USA taking on Ecuador

A few hours until the U.S. take on Ecuador at RedBull Arena in New Jersey. I'm hopefully making my way down within the hour, since it is the only stadium within my area that hosts these types of games. For some reason I am really anticipating this friendly matchup. I'm very anxious to see how Klinsmann's system he's trying implement is going to show through tonight. It should provide U.S. followers with a sense of what our future holds. Ecuador is no easy team to walk over. They are on the rise in south america as a major team, and have outscored their opponents in their last two friendlies 9-2. Should be a great game.
Our defense will be tested tremendously tonight. Ecuador have many options to choose from and can combine many players, and it's always deadly. Tim Howard, the US goalkeeper, says, "They like to keep it wide open, play with four attackers, obviously their two target men but also their wingers stay high." This calls for a big game from Ream, Cherundolo, and Bocanegra. I'm hoping to see Onyewu over Spector as the fourth. We need another brute force to shut down the speedy ecuador attack.
For the overall lineup, I'm hoping it looks like this:

                                                                    Howard

      Cherundolo                      Onyewu                             Ream                     Bocanegra

                                                                    Bradley

                               Edu                             Beckerman                      Shea

                                             Altidore                                 Dempsey


Bradley is a great distributor and holder of the ball. The attack starting from the back is the best strategy for tonight in my opinion, and Mikey is the best suitor to take on that role. I have faith in the back four, especially Tim Ream. He'll be playing in front of his home fans from the RedBulls, so he'll definitely step up.
Also hoping to see Danny Williams, a German-born defensive middy to get some playing time.
Anyways, I'm hoping to see the cohesion between this group of guys, see how they build up and work off the ball. The only way we're going to find out how good certain players are is by their work ethic on and off the ball....
We'll see what happens.


FYI
IF YOU LIVE IN THE U.S. AND ARE LOOKING FOR A SUPPORTERS GROUP OF FANS 
GO TO http://www.americanoutlawssoccer.com/ 
THERE ARE CHAPTERS ALL AROUND THE U.S.
GO TO MEMBERSHIP, CHECK OUT THE DETAILS
SEE IF YOUR CITY IS ALREADY REGISTERED

Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TBNvq5ff4&feature=related

Small Talk, Big News

It was a busy weekend for the national teams. I would say it was pretty standard stuff, no surprise losses, no underdog stories. Italy of course drew 1-1. I don't think they are capable of any other score at this
point. Quick tip for making money:
Bet $100 that italy will never score over 2 goals.

Check out all other scores and lots of more info here: http://www.soccerway.com/international/europe/european-championships/2012-poland-ukraine/qualifying-round/

Not alot going on with Arsenal, besides the news that FC Anzhi Makhachkala is having ambitious dreams of signing our club captain Van Persie. They are looking to embark on a pretty big recruitment drive by looking at Neymar, Anelka, and Gerrard and Lampard as well. Clearly the Manchester City of Russia right there. Money can't buy a team. Money doesn't make players blend together like a family and play well together. For an Arsenal fan point of view, I don't think we should worry. VP hasn't agreed to a new contract just yet, so all we have to do is sit and wait until 2 years is up and see how things go.

Just a heads up for everyone: on long stretches like this past week where there's nothing going on, I'm probably going to put posts up of other soccer news, most likely relating to the US Mens or NY Redbulls, so keep checking in!

A Looong Wait

Well, we have awhile until the prem gets going again, with the international break and all. Let us cross our fingers that none of the players from any club pick up injuries. I have a true hatred toward sir alex turgason and man united, and same with barca. But when i see ANY player see what he loves to do the most taken away from him, it brings about a very negative feeling.
Anyways, since I can't talk about matches, I thought it would be appropriate to take up a post and show some appreciation  to the club; from the home kit to the fans.
The classic kit and new crest marks the 125th anniversary of their creation.

It almost seems timeless when you look at it, and of course the red shirt and white sleeves is very classic.
It brings with it a sense of class. Any person will bitch and moan about their team and pick out flaws whenever a loss happens, but I've yet to see a true gooner act this way. We keep our heads held high during dark days. You get the feeling it wouldn't be weird for two strangers to become great friends with The Arsenal being the only thing they have in common.



BTW
if anyone has clever nicknames or chants for each player, please share! I love a good laugh. Some from my own brain have been:
Lets talk about Cesc baby
Throbbin (heart) Van Persie
Mikel Smarteta
Thomas Vermaelen the Verminator
...you get the idea


Also, whether you're new to watching soccer, or are just looking for some info on a piece of soccer history that has yet to be matched in the english game, check out http://www.amazon.com/Arsenal-Season-Review-2003-2004/dp/B0002UUJAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317964836&sr=8-1 ,and proceed to try and calm your boner after watching (you can't!)

Arsenal.com

For anyone interested in the greatest football club in england, even though most of you probably know the deal already, check it out for all the insights and injuries.
I also strongly suggest getting a membership. the videos alone are worth it!



http://www.arsenal.com/home