After a tough start against Spain the United States’ U17 side was able to stack up 1 – 0 wins against Malawi and the United Arab Emirates. The United States will advance after securing second place in their group. A skillful side that is able to move the ball around and keep possession, the United States kids have drawn criticism from some for lacking a clinical finishing edge, but they seem to excel at moving the ball around (something we haven’t been able to say about many US sides). The midfield pairing of Luis Gil and Marlon Duran have impressed and hopefully these two and other standout players like goalscores Jack McInerney and Alex Shinsky will continue to shine.

The United States Men’s U17 side will take on Italy on Wednesday, November 4th at 10 am.

Well, this one was certainly much better than the last against Germany. The fabulously named Dilly Duka’s goal (0:58) was a thing of (deflected?) beauty.

On the other hand, Christine Sinclair, did not score her 100th goal for Canada but she does return to the Bay Area to face Los Angeles on Thursday in WPS play where she could score a goal and prevent LA from taking the WPS season title for yet another week.

It was a tournament that displayed the highest highs and the lowest lows of American soccer. A tournament where we saw everything we dreamed about and everything we feared. The first two games were displays to be forgotten. After a tough 3 – 1 loss to Italy and another stupid red card we were still somewhat hopeful. Maybe if we could fight out a draw with Brazil and beat Egypt then we could advance. Then the Brazil game came. Ramires, that diving hack, won a free kick in a dangerous position and suddenly a deluge of samba goals flowed into the American net. It was ugly. It was embarrassing. After the third goal I stormed out of the sports bar and had to pace the streets for ten minutes.

This tournament, at this particular point, was also where I began to gain a lot more respect for Alexi Lalas. It wasn’t because of any great insight he had up in the ESPN newsroom. It was because after the Brazil loss he seemed just as dejected and embarrassed as the rest of us. You could see in his body language, in the way he spoke that he really was a fan of the American team and he was just as disgusted and confused as the rest of us.

Then we beat Egypt. 3 – 0. Goals from Charlie Davies, Michael Bradley, and at the time a very under appreciated Clint Dempsey. Alexi perked up a little. In his head he was singing praises to goal differences and laughing at the fate of Italy. Then we beat Spain 2 – 0. Have you seen the ESPN post-game for that? Alexi Lalas looks like he wants to get out of his chair and run around the newsroom with his arms up singing “We are the Champions”. He literally looked like it was one of the happiest moments of his life, and while the rest of the ESPN staff and crew (Hey John, hey JP) looked and sounded dry as ever, Alexi Lalas looked like he actually appreciated the significance of the event. The United States soccer team just beat the best team in the world and progressed to the finals of a FIFA competition. This was a big deal and Alexi Lalas was the only person on our country’s major sports broadcasting station acting like it.

The 3 – 2 loss to Brazil was tough. It was heartbreaking. I don’t want to go into too much. To say I could taste it at halftime was an understatement. I was picturing watching our team take the winner’s podium, and I was way ahead of myself. A lot of people have said we should’ve been happy we made it so far. We gained a lot of respect. We overachieved. Landon Donovan, who has manned up in ways I never thought possible in recent times, pretty much told those people to shove it when he said he didn’t care about those things. He wants to win.

Yeah. Me too, Landon.

So what did I take from this tournament on the whole? The US team can be the team we’ve been saying they are. They can compete on the international level. They can play teams like Brazil and Spain to the wire. They can also flounder just like we’re used to seeing them do. I still believe that while the United States has the players to be one of the world’s best teams they don’t yet have the coach. Nine out of the eleven starters for the US Men’s National Team play in Europe (the two who don’t probably will soon). If nine out of eleven players play in Europe then why are we being coached by a man who has never coached outside of the United States?

Don’t get me wrong. At this point there’s no way Bob Bradley will be fired and I’m not pushing for that. It just seems to me that he is not tactically sound enough to bring the USA to the heights it could be reaching. The subs for Sacha Klejstan and Jonathan Bornstein in the final continue to baffle me. The tactical brilliance of letting Charlie Davies take the field only occurred after Bob Bradley stopped favoring DaMarcus Beasley–a player who I’ve been saying shouldn’t be on the field for months. It was this move that not only created an offensive threat we hadn’t yet been producing, but freed up Clint Dempsey so he could actually play like he’s Clint Fucking Dempsey.

Should Bob Bradley be fired? No. But I will continue to be critical of him under the hopes that he starts making better decisions. I don’t want him to get too comfortable. The USMNT showed us the team they can be. It’s up to them to play to their potential when they take the field in 2010.

So, to the guys:
(Lando, Duece, Timmy, Boca, Spec, Gooch, Mikey, DeMerit, Rico, Charlie, Jozy, and Benny)
We at USA blog are proud of you. We know you’re hungry. We know you want more. Keep it up.

To Freddy Adu and Jose “Gringo” Torres:
We believe in you. Keep at it.

To Bob Bradley:
We begrudgingly accept your regime and welcome you to prove us wrong when we doubt you. We welcome you yelling, “IN YOUR FACE WE WON STUFF I RULE” at us whenever possible because it means the USA team is winning. That’s all that matters.

To Alexi Lalas:
Keep being a real fan.

The discussion is a long one, but soccer may be poised to leap frog hockey as the number four sport in America. American football, basketball, and baseball don’t seem to be going anywhere, but while soccer is spreading the interest for hockey seems to only be prevalent in certain areas. This should mean that MLS teams will begin gaining more money, and with more money should come higher quality players. With higher quality should come more fans. With more fans should come even more money. Etc.

So how should the US national team capitalize on the growing American interest in soccer? There is hope that sometime soon the manager of the US team will be able to pick from the often touted young pool of American talent, and if the U17’s performance at the CONCACAF qualifiers was any indication then our chance maybe sooner rather then later.

Unfortunately, Bob Bradley can’t go around capping every promising seventeen year old who scores a hat trick. He barely has enough time to give players like Freddy Adu and Maurice Edu time on the pitch. There’s a logic behind Bob Bradley’s managerial moves, but they often seem makeshift. We the fans rarely feel any forward movement.

So when should this great shift take place? When will our young talented players finally be grafted into the national team lineup? 2014? 2018? Can we wait that long? After success in 2002 and dejection in 2006 American soccer fans don’t know what to expect from the 2010 World Cup. Can the growing MLS create an enthusiasm that forces Bob Bradley to make some changes?

For years they’ve told us about the future, but when does the future start to unfold? What does it look like? Will there be some cool goals?

So with the news that Jozy could be ready for June’s WCQ matches after undergoing operations on both his big toes (thank God it wasn’t the pinky toes), while Cherundolo probably won’t be ready after his hip surgery, how does this affect who plays/starts in the upcoming matches?

Even if Jozy is available come June, it sounds like he probably won’t be at 100%, so Bradley might be hesitant to start him and push him through anything more than just sub minutes. And that could unfortunately mean the spotlight will be on Brian “Nose Bleeds” Ching. Exciting.

Anyway, there really isn’t a ton going on with the USMNT right now. With the CONCACAF U-17 tourny canceled due to the piggy sick, we can’t even drool over our future greats. But I will leave you with this:

John McInerney

But luckily his future still looks bright. Says Renken:

“My doctor ([U.S. national team physician Dr. Bert Mandelbaum] says that my surgery was perfect and I honestly feel fantastic. Before the operation, I thought there was no way I could be back for the world championships [in October], but my doctor says I am responding so well that it is possible.”

And Dr. Mandelbaum echoed that sentiment:

“Charles’ surgery went extremely well and he has responded even better than I could have hoped for. Charles is a great kid and I am very confident that he will be back playing soccer in six months, and that he will excel.”

And while that’s all fine and good, what’s most interesting is just how much buzz this kid has — not only here in the States, but with the giants of Europe, as well:

Virtually every English Premier League team — from Manchester United to Liverpool — has shown some interest in Renken. He has already worked out for Arsenal and Reading and, in Germany, 1860 Munich and Bayern Munich. Renken and U-17 teammate, striker Joseph-Claude Gyau, practiced with Bayern Munich just this past January.

Rodriguez also says that Renken already has an endorsement deal with Nike and is likely to sign with a professional club with a year. Fantastic. Before long, he’ll be rotting on a European bench like the rest of our Next Great American players.

Originally posted at Dirty Tackle…

The decision on who will host the 2018 World Cup has been made, the US has it, so everyone can go ahead and drop their bids now. It’s done.

Granted, no official announcement has been made, but that doesn’t matter. With the confident stroke of his majestic pen, Barack Obama — President of the United States and god among men — expressed his support for the US bid for the 2018 World Cup in a letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Lets see how long it takes him to make us weep tears of warmth and join hands:

“As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together.”

Done! Oh, Barack, you had us at “as”.

“As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters’ soccer games in Chicago.

“Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe. That is why this bid is about much more than a game. It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.”

Hope! Dreams! Yes We Can!

Upon reading the letter, Blatter is rumored to have breathlessly uttered, “I want to have his babies.”

[Source: The Guardian]