. . . I've had a few. Watching the knockout stages of the Copa does make me wonder what a full US team could have done in this tournament. That said, I still think that Bradley made the right decision in his tournament choices. Even if we swapped "A" and "B" teams, or played the "A" team in both tournaments, preparation time for the Copa would have been what . . . two or three days between jetting down from the Gold Cup final and stepping on the pitch against Argentina? Bob did the best he could with the circumstances presented to him and we got stomped for it. Case closed.
I do think that we could have made a go of it against the sides Brazil and Uruguay put out last night, and that makes the scheduling conflicts all the more frustrating. It wasn't a pretty game, but the drama was high, and the result probably justified based on what the two sides offered and the heat the game was played in. I still don't understand pulling Recoba at the half for Uruguay unless he was carrying an injury or gassed, because on set pieces he was delivering consistent quality and danger.
PSG's Cristian Rodriguez really caught the eye as well in a match that went in fits and starts with neither side really seeming ready to seize the occasion and take over the game. Penalties are always a dramatic, if unfair, finish to the match, and this shootout provided plenty of drama. It looked like Brazil would take it early, but the advantage swung back to Uruguay, only to have Pablo Garcia fail to clinch victory. Ugliness ensued, as it often seems to when Uruguay's "fighting spirit" boils over, but Brazil will await the winner of Mexico and Argentina in the final.
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