By now we have all heard of the disappointing finish for the U.S. in the Confederations Cup against powerhouse Brazil. We all know that the U.S. squandered a 2-0 first half lead and conceded three straight goals in the second half to lose the match 2-3. We all also know that it was the first FIFA final the U.S. has ever played in and winning would have meant the squad would have been the first ever to hoist up a FIFA Cup trophy in the name of America.
But as we all know, we lost.
This is a preview of
Confederations Cup Result is Ray of Hope for U.S. Squad
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Read the full post (292 words, 2 images, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)
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Week 16 (07/01)
Last Week’s Ranking in Parenthesis…
- Houston (1): A loss? To the Galaxy? Seriously? They hold @ #1 though because it was likely an aberration.
- Chivas USA (2): The Goats didn’t play (again), so they don’t move. I wouldn’t have put them lower anyways.
- Seattle (3): A hometown beatdown of the Rapids by three goals had all 32,000+ fans praising Sigi Schmid.
- Columbus (7): A vintage 1-0 win for the Crew over NY catapults the suddenly strong squad into the top five.
- Chicago (5): Can’t move the Fire this week pursuant to STO Power Rankings rules. Yeah, I know they suck.
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PLAYER OVERVIEW: Alexi Lalas is considered one of the most recognizable faces in American soccer - or should I say he had one of the most recognizable goateed faces in American soccer. Lalas played defender for the United States in all four matches of the epic 1994 FIFA World Cup. Lalas also was a member of 1998 U.S. team, but he never played a minute in regulation.
Alexi was also the first modern-day American player to break into Serie A.
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Today is the last Saturday before the Fourth of July. The great thing about Independence Day is that like many holidays, it’s a day when you can do whatever you want. A man can lounge around and watch soccer on TV, drink beers, and grill out with his friends by the pool. It’s also one of the only days of the year where you can shoot off fireworks.
Of course, I – the STO Commish – usually blast my fireworks until seven in the morning keeping everybody else in the neighborhood up for the whole night. Ah, good times. But, besides all these great things, the Fourth of July is really about spending time with your family. And what’s the best way to spend a summer afternoon with the fam?
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Week 15 (06/24)
Last Week’s Ranking in Parenthesis…
- Houston (1): The Dynamo could only muster a tie with RSL, but they are still the cream of the MLS crop.
- Chivas USA (2): The Goats didn’t play, so they won’t move. To tell the truth, they wouldn’t have anyways.
- Seattle (4): Two ties, yet the Sounders move up this week. Why? Well, they were good games and DCU stunk.
- Colorado (6): Colorado really deserves to rise after slaughtering United without their best player, Casey.
- Chicago (5): I really, really wanted to put the Fire further down this week, but that would violate STO Rules.
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Background: Well, Ante Razov is my final member of my MLS Hall of Fame inaugural class. How could he not be? He has played for five different MLS sides, and during his long career he has notched more goals than all but one other player. All in all, he has been one of the league’s most consistent strikers, so I think he belongs in the Hall.
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In The Godfather, Don Corleone says “a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”
Well, unless you have been sleeping with the fishes, you’ve probably heard of the wacky transfer deals that have been going down the last couple weeks.
Two of the world’s best players - Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo – have been bought for record-breaking transfer fees by legendary Spanish La Liga giant, Real Madrid.
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Background: Peter (though some would spell it Piotr) Nowak was the former assistant coach for the US Men’s National Team, but his glory days were spent plying his trade on MLS pitches. Statistically, he may not appear to stack up to some other MLS greats, but his leadership and dedication make him a shoo-in for my Hall of Fame.
Career: Nowak was almost 34 when he came to MLS in 1998, and though he would only play in a little more than 100 MLS games, he performed ably in all of them. He spent his entire US career with the Fire, and he and some of his other Polish mates made that team a contender right off the bat. He will best be remembered for his role of on-field general.
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Week 14 (06/17)
Last Week’s Ranking in Parenthesis…
- Houston (2): The Dynamo are officially on fire and their two win week moves them into the STO #1 spot.
- Chivas USA (1): CHV dropped not one but two games last week, and they now trail Houston in the West.
- D.C. (4): DC bested Eastern Conference rival Chicago, so they move up and keep surprising the naysayers.
- Seattle (5): Seattle sure needed to best SJE, and they didn’t disappoint in front of a rowdy home crowd.
- Chicago (3): An ugly game vs. United ended with an ugly result. Chicago may not have the talent in 2009.
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The Same Old Story: The US Men’s National Team, my DVR and bad luck have again combined to result in my misfortune. I recorded yesterday’s FIFA Confederations Cup match against Italy (which started around 2:00 CST) before I went to work, and I intended to watch it when I arrived home at night. Of course, for the match to be exciting, I had to avoid soccer news all afternoon. That may sound easy for some, but for me…
It was like a scene out of Trainspotting.
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