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USA vs. Honduras: Match Night Commentary

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The U.S. men's national team will look to erase the memories of Wednesday night's crushing 3-1 loss to Costa Rica by trying to beat Honduras at Soldier Field in Chicago tonight (8pm, ESPN2).

The U.S. team needs to avoid a loss tonight to keep from dropping as far as third place in the CONCACAF Hexagonal standing.

I will be providing commentary and analysis throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here, and as always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match:

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FINAL- That's all for me tonight. Please feel free to share your thoughts on tonight's US men's national team victory in the comments section below. Good night.

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FINAL– EL SALVADOR 2, MEXICO 1. And just like that, El Salvador moves into third place in CONCACAF and Mexico drops to FIFTH. Yes, you read that right, FIFTH. Yes, that's right, the U.S. national team could put a serious dagger into Mexico's World Cup hopes come August. I know, you probably think winning in Azteca is impossible, but Mexico is in all sorts of trouble and has looked nothing like the mighty Mexico of old.

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FINAL– So who starts vs. Italy? Here's the Starting XI I think we could see:

—————Altidore———Dempsey—————-

Donovan—————————————-Feilhaber

——————Bradley——-Clark——————–

Bornstein—–Bocanegra—–Onyewu———-Spector

————————-Howard————————–

We could just as easily see the Altidore-Casey forward line again, but I think you want to have Bradley, Clark and Feilhaber on the field to try and deal with Italy's possession game. If not, then Casey could start up top, with Feilhaber starting alongside Bradley.

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FINAL– So who stood out tonight? Benny Feilhaber was pure class in the second half, Bornstein and Spector look like a good bet to start vs. Italy, Jozy Altidore didn't score tonight but showed more than enough to remain a starter; Jay DeMerit looked very poised in replacing Bocanegra and has hopefully grabbed that No. 3 centerback spot previously held by Danny Califf.

Negatives? Mastroeni looks done. Beasley still looked shaky at times and really has lost a lot of confidence. That's about it really. Ricardo Clark started slowly but came on strong and wound up having arguably his best match ever for the national team.

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FINAL– GOAL EL SALVADOR!!!!!!!! Quintanilla converts the penalty and Mexico is in deep Ish. El Salvador 2, Mexico 1.

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FINAL– EL SALVADOR PENALTY!!!! Mexico handball in the area and El Salvador can go ahead.

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FINAL– Mexico is tied with El Salvador, 1-1, on a Cuauhtemoc Blanco penalty. There are 10 minutes left. Yes folks, a draw in that game helps the United States.

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FINAL– Enjoy this victory folks. Italy awaits in nine days. The performances tonight certainly give Bob Bradley plenty to think about when he selects his starting lineup for the first Confederations Cup match. 

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FINAL– The U.S. team is now in second place in CONCACAF, and if Mexico draws or loses, suddenly the USA finds itself in comfortable shape heading into that crucial qualifier at Azteca in August.

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FINAL– Bob Bradley got a  bunch of the blame for Wednesday night's loss, and he deserved his share of that blame, but tonight he gets credit for making several very good decisions, from the lineup to his subs. The team responded very well to that early goal and came out at halftime and never let up. The Feilhaber inclusion was a great move, and starting Spector, Bornstein, Casey, Altidore and Clark all proved to be good moves. Yes, Mastroeni disappointed, but Feilhaber showed quite a bit tonight.

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FINAL– Just like Wednesday night's game had a bunch of goats, tonight's game had a truckload of heroes for the United States. Bocanegra, Donovan, Onyewu, Clark, Altidore, Feilhaber, Bornstein, Spector, Howard. Such a great comeback.

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FINAL- USA 2, Honduras 1. What a gutsy comeback performance for the Americans tonight. They needed a win tonight and got it despite falling behind early.

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93rd minute– Honduras has a minute left.

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92nd minute– Clock is ticking on Honduras.

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90th minute– DeMerit with a tough tackle. Looking good since replacing Bocanegra.

I have to say that Altidore has shown great heart and work rate tonight. He has given it his all tonight.

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89th minute– Two minutes to go. Can the USA hold on?

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88th minute– Bornstein is all over the place. Great showing from him tonight.

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86th minute– Onyewu and Clark has stepped up HUGE since Bocanegra left the match. DeMerit has looked solid as well.

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85th minute– Some dangerous moments for the USA, but the defense holds up. Honduras is putting the pressure on here. Beasley with some bad moments there.

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79th minute– Honduras makes their final sub, Martinez for Nunez.

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77th minute– Dempsey is up top now, Beasley is on the right flank.

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75th Minute– U.S. team cannot stop attacking. If they sit back they will give Honduras life.

DaMarcus Beasley comes in for Conor Casey, who put in some very good work tonight. Not bad at all for his first time with the current squad. Beasley should slide into the left wing, with Donovan moving up top.

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71st Minute– DeMerit comes on for Bocanegra.

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69th Minute– Donovan had the corner and Bocanegra dives low to hit the header. GUTSY.

Uh oh, Bocanegra is nursing his right hamstring.

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69th Minute- GOAL USA!!!!!!!! BOCANEGRA HEADER!!!!!!! USA 2, Honduras 1.

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68th Minute– Palacios looks like he was injured. That's a big loss for Honduras. USA needs to capitalize.

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66th Minute– Some very good defensive coverage for the Americans. When U.S. players go in for tackles or make bad passes they are being backed up by their teammates.

Palacios and Pavon come out, Turcios and George Welcome come in.

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64th Minute– Donovan sends a cross out of bounds. He needs to keep attacking through the middle.

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63rd Minute– Landon Donovan gets the yellow card. Honduras wtih a free kick opportunity. Wow, what weak yellow card.

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62nd Minute– Feilhaber has looked very good here. Makes you wonder if he's going to grab the starting role alongside Bradley at Confederations Cup.

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60th Minute– Donovan with some probing runs but can't get the crosses off.

How good has Bornstein been tonight?

DEMPSEY MISSES AN OPEN LOOK!!!!!! WOW. Great pass from Feilhaber.

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59th Minute– Americans better be careful not to get overextended here.

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56th Minute– The Americans are playing better as a group. Everybody is showing effort and quickness. Good stuff and looking good for a go-ahead goal here.

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54th Minute– Where will Honduras turn to? Guevara has been quiet in this match. Nunez has created more, but nothing too dangerous.

Dempsey with a shot from distance. Some better passing from the Americans.

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51st Minute– Howard races off his line to boot a dangerous ball away.

Altidore and Casey had a break into the Honduras area but Casey couldn't make the right pass. Altidore has looked good tonight.

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50th Minute– Benny Feilhaber is in for Pablo Mastroeni. Good move.

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49th Minute– Howard saves a dangerous Honduras ball and Clark clears the rebound off the line. Dangerous from Honduras.

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49th Minute– Honduras corner kick.

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47th Minute– BACK to the USA/Honduras game.

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HALFTIME– Mexico is struggling in El Salvador. See folks, it's not just the U.S. national team that struggles in Central America.

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HALFTIME– Looks like Franco and Pacheco traded blows, Pacheco hitting Franco and Franco hitting Pacheco. Pacheco is playing with a bloodied wrap on his head. You have to believe Franco will get suspended and miss the USA match in August.

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HALFTIME– Guillermo Franco just elbowed Alfredo Pacheco in the face, opening up a cut in his face. Of course, the referee didn't see the incident. 

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HALFTIME– For those wondering, El Salvador is still leading Mexico and is carrying the play. 

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HALFTIME– So what should we watch out for in the second half? One thing is fatigue. The Americans played on Wednesday while Honduras did not. The U.S. team expended a lot of energy fighting back into this game and could be open to fading in the second. 

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HALFTIME-  USA 1, Honduras 1. The americans overcome a 5th minute goal by Honduras to dominate play and equalize on a Donovan PK.

Want more good news? El Salvador 1, Mexico 0 in the 18th minute. 

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45th Minute– Donovan skies the free kick. DRINK!!!

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43rd Minute– Donovan just BLASTED that PK. Gutsy conversion. We are tied.

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43rd Minute- GOAL USA!!!!! Donovan converts the PK!!!

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41st Minute- PENALTY!!!!!! USA has a penalty. Honduras handball in the box.

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40th Minute– Honduras finally gets forward but Pavon sends his cross into the side-netting.

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39th Minute– Clark looked good making that move, his first good moment of the match. The US team needs more of that from him.

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38th Minute– Count me unimpressed with the Clark-Mastroeni midfield tandem. Clark just makes a great move to get into the area before colliding with a Honduras defender. Looked like a penalty.

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35th Minute– Dangerous chance for the USA but once again they can't put one on goal. Altidore's shot just misses from close.

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34th Minute– I will say this much, the Americans are losing tonight but their fullbacks have played 1000 percent better than on Wednesday.

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33rd Minute– USA is controlling the game, but need to test Honduras' goalkeeper.

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32nd Minute– WOW, Great move by Dempsey to spring Spector, whose cross misses Casey. What a move.

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30th Minute– Mastroeni has this frustratingly consistent habit of looking for the easy outlet backwards rather than looking for the pass that springs an attack.

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28th Minute– U.S. team is in a good flow right now and Honduras hasn't shown much since the goal. Can the Americans show some patience and control the ball a bit?

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26th Minute– Bornstein with some good balls in from the wing. Looking much better than Beasley did on Wednesday.

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24th Minute– Promising play from Altidore and Dempsey lately.

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24th Minute– Much better stuff from the U.S. team right now. Bornstein with the good ball to start that play.

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23rd Minute– CASEY MISS!!! A clear look at goal but Casey shanks the volleye from about 15 yards out. A golden opportunity there.

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22nd Minute– Palacios fouls Altidore. He has about four fouls already and still no yellow card.

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21st Minute– Casey gets a yellow card for fouling Costly. Not sure about that call. Definitely a foul, not a yellow.

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20th Minute– A great ball in from Donovan but NOBODY gets a shot in it. Terrible, what a wasted chance.

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18th Minute– Altidore blocks an attempted Honduras goal kick. Way to show some heart kid. Now if only someone could get him the ball.

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17th Minute– The lone bright spot so far as been Jonathan Spector, who has looked good at right back. The rest of the team? Not so much.

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15th Minute– Donovan wastes the free kick, hitting the wall. Poor Donovan free kicks should be the first drinking game tonight.

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13th Minute– Dangerous free kick for the USA. Right at the left corner of the area.

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12th Minute– Sluggish stuff from the Americans right now.

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11th Minute– Palacios is on a mission tonight, the U.S. team needs to match his intensity.

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9th Minute– Where will the poise in midfield come from tonight for the USA? The Americans are definitely going to miss Michael Bradley tonight, but Donovan and Dempsey are on the field and need to step up.

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6th Minute– What a terrible play by Dempsey to turn it over in that part of the field. Great finish from Costly and the Americans are in trouble again. WOW.

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5th Minute- GOAL HONDURAS!!! and it's Carlos Costly. Clint Dempsey with the costly turnover.

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3rd Minute– Palacios is all over the field early on.

Who will step up in the USA attack? Donovan? Dempsey?

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2nd Minute– Conor Casey with a decent first touch and run. He's not going to be shy tonight.

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1st Minute– Palacios picks off a Howard kick and sets up a Honduras corner, but the short corner is wasted.

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1st Minute– Donovan with an early foul on Guevara.

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1st Minute– And we're off.

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PRE-GAME-  Tim Howard with some intense pre-match words for his teammates. They are pumped. Will they be able to control things early? 

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PRE-GAME– Wilson Palacios is in the lineup tonight. He's making his first appearance since the body of his younger brother was discovered after being kidnapped and murdered in Honduras. He's Honduras' best player and if he has a big game tonight the U.S. team will be in for a long night. 

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PRE-GAME– The U.S. team has some serious game faces on. I wouldn't bet on another slow start from these guys tonight.

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PRE-GAME- The Honduran anthem just echoed LOUDLY at Soldier Field. Now, the USA anthem.

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PRE-GAME– I have to say that Amado Guevara looks pretty damn intense tonight. He is going to be the player the USMNT needs to contain because he can kill you with his passing.

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PRE-GAME– It's looking like a 60/40 split in favor of Honduras as far as fans go.

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PRE-GAME– Here is the Honduras lineup:

————Costly———-Pavon————–

——————–Guevara———————

Thomas———————————–Nunez

——————–Palacios———————

Figueroa——-Beata—Chavez——-Sabillon

———————Valladares—————–

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PRE-GAME– For those wondering, Costa Rica has beaten Trinidad & Tobago, 3-2, in Trinidad.

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PRE-GAME– ESPN is still showing college baseball. Don't worry folks, you're only missing pre-game coverage of USA-Honduras right now. 

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PRE-GAME– The starting lineup includes nine of the 11 players I recommended in my Friday lineup, with the two differences being Conor Casey instead of Charlie Davies (which I like) and Pablo Mastroeni instead of Torres (which I don't). Donovan and Dempsey had better bring their crossing boots because there will be NO service coming from central midfield.

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PRE-GAME– I would love to know if there is something physically wrong with Torres, because he definitely showed enough in his Costa Rica appearance (at least in the final 25 minutes) to at least merit a place on the bench. I'm not as bent out of shape about Adu's absence. He had one or two good moments when the Costa Rica game was already 3-0, but anyone who thinks he showed enough to merit a start is off base.

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PRE-GAME– Kickoff is set for 8:27pm ET, which means you have about 50 minutes to get your snacks and drinks ready before tuning into ESPN and SBI. That's all you really need for coverage and analysis, isn't it? 

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PRE-GAME– Here is how the lineup will look:

————Altidore———–Casey—————-

Donovan————————————Dempsey

——————Clark—-Mastroeni—————

Bornstein—Bocanegra—–Onyewu——–Spector

———————-Howard————————-

Casey getting the nod is interesting and you have to think that the coaches liked what they saw from Casey in the limited time they had with him. Beasley gets the bench, which is deserved after his performance vs. Costa Rica. The absence of Freddy Adu from the bench is sure to make some heads explode. I'm more perplexed by the absence of Torres.

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PRE-GAME– Here is the USA Starting Lineup:

USA: Tim Howard; Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein; Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, Landon Donovan; Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey

Subs: 6-Marvell Wynne, 7-DaMarcus Beasley, 9-Benny Feilhaber , 14-Jay DeMerit, 15-Charlie Davies, 16-Sacha Kljestan, 18-Brad Guzan GK

PRE-GAME– More surprises in the lineup tonight, though I'm still waiting to find out the Starting XI. No Jose Francisco Torres tonight, which is disappointing. Also, don't be surprised to see Conor Casey get the nod after just being called in.

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PRE-GAME– The Honduras fans are converging on Soldier Field today. We could very well see a repeat of the 2001 World Cup qualifier between these teams at RFK Stadium. A sellout is expected tonight.

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Comments

  1. I just looked at the first page of comments and its hilarious how frantic all these bob bradley haters and adu romantics were about the lineup. All the Fire Bob Bradley people have never played soccer in their lives and certainly never coached soccer in their lives.

    Reply
  2. Highlight of today’s game: TEAM UNITY! Right when Bocanegra scored the game winner, everyone, i mean *everyone* ran out to celebrate with him!!! that’s a sight i won’t soon forget. it says so much. with this unity nothing can stop us. sure, we gotta figure out formations and subs, but that’s just details. this team morale, this fervor, this is what *champions* are made of.
    I’m proud of our boys!
    *PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN*

    Reply
  3. I love all the calls to replace Dempsey. Seriously? Sure, he had a terrible game in Costa Rica (not entirely of his doing) and had a rubbish first 20 min tonight, but he worked very hard and played well overall, sans the first boneheaded play and the muffed chance. I think this performance may light a fire under him as he realizes that NOBODY has a safe place promised to them. Remember, it was Hodgson’s benching of of him and the competition of Fulham that brought the best out of him. So let’s keep it in perspective here boys before we call for the lad’s head on a platter next to BB’s.

    Second, I was thoroughly impressed with Spector tonight. He defended with resolute poise and offered more than I expected going forward. All the concerns about his so-called speed issues seem to be muted as well with this quality performance that he put in today. Cherundolo should be concerned, and I actually think Spector can beat out Frankie. His touch on the ball was excellent, he is stronger, and wins more in the air. Finally, I think his versatility and ability to play on the left causes him to be a cemented spot for the C Cup.

    Finally, I would like to commend Rico Clark, Benny F, and John B for their work rate today. The same could be said about others, but these guys really stepped up and answered a few questions that I think we all had. I am excited to see this line up at the Conf Cup…

    Forwards: Altidore, Ching
    Midfielders: Donovan, Bradley, Feilhaber, Dempsey
    Defenders: Bornstein, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Spector
    Subs: Torres, Adu, Davies, Hedjuk, Casey, Demerit

    Oh, and can we PLEASE STICK A FORK IN BEASLEY UNTIL HE CAN PROVE HIMSELF USEFUL FOR A CLUB, ANY CLUB, ON GOD’S GREN EARTH!!!!??? I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO CONCEDE A GOAL AND RUIN A HARD FOUGHT MATCH!!!!

    Reply
  4. Mastroeni was killing us in the first half. Once he was off things went much better.

    Bradley, Feilhaber, Torres, and Edu should be the 4 common rotators in those 2 CM spots. Pablo must not play another meaningful match with the US MNT.

    I still don’t care for Bradley and his choices, but all I care about at this point is qualifying.

    Reply
  5. I think that saying the US simply needs a “foreign coach” is about as ignorant of a solution as could possibly be… First off, the fact that a person is foreign doesn’t mean they will be better fits. Second, Foreign coaches by and large are completely ignorant of the US talent pool, the US youth system at large, and the MLS. Please, provide a name and reason why that particular coach is a better fit than Bradley.

    Reply
  6. I just got back from the game. We had a lot of fun.

    It was shocking how classless the Honduran fans were. With 19 minutes left they started heaving full beers on the field and down on USA fans. They actually had to stop the game to clear the field of beer bottles and cups. Shocking.

    I couldn’t imagine going to another country and doing that.

    Reply
  7. Just got back from the game — came up from Atlanta to see it. Impressions:

    1. LOTS of blue and white stripes in the stadium. I really wish the US had a jersey that recognizable.

    2. Clark looked good.

    3. Beasley got a really nice reception when he went on the field. Chicago people, that was cool of you.

    Reply
  8. Good, tough win for the Nats tonight. On to the Confed Cup!

    The folks calling for Bradley’s job are idiots. (And FWIW, Guus Hiddink isn’t taking over the USMNT anytime soon, so get over it.)

    Reply
  9. I agree, Ives, on the forwards. The best thing I can say about them is that they worked hard, got back and filled passing lanes, and didn’t screw up. ‘Course, they didn’t DO a whole lot offensively either.

    In the first half, once Rico Clark decided that he was the one to run the ball through the middle, everything calmed down, and it really seemed like it was just a matter of time before the US got the goals back. The result was reflected in the play overall.

    Bringing in Benny Feilhaber was a great sub by Bradley, but I wonder why Benny wasn’t on to start with. Mastro played as poorly as anyone in Costa Rica, but I guess it is hard to bench someone you have had a lot of faith in.

    I’m still a bit agog at putting Beasley on the field at all, and even though I understand moving him back once Bornstein cramped up, things got shaky as soon as he moved back to left back. He just shouldn’t see the field in a US shirt until he’s sorted and playing consistently for a club.

    Speaking of Bornstein, he and Spector played great. I really wouldn’t mind at all seeing those two playing at left and right for the forseeable future. Yes, Bornstein really doesn’t cross well, but he can play passes on the ground into the area accurately, and he is comfortable with the ball at his feet. Plus, he really locked down the left tonight. I’ll take that.

    Spector was absolutely on fire,good on the ball, crossed well, attacked beautifully, and my goodness did he close the flank. Much as I love Hejduk, Spector is just better, and as long as he’s healthy I want him in the spot.

    The result tonight really confirmed what I thought after the Costa Rica game. EVERYTHING was down to Wynne and Beasley being unable to work the flanks. Bocanegra and Onyewu had to move out to cover, meaning that the middle was left to Mastro, who was exposed, meaning that Jose and Michael couldn’t get forward, ruining the whole purpose of the formation. Those two backs could let us run that formation with Clark in the middle.

    Reply
  10. Rick, you’re an idiot. Jozy was all over the field tonight, closing guys down and making runs. He worked his butt off and for you to say he deserves a 4 is a joke. Get a clue. Nobody who started and played 90 tonight deserves a 4.

    Reply
  11. Julio, exactly what does it mean to give Casey “a free pass”? It was his first game after just two days with the national team? I don’t think he played great, or that well, but he was very active and put himself in good positions. he was aggressive and didn’t shy away from the action. It’s his first national team action in four years. Anyone who expected him to make a seamless transition is crazy. What made his inclusion a “good move” which is what I called it is that Casey gave a solid and gutsy effort and people who want to assume that someone else would have stepped in and scored goals is just being contrarian.

    Do I think Casey should start vs. Italy? Not really. I’d put Dempsey up top with Altidore and get Michael Bradley, Feilhaber and Clark on the field together. That said, I hardly think Casey was “Never play him again” bad. He needs some time with the team and we’ll see how he does with more playing time. Anyone who wants to say that Casey was hopeless is just being absurdly unreasonable. That’s just my opinion though, you can choose to disagree.

    Reply
  12. Let’s wait until the end of the summer to decide if it’s time for Bradley to go. This isn’t the time to make a switch. I was never in favor of hiring him, but we’ll see how the CC goes.

    By the way, Mexico will still qualify in third. Honduras will be 4th.

    Reply

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