There seems to be an epidemic among US Soccer coaches. They seem to play several key players in positions other than their usual or natural positions. Is it just me? Or, are other people seeing what I see and are just as confused?
Now, I coach college basketball and I am huge sports fan, particularly the beautiful game. That is why I started writing this blog. So, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. But, like I said, as a major sports enthusiast and a head coach myself, I feel I have a very good understanding of what's going on in all sports.
Isn't Freddy Adu an attacking midfielder? Isn't he only 5'7"? Why was he playing as a forward during today's game versus Japan in the Men's Olympic Soccer Tournament? Isn't Maurice Edu a defensive midfielder? Why was he playing as a central defender? He almost blew three points for the US late in the game. I'm not sure what the referee saw, but if not for that porely missed call, Japan should have been awarded a PK as Edu blatantly grabbed and pulled down a Japanese attacker in the box after he porely misplayed a high ball into the penalty area.
If you read my 1st blog yesterday, you would have heard my rant about Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, historically midfielders themselves, being played as forwards on the National Team by Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley. I called for USA's best forward to play more, Jozy Altidore, period. I also called for Kenny Cooper, who is 23-years old and eligible to play in this tournament, to be called to the National Team. The both of them should play up front for Uncle Sam's Army for the next 7-8 years, spanning the next two World Cups.
Why does the US insist on playing Brian McBride? He is 36-years old for heaven's sake! He was a great player but isn't anymore. He didn't score a goal in three games during the 2006 World Cup, where he was featured as the lone striker. What makes us think he will score in this tournament? Fulham let him go this past June. He is a sub at best. Certainly, he shouldn't be playing 75 minutes and Jozy Altidore only 15. Why is Team USA's best forward on the bench?
Which brings me back to Adu. Freddy, now 19 years of age and playing for Monaco in France, is Team USA's most creative player and the best one with the ball at his feet. Why is he playing as a forward where he needs someone else to play him the ball. He should be getting the ball in open space in the middle of the field, leading the attack and distributing the ball as the playmaker he is, not waiting for someone else to get it to him. He didn't have enough touches on the ball today. If he was properly positioned as a central attacking middie, Adu would have created many more scoring chance for Team USA. Many more!
The United States deployed a standard 4-4-2 alignment against the team from the Raising Sun. I strongly feel they should have deployed a better suited 4-3-1-2 with Adu playing as the roaming, attacking midfielder to set up Altidore and McBride up front. OR, they could have played the 4-4-2 with a diamond in the midfield, which would basically have done the same thing with Adu at the front of the diamond, Rogers and Kljestan on the wings and Michael Bradley playing the defensive middie role. That is actually the same thing Argentina does with Riquelme as the attacking mid and Marcherano as the defensive mid.
Did you see the last 15 minutes? Altidore had a huge impact in the short time he was in there. You had that feeling that he was going to score. You just didn't know when. I'll tell you one thing. Altidore would have scored if he had more time on the field! How many chances did he create? More than McBride did in 75 minutes. McBride is only good in the air. We have heard what a star in the making Altidore is. Well, how is he going to develop if he is on the bench? It is an under-23 tournament with 3 exceptions. It doesn't mean that Jozy HAS to play behind a 36 year old.
As I said yesterday, can the US Soccer coaches please play their stars in their natural positions and positions where they can be most effective? Please. Get Jozy out there for 75 minutes and move Adu to an attcking midfield position. I can live with Maurice Edu as a center back, if you feel you have to get him minutes because you can see he does have loads of talent, but get him out of there for someone who plays that position regularly when the game is on the line. Make these adjustments and the US Men's Olympic Soccer Team may just surprise the Dutch and ####ians.
Let me start by saying that US Soccer has produced several world-class goalies. Yipee!! Don't get me wrong. Having a solid goalie manning the pipes can certainly help you win, heck it can even steal a win for you. Friedel, Keller, Howard and Hahnemann have all proven themselves for Team USA and across the pond in the English Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world. However, in order to win consistently on the world stage, you need world-class field position players, period. You have to be able to score goals consistently and to have a threat on the field that can score given the slimmest of opportunities.
Just a little fact, the US Men's National Team has not scored a goal during the run of play, not off a set piece, since their game against Mexico back in February. They didn't score in their last three versus Argentina, Spain or England. Against Poland, they won 3-0, but did not control play nor look impressive as they scored on three set pieces.
It is my opinion that the US have no world-class players, goalies aside. Maybe you agree. Maybe you disagree. But, I ask you to name one? Think long and hard. Don't rush. Exactly, there isn't any. Why is this? My opinion is two fold. First, soccer here is not like the rest of the world. Here, you can grab a bunch of guys, go to the park and play pickup basketball or some two-hand touch football. In the rest of the world, that is the case with soccer. Like we have park with basketball and handball courts, they have soccer fields, where many lessons are learned. In the US, soccer seems to be a scheduled event, not improvised. Second, I think the US soccer coaches treat soccer like it is football or basketball, each team gets a possession with a shot clock/play clock, the offense calls a play and the defense calls an alignment to stop it. Soccer isn't like that. There is no play clock. You don't play possession by possession. Soccer is all about transition, creation, feel and improvisation.
The Togans have Emmanuel Adebayor. The Ivory Coast has Didier Drogba. Heck, Bulgaria has Dimitar Berbatov, who Manchester United is about to splash out $30 million dollars for. Does anyone know anything about Bulgarian soccer? Me neither. However, these are all world-class players at their respective positions, playing on the world's biggest stages. I can go on with other names from other small countries, but I hope you understand my point.
Now, don't get me wong. I think the US midfield has steadily improved, but there are no world-class players positioned there, like Ghana's Mike Essien. Other than the great Claudio Reyna, US midfielders have not faired very well in the European Union. The US coach's son, Michael Bradley is as close as it gets, having played very well in the Netherlands. Bradley, Beasley, Donovan, who I'll talk about another time, and Dempsey, who plays as an attacking midfielder with his current club, Fulham FC of England, and with his former MLS club, New England Revolution. However, the US Men's National Team plays him as a striker. But, he isn't one.
I maybe in the minority. I may be in the majority, that's determined by popular opinion. The US has no world-class strikers who can consistently put the ball in the back of the net or be an international threat to score given the slimmest of chances.
Brian McBride, retired from the National Team and having just return to the MLS from England, didn't score a goal in the 2006 World Cup and isn't a world-class player at his position. Aren't you tired of watching Eddie Johnson do nothing on the world stage, and I'm not talking about the likes of Barbados, Guadaloupe or Antigua. The aforementioned Donovan and Dempsey are middies that we put up front to try and score goals! Does anyone remember last year's Gold Cup final against Mexico, which the US won 2-1? Remember Donovan and Beasley on a two-on-none breakway late in the match with a chance to put the game out of reach? Two-on-none? Yikes! They both looked so uncomfortable, not knowing what to do, as the ball sailed high over the crossbar. You think Tevez and Messi do that? Del Piero and Toni? Klose and Podolski? Any of the Brazilians? No.
I have felt for a long time that Brian Ching deserved more opportunity with the National Team to show his talents. He was either buried on the bench or not selected for duty. The same with Taylor Twellman. When healthy, both of those gentlemen were top goal scorers in the MLS. Regardless, it is time to look "forward" in US Soccer. All of the previous US strikers should be sent to the bench, or returned to the midfield.
It is time for Jozy Altidore and Kenny Cooper to get a consistent chance to show their stuff for the US Men's National Team heading into the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers this fall. Cooper, the two-time MLS player of the week and previously of Manchester United's youth system, has looked as if he belongs in another league over the past month or so. He finally looks as though he is fulfilling his promise that brought him to Manchester. Something has triggered his confidence as he has looked to be playing a different game than everyone else recently.
Other than Cooper's recent outburst, Altidore has been the US's best striker the past two years, period, and he is only 18-years old. Earlier this summer, Altidore was bought by Villareal, who finished second behind Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga last season. Now, Jozy gets a chance to prove he belongs on the world stage with La Liga, arguably the top league in the world last year, top to bottom. Altidore and Cooper seem to be not only very comfortable with the ball at their feet, but with defenders on them, too. They both can make those subtle moves that give them just enough space to get off a scoring chance (look at Altidore's winning goal against Brazil in last year's U-20 World Cup and Cooper's recent performance versus LA Galaxy).
Whether it be Rooney with England, Messi with Argentina, or a young Ronaldinho for Brazil, other countries allow their young, talented phenoms to play against the world's best. It is time for the 18-year old Altidore and the 23-year old Cooper to play and play often. No more Johnson, Donovan or Dempsey up front, please? On the world stage, those guys are only good running at full speed with no one on them, and even then we've seen what they can't do. Leave Donovan and Dempsey in the midfield and put Johnson and the 31-year old Ching on the bench.
I want nothing more than for US Soccer to crack the Top 10 in the world. In the latest FIFA rankings, Team USA is currently ranked #31, behind the likes of # 19 Ghana, #20 Isreal, #21 Egypt, #25 Ivory Coast and #29 Poland and Norway, tied. We have plenty of speed to wreak havoc in the midfield with Donovan, Beasley, Bradley and Dempsey. The very creative and exciting Freddy Adu is about ready to become a consistant performer for the next 10 years or so, but an ample reserve. Now, let's get a couple of forwards that have a feel and improvisation for the beautiful game and who would work very well together. I don't ever remember saying to myself that two US forwards ever worked well off of each other.
The time is now. The time is perfect, actually. It is the Third Round of the CONCACAF qualifying. The US could probably roll out the second stringers and move on. Hopefully, we finally have two world-class strikers who need the opportunity to grow and mature on the pitch, against the world's best. Play Altidore and Cooper, please.
