Daily news roundups

Carroll on season and future, US Olympic hopes still alive, loss to CR, more

Photo: Daniel Studio

Philadelphia Union

Jim Curtin’s weekly press conference is scheduled for today at noon.

Brian Carroll speaks to Philly Soccer News about the season:

This has been a really hard season because we’ve lost some games in bizarre ways with bizarre circumstances. Just some hard losses. We’ve had bad breaks and guys go down with injuries. Some tough calls and cards handed out in games went against us. I feel like we’ve never stopped competing or working.

And his future? Carroll said,

I’m fortunate to still be able to compete at such a high level in this league. I’ve enjoyed all of it. I don’t think I’ll ever really reflect on it all until I retire. For now, I’m just pushing forward and going day by day and game by game to help the Philadelphia Union. I have a job to do and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability for as long as I can…

I’m really just focused on this season and everything else will take care of itself. We’ll see what happens down the road. I’ve never worried about things out of my control. All I can do is handle what’s in front of me.

Brotherly Game has five reasons why you should still watch the Union.

Local

Temple defeated Columbia 3-1 in their final non-conference game of the season. Penn fell 2-0 to Rutgers.

Villanova host VCU today at 4:05 pm (Big East Digital Network via Fox Sports Go). La Salle hosts VCU tonight at 7 pm. Drexel travels to face Delaware tonight at 7 pm (BlueHens.com), St. Joseph’s is on the road to face Rhode Island.

MLS

Toronto host NYRB tonight (7 pm, MLS Live). A win or a draw will see them in the playoffs for the first time in club history. FC Dallas hosts Vancouver (9 pm, MLS Live) and Salt Lake hosts Portland (9:30 pm, MLS Live).

Orlando City has announced a press conference for Thursday to take place at Eastern Florida State College’s Melbourne campus for what is assumed to be the official launch of the club’s USL team.

Miami Today reports Miami-Dade County is being asked “to create a redevelopment agency enveloping Marlins Park and use the agency’s tax proceeds to buy land next door for a soccer stadium that would also house University of Miami football games.”

US

First, the good news.

On Tuesday night in Salt Lake, the US U-23s defeated 10-men Canada 2-0 off of late goals from Marc Pelosi and Jerome Kiesewetter (PK) to keep Olympic qualification hopes alive. The team now will face Colombia in a home and away series in March for a berth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Former Union head coach and US assistant coach John Hackworth said, “We have four wins out of five. In a compact tournament like this, that’s pretty impressive. Although, to be completely honest, we leave here a little disappointed that we didn’t accomplish our goal of qualifying for Rio on Saturday. But, with the quality we have on that team, we do feel like we have enough to challenge Colombia in a home and away series. While we feel a little disappointed that we didn’t accomplish goal No. 1; our dream is still alive to qualify for Rio.”

Said forward Jordan Morris, “I think we’ll pull it out in March. It’s going to be the game of our lives.”

Recaps and reports from US Soccer, CSA, CONCACAFSalt Lake Tribune, MLSsoccer.comSI, Yahoo Sports, Stars and Stripes FC, Goal.com, ProSoccerTalk, SBIThe Canadian Press, AFP, and the AP. Player ratings at Soccer America.

In case you’re wondering, Mexico defeated Honduras 2-0 to take first place in the qualification tournament. The win means Mexico is the CONCACAF Gold Cup, U-22, U-20 and U-17 champion this year.

And now the bad news.

On Tuesday evening, a listless senior US side was defeated 1-0 by a clearly superior Costa Rica in front of a paltry announced crowd of 9,214 at Red Bull Arena, most of whom were there to support the visitors. It was the first time since 1997 the team has lost three home games in a row, the first time the team was shutout since the loss to Germany in the last World Cup, and the first time the US hasn’t scored at home since the scoreless draw with Canada in January of 2013, and the first time in 50 years the US has been winless in four consecutive home games to CONCACAF sides.

Placing the blame for the team’s lifeless showing on it still being affected by the loss to Mexico on Saturday, Jurgen Klinsmann said, “There are not only sunshine days. We had a lot of sunshine in 2012, 2013, 2014. Now it’s raining a little bit. You’ve got to go through that. Maybe you have to go through a little bit of mud as well…Sooner or later, the clouds will pass by and we are going to find some sun again. It’s definitely not part of my character to give up. . . . I am here to take the team also through tough times. I am not only here to take the sunshine.”

Nevertheless, the doubts surrounding Klinsmann only deepen. The head coach said, “I leave that up to you to say where I’m standing. Obviously, you’re disappointed with the summer [a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Gold Cup], you’re disappointed with the Mexico game. There’s a lot of criticism coming from fans and from you guys [media], and I totally understand that…With everything that goes not my way I get even hungrier to turn it around the other way.”

The New York Post notes, “This is the unquestioned low-point in the Klinsmann era, which began in 2011 and — unless U.S. Soccer wants to eat more than $10 million and fire him — will continue through 2018, which his contract runs through.” More at Soccer Wire, SI, Fox SoccerThe Guardian, MLSsoccer.com, American Soccer Analysis, although Northern Pitch comments on the “temper-tantrum histrionics” directed at Klinsmann.

Recaps and reports at PSPNew York Times, Washington PostUSA Today, Newsday, ESPNASNMLSsoccer.com, Fox SoccerCBS SportsYahoo Sports, ProSoccerTalkGoal.com, SBI,  AFP, and the AP.

SI has three thoughts on the game, CBS Sports and ProSoccerTalk have three things.

Player ratings at ESPNMLSsoccer.com, Soccer AmericaProSoccerTalk, and Goal.com.

Oh yeah, and the Fabian Johnson thing? His German club Borussia Monchengladbach tweeted:

Footy Headlines reports the 2016 USMNT jersey will be black, with “Blue and red accents” also “expected,” and will feature the new crest design Footy Headlines reported back in August. “Made by long-term USA kit supplier Nike, the US Soccer 2016 Home Shirt will be launched ahead of the first 2016 matches and will subsequently be used at the 2016 Copa America Centenario, should it go through.” Can we get a new kit/logo designer, please?

2016 US jersey

The final game of the USWNT Victory Tour will take place against China in New Orleans on Dec. 16. The US Soccer announcement notes, “The USWNT will have a total of four Victory Tour matches in December, and the three matches prior to New Orleans will be announced at a later date.”

The press conference announcing renovations at FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium in Frisco to house the National Soccer Hall of Fame will be livestreamed today at 12:30 pm ET.

Elsewhere

FIFA has banned former South African soccer official Lindile Kika for six years in connection to a match-fixing investigation involving pre 2010 World Cup friendlies.

The AP reports, “Delaying the FIFA presidential election would further discredit the scandal-hit governing body and deepen the instability, contender Prince Ali bin al-Hussein said Wednesday.”

After finishing third at the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands has failed to qualify for Euro 2016. The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg writes,”What Holland need to remember is that football is cyclical. Their situation looks hopeless now but their collapse does not have to be terminal. They can regain their place among the elite as long as they accept their rehabilitation is unlikely to be a painless experience.” Words of wisdom for USMNT fans, too.

8 Comments

  1. An excellent comments section under the article if you follow the threads.
    .
    http://www.espnfc.com/blog/the-match/60/post/2662055/us-fails-to-bounce-back-from-mexico-lays-egg-vs-costa-rica
    .
    Oli Olaffson’s POV is particularly interesting.
    .
    .

    • Some of those comments are interesting, but I stopped reading after someone called for Jack Mac.
      .
      It’s obvious that we all have a passionate opinion on this subject. Mostly I think it stems from the losses in the GC and for ConFed Cup. Had we won those games, or one of them, I don’t think we’d be here today arguing over Klinnsmann’s head. Or we wouldn’t be arguing so vehemently. To me, it seems we are fighting over different sides of the same coin. Players/talent on one side. Coach/tactics/management on the other. I think we can all agree the true answer(blame) lies in a little of both.
      .
      I for one remember the Bradley days. I remember how it ended. I also remember wanting Klinnsmann after Arena, before Bradley. I’m not so passionate that I think that Klinnsmann is the worst coach in US history. That’s just flat out absurd. But he is one of the worst tacticians we’ve ever had.
      .
      I come from a defensive perspective. I love defense. Always have. So when the US lined up and played the way they did the last 3 games, it’s killed me. I feel good offense starts from a good defensive shape and sound defending. This may not always lead to “the beautiful game”, but it provides the ability to win matches. This is what the US has always had. And I don’t think you need to give this up to have more expressive and creative attacking play. Tottenham comes to mind. Pochettino has an aggressive defensive system that leads to attacking prowess. But he’s also a tactician. Klinnsmann is not. I’m not calling for Poch, that’s just unrealistic. But maybe someone like him? Someone with the same ideals and tactics. Yes, they probably don’t grow on trees. But there’s gotta be someone out there.
      .
      JK offers a lot for the US system. He’s opened the rest of the world to us. Brought in players from across the globe and expanded our horizons. The US needed this. He’s doing what he can to try and change our system of development. Beating us over the head, pointing out flaws, showing the better ways that the rest of the world count on to develop players. This I applaud him for. This is what he’s good at. That’s where he belongs. I don’t want total separation from JK. I just don’t want to see him with a green patch of grass under his feet, contained in a little white box.

    • The point is Twellman’s response to Ian Darke’s question, correct?

  2. It’s not Jurgen’s fault. It’s the fault of your kid’s coach!

  3. How does Villanova play VCU at 4pm and LaSalle play VCU at 7pm? I think you meant ‘Nova plays Providence!

  4. Fwiw, Mexico struggled mightily in WCQ throughout 2012, and in ’13 with the Confed Cup & Gold Cup, but caught a break with the US draw and carried some momentum into Brazil. Now they won this summer’s Gold Cup, so perhaps the 2013 version of Mexico is the 2015 version of the US. Struggle through the Gold Cup and friendlies, but get into qualifying to gain some confidence, use the 2016 Centenario to springboard in the ’17 Gold Cup and peak just in time for Russia.

    Of course, the fact that Mexico fired their manager after the Gold Cup and hired a new one before the World Cup can’t be overlooked.

    • OneManWolfpack says:

      Agreed. I think keeping Klinsmann, which will happen, will only allow this team to tread water until after the 2018 WC. It will be really interesting to see just how much JK “blows this thing up”, to get fresh blood in here. I’m thinking, not much.

Leave a Reply to AZJeff Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*