Thoughts on England vs Ecuador, Miami-style

 

Scott's detailed notes from yesterday's game:

 

Ensconced in the luxurious surroundings of a Farlieonfootie-sponsored skybox, after a staggering amount of libationary and gastronomical delights were savored at the somewhat misty tailgate party, the in-town staff members (poor Ed) viewed the proceedings below with the critical eye to which our loyal readers have become accustomed. Dodging my head from side to side in order to catch the action beyond my impossibly large Heineken can (all the craft beer was in the parking lot), I was witness to 90 minutes of English languidness and Ecuadorian effort which, ultimately, earned the South Americans a deserved draw against the sputtering Three Lions.  Despite controlling large parts of the game, including most of the first half, the Brits were unable to triumph.

 

Milner at right back (for a while anyway), Rooney wide to the left, Lambert up top and Gerrard and Sturridge nowhere in sight, English fans will hope that Roy Hodgson learned what he needed to from the experimental lineup and will adjust accordingly. The middle defensive pairing of Jones and Smalling could generously be described as shaky while neither Luke Shaw nor the aforementioned Milner were able to provide appropriate cover at critical times. Shaw, especially, seemed lackadaisical when a yellow shirt threatened the box. Tired?  Adjusting to the climate?  Let's hope so.

 

Rooney and Wilshire were just OK and, while Lampard did ooze calmness on the ball, his howitzer shots from distance were far more dramatic than they were effective.  Barkley, on the other hand, showed moments of creativity which largely contrasted the general play of the English.  I have a sneaking suspicion that he will be critical in deciding England’s fate later this month.

 

Another bright spot was the new Liverpool boy, Rickie Lambert.  What a week he is having!  First signing a contract with your boyhood club at the age of 32 and then scoring an excellent goal for your country.  I think he, too, will have much to offer if given the chance in Brazil.

What? No Beer Review?

photo by Thomas Faivre-Duboz	via PhotoRee

More so in order to dry out than for any other reason, after publishing more consecutive beer reviews than at any time in our long and distinguished blogging history, farlieonfootie returns to its football-flavored roots on Tuesday to watch on as the US took on Ecuador in the Big Apple.  Herewith, some observations from the big night, which ended with a disappointing 1-nil loss, courtesy of Tim Ream failing to properly mark his man late in the contest:

o Rumored European target Breck Shea began the game brightly, unleashing a testing, long range bullet at the Ecuadorian goalie in the first five minutes.  Despite the fact he looks more like he belongs on a surfboard in the Orange County lineup next to Frankie Hejduk than on a soccer pitch, I like the look of the kid and hope he lives up to his early promise.  Whether he can succeed in Europe is another question altogether, but he's got the size to make it work -- now we need to see if he's got the head and feet.

o I was interested to note that the Ecuadorian goalkeeper, Maximo Banguera, wore a baseball cap during the game. 

At night. 

Backward. 

And to top it all off, the hat appeared to be advertising HGTV in HD -- as in the Home & Garden Television Network.  Home decorating tips, anyone?

o  There were lots of yellow shirts visible in the crowd, broken up by smaller pockets of Red, White and Blue.  Due to the massive number of immigrants in this country, the US National team is one of those rare cases in FIFA in which the "home" team is not always better supported than the "visitors." It's a bit like the situation faced by the professional sports teams in Miami, a city in which everyone is originally from somewhere else: when the Jets, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Flyers, Cubs or Steelers come to town, the local team is often under-represented as compared to the opposition.  To counter this disadvantage, the US plays it smart, often seeking to play its most formidable CONCACAF rival -- Mexico -- in a place like Columbus, Ohio.  In February.