10/13 WCQ: USA v Panama pre- & during-game thread {R}

babytiger2001 · Oct 13, 2004

USA v Panama
Where: At RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.
When: Wednesday, 13 October 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (and 9:30 a.m. Melbourne time for me here)
TV: Live on ESPN2, and delayed on Telemundo at 11:30 p.m. ET & PT
Webcast: Info requested for me and others overseas
Matchtracker: On ussoccer.com

For the USA, a spot in next year's hexagonal final-round group is at stake, with a win clinching the spot. It's that simple. A draw might do it, too, given the proper result from the Jamaica v El Salvador match in Kingston -- but it would be more satisfying to take care of business with a three-point reward.

Teams aim for final round berths -- CONCACAF.com (includes current tables)

U.S. Men look to advance (news & notes) -- ussoccer.com

USA Roster (copied and pasted, and edited, from the weekend match against El Salvador)

Goalkeepers (2): Tim Howard (Manchester United), Kasey Keller (Tottenham Hotspur)

Defenders (7): Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Eddie Pope (MetroStars), Tony Sanneh (Columbus Crew)

Midfielders (7): DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Landon Donovan, (San Jose Earthquakes), Cobi Jones (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Lewis (Preston North End), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Clint Mathis (Hannover 96), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)

Forwards (4): Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Eddie Johnson (Dallas Burn), Brian McBride (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards).

Note that Cory Gibbs is out through yellow-cards suspension, and Eddie Gaven and Jonny Walker were released back to their respective club sides. I also listed Kerry Zavagnin in here, although he did get hurt late in the El Salvador match. If anyone has any roster updates, especially in light of Gibbs' mandatory ban, post them here.

Also post your lineup prognostications and match predictions here!!

Let's keep all the on-topic content in this thread-- but as for an AIM chat room, feel free to invite yourselves to a room called BigSoccer USA WCQ (note that I've simplified the title of the room, this time around). If that should fill up, subsequent rooms will be called BigSoccer USA WCQ II, and so forth. Chat rooms such as these will help allieviate the pressure from the servers.

A scattering of other links...

Final round within reach for Americans -- Soccernet (Mark Connolly)

Johnson making impressive strides -- Soccernet (more from Connolly)

Howard disappointed in not playing -- Soccernet, via Reuters

Enjoy the game, everyone!

babytiger2001 · Oct 13, 2004

My picks:

The lineup...

-----------------------McBride--------------Wolff--------------------

----------------------------------Mathis-----------------------------

------Beasley-------------------------------------------Donovan-----

---------------------------------Zavagnin----------------------------

---Bocanegra---------Pope-----------"Gooch"-----------Hedjuk-------

----------------------------------Keller------------------------------

Very little change, really. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

My match prediction, 3-0 to the USA -- advancing in style. Goals to Beasley, Donovan and Big Johnson (yes, Eddie scores again, coming off the bench once more).

elconejito · Oct 13, 2004

Normally I count on BA not using the same lineup. He usually changes quite a few players from one game to the next especially back-to-back games, but here i expect to see a very similar lineup

Keller
Sanneh, Pope, Boca, Convey
Donovan, Zavagnin, Mathis, Beasley
McBride, Wolff

possible options would be mastro for zavagnin if he cant go 100%. If BA wants a change from mathis at AM, donovan might slip in there with sanneh or Heydude taking the RM spot.

I cant see "gooch" starting unless he has alot of experience around him. one possible scenario would be gooch and pope centrally, and boca and sanneh or heydude on the wings. i think BA probably puts convey out there at left back tho, so that kinda reduces those chances, i think.

not sure how BA is going to use his strikers. i think wolff starts if BA thinks we may see some open space if Panama comes out to play, or perhaps casey with mcbride if he thinks they may bunker. since i dont think panama will bunker, i expect wolff to start....

ACGreen · Oct 13, 2004

How great is it to be playing at home? Let's hope that we can give our boys some positive motivation for clinching this thing. As this sign from ES shows, Central American negative reinfocement was pretty powerful:

One to Go!

ACGreen · Oct 13, 2004

babytiger2001 said:

Very little change, really. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

My match prediction, 3-0 to the USA -- advancing in style. Goals to Beasley, Donovan and Big Johnson (yes, Eddie scores again, coming off the bench once more).
Click to expand...

Tigrito,
There is one thing that seems to have broken down and that is Mathis. Now I didn't see the game, but followed it on the boards and he seemed to be pretty ineffectual. I would rather see Mathis on the bench, or for that matter in a Lufthansa terminal.

onefineesq · Oct 13, 2004

ACGreen said:

(snip) .... I would rather see Mathis on the bench, or for that matter in a Lufthansa terminal.
Click to expand...

hahahahahahahahahahaha I think that I just found my new sig ..........

natewhd · Oct 13, 2004

elconejito said:

Normally I count on BA not using the same lineup. He usually changes quite a few players from one game to the next especially back-to-back games, but here i expect to see a very similar lineup

Keller
Sanneh, Pope, Boca, Convey
Donovan, Zavagnin, Mathis, Beasley
McBride, Wolff

possible options would be mastro for zavagnin if he cant go 100%. If BA wants a change from mathis at AM, donovan might slip in there with sanneh or Heydude taking the RM spot.

I cant see "gooch" starting unless he has alot of experience around him. one possible scenario would be gooch and pope centrally, and boca and sanneh or heydude on the wings. i think BA probably puts convey out there at left back tho, so that kinda reduces those chances, i think.

not sure how BA is going to use his strikers. i think wolff starts if BA thinks we may see some open space if Panama comes out to play, or perhaps casey with mcbride if he thinks they may bunker. since i dont think panama will bunker, i expect wolff to start....
Click to expand...

Convey at 110% doesnt deserve the start. Seeing him as a staple in the USMNT lineup concerns me that BA and Ricky Williams have been spending too much time together.

natewhd · Oct 13, 2004

onefineesq said:

hahahahahahahahahahaha I think that I just found my new sig ..........
Click to expand...

Too many people making decisions about Mathis based on his personality rather than his play. He is one of the best footballers in the country. Without Mathis, who do you like on direct free kicks? Who do you like to create attacking opportunities through the middle? Without Cpt America, we need Mathis in there. In a 4-4-2 his lack for tracking back on D will be minimized.

B Rock · Oct 13, 2004

natewhd said:

Too many people making decisions about Mathis based on his personality rather than his play. He is one of the best footballers in the country. Without Mathis, who do you like on direct free kicks? Who do you like to create attacking opportunities through the middle? Without Cpt America, we need Mathis in there. In a 4-4-2 his lack for tracking back on D will be minimized.
Click to expand...

Seriously, can we have one thread that doesn't turn into a debate on Clint Mathis? I mean, there are about 15 other ones going right now, no need to hijack another one. Jeez.

As to the game, plenty of lineup predictions elsewhere. I'd just like to see some flowing soccer and a victory. A little concerned about our recent finishing (the two El Salvador games, the game @ Panama) and I'd like to see us with a better strike rate this game. Whether that means 6-0 or 2-0 isn't important to me, but sooner or later we're going to have to start converting more of the chances we create, and I wouldn't mind it being sooner.

bennyf118 · Oct 13, 2004

Based on the sources that I've seen these are the possible lineups:

------------Keller------------
Hejduk--Pope--Berhalter--Boca
----------Zavagnin-----------
Donovan--------------Beasley
-----------Mathis------------
----McBride--------Wolff-----

That same lineup with Donovan as AM, Beasley on the right, and Lewis on the left.

That same lineup with Casey starting instead of Wolff.

FC Tallavana · Oct 13, 2004

bennyf118 said:

Based on the sources that I've seen these are the possible lineups:

------------Keller------------
Hejduk--Pope--Berhalter--Boca
----------Zavagnin-----------
Donovan--------------Beasley
-----------Mathis------------
----McBride--------Wolff-----

That same lineup with Donovan as AM, Beasley on the right, and Lewis on the left.

That same lineup with Casey starting instead of Wolff.
Click to expand...

I think we may see BOTH of those line-ups. I think Mathis and Wolff will start with DMB on the left. In the 2nd half, Lewis comes on for Mathis to force DMB our right and LD will play in the center. Don't know if a forward sub will bring in Casey or Johnson though.

cliffkram · Oct 13, 2004

Aside from the gamecast on ussoccer.com, does anyone know of any...ahem...umm...underground relays of the telecast? im in england, and there are no networks picking it up out here...oddly enough though the Bravo network is showing Bolivia v. Colombia.

Email or PM me with info please.

Thanks

TheSlipperyOne · Oct 13, 2004

Anyone going to do some PBP? It would be much appreciated as once again Matchtracker is not working for me (seems to happen at least every other game).

ETSC · Oct 13, 2004

Let's get this done.

Waiting for lineups-- ESPN cramming in as many commercials before kickoff as possible.

kennytt · Oct 13, 2004

What's the official US starting line-up, anyone?

dark knight · Oct 13, 2004

Flashing shot by Eddie Pope just goes wide after Lewis free kick. 3rd minute

Malkamus · Oct 13, 2004

kennytt said:

What's the official US starting line-up, anyone?
Click to expand...

AIM: US vs Panama if anyones intersted...

Jeremy Goodwin · Oct 13, 2004

USA:

G: Keller
Boca, Berhalter, Pope, Hejduk
Donovan
Lewis <----> Besley
Zavagnin
McBride, Wolff

dark knight · Oct 13, 2004

lewis on left and beasely on right I believe is the change in the lineup. No Mathis

dark knight · Oct 13, 2004

Free kick headed down by Panama grabbed by Keller easily.

dark knight · Oct 13, 2004

LD wins free kick about 12 yards out of the box.

Jeremy Goodwin · Oct 13, 2004

Panama:

G: Gonzalez
Henriquez, A Torres, Rivera, Moreno
Medina, <----> Phillips
M. Torres, Blanco
Ju. Dely Valdes, Brown

Kronos · Oct 13, 2004

US has missed two clear chances already...

dark knight · Oct 13, 2004

Holy mackerel - free kick was floated in and then headed across by BMB - Berhalter is shoved but sends his header wide. Nice chance goes begging.

Ringo · Oct 13, 2004

Jeremy Goodwin said:

USA:

G: Keller
Boca, Berhalter, Pope, Hejduk
Donovan
Lewis, Besley
Zavagnin
McBride, Wolff
Click to expand...

the smart lineup, which is nice to see. I'm glad Bruce didn't follow the advice of many on here and start every up-and-comer he could think of. let's get these three points and be done with it.