Wynalda vs Arena

Michael Davies is right, Wynalda is a great in studio commentator. He’s a provocateur. You rarely agree with everything he says, but you like that he speaks his mind and forces the issue.

In this case, Bruce has left himself open to criticism and has definitely been arrogant.

Arena is being so defensive of his performance because he grossly misjudged the competition. Much worse, he really did not bring or have the offensive resources necessary to do the job.

When it came time to put up or shut up Arena pretty much shut up. He did a good job and really affected change since ‘98, but when it came to building a team capable of really putting pressure on good teams who “brought their A game” to the world stage something was missing.

IMO we were in a tough group and thought ourselves better than we were. We were blind to our weaknesses. We were overwhelmed playing defensive football tactics circa 2002 while everybody else is playing offensively attacking football.

Imp- I agree the US had unrealistic expectations and is not ready talentwise to compete with the top teams.

Thus, I think Bruce’s defensive tactics were necessary. Otherwise, we would have been blown out of the water. There were also two posts, a goal called back for offsides, and several childish, uncharacteristic errors.

Here are my thoughts on Bruce: don’t blame the architect when he’s only given play doh to work with…

Eric Wynalda’s comment reminds me of the end scene of Zoolander, when Mugatu screams “I invented the keyboard necktie.” Both are funny because the people saying them are pathetic.

I have been a big Arena supporter, think he has done a great job but do think it is time for him to step down (8 years is a long time).

I think the problem was not talent but tactics. Yes, defense is important, but the offensive seemed to have the game plan of passing it around and eventually lofting a weak cross into the box. Against Ghana, it seemed as the game wore on, no one wanted to shoot.

it’s wynalda’s job to critique and analyze the team. the pathetic part of the piece was Arena taking jabs at Wynalda and the rest of the 1998 squad. Arena has done a good job of developing the american players since 1998, and i have always been a huge supporter of his since his days at UVa, but as far as tactical soccer is concerned, his isn’t world class. his services to u.s. soccer shouls be appreciated, but i think he played a large role in the dissapointment in this cup, and the USSF has to look in to landing a world-class manager like a Hiddink who are more adept at preparing teams tactically for top notch competition.

Funny hearing Wynalda call someone arrogant.

And as Arena put it, funny hearing Wynalda criticize someone for a poor World Cup performance.

If you are going to take cheap shots, get ready to take them. Arena clearly caught Wynalda off guard.

Brian

its funny how arena’s changed his story though.

three weeks ago the us was a “sleeping giant”, now people who have been to the world cup(wynalda) don’t understand how hard it is. Arena had a big part in raising the expectations by saying things that lead people to believe we’d do well. the issue isn’t just that we didn’t get out of group play the issue is that anyone who watched are games can tell we didn’t deserve to get out of group play.

@ etucker
NEWS FLASH” we did get blown out of the water(and only a touch better than that team they brought to france)

great point matt. not only did we not look sharp, but besides the Italy game, it didnt even look like players were always giving their best efforts, with the exception of steve cherundolo who i think worked harder than any of his teammates. i dont know if this was lack of motivation, or just the team thinking they were better than they really are, but arena has to take some responsibility for not having the team prepared or motivated.

I also don’t like that it sounds like arena is blaming Wynalda for people being disappointed with the teams play.

There are a lot of people that deserve blame but Wynalda is clearly not one of them. Don’t forget Foudy also took some shots at arena and his “golden boy”(and i do mean boy because he doesn’t play like a man) donovan. I guess she doesn’t understand though because she’s a girl!?!?

Arena has to go its not the end of the world but he is done. He accomplished alot but we need an offensive coach to get to the next level. People forget the best way to not give up goals is to control the ball in the midfield and to keep the ball in the other teams side. We just pack everyone in in front of the goal and hope they miss and maybe we can get lucky on a long ball.

Gotta agree with Zach (and matt by association).
ETucker- your comments are insightful and you clearly have an excellent grasp of the game and the US side, but, to examine your achitect example:
yu certainly can blame the architect if, after recieving the play doh, he waves his arms and says, “Look, now it’s marble!”
As for Wynalda’s comment, he was asked for his opinion on ESPN, and he gave it. Arena (naturally) disagreed. I don’t think Arena did himself any favors in the court of public opinion by trying to paint the ‘98 side as some part of the reason for this years failure- and it was.

Arena has accepted ultimate blame for the disappointment, so I don’t see him trying to get out of that.

However, Wynalda was just being a loudmouth who was clearly emotional about the loss and blurted out “Arena cost us the World Cup.” He also doesn’t seem to be too comfortable going wit for wit with Arena.

Brian

Wild John Good point:: “you certainly can blame the architect if, after recieving the play doh, he waves his arms and says, “Look, now it’s marble!”

I’d elaborate and say that you certainly should’t blame the critic for saying to the architect:”you’re a sham, its not marble its play doh!”

And when the architect replies:”you’re a Critic, its hard to build a building” you know he’s not only a sham but an arrogant one at that.

Bruce Arena is far from a Fountainhead in any respect.

When teams win, good coaches should publicly shine the spotlight on the players. When teams lose, especially after the pathetic performance of the US team, then good coaches want the spotlight directly on them in public and take the blame. Then, good coaches formulate a plan on how to improve and do that quietly, out of the public eye and hope the work pays off with victories.

Whatever you want to say about Arena–and there’s plenty to say about him, good and bad–I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Dempsey and Cherundolo were the only ones trying.

Convey was working hard on the wing. Not always crossing well, not often taking the ball at defenders (though I’m not sure his finesse was sufficient to do that consistently), but definitely working hard. Gooch put in a lot of effort (even his mistakes were the mistakes of an inexperienced defender pushing too hard). McBride worked as hard as anybody from any team in the group, maybe in the tournament.

In fact, I’m hard pressed to identify anybody who wasn’t trying. Maybe DMB? Criticize Donovan all you want for not being aggressive enough going forward. But he was doing a lot of running and trying to make passes. Criticize Reyna for having lost a step, if you want. But I don’t think it’s fair to say he wasn’t trying.

I think there’s a difference between effort and aggression (we had the former but not the latter). I also think there’s a difference between effort and comfort, and a lot of our players looked uncomfortable and uncertain. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t work hard. They just didn’t work effectively, or not effectively enough. And, to get back to Arena, at least some of that blame is his.

I am really tired of people blaming the coach at the professional level for “not motivating his team”… he is not a therapist or a motivational speaker…A COACH!

the US was dissapointing and I am the first to encourage BA to leave… I am also the first to encourage our english announcers to “get tough” and quit being so soft when we play poorly or when we miss chances…

That being said, I pray all the time that Wynalda gets his ass kicked to the curb immediately! he is a trash-mouth moron who needed to keep his mouth shut the minute the game was over. If i was BA i would have said all that as well. And if you know personal histories, you would actually know that Wynalda was a JERK on the squad also. He slept with a team-mates wife and was a COMPLETE primadonna and STILL is.. BA was entirely acurate by calling the previous failures the fault of childish kids who thought they were professionals and acted like assholes on and off the field.

I havent heard wynalda make many if ANY good comments and that, IMHO SHOULD make us question his remarks as at all meaningful?

Also, some of you are talking about BA raising expectations… what should have said? “we suck, we’re lucky to be here— we wont be long and so dont even think about being fans or coming over or writing stories or following us”???? ya that would def have had wynalda saying good things!

I agree a change is in place and that he made some mistakes… I also agree that he CAN be rather arrogant as a man and in conferences… however, if we would give him some respect and allow him to make a WISE choice for the future of US soccer and give it time to review the WC as a whole and think about things… NOT THE MINUTE THE GAME ENDS!

wynalda was a horrid player and an even worse announcer… he wont be at the top of us scoring long and above all else, that should show you that we have come A LONG WAY!!!

Let’s get real. Landon Donavon sucked donkey balls this world cup, period. Is Bruce Arena to blame because he didn’t stay in europe and develop his game?

The US didn’t play as poorly as everyone thinks, they just didn’t have the firepower. Name one developed striker on our team besides McBride who is just a target man? Get real, we don’t have klose, crespo, robbin, etc. No world class strikers or midfielders that can shoot (again where was LD?) means no offense.

At least we did control the midfield in the last two games and dominated Italy and almost beat them with 9v10. I guess that shows how much we sucked. Obviously, the b.s. penalty called against us in Ghana also shows how horrible we are. We had more quality chances than Ghana and controlled the midfield for most of the match. How can that be so horrible.

There is a fine line between success and failure. Don’t get all crazed simply on results and lose your minds.

The only US players that showed that they belong on the world stage were
Steve Cherundolo and Clint Dempsey.

These two players were great on the right side.

Congratulations guys! IMO,
you are the future for US MNT.

Contrary to all opinion I think the US team had the talent at the world cup. The two major problems with the team were:

1 – strategy (boo Arena)
2 – effort & motivation (Landon + 20 others sucked)

As Larry said: Dempsey and Cherundolo were the only fighters in the field. The rest played dead.

Importantly, Arena had stated well before the world cup that he was hoping:

a) USA will pick up a point against either Italy or Czech
b) Ghana will hopefully do USA a favor by beating either Italy or Czech
c) USA will beat Ghana

He was spot on until the final hurdle. He read the group extremely well but couldnt deliver in the end. Its a mixed bag.

Fire the team. Fire the coach.
Keep Dempsey and Cherundolo.

RC’mon–Brian McBride wasn’t trying? Bobby Convey? Gooch? Mastroeni?

With the possible exception of DMB, every US player on the pitch was working hard. I just think there’s a difference between aggression and effort. We had the latter, not the former. More than anything else, we looked uncomfortable and tentative on the field. I don’t know why–maybe overly defensive tactics. Whatever it was, it needs fixing. But I think it’s too easy to say that players didn’t “have heart.”

This is not going to be the year that soccer becomes popular in the USA.. ahh well. I think the USA has a similar circumstance to Australia, where most of the best athletes play other sports (such as NFL/Basketball/Baseball in the US and Rugby/AFL/cricket in Australia) and its too bad you guys were drawn in a tough group this year because the world cup received unprecedented publicity in the US. If the US had have done well, soccer might have received a huge boost and in a decade you guys would have had a huge pool of talent to draw from.

you ‘ve got new mail.

A postacard from Germany.
The sender is Italy. DDDD

please, catch Bruce Arena to Hollywood. He’s a natural born comedian!

I like Wynalda because he so patently cares!! He loves the game and wants our national team to do well. All of the other commentators and hosts will go back to being the third string baseball chappies.

The problem with Arena is that he does himself no favors when he speaks to the media. He’s turned the U.S. program around, helped to deepen the player pool, and gained some respect internationally for the team; however, this Cup was a low point. He claims to take responsibility for the poor showing and yet when asked what he would have done differently, he really didn’t have much to say. When your tactics rely on players and formations that are not working, you have to change plans–he did that with the Italy game and it worked out great. LD has been lacklustre for the past 6 months to a year–he seems to be going through some type of slump. I’m not sure playing overseas would change much–look at Beasley; he actually looks worse for having played overseas (although, he’s a different player since his injury and he may be a little too used to having teammates to pass to once he dribbles up field–was it just me or was it bizarre how many times he dribbled just past the center circle and suddenly stopped, turned around, and passed the ball back when no one had pressured him yet?). Dempsey doesn’t play overseas and he more than held his own (same with Mastroeni). It just seemed like Bruce relied too heavily on players and tactics that weren’t working–couple this with our lack of aggressiveness and poor individual performances and we were toast. We didn’t take shots on goal, we threw away corners and set pieces, and we made some careless mistakes in a group that was not going to be forgiving. I’ve been a fan of Arena for a long time, especially the way he has been able to make his players believe they really can beat some of the best teams out there, but it’s time for a change.

Bruce did a lot of great stuff, but realistically, more effort might of gotten us to the next round but perhaps not. As far as Wynalda is concerned, he’s certainly allowed to analyze and criticize but not make personal attacks. Eric is a cocky guy who played on really bad American teams and was on the most embarrasing team at the WC in 1998 that lost to Iran. He got his goals in the 90’s by beating up on the Bahamas, Canada, Belize and Honduras. That’s not much to be proud of is it? I’ll take Donovan, McBride or Reyna any day over Eric-he should analyze objective and then just shut it!

It seemed like Arena could not make the hard decisions about the lineup, and was not willing to take the heat if the “best” players were not out there, regardless of whether they were out of position. Arena had at least three players, Convey, Beasley, and Lewis, that could play left midfield. Instead of picking one, he used all three, two of them out of position.
Bruce Arena has done great things for US Soccer over the past eight years, as opposed to Steve Sampson, who probably drove David Regis to his citizenship ceremony, so devoted he was to anyone new. It just seems like the entire team froze, in both body and brain, the minute they walked out of the tunnel to start the game against the Czech Republic. Arena should be thanked for his efforts, but the reins of the program need to go to someone that can turn good into great.

American Football Fans, take notice>>>

Is Eric Wynalda a charlatan doing nothing more than covering his carcass?

I went back to an extensive article on ESPN earlier in Feb of this year where Wynalda had the following to say on Arena:
…………………………..
Despite his criticisms of Arena on a few points, Wynalda says the coach has been a master at molding an effective unit.

“I thought that Bruce did an amazing job managing the team in the last World Cup, and I think he’ll do it again,” Wynalda affirmed. “He has the quality as coach to make the really, really tough decisions. I think in the end we’ve got the right guy. You’ve got to plan so that your team is playing its best soccer and you have to figure out who those guys are — who is linking up and who’s in good form.”

Though Arena’s time at the head post has extended so long that only a few unretired players remain who have been capped by another coach, Wynalda predicted an unprecedented return stint for the U.S. skipper.

“It’s a very fickle business. [Arena] knows that better than anybody. But ultimately it will be his decision,” Wynalda said. “And I think it should be. I think no one’s had as much success at the international level. He’s had great players, and the timing was perfect for him, but still, he’s done a tremendous job. I think it’ll be up to him. If he decides to stick around for four more years and sign that contract, it’ll be an international record where someone got to coach a country that long. I don’t think that’s happened anywhere.”

…………………………..
Hardly anything the like of what he did after the Ghana match is it? I find it most bizarre for a former player to do this so soon after leaving the roster. The only instance I can remember where this happened in Europe was the row between Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane in the Irish Camp.

Wynalda is hardly the authority he likes to think himself as. A moderate, though high profile, career does not make you an automatic scientist of the game upon retirement. There is no doubt that there were lapses in the US’ preparations that led to their undoing. But I expect someone like Wynalda- a professional, an advocate, a former player, to carry himself accordingly. Not one player can ruin an entire cup. Roberto Baggio did was not solely responsible for Italy’s lost to Brazil in the ‘94 final. You have a squad of 23 + a managing staff; a fact he should know better than most.

It doesn’t help that the man acts like an absolute toad on the ESPN set- lackluster analysis, uninspiring commentary, and a overly-sensitive personality (I know children capable of containing themselves better in the event of a shock). It will take some bit of effort to take him seriously henceforth- not that he ever had very much credibility to begin with…

——————————–
You can find the entire article here:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=357381&root=us&cc=5901

WYNALDA WAS NEVER A GOOD FUTBOL PLAYER..NOR IS HE A GOOD COMMENTATOR, HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SPORT HE PLAYED…AND WHY ARE YOU GUYS STILL HERE????? WORLD CUP IS OVER FOR YOU…I THINK THIS WILL BE USA’S LAST CUP…NOW THAT THESE THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES THAT USA QUALIFIES AGAINST ARE FINNALY GETTING BETTER…..

AND BY THE WAY..BRUCE ARENA IS US SOCCER;S BEST EVER COMPONENT, HE IS YOUR MVP, ONCE YOU GET RID OF HIM, THE TEAM WILL SHOW ITS TRUE ORANGES IN HALF TIME STYLE

Ah, the long awaited return of Malik. To answer your query, we’re still here because we were waiting to see if you would post something stupid again. Thanks for helping out. Still haven’t found that Caps Lock buddy? Try moving your left pinky around a bit.

As for C13. Uh, so what? Yah, I would have agree with everything wyno had said before the cup, and I agree with him that Arena did a lousy job during and after the cup. Wynalda also disagreed vehemently about Twellman being left off the squad. Again, so what?

If anything, Wynalda was the saving grace of the ESPN studio show that had way too much the Olympic-style puff-piece BS.

Bruce is the main reason why American soccer reached a #4 FIFA ranking in April 2006 and has had a sustained high ranking in the world for quite some time now. How short some American memories are… Bruce’s mistakes in World Cup 2006 were few and far between and they certainly were not the main contributor to the (relatively) poor showing. I mean, sure, he should have known better than to put Eddie Pope back on the field after half vs. Italy, but how was he to know that the officiating could get WORSE in the tournament?

The main reasons that the US went out early are squarely on the players (Arena, of course showing his typical class, ambitiously took the blame himself–but that is what good coaches do and we know better). More specifically certain players that mysteriously play well for clubs, then get to the world cup and really fail to pull their weight–I’m talking to you Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley. You two are ESSENTIAL to the American attack and what do I see? Donovan failing to chump up during nearly all of 270+ minutes…there are only so many times one can send the ball over the crossbar and laugh it off. I know you’re still young and all these expectations have been placed on your shoulders before you should ever have to worry about such things, but Bruce believes in you, and that means you have it in you to be much, much better. From those who are gifted much, much more is expected. And DaMarcus, I know you set up our only goal and ostensibly should have scored the other, but if I see you walking on the pitch when you are as fast as you are one more time, I will scream. The worst was ironically when you came in as a sub against Italy–after a few minutes, you were zombie-ing around the pitch like you had played a whole game and you were only in for a couple minutes. If you are not willing to run yourself ragged getting opportunities for yourself and others, please, sit on the bench, or better, stay in the Netherlands until you decide to put your heart into it and let someone who really wants it get in and give it all on the field. In this Cup, I saw Keller, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Onyewu, Conrad, Lewis, Convey, Reyna, Olsen, Mastroeni, McBride, Dempsey, and Johnson working at all times during any minute they were in to get a result, while others were lagging. Bruce believes in you guys, but if you won’t work, he’s got others who will.

Bruce is not the man to blame here folks, don’t let your typical American short-sightedness get the best of you. Our coach and most of our players gave it all, we were in a group with Italy, Czech Rep., and a very strong Ghana, we were outplayed at times and at others things just didn’t bounce our way. Don’t scapegoat the man who has put US soccer in it’s loftiest position in the history of our involvement in the sport in modern times.

Use your heads for administrative decisions and your hearts for cheering.

Hey malik,

Try pressing the Caps Lock button again before your next post. You’ll seem a bit more intelligent.

And buddy, we’ll be back. We’re improving, and that’s because we want to improve. Why the hell would we be talking about sacking our most successful coach ever if we were not committed to success? In 10 years, we’ve gone from amateurs to a regional power. We’ve basically become as good as Mexico – a country where football has reigned for many decades. We’ll be in South Africa, don’t you worry.

I have a question about an article on espnsoccerntet.com. It states that two referees are going home due to poor oficiating. I thought for sure I would see that Uraguyan reff that ruined the Italy game for us. But of course he is still there. I think that FIFA does not care about the US. If it was Germany, England or Brazil that lost due to poor officiating that reff would be packing his bags. I feel that FIFA would cringe if we succeeded in the world cup. I am not saying that we were knocked out because of the refferee, we did play horrible. What do you guys think? Am I totally wrong about this one?

USCG,

Now that I’ve had a bit more time to mull it, I don’t think Larrionda was terrible. The straight red on Mastro was harsh, but after watching the replays a few times, his tackle looks pretty vicious. In the context of trying to control a game that was getting out of hand, I think the red was ok. The second yellow on Pope was worse, but certainly I’ve seen even worse second yellows in the tourney (Lucic comes to mind). Overall, there have been far worse game-changing decisions made by referees (Italy-Aus, Hol-Por, Fra-Kor).

I certainly don’t think there’s a conspiracy to keep the US down. In fact, I’d wager that if there were a conspiracy, it’d be the other way. FIFA’s all about the dollas, and the US has got the most in the world. You’d think if there was any conspiracy, then FIFA would try to help the US along to tap into the world’s richest economy. I think the problem is that teams like the US and Aus don’t play-act as well (or at all) as ‘more experienced’ countries and that’s currently a part of the game in terms of influencing the referees. That leads to huge game-influencing decisions, like the results of Grosso’s dive, or Henry’s dive.

Bossimo- Wynalda the “saving grace” for ESPN? [insert unrestrained laughter] I’m sorry, but it does not taken a former player, or an expert “analyst,” to state what he did. His rants and outbursts are far from displays of what many consider worthy of a “saving grace.” (I guess it’s a welcome distraction to on a set where the thing that shines brightest is Alexi’s hair).

The criticism was not constructive nor was it very revealing. It was tepid, slanted, and bitter. He is isolating one man, Arena, as the sole culprit for the failed campaign. Uhmm- come again? But maybe he didn’t see the solemn and careless many on the team displayed. At times he was more animated than his entire squad combined. Maybe all the missed opportunities and lack of invigoration has come down to the individual level at some point I would think…

I agree that the manager is ultimately responsible, but selecting three 90 mins sessions of football out of an 8 yr tenure is not only naive and immature, but a blatant disrespect to the one who brung you to the dance (and the one before that) in the first place. It’s bad enough Wynalda was tasteless, but he want to see heads rolling 5 mins after the final whistle’s blown? I know it’s hard for him, but perhaps he should learn to hold his load a minute, eh?

Which brings me to the article I mentioned above- read carefully:
“I think it’ll be up to him. If he decides to stick around for four more years and sign that contract,”
…but now, today, Wynalda wants to say that 8 yrs is too long for a coach at this level? That his better days are behind him? I don’t know about you, but that’s a fact you don’t need a World Cup result for. If he (or anyone else using that argument) truly feels that, maybe he wouldn’t have waited until the horse is down to voice it.

And what about: “At the end, we have the right guy” to make the “very very tough decisions” in the Feb article. But now, he wants to say that Arena “ruined” the WC for the US. That smacks of ambivalence more atuned to fandom rather than a expert examination.

Wynalda wants to have us believe that he’s the wise man who saw this comming. His commentary is volatile and changes from match to match more times than a Lord changes his whig. One day he’s assailing the team and the next, lauding them for their effort- all the while leaving Arena’s name out of the big picture until just after the Ghana match. But, nonetheless, him being a fresh addition to the studio does not hide the fact that his seat and microphone do not suit him and are instruments best used on other thoughtful, more skilled and less infantile analysts. But, of course, don’t look around the ESPN set to find many of those…

I think poor Malik is a disgruntled Saudi Arabia fan.

Overall, the US has improved tremendously over the past 15 years and Arena has some credit due there. But then again, from a global perspective, many others have improved as much if not more — Australia, Korea, Japan, Ecuador, most of the African continent — so it seems to me that we are just keeping up with the rest of the world. With that in mind I think Arena has taken us as far as he can and it is time to see what Klinsman or someone equally as competant can do.

ON the Arena v. Wynalda debate, it’s about a tie. Wynald IS an obnoxious loudmouth as an announcer(I won’t comment on his playing skills, haven’t seen him play enough). As for Arena, he might take a cue from the reaction of the Spanish coach Luis Aragones to the pleas from the Spanish futbol federation to remain with the team. It’s about acting honorably and professionally.

As for the rest, while it is time for us to get a Euro coach, our play at the WC is not solely Arena’s fault. In my opinion, we had an average WC. As someone already pointed out, we do not have a single world-class striker. Our midfield, for the most part, lacks creativity, rarely makes great passes (save for DMB’s good play against Ghana), and rarely does quality crosses from the run of play, corners, or free kicks. With these factors, I don’t know how anyone expected us to qualify out of E. And even if we did, we would have been embarassed by Brazil.

In 2002, we were able to overcome all these factors b/c (1) a couple of people played over their heads, (2) we had an easier group, (3) So. Korea did us a favor in the last group match, and (4) some european sides did not show up. This time, the WC is in Europe, european teams are playing better, and not only U.S., but Japan and So. Korea went home early. Yes, they played a bit better than we did, but still.

Wynalda is definitely not a polished commentator, but his remarks are what the US Soccer Community need to hear…sometimes the truth hurts. Unfortunately, we are a soccer country that in the past has rarely seen open criticism as most US commentators have no idea about soccer, and I guess have been give mandates to keep it positive.

That is why your true US soccer fanatics support other countries and leagues because when it comes down to it, it is much to hard to watch an MLS game, where most of the talk is centered around everything but what is actually happening on the field.

Not only that, but the current white-collar representation of the National Team leaves one wondering how the US Soccer Federation keeps funding players and “stars” that never amount to their “potential”.

Well it is certainly a topic that one could go on and on with, but I’ll leave off more criticism for later.

I didn’t hear it personally but a friend told me that Wynalda commented on ESPN “that the ref’s call with 8 seconds left in the Italy-Australia game was the correct call”? You’ve got to be kidding me??? It was a total dive…you didn’t even need the replay to see that. Plus, what ref is going to end the game on such a horrible acting job and award a penalty kick to Italy with 8 seconds left in the game? The ONLY way the ref should have given a penalty kick is if the Australian player had forcibly tackled Grosso, beat him, and tied him in a knot!! HORRIBLE CALL and if Wynalda said ‘it was the right call,’ he’s confirmed my opinion that he’s an arrogant idiot. I’ve turned OFF the world cup…could care less now who wins. The officiating is SO BAD that they have ruined the tournament for me. I hope the sponsors of the tournament have some input to FIFA because I for one have turned it off so I won’t be buying any of your overpriced products either!! I can’t wait REAL FOOTBALL….the NFL!! At least we have instant replay to correct any bad calls….World cup? – who cares….

Mack has a point. Imagine a total disaster for FIFA, a Ghana vs Ecuador final. Are the refs more lenient with some teams than others? Revisit 2002 – Spain vs Korea – 2 goals called back due to bad calls; the USA loses to Germany when a handball in the area goes “unnoticed”. This cup – twice in the Serbia/Holland game extreme holding by Holland in the penalty box; Italy/Ghana twice extreme holding in the penalty box by Italy; the vicious cleat on thigh to Cristiano Ronaldo on the Portugal/Holland game – the officiating has been terrible. The big names do not get calls against them. FIFA wants to see Italy, Brazil, Germany, and England go through. The only way Argentina or Portugal are going to get through their next games is if they outscore their opponents 5-1. If the game is tied near the end of regulation, watch the ref call a penalty against them. It happened to Argentina in Italy in 1990.

As for the USA, I have dubbed this the “crystal team” because, with few exceptions, most players were afraid of getting hurt and would not challenge their opponents. I am also in the camp that questions the formation used by Arena with McBride a the lone forward. The game against Ghana was one to throw caution to the wind and put more aggressive, hungrier players on the pitch – as if there was no tomorrow and there wasn’t.

I think refereeing in soccer is like refereeing’s state in the NBA – home team and big names get deference. Home court advantage is huge in the NBA because the crowd sways the ref, and home field advantage is huge in soccer for the same reason. Also, big names like the Brazilians, who happen to be the least carded team (I think they still are) in this Cup, get the benefit of the doubt. Personally, I think FIFA’s strict mandates at the start of the tournament are just magnifying this problem, which has always existed.

Yah, I hear the arguments but you guys are missing the point. He has a job as a color commentator and he’s doing that job well by continuing in the tradition of a striker.

I agree, for example, that he is dead wrong about the Italy call. But ultimately you judge a striker on how many goals he scores, you don’t say that Sheva sucks because he missed a penalty kick. Sure, it’s a bad miss, but you want him on your team because he’s not afraid to shoot and puts a ton of quality shots on frame.

I suspect that the attacks on Wynalda are rooted in a blind loyalty to Arena. The comments so far point in that direction anyway.

eric sucks…and knows nothing about soccer. He is nothing but a bigmouthed idiot, like Donnovan.
eeverytime he made a prediction in this world cup, he was WRONG, am I right? go back and read his comments before each and every game…he was wrong every single time. what does that tell you?

bossimo-

Mark has a good point about almost all of Wynalda’s predictions being wrong.

His analysis is like his shooting: when he gets easy targets, like Brazil vs. Japon, he hits it. But when he gets tough calls, like Australia vs. Croatia, he blows it.

I think he is a great CONCACAF announcer….

And just because people are loyal to Arena doesn’t mean they are blind. Everyone dumps on the 4-5-1 formation, but no one explains the alternative. A 4-4-2? Our midfield would have been even more depeleted and utterly destroyed.

Everyone bitches about Eddie Johnson not playing vs. Italy, but McBride was all over the field playing great defense even in the dying minutes. If you want to go for a win down a man against Italy in the last 15 minutes, then I salute your brave logic but ultimately do not agree. (Especially when a point and win againt a weaker team will due)

Everyone dumps on his decision to play Reyna, who else can play in the center of the park?

Everyone dumps on Beasley, but he did assist on the US’s only only goal and should have scored the winner against Italy. What were you guys expecting, the Golden Boot? He did suck in the Czech game, but you dont have to beat people one on one every single time you toch the ball to be effective.

However, there is some valid criticism of Bruce and his player selections: Pope vs. Conrad, Dempsey on the right vs. Beasley, Lewis at leftback, Wolff isntead of Twellman, but even with a 4-4-2 with Johnson up front, Dempsey on the right, Bocanegra at leftback, and Reyna being burned in effigy, the US would not have advanced.

Face it: the talent pool is better, but not there yet. Patience. In 2010 if we get in the right group, we’ll have a fantastic chance to make some noise.

And if we get in a tough group, maybe we’ll get a favorable offsides call, penalty call, or bounce off the post (all of which we were sorely lacking)?

Good debates people, and sorry if I turn into a troll. I understand the desire for the USA to play beautiful, attacking football, but I just don’t think we’re there yet. Maybe in the near future, but not yet.

Landon Donovan said in an interview all of this will be forgotten, that is, the criticism of the US team performance. Well, hear me now, this will not be forgotten. That team looked like they had never played for a serious win in their lives.

No, Landon, there are serious soccer fans in the US who want you to perform. I dpn’t think you have to go to Europe to do that but maybe you need to “love” the game more and leave the $ behind.

Cindy Benz

Bruce Arena, has done all He can for US Soccer but now we need a world class coach, like Argentinian coach Pekerman, or a Brasilian coach, but we need a leader that will not choke in a difficult game and one who knows when to make substitutions and what to do, to inspire his players.

Arena must sdmit, He is not up to par for the next world cup. Maybe we need a guy like Klinsman to create an exciting new team without the old broken busted legs like Reyna,Owiguchi,Pope and other players who do not contribute a thing to the team.

Thank you Mr. Arena but your era has come to an end.
US Soccer has to move on and up.

I can’t believe what i am reading here, it only proofs that the us fan is still ignorant about the game and they are sore losers.
The only people who wrote with honesty without emotions are: Steve C, Malik, C13 and few others the rst are idiots who are easily influenced by TV much as the rest of the population.
Wynalda is the biggest idiot ever, he’s no match for Arena who did a lot for the game in this country. Sometimes, I wonder if these idiots actually believed the Nike and Espn hype about being among the elite of the game in the world. Hell, we are not even at the level of the worst teams in Africa or Asia for that matter. Lets get real and face it, we need another 20 years to get to the highest level. Klinsmann my ass, he can’t do nothing that Bruce couldn’t unless of course he has a mig wand or something.

Wynalda is a perfect fit for ESPN, a smart-ass punk “legend in his own mind” ex-player in the Doug Gottlieb (college b-ball analyst) mode. Bruce called him out on for being part of the crew that put U.S. Soccer in the toliet in ‘98 and Wynalda couldn’t take it.

During the cup, I heard Wynalda comment proudly on how he got a red card against the Czechs in the ‘90 cup (a game they lost 5-1) as an example that the U.S. should show more passion. Yes Eric, hurt somebody, that’s the way to care!

What do Wynalda and Arena have in common? They both have won the same number of World Cups.

E Tucker I think is right. The current rankings are about right and it is not so bad to be 16th- this is vastly better than before. We were lucky in 2002 and unlucky in 2006. It takes good luck to go very far even for a good team. We are an “average” team among the teams that qualified for the finals. Non european teams are at a disadvantage playign euro teams in European cups. The kids from 2002 will be in the age range where players are generally at their peak in 2010. The raw talent is there. We need to be polished. This can be done by either/or more players playing in the best leagues/ more national team games against strong opponents. The sort of sniping between Arena and Wynalda is typical for most nations where there were expectations that did not fully materialize. I am encouraged by some things. Beaseley really did come back strong after Czech game. the Ghanna game was lost because two of our more reliable players made uncharacteristic mental errors- Reyna and then Bocanegra heading a very high pass into the penalty area. What was he thinking? If we had beaten Ghanna we would be praising how Arena brought his team back after a flat day against Czech. We scored the only goal against Italy until Zidane. Italy did not make an unforced error. Anytime you put a defender in a position where he has to turn to face his own goal, a few feet in front and take the ball out of the air for an immediate clearance, you have created a great chance. The pass was good and an American was right there at the far post. Credit the US for creating this goal. While the offside call on Beasely’s goal was not incorrect, a noncall would not have been incorrect either. We got a result aginst the team that is the king of result soccer.
We are the only team in this cup that did that. Lets build on that idea. We need to be more result oriented. We need to realize that our greatest need is to learn to play defense. The team could eaily have scored 5 goals in group with a few breaks. Our defense gifted 2-3 goals. We need to learn from Italy. I dont want to copy the darker side of Italian soccer but we should learn defense and understand legitimate “result” oriented soccer. I praise both Wynalda and Arena for their significant contributions to our world cup history. Arena made some mistakes but mistakes are to be learned from. Lets stop beating up on each other and get ready to kick some in South Africa.

Wynalda really looked to be out for blood in the clips I saw of him talking about Arena. We could have used some of that offensive intensity and aggressiveness on the field.

As for Arena, he is and was a fantastic coach. It’s time for a change though

The US had a brutal draw and played the Italians pretty damn well down a man. But at the end of the day, they didn’t get enough good scoring chances and never really showed that they could play with the big boys at all. Whether you want to blame Arena for not adjusting enough to get those scoring chances or the players themselves is up to you. I blame everyone.

Back to the drawing board.

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