USA not okay

Team USA gets rolled in the semis at the Women's World Cup. Bummer... I guess this is what happens when you decide to change your goalkeeper at the last second for no apparent reason. Seriously, that might be the most direct way to shatter a team's confidence. Take away your star stopper because you fear the opponent. That's really what it came down to. The brain trust figured that Hope Solo's lack of experience, despite her strong play, would be to much to overcome against a quality side like Brazil. The result: A team left questioning it's own ability mere hours before a semifinal against a rival power. That'll always end badly. 4-0 qualifies as "badly." Shame. I was actually hoping to watch them in the final. Our status as the elite power in women's soccer isn't nearly as clear as it was seven or eight years ago. Germany and Brazil, evidently, have closed the gap considerably. That Marta is a hell of a player, to be sure.

So... Exactly what are we doing at Copa America?

US spanked 3-1 by Paraguay, three days after being slammed 4-1 by the Argies. I don't like our chances in a consolation game against a mediocre Colombia side on Thursday, either. Apparently, though, we squandered at least three golden chances to level the game at 2-2, yesterday, before Paraguay netted an insurance goal just before the end. Also, Jimmy Conrad all but gifted Paraguay the go-ahead goal, sleeping on a back pass in front of his own goal. Not a shocking results by any means, but it begs the question: What the hell are we doing at Copa America if we don't have any intention of competing?

I truly don't understand the selection of this team by Bob Bradley. You're throwing out a bunch of newbies to see what they can do, right? I get that. But why are they playing side-by-side with guys who will likely be too old or too worn to be in the national team picture in two years' time? Aside from Eddie Johnson and probably Taylor Twellman, none of the "vets" (aside from perhaps Justin Mapp and Ricardo Clark who hardly fit the description) on this team will be around much longer. So what's the sense in seeing if the new talent can blend with them? I realize we're just coming off the Gold Cup (so is Mexico, by the way, and they sent virtually the same team down to Copa because they seem to have at least the faintest bit of pride) and the Under-20s are happening, but still, it's stupid. Where's the common sense?

While we're talking Copa, check out Robinho's hat trick against Chile. The second one is classy and the third one gets me out of my seat.

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Look, I love international competition, knockout tournaments, and soccer. So, just for kicks, while I cannot say anything of substance about the U-20s, let's just make some predictions. Just for kicks. For giggles, baby. You in? I don't care, you're in now.

So what do we know?
- Tournament is being held in Canada and hosts tend to stick around for at least a little past their expiration date.
- Kicks off on Saturday.
- Argentina is the defending champ and favored to repeat
- Freddy Adu leads a very talented, up-and-coming, darkhorse US squad
- The US is in the same group as heavy Brazil
- If I had to guess, it looks like Group D is the group of death
- Just because you're on a power on the senior national team, doesn't necessarily mean you enjoy success at this level
- It's the old 24-team field, which means any picks beyond the group stage are moot because we don't know where the four 3rd place teams will be placed in the playoff tree. See? So the guessing will be all the more fun.

Group Stage Predictions * = one of the top four 3rd place teams

Group A
1. Canada
2. Congo
3. Chile *
4. Austria

Group B
1. Spain
2. Zambia
3. Uruguay
4. Jordan

Group C
1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Gambia *
4. New Zealand

Group D
1. USA
2. Brazil
3. Korea *
4. Poland

Group E
1. Argentina
2. Czech Republic
3. Panama
4. North Korea

Group F
1. Japan
2. Nigeria
3. Scotland *
4. Costa Rica

Round of 16
Congo (2A) over Mexico (2C)
USA (1D) over Scotland (3BEF)
Spain (1B) over Gambia (3ACD)
Japan (1F) over Czech Rep. (2E)
Canada (1A) over Korea (3CDE)
Nigeria (2F) over Zambia (2B)
Argentina (1E) over Brazil (2D)
Portugal (1C) over Chile (3ABF)

Quarterfinals
USA over Congo
Spain over Japan
Nigeria over Canada
Argentina over Portugal

Semis
USA over Spain
Argentina over Nigeria

Final
Argentina over USA

And there you have it. Much like their opening match in Copa America tomorrow, Argentina will knock off the US and win it all. Contingent entirely on placing ahead of Brazil in the group stages, the Americans, buoyed by good form and playing close to home, will surprise the Spanish who excel at the junior levels. Biased? No. Shut up! Nigeria slipping past the hosts would be a surprise, too, but I just feel like one African team is bound to make a big run. I would've favored Congo, if not for the draw.

Bouncing into the weekend

Because it is Friday and things are a little slow at the moment, some quick bullets on the hot (and not so hot) issues this week. Everything aside from Kobe, that is, because he still isn't going anywhere before next summer.

Pacman Jones
Let's just drop the whole issue, shall we, and just fire him already. People don't seem to be aware that this suspension imposed by the league doesn't just apply to the coming season, it spans forever. So let's just accept that this guy isn't going to play golf or watch daytime TV in his spare time and cut our losses. Whaddya say, Roger?

Sammy Steroids
It wasn't long ago that 600 homeruns meant you were a baseball immortal. But as Jayson Stark said in an interview, last night, this is the price we're paying for the steroids era. The numbers -- particularly the power numbers -- have been devalued to such an extreme that when a scumbag like Sosa finally does hit 600, it barely illicits a response. By tacitlly allowing rampant steroid and growth hormone abuse, Major League Baseball has sacrificed the very lore that makes people sentimental over the sport in the first place. Without the numbers -- 755, 61, 191 -- what does baseball have left? I'll be very curious to see how people react to Ken Griffey Jr. hitting 600, which will probably happen by season's end. Griffey deserves all the accolades coming his way. It's pretty fair to say that Sosa does not. And while we're condemning one of baseball all-time shadiest characters, a message to all the baseball writers and media personalities absolving Sosa of the past while still condeming Mark McGwire: PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS. If Big Mac only received a HOF vote in the low 20s, then damn it, Sosa should, too. All or nothing. If anything, Sosa was an even bigger cheater (corked bat), more deceitful (left the country, forgot how to speak English in front of Congress), and was never at any time considered one of the best to play right field (not that the Hall of Fame values "excellence" anymore. You just have to be "good and well-liked"). The Baseball Hall of Fame: Becoming more irrelevant by the second.

Kevin Garnett
If one superstar is getting traded, this summer, it's him. And it will be to the Suns. No one else has a chance. Is Chicago going to mortgage Hinrich/Deng/Gordon? Not likely. Phoenix isn't budging when it comes to keeping Amare off the table, either. Just the thought of a Nash/Amare/KG trio should be enough to make everyone else concede their games against the Suns and just play for second place.

Thierry Henry
Unfortunately for Gunners supporters, there will be no miracle. Henry is off to the Catalan. Surprising? No, not at all. Re-read the part where I said there will be no miracle. What does it mean for Arsenal? Well, they were without Henry for a large chunk of the season and still managed fourth place in the table. I'd say that no longer having the distraction of whether or not he'll play could be advantageous. While I maintain that there's no better striker in the world than a healthy Thierry Henry (that includes Drogba), Arsenal should recover rather quickly. Adebayor needs to work on his consistency, though.

Wimbledon
I'm a sucker for Grand Slam Tennis and it doesn't get much better than this one. Federer's gunning for Borg's record of five consecutive Wimby titles. He's going to get it, too. Can't imagine he's too happy about just missing out on the French... again. Watch out.

Gold Cup
Not many people even know it's going on and, really, they don't need to. It's been some miserable, miserable soccer. But -- and there is a big but -- the US and Mexico have managed to sleepwalk their way to the final. USA v Mexico? Count me in. Prediction? Please, how could I possibly offer anything other than 2-0 to the Americans? Copa America is right around the corner... By the by, terrible luck for Canada in the semi against the US. That equalizing goal in the dying seconds definitely was not offside. I'm rather amazed that Paul Stalteri didn't murder the ref on site.

NBA Draft
Less than a week away. Strong crop of talent, too. At least at first glance. However, is it just me, or has there been so much attention focused on why Oden will go ahead of Durant that people haven't bothered to ponder what will happen between picks 3-58?

Tri-Nations
Springboks host the All Blacks tomorrow in Durban, 5 a.m. PST. COMME BOKKE!

2-0

Few things in sports make me as happy as that scoreline. That scoreline when it is applied to this rivalry. Yeah, that's right. I absolutely delight over US victories against Mexico. More and more, Mexico is becoming my Duke basketball of the soccer world.

A lot to catch up on, here. There's the mixed bag of what I feel is ultimately good goodness in the US-led takeover of Liverpool. Everyone is always fearful of change, but if the mighty Reds were to be taken over by a foreign interest that assures it will keep the club competitive and genuine, I'd much rather it be at the hands of Tom Hicks and George Gillet than the dubious DIC and whatever dirty money they scrounged up.

Every time there's a new paragraph, there's a new thing to mention. You know they aren't playing soccer in Italy, at the moment, because of hooliganism? This is unreal! For all the right reasons, too!

Not soccer, hockey. Consider me pretty bummed about the LA Kings (getting worse by the second) dumping Sean Avery to the New York Rangers for a bag of day-old donuts. Avery's all heart and one of the fiercest competitors in the league. Even at 5'10". He'll be missed. Like winning.

B-ball. John Amaechi is gay. Not a big deal. Really, it's not. Sad, really, that a personal confession from a forgetten never-was basketball player can grab headlines. LeBron James -- young LeBron James (the guy's what? 13?) -- thinks Amaechi keeping his sexuality a secret all this time raises character and trust issues. Let's hope that everyone realizes just how young LeBron is. The guy has no perspective. Just like a freshman film student thinks he can make a war film, LeBron thinks he knows what it is to have complete trust, loyalty, and openness from all of his teammates. Meanwhile, he's raking in millions and mailing it in nightly as the Cavs continue to look unapologetically average.

The Celtics have lost 16 in a row. WTF?!? Is this a one-way ticket to Greg Oden or what?

College ball, you are my love. Only six weeks until the madness and, only now, people are finally taking notice of USC. I went to the new Galen Center (very nice facility, yet not typical of most arenas -- essentially a sleak basketball gym dropped inside a conference hall) on Saturday to catch the Trojans' sweep of Oregon. Tonight, they were one Lodrick Stewart technical away from hanging on L on UCLA. I don't think I can be any clearer here, I love the look of this Trojan basketball team and I think that they have real potential to make some serious noise come tournament time. If not for UCLA, I swear it, USC would be the best team in a loaded, loaded Pac 10.