US 2-0 Sweden - Player grades

The US men got a little home pitch revenge on Sweden tonight as they topped the them 2-0 off of goals by Eddie Robinson and Landon Donovan. Donovan's goal means he is now the all-time leader in goals for the US MNT. Although it would have been a lot more fun to see the goal come from the run of play instead of a penalty kick, a goal is a goal. Congratulations all around, and lets hope for many more.

As far as the game was concerned, overall, it was an okay match for the US. They did well on set pieces but their technical touches left a bit to be desired. Several players did standout while others kind of sunk. With that in mind, here are the grades:

Starting XI
Brad Guzan (GK) - He was near perfect on the night. He was called on to make about four big saves and made them all. I think it is safe to call him the number 2 keeper for the squad. A+
Drew Moor (D) - Did great getting up on the right side, but missed his mark on a couple occasions. B
Jimmy Conrad (D) - Didn't really make himself known, but did some decent work on the first half corner kicks. B-
Eddie Robinson (D) - An excellent first cap. The goal was a great reaction shot and his work on defense was wonderful. He picked up people and covered for other's mistakes. A-
Ramiro Corrales (D) - Moved the ball out well but let a few balls sneak in on the left. Still, a good return to the team. B+
Landon Donovan (M) - He found his spots, directed traffic, made good passes and acted like a captain should. He did slack for a bit after getting the pk, but this was still a great night for Donovan. A
Maurice Edu (M) - He put himself into position and worked the game well, but his distributions were not as accurate as they need to be. B+
Ricardo Clark (M) - Smart on defense but didn't push enough to start attacks. B
Brad Davis (M) - Excellent night for Davis. His free and corner kicks were some of the best I've seen for the US in a while. Kept forcing himself into the play. A
Pat Noonan (F) - Worked well with Twellman, especially in the first 15 minutes, but wasn't really making trouble for Sweden. C+
Taylor Twellman (F) - Caused the defense a few moments of frustration but then disappeared. Should have earned a pk in the first half, but over all, a let down of a night. C

Subs
Michael Parkhurst (D) - In for Robinson in the 46'. Made some marking mistakes and didn't clear as well as needed, but kept his mark most of the time. B-
Clarence Goodson (D) - In for Conrad in the 46'. Used his size and distributed well, plus he opened up space for others. B+
Josmer Altidore (F) - In for Twellman in the 46'. Can anyone take the ball away from Altidore? He knows how to hold a ball and force the fouls. His passing can use some sharpening but still a great night. A
Chris Rolfe (F) - In for Noonan in the 63'. His touches were not on the mark and gave up the ball much too easy. He did draw the defense a couple times, but then made bad choices on passes. B-
Sacha Kljestan (M) - In for Davis in the 71'. Needed to play the holding game better. Kind of disappeared. B-
Jeremiah White (M) - In for Donovan in the 81'. Not really on the long to make a mark. Had a couple touches that were okay, but overall, didn't leave much of an impression. No Grade

So overall, the team was lacking up top, did great in the middle and held their own on defense. That seems to be the common thread throughout most US national matches these days. As far as the striker role is concerned, Altidore made a great case for a start against Mexico in February. Put Dempsey behind him and Donovan out on the wing in the middle and see what happens.

Goals:
Robinson - 15'
Donovan (pk) - 48'

US starting lineup against Sweden

The lineup it out for tonight's 500th US Men's national team match:

GK: Guzan
D: Drew Moor, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Robinson, Ramiro Corrales
M: Landon Donovan (capt.), Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis
F: Pat Noonan, Taylor Twellman

Here are the subs:
Steve Cronin, Clarence Goodson, Michael Parkhurst, Jeremiah White, Sacha Kljestan, Josmer Altidore, Chris Rolfe

As far as the starters, the only one that surprises me at all is Pat Noonan. It's not much of a shock, but I thought that Bradley would already know how he works with Twellman and would go with Rolfe instead.

Here is the lineup for Sweden:
GK: Shaaban
D: Lustig, Bjarsmyr, Larsson, Ronningberg
M: Andersson, Alexandersson, Svensson, Johansson
F: Prica, Wenbloom

Kick off is at 8:30pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel.

2007 Women's World Cup - US vs. Sweden preview

US (1pt) vs. Sweden (1pt)
5am ET/2am PT
TV: ESPN

This game might be the biggest game for US women's soccer ever. After a hard, unsatisfying tie against North Korea, the US women are all but in a must win position. And what is riding on this game? Perhaps the successful launch of the women's domestic league in 2009. With the new league counting on a strong World Cup and Olympic run, and failure could be a huge set back.

But enough about 2009, against Sweden the team will need to exercise better passing lanes then they did against North Korea. If they cannot find a way to get the ball out of their own third, it is going to be a long night. Shannon Boxx and Heather O’Reilly need to push things forward, which will open up the always strong Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach (or the Brian McBride of the women's team).

The good news for the team is even though they were outplayed by North Korea, they found a way to get a couple goals. If soccer was a fair game, the US would not have any points right now but due to their own abilities, they are tied with all other teams in Group B.

I suspect that the women will want to make something happen fast, so expect a quick start to this game. Also, as long as it is not raining, don't expect Hope Solo to fumble anything in the box.

Predictions: Me US 3-2 Sweden, Wife US 2-1 Sweden

US 0-1 Sweden - Can't win off US soil

The semi-curse of Europe and the bigger curse of non-US based matches continued yesterday as the US men fell to Sweden. The red, white and blue controlled large portions of possession however they could not handle Sweden's counter attacks and were cut apart by their passes. If it weren’t for the wonderful work of Tim Howard in goal, this would have been close to a nightmare.

As it stands, the team as a whole did not look so great. The midfield was incapable of holding up the Swedes and the defensive wings were knocked around all night. However, the most frustrating part of the whole match was the lack in quality of their passing. Time and time again, they just couldn't place the ball where it should have gone, which resulted either in Sweden gaining possession or slowing down the play enough to erase any advantage in attack they might have.

There were a few good field players as Beasley opened up the left side in the first half and improved stuff on the right in the second. Dempsey was good at sneaking in to spots and one-touching balls, although he soft kicked a ball that could have been a goal. Onyewu did a decent job of holding back enough to not get beat by Sweden's quickness and his clearance off the line was pure intelligent soccer. Other then that, not a lot to talk about.

All that said, it is hard to believe that we came just one bounce away from walking out with a tie. If Shaaban hadn't got a little luck off his save of Bradley's 89' header, there would have been a late equalizer. Also, the lone goal Sweden did get very easily could have been called off due to the full body shove that preceded it.

Another good thing is the number of young players who got time in the match. Sal Zizzo, Charlie Davies and Kamani Hill need these types of experiences to grow into full players.

US vs. Sweden - Looking for something in Europe

US vs. Sweden
2:30pm ET/11:30am PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel (with 30min post)
Internet: Text commintary from US Soccer's Match Tracker

The US men return to action today on a continent where they have not had much success. Is today the day the European curse dies? The last time the US beat a European team in Europe was against Iceland in 1993. The last time they won on the continent was against Romania in 1991. Edit: Wow, did I ever blow this thought. It is strange how I can wake up with some idea in my mind and hold it even when it is wrong. As noted in the comments, the US beat Poland March 1 of last year in Germany. In was the match in the snow. So I could say that the US hasn’t beat a European team on their home soil since Iceland, however, that is also false (Poland in Poland March 31, 2004). Sorry about the mistakes but I am, at more times then I care to admit, a bit of an idiot. Anyway, thanks to everyone who corrected my obvious errors.

The team did get their first ever win as an official FIFA team in Europe some 91-years ago (Aug. 20 to be exact) against none other then Sweden. Will history repeat itself?

Sweden brings a very strong team with a great ability to score and fill out the midfield. They also have a knack for being sharp on set pieces but their defense is still a little iffy at times. In Euro qualifying they have only given up 4 goals from 7 matches so it is not that often that they stink in the back but it is a slight opening that the US must exploit.

A key factor in the exploitation of this opening is Landon Donovan who, as we all know only so well, doesn't have the best of history in Europe. If he can push the run towards Sweden and link up with Dempsey or Beasley, they will be able to cut their way through the line. There are other European based midfield options but since the team seems setup to flow through Donovan, if he isn't producing, things get a little more difficult.

It will be a true test of the backline to see how they deal with the speed Sweden will bring to the pitch. In Gold Cup play, there were a number of times we were beat out wide only to have the middle backs step in to make the save, but Sweden is much better then most of the Concacaf opposition. If they are given a number of chances, they will finish a few of them.

Predicted lineup:
FW: Dempsey
MID: Beasley, Bradley, Mastroeni, Feilhaber, Donovan
DF: Bornstein, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Cherundolo
GK: Howard

Predictions: Me US 2-2 Sweden, Wife US 1-3 Sweden

US Roster for Sweden - Donovan, Mastroeni, Bornstein & a bunch of Yanks abroad

Bob Bradley released his 19-man roster for next Wednesday's match against Sweden and it, as expected, is almost completely European based. The three MLSers making the trip are Jonathan Bornstein, Pablo Mastroeni and Landon Donovan.

This is a very nice blend of folks including the return of Bobby Convey, Steve Cherundolo, Marcus Hahnemann and Josh Wolff from injuries.

There are only three players with two caps or less and, oddly enough, they are all forwards. Charlie Davies (2), Kamani Hill (1) and Sal Zizzo (0) will all be looking to make their mark in a position that is a little weak. I'm guessing it is this lack of experience that has lead Bradley to call Donovan over to Europe. As far as his club, it looks like LA will be without him and Beckham (who looks like he will be called to London but probably will not play against Germany) for their Aug 23 match against Chivas making their road ahead a little harder.

Anyway, here is the full roster:
Goalkeepers: Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England).

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham, England), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Belgium), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England).

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen, Nehterlands), Bobby Convey (Reading, England), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County, England), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids).

Forwards: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF, Sweden), Kamani Hill (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich, Germany), Sal Zizzo (Hannover, Germany).

US men to play Sweden in Europe

The US men will play their first match in Europe since the World Cup on Wednesday, August 22nd. The game will see the red, white and blue take on Sweden at Ullevi Stadium in Goteborg, Sweden.

Sweden is a quality team and the US should be happy to get this match. August will see the MLS playoff race off and running, so look for very few from the domestic league to make the trip. This should allow Bob Bradley the roster space to call in just about any European based player he might want to evaluate.

Between this match and the Copa America, the US men have at least four games scheduled against strong opponents in hostel environments. The lack of such games in the past has been one of the issues many people have pointed to as an explanation for the team’s woes in 2006 and it is very encouraging to see US soccer try to fix this problem.

The match against Sweden will air live on Fox Soccer Channel at 2:30pm ET.