Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips Have Your USA v Germany Preview.

Click here for link to previous World Cup Articles by Brian and Greg

1) What an amazing game! Do you think giving up the equalizer that late will have an adverse affect on Team USA or the fact they are still in great shape to advance keep spirits upbeat?

GB) All the postgame interviews said the same thing…that the players are naturally disappointed, but at the end of it, if you’d told them they’d be tied at the top of the table in their group after two games, they’d have taken it in a heartbeat.

Having said that, of course it’s frustrating. Literally seconds away from guaranteeing an advance to the Round of 16, anyone would be frustrated. Every single American watching that game was frustrated. Nevertheless, a spot-perfect service by the best current player in the world…that’s what it took to tie the game, and not only that, but the best player in the world who was seconds away from being eliminated in the World Cup? Michael Jordan used to have those moments, Tom Brady has had those moments…THAT’S what tied that game.

I think this team has found their game, and a huge quantity of confidence.

BP)  Talk about having your heart ripped out. Still it's not a disaster. This seems like a pretty tough bunch and I'm not too concerned about their psyches going into the Germany match. If anything they'll be feeling condident at having played so well against a top 5 side.
 
2) What has impressed you about Team USA heading into the game with Germany and who needs to step up to win this game?

GB) Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard have been incredible. Dempsey…I’m not sure I’ve got enough superlatives in my thesaurus to describe his game. He’s been at a whole different level of leadership so far. HE played at forward last match because of the injury to Jozy Altidore, and was clearly dangerous, scoring that goal off his stomach…huge. Howard lost his footing on that first goal, but some of his saves in that game were tournament-saving. He had no chance whatsoever on the last one.

Bradley has been strong at points, but I’d like to see a bit more consistency from him. Who knows what happens if he makes a better touch on the open-except-for-the-defender goal? 

BP)  I was impressed by quite a lot Sunday. They gave up a stupid goal early, but stuck by their game plan, got enough possession, and ran Portugal ragged. Other than the final play Renaldo was a non factor. Jermaine Jones was a beast again. This time, without Altadore, Klinsmann decided to let Jones freelance and the U.S. was rewarded with a world class goal. 

As for stepping up... Bradley. He has had a lousy World Cup to be quite honest. He has to be more reliable on the ball. It's like Tom Brady throwing more picks than touchdowns. He's the quarterback.

 
3) Germany is always tough. What's up with that? Is it a system, players, coaching? What is their secret?

GB) Yes. It’s all of that. It’s also a fantastic work ethic, and let’s face it…success breeds success. When your team is the best in the world, and you’re a five year old who’s just watched, what do you do? You grab your soccer ball and run outside after the game, and pretend to be Ballack or Klinsmann or whoever just scored That Goal. 

Back to a point I was making the other day…Germany doesn’t have baseball or (pointy) football…they have hockey, but the world’s football is incredibly popular there, and gets most of their best athletes. Four current US players (Jermaine Jones, John Brooks, Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler) were born in Germany to a US serviceman father and a German mother. Julian Green had similar parents, but was born in the US, moving back to Germany with his mother and growing up there.

BP)  Not to be flip, but Germany has been doing this a long time. They know how to develop talent. Their league is one of the tops on the planet. That said I believe they can be beaten. They're a bit suspect in the back. Overall they've been criticized in the past for being slow. We need to run at them. I expect Klinsmann to do that. He isn't going to bunker in for a 0-0 draw.
 
4) Glancing around the other brackets, some favorites have been sent packing and some sleeper teams have emerged, what teams have you found yourselves impressed with so far?

GB) Costa Rica for sure…who expected that? I will, of course, point out again that our very own Columbus Crew have two defenders playing for Costa Rica, including starting central defender Giancarlo Gonzalez. Mexico’s been much better than I expected, because the barely made the tournament. CONCACAF, the FIFA region the US plays in, has four teams in the World Cup…Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Two have already locked up a spot in the Round of 16, and the USMNT has a great chance to do the same.

The Netherlands blew up with a fantastic first win, then had a bit more trouble with Australia than they should have…beat Spain 5-1 then Australia 3-2? They’d better be back in form when they play Mexico, because El Tri has found their stride.

From here on out, I’ll be pulling for the remaining CONCACAF teams until they run into the US,…it’s the same way you want B1G teams to do well in their bowl games/tournaments/whatever.

BP) I am very impressed with Mexico. They barely qualified and looked terrible throughout the process in doing so. They're playing for one and other now. Miguel Herrera has somehow gotten through to these guys. He's certainly the most fun coach to watch. I guess he has them playing loose. That said Mexico is about to be erased by a team emerging as a possible favorite. The Dutch have been the class of 2014 thus far.

Costa Rica is the stunner! They won a group that included Italy and England, and neither of those European giants get through? That's bizarre! As the group winner Costa Rica draws a middling Greece side and I like the Central American nation to move on. 

This has been a strange World Cup. If the U.S. takes care of business that'll make 3 out of 4 teams from our CONCACAF qualifying group to get out of group stage. That's the story here.

 
5) Where are you watching the USA v Germany game this Thursday at noon?

GB) Still talking to my sons about that. We’ve watched the first two at home, but we’re talking about heading out to the Crew viewing party at Fado. I’m curious to see the atmosphere in person, and see how it compares the 2002 viewing parties hosted at the stadium. Those parties were the biggest in the US, and drew futbol fans from as far away as Florida who had seen footage on TV, and felt like it was something they had to be part of.

Having said that, I’m still a pretty sports-related superstitious guy having my sports-shooting career in hockey, and we’ve watched everything at home so far, so I’m not sure if I can change what’s worked so far…

BP)  I'm trying to keep track while I'm on the air. The TV is over the station bar so I may need to bring a telescope. 

Prediction: USA 1 Germany 1.

USA v Ghana Recap & Portugal Preview by Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips

USA v Ghana Recap. 5 questions for Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips. Click here for 5 World Cup questions Part one and  Part two

Click here to read "If I Cared, Why I Would be Rooting for Portugal"

1) Wow. Big win. What impressed you about team USA's victory? What are concerns moving forward?

GB) Ghana really carried most of the run of play...the last number I saw was 59%-41% possession in favor of the Black Stars. GK Tim Howard was positionally spot-on, and the US defenders didn't allow a ton of opportunities in spite of Ghana's possession. The US were dangerous on most of their set pieces, and that will need to continue as they face stronger competition.

Moving forward, those possession numbers have to get better. Bradley was strong in the back, but was well covered once he got forward, and he needs to find a way to get into space and utilize his strength on the ball.

Bp) Certainly the USA showed a ton of grit and sometimes that can be enough. Klinsmann decided he was going to keep the defense compact and for the most part the strategy worked. We forced Ghana to the outside and fortunately we were able to survive all those dangerous balls being whipped in from the flanks. Ghana's one goal was the only time the central defense fell apart to a serious degree. Howard was great when needed, but what else is new? My man of the match was Jermaine Jones. The outside defender was rugged and relentless. 

I'd echo Greg's concern. We have to figure out a way to possess the ball. I'd also agree that Bradley has to be much more effective in the attack. Look for Portugal to echo Ghana's strategy with tight marking on Bradley. On the opposite side of Jermaine Jones is Darmarcus Beasley. Not a natural defender, he is the weak link in the back. Look for superstar Christiano Renaldo to attack his side of the field with impunity. 

 2) After Dempsey scored thirty seconds into the match, Ghana seemed to settle down and be in control for long stretches. Were you bracing for the equalizer sooner or later? How surprised were you by how quickly Team USA responded? 

GB) That quick strike might have been a bad thing...Ghana seemed to realize right away that this wasn't going to go the same way it had for them in the past, and then they dialed it in and paid a lot more attention. I cannot understand why they didn't start Kevin-Prince Boateng. He subs in at the 59th minute mark, and control goes even MORE Ghana's way.

Bp) I wasn't at all surprised at Ghana's play. This is a really good team and we were lucky to beat them. Let's be honest, team USA played long stretches of that game in a very defensive posture.  I'd agree that Boateng should have started. I know he's had injury issues, but he's a nice player and gives this young team some veteran leadership.

3) We lost our really fast guy to a hamstring injury, but our next opponent, Portugal, lost three players in a blowout loss in Germany in their opening game. Which team is in better shape heading into the match on Sunday.

GB) I think this favors the US. They pulled of a gritty character-builder of a win without Altidore, and can build on that. Portugal, on the other hand, loses FOUR players... Pepe to stupidity (he had to lean WAY over to butt that head, so he had plenty of time to be smarter about it), and Coentrao (like Pepe, a defender), forward Hugo Almeida, and GK Rui Patricio, so that's two defenders, a forward, and starting GK...Tha's a lot of change.

Bp) I know a lot of US supporters are down on Altidore, but we don't have anybody else like him. Fast, big... He's our Beast Mode if you will. That said Portugal is the desperate side here without very important pieces. We are certainly lucky to face them at much less than full strength. Don't forget that superstar Renaldo's knee is hardly 100 percent. I'll be watching him very closely. 

4) I took Owen (Colin's Ten Year Old Son) and his buddies out to Rooster's to watch the opening game and it was fun to watch them, watch a soccer game with people going nuts and chanting USA and all that. How big is it for the overall popularity of the sport in the USA for the United States to have a good showing? 

GB) The World Cup is the very best of the sport...the best players, all playing for their country, and they've worked their butts off to even get here, The tournament starts with over 200 nations trying to get here, so it's harder to get in than the Olympics. I think it's great for the game, and all the kids who are playing FIFA World Cup on their home gaming systems can see these names they've seen on their TVs forever...I think it's awesome.

America's biggest challenge with soccer is that our best athletes have many many other sports competing for their attention. As MLS grows (and remember that the US hosted the 1995 World Cup, a mere two years before the inaugural season of Major League Soccer), and as more and more young athletes begin to realize that playing soccer at the highest level is an option for them, then the better it is for the American version of the game.

BP) To know where the sport is in America now you have to know what it was like 24 years ago. The USA hadn't been in the finals for 40 years and yet..... I had to call bars all over my area of Seattle before I found one beaming in the USA/Italy match. I was the only one in the joint let alone watching. No one cared. The growth since then has been phenomenal. Regardless of the USA's showing from here on out there's no looking back now. We're past the time where interest flared up every four years only to be quickly snuffed out. MLS attedance is better and better. Amazing new stadiums dot the nation. Americans are looking for English Premiere teams to support. It's no accident how easy it is to find EPL matches on the tube here. People are watching and there's money to be made. Speaking of money.... Look how many select soccer clubs exist just in Central Ohio now. Players have their pick. Amazing!

5) FIFA and match fixing seem to come up in the same sentence more often than not. To me, the rules of soccer combine extremely subjective calls with extremely harsh penalties which is a recipe for match fix rumors no matter what the intention of the referee. The penalty kick in the Brazil vs Croatia comes to mind. If you were elected the new president of FIFA, what changes, if any, would you make to ensure the credibility of the sport in the future?

GB) I might add another linesman or two, or add a second ingame official as the NHL did. It's made a difference in hockey, and the extra skater doesn't interfere with the game.

BP) Greg you might be on to something. These players are so fast. Perhaps the current three man team is not up to the challange. I really felt FIFA was getting a handle on all the diving and carrying on, but to be honest this World Cup has seen more overacting than a Chuck Heston flick. I'd renew efforts to get that garbage out of the game. I'd also remove the 2022 cup from Qatar and push for those who took bribes to be prosectued (and don't tell me no money changed hands there.)

5 More World Cup Questions for Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips

I sort of consider myself the average "American" soccer fan. I enjoy the game but typically  just drink a beer and scream real loud when a ball gets close to the net. With the 2014 World Cup almost set to pop, I thought the time was ripe to ask local soccer experts -  CD1025 DJ Brian Phillips and renowned Photographer/Musician Greg Bartram - some of my dumb-ass soccer questions to help get up to speed on what I need to know.- Colin G   Click here for questions 1-5

6)What players do I need to keep on eye on that can make a big difference helping Team USA advance?

BP) Up until Saturday's friendly with Nigeria (also a World Cup bound side) I was very concerned with our defense. It seems Klinsman has arrived at shape he's pleased with however and the USA certainly played a solid game in the back. For all of this to work Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman (he of the wicked dreds) will have to live just to the top of our defensive four clogging up passing lanes and generally lending a stout hand in the middle. His success would allow fellow midfielder Michael Bradley to focus on creating offensively. 

Striker Jozy Altidore is another important piece. Up until Saturday's two goal outburst he hadn't scored in any match, for club OR country, in 2014. Altidore has be in top form, ready to turn and fire on goal. Sometimes he'll need to play with his back to the net, holding up the ball with strength and finding Clint Dempsey in space. The more he can be a force, the more room for Dempsey to run free. Defenders have to be so worried about his strength and athletisism they forget every one else.

Another couple of players I'll be watching are outside defenders DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson. Klinsman would like to push both of those guys up into the attack. Can they do that and get back and cover? Will others track back quickly to prevent counter attacks? It's a risky, but exciting tactic. Look to see how much we're able to employ them offensively.

GB) Brian’s got that pretty well covered, but it’s a different squad than we’re used to seeing. The two guys who scored for the US here in the last incarnation of the traditional US 2-0 win over Mexico, Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan, won’t be there, so guys who aren’t known for their scoring touch have to find it.

Also, transition, transition, transition…the midfielders have GOT to be strong supporting both up top and in the back.

7) The World Cup is a really big deal. Can you recommend a good spot to go watch the games to catch the excitement? With kids? Without?

BP) Thanks to the Crew Columbus has over the past couple of decades turned into a soccer town. There are no shortage of watering holes featuring the matches. Fourth Street Bar and Grill comes to mind. Also I'll be hosting an event with CD1025 at The Elevator Brewing Tap Room at 171 N. Fourth for the Portugal game. We'll be watching just feet from the Elevator's brewing operation on the big screen with a $2 pint special and food trucks (hint hint hint). 

As for watching with your kids? I'd probably watch with them at home. People can get a bit nuts. Maybe invite a few neighborhood kids over. 

GB) Sounds like the Elevator’s gonna be a good one. Also, Fado at Easton was just rated as the best place in Ohio to watch World Cup matches, and the Columbus Crew are partnering with them for the tournament. Anyplace you go, it’ll be good viewing.

Want to share it with the kids? I’d call up the members of your son or daughter’s footie side (soccer team), invite players and parents, and host your own with a bring-a-dish-with-ya kinda theme. That way, you don’t have to trouble yourself with the more heavily-partying types.

8) What other teams / players are you most looking forward to watching in addition to USA?

BP) A lot of the usual suspects. Messi (Argentina) Srna ( Croatia) Suarez... though he could be hampered by recent knee surgery...  (Uruguay) Balotelli (Italy) Klose (Germany).... For my money the host nation's Neymar is the most exciting player. 

I'll be very interested in Mexico's fortunes. They barely made the field of 32 and had a terrible qualifying. How many coaches did they go through the past couple of years? I've lost count. They have nice players, but they just haven't figured out how to play together. I always watch England. It's hard to pick against Brazil at home. Cameroon is usually entertaining. Suffice to say a dark horse will emerge from nowhere and at least one superstar will be born in the next month. 

GB) There’s also this fella from Portugal that the US will get a close-up view of named Christian Ronaldo…
France, Germany…I’ve always liked Germany’s game, but I’m pretty interested to see how much Home Country Advantage comes into play.

9) Team USA advances to the next round if…

BP) They have to beat Ghana in the opener. Without that win nothing else is possible. After that they probably have to figure out how to draw with either Germany or Portugal. Good luck! 

GB) Beat the team they should, and at least one team who’s ranked higher. Gotta be riding the wave on the way into the second match, and they’ve GOT to replace Donovan’s experience and scoring.

10)Team USA is in big trouble if..

BP) They lose to Ghana. They backslide into some of the sloppy defending we've seen prior. Altidore has to lead the side in goals. 

GB) They are facing Germany and Portugal without a win. Definitely going to need Vitamin Mo(mentum).