The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[Talgrath]

Well, it looks like the 3 month ban wasn't valid after all. it turns out (if you fully read and understand the rules, which most of us didn't) that US Soccer has no authority on this one. The discipline went to MLS, which gave Dempsey a 3 match ban as well as a hefty (but undisclosed) fine, Dempsey may still face a ban of some sort from the US Open Cup as well. Ultimately I think that's a slightly lower penalty than I would have liked to see, but it's not a terribly low one, particularly since one of the games missed includes an away derby match vs Portland. Ripping up the notebook may be a pretty dick move, but ultimately he ripped up a cheap paper notebook and didn't harm anyone. Details from MLS below:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/06/19/mls-suspends-seattle-sounders-clint-dempsey-three-games-following-us-open-cu

 

[HoppyDaze]

Oh my
http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/m...source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

“That’s bullsh!t. That was a fvcking flop if I’ve ever seen one.”

~Right Goal Post

 

[Talgrath]

An interesting week of MLS action, here's wot I fink:

1. The Sounders Are in Trouble
The Sounder's open cup loss to Portland might be the most costly loss in Open Cup history, not only did they lose Dempsey to suspension for his infamous actions but Obafemi Martins injured his groin, taking him out for 3-6 weeks; before that game the Sounders were also missing fellow designated player Osvaldo Alonso to injury, his usual back up/partner Gonzalo Pineda and super sub forward Chad Barrett too. So it's not really surprising that the Sounders lost 2-0 to San Jose. That said, the Sounders did have some hope here, the two goals were mostly against the run of play, the Sounders just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net. Adding insult to injury, Brad Evans went out with what looked like a hamstring injury, furthering exasperating the injury issues. The Sounders also have two games this week, flying out to Philadelphia to face the reeling Union and then heading down I5 for another round with the Timbers, a rough week of travel ending with an opponent they want to face with nothing less than their best.

2. All the Stars Are Melting Down!
In the 10th minute of the Red Bulls vs Vancouver game Sacha Kljestan lost his god damn mind and decided to elbow and attempt to trip Kendall Watson. Watson does some play acting after the trip attempt to draw attention to Kljestan's antics and the New York Red Bulls' star gets a designated player gets a straight red. The most damning thing about the whole situation was that Kljestan was looming over Watson afterwords, as if he wasn't satisfied. What's in those Advocare water bottles? Pure testosterone? See the video below (if it doesn't queue up properly, it's at 1:43).

https://youtu.be/LrR0WzQ5l1g?t=93

3. Ben Olsen Is the Best Coach in MLS
DC United took over the lead for the Supporter's Shield and cemented their lead place in the east after beating second in the east New England Revolution in a 2-1 comeback win. What's striking is how impressive DC United has been with essentially nothing. Fabian Espindola, their loan remaining designated player has been injured for about half of their season so far and Luis Gil, one of their other offensive players has been injured for much of the season so far too. Admittedly, Bill Hamid is a monster goalie and DC does have a talented group of midfielders, but it's hard to argue that anyone in MLS has done more with less.

4. LA Galaxy Isn't Back Yet Guys
Some folks, after the 5-1 win over Philadelphia might be tempted to say the Galaxy are back to their old ways, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The Union, as I've said previously, are terrible. LA is currently sitting in 4th in the west, true, but they've also played more games than anyone else in MLS besides DC. It gets worse when you consider that LA is hoping for a big boost from Steven Gerrard, but he's going to have a mere 14 or 13 games to be a difference amker before the playoffs (LA play 2 games this week, bringing their total to 20 of 34 games).

5. Houston, We Have a Problem
Earlier in the year I questioned how well Houston would do without their former coach Dominic Kinnear, I suspected they were in trouble and it looks like I'm probably right. For years Kinnear did the impossible, he got blood from a stone, making the MLS playoffs with teams lacking star power and even winning an MLS Cup doing it. Kinnear is gone, but I don't think Houston's problems necessarily stem from a Owen Coyle, after all he's sitting one place behind where Kinnear wound up last season (they ended 8th in the east) and he's in the tougher western conference. Rather, the fact of the matter is that Houston's roster simply isn't good enough, particularly on offense; Will Bruin and Giles Barnes have put in admirable work but in MLS you need a bit more than that. It is possible that Erick "Cubo" Torress will turn things around when he arrives in July, but it's hard to envision one player changing things that much. In midfield, Alexander Lopez hasn't worked out, he has 2 assists and 0 goals, which simply isn't acceptable from a midfielder designated player, the oddest thing is that he didn't look good enough to be a designated player before he got paid DP money either. On defense, DeMarcus Beasely does well despite his age, but well, his age is a factor and at this point he's getting the money more for his name than anything else. Brad Davis soldiers on (and didn't play their last match) but he's looked a lot slower this season than years past. Ultimately, I think Houston is going to try to press on through this season and take their lumps, it was going to be tough after transitioning (again) to the western conference with a new coach anyway. I fully expect a roster shake up next season if things continue to go badly, probably accompanied from a GM firing (which would be their second in as many years).

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Please move to a 4-3-3 though.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Please move to a 4-3-3 though.

Is that still going on? I'm starting to see the attraction.

 

[TinyHands]

Some bomb-ass soccer going on in Canada. Gonna be interesting playing China without Rapinoe, though.

 

[Talgrath]

So the US Gold Cup roster was just formally announced, in case you missed it, here it is:

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/06/23/10/30/150623-mnt-gold-cup-roster-release

The most surprising inclusion, to me, is Brad Davis. Davis has not looked good at all this season and he's been battling injury, while he still has his great left-footed service, that service is useless if he's slow and stiff. Beyond that there's some funky decisions in who is included as a midfielder, Deandre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes aren't necessarily midfielders, though Yedlin certainly can play right mid. Additionally, there's no obvious back up to Beckerman, I'm surprised not to see Perry Kitchen involved in this one; I suspect that if Beckerman goes down Brad Evans is his replacement, Evans has played some defensive mid in a pinch for the Sounders before (even though he's listed on this roster as a back). There's no direct replacement for Jozy Altidore once again, though Gyasi Zardes is somewhat close to his skill set (again, he's listed as a midfielder but may not be used as such). Overall, this isn't a dramatically different squad from the one Klinsmann took to the World Cup. Here's how I assume the US will line up:

Guzan
Chandler--Brooks--Gonzalez--Johnson
Diskerud--Beckerman--Bradley--Bedoya
Dempsey--Altidore

 

[Grannyknot]

Amazing how fast Julian Green became irrelevant.
Hope Tim Ream gets finally gets some playing time.

 

[Talgrath]

Amazing how fast Julian Green became irrelevant.
Hope Tim Ream gets finally gets some playing time.

Well, according to Klinsmann, both Green and Bobby Wood were left off the roster to sort out their club situation; whether or not that is true you can leave up to debate, but certainly Green has been less and less relevant for the USMNT lately. Tim Ream doesn't seem to be a likely starter for this run, but if someone goes down injured or gets suspended/red carded I'd say he's the #1 replacement.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

FOr me the interesting thing with the roster is position listing. Johnson as a defender, Yedlin as MF.

So that in mind

LB - Chandler
CB - Brooks
CB - Gonzo
RB - Johnson
CM - Bradley
CM - Mix
RM - Bedoya
LM - Zusi (though I'm not sure which way they'll go)
CF - Dempsey
ST - Jozy

 

[Talgrath]

FOr me the interesting thing with the roster is position listing. Johnson as a defender, Yedlin as MF.

So that in mind

LB - Chandler
CB - Brooks
CB - Gonzo
RB - Johnson
CM - Bradley
CM - Mix
RM - Bedoya
LM - Zusi (though I'm not sure which way they'll go)
CF - Dempsey
ST - Jozy

Hrrm, I'm not so sure he'll put in Bradley at defensive mid, I think that will be Beckerman, myself. I don't think Zusi will see the starting 11.

 

[Grannyknot]

If we feel the need to play a defensive midfielder in the group stages of a gold cup we might as well not even show up.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Hrrm, I'm not so sure he'll put in Bradley at defensive mid, I think that will be Beckerman, myself. I don't think Zusi will see the starting 11.

Bradley isn't a CDM in that scenario. He and Mix work together as both being box to box. If Mix can't handle that then replace him with Morales or Beckerman.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Also explanation for Shea being off the roster, groin injury hasn't improved. In fact got worse.

 

[Talgrath]

Bradley isn't a CDM in that scenario. He and Mix work together as both being box to box. If Mix can't handle that then replace him with Morales or Beckerman.

An interesting idea, I'm not sure Klinsmann would go with it but I do like it.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I think he goes with it. Even if he has to put Mix as a CDM. I do think that Morales and Becekrman will come in later in games and let BRadley be more forward.

 

[Talgrath]

So MLS "Rivalry Week" is done, how did it go?

1. Did Rivalry Week Live Up to the Hype?
Rivalry Week is, in theory, one of the biggest highlights of the MLS, a week in which all the biggest rivals play matches. Now, in terms of viewership and all of that rivalry week may well be viewed as a success, but in terms of giving us great soccer? Maybe not so much. In previous years Rivalry Week was earlier in the season, when there are (usually) fewer injuries and teams are fresh, this middle of the season week had a lot of injuries and suspensions. Even odder, for some reason MLS packed this week with lots of midweek games, none of which were rivalry matches, resulting in a lot of the teams playing tired. Nonetheless, the games were generally entertaining and at the very least the crowds were into it, it just could have been better.

2. Montreal vs Toronto Shows Canadians Aren't As Polite As You Thought
Okay, so really both teams are mostly made up of non Canadian players, but Montreal vs Toronto was a chippy affair that the two yellow cards handed out don't really reflect. Toronto may have finally found its mojo for real this time; with Bradley, Giovinco and Altidore providing the sparks this team needs to be dominant against most teams on offense they're in a good spot, Toronto is still soft on defense though, so if a team can shut down Toronto's attack they'll have a lot of success. Of note, this could also be called "the battle of teams with a bunch of games in hand", Montreal has played fewer games than anyone in the league (14) and Toronto is tied for second (15). If Toronto can continue to do well they'll overtake the Revolution and possibly challenge DC United for the top of the east; Toronto could be the team to beat in the east this year. The Impact, on the other hand, could very well sneak in to the playoffs with their games in hand and maybe even challenge for the 3rd or 4th spot.

3. Dallas Keeps the Cannon
Arguably the least entertaining game (for neutrals, at least) of Rivalry Week was the match between Dallas and Houston, since it was so lopsided. In a game Houston had to win to have a shot (pun intended!) at getting back the cannon that is the most interesting regional rivalry trophy in MLS, they were blasted by Dallas 2-0. I mentioned that Houston weren't very good last week and this result certainly isn't going to change my mind, given Dallas' shaky form in recent weeks.

4. You're Trying Way Too Hard MLS
The New York rivalry, such as it is, has now been televised for both matches. I know that NYCFC is Garber's baby, but there was a better (and far more venerable) rivalry played out the day before in California. The match was, at least, somewhat entertaining and we got to see Andrea Pirlo embarrass his kids on national television, but come on MLS, stop trying to make the NY rivalry so big so soon, let it develop.

5. The Sounders Were Bad And They Should Feel Bad
(Insert Zoidberg meme here)
Missing all of their designated players and having come off a loss midweek on the east coast (admittedly in which they rested many of their starters) the Sounders weren't expected to win, but they have little excuse for losing as badly as they did. A 4-1 scoreline is bad and the Sounders midfield was actually outplayed for much of the match, despite only missing one starter. The defense was, mostly, the normal starting line up too, so there's little excuse there. The Sounders are likely to continue to have some disappointing results though, they play top of the east DC United on Friday. A key note here: Unimas is not on most basic cable packages in Seattle, I expect a lot of fans are going to be upset about not being able to watch their team on TV.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Ali Krieger is gonna be in the next ESPN Body Issue. I don't know what else to say

 

[Qhrumphf]

Local brewery has said that Sunday in the tap room it's either Revolutionary War themed, or WWII themed. An England/US match is going to be a tough one for me though.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Alexi deserves some major points for this

http://screamer.deadspin.com/landon-donovan-burns-jurgen-klinsmann-gets-burned-by-a-1715074938

It is really sad that Landycakes is still so bitter. When the controversial pick over him scored the near tying goal against Belgium, it's hard to fault Klinsmann. Not to mention Wambach has been heavily featured inthe US's game. If anything the loyalty to Wambach may be hurting the US as their best games have largely been ones she's barely been featured in.

 

[TinyHands]

... Not to mention Wambach has been heavily featured inthe US's game. If anything the loyalty to Wambach may be hurting the US as their best games have largely been ones she's barely been featured in.

Too right! I don't think it's a surprise that having Morgan at lone striker (plus the move to two central 6s plus Johnston not getting sent off plus a giveaway penalty) resulted in probably the WNT's best performance of the tournament.

 

[Talgrath]

Alexi deserves some major points for this

http://screamer.deadspin.com/landon-donovan-burns-jurgen-klinsmann-gets-burned-by-a-1715074938

It is really sad that Landycakes is still so bitter. When the controversial pick over him scored the near tying goal against Belgium, it's hard to fault Klinsmann. Not to mention Wambach has been heavily featured inthe US's game. If anything the loyalty to Wambach may be hurting the US as their best games have largely been ones she's barely been featured in.

I know, the biggest irony of the tweet is that, if anything, Wambach has hurt more than she has helped. The USWNT looks better without Wambach, who has looked positively slow and predictable in her runs, while I'd love to see her to get those goals she needs to get to the top of the goals scored list...I'd much rather see the USWNT win.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I know, the biggest irony of the tweet is that, if anything, Wambach has hurt more than she has helped. The USWNT looks better without Wambach, who has looked positively slow and predictable in her runs, while I'd love to see her to get those goals she needs to get to the top of the goals scored list...I'd much rather see the USWNT win.

If she didn't miss a gimme PK she'd be tied with Marta. Seriously it was horrific.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Poor England. Own goal in the 92nd minute lost thme a shot at the final.

 

[antony]

that own goal was horrific.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

that own goal was horrific.

Poor girl she's gonna be haunted by that. I feel bad for her. Could have happened to anyone.

 

[BadDeacon]

Poor girl she's gonna be haunted by that. I feel bad for her. Could have happened to anyone.

I missed the match but will have to look it up. I have been looking forward to a USA /Japan match final though.

 

[Talgrath]

Poor girl she's gonna be haunted by that. I feel bad for her. Could have happened to anyone.

The worst part is it is the right move, if she had gotten her touch right she would have been a hero, because otherwise that ball was going right to the foot of the oncoming Japanese player. She did everything right but get the (admittedly pretty difficult) touch right.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Bradley to captain US in gold cup

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/...s=srm%2525255Bsoccer%2525252Carticle%2525255D

 

[Talgrath]

Bradley to captain US in gold cup

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/...s=srm%2525255Bsoccer%2525252Carticle%2525255D

I think it makes a lot of sense, personally. Even ignoring the Dempsey notebook incident, Bradley is the future leader of the team by all indications, at age 35 Dempsey may not even be on the 2018 World Cup roster for the USMNT and it's even less likely he will be a starter. If you need a replacement captain, Bradley is a pretty good option, he's 27 years old (30 by next tournament) and, barring a massive drop in form, is definitely a starter in some position when the World Cup rolls around but he has plenty of international experience; plus he can probably talk to the ref in a language they understand, he's fluent in four languages after all. If you want to have a player prove they can be a leader, no better time than the tournament you need to win to get into the Confederations Cup, there's enough pressure there to see how well they handle it.