Gold Cup USA-CR Post Match Thread [R]

[United20]

Let 'er rip...

[Knave]

From all reports I'm glad I didn't bother watching it.

[nimitivd]

another calamity...

why bruce why? armas?? sanneh??

seriously?

[Dixie]

Kind of glad this was only on telefutura and I don't get it.

So who do we get next? Everyone seems to have a different answer from South Africa to Mexico to Colombia.

[Teleplus]

Ugly. I want my two hours back.

[YankHibee]

I cannot remember a tournament where I was so unenthused by winning the group. Understandably, this is not a big tourney, blah blah blah. Anyone heard whether we are actually going to try to win the whole thing? Can we even do it with these selections?

[Solid444]

Kind of glad this was only on telefutura and I don't get it.

So who do we get next? Everyone seems to have a different answer from South Africa to Mexico to Colombia.

If everything plays out like it should (no upsets) the US should get 1) Jamaica or 2) South Africa

[United20]

The US has a few players (not even an handful) that can finish on a consistent basis. Donovan, EJ, and McBride with Beasley once in a blue moon. Arena has a good core of young defenders, and midfielders, now he needs to nail down some scorers. Dempsey has done well with the minimal appreances he has, but it's not enough. Noonan has to come through more too. Wolff - for someone playing forward he has no finishing skills and why Arena has a difficult time seeing this is beyond reason.

[GringoTex]

another calamity...

why bruce why? armas?? sanneh??

seriously?

Sanneh had quite a good game.

It's becoming more obvious with each minute that he plays for the USMNT that Dempsey combines a tactical and technical talent that only Donovan and Reyna can match. Problem is- where the hell do we put him?

[chitownboi]

Glad i fell asleep during the game

[DutchFootballRulez]

I'd rather talk about EJ's Turf Toe. Is Turf Toe a ligament injury? or a severe bone bruise? Because Bruce needs to learn that Dempsey, be not a striker, he be thine No.8. Let him run from midfield. And don't sub off the most dangerous player on the team

[Namdynamo]

This is probably the slowest starting 11 I have ever seen the US put out in the last 10 years or so. For a while, I thought it was the Mexican team out there. My grandmother could beat Armas, Olsen, Sanneh, Noonan, Conrad, Ralston in a foot race. With all the athletes in America, I thought we could field a team faster than that.

[Liviu]

Thoughts on the game...

Referee was horrible. Maybe he forgot his glasses home or something. That foul cleets-first on Hejduk by Rojas should've been straight red, the yellow given to Hejduk at the end for diving was crazy - replay clearly showed good contact, if the Ref would've given a couple of yellows to the Costa Ricans at the beginning of the game for the blatant hard fouls (especially on Dempsey), the Costa Ricans would've settled down a bit.

Overall, I didn't like the effort the U.S put in today. They said one thing, that this game is important, that they want to win, blah blah blah... but they showed something else.

[superdave]

another calamity...

why bruce why? armas?? sanneh??

seriously?
Cuz we've clinched advancing.

Also...did you watch the match? I mean that in all honesty. Because this is like the Richie-in-Saprissa thing all over again.

Remember that? We were all aghast at Richie Williams starting that match when the lineups were announced. But much to our surprise, he played well. (At least by the dire standards of our boys that night.) Yet ever since, that's cited as a dumb Bruce decision. It's cuz Richie was getting bashed all of the time.

But Beasley is one of the favorites around here because he went to PSV. So you have to keep reminding people that he was our worst player in Azteca.

Back to the matter at hand. It was an odd lineup if Bruce's desire was to win. It was still somewhat odd if his desire was to draw and win the group. It was a perfectly sensible lineup if Bruce's goals were a) not to give away too much to CR, whom we'll face later in a much more important match and b) try out some guys to get a better idea of whom he wants to use in the rest of the Hex and in Germany.

And the two guys you specifically named were pretty good. Take out the horrendous Sanneh backpass, and they look even better. We pitched a shutout. Why the hatin'?

[FC Tallavana]

That was about as bad as I expected.

Just a few thoughts...

The good:

John O'Brien is healthy.

Ralston showed he has something to offer at a very weak position for us.

Hejduk is actually getting better with age (either that, or I'm getting used to him).

We can keep a clean sheet with Conrad and Sanneh in the middle (who'da thunk it?).


The bad:

Arena's squad selection.

Every pass Armas made.

Team speed.

[spot]

Final pass was missing all night. I thought is wasn't that ugly. CR's defense did very well, our defense did well. Our midfield controlled more, but the final pass was really missing all night.

I said this in the PBP thread, but Bruce teases with his sub patterns. O'Brien and Dempsey were doing well. Add a little Donovan and a little Beasley subtracting Noonan and Armas, and we probably carry the game. I suppose there's risk to it, but did it really matter if we lost. I'm not sure Columbia is really a terrific prize for winning. Although, I'll be glad to see us up against a non-CONCACAF team for a change.

Big thanks once again to Telefutura for the English closed-caption. I always wanted to know what the hell those guys were talking about. Made me giggle that they were playing tricks on the CC typist.

[YankHibee]

I'd rather talk about EJ's Turf Toe. Is Turf Toe a ligament injury? or a severe bone bruise? Because Bruce needs to learn that Dempsey, be not a striker, he be thine No.8. Let him run from midfield. And don't sub off the most dangerous player on the team

Turf toe is simply a hyperextension injury to the great toe. The term was originally coined for football and soccer players who injured their great toes on artificial turf (9-11). Runners and other athletes who do not compete on artificial turf can also sustain this injury.

Anatomy. The first metatarsal head articulates with the medial and lateral sesamoids on its plantar aspect (figure 3). The sesamoids are contained within the flexor hallucis brevis tendon and are distally connected to the base of the proximal phalanx by the plantar plate. Medial and lateral stability of the sesamoids is imparted by the tendons of the abductor and adductor hallucis as well as by the intersesamoidal ligament. This complex stabilizes the plantar aspect of the first MTP joint.

Treatment. The initial treatment for all grades of turf toe is rest, ice, compression dressings, elevation, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but other treatment measures vary with the grade.

Grade 1 injuries can usually be treated effectively with conservative measures. Patients may continue sports activity if (1) they wear stiff-soled shoes to prevent dorsiflexion beyond 30° during the push-off phase, and (2) the great toe is taped by bringing tape from the dorsal surface of the great toe to the plantar surface to prevent dorsiflexion beyond 30° (15).

Patients with grade 2 injuries should refrain from athletic activities for 1 to 2 weeks and wear stiff-soled shoes; a rigid orthosis should be inserted to further prevent dorsiflexion of the first MTP joint. Grade 3 injuries require the same modalities as grade 2, but the restriction of athletic activities is 3 to 6 weeks. If these conservative measures fail for grade 3 injuries, surgery for plantar capsule repair or loose-body removal may be necessary (9).

A patient's return to activities should progress gradually from weight bearing to walking to jogging, using discomfort as a guide. A complete return to play should be permitted only after full-speed running and cutting maneuvers are pain free (15). With proper care, the prognosis for full recovery is excellent

[Beethovieff]

I've seen worse, but not much to like about this game. The only positives were O'Brien not getting injured and Dempsey looking dangerous. I was also constantly reminded that Hejduk has pace, but little sense, and Ralston sure can cross, but lacks the pace to get them off against close marking.

The subs did little to change the game from my perspective. Donovan seemed almost non-existent, Beasley caused cheap giveaways or passed backwards, and Wolff was his typical self.

Maybe we'll get to see Dempsey up top a bit more. He seems to have some of that swagger and unpredictable nature that comes with the name Clint. If he finishes half of the chances he creates, he's good for a goal per game.

[superdave]

Sanneh had quite a good game.

It's becoming more obvious with each minute that he plays for the USMNT that Dempsey combines a tactical and technical talent that only Donovan and Reyna can match. Problem is- where the hell do we put him?
This is where I get to reiterate for probably the 6th time...I think the biggest tactical decision facing Bruce is what to do with Dempsey. Because if he starts Dempsey, because of what he brings to the field, it'll affect so many other tactical decisions.

Oh yeah...was anyone else thinking, maybe Steve C. could be our right mid? Back him up with Hejduk, or Robbie Russell, or Onyewu. Steve showed not just fullback skill, but wing skill.

[FC Tallavana]

Cuz we've clinched advancing.

Also...did you watch the match? I mean that in all honesty. Because this is like the Richie-in-Saprissa thing all over again.

Remember that? We were all aghast at Richie Williams starting that match when the lineups were announced. But much to our surprise, he played well. (At least by the dire standards of our boys that night.) Yet ever since, that's cited as a dumb Bruce decision. It's cuz Richie was getting bashed all of the time.

But Beasley is one of the favorites around here because he went to PSV. So you have to keep reminding people that he was our worst player in Azteca.

Back to the matter at hand. It was an odd lineup if Bruce's desire was to win. It was still somewhat odd if his desire was to draw and win the group. It was a perfectly sensible lineup if Bruce's goals were a) not to give away too much to CR, whom we'll face later in a much more important match and b) try out some guys to get a better idea of whom he wants to use in the rest of the Hex and in Germany.

And the two guys you specifically named were pretty good. Take out the horrendous Sanneh backpass, and they look even better. We pitched a shutout. Why the hatin'?

You thought Armas was pretty good?! :eek: