USA - Venezuela Post-Game Thread [R]

The first goal was offside... second was a touch of magic.... LD looked great especially with DMB... I wanna see Buddle over a full 90

 

Donovan the striker is better then Donovan the midfielder. We have plenty of central mid candidates, not so many dangerous forwards.

 

Yeah, just a couple, after reading and keeping up with the matchtracker...

Sounds like it was a really sub-standard game, from all accounts, and there may be players who really may not have any business playing internationally.

Also, it sounds like Earnie Stewart was inspirational to the side, after he came into the game.

And Landon Donovan's goal-- I'm only judging what I read on the matchtracker, but was it as good of an individual effort as it sounded?

Wish I had seen this game, but ESPN Int'l-Pacific Rim here is showing the NCAA basketball tourney live... bummer.

 

overall a horrible first half performance. kirovski couldn't trap a ball if he wanted to throughout the half, and overall the midfield didnt look very strong at all. klein couldn't get a cross in to save his life and convey, who looked strong on free kicks the past few matchs, was having big time troubles with them...

then in the second half; they bring in mighty mouse <earnie stewart> for klein and wham, the whole complection of the game changes. the first goal should have never counted b/c on the second header boca was offsides, but mcbride should have finished his first effort instead of putting it off the post. kirovski just cleaned up junk. when donovan came in, he added speed up top which we really lacked with kirovski up top with mcbride...too much lugging on the field with those two together.

i really wish we could have seen more of buddle up top with donovan, he got a few minutes towards the end of the game and was not involved at all <if it would have been cunningham people would be saying he sucked and should never don the uniform again> the defense was solid the whole match; venezuela only got a few shots on goal and keller was strong, coming up with two very nice saves.

 

Good second half. Could've been much bigger margin of victory, but I was just glad to see the passing improve. The first half? Well, it's a friendly, and we have nearly a year before we're playing qualifiers, so I'm not too worried about it.

 

if was very pretty although i dont think it was as amazing as some might think, he had two defenders take sliding swipes at him but they totally missed <horrendous tackling> but his finish past the keeper was indeed very calm and neatly slotted home.

 

Someone needs to explain to that moron Ty Keough what offside means..

Apparently he dismisses Bocanegra completely on the play despite being ahead of McBride after Brian's shot hit the crossbar.. What a complete tool...

Other than that, a much better second half for the USA and for about 10 minutes, Kirovski actually looked like a soccer player, but his garbage goal doesn't excuse the first 45 minutes when he was the Jovan we all know and loathe...

Donovan's goal was sheer brilliance despite Rob Stone's best effort to poo-poo the effort claiming the defense was weak.. What I saw was 20 year old kid torch two defenders and sprint towards goal with grace and ease.. I can easily state that there haven't been too many American players capable of pulling off that move and finishing with such cool precision...

On to Mexico....

 

What he said in the first two paragraphs. Buddle did have one chance but was offside. They then played the clock game leading by 2 with a field player in goal after the red card.

I think McBride had a good chance at two but the post took away the first - resulting in the offside goal. Beasley should have sent the ball across quicker as the pass then went a bit behind McBride. He still should have finished as his touch did let him down.

 

The goal was class. He beat a two defenders and just outran a third who gave up(bad defense). Then he looked up to (I think McBride) as he dribbled into the box, keeping the keeper guessing. Then he just slotted it past the keepers left side into the far right corner.

 

you're not offside on a rebound

 

Sounds like "SportsCenter" quality, then!

Which means I'll get to see that in a couple of hours over here, after the hoops.

And yes, we get the same SportsCenter over here as you get back home, twice a day, and live.

I know I risk knocking on wood here, but that goal should definitely make "Top Plays" on SportsCenter, if there aren't highlights of the match otherwise.

 

again, you aren't offside on a rebound

 

My impressions and ratings:

Keller (8): not much to do... came up with a big save in the 1st half...
Cherundolo (4): I don't think he can play at the international level... not necessarily based on this game which was simply "fair" for him...
Bocanegra (7): did his job... not challenged too much...
Pope (7): see Bocanegra...
Convey (5): i can see why Bruce is giving him every shot at left back... i just don't know about it... caught a bit out of shape a few times by a less than challenging opponent... if he's gonna play there, he needs to play like Roberto Carlos (no defense, just be an absolute force going forward)...
Beasley (7): he had his way a bit with a less experienced opponent... always does well defensively...
Mastroeni (7): quietly did his job...
O'Brien (6): some nice balls... relatively effective... i would've liked for us to play through him a little more instead of being so direct...
Klein (3): just not a good game from him... seemed to be laboring a bit at times... ineffective crosses which are supposed to be his forte...
McBride (5-): nothing special (although playing alonside that stiff had a lot to do with it)... would've been a 5 if not for the goal he hemmed-up... would've been a 4 if not for a nice header off the post...
Kirovski (2): simply horrific... would've been a 1 if not for the gift goal that he almost blew anyway... simply does not fit in with this team...

Subs:
Stewart (7): injected some life into the game and vastly improved the right side of the field...
Donovan (7): great goal... great player...
Hejduk (5): improvement over Cherundolo but still has a difficult time distributing out of the back...
Buddle and Garcia (NR): not really enough time

Ty is an idiot... i can't believe the USSF and MLS let so many soccer viewers get their soccer education from his dumb-ass... and i can't believe Stone didn't shut his ass up... i know Stone knows better...

Game overall was a bit of a joke against a much weaker opponent... i'm sure these guys were a bit deflated by not getting to play against a real team (Japan)... having said that, the 2nd half was a bit more watch-able than the ridiculous 1st half...

Donovan showed his class and Kirovski showed his lack thereof...

 

And even if you were... that's no excuse for Venezuala's defenders standing around like statues. I thought the keeper was running out to punch those guys after the goal... turned out he was swinging to chase away the pigeons that perched on them.

 

Ahhh... yes you are... when the ball is headed forward by McBride, Boca is in an offsides position already... if Bake's header goes in, then there's no problem... the minute the ball bounces off the goalpost to Boca, the whistle should blow for offside...

 

And why is that?

What is the difference between a rebound and keepers save? Had the keeper made a save on that play, he surely would have been offside...

Is there a specific rule that states a player is not offside on a rebound off the post?

I'm not being detrimental, just asking for clarification...

 

FIFA Law 11

Read the rule for yourselves.

http://www.fifa2.com/scripts/runisa.dll?S7:gp::67173+refs/laws/law11

 

LD's goal was good, but there still seems to be a lot of cutesiness / lack of ruthlessness in his game. Two plays on this point stood out for me.
The first was when DMB came slashing into the box & passed it to LD in the middle. LD then quickly slotted it back to DMB, when it seemed like he had better opportunities to hold and turn the ball. It seemed like the option to give'n'go in heavy traffic with his good buddy seemed more appealing than a more aggressive attack on the goal.
The second was shortly after his goal, when he had a good chance in the box and fired it right into a diving, sprawled out keeper. It seemed half-hearted, almost as though he was thinking, "Hey, I just scored one, no worries if I don't finish here." It seemed like if he had held it a second or chipped it, he'd have been much better off. (Yeah, yeah, that sounds very armchair quarterback, but it wasn't so much what he did as how he did it... it just seemed lazy.)

 

let's rehash this for the nitwitted


free kick taken... header from that is on goal (with no offsides)... post (or save if you want to say so), but everyone was on sides so they can mop it up... but there is another woodworking (or save if you want)... but no one was offsides for that either, and it's finished



where is the problem?

 

Dude, you forgot about the chip that the keeper handled outside the box. That didn't look lazy....

 

Gotta disagree with your assessment. Donovan had cold, calculated cunning. Great mentality, no cutesiness at all.

 

I would have like to have seen more of Buddle.

I don't know what is wrong with Jovan, he just can't do anything in a US uniform. Its not like he is untalented, he wouldn't play in England if that was the case.

 

i hope Arena doesnt call in Klein anymore. He was horrible. He has nothing to offer for the US. I'd like to see more from Buddle. Being biased, i'd like to see Twellman get more time.

 

OK nitwit...


The problem here is that after McBride's shot, Boca was clearly offside..

After a shot is taken, you simply (through plain logic) can not refer to the original cross from Stewart..

Initially, yes, Boca was onside, but gain a significant advantage by moving up on the play after McBride's scoring attempt..

It seems pretty clear to me, a nitwit...

Apparently you are all alone on your little island in reference to the goal..

If you don't believe me, look up the rule yourself..


http://www.fifa2.com/scripts/runisa.dll?S7:gp::67173+refs/laws/law11