Sunday, June 18,

Italy Puts Ball in Goal Three Times, Tied by US, 1-1

The Annotico Report

Italy Puts Ball in Goal Three Times, Tied by US, 1-1  ????

 

(1) Gilardino scores for Italy

(2) Zaccardo of Italy scores for US

(3) Italy  Puts Ball in Goal that was Clearly Mistakenly called "Offside"

 

Twenty-two (22) minutes into the match, Italy took the lead. US player, Mastroeni fouled Italian playmaker Francesco Totti, and Alberto Gilardino flung himself headlong at the resulting free kick to power the ball into the net. Score: Italy 1-0.

 

At the 27th minute, a mistake by Italian defender Cristian Zaccardo who in attempting to clear the ball, from a Bobby Convey free kick, had the ball ricochet off his shin and into the net. FOR THE US. Score: 1-1

 

Almost immediately, Italy puts Ball in Goal that was MISTAKENLY, according to Replays, nulled by an "Offside" call.

 

At the 28th minute, Italy's Daniele De Rossi was red-carded giving the Americans about 17 minutes of a man advantage in the first half. The Americans were playing Extremely Aggressively  (amassing almost 30 fouls to Italy's 7), caused Italian midfielder De Rossi to respond with an elbow to the face of American  Brian McBride.

In the 45th minute, a red card to USA player Pablo Mastroeni, evened the squads at 10 men apiece.

 

 In the 47th minute, a second yellow (meaning an automatic red) to Eddie Pope meant that the U.S. had to play nine against 10 for virtually a full half.

 

Although the U.S. questioned  both Red Cards, as did US TV commentators vociferously, strongly impugning the integrity of the Uruguayan Referee, replays showed that both were justified.

 

From thereon, I am still trying to determine WHY Italy was Not able score against a "short handed" USA for a Half!!!!

 

Was it Lack of Energy, Lack of Aggressiveness, Timidity, or Over Confidence on the Part of Italy? OR was it a USA team that was inspired by the "shame" of the Czech "blitzing", and their Coach's "blistering" criticism, but the USA was Speedier, more Energetic, and more Aggressive.

 

Even more Surprising, the USA  while shorthanded, in the 65th minute DaMarcus Beasley put the Ball in Goal, (although it was "Clearly" Offside with McBride flagged for screening the goalkeeper while in an offside position).

 

Stats Summary:  Shots USA  10, ITALY 8; Saves USA  2, ITALY  0, Corner Kicks USA 3, ITALY  7

This game, While a Great Disappointment to Italian fans, and a Moral Victory and great Relief for the USA, was a "Kissing your Sister" result.

 

This Coming Thursday is "D" Day.

 Italy

Both Italy and the USA will be "rooting" LOUDLY  for Each Other, to give each of them a Chance to Advance.

 

USA  v Ghana   In order for the USA to advance to the Next Round, Italy Must beat the Czechs, and one of six other possibilities must happen. See Infox below.

 

Italy v Czech. Italy must Merely TIE the Czechs to  Advance.

However they MUST Beat the Czechs to assure Italy comes in FIRST in Group E to AVOID having to play BRAZIL in the Next Game/Round.

If Italy Loses to the Czechs, and USA beats Ghana, Italy and USA will be tied for 2nd in Group E, with the Scores Differential  (Goals For minus Goals Against)  will be the determining factor.  Got that ???? :) :)

 

Inconsequential Factoid: All the Players on Team Italy play on teams in Italy, the only  team except for Saudi Arabia.

 

WORLD CUP '06

A 1-1 Tie Equals Hope for U.S.

Americans still have a chance for a second-round berth after dueling Italy to a draw despite playing short-handed for nearly a half because of ejections.

 

Los Angeles Times

By Grahame L. Jones
Times Staff Writer
June 18, 2006

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  The United States soccer team's reputation, in tatters after a meek loss Monday to the Czech Republic, is again intact.

The Americans can still advance to the second round of the World Cup after their 1-1 tie with Italy at sold-out Fritz Walter Stadium here Saturday night.

The game, defined by a flurry of cards that sent off one Italian and two Americans, moved at a hectic pace from start to finish.

Italy's Daniele De Rossi was red-carded first, giving the Americans about 17 minutes of a man advantage with the match tied, 1-1, in the first half. Then a red card to Pablo Mastroeni in the 45th minute and a second yellow to Eddie Pope in the 47th minute meant that the U.S. had to hold three-time world champion Italy in check despite playing nine against 10 for virtually a full half.

"Our guys played with a lot of h! eart today, and we certainly redeemed ourselves," said U.S. Coach Bruce Arena.

Those who doubt that need only recall Brian McBride's expression when he came off the field one half-hour into the match. His face covered in blood, courtesy of an elbow slammed into his cheekbone by Italian midfielder De Rossi, McBride exhibited nothing but determination. After his wound was cleaned and patched, he went back into the fray for another hour.

U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller was not speaking specifically about McBride when he made his postgame comments, but his remarks fit well.

"This was a total team effort," Keller said. "Those guys bled today for our country and our team. I can't say enough. I'm just glad I could help them out every once in a while."

Keller did just that, making a series of excellent saves after the U.S. had been reduced to nine players by Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda, who ejected defensive midfielder Mastroeni in the final minute of th! e half and defender Pope one minute into the second half.

Although the U.S. questioned the calls, replays appeared to show that both were justified. Still, the second yellow card and subsequent ejection of Pope was problematic for the Americans.

"There's no way you train a team to play nine against 10 for 40-some-odd minutes in a World Cup," Arena said. "Our guys did a tremendous job. A lot of teams would lose their composure and use it as an excuse for not winning on the day, or for losing."

At the final whistle, Landon Donovan lay flat on the field, utterly exhausted. The other eight U.S. players were equally drained.

"We're where we want to be. We wanted to be alive," for the third Group E match against Ghana on Thursday, Arena said. "Perhaps four points for the U.S. team will be good enough to get out of the group. Who knows? We're going to give it our best effort."

Among the many scenarios Thursday that would advance the Americans to sec! ond-round play would be a victory by the U.S. over Ghana coupled with a victory by Italy over the Czech Republic.

Unlike the earlier U.S.-Czech match, after which Arena blasted several players by name, including Keller, Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, the U.S. side drew nothing but praise from their coach Saturday.

Claudio Reyna came in for the lion's share.

"His positioning defensively and his ability to give us a little possession and distribute the ball under difficult circumstances was outstanding," Arena said. "He had a great game."

Donovan, too, regained Arena's faith.

"I thought Landon emerged today," he said. "He was the player we think he can be, and he was spent at the end of the game the way he should be. He gave a fantastic effort.

"I can't give enough praise to every player who wore our shirt today."

Arena made only two changes from the starting lineup that took the field against the Czechs. Carlos Bocanegra started ! at left back in place of Eddie Lewis and Clint Dempsey started in Beasley's right midfield spot.

Twenty-two minutes into the match, Italy took the lead. Mastroeni fouled Italian playmaker Francesco Totti, and forward Alberto Gilardino flung himself headlong at the resulting free kick to power the ball into the back of the net.

A mistake by Italy five minutes later put the U.S. back into the game. Bobby Convey swung a free kick in from the right, Italian defender Cristian Zaccardo tried to clear the ball, but it ricocheted off his shin and into the net.

Two minutes later, De Rossi got his marching order after deliberately throwing an elbow at McBride as both battled in the air for the ball.

Things took a turn for the worse for the U.S. when Mastroeni was sent off for taking out midfielder Andrea Pirlo's legs with a scything tackle. It became bleaker when Pope was ejected for a foul on Gilardino.

Down to nine players, the prospects looked dim f! or Arena's team.

But the Americans regrouped. Arena made some substitutions that worked  replacing Convey with defender Jimmy Conrad, and later, dropping Dempsey for Beasley  and the U.S. set out to preserve the invaluable tie.

*

(INFOBOX BELOW)

How to advance

What has to happen in matches Thursday for the United States to qualify for the second round as one of the two top finishers in Group E (final games within a group are played concurrently):

*

The United States must defeat Ghana, along with one of the following scenarios:

  Italy defeats the Czech Republic.

  Italy ties the Czech Republic, 0-0 or 1-1, and the United States beats Ghana by at least four goals.

  Italy ties the Czech Republic, 2-2 or with a higher score, and the United States beats Ghana by five or more goals.

  Italy ties the Czech Republic, 2-2 or with a higher score, ! and the United States beats Ghana by four goals and the U.S. team scores at least three goals more than the Czechs do in their tie.

  The Czech Republic beats Italy and the total combined margin of victory for the Americans and Czechs is six or more.

  The Czech Republic beats Italy and the total combined margin of victory for the Americans and Czechs is five and the U.S. team scores at least three goals more than the Italians do in their loss.

  The Czech Republic beats Italy and the total combined margin of victory for the Americans and Czechs is five and the U.S. team scores exactly two more goals than the Italians do in their loss and the Americans win a drawing of lots by FIFA.

http://www.lati! mes.com/sports/

la-sp-usa18jun18,0,4766965,print.

story?coll=la-home-sports

 

 

Team Regains Respect With a Gritty Effort

 

Los Angeles Times

J.A. Adande
June 18, 2006

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  For a team that still hasn't achieved any of the primary World Cup objectives  you know, like scoring goals and winning games  the United States had plenty of reasons to be proud Saturday night.

The Americans could take pride in the stitches on forward Brian McBride's left cheek, the gauze sticking out of defenseman Jimmy Conrad's right nostril, the sweat on Coach Bruce Arena's forehead. They all reflected the effort and sacrifice that went into a 1-1 tie with Italy, a group-play point gained despite playing at a man disadvantage for most of the second half.

That the U.S. still has a chance to advance to the knockout round of competition is almost secondary. It's an added bonus, a gift courtesy of Ghana's surprising victory over the Czech Republic that reshaped Group E and put everyone in play. (There are a couple of scenarios that work out for the Ame! ricans, but the simplest is to beat Ghana and for Italy to beat the Czechs.)

The real U.S. achievement would have been the same regardless of the outcome of this game. They had a chance to redeem themselves after that dismal, 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic in the opener. They had a chance to show everyone that American soccer can compete with Europeans, even in Europe.

"You earn respect," goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. "And we earned it today, no question about it."

But this wasn't just about proving something to the rest of the world or giving validity to the commercials and magazine covers. That was the original agenda of Team USA, but that got lost somewhere between the second and third goals scored by the Czech Republic. Suddenly, they had inner doubts that needed to be addressed. Those questions have been answered.

"We can look each other in the eyes and say we gave it everything that we had," Conrad said. "I think that was something that was mi! ssing in the Czech game."

Hard to believe it wasn't there in the opener, the first World Cup game for the newcomers, a four-year wait for the veterans.

The Americans didn't go down swinging against the Czechs, and they knew it. For the most part, they watched the game happen to them and didn't do anything about it. That's why Arena uncharacteristically called out DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan and Keller.

"We didn't do ourselves any justice," Clint Dempsey said. "We didn't do American soccer any justice."

This time Keller made huge saves. Donovan attacked the Italians and kept balls in play. He collapsed on the field afterward, exhausted. That's the risk you run by actually extending yourself. Beasley lost his starting spot, but instead of pouting he gave the U.S. a boost when he came in during the second half, and for a moment he appeared to score the go-ahead goal before it was waved off because McBride was offside.

The last time the Wor! ld Cup was held on this continent, in France in 1998, the U.S. lost all three games and scored only one goal. The Americans are still working on the scoring part  their goal Saturday was knocked in by Italy's Cristian Zaccardo  but sometimes what the other team doesn't do is just as important as what you do.

In this case, Italy didn't score after the U.S. had two players ejected. The Americans had enjoyed a man advantage since the middle of the first half, when Daniele De Rossi received a red card for nailing McBride with an elbow that opened a gash in McBride's cheek. But the edge swung the other way when Pablo Mastroeni was ejected in the 45th minute, followed by Eddie Pope two minutes into the second half on his second yellow card of the game, calls the Americans found highly questionable.

"We did a good job of giving it right back," Conrad said. "Actually, the refs did a good job of giving it back."

The remaining Americans held tight with the eight r! emaining players plus Keller, who made two great saves against Alessandro Del Piero to preserve the tie.

A soccer game isn't a reflection of a nation for the U.S. the way it is for other countries. This wasn't about America as much as it was about a group of Americans, 23 players and a coaching staff, forced to account for themselves in a far-off land.

"Today we competed the way we can," Keller said. "When we do that, so many things open up for you. And also you have the respect of yourself, that you've gone out and you've absolutely given everything you possibly could. There's not a player on the field today that could say he didn't hold his own. And the other day you could have said they didn't.

"No question about it. We knew that we'd put ourselves in a hole. We also knew that if we came out here and gave everything you have, nobody's going to fault you."

Instead, they might even praise you.

Not bad for a winless, scoreless team.

 

 

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