Ranting and Raving

Phew. I'm back. I flipped the switch on the UConn men's basketball game with three to go. They're that bad. There are two things I rarely do... a.) flip the switch on a movie b.) flip the switch on a UConn men's basketball game. However, much like the painstaking "All About Steve," UConn is abysmal.

Their game, however, did shed some light on the soccer side of things today. The U.S. lost 2-1 away to the Netherlands. Plenty to get to there so let's break it down...
UConn men are an example of inefficiency. Let's talk Efficiency to start.


It is quite clear, following the second part of our performance at last year's Confederation's Cup, that the men's national team can play with any team in the world. In fact, today against the high powered and more talented Dutch, I thought a 1-0 scoreline at the half was a bit harsh (although I have no problem with the penalty by another immature defensive play).  Between the two 18s we looked "fine," shall I say.  I wasn't wholly displeased with our passing, because quite frankly, any possession the Americans keep is meaningless.

The only possession that matters in footie is the kind that leads to a goal.  Meaning, passing the ball doesn't really do anything unless it can change the scoreline.  Possession in the attacking third is a coach's dream, but even then you have to do something with it (See Arsenal v. Chelsea and Manchester United in this year's premiership. Of course, I could be eating my words if somehow the Blues and Reds fall and the Young Gunners steal the title.)

At any rate, the U.S. is not a class footballing power. We have no maestros on our squad. We don't have a midfield made up of brilliant minds, on field tacticians or technical wizards. The reality is that only a handful of teams do, they're called world class players and you can find them on the squads of the world's powers...Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Germany, England, Italy, the Netherlands and dare I say Portugal and France...(hope I didn't anger any Irish)
So, what should the U.S. do to be more efficient?

Although the Americans are now predominantly comprised of footballers that ply their trade in Europe, the U.S. would do well to cease all attempts at playing like a European squad.  Bob Bradley has at his fingertips some of the best goalkeepers in the world, he has top flight athletes with amazing stamina (I promise you that LD can run Italy's Andrea Pirlo into the ground, as can America's third choice midfielders), and once upon a time, Bradley and the Americans had tenacity... A friend of mine commented on the game earlier to me, "loved the last ten minutes of the game."  I did too, we were down 2-0, fair or unfair, and we showed some fight. Americans loved the last three games last year in the Confederations Cup...our backs were against the wall and we showed some fight.

The most efficient style of play for the Americans is to pass in spurts, because we can do that in sporadic triangles around the field.  But, possession from the back is abhorred and scary for most die hard American fans.  We remember the days of Reyna losing the ball to Ghana 25 yards from goal or Thomas Dooley and others playing keep-ball only to lose it to an opposing striker.  Trying to create goals from a string of 20 passes is a migraine, because we don't have a Xavi, Lampard, Pirlo, Kaka, etc.  Attempting long balls to the feet or head of lone strikers is futile, because we don't have a world class out and out striker a la Torres and Drogba (and Brian McBride is too old). The most efficient brand of American soccer is to put the ball in dangerous positions in the opposing team's eighteen through territorial long balls over the top or to the feet of wing players.  From there we can use our team speed and defensive tenacity to keep the ball in the attacking third.  Any other style is not ours, because it does not play to our strengths and we find ourselves second best at another's game.

Efficiency. If we have any hope of getting out of group play we should realize our strengths and play to them!  We will score goals from set pieces like today (brilliant ball from Beasley, who in my opinion played himself onto the team).  We will score goals from swift counterattacks.  And we will score goals off of errors.  In fact, any other goals are those moments of brilliance you DO NOT rely on as a coach.  If Bob Bradley gets a wonder strike like the one he saw from Feilhaber to win the Gold Cup a few year's back, GREAT.  But the U.S. has to stop pretending to be something it's not. We saw where that got us last World Cup against the Czechs as they comfortably sat back with strong numbers as we aimlessly tried to break them down.  The Czechs hit us aerially and in counter attacks to rip us apart and shatter our World Cup dreams in the process.

So, that is my rant on the game and our future as a whole, a long one at that!

As for individual performances...
Let's hope Stuart Holden is alright.  A vicious tackle sent him to the bench early.  The tackle received not a warning from the referee.  Everywhere in the world officiating has gone down, but the respect we must show referees is mind boggling.  If the players perform poorly they get benched or cut.  Why not the referees?  Regardless, if Holden is fit, he has clever feet, endeavor, and should be on the plane to South Africa.
Keeping...Nothing Howard could do on the goals. He is class and we are lucky to have him. Hopefully he sticks with international duty a bit longer than Friedel, that Brit-wannabe.
In defense...Spector and Cherundulo are going to duke it out for the right back spot and it is a battle Americans are lucky to have considering former outside backs we've had to endure in the past (Jeff Agoos ring a bell).  In the Center back position, Demerit hung in against the speed of the Dutch and is resourceful in the air for not being tall.  He should be a (possibly) good pairing with Gooch upon his return.  At left back, Bornstein. That is all I want to write concerning our left back, because he has no business in an American uniform.  Bob Bradley should be sacked for his repeated decision to name him for international duty.  I get it Bob, he performed well for you at Chivas USA or wherever it was, but guess what, the World Cup ain't MLS.  It's the big dance...is it too late to get a big time manager???
I march on...Bradley's son does well disrupting play, but is over-hyped for his ability to create in the midfield. He can spray a good long ball sparingly and makes good for his selection with hustle, but little else.  Donovan was silent. I honestly don't fault him.  In a team where he can actually get the ball with a smidgen of space he is dangerous (see his loan stint at Everton), but unfortunately, right now with the U.S. against the world's big boys, that isn't going to happen.
Up top...Our forwards are all we can expect at the moment. Jozy showed signs of maturity. He can hold the ball up about 50 percent of the time now and even shows patience to get others involved or wait for the defense to back off and find his own shot. Robbie Findley is fast. Make no mistake about it, he is the option up top as a sub if Davies can't make it back to form before our match with the Brits. Lastly, I want to actually applaud Bradley for fielding Jose Francisco Torres (this doesn't make up for Bonehead Bornstein. Seriously, I have to go off about this kid, I held my typing before. Bornstein is overmatched in speed. He has some lateral quickness, but his lack of strength and size has repeatedly shown that the quickness doesn't matter.  Bornstein is a set piece goal waiting to happen..."my dead grandmother can jump higher." And lastly, Bornstein, like all the U.S. defenders at one point or another dig their own graves. How many times do we shoot ourselves in the foot with the penalty he gave away. If the ref hadn't called the obvious and nonsensical tug from behind, he would have called Bornstein's handball in the minutes that followed. These are mistakes we can ill afford in the World Cup.)
Okay, back to Torres...Torres was a canny selection, because he shows composure on the ball unlike any I've seen in an American midfielder since Reyna in his prime (or Dempsey when he's healthy). Torres booked his ticket to South Africa tonight. The subs showed some chops. Bedoya, out of Boston College, has the will to win and the naivete to run at defenders he shouldn't... I like that. Clarence Goodsen is a force in the air and against an opponent like England's Crouch he could be an asset defensively.


Okay, I've written a lot boys and girls. I'm upset at my 0-2 day with the U.S. and then UConn falling. I'm gonna go let out my steam on a glass of milk...chug that thing in less than 5 seconds. Yea, I said it, less than 5 seconds. Still not as cool as this guy....WHAT A FAN BASE!