Some Soccer News for Nov 14, 2016

It's Day 319 of 2016.


Congrats to the New York Cosmos on winning NASL Championship.

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Press Conference with US Soccer president Sunil Gulati. Held before USA v Mexico. By Paul Kennedy of Soccer America.

• Here are more detailed answers from Gulati. By Paul Tenorio of Four Four Two.

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USMNT World Cup Qualifying:
-Fri Nov 11
USA 1-2 Mexico - USA goal by Bobby Wood. Mex goals by Miguel Layun + Rafael Marquez.
-Tue Nov 15
Costa Rica v USA - Estadio Nacional, San Jose - 8:00pm CT on beIN Sports

My USA Notes:

• 5-3-2? You line up in a 5-3-2 to start this game?

• The coach strikes again. The guy who thinks he is smarter than all of us blew it for about the 10th time. How he still has a job is beyond my comprehension. The USA has always been best in a 4-4-2 and in the biggest game in 2 1/2 years he sends them out in a formation they have no idea how to play in. Pathetic. Please.

• After the game the coach called it a 3-4-3. Nice try buddy. You don't even know what formation you sent your players out in?

• The team defending on the ONLY CORNER KICK OF THE GAME for Mexico was a complete disaster. Lets break it down. 1. No one protecting for a cross to the front post. 2. No one standing at the back post. 4. Players losing marks, or not knowing who to mark. 4. Goalkeeper off his line. That's an F. Iron Skillet needed.

• First USA home loss in qualifying to Mexico since 1972.

• First USA home loss in qualifying since 2001.

• Klinsmann loves to break streaks! USA had never lost to Jamaica until him. USA had never lost to Guatemala before him. USA had never lost at home to Panama before him. And now this. Sure they won in Mexico, but it was a friendly - those don't matter.

• Having to use your subs for 2 fullbacks and an injured goalkeeper is inexcusable.

• Tim Howard has a strained abductor muscle and has left the team. He won't play for Colorado in the MLS playoffs either. Shame.

• Of all the people to let beat you - Marquez the super villain. Are you kidding me???

• The Mexico keeper Talavera was beatable.

• Brad Guzan is not the answer.

• I don't think a single USA player had a good first half besides Howard.

• Yes the USA got better. But not until they were down a goal and nearly 3 (a cross bar and a post in the first half for Mexico.)

• High marks to Altidore, Wood and Pulisic for giving it everything they had with very little help all game long.

• After the game the coach blamed the players for the poor first half performance. End of story. Again.

• Its funny, the longer I think about this game the madder I get!

A review of USA-MEX from the analytical side of things. By Matt Doyle of MLSsoccer.

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More thoughts on initial formation the USA rolled out v Mexico - I really am pissed off:

• When you line up with 3 centerbacks who are all used to playing with 2 you are essentially playing with 10 men.

• When you line up with 2 defensive midfielders who are both used to playing with 1 you are essentially playing with 10 men.

• When you do both of those things at the same time you are essentially playing with 9 men.

• Did the USA look like it was playing with 9 men in the first 30 minutes of that game against Mexico?

• It sure looked like that to me.

• And when you line up with 7 defensive minded players and give up a goal it’s a complete and utter disaster.

• When you never line up in a certain formation and then you choose to do it in a huge game against your biggest rival you come off like a fool who thinks you are smarter than everyone else.

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USA Roster
G
Brad Guzan - Middlesbrough
Ethan Horvath - Molde
Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
William Yarbrough - Leon
D
Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City
Steve Birnbaum - DC United
John Brooks - Hertha Berlin
Cameron Carter-Vickers - Tottenham
Timmy Chandler - Eintracht Frankfurt
Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca
Fabian Johnson - Monchengladbach
Michael Orozco - Tijuana
DeAndre Yedlin - Newcastle
M
Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union
Michael Bradley - Toronto
Lynden Gooch - Sunderland
Julian Green - Bayern Munich
Jermaine Jones - Colorado Rapids
Sacha Kljestan - New York Red Bulls
Christian Pulisic - Dortmund
Caleb Stanko - Vaduz
Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
F
Jozy Altidore - Toronto
Alan Gordon - LA Galaxy
Aron Johannsson - Werder Bremen
Bobby Wood - Hamburger

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The Hex - CONCACAF World Cup qualifying schedule:
Matchday 1

• The 3 road teams won every game on Friday night. Impressive.

• I had a feeling that the USA might be the 4th best team in the confederation. Lets hope they improve and not regress even further.

• Christian Bolanos of Vancouver and Ronald Matarrita of NYC got the goals for Costa Rica.

• Panama got its goal from 21 year old Fidel Escobar (What A Name!) who plays for Sporting CP II.

-Fri Nov 11
USA 1-2 Mexico
Honduras 0-1 Panama
Trinidad + Tobago 0-2 Costa Rica

Matchday 2

• Panama has a huge chance to make a statement at home against Mexico.

• Costa Rica has never lost to the USA at home.

-Tue Nov 15
Costa Rica v USA - 8:00pm CT on beIN Sports
Honduras v Trinidad + Tobago - 4:00pm CT
Panama v Mexico - 8:00pm CT

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The USA needs to go to Costa Rica and do what it has not been able to do in the past - get a point or three. By Steven Goff of the Washington Post.

• The last time the USA got a point in Costa Rica was 1985.

If you are one of those people who wants Jermaine Jones out of the line up then you better hope he gets hurt, cuz otherwise he is playing. By Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.

The bigger picture of World Cup qualifying for the USA. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

Projected weather in San Jose Costa Rica at game time is upper 60s and rain.

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Costa Rica roster:

• They lost 2 players due to injury and have added 2 to replace them.

G:
Leonel Moreira - Herediano
Keylor Navas - Real Madrid
Patrick Pemberton - Alajuelense
D:
Johnny Acosta - Herediano
Francesco Calvo - Saprissa
Cristian Gamboa - Celtic
Leonardo Gonzalez
Allan Miranda
Ronald Matarrita - New York City
Bryan Oviedo - Everton
Jose Salvatierra - Alajuelense
Michael Umana - Alajuelense
Kendall Waston - Vancouver Whitecaps
M:
Randall Azofeifa - Herediano
Cristian Bolanos - Vancouver Whitecaps
Celso Borges - Deportivo la Coruna
David Guzman - Saprissa
Yeltsin Tejeda - Lausanne
Johan Venegas - Montreal Impact
Rodney Wallace - Sport Recife
F:
Joel Campbell - Sporting CP
Ariel Rodriguez - Bangkok Glass
Bryan Ruiz - Sporting CP
Marco Urena - Brondby

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The champ champ pic.twitter.com/iprUKL0Ldx

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 13, 2016

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NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament - 1st Round, 64 teams:
-Sat Nov 12
Minnesota 0-0 North Carolina State - NCS wins 3-2 in Penalty Kick Shootout.

• Minnesota is out. Losing in penalties after regulation and overtime went scoreless.

• This was a very big upset. But after seeing MN play twice in person this season I knew goalkeeping was their weak link.

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NASL Final:
-Sun Nov 13
New York Cosmos 0-0 Indy Eleven - NYC wins 4-2 in Penalty Kick Shootout.

• Cosmos are repeat champions and have won the Soccerbowl in 3 of the 4 years they have been in the league.

• Sadly there were over 400 empty seats in a stadium that only holds 2600. Oof.

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Laurent Ciman of Montreal went the full 90 for Belgium as the middle of 3 centerbacks and they beat Estonia 8-1 in UEFA's World Cup qualifying.

• A round up of all the MLS players in World Cup qualifying action. From MLSsoccer.

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Frank Lampard has announced he will not return to NYC for next season.

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Jamison Olave has joined the caravan out of Salt Lake.

• Javi Morales is already gone and lots of rumors say other veterans could go too.

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Montreal has sold more than 50,000 tickets for Leg 1 of the MLS Semifinals v Toronto on Tue Nov 22. Capacity is around 60k. They will sell it out.

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USWNT in Women's U20 World Cup group stage:
-Mon Nov 14
USA 0-0 France
-Thu Nov 17
USA v New Zeland
-Mon Nov 21
USA v Ghana

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USWNT year ending friendlies:

• Two easy wins.

• Thu night USA outshot Romania 30-4.

• Last night USA outshot Romania 31-0.

-Thu Nov 10
USA 8-1 Romania StubHub Center, Carson CA - USA goals by Christen Press (3), Tobin Heath, Morgan Brian, Alex Morgan (2) + Maria Ficzay (OG). Rom goal by Laura Rus.
-Sun Nov 12
USA 5-0 Romania - Avaya Stadium, San Jose CA - USA goals by Teodora Meluta (OG), Crystal Dunn, Christen Press, Morgan Brian (PK) + Samantha Mewis.

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UEFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers: 10 talking points from the latest matches. From the Guardian.



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