We beat Honduras last night 2-1 in the first Group Stage match of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. It was not a pretty game. Our defenders looked shocked that another team would be so quick. Our back 4 looked shaky for most of the match. Timmy Chandler, who Jurgen clearly loves, is swimming. As a friend tweeted last night, "he had the ball three times and gave it away 4 times". Yeah, he struggled. And the fact is, that had he not scored a 'blinder' in the friendly against Guatemala in Nashville, he might not have been on the starting roster v. Honduras. That goal against Guatemala served to cover up his defensive struggles.
Ventura Alvarado made Timmy Chandler look like a grizzled veteran defender. Oh my. JK should have pulled Alvarado early. Yedlin....young, fast, and lost. Wasn't sure exactly when to go forward, and when he did, usually made some pretty bad decisions with the ball. And there were others that didn't play well; but as you've heard from me before....."The mark of a good team is to play poorly and Win."
We earned 3 points last night. We put ourselves in good stead in the Group and with the exception of Dempsey, Bradley, and Guzan; we have a bunch of players that now know what they need to work on. Also, when was the last time that our USMNT has won 4 matches in a row? That's been a while I believe. So..........
Let's relax a bit and watch as the Men's team will hopefully get better over the tournament and defend their Gold Cup Championship. If you'll remember, we were highly discouraged and overly critical of our Women's team in the early stages of the Women's World Cup. I think that we will get it together and continue to improve with each match. If not...then JK has issues to deal with....real issues.
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. may the other team shoot right at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV
Ventura Alvarado made Timmy Chandler look like a grizzled veteran defender. Oh my. JK should have pulled Alvarado early. Yedlin....young, fast, and lost. Wasn't sure exactly when to go forward, and when he did, usually made some pretty bad decisions with the ball. And there were others that didn't play well; but as you've heard from me before....."The mark of a good team is to play poorly and Win."
We earned 3 points last night. We put ourselves in good stead in the Group and with the exception of Dempsey, Bradley, and Guzan; we have a bunch of players that now know what they need to work on. Also, when was the last time that our USMNT has won 4 matches in a row? That's been a while I believe. So..........
Let's relax a bit and watch as the Men's team will hopefully get better over the tournament and defend their Gold Cup Championship. If you'll remember, we were highly discouraged and overly critical of our Women's team in the early stages of the Women's World Cup. I think that we will get it together and continue to improve with each match. If not...then JK has issues to deal with....real issues.
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. may the other team shoot right at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV