USA Post-Game
Here's a selection of post-game quotes from the U.S.-Barbados World Cup qualifier (and no, none from Coach Bob Bradley - he's a terrible quote):
Brian Ching on the importance of the opening goal in the first minute:
Clint (Dempsey) opened them up in the first minute. ... We capitalized on that the rest of the game."
Landon Donovan on the quick free kick that led to the goal:
"We don't want to wait for the whistle. (The referee) got the ball and makes sure you are set. He said 'you can play if you want.' It's a freebie. We'll take it."
On the progression of the game:
"We felt confident as the game wore on fitness would be an issue. With each goal it gets a little easier because they die a little more. We didn't want to go (to Barbados) having any doubts."
DaMarcus Beasley on the team's progress:
"We're starting to know each other much better. We're not the finished product yet. ... We're supposed to win these games decisively. We're not going to get a false sense of hope."
Clint Dempsey on the same subject:
"We're moving in the right direction as a team, but it's difficult to score against the best teams in the world," he said. "We'd like to score more goals against those kinds of teams.
Quote of the night goes to Dempsey:
"We've got to Barbados and make sure we don't get beat 9-0."
The U.S., by the way, leaves Southern California Monday and travels to Miami where they'll train before leaving for Barbados.
The second leg of the two-game series against Barbados will be played noon Sunday at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados live on ESPN Classic.
Here's a roundup from CONCACAF of today's World Cup qualifiers.
The U.S. will likely face Guatemala, Cuba and the winner of Bermuda-Trinidad & Tobago in the next round.
Read about what Landon Donovan is celebrating here.
U.S. lineup: 18-Brad Guzan; 6-Steve Cherundolo, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra, 15-Heath Pearce; 10-Landon Donovan (9-Eddie Jonson, 81), 12-Michael Bradley, 4-Pablo Mastroeni (16-Freddy Adu, 26), 17-DaMarcus Beasley; 11-Brian Ching, 8-Clint Dempsey (7-Eddie Lewis, 72).
Subs not used: 1-Matt Reis, 2-Frankie Hejduk, 13-Maurice Edu, 14-Danny Calif.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook.
That was definitely a GOLEADA! Good job by the USA of taking care of business. Unlike Mexico, who look like they have regressed. Sven has got a lot of work to do.
Why o why does Freddy Adu not start?
Lionel, did you watch the game? Freddy Adu did not look that good. He made some moves and showed good speed, but his passes and positioning were not very good. I've been a big proponent of getting Freddy more play time, but he has got to perform better than he did Sunday....
Also, does anyone know what was up with Eddie Lewis playing forward? I thought he is a defender. He looked pretty good on the pitch.... I guess he is a multipurpose player.
bz, I watched some of the game, but not all. I was switching back and forth between games. How can Adu get better if he doesn't see the field that much with the same group of guys? By that logic, Eddie Johnson should never even wear the team colors. He has been in the system for years, and his performance is always dismal. I can't think of anyone that is worse than EJ. In fact, I think any coach would take Adu on his worst day over EJ on his best day. Just my biased opinion.