All-Purpose, Never-Ending Soccer Thread

Halftime, 1-0 US. Maybe the second half will bring an AR without such a case of golphobia.

The US is moving the ball well and generating chances. T&T is offering very little going forward, save for set pieces. There shouldn't be many problems if the Yanks can keep from giving up too many of those. Spann tried to recreate his 40-yard bomb against El Sal -- it fooled Keller at first, but it went wide.

 

Donovan on for Feilhaber at halftime. Interesting move by El Bob ... Benny was having a pretty good game.

Game just keeps getting slower and slower, which is just fine by T&T.

Mapp finds Ching with another great cross, Williams makes an even better save. Now there's another T&T player flat on the turf after a clash with Ching.

 

That's more like it! Donovan leads a quick counterattack after a T&T corner, beats two defenders with a square ball and Johnson taps into an empty net. 2-0 to the USA in the 54th minute.

From the US box to the Trini net in three passes -- now that's sexy futbol!

 

Bradley on for Ching in the 64th minute. El Bob moving Donovan up top with Johnson, it looks like.

The US is utilizing the wide areas so much better than against Guatemala. They're keeping the play spread out and making a sluggish-looking T&T chase them all over the field.

Oh, and remember our Cuban AR from the first half? He just whiffed an easy offside decision against T&T. That's CONCAlaugh officiating for you -- they're not biased, just incompetent.

EJ stretchered off, Twellman on for him in the 72nd minute. Hopefully just some cramping ... he's up on his feet and moving, so that's a good sign.

 

Things getting increasingly ragged as full-time nears. Donovan and Twellman work a nice 1-2 in the T&T box, but Williams smothers it, taking a shot to the head in the process.

Keller, DeMerit and Parkhurst must be getting bored at the back. They just put together a nice little Keystone Kops routine while clearing a ball. Keller fumbled a shot that was right down his throat -- I know he hasn't been busy, but this is a very un-Keller-like performance.

That's it, 2-0 to the US. There's a replay at 9 p.m. Pacific if you don't believe me. I'm switching to Team Canuckistan v. Guadeloupe on Galavision.

 

D'oh Canada!

Greg Sutton has a David James moment and he gets lobbed by Jocelyn Angloma. I'm not sure which is more unnerving -- the fact that Guadelope could reach the quarterfinals or the Galavision play-by-play guy dropping a "correctamundo" on us.

 

Nice win for the U.S., and a nice job by Bradley. He can get away with experiementing with lineups, and with getting everyone a run in the first round. I think the fact that the last game was late Thursday, and they turned around to play Saturday afternoon, the changes were neccesary,

Benny had done enough in his game and a half to show how well he's playing right now. He and Bradley Jr. look good in the middle together.

 

Sky Sports is reporting that Real Madrid is trying to stop Beckham from going to LA.

Both Beckham and Lalas says there's no chance of it happening, but the Real president says it's something he's exploring.

If Beckham somehow doesn't come to LA, does MLS lose all credibility with fans here?

 

Well, the conspiracy theorists will be out in full if that happens.

Unless Real is willing to pay a huge transfer fee to LA, I can't see it happening.

 

I don't think it's a conspiracy, I think it shows how little the rest of the world thinks of MLS.

 

The thing about Spanish soccer presidents is that they talk more out of their arse than their mouths when it comes to players. They just say stuff to get their names in the papers and to appease their fans.

All this is is trying to tell the fans, "We tried to keep him on, but we couldn't", when he should have been thinking that six months ago.

 

Just like Lalas, I guess it's Karma that that loudmouth #$&! has to put up with this shit now ...