June 29, 2011
Yesterday features one game that was OK (USWNT v North Korea) and one that was a disappointment (Rhinos v Chicago Fire in the USOC 3rd Round).
The US was blanked in the first half for the third time in World Cup group play by North Korea. It has only happened four times in USWNT history. But, the US were able to break through early in the second half and they got the insurance goal to easily grab the three points.
At the Rhinos match, I was impressed with how the Rhinos possessed the ball early. But, they couldn't finish and Chicago punished the Rhinos for a poor clearance after a nice diving Kitson save late in the first half. Chicago looked like the higher level team in the second half as they made the Rhinos chase the ball all over the park as they killed the game and advanced 1-0.
But, life goes on. And on the bright side, it's Scott Vallow bobblehead night on Friday!
Women's World Cup
- Devo has a nice article on Abby Wambach being driven by the fact that she's never won a Women's World Cup title.
- Jeff Kassouf has a video blog breakdown of the US win over North Korea at Equalizer Soccer.
- Jenna Pel at All White Kit uses buzzwords instead of player ratings for the US.
- The Shin Guardian , No Short Corners , Steven Goff: Soccer Insider , The USA 10 Kit , Jerrod Roh of Inside Minnesota Soccer , Jenna Pel at All White Kit & Giovannie Albanese Jr of Equalizer Soccer have post game wrap ups of US-North Korea.
- The Original Winger has the US-North Korea highlights.
- All White Kit has What We Learned Day 3 - US Edition.
- The USWNT blog has some pictures of Game Day #1.
- Soccer America has your US player ratings if you really need them.
- Devo has to talk about Abby Wambach setting up the first US goal, of course.
- All White Kit has What We Learned During Day 2 and More Notes from Day 2 of the WWC.
- WNY Flash and Canadian fans will have to wait and see if Christine Sinclair will miss time due to her broken nose.
- Beau Dure talks about game day in Berlin over at ESPNW.
- Ali Riley and New Zealand gained confidence despite their opening game loss.
- Caroline Seger talks about Sweden's game plan heading into their opener versus Colombia.
- Here is Mia Hamm's game day perspective.
- The US Soccer Youtube Channel has some more great stuff including Behind the Crest: Time to Play , USWNT Back Home: The Jersey Shore , & USWNT Back Home: Captain's Journey.
- The Original Winger has some videos on US defender Heather Mitts and her comeback from a knee injury to make the World Cup squad.
- The Original Winger also has the behind the scenes video of the SI photoshoot for the USWNT.
US Open Cup Round 3
- Devo has the recap of last night's Rhinos-Fire match at his blog and at the D&C.com.
- Matthew Delicate got the game winner in the 85th minute as the Richmond Kickers upset the Columbus Crew last evening. Richmond was the only lower division club to knock off an MLS club in the 3rd round of the USOC.
Gold Cup Final
I want to forget it, but here are some links coming out of the US's 4-2 loss to Mexico on Saturday night.
- MLS Talk , The Fullback Files , US Soccer Daily , Unprofessional Foul , The USA 10 Kit , Grantland , The Shin Guardian , The American Outlaws , and Yanks Abroad break down the match.
- SBI.net has the highlights (or is that lowlights.....).
- On the good side, the Gold Cup final set a viewership record for Fox Soccer.
- Tim Howard had a bad reaction to the awards ceremony and then he had this response after looking back on his initial reaction.
- Grantland had a cool post on Adu, Chicharito, and being a US fan.
- Yanks Abroad thinks Bob Bradley should go. Soccer America looks at Bob Bradley's mistakes in the Final.
- The Original Winger & Inside Minnesota Soccer have pictures from the Final.
News & Notes:
- Gooch has signed with Sporting in Portugal.
- Third Kit looks at building and branding soccer in Boston.
- Marc Dos Santos has stepped down as the Montreal Impact head coach. Montreal currently sits second to last in the NASL with only 9 pts in 12 games played. Sporting Director and former Impact head coach & player Nick de Santis will step in on an interim basis.
- Here is Landon Donovan's new Gatorade G2 commercial.
- Seattle's Emerald City Supporters have some love for The Fort in New England and Steve Davis has some advice for the Revs with regards to this situation.
- Dwayne De Rosario is on the move again. He was dealt to DC United yesterday for Dax McCarty.
- Steve Nash had his Showdown in Chinatown for 2011.
- It's always fun to have a laugh at the expense of the Mexican National Team.
- The Wichita Wings have added another "name guy" in Frederico Moojen.
- Here is a cool look at Section 8, the Chicago Fire's main supporters group.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to jamesrweise@gmail.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
