Daily news roundups

Recaps & reaction to USA draw, advancement scenarios, more news

USA

A bizarre deflection results in a Portugal goal in the fifth minute. A Jermaine Jones wonderstrike levels the scoreline in the 64th minute. Clint Dempsey gives the US the lead in the 81st minute. And in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Portugal scores an equalizer of their own after a turnover.

How was your Sunday?

Matt Besler said after the game, “We’re disappointed because we could all taste it. I think everybody could taste the second round. We were right there. But big picture, we were on the other end of things in our first match against Ghana. We had the exact opposite feelings. It’s a cruel game and there are highs and lows. We have four points. We’re in control of our own destiny and that’s really all we can ask for at this point.”

Clint Dempsey said, “We’re Americans. We always like to do things the hard way. We’re still happy with four points from two games and we’re happy with the way that we’re playing.”

Jurgen Klinsmann said, “These finishes are very emotional for all of us. For the fans, the players, the bench, and that’s what the World Cup is all about. So you live through those emotions positively and negatively and you just kind of cross it off then and move on. We’re going to move on quickly.”

Klinsmann added, “We are full of confidence. You make it a little more difficult now having another game to qualify, but we knew that from the beginning it would be a tough group to go through. But we are right there. We have one foot in the door. Now we’re going to walk the second foot through the door.”

It now comes down to this: the US advances with a win or draw against Germany on Thursday, or a draw in the Portugal-Ghana game. If the US loses, and there is a winner in the Portugal-Ghana game, it will be level on points with the winner. The tiebreakers are:

  1. Goal difference in all group matches
  2. Goals scored in all group matches
  3. Points in matches between tied teams
  4. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  5. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  6. Drawing of lots

At present, the goal difference/goals scored for each team are:

  1. Germany: +4/6
  2. USA: +1/4
  3. Ghana: -1/3
  4. Portugal: -4/2

Please, please, please, not this:

https://twitter.com/TheFifaWorIdCup/status/480908826120441858

Asked about the possibility of collusion between the US and Germany to ensure both teams advance, Jurgen Klinsmann responded, “The U.S. is known to give all they have in every single game. Otherwise Mexico wouldn’t be here.”

Recaps from PSP, US Soccer, MLSsoccer.com, ASN, Soccer AmericaDaily News, Philly Soccer News, The 700 Level, Goal.com, ProSoccerTalk, SBI, SI, The Guardian, and The AP (1) and The AP (2).

Player ratings from Soccer America, MLSsoccer.com, Goal.com, and ProSoccerTalk.

This just in from The Department of Too Soon?, a second-by-second breakdown of Portugal’s equalizer.

Klinsmann said of the equalizer, which began with Michael Bradley turning the ball over, “When you see goals, it’s always a sequence of mistakes that happen, and that’s unfortunate, but that’s why goals happen. In that moment, I think Michael Bradley got caught in the middle of three or four guys and lost the ball, unfortunately. Then the counter break comes and even if we had in this moment three center backs on the field, we were not able to get to that cross.”

Asked if he blamed himself for the goal, Bradley said,

I put my heart and soul into every game every time I step on the field. It’s a cruel game sometimes, you know? So again, I’m proud of that and proud of what I’m about every time I play and there’s certainly no regrets in my book…

The ball popped up and I was able to make a few quick steps and get there. It was tight. Unfortunately, [I] wasn’t able to make a good enough play and keep it for us or get a foul and obviously at that point then the ball turns over and it’s up to us to deal with the situation. Certainly the way it ends you rack your mind thinking can you do this better? Can you do that better? But the reality is still that over the course of a game there are a million of these kinds of plays and you can’t let these plays…they go on in the course of a game and so there’s nothing else to it.

Looking at the numbers, ProSoccerTalk concludes the US outplayed Portugal.

Klinsmann spoke about how the world Cup schedule benefits favorites like Germany. “We have one less day to recover than Germany – they played yesterday and we played tonight. We have played a match in the Amazon while they have played in a better location where it is easier to travel around. Everything was done to help the big favorites so we have to do it the hard way now, but we will.”

Besler said, “As players, we don’t have a choice. We’re not complaining. People can talk about the draw, they can talk about the travel, they can talk about the venues. For us, we just play. We don’t have a choice about any of that. We try to look at things in the best way possible and use that to our advantage.”

You will recall the New York Times article we linked to recently that wondered if the US is too honest when it comes to diving. The folks at fivethirtyeight.com have actually looked at the stats and conclude, “On balance, then, this analysis doesn’t provide much support for the theory that American players don’t dive enough. It seems when they do dive, they’re just about as effective at drawing fouls as you’d expect, given whom they played against and how much they possessed the ball.”

Reports on viewing parties in Center City and at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Fox News on how the US fanbase is coming into its own in Brazil.

Soccerly on how supporting the US team is the new patriotism.

At the LA Times, Kevin Baxter on how security for the US team in Brazil is both high profile and highly visible.

Philadelphia Union

At the Delco Times, Matthew De George grades the Union’s pre-World Cup break season. Needless to say, but for the goalkeeping, they’d probably be on academic probation.

Fansided has “10 Bold Predictions” ahead of Tuesday’s US Open Cup game at PPL Park against New York Cosmos, including a 4-3 win for New York.

The Cosmos are running a free bus for supporters to Tuesday’s game.

Two Union players have been getting press from their college alma maters. West Virginia Illustrated talks to Ray Gaddis, who says of the chances of him earning a spot on the US national team in the future, “It’s very realistic. It’s my third year in the MLS and it’s been my best year in the league. I made the All-Rookie team my first year. But regardless of what I’ve done up to this point, it’s all about timing. I need to continue to establish myself. But nonetheless, it’s very realistic that I could earn a spot on the U.S. Team based off what I’ve heard from the coaches.”

The UCONN men’s soccer team website talks to Andre Blake, who says of competing for a starting spot against Zac MacMath, “We’re both competing for one job, but at the end of the day, it’s one team. The team wins, not me or Zac. We support each other. If we win, it’s three points for Philadelphia.”

CBS Philly has more on that federal racketeering lawsuit against the City of Chester and Keystone Sports and Entertainment.

Local

Harrisburg City Islanders were on the road on Friday to Montreal Impact Reserves, falling 1-0. Recaps from Penn Live and USL PRO.

On Friday, Reading United hosted Ocean City Nor’easters in PDL play, winning 1-0 thanks to Union Academy product Darius Madison’s 73rd minute goal. Recaps from Reading United, USL PRO, and WFMZ.com.

On Sunday, Reading suffered its first loss of the season, losing 2-1 at home to Long Island Rough Riders ina game that saw nine yellow cards issued, seven in the final 30 minutes of play. Ocean City, also playing at home, defeated Northern Virginia Royals, 3-1.

Timesonline.com has a profile of Beaver, Pa.’s Neil Shaffer, who is with Harrisburg City Islanders.

The Temple men’s team has released its 2014 schedule.

The World Cup is proving to be a boon for sellers of flags like Philadelphia’s Humphrys Flag Co.

MLS

Will the US national team’s success at the World Cup, in the words of Real Salt Lake vice president and general manager Garth Lagerwey, be “a referendum on MLS”?  Don Garber says, ““You can’t both be responsible for the failure of the national team and then not be given credit for the success.”

Soccerly on how MLS will continue to aid CONCACAF’s growth and success on the international stage.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill that will provide a pool of taxpayer-supported subsidies for Florida pro sports teams looking to renovate existing stadiums, or build new ones. Local10.com notes, “Of course, it doesn’t solve the issue of where David Beckham and his investors would build a new stadium for the Major League Soccer franchise he is bringing to Miami.

Next City on how MLS courts Latino fans.

NWSL

First place Seattle’s unbeaten streak is now at 13 games after defeating sixth place Western New York (17 points) 2-1 on the road on Sunday, giving them 35 points. Second place Kansas City (27 points) defeated third place Chicago (20 points), 1-0. Fourth place Portland (20 points) thumped fifth place Washington (19 points), 6-1. Seventh place Houston ( points) had the weekend off. Eighth place Sky Blue (12 points) drew 1-1 with ninth place Boston (10 points).

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo was arrested on domestic battery charges on early Saturday morning for allegedly assaulting her sister and nephew. Solo’s lawyer says she was actually the victim in the altercation.

Elsewhere

An investigation by English newspaper The Daily Telegraph and the Channel 4 documentary series Dispatches has uncovered evidence of involvement in international match-fixing by the president of the Ghanaian FA. More on the story from The Guardian.

5 Comments

  1. That exchange between MB & Jeremy Schaap is extremely revealing. MB wouldn’t say he blames himself but his demeanor said something different. His play was a big step up from Ghana but he has to play even better Thursday.

    • I do not think he can. He gave a give-away like that once before when playing for Roma and is trying too hard to find the killer pass. And he will not get any better playing for Toronto…

  2. Ed would that be Double Secret Probation for the Union?

    • OneManWolfpack says:

      “Whatever that is…” – Ha!
      .
      Thursday, Bradley has to be as good as Jones has been the entire tournament.
      .
      And I just want to say, if. Ghana advances over us AGAIN… I don’t know what I’ll do, but it’ll be something that’s for sure. Haha.

  3. “Otherwise, Mexico wouldn’t be here.” LOLOLOL

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