Team USA vs Nigeria Olympic Soccer
This Story was originally run on Stropsblog.com
It has been a long time since I’ve written anything due to the fact that I am like super busy all the time. (Mostly I’m just lazy.) But as I was sitting here watching Team USA take on Nigeria in their final match of group play, and with the chance to move on to knockout stages on the line, I felt compelled to write something. It’s late no one else is awake where I’m at and I’m lonely.
Rant and Rave -
Michael Orozco gets a red card in the fourth minute for a mindless elbow. I understand that there was intent in the elbow but it was such a weak way to put the US at even more of a disadvantage (Michael Bradley and Freddy Adu are out due to yellow cards). Why Orozco would throw that elbow at that time when the ref was still looking directly at him is beyond me. I’m all for doing the little things to get in an opponents head during a match but you aren’t supposed to get caught when you do that.
Now even though the team is a man down I still don’t think I’ve seen a worse half of football at this high of a level in my life. First of all why in the hell is Brian McBride in the squad? The man has been crap since before the last World Cup what made him seem like a decent choice for this squad? I’ve heard people say that McBride is a talent in the air but the US national team isn’t exactly known for it’s service abilities.
Another point of contention that involves Brain McBride, when the team went down a man why would you not take out a player with very little range and pace out and bring in a more defensive minded player? Instead Coach Novak moved some guy named Roberts or Rogers into the back line and he looks horrible back there. At the half a sub was finally brought in to replace a forward player however it was Jozy Altidore who came out! Is this guy f***ing kidding me?
Why didn’t the USA bring any of the senior team members? Did anyone really think we would have a chance against Argentina or Brazil with the squad we brought? Most of the guys playing right now seem like they have never played a soccer game before. I mean that with all sincerity and it was completely evident on the first half goal Nigeria scored. Parkhurst took an angle that would be more likely to come from an AYSO player. Then Edu, Rogers and Wynne all decided that they shouldn’t try and cover anyone in the box or stop the ball and it left Brad Guzan with his nuts completely exposed with no chance to save the goal.
Is there anything we can do about this? Hopefully Japan can hold on to draw with the Netherlands.
Without Brad Guzan back there this game would be way out of hand I can’t believe how great he has played and only a few of his teammates are even remotely capable of doing their jobs done.
Oh and by the way this German Ref is quite an a**hole… It’s nothing personal against the guy I usually think that most of them are, but he is quite exceptional.
*Update: Team USA made a valiant effort down the stretch of this match to get into a position to have a chance to draw the match. Unfortunately Charlie Davie’ header that beat the keeper was just a bit high and off the crossbar. Imagine if Davies was brought in for the entire match? Or if he and his pace were teamed up with Jozy Altidore?
