You're Cold War Throwback Friday Goals for April 12, 2013

The Champions Leagues were dominated by teams from Germany, Spain, and Mexico; Baby Kim is saber rattling; and the Iron Lady is gone, time for a throwback to the Cold War edition of your Friday goals.

More after the jump:

U.S. National Team Picks Up Win Over Jamaica in World Cup Qualifying

After the United States National Team lost to Jamaica, 2-1, in Kingston, Jamaica in a CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier on Friday, the US fan base went into full on Chicken Little - "The Sky is Falling!" - hysteria mode, fretting that the US would not make it to the Hexagonal Stage of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.

Last night in Columbus, Ohio, the US got a chance to redeem itself against Jamaica, which they did with a 1-0 win against a Jamaica side that came into the match clearly hoping for a 0-0 draw. Jamaica's "park the bus" approach to the match gave the US numerous shots on goal early in the first half, many of which were denied by the woodwork.

The winning goal finally came for the US in the 55th minute when Herculez Gomez got the ball by Jamaica's keeper on a gorgeous free kick. After the US goal, Jamaica finally turned up the heat offensively, but it was too little, too late as the US picked up the 3 points.

The US is now tied at the top of Group A with Guatemala and Jamaica on 7 points, but the US and Guatemala lead on goal differential. This stage of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying wraps up next month when the US heads to Antigua to play Antigua & Barbuda on October 12th and then hosts Guatemala in Kansas City, Kansas on October 16th.

One thing that has become increasingly evident in recent years is that CONCACAF is a much tougher Federation to play in as more players from the smaller countries, such as Jamaica, have gained valuable experience and development in leagues such as MLS. Last night's match was a reflection of this since Jamaica started 5 MLS players while the US only started 1 MLS player. This is a reality that fans of the US, and fans of Mexico, need to start accepting and coming to terms with.

The CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying structure is still weighted in favor of Mexico and the US, but said teams and their fans need to stop underestimating the other CONCACAF teams. That's a lesson the US learned this past Friday.

Julio Gomez's Bicycle Kick - Soccer House Should Be Worried

Last night in the semifinals of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Mexico gave notice and fired a figurative shot across Soccer House's bow when Julio Gomez, head wrapped in gauze, scored the goal that gave Mexico the 3-2 win over Germany with the lovely bicycle kick shown in the video below.

The young German squad, which had knocked out the United States in a 4-0 victory during the Round of 16, took an early 2-1 lead, but then, in the 75th minute, Jorge Espericueta picked up the equalizer on an improbable corner kick (you can watch it in the second video below). Finally, in the 89th minute, Julio Gomez, who suffered a head wound earlier in the match during a collision with a German player, picked up the game winner, sending Mexico to the final, where they will face Uruguay.

After the beating that the Mexican senior squad gave the United States senior squad in the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Soccer House should be worried about its place in CONCACAF, past dominance means nothing if you allow it lead you to stagnancy, and, right now, Soccer House looks like a stagnant, scum covered bog when compared to the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación.

Houston Coverage of FIFA Decision & Dynamo Stadium News Features SuperFan

Considering the United States isn't a soccer country in the myopic eyes of some, the local media in Houston did a good job of covering both FIFA's decision to award the 2022 World Cup finals to Qatar and the news that the Houston Dynamo and Harris County-Houston Sports Authority have reached a lease agreement on the forthcoming Houston Dynamo soccer specific stadium. Not surprisingly, Erin Dutka a/k/a SuperFan weighed in on these topics:



 

Goodbye World Cup Finals 2010: Too Bad We Didn't Get to Host You

Today in Switzerland FIFA announced that Russia would be hosting the 2018 World Cup finals and Qatar would be hosting the 2022 World Cup finals. And with that announcement the dreams and hopes of millions of soccer fans in England and the United States were dashed. The hope of seeing World Cup finals soccer played in a stadium nearby was completely dashed for some and all but dashed for others.

That England had lost out to Russia is not that surprising. Russia's increasing sphere of influence has been increasing lately, and if England is not careful, the RPL could conceivably be a big adversary of the EPL by 2018. A certain segment of the modern Russian society has the kind of money to spend on football and footballers that the upper economic classes in England seem to lack. The increase in foreign investors in EPL highlights the monetary footballing imbalance between England and Russia.

While I don't believe FIFA when they talk about "legacy," the reality is that Russia is a prime market for "growing the game" and holding the finals there would smack of a certain post-Cold War symbolism. In reality though, I think selecting Russia was an easy way for FIFA to give England a figurative slap in the face. English football fans might not like to hear this, but FIFA thinks England has an overgrown sense of entitlement when it comes to the World's game - nobody is allowed to have a bigger sense of entitlement than FIFA, okay.

As for the 2022 World Cup finals, solely on paper, the United States looked like the front runner - a solid, though low profile, professional league; giant stadiums - several with retractable roofs; good transportation infrastructure, good lodging facilities, and sponsorship money galore. Maybe it was politics, maybe it was money, maybe it was this legacy thing, but FIFA went with Qatar over the United States. Qatar has wicked hot summers and is smaller than the state of Connecticut. Not sure what Qatar will do with all the necessary stadiums come mid-July 2022 - they say they'll dismantle them and ship them to smaller, poorer countries, but I got a bridge in Brooklyn I will do that with too.

The biggest loser when it comes to the 2022 World Cup finals is the fan. While Qatar might be small and probably somewhat easy to get around (so long as you don't break down in the desert) it's social environment is alien to a tournament that has witnessed Australians drinking a German restaurant dry. Not to mention that any homosexual soccer fans are essentially unwelcome since homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.

The only bright side - Football folks in England and the US won't feel dirty for spending the next few years in the same grimy bed with FIFA.


UPDATE: Video of Sepp Blatter & Jack Warner celebrating after announcement:

VIDEO: Panorama - FIFA's Dirty Secrets

Here's the show that has been causing such a stir, decide for yourself:

Smarmy Recap Guy Finally Makes it to South Africa

I had heard that 1560 The Game in Houston was sending Smarmy Recap Guy to South Africa to cover the World Cup, well he finally made it, listen as he calls in to Sean & John.

MLS All-Star Game Update & World Cup Final Viewing Party Information

While we know that L.A. Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena will be coaching the MLS All-Star Team, along with Houston Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear, this year, we still don't know the full roster for the MLS All-Star Team. However, we do have some good information on who will be travelling with Manchester United to the US this summer:

GOALKEEPERS: Ben Amos (ENG), Tomasz Kuszczak (POL), Edwin van de Sar (NED)

DEFENDERS: Wes Brown (ENG), Fabio Da Silva (BRA), Rafael Da Silva (BRA), Ritchie De Laet (BEL), Corry Evans (NIR), Jonny Evans (NIR), John O'Shea (IRL), Chris Smalling (ENG)

MIDFIELDERS: Tom Cleverley (ENG), Darren Fletcher (SCO), Darron Gibson (IRL), Ryan Giggs (WAL), Nani (POR), Gabriel Obertan (FRA), Paul Scholes (ENG)

FORWARDS: Dimitar Berbatov (BUL), Mame Biram Diouf (SEN), Javier Hernandez (MEX) [will join in Houston on 27 July], Federico Macheda (ITA), Danny Welbeck (ENG)

MANAGER: Sir Alex Ferguson

As of now, Wayne Rooney is not on the roster, but that roster may change as we get closer to the match. Meanwhile Gary Neville, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Owen, and Antonio Valencia will not travel to the US due to injury issues.

In addition to playing the MLS All-Star Team in Houston at Reliant Stadium on July 28th, Manchester United will also play Celtic in Toronto on July 16th, the Philadelphia Union at Lincoln Financial Field on July 21st, and the Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium on July 25th.

Tickets for the MLS All-Star Game have been going fast, and most of the lower bowl at Reliant Stadium is sold out, but there are still tickets available - visit the Houston Dynamo website for ticket information.

But before Manchester United arrive in North America, there's still one very important match left in the 2010 World Cup finals - The Final between Netherlands and Spain. The match will air on ABC, with pre-game coverage starting at 12:30 central time. Meanwhile, here in Houston 1560 The Game's World Cup Show will have its final broadcast by doing a live remote at Nick's Place Houston from 11:00am to 1:00pm central time. If you're not in Houston and can't come out to Nick's Place for the show and match, you can listen online via 1560 The Game's website. The list of guests has not been finalized, but expect a few Houston Dynamo players there on Sunday.

Landon Donovan and the Bejeweled Vuvuzela

So the Knock Out stage of South Africa 2010 ended on Tuesday, and despite the return of Major League Soccer and the US Open Cup, it seems many football fans are going into withdrawals since they no longer get to wake up early everyday to watch a couple World Cup finals matches. This is the perfect time then to highlight the new craze: Landon Donovan and the Bejeweled Vuvuzela!

Since returning to the United States after the US National Team got knocked out of the tournament, 2-1, by Ghana during the Knock Out stage, it seems like you cannot turn on a television in the United States without seeing . . . . .

Landon Donovan on The Early Show (okay, this was last week, but):



Landon Donovan on the David Letterman Show:



Landon Donovan on Live with Regis & Kelly (Who does this guy think he is? David Beckham?):



Landon Donovan on The Daily Show (with Bob Bradley):

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Landon Donovan & Bob Bradley
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Meanwhile, it seems that people either love the vuvuzela or hate the vuvuzela, there isn't much of a middle ground. Getting into a detailed discussion on whether the vuvuzela is a good thing or a bad thing is to American soccer circles what discussing Democrats v. Republicans is to so-called "news" shows on radio and television. I want to avoid that, so instead, I present you with the crazy story of paying 17000 Euros for a vuvuzela - yes, you read right, 17000 Euros.

It seems somebody in Russia, with way too much money on his hands, bought a vuvuzela covered in white gold and diamonds from a goldsmith, with way too much time on his hands, in Linz, Austria. Apparently, the Russian intends on giving said bejeweled vuvazela to a South African business partner.

Here's the Reuter's piece on the bejewelled vuvuzela.

Finally, the US might be out of the World Cup finals, but - You're Welcome, World Cup

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
You're Welcome - World Cup
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

USA Finishes Atop Group C with 1-0 Victory over Algeria

That picture pretty much says it all, the smile on Landon Donovan's face, the look of stunned disbelief on Rais M'Bolhi's face. Landon Donovan scored an extra time goal to secure a US victory over Algeria, a victory that ensured that the US would advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup finals. Thanks to England's 1-0 victory over Slovenia, the US won Group C on goal differential, the first time the US has won their group since 1930, the first World Cup finals ever held.

As expected, this was not an easy victory over Algeria for the US. M'Bolhi, the top keeper in Bulgaria's top flight, proved a tough obstacle, surviving 9 other shots on goal by the US. Algeria employed a conservative style, looking to make something happen on the counter attack, but the US defense meshed at the right time and Tim Howard was only bothered by 4 shots on goal.

With a win, the US advanced no matter what happened in the England-Slovenia match.

In the 21st minute it appeared that the US might have picked up the game winner when Clint Dempsey put the ball past M'Bolhi, but the goal was disallowed by a controversial offsides call. Finally, the 90th minute came and, despite numerous chances for the US, the scoreline was 0-0, while England had maintained its 1-0 lead over Slovenia. Unless the US could find a way to get the ball past M'Bolhi, they would be packing their bags on Thursday and heading home. Then it happened:



I was watching the match at Nick's Place here in Houston and the place, which was packed, erupted when Donovan scored the goal. (Note that Nick's Place wasn't even home to any of the sponsored watch parties that were being held around the city.) It's hard to describe that kind of goal, that kind of event, to someone who doesn't watch soccer, but today numerous of causal sports fans around the United States finally experienced it first hand. New fans to the sport hugged, high fived, cheered, cried, laughed . . . Driving home, I was both shocked and pleased that the US victory was the main topic of discussion on all three AM sports talk stations in the Houston market.

While it might be tempting to write about what today's victory means for the long term future of the beautiful game in the United States, I'm not going to do that. I just want to sit back and enjoy what a great day this has been.

Up next, the US faces the second place winner from Group D on Saturday at 1:30 pm central time on ABC.

USA v. Algeria Preview & One Goal: The Road to South Africa

Today's the day, the day the US National Team finds out if it gets to stay a little longer in South Africa or if it is packing up its bags and coming home. Today's the day that the US National Team has to build on the success it has had in South Africa by picking up its first win of this year's World Cup finals. Today's the day that the US's defense needs to step up and ensure that they do not give up an early goal to Algeria.

With two draws in its past two matches the US holds its destiny in its hands, all it has to do is win today's match with Algeria to advance to the knockout stage. Yes, it is possible for the US to advance even if it picks up another draw, but most of the casual sports fans who have been sucked in by this US team have indicated to me that they really want a win, not another draw. Besides, if the US is serious about getting beyond the knockout stage, it would be a good idea to start winning now.

The good news is that since a win ensures survival, the US will start the match on the attack, and one thing we've seen over the past year or so is that when the US comes out with its attacking game, they tend to do pretty good. They do good because the US's attacking style usual limits the amount of time the ball spends near the US's net. We all know that the US's defense has been suspect, so the more its role is diminished, the better for the US.

Meanwhile, Algeria's odds of advancing are slim, but a win could possibly get them to the knockout stage. This means they'll come out on the attack too. Slovenia came out on the attack last Friday, and that resulted in two first half goals for Slovenia. That being said, the half-asleep US team we saw during the first half of the Slovenia match most likely will not be replicated today.

The 3-5-2 formation employed by Algeria could cause the US some trouble, but it can also be exploited by the US. The key to this match will be control of the midfield. While the US will, technically, be outnumbered in the midfield, it can rely on some help from Edson Buddle who has the speed to assist the top end of the midfield and close the gap with Jozy Altidore. Yes, since Robbie Findley is not available due to yellow card accumulation, I suspect that Buddle will get the start up top today. Meanwhile, Coach Bob Bradley should start Maurice Edu who, in Friday's match with Slovenia, showed he's capable of working in the midfield while assisting the defense when needed. Finally, when it comes to scoring, Altidore and Buddle can throw their size around when facing Algeria's three defenders.

The final key to this match is stamina. On Friday, we saw Slovenia worn down come the second half. The US was able to rely on its superior conditioning to come back from a two goal deficit and almost win that match. That being said, last year we saw the US wear itself down in the first half of the Confederations Cup final against Brazil, giving up a two goal lead. In recent matches it seems that the US has learned to pace themselves in the first half and Algeria isn't Brazil, so the US will likely outlast Algeria. If Algeria is losing pace to the US, the match could get chippy, like the second half against Slovenia did, increasing the potential number of set pieces for the US.

I expect the US to win this match by one goal, but it won't be easy. Algeria is no pushover, look at how they held England to a 0-0 draw last Friday. Of course, England looked to be sleep walking through that entire match, but still, Algeria is a competent team that still has a glimmer of hope at advancing.

To bide your time until the match starts, here's some video to watch, One Goal: The Road to South Africa:

A Glimpse at Italy & World Cup Sunday Notes & Videos

Well, it was not a good day for the defending World Cup champions, Italy, as their Sunday match with New Zealand ended in a 1-1 draw. New Zealand got an early goal when Fabio Cannavaro failed to properly play a free kick from Simon Elliot thereby giving Shane Smelt a great scoring opportunity, which Smelt didn't waste. Italy's only goal was off a penalty kick after Daniele De Rossi's shirt was tugged in the penalty box. Granted the penalty kick was without controversy since many viewers believe De Rossi dove so that Tommy Smith would pick up a yellow card.

On Thursday Italy faces Slovakia, which has proven to be the weaker side in Group F to date. Slovakia picked up a point thanks to its draw with New Zealand on Monday, but lost to Paraguay. Despite only having 2 points, like the US, Italy can advance with a win in their final group stage match. New Zealand, also with 2 points, has a shot at advancing out of the group stage for the first time ever if it beats Paraguay on Thursday.

Coming into this World Cup finals, I did not expect Italy to successfully defend The Cup, in fact I didn't expect them to get into the quarter or semi-finals, but I did expect them to advance past the group stage, which they will do with a win over Slovakia.

France, the team that Italy beat in the 2006 final of the World Cup finals, continues to be a mess. On Saturday, word came out that the French National Team was taking a page from the US Women's National Team by punishing Nicolas Anelka for disagreeing with the team's coach. On Saturday, news came out that Anelka was being sent home after insulting French coach Raymond Domenech and refusing to apologize. It's not completely clear what exactly Anelka said to Domenech, the Telegraph claims it was "go screw yourself, dirty son of a whore", while The Bleacher Report claims it was "F*ck off, dirty son of a b*tch." Either way, expelling Anelka did not fix the troubles at the French camp.

Today, Jean-Louis Valentin, the director of the French National Team, revealed that the team refused to train after an argument between the fitness coach, Robert Duverne, and team captain, Patrice Evra. In a statement to the press, the French players claimed they refused to train as a protest to the fact that Anelka was sent home. Meanwhile, Valentin also announced that he was quitting his job with the team and heading back to France.

Anelka and Valentin will most likely be joined in France by the rest of the team. France, which is in Group A, plays its last group stage match on Tuesday against host country South Africa. Both teams each only have one point and little shot at advancing to the group stage. If Mexico and Uruguay finish their match with a draw on Tuesday, then they automatically advance no matter the outcome of France-South Africa. Having wins in both matches doesn't necessarily mean the winner of the France-South Africa match will advance, it will boil down to goal differential, which Mexico and Uruguay control at the moment.

Now for some recent World Cup related video:

French Reporter Eric Bielderman tells ESPN's Bob Ley what Anelka said:



John Terry's Press Conference:



Patrice Evra Press Conference:



AP Report including Bob Bradley Presser:



Evra beats Steve Nash in hoops:



Steve Nash discusses US-Slovenia:



Finally, our own Erin Dutka made it onto the broadcast of US-Slovenia about 3 times Friday, here's one of those times:


Now for some fun - Rob "The Stoner" Stone takes on the hottest chile pepper:

Group C, Round 2: The Day After

All four teams in Group C, which includes the United States, played on Friday in South Africa. The US battled Slovenia to a 2-2 draw while Algeria and England slogged it out for a 0-0 draw.

The US-Slovenia match was an emotional roller coaster ride for the fans of both teams. Slovenia was clearly the better team during the first half of the match. Once again, the US gave up an early goal when Valter Birsa scored in the 13th minute for Slovenia. The US seemed to sleep walk through the first half and were lucky that Slovenia only managed to pick up one more goal when Zlatan Ljubijankic scored in the 42nd minute.

As the second half kicked off, it was clear that the US side had finally woken up and realized they had a big hole to crawl out of in order to have any shot at advancing past the group stage. Landon Donovan set the tone for the second half when he scored a goal in the 48th minute. Meanwhile, Slovenia looked tired, as if they had used the majority of their energy during the first half, and, as a result, the second half became very chippy with three Slovenian players picking up yellow cards. Finally, Michael Bradley managed an incredible goal in the 82nd minute when Jozy Altidore used his head to cross a Donovan free kick to Bradley. Minutes later it appeared that the United States had done the unthinkable, picking up a third, and possibly winning goal, when Maurice Edu put the ball into the goal on a free kick. However, the goal was disallowed by match referee Koman Coulibaly.

It's not clear why Koman Coulibaly called a foul that disallowed Edu's goal, and it appears that we will never get an explanation for his call. While it's understandable that the US team and fans are angry with Coulibaly, had the US played better in the first half, the call might not have mattered as much.

After experiencing the emotions of the US-Slovenia match, it was hard to get focused on the England-Algeria match. My general impression was that England looked unfocused despite getting off 6 shots on goal. In the end, England was booed off the pitch by their own fans.

Coming into this World Cup, I was concerned that all the hype surrounding the England-US match would mean that both teams would be on an adrenaline high for that match and would have trouble focusing on the next match or matches. Both England and US did look unfocused on Friday, but the US managed to pull out of their funk while England did not.

The group stage for Group C wraps up on Wednesday when US plays Algeria and England plays Slovenia. Right now, the standings in Group C are as follows:

Slovenia 4 points
US 2 points
England 2 points
Algeria 1 point

The US controls its destiny going into Wednesday's match with Algeria. A win will ensure that the US advances to the knockout stage of the World Cup finals.

It should be noted that American striker Robbie Findley has picked up 2 yellow cards in the first two matches; therefore, he won't be available for Wednesday's match against Algeria. I suspect we will see Edson Buddle get his first World Cup finals start on Wednesday.

In past World Cup finals, had the US gone down 2 goals in the first half, the match would have been over. While it is nice to see that this US team has the ability to bounce back from goal deficits, it would be even nicer to see them take and hold a lead. That's what US needs to do against Algeria on Wednesday.

As for England, it is unclear how they'll look against Slovenia. Despite all the pronouncements in the English media that this World Cup was the one that England was going to win, England is now in a position where they might not even advance past the group stage. England are in need of a serious attitude adjustment if they hope to have a good result against Slovenia on Wednesday.

Here's a look at what the papers in the US and England are saying about Friday's Group C matches:

In Defense of Koman Coulibaly. Sort of. - New York Times

Stunning Rally. Shocking Goal. - New York Times

US Rallies for Tie - Washington Post

Analysis: Referee's call leaves Americans fit to be tied - Bergen County Record

US Rallies to Tie Slovenia - St. Petersburg Times

US players left stunned by referee call - Philadelphia Inquirer

England v. Algeria: fans boo one of their team's most inept performances - The Telegraph

Rooney blasts angry fans - The Telegraph

World Cup 2010 paper view: England Mess up. Blame the the Italian. - The Guardian

Martin Samuel: We were promised Rooney. We got his ghost. - The Daily Mail

Zygo Soccer Report No. 15

Time to talk about the World Cup finals in South Africa. This episode features the music of Eminem.

Episode 15 of The Zygo Soccer Report

The Zygo Soccer Report

Sunday World Cup Video Day

Here in the States we're still basking in the glow of Saturday's 1-1 draw with England, so what better way to enjoy a lazy summer Sunday than with some World Cup related video?

Here's the highlights from Saturday's US-England match:



In the States, the Super Bowl is known for the number of new commercials and advertising campaigns that are aired during the one day affair. While the Cup doesn't have that reputation, there have been some interesting commercials to pop up during the coverage this year:

United States Beats England: 1-1

Okay, I know, technically it was a draw, but it was one of those draws that felt like a win. Going into what was arguably the most anticipated US World Cup match since playing Mexico in 2002, it was hard to nail down how the match would turnout. While England is not the best squad in this tournament, they have players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, and John Terry, and a ton of expectation riding on their shoulders.

It seemed that the key for the US going into this match was maintaining form in the first 20 minutes. Conventional wisdom had it that if the US could keep England from scoring during the first 20 minutes, they were putting themselves in position to get a result. Unfortunately, the US did give up a goal in the first 20 minutes, the shaky American defense broke down and allowed Gerrard to score in the 4th minute.

Despite the early England goal, the US did not lose focus, instead they drew upon a certain workmanlike maturity that has developed since Bob Bradley replaced Bruce Arena as head coach and plowed on believing that the England lead would not hold. In the 40th minute, Texas native Clint Dempsey took a shot from distance that should have been an easy save for England keeper Robert Green who failed to get a secure grip on the ball, not surprising for Green, allowing the ball to roll into the goal giving the US the equalizer.

Ultimately the key for the US was the fact that they had 12 shots, 4 of which were on goal. While England did outshoot the US, the US never bunkered, they slowed the pace towards the end of the match, but they never bunkered. This is key, because as I noted above, there's problems with the US's backline. By starting Findley today, Bradley was sending a sign that he understands that the US defense is poor and that the team needs to stretch the field, relying on speed up top. While Findley is not the best finisher, his speed did help to keep England honest, keeping them from playing too far up.

While not as momentous as the 1-0 win over England in the 1950 World Cup finals in Brazil, today's draw was a solid result for the US, one they can build on as they look forward to Algeria and Slovenia. Getting a result from their big match with England should give US extra confidence in themselves, and extra swagger in their walk.

Here's a glimpse of what the English press is saying about today's draw:

England Miss out on fine start as USA benefit from Robert Green gaffe - The Guardian

USA tame three lions of England - The Times

606 Football Phone In on BBC 5 Live

Wayne Rooney left frustrated as Americans keep striker subdued - The Telegraph

England 1 - 1 USA: Match Report - The Telegraph

England 1 USA 1, Robert Green's clanger gifts Americans draw in opening Group C clash - The Daily Mail

US v. England - Time to Get Pumped

We're only a few days away from US v. England in the World Cup finals at 1:45pm central time on Saturday June 12th. If you're in the Houston area, come join 1560 The Game for a live broadcast starting and viewing party starting at noon at Jake's Philly Steaks. Additionally, every weeknight through the end of the World Cup finals, 1560 The Game will be airing a nightly, one hour World Cup Show. Not in Houston? You can listen online at 1560TheGame.com.

Now that I have the business out of the way, time to have some fun, time to get pumped up for the big show down, and what better way to do that, then with some videos:

Saturday Video Day

It's Saturday once again, which means it's time for some videos. Before we get to the videos though, don't forget Turkey plays US in Philadelphia at 12:30 central time on ESPN2. Meanwhile, tonight at 7:30, the Houston Dynamo will be hosting Philadelphia Union at Robertson Field in Houston.

Tuesday wasn't a great night for the US team, dropping a friendly, 4-2, to Czech Republic. Here's some of Bob Bradley's post match presser:



The 23 man roster has been announced, and this past week the team paid a visit to The White House:



Part 1 of The Everton Experience (I think The Everton Experiment is a better title):



Brian Ching discusses getting left off the US World Cup roster:



Now that winter is gone - Gardening Tips from Kige Ramsey:



Yeah, it's a little old, but The Beaver Song is timeless:

The Zygo Soccer Report Podcast Episode 14 - The Brian Ching Episode

My take on Bob Bradley's moronic decision to leave Brian Ching off the 23 man roster and my take on the rest of the roster, along with audio from Brian Ching and Dominic Kinnear.

Featured music from 2Pac, Public Enemy, Wale, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, & NWA.

Episode 14 of The Zygo Soccer Report

The Zygo Soccer Report

Saturday Video Day

Today is a big day in Europe, the last real big club match of the 2009-2010 season as Inter and Bayern Munich meet in the EUFA Champions League final on Fox today at 1:30 central time (yes, that's FOX - not FSC, not FSN, not FX, but FOX). Tonight at 7:00 central time, the Houston Dynamo will host DC United at Robertson Stadium. Tickets are still available and the match will be aired on Galavision. Now for the videos:

The New Nike Commercial(full length):



Some video from USMNT Camp:







What would a video column be without the funny?