Green With Joy

I hate enjoying other people's misery. ...generally. I've screwed up plenty of times. It's no fun, and it's less fun when you know other people are paying attention. So I say this with full awareness that it may make me a terrible person, but I thank you, Robert Green. I thank you for being a mediocre goalie (though better at being a goalie than I am at anything) and allowing the United States to get an all-important point in the World Cup. You are a true gentleman and sportsman and I salute you. I also do not envy the headlines and comments you will be experiencing. It's not fair, and you should always remember that you are a decent fella and people pretty much like you, except for everyone in England, and that's not really that many people, relatively speaking, so don't let it get you down. You're alright in my book.
Did the United States look great in its 1-1 tie with England Saturday? No, not close. But they looked OK. Tim Howard was his usual stellar self at keeper. The midfielders generally played pretty hard. Oguchi Onyewu was solid in the center of the defense and Steve Cherundolo was pretty good on defense as well. And Jozy Altidore made one great run that Green almost turned into a second goal (he couldn't quite come through for the U.S. twice, but that's OK, we still love him).
There were big issues, though. None of them unexpected. Primarily, it was the American defense, especially the right side, which was consistently getting attacked. The defense also did a poor job closing down on England's shooters, allowing too many close calls. The midfielders, while they played hard, didn't do a lot of controlling of the ball. Someone, maybe Stuart Holden or Jose Torres, has to get some time to try to form a bridge between the back and Altidore up front. I also wasn't nuts about using Findlay up front with Altidore. I don't know if the answer is moving Clint Dempsey up front, or trying Edson Buddle or Hercules Gomez alongside Altidore, but they need more from the other forward spot.
All of that said, it was a great result. This easily could have been an ugly game (and would have been, if not for Howard). But the Americans played hard and stayed in it and, frankly, got lucky with the goal, which you sometimes need. The one point is huge and should give the U.S. confidence going into its next two games, against Algeria and Slovenia. So all in all, it was a great day for United States soccer.
I'm not sure how much I'll be writing tomorrow. We're planning on going to Northwest Trek as long as there's good weather. I may or may not get up for the early game, and if so, I'll try to weigh in. If not, I'll try to recap the day tomorrow night. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope your rest tonight is better than Robert Green's will be.