Tomorrow, U.S. national team coach JurgenKlinsmann will announce his roster for the Feb 29 friendly against Italy. Sadly, we know one player who will not be on it: hulking defender OguchiOnyewu.
The Sporting CP centerback tore ligaments and the meniscus in his right knee on Sunday and will miss eight weeks after undergoing surgery. The injury comes just as the 29-year-old was finally regaining his top form after an October 2009 injury to his left knee (ruptured patellar tendon).
It’s a big setback for the player, obviously, and it creates a void in the center of the U.S. backline, where Gooch was almost certain to start come World Cup qualifying in June.
He was also a shoo-in for next Wednesday’s match in Italy (2:30 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN3, Galavision). It will be interesting to see who gets Klinsmann’s call tomorrow. Most observers are expecting a heavy influx of European-based talent (for centerbacks: ZakWhitbread? TimReam?), but don’t count out GeoffCameron, currently in preseason camp with the Houston Dynamo.
We’ll have to check the archives, but we’re pretty sure we just completed the longest publishing gap in the history of the BP. It’s been a full week since the last post. Our bad. We’ve taken on another role at the day job, and have another project cooking up (more on that later), so the Backpost got moved to the backburner.
Let’s ease it back in with this clip of Legia Warsaw fans launching a coordinated snowball offensive against Sporting CP and U.S. defender OguchiOnyewu during warmups for their Europa League match last week:
The visitors shook off the attack and left Poland with a 2-2 first-leg result that sets them up fairly well for the second leg in Lisbon.
The U.S. fell to Ecuador 1-0 at Red Bull Arena last night to run their record under new coach JurgenKlinsmann to 1-3-1, with two goals scored.
Not a rousing start for the new boss, results-wise, but fortunately, results don’t matter right now, and there were some encouraging signs last night.
The Yanks dominated the first half and played some stylish one-touch soccer. The five U.S. substitutions in the second half changed the game, and not for the better.
Let’s look at the ups and downs of the new boss’s fifth outing with the team:
The Good
1. Oguchi Onyewu is 100% Again
Gooch is back to his old self, positioning well, cutting out entry passes, and of course, winning anything in the air within a 20-yard radius of his 6-4, 210-pound frame. He even got into the attack a few times last night, and nearly set up ClintDempsey for a late equalizer. His rock-solid presence also lifted centerback partner CarlosBocanegra, who was able to play more aggressively. They were a first-class duo last night; too bad Bocanegra is 32 and unlikely to be on the Brazil 2014 roster (Gooch is 29. And just as a refresher, his wife looks like this.)
2. Remember those slow starts under Bob Bradley?
The team appears to have been cured of that condition under Klinsmann, and last night the U.S. got off to a lightning-fast start, with JozyAltidore testing Ecuador keeper MaximoBanguera in the very first minute, and BrekShea following suit four minutes later (a play not included in the highlights below).
3. Left-side lockdown
The left-back, left-wing combination of TimmyChandler and Shea had another quality outing, controlling play on that side of the field and completely hemming in none other than Manchester United winger AntonioValencia. This is a huge development in an area that has long been a trouble spot for the USMNT. Said Klinsmann afterward: “[Valencia] is a very, very good player but you couldn’t see him at all because Timmy Chandler closed him completely down.”
The Bad
1. Tim Ream played himself out of the pool—for now.
Klinsmann inserted Ream into the game in the 71st minute—no doubt to give the 24-year-old a taste of national-team play in his home stadium. But the move proved costly as Ream was slow to react to JaimeAyovi’s knifing run in front of goal eight minutes later. Ayovi beat the Red Bulls defender to the cross (from Ayovi’s cousin, WalterAyovi) and nodded home the game’s only goal. It was a rudimentary lapse by Ream, a talented player who has admitted to a sophomore slump this season. He needs to re-focus his game at the club level before he gets another call-up from Klinsmann.
2. Finishing!
There was a promising sequence (also not included below; what’s up with that, US Soccer?) late in the first half in which the U.S. strung together a series of one-touch passes around the Ecuador box, with Shea finding MauriceEdu about nine yards out in front of goal, then darting toward the net. Edu, in an apparent attempt to play it back to Shea, instead rolled the ball harmlessly into Banguera’s arms. It counted as a shot, but it may as well have been a backpass. The U.S. created several other opportunities in front of Ecuador’s goal, but the final ball was always sub-standard. Ironic for a team coached by one of the greatest finishers of all time.
3. Right-Side Wrongs
The normally steady SteveCherundolo had an off night, struggling to contain the speedy JeffersonMontero and turning the ball over uncharacteristically. Three times he attempted the same move of faking a backpass to Tim Howard before turning toward the sideline and trying to advance upfield past pressure—and it failed all three times. Cherundolo’s halftime replacement, JonathanSpector, was even worse. The Birmingham City man was torched soon after coming on, and later awkwardly headed a cross right to Montero at the edge of the box.
It took four games, but JurgenKlinsmann finally locked up his first win as coach of the U.S. national team as the Yanks edged Honduras 1-0 in Miami this past Saturday.
ClintDempsey scored a beautiful goal just before halftime and TimHoward made several excellent saves to preserve the lead in rainy, windy conditions at Sun Life Stadium.
The Americans could have—should have—added to their margin at least twice as BrekShea and OguchiOnyewu each missed sitters in the second half.
Three quick hits on the game:
1.ComebackKids—Well, maybe they’re not kids—they’re both 29—but centerback OguchiOnyewu and winger DaMarcusBeasley both returned to the team after long absences, and both performed well.
Onyewu, who is getting regular playing time for Sporting Clube de Portugal (don’t call it Sporting Lisbon), looked confident and steady—a lot like the quality player he was before a ruptured patellar tendon derailed his career in Oct 2009. Even if he missed a wide-open net on the rebound of Dempsey’s shot in the 66th minute.
Beasley was active and dangerous in his 25-minute cameo on the left wing. He combined well with Dempsey a few times, and looked very capable of staying in the USMNT picture. He has two goals for Puebla this season.
2.The Sons of Thomas Dooley—Klinsmann played against Dooley, the first German-American player to make a splash with the U.S. team, and he is continuing the tradition that brought the former Schalke 04 defender to these shores, tapping Hoffenheim’s DannyWilliams for this camp, and giving another nod to Nuremberg’s TimmyChandler. Both looked like worthy additions to the pool.
Williams lined up in right midfield and nearly scored 30 minutes into his debut, curling a shot just over the top left corner from 18 yards out. He also had a diving header blocked in the 45th minute.
Chandler may end up being the starting left back for the U.S. when World Cup qualifying begins next year. He’s a little raw, but extremely athletic, and he combined well with rising star Shea on the left.
Speaking of…
3.Brek Shea: A Bro Who Keeps Things Extremely Chill
The 21-year old winger who just doesn’t like “normal haircuts” recently did a live chat with MLS fans on Facebook, and, as the MLS Insider noted, got the following question: “Brek you seem like a bro who keeps things extremely chill. What’s your secret?”
We have no idea, but whatever it is, it’s working. After a shaky debut against Colombia in Oct 2010, Shea has been consistently effective for the U.S. in five subsequent appearances. He should have scored his first USMNT goal (he has one assist) when JozyAltidore put it on a platter for him in the 53rd minute, but apart from that flub, he had another excellent game.
So what is his secret? Maybe it’s the painting—did you know Shea’s an artist in his spare time? Check it out here (really).
Another fun fact about Shea: he’s the first player born in the 1990s to make an appearance for the full national team.
Honduras highlights:
Klinsmann’s boys return to action tonight at Red Bull Arena, where they’ll take on Ecuador (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2).
U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu left FC Twente’s Dutch Cup quarterfinal against PSV Eindhoven after just 25 minutes on Wednesday, prompting American fans to wonder if the snakebitten centerback was due for another extended spell on the sidelines.
Onyewu, 28, ruptured his patellar tendon in October 2009, not long after signing with Italian giants AC Milan. He missed the remainder of the 2009-10 season while rehabbing the injury, and had been unable to crack the Milan first team so far in 2010-11.
On Jan. 11, he was loaned to Twente, making his first competitive club appearance in more than a year on Jan. 19 against Heracles.
When he left Wednesday’s game, just his third with Twente, so prematurely, it seemed his bad luck had returned.
But yesterday came news that the injury was relatively minor: a tweaked muscle between his ribs, according to reporter Avi Creditor, who spoke to Gooch on Thursday.
All he needs is a few days off, some rest–and some light massage from his tantalizing Persian wife, Salome.
Yeah, we’ve missed a few stories as the New Year has gotten off the ground. Today, we catch up (again) with links, clips, and roughly 1,200 words on the biggest BP talking points of the past seven or eight days.
“I believe Qatar can stand alone and organize the competition by itself,” said Bin Hamman, “and I’m really not very impressed by these opinions to distribute the game over the Gulf or change the time from July to January.”
That was interesting, but then Bin Hamman went on to add, in a moment of irony so dense it caused the head of everyone within earshot to explode:
“I think we [FIFA] need to be more open to the people, more transparent. A lot of things could be done. Maybe the actual administration can do that, they have to commit themselves to doing that. The structure is not helpful or useful for our world.”
Can mere words adequately do the above justice? We’re not even going to try.
• EdsonBuddle left MLS for Bundesliga 2 side Ingolstadt, and these guys were not happy about it. We can hardly blame them; the German side, which is in second-to-last place in the German second-flight—in other words, on the brink of dropping to the third division—reportedly offered Buddle twice his MLS salary.
So long, Edson. Here’s another look at his half-brilliant, half-fluky goal vs Seattle in last year’s playoffs:
• In other Red Bulls news, the club confirmed the long-anticipated signings of Norwegian midfielder JanGunnarSolli, and speedy, feisty English forward LukeRodgers. More intriguingly, to us anyway, New York also acquired 20-year-old Brazilian winger MarcosPaullo, formerly of Atletico Paranaense, the same club for which reigning MLS MVP David Ferreira used to play.
For video of the young Paullo, um, not scoring, click here (he does look skillful though).
• Chivas USA striker JustinBraun and FC Dallas defender UgoIhemeluwere released from Bob Bradley’s January US national team camp. Both players were struggling with injuries. The MLS-heavy US roster will meet Chile on Jan 22 at the Home Depot Center (TeleFutura, 10 p.m. EST).
• Following weeks of speculation that he would join the expansion side, former MLS and occasional U.S. national team striker KennyCooperofficially signed with the Portland Timbers. Portland fans are excited about the prospect of Cooper and No. 2 draft pick DarlingtonNagbe paired up top for their team.
• US defender Maurice (or “Morris,” as they call him in Scotland) Edu returned from a two-month injury layoff and did this for Rangers against SPL foes Hamilton:
Said Rangers boss WalterSmith as the team approached a busy patch of the schedule, trailing SPL leaders Celtic by five points: “We’ve got a lot of games coming up and Maurice Edu needs some game time.”
• The MLS SuperDraft and Supplemental Draft both concluded within the past seven days, giving us, among other players, a Mr. Irrelevant and a Mr. Utterly [?] Irrelevant, namely William and Mary’s Alan Koger—a striker picked last in the SuperDraft (by New England)—and South Florida defender Javed Mohammed, selected with the final choice of the Supplemental Draft, by Colorado.
Kidding aside, the MLS version of Mr. Irrelevant does not always live up to his name—see Parke, Jeff, class of 2004, the starting centerback for Seattle Sounders FC six years later.
Late-round Supplemental Draft picks are not always doomed to obscurity, either. The 2005 edition featured two final-round picks you may recognize: JeffLarentowicz and ChrisWondolowski—both currently in training camp with the US national team.
• The Chicago Fire added two Designated Players last season, Swedish midfielder FreddieLjungberg and Mexican attacker NeryCastillo—and both are gone now. Ljungberg signed with Glasgow Celtic a few weeks ago, and today, Chicago confirmed that Castillo will go on a five-month loan to Greek club Aris.
• There was an OguchiOnyewu sighting yesterday—on the field, in a competitive game, that is. After months of bench warming at AC Milan, the hulking US center-back was loaned to Dutch league defending champs FC Twente on Jan 11. Yesterday Gooch debuted—at left back—in a 5-0 rout of Heracles Almelo. Great to hear that Gooch is back in action after 20 months out of club ball, but … not so sure about that new position.
Given Cantona’s track record, this last move may be more of a publicity splash than an actual executive addition, but it’s certainly interesting. As were Cantona’s quotes after his hiring was announced. We’re not sure if there was a translation problem, or what, but … well, take a look:
“The Cosmos are very strong, beautifully made, with a great past. It’s kind of a mix between football and art.”
Then again, that’s probably just the quote we should expect from Cantona, who flashed midfield brilliance, Gallic impetuousness, and a popped collar during his years at Manchester United.
The latter two are on display here:
All right folks, that’s it for this round. If we missed something here, we either covered it elsewhere on the site—or we’re just going to have to live with missing it. But feel free to let us know of any big omissions in the comments. Onward.
Backpost reader Ref Baiter calls this “hands down one of the Top 5 strikes I have seen in years.”
It’s AndreaPirlo’s 40-yard tracer into the upper 90 for AC Milan against Parma on Saturday:
Not too shabby. We would never argue with the RB (we leave that to the referees), but here are five goals from the past year that give Pirlo’s strike a run for the money:
1. GiovannivanBronckhorst’s World Cup semifinal rocket:
2. DannyRose’s full volley against Arsenal (London derby; Premier League debut; and we agree with the cat):
3. ClintDempsey’s Europa League far-post chip (put Fulham into the final):
4. Alex’s free kick vs Arsenal on Sunday (Powerful, swerving, unstoppable—like the Ref Baiter after a few pints):
5. JuanPabloAngel’s last-second game-winner vs Houston (definition of clutch; and a little love for MLS….):
Those are some golazos. Long may they survive copyright claims.
PS: U.S. defender OguchiOnyewu did not dress for Milan’s 1-0 win over Parma. He has yet to play this season.
We haven’t had any gratuitous T&A up at BP since the World Cup draw way back in December, so let’s put a stop to that ignominious run with a few shots of U.S. and AC Milan centerback OguchiOnyewu’s better half, Salomé.
The big defender’s form and fitness for South Africa 2010 may be in doubt, but one thing is certain, his girl is off the meter.
This next one is, according to Google image search, also Salomé, but we’re not sure it’s the same person. We leave it up to you to determine; enjoy that task, and the weekend.
