The Azteca: The Wrap

The Yanks showed two different faces on Wednesday in The Azteca; unfortunately while one of those faces was on display for only one moment of brilliance, the other reared its ugly mug for the other 92 minutes. Landon Donovan’s through ball to Charlie “Chuck D” Davies and the ensuing cool finish conjured images of everything that was right about the American attack in the Confederation’s Cup. As for the rest of the soccer match, the only images it conjured took place at the Saprissa in Costa Rica a couple months ago… and that was a ball possession beat down U.S. soccer fans were hoping not to relive anytime soon.

So why? Why did the good guys have so little of the ball that I was forced to hope against hope for a scoring chance every time they progressed the ball over the halfway line (which was about once every fifteen minutes in the second half)? And even more disheartening is that the Yanks kept repeating the same routine hoping for a different result! Mexico attack results in goal kick. Howard boots a long ball or passes short to a defender who boots a long ball. Mexico gains possession at midfield and starts to build an attack. Repeat. You may have missed a couple of these thrilling American possessions while the TV coverage was showing replays of the previous Mexican attack on goal or requisite shots of Javier Aguirre scowling.

While the failure to possess the ball and build an attack (gasp!) is a whole team problem, the responsibility falls on a couple positions more than others. The side backs and central midfielders have to be better in both keeping the ball and passing to men who aren’t forced into a challenge immediately. This requires better pass placement than we saw on Wednesday. I have no doubt that each one of Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Bradley, and Clark can pass a ball to an open man, but they need to be better than they were yesterday at getting the ball into space on the proper side of their intended target. This is the difference between a Tom Brady and a David Carr. Even under pressure Brady can deliver the ball to his target in a spot that a defensive back (or Mexican for our purposes) can’t get to it. David Carr gets pressured and makes passes that look a lot like what we saw yesterday, and we all get to talk about how he’s a nice player to have on the bench.



I’ve seen the four players in question make these passes routinely in the past, but I don’t know that they represent the right combination of starting sidebacks/central mids. I’ve previously stated my belief that Spector should start on one defensive flank and Cherundolo on the other, with Bocanegra shifting back to the middle. With Boca looking suspect on the left yesterday, despite the fact that he plays wide for his club in Ligue 1, I’m forced the stand by Spec (yeah yeah he’s my boy, I get it).

What’s a more interesting discussion is what to do with the center mids. We seem to have a wealth of options at those positions, but no Stevie G or Xavi that’s good enough to force themself into the lineup without question. Seemingly the closest we have to the total package is Michael Bradley who brings hard-nosed defense and to the table along with safe passing (usually) and a Howitzer of a shot going forward. But Bradley is far from a creative offensive player, and while he doesn’t lack for “want to” in the defensive department, he’s not exactly a paragon of defensive positioning. This is exemplified by his yellow-a-game record. While it may seem like all of Bradley’s cards come as a direct result of his fiery temper, most are actually more run of the mill; player gets caught in defense and does what he has to do to recover.



But this isn’t some sort of glaring indictment of Junior. He’s one of the best of an okay bunch. What Bob Bradley must be charged to do is find the right two person combination of Mo Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Stu Holden, Jose Francisco Torres, and his son. If the right combo includes Michael Bradley then so be it, but Bob may have to get realistic about the fact that his team might benefit from starting his son on the bench. I don’t think that’s the case, but if I was coach I’d definitely explore some different combinations.

Four of the aforementioned CMF options saw the field on Wednesday, but the inclusion of Stu Holden in the second half calls J.F. Torres’ role on the team into question. Is Bob looking at Torres as a wing forward or side midfielder exclusively? Is he looking at Torres at all? Everyone on the Conf. Cup roster has gotten a run out with the national side in the last month or two, even Brad Guzan… but not Jose Torres. He never saw the field in South Africa, and unlike Adu he wasn’t given a shot in the Gold Cup. This is because he was needed back at Pachuca, but the fact remains that he keeps making the trips with the national team and never gets in the game. Even off-form players like Beasley and Kljestan have been given chances to get their games back on the field, but all Bradley sees fit to give Torres are butt splinters. If he can’t touch the field against Mexico where he already plays his club ball then when can he? Hopefully soon, maybe even against El Salvador, otherwise his spot on the plane will go to someone else. Sacha Kljestan back in form and ready to be a creative offensive force? I can hope.



Finally, we got a great look at an American back four yesterday that stood rather tall considering they were up against a 47 minute barrage in the second half. We also got another look at one of the best goalkeepers in the world playing up to the billing, and no I’m not talking about Guillermo “Nothing To Do” Ochoa. The only real critique I had of the D was the lack of proper defensive shifting, and that was mostly due to mistakes by the midfielders. Israel Castro should have been marked by a midfielder near the top of the box before he fired home his rocket of a goal, but Bradley and Clark were BOTH busy pestering Cuauhtémoc Blanco for his autograph. Meanwhile, Jay Demerit had to help on the Sabah goal because of Landon Donovan’s defensive shortcomings, otherwise Jay would have been marking Sabah.

After the beating the team is still in good position as far as qualifying is concerned and they should be able to put this loss behind them. The real question is whether they’ll learn what they should from the loss and make the right changes, either in tactics, personnel, or both.

In the meantime, Premier League starts Saturday, so… CMON YOU IRONS!

Vamos A Ganar !!!! GAMEDAY.

porques Mexico jeuga como chicas este ano. Or something like that. Three custodial things before a final game preview:

a. The game is on Mundo 2, as noted before. If you would like a link to a live stream b/c you are at work, or because you found that finding Mundo 2 on your cable company's channel guide is like trying to find Sasquatch-- here you are:


www.futbolestelar.tv.

b. If you haven't read Kristian Dyer's piece about Landon Donovan's immense summer, which dives into his otherwordly form at the moment and his immense leadership and performance for the USMNT this summer-- you can do so here.

c. If you haven't seen Landon's golazo volley against the Rev last weekend, which propelled the Galaxy to yet another victory, stop what you are doing, hit the boss button on the computer and view that here. That goal was just stupid.

Now to the game-- and if you aren't excited for this one-- you have ice water veins or no soul. I bet even Skeletor himself is excited for this one. First, note that no team in CONCACAF has failed to qualify for a world cup since the 1997 qualifying session when they've achieved 15 points. This means what you probably already knew-- if the United States does win today at the Azteca, you can finally book the plane tickets to South Africa. If they lose-- the Yanks are still in good shape-- with maybe a point on the road at either Honduras or Trinidad and Tobago, and with 3 available at home against Costa Rica and El Salvador, respectively. The T and T road game just got a bit more difficult, with the additions of Fulham Striker and Duece's pal Bobby Zamora and Bolton Wanderers strong man Jlloyd Samuel, but a point is there for the taking nonetheless.

What does this mean ? It means the game is huge-- but only realistically enormous if you are a Mexico fan. If Mexico fails to win three points-- the campaign for them because immensely more difficult, even with two home fixtures remaining. Even a draw leaves Mexico with only 7 points with four to play (meaning they fall 8 below the 15 point magic number)- and that means they would need nothing short of a miracle to not finish fourth. If you finish fourth-- that ensures a two-leg tie with the Fifth place CONMEBOL team to determine who goes to the World Cup. Normally, you are talking Columbia (difficult but not insurmountable), Ecuador (difficult, especially on the road but not insurmountable), or Uruguay (not as difficult). Yet with Diego Maradona's Argentina side struggling terribly-- the fact is that it is very likely at this point that a fourth place finish in CONCACAF means a two-leg tie against the Argentines for the final berth to South Africa from our side of the world. And my money is on Leo Messi. So today's match is huge for Lady Gaga backup dancers Guillermo Ochoa and Andres Guardado.



Now- much has been made of the U.S. decision to not travel to Mexico until the day before the match. Many talking heads feel this is bad, given the fact that the air quality in Azteca is about as good as a Hartsfield International smoking room and the altitude is 7,600 feet (about what you experience on an Aspen ski trip). I don't have as many problems with it. While training in the heat of Miami might not have been optimal (a trip to Salt Lake City would have made more sense)-- it kept the travel down and made the Americans deal with oppressive August Florida heat. Couple that with the fact that the South Africa matches were all played around 5,000 feet of altitude, and you understand why Bradley feels comfortable with his choice. Add the fact that there's a decent chance the game will be played in a driving rainstorm, and I think the Yanks are more concerned about flying bags of urine, flares and batteries than they are the air quality or altitude.

Minka Kelly




and I are confident the Yanks will show up, and the real questions I think are whether the more fit Brian Ching starts in place of Charlie Davies (giving the Yanks a real threat off the bench), and whether Bradley opts offensive and utilizes Benny Feilhaber in the starting 11 rather than the defensively sound Ricardo Clark. Containing the ever dangerous Andres Guardado will be a key, and with Guardado carrying a bit of a knock, there is hope that Rico Clark can stay with him in terms of pace-- but we will see.

Two other things. First, much has been made of the inclusion of Jose Francisco Torres to the lineup. I think he'll be in the Gameday roster b/c he's played at Azteca before (with his club Pachuca against Club America, Azteca's home side). What I don't know is whether or not he'll play in the match. Remember that Torres is a pure attacking midfielder, a Latin flair player who is the first of his kind to actually don the Red, White and Blue. The problem with Torres is that in a traditional 4-4-2, it is difficult to include a player who plays his style. As such, I'm inclined to think no Torres unless the U.S. are in trouble. Remember when Torres did play, it was in an experimental 4-3-3 against Costa Rica. This formation better suits a player like Torres whose pace is blinding even with the ball directly at his feet. The problem is that the Americans don't have mids particularly suited to this style, and it leaves defensive gaps and decreases the emphasis on the counterattack, which suited the Yanks so well in South Africa. For more on the Torres dilemma, which is a good dilemma to have, see Jonah Freedman's column here.

Finally, it has been very interesting to see all the talking heads, whether it be "Around the Horn", "PTI", Sportscenter, or Sports Talk Radio shows-- talking about this game and the national team. I have some musings on this. First, it is quite funny to hear. Hearing Woody Paige, or better yet Tim Cowlishaw, or even Kornheiser or yep-- the Jungle Master himself Jim Rome, stipulate things about the USMNT as if they were experts sounds about as good as I would if I were to give an oral treatise on thermodynamics. No good. Most of them have said we have no chance, which I also like. Lastly, it does prove that the summer in South Africa, and the success of the reserves in the Gold Cup, has really elevated the presence of the game in this country. People care now. You can see it in facebook statuses and you can see it on cable television. You can see it in articles that are all over the various sporting websites. A victory today would be immense for that growing momentum-- but a loss I don't think would be devastating-- partly because the talking heads, outside of me and Minka Kelly, don't really think we are going to win anyway. Just fascinating that an ESPY upset of Spain can really make you matter. The boys have always mattered to me.



My take: United States 2-1, though a draw wouldn't surprise me. Vamos a Ganar !!

Andres Guardado: Mexico will win 3-0. Uh--- Bulletin Board ?

Diminutive Mexican mid Andres Guardado sure is confident heading into tomorrow's clash between the Yanks and El Tri @ the Azteca. (4 PM, Mundo 2 for an English Broadcast)Insisting that the presence of a U.S. "A Team" will not matter, Guardado, who is battling a bit of a knee injury, said Monday morning-- "Of course we will win, 3-0. We have players of high quality and you can see that the team has prepared well, now there is only the question of showing it on the field on Wednesday."

According to Ives Galercep, Guillermo Ochoa joined the cause as well, claiming Mexican superiority both "soccer-wise and physically."



At least on our end, Jozy Altidore has tweeted that he's excited to leave England for Mexico and thinks we are going to win (Vamos a ganar!!). He's also noted how excited he is to train in the 10,000,000 degree weather. That's a real tweet, but a joke I think.

Either way, the Mexicans are talking pretty boldly for a couple of guys who look like Madonna backup dancers. Nice perm, Guillermo.

USA/Mexico: Round 1 Million

Ahead of Wednesday’s important World Cup qualifier/grudge match/bounce back game against El Tri the USMNT has plenty of questions to answer: Can the Yanks pick up their first win in The Azteca? Will the team be able to keep up its blistering form from the last three games of the Confederations Cup? Will Landon Donovan be in a throat-slitting mood to backup his comments? How does J.F. Torres fit into Bob Bradley’s view of the team? Have we seen the last of Frankie Hejduk, Sacha Kljestan, or DeMarcus Beasley on the USMNT? Will Jay DeMerit rock a Kid Rock concert tee under his jersey?

Some of these questions will surely be answered on Wednesday… some of them surely will not. The Yanks can expect another tightly fought battle with the Mexicans, much more akin to the 2-0 game from the beginning of WC qualifying than the Gold Cup final. The game should be more exciting than the first half of the Gold Cup match, and much more tightly contested than the second half. And of course it will feature the U.S. first team. But the fact that this one’s being played in The Azteca would lead one to believe that it could be another 2-0 finish, this time for the Spanish speaking dudes.

Here’s why that’s not going to happen. The U.S. has found something with Dempsey on the right and Donovan on the left linking up with the young striker combo of Altidore and Davies. The team is scoring the run-of-play goals that it lacked in the past and is still dangerous on the patented* USA set piece (*patent pending).

But as good as they’ve been in attack as of late, Bradley is still searching for his back four. Seemingly The States are chock full of talented fullbacks, but the four that will start in South Africa in a year need to start playing together and developing the communication they’ll need. I think those four should be Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Onyewu, and Spector. But even if those four start on Wednesday I don’t see Mexico being shut out at home.

El Tri has finally found a good mix of their young Golden Generation (Gio Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Guillermo Ochoa, etc.) and consistently effective veterans. Conventional wisdom would say that after their confidence building 5-0 drubbing of some version of the American team, Mexico will find the net back at home.

Conventional wisdom might also say that with both teams playing such flowing offensive football lately we could see one of the prettiest USA/Mexico matches ever.

No. Dumb.

Though the sport is the same, USA/Mexico will always look less like Barca/Real and more like Bears/Packers. Expect cards, drama, and pissed off players. In other words, abandon the concept of the beautiful game on Wednesday and getcha popcorn ready.

My prediction: USA 3-1 Mexico. The Yanks get a late goal on the counter-attack with Mexico pushing forward this time.

US Roster Set For Azteca

Bob Bradley wisely waited until the last minute to release this roster for the Yanks qualifier in Mexico City at the fabled Azteca Wednesday. The game can be seen on ESPN.

No real surprises per se on this roster-- Chad Marshall gets the nod over Danny Califf and The Dude in the back, and given that Jermaine Jones is battling a shin knock, he was omitted. Also left out are Benfica exile Freddy Adu, Confed Cup disaster DeMarcus Beasley, and the mystifying Sacha Klejstan, whose form is just puzzling given his vast talent. Jose Francisco Torres is a pleasant surprise, and my inclination is to believe that both his confidence and his comfort level with the opposition will find him on the field at some point Wednesday. I think it's good to bring a Mexican-American who is convinced the Americans will win. I'm excited. Jon Levy with the preview tomorrow.

August Yankette of the Month: Minka Kelly

August's Yankette of the Month Minka Kelly is a truly American story. The Friday Night Lights star (If you don't watch, I'm really, really, really, really sorry for you) describes her childhood as "pretty rough", which is tough to believe when you are the daughter of former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay, but it's the story nonetheless. It seems having a difficult relationship with a father extends beyond the Lyla Garrity-Buddy Garrity relationship that is one of the prevalent themes of the best show on network television.

The Los Angeles born Kelly has been linked with Derek Jeter, which leaves her battling with Kate Hudson for starlet priority in that clubhouse-- and it also leaves one to wonder how she feels as a self-proclaimed Mets fan about being tied to the Bronx Bombers clubhouse. Having previously dated John Mayer (who hasn't), I'll just be the guy who says Jeter is an upgrade. Say what you will about the truth to the link, but there is no question that the presence of Hudson and Kelly as potential love interests have the Yankees playing great ball. And when the Yankees play good ball, angels smile on America.

Nonetheless, let's hope the talented and classically beautiful Kelly brings the Red, White and Blue luck at the Azteca next week as she keeps up a busy talk show circuit and works on what reportedly will be her final season on Friday Night Lights.

Altidore to Hull City

Yanks forward Jozy Altidore will be loaned out to Hull City, a team starved for offense, and a place where he will really get a shot at making his mark, according to his TWITTER entry four hours ago:

First match is against chelsea subject to a work permit *wink* *wink* lol thanks for the support and love keep it coming. ESPN SOCCERNET has confirmed the story, noting that Hull City was a surprise in not being relegated last season, despite a tepid offensive attack. Indeed, after a start that kept in the top four for nearly fifteen fixtures,including the opening span in which the club lost only once in its first nine league matches, Hull 's inability to score goals led to a fall in the standings through much of the season, and the team finished 17th.

This is a good move for Jozy and should continue his development and improve his fitness, which plagued him in the final thirty minutes of most of his matches during the Yanks impressive Confederations Cup.

July/August Yankette of the Month-- Lady Gaga (July)

Winning the July honors for Yankette of the Month must have been tough, because 23 year old Yonkers, New Yorker and NYU drop out Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta surely would be upset about the lack of Gold Cup entries. After all-- the "B List" team represents the U.S. too... I mean, Lady Gaga used to play West Village clubs and bars, so surely she wouldn't be offended to hang around with B-Listers still even though she's now the new Princess of Pop.

As a sidenote-- "Pokerface", the Cherry Tape Sessions, is the greatest song ever written and Gaga is the greatest artist the world has ever known. Move over Madonna, and it isn't even close. She's a genius I can't even begin to fathom the complexity of. And yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition. And yeah-- it feels so good just to admit the greatness that is Gaga. We also like the fact that she doesn't wear pants.

62 Days of Summer: What Was, and What Will Be

According to one tabulation, if you count the "friendly" games and pre-league tournament play of our boys in red, white and blue-- the summer breaks down to this:

Three Continents
Thirteen Games
29,936 miles (Or once around the world and across America and nearly back)
13 cities
174 Hotel Meals
7 wins
2 runner up trophys
a bronze ball
a golden glove
a newfound identity
some lingering questions.

I will try to answer a few of those questions, or at least identify them, and review the 62 wild days of the U.S. Men's National Team summer as we move within the one year mark to South Africa 2010. It was indeed, an endless summer. And one formidable challenge remains-- the Azteca-- but more on that in a later post. In this blogger's opinion, the U.S. and it's head man Bob Bradley learned a great deal about the team it will send to South Africa in eleven months. As Bradley himself put it after the loss to Brazil-- the Americans felt this summer, "great disappointment, but also great pride." The experience in South Africa, well documented on this blog until the final 45 of the Brazil game, provided great hope for the future. It also showed that conceding an early second half goal against a great opponent, even with the lead after the goal, can spell doom for a team that can't afford even a brief letdown if it hopes to defeat the absolute best in the world.



At the same time, the game showed that the U.S. is capable of playing with absolutely anyone-- even a team with a 35 game unbeaten streak and a veritable "Who's Who" of world class elite players.

Let's look at the positives, and the negatives of the Yanks summer:

Positives:

The Americans found goals in the run of play:

The Confederations Cup saw two brilliant young players shine-- Charlie Davies and Jozy Altidore. These are different types of players than the Yanks of the past as well-- while no one doubts Brian McBride's work ethic and certainly he has the European club results to prove his merit-- these two are more than hold the ball up, powerful with their head strikers. Both have great tactical sense (see Altidore's brilliant ability to stay onside and his good sense to turn after Dempsey's pass in the Spain game) and both have good foot skills, though Altidore admittedly is a bit frustrating with his first touch receiving passes at times. Both bring the "McBride" physical element (see Davies plugging away in front of the Egyptian net to score the Americans first in the huge final group stage game, and both possess what no American striker ever has-- quickness and speed with the ball at their feet. Couple this with great counterattacking goals against Brazil and Egypt, and you have a team that can, at times, score breath-taking goals. More importantly, for a team TYAC Contributing writer Jon Levy often calls "Italy Lite"-- they defend, counterattack, and seem comfortable enough with approach play to come from behind if they are forced to. The final point is one they have not proven, with the exception of the Honduras qualifier, but certainly things are looking up offensively for the U.S., and with Davies moving to French side Sochaux, a side particularly reknowned for developing top-level strikers, and Altidore likely to see great amounts of playing time after his impending move from Villareal to Hull City, Everton or Fulham-- the results can only get better.

2nd--While it might not be sexy, the U.S. seems to have decided to play a 4-4-2 with what are functionally two holding midfielders, and it appears to work.

Altidore/Davies, or Altidore/Ching-- it matters not-- each combo scares opposing defenses for different reasons, and the Spain and Egypt games prove they frighten defenses beyond the shores of CONCACAF. As they continue to improve as finishers, it allows one of the holding mids to move forward, though who that will be (Mo Edu, Jermaine Jones, Jose Francisco Torres) remains to be seen. This prevents opposing teams from playing too high a line against the Yanks, and that's a good thing. Jen Chang noted after the Spain game that one of the more interesting comments out of the Red Fury's post-game conference was the World's Finest Striker, Fernando Torres, noting that the U.S. was a totally different team with Davies in the game than they had been in the first two matches against the Azzurri and Brazil.

Third, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are an immense pair in the midfield, and if you think otherwise, you are quite frankly, wrong.

The beat goes on in the "Landon Donovan is a coward for shunning Europe/Lando is overrated" hater train. At this point-- who cares? Let's put the cookies on the lowest shelf-- it's like saying Tim Tebow isn't good at quarterback. It's just wrong and stupid to say. It's like thinking Trigeria is a country in Africa. (There's Nigeria, but I digress...) Donovan's performance and leadership were consistently immense in the Confed Cup, and he was sorely missed in the Gold Cup. He has since carved up Everton's central defense in an all-star game (a tough chore for anyone, even when Merseyside Blue has no Phil Jagielka) and has looked like he belonged on the pitch with the incredible Barca midfield. Donovan has answered the critics with his work rate (incredible), his defense (Spain game) and the fact that he is without question the counterattacking hub of the U.S. team. Stop with the questions now.

As for Deuce-- there were calls for his benching (See the ESPN US SOCCER MESSAGE BOARD) after the Brazil match. The main criticism, and one even a Deuce super fan like me had-- was a question as to whether, like English midfielder Steven Gerrard, Clint was a guy who could play brilliantly for club but not as well on the international level. Dempsey answered the critics with a bronze ball. While Deuce still flails around a bit defensively (at least on the U.S. team)-- there is no question that his job on the U.S. is to provide creativity and a spark. He provides what the team has lacked honestly for six or seven years-- the moment of brilliance. There's no question that he is the Yank most likely to create a goal out of thin air, and his braces against the likes of Chelsea and Blankcheckster City at the club level provide proof that Deuce shows up in big games


Finally, there is good to be had in results, and a note about the U.S. back line:


The level of technical acumen and guts the Yanks needed to even take a 2-0 lead against Selecao after falling 3-0 to the same side only a week before merits great praise. Sure-- they didn't hold on. It is certainly relevant that the Americans lost the lead. However, it should also be noted that Bob Bradley is proving himself to be extremely smart tactically (BEFORE MATCHES) even if he waits a bit too long to make changes in matches. He should have not put an out-of-form Sacha Klejstan on the field for the in form Feilhaber in the second half, and in fact he should have played the creative and steady on the ball Jose Francisco Torres immediately after the Fabiano goal, and his failure to do so has been rightly criticized b/c the Yanks lacked an attacking pulse in the second half.

That said, let's not forget what the Americans did accomplish in South Africa, and to a lesser extent, what a group of guys with hardly any caps did in the Gold Cup. They both made finals. For the Confed Cup side, they found a force in the back (Oneywu) and a brave performer who is rarely ever out of position to complement him (Demerit. As noted, Charlie Davies emerged and provides the perfect complement to the powerful, fast Altidore. What's better-- they found an in-form spark on the bench in Benny Feilhaber, whose ability to immediately dissect a defense was demonstrated most aptly by his 20 minute Gold Cup cameo in which he turned a tense tie into an American victory.

Finally, and credit to Bob Bradley here-- the American defense is in great shape after both tournaments. Chad Marshall played a splendid Gold Cup, was not at fault on a single of the five Mexican goals in the Gold Cup final, and will seriously challenge Danny Califf for the final defensive roster spot. Heath Pearce was so awful against Mexico that I don't dare speak his name and I am glad, quite frankly, that he won't enter the discussion. Mexican Edgar Castillo, initially a member of what the Mexican media dubbed "The Golden Generation" with Carlos Vela and Gio Dos Santos, has decided to play for the U.S. instead and may get a look, which would provide pace and offense to the back line. Jay DeMerit provides the pace Gooch lacks at times and is well-equipped to deal with pacy, physical strikers-- which is a good thing given that the odds are high one such player will find his way into the American Group at next year's World Cup. Jonathan Spector has displayed the class that Manchester United so valued in their youth system and that Gianfranco Zola adores at West Ham.




Spector is healthy now and his skill and positional sense are better than any other American defender not playing for AC Milan. Spector is one of two defensive players in the American World Cup mix that can deliver crosses from the right, and his cross to Dempsey in the Egypt game was nothing short of sensational. Carlos Bocanegra plays left back at Rennes and his leadership proves he understands there is more to life than being really, really, really good looking. While I'm not certain he's the terminal answer, and while I agree that Spector is vulnerable to pace (think what an Ashley Young or Mikel Arteta would do to him, or try it in a video game)-- I think we are beginning to carve out a permanent answer in the American back, and that is unquestionably a good thing. Those are all positives emerging from the past 62 days.

While I've a bit of the bad above, I thought I'd include more of that in the posts before the upcoming Mexico match. Substitutions and a shaky second half and an atrocious second half, even with a "B-Minus" Team, come to mind immediately, and are of concern. Those issues, more, and July and August Yankettes of the Month Lady GaGa and Minka Kelly, later.

End of Summer: 2010 Player Power Ratings

Greetings. There is so much to talk about. Before we review the summer that was-- and we will do so thoroughly-- let's talk about the road ahead-- and I don't just mean the August 12 trip to the Azteca, where the U.S. has never won, and which after the 5-0 embarrassment of a US "B TEAM" in East Rutherford, New Jersey a week ago, is weighing heavily on everyone's mind. After the second tournament of the summer for the USMNT and the second runner-up effort-- it's time to assess exactly where Manager Bob Bradley's outfit stands as we round the corner into the homestretch of World Cup Qualifying before South Africa 2010. Assuming the Yanks qualify-- which is a nearly safe assumption at this point-- the roster is coming into focus and the goal on this blog will be to update a "power ranking" system monthly as the World Cup approaches. There are five qualifying matches left, and a few friendlies next year. The "impact matches" will be the qualifiers-- that is to say-- only the qualifiers, in all likelihood, will have a bearing on who Bradley selects to don the "Don't Tread on Me" shirt next summer. Barring injuries, there are at least 13 spots that appear to be genuine "locks", leaving ten spots up for grabs and a player pool of around 15-20 players vying for those positions. Again, it is extremely unlikely that 2010 friendlies will have any impact on the squad Bradley takes to South Africa next summer. That means the qualifiers and club form are the only "cards" left to play for those whose position is not yet secure.

With the tournament a year away, I thought TYAC would join the masses, put together four collective soccer armchair "experts" (if you could call a group of dudes who have been drinking beers together, braving 5:30AM wake up calls for Beijing together, road-tripping to Nashville together and altogether pouring their fragile hearts into a National Team since a hot day in Barbados last summer a group of "experts") and rank the players 1-23. For a related list of rankings made monthly, much like ours will be, I recommend Ives Galercep's blog Soccer By Ives and his August list.

It worked about like you thought it did-- myself, TYAC contributing writer Jon Levy, Intramural center back force, Liverpool super fan and probably the best soccer mind among us who only doesn't contribute b/c he hates "writing shit" and another fine soccer mind, former terror on the high school pitches of upstate New York and Blankcheckster City fan Justin Clar each ranked the players 1-23. We tallied 23 points for first, 22 for second, and so on to 1 point for 23rd, then added the rankings up and put together the August master list.

Because the college football coaches are cowards who make too much money to be cowards-- we are all for visibility, and by each player's name in parentheticals I've listed their highest, and lowest rank and the name of the voter who awarded the high and low, so they can do their best to defend their assigned ranking. Without further adieu, I present the Yanks are Coming's August 2009 version of the US Men's National World Cup 2010 Team:


1. Tim Howard (Everton), Goalkeeper. 92 votes (Unanimous # 1)

2. Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Midfielder, 85 votes (Blackmon # 2/ Levy # 4)

3. Oguchi Oneywu (AC Milan), Center Back, 84 votes (Levy/Crowley # 2, Clar # 4)

4. Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Midfield/Forward, 83 votes (Levy/Clar # 3, Blackmon/Crowley # 4)

5. Carlos Bocanegra (FC Rennes), 77 votes (unanimous 5)

6. Jon Spector, side back (West Ham United), 59 votes (Levy # 6, Clar # 12)

7. Michael Bradley, aka "Junior" aka "MB90" holding mid (Borussia Munchengladbach), 56 votes (Blackmon # 6, Crowley # 21)





7. Josmer Altidore, forward (Villareal/Hull City ??), 56 votes, (Clar # 6, Levy # 16)

9. Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), defensive mid, 55 votes, (Crowley # 6, Clar # 13)

10. Stevie "Walter" Cherundolo (Hannover 96), side back, 54 votes, (Levy # 7, Blackmon # 18)

11. Benny Feilhaber, attacking mid (AGF Aarhus-Denmark), 46 votes, (Levy # 9, Clar # 11)

11. Frankie "The Dude" Hejduk, side back (Columbus Crew), 46 votes (Levy # 8, Blackmon # 15)

13. Charlie Davies (Sochaux), forward, 45 votes, (Blackmon # 7, Crowley # 17)

14. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Goalkeeper, 44 votes (Clar # 8, Blackmon # 11)

14. Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), forward, 44 votes (Clar/Crowley # 10, Blackmon # 18)

16. Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), holding mid, 38 votes (Blackmon # 11, Levy # 19)

17. Jay DeMerit (Watford), center back, 37 votes (Clar # 13, Levy # 16)

18. Sacha Klejstan (Chivas USA), attacking mid, 29 votes (Crowley # 7, Clar-- not invited)

19. Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), defensive mid, 27 votes (Blackmon # 16, Crowley # 20)

20. Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca), attacking mid, 14 votes (Levy # 18, Blackmon # 21)

21. Danny Califf (Midtjylland-Denmark), center back, 12 votes (Blackmon # 18, Crowley not invited)

22. DeMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), midfielder, 7 votes (Levy # 20, Blackmon/Crowley uninvited)

23. Troy Perkins (Valerenga, Norway), goalkeeper, 3 votes (Levy/Crowley/Clar # 23, Blackmon uninvited)

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Also receiving votes: Stuart Holden MF (Houston Dynamo), 6; Freddy Adu AMF (Benfica), 4; Brian McBride F (Chicago Fire), 2; Marcus Haehnemann GK (Wolverhampton), 1 vote.

That's our current list. Keep an eye on Aston Villa's Eric Lichaj, an under the radar side back who is coming off an immense performance against none other than Our Lady Juve in the Peace Cup Final, and who may have the DeMarcus Beasley 2002 fortune of being the guy who plays his way from nowhere onto the roster.