Costa Rica vs. USA WCQ

Our top 3 outside backs on the right are injured. So that sucks, too. This guy Marvell Wynne is getting like his 2nd cap or something.

First is Cherundolo, second is Hejduk, third is Spector, fourth is Wynne. This game is showing why.

 

Well that was * annoying.

 

2-0 HT - hill to climb there.

Wynne showing signs of finding his feet - but needs protection from MF.

Beasley not as bad an idea as it sounded - couldn't get away with that in the SPL!

 

Haha yea... he's way too lightweight for the forwards in the SPL. Someone like Samaras or JVoH would absolutely terrorize him.

 

Kljestan for I think Dempsey. Actually Torres I think... * ridiculous decision. Our best player by quite a bit. * Bob Bradley.

 

Got to be some sort of injury surely?

Inexplicable decision otherwise...

 

Bob Bradley makes a lot of those. Kljestan just watched the third goal scorer waltz into the box.

Maybe it qualifies it if I told you that Bradley coached Kljestan when he was younger and they have a relationship. Kljestan's been going through a terrible form of spell in MLS, can't even get a starting spot on his club team yet he deserves to be on over Torres who started and was a linchpin in the Clausura runners-up Pachuca? And was without a doubt the best American in the first half, minus maybe Onyewu? * idiot.

 

Lol... people on BigSoccer are giving Beasley negative markings. Literally. And they mean it.

 

* me. That stadium is terrifying.

 

I almost put some money on the americans.

Looks like Saborio from a swiss side scored last night.

1. has anyone ever been to Costa Rica?
2. Is the current US coach better than Bruce Arena?

 

whats the link, the one i followed from page 1 of this thread is a film with chandler bing in it

 

It's off. It was on at night for me, early in the morning for you.

 

The US looked horrible last night. I will be in Chicago on Saturday for the US V Honduras game. I am hearing calls for Bradley's head if they lose on Saturday.

His team selection is miserable. Beasley SUCKS - has no business on the pitch. Kljestan is horrible and Dempsey just disappears for huge chunks of the game! Saturday will be a HUGE test. No Bradley playing the holding midfielder - should be interesting. Wouldn't it be ironic: The son is off for too many yellows and daddy gets fired because the team tanks!

Oh, and for a quick answer to the question - I think that Bradley is just as horrible as Arena!

 

About the same, which is a terrible indictment. Last night, we played DaMarcus Beasely as LB (who has never played LB, ever, in a game, is not match fit, is slower now, is weak, and has no positional sense) and Marvell Wynne at RB (who has never played a game there at that stage, is tactically and technically extremely naive because he relies on his, in fairness, world class speed too much). So, playing against a fast and technical team... what does Bob Bradley do? He switches from his normal 4-4-2 which provides cover to the fullbacks to a 4-3-3 with three holding midfielders in the middle who offered no protection to the outside backs. An incredibly bad decision... and two of the goals came from crosses from the flanks where the outside backs got skinned.

I've been to Costa Rica, and they love their football. Absolutely love it. It should be noted this isn't an embarrassment for the US at all. CR is now 7-1-0 against the US at home, their last win in 2005 was 3-0. The last goal the US scored in Saprissa before the penalty last night was in 2000. As I stated, I didn't expect anything from the game... What I did expect was Bob Bradley not to isolate what was clearly the two worst players on the field against the strength of Costa Rica (wingers and pacy fullbacks).

 

To be fair playing away to Costa Rica is a tough game. They do not lose very often at home. So not a big surprise that the USA lost Although I was surprised at how comfortably Costa Rica won. Having said all that it's not like it really matters. There is hardly any competition or meaningful games in CONCACAF for the USA as the top 3 teams qualify making qualification about as easy as it gets.

 

We'll see after saturday. Underestimating Honduras would be crazy in my opinion. They've got the Premier League contingent as well as Suazo, who has the ability to own a game if he wants to. It's still not as hard as a Euro group, but there's going to be a very solid team that's going to have to play some South American country to qualify from that number 4 spot.

The big positive is that TnT, who we should beat comprehensively, always give the Hispanic countries big problems due to their size and speed.

 

wots the sitution like? anybody got a link to the table?

 

Well Bob Bradley has done 5x better than Sven has so take the results for whatever you want.

Honestly no one gives Bob credit for stomping our first round of qualifying while Mexico moved on based on goal difference vs. Jamaica which they got simply because of their ridiculous home field advantage.

Hopefully we get a sexy Euro coach in 2010 (Klinnsman?) who will precede to tank us in qualifying especially on the road just like Sven did because they don't know the system and underestimate the competition.

BTW if anyone thinks this result is some kind of major embarrassment to Bob this actually puts him at 1-1 vs. teams we have never beaten on the road in the history of US soccer with a chance at Mexico still (who look very very beatable right now).

 

Another fun fact is we haven't lost vs. a CONCACAF opponent at home in 52 games so I think Ill wait a bit more before I decide that US soccer is over and done with.

 

Losing isn't the problem... it's the way we lost. Calling him worse than Arena was a knee-* reaction, I've actually been a supporter of him... because going by the facts he's done pretty * well in my opinion. But still... the formation he used was stupid, any attempt to try and justify not covering inexperienced fullbacks on the road against a team who's strength is on the wings won't fly.

If he learns from this and makes us better for it, then that's good... because I honestly expected a loss anyways. Just not a drubbing that could easily have been 5-0.