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Numbers Game: MLS in the CCL

By on April 11, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Numbers and stats typically do not lie.

MLS has improved in the CONCACAF Champions League each year while the teams down in Mexico continue to gobble up the trophies.

Still, we’ve come a long way in just a short time.

(W-L-T)
2008-09: 2-10-6
2009-10: 7-10-9
2010-11: 16-14-8
2011-12: 21-16-7
2012-13: 16-8-6

And yet, there is a long way to go to claim the CCL prize. But progress right? Progress.

MLS will get another chance later this fall with LA, Houston, San Jose and Sporting KC all getting a crack at the CCL. We won’t know for a few more weeks as to which Canadian club gets into the mix either but to be honest, I think all three MLS maple leaf teams are improving enough to do better in this competition as well.

I won’t get into what MLS can do to overcome the teams down in Mexico but the gap is closing with each year. Seattle proved it could best a Mexican team in a two legged series this year. And both Seattle and LA pushed two of the better Mexican teams in the semifinals at home and on the road. A win in this competition will happen soon for a MLS club. You can bank on it.

Continue Reading · · in Champions League, CONCACAF, MLS

US-Mexico: What We Learned

By on March 27, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Matt Besler and the US defense were all over Mexico last night. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Matt Besler and the US defense were all over Mexico last night. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

What else can you say about last night’s 0-0 draw for the US National Team against Mexico? Was it pretty? No all the time? But was it effective? Absolutely.

Jurgen Klinsmann and the US squad had a game plan and stuck with it. Defend, defend, defend with some silky passing through the midfield to test the Mexican defense at key moments. And the big thing, luck. They had a fair amount of luck in this one to get the 0-0 draw, the second ever at the Azteca against Mexico.

So what do we take away from this game? Plenty. This isn’t the same squad that struggled through a 2-1 loss in Honduras back in early February. This is a squad that is progressing.  Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team, World Cup

Keys To US-Mexico Game

By on March 26, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Can the US keep Mexico winless in 2013? (Photo by Miguel Tovar/Getty Images)

Can the US keep Mexico winless in 2013? (Photo by Miguel Tovar/Getty Images)

Let me just say, all the pressure is on Mexico. Yep. All of it. After the US Men’s National team victory in the SnowClasico last Friday over Costa Rica, the pressure went south to Mexico.

I’m not making this up either. Mexican press fell the pressure on their squad going into tonight’s big US-Mexico game at the Estadio Azteca.

The Mexicans are winless in 2013. Yep, winless. Tonight’s game marks El Tri’s 70th World Cup qualifier at home, where it has a 63-1-5 record, its only loss coming in 2001 against Costa Rica.

This has little to do with the last trip the US took to Mexico. We all remember that one by now. A sunny August day that saw the US do what had been thought as the unthinkable. A win. In Mexico. At the Azteca. Before it hadn’t been done, the US were 0-23-1 all time there.

But now the demons have been exercised in a way. The stigma of not being able to win down there appears, at least slightly, gone. Mexico is still good and while that day in August didn’t have their best squad, it did give this US squad the kind of hope that it needs to get a result in this one. Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team, World Cup

US Roster For Costa Rica Match

By on March 18, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Juergen Klinsmann has set his 23-man roster for the U.S. Mens national team’s World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica on Friday night at DSG Park and a week from Tuesday against Mexico at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Brace yourselves.

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire).

Defenders: Geoff Cameron (Stoke City, England), Clarence Goodson (Brondby, Denmark), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Justin Morrow (San Jose Earthquakes), Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City).

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla, Mexico), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Roma, Italy), Joe Corona (Tijuana, Mexico), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor, Turkey), Jermaine Jones (Schalke, Germany), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium), Brek Shea (Stoke City, England), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna, Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna, Austria). Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team

CONCACAF Gold Cup Schedule Released

By on March 13, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Wednesday marked the unveiling of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup schedule.

GROUP A: Mexico, Panama, Canada, Martinique
GROUP B: Honduras, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti
GROUP C: USA, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba

A total of 13 different US cities will host matches. Among the sites are five MLS stadiums: CenturyLink Field, JELD-WEN Field, Red Bull Arena, BBVA Compass Stadium and Rio Tinto Stadium.

Complete tournament details follow below:

GROUP A:  Mexico, Panama, Canada, Martinique

Matchday 1: Sunday, July 7 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
Canada vs. Martinique, 5:30 pm ET
Mexico vs. Panama, 8 pm ET

Matchday 2: Thursday, July 11 – CenturyLink Field (Seattle)
Panama vs. Martinique, 8:30 pm ET
Mexico vs. Canada, 11 pm ET

Matchday 3: Sunday, July 14 – Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver)
Martinique vs. Mexico, 4 pm ET
Panama vs. Canada, 6:30 pm ET

GROUP B:  Honduras, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti

Matchday 1: Monday, July 8 – Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.)
El Salvador vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 7 pm ET
Haiti vs. Honduras, 9:30 pm ET

Matchday 2: Friday, July 12 – Sun Life Stadium (Miami)
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Haiti, 7 pm ET
Honduras vs. El Salvador, 9:30 pm ET

Matchday 3: Monday, July 15 – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston)
El Salvador vs. Haiti, 7 pm ET
Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 9:30 pm ET

GROUP C: USA, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba

Matchday 1: Tuesday, July 9 – JELD-WEN Field (Portland, Ore.)
Costa Rica vs. Cuba, 8:30 pm ET
Belize vs. USA, 11 pm ET

Matchday 2: Saturday, July 13 – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)
USA vs. Cuba, 3:30 pm ET
Costa Rica vs. Belize, 6 pm ET

Matchday 3: Tuesday, July 16 – Rentschler Field (East Hartford, Conn.)
Cuba vs. Belize, 5:30 pm ET
USA vs. Costa Rica, 8 pm ET

QUARTERFINALS 
Saturday, July 20 – Georgia Dome (Atlanta @ 3 pm ET and 6 pm ET)
QF1: A2 vs. B2
QF2: A1 vs. B3/C3

Sunday, July 21 – M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore @ 4 pm ET and 7 pm ET)
QF3: B1 vs. C2
QF4: C1 vs. A3/B3

SEMIFINALS 
Wednesday, July 24 – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas @ 7 pm ET and 10 pm ET)
QF1 vs. QF2
QF3 vs. QF4

FINAL 
Sunday, July 28 – Soldier Field (Chicago @ 4 pm ET)

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team
Video

Djimi Traore’s Screamer Against Tigres

By on March 13, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Holy cow. Djimi Traore you are a crazy guy. I like where the Seattle Sounders are headed with this guy in their defense. The fact that he can also score screamers like this has to put the rest of MLS on notice.

Seattle and Traore completed the impressed comeback last night against Tigres in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Now they head to the semifinals after becoming the first MLS side to knock out a Mexican team in the knockout format of this tournament – very impressive feat to say the least.

Tonight we’ll see if the Houston Dynamo can make it two-for-two this year in the CCL knockout stage when they head to Santos Laguna. LA is also up for a trip to the semifinals when they host Costa Rican side Herediano tomorrow night in LA.

Boy it would be great to see three MLS sides reach the knockout stage. That would be a first in this competition for the league as well.

Continue Reading · · in Champions League, CONCACAF, MLS, Seattle Sounders FC

Four World Cup Qualifying Venues Named?

By on February 11, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

It sounds like we’ll soon know the rest of the World Cup qualifying venues here soon. Earlier this weekend it was reported that Crew Stadium in Columbus would get the Mexico game but what about the other three? Well, Grant Wahl has you covered.

No real shocker in all of those to be honest. The Seattle game is indeed looking more real by the second while Salt Lake and Kansas City are 100% bets at this point. KC getting the Jamaica game is something I’ve been predicting for a while now, it seemed like a likely venue for such a game.

What do you all think of these four venues? Happy to see Seattle get a game (finally)? Bummed that there isn’t a game in Houston, Philly, D.C. or New York?

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team, World Cup

Columbus To Get US-Mexico Game

By on February 10, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

In what could possibly be the least surprising news of the weekend, reports are coming out that Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH, will be the host of the US-Mexico game later this fall.

That report comes from ESPN’s John Sutcliffe, who tweeted out the news on Saturday. Crew Stadium has been the frontrunner since day one for hosting this game. The US Men’s National team is 6-0-3 there all-time, with most of those games coming in vital qualifying rounds.

The stadium has hosted the US team’s home qualifier against Mexico in the final round for the last three consecutive World Cup qualifying cycles, with the United States collecting identical 2-0 scorelines in 2001, 2005 and 2009.

 

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team

US Gets Off On The Wrong Foot In Honduras

By on February 7, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Oh boy. This could be rough for the US.

Oh boy. This could be rough for the US.

We knew it wouldn’t be an easy game for the United States Men’s national team. Going on the road to kick off the final stage of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF is never easy but the US has seen results in the past on the road. Yesterday’s game against Honduras was just different in the end.

For all the good build up that was there on Clint Dempsey’s goal in the first half, it was quickly erased with the wonderful bicycle kick by defender Juan Carlos Garcia. From then on it seems as if any hope that the US had in getting three points was gone.  Continue Reading →

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The Hexagonal Is Here! US Takes On Honduras

By on February 6, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

 

US has a big battle in Honduras today. (Getty Images)

US has a big battle in Honduras today. (Getty Images)

The time has come, the Hexagonal stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying for CONCACAF is here.

The US Men’s National team kicks off their final path to Brazil with a big road test in Honduras this afternoon. The test is huge for the US considering how it is on the road and there is a game in Mexico looming on the horizon.

The US is hoping to knock off a group of guys that consist of some MLS players and even some former MLS players now in the likes of Andy Najar and Roger Espinoza. Thankfully for the US, Honduras will be without Najar and Emilio Izaguirre. Honduras does still have Oscar Boeick Garcia on the wings and MLS fans know all to well now what he brings to the table.

The big question for the US will be whether or not they can create goal scoring chances against Honduras. That is where the pressure will on Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.

It is prediction time, who do you have today? I’m taking the US in a tight, hard fought game, 1-0.

Match Date/Time: Wednesday, February 6; 4:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Estadio Olimpico, San Pedro Sula, Honduras

TV: beIN Sport

Continue Reading · · in CONCACAF, US National Team, World Cup