7.22.13
ASN Morning Read: A Dominant Quarterfinal
The United States men's national team dispatches El Salvador with ease and will now face Honduras in the semifinals of the Gold Cup. Elsewhere, a former luminary passes away and Carlos Bocanegra talks.
BY
Jasper Wilson
Posted
July 22, 2013
8:24 AM
And then the United States men's national team moved on to the semifinals of the Gold Cup. While Eddie Johnson scored almost immediately after coming into the game, he regrets the decision to shave a lightning bolt into the side of his head.
But the best moment of the night? Landon Donovan's sunglasses bit won the day. His move to put them on is a maneuver only few would ever attempt. Donovan, don't ever change.
Grant Wahl with some hyperbole after Donovan's masterful performance: "There was a moment Sunday after Landon Donovan scored his 53rd international goal that seemed not just cleansing but almost Biblical in its imagery. The rain was falling at M&T Bank Stadium, and the U.S. was leading El Salvador, 5-1. As he ran to celebrate, Donovan closed his eyes, stretched his arms out wide and fell to his knees, turning his head to the heavens and opening his mouth to drink the water from above."
The man who helped oversee the first big American soccer boom, former N.A.S.L. commissioner Phil Woosnam, died on Friday at the age of 80. He held the position from 1969-1983 and guided the league as it attracted big-name players and ownership groups. And with those acquisitions came the big crowds. “Phil truly believed he had a mission in life, to build the game in the U.S.A., and he never stopped working or believing,” Clive Toye, the man who brought Pele to the U.S., wrote in an email.
Carlos Bocanegra opened up about how his return to MLS might affect his United States national team chances: "I have a decent dialogue with Jurgen. But coming back to MLS—or whereever I may be playing—I can't be distracted by chasing the national team. I've been fortunate enough to have a pretty long career with the national team Would I like to get back in there? Of course. But first and foremost, I want to play for this club and help us win. If that translates to a call up to the national team, great. If not, OK. I can't really control that. I enjoy being part of that group, but I have to concentrate on what I'm doing here with Chivas."
This GIF is hypnotizing. Thanks, internet and Justin Mapp.
