Deutschland ist Weltmeister!

[OldPhiKap]

Looks cold -- must be summer in Frisco.

[awhom111]

Looks cold -- must be summer in Frisco.

Funny, because I think it was unseasonably warm here today. I just wonder why we have to prolong Candlestick's existence? Nostalgia sets in when it comes time to throw something in the trash?

[throatybeard]

Soccer lingo is so hilarious.

If a game that doesn't count is a "friendly," does that mean one that does count is an "unfriendly?"

"So we're playing an 'up yours' against Ghana next month..."

[budwom]

Looks cold -- must be summer in Frisco.

ooh, they don't like it when you call it Frisco! Get's 'em touchy for some reason.

[COYS]

The announcers mentioned that Klinsmann had the squad training hard right up until match day, which hopefully explains some of the tired legs. Players that are usually really sharp like Bradley and Johnson were just a little bit off kilter, last night. Bedoya also looked a little out of sorts. I'm pretty certain that all of these guys will improve moving forward. Despite not scoring, I thought Jozy actually looked pretty good. He was strong and physical and did a pretty good job with his hold up play. I would have liked to see him put his shot on target after that nifty trap/spin he did at the top of the box in the second half. He just didn't quite get his foot over the ball. Still, it was a reminder of what he is capable of when he's at his best.

Brad Davis also looked good. Despite my continued insistence that I'd rather have Donovan over Davis (if that's what it comes down to), Davis played well. He was better in possession than he usually is. Plus, His delivery on Johansson's goal was, as always, impeccable (although, seriously, no Azerbaijani players even bothered to move in Johnansson's direction . . . that will be the easiest goal he'll ever score). The differences between Davis and Donovan were obvious at one point, though. Davis laid a nifty pass into Jozy's path at one point in the second half. Jozy deftly first-touched it back to him and Davis was, for a moment, just a whisker ahead of his defender. Where Donovan would be able to accelerate and get away from the defense, Davis was quickly overtaken and lost the ball. Oh well, if Davis keeps delivering high quality service on set pieces and the defense continues to leave Johansson unmarked, I guess I can't complain =).

Also, just for future reference, if for some reason Dempsey can't line up with the starters, I like Johansson playing off of Jozy more than Wandolowski. Wando has had a great run, but he really doesn't create any extra space for Jozy nor does he make particularly great runs off of Jozy when he gets the ball. He's also inferior in hold up play. His size means he's always a threat to score on a header (and he almost did, twice!), but things opened up for Jozy and the attack when Diskerud and Johansson entered.

As for the match against Turkey, I'm betting the defense will actually have something to do. Besler looked oddly unsettled at first. Maybe that's because he was playing next to Cameron for only the second time? Gonzales looked ok when he came into the game. He was his usual athletic self and didn't make any horrible errors. He did go to ground inadvisably a few times, trying to win the ball. Against the likes of Ronaldo and Podolski, that probably won't turn out to well. Also, while I really like the idea of giving the talented Chandler every chance to play, I'm also torn because I think Johnson is the better player, over all, and he's just looked so much better on the left than the right. Similarly, with Bedoya looking better on the right than on the left, a part of me wants to see Chandler-Besler-Gonzales-Cameron as the back four with Johnson moving up to left midfield where he has excelled in the past. Then, one of either Bedoya or Zusi (probably Zusi) starts on the right with Bedoya and his defensive ability able to come in to bring some relief to our wingers who will be keeping up with some of the best in the business game in and game out in the group stage. I think it's far more likely we'll continue to see the same back line, which in theory should be capable of great things. I just want to see Johnson at his best, as I've always believed him to be an underrated player and a key for the team. He just hasn't looked his best on the right for the national team, despite playing there at the club level quite frequently.

[OldPhiKap]

ooh, they don't like it when you call it Frisco! Get's 'em touchy for some reason.

"San Fran" is probably right out, then, too.

[awhom111]

"San Fran" is probably right out, then, too.

Frisco is a city in Texas.

I was going to let OPK slide since we are on good terms. I may or may not send chatbot after him now.

[OldPhiKap]

Frisco is a city in Texas.

I was going to let OPK slide since we are on good terms. I may or may not send chatbot after him now.

"There's some satisfaction
In the San Francisco rain;
No matter what comes down
The Mission always looks the same.

Come again.

Walking along
In The Mission
In the rain.

Come again . . . ."

-- Robert Hunter, and some dude who played guitar

[greybeard]

A few things.

First and foremost, I don't think that Klinsman was hired primarily to get this year's world cup team as far as it can go. We all know that that couldn't have been seen as being very far. Nope, Klinsman was hired to build a team that compete with the best on the world stage and have a shot, a meaningful one, on the world's stage. That made old guys expendable, exceedingly so. Klinsman is after speed and guys who are moldable. He want to play the international game, to play it at speed, with young guys who have fresh legs and experience, not just in international play, but play in the world cup, and play on a world cup team together. That Donavan and other guys who can still play were left off this year's team let's the younger guys know that there is no room of sentimentality or banking past accomplishments in Klinsman's world. You play all out every time or the next time might not be there. Klinsman is dead I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. serious and now everybody knows it.

Teams are as good as the second stringers make them, not because of what they can contribute on the pitch when the game is on, but because of what they demand of potential starters on the pitch every single day. No one can say that Landon Donovan could be a meaningful contributor in that role. Heck, even he admitted it. There were plenty of other guys who could well comprise part of the future of US soccer who are. Donovan might have been able to contribute off the bench better than any of the other players on the bench in spot situations that might arise when the Cup begins. But, maybe not. The real point is that the chance that he could does not and cannot get in the way of the future of US soccer when the present is the future as sure as dirt (say what), and that's not just Klinsman talking. I am no soccer maven, but Edie Johnson did put the US in the Cup by scoring within a minute or so when the US was about to fall off the ledge. Johnson has an amazing body, real speed, and plays the ball out of the air on an international level. He had no chance. Goodson, smart, skilled, experienced, tough, and a terrific presence. He's not going to be around 4 years from now so he couldn't be around now.

Landon Donovan has contributed a tremendous amount to US soccer in the past. His grace this past week was a vote for the future, and not even Lombardi would say that for US soccer, "the future is now." Landon has begun his role as an older statesman laudably. He didn't have to, but he did.

Klinsman cares not about likeability but rather using all of him to take US soccer to the world stage in a meaningful way. That is not happening this summer, or the summer after. Donovan knows that. This week he set the stage for being a contributor on that journey, and doing what he can to empower this current team to reach down for their best. Donovan has, and his best is still wondrous to watch. Good for him. He has earned our gratitude. I think that he was won Klinsman's.

[blazindw]

A few things.

First and foremost, I don't think that Klinsman was hired primarily to get this year's world cup team as far as it can go. We all know that that couldn't have been seen as being very far. Nope, Klinsman was hired to build a team that compete with the best on the world stage and have a shot, a meaningful one, on the world's stage.

You never, ever ever ever, ever ever ever treat the World Cup as a building block for the next one. Because the next one isn't guaranteed. He absolutely has a charge of going as far as possible in Brazil. Crashing out of the World Cup in the group stage may mean not just Klinsmann's on the chopping block. It may mean Sunil Gulati's job too.

[throatybeard]

A few things.

First and foremost, I don't think that Klinsman was hired primarily to get this year's world cup team as far as it can go. We all know that that couldn't have been seen as being very far. Nope, Klinsman was hired to build a team that compete with the best on the world stage and have a shot, a meaningful one, on the world's stage. That made old guys expendable, exceedingly so. Klinsman is after speed and guys who are moldable. He want to play the international game, to play it at speed, with young guys who have fresh legs and experience, not just in international play, but play in the world cup, and play on a world cup team together. That Donavan and other guys who can still play were left off this year's team let's the younger guys know that there is no room of sentimentality or banking past accomplishments in Klinsman's world. You play all out every time or the next time might not be there. Klinsman is dead I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. serious and now everybody knows it.

Teams are as good as the second stringers make them, not because of what they can contribute on the pitch when the game is on, but because of what they demand of potential starters on the pitch every single day. No one can say that Landon Donovan could be a meaningful contributor in that role. Heck, even he admitted it. There were plenty of other guys who could well comprise part of the future of US soccer who are. Donovan might have been able to contribute off the bench better than any of the other players on the bench in spot situations that might arise when the Cup begins. But, maybe not. The real point is that the chance that he could does not and cannot get in the way of the future of US soccer when the present is the future as sure as dirt (say what), and that's not just Klinsman talking. I am no soccer maven, but Edie Johnson did put the US in the Cup by scoring within a minute or so when the US was about to fall off the ledge. Johnson has an amazing body, real speed, and plays the ball out of the air on an international level. He had no chance. Goodson, smart, skilled, experienced, tough, and a terrific presence. He's not going to be around 4 years from now so he couldn't be around now.

Landon Donovan has contributed a tremendous amount to US soccer in the past. His grace this past week was a vote for the future, and not even Lombardi would say that for US soccer, "the future is now." Landon has begun his role as an older statesman laudably. He didn't have to, but he did.

Klinsman cares not about likeability but rather using all of him to take US soccer to the world stage in a meaningful way. That is not happening this summer, or the summer after. Donovan knows that. This week he set the stage for being a contributor on that journey, and doing what he can to empower this current team to reach down for their best. Donovan has, and his best is still wondrous to watch. Good for him. He has earned our gratitude. I think that he was won Klinsman's.

Jürgen Klinsmann's name has two Ns at the end.

</Who is Sheldon?>

[CDu]

A few things.

First and foremost, I don't think that Klinsman was hired primarily to get this year's world cup team as far as it can go. We all know that that couldn't have been seen as being very far. Nope, Klinsman was hired to build a team that compete with the best on the world stage and have a shot, a meaningful one, on the world's stage. That made old guys expendable, exceedingly so. Klinsman is after speed and guys who are moldable. He want to play the international game, to play it at speed, with young guys who have fresh legs and experience, not just in international play, but play in the world cup, and play on a world cup team together. That Donavan and other guys who can still play were left off this year's team let's the younger guys know that there is no room of sentimentality or banking past accomplishments in Klinsman's world. You play all out every time or the next time might not be there. Klinsman is dead I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. serious and now everybody knows it.

Teams are as good as the second stringers make them, not because of what they can contribute on the pitch when the game is on, but because of what they demand of potential starters on the pitch every single day. No one can say that Landon Donovan could be a meaningful contributor in that role. Heck, even he admitted it. There were plenty of other guys who could well comprise part of the future of US soccer who are. Donovan might have been able to contribute off the bench better than any of the other players on the bench in spot situations that might arise when the Cup begins. But, maybe not. The real point is that the chance that he could does not and cannot get in the way of the future of US soccer when the present is the future as sure as dirt (say what), and that's not just Klinsman talking. I am no soccer maven, but Edie Johnson did put the US in the Cup by scoring within a minute or so when the US was about to fall off the ledge. Johnson has an amazing body, real speed, and plays the ball out of the air on an international level. He had no chance. Goodson, smart, skilled, experienced, tough, and a terrific presence. He's not going to be around 4 years from now so he couldn't be around now.

Landon Donovan has contributed a tremendous amount to US soccer in the past. His grace this past week was a vote for the future, and not even Lombardi would say that for US soccer, "the future is now." Landon has begun his role as an older statesman laudably. He didn't have to, but he did.

Klinsman cares not about likeability but rather using all of him to take US soccer to the world stage in a meaningful way. That is not happening this summer, or the summer after. Donovan knows that. This week he set the stage for being a contributor on that journey, and doing what he can to empower this current team to reach down for their best. Donovan has, and his best is still wondrous to watch. Good for him. He has earned our gratitude. I think that he was won Klinsman's.

This argument would make a lot more sense if not for the fact that many guys on the team (Howard, Dempsey, Beasley, Davis, Beckerman, Jones, Wondolowski, and Rimando) are also going to be too old to be a part of the future.

[Acymetric]

This argument would make a lot more sense if not for the fact that many guys on the team (Howard, Dempsey, Beasley, Davis, Beckerman, Jones, Wondolowski, and Rimando) are also going to be too old to be a part of the future.

Some of those guys are locks to start, and most would be more likely starters than Landon at this point, so that may have something to do with it. Can we please just move on, quit worrying about why he was left at home whether right or wrong, and enjoy these last two games and get pumped for Ghana? The team is set, its over. Lets talk about the team we have and quit worrying about the guys who didn't make the final 23.

[davekay1971]

Soccer lingo is so hilarious.

If a game that doesn't count is a "friendly," does that mean one that does count is an "unfriendly?"

"So we're playing an 'up yours' against Ghana next month..."

We need to! I wouldn't mind seeing the US employ a bit more "up yours" style in the games that count. Ghana is basically a must-win for the US given the strength of our group.

[Chicago 1995]

You never, ever ever ever, ever ever ever treat the World Cup as a building block for the next one. Because the next one isn't guaranteed. He absolutely has a charge of going as far as possible in Brazil. Crashing out of the World Cup in the group stage may mean not just Klinsmann's on the chopping block. It may mean Sunil Gulati's job too.

Given our draw (and the larger mechanics of the draw that mean we're almost guaranteed a draw into the Group of Death), the US could play very well and not advance. They could play very well and not get a point. Putting Klinsmann on the chopping block because we don't advance when placed in a group with Portugal and Germany is crazy talk.

We've got a long, long way to go before we can begin to expect to advance to the knockout stage, and where failing to do so will be a real disappointment. As long as we're fielding rosters full -- mostly -- of guys playing in MLS, we're not going to be competitive enough to expect to advance.

[blazindw]

Given our draw (and the larger mechanics of the draw that mean we're almost guaranteed a draw into the Group of Death), the US could play very well and not advance. They could play very well and not get a point. Putting Klinsmann on the chopping block because we don't advance when placed in a group with Portugal and Germany is crazy talk.

We've got a long, long way to go before we can begin to expect to advance to the knockout stage, and where failing to do so will be a real disappointment. As long as we're fielding rosters full -- mostly -- of guys playing in MLS, we're not going to be competitive enough to expect to advance.

Not getting a point would be devastating and I'm telling you...from the people that I know, that will not fly at US Soccer headquarters, no matter how hard our group is.

Now, rest assured I'm going down there to ensure that this doesn't happen.

[greybeard]

This argument would make a lot more sense if not for the fact that many guys on the team (Howard, Dempsey, Beasley, Davis, Beckerman, Jones, Wondolowski, and Rimando) are also going to be too old to be a part of the future.

Nope.

[greybeard]

If you read what I said carefully, I did not say that leaving Donovan off the team would make the team less effective. To the contrary, I said that he would not start, and could not contribute in the important role that nonstarters must play--they must compete with all they have every second to make the starters stretch, grow, face as much pressure as possible every second wherever they are on the pitch, in drills, training, and, most of all, full sided all out play. This is a tremendously important role, at least in my view, and Donovan is nowhere near world class at it.

Also, without playing all out leading up to the Cup every day what's the chance that he brings it well enough to think that he might not be Klinsmann's go to guy if the team needs a spark, needs a game changing presence. Depends on what Klinsmann thinks will change the game in any given situation. Back breaking pressure, honed against a group of very high end veterans, every second of every practice might prepare one of these young guys to give Klinsmann what he thinks might make a difference against the likes of Germany and the other powers in the play-in round.

So, I do not pretend to know the odds that, coming off the bench, to the extent he would have, it is likely that Donovan would have brought more than the guys who were kept.

And, gents, you seem to overlook one big thing, and a number of others in dismissing my "theory." What little unique gift was Klinsmann given in unprecedented fashion before the group of 30 was selected. It's okay, you can say it. A four year extension through 2018, right? And, then he selects a group of young players who have the speed and international background in their bones, from the time that they were youngsters, to play the way Klinsmann believes any team must in order to make a real run at the Cup. This, to me, says the focus is on 2018.

That does not mean that Klinsmann is tanking for the sake of the future, or that he doesn't want the US to show as best it can in the Brazil games. Klinsmann will have this team playing as close to its capacity as any US team ever. Having a team do that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

In the end, to say it differently, Klinsmann is dead set to make certain that "the future ain't what it used to be." He wants a team that plays Futball, not soccer, and a team that plays with the speed, space and special personal organization that world class soccer demands. This time, unlike how they treated his predecessors, the heads of US soccer gave Klinsmann the ticket he needs to begin building that team now, before even the preliminary selections for this year's national team were made.

Two plus two equals?

[toughbuff1]

We play Turkey today at 2:00 pm on ESPN2. According to the latest FIFA rankings, Turkey is ranked 39th in the world (Ghana is ranked 38th). This should be a good test for our guys.

[YmoBeThere]

Yahoo! put up a Fantasy World Cup game, you pick the group round winners/scores. I'm a sucker for such things, though I'm likely to do very poorly.