AVB and Me

When Ed Thinks, it's Kind of Like a Nuclear Explosion
photo by Candida.Performa (on vacation)	via PhotoRee

Ed on football, and no, he's not kidding:

On Spurs

I'm starting to think that AVB is reading my posts.

This week against Swansea, after seeing Emmanuel Adebayor miss an easy chance of a great pass from Moussa Dembele, and thereafter create absolutely no chances of his own, he finally pulled him for Jermaine Defoe.  Defoe is ice cold right now, but at least he moves and can control the ball well, and at least he doesn't miss easy sitters.  No player on the team has been more of a disappointment this year than Adebayor.  He's become Spurs' Fernando Torres.  It's time for him to be benched.

Gareth Bale, however, continues to grow and carry the team while playing in the number 10 spot.  His first pass this week to Jan Vertonghen was perfect, as was Vertonghen's control and finish.  Vertonghen is far an away the best Spurs' signing this season, and one wonders if he will be kept away from the top teams in the off season.  Also note to players -- learning to juggle allows for just such control as Vertonghen showed not hat goal.

But returning to Bale, it was nice to see him play passes like that and to distribute so well from the position.  He's clearly capable of doing so, and now he's showing how to do it.  And note to Spurs fans:  it's okay to be carried by a star player.  See, e.g. Manchester United.  Without RVP, they might be mid-table.  Sir Alex's "genius" in this League seems to be getting four top tier strikers and rotating through the one who's the hottest.  How he keeps the ego's in check is the secret -- perhaps his is so big all others wilt in its presence.

Bale's goal was also terrific, where he stole a page from Jermaine Defoe and quick-footed it past Michel Vorm before the keeper knew he was even taking a shot.  The big windup, while self-satisfying and often allowing for a hard shot, is overrated.  The quick release is king for true goal scorers.

The Avengers: Manchester United 1 - Sunderland 0

photo by oseillo	via PhotoRee

Manchester United defeated a dour and dejected Sunderland side in Saturday's early kick off, 1-0, to maintain their 15 point advantage over second place City. Never really threatened, the Red Devils cantered to victory, with the final score belying the ease of the away side's win.  Riding a Sunderland own goal to an early lead, United tidily avenged  their perceived slight from the Sunderland fans in last season's finale.

If the crowd ended the game dejected, they had begun it in a considerably different mood, with bright sunshine greeting both teams as they walked onto the pitch at the aptly named Stadium of Light. Although United had the game's first efforts on target, it was the home side who carried a fair bit of the early pressure, in large part due to mental mistakes from the visitors. Both teams attacked in the early going, with Sunderland pressuring the ball high up the pitch -- a strategy that worked well when going forward but increasingly left the home side exposed at the back.

After their sloppy opening it was the Red Devils who looked the brighter of the two sides -- passing the ball with authority and creating multiple openings in the Black Cats' defense. It was just past the 25 minute mark when the continual pressure finally paid off -- in the form of a Robin Van Persie ball that ended up in the back of the net. Although claimed by the Dutchman, it's unlikely that the Dubious Goals Panel will fail to notice the double deflection that ended with Titus Bramble beating his own 'keeper for the game's opening score.

Jonny Evans replaced an injured Rafael at the game's half hour mark -- the Brazilian fullback having tweaked his groin -- as United's recent embarrassment of riches at the back were reduced by one. Fifteen minutes later, a quiet half ended with both sides marginally disappointed -- the home side for having failed to test United's goal, and the visitors for not having done more with the opportunities they were presented.

Better Lucky Than Good: USMNT 0 - Mexico 0

photo by Gilles Gonthier	via PhotoRee

Scott checks in with some thoughts on a valuable point at the Azteca for the Americans:

That's exactly how I would describe the USA's performance against Mexico last night - very lucky and not good offensively at all.  Despite seeing more possession than normal in the Azteca, which is a separate issue and very encouraging, the USA lacked any real threat on the attack, mustering only one shot all day - a feeble miskick well wide of the mark.  Luckily, the yeoman's work performed by Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez in the central defense, augmented by the excellent pairing of Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu in the middle, was enough to deflect the multiple waves of Mexican attacks that powered down the flanks and flashed across the mouth of Brad Guzan's goal.  The 'keeper, too, must be credited for a few key saves and his brave work on crosses, corners and a particularly dangerous high through-ball.  Guzan continues the proud American tradition of world-class goalkeeping that stretches back through Tim Howard, Brad Friedel and Casey Keller.  By the way, what is it about American goalkeepers and hairless pates?

Despite the lack of offense, a point away to Mexico is as good as a win and all of US soccer fandom should rejoice, after recovering from the 4 minutes of agonizing stoppage time during which Mexico seemed to get 12 of their 15 corners of the game.  While needing desperate defending on several occasions, the US also saw prolonged periods of significant possession and, in the 39th minute, even managed a rare foray deep into Mexican territory where it took a late sliding tackle on Bradley to prevent an excellent scoring opportunity.  Sadly, that was not only the highlight of the US offense, it was nearly the only highlight.  Instead, Lady Luck and Tenacious Defense are what carried the day for the Americans.  Graham Zusi also impressed with his back tracking, getting a timely header on a cross that seemed to be goal-bound from the impending shot.

The match was not without controversy, most notably Edu's challenge from behind in the box in the 76th minute.  At full speed it looked like a clear penalty that was denied by the ref, despite much Mexican wailing and gnashing of teeth. In slow motion, the contact looked minimal but still enough for a foul that should have been called.  Lady Luck favored the Americans two other times also when Chicharito missed both tap-in opportunities at the goalmouth.  Difficult as the chances were, a striker of Little Pea's caliber would be expected to convert at least one of those.

Game Day Beer Review: New Belgium Fat Tire American Amber Ale

There were so many good beers tested at the Craft Brewers Conference that it's difficult for us to pick out any one in particular -- so for our first review we'll stick with one of the basics:

 

(5.20% ABV) Fat Tire Amber Ale is a great example of what's happening in the beer world. Long held up by visitors to Colorado as "the" beer to seek out when traveling to the western part of the country, it's lost a bit of its luster over the past couple of years as the craft beer business has exploded. It's not so much that Fat Tire has gotten worse, or even that the beer is much more broadly distributed now -- it's that so much of the rest of the brewing world has gotten better, and the measuring posts have moved as consumers' tastes have evolved. A lot. Given all that, we recently revisited the long time New Belgium standard bearer to see if it still measured up.

After being poured on draft at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC, Fat Tire appeared a beautifully clear caramel color, with a thin head of white foam that left behind a surprising amount of lacing.

The beer smelled primarily of malt, but that was all; there was little else to notice about the beer's very mild nose.

When we drank it, we found the beer to be biscuity, alright, just like it states on the label.  But it was earthy, as well. This beer has a very particular taste that reminds us of no other amber ale we've ever encountered. It's highly carbonated, with a relatively thin mouthfeel for the style. We like it for its high sessionability, even if it does have some flaws.  But then again, don't we all?  B

SnowFest 2013

Scott Keeps a Watchful Eye on the USMNT, Even in the Snow
photo by abardwell	via PhotoRee

Before we move onto Mexico, Correspondent Scott had to go and revisit -- one last time -- SnowFest 2013:

 

I smiled with pride and called my family in to witness what was happening on TV. Sure, the US had won Snowfest 2013, but what I found much more important was the fact that, in the midst of first- round NCAA Tournament madness, the LEAD story on Sports Center was about soccer. Has the beautiful game finally arrived in the USA? Given that it took a blizzard, probably not completely yet, but it sure was nice to see anyway. My satisfaction was only slightly diminished by the sports anchor’s comparison of the snowy Denver environment to Minsk, Russia, apparently oblivious to 20-odd years of Belarusian independence.

And it didn’t stop there. After waxing geographically illiterate about USA v Costa Rica, they showed highlights of the Mexico v Honduras game! Bravo ESPN! Were it not for Florida Gulf Coast University’s beat down of Georgetown, we might have been treated to highlights from the other hexagonal game. As a side note, have you every phonetically read FGCU’s acronym? Tee hee.

By now, even non-soccerphiles know that Clint Dempsey tapped in a Jozy Altidore deflection in the 16^th minute to give the Americans a lead to which they clung through the ensuing blizzard. And we also now know that Costa Rica’s protest to FIFA, in an attempt to nullify the result, has failed. Finally, we have FOF’s commentary of a few days ago to give us the highlights of the Whiteout. As such, herewith, find additional, incremental thoughts:

- How about somebody in the USA camp making a game-time audible on the sartorial situation. White uniforms in a snowstorm? Really?
 

- Damarcus Beasley at left back? Really?

Notes From the Road

Correspondent Ed Catching a Cat Nap
photo by malias	via PhotoRee

o Brian McDermott out, Nidel Adkins in.  We think highly of the former Saints' Manager, but this move strikes us as just another shuffling of the deck chairs on the S.S. Reading....

o If Fergie is really hiring private jets to bring back his stars in order to keep them fresh for the weekend, we hope there's one being sent to Mexico City -- where Chelsea-killer Chicharito faced off in  an important hexagonal match against the U.S last night.

o We'll be in Washington, DC for the Craft Brewers Conference -- expect some amazing beer reviews over the next couple of days as our staff seeks out the very best the US beer world has to offer.

This is farlieonfootie for March 27.

Game Day Beer Review: Kona Brewing Longboard Island American Pale Lager

Poured from a bottle at the home office. Longboard Island Lager was a lemon-tinged, yellow color with a fluffy, two fingered head of pure white bubbles.

The beer' smell was rather vague. We detected some some slight breadiness in it, but that was about all.

On tasting, the beer didn't reveal much, either.  It was a relatively straight forward lager, with the only surprise being some slight citrus (lemon) that we picked up.  There was decent carbonation and while the beer was easy drinking, we didn't find much to write home about.   It's definitely a beginner's craft beer -- not our favorite, but better than a Bud. B-

Game Day Beer Review: Fuller's London Pride English Pale Ale

Although the irony of serving London's Pride in a Manchester United glass wasn't lost on us, we did it anyway. After all, we do what we want around here, much like the way they do  it at our favorite club.

 

Fuller's London Pride poured from the bottle a warm caramel-colored brown with a thin off-white head that stuck around longer than we thought it might. The beer smelled of sweet malt and brown sugar. There was a little bit of breadiness in there too, in keeping true to the style.

The beer's taste led with malt, but there was some nice floral hoppiness there in the middle, too. It was lightly carbonated to go down easily, which it did. We found the beer to be refreshingly simple and honest -- we consider it to be a great example of the style, and are happy to drink it almost any time: A-

Whiteout! USMNT 1 - Costa Rica 0

Photo by mdornseif on Flickr

What a difference a day makes.  Fresh off one of the most memorable victories in US Soccer history, the Nats find themselves in 2nd place in the CONCACAF Hexagonal, thanks in no small part to their dramatic 1-0 victory on a day in which their main regional opponents for one of the three coveted World Cup spots all drew.   

Entering the game the team looked to be at a crossroads, with infighting distracting their focus and intrigue hanging over the head of US Manager, Jurgen Klinsmann.   An article which appeared in Sporting News earlier in the week portrayed a club in crisis: no sense of tactics or strategy, and anonymous sources claiming that the team was lost and the Manager culpable for the situation.  Heaping further fuel on the fire was the damaging 1-0 loss to Honduras the US endured in their first of 10 hexagonal matches.  Sitting in dead last place prior to Friday night's game, the US badly needed home field advantage and a win.

One out of two ain't bad.  Although the thin air and cool weather of Colorado was expected to give the national team a significant boost over their opponents, no one was counting on what happened next: blizzard-like conditions at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, outside of Denver.  The severity of Friday night's winter storm left the game in significant doubt -- would the players be able to play in conditions so difficult that it was nearly impossible to see the length of the pitch?

Newser

photo by aloshbennett	via PhotoRee

News and Notes from Around the World of Football:

o Newcastle fans like to have their day out -- although their idea of a fun time might be slightly different from yours and mine.  Ripping up the pitch, stealing balls and dropping trousers pre-game...?  And we thought that only happened in Correpsondent Ed's Geriatric League....

 

o Sir Alex thinks the pitch at Old Trafford is "dead?"  You should see the conditions they played in back in the days when Correspondent Scott was active....

 

o We have a couple of quick words of advice for all those slating Rio Ferdinand over his decision not to risk injury and disrupt his specialized training regimen to play against European minnows San Marino, but we can't print them in this family-oriented publication.  Where were all of these know-it-alls when the very same Ferdinand was left out of the squad that faced Brazil for "footballing reasons?"