CASL Cup 2009 Final

If you looked at the first two games of CASL Cup 2009, you would have expected the final to be very evident. After the first games, the Satellites stood at the top with 3 points, the Pirates and the Sunspots were tied each at 1 point with the Lightning rounding out the bottom. However, an exciting 3-2 win over the Sunspots, and 3-3 draw with the Pirates took the Lightning in the final with the Pirates as their opponents.

The first few minutes of the final was end-to-end attacking soccer until a penalty call finally gave the Lightning a clear cut chance. Gaurav took the spot kick with aplomb and gave the Lightning the lead. However, there was still no room to breathe, as the goal seemed to force the Pirates to find their second gear in the match.

They found that, and the net twice with two quick breakaway strikes that put them in the lead. The reality of a comeback seemed to be distancing itself when Weston chipped a pass over the top of the defense. Gaurav manuevered himself around the goalkeeper and calmly slotted into the open net. If the clock didn't indicate the importance of the goal, the raw excitement of the Lightning's celebration certainly did.

With the score tied, the teams headed into overtime. They locked horns for the whole 20 minutes of the extra time periods, each team having a fair share of opportunites. However, none were finished and so the dreaded penalty shootout followed. The first penalty went to the Lightning as Neel stepped up. Unfortunately, the defender caught the ball all wrong and it rolled weakly at the keeper. The Pirates jumped on the opportunity to take the lead in the shootout, their penalty sailing in to corner, past Sergio. The next penalty belonged to the forward, Isaac. He slotted the ball low and to his left, just out of the keepers reach. The Pirates were able to finish one more chance on another well-taken penalty. Gaurav would take the next penalty for the Lightning. He'd manage to finish all his chances from twelve yards that tournament and was the Lightning's highest goal scorer for the tournament, and the season. He didn't quite live up to either of those titles, as he curled his penalty over the bar. The Pirates had a great chance to go up by two. However, Sergio's knee-jerk reaction kept the shot out for the bottom corner. Weston was next on the Price is Right. He aimed for the top corner ,but sent his over the bar as well. Sergio managed to bail the Lightning out again with another save, this one coming right at him. The final penalty belonged to Alex with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders. If his didn't go in, the Pirates would be victorious. Ultimately, his shot struck the bar and went out. The ping of the bar was almost in unison with the roar from the Pirates, as well as their parents.

In the end both teams fought well, to which the Pirates' coach agreed and payed tribute to after the match. This time however, the Pirates ended up in first place.

Edu set to start in Old Firm Derby

I know what you're thinking ' We said this the last time there was an Old Firm Derby, and he didn't start'.

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This time, there is nothing to stand in the University of Maryland graduate's way.

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With Barry Ferguson out, and Edu continually piling minutes and good performances on top of one another, his chances of starting in tomorrow's Old Firm Derby look good. His two winning goals this season have kept Rangers in the title race, and with Rangers only 1 point behind Celtic in the standings, and this the last Old Firm Derby of the season, a victory at Ibrox could very well seal Rangers' spot at the top of the table.

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In short, it's the most important game of the season so far.

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However, Edu has been known to step up when the team needs him to. He's showed leadership qualities for Toronto FC and during the Olympics. His gritty, aggressive, athletic style of play on the defensive end make him perfect for the SPL and perfect for this match.

Share all thoughts below.

The U.S. Central Midfield

As far as lineup problems go, I’d have to say this is the one I’d like to have the most.

There are quite a few options in central midfield varying from gritty Pablo Mastroeni, to skillfull Jose Francisco Torres. Considering the influx of central midfielders there was in 2007, the starting central midfielders have changed around quite a bit, from Benny Feilhaber to Ricardo Clark, to Sacha Kljestan, with the only constant being Michael Bradley.

Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids)- The most experience of the central midfield bunch, Pablo operates really as more of a third center back. He has a really bad reputation for getting booked with for bad tackles. His red card against Italy still haunts many USA fans. He lacks the creativity and flashiness that you’d think a central midfielder playing next to Michael Bradley would have, but his ability to break up attacks, and make the possession-maintaining passes keep him an option Bob Bradley likes to use against physical teams.

Sacha Kljestan (CD Chivas USA)- After a good Qualifying campaign in 2008 and a dream start to 2009 with a hat-trick against Sweden, He looked a shoe-in to go to Celtic. But after the deal fell through, He started slumping in form. A technically gifted central midfielder, he’s able to orchestrate the attack with his creative passes. He’s also able to carry a bit of the defensive load. However, an uncomfortable percentage of his passes don’t work out. He’s also a bit on the slow side, but his ability to make runs into space with good timing somewhat supersedes that.

Maurice Edu( Glasgow Rangers)- In my opinion, the central midfielder in the best position of the whole bunch. With Barry Ferguson banned from international play and placed on the transfer list for Rangers, Edu stepped up to his starting spot and made an immediate impact with two winning goals that kept Rangers in the race for the Scottish Premier League title. The most athletically gifted of the central midfield group, reasonably skillful on the ball, and a sharp passer.. He’s also very versatile, playing as a center back during the Olympics. He’s got a bit of a problem with fouls and bookings. On paper, he’s the best partner for Bradley in central midfield.

Jose Francisco Torres( Pachuca)- The most skillful player on the ball we have in the central midfield. A constant starter for Pachuca, the Gold Cup looks to be his coming out party. His skill on the ball, creative distribution, and solid work rate make him great prospect in central midfield.He’s done more than enough to prove he’s good enough for the Confederations Cup. There was a scare in which everyone thought that he would go for Mexico but when they didn’t call him up, he decided to accept a call up from the U.S.A.. With significant playing time during the Confederations Cup, World Cup Qualifying, the Gold Cup, not to mention a good season for Pachuca, he could find his way into Europe.

So what order do I put these guys in? I see something like this

Maurice Edu
Jose Francisco Torres
Sacha Kljestan
Pablo Mastroeni

Edu tops my list mainly because he’s in Europe, getting playing time, and making a huge impact for his club. Mind you, his league isn’t the greatest, but he’ll be around European eyes and with the progress he’s making, I could see him starting. I also like the idea of two central midfielders who can create and destroy. Rather than looking for two polar opposite central midfielders so that one defends, and the other attacks, why not play a pair that can do both? I see the lineup working like this:


---------------Altidore------Ching------------------

Donovan-------Bradley---------Edu-------Dempsey

Beasley--------Bocanegra-----Onyewu------Hejduk

-------------------------Howard---------------------

I honestly like the central midfield pairing of Bradley and Edu for a couple of reasons. For starters, these are two players who are starting constantly for their respective club in Europe. Second off, they have been able to make a positive impact on their clubs.

Bradley has great pace, tackling ability, and offensive intensity. However, he's starting to learn the finer nuances of being a center midfielder. He's finding out that he needs to be more than just fast and have a good shot on the offensive end. He's gaining the vision in the final third, he's become great at keeping possession, and has learned to move with the team and put himself in good positions.

Maurice Edu is a special kind of center midfielder becuase he's able to play an aggressive, ball-winning midfielder on the defensive end, but still shows the finesse, ball skill and a great soccer brain going forward. He was useful in away games like the Switzerland and Guatemala where there wasn't much time on he ball and we're looking for some level of control and composure while still being able to be gritty on the defensive end. He's been good for Rangers of late with two winning goals that kept them in the title race and looks ready to start for them this weekend in the Old Firm Derby.

Share all thoughts.

It's time for Heath Pearce to come back home.



After suffering a dip in form in recent matchs, some have already suggested his departure. However, the nail in the coffin, at least for me, was being demoted to the Reserves of his club team, Hansa Rostock. An immediate solution seems to be to come back to MLS.

For starters, despite his recent rough patch, MLS teams would KILL for a left back with his stablity on both halves of the field. He bring's a fair amount of pace, good passing, loves to get forward, and has great recovery speed. 2008 was actually a pretty good year for him concerning the national team. He managed to stay pretty sharp, despite not getting playing time for his club.
But after sub-par perfromances against Mexico and El Salvador, his starting spot was given to Damarcus Beasley.

So which MLS club could use him? A club like DC United, San Jose, Colorado, or Real Salt Lake could find use for him.

What do you think?

Jozy Altidore misses the bench again

Altidore just can't catch a break, can he?

The 19-year old is trying so hard. With a goal against El Salvador and a hat-trick against Trinidad and Tobago, you think the manager of Xerex would give the man a reward. However, all he got this weekend was a ticket to watch the game from the stands. Jozy Altidore is yet to make his first appearance for Xerex off his loan from Villareal. For a while it seemed as though his work rate might be a problem, but with his success in recent World Cup Qualifiers, that doesn't seem the case.

What do you think Altidore should do? Should he have taken that loan to Everton? Still think Villareal want him?

Picture test.

Just testing some stuff guys.

US MNT projected starting eleven for Mexico

The United States is yet to call in the roster for the highly anticipated game against Mexico, however I'll take a stab at who i think is our starting eleven.

Brian Ching- Gave the Ching haters a cup of shut the heck up in the Sweden game. He initiated attacks, contested every aerial ball ,and provided tremendous hold up play. He may not be the biggest goal machine, he's a dependable forward when the situation calls for a leader, which, come 2010, could be vital.

Landon Donovan- After a lackluster 2008 for the U.S., lit up the scoreboard for Munich all preseason and showed a good 13 or so minutes for Munich in his Bundesliga debut. The most anticipated factor has to be that he is translating his goal-scoring verve from the Galaxy to a European league. The question is will he step up fearlessly.

Clint Dempsey- Had a pretty good 2008 by helping Fulham stay out of the regulation zone in 07-08 and showed progress with the national team dispite mix ups between his position on the wing and Donovans position as a forward. Might find himself as an attacking midfielder by 2010 as his ability to create for himself and others in the attacking third becomes limited on the wing. A thought is Bob Bradley might possibly want to call 'Deuce' into more of these training camps for MLS players so that his fearlessness, determination, swagger, and work ethic might rub off on the younger players.

Michael Bradley-Has shown progress but hasn't completely fit in with Monchengladbach who currently sit at the bottom of the Bundesliga. He covers much ground for the U.S. and may play a more important role as the U.S.'s midfield is much more organized and prepared than it was last time he was in a Mexico match. If there is something to fix its that he needs to try not to get caught in possesion as much. He did that once and Trinidad and Tobago nearly made the U.S. pay. He did it again and Cuba took advantage by breaking the U.S.'s shutout streak. He also needs to work on yellow cards, or at least not going to ground as easily.

Sacha Kljestan- His usefullness in the World Cup Qualifying showed how determined he was to step into the team and make a difference. A unique midfielder because he is not dedicated to attack or defense but both, playing the deep central midfield position which allows him to dictate the play of the field with his skill, passing and ball movement. Something else that might define the rest of his national team career is a move overseas. A TEN DAY trial with Celtic made him come back and notch his first three national team goals in one game so if he does go overseas it could make him the best central midfielder in the pool.

Damarcus Beasley- Has had a problem with playing time for Ranger but when the U.S. needed him to show up- he did. Notching a brace was really the way he capped off his 2008 seeing as how the next match he played had no meaning to Qualifying whatsoever. With a move back to the MLS looking more iminent by the day, we might just find ourselves with the Beasley who is only just behind Donovan in goals scored by unretired national team players.

Frankie Hejduk-With Cherundolo out, and a MLS Cup star on his armband in Columbus, a start against Mexico seems a nice reward and appropriate seeing as how he has a history of performing well against the U.S.'s rivals. His persistency is matched by no one else in the U.S. team and you can bet your going to see the name Hejduk flashing up and down that right flank.

Heath Pearce- Another one of our players in an important, not to mention thin, position for the U.S. who is recieving very little playing time for his respective club overseas. Even after taking that into account though, you have to say he's fit into the national team mix pretty well. More and more he's finding a balance between getting forward and playing as a stay at home defender however he does still have a long way to go. Some criticize him for being the obvious weak link in the back line, but, in all fairness, he hasn't been around long enough to garner the respect they have.

Carlos Bocanegra- Hard to believe that at some point last year he was still looking for a club after Fulham waived him. He has fit in well with the Ligue 1 club Rennes considering he just got there. Its a good feeling when an American is getting as much playing time as he is and an even better feeling when he's the guy leading your squad.

Oguchi Onyewu- Surprisingly, there really isn't much to say about the second best center back in the U.S. pool. He has been huge for Liege and a move to France or maybe even England looks like it could be in the works. Assuming he stays health and sharp he should be set for a great Hexagonagal.

Tim Howard- Is this guy good or what? U.S. and Everton fans cant say enough about 'Timmy' and why should they? Pretty much a legend for club and country, he'll most likely play the most important role of anyone next Wednesday. A huge performance from him against Mexico would start off what looks to be a huge year for the New Jersey native.

So what will it look like? something like this:

---------------------------------Ching--------------------------

--------------------------------Donovan------------------------

Beasley------------------------------------------------Dempsey

-----------------------Kljestan-----------Bradley---------------

Pearce------------Bocanegra-----------Onyewu----------Hejduk

-------------------------------Howard--------------------------