U.S. Men’s U-23 National Team v. El Salvador in Nashville, 3.26.12: Another Humbling Experience for U.S. Soccer

Last month in Dallas, the U.S. men’s under-23 national soccer team notched a promising 2-0 victory against Mexico in a tune-up match for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. Then, in their first match of that tournament, the U.S. went out and trounced Cuba 6-0. After those two results, did anyone seriously doubt that the U-23s would qualify for this summer’s Olympics in London?

Now, less than a week after the Cuba game, the U.S. U-23s have been knocked out of qualifying play. They lost 2-0 to Canada on Saturday, and drew 3-3 with El Salvador last night, meaning that the U.S. failed even to advance from the group stage. That’s a dismal state of affairs for U.S. soccer fans, and it must be positively heartbreaking for the U.S. players and coaching staff.

Last night’s game against El Salvador was exciting, and there were some bright spots for the U.S. Terrence Boyd showed himself to be a finisher with an opening-minute volley of a Brek Shea cross to start the scoring. Boyd tied game in the second half with another clean strike after receiving a beautiful Freddie Adu through ball between three El Salvador defenders. U.S. captain Adu proved he was worthy of the armband against El Salvador, particularly in the second half, when for long stretches he was clearly the best player on the field, one capable of taking over a game. He not only set up Boyd’s second goal, but was instrumental in putting the U.S. ahead 3-2, if only for a while. After some good work in the box, Adu had the vision and skill to send a pinpoint cross to Joe Corona at the back post. Corona headed the ball past the El Salvador keeper and the near post for the go-ahead goal. At that point it looked like a sure thing that the U.S. would advance to the all-important semifinal match.

Unfortunately, the U.S. effort was not uniformly strong, and they looked particularly suspect at times in the back. U.S. defenders gave El Salvador attackers too much room to work with, particularly on the U.S.’s left side. On El Salvador’s second goal, which came just a minute or so after their first, the entire U.S. back line was walking around like people strolling the grounds of a retirement home on the first day of spring. If you think I’m exaggerating, go check out the highlights on CONCACAF’s website (the sequence starts at around the 50-second mark).

I know U.S. players must have been exhausted in the 95^th minute, when El Salvador finally equalized and broke the U.S. players’ hearts, but I still feel the U.S.’s effort on that final, crippling shot could have been better. The goal scorer, Jaime Alas, received the ball about fifty yards from the U.S. goal. Two El Salvador attackers made nice runs into the box to clear defenders away from the area, but Alas (who, it should be noted, had also played the entire game) too easily distanced himself from his marker. And the U.S. central defenders didn’t close quickly enough on Alas when it was clear he was going to take his long-distance, last-gasp shot. U.S. goalkeeper Sean Johnson—who’d come on in the first half for an injured Bill Hamid—didn’t make a great play on the ball, but the shot took a short hop in front of him, and no one should pin this loss on him.

Certainly, the U-23s can learn from this loss, in particular the importance of hustling on defense for an entire match, not just for long periods. It’s okay to take a few plays off if you’re a striker, and even occasionally as a midfielder, but you can never, ever relax as a defender. The game was also a grim reminder that the U.S. men’s national teams still haven’t significantly distanced themselves from mid-level CONCACAF competition. The senior team did play in last summer’s Gold Cup final, but their road to that final was hardly an easy one. They too almost didn’t make it out of the group stage, and in any case they were thoroughly schooled by Mexico in the final. 

Many experts have already penciled in Jurgen Klinsmann’s side to make it to the 2014 World Cup. For example, Taylor Twellman recently said in an interview with NJ.com, “[Klinsmann] will qualify for the World Cup. But we’re all wondering what will happen beyond that.” In the wake of the supposedly strong U-23 team’s failure to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, or even to make it to the semifinals of the CONCACAF qualifiers, we should be wary of making such statements. I for one sincerely hope that our men’s soccer program isn’t in for yet another humbling experience when the senior team attempts qualify for Brazil in 2014.

Revolution v. Portland Timbers, 3.24.12

Any soccer team that hopes to compete must have a decent backline. No one knows this better than ex-New England defender and current Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. But already in this young season, Heaps and his troops can’t catch a break when it comes to fielding a consistent backline. Against the Portland Timbers yesterday, Darrius Barnes and newcomer John Lozano were injured and unavailable. Stephen McCarthy, playing this year as a center back instead of a midfielder, was suspended due to last week’s red card against Kansas City. And newly acquired defender Flo Lechner couldn’t play because he needs another medical exam.

As a result, Revs’ captain Shalrie Joseph started at center back against Portland, playing alongside A.J. Soares, Chris Tierney, and Kevin Alston. All too predictably, even that backline couldn’t make it through the game against the Timbers. Alston took a boot to the face around the one-hour mark while attempting to clear a ball in the box, a collision that broke his nose. (New England fans will remember that Alston broke his nose in an early-season game last year as well, against Vancouver.) It was a courageous play by the dependable right back, and here’s to hoping he recovers soon. Despite Alston’s injury, the backline delivered a clean sheet in New England’s first win of the year. (Ryan Guy ably dropped back from the midfield to fill the gap left by Alston.)

The only goal of the day came just thirty seconds into the match. Tierney, flying up the left wing, delivered one of his characteristically dangerous crosses, which was re-directed into the net by French national Saer Sene. Sene delivered his best game so far for the Revolution; I suspect he was fighting nagging injuries during his first two apathetic-looking performances. Against Portland, he routinely dropped back into the midfield, was generally active, and saw a lot of the ball. He nearly set up a second goal shortly before halftime with a good pass to Kelyn Rowe, whose attacking run was foiled by some good defending.

Lee Nguyen also had a notable performance, one that may have left his former employer, the Vancouver Whitecaps, wondering about the wisdom of their decision to release him so quickly. Nguyen looked dangerous with the ball at his feet, for instance splitting two Portland defenders in the box in the 56^th minute and getting off a strong shot on goal. He also passed well, including a good ball to the flag to a streaking Sene in the 10^th minute, and another gem to Alston over the Timbers defense in the 59^th.

But this game hinged on the performance of the defense. New England’s back four were given the task of killing a game for 89 minutes, and they came through. It is true that there were a few breakdowns along the way, for which they probably should have been punished. The Revolution defense left Portland’s newly signed and very strong-looking striker Kris Boyd wide open in the box in the 25^th minute and again (even more egregiously) in the 60^th. But each time Boyd failed to get his header on frame. The fiery Boyd is probably still kicking himself as I type this.

It was fun to watch Boyd battle Soares and Joseph, and I imagine Boyd gained particular respect for Joseph over the course of the game. Joseph had moments of real brilliance in the back, so much so that Heaps is probably toying with the idea of starting Joseph there more often and letting the capable Clyde Simms continue playing holding midfielder. Joseph’s positioning was impeccable on a couple of crucial sequences in the second half, allowing him to intercept a couple of potentially dangerous crosses. In stoppage time, in the final minute of the game, Joseph and Boyd grappled in the box, Joseph looking like a tight end delivering a downfield block on a linebacker. He got the better of Boyd, and Portland wouldn’t get another chance. It was a fitting—and for Revolution fans a very satisfying—climax to a hard-fought, scrappy game.

U.S. Men’s U-23 National Team v. Cuba in Nashville, 3.23.12

This Olympic qualifying match between the under-23 U.S. men’s national team and Cuba didn’t tell us much about the U.S.’s U-23 program. Cuba is of course no soccer power, even by CONCACAF standards, and they had to play a man down starting in the 19^th minute, when Dairo Macias was given a straight red card for elbowing Juan Agudelo. The U.S. went on to rout Cuba 6-0, not unexpectedly. The ball was in Cuba’s end virtually the entire match, so the U.S. defense was scarcely tested and goalkeeper Bill Hamid probably didn’t need to wash his jersey after playing 90 minutes.

Still, it is a truism that really good sports teams don’t play down to the level of their competition, so we should give the U-23s a little credit for last night’s victory. They’ll have a stronger test tomorrow night when they face Canada, whose roster has six MLS players.

Judging by the stunningly low attendance at last night’s match (just over 4,000 people showed up at Nashville’s cavernous-looking LP Field), there isn’t much interest in the U-23s at the moment. It might be helpful, then, to provide some general information about the team, along with some observations about last night’s game.

General Information

·      The Under-23 U.S. men’s national team is attempting to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, to be held in London. 16 men’s soccer teams from around the world will qualify, including two from CONCACAF, the U.S.’s region.

·      While qualifying, men’s teams may not have any overage players on their rosters. (There are no age restrictions on the women’s side.) Teams that do qualify will be allowed to include three overage players on their Olympic rosters. I’ve heard that Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey have both expressed interest in playing for the U.S. Olympic team should it go to London. Click here for complete qualifying rules.

·      U-23 U.S. men’s team national coach Caleb Porter plays an attacking 4-3-3 formation. He emphasizes possession and working hard to win the ball back as soon it’s lost. Read an interview with Porter here.

·      The biggest names on the Olympic qualifying roster are Freddy Adu, who has been named captain of the team, Brek Shea, and Juan Agudelo.

·      Click here for U.S. Soccer’s U-23 men’s homepage.

Some observations about last night’s game against Cuba

·      The three big names mentioned above—Adu, Shea, and Agudelo—all performed superbly last night. Adu distributed well all night from the midfield, got the rout going with a free kick into the box that led to the first goal of the game, and scored the finest goal of the night when he received the ball with his back to the goal in the 62^nd minute and turned and laced a knuckling blast into the top corner from 25 yards out. Shea had an assist and was directly responsible for a Cuba own-goal, and Agudelo scored a goal in his 45 minutes of play.

·      San Diego native Joe Corona is not well known in this country, as he plays his club soccer for Tijuana in Mexico’s first division. Corona went some ways towards making a name for himself last night, though, scoring a hat trick against Cuba. Two of the goals weren’t especially pretty—he hit one shot off his shin and another shot was deflected. But his first goal was a beauty, as he settled a rebound using his chest and calmly volleyed a shot into the back of the net. While there wasn’t much defensive pressure, Corona looked composed all night.

·      I haven’t been able to find time-of-possession numbers, but the U.S. must have held the ball for at least 60% of the game. Coach Porter wants to keep the ball on the ground and maintain possession to create chances, so that’s a good sign. (Of course, the U.S. was playing with a man advantage most of the game.)

·      Speaking of possession, another relatively little-known U.S. player—Mix Diskerud—may have had the ball at his feet more than any other player. Diskerud was born in Norway and plays professionally there. He had an excellent game against Cuba that included two assists, both to Corona. Those two worked particularly well together on the last goal, exchanging four quick passes in and around the box before Corona’s shot. Diskerud’s first name cries out to be yoked to a Chris Berman-like nickname, but the best I could come up with was “Club” Mix. Oh, forgive me.

Granada at Barcelona, 3.20.12: Messi, There is No Second

I’ve been watching sports for a long time now. When I say that the first Redskins game I attended at RFK featured a Manning at starting quarterback for the opposing team, I don’t mean Eli or Peyton, but their father Archie. Nearly thirty years later, I saw Peyton play live in an AFC championship game, when his Colts were beaten by Tom Brady’s Patriots. I’ve been to three Super Bowls that included such Hall of Famers as Marcus Allen, John Elway, and Art Monk.

As for other sports, I saw Carl Yastrzemski in Fenway Park hit a double on his fortieth birthday, Jim Palmer pitch in Memorial Stadium, and Barry Bonds play in Candlestick Park. On TV, I reveled in watching Larry Bird’s Celtics play Magic Johnson’s Lakers and, later, Michael Jordan’s Bulls play virtually any team. I watched Arthur Ashe beat Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1975, then devoured the Borg-McEnroe years. I watched live as Nadia Comaneci scored her perfect ten at the 1976 Olympics, and in 1999 watched as Michael Johnson destroyed the 400 meter record.

The point is, I’m no soccer snob. I love almost all sports and have logged many hours watching them. And yet, I can’t think of any athlete that has so consistently amazed me with his brilliance as Lionel Messi. There is no second. I just watched a replay of today’s Barcelona-Granada game, whose rather bizarre 5-3 score line doesn’t begin to indicate Barcelona’s dominance.

Messi had another awesome performance, starting with an assist and ending with three goals. Each goal was unique, technically demanding, and aesthetically pleasing. The first was a one-time low shot off a deflected Isaac Cuenca cross. Messi timed the strike perfectly, hitting the ball cleanly with the side of his foot. The ball skipped off the turf like a stone off water before slamming into the far post and in. The second goal came off a Dani Alves chip behind the defense. (Alves and Messi worked beautifully together all night, including three sequences in which they exchanged multiple short passes amidst befuddled Granada defenders). Messi took down Alves’s pass with a quick and deft touch that transformed seamlessly into a quick and deft arcing shot over the sprawled keeper. Just about everything Messi does is quick and deft, almost amazingly so.

Messi’s third goal might have been his most impressive, but I simply don’t know. He made a run into the box and received another excellent pass from Alves. Messi proceeded to make a number of composed, inhumanly quick and sure touches on the ball, dribbling around the Grenada keeper and ultimately firing a high shot into side netting of the far post.

I could go on and on, just about this game. Messi’s passing and vision were as usual stunningly good, better even than his teammate Andres Iniesta’s. Messi’s long, accurate pass to Thiago in the 37^th minute, for example, almost certainly should have led to Messi’s second assist of the night. The same could be said of Messi’s sublime through ball to Cristian Tello in the 76^th minute. Messi’s equally sublime exchange with Iniesta, which ended in a savage Messi shot from about a yard off the end line, did lead directly to a rebound and a goal by Tello. Technically it wasn’t an assist for Messi, but really it was.

As virtually everyone who follows soccer already knows, Messi’s hat trick tonight moved him into first place on Barcelona’s all-time list of goal scorers, breaking a 57-year-old record. Messi himself is only 24. Given how many great athletes around the globe play soccer for a living—no other sport even comes close—the fact that Messi has so distanced himself from every other player in the world is not just remarkable, it’s scarcely believable. If you have a kid that likes sports, sit him or her down and watch Barcelona now, while Messi is in his prime. Years from now, that person will thank you.

Revolution at Sporting Kansas City, 3.17.12

New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps started what I take to be a promising back line for tonight’s game against Sporting Kansas City: A.J. Soares and Stephen McCarthy in the center, and Chris Tierney on the left and Kevin Alston on the right. Heaps used this defense in a preseason win against the L.A. Galaxy in Tucson, and I think the unit gives New England its best chance to compete this year.

Unfortunately, we were denied the opportunity to test that hypothesis for more than thirteen minutes tonight. McCarthy was sent off early, for denying a goal-scoring opportunity when he grappled with C.J. Sapong about thirty-five yards from the goal. Such calls involve personal judgment, of course, and the call was defensible. Kansas City players were raising their hands and calling for a red card the instant the whistle blew. Still, the red card was a shame, coming as it did so early in the match and on a play that was so far from the goal and that involved two strong players who looked to be fighting for the ball on pretty much equal terms. It certainly was a foul, but I’m not convinced it was a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Whatever the case, in a game in which the Revolution were probably going to be outgunned even at equal strength, the red card effectively ended the match almost before it started.

Kansas City quickly piled up chances, starting in the 19^th minute off a long throw that led to a dangerous shot by Roger Espinoza. Less than ten minutes later, the Revolution looked particularly vulnerable in back, leaving Kei Kamara wide open to receive a cross in the box. Kamara had plenty of time to get off his shot, which was initially blocked by Matt Reis but which fell to Graham Zusi in front of the goal. Shalrie Joseph, who moved to center back in McCarthy’s absence, had fallen to the ground and Soares couldn’t clear the ball either, so Zusi just put it away. For those sympathetic to New England’s players, there was a helpless quality to the scene.

Both teams pressed on in the face of the inevitable New England defeat. Kansas City would go on to score two more goals and came close to scoring at least three more. The most deadening sequence came in the 39^th minute. The undermanned Revolution gave Kansas City attackers all the space they needed to pick them apart. There was no chance Kansas City wasn’t going to score off the buildup. Ex-New England defender Seth Sinovic sent a ball across the goal, which was pawed away by Reis. The ball fell to Kamara, who shot, collected his own rebound, and calmly shot again and scored. The goal, like the game, lacked drama.

It didn’t teach us much either. Most experts predict that Kansas City will win the east and that New England will finish at the bottom of the standings. So the Revolution were almost bound to lose in Kansas City playing a man down and with so many new players in the lineup, including Clyde Simms, Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, and Saer Sene. The Revs by no means disgraced themselves—Joseph played much better than he did in the dismal opener, and Simms and Nguyen both saw a lot of the ball and had their moments. Reis also had about as good a game as a keeper can have while conceding three goals. But this drab outing didn’t spark any hope either. Portland comes to Foxboro next Saturday, and Timbers coach John Spencer might hesitate to show a single minute of the Revs/KC tape to his players. They might get too complacent.

Toronto FC at LA Galaxy, 3.14.12

Landon Donovan came to play tonight. Unfortunately, few of his Galaxy teammates joined him. L.A. was mostly ineffective in their home loss to Toronto FC, getting knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League in the quarterfinal stage, surely a bitter disappointment to a club whose goal was to win the entire tournament. And despite a lineup that includes talent such as Donovan, Edson Buddle, Robbie Keane, David Beckham and Juninho, they deserved to lose. L.A. were disorganized on defense and gassed after the 80^th minute. They routinely sailed shots over the bar and equally routinely carelessly gave the ball away in the final minutes when they were, or should have been, threatening.

Toronto’s game plan consisted of physical play, trapping, and countering. (Surprisingly enough, this game had more physical play and palpable ill will than the earlier CCL game in Mexico involving the Seattle Sounders and Santos Laguna.) The Reds’ defense was tough and organized. L.A.’s only goal was in fact a Toronto own-goal off a Donovan cross sent in the direction of Keane. Toronto’s speedy and small Joao Plata—a mere 135 pounds—looked dangerous on the left wing, occasionally switching to the right. But Toronto’s real man of the match was Jamaican Ryan Johnson. Johnson scored one goal and assisted on another. On the assist, he drove towards the end line and sent in a perfect cross past sliding rookie L.A. defender Tommy Meyer. Nick Soolsma was the beneficiary, easily scoring what would be the game-winner.

Johnson came very close to scoring again, in the 54^th minute, when he was given acres of space by the Galaxy defense, but his powerful strike was just wide near post. The Reds had another great chance fifteen minutes later, courtesy of another L.A. defensive lapse. When that shot slid inches wide you could sense it wasn’t L.A.’s night.

Keane had a rather interesting night of near misses, though I’m sure he wouldn’t put it that way himself. He frequently dropped deep into the midfield and in the first half sent two good balls over the top of Toronto’s defense, both to Mike Magee. Magee’s shot on the first lob was stopped at close range by Toronto keeper Milos Kocic. L.A. got robbed on Keane’s second pass. Magee again slipped behind the Toronto defense, and this time his shot found the back of the net. But Magee was very dubiously called offside and the goal was disallowed. Keane had a great chance to score himself late in the second half when he was set up by a Donovan through ball, but his attempted chip over Kocic wasn’t quite high enough, and it was batted over the end line.

Donovan deserves praise in defeat. He’s in better form and clearly healthier than he was at the end of last season. And despite Johnson’s stellar performance for Toronto, Donovan was the most outstanding player on the field tonight. It’s a shame his performance was wasted. He tracked back on defense, held the ball up on occasion, and in general exhibited the kind of quality on the ball and when passing that most MLS players simply can’t begin to match. When he created the only goal of the night for his team, Donovan blew by the Toronto defender as if the defender were wearing snowshoes. Just a few minutes later Donovan nearly set up another goal, taking down a long Beckham pass over the shoulder with a remarkable touch and sliding a pass to an overlapping Sean Franklin. Franklin’s cross found Magee, but Magee couldn’t keep the header down. Donovan also exhibited class in defeat, graciously shaking hands with Toronto players after the final whistle when he must have been seething.

Should FIFA Implement Goal-Line Technology?

The Bolton Wanderers played the Queens Park Rangers last weekend. This normally wouldn’t qualify as news, even in soccer circles. But both teams are fighting to avoid relegation from the English Premier League, so the match was important. As ESPN commentator Steve McManaman noted more than once during the game’s broadcast, relegation can cost a team tens of millions of dollars in revenue and adversely affect players’ careers. It follows that a controversial referee call in such a game can have more serious consequences than a similar call involving teams at or near the top of the standings.

One such call occurred in Saturday’s Bolton-QPR game. In the 20^th minute, QPR appeared to have scored off a corner kick that was headed on goal by Clint Hill. Replays showed that Hill’s shot did in fact cross the goal line, with about a foot to spare, before it was batted out of the goalmouth by the Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan. However, the referees did not award QPR a goal, and play continued.

The botched call, along with Bolton’s eventual 2-1 victory, have renewed calls for the use of instant replay review, or “goal-line technology,” to scrutinize shots on goal that may or may not have crossed the line. Goals are too hard to come by and the stakes are too high, the reasoning goes, to fail to award goals due to referee error. According to a March 10 article by Martyn Herman about the Bolton-QPR controversy, “The FA issued a statement before the game had even finished calling for soccer's governing body FIFA to bring in technology to prevent so-called ‘ghost goals.’” Steve Davis posted a piece about the controversy on his new ProSoccerTalk blog, writing: “It’s a crying shame that, in 2012, we don’t have a little camera or even a wee chip in the ball to help adjudicate these occasional, difficult decisions on balls crossing the goal line.”

The Herman and Davis articles fail to mention the crucial fact that the missed call on Hill’s header was neatly atoned for in the 48^th minute, when the assistant referee neglected to call QPR striker Djibril Cisse offside on an attacking run. Cisse was a yard or two beyond Bolton’s last defender when the pass was struck, but the flag stayed down. This second important no-call of the game led directly to a QPR goal that tied the score. The decision to award the goal to Cisse was no more justified than the decision not to award a goal to Hill twenty-eight minutes earlier. Video evidence was just as conclusive in the case of Cisse being in an offside position, and yet few are calling for video review of offside calls, or even mentioning the missed call on Cisse and its effect on the outcome of the game.

I of course don’t know if the referees were, during halftime, made aware of their mistaken call on Hill’s shot, but the no-call on Cisse’s goal had the hallmarks of a make-up call. Then again, failing to call Cisse offside may simply have been another mistake by the referee, the kind of mistake that occurs routinely in soccer games at all levels and that often affects the final score. After Cisse’s goal, I was reminded of an old saying that I don’t hear much anymore, but that strikes me as apt nonetheless: A good referee is consistent, the saying goes, even if he is consistently bad. I do not mean to suggest that there is some cosmic law guaranteeing that all bad calls will necessarily be distributed evenly between two teams participating in any given game. But in the specific case of the Bolton-QPR match, the referees were consistently bad, and they ultimately called a fair game.

So while the Football Association is apparently using Hill’s shot as evidence that FIFA needs to implement goal-line technology to verify goals, the entire Bolton-QPR match (not just the no-call on Hill’s shot) could just as easily be used to support the arguments of those who would oppose goal-line technology. After all, if we agree that Hill’s goal should have been awarded, then we should also agree that Cisse’s goal should have been disallowed. Neither bad call—one benefiting Bolton, the other benefiting QPR—was overturned, so they were in effect a wash. Or as Ian Darke noted during the broadcast, “I suppose you’d say that evens things up in terms of one bad decision canceling out another one.” To overturn the first bad call and let the second bad call stand would not have served what we might loftily call sports justice. And yet if FIFA had already implemented goal-line technology, that’s exactly what would have happened.

I don’t pretend to know what FIFA should do about implementing goal-line technology or any other form of instant replay review to improve soccer officiating. But when a soccer league starts to electronically scrutinize borderline goals after the fact, then that same league should almost certainly also scrutinize other close calls, such as those involving players in an offside position and fouls in the penalty box. Do most fans, players, and coaches want this kind of match-delaying scrutiny in the fluid game of soccer? If the answer is no, then the Bolton-QPR match should stand as a cautionary tale. It shows that reviewing whether or not balls cross goal lines, while not reviewing other aspects of the game, can actually diminish the validity of a game’s final score.

Revolution at San Jose Earthquakes, 3.10.12

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With MLS’s new unbalanced schedule for 2012, New England won’t get a chance to avenge last night’s 1-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes this year unless the two teams meet in the playoffs (i.e., unless the world as we know it dissolves utterly and is replaced by a strange alternate reality). It’s a safe bet that when the teams do meet again next year, New England’s back line will not be inviting San Jose’s Steven Lenhart over for beers before the game. MLS fans will recall that Lenhart took much of last year off for personal reasons. But he and his life-giving curly blond locks are back now, and they are as robust as ever.

If Lenhart wasn’t the best player on the field last night, he certainly grabbed the most attention. He and New England’s Stephen McCarthy—starting at center back in a regular-season game for the first time—mixed it up a couple of times near the corner flag, swiping and scrapping with each other like a couple kids playing maul ball on a playground. Revolution right back Kevin Alston also sparred with Lenhart. The latter got a yellow card for grabbing a handful of Alston’s jersey during a challenge in the 40^th minute. In the 59^th, Revs’ new center back John Lozano looked as though he were filming a public service announcement on how to subdue unruly strikers by getting them into a chokehold; he was booked for his efforts. In the 39^th minute, A.J. Soares—playing left back for the first time in his pro career due to an injury to Darrius Barnes and to a Chris Tierney suspension—went down for a couple of minutes with a hurt knee after battling Lenhart.

In short, Lenhart forced himself onto the bodies and into the minds of Revs’ players, to their detriment. It is conceivable, I think even probable, that Lenhart was in Shalrie Joseph’s head during the game’s pivotal play, which came in the 15^th minute. Joseph received the ball near the midfield stripe and, with Lenhart and his radiant hair closing on him, hastily played a ball across the field in the direction of Soares. Quakes’ new acquisition Shea Salinas streaked in to pick off the pass and played it to Chris Wondolowski, who beat Matt Reis for the game’s only goal.

It pains me to say so, but Joseph was almost solely responsible for that goal—you certainly can’t pin it on the Revs’ defense or on Reis. Joseph’s overall performance against San Jose fell well short of his high standards. He had another giveaway in the 33^rd minute and had his pocket picked in his own end by former FC Dallas player Marvin Chavez in the 50^th. That second gaffe nearly led to another San Jose goal.

The game had an odd feel, and not, I think, just because of Joseph’s subpar performance or because I was seeing it through a Nyquil- and head-cold-induced fog. On the surface, it looked like a very different Revolution team from the one that took the field last season, right down to the new white-on-white uniforms New England wore last night. Head coach Jay Heaps made his debut on the sideline after ten years of Steve Nicol filling that role. On the field, first-round draft pick Kelyn Rowe made his own pro debut, playing the entire game as a left midfielder. Fellow draft-pick Tyler Polak also played, coming in at left back for Soares in the 60^th minute. Newly signed veteran Clyde Simms played nearly the whole game at holding midfielder. Second-year man Blake Brettschneider (who like Simms played for D.C. last year) started at forward, as did MLS-newcomer Fernando Cardenas.

And yet, despite all that, the product on the field and the result were depressingly similar to last year’s versions. The Revolution lost the battle for possession and the game. They generated only a few chances, including a clean strike in stoppage time by Benny Feilhaber that just missed near post. But of course New England failed to score. Yes, they fought hard, as they did under Nicol, but the team still lacks quality and depth in certain areas, like forward. For the Revolution, the game might be summed up by a modest buildup in the 83^rd minute that included a back-heel pass by substitute Ryan Guy. The Revs ultimately sent a low pass across the top of the box that found Brettschneider. But he whiffed on the ball when he took the shot and nothing came of it.

That said that, only someone completely disconnected with reality would expect this rebuilding team to immediately achieve a string of positive results. And there were bright spots for the Revs. To begin with, the back line had a good game. As I mentioned, the goal was not their fault, and they had only few breakdowns on the night, including one in stoppage time when English national Simon Dawkins—on loan to San Jose from Tottenham Hotspur—got behind Alston and almost scored. McCarthy and Lozano looked particularly solid, especially in the air. Soares was decent playing out of position at left back, and Polak also acquitted himself well. This all-important defensive unit clearly has more depth than it did last year, especially when we remember that Tierney and Barnes weren’t even available last night.

Rowe looked promising, sending in some good crosses both in the run of play and on dead balls. So did Lee Nguyen, the Texan who played professionally in Viet Nam last year but who signed with MLS before this season, initially going to Vancouver. He was waived by the Whitecaps on March 1 and picked up by New England the next day. Nguyen created one of New England’s best chances last night, hustling in the San Jose end to intercept a ball, driving to the endline and passing the ball back across the six to a waiting Brettschneider. Unfortunately, San Jose’s defense was up to the task and the ball never got to its target.

So the game wasn’t pretty, and the marginally better team won. But there are sound reasons for arguing that the Revolution are putting together a team with a better, deeper defense and some promising new midfielders. I’m still worried about those strikers, though.

L.A. Galaxy at Toronto FC, 3.7.12

Given the early-March date and location, Toronto FC’s decision to play this CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals match in the domed Rogers Centre instead of the outdoor BMO Field is a defensible one. Combine the cold with the fact that Rogers holds more than twice the number of spectators that BMO holds, and the decision was probably foreordained.

Still, the playing surface at Rogers tonight (it would not be right to call it a playing “field”) was visually repulsive and must have been hell to play on. It put me in mind of the old Veterans stadium in Philly, probably the worst NFL playing surface of all time: matted indoor/outdoor carpeting laid in imperfect sections over concrete. That was Rogers too. If soccer is the beautiful game, this was likely one of the crappiest canvases it’s ever been played on. Fans and commentators talk about players needing to “respect the game,” but what about team ownership and management? The decision to play inside Rogers may be defensible financially and on the grounds that doing so would be more comfortable for the fans, but it cheapened a good and exciting game.

The Toronto crowd—all 47,000 of them—was into this one, sending down dozens of red and white streamers at David Beckham every time he took one of the many corner kicks earned by L.A. But it was Toronto who went up early, scoring an opportunistic goal in the 11^th minute off a corner kick, which was cleared poorly by the L.A. defense. Toronto struck again just six minutes later. Rookie Luis Silva got on the end of a long cross from the right wing, heading the ball into the ground near the far post from about twelve yards out. Silva was wide open on the play. It was a reminder that Los Angeles relied heavily on their defense last season, rarely blowing out their opponents on the way to the title game, which itself ended in a 1-0 victory. You have to wonder how deeply the Galaxy will be affected by the loss of center back Omar Gonzalez to injury.

Still, the Galaxy remains a quality team, and that showed during most of this game. Designated players Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Robbie Keane were all in good form. Edson Buddle, back with the Galaxy after a year in Germany, had a rough first half but looked dangerous in the second. Keane, on the other hand, looked very strong early but faded a little near the very end. Those two hooked up for a nice give and go in the 57^th minute, Buddle back-heeling a pass to Keane, whose shot was just wide.

Donovan and Beckham were good throughout, the latter hustling on defense and as usual sending long, dangerous passes down the field in the run of play and into the box off corner kicks. Donovan was involved in both goals, setting up a Sean Franklin pass that found an open McGee at the back post for the Galaxy’s first score, which came in the 29^th minute. Donovan scored the equalizer in the 88^th off a Beckham corner. Becks took his time on that one, clearly and understandably pissed off that someone from the stands had thrown an empty beer can in his direction. When he eventually teed off, his kick found the head of Buddle, whose shot ricocheted back to him. Buddle got off another rather weak shot in traffic that fell to Donovan, who quickly knocked it in the net.

After the score was leveled at 2-2, Beckham turned to the crowd and gave them an earful of richly justified trash talk. It was the first meaningful game involving MLS teams since last year’s final, and its intensity and generally exciting play boded well for the upcoming MLS season and for the remainder of the CCL tournament.

U.S. Men’s National Team v. Italy in Genoa, 2.29.12

The U.S. national team’s victory over Italy is the shining exception that proves the rule that results in friendlies don’t matter. Any time the U.S. beats a four-time World Cup champion on their own turf—even in a friendly—it matters to U.S. soccer fans, and it should. I became acutely aware of this during the final fifteen minutes of the game, during which Italy tried unsuccessfully to break down the U.S.’s suddenly Italy-like defense, and I became increasingly nervous about the possibility of a squandered victory. The U.S. back line got more organized as the game wore on, and down the stretch defenders threw themselves at flying shots like NHL players in a game 7. Really, it was an exciting second half and a delight to see our guys win. It was the U.S.’s first win against Italy in eleven tries over the course of more than eight decades.

Italy was technically superior, in particular Andrea Pirlo, whose long passes were exceptionally accurate and had great touch. Time and again, though, when his forwards got behind the U.S. defense they were a shade offsides. The flag went up nine times in favor of the U.S., and Italy had one goal disallowed as a result. The diminutive Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco also distinguished himself. He’s remarkably quick and dangerous with the ball at his feet, though of course he couldn’t find the net in this 1-0 loss to the Yanks.

And what of the U.S.? I should begin with the U.S.’s most distinguished field player, Clint Dempsey. He was number 10 in your programs and a number 10 on the field, playing behind the rock-like number-9 striker Jozy Altidore, who shook off a mostly forgettable first half and hand injury to provide a good assist on Dempsey’s goal. Altidore received a pass from Fabian Johnson, who’d streaked up the left wing. Altidore, his back to the goal and shielding off defenders, had vision and skill enough to lay a perfectly weighted pass back to Dempsey, who ran onto it and scored with a low shot between the diving keeper and the near post.

The goal captured the essence of Dempsey. The shot wasn't spectacular, it wasn't moving fast, it didn't come at the end of a scintillating run with the ball at his feet, but it found the back of the net at a crucial moment and it won the game. Dempsey’s skill on the ball has improved immensely since his time at New England, and if he’d grown up in Holland or France instead of Texas he’d probably be starting for Arsenal, but he still has something about him—something captured for me in that game-winning shot against Italy that was both prosaic and killing—that puts me in mind of the old comment, “All he does is beat you.”

Johnson, who played so well against Slovenia (in fact reminded me strongly of Dempsey in that game), played well again tonight, this time at left back instead of midfield. He was relieved in the 77^th minute by Jonathan Spector, who managed to block three dangerous-looking shots during his brief but hectic time on the field. Carlos Bocanegra also looked strong back there, but perhaps the best defender on the field for the U.S. was holding midfielder Michael Bradley, who of course now plays his club soccer in Serie A. Bradley certainly looks comfortable in an Italian setting. After a particularly bad free kick in the 67^th minute, for example, he immediately redeemed himself by winning the ball back in the U.S. half. Three minutes later, with the U.S. up 1-0, he made a great defensive play in the box, muscling the ball away from Giovinco after the latter had skinned two US defenders. It was an inspired performance.

More praise deserves to be heaped on the U.S. players, including especially Maurice Edu, who like Bradley played well as a holding midfielder (and they were on the field at the same time), and Tim Howard, who turned in the kind of stellar performance we all expect from him by now. If there was a downside, Brek Shea looked a little uneasy on the ball, giving it away in the 2^nd minute and making a strange pass directly to the Italy defense in the 21^st. Still, it was by no means an egregious performance, and to Shea’s credit he logged 73 minutes in a victory over Italy. There are, after all, only fifteen American soccer players in history that can claim they played in a victory over Italy.

One final thought, this time on the ESPN commentators for the Italy game, Ian Darke and Taylor Twellman. I struggle to think of a better pair of announcers to call a soccer game involving Americans. It is true that they’re both knowledgable about the game, but that can be said of many announcers. What can’t be said of many Brits is that they actually respect and like both MLS and the U.S. Men’s National Team. How many fans of the English Premier League—American or otherwise—don’t look down their noses at MLS? Very few, and Darke is one of them, God bless him. He’s also one of those announcers like John Madden who functions as a litmus test for me. If you don’t like him, I don’t trust you.

As for Twellman, he is—how shall I put this?—so refreshingly normal for an American ex-soccer player. He is not a humorless automaton nor a longhaired “free spirit,” and for whatever reason the American soccer population—players and fans and coaches—is filled with those guys. If I had to guess why there are so many U.S. soccer lovers that inspire unease, I’d say it was due to the fact that soccer is still something of a cult sport in America, or something for connoisseurs rather than people who unselfconsciously get together to watch or play a game. Twellman’s a soccer guy that actually does remind you of one of the guys, talking (as he did during the Italy/U.S. match) about how one of Pirlo’s crosses was “just ridiculous” (not “a teasing ball” or whatever) and about how ex-Met Mike Piazza, in the stands, was an “amazing” player, and noting that he had the most home runs by any catcher ever. American soccer needs more regular-guy types at the microphone like Twellman, guys with a sense of humor that know their soccer, and their baseball and football too.