After he was done holding hands, DaMarcus Beasley fired in a brace that led America to a 6-1 victory over Cuba, and put America through to the next round(remember CONCACAF has approximately 2,000 rounds). Hensy Munoz's wonderstrike dipped over Howard, who continues to play far off his line leaving himself vulnerable to these kind of strikes, in the only positive for Cuba. Cuba's chances were hurt when two Cuban players defected when their plane landed, and Yoel Colome's second yellow in the 41st minute effectively signaled the end of their chances. Team USA's defense continues to impress: Pearce and Cherundolo pushed up on the wings all night, while Onyewu and Bocanegra held strong in the center. Onyewu scored the final goal, and continues to be a threat on set pieces, but must stay away from being overly physical and giving up cheap fouls. Bradley and Kljestan controlled the pace of the game through crisp passing, and could be working together for the next decade. Beasley tormented Cuba all night on the wing, and his darting runs unlocked the Cuban defense. Donovan scored his 37th international goal, but still has the problem of fading out in and out of games. Brian Ching looked great leading the line, knocking down a number of balls and grabbing a goal for himself, though Dempsey was disappointing. Adu, Altidore and Torres Jose Anthony all came on in the second half. Adu's pace and touch are perfect on the wing, Altidore grabbed another goal, and Torres impressed in his first game. Bradley has sent home a number of the big name players, so expect those three along with Edu, Wynne and Guzan to see some major playing time. The future looks bright.
England defeated Kazakhstan 5-1 in Wembley, in a game where the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. After an uninspiring, scoreless first half, Capello subbed in Sean Wright-Phillips for Gareth Barry. There are a lot of questions about whether Lampard and Gerrard can play together(they can't), but it was obvious that Barry can't play alongside them either. With Wright-Phillips going up the left and Walcott on the right, England created more chances. But it took captain Rio Ferdinand, wearing the arm band with John Terry injured, to break the deadlock from a set piece. England looked most dangerous on set pieces, and they controlled the wings well, but could not find anyone in the center of the pitch to finish their chances. Heskey may use his presence to create, but he doesn't often score. Rooney continued his hot form and netted a brace, while an in form Defoe grabbed a goal during his five minutes on the pitch. Ashley Cole heard it from the crowd when a poor back pass set up Kazakhstan's only goal, but it seemed the fans were more than happy to boo their own team. With Hargreaves and Carrick injured, Capello needs to make some tough decisions about central midfield. He needs to send out his best team, and not care who it's made up of.
The bumbling professor that is Raymond Domenech continues to bumble on. France tied Romania 2-2, meaning he grabbed four points from their first three games. Any fewer and he would definitely be sacked(fired), any more and he would definitely be safe. Nobody is sure what will happen now, as the French have always been pragmatic to a fault. Spain defeated Estonia 3-0 to continue their unbeaten run. Ukraine and Croatia helped England by drawing 0-0, and suddenly the Croatians look to be in some trouble. Israel defeated Luxembourg 3-1 in the wide open Group Two. Italy were held to a listless 0-0 tie in Bulgaria, and are now just three points clear of Ireland, who have a game in hand. Holland defeated Iceland 2-0, with Van Der Saar coming out of retirment for the game. Germany defeated Russia 2-1 in a game that saw Kevin Kuranyi quit the national team. Kuranyi was upset not to be named in the first 18, but has since apologized and will hope that Coach Low forgives him. Scotland failed to take a number of easy chances, and drew 0-0 with Norway at Hampden Park. After not featuring, Kris Boyd apparently quit the team over the phone. Talk about national pride.One Liners
- Loss to Jamaica has Mexican fans calling for Eriksson's head, he suggests going to head shop
- Gerrard says fans have right to boo, fans boo his comments
- England won't play friendly at Bernabeu, Spain says they have the right to choose whatever racist venue they want
- Ballack picks up an injury, Scolari jumps up and hits a coinbox
