I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 1, 2004 Author Share Posted January 1, 2004 I took the team out to lunch before the game as a bit of a reward no matter how the match against Italy turned out. I was getting the chance to live a dream, and even though we had not exactly played our best, I was pretty happy to just be there. But, we did have some business to take care of, and I wasn't going to just settle for a moral victory this time.. World Cup 2002 - Group D USA vs. Italy Kobe Universiade Memorial, Kobe Date: Wednesday, 26 June 2002 I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't nervous. My emotions were about the highest they'd ever been, to tell the truth. But for the most part, I was hoping that somehow, someway, that this could be our night. Sixteen years ago, the dream was first born, and I wasn't ready for it to die this quickly. I put a lot of feeling into my pre-match talk. "Guys, first of all, I'd just like to tell you that it's been an honor to coach all of you. No matter how this turns out tonight, I'm proud of what we've accomplished. Now, we don't really have anything to lose, but that don't mean that we shouldn't play hard. Go out there and play harder than you've ever played in your life. Chances are they don't think we can hold a candle to them, and damnit, go show them that you can! Red, white, and blue all the way!!" There were a few changes to the lineup for the night's match, with Bishop taking Wynalda's place since Eric was unfit to play. Jovan moved back into the attacking midfield role, and Joe Max dropped back to the center of midfield. Getting his first start of the competition was C.J. Brown, starting in place of Convey, who had done well in his two starts, but I needed to rest the youngster, even though this was an extremely important game. Ross Paule also got his first start of the competition, replacing Mathis. Nothing could have ever prepared me for what I was about to witness. Less than six minutes in, there was an eruption in the stands and on our bench as Landon rifled in a volley from thirty-five yards out after taking a pass from Bishop. I tried to tone down the celebrations, because I figured that our early strike would light a fire under the Italians. I didn't want to be premature in my craziness, so I just kept it at high fives. Well, a fire did get lit under somebody. In the 27th, we got a corner. Jovan lofted it in, and Eddie Pope and Italian keeper Angelo Peruzzi both went up for the ball. Pope rose above him, and his header found the back of the net, sending everyone who was on our side into further raptures. I couldn't believe it myself. 2-0 up against Italy with less than a half hour played! This was a dream right? Halftime came, and it was still 2-0. The hour mark passed, and it was still 2-0. With a quarter of an hour left..that's right, still 2-0. With ten minutes left, I started pacing up and down the sideline. I was nervous, yes, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was real. We were ten minutes away from beating one of the best teams in the entire world. Five minutes left, and I turned to my bench. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" There was still no charge from the Italians. It looked like they were resigned to the fact that they were beaten. Then, with two minutes left, there we were, pushing forward again. James Bishop took the ball after we had fended off another weak Italian attack, and as the great Alessandro Nesta tried to catch up with him as he streaked down the pitch, there was this amazing burst of speed that put him in miles of space. He could have kept on running and gotten a better shot, but instead, he let fly with a long shot that curled beautifully and went past a helpless Peruzzi into the net. I jumped into the air and screamed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" As James raced to our bench, I met him and grabbed him. "I love you kid, my god, I love you kid!" As if the moment couldn't get any better, as the final moments ticked down, we went forward one last time. Joe Max got the ball to Landon, and with the Italians knowing they were fairly and soundly beaten, didn't make much of an effort to cover him. As the ball floated towards the net, it looked like it was going in slow motion. When I saw Peruzzi just watch the ball go past him and then punch the air in disgust, I felt my knees give way and buckled to the ground. I watched the final seconds with blurry eyes, staring towards our biggest cheering section as flashbulbs popped and our flag waved all around. The emotion in that stadium was palpable. I raised my arms to the air and kept screaming, "Yes! Yes!" When the ref blew his whistle, I put my head in my hands and sobbed. This was without a doubt, the most amazing moment I had ever felt outside of anything family-related in my life. I tried to run to the players, but my knees gave way again, so two players picked me up and carried me. As the Italian players and fans wept, our players and fans celebrated. I screamed at the top of my lungs with everyone else, "USA! USA! USA!" The celebrations continued for several minutes, and I didn't want the moment to ever end. This was too amazing. I got down and went to talk to a few of the Italian players and staff. I was overjoyed, but I didn't want to look like I was rubbing the victory in their faces. I shook Marcelo Lippi's hand and wished him well in the future, and he did the same to me. Finally, we made our way to the dressing room. I was already pretty hoarse from screaming most of the night, but that didn't stop me from talking. "Guys, I told you before the match that I was proud of you no matter what. And I was telling the truth then. But now, now, I can't even describe just how proud I am of what you guys accomplished tonight. You went out there and totally dominated that entire match. You played your ****in' hearts out, and that's what I expected. But it's not over yet. We're just getting started. We've still got work to do. We're not going to be going for moral victories; we're going to be playing to win this damn thing. But right now, I'm gonna let you guys celebrate, because you definitely deserve it. No one back home might care about what we're doing, but someone's gonna know about us when this thing is over. Well, I'll close with one more thing. Dreams do come true, and thanks for making mine come true." Even if we lost in the next round, no one would ever be able to take away what we did that night in Kobe. We might not have been as talented as them, but we played harder, and we played like we wanted to win. And that's what we did. And my goodness, it felt incredible. FINAL RESULT United States 4 (Donovan 6, 90+, Pope 27, Bishop 88) Italy 0 What a night! This was the vision I had back in '86, and really getting to be a part of something I had always hoped for was something I'd never forget. [This message was edited by I'm Not Ruud on 01 January 2004 at 11:45.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 1, 2004 Author Share Posted January 1, 2004 Well, aside from our wonderful game, there were a few other matches on Wednesday. In the afternoon, Chile defeated Yugoslavia 4-2, but the Yugoslavs won Group C anyway. However, Chile's win did give them second place in the group. In the other Group C match, Burkina Faso scored with five minutes remaining in normal time to gain a 1-1 draw with Japan. There was a slight possibility that we could win Group D if Macedonia got a favorable result over Spain, but that didn't happen. The Spaniards clinched the group with a 3-1 win. On Thursday afternoon, doubles from Edmundo and Amoroso spurred Group E winners Brazil on to a fine 5-1 victory over Tunisia. In the other Group E match of the afternoon, Ukraine qualified for the second round despite just recording a goalless draw with Slovakia. In the evening, Gabriel Batistuta's brace lifted Group F winners Argentina to a 2-1 win over Jamaica. China assured there'd be at least one Asian team in the second round with their 4-2 win over Romania. Hui Xie was the difference in that match with his brace, which was capped off by his 78th minute winner. Group action finished up on Friday, with groups G and H rounding things off. Germany clinched top spot in Group H with their 4-0 win over Morocco. Paulo Roberto Rink scored a brace in the win. In the other Group H match, Colombia qualified with a goalless draw with Croatia, who had a pretty disappointing campaign. In the evening, Mexico secured first place in Group G with their 3-0 win over South Korea. Russia's win over Saudi Arabia assured that neither of the co-hosts would be going through to the next round, after both had fairly disappointing performances in front of their home fans. With all that finished up, the second round draw was made. World Cup 2002 - Second Round France (Group A winners) vs. Finland (Group B runners-up) Holland (Group B winners) vs. Denmark (Group A runners-up) Yugoslavia (Group C winners) vs. USA (Group D runners-up Brazil (Group E winners) vs. China (Group F runners-up) Argentina (Group F winners) vs. Ukraine (Group E runners-up) Mexico (Group G winners) vs. Colombia (Group H runners-up) Germany (Group H winners) vs. Russia (Group G runners-up) So, we would have a tough match against Yugoslavia, but I was confident of our chances. I was just hoping we wouldn't have a letdown after the big win over Italy. In other notable things, Landon was tied for third in goals scored in group play. Morientes and Ceesay both scored four goals to top the list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
displaced_seagull Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 What a win - now that's a passionate report. Superb stuff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 Thanks d_s! The second round got underway on the 29th with France squaring off with Finland on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Anelka (7), Vieira (19), and Micoud (66) were enough to send the defending champions through to the quarterfinals with a 3-2 win. The Finnish gave them a scare late though, scoring an injury time goal to cut the deficit to one, but that was the closest they'd be able to get. In the evening match, Spain once again proved why they were one of the tournament's favorites by absolutely demolishing Chile. Morientes took his tally in the competition to six with his double (12,55) in the very dominating 4-0 victory. On Sunday afternoon, Germany became the third team to qualify for the quarterfinals with their close 1-0 win over Russia. A 47th minute goal from Bierhoff was enough to see them through. In the evening match, Brazil fought off China in a match that was closer than the score showed. Rivaldo's 32nd minute goal put the Brazilians ahead, and when Chinese star Hui Xie was sent off eight minutes into the second half, it seemed like it'd be smooth sailing from there. However, Chen Yang equalized just after the hour mark. But Brazil wouldn't be denied, and goals from Denilson (71) and Elber (83) ended any hopes the Chinese had of causing a shock. In other World Cup-related news, it turns out that the beating we inflicted upon the Italians was Marcelo Lippi's last match in charge. The Italian FA was extremely displeased with the failure to get past the first round and felt that a managerial change would be necessary if they were to achieve the success that they were no doubt capable of. I suppose he won't be speaking to me too much if I see him around eh? Oh well, I still had a team to coach and a game to win, and the first of July was hopefully going to be a historical day for U.S. soccer. [This message was edited by I'm Not Ruud on 02 January 2004 at 16:50.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 Now that I'm back at school, updates won't be coming as often. Priorities, priorities! World Cup 2002 - Second Round USA vs. Yugoslavia Osaka, Japan Date: Monday, 1 July 2002 The 1994 team had gotten this far, but they had fallen to the eventual champions Brazil 1-0 in a match that I saw. Today I was hoping that the tears I cried, and I'm sure there would be some either way, would be tears of joy instead of disappointment like 1994. Once again, I decided to employ a 4-3-1-2, since it had been pretty effective during the group rounds, and I just wanted to keep going with what seemed to suit us. Convey was back in the starting lineup after getting a rest in the Italy game. Early on, Yugoslavia dominated the match, and I figured it was only a matter of time before our resistance was broken. However, in the 32nd minute, we got a free kick, and Jovan stepped up to take it. From 35 yards out he rifled a shot that went over the wall of defenders and past the keeper into the back of the net to give us a lead. I was surprised by it, but I wasn't going to complain. Unfortunately, the lead lasted only a few moments, as Mijatovic equalized for Yugoslavia on the next attack of the match. In the 41st minute, Djordje Tamic went off injured for our opponents, and for the most part, that was the last thing of note that happened for the rest of normal time. Changing to a 4-3-3 at halftime didn't do much to get anything started for us, and Yugoslavia were unable to break through as well. One-all was the score at halftime, and that was the score at the end of 90 minutes as well. And it seemed like that'd be the score after one extra period, but then one sides hopes for glory were dashed in an instant. After we lost possession, Yugoslavia got a goal kick. Kocic's kick went right to Joe Max Moore, who decided to take matters into his own hands. He raced into the box and fired a shot that Kocic was unable to get to, and as one side celebrated, the other side fell to their knees in sadness. We were through to the quarterfinals. FINAL RESULT USA 2 (Kirovski 32, Moore 104) Yugoslavia 1 (Mijatovic 34) Subs: Beasley for Donovan, Olsen for Bishop, Stewart for Mathis (all at halftime) DaMarcus Beasley's appearance was his first senior international appearance. The first of many I'm sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 This is absolutely terrific stuff. Congrats on the last day title clincher and that victory over Italy was quite something! I'm almost prepared to start chanting USA for the World Cup! Almost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 Thanks! I feel so honored In the other second round match of the day, Holland took on Denmark in possibly the most exciting match of the World Cup. It seemed like Holland would run away with the match early when Hasselbaink struck in only the 2nd minute of play, but Denmark struck back just minutes later when Ebbe Sand scored the first of his two goals in the 6th minute. It wasn't long before Holland put their second on the board though, as Kluivert found the back of the net to restore their advantage. Not to be outdone, Mads Jorgensen levelled the match in the 25th minute, and that wouldn't be the last of the scoring in the first half either. Sand scored his second in first half stoppage time, and the Danes went into the break with a 3-2 lead. The second half was much quieter than the first, and going into the final 10 minutes of the match, it seemed like Denmark would be able to hold on for the win. However, Ajax's Cedric van der Gun pulled his side back level in the 81st minute, and so the match went to extra time. There was no scoring in the two extra period, so the match would have to be decided by penalties. Kluivert and Sand both made the first spot kicks for their sides, but Hasselbaink missed on his attempt, and when Thomas Helveg put the ball past van der Sar, the advantage was in Denmark's favor. Andy van der Meyde and Mads Jorgensen both made the next kicks for both sides, and after three attempts by each side, it was 3-2 Denmark. Frank de Boer was up next for Holland, and he couldn't find the net, meaning that if Watford's Alan Nielsen scored on his attempt, Denmark would be moving on. However, he missed, and the shootout continued. Van der Gun was up next for Holland, and he levlled at 3-3. On Denmark's 5th attempt, Leicester's Steen Nedergaard missed, so the scores were level after five kicks each. On the sixth attempts for each side, Jordi Cruyff (no need to say which side he's on) and Stig Tofting both converted, so the scores were still level. Philip Cocu stepped up confidently on Holland's seventh attempt, but unfortunately for his side, his effort was turned away. That left it up to Morten Bisgaard. If he made his kick, Denmark would eliminate one of the tournament favorites. And he did. So the Danes moved on, and Holland went home disappointed. It was a match that neither team wanted or should have had to lose, but in the end, Denmark came out victorious. The other two second round matches were played the next day. In the afternoon, Colombia took full advantage of the sending off of Mexico's Torrado, and they built a two goal advantage at halftime. In the second half, CONCACAF's top qualifier did pull one back, but it only came in injury time. Colombia advanced to the quarters with their 2-1 win over a team that could have very well won the competition if they had been able to move on. In the afternoon, Argentina beat Ukraine by a score of 3-0 in a match that wasn't decided until the final minutes. The tournament favorites had taken a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute through Barcelona's Pablo Paz, but until Veron (88) and Crespo (89) scored to seal the deal, the Ukrainians were still very much in it. So, the quarterfinal matchups were now set. World Cup 2002 - Quarterfinals Brazil vs. Germany France vs. Spain Argentina vs. Colombia Denmark vs. USA I suppose it's a really good thing for us that Denmark beat Holland. This matchup is definitely as good as it could get for us. I know it won't be an easy match at all, seeing as how they did beat a team that is one of, if not the all around most talented teams in the world. Can we make history again? Anything's possible right? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 The first match of the quarterfinals was on the afternoon of the 5th. It was a battle of two of the most storied countries in football history when Brazil took on Germany. Neither team wanted to give in, and after 90 minutes, the match was scoreless. But it was the Germans who would move on to the semis after Carsten Jancker, who had come on in the 75th minute, scored for his side in the 100th minute to give them the victory. In Friday evening's match, France took on Spain, and it was another match that was decided late. Ivan de la Pena had opened the scoring for Spain in the 13th minute, but goals from Micoud (23) and Frederic Danjou (41) put the defending champions up 2-1 at the break. However, Morientes equalized in the 77th minute for his side, and the match went to extra time. In extra time, no one was able to score, so it had to be decided by penalties. In the end it was a Cesar miss on his team's sixth attempt that gave the French the 5-4 victory in the shootout after Danjou had converted the sixth attempt for his side. In Saturday afternoon's match, Argentina took on Colombia in a match that everyone fully expected the Argentines to win in a rout. However, they didn't find the net until the 63rd minute when the ageless Batistuta scored to put them up 1-0. It seemed like they'd be able to hold on, but Bolano equalized for Colombia in the 82nd. But, it'd be Argentina that would go through to the semis by virtue of Claudio Lopez's 93rd minute winner. Maybe the first three matches were an indication of how ours would be, and if it was, we'd sure be in for a nail-biter. World Cup 2002 - Quarterfinals USA vs. Denmark Olympic Stadium, Seoul Date: Saturday, 6 July 2002 No real changes once again as I send my boys out onto the field for a game that we weren't expected to come close to. The first half of the match wasn't exciting in the least, but that was a plus for us. For the second match in a row, I switched to a 4-3-3 at halftime. I brought in Ben Olsen for Landon. Jovan went up front and Joe Max went back to the center of midfield. And once again, for the second match in a row, it really didn't ignite our attack too much. However, we still hung on, and Denmark didn't find the back of the net either. I figured that the longer we were able to hold on, the better it'd be for us in the end. We just needed one chance, that's all. So we were in extra time again, and this time around no one could find the net in the first extra period. I didn't really want penalties to happen though. It'd just be way too iffy for me. I'd much rather have it decided in open play. Going down to the final five minutes or so of the second extra period, it looked like it would end up going to penalties. But then there it was.... I'm really not too big on long shots, but when it gets down to the final minutes, you take what you can get. And when Jovan got a little space for himself from 35 yards out, he did take it. And when that ball went into the net, I went crazy. I ran around and jumped up and down like a little kid, and I cried. I cried even more than I had when we won the Italy game. And I hugged everyone I saw. I was just so unbelievably happy that I felt like nothing could ever bring me down from that moment. The dream was still alive. FINAL RESULT USA 1 (Kirovski 115) Denmark 0 If there was anything that could remotely bring me down from my cloud, it was finding out that we would be facing Argentina in the semis. It'd take nothing short of a miracle for us to win that one, and that's an understatement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 10, 2004 Author Share Posted January 10, 2004 The first of the semifinals was played on the 9th. France took on Germany hoping to advance to the final for the second straight World Cup. Just as in their previous match against Spain, this one went down to penalty kicks. However, this time they'd be on the other end of the scoreline. After both sides had converted five of eight kicks (Scholl, Heinrich, and Rehmer missing for Germany and Trezeguet, Desailly, and Micoud missing for France), the usually reliable Henry missed France's 9th attempt. Werder Bremen's Frank Baumann stepped up with the chance to send the Germans into the final, and he didn't disappoint. So one finalist was now known, and the next evening, they'd find out who they'd be facing on Sunday. I held out a little hope that it could be us, but it was a long shot in the least. ---------------------------------------------- Well, I knew it had to end sometime. But I just wish it didn't have to end like it did. For what it's worth, we did play hard, but some things just can't be done. Argentina just seem to be in a different class from anyone else in the world, and against them we looked like lambs sent out for the slaughter. And really, there are no positives to losing. Only a few days for the guys to recover before the third place game against France on Saturday, and it'd be nice to close things out with a win, but that's much easier said than done, even though Zidane won't be in the lineup. FINAL RESULT USA 1 (Donovan 26) Argentina 7 (Batistuta 9, 10, 52, 79; Crespo 23, 84; Simeone 45+) Well, it could've been worse, right? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 10, 2004 Author Share Posted January 10, 2004 Due to the fact that well, as you'll read on below, I've decided to go ahead and make a second post to finish up my World Cup coverage. We had a couple of days to regroup and hopefully be able to take something away from the match with France. Well, this is how it went. 2nd minute: Trezeguet scores. 1-0 to France. 5th minute: Trezeguet scores again. 2-0 to France. 26th minute: After going an entire 20-odd minutes without scoring, Trezeguet completes his hat trick. 3-0 to France. 30th minute:: Henry makes it four for the French on the half hour mark. If he had been able to find the net on his penalty against Germany on Tuesday, then we could possibly have been in a match that we actually had a chance in. Halftime: We go into the dressing room, and I'm relieved that the break has finally come. I don't say much, but there really isn't too much you can say when you're down 4-0 and not really creating anything on the attacking end. 73rd minute: France get their fifth goal through my recent capture Lizarazu. As much as I'll hopefully enjoy having him on my side in the coming season, I certainly wasn't feeling any love towards him right then. 80th minute: For the second straight match, someone gets four goals against us. Trezeguet finds the net yet again to cap off a tremendous day for the Juve star and to complete the thrashing. Full time: Thank goodness it's over. And I thought the Argentina game was horrible.. True, we did make history, and we did make a bit of a name for ourselves internationally I suppose. But we do have quite a ways to go before we can seriously hang with the big boys at the top. In the dressing room, everyone was pretty upset, and even though I was too, I just told the guys that they didn't have anything to be ashamed of because they had played their hearts out and represented their country well. And when I finished my little talk, I gathered all the players around one more time. "On three, USA. One..two..three!! USA!!" I had tried to hold it in through the Argentina game and through the France game, but right then I just couldn't hold it anymore. As if I hadn't cried enough, I cried again. Just a few tears this time, but I couldn't help it. And as I wiped my face, I looked at the players who had helped me live a dream, even though it had ended the way it did. "One more thing. Thanks guys. I wish it hadn't had to end the way it did, but thanks for everything. I've been able to experience something that I never thought I'd get to, and it means a whole hell of a lot to me. And no matter what, I won't forget it and you guys. I see a bright future for U.S. soccer, and I hope that I can enjoy it with you." It hurt to lose those last two matches like we did, and I knew that there'd have to be changes made if we wanted to be better. But I didn't want to worry about that for a little bit. We all needed a little while to get over everything. Not just the losing at the end, but the whole emotion of the experience. We still had our dignity, if just a little bit. But truth be told, even if we did lose the way we did at the end, it was good to make it that far, and we played damn good in getting there. But I won't lie and say that I don't want to get farther, because I do. And as much as I wish we had been able to do that this time around, I'm just hoping that four years from now, we can. And if not four years, eight. But I think it can be done eventually. If not under me, then someone definitely can lead the U.S. to victory in the World Cup. The next day, Argentina capped off an amazing World Cup with a victory over Germany. They definitely deserved to win it, and knowing that we lost to the world champions eased the pain of two straight thrashings just a little. On a little end note to the Cup, Brad Friedel was named to the World Cup Dream Team even though he gave up 13 goals in those last two matches. Batistuta won the Golden Boot after scoring 8 goals in the competition. Not too bad for an old man. I can't wait for 2006. It should be fun, if we make it that is. And if we don't, that'll be a disappointment. But for now, I must put international management on the backburner and get back to managing United. ----------------------------------------------- Man, now that beat all the summer vacations I went on when I was a kid..combined. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 11, 2004 Author Share Posted January 11, 2004 Being that I was away for a good month with my national team, there were some developments back in England and Europe that I had heard but didn't pay much attention to. First of all, the biggest story in England was Arsene Wenger's sacking. Arsenal had made it to the UEFA Cup final in 2001, losing to Heerenveen, but in 01/02, they only managed a mid-table league finish, which didn't sit too well with the board. There were a few big-money transfers in Europe. Gaizka Mendieta went to Real Madrid for a hefty 26.5 million pound fee, and Christian Chivu swapped Holland for Italy as he moved from Ajax to Juventus for 28.5 million. --------------------------------------------- To close out the international news for the time being, there were a few developments in South America. Felipao was sacked as Brazil's manager just hours after his team lost to Germany in the quarters. Also, Uruguay was chosen to host the 2007 Copa America. ----------------------------------------------- With the new season quickly approaching, it was time for me to get busy once again. While I was off in Asia, the board managed to get in touch with me to inform me of their expectations and so forth. They want success in every area in the coming season, and I suppose it'd be safe to assume that includes Europe as well. Even after 15.5 million in dividends had been given out to the shareholders, I still had plenty of money with which to do some necessary summer deals. The first player to leave the club was Denis Irwin. He had decided to hang up his boots after a long and illustrious career. He hadn't really figured too much into my first team plans for most of my time in Manchester, so it wasn't a bad decision on his part as no other teams had come in for him even though his contract was expiring. The sale of Quinton Fortune back to his old club Atletico Madrid for 3.1 million was confirmed the day after I returned from Asia. He didn't really have too much of a chance of getting much first team action for United, and 3.1 mil was a reasonable offer, so I wished him well and let him go. Lizarazu had already officially become a United player, but he wasn't the only new face that'd be there. On the 24th, the sale of Danish international defender Martin Smith for 3.9 million from Brondby to United was finalized. I had seen the guy at the World Cup, including the match against us, and he had been extremely impressive. 3.9 mil was a low price to pay for such a young talent. To close out my completed dealings for the month, I took two young players on loan. Striker Liam Keogh joined us on a season-long loan from Celtic. He would probably see a little first team action, and he would provide a good option in case one of our main options up front got injured. Also, Barnsley defender Chris Morgan joined us on a four month loan. He looks to be a pretty talented player, and at 24, he's got years to get better. I'll probably give him a few first team starts, and if I like him, I'll sign him permanently. That was it as far as completed deals, but I had a few more that I was working on that'd hopefully be completed within the first few days of August. The new season was only a couple of weeks away, and the new faces I was hoping to have would be players that I'd really want to have in the starting lineup on the opening matchday. ----------------------------------------------- In other news, Dwight Yorke was voted the Supporters' Plyaer of the Year after finishing tied with Ronnie for the team lead in goals with 25. Ronnie would have likely gotten it had he been there the entire season, but I was proud of Dwight, as he played a very important role for us all season and will do so for several more years to come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 Wipe out! Nasty to go down so heavily in two games there. Still it was a good run while it lasted. Good luck for the new campaign Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 12, 2004 Author Share Posted January 12, 2004 Thanks. You know, if there was ever any time that I should've really let the tears go, it'd be then! Ah well, it sure was still a good run. The remaining almost two weeks before the start of the new season were extremely busy for me. On the first of August, my biggest deal in my time at United was completed. After fierce negotiations, PSV and Dutch international striker Ruud van Nistelrooy made the move to United for 14 million pounds. I'm hoping he can be as prolific for us as he was for PSV before his knee injury. I have confidence in his ability to do so, but I hope he can manage to stay healthy enough to do it. Just three days later, I made another front line acquisition. Parma's Yugoslavian international striker Savo Milosevic joined us on the 4th, and for what it's worth, I'll say that the 5.75 million we paid for him wasn't bad at all. He's got loads of experience, including some time in the Premiership with Aston Villa. I saw the guy at the World Cup, and I knew he'd be a perfect fit up front. I'm sure he'll find the net fairly often if he gets the opportunities. Well, I wasn't done dealing with PSV. The day after I signed Milosevic, Dutch defender Pascal Bosschaart's signing was completed. We do have several guys who can play on the left side of defense, but it won't hurt to have him. I'm sure he can do the business if I call on him, and it's likely that I will give him at least a few first team opportunities this season. He's not the most talented left back that I could've gotten, but he's young, and he is a pretty balanced player, so it was a good purchase in my opinion. On the day before the Charity Shield, I finished up my purchases for the time being by signing the two players I'd signed on loan to permanent deals. Celtic didn't mind parting with Keogh, and they got 400k out of the deal. Potentially, he could be worth ten times more than that at least, but you can't really go on potential can you? Barnsley didn't mind parting with Morgan as well, just as long as we paid them the right price. 925,000 pounds was no problem for us, and he was ours. ------------------------------------------------ While all that dealing was going on, the team was getting ready for the season by playing a pretty competitive friendly schedule. To say the least, it didn't go well. First up was the Manchester Cup, in which we hosted Rangers, PSV, and Fiorentina. Our semifinal match against Rangers was a pretty dull affair, and the end result was a 1-0 score in favor of the Scots. In the third place match the next day, we took on PSV, who had been thrashed 3-0 by Fiorentina. They turned around and put the same scoreline on us, and even though it was only a friendly competition, losing like that at home was not good at all. Our next match was against Anderlecht in Belgium, and it was no better than our first two results. The fact that we did have to play 80+ minutes without a real keeper may have had something to do with the socreline being as lopsided as it was, but still, we could have done a much better job of getting chances ourselves. When it was all over, we had taken a solid 5-1 beating. July was rounded off with a home tie against Galatasaray, and once again we laid an egg at home. Since we were having problems with keeper fitness once again, that gave the Turkish side a good chance to really put one on us, and they did so. We took our second straight 3-0 loss at home. Our last friendly was against Zaragoza just a few days before the Charity Shield. We did manage to score once, but once again we had to use a makeshift keeper for the majority of the match, so we took one on the chin to the previous season's UEFA Cup semifinalists. When the ref blew his whistle to signal full time, we had gone down 3-1. We did have one final friendly to try to make a little amends for the first five. Lyon were our opponents, and somehow we managed to pull out a 2-1 victory. However, the win was dampened quite a bit by the fact that Ruud pulled up limp during the match and would be out for the first month of the season with a pulled hamstring. If friendlies are a good indicator of how your team will play during the season, it sure didn't look good for us at all after those five losses. Winning the final one was good though, but I do have some concerns still. We played poorly for the most part, even though there was a bright spot or two. Martin Smith was in fine form for us in the four matches that he played after he joined us, so that was something good to take from the preseason. However, that keeper fitness problem really bugged me. There were only just a few days left before the season, and they needed to get fit in a hurry, otherwise we'd get torn apart by Chelsea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 12, 2004 Author Share Posted January 12, 2004 Since I won't always have good time to make an update, there'll be times when I'll be making two, like right now. We opened the season against Chelsea in the Charity Shield, and it was quite a match. In the 12th minute, Savo marked his competitive debut with a strike, and Dwight made it two ten minutes later. Dave Fox pulled one back for the Blues in the 27th, and it was 2-1. However, Dwight restored our two goal lead in the 43rd when he found the net for the second time in the first half, and at halftime we were up 3-1. Easy win right? The Blues came out firing in the second half, and Leon Knight's first goal cut the deficit to one again. We still had our lead though, and on 55 Savo got his brace and restored our two goal lead once again. You'd think we'd be coasting from there on out, but it didn't take long for the harshness of reality to hit. Knight got his second in the 61st to make it 4-3, and my perennial nemesis Hasselbaink got the equalizer in the 67th minute. Bosnich was fit for the match, but it looked like he hadn't been out there in years by the way he was letting goals in. In the end the match was decided by penalties though. Savo (Man of the Match) made his kick, but Becks and Scholes missed. On the other hand, Chelsea converted all of their attempts, including the winner by Jody Morris, and the first piece of silverware for the 2002/2003 season went to them. I really hated to lose to Chelsea, and losing a two goal lead three times just annoyed the **** out of me even more. It looked like we'd be just fine up front even with Ruud out, but in the back and in net, we were looking horrible, to say the least. The season would open the next Saturday against our fierce rivals Arsenal, and I was hoping all the extra training I'd had the team do after the Chelsea loss would pay off just a little. It wasn't the easiest way to open the season, and coming away with points would be very important since losing points early could really cost us dealy in the end. Martin Smith was everywhere on the field for us against the Gunners, and he even opened the scoring on 25 with his first United goal. Savo made it 2-0 in the 63rd with his third goal in two matches, and with the team playing solidly throughout the entire match, the two goal lead wouldn't be thrown away this time. Guus Hiddink was a loser on his Arsenal managerial debut, and we picked up a very valuable and impressive three points on the first day of the season. The next Wednesday, we were off to face the Tractor Boys of Ipswich at Portman Road. It was a tight match, but once again, Savo was the difference for us, scoring his second double in three matches. His 35th and 70th minute strikes, along with Ronnie's 48th minute goal, gave us a 3-2 win and maximum points after the first two matches. Ipswich's goals were scored by Matt Holland and Trond Andersen, but they weren't enough to prevent the Town from going down to us. After that, I was off to Los Angeles for my first match with the national team since the World Cup. No one could dent the scoreboard on either side, so the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Bobby Convey was the Man of the Match for his good performance in the back. Michael Houser of the Tampa Bay Mutiny, who replaced an injured Eric Wynalda on the squad, got his first cap in the match. The same Saturday (8/24), my United squad got the same scoreline at home against Coventry. The next few days we got quite a lot of bad news. Mark Bosnich would be out for a month with strained ankle ligaments, and Yorke (10 days with a twisted knee) and Scholes (three weeks with strained knee ligaments) would join him on the sidelines for a bit. Due to Paul's injury, he was removed from the England squad, and David Beckham, who had been in and out of the England squad for quite a while, was called up in his place. The next bit of bad news we received when we found out who our opponents would be in the first group phase of the Champions League. Feyenoord, Inter, and Ukrainian side Shakhtar would be the teams fighting for advancement along with us. I didn't feel like Shakhtar would be a threat to our hopes of qualification, but I knew we'd be fighting for one of the two spots with the other two teams. I didn't want a repeat of last season, where we lost first place in the first group phase to Feyenoord with three poor performances after opening well. It'd be very interesting to see how things would come out, not only in our group but in the others as well. Two teams who didn't surprisingly qualify were Chelsea, who bowed out to our group foe Shakhtar in the 3rd qualifying round. After shockingly losing the first leg at home 1-0, they could only manage a 1-1 draw in Donetsk. Also, the team who lost to Barcelona in the 2002 final, AC Milan, missed out on the group phases after losing to Hadjuk in the 3rd qualifying round 6-5 on aggregate. They lost the first leg 4-2 in Hadjuk, and despite winning the second leg in Milan, they were eliminated as they could only win 3-2. Let's hope we won't be part of any surprises this time around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 13, 2004 Author Share Posted January 13, 2004 For his goalscoring exploits in the first few matches of the season, Savo was named the Player of the Month for August. Not a bad start for him at all eh? September didn't particularly start off too well for us. First up was a match at home against our newly promoted archrivals City. They had gotten off to a pretty good start in the Premiership, and against us, they continued that good form. The difference maker in the match was young Kalam Mooniaruck, who I had released quite a while back. He made me regret releasing him by scoring the opening goal in the first half and scoring the winner in the second half. In between his goals, Weah scored for City, and even though we got two of our own, it wasn't enough to gain anything from the match as we took a disappointing 3-2 loss. At the end I went and gave Kalam a handshake and wished him well. If he could keep that up, I might start trying to get him back on my side again! Next up was our opening CL group match away in Milan against Inter. I was hoping that we could possibly get a point out the match, as I knew that getting three would be pretty impossible judging by the poor performance we put in the last time we faced them in their home stadium. Sure enough, we went down early, but we did level the match. I was hoping we'd be able to hold in the second half to get the point I wanted, but when Inter scored late, I figured we'd be going back to Manchester with nothing. However, in stoppage time, Becks saved the day and a point for us, scoring to level the match at 2-2, and that's how it ended. Then it was back to league action as we faced those damned Blues from London for the second time in a month. And, just like before, we lost to them, except we never had a lead in this one. It was an overall horrible performance in the 2-0 loss that left us with only one point from our last three league matches. The recent slight dip in form being a bit of a concern as we faced Feyenoord at home in our second CL group match, but it looked like nothing had ever been wrong as we easily took the three points with a 2-0 win. Ruud scored his first goal for United, and I was hoping that many more would follow that one. The same day of that match, we said goodbye to another player. David May went to Bradford City for 500,000 pounds. I had put him on the transfer list because I felt that since he wasn't going to figure into my plans in the least bit, then he'd be better off on another team rather than stewing in our reserves. The rest of September saw a disappointing loss to Shakhtar in Donetsk sandwiched in between two league wins (4-3 vs. Southampton and 2-0 vs. Derby, both at home). Getting those two league wins was nice, but I was pretty disappointed by our performance against Shakhtar, as it left us with little room for error in the last three matches in the group. Next USA match: Angola (away on 11/20) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 October opened with a great 4-3 win at Liverpool that was marred by Ruud's second injury since coming to United. This time around it'd be a groin strain that'd keep him out for a month. Sooner or later he'll be able to stay healthy for a decent period of time, I hope. We do have several other options up front, so we should be fine for now. I just hope he can be healthy when we really, really need him in matches later on. Euro 2004 qualifiers got underway on the 5th, and several United players were in action for their international sides. Lizarazu played a vital role in France's match with Macedonia, which the French won 3-2 in Skopje. In England's home match against Bosnia, Beckham, Scholes, % Gary Neville all saw action. David was named the captain in the 2-0 England victory. Martin Smith was a star for Denmark in their 5-0 win away against San Marino. Also, Savo started for Yugoslavia in their 2-0 home loss to Austria, and Roy Keane was in action for Ireland as they lost 1-0 away to Russia. In the other match United players were involved in on the 5th, Alpay went up against his teammates Henning Berg % Ole Solskjaer for Turkey in the match in Norway. The Norwegians came out 1-0 winners, but no love was lost between the teammates. Players on squad but did not play: Pascal Bosschaart (Holland: 2-0 loss at home vs. Lithuania), Robbie Keane & John O'Shea (Ireland). Four days later, several of the players were in action once again, as many teams played their second qualifying matches. Once again, Lizarazu started for France, this time in their 2-0 home win against Switzerland. Also, the three members of the United team who are on the England squad saw action in the 3-2 away loss to Romania. However, Paul was injured in the match, and he was set for a month on the sidelines with strained ankle ligaments. For the second straight matchday, United players were on opposite sides, as Martin and Savo started for their respective teams in the Yugoslavia-Denmark clash, which was played in Denmark. Martin was named the Man of the Match in the 2-1 Denmark victory, which gave them maximum points after the first two group matches. Once again, Roy took part in a match that ended in a 1-0 scoreline, but this time it was in favor of the Irish, as they picked up a big win and a valuable three points at home against World Cup finalist Germany. Ryan Giggs was a starter for the Welsh national team in their first gualifying match, and he was a vital part of their 3-0 home win against Iceland. Players on squad but did not play: Bosschaart (Holland: 2-1 win at home vs. Bulgaria), Robbie Keane & O'Shea (Ireland) We resumed league play on the 12th at Filbert Street, facing Leicester. The home side pretty much took us apart, putting four past us in a good 4-2 win for them. That wasn't exactly the best way to come back from the little break, especially since we had to play Shakhtar just three days later in the big return match at Old Trafford. We needed a win if we wanted to have good hopes of reaching the final 16. Fortunately for us, home proved to be quite comforting as we made a complete turnaround from the previous match against the Ukrainians. Liam Keogh was the key man for us in the match, scoring two goals in the 4-1 win. He was getting his chance in the first team due to Ruud's injury, and that night he proved he deserved a spot there with ihs big contribution. The only downside to the win was that Dino Baggio was injured in the match and was set to miss the next three weeks with strained knee ligaments. We had seven points from four matches, and we were looking decent in terms of our chances for qualification for the next round. Our next two matches would be at home against Inter and away against Feyenoord, and if we wanted to get through, we'd need to put in performances of the same caliber we did in the second match against Shakhtar. So, with half of October gone, we were doing fine, even with all the injury casualties we had piled up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 15, 2004 Author Share Posted January 15, 2004 While I had made it through the period where my job had been a little in doubt and was doing very well once again, a couple of managers had used up all of their chances and were shown the door by their clubs. Peter Schmeichel left now First Division Sunderland on the 15th of the month. The next day, Second Division West Brom gave David Seaman the old boot after the Baggies had gotten off to a pretty dismal start in the league. They were both great between the sticks, but the same can't be said for them as managers. Our next match was on the 19th against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. It wasn't an easy place to play, so I was glad that we had the away tie early in the season instead of late as we did last season (2-2 draw then). In this one we came away with the three points as Savo bagged both goals, including a penalty, in a 2-1 win. We were back home four days later, facing Inter in a match that would pretty much decide our fate. I was confident that we'd be able to get a win against them at home since the last time the Nerazzuri came to Old Trafford, they left with a 3-1 loss. This time around, there weren't many goals. In fact, there was just one, and it was in the 75th minute by Dwight Yorke. The 1-0 win sent us through to the next round. We were two points behind Feyenoord, who had won three straight after winning their first one against Shakhtar and then losing to us. So, if we won at De Kuip in two weeks, we'd win the group. And if we didn't, well we were through anyway. There was bad news for Juventus though. Mark Iuliano tore cruciate ligaments and was set to miss the next 11 months. It was a big blow for not only him, but also for his club as well. Three days after the Inter match, we had our fourth straight away league tie. Premiership new boys Charlton were the opponents, and they were no match for us, as we came away from the Valley with the three points. Savo was on the scoresheet yet again, and Ronnie, who hasn't had to score as much as he did last season, bagged our other goal in the 2-0 win. The final match of October was a League Cup 3rd round match against Norwich at Carrow Road. In my time at United, this was the only competition we hadn't made it to a final in (semis in '00/01, lost to Chelsea; 4th round in '01/02, lost to Arsenal). And once again, we weren't going to get there. The Canaries pecked us out of the competition with a 2-1 win in extra time. Oh well, it'd be nice to win it sooner or later, but if we don't, well it won't send me to the grave an unhappy man. Overall, it was a fairly good month, but it's still early, and anything can happen. I'm hoping we'll be able to make a run in the Champions League, but I'm not expecting things to be the easiest in the second round. Still, we're capable of getting far, but only time and results will tell if we do. And, so far right now, we're managing to stay near the top of the table in the league, but our city rivals are keeping up where they left off in the First Division, and Aston Villa are looking good as well. I have my doubts as to whether City will be able to stay there all season long, but as for Villa, it's highly possible that they'll be able to. And as for us, I can only hope so.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 November started off with a match against Leeds at home. Savo was once again the key man for us, bagging yet another brace as we took all the points by a 3-2 score. The match was marred by a few things though. Bosschaart was sent off, and both Gary Neville (12th) and Lizarazu (85th) came off the field injured. Still, a win's a win. We didn't have much time to rest after the Leeds match though. We were off to Rotterdam a couple of days later to face Feyenoord in the group decider. If we won, we finished first. If they won, they finished first. Either way, we were still both through to the next round, but winning the group would be big. After everything was all over, I wished we hadn't even bothered to show up for the match, because from the looks of it, it was as if we hadn't anyway! The 3-0 loss was disappointing, as it put us in 2nd behind the Dutch outfit for the second year in a row, and it put us in a tough draw for the second round. Ajax, Dortmund, and Valencia would be our opponents in the second group phase, and we'd need to be on top of our game if we wanted to advance to the quarters. I knew none of the matches would be easy, but I was looking forward to facing Fabien and Andy, who were both doing well at their new clubs. We were back in league action on the 9th, as we faced Watford away. They made us fight for the entire 90 minutes, and they certainly gave us more than we had bargained for. Granted, we did fight back every time they did something, but to their credit, they played one hell of a match. Gifton Noel-Williams led the charge for Watford, scoring a hat trick. In the end though, we were able to rescue a point when Dino Baggio levelled the match in the 85th minute. Afterwards, I took Mark Bosnich to the side & gave him a warning about his poor performance. I was very disappointed with him giving up four goals, and I told him that he could easily find himself on the bench if he let it happen more often. Our next match wouldn't be for another week, as in the midweek, there were many international matches taking place. Mads Timm (Denmark) and Michael Stewart (Scotland) were called up to their Under-21 squads, and both of them came back home with victories (Denmark U21s 2-1 over Norway U21s and Scotland U21s 3-1 over Austria U21s). As for the main squads, both of the Neville brothers and Becks played in England's 1-0 away loss against the Czech Republic. Gary was selected as captain in that match, which was the second straight for the English team. Roy Keane was the captain for Ireland in their 1-0 away win against Greece. The Irish have looked impressive in their last two matches after starting off qualifying with a loss. Both Savo and Liam Keogh were on the right side of 1-0 scorelines as well. Savo's Yugoslavia beat Romania away, and Liam's Scotland beat Austria away. Also, there was yet another match in which United players faced off on opposite sides. Martin's Denmark won a tough match at home against Henning and Ole's Norway by the same scoreline as the above four matches. And last, but not least, Ryan Giggs started for Wales in their 5-1 home demolition of the team who had beaten them the year before in the World Cup playoff, Macedonia. If only they had been able to find the net once against them in that playoff... Saturday saw us back home to face new boys Stockport, and we came into the match fully expecting to win, and for quite a while, it looked like we were going to run away with it. However, in the end we only came away with a point, as for the second straight game, keeping balls out of the net was a problem. Four goals in the last one, and three in this one. That's just unacceptable. Dropping points against teams we should beat the stuffing out of is something we can't continue to do if we want to be in the title race at the end of the season. Well, I would have a week away from the majority of the team, with the exception of Paul Rachubka, as I was off to Africa to face Angola while my United squad was off to Spain to face Valencia in the 2nd round opener. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 17, 2004 Author Share Posted January 17, 2004 International - Friendly Angola vs. USA Citadela, Luanda Date: Wednesday, 20 November 2002 This was the first time I had seen most of the guys since our World Cup adventures in the summer, and it was nice to sit and talk about it for a bit. But, we had some business to take care of, and I was expecting nothing less than a win against Angola. There were some new faces in the squad, and there were a few changes to my starting lineup. Forward Dante Washington was called up to the squad. He had been making headlines in the MLS with his prolific scoring, and I rewarded him with a callup and a place in my starting eleven. Claudio Reyna of Wimbledon was also called up, and he started on the right side of midfield. He was a player I accidentally overlooked in making my squad selections for the World Cup, and it's a shame that I did, as his experience and talent might have really helped us out (even though we did get to the semis without him). Cobi Jones, who hadn't been too fit in the summer, started on the left side of midfield. And I inserted a new starter between the sticks. Paul Rachubka, who really hadn't made too many appearances for me at United, was given the start at keeper. ----------------------------------------------- The first seven or eight minutes of the match were action-packed, as both sides threatened to score multiple times. We wasted three good chances in the first five minutes, and then Angola set out to try to show that they could compete with us. They came close, but young Rachubka survived the early tests with relative ease. After those first few minutes, the rest of the first half wasn't particularly exciting, and the match went into halftime goalless. The second half was another story. We came out firing, and it was only a matter of time before we found the net. And in the 56th minute, Dante took a pass from Claudio, made a nice run, then finished superbly. Four minutes later, Dante was involved again. Joe Max crossed in to him at the near post, and he nodded it down to Jovan, who scored to make it 2-0. In the 88th minute, we got our third and final goal. We got a corner kick, and Jovan put it in to the far post to Joe Max, who head it for Claudio. Angola's Mario Jorge tried to get possession of the ball but couldn't. Claudio took the loose ball and lifted it towards Eddie Pope in the area, but Bobby Convey took the ball instead and blasted it into the net for his first international goal. I was very pleased with the way the guys played, and it was a good performance all around. FINAL RESULT Angola 0 USA 3 (Washington 56, Kirovski 60, Convey 88) Usually, you look at a player's club performances to determine whether or not he should play internationally. It might be the other way around with Rachubka. His impressive and confidence-filled performance might just give him opportunities to shine for United. His contract runs out around the start of next season, and if he can keep impressing me like he did against Angola, I'll make holding on to him one of my top priorities. Also, Dante was named Man of the Match for his performance, and he deserved it. He played very, very well. He's sure to get a callup for the next match. Next match: Cameroon (away on 12/15) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 Meanwhile, in Valencia, I missed a goal fest. In all, the two clubs combined to score eight goals. But fortunately for us, we scored more than they did, and Ruud doubled his season total with four goals in the magnificent 5-3 win at the Mestalla. Just the start I was looking for in the second round! Three days later, I was back with the team as we were at Goodison Park to face Everton. The Toffees were no match for us, as we embarrassed them in front of their home fans. Yorke got a brace, Becks scored in injury time in the second half, and Ruud found the net as well in the 4-1 win. The month was finished off with a match against Newcastle, and we took our goal total in the last five matches to an astounding 23, hammering seven past the Magpies. We also conceded three, which in most matches would be quite a problem, but when one man outscores the other team, you're just fine. Yorke put on a show, scoring five of our seven goals, and his partners up front (Savo and Ruud) added a goal each. December started off with a match at home against Dortmund that I fully expected us to win after our great result in Spain, but this time around giving up three goals WAS a problem for us. Savo kept us in it with his brace, but that was the only scoring we'd get, and I left the stadium that night disgusted. You can't expect to do well in Europe if you can't pick up points at home. I wanted to go into the European break on a good note, but the loss soured things. When CL play resumed, we would have two matches against Ajax and a home match against Valencia before finishing off at Dortmund. Scoring goals seemingly wouldn't be a problem, so qualification for the quarterfinals would be easily accomplished if we could just find a little remedy for our inability to stop other teams from scoring loads on us. With the European break, we could now focus on domestic action once again, and our next match was against the team I viewed as our most serious rivals for the title. Aston Villa was looking impressive, to say the least, and it was looking as if no one could stop them. And to be honest, we didn't even stop them. They put five past us, which really didn't sit too well with me. But what made it all better was that we put six past them (Ruud with a hat trick, Savo with a brace, and Luke Chadwick with one), and we took the three points. It was a week before our next match, which was against Bolton at home. I'd have to leave almost immediately after the match, since I had to catch a flight so I could be with the national team for the game we had in Cameroon the next day. I wasn't a happy man when I caught my flight, not in the least. After scoring 31 goals in the past 7 matches, we couldn't get a single one against the Wanderers. They left Old Trafford with the three points, after their 2-0 win. On another sour note for us, Paul Scholes was sent off in the 40th minute for throwing a punch, and he'll be missing a little time due to that moment of idiocy. Anywho, so young Rachubka and I are off to Cameroon for the match. This one should be good! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 International - Friendly Cameroon vs. USA Omnisport, Yaounde Date: Sunday, 15 December 2002 The most notable change to our starting lineup for the match was up front. Josh Wolff was rewarded for his goalscoring exploits on the club level with a start in place of Landon Donovan. In the back, C.J. Brown got a start on the right side of the defense. The match got off to a bit of a nasty start, as in the 6th minute Cameroon's Richard Ofeng Menza kicked out at Cobi Jones and was sent off as a result. The first goal of the game came in the 25th minute. Kirovski made a good run into the box but was dispossessed by Njanka. However, Wolff took the loose ball and shot it in low past the Cameroonian keeper to put us up 1-0. However, our lead wouldn't last too long. In the 34th minute, Allioum Saichou equalized for his side, scoring off of a half volley after taking a pass from Samuel Eto'o. However, we would go into halftime with the lead, as Wolff scored his second in the 41st minute, and we were 2-1 up at halftime. At halftime I made a few substitutions. Landon came on for Dante, who hadn't exactly had a good first half. Chris Henderson came on for Brown, and Brian McBride came on for [b}Joe Max Moore[/b]. The second half of the match wasn't too eventful. That was partly a good thing since I just wanted us to keep our lead and get out of there with a win. We did seal that win in the 85th minute when Kirovski took a chip from McBride and drove it in low past the keeper to make it 3-1 and finish off our schedule for the year on a high note. FINAL RESULT Cameroon 1 (Saichou 34) USA 3 (Wolff 25, 41; Kirovski 85) Josh was named Man of the Match for his fine performance, and I hope he keeps it up. If a steady, solid partnership can be formed up front, that will really help us. I've gotten solid play out of some guys up front, but I'm just going to keep tinkering with things until I can get two together that click. Josh and Landon looked good out there together, and I might stick with that duo. Since Jovan has scored some goals for us, I'd consider playing him up front, but I think I'll keep him in the center of midfield since he's gotten pretty set in a midfield role, either in the center of my three midfielders, or in an attacking midfielder role in between my three midfielders and my forwards. Rachubka did well in goal, and it looks like he could very likely take over as not only #1 goalkeeper for his country, but also for his club as well. I like the kid, and I really think he'll be something special in the near future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 20, 2004 Author Share Posted January 20, 2004 After returning to Manchester, I was a bit light on the guys for a few days since we didn't have another match until the 21st. But I made sure we did work on everything we needed to get straight before our match against West Ham. I had the keepers working harder than ever before, getting the reserves to fire shot after shot after shot at both Bosnich and Rachubka until I was satisfied with how they were doing in net. Along with that, I had the first team forwards take their turns trying to force some stops out of our defense, not letting anyone go until they had gotten their marking and tackling down just right. Judging by the fact that we left Upton Park with a clean sheet, then that extra practice might've helped just a little. Savo (23) and Dwight (29) gave us a two goal lead before the half hour mark, and that was all we needed, as things were a lot better on the defensive end than they had been recently. On another note, Dwight's goal was his 17th league so far, and that's the highest mark on the team since I've been at United, and we're only at the halfway mark now. He's been simply astounding, and so has Savo. Ruud's been pretty good lately as well, so it seems that starting three forwards is working out just fine now. In news across Europe, Lazio put in a 59 million pound bid for [b}Christian Chivu[/b]. That's a bit too much money to be spending on just one player, even though he is quite a talent. We were set for three matches against London teams in a week, as we faced Arsenal on Boxing Day and Chelsea two days after that. Goals from Ruud (11), Ronnie (26), and Dwight (42) put us 3-1 at the half, which I was quite pleased with. The Gunners pulled one back a couple of minutes after the hour mark, but the last 20-plus minutes of the match belonged to us. Ruud scored his second in the 68th to restore our two goal cushion, then he completed his hat trick twelve minutes later to extend the lead to three. In stoppage time, Dwight got his second to rub some salt into the wounds of the opposition, who went off the field to a chorus of boos from the few fans who were still there when the final whistle sounded. The only downside of the match for us was that Lizarazu was sent off in the 89th minute for his second bookable offense. That won't dampen the win in the least though. I didn't quite expect us to steamroll them like we did, but I'm very pleased that we did get a good result. The day after the Arsenal match, the sale of Fabio Junior to Portuguese side Benfica was finalized. He had been an asset to us in the 2000/01 season, when Dwight spent most of the second half of that season out with injury. He scored 15 goals that season, and if not for him, we might not have been able to win the league and reach the European Cup final. But in the past season-plus, he hasn't figured too much into my starting lineup, so I put him on the transfer list in hopes that someone could snap him up and give him the first team opportunity that he deserves. Benfica will be getting someone with a lot of talent, and I'm sure he'll do well with his new team. We will receive a fee of 6.75 million that will be paid out over six months, and I think that is a fairly decent fee, even though we are taking a loss on him. A lot of the players stayed in London after the Arsenal match, and I stayed there as well, since the family was accompanying me now that the kids were on their winter break from school. They were in for a very entertaining and nail-biting match when we took on the Blues at Stamford Bridge that Saturday. The Blues were currently managerless after Claudio Ranieri had been sacked just days before due to the team's terrible start to the season. After they had done so well in 01/02, they were looking like relegation candidates at the halfway point of this season. And for a good portion of the game, they played like it too. We were up 4-0 in the second half after Dwight and Savo scored two each, including another penalty from Savo (he's deadly from the spot). However, the final half hour was totally different from the first sixty minutes, as Tore Andre Flo was a one man show for Chelsea. With him in fine form, they looked like the team that they're no doubt capable of. He scored a hat trick in the final third of the match to give us a scare, but we came away with the three points and ended 2002 on a high note with the 4-3 win. 2002 was quite a year for us, but 2003, well, you'll see soon enough! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 New Year's Day 2003 was similar to New Year's Day 2002 in a couple of ways: 1. We lost. 2. We gave up four goals again. From the looks of it, our performance in the last half hour of the Chelsea match carried on into the match at Coventry. Craig Bellamy was the catalyst for the Sky Blues, scoring twice and making our defense look absolutely stupid the entire match. Maybe that was his way of trying to impress me, since he was recently transfer listed and there's no secret that I've been interested in him for a while. Aside from the fact that we lost, Roy was sent off for a silly two-footed challenge. We've had way too many players sent off this season so far. But, Lee Fowler was sent off for the home side for the same thing, so all in all both teams had a little bit of a discipline problem. We're four points back of Villa now, since they won 1-0 at home against Stockport. ------------------------------------------------ We really didn't have too much time to recover from that disappointment, since we were off to face Torquay in the 3rd round of the FA Cup three days later. Ruud found the back of the net in the 2nd minute, and Savo added a penalty in the 25th to put us up by two goals. However, Torquay's Tony Bedeau pulled one back in first half injury time, and we were only up by one at the break. When Dwight scored in the 48th to restore our two goal lead, it looked like we had a pretty safe lead. And when it got down near the last 20 minutes of the match, Torquay hadn't dented our advantage, and they didn't really look like they could or would, so it seemed safe to assume that we were going to be able to take home an easy win and advance to the next round. But it's the FA Cup, and Torquay had other ideas. Bedeau got his second in the 69th minute to pull his team within one and make a game of it. In the 77th, he completed his hat trick to level the match at three. The home fans went crazy. This was definitely more than I (and the rest of my team too probably) had bargained for. But I suppose that tying goal spurred us into action, and Dwight got his second in the 83rd to give us the lead once more. About four minutes later, Ryan Giggs gave us a two goal lead again when he found the back of the net, and then we could finally breathe just a little, but it wasn't until the final whistle sounded that I could smile a little. We were through, but we had to fight. I suppose after getting ahead by what seemed to be a comfortable margin and not really being seriously challenged for a while caused a little complacency to set in all-around. We pulled it out, and I'm sure glad we did. We were drawn to play Millwall away in the 4th round. Not the easiest tie in the world, but it's better than some we could've gotten. ------------------------------------------------ Our next match wouldn't be until the 13th, but I had a match in L.A. with the national team the day before that. But before I headed off to lead the team against Uruguay, I got a little good news on the transfer front. On the 9th, we found out that Inter's talented young keeper Sebastien Frey had turned down the offer of a new contract from the Nerazzuri and instead had decided to sign for us, with the signing due to be completed in the summer. We beat off competition from Dortmund and Heerenveen, along with his current team, to capture his signature. It's not a guarantee that he'll be the regular first choice keeper, but he will get a fair amount of opportunities. Dortmund did get a bit of good news on the transfer front the next day though. [b}Ajax's[/b] star attacker Andy van der Meyde completed his 14 million pound move to BVB. The fee could increase to 15 million, depending on appearances. It's a bit surprising that Ajax would sell him to someone they're in the same CL group with, but it's a pretty nice sized fee, and I guess they just couldn't turn it down. A while back, I had tried to get him myself, but Ajax was insistent upon selling him at that time. It'd be nice to have him on my side, but I wish him luck and know he'll succeed no matter where he plays. I'm sure he'll look forward to going up against his old team when they face off in Dortmund in the next to last group match. In other news that day, Chelsea's search for a new manager led them to Glenn Hoddle, which leaves Southampton without a manager. Both teams are struggling at the wrong end of the table, but the Blues stand a better chance of staying up than the Saints do, so I suppose Hoddle made the right choice for himself by going to where he has a legitimate shot at winning sooner or later. So off to L.A.! Can we start the new year off like we finished the last one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 24, 2004 Author Share Posted January 24, 2004 International - Friendly USA vs. Uruguay Rose Bowl, Los Angeles Date: Sunday, 12 January 2003 I put Landon back up front for the match, starting him in place of Dante. Wolff got his second straight start, and I was hoping that partnership would look as good together as they did against Cameroon in the second half. That was a deciding factor, but also in the few practices we'd had before this match I tried several different striker combinations, and they once again looked to be the most compatible, so I decided it'd be my best bet to go with those two. Hopefully they could have the same success when it really mattered. The first half ended scoreless, but it wasn't due to a lack of opportunities. Both sides had their chances to get on the scoresheet, but it wasn't to be. It took us a little while to get started in the second half, but when we did get the breakthrough, the partners up front were the men involved. Wolff was the provider, crossing in to Donovan at the near post, and Landon was the finisher, lofting the ball over Uruguayan keeper Alvaro Nunez and into the net to put us ahead 1-0. In the 83rd minute, we got our second, and Landon was involved in that one. Cobi Jones passed into the area for him, and when both he and Uruguay's Martin Rivas went up for the ball, the ref judged that Rivas jumped unfairly and pointed to the spot. Convey stepped up to take the penalty kick and put it past Nunez to give us a 2-0 lead. Uruguay got a goal from Ivan Alonso (his first international goal), but the win was ours. FINAL RESULT USA 2 (Donovan, Convey 83) Uruguay 1 (Alonso 90+) Our next match is against Mexico, and I'm really looking forward to it. They're in the top 10, and how we fare in that match will tell a lot about the team. Making it to the World Cup semis was a huge accomplishment, but I'd like for the boys to prove that it wasn't just a fluke. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 26, 2004 Author Share Posted January 26, 2004 So I got back to Manchester in time to lead the team out for the match against Ipswich, and I also got back in time to get a little acquainted with our new signing. Two weeks before I had been annoyed at him for dismantling our team, but now I was hoping he'd do that..against other teams. Craig Bellamy cost me 14 million pounds, but I figured he was worth it, and I gave him a start in his first official day as a United player. However, he was pretty unimpressive, and as a whole, the team's performance was as well. I might not have said that if we hadn't lost a lead on the last kick of the match, but we did. Richard Logan equalized for the away side in the last few moments of the match to steal Ipswich a 1-1 draw and rob us of all three points. Five days later we faced our city rivals, hoping to get a little revenge on them for the September match. Unfortunately, we were unable to. It was a boring, dull, and goalless match. We did get a point, but we dropped two points to Villa in the process and that left us five points back with 14 matches remaining. On the 22nd, there was some fairly big news on the transfer front, not concerning us though. Rangers, who were trying to bolster their squad in hopes of making a run deep into the Champions League, made a big move in getting Alan Shearer from Newcastle for 6.25 million pounds. He's the second big English name to make a move to Scotland recently, joining Joe Cole at Ibrox. It was definitely a surprise move, considering that it seemed like Shearer wanted to end his days at Newcastle, but he said he wanted to be on a team who had a shot at winning a Champions League title. The Magpies came into the New Year as one of the favorites for the UEFA Cup, but I guess that just wouldn't do for him. Our last match of the month was on the 25th, and we went on the road to face Millwall in the 4th round of the FA Cup. This one was a lot easier than the Torquay match, as we dominated for the entire 90 minutes, getting goals from Ruud (2), Alpay (who had a terrific game all around), Savo, and Dwight (his 100th goal for United) in the 5-1 win. We were drawn to play yet another away match in the 5th round, this time against the winner of the replay match between Northampton and Wigan. Overall, the opening month of the season wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. We only got two points from our three league matches and scored only 3 goals in those matches, but we did score 10 goals in our two FA Cup matches on the way to advancing to the 5th round. Next month the Champions League resumes, and we've got four tough matches left, but I hoping we'll be able to do well and progress to the next round and further. As far as the league goes, we're still right up there with a pretty good shot at winning the title, but we don't need to slip up too much, if at all, if we want to overtake Villa. It's pretty much just the two of us fighting it out for the title, and if the past two seasons are any indication, it will go down to the wire. And like I said, we've gotten off to a good start there, and I hope we can continue that form and make it to Cardiff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 27, 2004 Author Share Posted January 27, 2004 February began with a trip to St. Mary's to play struggling Southampton on the first day of the month. It was no contest. Dwight got a hat trick (43, 45, 90+), and Ronnie (29) and Ruud (64) scored in the 5-1 rout. We didn't gain any ground on Villa though, since they won again. We were back in the comforts of home four days later to face Middlesbrough, and it was a repeat of the scoreline from our October meeting at the Riverside. Ronnie scored on a fine free kick in the 6th minute, and Becks wrapped up the scoring for us in the 17th minute. Boro got one back, but we took the points. Still, we didn't gain any ground on Villa, who won yet again. We can win all we want, but if they don't drop any points, we're screwed. We were at home once again three days later, facing Liverpool. Just like we did in October, we put four past them. Ronnie got two to take his tally to four in the month's first three matches, and Ruud and Savo scored as well to give us a 4-1 win. We cut Villa's lead to three with the win, as they could only manage a goalless draw at Leicester. The only downside to the match was that Roy was sent off in the 70th minute for a two-footed challenge, and he would get yet another suspension. Martin Edwards visited the dressing room after the match to inform the team how pleased he was with the result. And after the match, the FA called to inform us that Roy would be banned for four matches starting on the 22nd. Bad timing, very very bad timing. Up next was a big Champions League match against Ajax. Savo put us ahead in the 10th minute, but Ajax took a 2-1 lead in the second half. But Ruud saved us a point in the 56th minute when he caught the keeper off his line and floated a 50 yard chip into the net to pull us level at 2 and keep us in the hunt for qualification. Wigan won the replay over Northampton, so they were our opponents in the 5th round of the FA Cup. And for the third FA Cup match in a row, we put five past our opponents. Ronnie opened the scoring in the 12th, but after Martin Smith was sent off in the 29th for his second yellow, Wigan equalized through Beauchamp (his first goal for them) on the penalty that Smith gave up. However, it seemed that we got better with 10 men. Ronnie sent us into the break 2-1 up with his second goal, which came in the 38th minute. I told the guys to just keep playing hard despite being a man down, and they rose to the occasion in the last 20 minutes of the match. Savo made it 3-1 in the 70th, and from there on, it was all United. Paul Scholes made it 4-1 in the 70th, and unbelievably, that was his first goal of the season. He's had his struggles, and with the emergence of other players, he's had a limited amount of opportunities, but his abilities are unquestioned. Ronnie rounded off the scoring and completed his hat trick in the 82nd minute, and we advanced to the quarterfinals with a great 5-1 victory. We were drawn to face Derby in the quarterfinals, and guess what? We've got yet another away match. The draw just isn't kind to us this year. Three days later, we faced one of the most important matches of the season. We needed to at least get a draw against Ajax if we wanted to have any hope of going through, but a win would ease up the pressure on us to win the final two matches. For more than an hour, it looked like we weren't even going to get a point. We were down 3-1, and we were in need of a miracle almost. We got it. In almost no time, we were level. And in the 88th, we completed the amazing comeback when Roy scored his first goal of the season to hand us an incredible 4-3 win. Leicester brought us back down to earth just a little four days later, holding us to a 1-1 draw. Ronnie put us up in the 21st minute, but Akinbiyi stole a point for Leicester when he levelled the match in the 70th. Still, we remained three points back of Villa, as they were held to a goalless draw at Highbury against Arsenal. So, after being a bit inconsistent in January, it seems like we found our way in February, going unbeaten and really playing well, with the exception of a few little blips here and there. We got contribution all around, and the team as a whole did a good job. That's what we need going down the final stretch of the season. We've got some pretty big matches coming up in March, but I think we'll rise to the challenge just fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 While all those other matches went on in February, I did have some international business to take care of. International - Friendly USA vs. Mexico I inserted a new starter into the lineup for this match, putting Steve Ralston in on the right side of midfield. This was a really important match, not only because it was against our continental rival, it was also against one of the top 5 to 10 teams in the world. So I was hopeful that we'd get some sort of positive result. For the entire half, Mexico pushed forward, and somehow, we managed to hold them off. Then, in first half injury time, we got our first attack of the game and converted it, with Wolff getting his third goal in two matches. So unbeliveably we went into halftime 1-0 up. That's a prime example of how quality is much more important than quantity. The second half was basically just a matter of us holding on to our lead. Mexico pushed forward one last time deep in second half injury time, but a handball put an end to any thoughts that they had of getting an equalizer. Sure, they had a ton more chances than us, but we capitalized on our one great one, and they couldn't penetrate our rock-solid defense all match long. What a big win for us! FINAL RESULT USA 1 (Wolff 45+) Mexico 0 Substitutions: Tom Marshall [1st cap] (on for Moore in 46th), Chris Albright (on for Jones in 46th), Rich Martinez (on for Olsen in 46th), Ted Chronopoulos (on for O'Brien in 46th) In February's world rankings, we were 11th. The win against Mexico, who were trying to make a push towards the top 5, hopefully will push us into the top 10 in the March rankings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 March started with a match at Elland Road against Leeds. We fell behind 1-0 and 2-1 on goals from Michael Bridges (31, 67). We had a goal from Ruud sandwiched in between those two, but going into the last quarter of the match I was just looking for us to be able to gain a point. Then, in the 77th minute, Ronnie levelled the match. But, we ended up with all three points in the bag when Scholes scored the winner in the 80th to give us a 3-2 victory. Our next match was at home against Valencia, and well, it was boring to say the least. But we did get a point, and that point meant that we'd go into the final game of the group on top and sitting fairly pretty in terms of qualification. But nothing was assured yet though, and I'd only be satisfied with a good result in Dortmund. Up next we were at Pride Park to face Derby in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and it was one hell of a match. We went up in the 2nd minute through Giggsy, but by the hour mark, Derby had taken a 2-1 lead. In the 61st minute, Becks pulled us level at 2, and as the match got into the final moments, it looked like we'd be going to extra time with that score. But Dwight was the hero of the day for us, scoring a dramatic injury-time winner to send us through to the semis, where we would be facing Ipswich at St. Mary's. The other semi would be between Leicester and Aston Villa. We didn't get too much rest from that match, as we had to face Dortmund three days later in Germany. I didn't really care how many goals we scored, and I could care less how they were scored. I just wanted us to win. And one goal was enough to do it, as Ruud scored the only strike of the match in an otherwise dull 1-0 win that sealed the top spot in Group A for us. And when I find out the next day who our quarterfinal opponents would be, I had to laugh a little. The last time we played it left a stinger for a while, since they knocked us out of the cup last year. But this time we had a chance to get a little revenge, and unlike last time, we wouldn't underestimate them like we did before. They were much, much better than the previous year, and I knew we'd be in for two tough matches. Champions League Quarterfinal Draw Rangers vs. Barcelona (hey, at least we avoided them..for now) Ajax vs. Lazio Real Madrid vs. Juventus Manchester United vs. Heerenveen I was definitely looking forward to it. Meanwhile, we had a match three days later. With Villa away at Coventry, it was possible that a win by us over Charlton at the Valley could send us to the top of the table. We took care of things rather easily on our end, scoring 3 goals in a span of 4 minutes (Ruud 11, Ronnie 14, Dwight 15) to put the result beyond any doubts within the first 15 minutes. Dwight scored his second in the 35th, and we were on our way to an easy win. The final result was 4-1, and after the final whistle, I ran to find out the scores from the other matches. Sure enough, Villa had gone down 2-1 to the Sky Blues, and we were at the top of the table by two points with nine matches remaining. Due to the international break, we didn't have anymore matches scheduled for the next two weeks, but there were other fairly importnat matches that did take place during that break. On the 18th, it was assured that at least one English team would be in the UEFA Cup final as all three remaining English participants (West Ham, Leicester, & Newcastle) advanced to the semis. The Toon would face the Foxes in one semi, while the Hammers would face Real Zaragoza in the other. The chances of an all-English final were pretty good, even though Zaragoza were a tough team to beat West Ham should be up to the challenge. On the 29th, the League Cup final was contested at Old Trafford, and Leicester collected the first domestic trophy of the season with a 2-0 win over Everton. The next day we were at Pride Park for the second time in the month, and once again, it was a 3-2 scoreline. However, this time around we were on the other end of it. Becks (11) and Ruud (80) scored for us, but sandwiched in between those strikes were three by Derby, and we came away with nothing. The loss dropped us into second again, and we were one point behind Villa after 30 matches. Overall, it wasn't a bad month. April will bring some very, very important matches, both in league and cup action, and hopefully we'll rise to the challenge and keep the push forward for silverware. We've got the talent, but unless we can finish things off, that won't mean a thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoS Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 great story, good luck in getting some silverware this season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 Thanks a bunch! Wow..the story has gone over 1000 views, and that's amazing. Thanks to everyone who's read the story so far, and I hope you continue to read. I'll do the March and April international roundups together, so that will be after this post. April's first match was in Holland against Heerenveen in the first leg of the CL quarterfinals. I was hoping we'd be able to get a positive result so that the second leg wouldn't be a great battle, but we ended up getting a hell of a lot more than we had bargained for. Going into the last quarter hour of the game, we were down 3-0, and it was looking as if we'd have a big hill to climb in the second leg. Then, Savo pulled one back in the 75th to give us a vital goal. Then, as the final minutes ticked away, Alpay scored a rare goal to make it 3-2 and put us in a pretty good position for the second leg. The other scores from the night were: Lazio 0-2 Ajax Barcelona 3-0 Rangers Juventus 1-2 Real Madrid The next night, Newcastle won 4-3 at St. James Park against Leicester in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi, and West Ham blanked Zaragoza 2-0 at Upton Park in the other semi. On Saturday, which was my mother's birthday, the league awards were announced, and we were highly represented. Dwight was voted the Players' Player of the Year, and Savo was right behind him in 2nd. Villa's Dion Dublin was 3rd. We had five players chosen in the Premier Division Select. Martin, Becks, Ronnie, Dwight, and Savo were all chosen to the team. On Sunday, we took on Ipswich in the FA Cup semis in Southampton, and it wasn't an exciting match, but we won, so that's all that matters. Ruud's 32nd minute strike was enough to give us the win and send us into the final against Leicester, who beat Villa 2-1 in the other semi. I was hoping that Villa would win, but Leicester will definitely be a challenge. The following Wednesday we took on Watford at home, and just like in the first meeting, several goals were scored. But this time around, we dominated the match and took all the points. Savo had a brace, and Dwight and Ronnie both got on the scoresheet as well as we ran out 5-1 winners. Villa beat City 4-1 at Maine Road, so they stayed a point ahead of us. That next Saturday we had a local derby, as we faced Bolton at the Reebok. We hadn't had too much luck against the Wanderers at their place, but we really needed to take all three points if we were to stay on Villa's tail. Ruud's 19th minute strike and another one in the 65th by Dwight made sure we didn't lose any ground, and the 2-1 win kept us a point behind Villa (3-1 home win against Boro) with five matches remaining. Heerenveen came to Old Trafford looking to repeat their shock of the previous year, but we were determined not to let it happen again this time, as we knew what to expect from them. They were unable to penetrate our defense the entire match. However, as the match went into the final minutes, it looked like we'd end up disappointed for another year, as we hadn't been able to find the net ourselves. Then, in the 80th minute, a deafening roar ripped through the stadium as Ronnie struck the ball into the net to give us a 1-0 lead and the away goals advantage. Four minutes later, the result was sealed when Ryan doubled our lead on the night. Heerenveen had to score two goals after that, and with the we our defense held them all night, it was impossible for them to do so, and we were through to the semis. The other scores from the night were: Rangers 0 (0) - 0 (3) Barcelona Ajax 1 (3) - 1 (2) Lazio Real Madrid 0 (2) - 2 (3) Juventus The night after our match, it was assured that at least one of the European champions would be an English team, as Newcastle and West Ham set up an all-English final with a 2-1 win and a 2-2 draw (both away) respectively. The CL semifinal draw was on Friday, and the team we were drawn to play in is an all too familiar opponent. Barcelona was looking to make their third straight trip to the final and try to win a third straight title, and we were trying to make our second final in three years. We had lost every previous meeting to them up to that point, including the 2001 final, and I knew we'd have to seriously bust our asses to beat them. That Saturday (4/20) we faced off against Stockport at home, and by halftime, we had already assured that it wouldn't be a repeat of the first meeting. Ruud (24, 35) and Dwight (43, 45) both had braces in the first half, and Ronnie scored as well, as we went into the dressing room at the interval up 5-0. In the second half, Dino Baggio added a 6th (in the 66th minute), and Ruud completed his hat trick in the 68th to round off the scoring in an absolutely fantastic 7-0 win. The last two matches of the month were our most important. First up was a match against Villa that would effectively decide the title. The match was decided fairly early, and the winner was scored in the 14th minute on a brilliant free kick by Ronnie. We took the points with a 2-1, and first place was ours once again. The title was ours to lose now, and the last three matches of the season won't be easy, but we won't let it slip away now that it's in our grasp. The last day of April saw us take on mighty Barcelona at home in the first leg of our semifinal. I was hopeful that somehow we would be able to get some sort of positive result out of the match. It seems like Kluivert has always been a big part of their domination of us, and if we could somehow neutralize him, we could be fine. He ended up helping us out, getting sent off in the second half for a stupid challenge. His dismissal took the spirit out of them for the rest of the match, and we were able to take a 2-0 advantage to the Nou Camp due to goals from Savo (penalty) and Ronnie (his 20th of the season). Barca would have a hill to climb in the second leg, but they were capable of doing so and with the home advantage on their side, they'd definitely have a chance to do it. But they would have to do it without their star, and I was happy that we would at least not have to deal with him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 3, 2004 Author Share Posted February 3, 2004 March and April were both busy months on the international front. Firstly, in American news, we finally made it into the top 10 in the world rankings. Our steady rise since the World Cup had snet us into the 10th spot. I was hoping we'd be able to continue that rise, and we had two winnable matches in March and April that could help us do that. However, we didn't win either. In March, we went to Australia and could only muster a 0-0 draw, which was pretty disappointing seeing as how our previous few results had been pretty impressive. However, what was more disappointing was our April result, which was a loss in Angola in a match that we never really looked like doing anything in. We had totally dominated them the last time we'd been in Luanda, but it was different the second time around. Those were our last two matches before summer, and we're scheduled to play the Copa America and then almost immediately after we'd be playing in the Confederations Cup. Hopefully we can make a good run in at least one of those (hopefully both). As for my United squad, the majority of my first team was on an international squad list in at least one of those months, as Euro 2004 qualifying took place again and some other players were called up for friendly matches. Holland Both Ruud and Pascal Bosschaart (the latter of whom hasn't gotten a plethora of first team appearances in the season so far) were called up to the Holland squad, but only Ruud saw any action. On 3/22, he was a part of the 0-0 draw with Scotland, and in April he saw action in the 5-0 thrashing of Italy, who had gone a little downhill since their poor World Cup performance. Ireland Both of the Keanes and John O'Shea were called up to the Ireland squad for March, but only Roy saw action. In March, he was the captain of the squad when they beat Spain 1-0 and drew 1-1 with Albania. In April, he was named captain once again and scored a goal in their 2-1 win over Greece. Wales Giggs and Bellamy were called up to the Welsh squad. On 3/22 Ryan scored in a 2-2 draw with Poland in which Craig saw action in as well. On the 25th, both played and Ryan was the captain for the squad in a 3-2 loss to Greece in which Craig also saw action. In April, Ryan was the captain once again as the team went down 1-0 at home to Lithuania. England Phil Neville, Scholes, and Beckham were called up to the England squad for March play, and all three saw action in England's 4-2 win over Georgia. In April, Phil and Paul played in the 2-1 loss to Croatia, but Becks missed the match after being removed from the squad due to injury. France Lizarazu was called up to the French squad for the 3-1 win over Ukraine in March, and he was called up in April for the 2-0 win over Germany. Yugoslavia Savo was called up to the Yugoslavian team for two matches in March. He scored two goals in the 4-2 victory over San Marino on the 22nd, and he played in the 1-0 loss to Armenia three days later. In April, he was called up to the squad again and was named Man of the Match for his performance in the 2-1 win over Romania. Norway Berg and Solskjaer were called up to the Norwegian squad for a couple of matches in March. Both saw action on the 22nd in the 1-0 win over Luxembourg, but only Ole saw action three days later in the 2-1 loss to Slovenia. Turkey Alpay was called up to the Turkish squad for two matches in March. On the 22nd he played in the 1-0 loss to Germany, and on the 25th he played in the 2-0 win over Luxembourg. In April, he was called up to the squad but was removed due to injury. U.S.A Rachubka was the starter in between the posts for the draw against Australia and the loss to Angola. He looks like he'll keep the number one keeper's jersey for a while too, as he really hasn't done too much to give me a reason to take him out of the starting lineup. Denmark Martin Smith was called up to the Danish squad in March but did not play. Brazil Ronnie was called up to the Brazilian squad in March but did not play. Under 21s Mads Timm - played in 4-2 win over Armenia on 3/22, scored in 3-0 win over Belarus on 3/25, and scored in 2-1 win over Norway in April Bojan Djordjic - played in 5-1 win over Estonia on 3/22, played in 6-2 win over Israel on 3/25, scored in 2-2 draw with Russia in April Darren Fletcher - called up to Scotland U21s in both March and April but did not play Mark Lynch - called up to England U21s in both March and April but did not play Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 5, 2004 Author Share Posted February 5, 2004 Our first match in May was a match at St. James against Newcastle, and we battled from behind the entire match. Newcastle deserved to get something out of the match for the way they outplayed us for the majority of the match, but when the final whistle blew it was us who had the three points. Dino Baggio's 83rd minute header gave us a 3-2 win and kept us on track for the title. Next up was the second leg of the semifinal tie with Barcelona. The good thing about having the first leg at home was that we could get something established in the first leg and not have to battle from way behind in the second, like we would have if we'd had to play the first leg at the Nou Camp. It was a safe bet to assume that we wouldn't be able to keep a clean sheet, even with Kluivert not in the lineup for Barca. We just had to hold on somehow. It took Barcelona a while to get started, but it was inevitable that they'd dent the scoreboard. And in the 37th minute, Luis Enrique cut the aggregate deficit to one. It stood that way at halftime, and I was feeling pretty lucky that they had gotten just that one. Unfortunately for us, they came out firing at the start of the second half, and it took them just a few moments to equalize the match. In the 47th minute, Josep Guardiola found the net, sending the Barca fans into raptures and sending me into absolute terror. But, we somehow managed to hold on for the rest of the half, not allowing our opponents to score another one. So it went to extra time, 2-0 to Barca on the night and 2-2 on aggregate. Could we hold them off in extra time and force penalties? In the 102nd minute, that answer looked to be a big NO, as Luis Enrique scored his second of the match to put Barca ahead in the title. The way things had been looking that night, it certainly seemed that we were cooked. But we weren't. Just moments after my heart sank into my stomach in despair, I was screaming in delight as Savo levelled matters at 3-3. The second period of extra time was nowhere near as exciting as the last three or so minutes of the first period had been, and well, that wasn't so bad. So it all came down to penalties. I felt like the five players I sent out to take our penalties were all more than capable of finding the net. First up for Barca was Rivaldo. And when he missed, there was a huge groan among the thousands of Barca fans that filled the stadium. Barca's next four kick takers all made theirs however, so they did have a little ray of hope. Unfortunately for them, we made all of our first four, and so it came to down to another Brazilian, Ronaldinho, to decide the match. If he made it, we were going to the final. If he missed, the shootout would continue and things would be on level terms again. Moments later, one team celebrated with their fans and paraded around the stadium in happiness. The other team was mostly on their knees, with their heads in their hands, lamenting the chances they didn't convert. Manchester United were through to the final of the Championns League, and we definitely deserved it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 10, 2004 Author Share Posted February 10, 2004 After the celebrations had died down, we found out that we would be facing Juventus in the final in Lisbon. Juve had won 2-1 in Turin over Ajax to advance 3-2 on aggregate after the sides had drawn 1-1 in Amsterdam in the first leg. Richard Knopper had opened the scoring on the night to give Ajax a lead, but Rui Costa equalized for the Italian giants. And just when it seemed like the match was going to have to go to extra time to be decided, Brazilian star Denilson scored the winner in injury time to send his team through to face us in a rematch of the exciting 1999 semifinal encounter. Three days later, we were in Cardiff for the FA Cup final against Leicester. The Foxes had already won the League Cup and were looking to make it a double. But we were looking to get a treble of our own, and we secured the first part of it with an excellent 4-2 win. Savo gave us a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute, and Ruud made it two just before the break when he found the net in the 43rd. Leicester pulled one back in the 48th, but Ronnie restored our two goal advantage with a 78th minute free kick. Titi Camara gave his side a glimmer of hope in the 84th minute when he cut the deficit to one again, but Ronnie put the result beyond doubt with his second goal, which came in the 89th minute. So we lifted the FA Cup trophy for the second time in three years, and after that heartbreaking last minute defeat to Chelsea in the semis the year before, it felt extra good to have the trophy back in our hands again. The only downside to the victory was that Martin Smith had been injured during the match and would be out for pretty much the remainder of our season and possibly even the Champions League final due to a twisted knee. He was very upset, but I told him that even if he did not get to play in the final, he had earned his medal for all of his hard work throughout the season. Four days later, we faced Everton, and a solitary goal from Ruud in the 4th minute pushed us one step closer to the second part of our hopeful treble. We would go into the final day of the season with a two point lead over Aston Villa. The following Sunday was the final day of the season, and we were at home facing the Hammers. It wasn't going to be an easy match, as they were likely looking to take out some aggression after going down in the UEFA Cup final just a few days earlier. Villa had an away match to struggles Charlton, and even though they had played solidly on the road, it wasn't going to be an easy match for them as the Addicks were looking to end their season on a positive note. It didn't take long for us to open the scoring, as Ronnie found the net for the 25th time for the season in the 4th minute. In the 16th minute, Craig Bellamy made it 2-0 with his first goal in a United shirt. He was extremely ecstatic when the ball went in, and so was I. It was a long overdue goal, and he had definitely had his struggles since his big money move, but I knew he was capable of doing that more often. At halftime, we still had that 2-0 lead, as West Ham had not really threatened us too much. When I went into the dressing room, I found out that Villa was down 1-0 in London after conceding a 34th minute penalty, which was converted by Alan Connolly. So, all we had to do for the final 45 minutes was defend, and the title was ours. And that's what we did. We didn't add to our tally, but it didn't matter. As the final moments ticked down, I embraced all of the players and staff on the sideline, and when the final whistle sounded, I rushed onto the field to celebrate with the rest of the players. Some joyful fans rushed onto the field to celebrate with us, and the security guards tried to stop them at first, but I waved them away and let our supporters join in the celebration with us. When we received the championship trophy, I kissed it and lifted it high into the air. I made a short speech to thank the supporters for being behind the team all year long, and I promised that we would bring back the Champions League trophy from Lisbon. And then, as the players, staff, and I jogged around the stadium for a lap of honor and to parade the trophy around to all sides of Old Trafford, I raised my arms to salute the supporters one more time before exiting the stadium. So, now there was only one thing left to win to complete our treble, and that was the Champions League. And after a short break to relax, it was off to Lisbon to go try to do that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 12, 2004 Author Share Posted February 12, 2004 UEFA Champions League Final Manchester United (ENG) vs. Juventus (ITA) Lisbon, Portugal Date: 5/27/2003 So, here we were, in our second Champions League final in three seasons. The last time we'd made it this far we were outclassed and totally dominated by a Barcelona team who was ten times better than we were that night. Two years later, we were here again, and there are a lot of players on the team now that weren't there in 2001, and many of those have been the difference makers in our journey to Lisbon. Juve, by no means, are an easy opponent. With players like Trezeguet, Denilson, Rui Costa, Del Piero, and so many more on their side, it was set to be a very competitive game. But with the names on our teamsheet, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Keane, Giggs, Milosevic, Yorke, and so many others, we weren't too shabby ourselves. But I was expecting nothing less than a win. I didn't want to suffer the shame and disappointment that I had suffered the previous two seasons, and neither did the squad that I sent out that night. It didn't take too long for us to show that we weren't going to go down like we did against Barca in '01. Shortly before the first quarter of the match had passed, we were threatening, but the threat ended with the ball going out of play. Juve keeper Edwin van der Sar restarted play with a goal kick, but unfortunately for him, his poor kick went right to the dangerous Savo, and he made him pay for his error, blasting a low shot past the Dutch number one to put us ahead in the 14th minute and send our fans into a frenzy. Juve responded though, and that wasn't a surprise in the least. In the 32nd minute, Pippo Inzaghi passed into the area for Denilson, and he levelled the score at one-all. That was how it stood at halftime, and even though having the lead would have been nice, we were very much in it going into the second half, and that was definitely a positive. However, Juve seemed to come out the better team in the second half, and they took the lead before the hour mark. Rui Costa centered the ball for Chivu in the area, and the Romanian star headed it home to put his side up 2-1 in the 57th. We still had over a half hour to play, and if anything, I hoped that the goal by Juve would spur us into action. And it did. In the 64th minute, Becks floated the ball from the right in to the far post, and Savo rose above goalscorer Chivu to head the ball into the net and get his second of the match to pull us level at 2. From there on out, it was anyone's match to win, and both teams would have their chances to try to claim victory. In the 76th, Juve got a free kick, which Denilson took. It took a deflection off of Roy Keane, and the loose ball was scooped up by Becks. Becks passed it to Dwight, who hadn't played much of a role..until then. The English Player of the Year took it all the way, and when he blasted his shot high and hard past van der Sar, I could feel my hands on that trophy. In the 80th minute, I used my three substitutions, bringing on Solskjaer for an ineffective van Nistelrooy, who had been neutralized by the Juve defense all night long, and I replaced Phil and Gary Neville with Baggio and Bosschaart respectively. The moment the Neville brothers left the pitch together was an emotional one, as it was Gary's last match for us before his move to Newcastle. I hadn't even taken much time to think of putting him in the starting lineup for tactical reasons, but I put him in just so that he could play in United colors with his brother one more time. They went off side by side and embraced when they reached the sideline, and I hugged Gary and thanked him for putting 100% effort in everything even though he hadn't particularly been a first team regular since I'd been there, and he'd still been a trooper and not slacked off even when he had decided he'd go to Newcastle. As for the match, Juve made sure that it wasn't over until that final whistle had sounded, putting intense pressure on us in hopes of getting an equalizer. In the 91st minute, Rui Costa headed the ball on for Zambrano, and Zambrano gave it back to the Portuguese star inside the six yard box. I thought right then that there'd be extra time, because there was no way he would miss with all the space and time that he had. But somehow, for a reason I don't really care to think about, the shot went wide. I guess his nerves got to him because the shot wasn't particularly that good-looking, and when it missed, he sunk to his knees in devastation. At the same time, I sank to my knees as well, but for me, it was in jubilation. Moments after the unbelievable miss, the final whistle sounded, and Manchester United were champions of Europe again. The treble had been won, and it felt amazing. I went over to console Rui Costa, who was still on his knees in the same spot where he had been since he missed the shot, and he was in tears. I won't bother to wonder how or why such an easy shot was missed. Maybe it was the pressure. Or maybe it was just our night. The monkey was finally off our backs. When I took that trophy into my hands, my mind flashed back for a moment to the disappointment I had felt in '01 and '02, and how I had come so close to just giving up after that disastrous loss to Heerenveen. But as I held the trophy in my hands, raising it to the sky in ecstacy, all the disappointment didn't matter anymore. It was a memorable match, and it was a memorable night. The season had been quite a ride, and there was no better way for it to end than with the Champions League trophy in our hands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Congratulations on the treble Pity you had to beat Villa ;( but all the same well done, good stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 13, 2004 Author Share Posted February 13, 2004 Thanks . Villa were superb throughout the entire season..a bit overachieving really. Just like Man City did as well (finished in the CL spots after just being promoted). If Vassell, Dublin, Barry, and Co. were consistently that good IRL, then Villa would be simply amazing. I thought they wouldn't lose, just like I figured Newcastle wouldn't the previous season with the way they had been running through everyone. But it was quite an exciting title race, and it looks like Villa just might be good enough to take some honors in the near future. Just wait and see, that's all I say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 With the start of my new story, this one has sort of gone to the backburner. I'm still interested in it, but my focus is now mostly on the new save game I'm doing. However, I will continue to update this one. Things have been really hectic and not so great for me lately, so I really haven't had the biggest drive as far as writing goes. But, both stories will go on, and I will update as often as I am able to and feel up to doing so. School and other things have just taken a toll on me for a bit, but it's not something I can't straighten out. Thanks to all who've been reading and following along. I look forward to presenting many more adventures to you, not only in this story and my other one, but in future stories as well. Just give me a little time.. - Eddie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted March 25, 2004 Author Share Posted March 25, 2004 It's been a month since I updated this story, and I figured it was about time that I do. The save is a bit on hold right now, but I'll continue with it soon. I still have a few months of updates before I have need to really continue on the game though. What an amazing season it was, to say the least. And there was still a chance to win more silverware. In the summer my USA squad was schedule to play the Copa America and then the Confederations Cup in a pretty close period of time. I had about a month to relax with my family and go back to the States and visit some of my relatives and friends. Everyone was amazed at how I had become one of the most well-known names worldwide but still was relatively obscure in the U.S. In European football news, Oliver Bierhoff was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. That was a rather surprising choice, as I felt there were other more deserving candidates (I was just a little biased maybe...), but he is a world class player nonetheless. Kluivert picked up his second straight World Footballer of the Year award, but that wasn't such a huge surprise. On the Manchester United front, there wasn't a load going on. The only transfer I brought in was Frey, and that had been settled in January, so there weren't any big summer dealings. Financially, the club is booming, so there was plenty of money to spend had I wanted to. 17 and a half million was given out to shareholders in dividends, and we were given 5 million for TV rights for the new season. And not surprisingly, when I met with the board to discuss the new season's expectations, they told me they expected nothing less than the title. Also, Ruud was named as the Supporters' Player of the Year. He didn't score his first goal until October, but once he got going, he definitely proved why he was worth the money I dished out for him. And then it was off to South America, where hopefully the USA could prove that they weren't just one-hit wonders. Our first match would be against Argentina, in a rematch of the World Cup semifinal where we got absolutely clobbered by the team that went on to win the World Cup. Would it be different this time around? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted March 28, 2004 Author Share Posted March 28, 2004 2003 Copa America Group Stages vs. Argentina I was hoping that we could make it through the group phase, but we wouldn't have the easiest of starts on the road to trying to do that. The Argentinians clearly underestimated us, and they looked like they fully expected us to just lay down and let them run over us. However, that wasn't going to happen, and the guys went out determined to show that they could keep up with the world's best. That confidence was very evident when Josh Wolff sent us into an early lead that shocked most of the people present in the stadium. It spurred the Argentines into action, and they were level through Veron minutes before halftime. However, 1-1 at the break was much better than it'd been in 2002. The second half was pretty uneventful for the most part, but in the 80th minute, we retook the lead and sent the fans who'd traveled to support us into a frenzy as Chris Albright blasted the ball home. However, the lead wouldn't last long, as Veron scored his second to save Argentina a point and deny us a huge victory. Still, a 2-2 draw was a good start to what I hoped would be a good tournament for us. vs. Uruguay All in all, this was a pretty boring game, and it looked like it'd end in a goalless draw, but for the second straight match, Chris Albright scored, giving us the win in stoppage time and putting us in a pretty good position to qualify for the quarterfinals. vs. Ecuador Wolff gave us an early lead in the match, but after that, it was all Ecuador, and we came away from the match with nothing. That sent us into 3rd spot in our group and left us waiting to see if we would get one of the two extra slots for the quarters. Thankfully, we did, and we were drawn to face Paraguay in the quarters. I felt pretty satisfied with that, as I knew we were fully capable of beating them, having drawn and beaten them in two matches under my charge. 2003 Copa America Quarterfinals vs. Paraguay Josh (26) and Landon (34) put us up 2-0 at the break, and things were looking pretty comfortable for us going into the last 45 minutes. However, I think we took our foot off the gas and got a little too laid back for our own good, because in a flash, Paraguay had pulled one back (47). You'd think that would've gotten us to play a little harder, but apparently it didn't. In the 62nd, things were on level terms. That was probably the kick in the tail we needed, because for the last half hour of the match we gave it all we had. With twelve minutes remaining, Josh scored his fourth goal of the tournament to put us up 3-2. We held on from there, and on to the semifinals we went. Our opponents in the semifinals would be Bolivia, who had been the other shock of the tournament along with us. The winner of our match would be facing the winner of the Brazil-Mexico match in the final. Getting to the final would definitely be quite an accomplishment, and I was pretty hopeful we'd be able to do it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted March 29, 2004 Author Share Posted March 29, 2004 2003 Copa America Semifinals vs. Bolivia Bolivia showed early that they had a damn good reason to be in the semifinals of the Copa America, taking a surprising sixth minute lead through MLS star Jaime Moreno. However, we struck back quickly, as Kirovski levelled matters in the 14th. The score stayed like that until halftime, but Bolivia retook the lead not too long after the interval. And for the majority of the second half, it looked like our run was giong to get cut short. Then, in the 80th minute, Wolff got himself a little space in the area, and Jovan saw the opportunity and passed the ball towards him. The USA contingent went wild when Josh's volley went in. Neither team could find a winner in the last 10 minutes, so the match went to extra time. We suffered a blow in the 91st minute when Albright was sent off for his second bookable offense, but it didn't come back to haunt us as we held off the Bolivians in the 30 minutes of extra time. So it went to penalties. For the first time since I'd been the national team coach, a match would be decided by penalties. Both sides made their first three kicks, and then Eddie Pope stepped up and converted our fourth. Mario Etcheverry stepped up to take Bolivia's fourth, but his kick missed. Advantage USA. Up stepped Steve Ralston to take our fifth kick. If he could find the net with his attempt, then it wouldn't matter what Bolivia did. He placed the ball down, went back a few steps, and took a few deep breaths. He watched the goalie dance on his line for a few seconds, then signalled that he was ready. The referee blew his whistle, and Steve made his runup. When the ball went past the goalie's outstretched fingers, he raised his arms in celebration and then was mobbed by everyone, including me. That was a pretty damn special moment, but we still had some business to finish. We would face Brazil in the final, as they had defeated Mexico 2-0 in the other semifinal. 2003 Copa America Final vs. Brazil There really isn't too much I have to say about this match. The guys gave it their all, but Brazil proved why they're one of the world's best, beating us 3-1. However, we didn't really do as poorly as the score states. And, one positive to come out of the match was that Tom Wright scored his first international goal. All in all, it was a good experience, and I hope the next time we can do one better and win the whole thing. I was proud of the guys for their effort, and Josh Wolff's goalscoring exploits really put a smile on my face and caught the attention of a lot of people. When you are the leading scorer in a tournament that features world class names like Batistuta, Crespo, and Ronaldo, that says a lot. He's taken advantage of the opportunity he's gotten and is without a doubt going to be one of the first names on the teamsheet for a while to come if he can keep up his efforts. We were all down about the loss to Brazil, but I told the guys to keep their heads up, as we had to be off to Holland for the Confederations Cup in just a few days. We would be playing along with some of the world's top teams, like France, Mexico, and of course the hosts Holland, who were a mainstay near or at the top of the world rankings. It would be a chance to follow up on our successes and put us on the road to really establishing ourselves as a team not to be taken lightly by anyone. We had shown that against Argentina and almost came away with a victory, and Brazil didn't have the easiest time with us. So off to Holland we went in a quest for more medals..and this time we didn't want silver ones..we wanted only the best. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 And after about two months, finally a new update. Confederations Cup 2003 Group Stage Our first match of the group stage was against France in Amsterdam. We didn't lose as badly to them as when we played them in the World Cup, but we still lost. We did at least score this time, with Landon finding the net for us. However, Trezeguet got a brace to lead his side to the 3-1 victory. The next match of the group stage was against Nigeria in Rotterdam, and from start to finish the Nigerians threw everything they had at us, including the kitchen sink. They definitely had the better of the chances, and they sure had a hell of a lot of them. However, it was us who took a lead in the 27th minute through Landon, who scored for the second straight match. However, the Nigerians got a deserved equalizer three minutes after the restart, and from there on out it was anybody's match to take. Fortunately for us, in the 77th minute Kirovski scored after taking a pass from Wolff, and we held on to take the three points. I was pretty sure a result in our last game against Saudi Arabia would send us through to the semis, as I was confident that France would beat Nigeria. The Saudis gave us more than we bargained for, and they took a lead in the 37th minute. Donovan scored for the third match in a row to level the score in first half injury time, but the Saudis attacked from the ensuing kickoff and scored again to go up 2-1 at the break. In the second half, we didn't do too much in the way of creating chances, and as the minutes wound down, I was biting my nails and hoping desperately that we could somehow get a shot at the equalizer that we desperately needed. And then, four minutes from time, we got a free kick in a dangerous position. Kirovski stepped up and became our hero for the day when he dispatched the ball past the keeper to get us a 2-2 draw and the point we needed to advance. In the semifinals we would face hosts Holland, who had won their group, with Ruud playing a big role for them in their three matches. However, he'd been injured in their last group game against Mexico and would be ruled out for the rest of the competition and for the start of the domestic season. Not only a blow for Holland but a much bigger blow for United. The other semifinal would be between France and Mexico. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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