The World is not enough: USA tops Concacaf

The USA cemented its place atop Concacaf today with a well-earned tie full of emotions that reverberated all the way to San Salvador. There, upon learning that Costa Rica had tied, Honduras was assured that their goal differential would mark the difference and that they would go on to qualify as 3rd in Concacaf.

Back home it was personal for Altidore, as seen with early scuffles in the game that earned him a yellow card. It was also personal for coach Bradley and his son. Bradley Sr wanted to finish at the top of the conference to have a better chance at being first-seeded in the World Cup group draw. Bradley Jr wanted to respond to critics of his game. He did so with a goal. The same goes for Bornstein, the much-maligned left back, who delivered a stellar performance that was capped with a C.Ronaldoesque surprise-header that sealed the tie in the final seconds. Mexico's tie with Trinidad & Tobago meant the US would remain first in the table.


It is true that our players had Charlie Davies in mind today. So did an entire nation of fans and followers of the game throughout the world. Our national team players wanted to make him proud. The Americans never gave up. That is what separates this country from other footballing nations. It is our sheer will to continue fighting the game until the very end. Scanning through the Mexican soccer media I repeatedly came across these phrases: "Typical United States come back," "they are resilient," "a cohesive team like no other," "the concept of group is integral for success." Indeed, an important recognition of the American style of the game.

Losing Onyewu to an unfortunate injury in his left patella tendon (knee) will create important competition for the starting spot alongside Bocanegra. Marshall, Goodson and Conrad are great options, as are Califf and Parkhurst. These are all very technical, capable players. Still, a healthy Onyewu marks the difference in this team. Charlie Davies' absence will force Bradley to rethink the offense, one that was performing remarkably well with the speedy forward. Still, we must consider that Casey, Cooper, and Ching are great options with Altidore. And if that were not enough, we have both Donovan and Dempsey able to shift into striking roles. This is the depth of the US at this point in its history. This is why just getting to the World Cup is not enough. The US can penetrate deep into the tournament. They have the character and the players to do it.

Ratings:
Howard...6
Bornstein...7
Bocanegra...5.5
Onyewu...4.5
Cherundolo...5.5
Holden...4.5
Donovan...6
M. Bradley...6.5
Feilhaber...5
Casey...4.5
Altidore...6.5
Subs: Rogers (6), Torres (6.5)

CONCACAF Revolution 3: The Empires Strike Back

Maybe we all were in denial. Maybe things could still change. But one look at the Concacaf table right now might have you saying "no, Cocacaf is still ruled by the two powers: Mexico and USA." The US and Mexico are at the top of the Concacaf Hexagonal table once more. If we rewind a little bit we are reminded why we thought things could be different in the conference this time around: Honduras had impressive international players, Costa Rica wasn't losing, T&T was in the Hex again and Mexico was crumbling. Even the US started showing signs of not being invincible when they lost 1-3 at the Saprissa.

Fast forward to the Confederations Cup and the Gold Cup and we see that things are... just what they should be. The Gold Cup final was reserved for the US and Mexico. US made it to the final of the Confederations Cup. Mexico went to Costa Rica and snatched all three points plus three goals. USA dispatched Honduras three times this year.

So what made the difference? Depth, coaches, fans and history. Maybe those nouns are more reserved for the Aztecas, but the US has shown why it's still at the top of the table, even if they look less than convincing on the pitch. Javier Aguirre was able to turn a Mexico team into a dominant squad once more after the Sanchez debacle happened and the Eriksson experiment failed. USA defended its turf and is close to a sixth straight world cup appearance. Barring a huge upset (always a possibility) next month, a tie versus Costa Rica at RFK stadium or an improbable win at Honduras will see them join the likes of Brazil England, Spain and others at next year's ecumenical tournament.

So is the rebellion over? Possibly. Are the empires back? Almost. Two more rounds remain in the Hex, and this time the tables have surely turned.

Strength and honor: US beats Trinidad and Tobago

I admit to being wrong on my last post. The defense looked stout despite a few Bornstein mishaps and Spector's injury at the end of the game. It was Ricardo Clark, the Livorno-bound man, that broke the stalemate and catapulted the US to the top of the Concacaf table after El Salvador and Mexico won their respective games. The score of 1-0 was telling of the hard-fought, physical match that we had expected.

Altidore did not repeat his hat trick this time around, and there was no "stanky leg" for Davies but they showed up and played the game. Donovan missed a few opportunities but remained the #1 man for the US. Holden again showed his supersub status as well as Feilhaber. I would rather have this starting line-up from now on.

I can't say too much more about this game since I had to DVR it due to prior commitments and basically fast-forwarded through most of the game. Cheers, USA. We can breathe a little easier now. Things are still tight, however, and it looks like it may come to the last day of qualifying for the US to advance. They will, however, only need a tie at that point to qualify if Honduras (vs USA) and Costa Rica (vs T&T) win their respective games.

No ratings today as I did not watch the game in its entirety.

Rico's blast:

Truth be told: Why the US won't beat Trinidad tomorrow

At the danger of sounding pessimistic, I'm simply stating this: the US lacks the arguments to beat Trinindad and Tobago at Port of Spain. Why? Lack of communication in the defense. With DeMerrit out, it will be interesting to see what Bob Bradley does with the back line. Pearce is very far from the left back position at this point. Bornstein showed he can't quite cut it internationally and showed that vs El Salvador. Beasley was atrocious at the Confederations Cup. Bocanegra is needed to pair up with Onyewu in the center. Castillo has just been cleared to play for the US but too late for this match. Of the above, we know that Pearce, Castillo, and Beasley weren't even called up.

There is the possibility of switching Spector to the left as he's used in West Ham, but that would introduce Cherundolo on the right, where he showed difficulties in Mexico. Putting Bocanegra out wide and inserting Marshall reintroduces some of the miscommunication seen last Saturday. There's no clear winning solution here against a fast-paced and physical T&T side.

In the middle of the pitch, it might advisable to reintroduce Clark as a holding midfielder with Bradley. If he can regain his form things might fare better. Bradley needs to keep composed also. Dempsey requires more impetus from the defense in order to work as a valid option in the attack. He showed glimpses of that in the last game. Up front, barring injuries, Davies and Altidore should be the starters.

It will be a difficult match. T&T is likely to take advantage of the US early-score-by-the-other-team bug and the stars and stripes will go down 0-1 at the half. Some heroics are possible in the second half with Donovan as the orchestrator. We should also take note on the fact that a good majority of the players are carrying yellow cards and may be unavailable for the Honduras match in October, were they to get another yellow. Prediction: 1-1.

Concacaf rewind: more Mexican trouble?

Mexico 2 - Trinidad & Tobago 1. Meantime it was 1-0 for Honduras in favor of El Salvador. So is 2-1 for Mexico really that bad? Did the team play so horribly? Long answer is "no" with a "but" and the short answer is "yes" with an "if." The Chicago Fire midfielder/forward Cuahutemoc Blanco did his duty and was easily the best player on the Mexican side. Guardado committed a few errors but was still strong going forward and creating chances. The Castillo-Franco tandem up top was great at the start of the first half. The first goal by Mexico was in the first minute of play with a nice give-and-go between Castillo and Franco. Throughout the game Mexico created plenty of chances but luck was not on their side. It could easily have been 6-1 or higher if it wasn't for the Trinitarian 'keeper. The back line looked shaky at times, yes, but they also went forward and created chances.

It wasn't an incendiary match for "el Tri," yes. But they got the 3 points they needed. I'm also being realistic that the only way to succeed in Concacaf is to win all your home games and take points from teams when away. That's true of any competition in world football. So far Mexico have none of those points. I propose this scale for points earned/lost abroad with home wins being null:
Costa Rica 4
USA 1
Honduras 0
Mexico 0
El Salvador -4
T&T -4

I also don't think the Mexican FA is as much to blame as the press itself. Look at what happens when teams win at home. USA beats Honduras after coming from behind 2-1 and its called "courageous" and "a step in the right direction. El Salvador beats Mexico and they are "heroes" and "historic." Ecuador beats Argentina and it's a "justified win" because they wanted the game more. Now you have Mexico win at home and looking "deplorable," "uninspired," etc. The players were upset with these comments. They put their heart and soul on the field. I could see that. No one wants to "not win." That's ridiculous. And what about the "Futbol Picante" crew on ESPN Deportes calling Lavolpe's team as "much better" than the current squad when this particular group was supposed to be the "golden generation" after winning an U-17 tournament against Brazil by 3-0. We should know that when the youngsters play all bets are off. Sanchez and Eriksson were not given enough time and were ousted prematurely as many a coach in the Americas. Now you have "el Vasco" Aguirre and you lose abroad. Same difference.

The same thing happened with Argentina after going down to Ecuador. The press was furious and looking to decapitate players' and managers' heads. We know Ecuador is a much better team these days, even if they are on the outside looking in at the potentially "qualified" teams in South America. The team has been to two successive world cups. So, with that said, I ask the press to stand down. Reflect. Accept the consequences that these days world football isn't as "black and white" as it used to be. Support your local squad when they achieve a win or good result. 3 points puts Mexico back in the hunt. They will almost certainly beat the US and any other team at the Azteca... and they, along with Argentina will qualify for the world cup.

Jozy, magnificent and other World Cup qualifying notes

Redemption. USA 3 - Trinidad and Tobago 0. The US bounced back from an unsatisfactory performance at the Estadio Cuscatlan in El Salvador with a "goleada" to quench fans' thirst for success. What a night for Jozy [Altidore]! Three goals, some spectacular, some because he can score. Clearly, Villareal noticed this kid was special when they decided to invest $10 million into his future. It's too bad Xerez (current on-loan club) management does not agree and keeps the youngster away from the pitch.

Elsewhere on the field that succeeded today was Grankie Hejduk. I think Cherundulo will have quite a battle if he wants to be the number one at right back. Beasley on the left flank was a great move although I'm concerned with the player's frailty at points (frequent injuries). I think of him as a skinny Roberto Carlos. He was thoroughly tested today and answered well against the T&T attacks. Mastroeni on the field as a holding midfielder was an interesting choice. He had his touches but remained quiet. That's a holding midfielder's job. Edu has similar qualities and is possibly the future in this position but for now Mastroeni was done a good job. Donovan was his usual brilliant self in the midfield with Ching maintaining possession of the ball right behind Jozy.

Onyewu and Howard's return were welcome sights. Bradley and Dempsey had great games, winning balls and distributing play. Kljestan, in the short few minutes he had was surprisingly effective against the type of play displayed by T&T (more European). This may be something to note for the future, especially keeping in mind that he was great against Sweden with his hat trick earlier this year. Torres brought in good energy but his effect wasn't as strong as with El Salvador.

Elsewhere around the world were incredible upsets, tearful ties and important wins for established teams. Upsets: Bolivia trashed Argentina 6-1. As I had remarked to a friend of mine, a "best in the world" side does not lose to minnows. Spain has been repeatedly taking care of things. Argentina, Italy, Brazil, France and Mexico seem to trip up here and there. Maradona should be crying as he was that fateful night in Rome on a midsummer night in 1990 when his team lost to Germany in that World Cup's final.

Another important "upset" was Honduras total domination of Mexico. Sven Goran Eriksson will undoubtedly be shown the door pretty soon. Mexicans have very little patience and short attention span. Among upsets that were more like tearful ties were Uruguay and Chile's 0-0, Italy and Ireland's 1-1 and an unfortunate 1-1 between Ecuador and Paraguay in Quito. As I had remarked earlier, this Ecuador side will not make it to 2010. It is true what the Ecuador media had mentioned... Ecuador has great attackers in Benitez and Caicedo but it lacks true goal-scorers like Agustin Delgado. This quite possibly holds true for Mexico, France and Italy as well.

Other teams around the world cemented their steps in next year's ecumenical occasion: Australia, Spain, England, Germany, Holland are some of the big names on the list. There are so many stories here that I can't do justice to. 80 matches, by the way, in the last 5 days. And the band plays on.

In the meantime I'll stick to our local group. Here are my player ratings:
Howard...7
Beasley....7
Bocanegra....6
Onyewu....7
Hejduk....8
Mastroeni....6.5
Bradley....7
Donovan....7.5
Dempsey....7
Ching....7
Altidore....9
Subs: Kljestan (6) and Torres (6)

The Rise of CONCACAF

Originally I was going to call this entry "What happened to Mexico?" but I would be selling short the upswing in play by Central America and the Caribbean. Indeed, the so-called group of death that included Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica and Canada proved to be just that. Up until the last minute of yesterday's matches there was a chance that either Jamaica, Honduras or even mighty Mexico might be left out of the final round of World Cup Qualifying. I put an emphasis on "final round" because it highlights the fact that that team would not even make the top 6 of the Hexagonal. The group ended with Honduras on top with 12 points, followed by Mexico with 10 and Jamaica with 10. Mexico went through with its higher goal differential but just the thought that the top team in Concacaf could have been left out was enough for the media to jump on the story and question the Sven Goran Eriksson, the technical staff, the players, and even Mexican soccer in general. My take? Mexico is not to blame. They have more than capable players in elite leagues around Europe even though some of its younger players aren't seeing time on the pitch (Vela, Dos Santos). There is a reason why this group was called the group of death. It's difficult enough to win in Honduras of late, period. Jamaica rarely gives points away at "the Office" (national stadium) and they have a good team as well. This group came down to who took the most points and goals from Canada and how much the top three scored on each other. Jamaica and Mexico came away from Canada with 1 point each while Honduras managed all 3. Ultimately, Mexico's 3-0 rout of Jamaica on Aztec soil was their ticket to the Hexagonal. So put Mexico against Guatemala or El Salvador and their place in the finals would have been assured as it was for Costa Rica and the US.
I think that we need to be more creative in the way we speak about our national teams and how they are the cream of the crop compared to so-called "minnows" of the Concacaf conference. Clearly, Honduras, Jamaica, T&T and Canada are all worthy foes. It will not be an easy run in the Hexagonal for any team and at this point all teams are expendable. Costa Rica's position is a toss-up since they have not played against more demanding foes so we can't be sure what their position will be in the next round. Expect a few surprises and maybe a major upset. Bring on the Hexagonal.

CONCACAF Revolution 2: Pirates of the Caribbean

In a previous post I had stated that the whole of central America would make a splash in WCQ. I stand corrected. With Guatemala's awful loss at lowly Cuba, El Salvador's ridiculously easy group with Costa Rica (always a favorite) but with Haiti and Suriname (!), Honduras' unraveling in the group of death and a resurging Jamaica with wins at "the office" (Kingston national stadium) against both Mexico and Honduras, things suddenly swing away from Central America to the nations of the Caribbean. So much for all the promise the youngsters from Guatemala, Panama and Honduras showed in Olympic qualifying and an awful Canada that failed to get its act together. Granted, Jamaica still needs a little help from Mexico in the aztecas' visit to Honduras and at least a 6 goal difference against Canada when they visit Kingston next month, but they suddenly look very good. Mexico is forced to win or tie versus Honduras in order to get in, which makes that match even more special. T&T looked good yesterday against a very young and inexperienced US squad that lacked killer instinct with a nullified Kljestan, quiet Torres and poor central defenders. Gooch and Boca still have a job, sadly. Even though I was watching 4 games at once, I still saw enough of the US game to realize that they were not trying quite as hard as they could have. Dwight Yorke definitely has some years in him but the former Man. U. player can still score, as he proved yesterday. I really doubt the US will go down to Guatemala when they play next month at what is sure to be an ice box in Commerce City, Colorado. I agree with Steve Goff that T&T in the next round would be better than Guatemala for venue purposes in the home matches (most cities qualify). Jamaica is also better for the US in the hexagonal, especially if we play them in say, Utah or Colorado. Jamaica has their fans and stadium on their side and can arguably sneak into 4th place at the hexagonal where El Salvador looks, for now, to claim the cellar. So, as it sits, the hexagonal could look something like this:
USA
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Mexico
T&T
Jamaica
Barring any further upsets, count Mexico in and perhaps Honduras as well if Jamaica fails to score on multiple occasions against Canada. Guatemala needs a miracle to top T&T. From there I think I like USA, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica (Honduras). Agreed?

The CONCACAF revolution

As promised in a previous blog: the relative minnows of the CONCACAF region may no longer be so. I'm speaking, of course, about our Central American neighbors. More specifically, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama. Costa Rica seems to be falling out of the spotlight after almost two decades of ruling in the top three (behind US and Mexico). "Behind" is a relative word here since in 1990 they went through to the round of 16 at the expense of Sweeden and Scotland. Those were the days of "el Conejo" (the rabbit) on goal. I can't say I remember much else from their appearance at that world cup since I was more interested In Germany and Cameroon. And yes, they missed out on '94 and '98 but that doesn't mean they weren't a dominant team. Jamaica and its "Reggae Boyz" lit things up in 1998 and T&T capitalized on its England-based contingent for their appearance in Germany two years ago. Still, note that we're speaking of Caribbean teams and not the lower part of the CONCACAF contingent, which has different systems and styles of play. Caribbean teams aside (this time around I doubt they'll make it too far), the "other" UNCAF teams are looking much more impressive. From their younglins beating out the titans of the region in the Olympic Qualifiers (Guatemala shocked Mexico and Honduras won the tournament against an undermanned US side), to their increased presence across the pond and in more competitive leagues in the Americas, we're looking at a much tighter race for the 3.5 spots our conference can stake a claim on for South Africa. I'm not ready to say that the US and Mexico won't make it to the next world soccer celebration, but their road there will be much tougher this time around. Take Honduras for example. Just recently they beat both Colombia and Ecuador in warm-up games with clear dominance. Suazo (Inter Milan) and Palacios (Wigan Athletic) and former MetroStar Amado Guevara made their presence felt in those games. I have serious doubts that the North American teams will have it easy when they visit Tegucigalpa or even when they face the "catrachos" at home. Guatemala is another toss-up. They have shown an ability to produce significant upsets (Mexico comes to mind). With "El primitivo" (yes, he looks the part) Maradriaga at the helm and the goal-scoring prowess of Carlos "el pescadito" Ruiz, they look to continue vying for a spot in the top 4 of the region. Last but certainly not least is a Panamenian side that continues to evolve into a potential contender. The "canaleros" pulled a few interesting upsets in the past couple of years, and with a presence in the Colombian national league their experience can only add to their increased capabilities. So, in terms of what I alluded to in a recent blog: it's not that we (north Americans) are that bad, it's that they are that good. I'd be surprised if Honduras doesn't take one of the top 3 spots in the region. The last half-spot could go to Costa Rica if they are able to step their game up or to Canada if they capitalize on their new pool of experienced players. Still, don't count Guatemala and Panama out. These should be fun games to watch (thanks, ESPN Deportes). Let the qualifiers begin.