Since I've already had my post-dicey-win freakout, I'm now able to do the deep breath thing and add some points that don't rip the Americans for failing to make me happy. In no particular order...
- While the Canadians did get robbed on the offside call, it's not like all the officiating went against them. As pointed out on du Nord (somewhere in there), four minutes extra time was pretty generous - and the ref went over to boot. Also, nicely as Iain Hume rounded out his evening, it started with several reckless, uncautioned fouls (whoops....thanks to Throughball.com on that - and it's a great post besides).
- Pitchinvasion.net posted a depressing photo gallery of the crowd - or palpable lack thereof - for the first, "Mexico-less" half - of last night's double-header. He gives props to the passionate, but small Sam's Army contingent...but it's hard to get around the fact that it was small...
- On the happy side of things, I feel like I should draw more attention to something I noted in response to a comment on my freakout post: the subtle, if as not yet entirely unfulfilled, improvement to the U.S. attack. Between DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey, the U.S. brings a more complete, complex attack than we ever have. Sure, we're missing reliable, even periodically useful, forwards, but it's worth noting improvement where it comes. The best news about this: Beasley and Donovan are 25 and Dempsey, only 24.
All for now...on this anyway...
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