USA vs Cuba

[toffeestillidie]

Any of the US based toffees watch that game?

i was there at RFK tonight, really great environment, the dc united supporters group, La Barra Brava, really got behind the team and it was an excellent experience all around. it was also an added bonus getting to see tim howard in action.

i just wish that [Poor language removed] waste of space diver [Poor language removed] landon donovan would stop getting called up, we could have completely snotted them (worse than our 6-1 win already is), if donovan hadn't been playing.

 

[Rook]

Any of the US based toffees watch that game?

i was there at RFK tonight, really great environment, the dc united supporters group, La Barra Brava, really got behind the team and it was an excellent experience all around. it was also an added bonus getting to see tim howard in action.

i just wish that [Poor language removed] waste of space diver [Poor language removed] landon donovan would stop getting called up, we could have completely snotted them (worse than our 6-1 win already is), if donovan hadn't been playing.

The supporters at DC United matches are great.

I shouldn't be complaining about a 6-1 victory. That being said I think all the Cubans were just looking for an escape route.

Donovan is maddening isn't he? I still don't think there are 20 players in the world that are as talented as he is. That being said he's needed on this team due to our lack of an attack. We have no strike force and Donovan is useful against the lightweights in CONCACAF. Plus he's almost always played well against Mexico.

I think the US team is developing some problems though. Its a mix of some players with too much of an ego (especially the young ones on the Olympic team) and the manager being to afraid to adapt and refusing to put his players in a position in which they could succeed.

Daddy keeps Michael Bradley out of position as dual holding midfielder even though MB's forte is goal scoring and not tackling (Grant Wahl, a very knowledgeable football writer, even said he doesn't think that there is a player in the world who has such a different role on his club team as compared to the national team - Daddy probably cost him a transfer to us or Boro). The best striker is still arguably (or laughably) McBride but I guessing he's going to go downhill fast in MLS. Altidore either isn't ready or the coaches don't trust him. Adu won't stick on the wing because he still, after all these years, thinks he Kaka (if he would stay in position Beasley and Adu would give us more arguably more speed on the wings than any team in the world).

So my point is, we are going pummel the small fry and always continue to beat Mexico at home. But against good teams we'll stay in our defensive formation, play for free kicks (why we need Donovan) and hope Oneyenu (our best goal scorer) can bang corners in from the CB position.

 

[toffeestillidie]

Rook are you worried at all about the amount of diving from the american team? players like dempsey, who i have a lot of respect for, has seemed to be going down more and more easily.

last night i thought a lot of the cards the ref gave were a bit harsh, and mostly the result of exaggeration on the part of american players.

i hold a particular loathing for the italian national team because they can't stay on their feet, and i'd hate for team america to head in that direction, partially because, well to put it frankly, diving just seems un-american.

 

[Arteta2391]

Ive always heard about the DC United's fans "Blackout"

sounds intimidating..

 

[Rook]

Ive always heard about the DC United's fans "Blackout"

sounds intimidating..

It actually would be if we had a 20,000-25K soccer specific stadium like Toronto has. RFK is too big to make it very intimidating.

 

[Rook]

Rook are you worried at all about the amount of diving from the american team? players like dempsey, who i have a lot of respect for, has seemed to be going down more and more easily.

last night i thought a lot of the cards the ref gave were a bit harsh, and mostly the result of exaggeration on the part of american players.

i hold a particular loathing for the italian national team because they can't stay on their feet, and i'd hate for team america to head in that direction, partially because, well to put it frankly, diving just seems un-american.

Its starting to happen a little bit. American players usually don't dive (Donovan sometimes) so maybe its a one time thing. Dempsey looked tired at the end of match, he hasn't been getting many minutes at Fulham (even though he deserves too).

Its a hard match to evaluate becasue I get the feeling most of the Cuba team was just looking for an escape route.

 

[TX Bill]

I watched the USA vs. Cuba match.

Hard to get excited about it as we all knew that we'd tonk 'em at home. Early on, it was more a matter of how much we'd beat them by.

On a separate note, I was at the Dynamo vs. DC United match last night.

Soehn got his tactics spot on as Quaranta seemed to drift back into the midfield a bit more leaving Khumalo isolated up front. That kept the Dynamo midfielders from having the time on the ball that they're used to.

We couldn't create much at all and the way the game was going, either team was just as likely to score.

I know that DC needed the win to get a much needed playoff spot but a draw was better than a loss for them.