USA Costa Rica Preview

Tonight, the USA travels to Costa Rica to play the Ticos in World Cup qualifying. The game was moved forward from next week due to the Confederations Cup (get excited!), and is the only international in the world being held today. Obligatory shambolic preview, after the jump.

The US National Team hasn't taken a point in Costa Rica in qualifying since 1985, and after the uneven performance against El Salvador on the road, it's questionable whether or not that streak is going to end tonight. Landycakes and others have said that they will benefit from the experience gained in the comeback to tie. But the Ticos, second place in the group, have only lost one game this decade at the Estadio Saprissa. So its not surprising that veteran Pablo Mastroeni is widely expected to see time in the midfield tonight alongside Michael Bradley.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector is expected to get the start at right back filling in for Steve Cherundulo, and the Beasley-as-a-left-back experiment is likely to continue. Despite injury concerns, Jozy also looks set to start, but Bob Bradley has already been complaining about the artificial surface. "I think for the most part the players will tell you that the game is not the same on artificial turf," he told the LA Times.

The game has been moved to ESPN2 from ESPN, and pregame coverage kicks off at 9:30 pm EDT. Chances of a liveblog are pretty slim at this point, but do join us for what promises to be a truly spectacular open thread. Start placing bets on many times John Harkes compares the crowd at the Saprissa to "his time in England."

Image from the invaluable MNT Blog.

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Landon On Loan

Which is less surprising? That Landon Donovan is going to join Bayern Munich for a couple of months (and possibly until the end of the Bundesliga season) or that the people at ESPN can't fucking spell?

I'm not sure who this Donavan character is. But let's wish him well in Germany anyway.

Okay, okay. Glass houses. I'm sure we've made plenty of spelling and grammatical errors, but we're not the self-proclaimed "World Wide Leader" of anything. We're just a few guys who blog for fun... oh, and for the chicks.

Anyway, Landycakes now officially goes on loan to Bayern Munich starting Jan 1 and running through at least the middle of March (when ostensibly he would have to return to the Galaxy). Said manager Jürgen Kilnsmann: "The goal will be to see if we can get him long term, at least until the end of the season."

Wow, Klinsy and I have similar views on what constitutes "long term." He's as big a commitment-phobe as I am. Anyway, if the loan gets extended to season's end someone will be getting more preferential treatment than Goldenballs. We wish Donovan all the best. He's American and we like Americans. Even the ones who might have wussed out on previous occasions.

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Landycakes Landing in der Deutschland

Pretty amazing that Landycakes, one of the more innocuous players to ever sashay onto the pitch, is also one of the most divisive figures for American footy fans. We've got blue states and red states, rich and poor, and pro-Lando and against-Lando. But, in this new spirit of bipartisanship, I say we all come together and wish our receding-hairlined pygmy best of luck during his trial at Bayern Munich.

Look, credit where credit is due. Despite being a four-time MLS player of the year, the all-time USMT assist and goal leader, and having a century of caps, Landycakes has enough self awareness to know that his reputation will always be tainted by those two failed stints in Europe. The move to Bayern has been long-rumored and probably makes the most sense, with Klinsmann at the helm (for the time being at least) and a less-physical continental style that would suit Lando well compared to the EPL. You also gotta think that the Galaxy will be motivated to sell to clear up some salary for a couple players for Becks.

Assuming that Landycakes' trial turns into a permanent deal with Bayern, the trick will be if Donovan is willing to be a role player rather than the key man. Perhaps the Galaxy's abysmal season was a good preparation, as in how could it get any worse? On the plus side, Lando can play any midfield or forward position, has good speed, can deliver nice crosses into the box, can finish, works hard and he's still only 26 years old. But is he willing to accept a lesser role with a top-quality team? Will he be willing to stick it out if Klinsmann gets canned or the team underperforms? What happens when Lando is forced to sit on the bench?

And, for all the Lando haters, the most important question is how long until he comes sniveling back to MLS.

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Nobody does it lamer. Amirite?

Landycakes, preparing to suck

It has become fashionable, to a point, in US soccer circles to bash Landon Donovan. So much so that some bloggers feel the need to take up Donovan's cause and tell those haters, Chris Crocker style, to Leave Landon alone! Yeah, that's not what I am looking to do here. Instead, I am going to take a look at a recent blog post that whines that we Americans don't appreciate what a treasure we have in him. Join me as we take a paragraph by paragraph look at the inanity of being a Landon Donovan apologist.

Last month's friendly in Krakow against Poland, was exactly that: a friendly which should not be considered some sort of great conquering victory of the US National Team. Sure you’d rather win than lose these sorts of matches, but realistically I still saw some of the same issues that have worried me about the United States since the end World Cup 2006 in this performance.
For those that do not recall the match that well, last month the US defeated Poland 3-0 on the strength of a pretty disastrous performance by Artur Boruc in the Polish net. I saw plenty of worrying things too. The central defense, though responsible for the first two goals, consistently fails at shutting down attacks, leaving the keeper exposed. Perhaps this writer and I are on the same wavelength.

One thing I was overly pleased with was the outstanding play of Landon Donovan. For all the criticisms of Donovan from some quarters of the American soccer community, he continues to be hands down the best player the United States has produced in this particular generation. Those who criticize him and make up silly nicknames do not understand soccer in this country and the types of quality Donovan brings to the field.
Never mind. There were exactly two things I was pleased about with Landon in this game. One, the match was on European soil, and he still played. Two, his free kicks did not fail at the first hurdle. Usually in Europe, Landon hides behind his opponents so he cannot be delivered the ball, which he would invariably give away if he got it. And his free kicks over the last two years either hit the wall or go twenty yards over target. In Krakow, neither of these happened and it led to two goals. Newsflash--that's what is supposed to happen with an attacking midfielder who takes the free kicks. Don't laud him for doing his job. As for whether or not he is the best player in this generation, quite simply, no. Of course, it depends on how you define the generation. Keller and Friedel are both much better, but they are old. I'd still stake my team on Howard before Donovan, because at least I know the Tourette's guy knows how to play in Europe. Field player-wise, I concede that Donovan is the most dangerous within 5 years either way, but I do note that he has shown a disturbing pattern of being bullied out of games against European competition. I believe that there are a few young guys coming through the US ranks who will make Landon a Eric Wynalda like memory on the US team--a good player for the time, but one who could not hold a candle to the players now. Oh, and apparently I am an idiot and do not understand the game.

Donovan’s set piece taking in the Poland match was reminiscent of his early days on the national team. Even better was to watch Donovan’s breakaway. While he didn’t finish the goal off, my point to so many critics of Donovan and of MLS in general has been consistent: Landon Donovan is more fit and has greater pace than almost any player on the planet. While many of these same fans are obsessed with speed and feel MLS is somehow inferior to leagues in Europe simply because it is slower paced (by that logic the Mexican league which is hands down better than MLS would be in an even lower tier because it is even slower than MLS) and by extension Donovan is inferior to any player in Europe need to watch the Poland match. Having been returned to midfield along side Clint Dempsey, the two played well off one another and linked together well with a rather inept striker tandem.
Ooh, that's a long 'graph. Once again, please do not laud Donovan for missing the wall with his free kicks, it's what he is supposed to do. As for the breakaway, he didn't fucking finish it, end of story. You can talk about his pace, his nose for the game, whatever; but you have to note that, when five yards clear of the last defender and only the keeper to beat, he bottled the ball well wide of the mark. At the very least he has to force a save. Don't let the other team off the hook because you missed. Then there's an aside about the MLS being faster than Mexico's league, then he talks about the inept forward tandem and how Landon and Dempsey saved them. Yes, the Johnson-Ching attack is horrible. Let us never have to say those names togather again with respect to the US National Team.

On his day nobody does it better than Donovan. The loudmouth critics can climb under a rock for now, as Landon Donovan has once again fired a statement across the bow as to his quality and pedigree. Thank goodness the US National Team, deficient in so many other areas has his services whenever needed. Donovan has also matured from a young hot head to a grown veteran leader whose skill level and quality is unmatched in the modern history of soccer in the U.S.
When is his day exactly? Does he get one every couple of years or so? I remember the one he had in 2002 against Mexico, that was awesome. When will we get another of those in competition that counts? Yes, Landon can be good to great, he just prefers to do so against teams that can charitably be called "lesser". That's what I have always had against Donovan. For a man with all of the talent in the world for the sport I love, he decided long ago it was not worth it to challenge himself. He would prefer to let his enormous talent stagnate so he could live at the beach with his underworked actress wife rather than try to make it in Europe. That is an opportunity I and others would kill for, and he just said, "Nope. I'm homesick." and sulked off home. He could have had unmatched quality, but instead will be eclipsed before he stops losing hair.

Those who don't like Donovan make up clever nicknames and attack him for his lifestyle choices. The Poland game and the first month of the MLS season should give these critics pause. I will go a step further: Without Donovan it is highly likely the US would not have improved its status in world football and in CONCACAF since hosting the 1994 World Cup. It is also conceivable to see the US miss the world cup if Donovan were to be injured or as some critics suggest, dropped from the national team.
Uh, you already used that nicknames bit-it's up in the second 'graph. And yes, I do attack him for lifestyle choices, see above. It's an American thing to do, dammit. See someone who could make more for themselves and feel disgusted when they decide to settle. Horatio Alger would agree. As for the MLS--see argument above about lesser teams. Landon is a sub-World Class player in the prime of his career playing in a league that does not match his quality. I would hope that he is doing well.

Holy shit, what the fuck? The US would not have gotten any better if Landon had not been born? You have got to be kidding me. You want to speak about generations, let's talk generations. Let's talk about all of the kids playing from the time they can figure out which goal to run towards. That did not happen two generations ago. And what a disservice to all of the other players on the NT. Do you really think that Oguchi Onyewu, even with his current form woes, is a lesser player than Alexi Lalas? That Clint Dempsey is no Joe-Max Moore? Please, get some perspective. And that goes for the World Cup qualis as well. Landon could amputate his head tomorrow and the US would still qualify without problem. Just because you have a Landon Donovan wallbanger you pray to does not make him a god. He's not going to get dropped, either. All we, the US fan base, ask is that Landon Donovan do his job for the team. Create chances, finish them when appropriate, don't hit the wall with free kicks, and actually show for a pass when in Europe. Then, maybe, we may stop talking shit about Kartik's man-crush.

Oh, and stay off Cribs, too. It's just embarrassing when your girl leads you around the house like that.

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