Safe and Sound to South Africa!

Before I get into my notes from Saturday night's qualifier, viewed quite pirate-like on the information superhighway, here's the recap I typed for my 9-5er at WGR in Buffalo:

The United States is the 19th nation to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after a thrilling 3-2 road victory in hostile Honduras.

Unlikely starter Conor Casey tallied twice as the States countered the game's first tally. His first goal came off an attempted header that connected with the top of his back and bounded into the Honduran net. The second came off a beautiful feed from Landon Donovan, who later scored off a free kick to put the States up, 3-1.

Honduras' Julio Leon made it interesting late, scoring his second of the game to halve America's lead, and the game looked all but tied when Jonathan Spector was whistled for a handball in the goal area late in the goings. Yet immensely talented Carlos Pavon sailed his penalty kick high, and missed on a late header a few minutes later, sending Honduras into a very dangerous spot if they want to end up in South Africa. With the political unrest in Honduras, here's hoping Pavon safety in his home nation.

The United States remains in first in the North and Central America qualifying group known as CONCACAF, and will likely need a win Wednesday against Costa Rica in Washington, D.C., to finish on top. It won't be easy, as Costa Rica will need a win to ensure a trip to South Africa, while Honduras will have to beat El Salvador and hope the Costa Ricans tie or lose to the States.

Joining the States in South Africa so far are:
Australia
Brazil
Chile
Denmark
England
Germany
Ghana
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic
Mexico
Netherlands
Paraguay
Serbia
South Africa
Spain

32 teams in total will qualify for next summer's tournament.

QUICK THOUGHTS:

-- I'm genuinely worried for Pavon. Central America is all sorts of crazy, and he has put the Hondurans in a tricky spot. I hate the Honduran team, but maybe he can be a hero on Wednesday in El Salvador.

-- I was alarmed and upset by Bob Bradley choosing to play Casey, and I'm happy to peel several eggs off my face. What a long way I've come from wondering whether Bradley had the smarts to coach the team. His son was right and righteous with his summer anger.

-- Oguchi Onyewu made a couple brilliant tackles tonight to make up for later looking goofy on the second Honduras goal.

-- It was really good to see Landon Donovan get nutty off a free kick. The States really need that.

-- Stuart Holden made some sensational crosses and through balls. Way to go, Stu.

No lesson learned; 2-1 loss

Well, that provided very little fun.

The States' supporters could be forgiven for having confidence heading into Wednesday's tussle with Mexico at Azteca despite a 0-22-1 record in the building. This was the A-team looking to avenge an ugly Gold Cup loss with all the confidence of their strong Confederations Cup performance behind them.

So when the States struck early thanks to Charlie Davies right foot, it felt like the party was on. Oh, how the young don't learn. The Yanks sat back and let Mexico equalize and eventually topple their hopes at cracking the longheld goose egg at Azteca.

It's hard to fault Bob Bradley. His subs made sense, with Benny Feilhaber, Jozy Altidore and Stuart Holden all providing a lift whether for performance or injury. The big guns just weren't there when needed. Save for an assist on the US goal, Landon Donovan had to be essentially invisible offensively while dedicating so much time to playing box-to-box.

Why would he have to do such a thing? Perhaps the second Mexico goal gives us a big clue, as Oguchi Onyewu was caught in a terrible spot high inside the box, enabling Miguel Sabah all the time he needed to give El Tri their late winner.

So many players were ghosts, but it may be better to focus on those player who allowed this game to end 2-1. There's only one worth singling out, as Jay DeMerit continued his excellent international play with some terrific tackling. Onyewu was otherwise very good, but the mistake will be what's remembered.

(Just so it doesn't seem I'm an idiot, I realize how terrible the officiating was. I know there's a huge edge to having 100,000 people threatening death on a referee, but you'd like to think he could make a single call).

Four games remain for the States, who luckily have the two teams at the bottom of the table ahead. If the US can take all six points, which is a completely reasonable expectation, they should be safe for World Cup, but it shouldn't be about that. Here was a chance to do the undoable, and the Yanks let it be done to them.

How poor.

STANDINGS (Top three into WC2010, 4th team plays 5th team of CONMEBOL for final spot):
12 pts - Costa Rica (vs. Honduras, Aug. 12)
10 pts - USA
9 pts - Mexico
7 pts - Honduras (vs. Costa Rica, Aug. 12)
5 pts - El Salvador (vs. T&T, Aug. 12)
2 pts - Trinidad and Tobago (vs. ESL, Aug. 12)

The Gold Cup Roster - Who's In, Who's Out

The 5-nil drubbing Mexico hung on the USMNT yesterday still fresh in our minds, I'm taking a look at the US Gold Cup Roster and trying to make sense of who's moving forward today, who put themselves on the map for the 2014 World Cup, and whose national team careers are over.

In net:

With Tim Howard entrenched as the first choice keeper and Brad Guzan his heir apparent, the number three spot is wide open. Troy Perkins started 5 of 6 matches and was solid in net. The third spot for 2010 is up for grabs between Perkins and Marcus Hahnemann. Luis Robles is still young and starting in the 2nd Bundesliga for Kaiserslautern. Robles should factor in a depth roll in the future as Howard and Guzan are 30, and 24 respectively. Jon Busch is a respectable MLS keeper, but should not factor again for the USMNT.

Defense:

The starting back four is set in the middle with Oguchi Onyewu and either Carlos Bocanegra or Jay DeMerit next to him. Chad Marshall and Clarence Goodson each performed well enough to move them up the depth chart. Michael Parkhurst is still an option at center back, but the depth at the position could find him hard-pressed to see more time with the MNT. Jimmy Conrad was playing very well before he suffered a concussion to end his tournament. Right back Jay Heaps finally got the call to represent his country at the international level and after receiving four caps won't get called back. Heaps is a likable player and a strong competitor (and he was absolutely wronged on the penalty call for Mexico's first goal) but he's on the wrong side of 30 and didn't do much to impress. Left back Heath Pearce had some up and down performances and hasn't done much to cement himself as the first choice left back. With Luis Castillo declaring his American allegiance and Carlos Bocanegra's capabilities at left back Pearce may find himself on the bench in a battle with Jonathan Bornstein for depth.

Next up: Midfielders and Forwards

Two more Yanks to Serie A?

<-- Sometimes photos look remarkably awkward. I like to think they were trying to get their chests as close as possible without touching.

So, multiple reports have recently-promoted Livorno getting on the red, white and blue bandwagon. Yes, after a decade of shutting out the States*, Serie A may acquire three Americans in a month.

On the heels of Oguchi Onyewu's three-year deal with AC Milan comes the news that the Amaranto want both Ricardo Clark and Landon Donovan to join their Italian side.

Clark is out of contract at the end of this MLS season, so he could be a reasonable January transfer target for Livorno, but reports say their boss questions whether the smaller side could afford the transfee fee Donovan would command from Major League Soccer. Both moves would appear to be January moves.

Clark plays for the Houston Dynamo, while Donovan is a member of the L.A. Galaxy.

By the way, Onyewu's AC Milan debut didn't go too well Wednesday night, a 2-1 loss to Club America in which he was beaten for a goal

*I'm not ignoring Giuseppe Rossi. Does he qualify as an American playing in Italy when he's pledged allegiance to Italy?

Gooch's Italian stunner

Oguchi Onyewu is now a Rossoneri, and must certainly be kissing the crest on his American kit for the Confederations Cup run.

The States' center back has signed with AC Milan, and if you think the US won't benefit from Gooch getting -- presumably -- first team touches with Gennaro Gattuso in front of Dida. Practicing against Pirlo, Inzaghi, Ronaldinho and more? A priceless opportunity.

Now, if he ends up keeping the bench seats warm for Zambrotta, Kaladze and Nesta, then it's not-so-good, but Milan is quite an upgrade from Standard Liege.

Gooch to Holland or Madrid?

Since Yahoo! is reporting as "exclusive" the same thing we've been reading internationally for days, I suppose it's time to inform those who don't know that Oguchi Onyewu is talking with Ajax.

*EDIT: El Mundo Deportivo adds that Real Madrid may be in for the American defender.

Of course, Fenerbache, Fulham and Wolverhampton have also had their names mentioned in connection for the center back, whose contract with Standard Liege in Belgium has expired. As much as I'd love to see him a Cottager, an Ajax kit bearing his name would be pretty slick.

His agent told Yahoo! a decision is expected next week.

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!

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.