While we were getting our Ameri-nuts handed to us by relative gnats on global soccer's windshield, our World Cup group-mates Algeria were busy knocking off the fuckin' Ivory Coast.
Awesome.
Good times.
And any journalist US super fan with a laminated badge that has the nerve to even attempt to find bright spots in that shit fest from Saturday should be audited, because he/she is clearly being paid by a Gulati or a Bradley.
My biggest gripe with American fans is the bullshit we talk ourselves into after we get our asses beat by NOBODIES.
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It's whatevs man. I mean when you look at it, how many of these guys have a chance to even make the plane to South Africa? A handful? And how many of them actually get any playing time? Maybe 3 (Bornstein, Benny and Casey)?
I think there were some people that pretty much killed their chances of making the final 23: Conrad, Wynne, Kljestan, and Cunningham. And some guys who hurt their chances: Casey and Perkins. Only guys who I say helped their chances were: Bornstein and maybe Findley.
This is my 23 (assuming Gooch, Dempsey, Jones and yes, Charlie are all healthy):
GK: Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann (3)
DF: Gooch, Boca, Spector, DeMerit, Bornstein, Cherundolo, Goodson, Castillo (8)
MF: Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Clark, Holden, Feilhaber, Jones, Beasley, Torres (8)
FW: Davies, Altidore, Casey, Findley?(4)
Guys who just miss the cut: Perkins, Marshall, Conrad, Hejduk, Rogers, Ching, Cooper, EJ
Oh and Edu just misses the cut as well. He can sneak in there if Jones doesn't ever get healthy.
About the game itself. It was ugly and pathetic. As much as an ass Benito Archundlia is for giving our Captain For a Day a 2nd yellow in the 17th minute in a fuckin friendly, Conrad is just as much as an idiot (I do like him personally though, hilarious guy) for pulling that shit.
The friendly I'm looking forward to is the one against the Netherlands. Even though Gooch, Deuce, Chuck and JJ won't be there, it will the closest thing we have to a World Cup warmup.
Even if NONE of that roster gets plane tix to South Africa, I still don't like the fact that what equates to an MLS All-Star team was out-classed by a Honduran B+ team.
Sorry, I can't do the typical American "this doesn't really matter" dance on this one.
To be honest, a real ass-kicking from the Dutch might be a blessing.
Eh yeah, that was kind of embarrassing. What it means is that even when we're completely healthy we have no depth except at goalkeeper and center mid (outside mid kind of). I mean I was staring at that that list of forwards to take to South Africa for like 5 min deciding who the hell would be the 3rd and 4th striker taken.
As much as this says about the national team, I think it also says a lot about MLS. If everyone (Gooch, Deuce, Chuck & JJ) gets healthy we might be looking at a starting XI in SA with no MLS players, with LD being the exception, and he might be sticking with Everton. Even our occasional starters (Holden, Beasley, Clark, Feilhaber, etc.) don't play in MLS.
ESPN gave Robbie Rogers a 5..?? Bornstein a 7..????? good to see charlie might be back though according to ives @ espn.
Ratings like that are exactly what I mean. US fans and media have some sort of genetic glitch that forces us to find a silver lining in every embarrassment (no matter how far-fetched), instead of just admitting we aren't that good and hoping to improve. I can only hope (and assume) that Bradley and the players don't see things the same way.
And as far as MLS goes...by no means do I think it should serve as a primary source of WC talent (and clearly, it wont), but it SHOULD serve as the barometer for where the country and league stands on this side of the globe. Based on Saturday and the Gold Cup...not so great.
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