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	<title>World Soccer Reader &#187; Tim Howard</title>
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	<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com</link>
	<description>News. Opinion. Analysis. Since 2008</description>
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		<title>USMNT: It&#8217;s Win Or Go Home</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/06/usmnt-its-win-or-go-home/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/06/usmnt-its-win-or-go-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:24:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=12594</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The knockout round has arrived early in South Africa.  You&#8217;ve heard it plenty of times before, win and you live to play another day, lose and go home early.
With it&#8217;s World Cup lives on the line, the U.S. national team will face Algeria on Wednesday, in Pretoria. Will the U.S. hang around for a chance to shock [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/USMNT.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12597" src="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/USMNT.jpg" alt="" width="560" height="239" /></a></p>
<p>The knockout round has arrived early in South Africa.  You&#8217;ve heard it plenty of times before, win and you live to play another day, lose and go home early.</p>
<p>With it&#8217;s World Cup lives on the line, the U.S. national team will face Algeria on Wednesday, in Pretoria. Will the U.S. hang around for a chance to shock the soccer world or will it bow out failing to reach expectations?</p>
<p>&#8220;We have an idea of what we want to do, but if we don&#8217;t do that we will be tremendously dissapointed, because so much hard work goes into this.  You only get about a week and a half to really show your stuff and that&#8217;s not a long time,&#8221; goalkeeper Tim Howard said.</p>
<p>Comeback efforts against England and Slovenia have been impressive, inspiring and a little bit lucky.</p>
<p>The U.S. can not afford to put itself behind the eight ball, like it has done so many times before.  Could the Yanks deliver a third straight come-from-behind result?  Sure, but the odds of that happening are unlikely.</p>
<p>&#8220;When the game comes the entire world is watching.  It&#8217;s not about all the hype, it&#8217;s not about all the media.  It&#8217;s about concentrating on your job and getting the job done for those 90 minutes on the field and then on the training field as well.  That&#8217;s the only thing that can make a difference and that can make everybody remember this team,&#8221; defender Steve Cherundolo said.</p>
<p>Up-and-down performances from Algeria have been hard to predict.  <em>The Desert Foxes </em>played Slovenia to a goal, a rather inspiring goal at that.  They then went scoreless in a surprising draw with England, depictions of the English performances withstanding.</p>
<p>Will this be the match that Algeria seemingly drops its level of play?  Whether it is or is not, it should be the furthest thought from Bob Bradley and company.  Regardless of how Algeria has played so far in this tournament, they are still eligable to advance.  Now that Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa have been eliminated, there will be added local pressure for an African nation to advance.</p>
<p>But on the other side of the ball, what U.S. team will we see?</p>
<p>Jose Fransico Torres impressed against Turkey, before the World Cup, but was unseen for most of the first half against Slovenia.  Maurice Edu was instrumental in the comeback effort, most notably scoring the disallowed goal that would have won the match for the Americans.</p>
<p>Look for Edu to start.  If the U.S. finds itself in the lead after halftime, Torres could then be brought on to help control the ball and kill time toward a win.</p>
<p>Another change to the line up will be the absence of Robbie Findley, who picked his second yellow card of the tournament against Slovenia.  His replacement appears to be the more challenging to find.  Bradley toiled with the idea of Clint Dempsey up top several times, but he also has Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez on the bench.  Gomez looked sharp in limited action against Slovenia.</p>
<p>&#8220;I hope that I can come off the bench and create some kind of spark, I&#8217;ve had success with that in the last six months.  So I&#8217;m hoping to capitalize on that,&#8221; Gomez said.</p>
<p>Who starts next to Jozy Altidore is somewhat of a toss up.  Any of the aforementioned Buddle, Dempsey or Gomez could fill the role and have logged minutes there during this World Cup.</p>
<p>But the most important piece to a successful match against the Algeria will be for Landon Donovan to play the way he did in the second-half against Slovenia.  Not only his ability to score, but like we&#8217;ve seen time and time again, he is a superb passer as well.</p>
<p>If Donovan is running free, that will open up space for Dempsey, Altidore and company.  And that is when the U.S. is at it&#8217;s best. </p>
<p> &#8221;At the end of the day the only thing that is going to bring this team along is positive results at the World Cup,&#8221; Cherundolo said.</p>
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		<title>USMNT: English Blunder Brings Yanks Level, 1-1</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/06/usmnt-english-blunder-brings-yanks-level-1-1/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/06/usmnt-english-blunder-brings-yanks-level-1-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:02:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=12190</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Down early, after a strike from Steven Gerrard, the U.S. men&#8217;s national team eventually found its way to greener pastures.
Robert Green, starting in goal for the injured David James, let a first-half Clint Dempsey strike slip by him and allowed the Americans to earn a point in Group C&#8217;s first match.
The Americans rebounded from a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Green.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12197" src="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Green.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="254" /></a><br />
Down early, after a strike from Steven Gerrard, the U.S. men&#8217;s national team eventually found its way to greener pastures.</p>
<p>Robert Green, starting in goal for the injured David James, let a first-half Clint Dempsey strike slip by him and allowed the Americans to earn a point in Group C&#8217;s first match.</p>
<p>The Americans rebounded from a poor start to run even with their opponents from across the Atlantic.</p>
<p>Gerrard slipped behind Ricardo Clark, took a pass from Emile Heskey and put a well-placed shot by Tim Howard to give England the fourth-minute lead.</p>
<p>The Yanks looked to equalizer in the 19th minute when Landon Donovan sent a short cross to Jozy Altidore, but the 20-year-old striker could not connect with his head from six yards out.</p>
<p>Heskey gave the Americans another scare around the half hour mark, colliding with Howard, putting the remainder of the goalkeeper&#8217;s match in question.  While the U.S. staff tended to Howard, Fabio Capello pulled the plug on James Milner&#8217;s night, bringing on the speedier Shaun Wright-Phillips.</p>
<p>The U.S. then caught just the break it needed.  Trying to make something happen for his side, Dempsey held off his defender, letting go a non-threatening shot.  With a seemingly simple save coming to Green, the ball was misplayed and rolled over the line for the 40th-minute goal.</p>
<p>Protecting the injury-prone legs of Ledley King, starting in place of the injured Rio Ferdinand, Capello brought on Jamie Carragher at halftime.</p>
<p>In the 52nd minute, Heskey broke loose with a chance to regain the lead.  His shot from 15 yards out was smothered by Howard.</p>
<p>A yellow card to Gerrard gave the Yanks a threatening free kick, but Donovan&#8217;s service caromed off the head of Carlose Bocanegra for a England goal kick.</p>
<p>Altidore showed the fruits of his time in England in the 65th minute with a run down the left flank and into the box.  The shot was denied by Green and then deflected off the post.</p>
<p>The American hopes of a draw were momentarily put in question when a far-post shot from Wayne Rooney flew through the air, the match stayed level as the English attempt went just wide.  Rooney was held under wraps by U.S. defender, Jay DeMerit, not allowing him to get going until it was too late.</p>
<p>Bob Bradley brought on his first substitution in the 76th minute as the American attack began to lag a little, the offered solution was Edson Buddle for Robbie Findley.  Capello countered with his final sub, bringing on Peter Crouch, in the 79th minute, for Heskey.</p>
<p>Each side had its opportunity to secure the World Cup victory, but neither could find the goal in the second half as the match finished 1-1.</p>
<p>Match day one for Group C will conclude on Sunday when Algeria and Slovenia meet.  The U.S. will now prepare for Slovenia, while England faces off with Algeria, both matches will be played on June 18.</p>
<p>- &#8211; - &#8211; -</p>
<p><em>Remember to check back with World Soccer Reader during the World Cup as we will be holding live match chats, and hosting a live call-in radio show following each days final match.</em></p>
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		<title>USMNT Releases Player Numbers for World Cup</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/06/usmnt-releases-player-numbers-for-world-cup/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2010/06/usmnt-releases-player-numbers-for-world-cup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:54:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jordan Wise</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=11697</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
US Soccer announced this morning the final shirt numbers for all 23 players on the United States Men&#8217;s National Team.  This should be good news for all of you who were waiting for these numbers before buying your national team shirt. You can help support World Soccer Reader by purchasing your USMNT gear(and any [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/USnumbers600.png"><img src="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/USnumbers600.png" alt="" title="USnumbers600" width="600" height="303" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11709" /></a><br />
US Soccer announced this morning the final shirt numbers for all 23 players on the United States Men&#8217;s National Team.  This should be good news for all of you who were waiting for these numbers before buying your national team shirt. You can help support World Soccer Reader by purchasing your USMNT gear(and any other gear) through the official 10Shirt.net shop, located <a href="http://www.worldsoccershop.com/10shirt.html">here.</a></p>
<p>Roster Numbers By Position</p>
<p><strong>Goalkeepers</strong><br />
Brad Guzan &#8211; 18<br />
Marcus Hahnemann -23<br />
Tim Howard &#8211; 1</p>
<p><strong>Defenders</strong><br />
Carlos Bocanegra &#8211; 3<br />
Jonathan Bornstein &#8211; 12<br />
Steve Cherundolo &#8211; 6<br />
Jay DeMerit &#8211; 15<br />
Clarence Goodson &#8211; 21<br />
Oguchi Onyewu &#8211; 5<br />
Jonathan Spector &#8211; 2</p>
<p><strong>Midfielders</strong><br />
DaMarcus Beasley &#8211; 7<br />
Michael Bradley &#8211; 4<br />
Ricardo Clark &#8211; 13<br />
Clint Dempsey &#8211; 8<br />
Landon Donovan &#8211; 10<br />
Maurice Edu &#8211; 19<br />
Benny Feilhaber &#8211; 22<br />
Stuart Holden &#8211; 11<br />
Jose Francisco Torres &#8211; 16</p>
<p><strong>Forwards</strong><br />
Jozy Altidore &#8211; 17<br />
Edson Buddle &#8211; 14<br />
Robbie Findley &#8211; 20<br />
Herculez Gomez &#8211; 9</p>
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		<title>Bornstein Draws U.S. Even With Costa Rica, 2-2</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/10/bornstein-draws-us-even-with-costa-rica-2-2/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/10/bornstein-draws-us-even-with-costa-rica-2-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:46:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=5170</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Players will talk about the long and strenuous road that is qualifying for the World Cup. For the U.S. men&#8217;s national team, this last week of qualifying has been as emotionally charged as any other.
Finding themselves down a goal with only minutes remaining in stoppage time, Jonathan Bornstein connected with a Robbie Rogers corner kick [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5175" src="http://worldsoccerreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/bocanegrabornstein.jpg" alt="Costa Rica US WCup Soccer" width="510" height="287" /></p>
<p>Players will talk about the long and strenuous road that is qualifying for the World Cup. For the U.S. men&#8217;s national team, this last week of qualifying has been as emotionally charged as any other.</p>
<p>Finding themselves down a goal with only minutes remaining in stoppage time, Jonathan Bornstein connected with a Robbie Rogers corner kick to draw the two sides even.</p>
<p>In a week that included securing a World Cup bid in hostile Honduras and forward Charlie Davies suffering serious injuries in a fatal car crash early Tuesday morning; the game heroics seem only fitting.</p>
<p>Forward Jozy Altidore found Connor Casey, the hero from the Honduras match, early in the match open in front of the goal. With Costa Rica goal keeper K Navas leaving his line, Casey&#8217;s shot went wide in an attempt to curl a shot around Navas.</p>
<p>Similar to the last time these two teams met, the Ticos jumped out to an early lead. Bryan Ruiz found space within the box in the 21st minute, beating Oguchi Onyewu in the process, placing his shot between the legs of a sliding Tim Howard. Steve Cherundolo and Howard both slid near post in an effort to stop Ruiz, but the shot slipped between the legs of the American goal keeper.</p>
<p>Three minutes later, Ruiz completed a give-and-go combination with teammate Walter Centeno and ripped an untouchable shot to the far upper corner of the goal for the 24th minute score.</p>
<p>The two first-half Costa Rican goals drowned out the noticeable buzz throughout the stands and in the players as Davies was on the mind of U.S. fans and players.</p>
<p>The second-half brought no changes to coach Bob Bradley&#8217;s side. The Americans, however, would not be deterred from their comeback efforts.</p>
<p>During a scramble in front of the goal, Michael Bradley slid in to cut the U.S. deficit to one. His shot 71st minute shot deflected off Navas into the top corner of the goal.</p>
<p>Substitutions of Jose Torres, Robbie Rogers and Kenny Cooper were made looking to boost the American effort to tie the match.</p>
<p>After several delays in play, highlighted by Costa Rican coach Rene Simoes and an assistant being red carded for major delays of the game as well as arguing the decisions, the U.S. was awarded the five addition minutes of stoppage time that it needed.</p>
<p>Attempting to head a late corner kick, Onyewu fell awkwardly immediately calling for medical attention. The Milan defender was taken off the field, although Bradley was already out of substitutions, the U.S. continued a man down.</p>
<p>With less than two of those minutes remaining, an unlikely source came through for the yanks. The often criticized defender Bornstein came crashing into the box on a corner, heading in the game tying goal.</p>
<p>The tie meant the Americans, coupled with a Mexico tie versus Trinidad and Tobago, have won the CONCACAF qualifying table. Costa Rica will now face Uruguay, the fifth place finisher in the CONMEBOL, in a one-game playoff for the right to go to the World Cup.</p>
<p>After the match, the U.S. players gathered together in front of the their supporters celebrating the end of qualifying as well as continued to recognize their injured teammate in Davies. Supporters during the ninth minute of the match held up signs with the no. 9 on them, in support of the hospitalized forward.</p>
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		<title>Clark Sends U.S. Past Trinidad, 1-0</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/09/clark-sends-us-past-trinidad-1-0/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/09/clark-sends-us-past-trinidad-1-0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:52:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=4516</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Landon Donovan said it best after losing to Brazil earlier this summer in South Africa, it&#8217;s not about respect, this team wants to win.  The U.S. men&#8217;s national team has not always played the prettiest soccer; but on nights like this, they get the job done.
Needing three points versus the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. escaped [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:right;margin-left:5px;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=\Ricardo Clark&amp;iid=6397010" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/0/3/1/9/Ricardo_Clark_3878.JPG?adImageId=2880513&amp;imageId=6397010" border="0" alt="Ricardo Clark" width="234" height="315" /></a></div>
<p>Landon Donovan said it best after losing to Brazil earlier this summer in South Africa, it&#8217;s not about respect, this team wants to win.  The U.S. men&#8217;s national team has not always played the prettiest soccer; but on nights like this, they get the job done.</p>
<p>Needing three points versus the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. escaped the victors with a 1-0 win thanks to a Ricardo Clark blast.</p>
<p>Leading up to the match versus Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. was the only team in the CONCACAF to not have won on opposing soil.</p>
<p>The Americans started the match with plenty of scoring chances, but looked anxious to score early. Unable to connect on any early opportunities, frustration mounted on the U.S. side.</p>
<p>They received an early scare from Trinidad when Cornell Glen found space between the U.S. defense and chipped a shot over the head of goalkeeper Tim Howard.  Luckily for the U.S. the ball hit the crossbar. Glen was seen pounding the ground in frustration after the shot, knowing he may have missed his chance to put away the Americans early.</p>
<p>For the U.S., struggles continued. Continuing to lack possession in the midfield, teams traded chances throughout the half.  Neither team was able to score before they went to half.</p>
<p>The second-half served well as possession began to rise for the Americans.</p>
<p>Nearing the 60th minute, and the U.S. still without a score, coach Bob Bradley called on Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden to prepare to check in. Hoping that the additions of the two young midfielders would add a spark to the dormant U.S. attack as they have done so many times already this summer.</p>
<p>Before the substitutions could be made, the U.S. found that attacking spark from an unlikely source. Landon Donovan controlled a pass from Clint Dempsey; and waited just long enough to find a wide-open Ricardo Clark atop the box. Clark took one touch to his right before sending his shot curling to the back of the net. The 25-yard shot came in the 62nd minute, only minutes before it appeared he was to be subbed out of the match.</p>
<p>After the goal, Clark stayed in as Feilhaber checked in for Jozy Altidore.The U.S. easily could have finished the match winners by more than one, but late shots from Donovan and Dempsey narrowly missed keeping the score close to the end.</p>
<p>The match finally began to slow down for the U.S. after the goal. Along with the substitutions of Charlie Davies and Dempsey for Brian Ching and Holden, respectively; the Americans were able to hold off any kind of late Trinidad attack. Aside from a deflected cross that hit Jonathan Bornstein’s foot and needed to be saved by Howard, the U.S. defense looked stronger in the waning minutes than in recent matches.</p>
<p>The win sends the U.S. to the top of CONCACAF qualifying with 16 points to date.  And after a 1-0 versus Honduras, Mexico now moves into second place with 15 points.</p>
<p>There will be just over a month before the U.S. will play again. October 10, the Americans will travel to Honduras. Four days later they will host Costa Rica at RFK in Washington D.C. The U.S. will likely need one win between the two matches to clinch a berth for the 2010 World Cup.</p>
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		<title>Azteca trip creates more questions for U.S.</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/08/azteca-trip-creates-more-questions-for-us/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/08/azteca-trip-creates-more-questions-for-us/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:55:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=4174</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Summer&#8217;s over.  And for U.S. supporters, it probably left a bad taste in their mouths.
The past two matches for the Americans have been losses to rival Mexico: a 5-0 embarrassment at the Gold Cup final, and more recently a disappointing 2-1 loss at Estadio Azteca.
Focusing on the more recent of the two, there are some [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:right;margin-left:5px;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=Mexico&amp;iid=5953213" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/7/1/d/c/MEX_SOC_ONYEWU_f6d3.JPG?adImageId=2453239&amp;imageId=5953213" border="0" alt="MEX SOC ONYEWU" width="234" height="155" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Summer&#8217;s over.  And for U.S. supporters, it probably left a bad taste in their mouths.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The past two matches for the Americans have been losses to rival Mexico: a 5-0 embarrassment at the Gold Cup final, and more recently a disappointing 2-1 loss at Estadio Azteca.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Focusing on the more recent of the two, there are some things to be learned from this latest Mexico let down. </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>There are positives, though it may not have seemed that way, that coach Bob Bradley and supporters can take into the rest of qualifying matches.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The young guys can play, and they showed it…yet again.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>With Jozy Altidore still trying to settle out his plans for the upcoming season, Bradley gave Charlie Davies the nod.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The fans, the smog, the pressure of playing at Azteca did nothing to faze Davies.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>His goal gave the Americans their first ever lead at Azteca.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Although he did not have a lot of help or good services to him, Davies ran hard all day and was the only consistent threat to the Mexico defense.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>He should find his name being called more and more by Bradley, with the speed, pace, and reliability that he can offer.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>It was a surprise that he even dressed for the match, but Stuart Holden made good of his opportunity versus Mexico.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>He was lacking in big-game experience, so finding time on the field here seemed unlikely. </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>However, a stellar Gold Cup performance earned him a trip to Mexico.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>With a fairly non-existent offense, besides Davies, Holden came into the match and sparked the dormant U.S. attack.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>His beautiful cross in the second-half to Davies was mere inches away from possibly putting the U.S. ahead at that point in the match.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>He too did not seem fazed by all the distractions and pressures that playing Mexico has to offer.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>If his play continues at this level, it should be a warning to those patrolling the U.S. midfield that Holden is ready to make an impact on the national stage and possibly at next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>While some of the younger American players flashed a bit of promise and potential, there were still issues with the U.S. side. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>And because the point of the game is to score more goals than your opponent, it’s only fair to examine the two Mexico goals first.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Israel Castro’s shot was highlight-reel material; Tim Howard simply was not going to reach it.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>A shot that arches high, hits the crossbar and drops into the net is almost impossible to stop.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Replays would hint that Carlos Bocanegra could have stepped to Castro sooner, but considering the precision of the shot, it’s a wonder whether some added pressure would have made a difference.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The issue lies with how the U.S. defense was unable to properly clear the Mexico offense for the majority of the match.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>For example, a poor clearance lead to a foul and Mexico free kick.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The free kick landed at the feet of Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who fed Israel for the goal.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>There were other instances, but the U.S. defense, uncharacteristically, struggled with clearance opportunities all day versus Mexico.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>While Mexico did play the better match, the second goal, Miguel Sabah’s was a case of right place, right time.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Landon Donovan was beaten badly on the play.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Jay DeMerit did what he was supposed to; he helped on the play and got a foot on the ball.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Unfortunately for him and the U.S., the ball landed at the feet of Sabah.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>And from six yards out, most professionals should be able to finish, and that’s exactly what Sabah did.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The trouble did not stop there.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>A more prominent issue with Bradley’s squad of late has been the lack of any kind of presence in the midfield.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Mainstay Michael Bradley was nowhere to be found versus Mexico.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Ricardo Clark did not seem to be suited up for this one.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>The U.S. has to find a presence in controlling the defensive midfield, stopping the opponents attack and getting the ball to the playmakers.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>With that said, Clint Dempsey regressed to the underachiever seen at the beginning of the Confederations Cup.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Donovan, after his assist to Davies, went unnoticed until he was seen trailing Efrain Juarez on the play that led to the go-ahead goal.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>He gets a bit of pass here, as he was diagnosed with swine flu after the match.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Dempsey’s inconsistency gets no pass though.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>He is clearly one of Bradley’s best players when he wants to be.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Maybe his new contract with Fulham will clear his head, because the U.S. will need him if they want to go anywhere in the next year.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>What does all this boil down to?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>An inability to close out important matches.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>This team knows it; they’ve said it before.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>So what needs to happen?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Will the eventual inclusion of Jermaine Jones fix the defensive midfield issues?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Will Dempsey put it together for good and show us the player that won the Bronze ball award in South Africa this summer?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>Is this the correct mix of defenders going into the rest of qualifying?</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>In a summer that brought the U.S. to new heights in its own country and across the world, many questions were answered.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span>But there are still many that need explaining.</span></span></span></p>
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		<title>Mexico, Azteca Defeat U.S., 2-1</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/08/mexico-azteca-defeat-us-2-1/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/08/mexico-azteca-defeat-us-2-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:25:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=3972</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s the definition of home field advantage.  Azteca Stadium.


With a chance to reclaim power in CONCACAF, the U.S. men’s national team fell to Mexico 2-1 under the heat, humidity, and altitude of 100,000 plus fans.
Charlie Davies put his team up early.  Mexico responded quickly with a first-half goal of its own.  A late second-half strike [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s the definition of home field advantage.  Azteca Stadium.</p>
<div style="float:right;margin-left:5px;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=Mexico&amp;iid=5953860" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/6/e/0/9/MEX_SOC_CASTRO_d564.JPG?adImageId=2197616&amp;imageId=5953860" border="0" alt="MEX SOC CASTRO" width="234" height="351" /></a></div>
<div style="float:right;margin-left:5px;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=Mexico&amp;iid=5953860" target="_blank"></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">With a chance to reclaim power in CONCACAF, the U.S. men’s national team fell to Mexico 2-1 under the heat, humidity, and altitude of 100,000 plus fans.</p>
<p>Charlie Davies put his team up early.  Mexico responded quickly with a first-half goal of its own.  A late second-half strike from Miguel Sabah sealed the U.S. fate.</p>
<p>After losing the Gold Cup final to Mexico 5-0, the U.S. looked for a chance at revenge as both teams began the second leg of World Cup qualifying matches.</p>
<p>Things looked promising early on as Davies took a through-pass from Landon Donovan; and with a defender on his back, placed his shot to the left of Guillermo Ochoa.  The 9<sup>th</sup> minute goal was the first U.S. lead ever held at Azteca stadium.</p>
<p>The U.S. has never beaten Mexico at home in Azteca, earning only one tie in Mexico during the history of this rivalry.</p>
<p>The counter-attack by the U.S. was one of only a few quality chances that the Americans would see all day.  Holding tight to a “bend but don’t break&#8221; defense, the U.S. defense was poor in its clearances against the speedy Mexico attack.</p>
<p>A free kick by Mexico found Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who then fed Israel Castro for a beautiful 25-yard strike that tipped the bottom of the crossbar tying the match at 1-1.</p>
<p>The outstretched arms of American goalkeeper, Tim Howard, were not enough to defend against the well-placed shot.  It was exactly the early goal that Mexico had been looking for.</p>
<p>Still the U.S. appeared to be doing just enough to hold off Mexico, seemingly playing for a tie.  This current crop of players, along with coach Bob Bradley had their killer instinct called into question, unable to hold yet another lead.</p>
<p>Mexican Gold Cup hero, Giovanni Dos Santos, almost added to the lead before the half, but his low-lying shot went just wide of the far post.</p>
<p>In the 55<sup>th</sup> minute, Blanco was subbed out for Carlos Vela, giving the Mexican attack more speed.  Vela, along with Dos Santos ran wild against the American defense during the Gold Cup final.</p>
<p>Bradley countered with substitutions of his own, bringing on Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden, for Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark.  The U.S. saw the game to still be winnable, these offensive substitutions prove that.</p>
<p>The American offensive chances did not increase though, as the Mexicans continued to attack the bending U.S. defense.</p>
<p>In the 81<sup>st</sup> minute, it broke.  Efrain Juarez flew down the flanks, trailed by a noticeably tired Donovan.  His effort was deflected, and landed at the feet of Sabah, who beat Howard high with the game-winning goal.</p>
<p>The Mexican defense contained the late substitutions of Jozy Altidore, coupled with Feilhaber and Holden, as the U.S. looked for a second-half spark.  Holden, the star of the Gold Cup for the Americans, was the only sub able to create much of anything.  His long second-half cross was just off of a streaking Davies.</p>
<p>Mexico simply outpossessed the U.S., who were clearly effected by the heat of Azteca.</p>
<p>U.S. defenders Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra were all given yellow cards in the first-half, disallowing the any kind of physical play.</p>
<p>Onyewu already had a yellow card in qualifying play and will now miss the U.S.’s next match versus El Salvador.</p>
<p>The U.S. will face El Salvador on Sept. 5, at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.</p>
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		<title>U.S. Title Run Comes to an End, Brazil Wins 3-2</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/06/us-title-run-comes-to-an-end-brazil-wins-3-2/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/06/us-title-run-comes-to-an-end-brazil-wins-3-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:55:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=2768</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It was a tale of two halves.  Over the first 45 minutes, the U.S. continued to shock the world; leading Brazil 2-0 at halftime.  But during the second 45 minutes, Brazil stormed back with three goals to defeat the U.S., 3-2.
Less than a minute into the second-half, Luis Fabiono scored and then headed in another [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">It was a tale of two halves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Over the first 45 minutes, the U.S. continued to shock the world; leading Brazil 2-0 at halftime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>But during the second 45 minutes, Brazil stormed back with three goals to defeat the U.S., 3-2.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Less than a minute into the second-half, Luis Fabiono scored and then headed in another to tie the match.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>L<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">ú</span>cio scored a goal of his own to give Brazil the win, and their third FIFA Confederations Cup title.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">After a disappointing initial two matches for the U.S., the Americans fought their way into the final with wins over Egypt and Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>A well played first half, and a 2-0 lead had the South African crowd and American fans wondering if a Confederations Cup title was within reach.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Continuing his recent goal scoring run, Clint Dempsey put the Americans up early with a 9<sup>th</sup> minute goal coming off a Jonathan Spector cross.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Landon Donovan later added to the U.S. lead on a counter-attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Donovan streaking down the field, took a pass back from Charlie Davies, beat his defender to the left and placed a low, near-post shot to bring the score to 2-0.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">With the title only 45 minutes away, the Brazilians came out firing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Fabiono, the tournament’s golden boot winner, received an early second-half pass, turned and beat Tim Howard to the right corner of the goal in the 46<sup>th</sup> minute.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">The Americans appeared to catch a break in the 60<sup>th</sup> minute, as a Kaka header appeared to cross the goal line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The referee waived play-on as the Brazilian side protested the non-goal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Fabiono would strike again, with a 73<sup>rd</sup> minute header of his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Howard did well to stop another Brazil attack but the rebound was headed in to tie the score.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Coach Bob Bradley then tried to add a spark to the tiring line-up with 75<sup>th</sup> minute substitutions of Jozy Altidore and Benny Feilhaber for Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein, respectively.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">To no avail, the Americans were unable to muster much attack for the remainder of the half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Bradley’s side spent much of the half trying to hold off the Brazilian comeback effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>L<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">ú</span>cio completed the Brazilian resurgence, heading home a corner kick for the 3-2 lead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">After the match, Kaka was awarded the golden ball award, given to the tournament’s best player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Fabiono, the golden boot winner, was also awarded the silver ball award.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>A clearly emotional Dempsey was given the bronze ball award for his goal scoring of late for the American side.  After another spectacular effort, to some what of a surprise, but still deserving Howard was awarded the tournament&#8217;s golden glove award.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">In the third place match, Spain defeated South Africa 3-2 in extra time.</span></p>
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		<title>Altidore, U.S. Shock Spain, 2-0</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/06/altidore-us-shock-spain-2-0/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/06/altidore-us-shock-spain-2-0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:50:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=2604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[They weren&#8217;t even supposed to be here.  Then there was the daunting task of defeating the No.1 ranked team in the world.
But yet again, the Americans silenced their critics.  This time to the tune of a 2-0 victory over Spain, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
A first-half goal from Jozy Altidore put the U.S. up mid-way through [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>They weren&#8217;t even supposed to be here.  Then there was the daunting task of defeating the No.1 ranked team in the world.</p>
<p>But yet again, the Americans silenced their critics.  This time to the tune of a 2-0 victory over Spain, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.</p>
<p>A first-half goal from Jozy Altidore put the U.S. up mid-way through the half.  Clint Dempsey all but sealed the win for his team with a second-half goal of his own.</p>
<p>The Americans, who had been written off by most of the media prior to Sunday&#8217;s match with Egypt; are now headed to the Confederations Cup final to face the winner of the Brazil and South Africa game on Thursday.</p>
<p>Altidore got the scoring started with a 25th minute goal.  A lofted pass from Dempsey found Altidore at the top of the box, holding off Villareal teammate Joan Capdevila, and his shot ricocheted of the spanish goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, to put the U.S. in front.</p>
<p>It was the 19-year-old forward who,in preperation for the match, told Capdevila in <a class="wp-caption-dd" title="a message" href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=656615&amp;sec=us&amp;cc=5901" target="_blank"><strong>a message</strong> </a>&#8220;to be careful&#8221;, meaning watch out for the Americans.  Altidore was given a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct for removing his jersey in celebration.</p>
<p>The teams went to the half with the score 1-0.  The U.S. were determined to hold the 1-0 lead, having lost a similar 1-0 halftime lead to Italy earlier in the tournament.</p>
<p>The U.S. defense was tested early and often, by the powerful spanish attack.  Yet, the efforts of David Villa and Fernando Torres were rendered useless.</p>
<p>The American line-up featured Carlos Bocanegra, making his tournament debut after injuring his hamstring versus Honduras; as well as Tim Howard, who sat out the Egypt match.</p>
<p>Still the Americans held together, sliding infront of the oppositions shots in an effort to try and preserve the lead.</p>
<p>Dempsey gave his side some breathing room with a 73rd minute goal.  A low cross from Landon Donovan landed at the feet of defender Sergio Ramos, who was unaware of Dempsey&#8217;s presence.  In one motion, Dempsey slid, taking the ball from the feet of Ramos, from six-yards out, and beat Casillas to his right to put the U.S. up 2-0.</p>
<p>Spain put on a late charge, but again the U.S. was up to the defensive task.  A late red card to Michael Bradley did not help the mounting pressure, but Spain could not capitalize even with the man advantage.</p>
<p>It was the third U.S. red card in four games thus far.</p>
<p>The victory ended a 15-game winning streak for Spain, along with their record tying 35-game unbeaten streak.</p>
<p>Brazil will play South Africa in the other semi-final of the Confederations Cup on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. (EST).</p>
<p>The winner will play the U.S. in the final, Sunday, June 28, at 2:30 p.m. (EST).</p>
<p><em>As always World Soccer Reader will be doing live updates during the game on twitter, you can follow them at twitter.com/wsreader.</em></p>
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		<title>Outclassed: Brazil Easily defeats U.S., 3-0</title>
		<link>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/06/outclassed-brazil-easily-defeats-us-3-0/</link>
		<comments>http://worldsoccerreader.com/2009/06/outclassed-brazil-easily-defeats-us-3-0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:10:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave Topp</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://worldsoccerreader.com/?p=2529</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Brazil was supposed to be a more defensive oriented team under new coach Dunga; they weren’t supposed to be the same Brazil that dazzled its way to win two of the last fourWorld Cups.

Not so much. Let it be known: this team can still dance.
Brazil outclassed and simply outplayed the U.S. in the second match [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Brazil was supposed to be a more defensive oriented team under new coach Dunga; they weren’t supposed to be the same Brazil </span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">that dazzled its way to win two of the last fourWorld Cups.</span></p>
<div style="float:right;margin-left:5px;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=brazil&amp;iid=4999802" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/e/c/e/7/Jonathan_Spector_Robinho_7ba5.JPG?adImageId=1615372&amp;imageId=4999802" border="0" alt="Jonathan Spector, Robinho" width="234" height="321" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let it be known: this team can still dance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Brazil outclassed and simply outplayed the U.S. in the second match of the FIFA Confederations Cup on Thursday morning, to the final score of 3-0 in Pretoria, South Africa.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Felipe Melo scored on a free kick from Maicon in the seventh minute and Robinho capitalized on an American mistake scoring on a full-field counter-attack in the 20<sup>th</sup> minute.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Maicon added to his assist with a goal of his own in the 62<sup>nd</sup> minute.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">After a 3-1 loss to Italy on Monday, the U.S. needed to earn at least a point with a draw for any chance of advancing out of the group stages of this tournament.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">For the second straight match, the Americans finished a man down after Sacha Kljestan in the <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">57<sup>th</sup> </span>minute was red-carded for a late tackle on Ramires.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Brazil, the defending Confederations Cup champions, started the scoring early as Maicon’s free kick found Melo for the header goal, beating Jonathan Spector to the ball.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">The early goal ignited the Brazilian side, as the traditional flair and attacking style customary of the famous yellow jersey began to show after the Melo goal.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Trying to mount some kind of attack the U.S. spoiled an early corner kick opportunity as Landon Donovan played the ball corner to DeMarcus Beasley, who was unable to trap the ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Brazilians were quickly off with the counter-attack, with only a trailing Spector to stop the play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ramires found Robinho with a pass inside the box and beat Tim Howard to his right to bring the score to 2-0.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Maicon later took a second half pass from Kaka down the endline and beat Howard high from a difficult angle, although replays showed that defender Jonathan Bornstein deflected the ball; causing the miscue by Howard.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">The Americans were able to mount two good scoring opportunities in the second half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Substitutes Benny Feilhaber and Conor Casey, who came in for Jozy Altidore and Beasley respectively, both hit the crossbar with shots late in the match.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">The U.S., who will need a win from Egypt against Italy for any chance of advancing.  The U.S. and Egypt will play Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (EST).</span></p>
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