Can the US win in Europe?

February 27th, 2006 | By: WC Bob | 4 Comments »

Let’s face it. The United States hasn’t won in Europe since VE Day. But if the US is going to make some noise in Germany this summer, it is going to have to win on European soil and it is going to have to win against European teams.

The Poland friendly on Wednesday could be the most important friendly of the year for the United States. With the game in Germany against a good Poland team, a win could be a psychological boost for a team that will be constantly reminded of its dismal history on European soil from now until the start of the World Cup.

What I would like to see is for the United States to come out with a certain stagger. I’d like to see the US jump on Poland early, much like it did against Portugal in 2002. If the team can set the tone right away that it is playing with no fear, it might just end up playing with no fear.

Sure this is a friendly and it isn’t life or death to win, but in the case of the US I think that a win could lead to a whole lot of life.

Tags: Friendlies, Poland, United States, US on European Soil

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Comments

By Chuck | February 28th, 2006 at 2:55 pm

Well, I think Bruce Arena is certainly setting the conditions for success. First, we’ve been just roaring through our home-based friendlies. Say what you will about the level of competition — I believe the results are building the necessary confidence.

Second, this game is scheduled to take place outside of Ramstein Air Force Base, which is home to tens of thousands of American service members, so there is the potential of having a large vocal crowd to cheer them on.

In terms of competition, I think Poland is a very beatable team. If you put any stock into the FIFA world rankings, they presently rank behind Costa Rica, in 26th position. I’m not sure I’m a total believer in those rankings, but it is one way to guage the teams.

If we get a good result, that can only inspire confidence for our WC match against Italy (in the same stadium).

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By Rick | February 28th, 2006 at 4:27 pm

I assume by “stagger” you mean *swagger*. If we stagger, we’ll probably suck.

I concur that this is an important friendly, but I disagree that we need to do well. In fact, playing a bang-up game could do more harm than good. I think Arena will do his best to have the team work hard on the basics, without tipping anything for the World Cup.

What Bruce has said is correct, and he is stressing the right things: zero in on being the best we can be, and not worry about the other teams. We’re at a point where we can focus on ourselves instead of our opponents.

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