By IVES GALARCEP
COMMERCE CITY, Colo.– It might sound strange for the second match of a 10-match tournament to be considered “Must-win” but that is what the U.S. Men’s National Team faces tonight when they take on Costa Rica at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park tonight (10pm, ESPN/UniMas).
Amid a swirl of controversy surrounding the team following the publishing of a scathing article by the Sporting News, which included several unnamed national team players allegedly criticizing Jurgen Klinsmann’s coaching methods and claiming divisions in the locker room, the U.S. team has had to fend off that distraction and prepare for a match with a team missing several players due to injuries and lack of playing time on the club level.
The list of absences is considerable. Tim Howard, Fabian Johnson, Timmy Chandler, Carlos Bocanega, Steve Cherundolo, Michael Parkhurst, Jose Torres and Danny Williams are all missing the match, leaving Klinsmann to try and build a patch-work defense capable of containing Costa Rica’s attack.
SBI will be providing live commentary from tonight’s match, as well as a two-hour pre-game tailgate, so feel free to join us before the match, and during the match, to talk all things USMNT as well as all about tonight’s showdown in Colorado.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions, before and during the match, after the jump.
Enjoy the action (and join us on the SBI Match Night Commentary after the jump):
uggh 5 more minutes
Another ridiculous call
If there were any issues between players in the locker room this is the perfect game. A sloppy, wet, will yourself a win, game. The players will bond with this game for sure. It may not be that huge of a game but they will always remember it.
Good point
Good time to bring on Edu/Beckerman.
Last we’ll see of JJ for a bit probably once CONCACAF reviews the elbow.
So glad they are taking the walking snow cone off..
Ha
EJ seems to have no idea how to challenge for a 50 50 ball or pressure the ball in general.
That fact has not changed for 8 years and is the reason I just don’t like him for the national team. Totally opposite of Herc.
This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Just praying we walk out of Denver tonight without any injuries and the 3 points.
Ridiculous or incredibly cool?
I have no idea what to make of it, just want the points and the good health…worry about the rest later.
Incredibly cool bc we won. Ridiculous if we had lost or tied 🙂
EJ on and now repping Bunnell, Florida.
Please, let’s not judge anybody. These conditions render anything but extremes to be meaningless.
…and yet we have 3 point on the board. Didn’t see you complaining when our guys were dogging it in stiff humidity – but I suppose that does not factor into the game.
They don’t call it home field advantage for nothing. Though not sure how much of an advantage we had in this one…but go ahead and degrade the team’s work in a week of controversy.
The problem now is that if they stop the game, they almost HAVE to do the unprecented and pick up the game at the point it’s stopped because these teams have to play on Wednesday so they CAN”T play another 90 minutes.
Stupid, stupid US Soccer.
When was this match scheduled?
Kind of hard to predict this kind of chaos on March 22nd.
in Denver?
Look at the weather tables for March in Denver.
I was in Denver last weekend at the zoo with the family and it was in the upper 50’s. Check the weather tables…
Shea and edu?
Cameron far, far too careless with the ball.
Thank goodness Costa Rica has red on their jerseys to help see them in the snow. That was offsides.
Please no 20 minutes of bunkering…it won’t end well.
Dude, Zusi need to go. That guy has had an awful game.
never thought i would be happy to see Eddie Johnson come on.
A gift by the linesman.
Get it together, Yanks.
I’m so over JJ and his ridiculous antics
He was shielding the ball, not like he was looking for contact.
No. Clear elbow. Could have been a straight red
I agree, really boneheaded play.
Jermaine Jones = Liability
It’s really difficult to like Jones.
All he does “is win baby, just win”
Ref just automatically whistles against the US on every set piece as soon as the ball is struck.
True, but that’s on us, not the ref. These guys are evaluated in the same way NFL refs are, an evaluation that includes things like incorrect infractions assessed, and (more to the point) infractions not identified. A set piece is an excellent chance for him to position himself and make up for the 30 thousand things he can’t possibly with his 4-6 yards of visibility. Something we should be able to pick up on after 2-3 times.
Western Kentucky is playing really close to Kansas..
Can we get one guy to wipe the wide angle camera…snow globe game.
Ian Darke: “There’s no snow in Jamaica. Cool Runnings and all that..”
HAHA.
Disgusting! Let’s go to Alaska the next game for home field advantage. Disgusting! Even if US wins 17:0; this is not football..
It may not be but it’s a hell of a sporting even to watch and talk about for a long time.
I’m enjoying the chaos.
Literally ANYTHING could happen in these last 30 minutes… this is just wild, wild stuff.
I went to a blizzard and soccer game broke out.
That was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen in a soccer game
This might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in terms of field conditions, application (or not) of rules, and the fact that the announcers are clueless as to what happens if it is stopped is so sad.
Wow.
“Gaaaaaaaaaame Oooooooooon.”
-Wayne and Garth
I can’t see a thing.
Didn’t see that Saborio shot at all. Glad Guzan did.
Things are getting dicey.
Gulp
Roy Miller is a silly person.
I’m sorry announcers, people with a lot of equipment clearing bits of field in 20 minutes is not a miracle. It’s called living in the north.
Living in the North doesn’t have implications of making the World Cup.
The crew is helping maintain the existence of this match. A match the US is up and looks to be in the driver seat to get 3 points.
Call it a miracle or call it whatever you’d like. But call out the importance of it..which is what they did and continue to do.
No, my point was the announcers called it a miracle. The grounds crew is using equipment to clear snow from a piece of grass. There is nothing dramatic, remarkable, or talented about it. It is snow removal, nothing more.
And, it’s not particulary effective.
No, my point was the announcers called it a miracle. The grounds crew is using equipment to clear snow from a piece of grass. There is nothing dramatic, remarkable, or talented about it. It is snow removal, nothing more.
And, it’s not particulary effective.
You guys all realize if this game is called, the U.S. and CR have to relocate themselves to another field in a couple days, play again… and then the U.S. would have to be in Azteca 48 hours later, right?
?..did they really just mention throwing the result out completely?
Omar Gonzalez redeemed himself with that clearance near the end of the first half. Redeemed from Honduras. Welcome to the team Gonzalez. You will be here for a long time.
I WISH THEY WOULD USE THE ORANGE BALL…HARD TO SEE ANYTHING.
“If I were in charge, we’d change to a silver ball.”
-Don Garber
Mexico, “Winter is Coming”…
-USA
Bob Ley has Mikel Arteta like hair, nothing can make it move. Also, I want one of the hats Keller and Lalas have.
Blatant cheap shot to the face from by Sabo on Omar…baiting him …it will only get worse.
Costa Rica looks beaten. They physically looked like they had given up.
hmmm, didn’t see that. It looked to me like Costa Rica was the better team in the last 10 minutes
You have that completely backwards my friend
Not confident with this 1-0 lead. Still to much space in midfield. I love Dempsey’s ability to score goals, but his closing down defensively is atrocious.
He and EJ are two peas in a pod. Dempsey should only play 60 minutes, he just walks around after that, every game I have seen.
Definite penalty on Clint, ridiculous no call.
The worst part is the ref raised his whistle to his mouth and then lowered it when the ball fell to Zusi, almost like he was playing advantage or something. A inexplicable piece of refereeing in a game filled with the inexplicable.
Ok, since commenters disagree and Ives and Franco disagree, can we just say that the penalty call weas debatable and not spend forever arguing? (there are better things to get angry about)
Ives trumps Franco
nah. My point was that there are experts (and opinions) all over and they are not clear on whether that was a penalty. Hey, I would have liked a PK but there was a legit argument.
Having seen a few replays I didn’t see a certain penalty at all, so I’d agree with you.
Putting on my Captain Obvious hat: any shot from distance that bounces on it’s way would be a nightmare for a keeper. It doesn’t matter how well organized a defense is, a goal could come from nothing in a game like this.
Make the right pass JJ!!! stop dribbling the &$@ing ball and make the smart, easy pass!
Dempsey with the lame dive
Dive? Are you blinded by the snow? That was a blatant penalty. As obvious as you can possibly have?
Sure. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a game where Dempsey doesn’t take a dive.
More insanely biased CONCACAF officiating. Ugh. Disgusting.
Jermaine Jones’ Afro is amazing in this blizzard
Gotta love the snow fro!
As much as I am disgusted by the scheduling and the fact that the game is being played, I gotta say that RunDMB can still bring it.
Yep, up to this point DeMarcus Beasley is Man of the Match. He is earning the opportunity to play left wing in future games.
And, yep, playing this game in Denver was a big mistake and I never want to hear anyone complain again about road field conditions wherever. Just hope nobody gets injured in this mess. I fail to see why it is an advantage for our guys. It is going to get ugly in the second half.
I don’t see how you can say he’s the MotM.
Goodson has destroyed attacks left and right all first half.
Goodson stopping a free kick from point blank range.
Dude, Cam at RB, I owe you 25 cents…can I keep a tab?