With J Hutcherson -- Pardon me if I don't jump into the pre-match hype that tends to build any team the United States happens to be playing as some test or potential problem. El Salvador doesn't have the players to make this a game home or away, and that should show over ninety minutes.
Sure, we all remember Guatemala and Cuba away, when the US spent too much time trying to break down a defense that would have bent under their normal attack. We've seen the United States get too clever with the passing, keep their target forward back, and basically make things harder. We've also seen the US defense make all the difference while the attack worked out its issues.
The United States doesn't need Tim Howard for this game. Brad Guzan in the understudy role will do, as will Marcus Hahnemann. With Pablo Mastroeni back and capable in defensive midfield, Michael Bradley should be able to play a more attacking role. Landon Donovan is good enough in these situations to develop himself, but some help would be nice.
A free flowing US trusting the defense on the counter, and this should be a mismatch from the opening whistle. Join me at 8:45pm Saturday night for live follow along coverage for ESPN2's broadcast and we'll see if I'm right.
Moving on, has anybody else had it with the story of Liverpool FC centering around whether or not their ownership wants to remain invested? It's sports business as the story, rather than the team that's actually competing for multiple titles.
The Glazer ownership at Manchester United has already demonstrated this particular point. As long as the team is winning, nobody cares about management. Well, nobody relative to the amount of press this has been getting.
Back home in America, Major League Soccer used to like to complain about the game on the field being the story, rather than the media focus on business. What MLS missed was the relative importance of the game on the field to most outlets.
It's different in England, where few fans are left who would rather lose on their terms than win with management they might not exactly like.
Liverpool specifically lacks the entertainment value of Davis and the Raiders or Steinbrenner and the Yankees. Liverpool co-owner George Gillett used phrases like " impoliteness" and "offended" when referring to the latest angle. He even used the players over business line that makes sense when it's a winning team, capping it with literally saying "I don't think owners should be that directly involved in a public way. I'm a very private person."
The full brunt of the English media notwithstanding.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
