Posted by Creaven on July 9, 2009 under Europe, USMNT, United States | 
In January, I was in Dublin, Ireland staying in a hostel. I had just completed an exhausting week, with lots of sight-seeing and a lot more drinking. But, in my final day in the city (I would return two months later but that’s another story) I was ready to take a night off and go to bed early. Luckily, thanks to the world economy being on the brink of collapse, the hostel I was staying at was nearly empty and I was the only one in my six-bed room. But then the Belgians showed up…..
At 9:30 p.m. suddenly my room was infested with 20-year-old Belgians on a mission to get completely fucked up. It goes without saying my night off turned into another binger. But what does a 24-year-old Californian talk about with Belgian college kids?
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Posted by Creaven on June 30, 2009 under USMNT, United States, World |
Note: First, sorry I’m way late. Second, I’m not doing a report card because I’ve read other people ratings and I feel like it has poisoned by objectiveness.
Re-watching the Confederations Cup final is a painful exercise for U.S. fans.
First, you watch the first half. Dempsey’s flick and the Davies-Donovan give-and-go-and-goal puts a smile on your face. You realize at the end of the first half, U.S. soccer had just completed the greatest 225 minutes in its history. In that span, the U.S. out-scored its opposition 7-0, it beat the No. 1 team in the world and was up 2-0 against the best team in South America; it might be decades before U.S. soccer has a better stretch.
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Tags: Brazil, Carlos Bocanegra, Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey, Confederations Cup, ESPN, Felipe Melo, Kaka, Landon Donovan, Robinho, Tim Howard, United States
Posted by Creaven on June 24, 2009 under USMNT, United States, World |
Outside of the World Cup, the United States’ 2-0 victory over Spain Wednesday was its most impressive victory ever.
Torres, Villa, Xavi, Fabergas, Puyol, Pique, Casillas — these aren’t very good players, they’re the best in the world. Even with the loss, the reigning European Champions and No. 1 team on the planet are still the clear-cut favorites to win the World Cup next year and are one of the best national teams ever. For Americans who might not be soccer fans, Spain aren’t the equivlant of the 2009 Lakers, they’re closer to the 1996 Bulls.
For the U.S., who seemed on the verge of crisis four days ago, to beat Spain, who hadn’t lost in 35 matches (and had won 15 straight), is almost beyond comprehension. As fantastic a victory as it is, this doesn’t make the U.S. World Cup contenders (or even favorites to get out of the group stage), but who cares. On a field on the Southern tip of Africa the U.S. scored more goals than the best team in the world. Unbelievable.
To the grades……
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Tags: Alexi Lalas, Benny Feilhaber, Carlos Bocanegra, Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey, Confederations Cup, Conor Casey, ESPN, Jay DeMerit, John Harkes, Jonathan Bornstien, Jonathan Spector, Jozy Altidore, JP Dellcamera, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Oguchi Onyewu, Ricardo Clark, Spain, Tim Howard, United States
Posted by Creaven on June 21, 2009 under USMNT, United States, World |
“I could explain the scenario to you, on how the United States could make into the semifinals, but we would be on television longer than Jerry Lewis on Labor Day.”
A pretty weak joke by ESPN’s Recce Davis before the U.S.’s Confederations Cup match against Egypt Sunday. In reality, it wasn’t too complicated. The U.S. and Brazil needed to win 3-0. But I get what Davis was saying: it was mathematically possible for the U.S. to get into the semifinals, but highly improbable.
Two hours later, what seemed not just improbable but impossible had happened. A team that hadn’t scored a goal in the run of play in four matches scored three as the U.S. shocked Egypt, 3-0. Brazil scored three times on what has historically been the best defensive team in the world, beating the Italians 3-0 (when was the last time Italy lost by three goals?).
The Confederations Cup: Where amazing beyond comprehension happens.
To the grades…
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Tags: Alexi Lalas, Bob Bradley, Brad Guzan, Brazil, Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey, Confederations Cup, Egypt, ESPN, Italy, Jay DeMerit, John Harkes, Jonathan Bornstien, Jonathan Spector, Jozy Altidore, JP Dellacamera, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Oguchi Onyewu, Recce Davis, Ricardo Clark, United States
Posted by Creaven on June 14, 2009 under World |
I’m not watching the opening match of the Confederations Cup live. I taped it on DVR. It was on too early out here on the West Coast. I like to sleep in (it’s 1:13 p.m. right now). Anyway let’s kickoff the Confederations Cup baby!
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Posted by Creaven on June 13, 2009 under USMNT, United States, World |
Politics and sports don’t mix; at least not anymore.
It’s been a generation since Mohammed Ali refused to go to Vietnam and the United States hockey team upset the Russians at Lake Placid. Since then, sports and politics have generally existed in two separate universes. Players have agents and public relations experts telling them being controversial isn’t economically smart and Al-Qaeda doesn’t have a sports governing body.
But once in a while the sports gods treat us with a matchup in which it’s impossible to ignore the political implications and with a little (OK, a lot) of luck we might get just such a matchup in a couple weeks.
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