He is the first player to top 60 goals in a first-rank European league since Bayern Munich’s GerdMuller bagged 67 in 1972-73. He has 24 goals in his last 13 games, and he has 39 in La Liga, a total that leads the league and is one shy of the record set by CristianoRonaldo last season.
His 61st came in a 4-0 blowout of Getafe, a game in which he also had two assists. Highlights here:
As the RefBaiter noted, the passing on Messi’s goal “was just ridiculous.” Barcelona have closed the gap on Real Madrid and now sit just one point behind their first-place archrivals.
Casual nutmeg followed by let’s-just-put-that-there chip to the far side netting:
Amazing. Does anyone wield a chip in the box like he does? Goalkeepers are defenseless against it.
That was against 12th-place Sevilla, and Barca won the game 2-0 to pull to within eight points of first-place Real Madrid, which tied Malaga 1-1. There are 11 games to play in La Liga.
The logic of scheduling a friendly with Spain—the world champions and a team looking to avenge a defeat to the U.S.—just three days before the start of the most important competition of the year was always doubtful.
We could see playing, say, Venezuela or Ecuador that day, or, if it had to be a European opponent, how about Luxembourg or the Faroe Islands? Spain just made no sense.
BobBradley clearly felt the same way, starting a makeshift lineup of inexperienced players while leaving veterans SteveCherundolo, LandonDonovan (who was ill, but probably wouldn’t have started if he’d been healthy), MichaelBradley, and ClintDempsey on the bench for the opening whistle.
The youngsters got embarrassed, and the question of whether it was a good “learning experience” for them is debatable.
So let’s just crumple that one up, toss it over the shoulder and look ahead to tonight’s Gold Cup opener against Canada (7:30, EDT, Fox Soccer Channel):
• AlejandroBedoya, who’s been in camp for a week or so and played 25 minutes against Spain, has officially replaced the injured BennyFeilhaber (ankle) on the U.S. roster. The former Boston College attacker is off to a great start with Orebro in Sweden, scoring four goals in 10 games. He had two assists and a goal in his last game with the club before joining the U.S. camp. See here (nice backheel on the second goal):
• This is probably Canada’s best team, ever. The roster is stocked with solid MLS players, including DwayneDeRosario (New York), JuliandeGuzman (Toronto FC), TerryDunfield (Vancouver), AndreHainault (Houston) and WillJohnson (Real Salt Lake). The Canucks also feature several players coming off successful European campaigns, such as SimeonJackson, who scored 13 goals in 20 games to help Norwich win the NPower Championship and promotion to the Premier League next season, and PSV Eindhoven midfielder AtibaHutchinson, who made 33 appearances and scored two goals as PSV finished third in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Winger JoshSimpson is another one to watch: He led Turkish club Manisaspor in scoring this season, bagging 12 goals from his spot on the left wing.
They’re a seasoned group with more talent than most people recognize, and they won’t be intimidated by the U.S. They’re biggest weakness is the backline, where they’re missing D.C. United centerback DejanJakovic (hamstring) and their wing defenders are suspect.
• Canada may have some extra motivation in this one, not that they’ll need it. The last time these two teams met, in the semifinal of the 2007 Gold Cup, Hutchinson scored an apparent equalizer in stoppage time that was disallowed for offside. Replays showed that the goal should have counted.
The U.S. won the game 2-1 and went on to beat Mexico 2-1 in the final on (we’ll take any excuse to re-post it) Feilhaber’s golazo:
The U.S. will have to be up for it, and ready to match Canada’s intensity right from the opening whistle.
• It seems likely that TimReam, who went the full 90 against Spain, will not feature in the U.S. backline tonight, which leaves OguchiOnyewu, ClarenceGoodson, and CarlosBocanegra as the top options in central defense (followed by JonathanSpector and MauriceEdu).
Onyewu looked lost against Spain, and if Canada starts the speedy, 5’ 5” Jackson up top, the U.S. may not want two 6’ 4” centerbacks (Gooch and Goodson) in their starting lineup. We’d go with Bocanegra and Goodson in the middle, Cherundolo on the right and JonathanBornstein on the left (hey, the options there are—still—fairly thin, and Bornstein has the speed to stay with Jackson).
• Tidbit: Canadian midfielder Will Johnson and Michael Bradley were teammates on the Chicago Soccers youth team, also the onetime home of Spector and JayDeMerit.
What do you think of the matchup? Who should start for the U.S.? Any chance Bedoya gets the nod in midfield and Dempsey starts up top? Let us know in the comments.
Just in case you’d momentarily forgotten that ClintDempsey is indeed a badass, a little reminder:
Deuce will be leading the U.S. against a nearly full-strength Spain tomorrow (ESPN, 4:30 ET) in a rematch of the 2009 Confederations Cup semifinal. The U.S. won that game 2-0, ending Spain’s 35-match unbeaten streak, so you can bet Iniesta and Co. will be looking to make amends.
Sleepy Friday here, but we’re going to post some Gold Cup nuggets a little later. That tournament, CONCACAF’s most important event, kicks off on Sunday in Dallas with matches between Costa Rica and Cuba and Mexico and El Salvador.
We imagine there will be some kind of opening ceremony. Given the confederation’s recent difficulties, who will show up to cut the ribbon on this tournament? Who’s really in charge of the confederation right now? And is Cowboys Stadium big enough for both LisleAustin and ChuckBlazer?
Spain etched its name in the history of international soccer yesterday with a 1-0, extra time win over the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final. AndresIniesta scored the winner in the 116th minute, giving Spain its first World Cup crown and making it just the third team in history to hold the European Championship and World Cup titles at the same time.*
The victory was also a win for stylish soccer, as Spain stuck to its precise, short passing game and creative attacking movement in the face of disruptive and occasionally dirty tactics from the Dutch. There were 14 yellow cards in the game and one red, to Dutch defender JohnnyHeitinga, with 11 minutes remaining in extra time.
(Here was Holden’s reaction, in real time, via Twitter: “How is de Jong not sent off there?? Reckless challenge.. Again…” @stuholden22)
That play typified, at the extreme end, the Netherlands’ approach to the game: They wanted to disrupt Spain’s rhythm and, apparently, to intimidate them out of their trademark style of attractive soccer. Fortunately for Spain, and for the sport, it didn’t work. La Furia Roja kept playing its game and kept creating opportunities until finally cashing in on Iniesta’s strike late in extra time, after a pass from second half sub CescFabregas:
Note the nifty backheel by Iniesta at the start of the sequence.
So why did the Dutch go so far with their physical tactics when they have a full complement of skillful players, seemingly capable of competing with Spain without breaking out the brass knuckles? Here is coach Bert van Marwijk after the match (via TheNew York Times)
“It was still our intention to play beautiful football, but we were also facing a very good opponent. Spain is the best football country the past few years. I think both sides committed fouls. It may be regrettable this happened in a final. That’s not our style. But you do play to win.”
Translation: We didn’t have faith that we could play with them, so we took our best shot at winning—pounding them wherever and whenever possible. And as for his “both sides committed fouls” comment, Spain committed 19, while the Dutch racked up 28.
So it’s a stretch to say that the Netherlands tried to play beautiful soccer, but they did create some chances, including two breakaways by winger ArjenRobben. On the first, he was thwarted by a desperation kick save from Spanish keeper IkerCasillas, and on the second, Casillas smothered the ball at Robben’s feet after a rugged challenge on the Dutch speedster by Spain defender CarlosPuyols.
There was an irony there, as Backpost reader Old 27 pointed out: Robben was in some ways the poster boy for diving at this tournament, but he stayed on his feet on this play. If he had gone down, Puyols likely would have gotten his second yellow (if not a straight red as the last man back) and the Dutch would have had a free kick in a dangerous area.
But that’s water under the bridge now. All in all, it was not a great final, but the better team did win, we got an exciting finish, and we avoided the dreaded penalty shootout.
