Free time

Beware the Ides of March, because it usually means there's a bunch of crap at the movie theaters. Since my schedule was pretty light this weekend, I hit the old Yahoo Movies listings to see what I could catch up on, and there wasn't a single thing that made me excited enough to want to leave my couch. The mainstream theaters are full of crap like The Shaggy Dog, Madea's Family Reunion and Failure to Launch, and even the new Landmark Theater has the same old stuff. If I didn't want to see Capote and Transamerica two months ago, I still don't want to see them now. The only thing that looked mildly interesting was The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, but mildly interesting is not enough to get me to drive 30 minutes and pay $8. Thankfully, the Sopranos starts tonight, so I can at least get an hour of decent entertaiment this weekend.

So instead of a movie, I decided to simulate the US's first round of World Cup games on FIFA 06 (yes, I was really bored, and yes, I am also a big nerd). Playing in order, I took on the Czech Republic, Italy, and Nigeria, who took the place of Ghana, who are not available on the game. And I have to say, if the actual World Cup turns out the way my games did, I'll not only be shocked, but ecstatic.

For my lineup, I set up the team in a 4-4-2 with a box midfield, since that seems the most likely formation given the way the US has played in the past. I assumed either John O'Brien or Claudio Reyna would be injured, so I left O'Brien off the squad in favor of Clint Dempsey. Also, I played Bobby Convey at left back, even though Eddie Lewis has been playing there a lot. But I prefer to have Convey on the field, and there wasn't a place for him in midfield. So my US squad that took the field against the Czechs like this:
Johnson McBride
Beasley Donovan
Mastroeni Reyna
Convey Bocanegra Onyewu Cherundolo
Keller
The US started well, but the Czechs took the lead against the run of play on a breakaway in the 13th minute. Soon after, Brian McBride was injured on a a nasty tackle from behind that only earned a yellow card for the Czech defender. McBride couldn't continue, so I had to sub him in the 21st minute for Taylor Twellman. After a back-and-forth game, the sub finally paid off as Twellman got on the end of a Beasley cross and headed home in the 80th minute. With a final of 1-1, the US earned a point in their first match.

Against Italy, I started with the same lineup. I assumed McBride had recovered, so he returned to the starting lineup, and made a major impact on the game. In the 4th minute, the US earned a corner. McBride headed Reyna's kick towards goal, and in the ensuing scramble, an Italian defender knocked it into his own net. 1-0 US. The US kept the pressure on throughout the first half, and at the stroke of halftime, Donovan crossed for McBride, who knocked it past the Italian keeper. 2-0. Apparently, the injury was completely gone, because in the 65th minute, McBride got on the end of another Reyna corner, and this time put away the cross himself. 3-0. In the 80th minute I subbed Dempsey for Reyna and Twellman for Johnson. Both players managed to hit the post in their 10 minutes, but the game ended 3-0.

So with 4 points in their first two matches and the weakest opponent coming last, I decided to rest a few players. For Nigeria/Ghana, the starters looked like this:
Johnson Twellman
Beasley Donovan
Mastroeni Reyna
Lewis Bocanegra Pope Cherundolo
Keller
Despite a few backups in the lineup, the US ran roughshod over the Africans. Mastroeni headed in a corner in the 30th. Beasley tucked past the keeper on a breakaway in the 41st. Johnson headed in a corner in the 45th. Beasley finished another breakaway in the 70th, and Twellman topped off the scoring with another breakaway in the 90th minute. Dempsey entered for Reyna and Cory Gibbs for Mastroeni in the 81st minute, and the game ended 5-0.

So with 7 points, I decided the US would advance to the next round where they would have to face mighty Brazil. I went back to the original starting lineup, and they did not begin well, allowing Ronaldinho to touch home a corner in only the 4th minute. The US recovered their composure and took the match to the Brazilians, paying off their hard work in the 20th minute when Landon Donovan knocked in a deflected corner kick. But just after halftime, Ronaldo showed some of his old form and left 3 US defenders in the dust to tuck home past Keller. Despite the introduction of Dempsey for Mastroeni in the 71st minute and a slew of chances for the offense, the US was never able to find another goal and were eliminated from my simulated World Cup.

Now, I very highly doubt the US will score 9 goals in their first round games, but a tie and 2 wins in the first round would have Nats fans going nuts come June. Hopefully, the outcome is somewhere close to this favorable.