the American announcers, they both have good chances of being in the final 24 for Brazil. I hope that isn’t true.
4) Despite being up a goal, our attacks have been poor. Is it so difficult to get a decent cross into the box?
5) The last five minutes was better but I doubt the US wins this one.
Thoughts?
when gil and yedlin come on we will be better, lets just hope he doesnt play yedlin out of position
I hope you are right.
I need a halftime snack/drink.
Dog?
Intriguing.
Lol
Agree.
YOU ARE MAYBE RIGHT I TIHN KWONDOWLOSKI WILL SCORE AGAIN CAN SOMEONE ANSWER MY TIGER QUESTION
England has 3 lions in the country. Korea has 1 tiger.
Little known fact that the DMZ bt North and South Korea is a giant trench populated by ravenous man eating, soccer playing tigers
Beasley is looking excellent right now. Also Brad Davis isn’t good either. That whole left side is poor. Lordy, in some ways I’m happy Evans is playing his way off the team.
I think a big factor in that is Wondo’s holdup play. It’s not exactly his strength. That takes an outlet away as a pressure release. Currently, the only way forward is possession up the middle followed by a long ball in the channels.
There was an SBI discussion this morning about the role of a forward and the value of holdup play. The back passes you’re seeing is the result of a forward not executing holdup and distribution.
It’s also a symptom of the lack of speed on the field. Korea can press us b/c outside of LD we don’t offer a real threat to beat them on the break.
Here’s to a more exciting 2nd half.
Ya, Eddie does a lot more. He is a threat and wondo barely seems to be even on the field. He can shoot but… nothing else. There just like that. Ball lands near him. Shoots.
That’s the knock on Wondo. He is a great finisher and he makes good runs. He just doesn’t offer much else.
Does have scary speed. Not gunna win a header in a crowd. Holdup play isn’t great. Doesn’t offer much in the buildup. Seems off the pace athletically.
Look for Eddie’s speed and ariel presence force the Korea CBs back, thus opening more space for possession underneath.
You are over reacting to a bunch of guys who are playing their first game together.
Wasn’t entirely pretty, but MLS is beating a World Cup team right now.
Where’s the dope that brought all the doom and gloom after a closed door scrimmage in Brazil?
This isn’t all Korea’s starters. A lot are playing in Germany.
This isn’t anymore there World Cup team then it is ours
No, the MLS is beating a K-League team right now.
I dont know why yall dont trust gonzo. He is clearly the best passer/ball handler between besler and him, he hasnt made a fatal mistake in like 6 months. He can win set pieces and is a solid defender
IT IS HALF TIME NOW
I always see this with the us, the defenders can never play the ball forward. I don’t know if this is on them or if there is no movement, but it is frustrating.
That’s what I tried telling you before, but you got all whimpy.
Saying “the best team I the world” made you sound like a troll. I agree with what your saying
Parkhurst looks like someone that is out of position and hasn’t played a match in 6 months…..
My thoughts as well.
USA, the best team in the world…passing backwards.
?
They scared to go forward…a lot of times.
No one said usa were the best in the world, hater
I am glad I am not the only one seeing this poor trend.
Seriously, we need to more forward.
That there is any serious competition between Evans and Cameron for RB starter makes me sad. Cameron is so clearly better.
The competition should be between Chandler and Cameron, not Evans.
Agree totally.
But people so badly want to believe that the MLS player is better than the two starting in top flight European leagues. And everyone hates Chandler for some reason.
The man we need to have believe otherwise is JK.
He consistently chooses Evans over Cameron for the right back spot and yet most on here think he is good coach.
The problem is JK. He is not a good coach.
no no no…everyone sees what’s going on. Evans stepped in and performed admirably but there are better options
Why didn’t Wond shield that ball so that it would go out? Not world class player.
I’m impressed with the
Bob Bradley style