What is there to say today? The short is answer is something like this: "Not much." I suppose a look at the internationals is in order, and while I haven't watched any of them (yet! — I've got the USMNT match recorded and ready, and had I not been at a wedding, I could talk somewhat in-depth about that) some discussion and news should be in order.
- Will Johnson returned to Salt Lake City after sustaining an ankle sprain in a hard tackle. There's not been word yet on whether it'll keep him out for an extended period of time, but the player himself didn't seem to think it was as bad as first reported — of course, that was after a day of undoubted rest, not playing in a competitive match. Anyhow, we'll see on that one, but having to come off on 17 minutes means it's probably not going to be positive.
- The U.S. men finished 1-0 over Honduras on a Clint Dempsey goal. More relevant to our matters, Kyle Beckerman went all 90 minutes, which, I suppose, is good for him. It won't hurt us right now, as he's out with suspension, and so long as he doesn't sustain an injury, I have no problem with his continuing to play the full match in friendlies. Under different circumstances, though…
- Brazil beat Costa Rica 1-0, meaning our Alvaro Saborio didn't pick up a goal, and apparently the Goal.com readers ranked him "Flop of the Match." I'm not sure that means anything, though — it's easy to blame a striker when your side isn't scoring, and while it's certainly the responsibility of the striker to put it in the back of the net, they're not exactly going to do that all on their own every time.
- Ahem: I was wrong. Jean Alexandre played 45 minutes for Haiti. He also did not score this time. I'd accidentally read the wrong report — from the last time they played the US Virgin Islands!
A few words, also, on some of the abuse I've seen directed at our forwards after our recent problems: I you expect our forwards to score without service from the midfield, you're watching the wrong team — or at the very least, expecting the wrong things from our side. We're the sort that needs midfield continuity to do anything in the match — it's a peculiarity of the diamond, I suspect — whether that's in defense or in attack.
Further, to blame Paulo Jr. for not setting things alight like he looked to pre-injury is a bit off. He's come back into a side without form, and you cannot expect a youngster to score in every match without assistance from the midfield. Perhaps expectations were too high, or perhaps they were just based in a time when we looked very good as a side, but don't just write him off yet.
Of course, this isn't to say that we shouldn't expect Saborio, Espindola, Paulo Jr., Arnoux and Agorsor to be putting everything into the match and helping out where possible, and it certainly doesn't mean that there aren't chances we've missed — but any chances we earn are going to be imminently more finishable with a clicking midfield.
Right, that's all I've got today. I'll try to come up with something coherent for tomorrow — but don't hold your breath.
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
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