US-Czech match

[winterbadger]

Well, that has to be one of the most disappointing games I've ever seen the US play. We were flat, uninspired, slow, and uncoordinated. They outplayed us, they outshot us, and they outmanned us. Literally--it was like watching a high school team playing a pro team. If we're going to field a team that is smaller and weaker than our opponents, we need to be faster and more subtle. We bumbled. We couldn't pass consistently. I don't think we won a single header. We put no pressure on the Czechs. We left key Czech players wide open and unmarked. We made low, slow, weak crosses. We were, to put it simply, awful. If this is the best performance the US can put on, we deserve to plummet straight out of the opening round.

Win, lose, or draw, if we're not better than this, if we don't play better than this agaisnt Italy, I don't know if I'm even going to bother watching the last match.

Comments

[redactrice.livejournal.com]

I did end up watching much of the match on TV tonight. If I see Eddie Lewis passing back to the goalie one more time, I'm going to scream!!!

Seriously, our play reminded me a lot of DC United's at various points over the years: passing ineffectually across the back line, launching long hopeful balls into the box from 30 yards (as though they're ever going to get past the tall Czech defenders) rather than linking up through the midfield, and slowing down some of our few breakaway chances to stop and consider the field. Is that sort of play a DC United thing? (The coach and one assistant are old DCU hands) An MLS thing? An American thing? We looked like an MLS team playing a Champions League team.

Sigh.

I've decided to be an honorary Australian for a few days.

[winterbadger]

I'm sure the Ozzies will be glad to take you in. :-) They may make you drink beer, though. ;-)