Posts Tagged ‘ Soccer ’

Reactions to US-Brazil, Bradley

August 14, 2010
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For anyone who didn’t think Bob Bradley’s tenure as head coach of the US Men’s National Team was coming to an end, the performance this week against Brazil sold them on the idea. Rumors have been swirling since Monday that Bradley might be headed for Europe to take over Aston Villa and with his resignation Friday, that appears to be the case. A disappointing result against Brazil has prevented US fans from fighting tears over the change.

First, let’s talk Brazil. The Brazilians sent a young squad to the United States and Neymar and Pato showed the hype was justified. They made plays and abused the US back four frequently. Neymar was able to easily beat Bornstein then pound a perfectly placed header past Tim Howard, while Pato caught the entire back line watching the ball for his tally. The US had its chances as well, including Donovan nearly drawing a penalty in the second minute, but Brazil could have easily blown the Yanks out as well. It was nice that this was a “celebration” of what the United States did in South Africa, but the only tribute I saw was another early deficit and seemingly insurmountable halftime disadvantage to a far less experienced side.

Omar Gonzalez got his first cap for the USMNT and it didn’t go so well. As disappointments went in this match, Omar’s performance was not so bad though. The most important thing was to get the guy on the field and get him some experience. The only way to catch up with the speed of this level is to get thrown in there. Then again, Carlos Bocanegra has been around it for a while and still has concrete in his boots a lot. In the midfield, Michael Bradley had one of his worst performances. Bedoya and Feilhaber took turns disappearing, Bedoya was ineffective while Benny was playing well early and as Bedoya got comfortable Benny vanished before being lifted at half. Another thing was very clear: this team misses Charlie Davies. Altidore, or any other striker we have, doesn’t have the ability to create chances with speed like Davies.

Coming into the match I already thought Bob Bradley had brought the USMNT as far as he was able to bring it, but left open the chance that I was mistaken. The Brazil loss obviously did nothing to make me change my mind and now it’s time to look for the man to take it to the next level. It’s also important to note that Bradley did great things for the USMNT. While tactically he was like a Rick Ankiel fastball, his teams overcame so much and you couldn’t question the effort, ever. The Yanks were impressive in qualifying for the World Cup, winning the Gold Cup, and winning their group in South Africa this summer. The most significant achievement for Bradley’s squad, in my epinion, was the Confederations Cup performance in 2009. The comeback to advance to the knockout stage, the win over Spain, and the impressive performance against Brazil in the final.

Maybe Bradley saw the writing on the wall when he left for Villa but either way it’s nice that his time ended amicably. Now he’s on to manage Aston Villa in the EPL. At least he’ll have some familiar faces around him. Brad Guzan and Brad Friedel are there and the team is owned by Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner. Also, Villa has just signed young American fullback Eric Lichaj for three years. Hope he likes the 4-4-2.

More on the search for a replacement in the weeks to come, but no matter who they sign it’s an important time for US Soccer. 78,000 fans packed New Meadowlands Stadium to watch a friendly in the United States. That’s amazing. US Soccer will look for a manager who will keep that momentum going and bring it to its pinnacle in 2014. Bob Bradley was unquestionably good for US Soccer, but at this point so is his departure.

Previewing Brazil-USA Friendly

August 10, 2010
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What a perfect idea for both the soccer programs of Brazil and the United States to play this match so soon after the World Cup. Brazil will give fans a look at some young players they expect to play major roles in the 2014 World Cup they are hosting, while the United States capitalizes on World Cup fever by playing the world’s most famous team just a month after the World Cup ended. On that note, tonight’s match at the New Meadowlands Stadium has sold over 65,000 tickets. Kickoff is scheduled for 8PM and can be seen on ESPN2.

The first concern for any international friendly is the roster. In this case, both nations are fielding strong teams, with Brazil going a little younger than the US. You’ll recognize names from the World Cup like Dani Alves, Robinho, and Ramires. However, Brazil is looking ahead and showing off some of the young talent they expect to deploy in ’14 like Neymar (18), Andre (19), Rafael (20), and Paulo Henrique Ganso (20).

While Brazil only lists four players they brought to South Africa, the United States will look much like the same team fans watched in the World Cup, with 15 players from that 23-man squad. Notable absences among World Cup participants include Dempsey, Stu Holden, and Onyewu. Another major storyline will go wanting, as Jermaine Jones was set to make his USMNT debut. Jones is a German-American mid-fielder who was groomed in the German National Team system, but switched his affiliation to the USMNT last year. Jones will make an immediate positive impact on the talent level, but withdrew his name due to fitness concerns. Jones was injured for all of last season and missed the World Cup due to that injury.

Without Jones, there are three “new” names to watch for. The two midfielders, Alejandro Bedoya and Sasha Kjlestan, aren’t really newcomers. Bedoya has three appearances for the USMNT and Kjlestan has 24. They are young players whose roles in World Cup qualifying are up in the air, so they’ll look to solidify roster spots tonight. The third is young defender Omar Gonzalez. Against a talented team like Brazil, Bradley may hesitate to use the 21-year-old, especially with the coach’s future in doubt. Despite the obvious benefit of getting these guys on the field, this game feels more like a chance to honor and celebrate the team’s performance in South Africa and Bradley rarely does what I’m thinking sounds like a good idea, so get ready for Robbie Findley.

Robbie Findley, Not Finishing

Speaking of Findley, the usual suspects are back at forward for the United States. Altidore was a late addition, replacing Jones and he’ll be up top hopefully alone, but likely paired with Findley, Buddle (PLZ!), or Gomez. Just like in the World Cup, to put the best 11 on the field the US needs to play five midfielders. Read more »

Estimated Prophets Gets Friendly, Stares At Week One NFL Lines

May 24, 2010
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We threw around a lot of numbers, odds and uninformed soccer opinions yesterday about the Americans and their chances in Group C. Over the next two days we get to see the two main players in that group in warm up games. England plays Mexico later today and American matches with the Czechs tomorrow night in international friendlies as they work to iron out all the kinks in advance of next month’s World Cup in South Africa. I am not sure what we can learn about Team USA or Team England from these matches, but if I’m going to speak soccer neckbeard over the next month, its probably worth my time to watch. And, of course, they do have odds on these matches, and I dont really need more than that to become interested in any sporting event.

One of the Yanks primary goals in tomorrow’s match: avoiding more injuries. Team USA also has a friendly on each of the next two Saturdays in advance of the World Cup. They play the Turks this week, while next Satuday, they will exhibition with fellow World Cupper Australia. The third Saturday from now will be their World Cup opener against the Brits. Of course, there’s more than just dodging the injury bug at stake against the Czechs tomorrow night. Currently the Nationals are carrying 30 players, but coach Bob Bradley has said they wll pare that down to the official of roster of 23 after tomorrow’s friendly. Translation: Its final cut day. The Americans are -111 to beat the Czechs tomorrow night, with a Draw netting 2.2/1 and a Czech win 2.8/1.

The England match today has some intruigue because they’re playing Mexico. Hey soccer fans, is this like when Notre Dame and OSU play in football? Kidding aside, its one of the few friendlies on the schedule between not just World Cup teams, but squads expecting to advance. England Coach Fabio Capello will experiment in the friendly today and dont expect any of their players who ran in the European Championship game over the weekend to play. Interestingly, the odds on this match are about the same as the one between England and USA to open the World Cup. Mexico, like the Americans, are 5/1 to beat the Brits. Despite playing with the lineup and resting some important guns, England is chalier against the Mexicans than they will be against the Yanks. Today’s price on England is -222, while next month against the Americans is it “just” -188. A draw today pays out at 2.8/1. I cant possibly commit to an actual pick, but isnt risking that much on England to win given they wont put their best team on the field somewhat reckless? Maybe take a flier on a draw, if you must. England, like the US, has a couple more friendlies before the games begin. We’re watching primarily to see if we can learn anything about soccer and these teams. And to see if these games impact the odds at all on the Main Event in South Africa.

Speaking of friendlies, one was already played today between fellow World Cup teams as South Korea topped Japan 2-0. My only take on that is that the Koreans are in Group B with heavy chalk Argentina. The other three clubs–South Korea, Greece and Nigeria–have all been noticeably inconsistent in recent years. Did South Korea turn a corner? They dont fare too well in international play off their own continent, but they are as good a bet as anybody else to come in second place in that group and advance.  Maybe a play with 3.5/1 odds on them being eliminated in the Round of 16 is worth a look?

A GAMBLER’S MONEY KNOWS NO HOME Read more »

How The Odds Stack Up For The Yanks

May 23, 2010
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US Men's National Team

Do you want to make a ton of money on next month’s World Cup with little investment? Why not take a $10 flier on the tournament championship game to eventually pit Brazil against Team USA?  Such an outcome pays out 100/1, according to Sportsbook.com, so your ten bucks can turn into a grand over the course of a few short weeks. Beat that stock market! Now, the catch is the Yanks have to reel of an unprecedented run in World Cup play to get to a final. After all, the Yanks are 66/1 to win the whole thing and still 28/1 to even make it to the final game. So dont go spending that grand just yet. But, if you must bet the World Cup, and if your jingoistic side demands some investment in the Good ‘Ole USA, then there are plenty of more reasonable, more winnable games out there to play. None will pay off as juicy as the above 100/1 shot, but these would actually have a chance at winning. That’s a fair trade off, right? Anyway, lets take a look at some of the basic bets and odds available on the United States in the 2010 World Cup.

Even though their first game remains more than a couple of weeks away, you can already place on bet on any of the three Team USA games in group play. Actually, every single game in all eight of the groups are already on the big board, so if you like a particular matchup, go ahead and play it now before the odds change. For now, lets just focus on the three matches involving the Yanks.

Team USA opens their World Cup pursuit with a juicy match against England on the second day of the whole tournament.  A rivalry that dates back to Lexington and Concord manifests itself on soccer’s brightest international stage, giving the opening days of the event some buzz from some of world’s biggest media epicenters.  In the realm of soccer, however Team USA’a  history against England is spotty at best. Even if it did occur in a World Cup match, its never good when your best moment against a rival occurred more than half century ago when the Yanks topped the Three Lions in the 1950 event. America didnt even qualify for the event for the next 40 years and, outside of that 1950 victory, they havent really beaten England. The last two matches between the two, England cruised to wins. The odds reflect that history. America is 5/1 to beat England in this match. To put that in perspective, thats a better payout than you can get with upset wins by Chile over Spain, Greece over Argentina, Serbia over Germany and Ivory Coast over Brazil. In this match, a draw plays out 2.8 to 1, while on an English win you must wager 188 to win 100 on the -188 moneyline.

The Yanks are favored in each of their other two matches in group play. In their second game against Slovenia, Team USA still pays out better than even odds for a win. A win nets a +115 payout. Hey now, at least thats better than laying juice and losing. This is expected to be a tight game as a Slovenia win only pays out 2.2 to 1. In a game with such tight odds between the teams to win, you think a draw would be chalk, yet at 2.3/1 an even game actually has the biggest payout in this match. Based on that, I’m guessing there are nuances to grasping soccer lines that a novice like myself cant even begin to unravel at this point. In Game 3, the Americans are a slightly juicy -145 to win against the Algerians. A draw is 2.5/1 while an Algeria win pays out at 3.75 to 1.

THE ODDS OF BEING DOWN WITH PARLAYING IT! Read more »