Gooch gets smoked by Mpenza, Demerit plays his heart out and is in central defense against Chelsea score, and Dolo brain farts AGAIN for second goal against Bochum and plays a horrible match. Please put in Spector or Wynn at right back. Dolo is good change of pace defender and locker room spirit, nothing else. Friedel plays amazing and still gets nailed for 4 goals. Beez doesnt even get the bench and neither does Dempsey. Spector on bench. McBride and Boca have ok days. Not much to be happy about this weekend.
Re: Dark Day for YA You may want to stick an R in the title as there are many results in this thread.
And this is exactly why European managers hate international dates because their players either come back injured or exhausted from travel and subsequently have poor matches. It's not an excuse but could be a contributor to poor play. Maybe just maybe will USSF consider playing some matches in Europe to cut down on their transatlantic travel.
So, Dolo had a bad game? What else happened? As you said, Freidel played awesome (he can't help his defense) and Gooch by no means was smoked by Mpenza. So, 1 out 8 ain't bad. Anything else you'd care to share Sam? God, I wish people would stop looking for things to complain about and performances to rip just for the sake of it.
c'mon dude, this was not griping at all, but the US had a bad weekend. Gooch was blamed and deserves to be blamed for Mpenza goal. Stop arguing. Dolo sucked it up. I would say more, besides Demerit playing well and being part of the line that gave up a 90minute goal to Chelsea, but the rest were on the Bench or in the nearest Pub. Any time a goal tender gives up 4, he will get called out. So go regroup in that place where you let reality enter your thoughts and prepare for what I hope is a better weekend.
I haven't seen the goal. But, it's pretty had to say unequivocally that Gooch got smoked when I doubt that you have any idea what his responsibilities are in the Newcastle defense. No one plays pure man to man. Defenses generally use a combination of man making and zonal responsibilities. He may have passed Mpenza on to someone else's zonal responsibility. If he ran with Mpenza he may have left space for someone else on City to exploit.
Not Spector on the right, please.... He's not good enough, either left, or right... But he's young, and you never know in a few years what happens.
Demerit was named to Soccernet's Team of the Week. Also, Jeremiah White scored on his debut for Aarhus GF. It's never all bad news.
It's not all bad, but this is one of the most disappointing seasons for Yanks Abroad to date. I was hoping for great things from Bobby Convey, DMB, Gooch, Spector, etc. On the other hand Howard and McBride have been great.
And so have Friedel, Boca, DeMerit, Pearce, Hahnemann, Simek, Califf, and Josh Grenier, and Gooch (@Liege). All in all it's been a mixed season of highs and lows. The "mainstream" YA w/Nats experience may of had some disappointing seasons, but this has been a memorable one for me in terms of some younger YA's break through. Hill, Feilhaber, Bradley, Zimmermann, Ferrari, White, Sammy Ochoa, and Smith. And hopefully (fingers crossed) Charlie Davies will burst onto the Swedish scene with Hammarby. So all's not lost this season, these guys have provided a glimmer of hope to come.
and Demerit was in soccernet's team of the week, so it sounds like he had an excellent day, and he wasn't at fault for the goal in any big way
I don't quite understand why Gooch is being termed a "failure" when he is playing okay, not great, after coming into the EPL midseason. I think it may be a lot bigger jump from Belgium to England, especially without the benefit of a preseason with the team, than some are realizing, but oh well, I'm giving up on him.
When you struggle against a bunkering Guatemala side who lived for long ball... and you still get burned more than anyone else... Annnnnnnnnd... you can't manage to stay in the squad for a West Ham team who's defense makes Fulham's look mighty... Spector may have potential, I don't doubt that at all... but right now, put him and Wynne together, and they're not in Steve Cherundolo's league. Spector made a solid Simek performance look magnificent. Will they be beyond him some day? It's entirely plausible... but, come on... let's show a little love for Stevie C here. We have the same initials, we gotta stick out for each other.
DeMerit was being picked as man of the match by the commentators before the goal in stoppage time was put in by Kalou. DeMerit was with his man that was going to the near post and had him covered. Kalou was left to go in for the header by DeMerit's teammate...because you know...there's 11 guys on each team. DeMerit and the other Yanks can't do it alone.... Didn't see the others play...but DeMerit did play really well...
Whether they saw the games or not, some people just view life in a partly cloudy versus partly sunny kind of way. A few party cloudy days don't diminish the fact the sun also shined this weekend.
I'm only 35 mins into watching it on Tivo but Hannemann has had a tremendous game so far. Hope it doesn't turn sour.