WCQ: Costa Rica - USA [R]

[Run DMB]

Big game tonight. Coverage starts 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

There was a thread on BigSoccer a few weeks ago asking people which team they would like to see the US defeat. People suggested teams like Italy, England, Brazil, etc... and I'm thinking, how about Costa Rica in Costa Rica? We've lost our last 5 World Cup qualifiers in Saprissa. That's pretty embarrassing for what is now one of the two (supposedly) dominant teams in the region. Obviously, Saprissa gives immense home-field advantage to the Ticos, but we can't really think of ourselves as the Gigantes de CONCACAF until we've beaten them on their home soil.

I'm cautiously optimistic about tonight, but it's going to be a tough game. I'm thinking a 1-1 draw.

 

[vitu]

Hopefully a draw...it would help Honduras out...I say 2-2...Then off to Chicago for USA vs Honduras which I hope Honduras wins. They did it the last time they played here in 2001...fingers crossed

 

[Run DMB]

Wow... that's quite an audacious starting line-up from Bradley:

----------------Howard--------------

---------Onyewu------Bocanegra-----
---Wynne------------------Beasley---

-----Mastroeni---Bradley---Torres-----

-----Dempsey---Altidore---Donovan----

Seems offensive-minded, with Wynne and Beasley at RB and LB respectively. Also, two young players with practically no experience in games like this (Wynne and Torres) in the starting line-up. This should be interesting.

 

[ARIAGA II]

2-0 already!!

 

[Bobby]

Getting the **** kicked out of us.

 

[MaSsiVe]

this one is in San José right, is the pitch artificial? awkward ball bounce.

great finish on that first goal.

 

[Run DMB]

Costa Rica 2-0 USA, HT

Well, that was pretty awful.

 

[Run DMB]

this one is in San José right, is the pitch artificial? awkward ball bounce.

great finish on that first goal.

Yep. Reportedly, the pitch at Saprissa is worse than the one at Giants Stadium, and that field is an abomination.

The thing is though, the pitch hasn't really been a problem for the US. We've just been f**king awful.

 

[Run DMB]

Kljestan coming in for Torres. Kljestan's been in **** form all season, I somehow don't think he's the savior.

 

[$teauA]

Is Bob Bradley purposely trying to f*ck us?

 

[MaSsiVe]

3-0

ridiculous defending by the US, dude could take a nap if he wanted before slotting it home..

 

[yoyo913]

WTF Beasley is a left back?

 

[shadowofanubis6]

All we do in the US is train our players to be in top physical shape, but limit the creativity to nearly nothing. I remember freddy adu talking about going through an american academy and saying that other players played as if they had a US "how to play" manual in front of them at all times. This makes the talent and creativity vanish, so if you dont have the physical advantage.... your at a severe disadvantage on the pitch.

 

[Run DMB]

Costa Rica 3-1 USA, FT

All we do in the US is train our players to be in top physical shape, but limit the creativity to nearly nothing. I remember freddy adu talking about going through an american academy and saying that other players played as if they had a US "how to play" manual in front of them at all times. This makes the talent and creativity vanish, so if you dont have the physical advantage.... your at a severe disadvantage on the pitch.

It wasn't about creativity tonight, though. Costa Rica simply executed better, in every aspect of the game. Better passing, better crossing, better dribbling, better shooting, better tackling, better defending. Even on set pieces, which require no creativity (and are normally our strength), we were absolute s**te.

 

[Run DMB]

WTF Beasley is a left back?

He's very versatile:

PSV Eindhoven: left forward
USA 2001-2008: left mid
USA 2009: left back
Rangers FC: left out

 

[Bobby]

Bob Bradley has a lot of questions to answer. Particularly why the hell he keeps playing Beasley as a left back when he had a proper one in Jonathan Bornstein on the bench, and a utility defender in Spector out of the squad all together.

 

[Run DMB]

My player ratings:

Howard - 5

Beasley - 2
Bocanegra - 2
Onyewu - 3
Wynne - 2

Torres - 4
Bradley - 4
Mastroeni - 3

Donovan - 3
Altidore - 5
Dempsey - 3

Subs:

Kljestan - 3
Adu - 4

Am I being too generous to our defense?

 

[Bobby]

Yes.

Had it not been for Howard we'd have been 7-0'd tonight, I know it.

 

[cfdemarco]

We are just pathetic. After '02 WC everyone had such high hopes and expected things to get even better...and since then it has been nothing but a downward spiral, as the rest of the non-soccer giants around the world continue to improve.

No chance we get out of the group stage next summer...if we even qualify.

 

[vitu]

He's very versatile:


Rangers FC: left out

lmao