LIN or Lose?

Photo courtesty of bostonherald.com

LIN-tastic, LIN-credible and LIN-sane are just a few of the new nicknames overnight NBA sensation Jeremy Lin has received in the past couple of weeks.

Lin, a Taiwanese or Chinese descent, has Asian television stations drooling to add MSG, the New York Knicks' television station, to their broadcasting schedules.  His popularity has sky-rocketed because of his, as many would say, LIN-derella story.

A point guard for the Knicks, Lin has gone from a reserved, unused bench player that slept on his brother's couch at one point to a star-studded point guard, owning his own apartment in the Trump Towers and becoming the talk of the town in the biggest market.  

A Harvard graduate majoring in economics, Lin has expressed his intelligence on the court, moving the ball around and making his teammates better players.  He is a fast-paced player with a sweet jumper, however, many of his teammates as well as opponents respect his absence of fear to drive into the lane and take a hard foul.  Many analysts compare his play to future Hall of Famer Steve Nash.  

Even Nash said it himself in a recent tweet on Twitter, "It's crazy! I'm watching Linsanity hoping every shot goes in. Hope I never grow up."

Adding more of a comedic humor to Lin's run was TNT's own Shaquille O'Neal tweeting, "Linderrella story of the year jeremy lin has lingle handedly played lensational lincredible I'm linpressed all he does is Lin Lin Lin gd jib."

In the past five games, Lin has scored 136 points, the most of any NBA player who began his career after the merger.  He has most recently helped the Knicks win seven in a row without stars like Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.  

The New York Knicks were a sloppy, below average team that couldn't gel their superstars together before Lin came into the picture.  Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni was very close to losing his job because of his horrific start to the 2011-2012 season.  Lin, a devout Christian, is hearing his praises now from D'Antoni, as he should be, for saving his job. 

Many are comparing his accomplishments to that of Tim Tebow's.  Where there was Tebowing, there is Linning; by the way, Linning is to rock your geek glasses proudly while dominating life like our beloved superstar and supernerd Jeremy Lin, according to Linning.com.     

How long can this run last for Lin?  Do you buy or sell this dose of LIN-sanity?  Last but not least, why does he have to be a New York Knick?   

   

New "Kings"of NFC East

Photo courtesy of nydailynews.com

A new team has emerged as superiors of the NFC East.  No, not the Philadelphia Eagles, but as difficult as it is for Eagles' fans to digest, it is now the New York "football" Giants.

Ugh, that hurts to say.

Admittedly so, the New York Giants are the best team in football right now; they have the Lombardi trophies to prove it, winning two Super Bowls in a five year span (2008, 2012).

Even though Eagles' fans can say they were a better team than the Giants this year, beating them with their backup squad during the regular season, the Giants, however, got the job done down the stretch.  

Starting off the season 6-2, the Giants gave themselves some leeway to regroup and make a run at the end of the season.  This wasn't the same for the Eagles; they struggled, starting the season with a 1-4 record.  The starts from both teams became a factor as the season came to an end.  Philadelphia would miss the playoffs, while the Giants would make it, and eventually become Super Bowl champions.

  

How will the Eagles regain their stature as the kings of the NFC East?  The answer is simple.  Not by winning NFC East divisions.  Not by having a great record.  But, by winning Super Bowls. 

 The first step is winning that first one, and for the Eagles, it has been oh-so-difficult for their franchise, obtaining zero rings in their existence.  

When will a parade down Broad Street ever happen for Eagles' fans?  The only way it can happen is through good management, good coaching and a plan within the organization that everyone believes in.  

Till then, more suffering will continue for Eagles' fans in the Delaware Valley.   

  

An Impressive Start for the Sixers

Photo courtesy of Nba.com 

Above is the new slogan Adam Aron, the new Philadelphia 76ers owner, has put into place for the 2011-2012 NBA season.  Off to their best start since the 2001 NBA Finals run, the Sixers have a 7-3 record; their play is resembling their motto.

Sixers coach Doug Collins has found a system where everyone on the team has a specific role. For instance, power forward Thaddeus Young's role is to come off the bench and provide athleticism as well as energy to both ends of the court.  Center Spencer Hawes' part is to be a force on the boards, along with his craftiness in feeding his teammates the ball offensively. Every player has a specific role that they have bought into, and that is exactly why they have gotten off to such an impressive start.

Blowing teams out has been an early theme for the Sixers this season.  In five out of the 10 games they have played so far, the Sixers have won by 20 points or more; the defeated opponents include the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings.  These teams are most likely not championship contenders, however the Sixers have had convincing wins against the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Hornets.  (Don't think New Orleans were a step-over because they received quality youngsters via the Chris Paul trade.)     

Their losses have come from the Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz and New York Knicks.  All three losses were close losses, showing their pride and fight till the end in each of those games. 

Collins preaches hard work and teamwork.  The Sixers have no superstar on the team.  Every game has resulted in more than one person with double figure scoring.  Their version of basketball is quite beautiful to watch.  

Hawes has emerged as an all-around player, while shooting guard Jodie Meeks has shown his capability of becoming a terrific three-point shooter. Rookie center Nikola Vucevic is showing no signs of playing like one, contributing well offensively.  Power forward Elton Brand has found his groove in scoring and rebounding.  Small forward Andre Iguodala and Young have shown their defensive athleticism.  Evan Turner and Lou Williams are scoring sparks off the bench.  Point guard Jrue Holiday has shown that he can take over a game when his team needs him, hitting big shots in key situations.  

With the NBA season being crunched into a 66-game season in 120 days because of the lockout, the Sixers look to have benefited thus far.  They are a young, talented team that are looking to make some noise come playoff time.  

So word to all Sixers fans out there:

"Show Ya Luv."      

One More Chance

Photo courtesy of gcobb.com

Unacceptable, disappointing and dismal are just a few of the words Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie used to express his team's season at his end of the season press conference Tuesday afternoon.

His 14-minute opening speech kept reporters on the edge as many thought the firing of head coach Andy Reid was approaching.  Lurie described the start of the 2011 season as "unacceptable" and the four game winning streak at the end of the season as "fool's gold."  Overall, he stated that the 2011 season was the "most embarrassing season in his tenure as owner of the Eagles."

Mr. Lurie sounded like a true passionate Philadelphia fan, highlighting errors that resulted in his team's failure of making the playoffs with an abysmal 8-8 record.  Usually, Lurie is the one to make up excuses for his team but Tuesday afternoon was different.  This difference made Eagles fans actually believe that the Reid era would be finally over.  Surely, it seemed that Reid would receive the ax.   

However, after all of this, Lurie managed to trick us all.  Once again, as fans, we were fools for believing that Reid would be a goner.  Lurie found a way to go back to his roots and praise Reid as the "one that gives us the best chance to win a championship."  In other words, Reid will be back for the 2012 season.  Well done Jeffrey, for that Academy award performance.  

Eagles fans have the right to complain on Reid coming back; the Eagles haven't won a playoff game in three years.

Lurie brought up reasons why he decided to give Reid another chance.  His track record was one, which says he is the winning-est coach in franchise history; he has been to five NFC championship games, one Super Bowl and has a number of NFC East titles.  The Eagles owner emphasized greatly on the recent NFC East titles like they really meant something.  He relied on those divisional accomplishments because he knows they have been one-and-done in the playoffs these past three years.

With 13 years under his belt, Reid has yet to accomplish the ultimate prize, a Superbowl title.  He might not say or show that he is impatient, but deep-down inside Lurie believes he will lose his fan-base if they don't make at least a Super Bowl appearance next year.  If that happens, Lurie will cut the throat of the Reid Era.

So time is ticking Mr. Reid.  The balls are in your court; Superbowl or bust?  As Eminem would say, "You only got one shot, do not miss your chance to blow."  (This quote kind of contradicts my previous statements, since Reid did have 13 shots already, but I thought it would be inspirational for Andy.)

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An Eagles' Christmas?

Photo courtesy of sportsgeekery.com

"Three days till Christmas; oh boy, what has Santa gotten for all of us?"

Hopefully, an Eagles win and a Giants loss.  

This upcoming weekend is a very special NFL Christmas weekend.  Philadelphia Eagles fans are all eager for the miracle to happen, an Eagles playoff berth.  There are, however, baby steps involved in those slim playoff chances.  Yet as each game arrives and the Eagles progress, those chances gradually expand, giving hope to the city of Philadelphia. 

  

The fight to inch closer to a playoff spot will begin before the Eagles even take the field at Cowboys Stadium.  It all starts at Metlife Stadium in New York at 1 p.m where the New York Giants will square-up against their rivals, the New York Jets, in the Battle for New York.    

• The Eagles will need a favor from the already humiliated Jets to provide them with a win against the Giants.  J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets!  Show me what you got, Rex Ryan!

With that said, Eagles fans would now be able to enjoy a meaningful game at 4:15 p.m.  Let's take a look at the match-up:

The Cowboys are coming off a dominating game against a lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad.  Defensively, the Cowboys will feed off of defensive-end Demarcus Ware's intensity and linebacker Sean Lee's aggressiveness.  Offensively, Tony Romo is on fire, contrary to games in December from previous years.  His play had the capability to put his team above everyone else in the NFC East, before being abruptly ruined by coaching decisions and special team plays in the final seconds of regulation.  Also, since running back DeMarco Murray is out for the season with a fractured fibula, Felix Jones will be on the menu for a newly-energized Philadelphia Eagles' defense. 

The Eagles hope for good coaching to continue; they have received this these past two weeks.  Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is starting to understand and make critical adjustments to his defense during the games, adding more blitzes and schemes. Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg are starting to finally understand that if they balance the calls of running and passing plays, then they will win the game. Looking to eye an NFL rushing title, Lesean McCoy has been a beast; he only trails Maurice Jones-Drew by 60 yards. Michael Vick is playing smarter, especially with his decisions on taking unnecessary hits.  

As the NFC East continues with its inconsistency, so does the NFC playoff picture race. 

Who will be victorious?   

   

Eagles Slim Playoff Chances

"Playoffs, don't talk about playoffs; you kidding me, playoffs?"  Thanks Jim Mora for that lovely introduction.

As awful as the 5-8 Eagles season has been, they're miraculously still in the playoff hunt.  This was made possible because of the struggling NFC East.

Sunday's 26-10 victory in Miami helped keep the Eagles on life support as they head into their next game against the New York Jets at home.



However, there are a lot of things that need to happen besides the Eagles having to win out all of their games.

First, Dallas' schedule looks like this: at Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and at New York against the Giants.

• Dallas needs to lose at least 2 games.
• If Dallas beats the Giants, then Dallas has to lose against Tampa Bay    

Second, the Giants' schedule looks like this: Washington, at New York Jets and Dallas.

• The Giants' needs to lose at least 2 games.  
• If the Giants sweep Dallas, then they have to lose to the Redskins and Jets for the Eagles to have a shot.  

It really all comes down to this upcoming week.  The Eagles need at least one upset to happen, whether it is the Giants losing to Washington or Dallas losing to Tampa Bay.  

The Eagles performance this year has been abysmal from offense to defense to coaching. Although they don't deserve to be in the playoffs and a losing record would surely eliminate Andy Reid from coaching this team, I still bleed green!  Hopefully, the switch has turned on for this team.

                 I still believe.  Miracles can happen.  

                            Just ask Tim Tebow.  

A GIANT Victory for the Eagles

Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Close your eyes and picture this: Vince Young rallying his desperate Eagles team to an 18-play, 80-yard brilliant drive against a very solid New York Giants defense late in the fourth quarter.  Sounds ludicrous, right?  Now, open your eyes and believe me when I say that the Eagles didn't give up another fourth quarter lead, winning through their defense by a score of 17-10.  That is exactly what had occurred last Sunday night.

Vince Young, who was previously 2-0 against the Giants when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans, wiped off a three interception performance with a clutch fourth quarter touchdown pass to Riley Cooper.  Young threw touchdowns to two wide receivers whom haven't been used significantly all season; one to former Giants wide receiver Steve Smith and the other to Cooper.  Both were used more frequently due to the injury to Jeremy Maclin. Judging off Young's performance in the fourth quarter, I believe they should start Vick during the first three quarters and pull in Young for the fourth.  A formula worth trying, I must say. (joking moment)  

Defensively, the Eagles looked mighty impressive.  This is the defense that all Eagles fans imagined to see before the season had started.  It looked like defensive coordinator Juan Castillo and his defense were tired of the media portraying them as a "soft" defense, deservingly so.

Jason Babin was the star on defense, making this game-sealing sack as well as forcing a fumble on Eli Manning as he was trying to even up the game at 17. Derek Landri played well as a reserve tackle, picking up the key turnover created by Babin seen below. 

• The Eagles defensive line stole the show Sunday night as they made Eli Manning's life a living hell in the pocket; they were persistent on their pressure and made sure Manning felt the hits.  As a group, they recorded three sacks. Cullen Jenkins, Trevor Laws, Darryl Tapp, Juqua Paker and Mike Patterson produced constant pressure and closed in on the run game.
• The linebackers played well too as Jamar Chaney picked off Manning and Akeem Jordan made a crucial stop on a 3rd and 1 against Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.
• Secondary played decent minus Nnamdi Asomugha.  He was penalized for pass interference and lost coverage on Giants wide-out Victor Cruz.  Cruz is known for picking on Asmougha as he torched him in their first match-up.          

Hopefully, the Eagles find a way to show some consistency in their play, which they have lacked all season.  I know the playoffs are still a long shot, but I have a feeling this game is the game that will turn their season around.  Momentum will swing into the Eagles favor.  It happened last year with the Miracle of the Meadowlands II, so what's so different about this year?

The Eagles Gods are looking down on us.    

  

Eagles, Bears play on MNF...What more can you ask for?

Photo courtesy of Eastbay.com

Monday night football with potential playoff aspirations on the line tonight; can't get any better than that, now can it?

The Philadelphia Eagles look to reach .500  in tonight's battle against the Chicago Bears.  Chicago is coming off a 24-18 win in London last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Philadelphia is coming off a 34-7 win, whooping the Dallas Cowboys in every aspect of the game.

The Eagles need to continue the style of play they displayed against Dallas for tonight.

Matt Forte is a dangerous threat in the running game for the Bears.  Defensively, the Eagles need to prevent him from having a field day from the first snap.  Jay Cutler can be a nuisance if his offensive line protects him.  Players like Trent Cole and Jason Babin need to create havoc and cause him to turn the ball over.  The linebacking core needs to fill the gaping holes and close on them as quickly as possible.  Any mistake in their assignments could lead to crucial points on the scoreboard.  Special teams wise, the Eagles need to be smart and not punt to the best special teams player in the game, Devin Hester.  He is guaranteed a touchdown almost every time he touches the ball.  

Offensively, Michael Vick and his high-powered Eagles offense look to strategically dissect Brian Urlacher and his strong Bears defense.  The Eagles need to firstly, get Lesean McCoy started in the run game.  He is a perennial back that has risen up in the rankings as one of the best running backs in the league.  They need to use him in the passing game as well.  Jeremy Maclin will look to be the go-to receiver as Desean Jackson will try to find a hole in the Bears defense to create a big play opportunity.  Jason Avant and Brent Celek will be targeted in key situations when a first down is needed.  Finally, when none of that is available, Vick needs to use his lightning speed and create plays with his legs.

A balanced attack as well as a zero in the turnover column on offense will win this game for the Eagles.

Prediction: Eagles 31-Bears 17           

A Nightmarish Start

Photo oourtesy of lloydvance.wordpress.com

The majority of Philadelphia believed this was finally the year their beloved Eagles would bring a parade to Broad Street.  Going into week six of the NFL season, Eagles fans are left scratching their heads, pondering if a change in the coaching staff as well as the personnel will happen.

The Eagles have an abysmal 1-4  record.  They are desperately looking for a win when they travel to Washington to face the 3-1 Redskins on Sunday at 1pm.

On paper, the Eagles look like the greatest thing since sliced bread.  However, you can't judge a book by its cover.  The Dallas Cowboys experienced this first-hand last year when they went 1-7 going into week 8 of the season.  A move was made by Jerry Jones, firing Wade Phillips in the middle of the season and replacing him with interim and current head coach Jason Garrett.  

Expectations is a word that can excel or destroy a team.  So far, the Eagles are feeling the wrath of those high expectations, turning their season from a dream season to a nightmare.  

The Eagles have one main issue that is significantly obvious to their downfall of play:

   

Coaching- Turning an offensive line coach into a defensive coordinator with no experience is a risky experiment to run.

Andy Reid proposed this idea and made it happen when he hired his then offensive line coach Juan Castillo, and turned him into a defensive coordinator, replacing the great late Jim Johnson and his supposed successor Sean McDermott, who couldn't get the job done all too well last season.  However, McDermott didn't have the talent on defense like the Eagles have now; he would look really nice as an Eagles defensive coordinator right about now.

The defense looks very soft and cannot make a tackle to save their lives.  A lack in leadership and discipline is causing a downward spiral for the defense.

Players that are not afraid to get in another's face and tell them what they are doing wrong is needed.  Having leadership qualities like Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter and Hugh Douglas are no where to be found.  Tackling cannot be blamed on the coaches, but the schemes or positions that the players are put in could be the problem why it is an issue.  Reid's stubbornness in thinking that the linebacker and safety positions are safe and not that important is ultimately hurting his defense.  In the red zone, they are extremely weak and give up touchdowns like there is no tomorrow rather than holding for three points.  Again, the blame crumbles down to Reid.

On the offensive side of the ball, the run to pass balance has been completely dominated by the passing game.  Nothing new there for an Andy Reid offense.

It has been getting ridiculous and the results are the same.  Reid loses his trust in the run quickly, so he averts to the pass game.  Plays become predictable and defenses send more players to rush Vick.  How many more times will I see the offense set up in a shotgun formation?  Vick gets hurt because he never gets a break from pressure.  Coming in with a bunch of inexperienced offensive linemen has resulted in costly play in important times of the games and injuries to key players.

Yet, with all this said, Reid still manages to say the same thing at press conferences by taking full responsibility and promising to fix the problem the following week.  The problem is that he is not fixing the problem.  It is a recurring theme every week.  He is not getting through to his players.

When that happens, change is a necessity.  The question is, when or if it will happen... 

Vick-less

Photo courtesy of deadspin.com

Michael Vick's homecoming started as a warm welcome; however, it concluded with a bitter, disappointing ending.

Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles lost 35-31 to the Atlanta Falcons in a back and forth game that came down to the wire.  Except this time, the Eagles were without Vick on a potential game-winning drive.

Midway through the third quarter, Vick was tackled by one of the Falcons' defenders causing him to fall downward, slamming his head straight into his own lineman's shoulder.  Walking off the field, Vick spit up blood because of a tongue bite.  It was confirmed after the game that Vick had suffered a concussion from the blow.

The loss of Vick was a factor in the defeat to the Falcons, but that wasn't the only reason.  

Turnovers played a huge role.  The game-changing play happened in the winding minutes of the second quarter.  Vick had his offensive squad lined up for another touchdown in the red zone and possibly a ten point lead.  Andy Reid, the Eagles coach, decided to go with 2 running backs in the backfield.  Vick faked the pitched and tried to give it off to the other runner.  The play took too much time, enabling the Falcons defense to pounce on Vick and strip him of the ball.  Ray Edwards, the Falcons defensive end, scooped the ball up, and ran like a mad man all the way to the Falcons twenty yard line before being tackled by the speedy Eagles wide receiver Desean Jackson.  That later turned into a Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez one-handed touchdown grab.  

Defensively, the Eagles corners and linemen did a decent job covering as well as getting pressure on Matt Ryan.  They forced turnovers in key moments of the game.  However, the linebacking core had their issues.  Michael Turner, the Falcons running back, ran down the throats of linebacker lane.  Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez exposed the poor coverage ability of some of the Eagles linebackers.  Guarding athletic tight ends have always been a problem;  this is something defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has to preach in film sessions.   

With Vick possibly out for a couple of weeks, Mike Kafka becomes the starting quarterback.  Vince Young is still out with a hamstring injury.  Kafka performed with poise and confidence as he ran the offense up the field in the closing minutes on Sunday night.  He made impressive throws, releasing the ball quickly from attacking blitzes.  But on a fourth and four, Kafka threw a pass that hit the number 18 of Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin's chest.  Maclin dropped a guaranteed first down, which could of changed the game dramatically.     

I feel this loss will benefit the Eagles in the long run.  They will learn from their mistakes and hopefully, correct them.  Sunday's loss was a tough one against a Falcons team that excels on their home field.  

Now, the real test begins...

      

Dream Team

"To the 10, to the 5, touchdown Eagles!"  Spoken by the beloved voice of Philadelphia, Eagles radio announcer Merrill Reese will finally be calling the action to all die-hard Eagles fans come Sunday afternoon against the St.Louis Rams. A voice that has been missed and would've been even more deeply missed had the NFL owners and players not struck a labor deal for the 2011 season.

The Philadelphia Eagles come into the 2011 season fully-loaded.  After performing a historic number of moves to acquire prized free agents, the Eagles organization has one goal in mind for this season: to win it all.  Adding faces like Nnamdi Asmougha, Ronnie Brown, Vince Young, Cullen Jenkins, Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie, Jason Babin and Steve Smith are just some of the ingredients in making a championship caliber team. In a city that has competitors in different sports such as baseball, the Phillies, a recent World Series champion as well as the favorites to win it all this year, have stolen the spotlight.  The Phillies swept under and grabbed Cliff Lee from the Yankees in free agency, making their 5-man rotation a force to be reckoned with.

Joe Banner, the Eagles president, realized the possibility of Philadelphia transforming into a baseball town rather than staying as a football town.  It seems as if there is a sense of urgency for his organization to bring the city a championship before the window of opportunity closes.  The pain that many Eagles fans had to endure their whole lives may finally come to an end this year.  By going all out and pursuing excellent talent, Banner has impressed fans, removing his label from many fans as a "cheapskate," for now.  The city of Philadelphia wants to see their Eagles as world champions.

Hopefully, this will finally be their year of destiny.  Rather than being fixated on the "dream team" persona, let's hope our Eagles make this a dream season.  



 

It's Klinsmann's Turn

Photo courtesy of futegoal.com

The Jurgen Klinsmann era for the United States Men's National Team kicked off Wednesday night under the shining lights of Lincoln Financial Field in the city of "Brotherly Love."  The US squared up against their nemesis, Mexico.

During their last meeting with Mexico in the Gold Cup final, the US looked like they were going to upset the  Mexicans by taking a 2-0 lead in the first 25 minutes of the first half.  However, after that, the Americans looked like a team that were beaten and just out worked with pace.  Mexico scored four straight goals, beating the Americans by a score of 4-2.    

By adding Klinsmann to their coaching staff and firing Bob Bradley, the Americans obviously wanted to search for a new sort of style or swagger to their game plan; a European style, perhaps.  Klinsmann brings an attacking style of play mirroring his days as a premier striker for West Germany.  Defensively, he wants his players to attack every ball, giving the opponents limited time to set up a play, similarly to Barcelona's defensive tactics.

In their friendly match on Wednesday night, the US looked to win back their confidence.  They had to accomplish this against a strong, newly ranked Mexican team.  Some superstars from both teams did not make the trip to Philadelphia.  This included Clint Dempsey as well as Freddy Adu and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
                     
                        Photo courtesy of Masona Lam
As a few friends and I walked up the steps to enter Lincoln Financial Field, we heard the cheers and chants of the thousands of supporters that made it on a strangely scheduled Wednesday night game.  Perhaps that was the reason why there weren't as many fans as many anticipated there to be.  An attendance of around 30,000 showed up for the bitter, rivalry game.

The game had finally started.  I was in a section where it was tough to find a single American fan.  You could say I was a loner and very prone to hecklers; even my friends were Mexican fans.  Well so be it, I had to still show my American pride.

In the 17th minute, Mexico's Oribe Peralta scored on a flick from a hard-driven cross into the box.  Mexican fans around me cheered with excitement as I was left sitting there shaking my head.  The United States could not get a single shot off in the first half.  "What a disappointing start it was to the Klinsmann era," I kept repeating to myself.

During halftime, my friends and I went to the concessions to grab a couple of refreshments.  As we did, a group of American and Mexican fans starting jumping around chanting their countries.  Shocked and urged to join the mob, we threw ourselves in and hopped around with the others.  Many people around us grabbed their cameras and videotaped the recklessness.  Hopefully, it can be found on Youtube.

The Americans finally showed some life during the middle of the second half.  Substitutes such as Brek Shea, Robbie Rogers and Juan Aguedelo brought a spark of life that was much needed.  Players started distributing the ball well and creativity progressively developed.

An opportunity arrived for Rogers.  As soon as he got into the game, he received a well crossed ball by the blond headed, faux-hawked Shea or as I call him, the American Fernando Torres.  Shea worked hard to send a cross that met Rogers's foot for the open goal finish.

The game had ended in a 1-1 draw.  Many members of the crowd wanted an extra time, but hey, you can't always get what you want.  Both teams looked to be satisfied with a tie.  Klinsmann showed a sigh of relief when his squad netted the equalizing goal.

The Americans still need a lot of work to contend with world-class teams.  However, the second half showed a glimpse of how the youth system are some what improving their style of play.  Hopefully, the way they played the second half can transfer over to their next game.  Improvements need to be shown as soon as possible.  2014 is around the corner.  I think if anyone can do it, Klinsmann can be the one to change American soccer.