The Soccer Thread (IV)

This.

I saw El Salvador play Canada in the Gold Cup and was bored to tears. They just couldn't attack for shit. I mean they might play like world beaters at home, but if they show up like that in a WCQ here, they will get stomped by at least three goals.

 

I'm not sure if it's a case or can't attack or won't attack. Just look at El Sal's road scores -- 1-0 losses at T&T, Honduras and Costa Rica. At home? Beat Mexico 2-1 and drew 2-2 with the US and T&T.

It looks for all the world like they'd rather keep things as close to the vest as possible away from home. A 1-0 US win in Sandy wouldn't shock me in the least.

 

I see what you are saying, Trooper, but I think the US needs some a scorched earth mentality for these final games. El Salvador might be fine at home (likely due to the conditions the other teams are treated to) but in the US they should be stomped. It shouldn't even be close.

 

"Should" is a long way from "is", Pastor.

In all the years you've been watching the USMNT, how many times have you seen it carve open a packed-in, inferior opponent and win by three, four or five goals? The vast majority of the players struggle to shoot accurately from distance, leaving flat-out beating someone off the dribble or balls down the wings/early crosses to Token Target Forward as the only ways of breaking down a 10-man defense in the run of play (I know, there's always set pieces).

Yes, the US should throttle El Salvador. It's playing at home in a pro-US environment, and man-for-man it's more talented than El Salvador. Bear in mind, though, that only once has the US scored more than two goals against ES in a qualifier (4-2 in Foxboro, 11/16/97), and it's won by more than two goals just three times in 18 meetings (7-0 in a 1993 friendly, 4-0 in the 2002 and 2007 Gold Cups).

Unless the US scores early, this is going to degenerate into a street fight. The US is not yet at a point where it can just impose its will on the lesser lights of CONCACAF. It needs to get its three points, stay as healthy as possible and get ready to raid Port-of-Spain.

 

The mighty Hawks finally win at home ... and finally win in front of mine own eyes. H&W 2-1 Dover Athletic. Good, end-to-end game, and a win over the league leaders entering play.

And now for the relative pointlessness of an England friendly. Quite a number of open seats at Wembley, one notices.

 

Slovenia not a big draw? Who knew?

 

Nice of Scotland to show up after the complete egg it laid against Norway.

Still probably won't be enough to make the playoffs (need at least a point against the Dutch), but at least it's making a fist of it.

 

Oh, and then there's this gem from the Republic:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/05/cyprus-ireland-minute-by-minute

How that lot emerged unbeaten from a group with Portugal and Holland and qualified for the 2002 World Cup is beyond me.

 

Gonna need more than a point, one would think. Not sure 11 is gonna cut it, especially with their piss-poor goal difference.

 

Holy cheap penalties, Batman. Rooney gets a penalty for, pretty much, falling over. Didn't seem like a dive. Just Rooney falling down. Easily converted and England lead 1-0.

 

2-1 win for England. Good, but not great, performance.

 

France ties Romania in Paris and is now trails Serbia by four points. They have to win in Belgrade on Wednesday to win their group.