Unfortunately, luck ran out for the United States Men’s National Team this past Saturday, as it dropped to Ghana for the second straight time in World Cup play, 2-1. Once again, USA conceded an early goal and looked flat during the first half. Once again, Bob Bradley made questionable decisions in the starting lineup. And once again, we Americans came back down to earth and realized that we still years away from being considered a soccer superpower.

The reason why we didn’t see the USMNT make a run in this tournament was due to a number of factors – some preventable, while others were simply unavoidable. The following is a list of why there was no storybook ending for Disney to turn into its next successful, inspirational sports movie:

1. Poor Personnel Decisions:

Head Coach Bob Bradley continued to make poor personnel decisions in the starting lineup. As we saw, Ricardo Clark should never have been starting over Maurice Edu. Even worse, Clark was substituted in the 31^st minute! With a limit of three substitutions per game, it is crucial to make these decisions wisely. Most of the time substitutions are made in well into the second half in order to get fresh legs on the pitch for the last 15-20 minutes of the game.

Replacing Clark early in the first half essentially wasted one of the three strategic substitutions, killed the confidence of Clark (even though Bob Bradley claims it had to do with Clark’s yellow card), and stripped the U.S. of a pair of fresh legs in the second half. The USMNT certainly could have used a boost during extra time against a much faster and well-conditioned Ghana team.

2. Lack of Talent/Depth:

Top-level teams have top-level talent. The U.S. did not have any considerable talent upfront. Although Jozy Altidore’s talent ceiling is still very high, he did not produce a goal during the tournament. It is absolutely crucial to get production out of your strikers. Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley, and Edson Buddle? Are you kidding me? Buddle was a late addition to the roster because he was “hot” in terms of scoring, while Gomez was also a late addition due to his resurgence in Mexico and his speed. These attributes are overrated. Talent supersedes hot streaks, speeds, athleticism, etc.

America needs to produce forwards that can match up with the Didier Drogbas, David Villas, Lionel Messis, and Luis Fabianos of the world. Plus, we saw how the Charlie Davies injury affected the team. Despite having a solid campaign at the Confederations Cup last year, Davies is a modest option at best. However, his unfortunate injury from a car accident last year not only ended his World Cup dreams, but exposed a porous American front line.

In addition, there needs to be an improvement on the defensive line. Although they were solid (for the most part) as a unit, the defensive pairings lacked athleticism and skill. Carlos Bonanegra was outmuscled on the second goal of the Ghana match, while Steve Cherundolo had an awful match. The best defender for the United States over the four games was Jay DeMerit. He was successful not because of his talent, but because of his grit and tenacity.

3. Early Goals:

One would think that after giving up two early goals during Group Play, the USMNT would focus their training sessions on starting the games with a sense of urgency. For whatever reason, Ghana was able to score another early goal within the first five minutes of Saturday’s match. This raises a bunch of questions – why is the team not focused/motivated at the beginning of games, why does this lack of communication continue to happen, and why does the USMNT consistently fail to set the tempo of the game?  It simply comes down to the leadership of the head coach and the team. It’s unfortunate that this team couldn’t focus and play hard out of the gate every time.

Looking Forward:

I am pleased by the effort shown by the USMNT, however very disappointed that we didn’t take advantage of our opportunity. Simply put, we blew it. The USA had arguably its best opportunity in history to easily advance (relatively-speaking) far in the tournament. U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati was very correct when he stated that the American team did not meet his expectations at the World Cup. In my mind, Bob Bradley is a solid coach – but not the one that should lead them forward.

Personally, I want to see former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann take over for Bradley. Klinsmann is a world-class coach who led Germany to a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup (In fact, Klinsmann nearly got the job over Bradley a few years ago). During a recent ESPN broadcast, Klinsmann hit in on the head when he stated that Americans “need to improve on the first touch.” You don’t see anybody on this team who can compete with the footwork of a Lionel Messi. In addition, interest needs to be generated in the inner cities (as Klinsmann also pointed out). He clearly has the vision to take this team to the next level for 2014 and beyond.

In terms of the team, I have my concerns. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey will be past their prime in 2014. Mid 30s in soccer is the equivalent of 40s in other sports. Tim Howard is a lock to remain the keeper; age isn’t really a factor at the goalie position in soccer. Michael Bradley sparkled during this tournament, which should draw interest from top clubs (speaking of top clubs, there is no doubt in my mind that Donovan will be playing in the EPL by the end of the year).

Maurice Edu is another promising young player that will hopefully blossom into another solid player. Everyone should cross their fingers that Jozy Altidore can finally put it together and gain a world-class scoring touch. Given the fact that he’s only 20, I believe there’s endless potential for him to do that. Other than those players, we better hope that a new crop of talent can step up and fill some roles in the future.

Overall, there was nothing better than seeing people across America ride the wave of enthusiasm over the past three weeks. That’s right, I said it – I like the bandwagoners, the casual fans who don’t know the difference between a goal kick and a corner kick. If soccer is going to grow in this country filled with every piece of entertainment and sport imaginable, there needs to be attention drawn to it. The question remains – can this short-term spurt of publicity transform itself into a loving passion among Americans? My guess is yes AND no.

I feel that soccer is growing in this country; the MLS is expanding in popularity domestically, while there is more coverage of foreign leagues such as the English Premier League than ever within the U.S. borders. However, soccer was not created in America and children are more likely to have LeBron James Fatheads hanging up on their walls, not Landon Donovan. Has the NHL seen any increase in popularity from the spectacular competition we all witnessed during the Winter Olympics?

Nevertheless, I think the sport of soccer will continue to take baby steps forward over the next few years. It will take an American born and bred superstar equivalent to LeBron James to change those baby steps into giant leaps. Although this is certainly a daunting feat, I believe that the United States will be a major contender in the World Cup within the next 25 years.

You would think that after the Koman Coulibaly debacle that robbed the US of a win against Slovenia that the officials on the pitch for this game against Algeria would have gotten some memo prior to kickoff saying something like “if it’s close, rule in the US’ favor”. After all, that would really be the ONLY way that FIFA and/or any officials related to that disaster could make up for that loss…

For more of this rant, click here.

Uncle Sam’s Army

The U.S. Men’s National Team did exactly what I expected against England—played them hard to a 1-1 draw. The highest rated U.S. World Cup match since 1994 certainly didn’t disappoint…unless you were a member of the Green family in England. The lack of goaltending depth for the Three Lions was apparent after Robert Green’s blunder on Clint Dempsey’s shot near the end of the first half. This was HUGE for the USMNT, especially after conceding a lack within the first five minutes of the match.

The U.S. showed resiliency and mental toughness. After being a “clueless spectator” on the defensive line in the first half, Oguchi Onyewu responded very well in the second half by solidifying the defense on both Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey. Onyewu sometimes is the Dwight Howard of American soccer, in that he is the well-built defender who is prone to getting needless fouls called against him thanks to smaller opponents. Look for Slovenia and Algeria to possibly exploit this weakness in their upcoming matches against the United States.

The unsung hero for the USMNT was Jay Demeritt, who over the past year has not gained the praise he should for shutting down Spain’s attack in the 2009 Confederations’ Cup and Wayne Rooney this past Saturday. With a solid performance during the rest of the tournament, he should be drawing attention from more top clubs. The U.S. midfield also did a stellar job of limiting the damage done by a much more talented and experienced English midfield squad. The tandem of Jozy Altidore and Robbie Findley upfront looked promising; Altidore had a great scoring chance on a marvelous run in the 65th minute, while Findley’s speed stretched the English defense.

The Man of the Match was Tim Howard, who continues to keep his team in contention every game. He is undoubtedly a top-five goalkeeper in the world and has certainly shown that he is the most valuable player on the U.S. squad (sorry, Landon Donovan). Rumors of broken ribs will continue to circulate; however, I believe his grittiness and leadership qualities will lead the U.S. to the Round of 16.

Solid Job by Referees So Far (Knock on Wood)

Like most people, I absolutely hate the flopping and diving that occurs. Players flailing and cringing in pain as if they just had their legs amputated on the field – after barely being touched no less – absolutely disgusts me. This aspect of the “beautiful game” is more annoying than the vuvuzelas. Enemy numero uno in my book is Christiano Ronaldo. For those of you who do not know who he is, Mr. Ronaldo is the Sidney Crosby of the soccer world—the constant crybaby. Thankfully, the referees haven’t been giving calls in his favor after flops like this. The quality of refereeing has been considerably better than the 2006 World Cup, where yellow and red cards were being dealt out like a poker game. Nonetheless, we all know how quickly this could turn around.

No Clear-cut Favorites Yet

Now that every team has played at least one game in the tournament, no team has considerably distinguished themselves as the favorite to win the World Cup. Germany probably looked most impressive in their 4-0 shellacking of Australia. Brazil looked like they were playing a half-assed pickup game against North Korea. (On a side note, you gotta love those North Korean “fans” who were in attendance.) Spain lost a disappointing match to Switzerland, yet I fully expect them to pick up their effort. Argentina couldn’t buy a goal in their opening victory with all of the scoring chances they had, but I feel they will reach the semifinals. Italy traditionally starts the World Cup slow, so keep your eye on them. The Netherlands looked solid in their opening match; they are my dark horse for the tournament. They will go as far as their defense (or lack there of) takes them.

Quote of the week:

“Pelé should go back in the museum.”

• Diego Maradona, after being asked during a press conference about the Brazilian legend’s recent claim that Maradona only took the job of Argentina’s head coach because he needed the money.

It got even better when Maradona started taking shots at French people.

Yes, the bull’s horn is exactly where you think it is.

Yeesh. If you thought Ian Laperriere’s injury was nasty…well, it was, but this is on quite another level.

As Hemingway said, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest all merely games.” Hard to disagree.

This calls for…something. Ron-Ron juice VitaminWater, anyone?

Props to The 700 Level for this gem:

In a March 27th AHL game between the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Abbotsford Heat, Jim Playfair, head coach of the Heat, lost his cool after one of his players was given a game misconduct for running into the Bulldogs’ goalie.

(Watch the player to the right during the antics. I’m pretty sure he’s trying to cover up his laughter.)

As announced today, Playfair received a hefty fine and probably mandatory anger management classes.

When asked about the tantrum:

“It isn’t my proudest moment for sure. It’s not to the point where it’s embarrassing.”

Not embarrassed?! This will be up there with Phil Wellman’s circus act on future blooper reels.

]]> http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/everything-not-philly/2010/03/more-emotion-than-john-stevens-showed-in-four-years/feed/ 1 http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/everything-not-philly/2010/03/top-10-phrases-that-will-get-you-killed-at-the-masters/ http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/everything-not-philly/2010/03/top-10-phrases-that-will-get-you-killed-at-the-masters/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:25:18 +0000 Scott Keppen http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/?p=1771 Ed. note: Tiger Woods’ return to golf at the Masters will entail security rivaling a presidential appearance. If you hear any of these phrases at this year’s Masters (or you utter them yourself), expect to be promptly pulled from the crowd and whisked away to a black site in the Middle East and tortured mercilessly—with none other than a nine-iron.

These are the top 10 phrases you will not hear at Augusta:

10. “It’s all in the hips.”

9. “Just tap it.”

8. “Grip it and rip it.”

7. “It’s in the hole!”

6. “Tiger will need a weed whacker to get out of that rough.”

5. “Over the years, Tiger has had a lot of practice playing in wet conditions.”

4. “Wow! That was an explosive shot!”

3. “That birdie came just at the right time for Tiger!”

2. “It will take a really hard stroke to beat Tiger.”

1. “Tiger should be used to stroke play since his wife moved out.”

Tiger Woods, the most talked about man in America since Thanksgiving, will make his return to golf at (where else?) the Masters.

If Tiger knows one thing, it is how to do something big. He is the most followed golfer in the sport today, and likely in its history, and his name parallels Michael Jordan and Pele’s around the world.

How will this layoff affect him though? Surely Hank Haney has been hard at work with Tiger to get his swing in-tune, but is Tiger willing to risk potential embarrassment at the Masters? Tiger won his first major there, but the time off presents a very real scenario of his missing the cut.

In most ways, though, Augusta probably is the perfect place for his return. Few will expect Woods to win, and he will be well protected from the media frenzy at the club. There is no doubt the powers that be at Augusta will move to circle the wagons around one of their own and protect him at all costs. Perhaps they will ship in Blackwater troops to escort Woods from hole to hole, which would only be appropriate.

Is there any historical comparison that can be made to Tiger Woods’ return to golf? It will be an event like no other—especially if he wins.

Courtesy of Puck Daddy, this is an art deco abstract painting of a hockey player by a Latin American artist named Tommervik:

"Pass el puck, senor."

This is certainly a sign of hockey’s growth since the Winter Olympics, right? Far as we know, Latin America is not known as a traditional hockey powerhouse.

But maybe we’re wrong. Perhaps he’s a Scott Gomez fan.

Originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1994, Nomar was a fan favorite for nearly a decade. He claimed the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1997 and was in constant consideration for American League’s Most Valuable Player from 1998-2000. In 2001, the “Sports Illustrated cover curse” struck. A week after Nomar was featured on the cover, his season ended abruptly with a wrist injury. This marked the beginning of what one would consider an injury-plagued career.

In 2004, Nomar was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. It was a tough trade to swallow for Boston fans but it was an understanding that his time had come. Adding insult to injury (no pun intended), the Sox went on to win the World Series that season, breaking their ugly 86 year-long curse. Out of his prime, it’s safe to say that his career went downhill from here as he was never able to stay out of the trainer’s room. In addition to his time with the Cubs, he also had brief stints with the Dodgers and Athletics.

Although it will forever be remembered for injuries, Nomar’s career was a successful one and he proved to be one of the good guys in baseball. One has to wonder what it would have been like without them, though.

Interesting Stuff:

• Six-time all-star
• Career .313 BA
• 1997 AL Rookie of the Year
• Hit two Grand Slams in one game
• Married to soccer star, Mia Hamm

Additional Thoughts:

This is a classy move for the Boston Red Sox organization. It got me thinking about some former Philadelphia athletes that I would love see come back and retire with us. At the top of my list: Brian Dawkins and Pat Burrell.

Dawk represented the city of Philadelphia to the fullest during his time here. The city loved him and although he’s been quiet about it, it’s obvious he loved the city back. In his return home this past season, Dawkins was introduced at the Linc and did the entrance routine we fell in love with as fans. It’s a testament to how much this guy meant to the city when you see fans sporting their orange Brian Dawkins Denver jerseys to games. It would really mean something for the Eagles to bring Dawk back here to retire when his playing days are over.

Pat Burrell has been through the good times and the bad times during his career in Philadelphia. We will forever remember booing him for underperforming and his classic “butt-out” strike-out. We will also forever remember him for all of the homeruns and big seasons he put together for us. Most memorable was Pat’s farewell tour in the 2008 championship season. Burrell still misses the city of Philadelphia, as surfaced in some of his recent interviews, and it would be an honor to have the man retire as a Phillie where he belongs.

In the first period of Tuesday’s Flyers-Islanders game, someone behind the scenes at the Worldwide Leader in…(Rodeo?) misspelled the name of New York coach Scott Gordon:

Aside from “Gordan”, the caption is indeed correct: Gordon was an assistant coach on Ron Wilson’s Team USA staff. So much for that spike in NHL interest coming out of the Olympics, eh?

(Photo courtesy of Crossing Broad)

]]> http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/everything-not-philly/2010/03/failure-2010-topps-cliff-lee-trading-card/feed/ 0 http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/everything-not-philly/2010/03/grade-em-looking-back-at-olympic-predictions/ http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/everything-not-philly/2010/03/grade-em-looking-back-at-olympic-predictions/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0000 Joe Palmer http://www.phillyfancomplex.com/?p=1328

Gold Medal:

Our Prediction: Canada

The Outcome: Correct!!!! Pretty good, eh?

1 for 1

Silver Medal:

Our Prediction: Russia

The Outcome: Swing and a miss here, but honestly, who would’ve thought USA would be bringing home the silver medal?

1 for 2

Bronze Medal:

Our Prediction: Sweden

The Outcome: Errrrr! Wrong! Finland takes the bronze.

1 for 3

Most likely to have the most points:

Our Prediction: Alexander Ovechkin

The Outcome: Four points in four games, and zero in the blowout loss to Canada. Pavol Demitra finished with the most points (10).

1 for 4

Least likely to have the most points:

Our Prediction: Patrick Thoresen

The Outcome: Correct! However, Thoreson did finish with 5 points (5 assists) for Norway.

2 for 5

Most likely to cause an upset:

Our Prediction: Switzerland

The Outcome: Very nearly—took Canada to a shootout, and held the Americans to one non-empty net goal. Also barely beat Belarus. Let’s just say we were close on this one. Credit us half of a point so our average isn’t as pathetic.

2.5 for 6

Most likely to get massacred:

Our Prediction: Norway

The Outcome: Despite playing close games to both Switzerland (gaining a point in an overtime loss) and Slovakia, they were killed in their first two games against Canada and USA (8-0 and 6-1 respectively). It’s a tough call here. They did get massacred…but also managed to pick up a point in the tournament. Again, we’ll give ourselves half of a point.

3 for 7

Most likely to leave early with a foot injury:

Our Prediction: Peter Forsberg

The Outcome: Damn. We really thought we’d strike gold with that one. Foppa survived his final Olympic appearance for the Swedes and finished with an assist.

3 for 8

Most likely to represent the Flyers the best:

Our Prediction: Chris Pronger

The Outcome: A rough start to the tournament, but like the rest of Team Canada, came on towards the end. Pronger finished with five assists, but looked shaky at times. We’ll have to give this one to our captain though. Mike Richards really stepped it up in the tournament and proved that he was a good fit for the team. Richards finished with two goals and three assists, despite limited ice time earlier in the tournament. Hopefully, he can continue this style of play when he rejoins the Flyers as they make their push towards the playoffs.

3 for 9

Best Flyer sent home from Vancouver without playing:

Our Prediction: Jeff Carter

The Outcome: Also the best Flyer who spent his break in Olde City.

4 for 10

Best former Flyer not on Team USA:

Our Prediction: Mike Knuble

The Outcome: Still not sure why he’s not on the team.

5 for 11

Best former Flyer and Olympic MVP not starting for Team Finland:

Our Prediction: Antero Niitymaki

The Outcome: Nitty didn’t even make an appearance for Finland. Not surprised though, considering he was playing behind Miikka Kiprusoff and Niklas Backstrom. It’s a shame Finland decided to not use a goalie in the semifinal game against USA–oh wait…they did?

6 for 12

Best Canadian player you’ll hear too much about:

Our Prediction: Sidney Crosby

The Outcome: We don’t want to talk about it. As if you haven’t heard enough about him already, expect to hear even more in the coming days about this Canadian “Hero”.

7 for 13

Best American player you’ve never heard of:

Our Prediction: Paul Stastny

The Outcome: He’s good, but didn’t stand out all that much. Stastny finished with one goal and two assists. We should’ve went with this Bobby Ryan kid from Cherry Hill, NJ. We had no idea who he was until somebody told us he was actually Bobby Stevenson. Everything instantly clicked.

7 for 14

Best regular season player who will disappear in the tournament:

Our Prediction: Joe Thornton

The Outcome: Who??? Oh, that guy. He had a goal and an assist.

8 for 15

Coach that looks most like Gordon Bombay (Mighty Ducks):

Our Prediction: Mike Babcock (Canada)

The Outcome: It’s a fairly close resemblance…and he knows how to win like Gordon.

9 for 16

Why is he Team USA’s coach?:

Our Prediction: Ron Wilson

The Outcome: So he can guide them to a Gold/Silver medal, apparently. Who knew? We eat our words.

9 for 17

That’s a country?

Our Prediction: Belarus

The Outcome: Home of the Kostitsyn twins.

10 for 18

Team most likely to reek of vodka during play:

Our Prediction: Russia

The Outcome: …and shove cameramen and implode against biggest hockey rival!

11 for 19

Most likely to repeat medal:

Our Prediction: Sweden

The Outcome: They didn’t—doesn’t mean we’re wrong. Ok, maybe we are.

11 for 20

Least likely to repeat medal:

Our Prediction: Czech Republic

The Outcome: They didn’t—and we were right!

12 for 21

If you thought Sidney Crosby could do anything more to negatively impact your spirit…

The Greatest Hockey Team Ever won gold Sunday, in a classic gold-medal game over the United States. It was the only blemish for a previously undefeated American team, and certainly the wrong time to lose a game. As tough as it is to say at the moment, a silver medal can only be considered a success for the USA, as very few outside of the team itself felt it had a chance to do anything of significance in these Olympics. That’s not to say we didn’t want gold, though…

The game was intense, but not overly exciting. Neither team had a great number of chances. Both goalies allowed soft goals. The hitting was there, though, along with the chippiness and after-the-whistle scrums. All of a sudden, there was a minute and a half left in the third period and the U.S. had pulled the goalie. Zach Parise improbably tied the game with 25 seconds left, sending it to overtime, where Crosby won it for Canada at the 7:40 mark.

Canada got off to a good start in the game. Jonathan Toews opened the scoring midway through the first, and Corey Perry gave the Red Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead seven minutes into the second period. USA got to within one goal about five minutes later, as Ryan Kesler deflected a Patrick Kane shot past Roberto Luongo.

No matter the score, it lived up to the hype. Canada was supposed to win the tournament, and only slightly did people waver when they stumbled against the U.S. the first time around. The best team may have won, but the future is bright for the American hockey team. You can only expect it to be better come 2014, when Flyers fans will get a chance to root for team and country with James van Riemsdyk presumably donning the Stars and Stripes (assuming Gary Bettman allows it).

Now we return to our regularly scheduled programming. NHL play resumes tomorrow night; the Flyers play their first game back Tuesday against the Lightning in Tampa Bay. 22 games remain for the Flyers as they attempt to build on their four-game pre-Olympic winning streak and climb the Eastern Conference standings heading into the playoffs.

We can only hope Mike Richards allotted for two championships this year…

For the past 50 years, Canada has attempted to portray the persona of an utopian society free of racism, poverty, and even fractions. Free healthcare and college are just some of the fine points that our neighbor to the north has thrown in our face to show how much more of a sophisticated and humanitarian society they are.

But if Canada is so good, what’s with the huge influx of Canadians immigrating to the United States to make it big? Could William Shatner have captained the Starship Enterprise from his studio apartment in Montreal? Alex Trebek wouldn’t look quite as smart if the Final Jeopardy topic every night was “Maple Syrup, ehh?”

“I’ll take shirtless game show hosts with salt-and-pepper mustaches for $200, please.”

Their cities may be clean on the outside, but if you dig down deep enough, you will find the true face of Canadian Society: A community entrenched with enough Socialist empathy to make Joseph McCarthy spin in his grave. An unemployment rate almost in the double digits and tax rates that would wipe the smile right off Dudley Do Right’s face have dug Canada into a depression far greater than any Seasonal Affective Disorder could produce. I fear the only thing holding that country together is the sticky residue of leftover flapjacks and maple syrup.

Well, America, no matter what problems you’re having, you can always be proud that you live in a country founded on the rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—and if that pursuit of happiness requires going out on the ice and smashing an over-privileged 22-year-old named Sidney Crosby into the boards, then so be it.

Your pursuit won’t just be tolerated by all Americans, it will be celebrated. So today, when you are watching the Americans beat the Canucks at their own game, keep in mind that even though Canada is to our North, they will always be below us. Team USA!!!