Compelling Soccer

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 guess the coaching staff was all for moral victories since in reality, they weren't going to do enough to go through to the knock out stages anyway.

In some respects the scoreline was fitting, since it allowed Trinidad's keeper, Glenroy Samuel to earn himself a clean sheet. He had been the best player for the junior Soca Warriors, though his six goals allowed in the two games prior might lead people to not realize his skills. It will be interesting to see if he can get a look in the final two WC qualifying games for the senior team with the Warriors finished. It might be a good chance to see him and some of the other kids from this cup in action.

Three others in addition to Samuel got the call, Jake Thomson, Leston Paul and Robert Primus. Thomson's best game was his first but he showed enough to deserve a look. Should he play, I hope he gets a look in the midfield rather than at fullback. His big weakness is his crossing ability, which naturally makes one hesitant about putting him in the midfield. However, he ranged forward a lot anyway, was one of the few players on the team who displayed 1 v 1 ability and was good at finding players with balls sent along the ground. Primus got stronger as the tournament continued and could be a welcome addition to a back line whose best player, Dennis Lawrence, is fading fast. Paul was okay, but never stood out for me. I'm somewhat surprised Khaleem Hyland didn't get called in, considering he was strong in the tournament and has senior team experience.

Overall, the squad hadn't been in the tournament since 91 and they were embarrassed in that appearance, not even scoring a goal. This is a step in the right direction and hopefully will lead to a few of these guys getting interest from foreign based squads. Heck, MLS would be a step forward from the Trinidadian league. I know if I were an MLS team, I'd inquire about Samuel and Primus.

-Bob Bradley released his call ups for the Honduras and Costa Rica qualifying games. It's a mixed bag, which is better than normal I suppose. I'll have my full thoughts later today.

-The US/Honduras match will not be on broadcast TV as it stands now, which is an utter joke. It's been sold as a pay per view event, but only to restaurants and bars. According to Soccer By Ives, only FIVE English establishments in the US have picked it up. FIVE. You can probably find that many showing poker on any given night. I doubt I'll find one. So I'll have to search for other means to watch the game. Internets don't fail me now.

-The junior US squad will be playing to reach the knockout stages of the Under 20 Cup. South Korea will be their opponent. As I've stated before, I have no idea what to expect in these games since I've never these players before. I can guess the US probably is a slight favorite; though Korea drew with Germany, the Germans were down a man for most of the game. The game is at 12:45, we'll see if I can at least follow along with the action.