WAG of the Day

A little sumpin' to get you through your Sunday night blues. Ann Kathrin Brommel, WAG of Bayern new boy Mario Gotze. Have some. FYI, I saved the best picture for last.

Is it just me or is Neymar kind of a bitch?

I think like most people, I've gotten my first good look at Neymar over the past 2 weeks at the Confederations Cup. There's no doubting the guy's skill. He's quick, amazing on the ball and his finishing ability is top notch. But...he seems to have a "knack for the theatrical." There were a couple times in the Uruguay match yesterday that exemplified it. There was once or twice when he was really easily nudged off the ball and fell over looking for fouls. Another time he was "elbowed" and immediately hit the floor before rolling over twice on the ground. The last time I can remember was when, off a throw in, he tried to kick the ball up to himself before bicycling the ball upfield. But embarrassingly enough his first touch went off the side of his foot and right out of bounds. Of course, Neymar grabbed his hamstring in pain and fell to the ground before getting up 30 seconds later and resuming business as usual. I guess what I'm saying is he's going to fit in perfectly at Barcelona.

Bendtner - All Goals for Juventus

Not much to say here. All I'm wondering is if he's going to be at Barca or Madrid this fall.

Gareth Bale's Goal Celebration Finally Explained

A Sign Of Things To Come

USA U-21's Luis Guil with a wunderstrike against U-21 Spain.  Ignore the score.

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Awesome Video from Last Week's USA Game

So, Seattle seems like a pretty cool place.

The Hex is Over

Well...that was awesome. The best game by far the U.S. has played under JK. The back was solid, the midfield competed for every ball like snarling dogs, and up front Jozy led the line and we played some of the most quick and inventive games I can ever recall seeing the U.S. play. Several players were given chances due to yellow card suspensions and everyone stepped up. I really think the U.S. is forming into a somewhat deep, legitimate team. Not to mention, we got the Mexicans throwing projectiles at opposing players and dropping more points at home. If Mexico is going to keep shitting the bed, U.S. is a lock for the top spot in the Hex...I'd say you can pretty much just book it now. The crowd in Seattle was awesome and the "fake grass," or whatever the hell that was held up well enough besides a few slips in the first half. Now onto the ratings...



Timmy - 8.5 - Was really only tested once late on and snuffed it out brilliantly. Aside from that, only had to deal with a few crosses. Brad played well in his absence but Timmy is still the unquestionable No. 1.

Brad Evans - 6 - Was beaten for pace a few times in the first half and had a couple of passes run astray. Cleaned it up in the second half but I wouldn't exactly call it an assured display.

Omar Gonzalez - 8 - Plays beyond his years, future captain I say.

Matt Besler - 7 - It's getting closer to the point where we can say that Gonzalez and Besler have solidified a partnership in central defense. I worry about his height sometimes but it was another solid performance.

Beasley - 9 - I gotta be honest, I had to look up how old he was...and I can't believe he's only 31. And pushing for a spot in his FOURTH World Cup next summer. He was awesome. Solid at the back and had several great runs forward. Should have scored the third in the second half but hit the post. He's made the LB spot his.

Fab - 7 -  Instrumental in the first goal. Quick and inventive. Sir Ian mentioned during the telecast that the US had scored 10 goals in the 3 games he's started, I can see why.

Cameron - 7.5 - I suppose I'd be nitpicking if I said I thought his passing was subpar at times considering the beautiful ball he played over the top to Eddie for the first goal. Had a job to do and did it well. Aggressively clogged up passing lanes.

Bradley - 8 - Similar to Cameron in that he was a rock defensively but also started several attacks with his pace and dribbling. Always improving. If Dempsey didn't have the armband I'd have given it to him.

Eddie - 7 - The hometown kid got his goal and it was a beauty. There wasn't an emphasis put on him offensively but he was always buzzing when he got the ball.

Cap'n Clint - 7.5 - Overall was more of a quiet game. But with the standards Clint has set over the past few games (7 goals in 7 before this game), any goalless outing would seem so. Still was important going forward and should have scored in the second half.

Jozy - 9 - MAN OF THE MATCH. Was a pure striker in every sense of the word. Got his goal and should have drawn what was a blatant penalty in the first half. Had a fizzing shot from outside the box that set up a shot for Clint and should have had an assist on a great pass when Beasley hit the post. His passing, hold up play and general touch were top notch. More please.

WAG of the Day

Aida Yespica. Venezuelan model dating Mesut Ozil. Yes, that's right. Mesut. Ozil. And you thought your Monday couldn't get any worse. But goddammit, it's about to get better...

Murder She Wrote

You guys think they sell these shirts at Aeropostale? I need it and I needed it yesterday.

FIFA 14 is coming!!!

Real Ball Physics! Dictate the tempo! Improved Teammate AI! I think EA literally just copied the template from the e-mail they sent out last year for FIFA 13 but added the "Pure Shot." And of course the video shows absolutely nothing besides a couple players ripping it into the top corner - not sure what that means if anything at all. The only real change FIFA has had in the last couple of years has been "Tactical Defending" aka getting rid of the B button so your defender went kamikaze into the guy with the ball. Anyway, what's certain is that FIFA will probably be the exact same as last year's and I'll still be in line the day it comes out.

WAG of the Day

Alexandra Loizou...girlfriend of Georgios Samaras, aka that Greek dude with the long hair who plays for Celtic. That asshole gets to come home to this tail every night...except he's a soccer player so he probably just slams girls 10x hotter than this and calls up Alex when he's feeling lazy. Goddammit.

Team USA Random Thoughts and Analysis

So the U.S. beat an incredibly weakened Germany side in the nation's capital (hey - at least it's better than Cleveland?) in what was ultimately a pretty exciting game that gave Team USA a few answers but  failed to answer some important questions.

I'm not gonna pretend that I know a lot about the current state of affairs but there's at least one thing I do know. I'm a Jurgen believer. I think he has a genuine plan and a vision of what he wants the team to be and it involves maintaining American grit while mixing in some genuinely good soccer. He hasn't shied from the spotlight and hasn't been been afraid to make some tough decisions that a lot of people haven't agreed with. Most recently - the Landon situation. When LD returned from his soul-searching journey deep into the jungles of Cambodia, the media was ready to immediately bring him back into the international fold. But...the greatest American player of all time they said, Captain America they said, Mr. GO GO USA!!!

...Or something like that. Anyway, the truth of the matter is that the US media outside of a few people knows nothing about soccer and Landon really doesn't deserve a spot in the squad...yet. His pace, experience and skill is ultimately something the U.S. just doesn't have right now. But his absence has allowed the U.S. to settle in up front and I think Donovan will fit in perfectly once he inevitably makes his return to the Red, White and Blue. Ultimately, I see this for the U.S. up front.

Jermaine Jones     -     M. Bradley

LD     -     Clint     -     Zusi

Jozy

JJ put in a man of the match performance against Germany and his presence along with Bradley's is what the US needs to try and gain control of the midfield which has been their biggest weakness in recent friendlies and WCQ games. LD will inject pace along with the motor of Clint. Jozy has gotten a lot of criticism lately but his season in Holland proved he is by far the best option for the U.S. up top. 

The back line, however, is very far from set and looked pretty awful against Belgium and not much better at times vs. a weak Germany team. Beasley has been solid at LB and CB is basically between a bunch of young guys (Besler, Gonzalez and G. Cameron of the prestigious Stoke City F.C.) I think Klinsmann sees a lot in Gonzalez and is going to stick with him. The other spot is still up for grabs though. Besler is the reigning MLS defender of the year and Cameron is an experienced English Premier league rugby player...so yeah...someone step up?

There are 3 incredibly important WCQ games in the next 2 weeks and the U.S. needs to play to their potential and take points. At Jamaica, Panama and Honduras at home - we should take 7. Fairly recent losses to Jamaica and Honduras must be avenged. The best case scenario for the U.S. would be for Jozy to bang a few in and have a couple solid performances from the back line. I have a bad feeling that there's a loss in one of those 3 games but screw it, let's do this.