Compelling Soccer

Fulham v. Liverpool

Fulham: 3-4-2, 13th in the Premiership, 11 Pts

Liverpool: 6-4-0, 5th in the Premiership, 18 Pts

Stakes: If this were American football, this one would be called the "Disappointment Bowl." Of course, Liverpool's recent failures need no introduction, though they will get standard qualification, i.e. no Torres or Gerrard for most of the recent stretch. Torres return against Man U sparked them to a season saving win. On the other side Fulham was a club with big dreams after qualifying for Europe this year but have gotten off to a rough start. They're out of the relegation zone right now, but 13th isn't exactly where the boys from Craven Cottage expected to be residing at this point of the season. A win should send them back into the top ten.

Thoughts on the Opposing Side: Clint Dempsey, you are an American who I can write about who will almost certainly play against the Reds, seeing as that my streak has been rather lousy with that. (Neither Jozy Altidore or Jonathan Spector played when I wrote I was looking forward to watching them) Dempsey finally scored in Fulham's draw against Man City last week as he looks to be fully recovered from his shoulder injury. Another American who we will NOT likely see is Eddie Johnson, though he did find his way to the bench against City. (Steps in the right direction I suppose)

Other names I'm familiar with are Danny Murphy, Damien Duff and Bobby Zamora. Zamora is the American fan whipping boy for why players in the Premiership are overrated. He also could, in theory, play for Trinidad and Tobago, though he still has yet to suit up for them. Zamora used to be good, he isn't these days. But he'd still probably be one of the best players in MLS, no matter how much American fans like to rag on him. Duff remember as being an odd man out when Chelsea went on their spending spree. He was rumored to be headed to Liverpool when he ended up on the outs in Chelsea but went to Newcastle instead. Danny Murphy was a Liverpool man and got sent packing when Rafa got there. Not a bad player, but not as good as the guys who were brought in.

Questions I have: No Gerrard, no surprise. But no Glen Johnson too? Yeah, I didn't see that coming. Thankfully Johnson is more easily replaceable. I might have guessed at a Fabio Aurelio/Emilano Insua back pairing, but Aurelio will probably stay in the midfield. Sotirios Kyrgiakos maybe? Who ever replaces Johnson will not be as proficient at the offensive end, so this constitutes a major loss. I wonder if this will force Liverpool to attack more on the left side with Insua, and possibly end up with an unbalanced attack pattern.

There will again be questions of Torres fitness, but hopefully he channels what he summoned in the second half against Man U.

The Liverpool backline faired much better against the Man U forward, but that's because they lack speed. Thankfully blazers aren't what Fulham are known for. Of course, if Eddie Johnson actually got in...

Will I Be Watching: I don't get Setanta so I'll have to find other means.

Expectations: Perhaps the Man U game has me too giddy, but for all the talk of Liverpool's poor form, it's not as if Fulham has been that grand either. Even on the road, I suspect the Reds pull this one out.

Anti Football; thy name is Houston.

Okay, that's a little harsh. Houston has some players who can create well; namely Stuart Holden. But after watching their game against Seattle last night, I came away disgusted on so many levels. The Dynamo played a downright dirty game and should have finished with nine men on the field. Instead a lenient official decided to give talk to the players rather than hand out fair punishment, which in essence, reward Houston for it's play. The result was a 0-0 draw with the return leg of their first round playoff match up taking place on November 8th.

Because you just might get it.

So yesterday rumors circulated that Hull City manager Phil Brown had been sacked. It turned out not to be the case, though Hull chairman Paul Duffen did resign. In the interim when it seemed like Brown was gone, there were a lot of US fans who were jumping for joy. Their rationale; Jozy Altidore was relegated to the bench by Brown. Therefore if Brown has been canned, Altidore would get a chance to play. It makes some degree of sense. When a new coach comes in, roles can change. So yeah, if Brown did lose his job, there's a chance Altidore would see more PT.

Arensal v. Liverpool

Last Cup Match:

One of my favorite things to do in any sports game is to play the role of GM. As a typical know it all, I like to think I hold the blueprint from which the worst team in sports could find it's way to prominence. Plus, it combines one of my other favorite video game genres, RPGs, into sports. Nothing is more satisfying than finding a diamond in the rough and turning him into the player you always believed he can be. And without the problems of having actual personality and the media to deal with, the fictional sports world can be your oyster.

The FIFA manager modes have always interested me because the soccer landscape is so different from the american sports. Every player is available provided you have the right funds, but there is always a way to handicap yourself readily available. Plus you can have fun with promotion, league cups (little League One side against those Premiership giants) and of course European cup action.

I mean it. I turned on my console and then the next thing I knew it was 7:30 PM, Sunday night.

The patch which makes Manager Mode slightly less glitchy was released for the Xbox360 on Friday so it was time for me to dive into the mode fit for obsessive compulsive weirdos. (Hey, the first step to recovery is admission) I had places to be Friday night, so a lost night was impossible until Saturday. Then there were delays Saturday morning. But around noon on Saturday the TV was mine and I didn't relinquish it. I ended up playing almost half a season and could have played more. The hours flew by on Saturday and Sunday with only Liverpool v. Man U keeping me from turning it into an all day affair. But we'll get to that later. First, the nitty gritty, how the in game action feels.

Well they needed this.

If there was a question about Rafa's job security it should be answered for at least one week with this inspiring effort. Fernando Torres made it clear he's the most irreplaceable man in the Premiership, if not in soccer in general, as his goal was the game winner. Yossi Benayoun proved how much of a difference maker he could be. And perhaps Liverpool showed the faults of loyalty in this one; Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand were both abused. The United vets looked old. Even Ryan Giggs was rendered a non factor.

A belated start to this live blog. We start five minutes in, but the score is still level. I've seen a good run by Yossi Benayoun and now beachballs hitting the field. Stay classy Man U fans.

Liverpool. v. Manchester United

Tables:

Liverpool: 15 pts, 8th in the Premiership

Man U: 22 pts, 2nd in the Premiership

Stakes: After four straight losses for Liverpool, things are arguably at crisis point. In reality, an undermanned squad probably should have trouble with the Red Devils. However any leeway was used up long ago. Despite votes of confidence, Rafa Benitez's job could be on the line. I wouldn't do it, but I'm running not running the show. Consider that right now, Liverpool is closer to relegation than they are to Chelsea up at the top of the table. That's just not going to cut it.

In the last few days we've talked about formations in light of the loss of Charlie Davies. It began with the 4-4-2, the standard formation the US puts out. Yesterday we looked into the possibilities of the 4-5-1, since the US might be down to one competent striker. But today we do a complete 180 and look at what might happen if the US went with a 4-3-3.

4-3-3? Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy.

Yesterday we examined some of the options for the US national squad if they stuck with the 4-4-2 formation even in light of Charlie Davies injury. After all, the US was playing 4-4-2 before Davies' emergence this summer. That formation is flexible and can be used in both offensive and defensive methods. However, this US team seems to have plenty of intriguing options in the midfield while lacking that dynamic striker to go with Jozy Altidore. Right now they are facing choices that are uninspiring, unproven or could hurt the team in other spots. So if you don't have two forwards, why not play with one?

Kicking off through the haze of early mornings, failing laptops and hockey. Decipher from that what you will.

-Well anytime you start an injured player you gamble. Rafa rolled and got snake eyes with Steven Gerrard Tuesday, as he had to come out before the 30 minute mark. For the record Fabio Aureilo didn't do a bad job. You just can't replicate what a healthy Gerrard will give you, much like the Reds were reminded yesterday with the absence of Fernando Torres. I also find it hard to chastise Benitez for his decision to take the chance.

Liverpool vs. Lyon

Liverpool: 3 pts, 3rd place in group E, -1 GD

Lyon: 6 pts, 1st place in group E, +5 GD

Stakes: With the EPL season in disarray, Liverpool's best hope for hardware comes in the form of the Champions League. Groin problems or not, the game is important enough that Steven Gerrard will be in the starting XI and Rafa is hoping that's just what the struggling Reds need. This one is a home game for Liverpool, so if they'll need three points if they want to put themselves back into the mix for the knockout stages.

A month ago, the US looked to have solved what had long been it's longest running hole, lack of dynamic strikers. Sure in the past the US has had some decent guys and even a pretty solid target man in Brian McBride. But creativity and forward have never really been words that go together when describing US forwards. That changed with Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies. The US finally had a pair of guys who could survive a bit without solid midfield play and create on their own. We saw that at times in qualifying.

However Davies' injury means, barring a miracle, he's out for the World Cup. That means Altidore will have to be paired with someone else up top. Who that someone is will be heavily scrutinized over the next eight months. Unfortunately, the options are not pretty.

I would like to hereby apologize to all Liverpool supporters. I fully take the blame for everything that's gone awry so far this season. Because I decided to really start following them week in and week out, watching every game I can and following online if possible the ones I can't, they have suffered the same fate as all the rest of my teams. What's that fate? Doomed suckage. See Jets, Mets, Nets and Rangers. It just fits that a team I root for would lose on a goal going in off a beach ball on the field. Seriously. A beach ball on the field. Say nothing to whether it should have counted; to lose that way is just, Jets-esque. Or Mets-esque. Or... well you get the picture.

Sunderland v. Liverpool

Sunderland: 13 pts, 8th in the Premiership

Liverpool: 15 pts, 6th in the Premiership

Stakes: The standings these days aren't a pretty sight for the Reds. After the battle at Stamford Bridge could have seen Liverpool ascend to the top of the table, instead defeat has sent them spiraling back to the back. Whether or not it's a death spiral for the league title hopes remains to be seen, but things are not looking good for this clash with Sunderland. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are out for this one, and to make matters worse it's on the road. 1st place? Try down near tenth if this one doesn't end well.

Well, there goes the Premiership. We'll see if Liverpool decides they want to demand England and Spain pay their wages because both played for a team that had already qualified. I mean they're a little more important than a guy who was sitting on the bench for Milan, right? Seriously, Milan was paying Onweyu not to play anyway, so why are they upset?

Now that qualification is in the books, it seems like as good a time as any to look at the state of the US soccer team. And of course whenever you look at the state of a squad, it always starts with the head. In this case it is the much debated Bob Bradley, a man whom many didn't want to get the job, many still want fired but who also has picked up plenty of supporters along the way.

Your view on Bradley probably comes down to where you perception of the US Soccer team in the world spectrum. You can see it in the arguments on both sides. Critics decry his conservative style and boring defensive tactics. (Two defensive mids, hooray for bunker ball!) Supporters will tell you the US simply doesn't have the talent to get by consistently any other way. Meanwhile supporters will tell you Bradley's had more success than any other US coach, with the highest win percentage and qualifying for the World Cup at the top of CONCACAF. Critics will retort qualifying for the Cup is the bare minimum these days; anyone should do be able to do that with this group of players. The true test comes in South Africa, where Bradley's tactics will inevitably lead to a knock out in the group stage.

Yesterday, I couldn't help but get the feeling that things had come full circle.

As the US got a stunning point in a meaningless game, so much of the talk and criticism of the summer seemed to reverse itself last night. After blowing leads to multiple teams, but most famously Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, the US pulled one on Costa Rica last night. They went on attack, dominated possession and even overcame the blow of losing Oguchi Onewyu with about ten minutes left (and likely for much longer). Their dominance of possession was unheard of for a US team. It was an inspiring effort and to score the equalizer with seconds to go, with just ten men, made it even sweeter.

Pre Game:

The US starting lineup is slightly different from the Honduras game, but is still the "A" lineup.

GK: Howard
RB: Cherundolo
CB: Onewyu
CB: Bocanegra
LB: Bornstein
RM: Holden
CM: Bradley
CM: Feilhaber
LM: Donovan
ST: Altidore
ST: Casey

USA v. Costa Rica 8 PM Eastern

USA: 19 pts, 1st in the table, +6 GD

Costa Rica: 15 pts, 3rd in the table, 0 GD

Stakes: The US has nothing on the line in this one except pride. That factor might be upped more than normal tonight as the team tries to overcome the loss of Charlie Davies for likely through the World Cup after the striker was involved in a horrific car crash. For Costa Rica, the World Cup is on the line. A victory sends them to South Africa. Anything else means a Honduras win in El Salvador would send them home. Not even a draw would help; the teams would finish tied and Costa Rica's awful goal differential would leave them empty handed.

Charlie Davies.

The talented speedy striker had taken the US soccer world by storm after his marvelous Confederations Cup. In mere months he had gone from untested substitute/reserve to a guy who had all but locked down his spot on the 2010 World Cup roster. It was meteoric rise unlike any that I can remember, at least in the soccer world. Such things are usually reserved for workout wonders at the NFL draft; not players on the International soccer stage.

Then in an instant, the rise became a crash.

Four days ago, this was supposed to be do or die time for the US men's national team. They were supposed to be fighting for their World Cup lives in the nation's capital against Costa Rica. The winner went to South Africa. The loser likely had two dates with Argentina complete with a probable complementary trip home. It represented the doomsday possibility for the US. As unlikely as a loss on the home turf would be, the lead up and game was going to be a nerve wracking experience.

And then the US won in Honduras and made the game completely inconsequential.

The story of Saturday night's road victory over Honduras, outside of the US locking up it's sixth straight World Cup appearance, was the surprise star of the match Conor Casey. How big of a surprise was Casey's heroics? For starters, if you polled media people or US fans, he probably would have been deemed least likely player to start the game outside of Brad Guzan and maybe Robbie Rogers. Then when you combine that with the situation, supposed difficulty of the game, the stakes and his perceived skill level and you have one of the most unlikely performances in US soccer history.

Did anyone else feel more relieved than overjoyed at the US qualifying for the World Cup? Is it a sign my expectations are getting too far out of whack? Naahh, I live in 2009, not 1989.

-Ives Garlarcep has one of my favorite soccer blogs out there, but his logic about the US qualification somehow vindicates Bob Bradley is a fallacy. The logic only holds if the World Cup was an open competition in qualifying where the 32 best teams make it. But we know that's not the case.

So, as I mentioned in prior posts, a near perfect situation opened up. A bar by my place was showing the US Honduras match. I also mentioned that I would shun internet feeds and pay to watch the game at the bar. I was looking forward to the experience of getting to watch a soccer game with passionate US fans, something that I haven't done in the past.

Yet, on the night when the US team exceeded the general expectations and beat Honduras on the road, coming from behind to do it, I missed out on most of the fan base euphoria. Why?

Because I watched the game on my computer.

CONCACAF Qualifying

Honduras: 3rd in Group, 13 Pts, +6 GD

United States: 1st in Group, 16 Pts, +5 GD

Stakes: The are but two games remaining in World Cup qualification and while both of these teams are locks to make the top four, neither wishes to end up in that 4th spot. Why? That spot will result in a playoff with a team from South America, most likely Argentina. In other words, you can forget the World Cup.

I've got my place to watch the game and I'm excited for what could be the US team's ticket punching to South Africa in 2010. Of course, I'm not necessarily optimistic; the team has struggled on the road thus far and Honduras has been dominant at home, unbeaten in Hexagonal play. However, it will be a nice test to see how far this squad has come.

So it looks like I have my answer to "what will I do for the Honduras v. US match" Saturday night. I was debating having to cab my way over to a Mexican Restaurant to watch a Spanish feed of the game with most likely, Honduran fans. That might have been an experience on to itself, but a new option has opened up. Connolly's, a bar within walking distance of my place is now listed as one of places showing the game, in English. This is seriously a lucky break for me; many people don't have a place within miles and I've got one within ten minutes walking. Not that I believe in signs, but this is the closest thing to one there can be. I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth; I'll be there Saturday.

Of course, that means no live blog, but I can always do that for the Costa Rica game Wednesday.

It was the best of times.... It was the blurst of times...

-Remember all that hype when German midfielder Jermaine Jones switched FIFA allegiances to the US? He was going to right in a be the best midfielder on the squad right?

The US addition of Frankie Hejduk to the 22 man roster for Clint Dempsey yesterday caused me to grimace. This is nothing against Hejduk; he's been a contributor to the National team for years. However that's part of the problem. He's old, 35, and his skills have declined to the point where he should not be on the roster of a national side with aspirations of making it out of a World Cup round robin.

As you've no doubt heard by now, Clint Dempsey sustained a shoulder injury in last week's Fulham 2-2 draw with West Ham. Yesterday it was announced Deuce is out for the Honduras v. US qualifier Saturday night in Honduras, meaning the US will have to do without one if it's midfield mainstays of the past few years.

Despite his poor form nationally as of late, this is a crippling blow to the US team. I've been critical of him lately, but talent wise, it's arguable that Dempsey is the best player in the US midfield and the most irreplaceable. Conventional wisdom says Landon Donovan is both, but something has to be said for Deuce being the only player in the US midfield/forward position to hold down a starting job at in a top level league in some time.

It's Monday, which feels less like a Monday than normal when you have to work Sunday.


-Funny thing watching the Hull City v. Wigan game. At one point a Wigan player dove in the box in a one goal game. It was clear he was trying to draw a penalty and the referee rightly produced the yellow card. Okay, no harm done. But what blew my mind was the announcers. They spoke of how diving was a part of a "foreign" element to the Premiership, going as far to say as while that might be acceptable in Spain, is not in England. Seriously, are you for real?

I planned to Live Blog this one, but work made a surprise appearance and got in the way. Despite the poor result, I would have much rather parlayed my streams of consciousness than deal with work today.

That said, I was able to watch the whole game and pay attention to most of it. Overall, Chelsea was the better side, but Liverpool wasn't awful. Unfortunately, their big guys were unable to cash in on opportunities.

Chelski v. Liverpool

Chelsea: 18 pts, 2nd in the Premiership

Liverpool: 15 pts, 4th in the Premiership
Stakes: The Reds were streaking until a trip to Italy mid week resulted in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina. Liverpool's reward? A visit to Stamford Bridge and a showdown with Chelsea. During this run, Liverpool's been beating up on the weaker sisters of the Premiership; victories over Hull City, West Ham, Bolton and Burnley are necessary if you want to win the league. But they don't show where you rank among the top squads.

I didn't see all of the US junior squad's game against South Korea Friday, but I had more than my fill. The 3-0 scoreline told only part of the debacle for the US. While they got the better of possession, they did little with it and ended up barely troubling their opponents despite being down by two goals for most of the second half. But that wasn't the worst of it.

When on Wednesday Honduras named it's squad in advance of the upcoming October 10th clash against the US, I really didn't bat much of an eye. After all, the US team never reveals their team publicly until a few days before the game. It's Bob Bradley no doubt channeling his inner Bill Belichick, except you know, without the winning and stuff. He also tends to make a mockery of it all by doing things like revealing it piece mail on the internet. So I guess you have to refrain from calling it Belichikian and refer it as Mangini-esque.

Kickoff runs a little late today, but I'll make up for it by providing a big run down on the US roster for their final two qualifying games.

-Trinidad's Under 20 team finished up their World Cup run garnering a point against Paraguay's lesser squad. The game was a poor one with pretty poor finishing on both ends, so it was little surprise when it ended a scoreless draw. I would have liked the team to have shown more urgency in the closing minutes and try to get three points rather than settling for the one.

I caught two thirds of the Houston v. Pachuca battle yesterday. It might have been the best effort I've seen from an MLS side thus far, ranking up there with the Sounders' game against Chivas USA. And wouldn't you know it, like the Sounders game, Houston failed to register a goal. This was an even worse result for the Dynamo though, as they fell 1-0 to Pachuca, putting them in a dangerous spot heading into their final game of the CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage. They can still advance, but the road becomes more difficult.