最新杏吧原创 City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley do talk about the team's loss to Houston, but switch to chatting about the Gold Cup, USMNT and World Cup heat concerns.
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Winless streak hits four, so let's chat USMNT: STL Soccer Talk
Winless streak hits four, so let's chat USMNT: STL Soccer Talk
More of the same, only different: STL Soccer Talk
US men鈥檚 team pulls itself together, faces Guatemala in Gold Cup semi at Energizer Park
The two games the U.S. men鈥檚 national team played leading up to the CONCACAF Gold Cup were ominous, first a 2-1 loss to Turkey and then a 4-0 thumping by Switzerland that did not inspire much confidence. For the national team, it was a seldom-seen four-game losing streak, with all four losses at home.
But the Gold Cup, the regional championship, has gone much better, and even if some of the team鈥檚 better players aren鈥檛 on hand, new faces have emerged, new candidates for spots on the team have made their cases.
The next test for the national team comes Wednesday night at sold-out Energizer Park, when the Americans face Guatemala in the semifinals of the Gold Cup, the highest-stakes U.S. game to be played in 最新杏吧原创 in more than 30 years. The U.S. advanced past Costa Rica in a dramatic penalty-kick shootout on Sunday.
With a win over the decidedly underdog Guatemala team, the Americans would face the winner of another David vs. Goliath match, Mexico vs. Honduras, which will also meet Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the togetherness that we鈥檝e created and fostered,鈥 said Tim Ream, the veteran center back and captain of the U.S. team who played at St. Dominic High and 最新杏吧原创 University. 鈥淚 think with the two friendlies that we had, it could have been a not-great situation going into the Gold Cup, and to be honest, I think everybody used it as a learning experience and a moment to understand what it would take to come together and what it would take to play in the tournament, survive and continue to move on. And I sit back and look at these guys and in the game, in the changing room, at meals and just the bonds that are being created in such a short amount of time. I don鈥檛 think you can speak about it enough, and it鈥檚 something that maybe not necessarily we鈥檝e had enough of in the past, and to see guys just getting along and having fun is so good to see.
鈥淎nd I said it after the game the other day to a few of the guys, watching them work for each other in moments, in heated moments, in moments like Malik (Tillman) having their guy come into his face and watching everybody rush in. It鈥檚 such a, it may sound weird, but that鈥檚 an enjoyable thing to see, because I think it shows that OK, finally, we鈥檙e a group of guys that we鈥檙e going to push back. You鈥檙e not going to push us around. And we have the personalities in here, and to see them all jelling together, that鈥檚 been nice to see.鈥
Even if the quarterfinal with Costa Rica that got the U.S. to 最新杏吧原创 goes into the books as a tie, it was a significant performance for the Americans. The U.S. conceded an early penalty kick and trailed 1-0. Tillman missed a PK that would have tied the game, then the U.S. got goals from Diego Luna and Max Arfsten to take the lead, only for Costa Rica to tie the game in 71st minute. The game then went to penalty kicks, where U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese, making a solid push for the top goalkeeper spot that has belonged for some time to Matt Turner, made three saves as the U.S. advanced.
鈥淚 think when you look back on our performance, you鈥檒l see a really resilient mentality,鈥 midfielder Tyler Adams said. 鈥淢ax Arfsten, to come out and give up a penalty and then come back and have an assist and a goal is a great mentality and shows the team spirit. Malik Tillman, after getting fouled pretty hard, steps and takes the penalty and misses but still makes amazing plays in the game, and obviously Matt Freese, unbelievable in the penalty shootout. So many guys with valuable experience throughout that game and it sets us up for success in the future.鈥
The United States has reached the final of the tournament in 12 of its 17 editions to date, so this is familiar territory for them but not so much for Guatemala. This is only the second time Guatemala has gotten this far, the other being in 1996. Guatemala has never reached the final. Guatemala finished second in its group to Panama and then tied Canada and advanced on penalty kicks in its quarterfinal. Guatemala, ranked No. 106 in the world by FIFA (the U.S. is 16th), has only one win over the United States in its past 23 meetings, a 2-0 win in a World Cup qualifier in 2016 in Guatemala City.
But this year鈥檚 Gold Cup has seen some upsets. In addition to Guatemala eliminating Canada, on the other side of the bracket, Honduras beat Panama on PKs. (If the game is tied after regulation Wednesday, it will go straight to penalty kicks with no overtime.) Canada and Panama had both won their groups and were considered to be the teams looking the best in group play.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be very difficult,鈥 said U.S. coach Maurico Pochettino. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very good, very well-organized, very great coach, very good players. I see this as a big challenge for us.鈥
There are two interesting names on the Guatemala roster. Rubio Rubin played seven games with the U.S. national team but also was eligible to play for Mexico and Guatemala and, after dropping off the U.S. radar, used a one-time international switch to play for Guatemala. Aaron Herrera played with the U.S. under-20 and under-23 teams and one game with the full national team before switching to Guatemala.
City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O鈥橫alley reflect on City SC鈥檚 steadily climbing goals-allowed totals, which are lessening the benefits of the team鈥檚 improved offense.
Durkin back, Morales out as 最新杏吧原创 City SC injury carousel continues to spin
In the complicated world that 最新杏吧原创 City SC seems to live in, the team got midfielder Chris Durkin back on the practice field Tuesday at the same time it learned it had lost another midfielder, Alfredo Morales, to injury.
鈥淎nother hit for us,鈥 City SC interim coach David Critchley said.
Morales injured his right clavicle in a fall early in last weekend's 1-0 loss at Houston and tried playing through it but was subbed out in the 15th minute. Morales was originally signed as a depth player after a trial in training camp but became a regular starter when Eduard Lowen went out. (Lowen has begun jogging outdoors as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.) Now, Morales is out for several weeks, though with Durkin鈥檚 return, the team鈥檚 injury list isn鈥檛 getting longer but also isn鈥檛 getting any shorter.
Durkin has been out with a knee injury and has played only eight games this season, starting six. On his first day back after missing four games, it was unclear how much he might be able to play Saturday against Real Salt Lake, but any amount of Durkin is a plus for City SC.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hopeful he can come in and feature this weekend,鈥 Critchley said, 鈥渂ecause he鈥檚 been a big miss to the team.鈥
Unclear is where he might play. Durkin has been used at center back, a position where City SC's top three players, Henry Kessler, Timo Baumgartl and Joakim Nilsson, are all hurt, so Critchley will have to assess the team's needs.
In addition to Lowen doing work on the field but separate from the team, Kessler and Nilsson have emerged from the training room to take the next steps in their rehabs.
Ostrak, Wallem stuck in between
Midfielders Tomas Ostrak and Conrad Wallem aren鈥檛 on the City SC injury report anymore, though the availability of both has been limited.
Ostrak has played just 20 minutes over the past five games because of a fluid buildup in his leg connected to the season-ending injury he had last season. During the team鈥檚 off week, he had the fluid drained and said he鈥檚 100% again.
鈥淚 was two months dealing with some adductor issues,鈥 Ostrak said. 鈥淚 had fluid inside, inflammation, and it was uncomfortable, but still I could play with that. I was waiting for the break for them to take it out and I feel great again and I鈥檓 good to go. I鈥檓 good to push and help the team as much as possible.鈥
Wallem injured his calf while training with City2 after he got a red card in Critchley鈥檚 first game and a one-game suspension. Since then, he鈥檚 come on as a second-half sub twice and started the most recent game but came out at halftime.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been restricted every week in training and games for a month,鈥 he said. 鈥淥n the weekend now, for example, I feel it starting to tighten up a little bit after 30, 40 minutes. So it鈥檚 not ideal but hopefully we鈥檙e working on it and hopefully it鈥檚 getting better day by day and week by week.鈥
Wallem is kicking himself about how he hurt it. City2 trains on the club鈥檚 artificial turf field and he thinks that made his sore calf hurt even more.
鈥淭hat was frustrating, to say the least,鈥 he said. 鈥淪hould have been handled a little different, but it鈥檚 how it is. ... I should have said that maybe I shouldn鈥檛 have trained that day. I take responsibility for that for sure. I should have been clearer on what my body needs and what it doesn鈥檛 need. ... Hopefully just get control on it so I can start playing 90 minutes again.鈥
Kids in the middle
The situation, injuries aplenty and a quick turnaround from a game in extreme heat, forced Critchley鈥檚 hand on playing the youngest back line he possibly could Saturday, which featured center backs aged 21 and 23 (Jake Girdwood-Reich and Michael Wentzel), a 22-year-old right back (Joey Zalinsky) and a 23-year-old left back (Jayden Reid). Other than the team鈥檚 Homegrown players, the team鈥檚 four youngest field players made up the back line.
And while other factors certainly played a role, it was the fewest goals allowed by City SC in a month.
Whether it shows up again will depend on how long City SC鈥檚 first-choice center backs are out.
鈥淚t was a young back line,鈥 said Girdwood-Reich. 鈥淏ut I think you can't put age on it. If you're good enough to play you'll play. Jay has been playing consistently, and then me and Michael stepped in and also Joey. So age for me, doesn't matter.鈥
For Girdwood-Reich, it was his third start this season and his first at center back, having mostly been used in a defensive midfield role before.
鈥淚 think most people forget I actually think I am more of a center back than a (defensive midfielder),鈥 he said. 鈥淚 played there, mostly back in my old club, so I was happy to be given a chance there.
鈥淎t my old club, I had a partner that was my age as well. So I'm used to playing with a younger center back. And I think for me and Michael, that was the first time we really actually played together. I mean, never City2, two games didn't play together. So it was nice to play with him.鈥
鈥淚t was very good playing with JGR,鈥 Wentzel said. 鈥淚 felt like he and I had communication on the field, so I think we have to build on that. I don't know when our next chance will come, but that's part of the part of being a team player.鈥
City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O鈥橫alley reflect on City SC鈥檚 steadily climbing goals-allowed totals, which are lessening the benefits of the team鈥檚 improved offense.
U.S. men's soccer headed to 最新杏吧原创 after beating Costa Rica in Gold Cup quarterfinals
The U.S. men鈥檚 soccer team is coming to 最新杏吧原创.
The Americans defeated Costa Rica on penalty kicks 4-3 after finishing regulation tied at 2-2 on Sunday night in Minneapolis in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, sending them on to the semifinals at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Energizer Park to face surprising Guatemala for a spot in the regional championship game.
U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese, increasing the competition for being the No. 1 U.S. keeper, stopped three of the six penalty shots he faced, including the last two he faced. After Freese鈥檚 diving save on Costa Rica鈥檚 Andy Rojas in the first shot of sudden death, Damion Downs hit the game winner for the United States. John Tolkin had missed a potential game winner in the previous round.
Mexico and Honduras will meet in the other semifinal Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.
The U.S. team had to come back from an early 1-0 deficit on goals by Diego Luna and Max Arfsten. It was the first international goal for both players. But Costa Rica tied the game in the 71st minute and nearly won it but had a shot hit the post late in regulation.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy for them,鈥 said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino. 鈥淭hey showed today great character, and I think it鈥檚 good for this group of players to have this type of experience. It鈥檚 priceless because the reality when you are in a big tournament, that thing can happen, and it is important that they can build the experience together.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the spirit that we are seeing right now. We started losing two important games, to Turkey and Switzerland, so we needed to rebuild our spirit and that鈥檚 why the team has been working together. We just needed time for us to compete nicely. Nowadays, the very first thing you have to have is that collective feeling to fight. 鈥
Guatemala beat heavily favored Canada on penalty kicks after playing to a 1-1 tie in regulation. Canada has become one of the top teams in the region, but they lost a player to a red card just before halftime and couldn鈥檛 hold on to a 1-0 lead. Guatemala won 6-5 on penalty kicks. Canada is 30th in the FIFA rankings while Guatemala is 106th. This is only the second time Guatemala gotten this far in the Gold Cup. It also reached the Gold Cup semifinals in 1996.
The United States has reached the semifinals of the Gold Cup in 16 of the past 17 editions of the tournament. This will be the fourth time the U.S. men have played at Energizer Park since it opened in late 2022.
City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O鈥橫alley reflect on City SC鈥檚 steadily climbing goals-allowed totals, which are lessening the benefits of the team鈥檚 improved offense.
This time it鈥檚 the offense that lets 最新杏吧原创 City SC down in 1-0 loss to Houston
If 最新杏吧原创 City SC is going to salvage its season by making the playoffs, it鈥檚 going to need a lot of help, but none of it is going to matter if the team can鈥檛 help itself.
Against a beatable Houston team that had come in having lost three games in a row, a team that is one of those that City SC will have to climb over if it is to make the playoffs, City SC instead reinforced the reality that for them, no team is beatable. The team didn鈥檛 come close to scoring, and while it did come close to keeping Houston from scoring, it gave up a goal that center back described with a one-word synonym for 鈥渘ot very good鈥 and fell to the Dynamo 1-0 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
鈥淭he Orlando loss was obviously difficult for us,鈥 said interim coach David Critchley, 鈥渂ut this one feels a little harder to take because they鈥檙e in a similar position to us. These points, even though every game is three points, we feel a little bit more because we have to try close that gap to make sure we continue to play for something throughout the entire season. And we missed our opportunity today.鈥
City SC took only one shot that required a save all game, and that one came in the 96th minute, though thanks to another stalwart effort from Roman Burki in goal, the team still had a chance to get a tie if one could go in. Its expected goals total of 0.3 was the second-lowest of the season and came in sharp contrast to the team鈥檚 recent offensive success. It marked the ninth time the team has been shutout this season 鈥 meaning in almost half of its games 鈥 and came after a four-game run where it was averaging two goals a game, by far the best extended stretch it has had this season.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 good enough with our buildup,鈥 Critchley said. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to be a team that tries to build and play through opponents or around opponents, the end objective is to always try to create the shot from it or at least create the ball into the final third. And that for us was the missing piece. We just couldn鈥檛 break down Houston鈥檚 block. We couldn鈥檛 find balls that were breaking lines in order to get players like (Klauss), and Simon (Becher), C茅lio (Pompeu), involved and into the attack.鈥
鈥淚 think we were a bit off it today, to be honest,鈥 said Jake Girdwood-Riech, who played center back on a back line made entirely of youngsters, 鈥渏ust a bit slow in the build up and off the ball.鈥
The offense in absentia negated the benefits of City SC鈥檚 defense stopping its escalator-like defense, which had gone from allowing one goal to two to three to four over Critchley鈥檚 four games. Critchley made five changes to the starting lineup from Wednesday against Orlando, though the attack stayed mostly intact.
And while City SC鈥檚 offense and defense remain out of synch, never at their best at the same time, one thing remained consistent: Players will get hurt. For the second game in a row, Critchley had to sub out a player due to injury, this time midfielder Alfredo Morales, who fell heavily on his right shoulder after leaping for a high ball and came out after 15 minutes. Technically, he came out because of concussion protocols, but by the second half of the game, he was sitting on the bench with his right arm in a sling.
Meanwhile, Conrad Wallem, who was playing along side Morales in the midfield as both served as the link from the defenders to the attackers, had to come out at the half as the team takes it easy with his calf injury.
鈥淭hat was always going to be hard to adjust to,鈥 Critchley said.
City SC鈥檚 injury list would be going from critical to comical if only if it wasn鈥檛 so serious. With Henry Kessler, Timo Baumgartl, Eduard Lowen and Chris Durkin all injured, that wipes out the four players who would be playing directly in front of Burki most of the time. Those injuries, along with having played a game on Wednesday, led to Critchley going with Wentzel, Girdwood-Reich, Jayden Reid and Joey Zalensky, the four youngest field players on the team other than Homegrown players. Reid was the oldest player on the back line at 23.
And they held until the 66th minute, when City SC couldn鈥檛 stop a ball that was bouncing from Houston player to player in the box, finally caroming in off the shin of Ezequiel Ponce as he stood in front of the goal, finishing off the hard work of Felipe Andrade, who did the heaviest lifting on the goal with a highlight-reel volley.
鈥淚 felt like in the moment,鈥 Wentzel said, 鈥渨e actually had good numbers in the box. We have to be a little more man-orientated, in my opinion. And then when the ball is bouncing and bouncing, sometimes it鈥檚 just also a bit luck that the other team has, but you got to earn your luck, and maybe they earned it today. And maybe we can find a way to throw a body in and make a block and then it comes through the box again, and then, I don鈥檛 know 鈥 just trying with all your life to defend the goal, and that is very helpful in the box, but in that moment, we weren鈥檛 able to do that.鈥
So the struggles continue for City SC, which is eight points back of 10th-place Houston and 11 points back of the last team that would make the playoffs in the West. And with each loss, City SC has one fewer game to get even.
鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 been a tough season so far,鈥 said Wentzel, who made his first start of the season, 鈥渘ot only the last four games. It鈥檚 been all year where we really try to find momentum. I think it鈥檚 great that we were able to score more goals in the last couple of games, but now we also have to be just defensively ruthless, really try to not concede easy goals and then grinding out games. And once you get a result, things can start rolling and in this league, it鈥檚 very possible to win a couple of games in a row. We won鈥檛 be first after the year, but we can make the playoffs.鈥
Though that seems a stretch for a team that has won three games all season. This game started a stretch where three of four games are against a team City SC has to catch to get a playoff spot. Wins in those games would deny the opponent鈥檚 points, but instead, City SC is digging both a deeper hole to climb out of and a higher mountain to scale. But three of those four are also on the road, where City SC has won two games in the past two seasons.
鈥淚 know it may sound weird, to be honest,鈥 Wentzel said, 鈥渁fter the season we had so far, but it鈥檚 not over yet and we know that and we will give everything until that last game.鈥
City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O鈥橫alley reflect on City SC鈥檚 steadily climbing goals-allowed totals, which are lessening the benefits of the team鈥檚 improved offense.
Hochman: 75 years ago today, 5 STL players helped US Soccer shock England in World Cup
His canvas is 最新杏吧原创.
For 15 years, Scott Pondrom has painted murals across our city. But this particular experience was as unique as his subject.
鈥淚鈥檓 always outside painting somewhere, but it has never really connected to the community like this,鈥 Pondrom said from The Hill, 最新杏吧原创鈥 iconic Italian neighborhood.
Seventy-five years ago Sunday, the U.S. men鈥檚 soccer team shocked the world in the World Cup. The American team of mostly amateurs defeated England, arguably the top team on the planet, 1-0, in a World Cup match on June 29, 1950. To this day, it鈥檚 considered by many soccer scholars as the greatest upset ever. Well, five of the 11 U.S. players were from 最新杏吧原创 鈥 Frank Borghi, Harry Keough, Gino Pariani, Charlie Colombo and Frank 鈥淧ee Wee鈥 Wallace 鈥 and four of them were from The Hill.
鈥淥ne of the most incredible things for me,鈥 the artist Pondrom said, 鈥渋s that I鈥檝e talked to people every day 鈥 every day 鈥 who are coming by here, telling me what they know about (the 1950 team). The daughter and son of the goalie, Frank Borghi, live right down the street. They鈥檝e walked by and talked to me about it. 鈥 And there have been people who are not related (to the players). There was an older gentleman who came up and immediately just named off every single player by heart. That was incredible.鈥
Here on The Hill, the fabric of the city is now on the brick of the city.
Commissioned by 最新杏吧原创 City SC, Pondrom鈥檚 mural is on the side of Anthonino鈥檚 Taverna. It states the phrase 鈥淗ill 2 Brazil,鈥 in reference to where the famous match was played, and features the five late heroes. This victory, 75 years ago, let it be known that 最新杏吧原创 was America鈥檚 鈥淪occer City.鈥 What a legacy, too. According to U.S. Soccer and City SC, more than 800 players have played for the U.S. Men鈥檚 National Team to date 鈥 and 76 of those players were from 最新杏吧原创. Thus, 10% of all players.
Think about that for a moment.
The team鈥檚 story was captured in the 1996 Geoffrey Douglas book called 鈥淭he Game of Their Lives,鈥 which was later made into a movie 鈥 filmed in 最新杏吧原创 鈥 which is available to watch on Amazon Prime. According to Douglas鈥 book, the U.S. coach William Jeffrey did an interview before the game and said: 鈥淲e have no chance.鈥 And he described his players as 鈥渟heep ready to be slaughtered.鈥
In just the second minute of the game, the proclaimed 鈥淜ings of Football鈥 attacked the U.S. net, but Borghi made an amazing save. He soon made another save. And another save. Frankly, Frank saved the day. And in the 37th minute, Joe Gaetjens scored the improbable goal that would prove game-winning.
As Tom Timmermann described in Borghi鈥檚 2015 Post-Dispatch obituary, 鈥淲hen the game ended, the Brazilian fans in Belo Horizonte, who saw England as their main competition for the championship, ran on the field and carried Borghi off on their shoulders. 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know what they were doing at first,鈥 he said later. 鈥業 was kind of nervous. They picked me up and carried me 110 yards to the dugout. It was kind of exciting.鈥 鈥
A lesser-known person in the story? 最新杏吧原创an Walter Giesler, who was the manager who put together the roster.
鈥淪o he鈥檚 the one that pushed for the five 最新杏吧原创ans to be included on the squad 鈥︹ said Giesler鈥檚 grandson, Bob Schmelzle. 鈥淵ou always like to make sure that his legacy is remembered. Because with each passing year, you know, less and less people remember his contribution.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 until this past week that Schmelzle 鈥 and Schmelzle鈥檚 mother, Peggy 鈥 learned of a fun anecdote from that famous day.
So, his mom鈥檚 sister 鈥 Judie Giesler Donohue 鈥 was born on June 29, 1940.
鈥淎nd June 29, the day of the match, was her 10th birthday,鈥 Schmelzle said. 鈥淎nd my grandfather apparently called from Brazil and was jumping through the phone with excitement to tell my aunt that the U.S. had beaten England and to wish her happy birthday.鈥
And so, on Aunt Judie鈥檚 85th birthday, 最新杏吧原创 celebrates the 75th anniversary of the city鈥檚 greatest soccer moment. And while it鈥檚 memorialized in the mural, many residents already carry the memories. 鈥淭he 1950 team鈥 is a thing people know around here 鈥 and that鈥檚 pretty cool. But newcomers and a new generation will now learn about Borghi and the boys, who went from the Hill to Brazil and turned an audacious dream into, well, a goal.
In today鈥檚 10 AM 鈥淭en Hochman鈥 video, Ben Hochman discusses the recent success of the Cardinals鈥 Lars Noooooootbaar! Plus, a happy birthday shoutout to Ricky Gervais! And as always, Hochman picks a random Cards card out of the hat!