So I am all excited and have planned my day around catching today’s United States vs. Brazil game from Soldier Field in Chicago.
Here is Brazil coming in with a close to full squad. Ronaldinho, Maicon, Robinho, Kaka they are all there.
The world’s number one soccer team and the standard bearers for the sport. All these players are multi-millionaires .
A great opportunity for the United States to measure itself on and off the field.
Imagine my surprise and disgust (maybe like you) with the absolute horrid conditions of the field for these players.
That is just from the issue of safety and then you get into the general way it looks with brown grass and football lines painted all over the field.
No doubt it was a financial success but from the standpoint of earning credibility for the presentation of the sport in this country it failed and failed badly. No excuse will suffice here. This was the world’s number one team.
So once again when the U.S. claims it wants to align itself with the world in soccer both on and off the field we produce a badly beaten up Soldier Field for this gem of a game.
Even Clint Dempsey of the U.S. National team said during a post game interview that the field was in poor condition.
Were we supposed to pretend that atrocity of a field was not there?
Earning credibility not only comes with what U.S. teams do on the field but it also comes with how the game is presented.
Lets just hope that the MLS playoffs the league and clubs are doing everything in their power to present the game correctly and not hide behind the fact that it is NFL season.
Ok on to a very interesting and exciting game and a tremendous opportunity to play the world’s best.
*Kaka is faster than most while running with a ball at his feet.
*Bob Bradley is pretty consistent now with his use of Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley out wide in midfield and going with two holding type midfielders. Too bad that out of that area one of the two midfielders didn’t have more when it comes to running at defenses.
*Carlos Bocanegra is being groomed to lead this team.
*Would have loved to see this team with Brian Ching, Ricardo Clarke and Jonathan Bornstein.
*Clint Dempsey took his goal well and I am a big fan. Still trying to figure out what will be his most effective position internationally.
*Brazil at times can just leave you in awe but the U.S. represented.
Glenn

It may not have come as easy as Dominic Kinnear would have liked but in the end the Dynamo took a full three points from Real Salt Lake to keep alive the hopes of winning the Western Conference title and garnering home field advantage in the playoffs.
The 4-3 win included a hat-trick by Dynamo striker Nate Jacqua who was a problem all night long for RSL.
Rookie Cory Ashe had a career game with three assists as a wide midfielder and Jacqua had a feast off his delivery in front of over 15,000 fans announced.
*The Dynamo clearly looked fatigued in the later stages and conceded two late goals that made it a game. Cary Talley scored on a header to make it 4-2 while Kyle Brown scored his first goal of the year to make it 4-3 and the Dynamo had some problems managing the game out comfortably.
*Injuries are a major issue with Brian Ching, Brad Davis, Stuart Holden and Paul Dalglish out. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that without these players your ball possession will be affected. Consider Ching’s ability to hold the ball up front combined with the comfort on the ball of Davis and Holden . Will Paul Dalglish make a late effort to get into this team and provide some good games like last year?
One also has to consider how long it will take these players to get to full fitness. Ching , Holden, Dalglish were doing some serious fitness work this week while Davis was doing some light technique work with trainer Bruce Morgan.
* All in all huge three points to take back momentum. Chivas USA has three games in hand on the Dynamo as they head to LA next weekend to take on the Galaxy who will get Landon Donovan back after a 3-0 win against Colorado.
Your thoughts on last night at Robertson and today’s US/Brazil match?
Glenn