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Watching the 2010 World Cup: Thoughts from Coach Ray Reid
Post #4 - 6.25.10 Subject - What a Match! What a Result!
What a match! What a result! The United States' last-minute 1-0 victory over Algeria has electrified the country. With the win, we earned the right to play in the round of sixteen and now we face Ghana tomorrow, Saturday, at 2:30 pm.
Landon Donovan's big-time goal was all the U.S. needed to advance. In a match that was a true nail-biter, the Americans determination and grit was the difference. Despite missing countless golden opportunities, and avoiding an early Algerian goal (barely!), the USA stayed focused on the task at hand and finally found the back of the net, winning their group for the first time since 1930.
The Ghanians will be a very difficult opponent; as they play with great pace, super technique, and creative flair. We will need to be mentally ready from the start and will have had to put the Algerian match in the "rearview mirror." Coincidentally, in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, Ghana eliminated us in our third group play game by a score of 2-1. Wouldn't it be sweet if we could return the favor and eliminate them...
America has been so into our team at this World Cup. The media has done a great job of covering our squad. ESPN has done a fantastic job of showcasing the event, the game and our team. With every win, it is not just a win for our team, but a step forward for American soccer at every level.
Put on your USA National Team jersey and watch the game tomorrow at 2:30PM on ABC. This promises to be another tough match, but the American side is resilient and I am confident we will rise to the occasion. For a complete World Cup television schedule, click on the following link: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/fixtures .
Enjoy the World Cup and go USA! Please check our website at www.RayReid.com for periodic thoughts on the World Cup.
Post #3 - 6.22.10 Subject - U.S. Controls Its Own Destiny in Critical Third Match on Wednesday
What an interesting World Cup it's been so far. The class of the tournament appears
to be the Brazilians, the Argentineans, and the Dutch. However, I still think
The American team has certainly kept us on the edge of our seats and the Slovenia
match was no different. As has become the norm, the USA side spotted the Slovenians
a 2-0 lead, which many thought would be insurmountable. However, those people underestimated the resilency of this U.S. team and the Americans battled back in the scond half to level the score at 2-2. Unfortunately, after the USA battled back to equalize, the referee then impacted the match with a phantom call that brought back the brilliant third goal created by Landon Donovan and Maurice Edu. The U.S. had orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks in American soccer history only to have it wiped away by bad officiating.
The American team now controls its our destiny. A win on Wednesday against the Algerians will qualify the U.S. side for the next round. If the U.S. gets the result it needs and advances to the knock-out phase, then this World Cup will be considered another step in the right direction for American soccer. However, if we fail to get the result and are eliminated in the group phase, there will be more to discuss than just Soccer and Rugby Imports 20% Savings Offer for RRSS Campers [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=dsp68wdab.0.0.idhm7ybab.0&ts=S0501&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rayreid.com%2FSoccerRugby.php&id=preview]the called-back third goal...
Wednesday's match vs. Algeria has to be one of the biggest in USA history. Four years of hard work, the difficulty of qualifying, the unprecedented media exposure in the United States and the opportunity to control their own destiny, all make this a must-win match for the U.S. side.
Hope you can watch Wednesday's match as a great way to learn more about the game is to watch the game. For a complete television schedule, click on the following link: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/fixtures [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=dsp68wdab.0.0.idhm7ybab.0&ts=S0501&p=http%3A%2F%2Fsoccernet.espn.go.com%2Fworld-cup%2Ffixtures&id=preview]
Enjoy the World Cup, go USA and let's hope we are discussing the USA's Round 16 opponent in my next piece! Please check our website at www.RayReid.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=dsp68wdab.0.0.idhm7ybab.0&ts=S0501&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rayreid.com%2F&id=preview] for periodic thoughts on the World Cup.
Post #2 – 6.14.10 Subject - Teams to Watch; U.S. Team Has Critical Game Against Slovenia on Friday
The World Cup is off to a smashing start. The first weekend of play featured a very strong German team, an outstanding Argentinean side and a very creative, young Ghanaian squad.
The United States team was resilient and picked up an important point against England. Starting the match and allowing a goal just four minutes in was not what Bob Bradley's team had hoped for. However, earning a tie did demonstrate the mental toughness and perseverance of our team.
Tim Howard was brilliant in goal and Clint Dempsey is quickly gaining a reputation as a big-time player. Michael Bradley more then held his own against Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, and Steve Cherundolo did a great job as our right back.
However, if the Americans are going to advance to the second round, U.S. Coach Bob Bradley must make improvements in our play. We did not possess the ball enough against England; and for us to be successful, we are going to have to "keep the ball" and dictate the tempo of the match more. Also, our team defense was not good enough and if not for Tim Howard, we may have lost the match. Our shape was, at times, not good defensively -- we will need to improve on this in our next match vs. Slovenia.
The Americans next face Slovenia on Friday, June 18th at 10:00AM on ESPN in a key second game in their group. Slovenia, which took three points from Algeria, sits atop of Group C and we need to knock them off to keep alive our hopes of advancing.
A great way to learn more about the game is to watch the game. For a complete television schedule, click on the following link: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/fixtures .
Please check our website at www.RayReid.com for periodic thoughts on the World Cup. Enjoy the World Cup and go USA!
Post #1 – 6.9.10 Subject - Key Players to Watch on U.S. Team
We’re looking forward to your joining us this summer at the Ray Reid Soccer School. School is almost over and summertime is always a great time of the year.
For those of us soccer fans, this summer promises to get off to an exciting start when the 2010 World Cup kicks off tomorrow, Friday. And, then on Saturday, the U.S. National Team begins its tournament Group C play with its game against England at 2:30pm EST (televised on ABC).
Coach Bob Bradley’s team will be interesting to watch. I think this version of our U.S. National Team will be a dangerous attacking side led by a couple of special players. The real question to our success will come in how we defend. The U.S. will be challenged offensively by all three of our group opponents and the level of our success will be depend on how we handle this pressure.
From my standpoint, key players to watch on the United States squad are Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore on the attack and Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra on defense. And, of course, the play of Tim Howard in the goal will be critical. As the form of these six players go, so will the USA. Take a good look when we play England, will we come out in a 4-4-2 (4 defenders, 4 attackers + 2 strikers) or a more defensive 4-5-1 (4 defenders, 5 midfielders and 1 striker)… These formations may also affect the psychology of how they play.
A great way to learn more about the game is to watch the game. With that in mind, I encourage you to tune in to Saturday’s game on ABC and others throughout the World Cup. For a complete television schedule, click on this http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/fixtures.
Please check our website at www.RayReid.com for periodic thoughts on the World Cup. Enjoy the World Cup and go USA!
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