Just a couple of things on my mind today, so... U-20's Bounce Back The USA U20's recovered from
dropping their opener in the U-20 World Cup, a 3-0 loss to Germany, by routing Cameroon 4-1. Of
course, the final score was terribly flattering to...
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3rd Degree 16 September @ 01:03 PM EST
3rd Degree 28 August @ 10:58 AM EST
As feared, FCD has been dealt a blow to whatever slim chances remained for this season with the
call up of five players for the US U20s. While only two are starters, Brek Shea and Kyle Davies,
the loss of Josh Lambo, Anthony Wallace, and Peri Marosevic, will decimate the depth of the team
leaving a very thin margin for injuries and tactical substitutions.
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3rd Degree 27 August @ 03:22 PM EST
Steve Hunt has a great piece on Brek Shea in which Shea expresses his frustrations. I'm surprised
MLSnet was willing to publish it.
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3rd Degree 21 July @ 02:46 PM EST
Thomas Rongen has called another 10 day camp for the US U20s and Josh Lambo and Anthony Wallace
have been recalled. Based on the roster this came is taking a look at a few players who haven't
been available previously and perhaps a few fringe names.
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3rd Degree 22 June @ 02:59 PM EST
3rd Degree 23 February @ 07:09 PM EST
I won't come as a shock to anyone who has been following the US U20 team preparations for the
CONCACAF U20 Championships, but four FC Dallas players have been named by coach Thomas Rongen to
his final team. Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic, Josh Lambo, and Anthony Wallace will be leaving FCD to
join up with the U20s.
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3rd Degree 16 January @ 07:39 PM EST
Well, the summer has come and mostly gone. We still have the U-17 World Cup to get out of the way,
but with the senior and U-20 sides involved in three major tournaments his summer, we got a better
picture of what the national program looks like heading into qualification for the most important
tourney of all - the World Cup. In this first of a five-part series, we'll take a look at the five
players who surprised or impressed me the most - the five who "planted their spears" and gave "fist
shaking performances" in the parlance of everybody's favorite Geordie.
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Or, more specifically, a lack thereof on the part of both Toms. Thomas Rongen's U-20 side, pegged
back by a scrappy goal against the run of play at the close of the first half after having the
better of the play in the first 45, never managed to adapt to the change made by the Austrian side
coming into the second half and they ultimately paid for it.
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Well, the Baby Nats proved against Poland that they could come back from a goal down, and they did
it again against a feisty Uruguay squad. It wasn't quite the spectacular explosion of goals that
the earlier triumph was, but it was certainly more dramatic and nail-biting.
Uruguay clearly came into this game ready to rough up the US attackers and did so without much
opposition from the awful referee, who seemed to alternate between letting brutal play go with nary
an admonishment, yet blew the whistle for seemingly innocuous bumps off of the ball - for both
sides.
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Since everyone else hit 'em hard, I figured I may as well hit 'em late.
- Want to see the United States' U-20s Round of 16 tilt against Old South American power Uruguay?
Then join the campaign to, um, enlighten ESPN as to their self-interest in airing this game. Seeing
as they finally invested in soccer broadcast rights, why not show off the young bucks on their way
into the system (maybe.
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A hat-trick for Adu, a brace for Szetela, a tap-in for Altidore, and suddenly things are looking
much rosier for the Baby Nats then they were after opening Group D play with a draw against the
Koreans. The 6-1 thrashing of previous group leaders Poland puts the US atop the group and makes
qualification for the knockout stages seem a much more distinct possibility than it was before the
kickoff in Montreal.
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How many people will be kissing his ass tomorrow, after he turned in what reads like a commanding
performance for the U.S. U-20s? I followed the game on MatchTracker and, to be honest, couldn't
believe how many times his name came up.
Anyway, the chatter ought to be something.
(########)
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The Koreans are probably in for a few days worth of shooting practice as they dominated this game
but were unable to apply the finishing touch that would have sunk the baby Nats. While it's true
that Seitz carried on the proud tradition of American excellence in the nets, he was aided by
shanks, slices, ground kicks, and the crossbar. So let's get to the talking points:
- The Koreans were quick, not just in sheer team speed, but in passing, thought, and recovery as
well.
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