10 Observations from The USA's 0-0 game with Argentina
No offense, but did Argentina look completely uninterested in this game? Thank you.
If this is the best group of the USA's mostly European-based players, count me as unimpressed. If this is what playing in Europe gets Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and DaMarcus Beasley--they could be in MLS and do no worse.
Tim Howard was outstanding--he deserves credit for that performance. BRAVO. Now, who else can we say that about for the Yanks?
Not to harp on the forwards, but when was the last USA attack on the enemy goal that you thought to yourself--"wow, this looks promising....?"
USA opponents need only to apply consistent pressure on the ball and the US will make a poor pass, a mistake, or get pickpocketed by the defense.
Sacha Kljestan's opportunity late in the game summarizes for me the extent of the Americans' lack of seasoning on a world stage. Sacha had a great chance that he just could not get off fast enough. That millisecond of hesitation is what elite countries have in abundance and we lack in similar abundance.
I'm not always in favor of a coaching change in the middle of World Cup qualifying, butI think it's time US Soccer realized its mistake and fires Bob Bradley. I LIKE THE GUY--but the USA needs the training and pressure of Europe and South America. They could have had Juergen Klinsmann when he was available...
The officiating was atrocious. CONCACAF is a joke.
Is the USA defense just letting the opposition have the ball on the wings unopposed? Argentina did that all night long, and there was nary a US defender in sight when the ball was played in.
I don't mean to sound the alarm--but WC qualifying is in jeopardy with play like that.
All ball....Argentina had way to many of these last night
Overcoming adversity, in spite of nearly insurmountable odds, was no rare occurrence in the life of former USA Hockey head coach Herb Brooks. Sadly, Brooks died in an automobile accident in 2003, and was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006.
But if Herbie were here, Bob Bradley could take a lesson or two from the 1980 US Olympic Hockey coach that he might apply to his current US Men’s National Soccer team. I consulted Kevin Allen’s book, USA Hockey: A Celebration o####reat Tradition (Triumph Books, 1997)for some insight as to what lessons Bradley might glean from Brooks.
Lesson #1: Believe: You know the deck is stacked against you, but you play to win anyway.
The 1980 US Olympic team was far less talented relatively than Bradley’s US Soccer squad at the Copa America. Most of Brooks’ (pictured left) players had never played professional hockey, and all of Bradley’s roster for the Copa were professionals. Much less talented than the opposition, but professionals nonetheless.
Through most of the 20th Century, professional players were not allowed in Olympic Hockey tournaments. The Soviet Union was able to field the best team in the world because their players were technically in the Red Army, and therefore, eligible to play in the Olympics. But, make no mistake, the USSR team of 1980 was unquestionably the best in the world. Allen writes that the Soviets inflicted a 10-3 thrashing of the same US Olympic team that would beat them and win the Gold medal just a week before the games. The year before, they had beaten an NHL All-Star team 6-0.
When Brooks said he wanted to win the gold medal in Lake Placid, not many believed he could, maybe only Brooks himself.
Lesson #2: Turn to humor: Laugh at the opposition to break them down to mortals. Herb made his players laugh at the mighty Soviet right wing Boris Mikhailov by comparing them him to Stan Laurel of “Laurel and Hardy” fame. He told his players in jest “You can beat Stan Laurel, can’t you?”
Mikhailov and Laurel (left)
In the “Miracle on Ice”game, the US played against legendary Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak, the Dominek Hasek of his era. When the USA tied the game 2-2 with one second left in the first period, the Americans had already shown the Soviets to be human, and it was coach Viktor Tikhonov who stunned the crowd by pulling Tretiak and inserting backup goalie Vladimir Myshkin at the start of the second period.
By that point, the laugh was on the USSR. Pulling Tretiak was just what the Americans needed to prove to themselves that they could win. Psychologically, the removal of Tretiak was a huge roadblock that got removed, according to Allen. Bradley can do the same with his opposition (see below).
Argentina's Lionel Messi.........................And Fast Times' Jeff ####oli (You D**K!)
Lesson #3: Carpe Diem: Seize the Day
Brooks was a master motivator and strategist. His players saved their best performances for when it mattered most. Mike Eruzione, of course, scored the game-winning goal to beat the Soviets 4-3 to advance to the gold-medal game in 1980. Goalie Jim Craig must have thought he was being shot at, he turned so many rubber biscuits aside to preserve the Americans victory in the tournament.
According to Allen, Brooks read note card to his team before the USSR game. It said: “You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here.” Brooks was hard on his players. He rode them mercilessly at times to instill in them a sense of teamwork and shared responsibility. By the time the Olympics came around, they all understood there would be no tomorrow if they lost. Again, Allen writes that champagne awaited the US players after the victory against the Russians and no one touched it. They would still need to beat Finland (which they did, 4-2 the following day) to win the Gold Medal.
It seems impossible, but miracles can happen.....
But wait a minute, Soccer is not Hockey…. Soccer and Hockey are different sports, to be sure. Bradley’s Copa team had no practice time, and Bradley was so consumed with the Gold Cup, he must not have given the Copa America any preparation time in his mind before beating Mexico 2-1 in the Gold Cup final.
Brooks had almost a year to prepare for the Olympic games, and weeded-out the best 20 players and molded them into a team. Bradley had no such opportunity. However, it is not beyond possibility that Bradley already has in mind the 25 or so players who likely represent the USA in South Africa in 2010, should they qualify. The time for molding the clay is now.
Also, Brooks used a hybrid style of European technical skill with North American-style grit and toughness. A similar hybrid can exist for soccer between European tactics and molding it with South American athleticism and creativity.
Herb Brooks could teach a lot to Bob Bradley. It’s too bad he’s not here to do it, for those who knew him, Brooks was a man that oozed confidence and enthusiasm. He was infectious with his desire to teach and coach. Bradley would do well to read up and follow Brooks’ example.
I wonder what would be happening at the Copa America in Venezuela if Jürgen Klinsmann had accepted the job as the head coach of the US Men's National Team last year. Press comments after the team's 4-1 loss to Argentina might have gone like this:
Do you think....
"I'm embarrassed. Totally. We played Argentina like it was a team of Maradonas and gave them too much respect. No one challenged the opposition, we backed off and gave them all the space on the Pampas to roam, make plays, and ultimately, thrash us."
...the Golden Bomber.....
"I've been a part of a World Cup-winning team, I've played in short tournaments where every result, every pass in the opposition zone and every clear from our own end was critical. Our players seem to play like there is a tomorrow. In football--world football--you have to have complete and total focus as a team. It comes from having the right players here in the first place."
And after the 3-1 loss to Paraguay:
...tolerates losing?
"One of our team's chances has got to go in with those opportunities. I'm looking for the players that will rise to the occasion in a desperate situation. We must find a way when the opportunity presents itself. Again, we played like we have one more game to go. In this case, we do, because we'll likely be going home after the Columbia game."
Faux press conferences and crystal balls aside, I like Bradley, I've got to wonder, though, what Klinsmann would have brought to this team had he taken the job. Assuming our players know International Football, if Jürgen Klinsmann tells me to do something, I am not going to let down a hero of the World Cup.... At least I know where I will end up if I do.
I look at our strikers like Twellman and Johnson and think Klinsmann could have helped them develop the killer instinct in International games that they regularly show in MLS. I think, with the selection of Bradley, US Soccer is saying that it is satisfied to be the King of CONCACAF and own Mexico on US soil. If that is the USA's focus, it will likely be never that the US will field a team of Argentina's caliber or be a serious challenger for a World Cup tile.
At some point, even with Bradley, USA Soccer fans have got to believe that performances like the Copa are not acceptable, and that being the top dog in our region means very little on a world football stage,
An abbreviated bunch of thoughts on the USA's 3-1 loss to Paraguay in the Copa America:
1. Other than Kasey Keller, who are these guys? Maybe I don't watch very much of the USMNT, but I have yet to see Twellman and Johnson play a decent game in the red, white and blue.
2. The USA at least deserved to be on the pitch until the 93rd minute, and made some very good plays near the end of the game, but these guys need Turtle Wax their finish is so bad.
3. Lee Nguyen gets beat on a 50-50 ball after just entering the game. How does that happen?
4. Paraguay has more offensive power than the USA's A team for sure. Again, like the Argentina game, the "A" team may very well have lost this game as well.
5. US Soccer will probably respond to the embarrassing performance by staying out of the Copa in the future. It will be a mistake if they do so.
6. I feel that Bob Bradley is like Dennis Conner in the 1983 America's Cup. The best skipper in the world can't win a race in a slower boat.
7. The US plays the "Swiss Cheese" defensive formation. When will we learn that this is not basketball, and every chance, either for or against, is like a fight to the death?
*. The best moment was the camera shot of the beautiful sunset in the 25th minute. Did anyone else notice that?
* #2 Don't you just love Ray Hudson's calls? Magnificent.
For 45 minutes, the USA looked on the verge of an upset--an upset being defined as a draw after 90, not a victory. No USA team would have beaten Argentina last night.
All four tallies for Argentina were outstanding, and my favorite was Aimar's header in the 78th minute. Argentina lulled the US to sleep on that one, then struck lightning-fast like a tiger in waiting.
Consistent play on the USA's end has been a problem since the knockout phase of the Gold Cup. I don't fault Keller on any of those. After Argentina went ahead, I thought the USA finally began to play timid and watched the show of professional soccer put on by Argentina.
My prediction was 1-1-1 and the US could still very well reach that and the next round.
Hell froze over today as David Beckham donned the Saints fleur-de-lis to show off with Reggie Bush... great show. Can you imagine the day when an NFL team's highest paid player would be a kicker? Me either, but if Beckham could wear an NFL uniform for the day, I'm glad it was a Saints' kit.
It also ruins the joke that the Saints have about as much chance to win a Super Bowl as seeing Beckham wear black and gold...
And yet, it seemed like there was nary a Gold Cup highlight on ESPN.... In fact, in the brief ESPN Deportes highlight featured an MLS game instead. What was the real soccer story on Sunday, ESPN?
I don't think you can draw that many conclusions on viewership of the Stanley Cup Finals because a Canadian-based team was involved. If there were two American teams, particularly a northeast US team, then I think there would have been more viewers. I'm sure there are plenty of Canadian Expats in the United States, but they're not all from Ottawa.
A US National Team game against a rival with millions of expats in the Mexican's favorite sport does not connotate the same feeling as a Stanley Cup finals between American and Canadian cities. It's not that big a deal that American-based teams have won every year since 1993, but it is in Canada.
If a US-Canada Olympic medal hockey game or WCOH Final had similar poor ratings as the Stanley Cup finals, then I would be more convinced that this means something significant. There was plenty of national pride on the line with the Gold Cup, but I don't think many Americans watched the Stanley Cup hoping to see a Canadian team lose another finals.
I think the comparison is apples to oranges. It does not mean anything.
After two disappointing performances in elimination games, the USA Men's National Team brought its "A" game on Sunday in coming from behind to defeat Mexico 2-1. The officiating was not perfect, but the official seemed to make and miss calls for both sides (to me, that's fair.) Mexico does not really have the officials to blame for this loss.
My ten thoughts:
1. Despite Guardado's goal and Sanchez's fantastic saves, Nery Castillo was Mexico's best player. His speed and playmaking ability set up the goal and had the USA defenders turning in every direction but his. Unlike the previous two games, the USA's best player was Tim Howard. He made a couple of beautiful saves and never seemed to lose his cool.
2. Bradley's substitutions were perfectly timed and impacted the gave positively for the US. He's no Iain Hume, but Ricardo Clark was a great move, and his energy enthused the US team. His 59th-minute deflection of a Mexican shot was also significant. I thought after Dempsey's weak shot that Bradley would remove him. Max Bretos thought for sure it would be Ching coming out.
3. I don't see how Mexican fans can think the team was robbed on this day. With the USA hitting the crossbar (Beasley) and the goalpost (Ching) as well as several outstanding shots by the US (and saves by Sanchez), the game could very well have ended up 4-2. The first 10 minutes after half-time was the best the USA has played in a long time.
4. I was not surprised to see Mexican players diving in the box after Megallon's penalty.
5. The hush of the crowd after the USA's goal and toward the end of the match told me the Mexican fans wanted this game badly. From the way they began and played throughout the match, it was clear the Mexican team and Hugo Sanchez wanted this game. When the USA beats a soccer-loving country in a game they desperately want to win, then the US team has accomplished something.
6. Bocanegra's retaliation after the no-call on Beasley was deserving of a yellow because the official was able to stay in control and not let the fouls get out of hand. Again, the official seemed to have a good feel for the flow of the game.
7. DaMarcus Beasley's free kicks have been outstanding--not too high, not too low. Why does Donovan take the corners?
8. After falling behind 1-0, many US teams would have folded. Particularly since the US had been tearing up the turf on the Mexican end prior to that goal. I have seen US teams in the past fold after that kind of momentum-change.
9. Jonathan Spector's play was a surprise, and makes me wonder why Hejduk was in there so long in the first place. I suspect, though, that he should have been on Guardado when he scored.
10. I think Feilhaber's goal was more luck than skill. So many times in that position, the ball sails into the cheap seats. Still, you gotta shoot them before they go in. Bravo, Benny.
Upon further review, I actually like that US Soccer has decided to send a lesser talented team to Copa America. This is the challenge that us fans so far have spared Bradley becuase of the way his hiring was handled. This is Bob's opportunity to show that he can coach. Countries like England, France and Italy have to babysit superstars. You don't have to impress upon any soccer-heavy nations' players the importance of going out and playing well for your country. Well, one thing Americans can do is play well as underdogs or when no one else thinks they have a chance.
This is Bradley's Herb Brooks moment. Herb Brooks ran afoul of USA Hockey from the day he got the job--he refused to bow to their player decisions and even benched or berated his own college players who won championships for him at Minnesota. Bradley has a chance to show US Soccer that he won't be a yes-man or a syncophant, and that he is not an opinionated arrogant arse like Bruce Arena.
And, really, who cares about US Soccer's cred or our reputation to our Yankee-hating fellow American Continental brethren? The Copa is in Venzuela for gosh sakes. We don't need cred with these folks because they have none for us in the first place. American soccer players are discounted from the moment they arrive on the pitch in Europe and Central and South America because of where they are from. A team of American Soccer superstars would still be laughed at by CONMEBOL Countries.
Leadership can do amazing things. I hope Bradley has a few tricks up his sleeves to make these mostly kids believe they can actually win a game at the Copa. Stranger things have happened. What American team of any caliber would have been thought to hold Italy to a draw with 9 men at the World Cup?
The Crucible in Caracas awaits you, Mr. Bradley....
I was glad to see the US-Canada soccer match turn into a hockey game. The 2-1 score was not indicative of the result, and Canada's disputed goal will hopefully live as the spark that unites this rivarly. Both countries will always have sports ahead of soccer in the popular mindset, so this can hopefully fuel more border disputes.
I wish the American fans would have given the Canadians the reception Vancouverites gave the US Junior Hockey Team in 2005 (malice aforethought intended). We'll see if this rivalry has any teeth. Nice also to hear the boos of Landon Donovan on our own turf. Come on, Americans!! Can we please outnmber the Yankee-bashers on our own soil at least once?
More on this later, but when I think of Iain Hume, I think that every Canadian team needs a Tie Domi...... Still, his goal was brilliant and he played with more passion than the entire US team at times. I like Max, but I wonder if the USA Soccer brain trust (or Don Garber) are pulling Bretos' strings?
My ten thoughts:
1. The Fox announcers were totally sugarcoating the US performance. At one point, Max Bretos' partner (Chris something?) was saying the US play in the midfield was great. I disagree. I thought we were good at times, but not consistent.
2. The announcer also said Eddie Johnson had a good game. Again, I disagree. I would have taken him out after the second offside. Didn't this guy just tear it up in MLS? If I would have had my pick, it would have been Ching if he was ready to play.
3. I just suspect that the team on the pitch is MLS-heavy for a reason. I think I know the answer, but I am not sure if I'm crazy or not.
4. I have always liked Kasey Keller. He did everything he could on that goal. I'm from the old school in hockey where you don't blame the goalie.
5. The ref missed some calls and made some. The red was well deserved and Bocanegra should have gotten one for the DeGuzman tackle. I thought Onstead deserved his penalty as well.
6. Both sides were also guilty of chippy-ness. Again, it reminded me of a typical US-Canada hockey game, with the shoe (or skate) on the other foot. Canada has a couple of stars, but the US has more depth. Of course, the best guy on the pitch was a Canadian substitute. Easily, Hume was Man of the Match for me. That's not even mentioning his save on the Dempsey header. Best US player was Donovan again, and I thought he was better than he was against Panama.
7. Beasley redeemed himself a bit in my eyes. As did Gooch--no glaring mistakes by either one, and Beasley's free kicks near the penalty area have been very good.
8. Someone on an earlier post said Hejduk's best days were behind him. I am kind of agreeing, of course he played an integral part in the scoring tonight. De Rosario beat him like a rented mule (I love hockey analogies) a couple of times.
9. De Rosario is a player. I like this guy--and again he makes others around him better. Bravo.
10. I get frustrated watching the Americans protect the ball--it seems like every time Canada pressured the US players, they gave up the ball and Canada seemed at times to be dribbling through the US defense. I would say Donovan was an exception, but Dempsey should be better with his foot near the goal.
I watched the US down Panama 2-1 and I have the following observations:
1. I thought Panama's decision to take the physical game to the US took the Yanks by surprise. Panama was scrappy and intense throughout.
2. The takedown of Donovan was worthy of the PK, and the takedown by Onyewu was worthy of one as well. However, I have watched many a US match in Mexico and Central America where Oguchi's foul would not have been called in favor of the US down there.
3. Onyewu is the most enigmatic player on the US side. He was brilliant past the 80th minute, absent or distracted before that.
4. What would have happened if Blas Perez scores that goal in the 57th minute?
5. Shoot, Dempsey, shoot!!
6. Hejduk ran well, and Beasley, who I remember used to run the entire length of the field for 90 minutes, looks old.
7. Was it just me or did Howard kick 2 balls out of bounds with no one on him? Could that have been planned?
8. Why can't we get more American fans in the seats for US home games?
9. It looked to me like the Yanks still lack focus. I saw so many balls in uncontested space go from one toe to the opponents', that when pressured, our guys still don't know how to back each other up or make a smart play with the ball.
10. Our guys looked tired. To their credit Panama punched the US in the mouth and let them know this was going to be no easy victory.
I am looking forward to playing Canada. I'm a big hockey fan, and since they dominate us on the ice, we need to dominate them on the pitch.
Though I am a life-long Southerner, ice hockey is my game. I was likely the first hockey-specif ic sportswriter in the state of Louisiana when the ECHL arrived in 1995. I was a freelance hockey sportswriter for local fishwraps between 1995-2000.
Being from New Orleans, I follow the Saints, Hornets and LSU in that order. I have been from Los Angeles to New York City to watch Wayne Gretzky play, and I attended my first hockey game at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1985. The greatest hockey ever played was the 1987 Canada Cup Final between Canada and the USSR.
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