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I'm still recovering from the shellacking Germany laid on Brazil last night, so let's jump right into the links.
Training Notes: July 8, 2014 | DCUnited.com
Ahead of a trip out to San Jose for Friday night's game, D.C. United did some agility drills, possession work, and closed practice out with three games of 7v7 played in one half of a normal-sized field. It's good to get used to those tight quarters given that the playing surface at Buck Shaw is basically the same size as a rowhouse back yard.
Projecting the 2018 US World Cup Roster | Huffington Post
First of all, I should note that this is original HuffPo content, not a copy and paste job. Second, Ryan Madden is one of the only people I've seen tab any current DC players to make the 2018 squad. He's got Bill Hamid edging out Sean Johnson, because apparently he's seen Johnson play before, as well as Perry Kitchen edging out Wil Trapp. People will naturally disagree on these things, and they're impossible to do without being very wrong in the future, but at least this one doesn't leave the Black-and-Red in the cold.
Life After the Revs: Sainey Nyassi is Back doing What he Loves | The Bent Musket
Nyassi won't be fondly remembered in these parts, but it was a slow news day for United. The former United winger/experimental right back is now playing in Finland.
Let the Recriminations Begin in Brazil, and Let Them Begin with Scolari | New Republic
Franklin Foer is smart enough to know that there's plenty of things to blame for Brazil's drift from being soccer's great entertainers to a physical, cautious team that arguably just suffered the most public humiliation in human history. He spends some time on how and why Brazil has stopped developing their stereotypical horde of joyfully skilled attackers before turning his ire on Felipão.
The Most Shocking Result in World Cup History | FiveThirtyEight.com
A game effort from Nate Silver to show just how unlikely yesterday's game was. In my opinion, he comes up short; it's not that Silver mailed this one in, but rather that this was simply an ineffable result.
A haunting defeat for Brazil | ESPNFC.com
Fernando Duarte sums up the shell-shocked mood of the Brazilian squad here. The money quote probably comes from Willian: "We know this defeat might haunt us for the rest of our lives."
A shocking exit for Scolari and Brazil | ESPNFC.com
Gabriele Marcotti paints the scene from inside the Estádio Mineirão, pointing out the crucial early decision from Germany to push Sami Khedira further upfield to help pick off Brazil's naive passing as they started to unravel.
Low urges calm after Brazil mauling | Goal.com
Meanwhile, Germany has started the process of trying to keep their feet on the ground. This would be tough for most countries, but somehow I think the Germans will not be overconfident in the final.
Match recap: Union survive wild weather and red-hot Revolution en route to Open Cup victory | PhiladelphiaUnion.com
The Union have advanced to the US Open Cup semifinal after overcoming the Revs - not sure if "red-hot" applies here, since they've lost their last five games against MLS competition - and the almost customary weather delay that comes with all Open Cup games for some reason. This one wasn't the traditional lightning delay, though. Instead, PPL Park was hit by a dust storm. You know, like deserts get hit with. I don't get it either. I guess Chester sucks even more than we previously thought.
2014 US Open Cup Quarterfinals preview: Which three Wednesday winners will join Philadelphia Union in Semifinals? | TheCup.us
This is your essential reading for tonight's trio of USOC quarterfinal matches. Not only is there a preview of each game, but the links to the streaming video for each match are included.