fastidium » US Soccer

Initial Details for 2010 World Cup Tickets

douglas — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:10:26 +0000

Priority status for applying for tickets to the U.S. Men’s National Team matches in South Africa will be extended to members of the U.S. Soccer Supporters Club. Registration for U.S. Soccer SC is open now at ussoccer.com, and fans seeking priority status must join by Dec. 3, 2009, at 12 p.m. ET.

Report: United States vs Costa Rica – World Cup Qualifying

douglas — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:34:22 +0000

Jonathan Bornstein headed in a corner kick in the dying seconds of this last qualifying match to tie the score at 2′s. For the whole game, it looked as if Costa Rica would win and book their place in the World Cup next summer. With this come-from-behind draw, the US Nationals secure first place in the Hexagonal, CONCACAF’s final qualifying round. Mexico is second, Honduras third, and Costa Rica must now do a two-match playoff against Uruguay.

USA 3, Honduras 2: The U.S. is in the 2010 World Cup

douglas — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:48:37 +0000

Somehow, the USA came back from 1-0 down at half-time to get three goals. Some shaky defending and a missed penalty by Honduras was enough to make the rest of the game the most exciting sporting event since the Confederations Cup. Here is Grant Wahl’s take on the game, published minutes after it was over.

Donovan’s Diagnosis

douglas — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:08:10 +0000

In a Washington Post article, After Lackluster World Cup, Donovan’s Focus Is Galaxy by Steven Goff, Landon Donovan acknowledges that he didn’t play well in the World Cup and explains how too much criticism has been given to him personally when the finger should be pointed to the whole team. While I agree that he didn’t play well, the criticism he’s received is not, in my mind, too much. He was the “play maker” of the team, the midfielder that sits right behind the forwards, and distributes the ball. If he plays bad, the whole team plays bad. That’s the reason for the criticism. In my estimation, the criticism has been mild. In any other country, there would be petitions to ensure that he never puts on the jersey again.

The article is telling because Landon himself diagnoses his own problem but doesn’t see it as the reason for not playing well. He says,

“I should’ve been more aggressive,” he said. “I just felt like half the time I was out there I was just going through the motions. What’s the point of being there? “That’s really disappointing for me because I thought I was smarter and I thought I would realize that more. I didn’t until it was over, and that’s frustrating because you can’t go back.”

Want to know why Landon wasn’t more aggressive? Because, in MLS, he’s not expected to be. When all you’re expected to do is “get into the playoffs”, the level of play is degraded and players aren’t held to a higher standard. Landon himself says that his aspiration, by staying in MLS, is to simply be a good player. Not a great player, just good. He continues,

“My world, I’m not on this Earth to go be in Europe and become the best soccer player in the world. My life is about being happy. I want to enjoy it, and I think I can balance all of that and still be a good soccer player.”

Thanks for the clarification Landon.