now that ghana have got back on track after you guys ruined it for everyone and lucked into a win. The USA is about to get its comeuppance. Much like the bandwagon fans the team is probably feelin itself and wont be playing 11 men behind the ball and since prtugal has players capable of shooting i predict a no less than 4 goal drubing.

I'll be back after the game to talk about it, until fuck all o y'all. (though i do rate clint dempsey and am somewhat concerned altidore wont be taking up a spot on the field with his garbage sub-emile heskey level of play)

Also, mad?

I dont think that *they* think they played all that well

against Ghana?

Like, Michael Bradley thinks that's as good as he's capable of playing?

I'll be back for the aftermath tomorrow. I've got work in the morning

within their own country when the World Cup comes around

Russia/Belgium is a remake of a classic '86 rd of 16 match up, when Belgium defeated the old SSSR 4-3 after extra time, with a lot of help from an ultra right wing Swedish referee that allowed two offside goals for them because he wanted the communists out (he copped to this 4 years later after jobbing them again in the first game of the '90 world cup by ignoring an obvious Maradona hand ball to save a goal, and being banned from international games forever).

you're welcome.

https://twitter.com/MilesKohrman/status/480575250951049216/photo/1

Rather poor mistake.

.

within 30' I got a clear answer

convoking him to Putin's office for a nice drink
such a sitter, and he shanked

Jesse Marsch, who you may remember from a brief coaching sting with Montreal, following a long stint as Bob Bradley's assistant coach with the USMNT -- anyway they asked Marsch what he thought of the two muscle injuries in the first half against Ghana, and Jesse said he had spoken with the previous US fitness coach, and the fitness coach said, "in my job, there are no coincidences." Two muscle injuries in the first half, when guys supposedly aren't tired yet, and no other team, despite playing in the same conditions, have had similar injuries, he said it would be a real point of concern for the fitness coach.

Hopefully we don't see a repeat in Manaus. We really can't waste injury subs (and our depth is not great), but yeah -- it's not a baseless concern to wonder if Klinsi got the fitness wrong, too.

That said -- GO GO USA!

>it's not a baseless concern to wonder if Klinsi got the
>fitness wrong, too.

but I'm with y'all, let's not allow facts to impede on the hating/'gendas

Celery has been on some basa sgit for last 3 weeks

granted, vis a vis the previous assistant coach as well, but let's not act like Klinsmann has a monopoly on soccer knowledge just cuz he talks with an accent.

and Klinsmann has been, well, a Nazi about his fitness regime. It's been one of the major themes of his coaching since the day he took over. Hopefully we get out of Manaus without any more injury incidents, but given the conditions ... I'm nervous as hell.

this game is not delivering as I hoped, so my mind's drifting, and random post ideas come up

I think it would behoove us to help out our potential lurkers...
guys who don't usually watch but tune in for the cup, and are scratching their head to figure out which game to watch and which to avoid

so, a post where we rate the entertainment factor of all games 3 to come
here's a preview of how it would go, let me know if y'all think it deserves its own post

Croatia/Mexico - total stud. Croatia needs a win, Mexico a draw but they'll play for a win regardless...potential for more Memo magic. tune in.

Brazil/Cameroon - 60% chance of a dud. Cameroon is one of the weakest teams in the pool this year, Brazil needs to be more convincing, but they won't try too hard anyway...I would pass.

etc...

I like this Belgian team. I'm hoping we get to see them at least till the semi-finals.

they're clearly pacing themselves in first halves and then they're relentless ending the game...Hazard put so much pressure on the defense they had to crack at some point

and that kid Origi is good

both Ruski defenders went toward Hazard (who already had someone on him) and left Origi by himself. Still, Hazard had to make that pass and he nailed it. So did Origi with his great finish

.

son was completely unmarked like 6 in away from the defender

not getting my hopes up

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1871722-ranking-world-footballs-20-best-players-in-november/page/21

B. Messi was injured and is better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFwXmz1KGoQ&feature=share

Jesus Christ we're playing for the draw. I'm actually okay with that? And Clint really SHOULD spend the majority of his time in the box instead of drifting around the top of it? And there's still enough counter-attacking presence in there that it's not unrealistic to expect a goal.

But wow -- let's be honest here fellas. If Bob Bradley had brought this lineup out, y'all would have roasted him.

but hopefully Wondo will get minutes this game either way.

Wondo is a MASTER at moving off the ball, disappearing into spaces, losing his mark, and scoring goals when the ball comes to him in those spots. He's also one of the hardest working pros from MLS who's played 90' in every summer game, has played CCL games in Mexico, lives and dies for the US shirt, wears the captain's armband in San Jose, and just generally can be absolutely counted on for professional minutes no matter what. I just thought he might be a real thorn for Portugal and would definitely get a great chance or two just by his movement and intelligence.

But if the midfield is setup to defend first, it's probably best he's not in there. Let them counter and create with skill. Wondo was the best forward option if you planned to actually attack the opposition box. It looks like we're set up to attack the flanks and hope either Bradley or Clint can be an option in the box for crosses when we do get it deep.

It was obnoxious, semi-romanticized "life is hard in Manuas, but at least there's soccer!" clap-trap. At least they added the part noting that after they shot the segment, the villages they showed were devastated by floods, they lost all their livestock, and they're gonna have to rebuild without help from the government.

That segment and the ad for Koch Industries that they showed almost immediately afterwards left a really bad taste in my mouth.

I'm mainly just surprised at ESPN's presentation there, never mind the real value of the content.

the paternalism everywhere, even in the little cartoon jingles, is disgusting
I'm just trying my best to ignore it

A+ shade throwing by Landon saying, "I'm hearing about unreported injuries that guys are carrying." Mmmm hmmm, work that grapevine suit + tie Landon.

I met a huge LA Galaxy fan from Guatemala once who adored Landon Donovan, and when I asked him why he said, "because he talks shit to the Mexicans!" Don't ever mistake Landon's love for California with a lack of personal pride.

n/m

Costa Rica shocked the world.

But this Murrican team is the truth.

They ballin right now.

Bradley looks like he came to play this time.

he's been quietly very influential in pressing and linking

We're not out of this at all.

just douches all around, presided over by the douchelord himself
yelling at each other on missed passes (the audacity of Nani yelling at anyone after that straight up amateur touch he showed on Moutinho's 50 yards pass earlier)

AIN'T NO TIME OUT IN FUTBOL

but you do that fitness agenda

US is probably the better team right now, but Portugal look like scoring every time they go forward.

************************

or else Davis for Bedoya, just because we had a lot of corners in that first half that would be greatly helped by Davis' left foot delivery (and Bedoya was invisible).

A draw isn't good enough. I want two.

USA has actually looked nicer in the attack IMO. then, we can't finish one off.

fucking flub ass goal.

oh look! Landon Donovan! wonder if he could help right now!

than i expected.

Portugal are absolutely horrendous and the US deserve at least a draw. At least argentina pretend to have other outlets besides messi. Portugal consist of C. Ronaldo, his stan and a bunch of turnstiles. I know its a worn agenda round here but can we get a "C.Ronaldo needs help" agenda going

************************

someone has it on delay

************************

just fantastically unlucky.

A yard either side and that's a goal.


************************

He didn't want to flub the open net and that cost him the goal.

************************

best players on the field have been Johnson and Jones

I'm proud of him.

And I said before the tournament that Fabian Johson was poised to be the breakout US star of the WC. And Germany Jones played in South Africa, ain't got shit to do with Klinsmann.

good god I have no faith in that dude, hairpiece aside

************************

************************

Should've been taken out

might have hurt quite a bit

fuckfuck

goddammit

seriously, did that just fucking happen?

We're better at soccer than you.

************************

good ole 0-0 next week, book it

Dat Anschluss game remix

I hope Brasilians come prepared with the white flags for the final 30 mns of the game

But could 4 points be enough?

Portugals goal difference works against them...but what about Ghana?

************************

We're currently 5 ahead of them. We're probably fucked if Ghana wins. Hopefully those two draw.

************************

Remember that it's critical now that even if the USA loses to Germany they need to keep the score way, way down.

USA's best bet is to hope that Portugal wins because their goal difference is at -4 right now.

************************

it's going to be difficult to make it through
the only scenario where the US do is if Ghana wins by just 1 and they lose by just 1
anything more in favor of Ghana and Ghana goes through

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L5tWZUXFULI/T-3kArKaChI/AAAAAAAACqI/IVeqmpdR3Yg/s1600/18+SILVESTRE+VARELA.png


I love it.

i hope bradley never comes back from Brazil at this point.

************************

all he had to do was make a simple backpass and we win the fucking game.

after that and his play vs. Ghana he can kick boulders.

that timid ass finish on the Johnson cross was a mistake too

sky it if you must but don't play it scared and tap it to the lone defender there...that's almost as bad as the ball he coughed up for the tie

don't cape up for Bradley. he played better overall but he was horrible vs. Ghana and he cost us the W, period.

he sucked today and that one cross ball at the end doesn't change any of that

happy?

prolly the same reason why Arsenal wouldn't sign him, despite Michael's desire to go there, because clear Michael has something to bring to the midfield, but people prefer to dwell on his mistakes.

Bradley would ride the pine all year at Arsenal

because by my count, Michael squarely outplayed Raul, but for some reason we're trying to blame Michael for the USA defying most oddsmakers in avoiding defeat to Portugal.

I agree

He was directly responsible for giving away 2 goals. You can be great structurally and dictate tempo but if you come up woefully short in 2 game-changing moments in a sport that places extreme emphasis on those moments, then that's hardly a great game.

>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Roll me further bitch"

All I wanted was to feel good after the group stage. Through two games, I feel good about the group stage. I'll be thrilled if we make the knock-outs, I'll be proud of our performance regardless.

Whatever Klinsmann is doing, it's working. The real story is players like Besler, Zusi, Bradley et. al. are better than people think and MLS is far from a retirement league.

Go. Go. USA.

so do Germans

even 3 points there didn't really win us anything except pride. But we can still feel proud, Portugal is the team lucky to survive that match, not us.

that is all.

Their movement and distribution was much much better this game...they really exposed the flanks of Portugal consistently.

That being said, what a fucking ball by Cristiano. Other than Blind, that's the best ball I've this tournament. Very weird non-reaction by the Portugal team though, like no one was happy about the equalizer, never seen that before...they even showed the coach and he was just standing there with a blank expression.

they're not going to massively outscore Ghana, and Germany (with no incentive to win) is not going to bury the US either

To not being out and out eliminated. O well lol

the widely shared perception around the world is that the US are still minnows at this game, so not beating them when you fancy yourself an elite futbol power (foolhardishly in the case of Portugal) fucks with your pride
the coach and all these players know they're gonna get roasted in the press for this performance, and that it will most likely cost the coach his job

************************

both teams played hard. both teams advance.

Obviously if we win or tie we're in. If we lose and Ghana and Portugal tie, we're in.

If Ghana won would we advance because we best them?

If Portugal won close, would we advance on differential?

although I dunno about the tie-breaker with Ghana. Do we hold a tie-breaker over Ghana? Does it supercede goal differential?

Most experts wanted us getting a tie from Portugal. The real heartbreak is from the fact that we outplayed Portugal, deserved a win, but lost concentration right at the end.

Man ... whatever ... I'm proud of the Yanks regardless.

so if you lose to Germany, and Ghana wins, you're likely out unless they win by just 1 and you lose by just 1 (you'd be tied then, which means the second tiebreaker, head-to-head play would come into play)

if you lose to Germany and Portugal wins, you're most likely in unless your defeat is a debacle for the ages

but Germany just needs a tie to win the group, you just need a tie to make it through, Low and Klinsmann are boys...match made in heaven
the odds are largely in your favor

>but Germany just needs a tie to win the group, you just need a
>tie to make it through, Low and Klinsmann are boys...match
>made in heaven
>the odds are largely in your favor

Just plain un-American to depend on someone else to advance.

or are you going to enjoy the round of 16?

look at it like this, you did enough in these two games to make it through...you put yourself in the position to strike a sweet deal with the group winner

welcome to the dark side

USA outplayed Portugal (same as the last time we met...), I'm not mad at all.

especially after being down 1-0 early on.

Portugal was lucky to escape from there with ANY points. Bradley is a big reason we played so well. One mistake does not a performance define.

and unfortunately, in futbol, they do define the game
doesn't matter how well you play if you screw the pooch in two crucial moments

and with the draw the US still stand a good chance of advancing from the group. Only haters are taking this time to focus on the negatives.

and yeah -- Gerrard and Jordan are getting paid however much to start every week at 2nd place Liverpool while bombing England out of the World Cup, and Bradley is a luxury bench option in the Serie A before taking a payday from MLS? How does that add up? It's bullshit. Bradley had a fine game, nothing to be ashamed of.

From hating our German overlord to defending the guy who kept this from being 3-1 good guys to scrapping for any excuse to cyse MLS.

I'm happy for Clint.

But that won't make me lose sight of what Landon has meant for American soccer.

looking forward to it

sorry you're not paying attention.

Zusi was a beast on the press, did fantastic cycling between wide play and central linking. If you didn't see that Peter Vermes influence coming straight from the University of Maryland making Ronaldo pay the price for his lack of defending in this game, then you're not paying attention. Meanwhile, Clint and Michael were two of our biggest contributors, and neither of them seem to be nursing some kind of phantom injury which supposedly comes from being MLS stars. Besler balled the fuck out and the most European thing he does is eat Belgian waffles on Sunday. I'm proud of our guys, I'm pleased Klinsmann put them in this position to succed, hand out whatever Ls you want. The biggest thing I'm smarting about is undervaluing Yedlin's sole ability to run and have a first touch -- apparently that's enough to get over in the World Cup. Klinsmann proved me wrong on that.

Ghana 3-1..Ger-US: 1-1.....Ghana goes through on Goals scored tally.

Another tie would give the US 5 points, and the win would give Ghana only 4.

Since tiebreakers would be irrelevant.

.

of course now he will cause I baited him :)

In any case there is very good chance Ghana routes Portugal if they don't waste scoring opportunities & Germany making the USA pay for excessively giving up the ball around the middle of the pitch.

#GHA 14.81% #POR 5.46%

@NumberFire

They had a damn sanctioned water break in the first half and added on TWO minutes

**fuck**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

Ditch the paper, save the trees, and go mobile! Text bizcard to 32462!

Bradley is certainly to fault for giving the ball away but Cameron had zero awareness of who was on his back shoulder. He got caught completely ball watching.

But also Bradley stupidly gave it away not once but twice in last few minutes.

Plus the inexcusable miss.

Plus his passes were off all day.

He's one of my favorite players on the team but he had been beyond terrible so far.

Was just surprised that no one is mentioning Cameron, at all, on the final play considering he completely flubbed his role....you have to find the ball and then get your bearings in terms of potential runs...that was extremely poor.

Looked like yedlin failed to get back for johnson too

Not the biggest fan of his color commentary (but that might just be because he's always doing the England games so it's hard to maintain objectivity for him) but he has been tremendous in-studio....great insight combined with a level head.

Cameron had a bad day at the office overall. Hopefully he puts it behind him quickly.

iran yesterday, u.s.a. today ... snatching disappointment from the jaws of elation!

i'm always conflicted with u.s. soccer. on one hand it feels natural to root for them. on the other, the last thing i need is them to actually succeed, sheesh, i'm sick enough of soccer when it's fake popular, i don't need to be really be a thing in america!

i'm starting to get more excited about colombia's chances though. i'll be down there during all the elimination play, it's going to be fucking crazy if they make a legit run.

>the last thing i need
>is them to actually succeed, sheesh, i'm sick enough of soccer
>when it's fake popular, i don't need to be really be a thing
>in america!

#Keepdreaming

and one touch passing was a bad word

Oh...wait a minute...

our german overlord is leading your guys to glorious new heights. accept his wisdom, stop being so mad that he correctly diagnosed the state of US Soccer and where it needs to go, and join the fun.

Don't hate. Participate.

This is obviously the best USMNT ever. No way any previous edition has four points after two matches in this group.

Because if you want to get in to the nitty gritty, the Omar sub might have cost the US two points yesterday, and the real story of the quality in this team has a lot more to do with the success of MLS than it does Klinsi aping Bradley's tourney tactics.

some of that is due to the increased skill level of the players, yes. some of that is due to the goal inflation at this World Cup. but a good deal of credit has to go to Klinsman, who has clearly impressed upon these dudes that they are allowed to be aggressive and put them in positions to do so.

you can't act like the last two years haven't been the best the national team has ever played, and to act like the coach of that team hasn't been a key part of that is just being mad.

*insert 4-5-1 complaint here, because all 4-5-1s are the same, right?*

Klinsmann has done reasonably well, but no I'm not convinced that's his influence instead of the rising tide of MLS bred talent coming thru (Cameron, Zusi, Beckerman; Besler, Gonzalez all recent key players who spent formative years in MLS). And is the recent stretch of friendlies and WCQs really better than the '02 run? Or the '09 Confed Cup on the back of a Gold Cup win? It's not like "success" is a new thing for the US. We won the group in '10, shoulda had consecutive victories in the group if not for a disallowed goal. We BEAT Portugal the last time we played them. We've been top dogs in CONCACAF for a while.

That said, Klinsmann has done enough at this point to justify his extension (even if he is just keeping the seat warm for Jason Kreis). I've learned to recognize the method in his madness with roster selections, in keeping players challeneged and hungry. Tactically he's learned to embrace tried + true American pragmatism and that's a good thing. He's clearly not a disaster, but he's also not immune to second-guessing (Omar in midfield? Is that what he did last night?). And four points in this group should be reasonably expected, not a huge surprise.

And yeah -- ask Klinsi Clint should never have come to Seattle, Jozy needed to "test" himself in bigger leagues. As a result, Clint is in some of the best form in his life and Jozy just threw a year of his career away at Sunderland. There is PLENTY of reason to think success is being bred into this US team from sources beyond Jurgen.

Friedel, Reyna, McBride, young Landon....

Joe-Max. Don't remember much about Joe-Max Moore except that name is awesome.

Bradley turned the ball over. That has nothing to do with the defense simply not defending on that play.

trying to be cute.

ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS WHACK IT TOWARDS THE PORTUGESE GOAL.

OR BACK PASS IT TO ANOTHER MIDFIELDER.

OR PUNT IT OUT OF BOUNDS.

OR DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BUT GET STRIPPED.

but no, he was trying to be the shit and got ripped. i can excuse ball watching w/ 30 seconds (when you're apt to be more lax) left than giving the ball away...which Bradley has done A LOT in Brazil.

It's 95% Bradley's fault, 5% Cameron's.

Okay, player. Mike turned the ball over. Even if he punts to the endline, there's a good chance Portugal gets another ball forward. The whole team was set deep. All they had to do was keep playing, instead of just serving as training dummies while Portugal did what we all knew they were going to do -- serve it into the box.

i said it's more excusable. of the easier of the two things to do (defend that cross vs. get rid of the fucking ball)...well, getting rid of the fucking ball is a lot easier.

POR would have had to build from the back or from a throw in (or god forbid he just back passes and we hold possesion!!!) and VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY likely would have run out of clock vs. what they got which was a quick counter that caught everyone off guard thanks to Bradley's stupidity.

i feel like you want this to be Cameron's fault since he doesn't play in the MLS. lol.

BTW, did anyone see Jeremy Schapp cookin Bradley's ass in the post match?

There was going to be another ball into the box before the ref blew his whistle. Bradley turning it over in the opposition half shouldn't completely destroy a US defense behind the ball just waiting to clear. Where was Omar? Who was supposed to be following the most dangerous Portugal player whether Bradley had the ball or not? Why isn't Timmy shouting at Geoff about the runner? There was ONE runner in the box, how did he get so ridicuously free? That cross was from way out, could Timmy have punched? There are so many more problems than just one turn over. The turn over started it, but it was the LEAST impactful mistake on the eventual goal. How the fuck you gonna get "countered" when you're playing behind the ball?

Yeah, it was a mistake by Bradley, but it's silly to hold him solely responsible for that embarrassing sequence. And Cameron's name is out there cuz he gifted POR not one, but two goals (Timmy wasn't great on the 1st either). We were better than Portugal. A draw is disappointing no matter how it happened. That's on the whole team.

what i will agree with is that Timmy was almost as bad on that first goal. usually he stands strong in that situation.

Or I suppose with the star billing comes the star share of criticism ... Michael's turn to feel what Landon has been going through for a decade. But yeah, crap sequence for the US no matter how you slice it.

Its a perfect example of a bunch of little mistakes compounding at once

The turnover was not good

But the first mistake is not the worst of the series

I mean, as a defender, it's your primary job to defend the players making a run. If just one of the 3 CBs were actually defending, then Ronaldo's cross would have been intercepted.

I mean, it is there job. I don't understand why you are going so hard after Bradley.

it's like i'm the only one putting the onus on Bradley or something.

wake up guys.

like that he's gonna eat most of the blame regardless of what happens on the back end. as he should.

if we had any other good options in MF he'd surely get dropped cause he's played his worst ball in years these last 2 games. Jones been carrying him.

that is like, the wildest shit anyone has ever said about US Soccer.

sadly, it's true.

It's not the same as an errant switch. He was on an island. Yeah, being on an island should increase his urgency, but let's not act like it was Ricardo Clark getting his pocket picked v. Ghana or something.

And yeah -- the lack of CM depth in the 23 is something (*cough*LANDON*cough*) that is a real concern.

There's no way a turnover in midfield should lead to the goal, but on a 2 vs. 5 it shouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't even have tracked back as there were 3 CBs. Like Roberto said, it shouldn't be an issue.

But he's not blameless at all. Cameron is more to blame in my eyes, for both goals.

With that said, the last 18 hours have done a lot to cool me down. I was fishgrease hot last night. We can still advance out of the group though.

This was 2 v 5....not a team being caught on their front-foot. The back 4 (other than Beasley who did fine, there's no way you can close down Cristiano 1v1 there with no one behind you) had to get everything wrong and they did...Cameron was completely ball watching and there's no shout from anyone either.

Bradley def takes some blame but this isn't the "mf gives the ball away leading to a unbalanced break" situation....it was still 2v5.

http://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/025518be1ddd_1845/image.png

No one can look at that and blame bradley

Thats Gonzalez upfield of Jones and I dont know wtf Yedlin was doing

Complete meltdown in the back

I don't have the picture or video but ESPN had it with Ballack breaking it down. He pretty much said everything that's already been stated but that angle made it even more egregious. The worst part is that there's no Portugal attacker other than Ronaldo on the right yet you have 3 US defenders bunched around the near cross, ALL watching Cristiano. Cameron is the farthest CB, completely ball watching, never even thinks about taking a peak to get his bearings, and then Fabian Johnson who is trailing Varela clearly gives no kind of shout to Cameron. It's an absolute failure at the back...Ballack even said that all the negative press on Bradley is completely overblown bc a turnover like that happens 15-20 times a game AND it was in the opponents half....AND you had 6 defenders back. Blaming only Bradley in that situation while overlooking the failure of 5 others is ridiculous.

But otherwise...yep

At fault for both goals.

Jones completed a much less accurate 36/48, Beckerman was 55/61, although obviously he's playing a much more simple passing game. Also, through two games, Michael Bradley has run two miles more than anyone else in a US jersey. He's a one man press, the heart of the US midfield.

Michael's first game was a dud, but if you think he was the "problem" last night, I think you need to pay closer attention. Of course I'm happy with the contributions of Jones + Beckerman, but I think much of the criticism of Bradley from last night is very unfair. If the backline plays to the whistle, we're qualified right now.

It was still a bad turn over and the scaredy shot he put up 5 mns earlier on a golden goal opportunity made it seem even worse

but yes, the defense fucked up

he had a shitty game, and his first game was awful.

and he had an egregious miss vs Portugal.

Is he the reason they tied? of course not.

Has he generally been one of the worst US players so far? Yes.

And Michael has covered considerably more ground than ANYONE on the team. Like 10%+ more work than any member of the team. His first game was a dud, but as respectfully as possible, if you came away from Portugal mad at Bradley, you weren't paying attention.

But I get it -- just like our American soccer self-loathing led us to cannabalize and hyper-criticize Landon when he wore the mantle as best American player, our relentless drive to denigrate our soccer stars now turns to Bradley. Shoulda been obvious this is where it would all head as soon as Michael moved to TFC...

but Bradley has not been good.

In either match.

Sorry.

Killing Bradley is the hot take.

Apparently Lalas is insinuating Klinsmann was yelling to move up at the end. What?! Would explain why Omar, not-a-midfielder, was near the center line when that turnover occurred.

Ghana was a dud for MB. Been said that. He was NOT the problem against Portugal.

>
>But I get it -- just like our American soccer self-loathing
>led us to cannabalize and hyper-criticize Landon when he wore
>the mantle as best American player, our relentless drive to
>denigrate our soccer stars now turns to Bradley. Shoulda been
>obvious this is where it would all head as soon as Michael
>moved to TFC...

lol

>But I get it -- just like our American soccer self-loathing
>led us to cannabalize and hyper-criticize Landon when he wore
>the mantle as best American player, our relentless drive to
>denigrate our soccer stars now turns to Bradley. Shoulda been
>obvious this is where it would all head as soon as Michael
>moved to TFC...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QiHaQZKXE9g/UF14-eA4SWI/AAAAAAAACuU/VHZDNgSw3LI/s1600/jill-greenberg-crying-photoshopped-babies-end-times-17.jpg