Coffee is Good

SCOUTING REPORT: If you caught the Toronto-RBNY match last night, let me see if I can quickly summarize: Juan Pablo Angel is that good, putting two goals against Toronto's backup keeper. That being said, RBNY did not play particularly well. Are they scary with JPA on the field? Sure. Are they beatable? Without a doubt. Even with Reyna, the midfield and defense were not entirely organized except in terms of keeping a line. This team is not invincible (as if you ever thought they were.) That being said, this may have been a game in poor form for them, and they may play (and should play) better against DC. Still, I walk away from last night's game more optimistic than perhaps I was at the start of the week.

THE SIMMS: Steve Goff with a quick write-up on the Clyde Simms Experiment, and with some notes at RFK. Both good reading. He also says this:

Remember those scoring opportunities that Nate Jaqua botched the other night for Los Angeles against D.C. United? Juan Pablo Angel will not miss them.

Of course, that news won't be a surprise to you, right?

But if you're not troubled by the opening of this game, just think about New York coming to town. Angel and Altidore won't allow us to get by the same way, and that has to make you nervous. It certainly does me.

LANDON - "I'M JUST A HUMAN": I'm going to stray a moment from our ostensible DCU focus to talk about a post Luis Bueno has at Sideline Views:

Except, there is one thing they [Landon's critics] probably don't take into consideration. Landon actually lives his own life. He's not a figure in a video game; he's actually flesh and blood.

With all due to respect to both Luis and Landon, this is bullshit. We know he's human. But as a human, he made a choice to become the face of US Soccer. He's the one being interviewed on the beach. He's the one starring in the MLS ads. He's the one doing "Don't Discriminate" Public Service Announcements. He's the one that took on the role of a leader to broker a labor deal between US Soccer and the US National Team union. Maybe it wasn't his idea to become the embodiment of US Soccer, but it is a role he chose to accept and embrace. And once he did that, he takes on responsibility when it comes to playing on the field. It's not all just being in adverts and talking to the suits, you also have to put your cleats on and play to represent your country. Luis quotes Landon as saying "I've done it pretty much every year for eight years. I can comfortably say that I deserve to have one tournament off." Dude, you took the 2006 World Cup off. If you don't want to be the face of US Soccer, then give that role up to someone else. That's a fine choice to make, become like any other US National Team player. But don't pretend to be a leader if you won't represent your country. Copa America will be the most significant tournament outside of a world cup final that the USA has played in since the 2003 Confederations Cup. Go ahead and make your choice, but have some integrity about it.