Tag Archives: Hope for USMNT

A Few More Thoughts on the National Team

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This one will be quicker, I promise.

Under Jurgen Klinsmann, even a loss can be exciting.  Today I want to look at who should be getting a call up in November.  For the international break that runs November 11-15, the United States is slated to play two matches in Europe.  One of these games is suspected to be against France and the other is yet to be decided.  I’d like a match against a team like Serbia, a team that it not clearly out and out better than us.  Probably the two most exciting bits of news are the possible inclusion of Joe Benny Corona (21) and Fabian Johnson (23). Continue reading →

The Winners and Losers from Tuesday Night

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Tuesday night’s match in Red Bull Arena was a lot more for the United States Mens’ National Team than a simple 1-0 loss to Ecuador.  Ecuador was never going to be an easy match-up for the US, but we could have won the game with a little more clarity in front of goal.  Ultimately, whether you think Klinsmann’s baby-step process is the correct path to take or you want to see the US try to win at all costs is a bit irrelevant and premature to me.  I’d rather examine which players had strong performances that may have earned them the call back into the squad in November and which players floundered with their chances.  Probably the biggest winner on the night was Oguchi Onyewu.

Highlights and analysis: Continue reading →

Sub-17 Copa Independencia and Youth Club Culture

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The Copa Independencia is the self-proclaimed “mejor torneo de clubes del continente categoria sub-17;” the best club tournament in the continent for under-17 sides, and kicked off proceedings earlier in the week.  This year’s edition of the under 17 youth tournament is hosted by Club América, Cruz Azul and Pumas.  From Mexico, Pachuca, Monterrey and Chivas de Guadalajara join the joint-hosts.   Sao Paulo and Santos flew up from Brazil with Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors, while Russian side CSKA Moscow round out the 10 team competition.

Continue reading →

Olympic Ramblings

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With the manic depression that is so closely tied to passionate support of the US Men’s National Team, every new tournament elimination provides another competition to look forward to.  As if the Gold Cup wasn’t hard enough to swallow, Thomas Rongen’s u20 team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup still hurts and the u17′s display against Germany which knocked them out of Mexico was downright embarrassing.  So where does that leave me now?  Dreamy eyed over the 2012 Olympics. Continue reading →

A Quick Word About Two Up-and-Coming USMNT Players

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Bill Hamid is currently the starting goalkeeper for DC United in MLS.  Josh Gatt is earning his place in the starting eleven at Molde FK in Norway.  The sky is the literally the limit for both of these young talents.

Hamid has a hero from my childhood as a personal coach in Pat Onstad, a great technical goalkeeper and generally just all-round great dude.  Molde FK is managed by former Manchester United star Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, the baby-faced assassin, who has strong ties to his former club having managed the reserve team there for a number of years.

On Thursday, new United States Mens’ National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann called Hamid up for his first ever senior team squad.  In my prediction (to be published very soon), Hamid is going up against Chicago Fire starter Sean Johnson for the starting goalkeeper spot for the 2012 Olympics in London.  Johnson already got his senior cap by featuring against Chile in late January as a second half substitute.

Josh Gatt forwent college and signed a professional contract in Europe at the age of 18.  Solsjkaer rates the speedy winger very highly and for good reason as Gatt is coming up big for his club recently.  Several rubbish reports, and a few reputable ones, mention his manager recommending Gatt to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.  This would be the biggest story since Danny Karbassiyoon almost made it at Arsenal.

You can watch Josh Gatt just absolutely humiliate his defender and slam his shot home here, and then check out Bill Hamid standing tall between the pipes so far this MLS season right here.