Pride and Going Forward: States fall in Final

There are a lot of bridesmaids in world soccer. Take the World Cup, for example, a tournament which only seven teams have won. If you toss in the Confederations Cup, only two more nations are added.

This, of course, is little consolation to the average American hoping to grasp onto soccer, and of just a bit more to the established US Soccer fan. That the Yanks played brave soccer against a team that hadn't lost in 15 matches is worth contemplating. For three games, the States were a fine representation of the guts and class America wants out of its athletes, and it's important to remember that they had nice stretches in the two red-card-aided losses to Italy and Brazil.

Again, heathens will point to the shot disadvantage, wantonly ignoring that the American side went up 2-0 and chose to defend rather than continue attacking. The philosophy is the real thing to question here, but this was America's first dance in a FIFA Final, and we learned plenty. The States stepped up and continued to attack in the first 30 seconds of the second half, but you can argue that they played their soccer too guarded after Brazil's counter stunned them one minute in. Expect them to learn from this, though I'd argue they were simply outclassed in the final half.

Against a Brasilian Selecao with top-club starters on their bench, the Yanks came out fearless and brought true athletic valor to their play. It was brilliant, albeit short-lived, and you simply have to be excited for the States' expected return trip to South Africa in 2010.

So if you're asking me, feel free to sound the vuvuzela and salute your soccer team, States. Even FIFA's recap used the adjective "brave" to describe the inner strength of the red, white and blue. From the Egypt game onward, they showed a refusal to stop fighting, and even an error-filled half-hour in the final shouldn't tarnish your pride. It simply isn't choking against a team like Brazil, and shame on you if you want to label this runnes-up finish that way.

The goals:

-- States 1, Brazil 0 -- Clint Dempsey with a creative side kick off a beautiful Jonathan Spector cross, and how far have we come from Game One of this tournament, when Spector appeared to be outclassed and Dempsey a passenger. Dempsey still had little to offer defensively, and that's something to speak of moving forward, but not right now.

-- States 2, Brazil 0 -- Charlie Davies left-footed pass on a long 1-2 was splendid, and Donovan's touch to shoot looked awkward but was wonderful. His left-footed side-panel rip was pretty, and he was celebrating before it was in. True strikers know those sorts of things.

-- States 2, Brazil 1 -- Brazil counters the States early attack with terrific transition play, and Luis Fabiano makes a brilliant turn before blasting a ground rip through Jay DeMerit's legs and past Tim Howard.

-- The "non-goal" -- How Kaka's 59th minute effort inside the six wasn't called a goal is kinda absurd, but that's a tough call to make. If the official had called it a goal, there is no way we could argue against it, either.

-- States 2, Brazil 2 -- One of the few time we can criticize Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu, and it's the worst time for the States. Bocanegra whiffed on a potential clear -- though of course slow motion makes it look easier than it would've been -- and Gooch wrongly assumed Howard would snag the Elano's blast, and let Fabiano step in front. At this point, it was hard to envision the Yanks coming back.

-- Brazil 3, States 2 -- The US' spot kick bugaboo is their undoing. Lucio gets over Dempsey, who apparently thought he was marking a small child. A great header, a perfect header, a heartbreaking header.

The stars, and the criticism...

-- Tim Howard was named goalkeeper of the tournament, and how could any player possibly be chosen as better class. As early as the 12th minute Howard was responsible for keeping US hopes afloat with a wonderful save of a Robinho strike.

-- It would be too dramatic to call Jay DeMerit's play a "revelation," but the 15-times capped American used the Conf. Cup to exhibit the skills, smarts and leadership that lead him to be named captain of Watford, a second-tier team in England. Even if Brazil's first goal came through his legs, he's a tough nut to crack, and the Spector/Boca/Gooch/DeMerit backline is quality.

-- Landon Donovan, a.k.a. PK Lando, responded brilliantly after a miserable couple of games, and you can be genuinely proud of the American star. While he'll need to show it consistently, No. 10 showed himself to be a world class talent, and his "it's me" moment while touching the US crest on his kit after goal No. 2 is worth noting.

--Kaka truly looked like the best player in the world. Charlie Davies' 54th minute bear hug coverage of the Brazilian star on a free kick is emblematic of the respect the new Real Madrid player deserves.

-- The difference in depth was underscored when Daniel Alves entered. The Barcelona man was outstanding in so many ways after entering in the 66th minute.

-- Onyewu came so close to equalizing in the 87th minute off a Donovan corner.

-- I do not understand the Bob Bradley's Conor Casey obsession, even in the absence of Brian Ching. He hasn't done much for me yet.

-- I like John Harkes as a color man. I don't get the hate.

-- Sometimes Landon Donovan makes faces that make him look like Hilary Swank.

-- Night soccer is stunning in HD.

What's next...

The next time the novice fan sees the States team, he will see the equivalent of a "C" team, but this will not be mentioned by mass media. Only seldom-used subs Freddy Adu and Luis Robles, as well as new star striker Charlie Davies, will be in the fold for the Gold Cup. It's a shame because a nice run in that tournament will be pretty impressive, and losses understandable, but those bitter 40-year old men terrified of losing their jobs will have precious little patience.

US Gold Cup dates (all LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel):
July 4- vs. Grenada at Qwest Field in Seattle (6 p.m. EST)
July 8- vs. Honduras at RFK Stadium in Washington (9 p.m. EST)
July 11- vs. Haiti at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro (7 p.m. EST)

P.S. I love the Lionel Messi commercial, even if I don't think it makes much sense. The Atomic Ant!

Soccer gets in the way of soccer

Give a moment of angst-explanation before I preview this afternoon's contest, please.

I have had zero complaints up to this point about my appointment as play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Flash, the local womens professional soccer club. They generally win, and I have a tremendous time calling the game with former Rutgers player Oliver Petersen, an Arsenal supporter and Brit by birth.

That was until today, when America's lack of true love for soccer has kicked me square in "The Family Matters." In many nations, the 3 p.m. kickoff for the Flash and Hamilton Avalanche (televised Monday and Tuesday on TW-13 in WNY) would be move so the soccer-adoring public could watch their national team battle traditional power Brazil.

In this case, however, the Flash have no true reason to touch the start time -- their 300-500 fans are more folks that come out for local soccer than anything since the Buffalo Blizzard played their brand of indoor madness at the Aud years ago, and these casual red, white and blue supporters can DVR their little hearts out.

My British cohort will be doing the same, but I can't wait that long. I will need to get text updates from my teammates, who will be watching the game together while I broadcast. Then, I'll have to hear about the game for a couple more hours while my mens team, Baker's City FC, tries to score a second major upset in a row. Finally, after a beer or two, at 9 p.m., I can sit down to watch what could be up for debate as the greatest moment in the history of American soccer.

In no way am I complaining about being paid money to watch soccer. C'est la vie. Go States!

--- As for the FINAL... ---

As for this afternoon's Confederations Cup final, I'm going to take the easy way out and say that while I generally do believe in miracles, losing Michael Bradley to a wrongly-given red card is going to give the US even more fits than usual when it comes to the 2 p.m. kickoff. Kaka and Luis Fabiano have a certain chance to give the US defense fits, and Bradley's absence will help nothing.

For the States to win, they will need more superior marking from Carlos Bocanegra, and another fabulous game from Oguchi Onyewu. Expecting Tim Howard to play mistake-free has become a near-certainty. You never say never after Wednesday, but I'd prefer to see the Yanks refuse to run with Brazil early, and attempt to dictate some of the pace, which would be a more-than-minor victory in itself.

Then again, if the US put up a performance like no other they've done offensively, and Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan both played unparalleled in ball movement, this could be a high-numbered classic. If you forced me to select an outcome, it'd look something like this:

Brazil strikes about 25 minutes in after a decent "feeling-out" period, with the world's No. 5 team surprised to see a different States team than they faced a week ago. They strike again 10 minutes later, but the US answers just after half. Trailing 2-1, the Americans have a handful of second half chances, but Brazil pokes one home with under 10 to go to claim the hardware with a 3-1 victory.

Needless to say, I hope I'm horribly incorrect.

--- Third place game thoughts ---

Barring late dramatics, you can't say enough for the South African performance, mostly of their team, but also of their supporters. I am firmly committed to trying to find the economic means to send my wife and me to next summer's World Cup, to see at least one States game and one other match.

On the winner... Xabi Alonso's shot was good, but it would not have scored had South African keeper Khune not had to account for Llorente's attempted elbow deflection. There's nothing you could do to legislate this without getting an official killed, but it's unfortunate for the hosts. Still, fourth place sounds like a coup for them, even if it simply means they outclassed Iraq and New Zealand. As I pointed out in the Cup preview post, I felt RSA would be able to use the home field to their advantage, and their No. 72 FIFA world ranking was slightly better than Iraq and NZ.

Comment away!

On To The Finals!

Four pints of Guinness were totally expected for Wednesday afternoon's Confederations Cup clash between No. 1 Spain and No. 14 USA. I just expected them to come in misery, not to stave off nerves as myself and several friends bounced up and down at a local establishment (Coles) in anticipation of one of the greatest upsets in US Soccer history.

Yes, the Yanks knocked up Spain, 2-0, to reach the Confederations Cup Final, but it's so much more than that. The States ended a 35-game Spanish unbeaten streak. The Spaniards had won each of their last 15 matches. They had been ranked No. 1 in the world for over a year.

The States? Not-so-much. They needed a miracle to reach the semi-final, but everything worked their way, beginning with Jozy Altidore hammering a ball right at Iker Casillas that hit the Spanish keeper's hand before going in to make it 1-0 less than a third of the way in. Clint Dempsey's 74th minute made it all but certain the States would become the first team since the 2006 Romania squad to top Spain (by the way, huge thanks to Sergio Ramos for trapping a ball in his own six).

But, it was what happened in between and after those tallies that mattered. The States sold their selves for the ball. They draped themselves on Fernando Torres, and made sure any ball that got to unbeatable Tim Howard was saveable. Pick a player, and they made an outstanding play: Landon Donovan, Ricardo Clark, Michael Bradley, etc. Even Bob Bradley's sub choices were outstanding, particularly in the face of a "red for red's sake" from the officials late in the goings.

They played with panache -- Charlie Davies almost opened the scoring with an absurd attempted bicycle. They played with guts. They played with everything you want in an American side. Every Yank fan can be proud of their boys today, regardless of what happens Sunday.

And to make the day complete... fat babies on Maury!

So much for moral victories! States to Semis!

Sound the Vuvuzela, as the buzzing will continue for American soccer in the face of everything improbable. The States needed to win by three and have Brazil win by three, which is stupid enough before you consider that the Amerks have looked nothing shy of crap for the first two games of group play in the Confederations Cup.

Leaving my house for men's league's pitch at 3:30 p.m., I planned to write the somewhat moral victory post around, well, now. The US was up 1-0 at half, and Brazil was demoralizing Italy by a 3-0 score. Yet texts began to roll into our team during the game, and as we topped our opponents, 3-0, the United States did the same.

I'm watching it now, knowing what's coming, and I'm buzzing. As previously posted, Charlie Davies' first goal, digging deep in the six and wresting a ball off of Egypt's keeper, was the sort of goals the States have to score, blue collar and no bull----.

The next two goals were also things the US needed. Seeing Michael Bradley rewarded for a stellar tournament despite nothing from his fellow midfielders is fantastic, and, yes, full marks for PK Lando on a wonderful low-pass. As much as I can't stand Bob Bradley lately, the look on his face when his son put in No. 2 was downright stars and stripes. It was Michael Bradley's second-straight goal on Father's Day, with his father behind the lines.

The third and final tally was needed, too, as Fulham's Clint Dempsey had been anything but stellar in the first two contests before turning it on the first half. His strong heading finish of a Jonathan Spector cross sent the Yanks into ecstasy, and they held on for an unlikely trip to the semi-finals to meet Spain.

How unlikely is this? Borderline impossible... and it comes on a day I actually scored in our team's game, which truly shows you how the stars were aligned.

Full marks to Brad Guzan for the clean sheet, but this was without Tim Howard and Carlos "Charlie Blackmouth" Bocanegra.

This is a fine day for US soccer, a day that no one can take away from us, regardless of what happens against Spain in Wednesday afternoon's Stage Two. We'll be at a bar. If you're near Buffalo, come find us (or just email).

And it wouldn't be fun if we didn't ask Giuseppe Rossi how he feels about the whole thing.

Bland Finale? Report forthcoming...

Charlie Davies' hustle goal emblematic of what this team has needed up-top all tourney, while PK Lando's silly-in-a-bad-way pass on a 1v1 with the Egypt keeper is just the opposite. I'll be DVRing the second half due to a Baker's City FC/Hamburg FC match at Ellicott Creek Park, so a full report will come in the evening. States lead 1-0 after 25 minutes, with a guarantee of significant stoppage time, as Egyptian keeper el Hadary shakes off a head injury suffered on the US goal.

Hometown pride

Couple of quick notes, as we're based in Buffalo, NY:

-- University at Buffalo stand-out goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth (Nichols) has signed a deal to help back-up Matt Reis with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. Shuttleworth was playing his club soccer with Buffalo City FC of NPSL. Revs third keeper Zack Simmons left the team... to go to law school.

-- The local womens professional team, the Buffalo Flash of USL W-League, continues to bring folks out to Orchard Park High School by improving to 4-2-1 with a home win Saturday against Laval and a road draw Sunday against Toronto. The game will be aired on Time Warner-13 in Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Full disclosure: I do the TV play-by-play alongside former Rutgers player Oliver Petersen.

Yanks look awful against beatable Brazil; lose 3-0.

You can't convert the heathens without something worth admiring, let alone worshipping, and Bob Bradley and Landon Donovan's United States team has been anything but that for several months, a fact underscored in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. Unlike the 3-1 loss to Italy, the score adequately details their performance.

I'll admit right off that bat that I'm writing in anger, but the States' effort against Brazil -- at least in these first 65 minutes -- has been unacceptable. Sloppy passing, poor touches and a lack of creativity have marred a winnable game against a Brazil team who has been nothing better than advantageous. Not to mention another red card, this time to a favorite of mine in Sacha Kljestan (though it came after the team was down 2-0).

To capitalize on a brilliant point Scott made in an earlier post, both of the States' first two conceded goals were the fault of players who don't play much for their club teams, and that calls into question Bradley's mindset.

The first goal came when Jonathan Spector continued a lackluster tournament by failing to stay with Felipe Melo off a free kick (which the Brazilians earned with trademark thespianship). Spector played just 13 games for West Ham this year in EPL, and may have a future with the States as an '85 birthday, but has not looked prepared for top-level international competition.

Goal No. 2 came when DaMarcus Beasley whiffed off of the U.S.'s first corner, springing Brazil into a shap-sucking full-length run that Robinho finished off. Similarly to Spector, Beasley has played in just 21 matches over two years for Rangers since coming over from Manchester City in 2007.

It is important to remember that the States are a much better squad with a healthy Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu. I can even grudgingly admit that Brian Ching would be an improvement over Conor Casey. But, this sort of performance falls upon the leadership. There were no guts in the attack and there was no fluidity or creativity from the midfield.

The good news? Tim Howard is outstanding, and Oguchi Onyewu continues to improve. I don't it's silly to call Howard one of the elite goaltenders in the world, and Onyewu will be getting his backline on with a much better crew than Standard Liege next season. His rumoured suitors include EPL teams Fulham, Wolverhampton and Birmingham City, while another report says Fenerbache is in play for Onyewu.

Also looking good were Benny Feilhaber, who came millimeters away from netting his third international goal for the States. Michael Bradley continues to win me over, and the coach's kid is an absolute bulldog with a neat little mean streak. I've seen precious little of Jay DeMerit, but what I've seen I've loved.

Certainly Clint Dempsey has more upside than this pitiful two-game stretch, and everyone knows my high hopes for Jozy Altidore, though he missed a "gotta-have-it" striking opportunity in the Brazil loss. The third part of this recent attack has been the acting skipper, Landon Donovan, and while I'm fine with him being on the field, it would be nice to toss that arm band on Howard or Onyewu. Donovan is a poor example on the field, showing flashes of brilliance that only highlight his lackluster effort and whining, complaining that only works if you are genuinely one of the best players in the world.

I want to see more from Freddy Adu, Jose Torres and Kljestan. I hope they all play in Sunday's contest in Egypt, and I look forward to seeing Jermaine Jones join the fray once his papers clear. Perhaps some sort of new field amalgamation with him and Bradley could give the team a more defensive and stable look.

Once I really think about this, and reflect on the game, things should start to look a little clear. The team is not nearly as bad as they've looked -- nor this has read -- but throw in the miserable showing against a pretty good Costa Rica squad, and we're due to have fear that South Africa 2010 could look more like Germany '06 and France '98 than the Orient '02.

Four out of five isn't just a pattern; it would make the '02 outlier a straight aberration.

Alexi Lalas just said it best on the post-game report: Sunday's match against Egypt needs to show character, heart and spirit... something absent in a great spell of American soccer time.

Judas

No matter where you come out on the debate, this is funny: http://blog.objectivo.com/?p=1122.

USA v Brazil Preview

Three days removed from a heartbreaker against Italy, the US squad needs to straighten out, and get back to the grind. Whatever letdown still lingers, they need to let it go and get dialed in. Down to the last man off the bench, Bob Bradley's squad needs to regroup and force (at least, no problems here with a win) a tie to keep their hopes alive for a shot at a second round Confederations Cup showing. Enter Brazil. 5 time World Cup champions. Eight time Copa America winners. Kings of the Confederations Cup three times. So how is this going to play? A few thoughts.

1 - Under head coach Dunga Brazil has adopted a defensive oriented system. The free-flowing, wheeling and dealing Brazil hasn't necessarily been handcuffed offensively, but they do look different. Kaka and Robinho key the attack. Juan is a beast in the middle of the backline. Barcelona man Dani Alves gets out wide from his spot on the right and jumps into the attack regularly. Look out. Different style, different strategy, doesn't matter. This squad is still made up of ballers for real. The US needs to play mistake free soccer, and unlike the Italian match, if they have the opportunity to shoot inside the box they need to shoot inside the box.

2 - With Ricardo Clark out, what's the US starting 11 going to look like? Carlos Bocanegra may be back from a hamstring injury, so look for him in his normal spot next to Oguchi Onyewu. Boca's return gives the US another target on set pieces, and its captain, so hopefully that's an inspirational boost. The US should probably look to jam up the middle of the field and do their best to stifle Brazil from the counterattack so look for some sort of 4-5-1 arrangement. Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Sacha Kljestan in the middle, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan out wide, and a long 60-70 minutes for Jozy Altidore as the lone target forward followed by some Charlie Davies fresh legs.

3 - Febraury 10, 1998. Kasey Keller stands on his head and guides the US to a Gold Cup victory over Brazil. Brazilian forward Romario said that was "the best performance by a goalkeeper I have ever seen" Do it Tim Howard!!!!

USA v Italy News and Notes

I wasn't able to watch this game live due to golf obligations, but catching up on DVR I've got a few observations.

1) Giuessepe Rossi took a ball from 30 yards out and the only thing on his mind was how can I score? I'm dying for Bradley and Altidore to figure that out inside the box in the first half. Just let it rip boys. It's a 2-nil game before the red card is an issue.

2) The straight red card issued to Ricardo Clark was a bit much, but reading the letter of the law can be considered "A player is sent off and shown the red card if he is guilty of serious foul play." OK, I see it. It was a dumb tackle inside midfield where Gennaro Gattuso posed no immediate threat. Clark came high with his right foot and really got a hold of the Italian middie. I don't agree with it, but I get it. Now i hate to nitpick, but the FIFA rules also read: "A player is sent off and shown the red card if he is guilty of violent conduct." Moments after Clark's sending off Landon Donovan was elbowed in the jaw by Fabio Grosso. Grosso picked up a cautioning and I know it was nowhere near what Daniele De Rossi threw at Brian McBride's head in 2006, but it's a two-way street and if the game's going to be called that close..... Just saying.

3) Speaking of refereeing decisions, the way the Brazil-Egypt clash ended and with the Egyptian Football Federation filing an appeal, it makes me wonder: Whether the ref had video assistance and communication from his 4th or not, your player merely had to do his job and hug the post on a corner kick. Instead he drifted to the middle and ended up throwing his arm at a ball heading into the net. I hate to lose too, but if you're going to lose, lose with class. If you're going to appeal your loss on a technicality, well, shame on you.

4) Does anybody know what happened to Jon O'Brien? After Claudio Reyna retired O'Brien was supposed to be our midfield general. He was supposed to be the guy through the 2010 run that was supposed to calm the US down, slow the game down, get creative in the attacking third and engineer the attack from the defensive end. The injuries that cut his career short are nothing short of heartbreaking to myself.

5) The US-Italy thing got off track right quick. One more thought before bed. In the US' starting eleven two players (Benny Feilhaber and Jozy Altidore) either can't get off the bench of receive few minutes for their club teams. Coming off the bench, Brad Guzan, DaMarcus Beasley, and Freddy Adu don't see any playing time at all. Heath Pearce was demoted from regular starter to his side's reserve squad. Point being: It's hard to go toe-to-toe with the world's best when key players on the roster aren't in either mid-season MLS or post-season Europe form. It's impressive to sign a contract in Europe. Bravo. Make it work though. Going up against two of the best in Italy and Brazil (whose players all play regularly in their domestic league or internationally) when they're in game shape and you're not is a major disadvantage.

FAIRLY-LIVE BLOG: US/Italy in Conf. Cup

4;22 p.m. GRADES (1-10 scale):

Howard- 7.5
Spector- 4
Onyewu- 5.5
Bornstein- 5.5
DeMerit- 6.5
Feilhaber- 6
Beasley- 4
Bradley- 6
Donovan- 6.5
Dempsey- 3.5
Altidore- 6
Davies- 5.5
Clark- 3
Kljestan- N/A

4:20 p.m. No slight to the US, down to ten men and all, but Tim Howard is the reason the States are only losing 3-1.

Rossi continues his tomfoolery with a volleyed finish of a great Pirlo cross. Again, Howard has no chance.

ITALY 3, UNITED STATES 1

4:16 p.m. Davies heads high off a Donovan corner that could've equalized.

4:15 p.m. AHEM. Kljestan comes close on a 20-yard effort, missing high seconds after Dempsey plays into the US "refuse to one-touch hit" mindset off a nice feed from Charlie Davies. Minutes are at a premium (89th).

4:12 p.m. Feels like about 10 -- or 85 -- minutes too late for the Kljestan substitution, but Jonathan Bornstein gives way for the Chivas USA midfielder. Here's hoping for some magic.

4:08 p.m. Donovan is tackled in the American football sense in the box in what surely would've been a PK had one not been awarded earlier. It would be nice for official Pablo Pozo to have some guts.

4:07 p.m. Clint Dempsey takes a rare shot on Buffon for the States.

Here's where soccer's detractors have something right... the red card essentially ends any close contest at the international level.

3:59 p.m. Oguchi Onyewu takes an easy save away from Tim Howard by flailing at -- and missing -- a de Rossi strike. It feels all but over in the 73rd minute. Enter DeMarcus Beasley.

ITALY 2, UNITED STATES 1

3:56 p.m. Andrea Pirlo has a free kick blocked by a two-man wall, and I'm feeling like a kid. That's what soccer gives me that a lot of sports don't... I'm not slapped in the face by over-saturation in America, so I can hold onto naive hope in the face of a tremendously-daunting final 20ish minutes.

3:45 p.m. Giuseppe Rossi = world-class d-----bag.

What a strike by the diminutive Italian forward who spent the first 13 years of his life in the States. He can, however, thank New Jersey for his garbage haircut.

UNITED STATES 1, ITALY 1

3:35 p.m. DeMerit is having a day. Another fantastic piece of tackling saves Howard from a 1v1.

3:14 p.m. Several incredulous texts from fellow Americans happy for the PK, but understanding that it was a make-up call for the red.

3:12 p.m. Stat on ESPN: Donovan has 10 goals in last 24 int'l matches... 10 on PKs.

3:10 JOZY PK! Lando gets yet another PK goal.

1-0 UNITED STATES

3:06 p.m. Again, Lando Calrissian skies it over the bar on a free kick, ignoring Jonathan Spector on a clean off-wall run.

That said, could've been a reciprocal foul, or at least yellow on a Fabio Grosso elbows Donovan in the face.

3:03 p.m. Dear "Redcardo" Clark,

No one knew why you were playing and now we can all agree.

Nice red card, knee kicker. Were you abiding by some sort of unwritten US/Italy red card rule?

Typed,
Nick

3:01 p.m. The best part of US/Mexico in Columbus in February was our unleashing of the "Oh Tim Howard!" chant to the tune of "Hallelujah." He's what a defensively hamstrung team like America needs. I'd imagine there's a real Evertonian similarity there.

2:59 p.m. Remember that parent comment? Jozy, you're grounded. Altidore takes a brilliant feed from Donovan off a break in the six and... tries to pass it through Buffon and two defenders. Yeeeesh.

2:58 p.m. The Italians are impeccable with their set piece organization, and the States need to clean it up.

2:57 p.m. A nice run by Michael Bradley -- Bob's son, don't ya know? -- after a nice tackle by Michael Bradley leaves a bad taste after a poor finish attempt by... Michael Bradley. Should be 1-1 right now.

2:53 p.m. If Bob Bradley is not related to Bills head coach Dick Jauron by at most three degrees I'd be shocked.

2:50 p.m. Italy can work the set pieces, and the States are lucky when Legrottaglie's diving header misses wide. I've always wondered why West Ham defender Spector doesn't get more looks from Bob Bradley when healthy, and here's hoping that losing his mark in Legrottaglie isn't a harbinger of things to come, and an answer to my curiousity.

2:45 p.m. A little bit on the Egypt/Brazil game earlier... I have no idea what to make of it. Brazil mounted a "nobody's business" 3-1 lead before Egypt responded with two quick second half tallies that looked to send the game to an unexpected sharing of points. No Zaki for the Egyptians, but Zidan was brilliant as expected. Both teams looked more dangerous and more susceptible than previously thought.

By the way, "Egyptian Footballer" is a great name for a band.

2:40 p.m. Excellent defensive play by Jay Demerit, shielding and then faux-turning away from an onrushing attack from Gilardino of the mighty Champions League qualified Fiorentina.

2:38 p.m. Landon Donovan: the King of the Overhit free kick. I don't hate him at all, but I need more from him.

Also, I feel a little like a proud parent or uncle every time Jozy Altidore gets capped. He's going to be so, so good.

2:33 p.m. An absolutely-expected "feeling out" period, but my first observation would be a great color contrast thanks in large part to slightly-brighter jerseys for the Italians.

Also, because I've been asked a lot, and as was discussed with Howard Simon on this morning's WGR Podcast, the incessant buzzing sound you here at matches in South Africa is the Vuvuzela.

2:17 p.m. Here we go, US line-up announced:

US - GK- Howard; D- Spector, Onyewu, Bornstein, Demerit; M- Feilhaber, Bradley, Clark; F- Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore

Backline looking suspect after Charlie Blackmouth's hamstring ailment.

Confederations Cup preview

(Note: All games of the tournament will be available live in HD on ESPN or ESPN2 thanks to the timing of the contests. The U.S. games are :

(Monday, June 15 vs. Italy, 2:25 p.m. EST -- ESPN)
(Thursday, June 18 vs. Brazil, 10 a.m. EST -- ESPN2)
(Sunday, June 21 vs. Egypt, 2;25 p.m. EST -- ESPN2)

You're all welcome at my house for the first and third games. HD and everything.

On to the preview...

It's not exactly a group of death, but it shouldn't be a ton of fun for the United States in the Confederations Cup in South Africa.

The Confederations Cup draw consists of the winners of each of FIFA's six confederations tournaments, together with the previous World Cup winner and the host country.

One group is, let's say, remarkably easier than the other, as World Cup winner Spain gets to take on Iraq, South Africa and New Zealand. For what their worth, the FIFA World Rankings place the world's No.1 team against its 72, 77 and 82 (SA, Iraq, NZ).

Compare that combined number of 272 to 63, the combined rankings of Group B, with No. 14 United States competing against Italy (4), Brazil (5) and Egypt (40).

Italy is atop Group 8 of UEFA with 14 points. Two draws are the only smudges on their record, and both came against their toughest opponents, Northern Ireland and Bulgaria (There is no word whether Bulgarian captain -- can you believe that? -- Dimitar Berbatov actually tried in the contest).

The reigning champions, Brazil sits atop CONMEBOL, but it hasn't been with traditional dominance or flair. At 7-6-1, two of their draws have come at Peru and home to Bolivia. Brazil is 11-1-1 all-time against the States, 6-2-5 against Italy and 4-0 versus Egypt.

The Egyptians are at the bottom of CAF's third group, but have only played two games, drawing at home to Zambia and dropping a 3-1 decision at Algeria. With Zaki, most recently of Wigan, and Mohammad Zidan (Borussia Dortmund) up-top, they could give fits to at least two of the group, but more on that when we talk U.S. chances.

It would be shocking if anyone other than Spain came out of Group A. Writing this after Iraq and South Africa played to a scoreless draw in the first game of the tournament, it is clear that the guffaws regarding Iraq being in this tournament are well-earned. South Africa will be the Spaniards greatest threat in terms of offense, but Fernando Torres and company should be able to wreak havoc on the South African back four... though we cshouldn't count out home-field advantage (I guess).

While the New Zealand did have a successful last friendly, in a sense, losing to Italy 4-3, they do not pose a significant threat to Spain. I was going to risk my "Streak for the Cash" on Sunday's Spain/NZ match producing three goals or less, but I was more confident that the Pirates could top the Tigers in MLB (as if that should mean anything to anyone).

As for the States' chances, "our" best chance would be to score first against Italy, or keep the game scoreless for as long as possible. You'd think America could top Egypt, but the Yanks have had more than their fair share of issues with top-class forwards, and I'd put Zaki down for at least one in their match. If that one comes early, look out.

Oddly enough, I like the U.S. more than usual against Brazil, if the midfield can play patient enough to take advantage of a sometimes overly-active yellow and green team.

How the States can make it to the semi-finals:
Best-case-realistic scenario: Monday's opener with Italy produces a scoreless or 1-1 draw as relentless wing play limits Italy offensively. The 2006 World Cup draw likely won't happen, as the States salvaged a point thanks to a Cristian Zaccardo own goal. You may remember that as the only goal the Azzurri surrendered in the tournament until the final against France. The U.S. would then beat Egypt and hope Brazil beats the Italians. Of course the same scenario could work in reverse, but seems less likely.

Worst-case for the States:
Italy strikes first against the States, and then uses their potent counter-attack to seal the game. Giuseppe Rossi scores both goals and does the "crying" celebration right to the ESPN cameras. Off a shocking draw with Egypt, Brazil goes all-out offensively, swarming the States in a 4-2 decision. Finally, Egypt uses Zaki and company to torture the shaky-at-best States backline en route to another two-goal win.

Predictions:

Group A (June 14, 17, 20):
South Africa v Iraq ** Already completed, D, 0-0
New Zealand v Spain (Spain, 3-0)
Spain v Iraq (Spain, 5-0)
South Africa v New Zealand (South Africa, 2-1)
Iraq v New Zealand (Draw, 1-1)
Spain v South Africa (Spain, 3-1)

Group B (June 15, 18, 21):
Brazil v Egypt (Brazil, 4-2)
USA v Italy (Draw, 1-1)
USA v Brazil (Brazil, 2-1)
Egypt v Italy (Italy, 2-0)
Italy v Brazil (Italy, 1-0)
Egypt v USA (US, 2-1)

Semi-finals (June 24 & 25):
Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B (Italy 1 v. South Africa 0)
Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A (Spain 3 v. Brazil 2)

Third-placed play-off (June 28):
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg (Brazil 3 v. South Africa 1)

Confederations Cup final (June 28):
Ellis Park, Johannesburg (Spain 3 v. Italy 2 (pk))

I don't care if Giuseppe Rossi is emotional...

Endeavoring to populate this new blog... We'll get a preview of the Confederations Cup before it goes down, but Monday's kick-off and the Jermaine Jones story bring the dual citizen issue to the forefront.

The United States will face Italy on Monday in South Africa, and come face-to-face with an expatriot, if that isn't too cruel a term. Giuseppe Rossi, the 5'8" Villarreal striker, was born to Italian immigrants in New Jersey and spent his first 13 years in the United States. His mom was a teacher at a NJ high school, while his father coached soccer there.

At 13, he was good enough to go overseas, and his family moved to Italy. Rossi went on to play for Manchester United, Newcastle and Parma before moving to La Liga.

He never made a secret of his desire to play for Italy, and indeed chose the Azzurri over his birth nation when the time came to call a country. The Italians are a national team he felt -- rightly so -- had a much richer tradition and passion for the game than the States. I get it, but his path since then has felt anything but clean, including telling America he'd play for the States if they included him in the 2006 World Cup squad. Essentially, it was two-sided: hope for Sam's Army and a threat to Italy's higher-ups.

Maybe it's wrong, but when I read that Rossi roots for the United States, I think "Take a hike, pal." He's said Monday's game will be emotional for him. Terrific. I'll be emotional thinking that perhaps Landon Donovan would give a little more if you were pushing him. Perhaps he'd net a goal that wasn't in the waning moments or a PK earned by another player. Maybe he'd find a way to play off of Clint Dempsey a little better.

I'm not blind: I know Freddy Adu moved here when he was 8, and that a great many of American nationals have parents from outside the States.

So yes, I'm a little bitter, and I won't be pulling for Rossi come Monday.

Dual citizen choose States; will it matter?

The lad to your left is Jermaine Jones, a midfielder for Schalke 04 with three caps to his credit, all coming in friendlies for Germany. After making a dent into the German line-up the past two years -- and subsequently being left out of the Euro 2008 team -- Jones informed the Germans he wants to suit up for the States.

Born in 1981 to a US soldier serving in Germany, Jones has dual citizenship. Since he never suited up in tournament game, Jones is allowed to switch national teams.


Anything beyond that is speculation. Raised in Frankfurt, Jones has played 189 games while journeying between Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke, though some were with second squads. On those first teams, he's played 159 times, scoring 16 times. The team finished eighth in Bundesliga, and his three goals were fifth on the squad.

Jones has also courted controversy in his past. According to the Information Superhighway, in 2004 he was asked whether there were gay footballers in the Bundesliga, responding, "hopefully not."

You could go to his website, where you can see him shirtless and such, and pretend to read German.

Jones, who is considered a defensive midfielder, enters a crowded US midfield with Michael Bradley currently the A-1 holding mid, but that's a much shorter task than eclipsing Simon Rolfes et. al to play alongside Michael Ballack, should the Chelsea mid maintain his status as Germany's skipper.

Honestly, I haven't seen enough Schalke to say whether he should play. Somebody ask Gooch for us.

Big Dollar Duckets

Whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka take the pitch for Real Madrid for their Aug. 9 international friendly with Toronto FC of MLS, the fervor for the massive club's journey to Canada has already reached the Internet scalpers.

While TFC fans and season ticket holders will be paying anywhere from $125-$215 (76-130 British pounds) to be in the building for the visit of Los Galacticos, it'll be interesting to see how many die-hard Toronto fans feel the pull of an easy buck.

Season-ticket holders get first dibs Monday morning, but seats are already on sale -- presumably from the aforementioned holders -- at Stubhub.com, ranging between $209-$530. Presumably, that figure will climb once traditional scalpers are hawking their wares and/or C-Ron officially inks with Madrid.

The phenomenon extends to the much bally-hooed World Football Classic. Late July's faux-tournament between AC Milan, Inter, Chelsea and Club America sells for $35-$125 upfront, while games like AC vs. Inter in Foxboro on July 26 have most scalpees paying between $70-$300 to get in the door.

Oddly enough, the chance to see a home club versus a monster isn't translating in Los Angeles or Seattle the way it is in Toronto. The Sounders/Chelsea and Galaxy/AC Milan affairs won't cost fans much more than the box office.

Get this out of the way...

I should've started this blog before relegation came calling for my beloved Magpies, because this will read a little like sour grapes, but best wishes to the foolish club that deems Michael Owen worth a mound of gold this off-season.

Despite the UK media feeling the need to wonder aloud why in the world Fabio Capello hasn't called upon Owen for national team duty, you get the feeling neutrals who follow the EPL get the idea a lot quicker than the journalists who cover it.

While Owen deems it ridiculous to consider him finished, there should be no debate that the one-time wonderkid is on the downside of his career at 29. After scoring more than a goal-every-other-game with Liverpool from 1996-2004, he's notched just 39 times in 109 matches with Madrid and Newcastle (Yes, that's less than . It isn't his plaster-of-paris skeleton's fault, either: Owen's first injury-plagued season still included 19 goals at Anfield.

Owen has fantastic finishing skills, and certainly will net a few should Aston Villa or Everton decide to include him in a starting 11, but it seems very unnecessary. The fact that he spurned Mike Ashley's August 2008 offer of 120,000 pounds-per-week and will likely ink elsewhere for less than half that wage should be humbling enough, but no one who witnessed his faithless performances to end the relegation campaign can think he's learned any sort of lesson.

Thanks for letting me get that bout with the obvious out of my system. I'll always have a healthy dose of respect for Owen, but his departure tastes a lot worse than Shay Given's move to Man City. When the season began, they were my two favorite Mags player since Alan Shearer, maybe even 1a and 1b. Now, both are gone, and Given is the clear No. 1.

Welcome

Exactly one year from today, the start of the "Why Wouldn't You?" world football blog, we'll all have wrapped our first day of World Cup 2010 in South Africa. It seemed an appropriate day to finally start publishing some of the work I've been doing in preparation for a book on American soccer and perception in the world, and allow some friends and me the opportunity to publish thoughts on the beautiful game as they happen.

Many of you coming here may be linked from my work at WGR550.com in Buffalo, but if you don't have any idea who I am, here's my football/soccer background:

I'm a terrible offensive player who didn't pick up the game until I was 15-years old. I follow the game with as little bias as possible, but do have my favorites... favorites that fit in with the long-suffering sports teams in the city I was raised in: Buffalo, N.Y.

There are only two teams I would qualify myself as a supporter of: Newcastle United and the United States mens team. Each has provided me with ample opportunity to punch myself in the face, most recently insipid and uninspired performances that led to relegation and a 3-1 loss to Costa Rica, respectively.


There are other teams I would call "allies." I'm a season-ticket holder for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer. I am the play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Flash of USL W-League. Great acquaintances made on my honeymoon cemented Fiorentina as my Serie A squad, while a friend's honeymoon to Spain and a certain Catholic upbringing give me an affinity for FC Barcelona and Celtic.

There are some wonderful books I've read in research that have only fed my love for football of the non-tackle variety, and I'd encourage you to read them, in the following order:

1. Eduardo Galeano's "Soccer in Sun and Shadow"
2. Ged Clarke's "Fifty Years of Hurt"
3. John Foot's "Winning at all Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer"
4. David Winner's "Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer"

I hope that by the time we reach South Africa, you'll have read, or be reading, our work on the American game. Until then, I hope you'll find the time to check in with us for interviews, opinions and much, much more.

Why wouldn't you?