A Glimmer of Hope

The United States Soccer team overcame adversity and also got some luck to end up with a spot in the Confederations Cup semis vs. Spain; they still have a lot to prove, but also a lot to gain.

As I watched the U.S.A's matches this past week, particularly vs. Brazil and Italy, the Americans looked over matched, soft, and passive. I know they were going against some of the powerhouses of world soccer, but I know this team is much better than that. They got annihilated 3-0 and 3-1 in those matches.

I think this team has a lot of potential and these matches are just preparation for the World Cup next summer, which is really what matters most. But I know the U.S. is better than this. They made countless mistakes in these losses. I know I don't know soccer as much as I do basketball, baseball, or football, but I know enough to at least unleash some criticism.

This team needs to be more aggressive, they seemed very passive throughout pool play, even at times in their 3-0 win vs. Egypt. Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley all passed up plenty of good looks and shots around their opponents goal. Especially in their losses they all seemed to not want to take "the" shot. You can't have this vs. the best in the world.

Altidore passed up plenty of shots and never took advantage of the chances he had. He passed up plenty of opportunities and looked awful in the chances he got, not getting off any quality shots at all.

The U.S. still advanced to the semi's, but they played mediocre at best. I know Altidore is better than this, he has plenty of potential and raw talent. I really hope Bob Bradley continues to give him playing time and help him develop because the Americans will need him his presence next summer.

The U.S. had an early 1-0 lead vs. Italy off of an early Landon Donovan PK... want to know why they got the early lead? They were aggressive. They were keeping pressure on the Italian defense and goalkeeper and passing the ball around their offensive end and getting great looks. But once they had the lead they stopped being aggressive. They dropped a mid back into the defense and that gave the Italians more opportunities, not to mention some silly mistakes as well. In soccer it all comes down to opportunities and mistakes.

All in all, there is no other team in the world that is more up and down than the United States. I'd like to see Coach Bradley give some of his younger guys more opportunities to develop because some of the veterans aren't getting it done on a consistent basis. This team needs all the games it can get because they're somewhat young. If they could somehow pull off a win vs. Spain and maybe even win this thing, it could go a long way to the Gold Cup later this summer and even the World Cup next summer.

Thoughts and Headlines 8/22

There's been a lot going on in the sports world lately so here's a few quick thoughts on what's going on.

One More
The USA Mens BBall team is one win away from a gold. The 3 year commitment to the Olympics is one game away from showing it truly payed off. They will take on a Spain team that will be hungry to win gold. In the last Olympics the Spaniards finished undefeated in group play and didn't come away with a medal. Don't expect a big blowout over Spain like the USA did before. This Espana team is hungry and look for them to give the USA a run for their money. I expect them to pack it inside, try to get Dwight Howard into foul trouble early and make Team USA beat them from the outside. Michael Redd could be the X-Factor in this game.

Track and Field
Usain Bolt is just insane. Becoming the first person ever to break both 100 and 200m world records in the same Olympics. His 40 yard dash time translates to 3.53, that is just utter ridiculousness! Put this guy in an Eagles jersey and make him return kickoffs and punts. As long as he can catch, I want to see this guy in the NFL! But anyways, Bolt is just a phenomenal runner, just think he could have shaved .10 seconds off of his 100m time had he not show boated. I guess he doesn't care anyways.

USA Soccer
We know that the Olympic Soccer team was eliminated early, but that wasn't their best team. They were gearing up for a 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Guatemala. They won for the first time in Guatemala since 1988. This USA team just seems like a completely different team outside of it's own borders. The game had some iffy calls both ways and I think Guatemala got robbed on a few plays, but so did the Americans. I was very impressed by USA goalkeeper Tim Howard, he made some spectacular saves and really was a key to their 1-0 win.

MLB approves Instant Replay
The Umpires and league has agreed for instant replay. It will be limited to boundary calls, such as determining whether fly balls were fair or foul, or whether they were Home Runs. I definitely agree with the implementation of instant replay, but it needs to be kept pretty limited. The umps should only refer to replay, unless a manager uses their one challenge (that's if they let them have one challenge), only if they are absolutely unsure of a call. If they believe 100% a HR was a HR, then call it. But if they are unsure then they should go ahead and use it. But the game is already long as it is and replay will definitely prolong it. But as long as it is used minimally, I will be fine with it. But just because we will have instant replay now, doesn't mean we will still get the correct calls 100% of the time.

Olympic Update 8/13

Michael Phelps is a Freak
Michael Phelps cannot be human. Phelps won his 5th gold so far and it is looking like he will indeed break Mark Spitz's record of 7. I truly think he will go 8 for 8 but his biggest challenge could be the 4x100 free relay. The relay is obviously only 25% in Phelps's hands. Phelps isn't as dominant in a 100 free style. A lot of pressure will not only be on Phelps, but his 3 other teammates as well.

Greece awaits the 'Redeem Team'
Remember '06? I am sure most of us do. Greece will give Team USA their biggest test yet. If the US plays like they did against Angola they could easily get knocked off like they did back in 2006 vs. the Greeks. They need Kobe to step up his shooting and their overall outside shooting. The defense is there but they also need to utilize the inside more where Dwight Howard can dominate and give the defense some different looks.

USA Soccer eliminated
The US Soccer team was ousted after losing 2-1 to Nigeria. They played a man down from the 3rd minute on after Michael Orozco was ejected. They did not have had their best team but I was really expecting a better result and effort from the American footballers. I guess I can only hope for a better result in their next big event, the 2010 World Cup.

Spain's Photo
The Spain's Mens BBall team shot a photo with them all using their hands to squint their eyes. Even though they said they didn't mean to offend anyone, I don't get why they did it in the first place? If the Olympics weren't being held in China would they have done it? I doubt it. So I don't really get what the point of the photo was and why would they do it anyways? There has to be something they're not telling us and this happened a day after a heated battle with the Chinese BBall team. Yao Ming and Pau Gasol were going at it all night.

Thoughts and Headlines

Here's some brief thoughts and headlines on different sports.

NBA Finals:
The Lakers are in trouble. While Kobe said there is nothing to worry about, he definitely should be worrying. Kobe has struggled shooting in this series and the Celtics defense has given the Lakers fits. Boston has not only shut down LA's 2nd and 3rd scoring option, but their number one as well. The Lakes have to win both games at home, because I don't see them winning any in Boston.

MLB:
I would like to say congrats to Ken Griffey Jr. for hitting his 600th HR last night. Griffey is the greatest HR hitter of this era and although I am a Barry Bonds fan, I have to pay Griffey his dues. Griffey did it the right way, he went through the agonizing injuries. He felt the pain and bled his own blood without taking any illegal substances to endure any of it. If it weren't for his injuries he would easily have 700 HR right now.

College Baseball:
I just wanted to say I love watching College Baseball, especially when it's time for the Super Regionals and the World Series. Watching them hit with an aluminum bat is quite refreshing; although I love watching pitchers duals and great defensive play, I love watching slugfests and hard hit balls, it makes for an interesting and fun game.

Soccer
The US Soccer team tied Argentina on Sunday, the number one ranked team in the world currently. It was great to see a good defensive effort but it was great to see the aggressive play in the midfield, which took a lot of pressure off of the defense; which is something they've been lacking for several years.

Also, it's been interesting to watch the Euro Cup that is currently taking place. I am not a big fan of soccer but when it comes to World Cup Soccer and qualifiers I love to watch. I would love to see a Portugal-Germany final, but I wouldn't mind watching Spain or France either.

The future of US Soccer is here (hopefully)

The U-20 Soccer World Cup is taking place as we speak in Canada. The US team has looked very impressive thus far, and after a Round 16 win today over Uruguay, they now advance to the quarterfinals vs. Austria on July 14.

After winning their group with wins over Poland and top dog Brazil, and a saddening tie vs. Poland, the US team is making a serious World Cup title run.

I wouldn't consider myself a huge soccer fan, but when it comes to USA Soccer and World Cups, I love watching soccer. After the big time national team won the Gold Cup and the U-20 team looking pretty impressive at the U-20 World Cup, I am very excited about the future of US Soccer.

With young stars in Freddy Adu, Josmer Altidore, and Michael Bradley, US Soccer has a bright future. Granted Adu has struggled in the Pros, I do really feel this is Adu's coming out party. From here on out, especially when it comes to national competition, he's going to be a big star. The funny thing about it is that Adu may not even be the best of the three I just mentioned. Josmer Altidore is a great player as well and has been very solid in the U-20 World Cup, especially scoring two goals in the upset of Brazil.

The U-20's next match up is this Saturday vs. Austria. I feel they'll pull off another win here and advance to the semi's vs. another heavy favorite, Spain (We'll just have to wait before I make a prediction on this game). When I see this U-20 team winning and Adu and Altidore dominating, it just gets me excited about the future of US soccer.

Now to talk about the 2010 World Cup, only three summers away. I am really stoked for the 10' World Cup to begin in South Africa, by that time Adu and Altidore should be huge stars on the team. I really feel Bob Bradley can get this team in the right direction and get these young players some valuable experience for the next 2-3 years.

Freddy Adu and Josmer Altidore truly are the future of US soccer, the US team just needs to take advantage of their great young talent. They should have one of the best US teams in recent memory and if they can't get it done again it may be decades before the USA can be a real contender.

But come the World Cup, Italy, France, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, and Germany better watch out, because the US may just have the next best thing...

US Soccer team wins Gold Cup, what's next?

Landon Donovan scored his 34th career goal, tying Eric Wynalda atop the career list, and Benny Feilhaber connected with an impressive kick to rally the United States to a 2-1 victory over Mexico on Sunday in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North/Central America and the Caribbean.

It's the first time in 53 meetings dating to 1934 that the Americans fell behind Mexico, then came back to win.

The victory extended the Americans' dominance over their border rival to the south and gave the United States a berth in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, a big date to prepare for the 2010 World Cup. The United States is 9-2-1 against Mexico since 2000, including 8-0-1 on U.S. soil.

This CONCACAF win is huge for the US team, but what's next for them? Now they will be heading to the COPA America Soccer Tournament which is the South American Championships. They are a guest for the tournament, and will be playing with some unknowns. While Argentina and just about every other team are bringing their top dogs, the US is sending 16 players who've made 10 or fewer appearances for the national team. Three have never even gotten in a game.

So is the future now? Why go if you're just going to get trampled? Plus, the US never really has success far from home. The Americans are going to be playing into one hostile environment after another. They'll be booed wherever they go, and the number of taunts will increase every time they touch the ball.

From my perspective, the future really is now. After the horrible showing in last summers World Cup, I think this is a good idea to get these young players some key international playing minutes and experience. The future really needs to be addressed with US soccer, because it's dying fast and while the competition around the world is getting tougher and more fierce, and when it comes to international competition, the U.S. is looking more and more impotent.