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Blog*Spot ArchivesContactRichard Ceccarelli Josh Mandir |
Tuesday, June 14, 2005Soccer: USA 0 - 0 Germany (WYC)I think it's about time for people to stop being shocked when the US doesn't suck in soccer - especially at the youth level. Today the U-20's dominated Germany for much of the match, and have clearly distinguished themselves as the class of Group D, now needing only a tie against struggling Egypt to advance. The first half was all United States. Chances weren't exactly plentiful, but the US did pressure for the entire first 45. The best chance of the game should have resulted in a penalty, if not for a horrible call from the Colombian referee. Despite the pressure, the teams entered halftime in a scoreless tie. The second half devolved into a quagmire in the middle third. It was quite possibly the most boring half of soccer I've ever witnessed, notable only for the atrocious play of Chad Barret (who scored the only goal in the US's opening victory). It's not an exaggeration to say that Barrett was the best thing to happen to the Germans in this one. The lone bright spot was the play of Marvell Wynne. His blazing speed often made him appear to be nothing more than a blur at right back. He seemed to be everywhere - winning balls in midfield, making dangerous over-lapping runs (in the first half, at least), and using his recovery speed to shut down the German attack on the right side. He's playing at UCLA right now, but he'll be a star in MLS soon enough. That, and the man who did the play-by-play for FSC. He was clearly frustrated by the lack of excitement during several stretches of the match, and pulled no punches when he saw a egregious error. Though, being British, he was always diplomatic about it, to great comic effect. |
