While the content here at The Yanks Are Coming is nothing short of top-notch, we want you to know it’s OK to venture elsewhere in the blogosphere. To spare you from reading hours and hours of worthless crap, we present you five of the best stories of the week from other sources. Excuse us while we pat ourselves on the back. The Rundown 5. SMC Collegian: U.S. Soccer Still Needs Work Not exactly Ives Galarcep, but we love seeing U.S. Soccer getting some… Read more
I started a new day job this week and was pleasantly surprised by the reaction I received – people seemed genuinely pleased to see me. The fact that my predecessor left under something of a cloud, leaving a pile of uncompleted work might have something to do with it and the constant “oh thank goodness you are here!” makes one feel wanted. It got me to thinking about people whose debuts and signings for their clubs have not been so warm or effusive…. Read more
There are some individuals, that, if fit, Bob Bradley will automatically take to South Africa this summer. Tim Howard. Landon Donovan. Carlos Bocanegra. Snuffles, Bob’s stuffed lamb with the nose bitten off. There are plenty though, for whom every match, every ball, and every twitch of a muscle is an opportunity to flex their World Cup credentials. These are their stories. (Dun-dun) Goalkeepers: Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are safe, we can assume that much…. Read more
Not too long ago, in a World Cup not so far away, the USA went 3-and-out. A humiliating beat down by the Czechs in the opening game was somewhat salvaged by a gritty performance against the Italians; alas, after two games the US was the doormat of the group. In the end, a 2-1 loss in our final game of the opening round stamped our return ticket home from Europe. So we went home… happy. Wait, what? Why happy? Because this was 20 years ago and Italia ‘90… Read more
Cautious optimism is the term I’ve got to use in reacting to the latest news on two of the America’s most exciting young players. Yes, Stuart Holden is now a Premier League player after signing with the Bolton Wanderers. And yes, Charlie Davies’ recovery has him so far ahead of schedule that he’s eyeing not only the World Cup but even getting in some French Ligue 1 games this spring. Good news all around, but don’t throw a party just yet. First… Read more
Number 22: Arjen Robben Country: Netherlands Position: Wing Forward Club Team: Bayern Munich American-Based Professional Sport “Soulmate”: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees and Robert Horry, retired NBA forward/guard First let’s get a little background on Mr. Robben before we get down, Dutch, and dirty. You may not know anyone named Arjen, or you may live in Eindhoven and know like 20 Arjen’s; either way, know that it’s pronounced… Read more
Perkins: 5. Unlucky to be beaten three times, all from the spot or closer. Came out on crosses well. Confident coming off line to challenge through balls. Made 1v1 save look easy. Follows up superb Gold Cup with solid showing, but we could have seen more vocal control of backline. Wynne: 3. Nothing more than speed. At sea when forced to defend real skill. Horrible passing: both up the line out of the back and crossing balls. Let third goal… Read more
Luckily, the count on the yellow cards is one for each side. Capt. Jimmy Conrad received one in the sixth minute for clipping Walter Martinez (F) just after the Robbie Rogers corner kick. For Honduras, Jerry Palacios (F) got called for a yellow for a challenge at the top of the box during the eight minute. Not really a rough game thus far, hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. Quick note, Honduras is controlling the ball much better than the U.S. right… Read more
USA Starters GK – Troy Perkins D – Marvell Wynne M – Benny Feilhaber M – Kyle Beckerman D – Chad Marshall D – Jonathan Bornstein M – Robbie Rogers D – Jimmy Conrad (Capt.) M – Sacha Kljestan F – Robbie Findley F – Jeff Cunningham Honduras Starters D – Erick Norales D – Johnny Palacios F – Carlos Pavon GK – Donis Escober F – Walter Martinez F – Jerry Palacios M – Roger Espinoza M – Danilo Turcios M… Read more
We’re coming to you live from the press box at the Home Depot Center. If you’re not at the game, you can catch it on either the Fox Soccer Channel or TeleFutura. For those of us either at work or unable to be in front of a TV, we recommend checking out the Match Tracker located on the U.S. Soccer site. As we just mentioned on Twitter, the crowd is riddled with blue and white jerseys (shocker, right?). While the Hondurans dominate in terms of sheer numbers,… Read more
As what can only be described as a fringe version of the true United States national team gets ready to take on Honduras for seemingly the hundredth time in the last twelve months, I think every fan of the Yanks is looking for something different out of this match. Ultimately the opinion that’s going to matter most of course belongs to USMNT coach Bob Bradley, but these are some of the things we here at Yanks hope he’s looking for: Consistent offensive… Read more
Another big difference between you and your football brethren o’er the pond is our attitudes regarding luck and fortune and our relative ability to influence and harness it – or believe we can. Ask any English fan if their team is going to win at the weekend and they will come back with a variety of euphemisms for good fortune – “hope so”; “fingers crossed”; “we’re due a win.” Ask a Yank the same thing and you’ll be blown back by the… Read more
Hello, dearest reader. My name is Keith Hickey, and for the coming months leading up the the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, I’ll be getting you ready with previews, profiles, and retrospectives about the World Cup. Without further ado, let the magic begin… Every World Cup brings new experiences to the table. Each tournament has its own legendary games, new heroes, and lasting images. But as the French novelist Alphonse Karr once noted, “The more things… Read more
