The United States Soccer Federation started the Bradenton U-17 academy program in 1999 and right out of the gate they produced/were blessed with an incredible crop of talent.
The 1999 group looks better with each passing year, having sent LandonDonovan, DaMarcusBeasley, OguchiOnyewu, KyleBeckerman, and BobbyConvey, among others, to the professional ranks.
With each new U-17 group that convenes in Florida, the question resurfaces: Where are the next Donovans and Beasleys?
It’s way too early to tell, but attacker RubioRubin of Beaverton, Oregon, could be the best answer to that question in years. Wednesday night, in the opening game of this year’s Nike Friendlies in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., he scored two goals and set up two others to help the U.S. tie none other than Brazil, 4-4.
The Yanks held a 3-1 lead in the second half, and were up 4-3 with nine minutes to play, but could not hold on to the lead.
Here’s some postgame reaction from coach (and MLS ref MichaelKennedy doppelganger) RichieWilliams, striker AhingaSelemani (Ann Arbor, MI) and Rubin:
These games are not being televised for some reason (they were on Fox Soccer last year), and US Soccer is so far being stingy with the highlights, but hopefully we’ll be able to post them as the tournament progresses. The U.S. takes on Turkey tonight.
BruceSpringsteen himself never rocked New Jersey so hard: South American giants Brazil and Argentina squared off in front of 81,994 fans at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Saturday and gave the fans an afternoon to remember.
LionelMessi scored three goals—including a sensational 22-yard winner in the 84th minute—to lead the Albicelestes to a wild 4-3 victory, and make Pelé’s recent comments about Neymar—who was involved in two of Brazil’s goals—being better than Messi seem even more wishful than when they were first uttered.
Here is the hat-trick:
What a performance, and what a crowd. “He’s the best player in the world,” Brazil coach ManoMenezes told reporters afterward. “He received four balls and scored three goals.”
As for the New York–area crowd, they turned out in those numbers on a day when the third leg of the Triple Crown was being run at the Belmont, the Yankees were playing the Mets, the New Jersey Devils were fighting for their Stanley Cup lives (successfully, it turned out) against the LA Kings, and there were Euro 2012 games on TV, along with an NBA playoff Game 7.
Onyewu is still 6-4; it’s just that Edu and Howard are on their toes, Prison Mike tells us.
There it was, on the left of the screen, in SportsCenter’s upcoming-stories list this morning: “Brazilian Blowout.”
Yes, Brazil topped the United States 4-1 in Landover, Md., last night, and yes, that scoreline, beamed out to the world over the AP and Reuters, looks very much like a blowout.
But the scoreline does the U.S. a bit of a disservice. They were in this game for long stretches and they created a good number of chances against the mighty Brazilians. OguchiOnyewu hit the crossbar. HerculezGomez and TerrenceBoyd were denied, in quick succession, by great saves from Brazilian keeper Rafael. Gomez bounced a header toward the gaping Brazilian net that ClintDempsey nearly bundled in—only to see his attempt cleared off the line.
Then there was Brazil’s first goal, on a dubious penalty, that put the U.S. in a hole just 12 minutes in. U.S. coach JurgenKlinsmann also disputed the fourth strike, saying AlexandrePato was offside (in real time he looked off; on replay, it looked like Onyewu kept him on), and argued that Gomez should have been awarded a penalty when he was taken down in the box in the second half.
To those grumblings we would add that Neymar was offside on his overlapping run that led to Goal No. 3.
Yet we also have to add that MichaelBradley neglected to mark Marcelo on that play, that Brazil generally made that game extremely difficult for the Americans with their unrelenting pressure on the ball and their speed and possession. (In closeup shots of U.S. midfielders JermaineJones, MauriceEdu, and Bradley, you could see how much chasing they were doing by the fatigued looks on their faces.)
Brazil deserved to win and were the better team on the night, but that 4-1 … well, 3-2 or 3-1 would’ve told the story more accurately for those who didn’t watch.
In any case, on to the highlights:
Some more takeaways for the U.S. side:
• Gomez had an excellent game, and should certainly be part of Klinsmann’s mix going forward. He scored (reacting very well to a deflected cross in front of goal), put pressure on Brazil’s backline, and created opportunities for others.
• Michael Bradley may be the best U.S. player right now. He’s so poised on the ball, rarely gives it away, and is showing new flashes of skill.
• FabianJohnson has won the left back job. Is there any doubt now? He’s athletic, skilled, dangerous going forward and solid defensively. He also faked out the entire stadium with a move on the left in the second half, before sending in a dangerous cross.
• Canada better be ready Sunday. After competing hard against one of the best teams in the world—and being visibly ticked off about falling short—the Americans should be primed to take out their frustrations on the Canucks at Toronto’s BMO Field (NBCSN, 7:00 pm).
MichaelBradley is playing the best soccer of his life. LandonDonovan followed up comments about his “hunger” for the game possibly waning by blasting three goals and helping set up two others in a 5-1 thrashing of Scotland (LD also hit the post in the game). FabianJohnson looks very much like the solution to the long-running problem at left back. JoseTorres is coming off his best game ever in a U.S. shirt.
With all those cylinders firing, the U.S. tore apart the Scots on Saturday night in Jacksonville. Take a look:
And tonight, the Americans can add ClintDempsey and JozyAltidore to the mix.
Of course, Brazil is about as distant from Scotland as a soccer opponent as Rio is from Edinburgh (geographically, culturally, and meteorologically). They’ll be bringing the likes of Neymar (Santos), Hulk (Porto), and AlexandrePato (AC Milan), and even though most of the players lining up in yellow tonight (8:00 ESPN2) are U-23 Olympic hopefuls, Brazil will have over-23 stars ThiagoSilva (AC Milan) and Marcelo (Real Madrid) joining Hulk in the starting lineup.
A win will be a tall order for the Yanks, who have played Brazil 16 times and lost 15, but it’s not out of the question. Of those 16 matches, 11 were decided by one goal, and this roster is by far the most talented group Klinsmann has had at his disposal during his U.S. stewardship. Tonight’s as good a time as any to match the Yanks’ 1-0 win in the 1998 Gold Cup.
The most intriguing questions concern how Klinsmann—who has tinkered continuously with the U.S. lineup and formation since taking over the team—will line up his side, who he’ll put out there, and what style they’ll attempt to play. It seems doubtful that they’ll try to take the game to Brazil as they did Scotland, but sitting back too much could put Brazil in their comfort zone, from which they can unlock any defense in the world. Klinsmann has hinted (see below) that the U.S. will try to dictate the game at times.
Another question mark facing the U.S. will be the play of the backline, particularly the central defenders, who were not heavily taxed versus Scotland. Will GeoffCameron get to test himself against mighty Brazil? If the experienced duo of CarlosBocanegra and OguchiOnyewu get the call, will the U.S. have enough speed at the back?
On the other side, apart from the youth spread throughout the team, there appears to be only one potential soft spot, and that’s between the pipes, where 22-year-old Santos keeper Rafael will be making his full national team debut. (Well, that and their atrocious new teal unis.)
Lost in the massive shadow of LionelMessi’s five-goal turn in the Champions League yesterday was this stunner of a goal from Neymar in the Copa Libertadores:
Go ahead, watch it again. What is that, an 80-yard solo run? Past four defenders (with a fifth shading over) and the goalkeeper?
Golazo-azo-azo.
Neymar just turned 20 this past month. How much longer before he jumps from Santos to a big European club?
The U.S. U-17 national team grabbed the lead in the second minute and added two more goals before halftime en route to a 3-1 victory over Brazil that captured the Nike International Friendlies title in Lakeland, Florida, on Sunday evening.
Midfielder RubioRubin (Beaverton, OR), captain and defender TylerTurner (Meriden, CT) and Red Bulls prospect WesleyWade (South Orange, NJ) got the goals—all of them well taken—but the star of the show was tricky winger JuniorFlores (Manassas Park, VA), who played a part in all three goals and consistently tormented the Brazilians for 90 minutes.
Here are the goals:
2′ Rubin finds the net early with a skillful touch with his back to goal:
16′ Brazil ties it up on an unbelievable strike by MatheusQuerioz:
31′ Turner beats two players in the box and finishes into the upper corner to put the U.S. back on top:
43′ Wade makes it 3-1 right before the break, finishing off some great set-up work by Flores:
The U.S. created three more clear chances in the second half but couldn’t finish. For their part, Brazil did ramp up the pressure but they never seriously troubled U.S. keeper PaulChristensen (Woodinville, WA).
On their third goal, the U.S. out-Brazil-ed Brazil, stringing together 11 consecutive passes, the final one coming from Flores on the left flank and finding Wade at the near post. The Red Bulls academy player—one of seven New York prospects in camp with the U-17s—scored two goals in the tourney to go with one assist.
In addition to Wade, Flores, and Turner (two goals in three games from his centerback position), other U.S. standouts were DC United academy player DeAndreRobinson, a speedster who opened the scoring in the 2-2 draw with France, outside backs JohnRequejo (Carpinteria, CA) and ShaquellMoore (Powder Springs, GA), Rubio, and striker CoreyBaird (Escondido, CA).
The Americans finished first with two wins and a draw (and seven goals scored). Brazil were second with a win a draw and a loss.
We’re pretty sure the maneuver Neymar puts on the last defender here is unprecedented in the annals of spectacular soccer goals, but take a look and judge for yourself:
Combined with the magic he uses to scorch the two opponents on the sideline at the start of the sequence, the finishing flourish makes this an instant icon in the history of great goals. And Neymar is 19 years old, just for the record.
The top commenters on the YouTube clip of the goal may have said it best:
“What in the actual fuck was that”
AND
“It’s times like this I remember he’s 19, and I’m here on my computer getting fat.”
But here’s the kicker: Neymar’s goal put Santos up 3-0 on Flamenco, but Flamenco, spurred by a hat-trick from Ronaldinho, came charging back, tied the game up before halftime, and eventually won, 5-4.
H/T’s to the Carolina Cannon and Seeling the Deal.
When Paraguay gave up two late (very late) goals to tie Venezuela in its final group-stage game of the Copa America last week, the result banished La Albirroja to a quarterfinal meeting with Brazil, and, according to some observers, certain elimination from the tournament.
But on Sunday, Paraguay escaped that fate with a penalty-shootout win over the defending Copa America champions, after the teams finished scoreless through 120 minutes.
The result blew the tournament wide open, coming one day after Uruguay ousted hosts and co-favorites Argentina (also on penalties)—and perhaps more important, it inched LarissaRiquelme’s famous pledge one step closer to reality.
Here’s a clip of the Paraguay–Brazil shootout, in which Brazil did its best USWNT impression:
Paraguay moves on to a July 20 rematch with Venezuela in one semifinal, while Uruguay takes on Peru, 2-0 quarterfinal winners over Colombia, in the other semi.
Nothing against IanDarke and JulieFoudy, but we prefer this call of AbbyWambach’s last-gasp equalizer against Brazil in the WWC quarterfinals:
If you didn’t see the game, you missed some high drama, along with a deeply satisfying win for the U.S. Rarely has a team deserved to win as much as they did, having given up a goal, and gone down a player, after a dubious refereeing decision in the 68th minute.
American centerback RachelBuehler was sent off, and then Brazil’s Marta was allowed to re-take the penalty after HopeSolo stopped her first effort—due to a borderline infraction call on a U.S. player on the initial attempt.
Playing 10 v 11 the rest of the way and into extra time, the U.S. showed superior fitness and were able to snatch Wambach’s 122nd-minute equalizer and win on penalties.
As for the call above, you may notice, among other discrepancies, that Johnson calls MeganRapinoe “Morrison.” … Yeah, it’s retrofitted from old NCAA hoops broadcasts. But it fits pretty well, we’d say.
Here’s the match report from U.S. Soccer, and here, just for good measure, is a look at Solo’s eyes, which done got us hyp-no-tized:
The U.S. will face France in the semifinals on Wednesday (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN).
We’ve often thought about the similarities between golf and soccer. In both games, players drive the ball, curl it, and chip it—and the act of putting in golf is comparable to the basic side-foot pass in soccer (in fact, the coach at our first soccer camp used that very analogy to teach us basic passing technique).
The comparison cropped up again when we saw this clip of former LA Galaxy transfer target and Brazilian legend Ronaldinho casually executing soccer’s version of a draw—curling the ball and imparting enough spin to score from behind the goal.
Check it out:
He gets bonus points on the last two for one-timing a moving ball and still accomplishing the feat.
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