Yankette of the Month - Olivia Wilde

To the poster go the spoils.... and I really, really, really just couldn't give the honor to Lady Gaga, even during an off month. Celebrating today her victory over Megan Fox in the Maxim Top 100-- Yanks are Coming loves an underdog. As such, you get the 25 year old New Yorker. Someone send her a Red Bulls jersey.

May Musings A Month Before South Africa, Part I

At least one of your bloggers is still kicking after a too long hiatus-- then again with the nationals on their longest MNT break before 2010, it is appropriate that we take in the end of the EPL Season and the conclusion of the Champions League. (In case you wondered-- I think Barca will win the tournament, despite the fact that they needed one of the worst refereed matches in history to survive their dual with Chelsea. I almost....ALMOST...feel bad for the Blues. I'm a bit surprised in fact that Hans Gruber (who actually owns Chelsea-- little known fact)-- has not pulled a "Mr. Norwegian Referee will not be joining us...for the rest of his life" moment in the week following the Swindle at Stamford.



All joking aside-- we are nearing a point where Bob Bradley will have to choose a side for the Confederations Cup. Speculation abounds about the Gold Cup that follows, and whether the US will play a young side similar to the one it sent to the Copa (with disastrous results) two years ago-- but there can be little doubt that it will be the full, "A Team" American side in Pretoria, South Africa on June 15 as the Yanks take on the Azzurri in a rematch of one of the most exciting games played in Germany at World Cup 2006. The question then remains-- what exactly does that "A Team" look like. A look at the form of some of the Yanks abroad indicates a few certainties. The first is Michael Bradley, who appears poised to be the Claudio Reyna anchor of the American midfield for the next two World Cups.




I mention Bradley first not because he is the player in best form abroad or even home in MLS-- though one cannot argue about his form despite his failed penalty two weeks ago against Eintracht Frankfurt. He was the best player Gladbach had against Bayern last week and should have equalized late, and has been really their best player for half the year. If a transfer to a mid-table EPL side is not available- it may serve the national team, and Bradley, for that matter, best if he remains with the surely relegated Gladbach side until the end of 2010. This will assure his continued development and pitch time, and his confidence may even soar against the lesser competition of the Bundesliga Two.

That aside handled-- I mention Michael first because the Yanks most crucial problem heading not only into the summer but for 2010 will be figuring out who holds the central midfield with Michael. Several players will get their shot. In no particular order-- the most likely candidates are Mo Edu, Pablo Mastroeni, Sacha Klejstan, Jose Francisco Torres and Ricardo Clark. Benny Feilhaber will need a whale of a Gold Cup to force himself into the discussion to even travel with the Yanks to South Africa next summer. What is my preference ?

Thanks for asking.

The Yanks are Coming still supports Sacha Klejstan. The justifications for this support have become a bit more tenuous certainly after a so-so effort against El Tri and a poor effort that forced substitution against El Salvador. The latter is even more concerning because it continues a trend where outside of the Olympics-- Klejstan has failed to prove that he can be as effective a force when not on American soil. Jon and I support Sacha, however, on the grounds that he provides the most creative and offensive flair to support the ball-hawking Michael Bradley. That said-- his form until last week's man of the match worthy effort against San Jose has been troubling-- and he must show the elder Bradley more offense, especially given Bob's continued tendency to want a defend first mentality on his senior side.

Jeff Carlisle writes much more about other candidates here, but I think the most likely scenario to unfold in a month is as follows. Bradley trusts history, rather than his gut, and starts the red carded three years ago Mastroeni, against Italy in 32 days. His tenacity on defense, physicality and consistency are all bread winning traits, and one cannot argue with his sheer number of caps. He's played against those sides before and won't be intimidated. At 33-- he is no spring chicken, and the concern is 33 rapidly becoming 34 by next summer.

Against Brazil-- and a bit will depend on result against the Azzurri, but I expect a tactical change by Bradley. I'm not him except on Pro Evolution Soccer-- so I can't guarantee a thing-- but I would imagine he will opt for more creative flair and offense against the Brazilians, as the Yanks will not be able to escape with a point unless they find the onion bag. Klejstan seems poised to get the call here-- but Jose Francisco Torres has form that may force Bradley's hand and get him onto the field for what will truly be "his shot" at cementing his position. Torres is perhaps the best young passer in the American pool, and he calmed the American midfield down markedly against El Salvador and was an impact sub against T and T as well. His pace compensates somewhat for his diminutive stature-- and Brazil may be the best chance to optimize his skill set.

The wild card in the whole lot is Mo Edu, who has impressed none other than Walter Smith immensely in the past few weeks at Rangers in Glasgow. He's still young and wildly inconsistent-- sometimes even in the same match-- but he has filled in admirably for the drunken Barry Ferguson with sobering performances that have earned him the praise of the fickled Rangers fan base. If Edu can translate his athletic ability, physical prowess and tremendous defense to a formula that equals international consistency-- he would be an upgrade to the aging but consistent Mastroeni.

For more-- I strongly recommend the link to Jeff's article above.

The second cemented spot, or spots-- appears to be the Dempsey/Donovan flank. Donovan is far more impactful running onto the ball and downhill, and his presence is a must for American W's. The perfect complement is the extraordinary versatility of Clint Dempsey, who has really emerged as "The Franchise" at Fulham and seems ready, along with Daniel Murphy, to get the Whites to Europe in the next two weeks. His development from a defensive minded mid at Furman to a steady, sharp passing, creative mid who can even play striker in the EPL is nothing short of remarkable and a tribute to Deuce's tireless work ethic and desire to get better. It's even caught the eye of the sometimes brutally negative Jen Chang-- who gently compares Dempsey's ascendence to none other than EPL POTY Steven Gerrard.

This flank attacking situation will complement young Jozy Altidore, who still can't find the field at Xerez (WHO KNOWS)-- but has shown flashes of becoming if not a World Class Striker at least a consummate European professional striker in the near future.

Whither Freddy Adu? What to do about the left back spot and the ailing Steve Cherundolo ? Where does Demarcus fit in? All solid questions that I will try to answer, maybe with a little help from the irreplaceable Jon Levy-- in the next week as we prepare for the Confederations Cup. I'm actually getting excited for that tournament already. It's nearly go time.

Yankette of the Month to follow, tonight or tomorrow. Be safe.

Awesomeness

My buddy Ben is awesome

The Chelsea flag is not as awesome. In fact, it is horrible.

More From Nashville

The Yanks 3-0 victory Wednesday in what at the very least could be called an "important" fixture in their World Cup journey brought the breathing among Sam's Army, the American Outlaws, and other followers back to a measured pace, but it also highlighted both the problems that still exist with Bob Bradley's side and, on the brighter edge of the story, the potential (a word I loathe) the side has.

Bradley's choice to employ a 4-4-2 very possibly could be the more long-lasting story of a game that will be remembered quite simply as Jozy Altidore's coming out party. Many are critical of the idea of deploying two strikers who are hold-the-ball up players and very similar-- but for the Yanks, the strategy may have been one that gives the United States its best offensive opportunities. In what was its most dominant performance of qualifying (with all due respect to the blasting of Barbados in the semifinal round), the U.S. finally involved my man of the match, Landon Donovan, in a way that allowed him to make deep and penetrating runs onto his dominant right foot. By utilizing him at the left of the midfield, Bradley managed to put Donovan (FINALLY) in a place where he is best fit-- attacking defenders with the ball and receiving constant passes that eliminate the problems he was having as a second forward trying to find the ball heavily marked.

Additionally, Altidore's hat trick suggests that he is, despite the insanity of Xerez coaches, ready for prime time and certainly ready to be a fixture in the American lineup. Much of his great play should be credited to the workmanlike, efficient Brian Ching, whose head flick to Donovan on the first goal was absolutely brilliant and whose physicality and ability to hold the ball is the perfect complement for the 19 year old Floridian Altidore, who again demonstrated his ability to find himself in great positions on the field. While Altidore missed an open net from a yard away that is youtube "How did that happen worthy"-- his performance was admirable, and even though the T and T defense often looked unorganized and undisciplined, Altidore took his goals well, particularly his second goal, where he put a move on the T and T defender following a fine ball from the left by Landon Donovan, who had three assists.

Altidore still shows flashes of curiosity alongside his brilliance, and at times Yanksarecoming blogger friend Raf Crowley looked at me in astonishment-- as if to ask-- "What exactly is Jozy doing?"-- but all-in-all when you score three goals the little things, such as his tendency to come too far way from the middle of the attack, or questionable passes backwards, are less immediately concerning.

These positives are further enhanced by the fine wine play of Frankie Hejduk-- who continued to make blistering runs (often aided by tremendous footwork and flick passing of Clint Dempsey, who played an undervalued game on the American right flank) up the right flank. While Hejduk's crosses were for the most part poor and one wonders if he'll ever lift his head when he crosses the ball-- the runs are dangerous in stretching defenses and questions will have to be asked when Steve Cherundolo returns as to whether or not both will play, or DeMarcus Beasley, who started on the left and made terrific overlapping runs and has great chemistry with Donovan, will continue to start.

Beasley has always been a tenacious defender for a midfielder, and his substitution against Italy in the World Cup in 06 was more than likely the difference between the outmanned Americans losing or gaining their only point in Germany against the eventual World Champions, and while analysts are right that the speedy Carlos Edwards ran by DeMarcus at times, they are wrong to omit that never did Edwards turn the corner on Beasley, and all of the fine T and T flank man's crosses were contested-- resulting in very little service from the most dangerous service man the Soca Warriors have to offer.

These positives should elicit a tinge of concern, or at least questions, going forward. I've listed these in a-d order-- and welcome any comments and hope a discussion begins on these questions:

a. Michael Bradley's passing is so good that a move permanantly to non-holding mid is beginning to make sense-- but Mastroeni at home against a weak opponent reeks of desperation. Why not supply a creative force in the back and then have a luxury most teams don't-- a defensive mid who can make brilliant passes in the attack ? With Klejstan (my choice), Freddy Adu ( a common choice), or even Jose Francisco Torres, whose imagination led to the third American goal and who heavily influenced the comeback in San Salvador-- the U.S. could deploy Bradley as the holding mid and retain offensive creativity-- much like the Netherlands gets to do with the exceptional Nigel DeJong.

b. Why are Jon Spector and Freddy Adu relegated to the bench and not playing ? It could be club form-- but Spector continues to play a great deal for a team vying for Europe (West Ham of London). If it is club form-- two things are notable-- first-- the 2010 team is coming into view because players are running out of time to make an impression. Two-- thank God the US trailed 2-0 in El Salvador. If not-- who knows if Altidore plays and impacts the game, and if he does not play, his hat trick in Nashville does not happen because Bradley has no reason or confidence to play him or change formulas.

c. Carlos Bocanegra was much better, and is the captain, but Danny Califf was better against El Salvador and how sure are we that he is the right complement with Oneywu, who was solid Wednesday but continues to be a bit foul prone ??

d. Tougher sledding ahead.... two qualifiers (@ Costa, Honduras) and then the Confederations Cup... is the Gold Cup that follows the last chance a Robbie Findlay, or Stu Holden, or GASP Freddy Adu has to make an impression on Bob Bradley and contribute in the World Cup ?

That's all. All in all, a Rachel Getting Married performance for the Yanks and a lead in the Hexagonal.

Yankette of the Month

Anne Hathaway, herself a big fan of international soccer, and Juve of Turin, would almost surely agree that El Tri is a three-colored cluster!@#$ after the firing of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who apparently is so relieved to be rid of the post that he's already searching for an EPL return. Good luck with that Sven ! Meanwhile, rumors swirl that Javier Aguirre, most recently the head man at Atletico Madrid, will return home again... we will see.

Either way, interesting article and write up by Luis Bueno on the El Tri disaster at CNNSI-- the TriColores may have great trouble getting to South Africa if they do not improve quickly.


More on the sights, sounds, and happenings in the 3-0 win in Nashville soon. It wasn't as wonderful as Hathaway, but more or less it was the finest American performance in a long while.

The USA vs. T&T Blog

With the anthems and kickoff just minutes away, some thoughts on the lineup for tonight's match:

First off, and perhaps most importantly, Gooch is back. Will his presence alone makeup for the woeful inadequacies on defense in the El Salvador game? No. But he should be the stabilizing defensive force that he usually is, and that alone makes the team more solid at the back. Not to mention the size, strength, and aerial goal scoring threat he brings to the table. Hopefully he's back to one hundred percent.

As far as Bradley's other lineup decisions go, I'll applaud him putting Jozy Altidore in the starting lineup, but was very disappointed by the exclusion of both Jonathan Spector and Freddy Adu from the squad entirely. I'd also rather see Kljestan starting on the field than on the substitutes bench, but coming off a bad game the decision is understandable. My buddy Raf (Super Sacha Fan #16) is gonna be pissed.

Alright, kickoff time, more later.

11th Minute: What position is DeMarcus Beasley playing? With this three defender lineup it looks like Boca and Gooch are both playing central defense, Hejduk is on the right, and the left side of the field has been left to Beasley... the WHOLE left side of the field, endline to endline. I'm a big DeMarcus supporter but we can't have him defending the left flank, just not his skill set.

12th Minute: GOAL! Clinical Donovan cross from the left side deep in the box, straight to Jozy's foot for the one-timer finish. One-nil Yanks! Great leaping effort to get his foot to the ball by Altidore.

Also, Bob Bradley pulls Beasley aside during the celebration for a chat. Now Beasley seems hesitant to even cross midfield into the offensive end. Why start DeMarcus if you're not gonna let him play his game? He's not a tenacious defender but maybe Bradley likes his pace against the speedy Trinidadians (and Tobagans).

26th Minute: Jozy should have just bagged his second goal, but he squanders a great chance. As he matures as a striker, balls like that have got to go in the net.

28th Minute: Just as I was thinking Clint Dempsey was having a quiet game, the Fulham man hits a nifty back-heel that sends Frankie Hejduk free down the right wing, something Frankie's getting accustomed to today. Hejduk sends great service into the box, but to no avail.

40th Minute: Beasley's getting help on the left flank from Bocanegra now and pushing forward a bit. A wonderful exchange involving him, Landon, and Ching results in cross from deep on the left side of the T&T box that reaches Altidore's foot roughly one yard in front of an open goal mouth. He puts it over the net. To say he missed a point blank chance is an understatement. It was actually a lot harder to do what he did than it would have been to score a goal from that position. One minute later Altidore gets a free header from the middle of the box and cranks it directly at the goalkeeper. Frustrating.

Halftime. USA 1 T&T 0.

This team is playing exciting attacking football with creative buildup in the midfield, reminiscent of the home game against T&T in September in the last round of WC qualifying.

70th Minute: A great left footed strike from Jozy! Yanks up two nil! Donovan with the perfect pass to spring Altidore free on the run, Landon's probably been the man of the match to this point. And it's great to see Jozy strike again with after he was off the mark late in the first half.

80th Minute: Torres for Chinger.

83rd Minute: Kljestan for Dempsey, I'm assuming Raf just got very excited.

88th Minute: Hat Trick Altidore! And why not! Donovan and Torres alone with the keeper pass amongst themselves and eventually give it up to the trailing Altidore who puts enough mustard on the shot from the top of the box to get it to the back of the net despite a touch from the keeper! My only disappointment is that there aren't any hats on the field! Give it up Yanks fans! Throw that cap!

Game! USA 3 T&T 0!

Now Or Never in Nashville

Okay. So before everyone jumps off a cliff-- let's accentuate one positive. The United States, thoroughly outplayed for 70 plus minutes, managed to play 20 minutes of soccer the way they are capable of playing and tie a game in San Salvador that they had no business getting a point in. Jozy Altidore was masterful off the bench, and his brilliant touch in the interminable stoppage time should have led to three points from the jaws of zero-- but Brian Ching, one of the only reliable players on the field for the United States all night, hammered his shot right into the chest of the El Salvador keeper Saturday evening and later had a bicycle kick fall four yards shy of three points and one of the more glorious comebacks in the history of the U.S. Men's National Team. Regrettably, outside of the continued dominance of Michael Bradley, who is quickly (hush...don't say it too loud) becoming America's finest player not named Tim Howard or Steve Cherundolo...I have now run out of positives, and as Jon and I prepare to depart for Nashville, I leave you with some general musings and frustrations.

There are so many negatives from Saturday night's epic 2-2 draw in El Salvador in front of 30,500 maniacal fans of the team in blue and white.

First, the obvious--- El Salvador, a side ranked 106 in the world, is the worst team in the hexagon and most the teams in the group will think they can access three points on the road there. This puts the United States in the precarious position of being atop the hexagon alone but feeling it must win against the islanders from Trinidad Wednesday evening-- because the other sides will feel they can overtake the Americans with three points in El Salvador. Certainly this will be Mexico's view. What looked like an unstoppable qualifying run-- the smoothest American run yet-- has now become a dogfight, and a daring and dangerous dogfight if there is no result Wednesday against a Trinidad side that with Sunderland striker KeWayne Jones has the best striker in the entire qualifying group, with all due respect to Yanks are Coming Hero Brian Ching and Mexico's elite European benchwarmers. Quite simply, there is now very little margin for error and the U.S. may have to hope to qualify the old way-- 3 at home, 1 on the road, and zero at the Azteca.

Second, we miss Steve Cherundolo at the back, and we miss him a bunch. Heath Pearce gave the nightmare performance this blog has been afraid of since he claimed the starting spot on the left. His passing was horrible, his pace was slower than he has seemed in ages, and he took a horrible angle on Quintanilla goal that opened El Salvador's account. Steve provides stability to one side-- and we need him fit. In the interim, Jon Spector, the fine young defender who has aided West Ham United's run at Europe and his impressed none other than Gianfranco Zola with his recent form-- deserves a look and deserves one now. That position, in any scenario-- is one that is wide open heading into the meat of the hexagon.

Third, despite Jozy Altidore's mesmerizing performance, European benchwarming is having a destructive impact on our national team's form. I don't know why this hasn't been more emphatically emphasized by other commentators-- but let's shoot straight. Is it not clear that our best players are the ones consistently on the field abroad: Michael Bradley will get relegated but is the best player on his Bundesliga side and will find a new home next season. Bradley's work ethic is tireless and he was deservedly gassed when replaced in stoppage time. Clint Dempsey was a bit erratic with his passing at times but all in all was the Americans finest starter on the pitch Saturday, and his long ball to Brian Ching set up Altidore's finish that gave the Yanks life. His form at Fulham, who is making its own run for Europe-- is unquestioned and he is even begrudgingly admitted to be, among the English Craven Cottage faithful, the best player Fulham has. Beyond those two, Danny Califf, who was decent Saturday but is slow as a turtle, and Howard-- the other field players in Europe can't find the field and the impact of that is performances like the woeful efforts of DeMarcus Beasley Saturday evening and the absolute disappearance of the Yanks only global "brand name", Landon Donovan. I understand that marking Donovan is more or less the strategy of all American opponents- but it is imperative the Americans get more out of Landon than he offered Saturday, and in fact, against Mexico.

Fourth, changes to the lineup are inevitable but let's hope Bradley doesn't get carried away. Sacha Klejstan is either suffering from Samson syndrome since the haircut, or, more likely-- simply had a bad night. His defensive prowess against Mexico was eye-opening-- but Sacha's game is offense and his passing was poor and led to his replacement by the exciting young Torres Saturday. While Torres excited with his play-- rushing him into the lineup seems a strange and reverting to Pablo Mastroeni, while safe in qualifying, does little to help the Yanks future prospects. As much as Bob Bradley is correct in arguing that qualifying is not about "the future" or giving players a long look-- it should still be about putting the best team on the field in 2010-- and Klejstan is critical to that goal. Klejstan played awful-- but his creative potential and danger on free kicks is necessary and to this point far more proven than those of Jose Francisco Torres, a fine young player in his own right who brings more pace than Sacha but is not as creative a passing force. Both players aren't yet 23, but this blog would stick with Klejstan.

Spector is worth a look at left back, as discussed above. He has more pace than Pearce, and is accustomed to flashy wing play which is the cup of tea of the year in the EPL. The U.S. will need that presence against speedy T and T winger Carlos Edwards-- and Bradley is left with little choice. Beyond that, Brian Ching continues to be the most steady presence at Striker, but it is infinitely possible that after a maestro substitute performance that should make the Xerez coaches acknowledge their anti-American bias and laugh at themselves-- Jozy Altidore will be on the field. One option is to pair Ching and Jozy together-- which pushes Donovan into a midfield role, a move which may utilize Landon's great skill at running at defenders and allow Bradley to replace another European outcast-- Glasgow Rangers DeMarcus Beasley. Whatever happens, the U.S. must play more attacking soccer against T and T-- and stop being so cautious. Home crowds often create that type of confidence-- but home draws and losses in World Cup qualifying do much to erode confidence. That's why Saturday makes Nashville a now or never, far too early in qualifying.