I know we had a bunch of eager beavers out there, and I know it was all about dictating the game with our fast tempo and high pressure blah blah blah. But that game was a pile of horseshjt. I find Scottish soccer appealing - in a bemused sorta way, same as I like the kilts and bagpipes and Robert Burns. But I hate too see our national team, C+ squad or not, play soccer so brainlessly. G'issa game the Bruce. Thait wuz crop.
Lest anyone think to brand the thread title as a spoiler: Win, lose or draw, someone is going to have the opinion held by the thread-starter.
It might not have been pretty, but it brought another point to our total this year. Also, here's the number of the day: Nil. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. No matter how you say it, that's the number of losses the USA has accumulated in the WCQ's-- the games that matter-- this year. It's all about getting the results, and regardless of how it gets done, Bruce should be commended for exactly that. If I want to see an oil painting or another work of art, I'll just head over to a museum.
A lot of Scottish soccer gets played in weather like last night's. The last time we tried to play pretty in the rain was the Panama game.Remind me how we looked in that one.
I enjoyed the game.Given the circumstances, I think Bruce and the team did a great job.Capped some new guys, got the result we needed. I enjoyed seeing Spector and Dempsey.
I thought Bruce did a poor job with tactics and team selection so, I agree, it was hosrshjt. Anytime that one of Bruce's main strategies is to work for the counter attack when we're in Columbus against an inferior team is a bad day for the USA. This isn't 1984, Bruce - let those boys play. These are grown-ass men - they want to play attacking soccer. Bruce was lucky that Jamaica's coach also had equally bad tactics and team selection. If Jamaica scores and we lose 2-1, folks sure would be screaming at Bruce. But, not to rag on the new kids, I thought Dempsey was a good spark, Spector did well, Gooch did well, as did Eddie...
Dang. I liked the game very much. I thought it was the most entertaining and best-played match of this round. I thought Jamaica was a very worthy opponent -- physical, determined, and skilled. I thought that both sides played a lot of good-quality short passing soccer rather than just whacking balls into the air. I guess I'm out to lunch. Oh, well. Fortunately, I can indulge my dubious tastes and watch similar soccer each weekend, with the EPL on FSW.
So you guys truly believe that the correct managerial style was to play counter-attacking soccer against an inferior team while we are at home during qualifying? I just think that's too pessimistic. In my mind, if we play counter-attacking soccer at home, that just means that will be our "style" forever. Maybe Bruce is trying to really, *really* embed the cattenacio style of play into the American system - we've seem him this defensive before on the road, for sure. But at home against Jamaica?!?! I just cannot think that is the correct strategy for long term success. All of you who said the way to qualify is to win at home and tie on the road should be worried. Bruce played to not lose, not to win.
I thought Bruce got a great result. He wanted to experiment with new players as well as players in new positions. Another goal was to win the game so as to ensure that Jamaica didn't get thru. Well, we didn't win, but both goals were achieved. Our back line was Gooch, Sanneh, Albright, and Gibbs for crying out loud. Gibbs pushed up so much he was essentially a left sided midfielder. It was a day for experimentation and to give the young kids some experience. It wasn't pretty, but with our lineup I never expected it to be. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
We were already qualified for the next round. It's not like the hex is seeded or anything. We play each team once at home and once away. Hell, we could've lost 10-0 and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference as to whether or not we were in the hex.
It was far from pretty, but the Dempsey and Spector moments were enough for me, great EJ goal aside. Gibbs looked as good as I've seen him since Holland, Ralston was pretty solid (some very nice service), and Corrales was... well, he was what I expected. The game broke down in the middle of the second half, but it was neat to get a look at the newbies in that sort of situation.
The simple fact is we played our C team, tied, and IMHO played better than the Jamaican best XI who had their backs up against the wall to qualify. Oh plus we were a man down for the last 20 minutes. Being at that game last night, I think there has to be something internally wrong with that Jamaican team. I can't figure out how a squad with that much talent can play so badly and not finish above Panama and El Salvador in this format. When the match ended it almost seemed like the Jam players didn't even care. Maybe they didn't know the other result yet, but I bet they did. Too bad. Jamaican fans were class I sat with the majority of them in the stadium, they deserved more from their team...
I love Jamaica- the country , the people and their team. I root for them whenever they play anyone except USA. If I was not American, I would wish to be born Jamaican.
This game was a bit disappointing. It hasn't been the most entertaining qualifying campaign so far. The last Panama game was great but outside of that it hasn't been all that fun to watch. Yes, results are everything but you expect the US to get the results vs. teams like these. I mean, the European version of this group would be Sweden going up against Slovakia, Cyprus and Northern Ireland. It would be a joke if they don't finish first in the group. The Hex is going to be fun though.
I know they're not a joke. I'd go as far as saying that they're currently the 4th-best team in CONCACAF, despite the fact they failed to advance. They've just been unlucky, losing/tieing games which they dominated. But they're still a notch or two below the US. All I'm saying is I think it would have been embarassing if we didn't finish first in the group.
This was the most worthless US game I've been to out of approximately 15 and that includes a couple of pretty lame friendlies. Thank goodness we don't have to play Jamaica in the next round just because the games are always repulsive. Watch the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half again- literally half of those minutes were spent watching someone roll around on the ground. At the stadium it was a total buzz kill. The last 20 minutes the US did what it had to do, but it still wasn't pretty. Results are everything, I understand, but I'm still holding out for the US to actually play good soccer. Hasn't really happened so far in qualifying.
How is that relevant to what I posted? I said Jamaica were an inferior team and I criticized Bruce's team selection... Are you suggesting that the USA is an inferior team to Jamaica? Or are you just wanting to up your post count?
Ramiro Corrales? Is that right. A starter on the MNT? Did The Bruce think the team might need a field goal at some point?
"C Team"? Really? Kasey Keller Landon Donovan Cory Gibbs Eddie Johnson Brian McBride Pablo Mastroeni maybe Tony Sanneh that's 7 of the 11 starters who are pretty much on Bruce's "A" team. Throwing a few retreads and experiments in doesn't turn it into a "C" team.