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USMNT

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Mix Diskerud feels 'honor' of No. 10

U.S. national team player Mix Diskerud said he feels the honor of wearing Landon Donovan's No. 10 is only temporary and expects to play alongside Donovan again down the road with the squad.

"For me it is just a number. I am playing for what is in front of the jersey not what is in the back or my name," Diskerud said. "When it comes to Landon I feel like I am just borrowing it and we'll play again together someday and he'll get it back because he has more caps than me."

Diskerud and Aron Johannsson, a pair of second-half substitutes raised in Scandinavia, scored to lift a heavy-legged United States over Azerbaijan 2-0 on Tuesday night in the first of three World Cup tuneups for the Americans. It was Diskerud's third international goal

"It's an honor. A lot of great players have been wearing that No. 10 for the U.S. previously," Diskerud said. "Azerbaijan they have had some good results previously before this game. Of course we wanted a few goals in the first half, but it's alright that they come in the second."

The U.S. needed a boost from the bench after captain Clint Dempsey was scratched just before kickoff because of a sore left groin. But the 14th-ranked Americans had trouble breaking down No. 85 Azerbaijan.

Diskerud, born in Oslo to a father from Norway and mother from Arizona who met in college, entered in the 71st and scored four minutes later off Brad Davis' free kick.

With the ball high in the box, Diskerud headed it down to Michael Bradley, whose shot was cleared off the goal line by Elvin Yunuszade. Diskerud then banged the ball in with a right-footed shot 6 yards for his third international goal in 18 caps.

"It deflected off somebody and then I got the rebound. Easy job," Diskerud said. "I got tackled exactly when I was going to shoot, and I was just laying down on the ground in agony."

He was wearing the No. 10 freed up when Donovan was cut from the roster last Thursday.

Next up for the United States is a match Sunday against Turkey at Harrison, N.J., followed by a game with Nigeria six days later in Jacksonville, Fla. Then the Americans head to Brazil for their seventh straight World Cup appearance and first-round matches against Ghana, Portugal and Germany.
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Maybe y'all can get some good news out of last night's performance based off this esoteric BS.

Record in the last three friendlies before the World Cup:

1994: 1-2-0 (D Saudi Arabia, D Greece, W Mexico)
1998: 1-2-0 (D Macedonia, W Kuwait, D Scotland)
2002: 2-0-1 (W Uruguay, W Jamaica, L Netherlands)
2006: 2-0-1 (L Morocco, W Venezuela, W Latvia)
2010: 2-0-1 (L Czech Republic, W Turkey, W Australia)

First: 1-2-2
Second: 4-1-0
Third: 3-1-1

That's a pretty abysmal record for the opener of every Cup's "send-off series"

So hey, maybe just a win against a side we should've demolished isn't so bad.
 
Garrick said:
Maybe y'all can get some good news out of last night's performance based off this esoteric BS.

Record in the last three friendlies before the World Cup:

1994: 1-2-0 (D Saudi Arabia, D Greece, W Mexico)
1998: 1-2-0 (D Macedonia, W Kuwait, D Scotland)
2002: 2-0-1 (W Uruguay, W Jamaica, L Netherlands)
2006: 2-0-1 (L Morocco, W Venezuela, W Latvia)
2010: 2-0-1 (L Czech Republic, W Turkey, W Australia)

First: 1-2-2
Second: 4-1-0
Third: 3-1-1

That's a pretty abysmal record for the opener of every Cup's "send-off series"

So hey, maybe just a win against a side we should've demolished isn't so bad.
Click to expand...

So, what you're saying is...it's on?
 
ilikecheese said:
So, what you're saying is...it's on?
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LAST TIME WE WON THE THIRD TO LAST FRIENDLY BEFORE THE WORLD CUP WE WENT TO THE QUARTERFINALS.

IT'S OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN

America-Glitters-5.gif
 
Goldman Sachs economists predict that US will not make it out of group

Then again, these predictions are straight chalk, so not sure it's worth your time to read the text below.

By DAN KARELL

The biggest question that the U.S. Men’s National Team faces this summer is whether it can make it out of the group stage at the World Cup.

While some might argue the U.S. will find a way to advance, American investment banking firm Goldman Sachs thinks otherwise. According to an analysis of the 2014 World Cup, economists at Goldman Sachs predict the USA will fail to make it out of the group stage.

The firm gave the USMNT a 41 percent chance of making it to the knockout stages, and predicted a pair of 1-1 draws with Ghana and Portugal and a 2-1 loss to Germany in the final match. Goldman Sachs predicts that the U.S. will finish tied for last in the group with Ghana, which is predicted to have the same exact score lines. Germany and Portugal are expected to finish in first and second, respectively.

Goldman Sachs also gave the U.S. a 22.4 percent chance of making the quarterfinals, an 8.7 percent chance of making the semifinals, a 2.2 percent chance of making it to the final, and a .5 percent chance of winning the World Cup.

According to the study, Germany has an 85 percent chance of making it out of the group, Portugal has a 54.1 percent chance, and Ghana has just a 19.9 chance of making it to the knockout stages.

While those odds don’t seem great, even the favorite to win the whole tournament, Brazil, only has a 48.5 percent chance to win the title. However, that number is much higher than the next contenders Argentina (14.1 percent chance), Germany (11.4 percent chance), Spain (9.8 percent chance), and the Netherlands (5.6 percent chance).

Goldman Sachs predicted that Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and Spain would be the four semifinalists, with Brazil defeating Argentina, 3-1, in the final to win the World Cup and purge the memory of the Maracanzo, the loss in the 1950 World Cup final to Uruguay.

The predictions are based on a regression analysis that used more than 14,000 international competitive games (no friendlies) to determine coefficient estimates in the model.

Goldman Sachs also used the less-known ELO Rankings as a variable, and considered goals scored, goals conceded, whether matches were played at home or away, on a home continent, and whether they took place in a World Cup or just in qualification matches.

Goldman Sachs then ran the variables through a simulator with more than 100,000 probabilities. The study’s authors did make clear that the analysis is completely statistical, and doesn’t take into account a team losing it’s top player to injury or, in the USMNT’s case, having a key player left off the 23-man roster
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I was at the game. Yes. It was windy. We still played like ass.

Seriously, seriously worried.

We had 0 ideas in the run of play. It's almost like we need a creative midfielder. Wonder who that could be....

Turkey will be a better test - Terim is playing the juniors against Honduras tomorrow. "A" squad will be playing us on Sunday.
 

With Donovan gone, the USMNT moves on

STANFORD, Calif. -- Our camera team accidentally caught Landon Donovan’s last kick of a football on this U.S. Men’s National Team. It was an innocuous back flick with his right foot as he left the training field at Stanford Stadium, last Thursday afternoon. As the ball rolled back onto the field, neither camera man nor player were aware the 30 players on the preliminary World Cup squad were minutes away from being trimmed to 23.

Donovan’s flick was subtle yet its’ repercussions have been seismic. The Californian’s contribution to American soccer has been immense: 156 caps, 57 goals, 58 assists and one strike against Algeria which gave the US team its’ “most-played on SportsCenter moment.”

Jurgen Klinsmann has determined there is the Donovan that exists in the popular imagination, and the Donovan he has seen in training. The U.S. coach is well aware the world will debate his judgement. “Every coach would probably have a different roster,” he said. “Most of the coaches would probably have Landon right in the 23.”

Yet while the media strain to explore the potential causes and repercussions, inside the U.S. camp, the remaining 23 players quickly locked together to refocus or, in Klinsmann’s parlance, to “zoom in.”

“When I found out about Landon I was surprised,” Clint Dempsey admitted, “but that is what happens in this business, there have to be big decisions that are made.”

Tim Howard said, “Within the group, the ball got rolling again it was on the pitch, it was business as usual. It sounds harsh, but you don’t have the opportunity to wallow in who is here and who is not.”

Few things focus the mind like the prospect of Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. Now the threat of roster cuts have been removed, the competition to move from 30 to 23 has been replaced by a new form of contest commanded by the competitive nature that burns inside any professional athlete.

“Everyone wants to start,” said Kyle Beckerman with a smile, “It used to be about the 23; now its about 11."

Michael Bradley summed up the ruling mindset in camp. After talking about Donovan’s career with admiration, the midfielder added, “the reality is, when we look back at this stretch of two or three years, Landon has been in and out (of the team) a little bit."

“It is important (now) the focus has to be on the group of guys who are going to go to the World Cup ... it all feels real to have the 23 guys that we know are going to Brazil. We know who is going to be there. There are no more surprises, no more unknowns.”
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Nice attention given to Aron and Mikkel "Mix" Morgenstar Pålssønn Diskerud ... Pleasantly surprised to learn Mix's mom/American half hail from Arizona.
 

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