June 21, 2010
Since Grant Wahl's recap of the US-Slovenia 2-2 draw starts off talking about how the US got jobbed, let's go in that direction.
The USA 10 Kit , SI's Peter King , Steve Davis , Yahoo Sports , Yanks Abroad , & the DC Sports Bog are just a touch of the various takes on the call.
My quick takes on the situation are this:
- I think Bruce @ du Nord has the best theory on why the call was made
- Losing on a call like that will create more buzz in the US than if the goal had counted. As Dan Loney points out , Americans love to rally around the idea of someone wearing the letters USA on their chest getting screwed.
- At the end of the day, the US are still in a win and advance situation. I would have taken a win versus Algeria and move on scenario before the tournament started.
And yes, it would be nice if the US starts faster and does not give up the first goal.
But, I wouldn't be shocked if this squad were to give up the first goal and still win. They've got a ton of fight in them.
Rhinos-Montreal
If Devo weren't on vacation, I would have expected some quotes from Bob Lilley talking about not killing the game with the Rhinos letting a 1-0 lead get away due to an Edy Sebrango goal in the 79th minute.
But, they got a point in Montreal (never an easy thing for the Rhinos) and they need to re-focus for tomorrow night's US Open Cup match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
The other thing is that they are in 2nd place in the conference and 3rd overall right now despite being inconsistent and having things to work on. Not bad.....
News & Notes:
- Grant Wahl chatted with Sunil Gulati at the World Cup.
- The US-Slovenia match set a record for most watched soccer game ever on ESPN.
- Is there a US Soccer "style"? This blog thinks it's toughness. I can see that.
- MLS Talk ponders the eternal question of the popularity of soccer in the US.
- And here I thought that the Portland Timbers had their stuff together....
- Here is a video on Vancouver's temporary home starting next year.
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 news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
