Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Quick Thoughts on the Latest FIFA World Soccer Rankings

FIFA's monthly world soccer rankings were released earlier today. Here are some highlights:
  • The top ten spots remained unchanged (Spain at the top, followed by Netherlands, Germany, Uruguay, England, Brazil, Portugal, Croatia, Italy, and Argentina to round out the top ten).
  • The USMNT remained ranked 34th, just behind the Czech Republic.
  • The other teams in the US's semifinal qualifying group for the World Cup are ranked as follows: Jamaica 54th, Antigua and Barbuda 87th, and Guatemala 90th.
  • Mexico dropped one spot to 21st, still the top ranked team in CONCACAF.
These rankings are not likely to change much over the next few months, but the Euro 2012 Tournament and heating up of World Cup Qualifying will start making an impact in June.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

2012 USMNT Schedule

For those USMNT fans like me who try to schedule their personal and professional lives around match schedules, today's blog entry is for you!

The USMNT's 2012 campaign will be highlighted by the semifinal round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification. The US is in Group A along with Antigua & Barbuda, Guatemala, and Jamaica. Group B consists of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guyana, and Mexico, while Group C includes Canada, Cuba, Honduras, and Panama. The winner and runner-up from each group advance to the Final Round of qualifying in 2013. The top three teams from that Final Round earn spots in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while the team that finishes fourth enters a two-team playoff to try and make it into the world's most popular tournament.

Here is the 2012 USMNT schedule as of today (more friendlies will likely be scheduled between January and June, but those have yet to be announced):

January 21 - Friendly vs Venezuela (venue tba, but likely in the US according to Venezuela's soccer federation)
January 25 - Friendly at Panama
June 8 - World Cup Qualifier vs Antigua & Barbuda
June 12 - World Cup Qualifier at Guatemala
September 7 - World Cup Qualifier at Jamaica
September 11 - World Cup Qualifier vs Jamaica
October 12 - World Cup Qualifier at Antigua & Barbuda
October 16 - World Cup Qualifier vs Guatemala

*NOTE: The Under-23 US team will attempt to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics as well. Qualification for that takes place in March and April, with the Olympic Soccer Tournament hosted by London this summer. USMNT regulars such as Brek Shea, Timmy Chandler, Freddy Adu, Juan Agudelo and Jozy Altidore are eligible. It will be interesting to see which of these young talents make it on the final Olympic roster.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

USMNT Beats Slovenia!

The USMNT defeated Slovenia, 3-2, in an international friendly earlier today. The US came out in a more aggressive formation and scored all three of its goals in the first half. In the 9th minute, Edson Buddle capitalized on a Slovenia turnover deep in its own end, forced by Clint Dempsey. Buddle crushed the loose ball into the corner of the net. Dempsey scored a beautiful header off a Michael Bradley corner in the 41st minute. Fabian Johnson was rewarded for his stellar play in the first half by drawing a penalty in the 42nd minute, and the subsequent penalty kick was put away emphatically by Jozy Altidore for his first goal in the Klinsmann era. Unfortunately, the defense did not play its best, but it was enough to secure the victory.
Here are my five thoughts on the match:
  • Jurgen Klinsmann changed his formation for the US, coming out in a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond as Jozy Altidore and Edson Buddle teamed up front, Clint Dempsey at the point, Fabian Johnson and Michael Bradley were wing midfielders, and Kyle Beckerman lined up as a defensive midfielder. The defensive line was (left to right) Timmy Chandler, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, and Steve Cherundolo. Once again, Tim Howard was in goal. You had to like this formation, as the US had nine scoring chances today. They had been averaging only five per match in Klinsmann's first five matches.
  • Johnson and Bradley were both outstanding, especially in the first half. Johnson provides the US with an athletic, offensive-minded midfielder that could cause matchup problems in World Cup qualifying. Bradley was impressive in joining the attack moving forward and had some nice feeds off set pieces. There could be a logjam in the US midfield when Landon Donovan rejoins the team in 2012 and if/when Stuart Holden recovers from his latest knee surgery. Johnson and Bradley made cases for themselves to be in the conversation for the starting 11 in 2012.
  • Altidore once again worked hard and played well, but he has to learn to put away easy scoring opportunities. Again in this match, he had an easy put away in the 11th minute, with Slovenia reeling off Buddle's rocket goal just a couple minutes before. Johnson delivered a beautiful cross right in front of the goal mouth, but Altidore blocked the ball well over the crossbar instead of tapping it into the net. Altidore scored on a well taken penalty later in the first half, but that should have been his second goal of the match.
  • There are concerns over the US defense, especially in the central midfield. Bocanegra made some uncharacteristic errors, including a horrible over the back foul at the top of the box in the final minute that gave Slovenia a chance to tie the match. Thankfully, the free kick was high and the match ended with the US on top. Goodson and Bocanegra did not have their finest performances today and will need to get better to keep their starting positions.
  • Congratulations to The Captain, Carlos Bocanegra, on his 100th cap for the USMNT (for you novices out there, a "cap" is an appearance in an international friendly or competitive match). Klinsmann mentioned in his postmatch comments that the team was very happy to celebrate with a win. Bocanegra is just the 12th American player to reach this milestone.
Now it's your turn...what did you think of the match?

Introduction of Stars and Stripes Soccer Blog

Soccer in the United States has arguably never been more popular. Just one year ago, the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) captivated us with a run for the ages, winning its group for the first time in history after a Landon Donovan goal that I still have to relive on YouTube just to remember how I felt running around screaming and hugging fellow fans at a local watering hole when I should have been at work.

This past summer's USA vs Japan Women's World Cup Final drew the second largest television ratings for a women's soccer match in history and brought Americans of all ages to the edge of their seats in a classic championship match.

This blog will be dedicated to my thoughts on the USMNT and USWNT as they compete around the world in both tournament and friendly action. Qualifying for the World Cup on the men's side begins for the USA in June, and new coach Jurgen Klinsmann has infused enthusiasm for, and brought higher expectations to, the red, white, and blue. On the women's side, this is a bit of a down time in the wake of their World Cup success, but things will heat up leading into the Summer Olympics in 2012.

I look forward to sharing my opinions and reading yours! Please feel free to comment as often as you would like. I plan to organize some gatherings to cheer on the USA in person. You can also follow me on Twitter (adifranco77) for quick thoughts on soccer and other issues in sports and life.