Posts Tagged ‘Landon Donovan’

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GALAXY MUST WORK TO RETAIN TOP SPOT

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

LD scrambles with Stephane Auvrey (Alex V./OLFC)

Saturday was full of action in the MLS.  As the New York Red Bulls were wrapping up a 2-0 win over San Jose, we at ONELOVE were gearing up on the sideline for a fixture between the LA Galaxy and the Kansas City Wizards.  It was not an easy night for Landon Donovan and company.  An early goal by Davy Arnaud set the tone for a game that was largely dominated by three key players on the visiting side.  MLS vet Jimmy Conrad had a goal in the second half and never missed an opportunity to do work on defense.

Kei Kamara created opportunities at every turn (Alex V./OLFC)

Arnaud and Conrad most defintely showed up to play, but man of the match honors go to Kei Kamara.  He assisted Arnaud’s goal and proved to be an unstoppable force in the KCW buildup.  Both Leonardo and Todd Dunivant tried and failed to keep the wiry Sierra Leonian in check.

The pundits were saying that an early goal would decide the match.  This may have explained the win, but it hardly addresses a few problems that Bruce Arena will need to solve before a wildly successful 1st place run is compromised.  The Galaxy displayed very little creativity in the attacking 3rd and showed us why absentees like Beckham and Juninho will be necessary to the club’s long term success.  Conceding a goal in the 12th minute ought to inspire creativity, the way it did for team USA in South Africa, and not infect the team with a crippling sense of panic.  The frustration was evident after Arnaud’s goal.  Passes weren’t connecting, bodies were colliding and tempers were rising to unnecessary heights.  This is where leadership comes into play.

What did you think of last nights match?  Who was your MVP?

For our Galaxy fans out there, what can be done in the coming weeks to get things back on track?

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SHOTS FROM REAL MADRID vs GALAXY

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

Berhalter scraps with Benzema – Photo Cred: Alex V.

Celebrating Dunivant’s goal – Photo Cred: Alex V.

CR7 – Photo Cred: Alex V.

Arbeloa opens up for Casillas – Photo Cred: Alex V.

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MLS ALL-STARS vs MANCHESTER UNITED

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Any imaginative fan of the American game has probably wondered what would happen if our best players were to face off against one of the European giants. Well, the time has come.

Bruce Arena will lead a squad of MLS notables against Manchester United on July 28th.

The All-Stars were selected in part by online voters, combined with picks by Bruce Arena and a few additions by league commissioner Don Garber. Here they are!

Goalkeepers:
Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

Defenders:
Kevin Alston (New England Revolution)
Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)
Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)
Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake)
Heath Pearce (FC Dallas)

Midfielders:
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
David Ferreira (FC Dallas)
Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution)
Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids)
Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)
Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire)
Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)

Forwards:
Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)

Tune in July 28th (ESPN2) at 8:30pm Eastern.

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USA vs. Ghana: Let The Blame Games Begin

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley
(OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

happier days in Ellis Park – photo cred: Alex V.

Team USA’s magical cup run has sadly come to an end. With tons of hype and momentum behind them USA had to beat their old foe Ghana. Unfortunately much like in 2006 Ghana got the better of the yanks once again. In the three out of the four games team USA played they found themselves down a goal early on. In all the other games they dug deep and found a way to claw back and salvage a point. Today though was just not their day.

Many will wonder now who they can blame for team USA’s failure to get past the round of 16. The finger will be solely pointed at one person, Mr. Bob Bradley. Heralded as the saint and savior of soccer in America just this morning before the match, many will be asking for his resignation of his post as head coach of team USA. Bradley did mostly everything right leading up to the game against Ghana. He won the Gold Cup, helped the team finish second behind Brazil in the Confederations Cup, and had team USA finish first in group C of the 2010 world cup. Still though a lot of his decisions need to be questioned.

When you have a good thing going, why change it? Many will be asking Bob Bradley that very same question in regards to playing Ricardo Clark tonight. Clark played poorly in the opening group game and hadn’t played since. Suddenly, and rather shockingly, he was reinstated in the starting lineup for an extremely important match. Bradley has been known to be a gambling man and sometimes taking a risk pays off, and sometimes it doesn’t. Replacing Oguchi Onyewu with Jonathon Bornstein was a huge gamble that paid off for Bradley. Replacing Maurice Edu/Benny Feilhaber with Ricardo Clark was a gamble that most definitely did not pay off. Clark started the Ghana game by giving up possession in the middle of the park that resulted in a goal, and then picking up an extremely dangerous yellow card almost immediately after. Give Bradley credit for admitting his mistake by subbing Clark after 30 minutes, but still he took a huge risk by playing Clark that really hurt team USA.

Bradley has done a wonderful job with team USA and exceeded everyone’s expectations, but after this loss to Ghana USA fans will be thinking that team USA could have, and should have, done better. Sometimes you have to stick with what works, and for some reason Bradley decided not to. USA had a respectable run, but excuses aside for why they didn’t go farther, they need to do better

Player Ratings:

Howard-6- Made some good saves tonight but probably should have done better with the opening the goal. Much like his central defenders in the opening minutes, Howard was ball watching and out of position.

Cherundolo-6.5- Not his best game by a long shot. Had some shaky moments in the beginning but got better as the game went on. Dolo probably has the most dangerous cross on the team and he used it to good effect today.

Bocanegra-6- Had both good and bad moments throughout the game. His poor communication with DeMerit and ball watching cost his team the game unfortunately.

DeMerit-6- One of the more consistent players on team USA throughout the tournament. Today though he made a lot of costly errors that hurt the team quite a bit. Won a lot of balls in the air like he always does, but had a really hard time communicating with his partner in central defense.

Bornstein-7- I never thought I would say this but…Johnny B. had a great game today. The best player on the backline, absolutely owned the left side of the field. A very surprising solid and mistake free game from Bornstein.

Bradley-7- Has raised his stock significantly in this tournament. Worked tirelessly today and did all he could to keep team USA in it.

Clark-3- An absolutely dreadful performance from Clark. Clark put on a real horror show today. His two most cringe worthy moments were giving the ball away in the middle field to help setup Ghana’s opening goal and then getting a silly yellow, which could have easily been a red, for a vicious tackle on Kevin-Prince Boateng. Clark was hauled off on the 30th minute, and walking off the field was the best thing he did the whole game.

Donovan-7- Superbly finished his penalty kick to tie the game and take his goal tally to three, but didn’t play as well as he had in the other games.

Dempsey-8- Great game from Deuce today, did everything but score a goal. Worked hard and was a constant threat on the attack. Made some great touches and was a real nuisance for Ghana’s backline. Drew the penalty that led to the tying goal.

Findley-4- Continues to not take advantage of good opportunities to score. Findley is just not good enough to compete at this level.

Altidore-6.5- Without a doubt the hardest working forward in this tournament, who cannot score goals. He has a real knack for keeping possession and drawing fouls, but his finishing really needs to get better. Solid game today but could have been even better had he done more with the chances he had.

Substitutions:

Edu-6- Made an immediate impact after he came on for Ricardo Clark. Broke up plays and won balls in the middle of the park. If he can improve his passing game he will become an infinitely better player. Wasted a lot of possession with errant passes.

Feilhaber-7.5- What is going on with Benny? Ever since his laser volley against Mexico in the Gold Cup he has been on downward spiral in terms of his form. Suddenly in the last two matches he has featured in, he has looked and played like a new man. Fantastic creative play and a newfound urgency in his defensive game has made him start to live up to his hype. The real question is why did Ricardo Clark start against Ghana and not the in form Benny Feilhaber?

Gomez-6- Next to Charlie Davies team USA only has one other player who has a real eye for goal and knows how to be in the right place at the right time. That player is Mr. Herculez Gomez. The super-sub from Las Vegas came on after regulation to push the Ghanaian defense but didn’t do much. He pushed up hard and did well to make things difficult for Ghana but never got the chance to put the ball in back of the net. Would have been a much more suitable forward to start alongside Altidore instead of Findley.

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USA vs GHANA: Match Preview

Friday, June 25th, 2010

by Philip Cramer

All eyes will be fixed on LD tomorrow – photo cred: Alex V.

This USA team reminds me of the 2002 squad that made it to the quarterfinals only to lose 1-0 to Germany in a match where the Americans outplayed the opposition. The United States should have had a penalty kick, and Germany should have had a red card for a handball on the goal line.

That team came out with fire in its eyes, believing that its could beat anybody. And the Americans did, blowing away a very fancied Portugal side with three goals in the first half-hour of the opening game.

The 2010 team has that same fire and that same self-confidence that didn’t exist on the 1998 or 2006 squads.

The United States faces a tricky game tomorrow against a Ghana team that stumbled into the Round of 16 thanks to Australia. Ghana’s two biggest problems are the absence of star midfielder Michael Essien for the entire tournament, and an offense that has only scored two goals thus far—both from penalties. Those two problems are related.

The Americans are coming off the incredible high of Landon Donovan’s extra time goal to save their tournament. That will be a huge asset as confidence is essential in the knockout stage. Ghana will have a huge weight on its shoulders as the last team standing from Africa. That can cut both ways.

The U.S. is stronger at the back because of Tim Howard, and he has been excellent throughout this World Cup. It’s often the little things that make the difference in a game, such as his quick and accurate throw that led to Donovan’s game-winning goal against Algeria.

For Ghana, Richard Kingson is solid in net and has likewise been error-free in the tournament.

The U.S. defense has been solid with Jay Demerit and Carlos Bocanegra both having exceptional tournaments. Oguchi Onyewu should be back for this game as well. His height and size will help keep Ghana’s attack at bay.

Ghana have a solid defense that has given away little including holding Germany to one unstoppable goal. John Pantsil, John Mensah, and the newly promoted Jonathan Mensah have all been solid and disciplined and will force the U.S. attack to work hard.

The midfield matches up fairly evenly despite Essien’s absence. For the U.S. Michael Bradley has been stellar with a controlled level of aggression. Donovan can break open a game and Clint Dempsey is showing the wealth of experience he has garnered playing for Fulham.

Ghana’s midfield has surprised. Anthony Annan has become one of the standout holding midfielders in the tournament, and 20-year-old Andre Ayew is excelling. Kevin Prince Boateng is another player who could cause headaches for the Americans.

Up front Jozy Altidore has played well, proving he can play at this level despite not scoring yet. A goal would surely boost his confidence. Ghana needs Asamoah Gyan to come unstuck for them to have any chance at a victory. He was woeful virtually every time he got the ball in a critical situation against Germany, wasting a number of chances.

Despite struggling through the group stage, Ghana has been consistent with few errors. The ball control skills and short passing of the midfield could give Team USA headaches. The U.S. will need an error-free defense to win.

The intangibles favor the United States. The Americans’ team unity, commitment, and aggression can get under Ghana’s skin, and if that happens the United States will prevail quite comfortably. It could be a game of few clear-cut chances and whoever takes advantage of them will win.

This game could end up hinging on a lucky break, and after the group round the United States seems to have used up their allotment of bad breaks.

Soccer at this level can be a fickle mistress. The odds slightly favor the United States which is an accurate reflection of the game’s prospects. Ghana has more skill but the United States has heart, cohesion, and determination, attributes that have not been as evident for Ghana.

The United States should prevail by the odd goal, but expect a well-played, tight game.

read more from Philip at Irritable Liberal Syndrome!

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USA vs. Algeria: Thoughts and Players Ratings

Friday, June 25th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

(OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

Group C of the 2010 world cup has been nothing but an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved.  Underdogs prevailed and shook things up in the beginning.  Slovenia got an unlikely stranglehold on the group’s lead, and England struggled immensely to get anything going.  Algeria started with a loss thanks to a major goalkeeping howler, but shocked everyone by tying England in a game that many thought they would lose.  In the end though team USA prevailed and surprised everyone by winning group C.

After making the most of the gift that Robert Green awarded team USA with his now infamous goalkeeping error and coming back against Slovenia in the most controversial game of the tournament so far, USA had to beat Algeria to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.  The game started in typical USA fashion with a miscommunication in the USA backline that resulted in Rafik Djebbour of Algeria letting off a blistering shot that flew past a hapless Tim Howard and smacked the crossbar.  From there USA went on the attack and relentlessly pressed the Algerian backline and went on to score a goal that was controversially disallowed.  One must think that the cries of a conspiracy must be lurking in the background because twice now USA has controversially been denied two legitimate goals.  Surprise starter Herculez Gomez let off a powerful shot that missed the goal, but allowed a waiting Clint Dempsey to pounce on the rebound and score.  Unfortunately Frank De Bleeckere of Belgium, the latest error prone referee to officiate a game, called the goal offside.  Replays would show that Dempsey was most definitely onside, but unfortunately De Bleeckere would only be able to see those replays after the game was over.

After the goal had officially been disallowed, both teams furiously attacked each other.  USA had more chances but they just couldn’t seem to take advantage of them, and with news that England was beating Slovenia desperation was beginning to set in.  There was a moment of hope when Clint Dempsey curled in a perfect shot that beat the keeper but hit the post instead of going in the net.    Just when everyone was ready to throw in the towel and brace themselves for another disappointing world cup campaign the unexpected happened.  In a goalmouth scramble in the 91st minute a loose ball fell to the feet of Landon Donovan.  In a game full of missed chances and blown opportunities Donovan did not hesitate and scored a dramatic game winner that will not only take USA to the next round but allowed them to win group C all together.  Donovan’s goal will be one of the most important ones ever for him.  It keeps USA in the tournament and more importantly it gives the team more support from their country than ever before.  USA is off to arguably one of their best starts ever to a world cup and looks set to use their momentum to progress even farther in what is becoming one of the most wild and unpredictable world cup’s ever.

Player Ratings:

Howard – 7 – In what is becoming a frightening recurring trend, Howard was nearly scored on by a powerful shot in the opening minutes.  Thankfully for Howard and team USA the crossbar prevented the shot from going in.  Solid play from Howard tonight, made some pointblank saves that kept team USA in the game.

Cherundolo – 7 – Dolo has looked pretty great on the right so far in this tournament.  He did his usual thing with relative ease tonight, he held down the right side and came up on the attack with penetrating runs and dangerous crosses.

DeMerit – 8 – It’s pretty amazing that DeMerit only plays in the Championship league in England because he has shone the world that he can compete at the highest level.  His passing game still needs work but his game in the air is unbelievable.  Has a knack of winning just about every aerial ball he goes for, great game for DeMerit.

Bocanegra – 6.5 – Looked a little uncomfortable in the middle at times.  Despite some unfamiliarity in the middle he had a solid yet forgettable game for the captain.

Bornstein – 6.5 – Came in for Gooch to provide more speed out of the back.  Had a solid game, played smart and contributed to the attack on a few occasions.  It was rare error-free performance for the Chivas USA defender today.

Donovan – 8 – Faded in and out of the game and was having trouble getting past the stingy Algerian defense.  Kept his recent goal scoring streak alive with a HUGE goal in stoppage time. Landy Cakes is trying to make everyone forget about his poor performances in 2006, and so far its working.

Bradley – 8 – Bradley is a star in the making, and this world cup is proving to be his showcase.  Endless amounts of energy and great vision on the field, what more could you want from a box to box midfielder?  He looked fearless today, and never seemed like he was resigned to be knocked out of the tournament.

Edu – 6 – Broke up lots of plays and won possession, but kept giving the ball away with poor passes.  Needs his offensive game to be as good as his defensive one.

Dempsey – 7 – Played a hard fought game and was unlucky to have his goal get disallowed, and was also unlucky to hit the post in the second half.  Was getting abused by the Algerian defenders and midfielders throughout the game but he still fought tirelessly.  Had a big hand in Donovan’s goal to win the game.

Gomez – 6 – A shock starter.  Very surprising to see him get the start today in such an important game.  Made the most of his chance and looked dangerous today.  Would have liked to have seen him play a little longer than he did.

Altidore – 7.5 – Jozy Altidore, the forward who does not score.  Did all the dirty work today up top.  Won balls, kept possession, and picked up fouls in all the right areas for team USA.  Will be frustrated not to have scored yet, but should be happy with his play.

Substitutes

Feilhaber – 7 – Came on at the half for Gomez and looked like a different player than from the one in previous games.  Played with intensity and grit, broke up plays and made dangerous passes.  Looked really solid today in the midfield.

Buddle – 5 – Held the ball up well but looked too slow to be playing at this level.  Needs to make better decisions with his passing game.

Beasley – 5 – Came on at the end as USA’s last attacking option off the bench.  Wasn’t able to do much except pick up some hard fouls and get a silly yellow card for a handball.

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USA vs. Slovenia: Thoughts And Player Ratings

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

(OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

Most people were pretty divided on how this game would be.  Many thought that this would be a complete blowout, a real USA thumping of Slovenia.  After all, Slovenia is a country that is about the same size as say…Houston, Texas.  Others however recognized that although Slovenia is tiny blip on the map in Europe they actually play some pretty decent soccer.  They only had four goals scored against them in world cup qualifying, and knocked out well-regarded Russia in a playoff to make it to the world cup.  Sure enough Slovenia gave team USA a real scare with some solid play and two goals that caught the red, white, and blue completely off guard.

The game got off to quite a start when Clint Dempsey unleashed a vicious looking elbow on Zlatan Ljubijankic of Slovenia, try saying that name fast five times, literally seconds after the kickoff. Dempsey was extremely fortunate to escape without any sort of punishment.  From there the tone was set for an extremely bizarre and physical game, both in terms of officiating and playing.  Valter Birsa of Slovenia went on to score on an incredible shot that left Tim Howard frozen, and then Ljubijankic got his revenge from the elbow and beat the USA offside trap to score.  USA was stunned, and looked like the euphoria from the England game had not yet worn off.  Somehow though team USA woke up and fought hard for one of the most astonishing comebacks in the team’s history.

With embarrassing officiating from Malian ref Koman Coulibaly team USA definitely had the odds against them.  Coulibaly’s performance was so bad that its already being said that he will not officiate any more games in the tournament.  There is much evidence to be seen for why he has no place officiating such high profile games.  Just see the call on Findley for a handball, Marko Suler taking down Altidore, and of course the goal Maurice Edu scored that was called back for a phantom foul.  Coulibaly robbed USA of a deserved victory and should really be ashamed for his amateur hour officiating.

All controversy aside USA played a poor first half and deserved to be down by two goals.  Bob Bradley must have had some stern and inspiring words at halftime because the team came out to play with fire in their eyes for the second half.  Landon Donovan scored a wonder goal on a tight angle, sort of similar to Maicon’s goal in the Brazil vs. North Korea game, and had a hand in Michael Bradley’s tying goal.  Great comeback from team USA, they needed a win but a tie still keeps them in it.  Also thanks to England’s Abysmal draw with Algeria everyone is still alive in this group.  Crazy game tonight, but the thought that Team USA was cheated by the ref will linger in the minds of USA fans for a long time, especially if they don’t end up advancing out of the group.

Player Ratings:

1

Tim Howard-7- Has a bad habit of coming too far off his line and getting punished for it.  There is no denying that the first goal was a nice shot but Howard misjudged the shot and put himself in a position where all he could do was watch the ball fly in the back of net.  Played a solid game other than the first goal, and did all he could for the second one.

Oguchi Onyewu-5- Gooch looked sluggish.  Thought he might be back to his old self after the England game but he still looks very rusty.

Jay DeMerit-7.5-Completely dominant in the air.  Won just about every ball he went for in the second half.  Still has the occasional miscommunication with his partner in the central defense and needs to work on his passing game.  Played with real conviction and determination, great performance.

Carlos Bocanegra-5.5- Tough game for ‘los, he was getting worked pretty hard on the left side the whole game.

Steve Cherundolo-6-Definitely didn’t have the amazing game he had against England.  Didn’t seem as sharp tonight but still had some nice plays both defensively and offensively.

José Torres-6.5- Had the opportunity to show the world his ability to hold down the middle and didn’t really do much.  Showed some fancy footwork and took a great free kick that nearly turned into a goal.

Michael Bradley-8-Bradley was all over the field, both breaking up plays and making them.  Hard working performance capped off by a clutch goal.

Landon Donovan-9-Landy Cakes stepped it up in a big way in this game.  While a lot of the other players seemed resigned to losing he got fired up.  Had a ridiculously nice goal and was involved with Bradley’s tying goal.

Clint Dempsey-6-Unbelievably fortunate to not get ejected for his elbow thirty seconds into the game.  Drifted in and out the match and had a somewhat anonymous game for Deuce.

Robbie Findley -5.5- Someone needs to remind Findley that forwards are supposed to score, or at least try to score.  Made good runs but was just too passive when it came time to attempt a shot.

Jozy Altidore-7- Huffed and puffed all game long and gave center back Marko Suler a very tough time.

Substitutes

Benny Feilhaber-5.5- A surprising half time substitution.  Took some nice touches and calmed things down in the middle.  His defensive play was pretty terrible though, seemed to forget that his team was losing.

Maurice Edu -6- Had a disallowed goal that would have made him the golden boy of American soccer. Sadly it was disallowed on one of the most shockingly bad calls in soccer history.

Herculez Gomez-6.5- Gomez has this undeniable ability to change a game.  Made immediate impact with his presence in the penalty area and nearly scored a goal himself late on.

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England vs. USA: Thoughts and Players Ratings

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

( OFFICIAL ONELOVE U.S. CORESPONDENT)

The most anticipated match of the tournament thus far has come and gone.  England vs. USA was one for the ages, and will go down in both USA and English soccer history.  After a stunning opening strike from Steven Gerrard, England drew first blood and looked set to break American hearts.  Clint Dempsey however, was having none of it and scored what will be one of the most talked about goals in world cup history.

Only Robert Green will ever know what really happened, but his handling of Clint Dempsey’s shot was the howler of all howlers.  A shot that most keepers would have stopped with ease somehow got past Green and gave the Americans a most surprising lifeline.  Blame it on Green or blame it on the much talked about Jabulani ball, the goal stunned England and brought the Americans to life.  It was a hard fought game for the Americans, and if the world didn’t think this team could compete with the world’s best they saw first hand today that they most definitely can.  Thanks to an amazing display from Tim Howard and the back four, Steve Cherundolo in particular, USA played resiliently and came back from an early goal to get a much deserved point.

Player Ratings:

Tim Howard (G)-9- Was a rock in the goal today, an absolutely brilliant performance from Timmy Howard.  Time and time again thwarted England’s vicious attacks on goal and made some brilliant saves.  Emile Heskey will be having nightmares about Howard’s point blank stop on his shot.

Jay DeMerit (D)-8- After a moment of poor communication between him and Onyewu for the opener, DeMerit put on a great defensive display and effectively helped shut down Rooney.  The pride of Wisconsin wore his heart on his sleeve and played a great game today.

Oguchi Onyewu (D)-7- Sort of a surprise starter due to his lengthy injury and forgettable play in friendly matches leading up to this game.  Was caught ball watching on the opening goal but seemed to come to life afterwards.  Gooch started to look like his old self today, no longer afraid to jump for balls and threw himself into some hard tackles.  Gooch is back…well maybe.

Carlos Bocanegra (D)-6.5- Had a hard time dealing with the pace of the speedy England wingers at times. Still put on solid display and should be happy with his overall performance tonight.

Steve Cherundolo (D)-8- Absolutely fantastic game from the right back tonight.  Was an ever present threat in the attack and defended very well.  Made mince meat out of James Milner.

Ricardo Clark (M)-6- Forgot he was on the field at times.  Got the job done but never really put his mark on the game.  Would have liked to have seen a more creative midfielder like Torres or Feilhaber in his place.

Michael Bradley (M)-6.5- Much like Clark had a fairly anonymous game.  Still though he put in the dirty work in the middle of the field and had a solid game.

Clint Dempsey (M)-7- Wowzers.  What a goal and what a horrible howler from West Ham’s Robert Green.  This is a goal that will be talked about for many years to come. Dempsey made something out of nothing, got his goal and ran with it. Bad save, bad keeping, bad whatever the goal was clutch and allowed team USA to get a share of the points on the day.

Landon Donovan (M)-7- A Landon Donovan performance on the wing that we have all come to expect from our little internationally unknown superstar.  Donovan worked very hard today and had a good battle with Ashley Cole.  Also had some nice set pieces that his teammates should have done better on.

Jozy Altidore (F)-7- Worked hard and ran all over the place the whole game.  Was unlucky not to get a goal in the second half when Robert “Stone Hands” Green pushed his effort off the post.  Also had a great moment where he out muscled Jaime Carragher on a run towards the goal.  Needs to start making all that hard work turn into goals.

Robbie Findley (F)-4- Looked completely out of place. The only player on team USA who didn’t look like they belonged in the game. He was there for his speed and nothing else, and unfortunately all he really seemed to do was aimlessly run really fast.  Just about completely faded out of the game in the second half. Time to give Buddle or Herculez a chance up top.

Substitutes:

Edson Buddle (F)-4- Came into the game late and had very little impact.

Stuart Holden (M)-4.5- Replaced Altidore and came on bolster the midfield.

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Saturday, June 12th, 2010

By Daniel Kelley

(OFFICIAL ONELOVE US CORRESPONDENT)

The ads have been posted everywhere and just about every sports publication and major newspaper has had something to say about the second revolutionary war.  Tomorrow team USA will take on the mighty three lions in what many are saying will be England’s revenge match for the world cup game in 1950. A game that saw England lose to the lowly and unheard of, at least in the soccer world, team USA.  The Americans are taking every precaution they can to recreate the 1950 game, going as far as recreating the jersey’s worn in that game and giving it a slight modern update.  It’s 2010 now and both teams are much improved from their last previous competitive meeting.  The rematch is tomorrow and it’s looking to be one of the most anticipated games of the group stages.

It’s sixty years later now and much has changed for England since that fateful game in Brazil.  The three lions went on to win a world cup in 1966, famously got scored on by Diego Maradona’s hand in 1986, and managed to consistently miss tons of crucial penalty kicks in big time games.  They are world-renowned choke artists, but they have to be credited and respected for consistently going far in the tournaments they play in.  They also have managed to produce tons and tons of world-class players and have arguably the best professional league in the world.  England has been and continues to be a total powerhouse in Europe, a team loaded with real talent.

Team USA spent many years in soccer obscurity and mediocrity until the 1990’s, which saw them host a world cup and spark interest in the sport nationwide.  The result of that interest was the first legit professional soccer league since the NASL, a league that we all know as Major league Soccer. The league helped develop players that form the base of the current national team.  Players like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, and many more refined their playing skills playing in MLS.  While the MLS can most definitely not compete with England’s EPL it’s done pretty well for itself considering that the league is only fourteen years old, it also doesn’t hurt that one of England’s most celebrated players ever plies his trade in said league.  Since the formation of MLS team USA has become the perennial powerhouse in the CONCACAF region and has qualified for every world cup since 1990, a feat that not even mighty England has accomplished.

The playing field is much more even now then it was sixty years ago when team USA beat England.  USA was a practically an amateur team then, while England was loaded with well-respected professionals.  This time around both teams have well respected professionals, and while the odds are firmly on England to win because of star-studded talent like Wayne Rooney and John Terry, this will be a closely contested match and just might turn out to be another historic result for team USA.  With an injury to team captain and defensive talisman Rio Ferdinand, USA might be able to shake things up.  The real question though is how can a team like USA with no real superstars, in the eyes of people who don’t live in the US at least, beat a team with a reputation like England.  It’s quite simple really.  They can’t make costly silly mistakes.

With all of the drama of the Americans losing their influential stanky legging forward Charlie Davies, the general public was concerned that team USA would have a hard time scoring goals.  Well as it turns out USA has had no problem scoring as of late thanks to the heroics of the newfound/recycled talent of Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez.  In USA’s last three friendly matches they scored a total of seven goals against pretty formidable opponents.  Unfortunately in the last three games they also managed to allow six goals against them, ouch.  Lets face it though, while they had some impressive wins they also had a lot of luck going in their favor.  Many laughable defensive errors were made in the friendly matches played.  The only team that took advantage of them were the Czech Republic.  The Czech’s scored four goals on USA and most of them were largely credited to some very woeful defending.  In the games against Turkey and Australia there were also some really noticeable defensive errors that went unpunished thanks to absolutely awful finishing.  England, unlike Turkey and Australia, has no problem taking advantage of defensive errors or scoring in general.  If team USA wants to go back to 1950 in 2010 they need to play smart, and they just can’t afford to make silly mistakes.

Bob Bradley won’t pull out to many surprises in the biggest game of his career, but there will be some new faces in the starting lineup that some people may not be used to seeing.  Meet Clarence Goodson the new starting centerback folks.  Oguchi “Gooch” Onyewu will retain his starting spot one day, but its not going to be in this game.  He is just not fit enough to play in a game like this.  In midfield Jose Francisco Torres, the new and much improved version of Claudio Reyna, will be the other starting center midfielder.  Look for Torres to prove his worth in this game show that while he is a finesse player he can dig in and get physical.  Finally up top next to Jozy Altidore will be…Robbie Findley?  Yeah that’s right, Robbie Findley is going to play and start in the world cup.  I honestly never saw this coming but lets all face the inevitable, Findley is going to start against England tomorrow.  He has looked like a new and improved player as of late. Only problem is that he can’t seem to score, even when it’s an open net.  In the Australia game he skillfully missed two open goals. Hopefully whatever force field was around the goal during that Australia game is gone tomorrow.

Projected line up:

Formation 4-4-2

Howard

Cherundolo, DeMerit, Goodson, Bocanegra

Donovan, Torres, Bradley, Dempsey

Altidore, Findley

Prediction:

USA-2, England-1

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WORLD CUP ANALYSIS: GROUP C

Monday, June 7th, 2010

by Philip Cramer

Group C: USA, England, Slovenia, Algeria.

Sixty years ago England played the U.S. in the World Cup in Brazil. American soccer at the time barely had a pulse, while England was considered the best in the world, matched only by the host nation. We all know what happened then; the U.S. shocked the world winning 1-0. When news first filtered back to England everyone assumed it was a misprint and that England had won 10-1.

They meet again in the opening game of the group. If the U.S. beat England this time it will still be considered an upset, but nothing compared to the epic of 1950.

Either way, England and the U.S. are clear favorites to advance with the luck of the draw putting two soft opponents, Algeria and Slovenia in their group.

Despite the loss of Rio Ferdinand, England is the class of this group despite some weaknesses. David James, the first string goalie is nicknamed ‘Calamity James’ for good reason. Ashley Cole and John Terry will hold the defense together. Beyond them, Glen Johnson and Ledley King are more than adequate but could find problems in later rounds. In midfield only Gareth Barry has strong defensive credentials but it is moving forward that they are strongest with Lampard, Gerrard and Joe Cole capable of dominating any team. In reserve they have Aaron Lennon and James Milner who can more than hold their own. Up front, Rooney has matured into one of the best in the world. He works hard, is happy to fall back to help and can create goals out of nothing. Jermain Defoe will, in all likelihood partner him up front but I am still mystified as to why Capello excluded Theo Walcott who has incredible speed and is a gamechanger as we saw when he brought Arsenal back from the brink against Barcelona in the Champion’s League. I’ve always considered Peter Crouch to be out of his depth against the best in the world and Darren Bent might have been a better choice than the old warhorse Emile Heskey,

Capello has brought about renewed confidence, and while England will sail through the group they will do their usual swoon in the later rounds. The cooler weather will suit their frenetic style of play.

The U.S. should advance no matter what happens in the England game. They have an excellent goalkeeping squad who all play in the Premier League and as a group are better than the English trio. Their backline is a little sketchy with Onyewu the only standout at this level. Jonathan Spector is suspect while DeMerit, Cherundolo and the others will have their work cut out in keeping Rooney quiet. At midfield Landon Donovan is world class while Clint Dempsey has considerable experience in the Premier League. Michael Bradley has shown maturity beyond his years and his strength and tenacity will prove useful in helping out the defense. Francisco Torres will contribute for years to come and DaMarcus Beasly has the experience if not the recent form.

Up front Altidore has immense talent but will be tested at this level. Edson Buddle has been stellar for the Galaxy this year and scored twice against Australia over the weekend. He too, will be called on to play at a higher level than ever before.

As a team, fitness, strength and discipline are assets and coach Bob Bradley has proved he is more than capable. They will need to be at their best and might need a bit of luck but beating or drawing with England will not be much of a surprise.

Algeria has a tough road ahead of them. One of their best defenders, Nadir Belhadj is suspended for the opening game. The goalkeeper who led them to victory over Egypt, Faouzi Chaouchi is suspended for the first two games. Mourad Meghni, a gifted midfielder, nicknamed Le Petit Zidane is out of the WC with a knee injury and Majid Bougherra, a defender who plays for Scottish champion, Glasgow Rangers, is struggling to get fit in time. Many of their players play in Europe but for lesser teams, and while that experience might help them they will be lucky to get a point out of their encounters with either England or the U.S.

Spare a thought for Algeria who were cheated out of advancing in 1982. They opened with a shock 2-1 win against West Germany and beat Chile 3-2 in the third game in the group. The last game matched West Germany and Austria and the only scenario that would keep Algeria from advancing was a 1-0 German win by one or two goals. West Germany attacked and 10 minutes into the game scored and that was the end of the contest as the two German speaking teams passed the ball around with no attempts to score for the next 80 minutes. Angry Algerian fans waved banknotes and even the German fans booed. The game resulted in FIFA changing the format so that the final group games are played simultaneously to prevent any possibility of collusion. Algeria has never made it past the first round.

Slovenia, the country with the smallest population of any of the finalists finished second in their group thanks to a stingy defense that gave up just four goals in ten games. The surprising failure of the far higher ranked Czech team allowed them to finish second to meet Russia in a two leg playoff. Russia took a 2-0 lead at home as expected but Slovenia pulled one back in the last minute. In the return leg, Slovenia held on for a 1-0 win and qualified on the away goals rule while accusations that the Russian team partied too much dogged their collapse, despite having Guus Huddink as coach.

Arguably the best known is Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic, who scored five times during qualifying and, at 30, is approaching the peak of his powers. The Ljubljana-born striker describes himself as making up one third of Slovenia’s “backbone”, with goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and captain Robert Koren, a talented attacking midfielder are the standouts. Their dogged determination should keep them in contention but they too, will be lucky to get a point against England and the U.S.

Fearless forecast:

1 England
2 United States

Read more from ONELOVE Ambassador Philip Cramer at Irritable Liberal Syndrome.

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