Friendly at Azteca August 15th

http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=667091

Nice cool part of the year for a friendly at good ol' Azteca!

The US Federation had been tossing around this game as far back as January, but are still mum on officially announcing it. Wednesday, August 15th is designated FIFA "friendly" date.

Be kinda interesting if they do play it. Klinsmann is smart to play there before it counts. It can't hurt.

Actually, I like this friendly...it will be in a hostile environment, against the top team in CONCACAF.

This will be a good test of where we stand, heading into the HUGE home-and-home with Jamaica in September.

Not sure about everybody but patience is running a little thin with Klinsmann...want to see MAJOR improvement between now & the Jamaica WCQs.

Interesting comment about JK, af10. It never ocurred to me that there has been enough meaningful matches under his belt to really be able to evaluate the job he has done thus far.
Might want to see how he and the team do through a few qualifiers in crucial games before we even start to run out of patience with him.....

Patience running thin with Klinsmann?

Why?

The team beat Italy and Slovenia away, tied France in some high profile friendlies and are off to a good start in World Cup qualifying. What is going wrong? A loss to Brazil in a friendly? Tying away to Guatemala?

Guess the WCQ v Antigua really got to me more than it should...truth is I turned that game off after they scored on us

Judging by game reports, it just seems like we're as inconsistent as ever...playing one GREAT game, followed by two or three POOR efforts

Don't get me wrong...I want Klinsmann to succeed more than anybody! After all, I was celebrating when he was finally named our coach & he doesn't have the players to implement his system but I do hope to see more consistency & improvement from the team over the rest of 2012 & 2013!

Just hope that by 2014, Klinsi has the boys in tune!

Well, remember his rocky ride as the German team chief? He was damn near tossed out of that job before becoming the King of Deutschland in the 06 World Cup.

Waaay too early to talk of such things it seems to me, but that is what this board ios for, speaking your mind! Lord knows he ain't perfect, but our player pool is the real issue.

That is the way I see it too Yogi. Klinsmann's ultimate grade will depend on how the US does in the World Cup itself (assuming they qualify) but prior to that let's wait and see how the team does in World Cup qualifying. After two games in the first round so far the team are doing all right. let's see how they do in this fall's home and away matches versus Jamaica and then next syear when the US should be in the Hexagonal against our major regional rivals.

That is the way I see it too Yogi. Klinsmann's ultimate grade will depend on how the US does in the World Cup itself (assuming they qualify) but prior to that let's wait and see how the team does in World Cup qualifying. After two games in the first round so far the team are doing all right. let's see how they do in this fall's home and away matches versus Jamaica and then next syear when the US should be in the Hexagonal against our major regional rivals.

....Not to mention the away match vs. El Tri at Azteca, Sammy. There is no such thing as a "friendly" when the US plays Mexico! Add to that Mexico's very good form the last two years and Azteca's usual problems and it becomes a very difficult task for Klinsmann and this team to tackle.

I was thinking of going, but cannot find US supporters tickets at Sam's Army, American Outlaw or US Soccer. Perhaps the visitors do not get a ticket allotment for friendlies?

No roster yet?

Sunday is when the roster will be released.

I don't expect many surprises but I do wonder if someone like Dempsey who is trying to force a transfer away from Fulham and has not really been involved much in his club's preseason, would be included? As one of the team's marquee players my guess is he will be part of the team. I also expect Terrence Boyd, off to a good start at Rapid Vienna to make this roster too.

I can't see Klinsmann taking anything less than an "A" team to Azteca...otherwise, what's the point!

Very interested in how the team does...in such a caledron of hate!

Spoken from the heart, AF, but JK has to be strategic in his call ups for this friendly. It is, after all, a friendly. So there may be individual reasons to not call up certian players for even a match at Azteca.
However I remember a time when I felt like we should always go into any Mexico match with all guns fully loaded and blazing no matter what. Guess I still do for the most part, but with exceptions for good reasons where they exist.

Here is a link to a John Godfrey NYTimes article thta runs down the possibilities pretty well:

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/u...t-1-the-a-team/