US Soccer Catch-All

The game is once again only streaming, but this time I remembered I could hook up my iPad to the TV. The picture was weirdly scaled and included an ad at first, but I found a zoom level that's almost perfect

This kit is still so awful. Hopefully this summer we'll be wearing something with red or blue in it, and no neon yellow. Just stupid.

I thought Mexico were hard done by on that penalty call. It would have been nice if one of those other shots off the post had gone in, so that the goal off the PK wasn't the only one.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

This kit is still so awful. Hopefully this summer we'll be wearing something with red or blue in it, and no neon yellow. Just stupid.

Only the socks were neon right?

I actually liked the gold kit they wore in 2008, but usually prefer it when the US wears white or blue.

I think there's some neon somewhere else, but I'm not sure without looking it up.

Agreed that hand ball call was rough. Nothing that player could have done about it.

Time correction (change?) for tonight's game! 7:30 Central time. It's also being shown on TV, unlike the previous two. NBCSN is the channel. Go USA!

The USWNT comes to Houston for the next game and hopefully one more after that! Friday night they'll be the second game in the double-header, with their opponent still to be determined.

Tonight! USWNT vs Trinidad and Tobago, here in Houston! 7:30pm Central time. Should be a comfortable win for the ladies, but uncertainty is why they play the games...

Win this one and they are in the Olympics!

Edit: NBC Sports Network again, FYI.

Olympics here we come! The USWNT is now qualified, but there's one more match to go versus rival Canada.

Tonight! The SheBelieves Cup kicks off with USA v England. Details in the OP; mercifully, the game is actually being broadcast on FS1 and not just streamed on some app.

Also, anyone have any thoughts on the new US Soccer crest? I'd say it's an improvement over our previous cheesy crest, but not nearly as good as the Centennial crest from a few years ago. However, apparently some people don't like stars to be featured in a crest because stars above a crest mean World Cup championships; the Centennial crest does have stars in it, as does our recent, now former crest.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Tonight! The SheBelieves Cup kicks off with USA v England. Details in the OP; mercifully, the game is actually being broadcast on FS1 and not just streamed on some app.

Also, anyone have any thoughts on the new US Soccer crest? I'd say it's an improvement over our previous cheesy crest, but not nearly as good as the Centennial crest from a few years ago. However, apparently some people don't like stars to be featured in a crest because stars above a crest mean World Cup championships; the Centennial crest does have stars in it, as does our recent, now former crest.

Stars on the crest are OK. You have to earn the ones above the crest. The USWNT has done that.

I guess I like the new one a little better because the ball is gone, but "meh" either way TBH.

As long as the don't bring this back, I'm happy.

IMAGE(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g20/Kelly-Hrdina/Misc/alexi-denim.jpg)

I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader whether "this" refers to the kit or the player.

Yep, hated the ball. Made the crest look like some youth league logo.

Tough game tonight. It really showed how easy the competition was in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament. Hell of a goal by Dunn! Looking forward to Sunday.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Yep, hated the ball. Made the crest look like some youth league logo.

Tough game tonight. It really showed how easy the competition was in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament. Hell of a goal by Dunn! Looking forward to Sunday.

Here's the goal, for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's a thing of beauty. The pun in the commentary, on the other hand...

I miss Megan Rapinoe.

Amazing assist by Pugh to Morgan for a game winner right at the death! I'm not sure I've seen a more impressive pass. It came up behind Morgan and right in front of her foot in stride. Beautiful teamwork.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Amazing assist by Pugh to Morgan for a game winner right at the death! I'm not sure I've seen a more impressive pass. It came up behind Morgan and right in front of her foot in stride. Beautiful teamwork.

Yes, a nice through ball and a well-timed run.

2-1 at the half, with two very nice goals by the US reversing the lead that Germany established with the first goal scored against the US this year.

Winner takes the tournament, and a tie will put Germany ahead. Let's keep the lead and take the trophy!

Fedaykin98 wrote:

2-1 at the half, with two very nice goals by the US reversing the lead that Germany established with the first goal scored against the US this year.

Winner takes the tournament, and a tie will put Germany ahead. Let's keep the lead and take the trophy!

Holy cats that was a beauty.

The winner for the US was off an unfortunate deflection. I'm a GK and I really hate when that happens, especially that far from goal. Get the whole ball, or get out of the way and let me see it.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...

New kit for the Olympics revealed!

I need a jersey. Might get the white - it's pretty clean. I didn't like the leaked image of the away Jersey, but it actually looks okay on the players. Pretty sure I prefer the white, though.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...

New kit for the Olympics revealed!

I need a jersey. Might get the white - it's pretty clean. I didn't like the leaked image of the away Jersey, but it actually looks okay on the players. Pretty sure I prefer the white, though.

Not too bad. May need to look at one when they hit the local stores

I would hold out on the new jerseys on general principle. All of Nike's National Team jerseys are the same template with slightly different colors. And since most of their National Team clients are teams with red, white, and blue on the flag, they basically all look alike unless you squint.

I wish USSoccer would mandate some kind of style guidelines for their uniforms. It would be nice to have a consistent, recognizable look across all jerseys.

I liked the Centennial jerseys quite a lot, and am kicking myself now for not having picked one up.

Dimmerswitch wrote:

I liked the Centennial jerseys quite a lot, and am kicking myself now for not having picked one up.

Yep.

I'd settle for a modified Centennial Jersey with the new crest, even.

Man. I suppose I'm glad I don't get beIn Sports and couldn't see us lose to Guatemala last night.

Here's a depressing article TheWalt sent me:

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...

Yes, I was so glad that I could not watch the match last night.

The U-23s were a little better, in that they got an away goal and a draw in Colombia. Still, losing your GK to injury and giving up the lead on a PK hurt.

Half the team was being played out of position, the defensive line had never played with each other before (you'd think after awhile we'd run through the full range of combinations and I wouldn't be able to say that anymore), and the guys who keep being brought back as team centerpieces are middling talents at best. I know we've got a lot invested in Klinnsman, but it's been obvious for awhile now that he has no idea what he's doing with the senior team.

kazooka wrote:

Half the team was being played out of position, the defensive line had never played with each other before (you'd think after awhile we'd run through the full range of combinations and I wouldn't be able to say that anymore), and the guys who keep being brought back as team centerpieces are middling talents at best. I know we've got a lot invested in Klinnsman, but it's been obvious for awhile now that he has no idea what he's doing with the senior team.

I'm only just now coming to that conclusion, but at this point it does seem obvious.

Pretty sure we're locked into him through Russia. Assuming we make it to Russia.

Let's play hypotheticals:

If the US fails to beat Guatemala tomorrow night, that probably means we don't qualify for the next World Cup (or even get to the hexagonal).

It seems likely that, regardless of whether or not we beat Guatemala, and even whether or not we manage to qualify for the World Cup, that Klinsmann is burning through his goodwill with US Soccer.

But, even if they decide to drop Klinsmann, who on Earth could they bring on board to right the ship? (Especially if not making the World Cup is a foregone conclusion).

Bob Bradley would still be a strong candidate for me personally, but even if US Soccer were able to swallow their pride and go to him on bended knee, I can't imagine he'd step back into that role.

Seriously though - I can't think of any international-caliber coaches who I think we could get who I'd want coaching the USMNT. I wonder if Pia Sundhage would be tempted by the prospect of taking over the men's program for us?

Tomorrow does appear to be a do or die match, and I'd say that the Klinsmann era is starting to look like either an era of little progress or possibly even a small step back. It also makes me think "We squandered the final years of Landon Donovan because of a pissing match with this guy?"

I was a huge Klinsmann believer for a long time, but the Gold Cup was shocking, and this loss to Guatemala and the World Cup being in jeopardy is failure on a whole new level.

Klinsmann has listed his home for sale.

Seems like we may be in the endgame sooner than expected regardless of the outcome tomorrow.

Dimmerswitch wrote:

Klinsmann has listed his home for sale.

Seems like we may be in the endgame sooner than expected regardless of the outcome tomorrow.

That's gotta be good for team morale.