The Friday 4-4-2: Guzan, Jozy, and more
This is the first installment of a weekly series in which we'll talk about 4 things we liked and 4 things we didn't like from the world of soccer in the past week, and then also give you 2 things we're looking forward to in the upcoming week. Without further ado...
What we liked:
1) Brad Guzan: Guzan was an absolute stud in Aston Villa's Carling Cup victory, earning praise from manager Martin O'Neill, among many others. The USMNT #2 saved 4 penalties in the game, including 3 in the shootout after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer.
2) US v. Slovakia confirmed: Scheduling this friendly is a good move by US Soccer, with two UEFA group winners lined up for the November international matchdays. Bob Bradley will have an opportunity to tinker with the lineup and test his players against two teams that the US could run into in South Africa.
3) Nigeria's comeback: It was terrible start for defending U-17 World Cup champions Nigeria, as they fell behind Germany by a score of 3-0 in front of their home fans. The Eaglets then went on a tear, scoring 3 straight in a 7 minute span to level the score, secure a point, and send the fans at the National Stadium into a frenzy.
4) Clint Dempsey's goal: After being among Fulham's leading goal scorers last season, Dempsey had struggled to find the back of the net this year. That was until Sunday, when he found the back of the net with a header that earned Fulham a road draw against title contenders Manchester City. Dempsey showed great strength and technique, something that certainly will make many wonder about putting him up top with the USMNT.
What we didn't like:
1) US U-17s v. Spain: We could expand this to include both games that the US have played, but we'll cut them some slack since they got the result against Malawi. No good team should drop points when they have a man advantage for essentially the whole game, so it was very disappointing and frustrating that Wilmer Cabrera and company lost their lead and were unable to get a positive result against Spain. Their performance has been underwhelming thus far, to say the least.
2) Jozy's lateness: It's never good when a National Team star is in the doghouse at the club level, but that's where Jozy Altidore was this week after showing up late for a game with Hull City. Thankfully, manager Phil Brown seems to have forgiven the striker, but it still was frustrating to see Jozy held out of a league match for something like this.
3) Adu still not a regular: Freddy Adu was not put in the matchday squad for Belenenses' two matches earlier this week and was an usused sub in today's match against Porto, as his minuscule hopes of making the 2010 World Cup team are dwindling even further. Adu needs to get playing time soon, or he and american fans might be in store for another season like last year's disaster in Monaco. Freddy is a very unique player, and it's frustrating to watch him fade into obscurity.
4) Fergie's comments: Sir Alex Ferguson isn't happy about England traveling to Qatar for a friendly against Brazil on November 14th, criticizing Fabio Capello and company. We're in the camp that thinks it's always good to spread the game to all parts of the world, and we think it's a good thing that fans in the Middle East will get to see some of the world's best players. Also, this is just a good tune up overall, what national team wouldn't want to test themselves against the world's best leading up to the World Cup. And Fergie conveniently ignored the fact that the English players will be back in plenty of time; England are not playing on the second international matchday. So sorry, Fergie, we don't agree.
What we're looking forward to:
1) Chivas USA v. LA Galaxy: Jonathan Bornstein, Sacha Kljestan, and Landon Donovan squaring off in the MLS playoffs, as these two heated rivals duel in LA. This should be fun to watch.
2) Fulham v. Liverpool: Clint Dempsey will try to lead the Cottagers to victory over a reeling Liverpool side, while Eddie Johnson will be hoping to get a few minutes off the bench. Dempsey will also try to find the back of the net once more after scoring his first goal of the season last week.
DeMerit will have the scarred portion of his cornea removed by a laser and then replaced with either a donor cornea or an artificial polymer-based one. The cornea is the clear portion of the eye that covers the pupil. With this procedure, DeMerit is expected to miss one to two months, meaning he will not take part in the November friendly against Denmark. Assuming all goes to plan, though, DeMerit should be ready for action early next year. With the January friendly usually featuring a team largely comprised of fringe players, the USMNT will likely not play a significant friendly until February. That means that DeMerit has about 4 months to recover and then regain his form at the club level before any possible National Team duty.
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