Carey Talley Fan Club

No, I don’t try like I used to in terms of keeping the score secret….at least it’s not posted in neon. And I won’t tax your patience besides – had to watch this while cooking a big ol’ Southern dinner for the family (ribs, greens, corn, etc.) – which is good seeing as I have a lot to do before bed.

If you’re looking for this game’s defining moment, consider Kyle Beckerman running into (I believe) Osvaldo Alonso. Not tackling, not even in the futbol Americano sense of the word; I mean, Beckerman literally just caused...

Yes, getting through the final 10 minutes hurt like getting molested during a root canal. And, no, I haven’t seen a U.S. team stagger through a defeat like that….well, actually, it hasn’t been so long; think the 3-0 loss to Brazil in the Confederations’ Cup.

That bitter taste ain’t just the beer, obviously, but The Big Wheel Steve Perry sang about will turn once again and the U.S. will not look like oxygen-starved children on the pitch at some future date. Just...

Alternate Title: “The game is 90 minutes. The ball is round.” I would have used it, as FOX’s Christopher Sullivan did, but I’m not sure it means anything beyond the literal. And you just have to love the man's enunciation: "pa-na-MA."

“A=C “ at least captures an interesting truth about CONCACAF. With the Gold Cup now having taken the first step into the quarterfinal stage, the cream of the competition should have frothed to the top….and yet the United States just advanced on the back of what’s generally adjudged a...

“The 2009 Gold Cup was always about testing young players and allowing some veterans to work their way back into the U.S. national team mix. It was supposed to be about helping coach Bob Bradley answer some questions about his team, and specifically, some of his more high-profile young players.”

- Ives Galarcep, 07.10.09, ESPN.com

That quote serves as a counter-point to some rant that will conclude this post. But putting it up high makes sense by way of acknowledging that, yes, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, at least in its current incarnation,...

It's late, I'm tired, and I'm still nursing an unspoken grudge against FIFA, which may never ultimately get spoken with time being at a premium. (In the event it does, I assure you that you'll be the first to know.)

All the same, I just watched and, by and large, enjoyed the United States' win over Honduras in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The win surely puts us into the quarterfinals....not that I've checked what's going on elsewhere....oh, all right. Yeah, Haiti beating Grenada - quelle surprise!...

(Inspiration for the title comes from the album, at right, which all y'all should do your best to find. It’s good and this band got cut down years early and in the worst of circumstances. Still, a very good album and I regret like hell not having it at this very moment.)

Some games so totally lack in educational value that one has to wonder why they’re played at all. The answer: because it’s on the schedule….this is why a world soccer power like Germany occasionally beats the bejesus out of the...

(Look, it's the Rocky Mountain Cup and that makes me think of Rocky Mountain Oysters, but I can't very well post an image for that...not unless I'm wrong about what those are...whoa! Um, I'm not.)

Not only will this be a little quick, this will become the new normal for the “Three re’s” approach to match analysis. Suffice to say I’m operating within some kind of space-time continuum cluster-, um, fudge in which time moves at 1.5 speed for me; I swear to God, this has been my life since April….madness, I tell you. Madness....

That, ladies and gents, is my favorite image from a Google search for the phrase "a quick one" (though I'm a big fan of the song, "A Quick One (While He's Away)" by The Who). Amazingly, this came with safe search off...

The transcript that follows is a necessary attempt at "live-blogging" Real Salt Lake v. DC...well, live two days later; if I don't write this up as I go, sleep tonight will just be something that happens to other people. You'll see what happened by the end. I'd appreciate the perspective from any insightful...