Soccer

I really can't qualify this post other than just soccer, mainly because i'm going to touch on a bunch of different subjects. There has been a lot going on in the world of US Soccer, and i haven't written about much of it yet because, well, because i'm lazy. I'm nothing if not honest...

First off, the US Women's Team won their sixth Algarve Cup in Portugal, defeating Denmark 2-1 in the championship game. The two goals were the only two goals the Danish side had allowed all tournament, and were part of the Americans record for most goals in the tournament with 12 (in four games). Natasha Kai (who is heavily tattooed - courtesy of Us Versus Them) and Abby Wambach scored the two goals for the US side. For Wambach, it was her 89th career goal in just 108 appearances, a staggering number. By my calculations, she needs just 17 goals to move into second all-time in career scoring, though still a distant second to Mia Hamm's 158 career goals.

Next, Olympic qualifying is underway for the Men's U-23 squad. With a squad heavily littered with the U-20 team that made some noise in last year's U-20 World Cup, the Americans were expected to somewhat breeze through these first three games. That was not the case, however, as they looked disjointed and uninterested at times in their 1-1 tie with Cuba in the first game Tuesday. Their second game is tonight against Panama, and can bee seen on Fox Sports Channel. FSC is still the best place to find soccer on cable, but man could they use HD...

As i said, the Americans looked somewhat lackluster at time, with the notable exception of Freddy Adu. The much-maligned Adu shined, getting the lone goal for the US and being robbed of at least two more on great saves by the Cuban keeper. I also was impressed with Pat McCarty's effort in the midfield, we are going to have way too many center midfielders on the Senior team in the next couple of years. Let's hope one or two of them can convert to defender, where we really need them. My boy Jozy Altidore only played in the first half, and got roughed up a bit. He looked lost at times as the lone striker up top, but to be fair did not get the ball in good spots. He should be fresh and ready to go tonight.

Lastly, an interesting sub-plot coming out of the Olympic qualifying tournament is that 7 members of the Cuban team have already left the team and defected, as the tournament is being held in Tampa Bay. It leaves the Cuban team with just 11 players, with one of those suspended for tonight's game due to a red-card against the Americans, leaving them with only 10 available to play Honduras. It is unclear whether the team will be forfeiting their remaining two matches; if so, it is unfortunate timing for the Americans, who apparently could have used the forfeit...