Deuce’s goal, just because you know you want to watch it again.
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February 29, 2012
February 29, 2012
USMNT Defeats Italy, in Italy, 1-0
This is the first victory for the U.S. vs. Italy(they had never lost a match in Genoa), after going 0-7-3 in the all-time series, spanning 82 years.
February 29, 2012
I speculated on the new USMNT away kit on my personal Tumblr yesterday before it was official, and as kickoff has begun, I like it less. It’s just not a good look on TV and is not enough of a drastic departure from the old away kit (second picture) to merit any change. Additionally, it screws up the dynamics with the current home and third kits, which were nice enough to begin with.
Furthermore, there’s still a problem with American soccer branding: it’s hard for a country that’s still working on embracing soccer to do it if the kit’s going to go through those kind of alterations every couple of years — and the fact that the men’s and women’s kits are so drastically different in terms of aesthetic design does not help in presenting a unified vision of what U.S. Soccer looks like on the pitch (to say nothing of what the drastic design discrepancies say about American ideas on gender differences.)
Furthermore, as a redesign, it comes off looking much poorer than the new Netherlands away kit — so we’re not even getting the best out of Nike.
Look: for the most part, England’s men and women wear the same kit colors; Brazil’s teams have the same yellow shirt and blue shorts; France’s teams have the same well-designed Nike kits with the collars. The USSF needs to create its identity in the national teams by linking them together and put a lid on the kit redesigns so fans can get used to a look and an identifiable look to the uniform that says “USA Soccer.”
December 30, 2011
While the Men in Blazers take a break, we thought you might enjoy the following poster that perched above Producer Greg’s bed in Nebraska for many, many years. The Official Unofficial Poster of the 1994 U.S. National Team. Denim kits. Nonchalance. A head of hair for Brad Friedel. And mom jeans. Lots of mom jeans.
Fashion Icons.
(Source: meninblazers)
November 15, 2011
Eric Wynalda, voice of the people.
October 7, 2011
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
US Soccer’s Maurice Edu joined the Men In Blazers on SiriusXM to discuss training camp, life under Jurgen Klinsmann, and… haggis.
If you’re not listening to the Men in Blazers podcast, you’re really missing out. Here’s a little taste of what these guys produce from the crap part of Soho.
(Source: meninblazers)
September 28, 2011
Bad news for both Bolton Wanderers and the United States men’s team today as midfielder Stuart Holden, just back from a LONG rehab for a broken leg, was set back another six months with cartilage damage in his knee.
September 15, 2011
Jozy Altidore, still only 21 years old, has been absolutely on fire since moving to AZ Alkmaar and is quickly gaining a reputation throughout Holland. His hot streak continued tonight in the Europa League as AZ took on Malmo. How about that strike from your targetman?
GET AFTER IT, HAITIAN SENSATION.
September 6, 2011
Belgium vs. USMNT
Les Diables Rouges (from NYT’s John Godfrey on Twitter): Mignolet; Ciman, Alderweireld, Kompany (C), Lombaerts; Simons, Hazard, Fellaini, Witsel, Mertens; De Camargo.
The Yanks (via U.S. Soccer): Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra (C), Chandler; Edu, Torres, Dempsey; Shea, Altidore, Rogers
Man City’s Vincent Kompany takes the Belgians’ armband as Thomas Vermaelen is out for six weeks with an ankle injury (Arsenal fans wince once again.) Lot of talent in the Belgian midfield, and it’s the first time I’ll get a good look at Eden Hazard. Smart of Klinsmann to try Chandler at left back instead of Castillo, who’s been burned the past two games.
Belgium probably has the talent to be world-class but underachieve; the U.S. wants to see what it can do against a European side with ambition. For those of you interested in tracking Prem folks, there is Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet in goal, Deuce, Kompany, Fellaini (Everton), Howard, and Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku is on the Belgian bench.
WHO YA GOT?
September 5, 2011
Belgium's talented young team face hurdles to growth -- soccer - ESPN
This is an interesting read if you’re not particularly familiar with Belgium as tomorrow’s friendly between les Diables Rouges and the Yanks approaches, especially concerning the somewhat haphazard way the country merges French (Wallons), Dutch-Flemish (Flanders), and German regions. Suffice it to say the Belgian squad has its own unique tensions surrounding it, but when you look at the roster (Kompany, Vermaelen, Hazard, Fellaini, Lukaku, van Buyten, to name a few) you have to think they should be better than 3rd place in their Euro 2012 qualifying group.
September 2, 2011
NIGHTMARE FUEL
That’s Bob Bradley as the bride, Bruce Arena as the groom. The article to accompany this comes from my friend Dan Levy, now at the Bleacher Report, as he previews tonight’s USA-Costa Rica friendly clash.
July 29, 2011
With Jurgen Klinsmann’s appointment as USMNT coach, it’s worth revisiting his commentary on the American soccer structure during the World Cup last year after the round of 16 loss to Ghana.
I hope to expand on this tomorrow, but it’s worth watching again and absorbing those comments as we look at what the standards for his tenure with not just the USMNT, but the entire USSF structure in general, will and should be.
(Source: youtube.com)
July 29, 2011
Klinsmann Named Head Coach of U.S. MNT - U.S. Soccer
It took Sunil Gulati five years, but he finally got his man. More to sort tactically, what it means for the USSF, etc. but right now it’s nice to know that we’ll have a coach who wears some debonair clothing on the sideline (as far as superficial ish goes.)
July 28, 2011
American soccer fans, our long national nightmare is over: Bob Bradley has been sacked as USMNT coach. American soccer fans, Sunil Gulati is still in charge of the process, which means our next national nightmare has merely just begun.
We got what many of us wanted, about a year later. The better question to ask for supporters over the past year post-South Africa was not “should Bob Bradley be fired?”, it was “would Sunil Gulati hire anyone better to replace him?” Many of us (yours truly) have our Jurgen Klinsmann fantasies, but right now they are merely fantasy, because organizational track record has shown Gulati is loath to cede that much control to a coach.
The USSF has promised a further statement tomorrow. If you ask me, I’m relieved but not particularly optimistic about the empty void heading into World Cup qualifying. It was a necessary move because Bradley’s inability to adapt or develop a first team properly was showing — and giving CONCACAF countries that hadn’t been much of a threat to us before more hope that we could be beaten. That was a USA squad lucky to make a Gold Cup final. So it’s a move that had to be made, but like many things USSF, it comes much later than it should have been.
However, my fear is we grab another MLS coach lacking the tactical acumen to deal with high-class international soccer, made up of players who hawk their trade for elite club teams or one unwilling to put the development work in.
So, I put it to the wonderful Tumblr horde: do you agree Bradley needed to go? Do you trust Gulati to handle the process properly? Who should he hire? Who do you think he will hire?
RSS feed: http://theworldsgame.tumblr.com/rss
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