Cugalabanza

Oh boy, this is gonna be a tough one.

Indeed.

Which is ironic because it follows that the best protection would be to not have a protector at all, because no one would ever find it to do it any harm.

Hi, I'm a winner.

I agree. He seems to have been a Bob Bradley favorite for a while and I just don’t get it. He must have some pretty good blackmail photos somewhere. I busted on Beasley before and I really don’t have any faith in him. However, he did look surprisingly rejuvenated last night. I guess I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. There was a time when he and Donovan used to work well together—it’s just that that was about 5 or six years ago now.

Damn you, Bob Bradley!

Well, that’s justnappropriate.

Sadly, I don’t think Onyewu will be a part of the WC picture. He definitely did not look sharp last night. His knee still looks Frankenstein-like and he got burned bad on the header goal. I hope Demerit and Bocanegra are healthy enough to start.

Yup. The donkey wheel represents the Buddhist wheel of life.

Nice. That's a powerful image that I will remember 'til the day I die. Maybe even a little after that.

Yes! I'm completely against instant replay in soccer (the debate is getting hotter), but I would like to see two more refs. It would expose the diving, which is hurting the game. My opinion.

Great. Now you hurt my feelings. Happy?

Ha! Beasley looked ok tonight, but no way he gets a seat to S. Africa. Czechs 4 - USA 2 Is that terrible? No. All our top players got a free pass tonight. It does expose our embarrassing lack of depth, however. Here's what I hated... Bornstein.- Outclassed. Terrible. Onyewu – Not encouraging. If he makes the final 23, it's only for spot duty. A shame...take away the injury and he's our best defender. E. Johnson – Nope. Still lazy and uninspiring Meh... Pearce – Sometimes good, sometimes awful—he probably makes this squad--he wouldn't if we had better options. Klejstan – right on the bubble Rogers – right on the bubble Torres – didn't see enough to say...probably on the bubble I liked... Clarence Goodson – He looks ready to compete. Ching – I love Ching. Always shows good touch. I know he's 100% MLS, but I say he contributes in the WC. Holden – He's the next generation Donovan. Just imagine if he didn't break his ankle just a few weeks ago. He's a playmaker! Cherundolo – He'll do. He does seem to have good chemistry with Holden on the right side. He might start. Edu – He scored a goal and he can fill in in an emergency at center back. The bad news: His f-up led directly to the last goal. Gomez – He scored. I'll take it, even though he's lacking in international experience. Buddle – I see him as a quality offensive substitute. Big question mark... Benny Feilhaber – I didn't see any mention of him during the broadcast. I've always stuck up for him as having a potentially world class skill set, but more often than not he proves me wrong. I'm kind of hoping that Bradley held him out tonight because he's already earned his midfield spot.

I guess tonight is the last chance to make an impression. Coach Bradley is set to announce the final 23 man WC roster tomorrow at 1pm, live on ESPN. If DeMarcus Beasley makes it, I'm boycotting the whole tournament.

Soccer players are skittish about using that stuff because they are afraid of needles. It’s hurty on their sensitive skin. If they develop a performance enhancing drug that can be administered by a cold spray aerosol can, then you’ll see more goals in soccer.

I think that’s definitely one thing that is open to interpretation. It’s possible that Hurley’s reign ended in failure, but that doesn’t feel right to me. Ben complimented Hurley on being a great number one. Plus the vibe of the whole purgatory reunion was so joyous, it doesn’t seem compatible with a failure like that. I think the sunken island may have some symbolic meaning (like maybe that, since they are all dead, nothing earthly can affect them any more), but I don’t thing we are to take any literal meaning from that. My feeling is that Hurley found a successor and the source is still being protected and the island is still intact. I think we’re supposed to take everything in the sideways world with a grain of salty dream logic.

Ah, beautiful! I don't know how I missed that before.

Thank you!

Very good. You jackasses are learning.

I have to go to the bathroom. When I come back, I expect to still be thread champion.

I think you could look at the reign of Hurley as the potential fulfillment of all the things aimed at by the Hanso Foundation, Valenzetti Equation, Dharma Initiative, etc... They were trying to identify and change something fundamentally flawed about human nature. Look at the fact that Hurley’s destiny was shaped by the numbers. These are the same numbers in the Valenzetti equation—they’re supposed to represent something self-destructive that has been constant about human civilization throughout history. Jacob, in his search for a solution to his MIB problem, apparently came to realize the importance of the numbers too. Each of these six numbers stood for one of his final batch of candidates. It’s no coincidence then that Hurley is the one to finally take his place as guardian of the light of humanity for a new era. Remember that Ben mentions towards the very end that “that was Jacob’s way of running things.” Hurley is free to invent his own rules and it seems he is the right guy for the job of making a better world.

I don't have any bright ideas. I was just going to wait until tonight and try JustinTV or something else sketchy along those lines.

Yes, the back line is far from set. Hopefully, we'll get lucky with at least two out the three of Onyewu, DeMerit and Bocanegra being ready to go in the middle. On the wings, I have no idea. Pearce, Spector, Bornstein...? All of these guys have flashed hot and cold in the past. Now’s the time for somebody to step up. Many of the national teams are having injury concerns. For top-level players, it’s a long grueling season of club play, cups, tournaments, plus national team duty. I do agree that Onyewu's recovery is more important than Charlie Davies'. I think that Jozy Altidore will be the #1 striker and he will get support from Edson Buddle and from Midfielders like Donovan and Dempsey and Holden moving forward. I still like Brian Ching as a substitute too. I really can’t wait for the WC to start. I definitely feel better about our chances this time than 4 years ago.

Yes, thank you Tgreg. That summary was really excellent!