SSTAS - Day 4

After a rough Day 3 I was looking to relax. And I did. It was like my soccer sabbath.

Day 4 was relatively slow but maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. The night before I asked about a shuttle transportation to the man at the desk. He warned me against walking because of the "really bad" neighborhoods in between. But it was daylight, the shuttle wouldn't take me there, and less than three miles so I just made the walk.

I got there almost an hour and a half early. Here are more tweets with [[post-tweet commentary in brackets]].

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

• An hour before the @RochesterRhinos vs @PhilaUnion game and I've seen maybe 500 people. It's early but still... [[Eventual 4175 in attendance]]
• This guy is the Rochester Rhinos fitness coach, I think.
  
• Bored? Feel free to stare at me on http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/live. I'm literally sitting right behind the goal.
  
  
• Multiple announcements asking people to not use bad language. Do they know this is Philadelphia - The land of the ****?? [[Didn't really have a specific word in mind for the asterisks. That's kind of the point.]]
• Yellowcard and Breathe Carolina to play concerts during the College Rugby Championship at PPL. All of that is too much to handle.
• If I see a large Rochester section I might go move over there at halftime. Just so I can boo Philly a lot.
• Goalie warmup. #censorpool
  
• Rochester's German goalie, Nicht, yells "Ba!" on warm up crosses. German for "Mine!"?
  
  [[Looked up goalie, keeper, mine, ball in German. No dice. Not sure what he was trying to say. Maybe just "Ball" but soft L's.]]
  
• He looks pretty solid. Good fundamentals except his ready position is hands wide...
  
• This is bad because he's adding time and distance on his dives/low collapse saves. To make a save, hands will start wide, come in to the body, then go out to make the save. Very lengthy. The position is close range stops where you just want to cover space, like a wall.
• Attendance not looking great. I've counted around 300 in seats alone. Probably another 100 in box seats.
  
• McManus looked sharp in warm ups. Rochester's roster has quite the variety.
  
• Fans may have doubled in size. I'll try to count again around half time.
  [[Did not do this but I would have guessed 3000-4000.]]
• Philly has this super cool tradition where they yell "...sucks!" when the visiting line up is announced.
• I don't see any Rochester section or apparel. Pretty bummed. @RochesterAO [[RochesterAO tweeted back at me that they are small and just starting up. Hopefully they will continue to grow.]]
• Oh man just saw a Dunkin Donuts sign. So hungry now. [[Definitely planning on grabbing some double D's at some point.]]
• Behind Philly goal to start. MacMath sill hurt but glad to watch Adu and Carroll.
• Rochester jerseys are stupid by the way. White sleeves, shorts, socks, lemon yellow middle of shirt. [[Couldn't find a pic but trust me, they were not good.]]
• Fans appreciate Konopka, goalie. [[Might have been yelling just to yell...]]
• Rochester definitely coming out strong. Looks promising.
• Konopka also Catholic, apparently. [[Knopy would dig his foot into the ground on the six yard box in three places, one in front of each post and one in the middle of the two. Kind of odd. Not sure why he does that.]]
• Oh you dumb Rhinos. [[1-0]]
• Oh no...
  
• For a team with a great defense they sure look really bad on defense and creative up top.
• No team has any other answer besides "hope they mess up" for crosses and switching play. [[I still stand by this. Philadelphia just muscled Rochester on 50-50 balls but the midfield couldn't stop the counter attack.]]
• Knoppy makes sloppy turnover but a big save to get back to even. [[Earls jumped on a poor pass and almost hit McManus for an equalizer. Also this is where I started calling Konopka "Knoppy" as he obviously needed a solid nickname. Can't have a name "Konopka" and not have a nickname.]]
• Also I was twenty feet from Adu. That was cool. [[On a corner kick. Adu was calling out for someone to get backpost. Good to see that leadership. But boy is he short. 5'10" at most.]]
• Danny Earls need to get picked up by an MLS team. Think Dax McCarthy. But more fun to watch. [[Not quite sure why he got dropped by Colorado (twice) and Seattle. I saw that they played him at LB when he winger's mentality. Plus he's short so he doesn't really need to be in the back. No taller than Adu.]]
• Weather getting worse... Effin' Independence Day.
  
• Philly will score another one from out of the air but I wouldn't be shocked by a Rochester equalizer. [[Called it.]]
• Knopy about six inches from an own goal. [[I can't double italicize something but imagine it on the word "extremely" here: Knopy got extremely lucky on not giving up an awful goal. Ball was passed back to him and took way too long to get it out. McManus challenge him and when he dove out to block the pass his foot went over the ball. Two bad mistakes that could have made it 2-1 Rochester.]]
• Game delay for bad weather. On the restart I'm going to ask the five Rochester fans if they want I sit front row. [[Did not do this.]]
• Light-Medium rain but no lightning. Don't think the bad part will last too long but idk if refs will wait until its all gone or not. [[Never any lightning that I saw. Would have been fun to watch in the rain, which we ultimately did anyway.]]
• Thought about going to Harrisburg. Eff. [[New England goes a man down early and ends up losing. Would have been a great game to see.]]
• You are in control of music thousands will hear and you play recycled 90s post-grunge? How disappointing. Any college kid could do better. [[Pet peeve.]]
• Players coming back. Maybe Rochester will be less worse than Philadelphia after the restart. [[Nope.]]
• Rochester players actually enjoying the heckling, usually turning around and smiling.
• Asking a fan if this was Will Smith rapping on the speakers and he said "Of course. It's Philly."
• Game restart. Adu's shot only close because his original shot bounced off a players' chest. About a 30 degree change.
• Rochester having trouble holding possession. Can't win in the air against a mid-sized MLS team.
• Feel free to correct but drop from MLS to NASL Pro isn't so much skill as it is size and fitness. [[USL Pro Division, not NASL. Rochester might be upset about that.]]
• Philly CBs playing over the top balls really well, which is Rochester's main source of attack.
• Called it. Adu off a header. 2-0. Would like to see one Rochester goal :{ /
• I realize how dumb this sounds and that he has a goal and assist but I thought Adu had been relatively quite. Mostly wing play. [[He inserted himself over time but it really was the service that killed Rochester.]]
• Rochester is a lot of fun to watch. Everyone doing something to help the offense. Unfortunately the defense is full of vegetables. [[I googled "vegetables playing soccer." Nada. Pretty disappointed in the internet.]]
• Philly AO starts "We all laugh at the yellow submarine." Creative. [[Sons of Ben, not Philly AO. My mistake.]]
• **** you. now being chanted. #totalphillymove
• Earls gets a yellow for studs up. No replay but Earls was pretty adamant about no foul. Adu grabs his arm and scolds him. [[Asked a fan later if the yellow was really that bad. He smirked, rolled his eyes and said no. Philly player definitely sold it.]]
• Knopy lucky deflection goal was offside (which was questionable). Looks super nervous and is even more lucky Rochester attack is stalling. [[The player yelled at the linesman but the linesman looked confident and pointed at the line which he crossed. Looked on to me but I was watching at a 90 degree angle.]]
• US youngsters Okugo and Williams doing well in the back. [[I thought Okugo was more of a CDM but I suppose against a smaller team they could afford to put him at CB. Williams was honestly a brick wall the entire game. Rochester could not beat him.]]
• Philly fan after Rochester "hand ball", "Are we getting every call?"
• Undercover Rhino in the PhillyAO section. Honestly just wanted a reason to yell.
• Well the drums have split sides and are trying to match the beat. "THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPEED OF LIGHT AND THE SPEED OF SOUND!"
• Stopped tweeting because of the weather, low battery, and I ended up in the Sons of Ben section. I'll blog it duh.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The last three tweets need some context. At halftime, which Philadelphia had completely control of the game, I walked to the other side of the stadium to watch Rochester attack. I found their attack more creative than Philly. Certainty not better, but more creative and fun to watch. There was the speedy Bank on the RW; Earls (Rochester's best player) on the left; McManus, who had taken out by Knoppy earlier and was looking about 80% (Knoppy's cleats in his calf?); And a few other players that knew enough about soccer to expose a relatively weak back line. Philly's attack was mainly centered around out jumping Rochester on solid services, which, again, is a very effective form of scoring, just not entertaining to watch in my opinion.

(Just a smige on the USLPD, like I tweeted above, the biggest difference between the USLPD/NASL seems to be size and fitness. A lot of the Rochester players had the skill and/or the mind to play in the MLS. Several players chastised each other for making poor plays when they were in the right position to receive a pass. Mainly McManus and #8. Rochester couldn't win anything in the air and they really weren't that much smaller than Philadelphia. Philly knew how to use their size and could explode not only up for a header but also laterally with sprints. Rochester looked pretty ragged as the game wore on but Philadelphia kept pressing. And, like the Daily said on their video, a lot of the USLPD/NASL teams have former MLS players on their teams. Although I think the USLPD is just a "third" tier in formality. I can't imagine there is a big enough gap to slot another division between the USLPD and the MLS. Not that big of a drop off.)


The Sons of Ben, Union's largest supporter group, were sitting behind Rochester's goal in the first half but about 80% wished to continue to sit behind the German keeper. So as I walked to where the Sons of Ben were, most of them walked to where I was. About thirty SOBs stayed in their original section and called everyone in the five sections to sit close. I thought it'd be rude to not sit with them plus it was a perfect opportunity to yell and make snide remarks.

The decision to sit with the few SOBs was probably my best decision of the trip. (Also got a delicious Domino's pizza that day.) The rain picked up for ten minutes but learning the chants definitely took my mind off being cold and wet. Half the chants were made up on the spot while the other half were returning ones, all of which were easy enough to pick up on the second or third time through. My favorite one was probably, "Oh Philly yooou, you got what I neee-eeeed. We'll love you to the end *clap clap* Defend the river and Oh Philly yooo-ooo-oou..." Not that you know the tune but it was awesome.

Top highlight from sitting in the section was everyone cheering Knoppy for drying his gloves. 30 people yelling "Yeah! Dry your gloves! Wooo!" He proceeded to "wash" his chest with the towel and everyone with crazy. At the end of the game, the ref blew his whistle and Knoppy turned around, fist clenched and let out a roar. The fans, and I, loved the real passion. A MLS player interested in the Open Cup? Huh.

I stayed around to 1.) Watch the players and 2.) Try to get a ride. I got even closer to Adu than before, three feet, who was joking with the fans and signing autographs. McLaughlin signed a lot too. And by a lot I mean all 12 of the people asking for them. I was getting my Mc's mixed up and thought he was Jack McInerney, who has gone through the US youth teams. McLaughlin is a homegrown player but hasn't been called in to any camps, I don't think. I honestly can't find too much on the youngster. A winger with speed and willingness to use it. Chandler Hoffman also came in the 90th minute, who got some buzz at the combine. I don't think he touched the ball.

Oh, a rather large man (XXL?) asked Adu, "Hey Adu! How about your jersey! I think it would look great on me!" Adu laughed as everyone did.

Such a great experience. You know a team has an awesome fan base when they subtly convince you to root for their team.

I got a ride back to the hotel from a very nice man. We listened to some modern punk rock, NOFX and Five Iron Frenzy. It really took me back. Music was meant to be fun.

USA v. Brazil on Wednesday then somehow getting up to Toronto. Will probably need to buy a hoodie to compliment my t-shirt luggage. High of mid-60s.

SSTAS - Day 3 (continued)

Random photos

I ended up walking around 15 miles on Monday. I started to complain about how bad my feet hurt (they did hurt, out of fairness) then I remembered it was Memorial Day and that my grandfather got his legs amputated due to injuries he sustained in WWII.

I feel like I sure reiterate I walked through a stream to get to the practice. Got about knee high at one point

Anyway, here are my tweets from the day at the practice. YouTube videos and all. [[Post-tweet commentary in brackets.]]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

-    In the longest line of my life to see the USMNT practice. Maryland loves its soccer.
[[2500 in attendance]]
-    Some of the people in line are looking to practice with the team, by the way they're dressed.
-    Close to 1000 people, surely. Didn't only 100 come out to Orlando? [[Orlando was a special secession, not open to the public. Jacksonville had around 1000 at its training.]]
-    Mother behind me to two children, "We have to be patient. It's a good lesson to learn." Dad nods silently.
-    Looks like some light fitness and finishing.

-    Bradley did this too but I love that Klinsmann plays with the players. He's suited up again. No shin guards though.
-    Across the field there is special standing area but the joke is on them as they're staring into the sun. [[They had the last laugh as they all got a ton of autographs from the players.]]
-    About 1.5 people entering per second. Gates opened around seventeen minutes ago... 1500ish?
-    One man yells U-S-A. No one joins.
-    "Why is Goodson carrying a water cooler when he played on his field??" [[More quotes from this guy later...]]
-    Mostly younger players carrying in equipment but Wondo also helping out.
-    Long "Gooch" cheer. Onyewu gives hang loose sign.
-    "HEY BRADLEY! THAT GOAL WAS AWESOME!!"
-    Man yells "CLARENCE SAY SOMETHING" after fellow Maryland alumni is interviewed but I don't think anyone understood him and were just scared. [[Edu aforementioned alum]]
-    Pretty impressive that Boyd is standing our during a warmup. Not cutting any corners. Always wanting to be better. [[out*]]
-    1500 people watching grown men jump over yellow gates.
-    Three goalies + goalie coach (name?) playing 3-on-1, five yards apart. Not shabby! [[Chris Woods. Got his autograph! Nice guy. 43 caps for England. Been working with the USMNT since last fall. Also Everton's goalkeeper coach. Seems to really enjoy what he's doing.]]
-    Guzan not a great defender but a workhorse all the same. Howard yet to be in middle. All four are smiling, enjoying the training.
-    Guzan pumps fists again on winning the ball back. Howard usually the only one playing in one touch.
-    I prefer watching goalies but the drills the field players are doing are so bizarre and fascinating.
-    Weight pulling sprints. Altidore blowing the competition away but Boyd, Wondo, and Gomez really pushing.
-    One touch passing and everyone has their style. Gomez and Dolo with fair. Castillo and Donovan being quick, efficient.
-    Close to 35 soccer balls out there. I shared seven with the HS girls this past year.
-    9 v. 9 with 2 all-time off's. Square field with two goals per team (four total).

-    Tight field but literally everyone looking good. Quick play, mostly one touch. Defenders hug edges for space but still not a lot of time.

-    Uni. Maryland coach interviewed. How he developed a winning tradition, "Starts with having respect for the game of soccer and its demands."
-    Great thing about the drill is you ant just boot it. Gotta play your way out.

-    Okay Cameron not looking great.
-    Corona with ball outside, calls for Dempsey to step, he doesn't, ball intercepted.
-    Klinsmann has a great yelling voice.
-    Goodson yells at Corona for a switch. Corona not confident (by the look of it) lays it off to Johnson who is. [[Who is confident enough to play it, to clarify.]]
-    Boy wearing an Angels hat yells at Rimando and points at his RSL jersey.
-    Last tweet solely for idiosyncrasy.
-    Two men behind me claim Howard was released by Everton, Keller plays for LA or Chivas, and "Fred-el" plays somewhere in Germany. [[Ugh]]
-    Rimando not expecting shot, Gomez rockets one high but in. Howard with a world class reflex save earlier. [[A crossing header from eight yards out. Awesome save.]]
-    Guy defends yelling "choke" after easy miss by Boyd claiming it's America. [[Yeah same guy.]]
-    Gomez tries to shoulder Johnson but Johnson holds ground, Gomez ends up on his stomach. Same guy yells "Clarence! That's a Maryland player!"
-    Guzan and Dolo goofing around. Both seem to have a good sense of humor.
-    Practice is over but Boyd still taking shots from Gomez service.
[[Here's a video of Altidore shooting. Battery was running super low at this point.]]

-    Goodson, soft spoken, tells parents over loud speakers, "Where are y'all? I'll see you later!"
-    Not sure if he said y'all, maybe you or you guys. He is from Maryland. Border state.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

End of the tweets. The players were kind enough to sign autographs for the poor folk. Gosh, Klinsmann must have given out around 500 all-in-all. I didn't know how to address him when he came by. I think I just said "Coach." :{ /

Kyle Beckerman signed a couple by us. The second one is his.

Got close to Dempsey, Edu, and Goodson but no dice.

I waited around a bit longer to get Chris Woods autograph. Anyone that's going to help the USMNT goalies out is gold in my book. His isn't pictured but he scribbled "Best wishes". I thought it was very English of him. Our short exchange. (Pretty rookie of me but was on the spot.)

- "What's it like living the dream?" (Oh my...)
- *chuckled* "It's a different sort of class."
- "How long have you been doing this?"
- *paused* "August? September?" [[not positive on what specific month he said. Somewhere around these fall months. He may have said October.]]
- "You like it?"

Don't remember his answer but it was positive. Maybe next time I'll think of some legitimate questions to ask instead of winging it.

I scored two more autographs, also not pictured. One was assistant coach Martin Vasquez (who drew a squiggly line under "USA") and another was U-17 player Jorge Miranda. I only spotted him because he was wearing a warmup jersey and had a warm conversation with Coach Vasquez one-on-one. I walked up to Jorge, who was surrounded by family and friends but no one asking for an autograph, and surprised him by asking for his signature. He graciously gave it to me. I started walking away and he ran after me.

"Hey! What's your name!"
"Will."
"I'm Jorge. I play for the U-17s. Are you from around the area?"
"Oh I'm actually from Dallas. Just doing some traveling."
"Cool. Well follow me on Twitter. Just mention me!"

Or it was something like that. A very nice young gentlemen. Odd to think I had seven years on him but he's ten times the player I am. Hope his soccerings go well.

I think I found him but not positive...

Walked six miles to the train station. About 250 cars passed on a grizzly-looking man asking for a ride. Huh.

I'll leave you with some random photos:






1. Testudo - University of Maryland's biggest Texas Rangers fan.
2. A cool bug.
3. Segways
4. Lady doing a hilarious Washington Monument pose.
5. WWII monument.

SSTAS - Day 2, 3

Day two was pretty uneventful. Just woke up, went to the rail station, dodged a hurricane, and sat for fourteen hours. The guy next to me watching Stephen King's It, a Spanish bootleg of Battleship, and Friday. All were equally terrifying.

Left Jacksonville at 5pm on the 27th. Arrived in DC at 7am on the 28th. Wolf.

After wandering around for a bit, I decided to check off some sightseeing. Saw the Washington Monument and the WWII monument. It wasn't until I stepped off the trail that I figured out it was Memorial Day, most likely because the cabin was kept at a chill 60 degrees and I was still defrosting.

I took the Metro up to College Park. Well, around the area of College Park. The place they dropped us off was about five miles way from the field and since it was a holiday the bus option was not. So I just decided to walk it instead of dealing with a cab.

After the hour trek, which involved me naively believing a shortcut through brush and a river was a good idea, my soaked shoes and I arrived at the University of Maryland's Biology building where they graciously left a door open for me to squeeze through.

And here I am. Jorts still soaked from the river with shoes drying by the door. I'm trying to type as quietly as I can so Mr. Biologyman doesn't kick me out. Although I am about to leave to see the team practice anyway.

Needless to say, I put the most effort to get to this practice out of anyone in the world.

Looking at Chester, PA tomorrow for the US Open Cup game. (What is hygiene?)

SSTAS - Day 1

(I'm working on the Scotland recap but wanted to get this up first. Enjoy the awful videos!)

Great acronym, huh? Soccer, Subjectively tours American Soccer, indeed!

Drove to Jacksonville to watch the USMNT host Scotland. We found a rather nice homeless-looking guy for $5 parking and that was good enough for us. The traffic was pretty bad, which I suppose if I had to pick between genuine interest in American soccer or no traffic, I'd take the former.

44,000 fans filled the teal Jacksonville Jaguars seats. We were on the northwest end where Howard and Guzan warmed up. Across the field were the American Outlaws in full force, underneath a "JAGUARS DON'T SMOKE" sign. (Wish I could find a picture but you'll just have to take my word on it.)

Before the game I saw Philadelphia was struggling with Toronto. Afterwords I saw that they lost and my hopes for seeing an upset by Rochester only rose even more. It's still a long shot, I know, but I'll support any Rhino-franchise over Philadelphia any day.

Some various comments I heard from the crowd

"Beckerman's hair looking extra nappy today…"

"WHERE'S WALDO???"

"BIKE IT!" - Lady yells before Jones heads it into the goal. (I felt somewhat bad for this particular lady who had continued to yell poor advice to the players throughout the entire match. Not bad for her, just bad for the female population as she was furthering a stereotype that girls don't know anything about sports. I guess that fact that she knew what a bike was was impressive in itself, though.)

The players were greeted with a thunderous applause, one that was only topped by Howard's entrance. There were multiple warmups going on and I was struggling on which one to watch. Howard and Guzan were putting on a nice clinic, both looked very sharp. Then there was Wondo, Onyewu, Gomez, Corona, and Torres collectively juggling a ball. Then they switched to one-touch keep away. On the far side of the field was two team possession. All three drills were fast paced but still creative. Most of all the players looked to be enjoying themselves.

The last drill was a layoff pass atop the 18. Boyd, Torres, and Donovan slotted several past Guzan. Bradley, coincidentally, was not hitting them very clean. Guzan looked hopeless on several of the shots. I wouldn't have guessed five goals from the team though.

Klinsmann was interviewed before the game and he walked us through the roster. Nothing of note except when he said "…and we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Tim Howard." One of the loudest cheers I've heard.

Still in warmups, the American Outlaws, who were fantastic for the game, started a nice U-S-A chant right behind Scotland's goal. Scotland's fan embassy started, from the sound of it, "Oh when the Scots go marching in."

The starting lineups walked out soon after. I felt bad for players like Fabian Johnson who got meekish cheers but might be our best LB option for Brazil 2014. Even veteran players, like Bocanegra and Cherundolo, got half the cheers that Howard and Donovan received.


The game started sharp and aggressive. Edu was taken down by Scott Brown within three minutes. Edu swung his leg at Brown and luckily missed Brown and a likely yellow card. Brown received physical play for the rest of the match, specifically by Bocanegra (who practically form tackled Brown) and Jones (who, by the looks of it, intentionally tripped Brown on a counter).

Boyd checked to the ball multiple times and, if my memory serves me correctly, looked jittery but still had a better early showing than Agudelo. But if it was it was not by much.

America looked sloppy at the start but a loose ball fell to Donovan's feet for a second time in a play and he roofed another shot that reminded me of the Slovenia goal, one of my all-time favorite US goals. Bradley's goal reminded me of his last minute miss against Paraguay, oddly enough.

In the first ten minutes the fans were plagued with the expectation of a drubbing. Scotland retaliated with a penetrating counter that was marred with an owl goal. While I don't think the cross would have found the back of the net on its intended route, that shouldn't underplay it was still a dangerous string of passes.

The low point of the night was easily when the crowd started the wave. All but the American Outlaws and Scottish core participated for about three revolutions. Nothing more embarrassing than doing the wave although I did use the brief opportunity to stand up instead of cowardly sit down. Forty-five minutes of standing is not bad; I don't understand the reluctance to stand up and watch a game.

I suppose Klinsmann isn't truly treating these five games like a tournament as he used six substitutes. Although you won't find me complaining about it. I love goalie substitutions.

Second half started with an even higher line of defense from America. Torres was the victim of an early tackle and by-passed the helping hand to get up. Instead he scolded the player. I was really impressed by the US's tenacity throughout the night. Not only did they play physical from the first to last minute, they protected their own players, much like the big men in hockey fight for the smaller (more fragile) players.

Scotland tried to posses the ball more in the second half but this only suffocated their quick counter-based attack.

At one point a man announced over the stadium's speakers, "Fans, you are making history tonight by being the largest crowd ever…" *fans roar and do not hear second part* "…to see a US soccer game in the southeastern United States."

The last ten minutes were pretty quiet and the game ended in a "Was it really five to one? Wow."



About six of Scotland's players went over to the 100-150 Scottish crowd and showed their appreciation to them. Multiple US players, mostly subs, oddly enough, went to the American Outlaws and clapped to them. Some even walked to the other side of the field, where I was.


We journeyed back to our homeless man-parked car and helped a lost man figure out he was on the opposite side of the stadium he needed to be on to find his parked car.

Found a place to sleep and topped it off with a delicious American cheeseburger.

Two men were at the hotel desk when we checked in. One had a sweet repeating pattern Scooby Doo tie. I said,
"I like your tie but I had to stare at it for a minute to figure out what it was."
The other man interjected, "Yeah he stares at it a lot too."
The second man, to one up his friend, just yelled "BLEEEEH"

Here's a random corner kick I filmed that resulted in nothing:

USA vs Scotland: Recap, Player Ratings, and Stats

New here and all the jargon a bit overwhelming? Been coming back for some time and the jargon is still overwhelming? Then check out the stat definitions to (hopefully) get a better grasp on things.

The gentlemen put on a shooting clinic against Scotland this past Saturday to start off the unofficial tournament on a pungent note. The gentlemen found the back of the net mostly off well placed crosses and overpowering Scotland's back line. Donovan recorded his third hat trick but it was Jermaine Jones who stood out to me. He continually inserted himself in every play and apparently had turned on a Madden Card or something so he would never run out of stamina. Klinsmann sported a 4-3-3 but it was more of a 4-do-whatever-you-guys-see-fit. The top six all swapped positions at some point. The wingers came into the middle, which opened lanes for the outside backs, and the "midfield" was more of a three CDM set where one or two would press forward with the attacking outside back and three forwards.

Scotland had no apparent answer to America's attack as they were exposed for the entire game. Scotland had a feisty counter attack but went to more of a possessive game that showed no results in the second half.

Most of the defense were only tested with over the top balls that, except for the own goal, they handled well. That's why their numbers are so low with little to comment on.

(Want more behind the scenes stuff? Check out SSTAS Day 1 and figure out what could ever make that acronym.)

Player Ratings

+8 - Jones - (13...10.5/2.5...90') - I was personally more impressed with Jones than Donovan. He's really connecting the back four to the guys up top in a counter attack. And he can run forever.

+8 - Donovan - (12...10/2...90') - There were spells where he was MIA for a bit. That happens on the wing though. Showed a willingness to track back, especially against such a wide Scotland. More importantly his performance after bluntly saying he had lost his fire


+7 - Bradley - (11…9/2…90') - What a goal. Controlled the middle of the middle as well as Jones did. I imagine all the Bradley haters two years ago and chuckle to myself.

 +5 - Cherundolo - (8…6.5/1.5…90') - The entire back four weren't tested that much. Cherundolo being Mr. Reliable as always. May not find the same luxury against Neymar.

+4.5 - Johnson - (7.5…6/1.5…73') - Future of the LB hopeful did well. Not tested a lot either.

+3 - Cameron - (8…5.5/2.5…90') - The only problem I have on the own goal is that Cameron is just aimlessly running back. He's expecting a shot, not another pass, which is why it bounces off of him.

+3 - Bocanegra - (6…4.5/1.5…63') - Low action but I can't remember the last time Bocanegra was subbed out for the USMNT...

+3 - Howard - (4…3.5/0.5…71') - Good punch.

+2.1 - Gomez - (2.5…2.3/0.2…27') - I love the pace he plays with and the pass to Donovan to set up Jones' goal was improv at its best.

+2 - Boyd - (7…4.5/2.5…63') - Looked to shoot and a lot of them grazed the general area of the goal. Promising.

+1.5 - Torres - (7.5…4.5/3…68') - Didn't look comfortable on the outside but the CM field is kind of full at the moment. I do like him on free kicks though.

+1.4 - Onyewu - (2…1.7/0.3…27') - Did well.

+1.4 - Beckerman - (2…1.7/0.3…27') - Also did well.

+1 - Corona - (2…1.5/0.5…22') - Ran around.

+0.5 - Guzan - (0.5…0.5/0…19') - Huge biceps.

+0 - Edu - (6…3/3…63') - His strength is in his defense and that was average while he dropped easy passes along the way.

+0 - Castillo - (1…0.5/0.5…17') - Not crazy about him. A very skiddish player.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

(working on the rest...)

I took USA's and Scotland's FIFA 12 ratings and averaged out the team's over ratings. So it looked something like this:

(player rating1 * minutes played) + …. + (player ratingX * minutes played)
Then divide the sum by (90 * 11), the total number of minutes played by everyone.

It's the same formula to figure out your GPA, for all you future scholars out there. Player = Course, Minutes = Credit

(paste spreadsheet)

USA - 72.96
Scotland - 71.54
(+1.42)

Typically for every two points a team has over another they can expect a positive goal differential. So USA was looking at a +.71 goal differential, according to FIFA 12. With home field advantage we could probably throw another full point on the raw differential. So +1.42 becomes +2.42, which leads to a +1.21 goal differential in a match up.

Soccer Subjectively tours American Soccer - Summer 2012

This summer I'll be traveling the luxurious East Coast for two weeks. I'll journey from Jacksonville, FL to Toronto and then back down to Tampa. The plan is to attend four USMNT games and hopefully catch a couple of other surprises.

Tentative Schedule

USL Professional Division :: US Open Cup :: USMNT Training Session

International Friendly :: World Cup Qualifier

May 26th - USMNT vs. Scotland - Jacksonville, FL

May 28th - USMNT training session - College Park, University of Maryland

May 29th - Rochester Rhinos at Philadelphia Union - Chester, PA

May 30th - USMNT vs. Brazil - Washington DC

May 31st - Charleston Battery at Pittsburgh Riverhounds - Pittsburgh, PA

June 2nd - USMNT training session?

June 3rd - USMNT at Canada - Toronto, Canada

June 5th - US Open - 4th Round?

June 7th - USMNT training session?

June 8th - USMNT vs. Antigua and Barbuda - Tampa, FL

A lot of things up there. The gist:
- Three USMNT friendlies + their first WC Qualifier

- Before each USMNT game they sometimes have an open training session to the public

- The US Open Cup is going on right now. (You can view the US Open Cup bracket here.)

- Despite no promotion/relegation, there is still a pyramid of leagues in America

The third tier is the USL Pro Division, which houses the Rochester Rhinos, Charleston Battery, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Rochester Rhinos defeated the Brooklyn Italians 3-0 in the second round of the US Open Cup. Unfortunately the two clubs with the coolest names ever could not both advance to face Philadelphia in the third round. I saw the Philadelphia Union tie FC Dallas 1-1 in Frisco and am positive there's a chance for an upset as the Union are not very good. The Union were missing MacMath and Adu but I'm hopeful Philadelphia will continue it's city's poor sports history.

The Charleston Battery are another formidable force in the USL Pro. They sit third in the league, behind Rochester (standings here). Both Charleston and Rochester advanced in the Cup last year. Rochester fell to the Chicago Fire 1-0 in the third round and Charleston lost to Orlando City SC, currently in first place in the USLPD, in the second round.

I might get lucky and sneak into some other games but who knows with traveling. Either way I'll try to write often but I think we all know how blogs go.

Reviewing Klinsmann - Top Ten Missed Players for Summer 2012

Klinsmann is getting closer to finalizing his tournament-style roster. Trying not to bore you to death, I'll skip the details and give you the lump summary: this is a great roster that's geared towards a 4-2-3-1 by the looks of it. The fact that we have complaints about who wasn't called up and still are glad with the 27 men called in is a great sign. But because we love drama, we might as well talk about who didn't get called in. These are ten men who weren't called in that the public were crying for. Not strictly my option but as we know nothing is completely bias-free.

Furious Omissions

Players not on the roster that people are most upset about. I think.

1. Timmy Chandler - 1. FC Nuremberg - Germany.1

Why he didn't make it: drama drama drama
What his future holds: Did I mention there was a lot of drama? Well optimistically he'd fall nicely into a position that's wide open for the taking. Germany has apparently made it clear they have no plans for him (couldn't find a link but I'll trust the reports) and Chandler has shown his support in the past (here, here, and here). So as level-headed as I can be I'll meekly say he'll be ready to go come World Cup, barring injury or lack of fitness.

2. Eric Lichaj - Aston Villa - England.1

Why he was left out: I wouldn't have put Lichaj this high if the outside back wasn't so thin. Cherundolo is elderly (33), Fabian Johnson may end up in the midfield (although unlikely), Chandler's out, mixed-reviews on Castillo (although a lot of positives are out there), and Morales is young (still at zero caps). On top of all of that, nothing really conclusive has been released on why Lichaj was left out. Rumor has it he's trying to take some time off to stay in-form for Aston Villa. He ended on a very strong note with a lackluster Aston Villa after he overcame knee (?) injuries in the season. He got involved in the attack several times (picking up goals and assists in the short span) and defensive was sound albeit not great.
What his future holds: He'll turn 24 in November so it's not like he missed his only shot. At the end of 2004, centuryman Bocanegra was 25 and had only 10 caps to his name. (Lichaj is sitting at eight at the moment.) I would really be surprised if he missed the World Cup because he's like a better Spector (just in my opinion, Internet!). A transfer may be in the cards as well but everything is speculation at this point.

(Edit: Klinsmann recently spoke on multiple players' absence from the 27 called in, specifically Lichaj. "[Playing time] came in too late for him, but it’s good that he broke in [at Aston Villa]. If you look at certain positions, who are they kind of front-runners. Look at the central midfielder position. Michael Bradley, a Jermaine Jones, a Maurice Edu, a Kyle Beckerman." Ives didn't do a great job of providing context but I think he's saying Lichaj should have had more playing time. Not positive. Either way I'll give Klinsmann the benefit of the doubt here.)

3. Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht - Belgium.1

Why he was left out: I never heard anything following this leak of a pretty weak quote on Klinsmann slashing the Belgium league, "I only look at the top leagues, and Belgium isn't one of them." Regardless, Kljestan is victim of some odd combination. Poor history with the USMNT but recent success, especially the trophy part, will leave you with mixed reviews. So needless to say a lot of people are upset on the omission but an equally lot are not surprised. It most likely came down to tough competition for the primarily center defensive mid. Beckerman, Bradley, Edu, Jones, and Williams... Could Klinsmann left one off for Kljestan? Ehh. Very debatable.
What his future holds: At 26, he's nearing his peak of play. Bradley seemed to show promise in Kljestan and Klinsmann played him against Italy sooo... who knows. Things could definitely fall his way or he could be the biggest snub come 2014.

Annoyed Omissions

Players not on the roster that no one is really going berserk over but enough comments to make some waves. As much waves as a random tweetist could.

4. Brek Shea - FC Dallas - MLS

Why he was left out: Kind of being a punk lately, and his form, if FC Dallas' standings weren't enough to verify this, has dropped. I said a year and a half ago his service looked spotty and I still stand by it. The Olympics saw the same energetic Shea making solid runs only to squander service into traffic.
What his future holds: Klinsmann still likes him, “We have watched Brek during the last few months, and given his performances and some of the other issues we felt he should be on the standby list. He’s still a young player with a lot of talent, and also a lot to learn.” Still 22, he has plenty of time to craft his skill

5. Freddy Adu - Philadelphia Union - MLS

Why he was left out: Unfortunately he's lumped in with Shea on recent suspensions despite them being wildly different. Seems a little too optimistic when he plays but then again he's one of the few American CAMs that is creatively optimistic when he plays. Probably needs to get more of a solid footing in Philadelphia before he challenges Brazil and other nations though.
What his future holds: I think he'll fair well in the MLS. The defenses don't really seem to have an answer for him at this rate and he wants to be better by the looks of it. Internationally, ehhh... a cloudy future. I don't expect him to live up to the once absurd hype but I would be shocked if he didn't reach 30 caps.

6. Benny Feilhaber - New England Revolution - MLS

Why he was left out: Well the Revolution are pretty bad but Feilhaber is a 74 on FIFA 12 for a reason. The Brazilian really shows a vision and command on the field that is a nice trait to have at the international level. But again, the midfield position is pretty stacked for the US.
What his future holds: Personally, after Lichaj, Feilhaber was my most disappointed omission. He performed well against Venezuela and clearly really appreciated his time on the field with a real furor for the goalmouth. His time may be running out with the US but even Wondo and Beasley have been given second chances so nothing is final.

7. Tim Ream - Bolton Wanderers - England.1 England.2

Why he was left out: Klinsmann wanted to give him some rest, apparently. Ream got swept up in a whirlwind to Bolton to the point where he even missed his honeymoon. Guzan passed on last year's Gold Cup for his wedding so personal lives do exist for these players, thank goodness. Still, the CB call ups are pretty nice and his play was up-and-down for Bolton this season.
What his future holds: Ream and Klinsmann stay in touch and I'm confident that Klinsmann is confident in Ream. The Championship will help Ream's play as the league is still very fast and physical.

"Aw Man" Omissions

Players that are fan favorites but they're not there for a reason.

8. Mix Diskerud - Gent - Belgium.1

Why he was left out: Unsatisfactory Olympic play, in short.
What his future holds: Still bright as his blue eyes.

9. DaMarcus Beasley - Puebla - Mexico.1

Why he was left out: The comment "A lot of scorers and wing players already on the roster that would likely start over Beasley," would probably come up but there's Dempsey, Donovan... Zusi? Corona? Not buying it but here we are.
What his future holds: The century cap mark may be tougher than we thought...

10. A different MLS keeper

Why they were left out: Well the current three are obviously better.
What the future holds: A lot of young talent, even outside of Hamid and Johnson. Ryan Meara, my personal favorite despite playing for New York, has shown a lot of promise as well as a growing Zac MacMath. Tally Hall not too shabby as well.

Depth Chart

A bigger picture, with some personal input, on where we stand with the callups. (If you were to ever make fun of me this would be the way to do it.) I'll put a number next to each category on how many we can expect to see on the final 23.  

Bold means the player made the 27. 

Strikethrough means they were mentioned above. 

Italics means they were not mentioned but I wouldn't be terribly upset if they somehow ended up in the World Cup.

Notes for players I thought deserved them. Some of them are doubled (*) up on multiple categories because we just don't know!

 Goalies (3)
Tim Howard
Brad Guzan
Nick Rimando
Ryan Meara
About a dozen other keepers

Outside Backs (3-4)
Steve Cherundolo
Timmy Chandler 
Eric Lichaj
Michael Parkhurst*
Fabian Johnson*
Edgar Castillo
Jonathan Spector (2)
Alfredo Morales (6)
Zach Loyd
Heath Pearce

Center Backs (4-5)
Carlos Bocanegra
Oguchi Onyewu
Michael Parkhurst*
Geoff Cameron
Zak Whitbread (1) 
Clarence Goodson
Tim Ream
Omar Gonzalez (2)
AJ DeLaGarza
Chad Marshall
Perry Kitchen (3)
Michael Orozco Fiscal
George John

CDM  (3-4)
Michael Bradley*
Jermaine Jones
Kyle Beckerman
Sacha Kljestan
Danny Williams*
Maurice Edu
Jeff Larentowicz
Ricardo Clark

Center Mids (2-4)
Stuart Holden (2) 
Jose Torres
Michael Bradley*
Benny Feilhaber
Joe Corona (6)
Freddy Adu
Mix Diskerud
Dilly Duka (2)
Brad Evans
Alejandro Bedoya
Dax McCarty

Wingers (3-5)
Clint Dempsey*
Landon Donovan
DaMarcus Beasley
Fabian Johnson*
Graham Zusi
Danny Williams*
Brek Shea
Robbie Rogers (2)
Joe Gyau (3)
Josh Gatt (3)

Strikers (3-4)
Clint Dempsey*
Jozy Altidore
Chris Wondolowski
Herculez Gomez
Terrence Boyd (6)
Juan Agudelo
Evgeni Starikov (4)
Edson Buddle
CJ Sapong
Kenny Cooper (5)

(1) - The quiet ex-Norwich center back is looking for a new home but can't stay healthy for five seconds. Wouldn't be a bad addition.
(2) - Walking wounded honorable mentions. Rogers/Spector still not match fit, I suspect. Holden and Gonzalez out for a whiiiile. The Crew seem to not be rushing Duka back to the field. Probably a safe bet.
(3) - Young guns sections. I could see any of these guys on par with Corona, Agudelo as far as respective skill goes. Gyau not getting a lot of buzz but he's got a strong future with the senior circuit.
(4) - Gone MIA. Last time I checked he was good :{ /
(5) - Go MLS.
(6) - Rumors flying that these dual-nationalists were called in to convince them to play for America. Not sure if I really buy into it as all have shown strong interest already. (Morales and Boyd hold German citizenship while Corona holds Mexican.)

And lastly, here's an interesting and hopeful piece from the MLS on who should be on Klinsmann's radar.

Get to Know Your... Player Ratings

The 1-10 player rating scale in review for a soccer game isn't adequate enough. You don't know how often the player was involved in the game. Then there are problems with rating a player who played one minute flawlessly versus another player who played 90 uninspired minutes. Arguably its largest flaw is that it's incredibly unoriginal and boooring.

A better idea would be a +/- scoreline, similar to the one found in hockey. Then the simple reader will know how much each player contributed. You would be able to see how productive he was but also how he hurt the team. A really great performance would be around +4 while a Bornstein-in-the-Gold-Cup performance would be around a -4 or less.

Sooo how do I do this?

Great quest! Basically all you need is to come up with two numbers for every player. We'll keep the 1-10 rating but we also need an involvement rating for every player (keep reading!). You can use this platform if you'd like. It should open in Microsoft Excel and look something like this:

First you have to divvy up involvement points to the players. Let's imagine a big pie of involvement points. (Deliciously mathematic, I know.) Now slice that pie to all the deserving players. Well obviously some players are going to get bigger slices than others.
 

Imagine the pie has 100 points for all the players. To know how much each player gets, an expected involvement points can be found from adding up all the minutes they played then dividing it by ten. For example, a player with 70 minutes played should have around 7 involvement points. The expected points adds up to 99, 11 players playing 90 total minutes divided by 10 (11 * 90 / 10 = 99).

Next, tweak the expected points to the actual involvement points. If a player was really involved, add him some more points. If he wasn't, take some away. Just make sure it adds up to 100 for consistency's sake.

Then we'll bring the 1-10 player ratings back in. In the % column give each player a percent grade out of 100 (but then divide it by 100). Imagine this as a "How success were they?" percentage. Don't be afraid to be too exact. If you think they were slightly better than 70%, give then a 71 or 72! The more accurate the better.

Then you're done! You can sort by the +/- to see who really impacted the team.

The read out on the right is "x1 - First Last x2 (x3...x4/x5...x5)".

• X1 is a players' +/-. x4 minus x5. It gauges the positive/negative impact the player had on the game.
• (x3 - x4 = x1)
• "What?" Keep reading!
• X2 is the successful percentage.
• X3 is the involvement rating, a total percent of impact on game. The average full game player has around 9% (100% divided by 11 players). If a player is really involved for ninety minutes, he may end up closer to 13, in contrast to a player who did nothing good or bad with an involvement rating of 0.
• X4 is positive impact. It is a portion of the X3 and represents the player's positive impact on the game. A player that goes "14...14/0" did phenomenal while a scoreline of "9...5/4" would be around average.
• X5 is negative impact. It makes up the other half of X3 and is the negative influence the player had on the game. There isn't a set position that garners the most negative points although defenders will likely take a hit with giving up a costly goal.
• X6 is minutes played. Pretty simple!

Bob10's readout is "+6.4 - bob10 - 90% [8...7.2/0.8...70']". This means that bob10 had a great game. Not only was he successful 90% of the time but he exceeded his expected involvement points (7) with 8. Bob12 and Bob9 didn't have awful games but didn't break 0. They probably had some slip ups but nothing tragic.


Ta da!

Get to Know Your... Numbers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10! That's it! Basically.

Like we said in explaining the Subjective Point Graphs, there are three threats we track. (Tongue twister.)

• Threat of a ball played
• Threat of possession of the ball
• Threat of a shot

The more dangerous these are the higher points they get. Holding the ball at midfield? Not dangerous. Slotted pass across the goal mouth? Very dangerous.

Let's look at the USMNT in 2012

"Whoa! A lot of numbers! Tuning out..." Can't blame you. But if you're still awake here's the lowdown.

Easy as that math class you failed in high school! (I failed Algebra and Calculus so I can relate.)

Get to Know Your... Momentum Graphs

Hopefully we've understood the Subjective Point Graphs by this point. (Recap: points given to chances on goal. Boom. Caught up.)

Momentum Graphs track the progress of teams over the last seven minutes of the game. If the team did a lot in the last seven minutes, a lot of points. If not, low points. Just to confuse you even more:

Okay maybe information overload on that last picture but here's the end result:

Complexity made simple! USA started the second half with a band, fizzled, then from 75+ (to their goal in the 7th minute of stoppage time) the pressed Venezuela.

Get to Know Your... Subjective Point Graphs

The gist: I track points throughout the game then tally them up. The metaphorical sperm impregnates the egg and graphs are born.


More exhausting: Throughout the game, we give plays point values based on three threats. From least weighted to most...

• threat of a ball played 
• threat of a player with possession of the ball
• threat of the shot.

These are calculated up and are called called subjective points. Again, these points are completely subjective (duh) but in an attempt to explain a game to someone who didn't witness the match, you couldn't help but be subjective.

Why subjective points? The main goal is to explain what happened in the game. Through these points, we can tell who controlled the game, how well a team capitalized on their chances, and maybe what the score really should have been. Soccer statistics are misleading enough as it is. Seeing a team maintain possession or have a ridiculously high passing rate doesn't necessarily mean they controlled the game. And how many times have we heard "Well it was 2-0 but it should have been 1-1 because their goal was just a mistake on our end and we missed an easy chance,"? Subjective points are an attempt to combat these claims.


So what's a "Subjective Point Graph"? This:

Couldn't help but put one of America doing well.

The x-axis has the respective minute while the left is subjective points. The great thing about the points is that you don't really need a reference of what's good, like in most sports. A .300 batting average is great but what does 40 subjective points mean? Don't think of it as a milestone number. Think of it as a comparative number. Just by looking at the lines we can see that America created more chances than Venezuela.

(But if you just have to know, an average half has 60 combined subjective points. Whether it's 30-30, an even half, or 40-20, it usually totals to 60, which makes sense. If a team is attacking more than another, the lesser team is losing chances to score. Give and take.)

2012 NCAA Soccer Recruiting

Because TopDrawerSoccer.com won't do it, I compiled the 2012 NCAA Soccer Recruiting process into one similar of Rivals.com. A point for every star recruit a player is. (5 for 5, 4 for 4...) There were several players with no stars but seeing as there were less than 10 two-star recruits and 0 one-star recruits I just bumped them up to two-star recruits. I think the blanks were players simply unrated, not actual zero-star prospects.

The spreadsheet is sorted by the number of stars for incoming freshmen. The purple column on the right is half the number of total points from an early ranking I did last month. I was curious on how much of the prestige carried over to recruiting. Positive numbers means the school exceeded the prestige rating while a negative score means they were expected to get more recruits than they did. Connecticut, for example, had a -20 because they have no recruits on Top Drawer.

Looking back, I should probably weight 5 stars more than just 5 points... With this current set up, two three star recruits are more valuable than one 5 star recruit. I may tweak this in time.

Anyway, here's the list.

Various Points

I know Conneticut has a younger team than most but that doesn't mean they don't need to recruit at all. Currently Top Drawer has them with zero incoming freshmen but surely that's not the case.

UNC leads Wake Forest by two but Virginia, Maryland and UCLA are all close as well. Each one of the five schools have won a championship in the past ten years and five out of the past seven champions.

High Point and Portland bringing their A games.

Not a lot of recruits for Indiana, Akron, and others, but definitely a lot of quality in their few selections.

USMNT Hopefuls - May 2012

Not a lot of notes on these players as nothing has really changed in the past month...  But spreadsheets galore, so enjoy!






Lichaj ("lee-high", in case you were wondering) has been receiving a lot of playing time recently and Aston Villa is looking to avoid relegation, which is good news for American defenders. Hopefully Ream can follow suit...

MacMath and the Union have stepped it up defensively. I was hopeful he'd get his feet under him...

Chandler resigns while Wood battles injuries...

Rowe has quietly played 540 minutes in seven games this season...

Garza and Corona are finding more consistent playing time with Tijuana...

Ryan Meara is getting a lot of buzz with his performance this season but also being linked to the Irish U21s, which he ultimately did not train with...

Duka finally returned to the field. Still looking for his first 90' of the season...



Minor changes^^