Just a few notes...
* Didn't show it in the last game, but DeLeon has serious wheels. Had one decent run with the ball, but looked blistering on a couple runs without.
* Not so impressed with Rozeboom this time around. Big effort, but looked more hurried in his efforts and certainly more wasteful with the ball. Not terrible, but not so eye-catching as against the Fire.
* Boskovic looked both more energetic than I expected and less poised on the ball. Odd. Got an assist though.
* Where was Guilherme? He didn't do a hammy already, did he? It's either that or he's got his walking papers. Sigh. Lazarus Act to the rescue? Really?
* Salihi gets 20 minutes and finds the net again. Ready to explode or this year's Brettschneider? Price tag, track record, and stage of career suggest the former. We shall see. Impressive that he's doing this only having been in camp a week or so.
* Jakovic much better than vs. Fire.
* Najar anonymous at right back, volcanic at right wing. Cruz did have some good runs at the defense (with no end result) while he manned that flank, but Najar is a holy terror on the ball.
Certainly not a pretty game, but a result, and the third goal was a thing of beauty -- Najar's barnstorming dribbling exhibition leaves defenders strewn in his wake, quick dish and go with Wolff and Najar's cross from the endline to the wide-open Salihi who makes the smart run to tap in. More of that, please!
Hang the Nepotism Naysayers
I'm not going to do a big reaction post on the US victory over Italy, just a couple of notes prior to the United game...
* The US were fortunate that Italy (and the linesmen) were not terribly accurate when it counted.
* Fabian Johnson looked a credible left back going forward. Not terrific defending, but adequate enough given the options. I think he's better suited playing higher up the pitch, but needs must, I suppose. His technical quality on the ball is a huge bonus over the other options.
* Altidore's getting better as a lone striker. Helps to be playing regularly in such a system.
* Why did it take until half-time for Klinsmann to make the change and have Dempsey dropping deeper to hassle Pirlo, when the little man was dictating everything?
* Michael Bradley was immense.
Can we end by finally burying the issue of his quality? Not that I'm getting tired of defending him, but if you didn't see how excellent he was, you're just being ridiculously stubborn. Gone were the frenetic chasing and lunging tackles, the trying to do too much. Instead, he played a subtle and unhurried game, keeping possession with good control and assured passing, even in tight spaces.
When Giovinco burst through the left side of the box late in the second half with Bradley in pursuit, I thought he was going to throw away all the praise that was building up in my head. But instead of lunging in, he muscled the little man off the ball and touched it clear with quick feet, remarkable given the quickness of Giovinco's own feet.
Not that it was a flawless performance, but it was a mature, assured outing from a player that would be one of the first names on my USA team sheet.
* The US were fortunate that Italy (and the linesmen) were not terribly accurate when it counted.
* Fabian Johnson looked a credible left back going forward. Not terrific defending, but adequate enough given the options. I think he's better suited playing higher up the pitch, but needs must, I suppose. His technical quality on the ball is a huge bonus over the other options.
* Altidore's getting better as a lone striker. Helps to be playing regularly in such a system.
* Why did it take until half-time for Klinsmann to make the change and have Dempsey dropping deeper to hassle Pirlo, when the little man was dictating everything?
* Michael Bradley was immense.
Can we end by finally burying the issue of his quality? Not that I'm getting tired of defending him, but if you didn't see how excellent he was, you're just being ridiculously stubborn. Gone were the frenetic chasing and lunging tackles, the trying to do too much. Instead, he played a subtle and unhurried game, keeping possession with good control and assured passing, even in tight spaces.
When Giovinco burst through the left side of the box late in the second half with Bradley in pursuit, I thought he was going to throw away all the praise that was building up in my head. But instead of lunging in, he muscled the little man off the ball and touched it clear with quick feet, remarkable given the quickness of Giovinco's own feet.
Not that it was a flawless performance, but it was a mature, assured outing from a player that would be one of the first names on my USA team sheet.
Lazarus Act
Burciaga's still around? As a reminder, Burciaga has been out of the league since 2008 and failed a tryout for a third-division side last year. And so the Lazarus Act continues...As of Tuesday's training session Lance Rozeboom, Ryan Richter, Jose Burciaga, Guilherme and Seth C'deBaca were unsigned, but still in camp.
- via dcunited.com
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