Heath Pearce vs. Jon Bornstein As I’ve chronicled several times, our left-back situation is interesting to say the least. I’ve been under the opinion that the only left back in America worse than Bornstein is Heath Pearce, and we need something, ANYTHING, else. I’m man enough to know when I’ve been wrong; I saw something Wednesday night that I never thought I’d ever see in my wildest dreams, and I’ll write about it in a minute. First though, I want… Read more
Tampa was awesome, our tailgate was phenomenal, and the American Outlaw guys and gals were the fire. If you’ve never hung out with AO, you really need to. If you enjoy the finer things in life such as beer, soccer, and America, you will love hanging out with AO. Big thanks to them for making our tailgate a huge success. I know Dan, Jon and I had a good time, all of our FL friends that came (many of whom know nothing about soccer) had a blast, and AO certainly… Read more
On the same night Mexico’s non-European based players drilled Bolivia 5-0 in San Francisco, the US bubble boys struggled to put away a depleted El Salvador side. The dreary match conditions eventually took their toll on Los Cuscatlecos; after taking the lead in the 59th minute the ever-flagging visitors conceded two, the latter coming in stoppage time. Starters Rimando: 5. Not much to do. Unlucky to be undone by Evans’ poor back pass. Like to see better… Read more
Tonight’s match in Tampa will be Bob Bradley’s last chance to assess several of his team’s fringe players prior to selecting the squad that will fly to South Africa. El Salvador is no joke, but at this point they should be a better measuring stick for the Yanks B/C team than the starting unit. Yeah yeah, on any given day El Salvador could handle the U.S. starting roster, but this is still a better match for the U.S. reserves than say, Netherlands next week…. Read more
The roster for the February camp (and assumedly for the El Salvador match) was just released: GOALKEEPERS: Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA) DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (Philadelphia Union), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) MIDFIELDERS: Kyle… Read more
Settle down Yanks fans. The next chapter of the U.S.-Mexico rivalry quickly dissolved when a battle over television rights reared its ugly head. Univision and Telemundo, both broadcasting solely in Spanish, refused to back down and the match never materialized. As expected, I was eagerly anticipating the game, even if I did have to suffer through it without understanding the announcers. Plus, last summer’s 5-0 beat down still makes me shudder. But as a… Read more
There’s a poignant moment in the vastly underrated Disney film “Miracle”, which of course documents the triumph of a group of U.S. collegiate hockey players over the seasoned and world’s more talented Soviets in Lake Placid in 1980, when Kurt Russell, who plays Herb Brooks, is talking to Craig Patrick, excellently portrayed by Noah Emmerich, and a couple of other U.S. hockey advisors. Brooks and Patrick are hopeful and bold, but at base realize that the matchups… Read more
