The USMNT B-team beat the Honduras B-team 2-0 last night. The first half was dreadfully dull but the second half was more watchable. What this tournament has proved thus far (in the opening two games for the US) is that the talent pool is not deep. Granted, ten years ago US Soccer could not have fielded a B-team of any quality so the fact that this squad can walk, talk, and pass the ball should be seen as improvement. Yet I don’t see many of these games making the jump to the A-squad, although I think Robbie Rogers and Kyle Beckerman deserve a shot. Freddy Adu has not been playing poorly, but he hasn’t been lighting it up either. The introduction of Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies turned the game on its head; these guys aren’t that good, and to have that immediate impact says something about the 22 fellows on the pitch before their introductions.

Oh, and I can’t believe Gooch Onyewu is going to AC Milan. I wonder when he’s going to get a game. And then I wonder when he’s going to get a second one…

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Happily, ESPN has picked up 20 La Liga games for the upcoming season. This is great news.

My hunch is that ESPN will focus on Real Madrid and Barcelona, but I hope the coverage turns on more fans to the Spanish league. Teams like Villarreal, Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, and Atlético Madrid (and many others) can play some seriously nuanced football when things are clicking right. The above press release suggests that ESPN and GolTV would simulcast the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona matches, and hopefully that means more diversity through the rest of the season. One thing about GolTV (and Fox Soccer Channel) is that their signal sucks, resulting in poor picture quality. If only WorldSport on the VOOM! network hadn’t gone under, as I did enjoy La Liga in HD…

Hard to believe the new seasons kick off in a mere six weeks. Can’t wait…

Current Mood: Okay |