2009 Dynamo & USMNT Soccer Thread

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Keith

Also, the chron is reporting that the Dynamo are putting together a bid to host the USOC final on 9/1, assuming the Dynamo beat the Sounders to advance.

The Dynamo only outbid the Rhinos, so we must root for them to beat DC United (and for the Dynamo to gain a measure of revenge on the Sounders) for the USOC final to be played in Houston.

[Keith]

Rico is leaving for Livorno, but not until January.

http://www.corrieredilivorno.com/ind.../articolo/1043

Clark al Livorno da gennaio

Ricardo Clark, giocatore americano che si è messo in luce nell'ultima Confederations Cup, è stato acquistato dal Livorno. "E' vero - spiega Aldo Spinelli, presidente del club toscano prima di entrare in Lega Calcio a Milano - ma arriverà solo a gennaio perché il club di Houston è primo in classifica in campionato e non può privarsi prima del giocatore".

According to Bernardo at the chron, the Dynamo are denying the report, but say talks are still occurring.

http://blogs.chron.com/soccer/archiv...n_daily_c.html

If the Italian report is true (or is eventually true...), it sounds like MLS and the Dynamo did well in putting their foot in the ground about keeping Rico through the end of the season. Good for the Dynamo, hopefully good for Rico.

Good for the USMNT, too, assuming Rico isn't just going to sit on the bench. Livorno has been promoted back to Serie A this season, so the competition should be among the best in the world.

[papabear]

Really happy for Rico, but hate to see him go. You know this was going to happen eventually....we've been too good for to long for some of our younger players not to start getting picked off. Holden could be next if his strong Gold Cup leads to more USMNT playing time and the exposure that comes with it.

I hope the Dynamo can reload as well as they have in the past.

[Keith]

I've probably said this before, but I'm surprised Rico has stuck around the MLS this long.

One thing a bit confusing to me here though... I thought Rico's contract ran out after this season. If so (I don't follow MLS financials at all like I do the NFL's), and if Livorno was willing to wait until January to add Rico, then why bother the Dynamo/MLS now about transfer fees? I must be missing something, either that or Livorno must be trying to get Rico sooner than the January transfer window?

As for Stu, yeah, he could maybe start for a mid-table EPL club and make way more money. At 23, he still has a long career ahead of him. I've heard arguments that he (and Rico) should wait to move overseas until after the 2010 World Cup given their chances at greater global exposure, but these guys aren't getting any younger, either.

The Dynamo offense is lacking without Holden in the middle. Cameron is not the answer. He can play all over, but it's not his best midfield position. Since Davis is better left, Ashe is better wide, ugh.... even if Holden is with the team next season, finding his backup should be priority #1 since it seems ever more likely he could be in South Africa next summer.

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Keith

I've probably said this before, but I'm surprised Rico has stuck around the MLS this long.

One thing a bit confusing to me here though... I thought Rico's contract ran out after this season. If so (I don't follow MLS financials at all like I do the NFL's), and if Livorno was willing to wait until January to add Rico, then why bother the Dynamo/MLS now about transfer fees? I must be missing something, either that or Livorno must be trying to get Rico sooner than the January transfer window?

As for Stu, yeah, he could maybe start for a mid-table EPL club and make way more money. At 23, he still has a long career ahead of him. I've heard arguments that he (and Rico) should wait to move overseas until after the 2010 World Cup given their chances at greater global exposure, but these guys aren't getting any younger, either.

The Dynamo offense is lacking without Holden in the middle. Cameron is not the answer. He can play all over, but it's not his best midfield position. Since Davis is better left, Ashe is better wide, ugh.... even if Holden is with the team next season, finding his backup should be priority #1 since it seems ever more likely he could be in South Africa next summer.

I'm with you...it sounds to me like Livorno isn't willing to meet the Dynamo's asking price for a transfer, but that means they get nothing when he leaves. Although at this point winning another MLS cup is probably more important than a few million from a transfer fee.

We've got depth at nearly every position other than Holden's. I don't think he'll go anywhere until after next summers world cup so there's plenty of time there.

[superbowlbound]

Sucks to see Rico go, but we've all known this was coming for a while now. Let's just enjoy him while we've got him. It's definitely the right move for him. I only wonder how long we'll get to keep Stewie. He was the best player on the pitch for much of the Gold Cup. Euro clubs should be beating down his door perhaps as early as this offseason. Though it wouldn't surprise me if he stuck around another year, as I'm sure there will be much more training availability with the national team if he's in the states than if he were overseas.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by superbowlbound

He was the best player on the pitch for much of the Gold Cup.

not at all to pick on SBB, but your use of the word "pitch" here is emblematic of my biggest pet peeves when americans write/talk about soccer.

why do we (americans) feel the need to adopt british lingo when talking about soccer? "pitch" isn't a "soccer" word (whatever that means) it's a british word. when we played the sport as kids, we called it a "field," so why the change in recent years?

other examples: "pace" (not "speed" or "quickness"), "kit" (not "uniform"), "extratime" (not "overtime"), "table" (not "standings"), "sent off" (not "thrown out"), and so on.

we use the other words to talk about the same things in other sports - why switch for soccer? the "soccer words" don't convey any special or soccer-specific meaning - they're just the ones that the english use. and i bet the english use these same words in other sports, yet we haven't adopted them there (for example, i bet they talk of a cricket "kit," but have you ever heard of a baseball "kit?"). this is especially evident during TV broadcasts and in internet coverage such as that at soccer.com, etc., but it has crept into casual usage as well.

sorry to vent, but i figured if anyone would be sympathetic, it would be this primarily (american) football crowd. thoughts?

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Joel

not at all to pick on SBB, but your use of the word "pitch" here is emblematic of my biggest pet peeves when americans write/talk about soccer.

why do we (americans) feel the need to adopt british lingo when talking about soccer? "pitch" isn't a "soccer" word (whatever that means) it's a british word. when we played the sport as kids, we called it a "field," so why the change in recent years?

other examples: "pace" (not "speed" or "quickness"), "kit" (not "uniform"), "extratime" (not "overtime"), "table" (not "standings"), "sent off" (not "thrown out"), and so on.

we use the other words to talk about the same things in other sports - why switch for soccer? the "soccer words" don't convey any special or soccer-specific meaning - they're just the ones that the english use. and i bet the english use these same words in other sports, yet we haven't adopted them there (for example, i bet they talk of a cricket "kit," but have you ever heard of a baseball "kit?"). this is especially evident during TV broadcasts and in internet coverage such as that at soccer.com, etc., but it has crept into casual usage as well.

sorry to vent, but i figured if anyone would be sympathetic, it would be this primarily (american) football crowd. thoughts?

I try not to do it too much, but I work with a lot of Europeans and I probably spend more time talking about soccer with them as anyone else...they get just as upset when someone uses "american" terms to talk about soccer as you do when an American uses "English" terms. I would correct them if they called a football field a "pitch" just like they correct me when I refer to the "pitch" as a field.

For years the only way for soccer fans in the US to enjoy the game was to piggy back on teams from around the world. Even now most of the announcers are either from the UK, or are x-players who spent their entire career in Europe using the English terms. It's just natural that you pick some of it up from listening to them.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by papabear

I would correct them if they called a football field a "pitch" just like they correct me when I refer to the "pitch" as a field.

This.

As the saying goes, when in Rome...

I think within a strictly U.S. context, sawker is player on a field, wearing a uniform, etc... but beyond our borders (and maybe those of a couple other countries), everyone else from a global context seems to use the other terms. Just easier to communicate. I'm no euro-snob by any stretch, but having watched enough EPL "matches" on the "telly" , some of the lingo just starts to become second nature sometimes.

[Keith]

Adios Julius. Don't let the door hit you in the kit on the way out. I'm guessing Pat Onstad has probably already packed your bags for you.

The Dynamo shook up their back line Friday, sending young center back Julius James to D.C. United and reacquiring Ryan Cochrane from the San Jose Earthquakes in separate trades, coach Dominic Kinnear confirmed.

The Western Conference-leading Dynamo received a third-round pick in the 2012 MLS draft in exchange for the 25-year-old James, a second-year MLS player in his first season with the Dynamo.

The team then traded at least one international slot to San Jose to secure the services of Cochrane, 26, an original Dynamo who went to San Jose – a move he had requested – via the 2007 expansion draft.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...c/6573013.html

In addition to James sucking, this trade is even more about team chemistry I think. Dale Dynamo!

[Keith]

Wow, been a long time since this thread was active.

...but now it's dream-scream-believe time!!

I'm glad we drew the Sounders in the first round. I've been wanting to paste these guys all year. Hopefully we take it to them tonight.

Game is on at 9pm on ESPN2 in case any casual observers want to peek in tonight.

[papabear]

I think it could be a good thing that we've had such a hard time against Seatlle all year. It will keep the team focused, and I think the law of averages will catch up. We're due for a win against them.

I can't say I was thrilled with the Kamara move....especially since Landin wasn't eligible to play in the champions league. They haven't quite had the Golden touch in acquiring players this year like they have in the past, but I will be disappointed with anything less than winning the MLS cup. Really looking forward to tonight's game.

[Keith]

Yeah, they could have really used Kamara tonight. Oduro's speed is nice, but he was constantly pushed off the ball. Kamara isn't pushed off like that.

...and neither is Landin, but c'mon Dom, your guy just does not look ready to play. Ching also seemed too willing to draw a foul tonight, which ain't happening at Qwest.

So yeah, I was pretty disappointed in the forward play. Still, taking a draw back home works. Time to bury 2008 for good.

[papabear]

They came out of the road leg tied up so you can't complain. I thought Mullan and Davis we're both sub par outside....Mullan especially had some silly turnovers. Oduro's best used as a sub late in the game when the defense's back line is tired. My first thought when I saw Landin is that he looks a little thick in the middle and not in a good way. You can see he's definitely got some skills, but he needs to get in shape. I was reall excited when they signed him because they made such a big deal about it....then I went to Mexico on business the next week, and most of the people didn't know he was. The one's who did didn't give very glowing reviews.

Both keepers were wonderful last night. I do wonder what kind of exrta curricular activity was going on before the Onstad/Montero scuffle. I saw Montero grabbing him, but I expect something had to have had happened for Onstad to lose his cool like that. Onstad should know better, but Montero acted as if he had been shot from what was strong, but not a ridiculously hard bump. Of course Motero does that every time he's touched. Ljungberg is now on my list as well. He annoyed me last time we played them as well, but the only person who whines to the ref more the Ljungberg is Blanco. On one play late in the game he pushed/bodied up on a dynamo player from behind and knocked them down (not a foul in my book). When the same thing happened to him moments later he went straight to the ref and was still complaining when he should have been going to set up for a corner.

It was a very physical game, and for the most part I didn't have a problem with the calls the ref made...although he was a little inconsistent with the way some things were called. I do think he screwed us over out of couple of dangerous free kicks from just outside the box.

We get a chance to win it at home, and put 08 to rest. The biggest thing is we get to rest. That will probably do this team more good than anything.

[Keith]

I think after a night's sleep, I am even more happy to come away with a tie considering all the intangible-type things the team has had to deal with, injuries, road-weariness, surly green goo jerseys, etc.

The bench depth is not as strong it seems. Mullan and Davis were not at their best, but who do you go to on the bench now? Ashe is hurt. Mulrooney is out. Cameron is playing CB, so if you move him up to mid maybe eRob comes in. Or Waibel. Just keep Cochrane on the bench, yikes. And Wade Barrett is no winger. Just need to keep Mullan from getting booked. I guess Danny Cruz is the next option if he's out.

[papabear]

we are definitely much thinner than in years past...I wish instead of chasing down striked after striker they would have brought in a mid-fielder or two.