U.S. vs. England--Avast, matey, thar be spoilers!

G

GemStateJim

2,500+ Posts
Been posting about the other matches in l00p's WC thread, but figured this game deserved a thread of its own since it's due to get a lot more attention.

Sure hope our 'Nats are sharp and composed. England will be highly motivated to get three full points.
 
I am stuck at work and need to watch!!! I don't see it listed on espn3.com, anyone know another way to watch?
 
Started the day with homemade biscuits and gravy, a pair of World Cup matches, a crisp mountain bike ride, and an early 4-0 lead for our Texas Longhorns baseball team! Shaping up to be a great day; can our Nats make it even better?

Here's the starting lineup for the U.S. (standard 4-4-2):

-----Altidore----Findley----
Donovan----------Dempsey
--Bradley-----------Clark--
Bocanegra------Cherundolo
----Onyewu---DeMerit----
---------Howard----------
 
Here's the starting lineup for England (another 4-4-2):

----Rooney--Heskey-----
Milner-------------Lennon
--Gerrard------Lampard--
Cole--------------Johnson
-----Terry------King------
---------Green-----------
 
Predictions? I'll go out on a short, sturdy limb and call it England 2, U.S. 1. The Yanks grab an early advantage but shoddy set-piece defending in the second half lead to a pair of Peter Crouch headers as England leaves it late.

And, yes, I realize Crouch looks like an Auschwitz survivor, but the freak is superb on set pieces and we are not.
 
Well, that didn't take long--so much for an early lead for the U.S.

Terrible marking there from the U.S. backline and quality finishing from Gerrard. England 1, U.S. 0 inside the fourth minute.
 
Didn't have time to post a reaction to the starting lineups, so I'll add this a bit late:

Not pleased with the starts of Findley, Clark, or DeMerit. DeMerit has been atrocious in the warmups leading up to the Cup, whereas Goodson has proven himself capable.

I would've much preferred to see a second Texan among the starting 11--Jose Francisco Torres. Clark's form has been spotty at best of late.

I also would've preferred to see a forward with the ability to finish and stay onside. Findley does neither; he's got tons of space but plays with his head up his ***.
 
19th minute and Jozy Altidore whiffs on a pin-point cross from Donovan. Barely nudged it wide when he should've headed it into the back of the net. Criminal.
 
I applaud England's use of high pressure here. Not sure why more teams don't defend the U.S. this way. Be interesting to see if the Three Lions run out of gas because of this strategy.

Milner carded for persistent infringement at the 26th minute. Onyewu with a decent header that misses wide of the far post on the ensuing free kick.
 
29th minute and Tim Howard is down. He caught a cleat to his left arm and then a leg to his chest as he bravely dove to clear a ball bounding through the 6-meter box.

UPDATE: Howard stays in the game and seems to be OK.
 
38th minute and Cherundolo is booked for a tackle from behind.

U.S. with the majority of possession but England enjoying more and better chances.

Just as I type this, Dempsey strikes with a long-range effort that Green allows to squirm past him--an absolute howler! No matter, we'll take it--score is 1-1.
 
It's not a shot one should ever expect to score, but it certainly makes up for Altidore's whiff. I mean, really, Jozy ... you've got to do better than that.

I'd hate to be that English keeper right now. Reminds me of one of those Southwest Airlines commercials--Wanna get away?

We're at the half. It's U.S. 1, England 1.
 
Second half underway.

DeMerit booked for a deliberate handball.

England has used two of its three subs: Shaun Wright-Phillips for James Milner late in the first half and Jamie Carragher for Ledley King to start the second.

Starting 11 still on the pitch for the U.S.
 
U.S. under immense pressure so far this half. If not for some expert goalkeeping from Tim Howard, England would be back in front.

This score will not hold at this rate; the Nats need to step up and assert themselves.
 
Sixty minutes into it now and still no subs on for the U.S. Is Bradley wishing to take them to the showers? Hoping to see Torres on for Clark and Buddle on for Findley.

Jamie Carragher booked at the 59th minute for a reckless challenge on Findley.

Dempsey earns an indirect free kick just outside the 18-meter box. Another card issued--this one to Steven Gerrard. Kick will be coming from the left side of the box. Donovan's service finds Boca but he can't quite get his head around it enough to put it on frame.
 
Frenetic pace right now. Lampard and Johnson with quality chances for England. Altidore answers with a dazzling run down the left side; he beats two defenders, goes for goal but is turned aside by the woodwork.

This is getting intense.
 
Findley booked at the 74th minute for a studs-up challenge on Gerrard. Cannot for the life of me understand why Bradley hasn't subbed anyone yet. A result here today would be despite his management, in my opinion.
 
FINALLY! Edson Buddle on for Findlay at the 77th minute. Our Yanks are definitely looking tired as England is dominating chances and possession right now.
 
Peter Crouch on for Heskey at the 79th minute. All of England's subs have been used. Bradley still sitting on two as England continues to pressure relentlessly.
 
Stuart Holden set to come on for Altidore at the 86th minute.

Rooney complaining after every foul. Goal kick for the U.S. as Crouch heads one wide.
 
Holden earns a corner as regulation comes to an end. Get ready for the longest four minutes of the year. On the corner, Donovan's service is easily cleared.
 
BALLGAME! U.S. draws England, 1-1, in what has to be viewed as a positive result for the Yanks.

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Tim Howard easily the Man of the Match. English fans must be disappointed--England dominated possession and had the majority of the scoring chances from the 60th minute on.

That said, the U.S. nearly stole three points courtesy of Altidore's dazzling run and shot that Green did well to deflect into the woodwork.

Going forward, I hope Bradley starts Buddle over Findley against the Slovenians; I'd also like to see Torres at least play a half in place of Clark, who was at fault for England's lone score.

U.S. is going to have to keep an eye on yellow-card accumulation as DeMerit and Cherundolo were both booked. Our Yanks simply don't have the defensive depth to afford a suspension, particularly at fullback.

Also, though I wasn't in favor of his starting, DeMerit proved his worth today by shadowing Rooney throughout the match. No demerits for Jay today.
 
i would love to see holden play more. the guy is good in tight spaces; he's got great touch and can make passes. one of the frustrating parts of today's game is our inability to string together more than 4-5 passes in a row. instead we knock it around a bit and then put up a 50/50 ball that ruins our attack. i'm not opposed to the absorb and counterattack strategy but if we're going to do that then we need to get people moving forward, not just having altidore and findley sprinting ahead. a trailer our altidore's near goal could have made that a very easy finish and a heroic goal. i like the way onyewu and demerit played today and i think bradley is an overall good and intelligent player, but i hate seeing 4 guys standing in a line with the ease that england was able to play the through ball. thank god tim howard is our keeper and in fairness most chances ended with the english player kicking the ball right at him and did not force him to move laterally on a lot of those point blank saves. i thought heskey should have been carded on that kick to howard; you have to protect the keeper and the replay showed that heskey really had no play on the ball.
 
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