US v. Poland (R): two views from the press

[kpaulson]

I got into work this morning to read about the USNT result. I won't get to see the game until my next trip to the states, so news articles are about all I get.

So what do I make of this:

Last-minute men: U.S. tie Poland - MLSnet (http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20040711&content_id=7929&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp)
"Donovan had a strong game for the USA..."
"Chicago Fire midfielder DaMarcus Beasley impressed his home crowd..."
etc...

versus

U.S., Poland play to 1-1 tie in soccer friendly - Jamie Trecker (http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpYjk0aWtjBF9TAzk1ODYzNTkwBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=usapoland&prov=st&type=lgns)
"Without their key playmaker, they looked directionless and wasted what chances they had against a young, inexperienced side."
"Chance after chance came for the U.S."
"Kerry Zavagnin was ineffectual as the United States' de facto playmaker"

Reading these two match reports, I have absolutely no clue what actually happened (although without seeing even highlights from the match, I struggle with the assertion that Zavagnin was the US's de facto playmaker...). My best guess is that the US did OK offensively but lacked the final pass. Is this another case of Trecker going off the deep end or is MLSnet just hyping up its players? (well, or both...)

[superdave]

U.S., Poland play to 1-1 tie in soccer friendly - Jamie Trecker (http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpYjk0aWtjBF9TAzk1ODYzNTkwBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=usapoland&prov=st&type=lgns)
"Without their key playmaker, they looked directionless and wasted what chances they had against a young, inexperienced side."
"Chance after chance came for the U.S."
"Kerry Zavagnin was ineffectual as the United States' de facto playmaker"

Reading these two match reports, I have absolutely no clue what actually happened (although without seeing even highlights from the match, I struggle with the assertion that Zavagnin was the US's de facto playmaker...). My best guess is that the US did OK offensively but lacked the final pass. Is this another case of Trecker going off the deep end or is MLSnet just hyping up its players? (well, or both...)
Before I even got to the end of that post, I thought...Zavagnin as playmaker? Only Trecker could be that stupid.

He's a waste of skin who wastes oxygen every second.

[Wallydrag]

"...looked directionless and wasted ..."

Such is most everything Jamie Trecker writes.

The only place to read Jamie Trecker is at the bottom of a birdcage when you're cleaning it out.

[FFan]

"...looked directionless and wasted ..."

Such is most everything Jamie Trecker writes.

The only place to read Jamie Trecker is at the bottom of a birdcage when you're cleaning it out.

Could not beat Lech Poznan... Sorry.. I had to rub it in. :D

[luvdagame]

trecker may be crazy but zavagnin as playmaker is not an outrageous statement. he and mastroenni played in the middle and passed the ball around with zavagnin playing up just behind the forwards and mastroenni playing further back right in front of the defense where armas usually plays. i

zavagnin just did not do much offensive playmaking during the game. that was part of the problem.

[Nutmeg]

U.S., Poland play to 1-1 tie in soccer friendly - Jamie Trecker (http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpYjk0aWtjBF9TAzk1ODYzNTkwBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=usapoland&prov=st&type=lgns)
"Without their key playmaker, they looked directionless and wasted what chances they had against a young, inexperienced side."
"Chance after chance came for the U.S."
"Kerry Zavagnin was ineffectual as the United States' de facto playmaker"
Far be it from me to pass up an opportunity to grind Trecker's clueless face in the dirt. You contradict yourself. First you take an intellectual dump with your Zavagnin as the playmaker remark. Do you seriously, ever, even watch soccer?

But then, you compound your idiocy by saying that the US had "chance after chance." How does that happen? If the US lacks a playmaker, how does it keep getting all these chances? And if these chances just keep on coming, how much is a player whose job it is to create chances really being missed? Do you seriously, ever, stop to think about the drivel you print?

Is this another case of Trecker going off the deep end or is MLSnet just hyping up its players? (well, or both...)
It's both. Donovan was excellent, and clearly the best player on the field. Beasley was excellent defensively and very active, had a couple nice dribbling sequences, but other than that was about average in his passing and combination play.

[Dr. Wankler]

Trecker does the things Nutmeg catches him out on all the friggin time, which raises the question:

Is his work so unreadable even editors and proofreaders can't bear to pay any attention to it?

[somebody]

this one sums it up pretty well
lots of action and chances created by the US but, obviously, lack of finishing.
http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=9735&progr=0

[somebody]

trecker may be crazy but zavagnin as playmaker is not an outrageous statement. he and mastroenni played in the middle and passed the ball around with zavagnin playing up just behind the forwards and mastroenni playing further back right in front of the defense where armas usually plays. i

zavagnin just did not do much offensive playmaking during the game. that was part of the problem.

I don't see Zavagnin as a playmaker anyway, and I have a feeling Arena doesn't either. It was a good chance to get him some minutes in midfield, however. It was just a friendly.

[Casper]

Trecker does the things Nutmeg catches him out on all the friggin time, which raises the question:

Is his work so unreadable even editors and proofreaders can't bear to pay any attention to it?
How many of his editors do you think have any clue what he's writing about?

Don't know if you've ever written about a soccer match and submitted it to an editor, but I'm sure I could slip in a reference to Haywood Jablome and get it published. A finer detail like Zavagnin as the playmaker - that's all on the author.

[T Nitty]

"The Americans badly missed captain Claudio Reyna in the middle. Without their key playmaker, they looked directionless and wasted what chances they had against a young, inexperienced side."

Directionless? I made the same observation during the first half. Reyna's absence was obvious. It just took awhile to get the rhythm going and to wear down the Polish side.

Half empty or half full?

They played a little better in the second, though. I agree this writer contradicted himself, but also this game was itself a contradiction. 4 shots in the first half compared to 11 in the second? I can see how you get 2 different articles about the game. Yes, the MLS piece is a little hype. Either way, it was a friendly. Not a big deal.

[Dr. Wankler]

How many of his editors do you think have any clue what he's writing about?

Don't know if you've ever written about a soccer match and submitted it to an editor, but I'm sure I could slip in a reference to Haywood Jablome and get it published. A finer detail like Zavagnin as the playmaker - that's all on the author.

I haven't written for a daily, but I have edited (and done free-lance proof-reading) for a variety of publications, ranging from weekly newspapers and free-weeklies, to a university press. And my guess is any sports editor paying attention would notice a problem between

In a tense sloppy match, the U.S. struggled from the start against the equivalent of the Polish Olympic team...

and this near the end of the piece

Chance after chance came for the U.S.

so I still wonder if it was just a matter of having their eyes roll up into their heads, or if they just don't care about soccer. If the lattter is the case, pity that Trecker takes advantage of the situation.

[JohnR]

Trecker is out to lunch.

The U.S. played like the stronger European teams at Euro 2004 -- controlled the tempo of the game, forced the opposition to bunker, created plenty of dangerous opportunities, scored precious few goals.

That's the world game these days, dominate a match and score maybe 1 goal. Possibly not even win the match if the opposition poaches a goal against the run of play. It's not like the old days, when a substantially stronger team would win 3-1, something like that.

The U.S. has spent the vast majority of its history looking like Poland, conceding most of the possession and hoping for a lucky goal. I'm quite happy that the shoe is on the other foot, thank you very much. So we didn't win the match -- that's soccer. We'll win the great majority of them against Poland from now on.

[MLSNHTOWN]

Trecker does the things Nutmeg catches him out on all the friggin time, which raises the question:

Is his work so unreadable even editors and proofreaders can't bear to pay any attention to it?

Yes. I would rather read posts from superdave and nutmeg analyzing the game then read Wagman and Trecker's garbage. I am done with the both of them. I will do my part to not read their stories ever again. Trecker is an idiot and with Wagman sometimes you have to wonder if he even watched the same game. They will no longer get that one hit on their webpage that I provide them.

[DaMa]

I have no clue who this trecker feller is (though I do read wagman), but to the original poster: your initial guess was right. Zavagnin was playing a de facto holding midfield spot due to the absence of reyna, but that is the only sense in which he was a playmaker or expected to be one. In essence we were playing with two defensive midfielders (mastro played dmid for an injured armas). The US had the run of play most of the match with donovan serving as the actual playmaker that he always is and wolff and beasely failing to finish like they usually do. Claudio was not missed much simply because the polish team was so bunkered in that we didnt really need a "playmaker" till we were in the offensive third.

[Bajoro]

Yes. I would rather read posts from superdave and nutmeg analyzing the game then read Wagman and Trecker's garbage. ...

Hear, hear. Thank God the 'media' isn't our primary source of news any more.

You have to edit out a lot of drek on Big Soccer, but at least it's full of people who care passionately about the game. Some of them even know that they're writing about -- and write quite well.

[Bruce S]

I am absolutely certain that Wagman gets most of his stuff from BigSoccer, Yanks abroad. Sometimes I can even recognize phrases.

[flanoverseas]

I think Wagman almost always gives a fairly accurate account of the game - albeit conservative in his ratings. And it's certainly a LOT more even handed than this forum is after a game.

Not that this forum doesn't have some good guys.

[flanoverseas]

I am absolutely certain that Wagman gets most of his stuff from BigSoccer, Yanks abroad. Sometimes I can even recognize phrases.Would you mind showing an example of this?

[appoo]

I think Wagman almost always gives a fairly accurate account of the game - albeit conservative in his ratings. And it's certainly a LOT more even handed than this forum is after a game.

Not that this forum doesn't have some good guys.
I know that I am more than likely far to positive in my assesments. But far to many people get hung up on the negative aspects of the game and give them more weight then they deserve and basically any positives outside of goals and assists