Post Confederations Cup Thoughts

July 2nd, 2009 | by: Marlon |

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.

Tags: Alexi Lalas, bob bradley, Brazil, Confederations Cup, Spain, The Future, Thoughts, USMNT

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Comments

By morpheus | July 2nd, 2009 at 9:19 am

Well, said. I agree that Lalas was awesome to watch after that Spain win. He was as giddy as I was. I also agree that Bob Bradley shouldn’t get comfortable b/c that breeds mediocrity. I was also glad to hear that Donovan was as disappointed the US lost as I was even if everyone didn’t think they could win.

I would also like to point out an article on ESPN that I thought was really good. It also talks about what I think the problem is with the USMNT. Until the US changes the way we develop youth talent then we will always be an average team.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=656068&sec=us&root=us&cc=5901

By jeremy | July 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 am

yes, yes, yes. well said on all points. i completely agree about lalas, and especially with the contrast with harkes and dellacamera (sp?). it might be time to increase the repertoire of responses to US goals to something more than just “stunned silence”. i would also appreciate not feeling like our own announcers are hoping for a 1-goal loss as a best-case scenario. that’s a bob bradley way of thinking! we deserve better!

and morpheus–i agree that we need to develop our youth better (who doesn’t?), but that article was written right after the brazil game, and i think it looks sort of foolish given the two games that followed. we ARE that good. we CAN expect these results. our expectations are where they should be, and the thinking that we’re not good enough to need a competent coach to reach our potential is outdated.

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By Unbelievable | July 2nd, 2009 at 12:01 pm

Very well said. We do not rip on the players, we rip the coach for placing certain players in “harm’s way” where they can’t handle it.

If Davies and Altidore can continue to develop their technical skill and you have Adu as the “Xavi” (who is small like Adu), then this team could get dangerous real fast.

In 3 to 4 years I expect Adu to be running the attacking midfielder show with Altidore and Davies (or another potentially phenomanal striker) at the top. That is an attack that everyteam in the world will have to watch for. Put in a Torres and a Robbie Rogers and you have a team that can hold the ball in tight spaces and alleviate continued pressure from the likes of Spain and Brasil.

Keep Deuce in there and let Bradley intergchange with whomever to get time.

Donovan in 3 to 4 years should be on his way out. Spector and other solid defenders will arrise. We need some defenders with more touch on the ball to help work the ball out of tight spaces.

All in all, as long as Bradley doesn’t screw up and try and put heijduk and friends in the back and play Connor Casey and Ching, I think the US will be ok for 2010 even without letting Adu and Torres play.

Good Luck to USA!!!

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By morpheus | July 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm

@ Jeremy ~ You think the US is one of the top 10 teams in the world? Really? I will admit that we can play some good soccer, but we are no where near the quality of players that existing in countries like, Germany, England, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, etc. I think us beating Spain and playing Brazil close is setting the US fans up for massive failure when they only make it out of group play in the next World Cup.

By SP | July 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 pm

marlon, i hate these espn broadcasters. the bbc broadcasters sound like they are about to explode after each goal against spain (the bbc highlights are somewhere on theoffside’s main page from the day after we beat them) and our own broadcasters sound like they would rather be taking a nap.

also, i should point out again, that the bornstein and kljestan subs were already registered by the time brazil equalized, so bob was trying to put them in when we were a goal up (but i still don’t like kljestan coming in).

overall, well said on everything. lalas did seem like the only one who was excited/knew what was going on, and after reading the excerpts about how beckham is kind of the one who screwed up the galaxy, not lalas (who was supposedly against ruud gullit and all that mess), i feel bad for thinking lalas is a complete idiot.

By Eric | July 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm

7 additions to the Gold Cup Roster, so much for giving some fringe players a chance: Altidore, Casey (ugh), Clark, Feilhaber, Klejstan (double ugh), Bornstein, and Guzan.

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By Ray | July 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm

“we are no where near the quality of players that existing in countries like, Germany, England, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Italy”

If you made a list of the top 30 players in the world at every position, I’d be willing to admit that Howard’s the only US player who gets a mention. Still, we can get results against very good teams. This is a team that works hard and doesn’t suck. Eventually good things can happen.

So, we make it out of group play now, Morpheus?! Hahaha…well, if we get out of group play anything can happen.

Be a fan…try hoping for the best. It’s more respectable than saying we’re going to fail against the best in the world and then saying “I told you so.” That’s too easy.

And one last thing:

“Until the US changes the way we develop youth talent then we will always be an average team.”

We’re average only by the expectations US fans have for their sports teams. We love American football because no one else plays it. We love hockey because we have the best league in the world. Hell, who else would even watch NASCAR? Many countries could not field a team with any prayer of beating Spain or Brazil. We almost did both in the same week. THIS IS NOT AN AVERAGE TEAM. It’s just not NBA All-Stars beating the crap out of the team from Mongolia at the Olympics.

By Marlon | July 2nd, 2009 at 12:48 pm

@SP I was actually in Iceland during the Confederations Cup (the reason there weren’t post game posts for each game) so I didn’t have to deal with John and JP.

In reference to your defense of Bradley’s Bornstein/Klejstan sub I’m just going to quote Jen Chang:
“For example, against Brazil, not only did Bradley wait until the Brazilians had nullified the two-goal deficit before making his first move, but then he compounded the issue by putting the out-of-form Sacha Kljestan on the field for Benny Feilhaber, who’d played well up to that point. Given that Kljestan offers little to no defensive capabilities, Bradley would have been best served putting on Jose Torres instead. Granted, Torres’ defensive capabilities are also questionable, but he offers far more composure on the ball and accuracy of passing — something that was clearly missing in the second half for the U.S. It’s a factor that Donovan himself mentioned as being the cause for the ineffectiveness of the U.S. counterattack in the second half.

In terms of the Bornstein substitution, he actually should have been brought on far earlier and soon after Luis Fabiano scored Brazil’s first goal. After the first 10 minutes of the second half, it was apparent that Brazil was running rampant and given the U.S. team’s inability to counter or possess the ball, the best solution would have been to park the bus. To do so effectively, what should have happened is that Bornstein should have been subbed in for a striker and Bocanegra should have been pinched inside as a third central defender, with Bornstein occupying a deep left back position to stop Maicon’s runs. However, the U.S. never adjusted its tactics and you saw what happened.”

By jeremy | July 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 pm

morpheus: not sure where you got that i think the usa is a top 10 team. however, since you brought it up, the list of teams that are definitely better than us is probably not as long as you’d think. south america has 2 teams, europe has 5 or so, asia has none, and africa’s teams are inconsistent to the point that at any given time, i’d maybe list 1 or 2. so even if i wouldn’t say we’re a top 10 team, the fact that we don’t have world class players all over the pitch doesn’t mean we can’t hope to make the last 16 or 8 at the world cup. there aren’t many teams that DO have that kind of talent all over the field, and some of those don’t perform to the level their clubs’ pedigree might predict, and some might not even be at the world cup (portugal).

and anyway, your comment that we shouldn’t hope for more than advancing out of the group stage actually supports my point that the problem isn’t high expectations–we’ve only managed that once in three world cups. or in other words, we’re UNDERPERFORMING based on the talent level that you just implicitly agreed our players have and the level at which we’re capable of competing.

again, i’m not saying we’re one of the world’s elite, or that our players are among the world’s best. and i agree that that should be addressed in our youth system, and at other levels. but expectations that we be consistently competitive on the world stage are not based in some misperception of our relative standing in the world. if we play brazil to 3-0 while they’re at half speed, and a week later have them up 2-0 at half-time, that sounds to me like a problem of consistency, not a problem of not enough talent.

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By SP | July 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Ok I pretty much said the same thing that Jen chang said in a comment in an earlier post about those two subs. All I was saying was that it was registered before brazil’s second goal which is something that should be considered but I did not see you address.

By morpheus | July 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 pm

I hope for the US to win every game that they play. I was hoping that the US would win the Confed Cup even after they lost the first 2 games b/c there was still a slim chance. I am a die hard fan and will never give up on my team even if they give up on themselves (e.g. ‘06 WC).

And yes, I want the US to become a world power in soccer and be a contender in every tournament they play in not just CONCACAF. That is why I say that the US needs to find a way to develop younger talent. In order to be a top team you need players that are considered one of the best players at that position. And like was stated earlier Howard is the only one there. I would even be happy if our players had the talent to be starters in some of the best leagues in the world, e.g. Dempsey, Howard, etc. If the top clubs teams don’t want our players than are they really that talented?

This is not to take anything away from the players that have gotten our country to the point that we are, but I don’t want to settle for where we are. I want to be better. I want to be the best. I want to tell my kids’ kids to be able to watch a WC and have the US not be the “underdog”. Really I would like to see the US make it into the last 4 of a WC before I die. And in order for that to happen they must develop more talent.

By Oscar Echeverri | July 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Whos is Jen Chang? that quote is right on! Is anyone in the US Federation listening to this stuff?
I am anxiously waiting for the Gold Cup to start. While many will say B-teamers performance should not count against a coach, this will be the tell all for Bradley. I hope the team plays well and earns the cup. Any hint of tactical inefficiencies by Bradley should have him setting cones for the U-17’s by the end of August!

By Marlon | July 2nd, 2009 at 3:28 pm

He’s an ESPN blogger. SP, you’re not wrong. I don’t know if there’s anything to add or if there’s something specific you want me to remark upon.

By SP | July 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm

nope, the internet is just a great place to misread someone’s tone. sorry about that

seriously though, can we just get rid of the entire espn announcing crew for int’l tourneys? i’m sure clive tyldesley had nothing to do during the cup…

By Mickey | July 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm

So they just announced Bradley’s additional 7 Gold Cup squad selections. Guess what guys? NO TORRES. 24 players and Torres is not one of them. Unbelievable. Thanks Bob…

By soccer goals | July 3rd, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Great update. Thanks.

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By Dave | July 6th, 2009 at 9:49 am

well said, this was an unbelievable tournament to watch and i really hope that this may have sparked an interest in “soccer haters” of the US. With the end of the confederations cup though means the world cup is just around the corner and it is shame that there are people in this country who could care less. The world cup is is the spectacle among spectacles in the world and not many people in this country understand that. It is even in this book, “the 100 sporting events you must see live” as the number 2 event to go to out of any sport in the entire world! This is an American author too; that has to say something, that he didn’t put the super bowl or world series above the world cup. I just wish that everyone else is excited for this as i am. Cant wait for June! Oh and the website for that book is http://www.100sportingevents.com/ if any one doesn’t believe me

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By Les | July 12th, 2009 at 1:06 am

USA shouldn’t get too into the result at the Gold Cup. All that was valuable was a lucky win against Spain, which outplayed them by about 30 shots on goal. USA are still a “C” team in international football, compared to the likes of Costa Rica, Egypt or Japan. But they are improving and working hard, this they deserve…. but they need much much more learning from the best, without getting to full of themselves!!!

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