I was going to watch the Women's Gold Cup games, but a bunny rabbit chewed through my TV cords. (R)

[Dan Loney]

That's not a joke. That's actually what happened. The (R) in the title is for Rabbit.

You might be saying to yourself, "This is the worst coverage of any event I've ever read in my entire life." And I'm not saying you'd be wrong. However, ponder this, fellow pilgrims. The Los Angeles Daily News, home of Scott French, had no recap of Wednesday's games, and no preview of today's games. I hope the Daily News will do better tomorrow morning, or else the Daily News and I will have Words.

The Los Angeles Times didn't do better. The weekly Grahame L. Jones column speculated on who Juergen* Klinsmann would pick for the upcoming World Cup cycle. If that sounds familiar, it's because you probably read a fairly good thread on it on this blog.** Tournament in Los Angeles? Featuring the Olympic gold medalists? What you say?

(Jones, who I should probably say at this point is someone I enjoy reading in most cases, didn't seem to have any particular inside information that The Klinz would be the next coach. At this point, I'd be amused if Sunil Gulati introduced the next US coach as "a World Cup semifinalist as a coach, a World Cup winner as a player, and one of the most respected forwards in the history of the game"...and trotted out April Heinrichs.)

Depending on what I read or don't read tomorrow, I'm tempted to say that the women's national team is in peril, attention-wise. This might be because cheap-ass CONCACAF, instead of the cheap-ass USSF, is in charge of the publicity (or lack thereof). But the USWNT was absolutely, positively invisible this week. Eventually, someone will have to do the hard work of selling this team now that Mia has retired.

Now, some of you might be saying at this point, "Uh, gee, Dan, it was just as local for you, why didn't you go?" I did - on Wednesday. My Dad was in town this weekend. You know, Thanksgiving weekend? Did I mention how having this particular tournament this particular weekend belongs in the next Bad Idea Jeans commercial? So today we went up to Sequoia National Park. I'd intended to watch the games when we got back, but, you know. Bunny rabbit.

So, anyone see the games today? How were they?

*Because I don't know how to do the umlauts, so I add the "e." It's perfectly legitimate. I checked. Like putting in "ss" instead of that B-looking thing.

**Not one of mine.***

***Yes, I did steal this footnoting thing from Terry Pratchett. His are funny, though. Mine kind of just lay there and do nothing.

[CLEATS]

Could it be that the USMNT's profile and the continued progress of MLS has finally eclipsed that of the women's game.
Or maybe since the demise of the WUSL the women's game is seen as a failure.
Just a thought.

[MasterShake29]

Could it be that the USMNT's profile and the continued progress of MLS has finally eclipsed that of the women's game.
Or maybe since the demise of the WUSL the women's game is seen as a failure.
Just a thought.

No, especially now that MLS is in the off-season, getting publicity for the WNT should have not been a problem. But it obviously is.

[TheRightHandofDoom]

The little sisters of all those girls that were in love with Mia, Brandi and Judy are more interested in the Bratz dolls & their MP3 phones than soccer.

[Morris20]

Could it be that the USMNT's profile and the continued progress of MLS has finally eclipsed that of the women's game.
Or maybe since the demise of the WUSL the women's game is seen as a failure.
Just a thought.

You've certainly captured US Soccer's aspirations and hopes. Since they're in charge of publicity . . .

The failure thing might make more sense if the NCAA women's playoff matches weren't drawing really well (except, predictably, for UCLA) with only minimal publicity (as opposed to NO publicity).

[Dr Jay]

The little sisters of all those girls that were in love with Mia, Brandi and Judy are more interested in the Bratz dolls & their MP3 phones than soccer.

No, the marketing folks for the USWNT (if such a breed exists) just don't know how to reach them...

One or two ads on Nick or one of the info-mercials cum educational shows on Disney starring a few of the current players will lock up another generation's attention for at least a day or two.

[BigKris]

How's the rabbit?

[Bill Archer]

The rabbit died.

Anyway Dan, so you have a recap of the match, here's what happened:

A bunch of American women with pony tails played a bunch of Canadian women in a match that lasted longer than the War of the Roses.

At the end, I think it was around Day Five, the referee realized that the longer the game went on the less her flat-fee paycheck worked out to per hour. I think she was down around $.60 at that point.

So this being in LA and all, she did a Kobi-Bryant-with-a-date-in-a-hotel-room imitation on the Canadian women and called a PK for contact that wouldn't rate a whistle in a U6 sandbox game, the US won, they danced and shrieked hysterically and then left to get their cars out of whatever impound lot LA's finest sends apparently abandoned cars to.

Sorry you missed it.

[Morris20]

The rabbit died.

Anyway Dan, so you have a recap of the match, here's what happened:

A bunch of American women with pony tails played a bunch of Canadian women in a match that lasted longer than the War of the Roses.

At the end, I think it was around Day Five, the referee realized that the longer the game went on the less her flat-fee paycheck worked out to per hour. I think she was down around $.60 at that point.

So this being in LA and all, she did a Kobi-Bryant-with-a-date-in-a-hotel-room imitation on the Canadian women and called a PK for contact that wouldn't rate a whistle in a U6 sandbox game, the US won, they danced and shrieked hysterically and then left to get their cars out of whatever impound lot LA's finest sends apparently abandoned cars to.

Sorry you missed it.
loved you in Shrek, or was that an ogre?

[Dan Loney]

The rabbit died.Did not either. God, the rumors you read on BigSoccer.

According to ussoccer, the game was "thrilling." Or, at least, the overtime was. The attendance was 6,749, which was more than one-fifteenth of the attendance that saw USC-Notre Dame the day before, so I can't imagine why the media didn't cover this game. I plan to grumble to the Daily News anyway, but my heart isn't in it.

EDIT - the Daily News did give some space to UCLA making the College Cup, so it isn't as if they hate soccer, necessarily.

[Doo Daa]

Ever since Tony D left the WNT and that broad took over.. it's been down hill -- Greg Ryan has not done ANYTHING to get back where they were when Tony D was in charge...

(wasn't that move made so a WOMAN would coach the Women's team?) what a major F-UP that was....

Passing sucked..
shooting sucked..
control sucked...

FSC was right on it as well... as soon as the WORST PK IN THE WORLD was called (in the last second of the game) when FSC cut to commercial.. we saw a spot I had to laugh about... it was for "BUY YOUR $20 TICKETS FOR THE GAME..." that just ended :p - the game was over.. nice job of scheduling the ads.. (LA GALAXY hosted the event.. blame it all on LALAS- idoit)

[Stan Collins]

Ever since Tony D left the WNT and that broad took over.. it's been down hill -- Greg Ryan has not done ANYTHING to get back where they were when Tony D was in charge... Other than breaking the all-time undefeated streak record.

[Blue Eyed Soul]

I was going to watch the Women's Gold Cup games...but then I got high...

[viper]

I watched the final and it was a really bad penalty call. It was one of the worst penalty calls I've ever seen (the worst being the one that was called in favor of the US Men's National Team in that game aginst the CIS in Detroit back in the early 90's. Anybody remember that one?). The ref and the assistant should issue an apology to Canada for that one.

[Doo Daa]

I watched the final and it was a really bad penalty call. It was one of the worst penalty calls I've ever seen (the worst being the one that was called in favor of the US Men's National Team in that game aginst the CIS in Detroit back in the early 90's. Anybody remember that one?). The ref and the assistant should issue an apology to Canada for that one.

I agree. the PK was totally out of order.. NO WAY you call a PK in the 3rd min of extra time in the 2nd OT of a final..

Seems like the US Nats (both Men and Women) get some good home cooking when the calls are made...

[Dan Loney]

Worst penalty kick I can remember was the one Eric Wynalda got to turn a 1-0 loss at home to Jamaica into a 1-1 draw. One of the classic "It may not have been a foul, but at least it was obviously outside the box" calls. It was overshadowed by whichever ghastly mistake Jeff Agoos made that game. I think that was the match where he picked up the ball and threw it Reggie Miller-style into his own goal, or something.

I think that kept our 1998 World Cup qualification hopes alive...which meant we would have been better off staying home and letting El Salvador go.

Come on, it's been a week. That passes the statute of limitations for thread drift.