Something in the Making: Lam Matteo

[Matt10]

Bradley finalizes World Cup roster with Matteo controversy, prepares for Croatia opener
Eric Wynalda | ussoccer.com Analyst |

Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil - Donovan, Davies and Dempsey are dubbed the "Three D's" amongst the United States lineup. While I agree with Bob Bradley's decision in Dempsey and Donovan - the pick in Davies is highly questionable considering Lam Matteo is the best thing in USA soccer since Brian McBride. Matteo, who was the Premiership's top scorer this season and Golden Boot award winner, is a fan favorite to take over Davies spot - however, the man who counts, Bob Bradley, does not see it the same way.

"I make tough decisions every day, what do you think it's like when I get calls from my son, (Michael Bradley) reporting on how he's doing so he can get a shot on the team again. Lam (Matteo) is a great player, but he has never had a cap before - his time will come, if he continues to play the way he played for Fulham - he'll see the field before the end of the Crotia match."

Controversy aside, Bob Bradley has supplied a relatively talented side, the majority of the players hailing from non-MLS teams.

Starting in goal is Brad Guzan for the retired Tim Howard, followed by able veteran Carlos Bocanegra as the center back. The team's captain, Oguchi Onyewu, shares the center spot with Bocanegra. Pearce and Bornstein occupy the sides, which could be the one question mark considering both players are left footed.

In the center midfield Maurice Edu and Benni Feilhaber do the dirty work while underrated attacking flank is occupied by the man simply known as "Jeffrey" - the 23-year old Brazilian born player from the reigning MLS champions, the Kansas City Wizards. Not seeing as much of the field as he used to for his club side Fulham, 30-year old Clint Dempsey plays the left flank to bring some creativity between himself and Feilhaber.

Up top the speed of Landon Donovan will compliment the holding ability of Charlie Davies. Donovan, who rejected offers from some English Championship teams last summer, is the nucleus to the team's offense - pretty much the absolute representation of what USA soccer is all about.

Possible Starting Lineups (Croatia v United States - Group C)

Croatia: Pletikosa, Schildenfeld, Simunic, Corluka, Srna, Pokrivac (c), Vranjes, Rakitic, Kranjcar, Tadic, Petric

United States: Guzan, Bocanegra, Onyewu (c), Pearce, Bornstein, Edu, Feilhaber, Jeffrey, Dempsey, Donovan, Davies

Subs: GK Buchanan, CB Parkhurst, CB Spector, CB Cherundulo, MF Lewis, MF Clark, FW Matteo, MF Kljestan, SS Noonan, CF Adu, MF Jacobson, GK Friedel (not Brad)

 

[Matt10]

​

2014 World Cup - Group C - Croatia v USA (3 PM ET, Rio De Jeinero)

Match Preview: USA come into this match after a successful qualifying season in CONCACAF play. When the European sides have come to battle, the Americans have been nothing short of gracious hosts - by not winning one single match, including the 6-0 defeat to Italy earlier this year. Croatia bring on veterans such as Modric in the midfield as well as Olic and Tadic up top - two very creative forwards who have played together for the past 4 years on the national team. The USA have a problem with their captain, Oguchi Onyewu, suffering a game-time sickness that has ruled him out of tonight's match. Look for Bradley's signs of wanting to change up the attack if the Adu and Donovan connection is lacking. The football world knows Premiership star, Lam Matteo, should have been selected over any of the forwards listed.

Match Preview: 3-1 Croatia. Despite having a strong midfield display with Feilhaber and Dempsey, the United States will not be able to contain the European flair the World Cup veterans, Croatia, have displayed for a number of years. Crotia is a team that goes far into the competition usually - it wil be no surprise their journey to winning Group C starts with a comfortable win over the USA.

USA Subs: Buchanan, Parkhurst, Onyewu, Pearce, lewis, Clark, Jacobson, Nonan, Jeffrey, Matteo, Davies, Guzan

 

[Matt10]

Arsenal win 2014 Premiership
--------------------------------
Up and down season ends with Arsenal beating out Wigan and Fulham.

Fulham's Lam Matteo wins Golden Boot award in fine fashion
--------------------------------

1. Matteo - Fulham - 36
2. Adebayor - Arsenal - 30
3. Rooney - Man United - 28
4. Torres - Liverpool - 22
5. Drogba - Chelsea - 20

Fulham's Giovinco grabs top assist award
--------------------------------

1. Giovinco - Fulham - 18
2. Gerrard - Liverpool - 16
2. Lampard - Arsenal - 12
4. Quaresma- Middlesbrough - 10
4. Modric - Tottenham - 10

TRANSFERS
--------------------------------
*TO BE UPDATED end of offseason

Sunderland -
Newcastle -
Liverpool -
Man United -
West Brom -
Tottenham -
Man City -
West Ham -
Aston Villa -
Middlesbrough -
Chelsea -
Bolton -
Stoke City -
Portsmouth -
Hull City -
Fulham -
Wigan Athletic -
Arsenal -
Everton -
Blackburn -

 

[Matt10]

1

0
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Croatia's giant, Schildenfeld, bags winner over resilient USA side

Group C Results: Croatia 1-0 USA, Netherland 0-3 S.Korea
Group C Standings: 1. S.Korea -3 pts, 2. Croatia - 3 pts, 3. USA - 0 pts, 4. Netherland - 0 pts

U.S. Men's National Team Match Report

Match: Crotia vs. United States
Date: August 25, 2014
Competition: World Cup 2014 (Brazil) - Group C First Round Match
Venue: Maracana Stadium - Rio de Jeneiro
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Attendance: 71,137
Weather: Sunny, 75 degrees

Scoring Summary:
CRO – Schildenfeld 77 minute


Lineups:
CRO: 1-Pletikosa, 13-Sablic, 2-Schildenfeld, 4-Corluka, 15-Siklic, 17-Leko, 18-Modric, 5-Srna, 11-Petric, 10-Tadic (6-Pokrivac, 75); 19-Olic

USA: 23-Friedel, 2-Bocanegra, 14-Spector, 15-Cherundulo, 5-Bornstein (Pearce, 70); 7-Feilhaber, 6-Edu, 9-Dempsey (Noonan, 77); 19- Klejstan, 10-Donovan, 21-Adu (Matteo, 45)


Stats Summary: CRO/ USA
Shots: 8 / 19
Shots on Goal: 4 / 10
Fouls: 8 / 8
Possession: 49 / 51

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Maurice Edu (caution) 41st minute
CRO – Modric (caution) 48th minute

ussoccer.com Man of the Match:
Landon Donovan

Lam Matteo Tracker:
0 goals
0 assist
7 Shots, 3 On Target
10 Passes, 5 Made
1 Offside

7.0 Rating

 

[Matt10]

Matteo receives offers from Newcastle and West Brom

Already considering a renewal offer from current side Fulham, American strike Lam Matteo has been approached by Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.

Newcastle come into the fold after struggling a bit in the scoring department which prompted a lower than average finish in the Premeiership. However, West Bromwich Albion finished worse and could more than use the Golden Boot winner's scoring touch.

*Update -- Lam Matteo and agent, Arthur Van DerLay, have rejected both offers of 1. Newcastle (1630 P) and 2. West Brom (1520 p). Matteo is currently making 1250 P, however sources say Fulham have offered a renewal contract valued at 1690 P. No decision has been made in regards to Fulham's offer.​

​

 

[Matt10]

Next USA Match: S.Korea v United States (Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 3 PM ET)

 

[Matt10]

​

2014 World Cup - Group C - S.Korea v USA (2 PM ET, Porto Alegre)

Match Preview: It isn't surprising to see South Korea on top of the Group C table, led by a constant mobile Park Ji Sung, the Koreans are handpicked to go as deep as the semi finals for some bookies. On the other side, Bob Bradley will be looking to shake things up in a absolute must win match. The USA head coach did not disappoint by replacing, of all people, Landon Donovan - who was by far the team's man of the match against Croatia. "They (South Korea) will not be beat on speed alone, this is strictly a personnel change - Donovan still might see the field when we absolutely need him". And once again the controversy that is Bob Bradley circulates the tournament considering he has also not inserted Lam Matteo into the starting lineup.

Match Preview: 2-0 South Korea. Speed is something the USA defenders do not have - the Koreans are very fast with the ball at their feet - they can attack quickly and counter attack almost perfectly. The only reason they will only score 2 goals is because the American have Ogechi Onyewu back from injury to put a body on the smaller framed Koreans..

USA Subs: Buchanan, Parkhurst, Pearce, Lewis, Clark, Jacobson, Donovan, Jeffrey, Matteo, Davies, Guzan

 

[packersfan4eva]

u misspelled ball in he last paragraph. better check that out. it says the koreans are very fast with the bal at their feet

 

[Matt10]

5

0
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South Korea leave no chance of advancement for USA

Group C Results: Croatia 1-0 USA, Netherland 0-3 S.Korea
Group C Standings: 1. S.Korea -3 pts, 2. Croatia - 3 pts, 3. USA - 0 pts, 4. Netherland - 0 pts

U.S. Men's National Team Match Report

Match: South Korea v United States
Date: August 28, 2014
Competition: World Cup 2014 (Brazil) - Group C First Round Match, Fixture 2
Venue: Estadio Beira-Rio - Porto Alegre
Kickoff: 2 p.m. ET
Attendance: 39,137
Weather: Light Rain, 72 degrees

Scoring Summary:
KOR - Lee Ho 22 minute
KOR - Park Chu Young 45+ minute
KOR - Yeom Ki Hun 81 minute
KOR - Park Chu Young 84 minute
KOR - Yeom Ki Hun 88 minute


Lineups:
KOR: 12-Jun Sung Ryong, 3-Kwak Tae Hwi, 14-Kang Min Soo, 16-Lee Jong Min, 5-Choi Chul Soon, 18-Lee Ho, 7-Kim Nam IL (Cho Won Hee, 88); 9-Park Ji Sung, 20-Lee Keun Ho, 10-Yeom Ki Hun, 11-Park Chu Young

USA: 23-Friedel, 14-Spector, 3-Onyewu, 15-Cherundulo, 5-Bornstein, 7-Feilhaber (Davies, 79); 6-Edu, 9-Dempsey (Donovan, 66); 19-Klejstan, 20-Noonan, 21-Adu (Matteo, 60)


Stats Summary: KOR/ USA
Shots: 13 / 7
Shots on Goal: 4 / 5
Fouls: 2 / 6
Possession: 49 / 51

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Kljestan (caution) 9th minute
KOR – Park Ji Sung(caution) 37th minute

ussoccer.com Man of the Match:
Park Ji Sung

Lam Matteo Tracker:

30-minutes
0 goals
0 assist
3 Shots, 3 On Target
2 Passes, 1 Made
0 Offside

6.0 Rating

 

[Matt10]

Fulham hardpressed accepting Matteo's rejection - counter offer proposed

The trial and tribulations of negotiations continues for Fulham and Lam Matteo. Matteo, who is currently playing the World Cup in Brazil, originally rejected Fulham's first renewal offer - as well as the two coming from West Brom and Newcastle.

Early this morning, Matteo's agent, Arthur Van DerLay, issued this statement: "Matteo and I have discussed all offers presented. We have received offers from Fulham (renewal, 1790 P), Newcastle (again), West Brom (again) and just recently NAC Breda (1600 P). We politely, and respectfully, reject all offers."

With USA's possible (and most likely) exit of the World Cup, Lam Matteo will be the focal point of the transfer market, although the striker has not been a first-team selection for the side, his stock is still overlapping from last season's brilliant 36-goal performance.
​

​

 

[Matt10]

5

2
​

United States take care of Netherlands as both teams exit World Cup

Group C Results: Croatia 1-0 USA, Netherland 0-3 S.Korea
Group C Final Standings: 1. S.Korea -3 pts, 2. Croatia - 3 pts, 3. USA - 0 pts, 4. Netherland - 0 pts

U.S. Men's National Team Match Report

Match: United States v Netherlands
Date: September 18, 2014
Competition: World Cup 2014 (Brazil) - Group C First Round Match, Fixture 3
Venue: Cidada de Copa - Recife
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Attendance: 42,283
Weather: Sunny, 82 degrees

Scoring Summary:
USA - Davies 3 minute
USA - Feilhaber free kick 9 minute
NED - Van Nistelrooy 14 minute
USA - Donovan 20 minute
USA - Donovan 70 minute
NED - Seedorf 75 minute
USA - Matteo 76 minute


Lineups:
USA: 23-Friedel, 2-Bocanegra (Onyewu, 87); 14-Spector, 5-Bornstein, 4-Pearce, 7-Feilhaber, 6-Edu, 19-Kljestan, 16-Lewis, 10-Donovan, 11-Davies (Matteo, 66)

NED: 12-Vorm, 13-Van Der Strujik, 2-Heitinga, 16-Maguire, 15-Drenthe, 21-Wijnaldum, 19-De Guzman, 7-Sneijder (Van Der Vaart, 71); 18-Aissati, 8-Seedorf, 11-Van Nistelrooy (Vennegoor, 87)


Stats Summary: USA/ NED
Shots: 15 / 12
Shots on Goal: 10 / 5
Fouls: 4 / 9
Possession: 48 / 52

Misconduct Summary:
NED – Van Der Strujik (caution) 9th minute
NED – Drenthe (caution) 54th minute

ussoccer.com Man of the Match:
Landon Donovan

Lam Matteo Tracker:

24-minutes
1 goals
0 assist
4 Shots, 3 On Target
2 Passes, 1 Made
0 Offside

6.5 Rating

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLgvR9alfYQ"]YouTube - vNEDwc2014[/ame]

 

[Matt10]

Blackburn Rovers jump into Matteo negotiations after signing Liverpool captain, Gerrard

With the World Cup all but over for Lam Matteo, and five weeks remaining of the offseason, Blackburn Rovers became the 5th team interested in the Fulham striker this offseason.

Blackburn have just completed the signing of disgruntled Liverpool star, Steven Gerrard. After finishing well below than expected last year, Rovers are looking to rebuild their midfield with Gerrard, and now their relatively weak forward personnel.

Matteo's party have not accepted nor ruled out any offers as of yet, it is expected the striker will "have the process play out."

​

​

 

[Matt10]

An exhausting World Cup and even more transfer negotations between clubs such as Newcastle, West Brom and even NAC Breda, tore Matteo over the offseason.

A done deal
Lam Matteo will return as a Cottager in 2015

Fulham have not arranged any other offseason transfers, Roy Hodgson was quoted as saying "Matteo is our only priority at this point", when the golden-boot winner announced he wished to "test out the market".

"It's something all players need to get out of their system," says Hodgson, "I understand he wanted to see what else was out there other than Fulham football. In the end, I think he made the right choice for his future."

The dissapointed arose when Matteo was rumored to be linked to moves to such clubs as Chelsea, Manchester Untied and even Barcelona.

"Just rumors it seems," says an indifferent Matteo, "I think my product went sour at the World Cup - but that's okay, I'm playing European football now".

That's right, after their 3rd place finish in the Premiership last year, the Cottagers will be taking their game in the Uefa Cup for the first time in the club's history.

"It's fantastic," gleams Hodgson, "The boys worked hard last year, and they are going to have to work even harder this year. I am glad we have everyone back to finish what we started."

TRANSFERS
--------------------------------
*Signifcant transfers only

West Brom- (In) MF Gabriel Ozkan, CB Kadleg
Blackburn - (In) MF Gerrard (from Liverpool), CWP Kompany (from Man City), MF Pires (from Villareal)
Everton - (In) Ballack (from Blackburn)
Tottenham - (In) Baines (from Everton)
Portsmouth - (In) Santa Cruz (from Blackburn)
Newcastle - (In) Barry (from Aston Villa)

 

[kyhadley]

Damn, I can't believe you didn't get any offers from any big time clubs, oh well, Fulham it will have to stay.

 

[Matt10]

Yup Fulham it is. Mainly because of possible Champions League and uefa cup

 

[Matt10]

A brief look at the calendar (left) and the current starting lineup in the match against Liverpool.

Whoa, more colors
Fulham prepare for more than one match a week in 2015

With the addition of the UEFA Champions League qualifying, the Cottagers now have more than one match a week, which also includes next week's start of the Premiership Cup - a competition the Cottagers have not made past the quarter finals (mostly from facing Manchester United).

With the new setup, and relatively familiar lineup, Roy Hodgson will have to be wise in utilizing the players based on fatigue level - instead of skill like he had done last year when Lam Matteo had not sit out a game since the January transfer window.

"It's not something we are used to obviously," Hodgson chuckled, "But those poor boys will be just fine with whatever setup I put forth".

 

[Matt10]

Gabriel Agbonlahor opened up the scoring, but it was Lam Matteo who finished the match with a hat-trick.

Fulham 7-3 Liverpool
Season opening, Ten goal thriller ends with Matteo hat-trick and Fulham victory
-Johnson Peoples, September 2014
--------------------------------------------------

'27 Agbonlahor, '37 Leijer, '44-75-78 Matteo, '63 Obertan, '66 Murphy (PK)
Caution: Lam Matteo ('24), Hughes ('49), Giovinco ('52), Volz ('64) Sent Off:

'45 Torres, '76 Van Der Vaart (PK), '84 Van Der Vaart
Caution: Sent Off:

Standings: Fulham (1-0-0, 3 pts -- 5th)
---------------------------------------------------
Welcome home. It was one heck of a tough offseason for Matteo, and to see that things have finally gelled nicely here in the Cottage - well, it makes a grown man happy/teary. Today he let out all his frustration on the ball and smacked in some absolute stunning goals. Kudos to Giovinco and Paintsil for the great supply of crosses and through balls. Next week is Champions League qualifying against Valencia - wohoo - debut time! (Btw, anyone notice the new kits? ...MY Idea)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdudKNAeY4"]YouTube - vLiverpool2015[/ame]

 

[kyhadley]

The Hatty!

 

[Matt10]

QUALIFYING GROUP STAGE

 

[Matt10]

Fulham 1-2 Valencia
Cottagers European debut spoiled by Fernandes goal
-Johnson Peoples, September 2014
--------------------------------------------------

Gabriel
Giovinco's beauty of a free kick inspired a courageous showing from the home side, but Fernandes cool finish put the visitors in position for the victory.

'51 Giovinco (FK)
Caution: Sent Off:

'46 Lisandro Lopez, '68 Fernandes
Caution: Sent Off:

UCL Qualifying Standings:

GROUP A

1. USC Palermo -- 3 pts (1-0-0)
2. Valencia -- 3 pts (1-0-0)
3. Fulham -- 0 pts (0-0-1)
4. FC Volendam -- 0 pts (0-0-1)
---------------------------------------------------
Chances gone begging. Matteo had his chances to show he can play European football, but he didn't seem to take them as cool and collected as he usually does. I think he had some nerves brewing there, but hopefully he can regain his composure against Newcastle next week.