Comments on: Talkers from U.S.-Guatemala draw on Tuesday

By: slxc

slxc — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 02:12:49 +0000

Go Guatemala

By: docstraw

docstraw — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:12:56 +0000

Watching the game last night, I couldn’t help but think that Cherundolo will probably not be the first choice RB a year from now, and if he is that will be a problem. He rarely gets forward and seems to be really susceptible to giving the ball up under high pressure.

When Landon is playing wide, he seems to make things happen by taking the ball a little closer to the end line. When he stays shallow, he tends to launch a cross that ultimately turns the ball back over. There are a lot of miles on those legs, perhaps he doesn’t have the juice to get up and down the field on an international level anymore. And his set pieces are pretty dreadful for the most part. Would much rather have Bradley be the guy in those situations, especially free kicks into the box. Thought it was one of Edu’s better games, and boy does he have some good foot speed. Is he regarded as one of the faster guys on the team?

Surely one of those goofy yellow cards from this match will come back to bite us down the road in the form of an ill-timed suspension, though things like that are more of a concern during the hexagonal phase.

By: Steve Davis

Steve Davis — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:09:58 +0000

You’re right about Howard. He was, well … Tim Howard. I think perhaps we just come to accept that Howard is going to come up big a time or two every match. I guess that’s the very definition of “taking someone for granted.” But, yes, a long, slow clap for the U.S. No. 1

By: Steve Davis

Steve Davis — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:08:43 +0000

Well, just can’t agree. There was a lot of fouling in this one, and you can’t just meekly take it. And in all honesty, as I said, a couple probably weren’t yellows.

By: jucam1

jucam1 — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:54:42 +0000

Maybe they should just give these Concacaf slots to European, SA, or even more deserving African teams…. This is just bad football all around by mediocre to awful teams in this conference….

By: ndnut

ndnut — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:58:40 +0000

4 yellows are unacceptable. I didn’t see the game but I used Fox match trax. It was said there that the referee did good but missed one call on an Altidore chance.

By: tylerbetts

tylerbetts — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:55:33 +0000

To the point on set pieces – 100% spot on. I couldn’t believe how many chances they wasted. Only to have that disbelief shown up by the decision to have Jones – and not Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, or Altidore – take that free kick from just outside the box. Stunning.

Also, a talking point of this needs to be Tim Howard. He was absolutely phenomenal tonight. Nothing he could do on the free kick, but he saved the point for the US with several absolutely beautiful stops. Easily the man of the match to me.

And, I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but Landon Donovan needs to show some more aggression and selfishness. Take a shot at the keeper. Make the keeper stop you. Don’t lay off, don’t hold up. Good things happen when you take a shot at the keeper. It can go in (yay), it can go to a great rebound for a teammate (look at the Algeria game, buddy), it can go out for a corner. Sure, it could also be saved and given back to the opposition, but that same outcome can happen when you lay off for a teammate.