A Sad Day for US Soccer

July 2nd, 2007 | by: Carter Daly |

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They needed a point, they were handed three, and they went home with zero.

Tonight’s game was one of the most despicable displays of finishing by a national team of men who get paid for playing this game that I have ever witnessed. I am personally embarrassed to be a part of the same soccer nation as the American attacking players on the field tonight. Tonight it became clear to me that as a national team we will not be consistently successful against stronger competition until some of these guys go to Europe to learn how to finish, no matter how many possession oriented, American style, chances they create.

I am still fuming, as it is only minutes after the game has ended. I just still cannot conceive how a team of professionals can blow five easy finishes. It is simply unbelievable.

Soccer is really a simple game. You don’t win by keeping more possession than the other team, or by having more nice spells of play than the other team, or having more corners than the other team, or controlling the tempo of the game. You win by scoring more damn goals than the other team. That is all it is.

Some games you can go over and be like, you can’t call all of those chances goals, you can’t say they would have scored five goals…well in this case you can really say that. Those should have all been goals. End of story.

For some reason this is making me mad at MLS. I love the league. I follow my local club religiously and support everything the league has to offer. But right now I cannot fathom how many of the best players in said league can fail to finish an easy chance against not even that good a team. I mean, this is no Argentina, and we still lost 3-1.

Suddenly I want every striker who could ever score a goal in MLS to catch the next boat to anywhere, so he can experience a finishing drill or something. Of course this doesn’t all make sense, but in some convoluted way it does.

I now turn my eyes to the U-20 World Cup, where I am depending on every player with some type of attacking skill on that team to take whatever offer abroad they can get. I beg you.

Please play the youngins against Colombia, Bob.

This marks the unofficial end to the Men’s National Team summer tour of fun (not so much); we will see you at the Confederations Cup world powers.

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Carter me la soba

Don’t worry, you still have the other football ( yes, that one, .. de Power Ranger costumes one )
Slip

Dear Mr. Carter,

Now that soccer is over, can you write about sports like baseball, football or basketball? I like college basketball the most so please write a blog about that. Can you ask the owner of this website to do that? Maybe he can dedicate the site to soccer on even days, basketball on odd days, and baseball on holidays. Do you know if Paris Hilton plays soccer? Do they have soccer in prison? Do you know if this website is planning to do any movie reviews in the future? They could review soccer movies. I like disney movies even if they do scare me like lightening.

Thank you and please write about different things that are fun and interesting to me. Tell your boss to do this. It’s okay to mention my name. Please write back soon.
http://www.zigazoga.com Jason Cronkhite

Well, I am happy to see such passion in a post. From a fans perspective we must demand more from our National team and coach on a broad scale.

IMHO, we missed the boat not hiring Klinsi and I’m still ticked at that. Who cares if this team is considered the “B” team you still have to finish at this level.

As far as I am concerned I see not consistency with our squads performance. That has to change but unfortunately our team and coach won’t feel the pressure like other countries hold their teams to (national media criticism, etc.).

I’d like to leave the post with a question – how can we as a soccer nation affect change in the US Socccer system?

Cheers,

Jason

http://www.zigazoga.com
Slip

Dear Mr. Carter,

What is that crazy argentina guy talking about with the Power Rangers? Doesn’t he realize that his futball is the one de underwear costumes?
Joe

Good post except for this: “But right now I cannot fathom how many of the best players in said league can fail to finish an easy chance against not even that good a team.”

Not that good a team? That statement reveals a slight of ignorance of football… Paraguay is widely considered a very good team (they almost always qualify for the World Cup, and often advance beyond the group stage). It’s fair to say they’re consistently a better team than the USA NMT.
AJ

So much for all that bullshit you guys were posting on the Argentina blog of beating us.
First beat the likes of Paraguay, then maybe some other b-level teams before even mentioning Argentina. Stupid yanks as usual. Good riddance with your elimination.
Carter me la soba

Joe,

The fact that Paraguay almost always qualify for the World Cup doesn`t mean that Paraguay is a very good team, in fact the United States always qualify for the WC and you SUCK !
Joe

Yeah, but it’s qualifying in the CONMENBOL, not CONCACAF. It actually means something there.

Y argentino comemierda, no te prives que no soy gringo, maricon.
Jon E

I’m just going to ignore the trolling in this room and respond to Carter.

I agree wholeheartedly that this was a disastrous outing in terms of finishing. It’s all the more depressing because it’s not like we have a bunch of great strikers sitting out the Copa América. Midfielders, yes. Defenders even. Not so much strikers.

But, sadly, the problem wasn’t just finishing. Our defense was shaky and disorganized for much of the game. Bornstein and Conrad combined to provide Paraguay with a better assist than any ball played deliberately by either team all day.
Thierry

Dear Carter,

If you think Paraguay is “not even that good a team” you are totally wrong. England, Sweden, France… had difficulties to beat them. They have players who play among the best: Santa Cruz, Gammara… May be, the first you and your team should learn is to respect the adversory, there is no small team in football.
I feel you depressed, so i will say you that: see the positive and don’t be so impatient. Ten years ago no one of these countries of South America would wanted USA as adversory. No french knew the existence of a soccer usa team.
Otherwise, Football is the most popular sport/game in the world, it means that each nation would be the best at this game. Even what you probably consider like poor small country, like South America countries have ambition, talent and often more footballistic history than USA. Participate to the Copa America is a great honor. You seemed to think(probably the disappointment) that only Argentina or Brazil, in this cup are better than USA, but it was right, they should have won all the titles, but it is not exactly the case.
Morever, France for example had waited a long time despite they have very talented players and trainers before been be Champs.
What you need before all is Children and passion. The more you would have Children who wil play football, (in the streets, or in clubs) the more you will have luck to find among them a Zidane. In a certain way, by this blog you contribute to the increase of passion and knowledge of soccer in your country.
Finally, what i really judge frightening in this team is not really the attack ( 2 goals on two matchs is not so bad(it is more than France for example none vs Argentina, and one against Paraguay) no it is the defence which in my opinion made the decision. 7 goals in 2 match it was too much, enormous. The goalkeeper has no the level, too old, not enough rythm, bad decision, i think there is better GK in usa than him. And the defence, too static, too “naîve”,(at this level the pass toward the GK without a regard= a crucificion.)
Albo

>>Please play the youngins against Columbia, Bob.>>

Carter, it’s Colombia, not Columbia.
Jon E

You know, I’m pretty sure that the US’s Copa América squad could dominate Columbia University’s soccer team. I wonder if CONMEBOL would permit a last-minute substitution of opponent.
roger

I just thought they choked. I mean, normally they would have finished those chances, right? They would normally finish them? You know, in the backyard or whatever? Same on defense, the pressure of the stage causing them to make mental errors (in addition to the physical ones).
Steve

The US team will never get international respect by only beating CONCACAF teams in the US.

And, the US public will never get excited until US soccer (football) is competitive in South America and Europe.

If the US is to get respect in these regions, we need to bring our best teams to compete.

Bob Bradley demonstrated his lack of international experience by taking such a young team to compete in a world class cup.

Either step up to international standards, or get someone who can take the US there.

I am already dreading another disappointing 2010 WC, unless some changes occur.
its_called_football

Carter
It is lack of respect to call Paraguay not that good of a team.
Thanks Theirry for ex planing the history. I will add too that Germany had a hard team beating Paraguay in 2002 in the second round round by a single goal from Oliver Nuevelle at the 88th minute.
Also Paraguay had produced stars of great quality that USA never had or have
just to mention
Roqe Santa Cruz
Carlos Gammra
Jose Cardozo
and the second top scoring goalkeeper of all time Chelavert.
This not so good of a team you say has beaten Colombia 5-0 in their first team.
This so good of team qualifies three times in a row to the last three world cups in a very competitive are CONEMBOL, that I doubt USA has any chance of qualifying if they played within CONEMBOL. MAking it twice to the second round.
Paraguay has also won Copa America twice.
Also if you watched a little more football you know that Paraguay made two amazing performance in the 2002 and 1998 world cups , were they needed had to win their last game to qualify and they did . In the first occasion they beat powerful Nigeria in 1998 3-1, and cam back from a goal behind in the first in 2002 to win 3-1 and qualify.
The American team and their coach in the 2006 showed lack of respect for other teams, and therefore everybody was so happy to see them lose and see the actual size.
Here are some disrespect reminders from the 2006 World Cup.
Before their first game
1-No body gum chewing Beasily said “We are at a point that we can beat any team in the World including Brazil”, god man not even star loaded Brazil , Argentina, France , Italy and home country Germany could say something stupid like that.
2-Eddie Johnson said “We have met the solders at the American bases in Germany and we are like them at War, the world cup is like War for USA”,
God dam, man, what kind of sick mentality is that.
3-Bruce Arena the coach kept screaming after the game against Ghana and did not shake Thanks for clearing out they Children and passion in order for the game to progress that USA needs to become a football nation before they can speak about football.
The example about France is the best, a nation that has great football tradition and produced so much talent through out the decades, could not actually win the world cup until 1998.
Look at the Netherlands, and how much talent they have produced, still have not won a world cup.
Before dreaming of wining a world cup become a football nation.
You cannot run if do not have legs.
its_called_football

Sorry this line was cut from my last post. About the USA direspect for others in World Cup 2006

3-Bruce Arena the coach kept screaming after the game against Ghana and did not shake
hands with Ghana coach.
There was many more things too.
Albo

Hey, great game by the kids!!!!
They played excellent football.
Rick

I agree that the finishing was horrendous, and we need to improve there. However, compared to 5 or 10 years ago, this was an impressive showing. Outclassed by Argentina in the end, but that’s no shame, since they’re an elite team. Beaten by Paraguay when we outplayed them, well that’s embarrassing, but we had some young players on both defense and offense, and it showed. Grievous error on the 2nd goal, pretty poor defense on the first goal, and a superb free kick on the third. At the end I was shaking my head, repeating, “We should probably have won 3-1 or 4-2.” I’m absolutely confident we can beat Paraguay and Colombia with more of our regular starters. Fact is, we’re in the confederations cup, Bradley is giving our young players valuable international experience (and they’re performed pretty well, over), and we’re building for 2010 qualifiying next year. Not a great Copa America, but I think it’s wishful thinking to have expected otherwise.
dietmar

did anyone really expect these snot-nosed punks to win something? funny how memory works sometimes….and it’s only been a year since the WC. this soccer program will not have success without FUNDEMENTAL CHANGES. get a clue…
eman

OK,
I will not put down Paraguay but certainly those of us in the USA have suffered enough over the years to expect the best team possible show up in a tournament such as the Copa America. That display from “professionals” will leave us the brunt of consistent ridicule, and deservedly so. As a long time supporter I pray for the day that we actually deliver the beautiful game. As in what happened in the last world cup and in the one that our captain for life was left out the player choices leave the fans that know our capability scratching our heads.
Chris

The United States is demonstrating that is has the horses to play on the best stages. Unfortunately, it is demonstrating this by sending the “B” team to a competition that deserves better, even if there are flashes of solid play from a team that, let’s be honest, wouldn’t be expected to play very well against this level of competition.

But that doesn’t matter all that much. Facts faced, the US lacks strikers. Always has.

If you think this is because we have Eddie Johnson and Taylor Twellman up front, I invite you to go back and watch the Copa Oro matches closely. The US finishing in those matches was hilariously bad. Yep, the US won. It’s hard to miss ALL of the point-blank shots in a match. But if there ever was a demonstration of the US strengths and weakness, it was the end of the Mexico match where Donovan AND Beasley got behind the defense, all alone, so much faster than the defenders trying to cover them, and Donovan set up the finish with class (which he is very good at), and Beasley promptly put the ball in row F from eight meters in front of a totally empty goal. Not for the first time. Not even the first time that week. Ching does it. Donovan does it. Dempsey does it. Twellman does it. These guys are excellent players and some of them are even world-class forward midfielders, but NONE OF THEM CAN STRIKE. It has been this way for years, for generations, even. Eric Wynalda was, until last week, the top US MNT striker in history.

Eric Wynalda. Heaven help us.

Fortunately, there are signs that the long wait for someone with up-front skills may be over. Freddy Adu, who has been entirely forgettable when matched against players a decade older than he is, scored what might be the best international goal scored by a US striker in history, then followed it up with two more. Altidore can play – and score – and Szetela is also showing real quality. They’re all kids, and if they stay in the US, chances are they’ll never get a lot better. But they won’t stay in the US, thank the Good Lord for the U-20 World Cup, and there is hope that we’ll have a first-rate cadre of strikers – for the first time ever – for Donovan to dish the ball to in 2010.

We’re getting better. Our midfield play and goalkeeping is excellent. We have a decent (if green and disorganized) group of defenders. All we need is a couple of real, honest-to-goodness killers up front. I’ll be looking for them tomorrow.
Adrian

I still hope that sooner or later The Americas becomes one qualifying pool for the World Cup – so that we don’t have the American’s in the tournament anymore. It’s sooooo hard to qualify against Trinidad & Tobago, isn’t it. But then when you face real opposition…yeah, you get hurt.
Steve

That would be coming from Australia?

How well has Australia done in the history of the World Cup?

This isn’t rugby….