Guess I missed the memo.
Somewhere along the line, the summer was supposed to be the slow part of the year in terms of soccer, well, aside from MLS.
Then something happened making this year absolutely crazy. The soccer slate in America was more jam-packed than James Gandolfini trying to squeeze his way into wardrobe in the final seasons of 'The Sopranos.'
We had the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup, an endless wave of friendlies on ESPN and yes, even MLS.
So what have we learned through all of this, two weeks until the showdown at Azteca Stadium on Aug. 12 -- airing on Spanish UHF station.
Before delving into individual topics, in the grand scheme of things the U.S. is still probably back where it started the summer, a very competent team that on a given day can turn into a very good, to great team if everything clicks.
Coming back from the brink at the Confederations Cup, defeating Spain and pushing Brazil made June a memorable month, but will be nothing more than memories once the whistle blows a year from now in South Africa.
* Charlie Davies has a bright future, we think -- In short, Davies broke out and declared himself at the Confederations Cup. Now comes the hard part -- proving it wasn't a two-week blip. World soccer, let alone U.S. soccer, is littered with would-be talents, who flashed brightly and faded away. Moving to Ligue 1 is a step in the right direction for Davies, but at the same time the element of surprise come 2010 won't be around for the New Hampshire native.
* Freddy Adu remains in purgatory -- Not to draw too many comparisons, but if Gio Dos Santos's father played in MLS instead of the FMF and he was born a Yank, would Bob Bradley have room in his lineup for the talented, if inconsistent Tottenham player? Dos Santos is a little bigger and stronger than Adu, but they do have somewhat comparable skill sets.
Maybe this is a bad example since the soccer cultures in the two CONCACAF rivals is different. El Tri seems to embrace individual skills and talents, while Bradley, it would seem, would be just as happy to coach the North Korean XI.
Anyway, maybe Adu was all hype. Maybe he wasn't. The Adu/Bradley marriage is never going to work, barring some major counseling.
Oh well.
* The Red Mist -- Here's a question for U.S. fans? Would you rather have a bunch of floppers dripping with hair product like(cough, cough) Italy, Portugal, etc. Or would you rather have real 'men's men' that might not flop, but make rash slide tackles and get sent off? (Or you can have David Beckham circa 1998 and get both.)
Discipline can be taught and instilled in players and you'd figure that would be right in Bradley the Elder's (tm 30f) wheelhouse. Of course, the biggest culprit is Bradley the Younger, and in a big game his rash tackles and hot temper have already and could cost the U.S. down the road. He needs a stern father-son chat.
* ESPN needs more soccer voices -- If the WWL keeps up its foray into the beautiful game, it needs more bodies able to talk about the sport intelligently. At this point in the game ESPN could probably get 100 different talking heads to give a five minute talk on Michael Vick and about two for Michael Essien.
Alexi Lalas is good, if repetitive. And after him? Tommy Smyth? Shaka Hislop?
Excuse me while I log directly onto the Inter-nets to discuss the game.
Then again, maybe the charm of soccer is the lack of analysis, that we don't have to deal with 43 people talking about Brett Favre's will-he, won't-he routine on a nightly basis.
And no sideline reporters either.
(Side note, people we killing Max Bretos and FSC in general for the Gold Cup coverage. It definitely left a lot to be desired, but before my personal knives come out, I'll reserve judgement until after the Champions League coverage begins in August.)
* Do these high-profile friendlies do anything to help MLS? -- It's somewhat a Catch-22. Running stuff like the 'World Football Challenge' helps increase the exposure of soccer in the United States and gets people, for example, like Bill Simmons interested. More soccer on television can't be a bad thing.
At the same time, folks tuning into Chelsea/Inter Milan realize this is the creme de la creme, while MLS isn't yet even close to that level. So to that degree ESPN airing these matches detracts from MLS. Granted, if every game could be as entertaining and gorgeously shot as the Chicago/Seattle match on Saturday from the Emerald City perhaps this would be a moot point.
The billion dollar question remains how MLS can turn soccer fans in America into MLS fans?
* Landon Donovan is no longer Landycakes -- From peach salad to the receding hairline to the robotic monotone, Donovan is almost too easy a target. Almost.
That said, at the Confederations Cup he did step up his game and show why he's the best player in U.S. history. Though he's not a tricky dribbler like a Lionel Messi, Donovan does have great pace especially taking on a defender 1-v-1. And I've probably underrated or diminished his finishing ability, it's better then he gets credit for sometimes. Yes, he free kick delivery needs work, but that can be tweaked in training, right?
It's not going overboard to say the next 12 months will define Donovan's career, whether he jumps to Europe for the fourth time or not. He needs to redeem himself for the 2006 World Cup and will get that chance.
If he shows up like he did at the Confederations Cup next summer, he'll forever shut up the haters and the doubters. Screw the pooch again? Then it's another round of lamb pizza jokes.
* Where is Clint Dempsey's best position? -- His best work was done when he moved forward in front of goal in the Confederations Cup. To me, this is the biggest domino that needs to fall for the U.S. starting XI.
If you play Dempsey as a forward, be it paired with Jozy Altidore or Charlie Davies, ideally as a final 30-minute sub, this reduces Bradley's reliance on Brian Ching. Of course, for this to work, Stuart Holden needs to slot into the right midfield position and show he can hack it against Mexico, Costa Rica and not just Greneda and Haiti.
* Will the U.S. ever produce top-quality outside backs? -- On the plus side, Jonathon Spector announced his intentions and likely wrested the right back position away from Steve Cherundolo. This is a good thing, nothing against Cherundolo who's been the consummate pro, but you want younger players to push their way into the lineup to create competition and depth.
On the left side, well, that remains somewhat of a black hole unless you like Carlos Bocanegra shifted out there with Oguchi Onyweu and Jay DeMerit central. Heath Pearce? Jonathon Bornstein?
Pearce seems to have the position by default, but over the next 11 months it could fluctuate.
* Did we learn anything from the Gold Cup?: Short answer: not really; Long answer: well, kinda, but still not really.
We'll find out Aug. 12 if the Gold Cup meant anything if Ching (I've written enough about him, scroll down for my opinions) is in the starting XI and Stuart Holden is on the bench, or at least included in the squad.
Aside from those two, Troy Perkins seems competent to be goal keeper No. 3. In a pinch, say a midweek World Cup qualifier later this year, Bradley might be able to sneak Kyle Beckerman into the lineup to save a European based player, possibly his son, a trip across the Atlantic.
Everybody else? Kenny Cooper had moments as a sub, but it seems unlikely he can break into the Top Four in the forward pecking order. Robbie Rogers seems to have a ceiling against strong competition.
Maybe the biggest or most pleasant surprise was Davy Arnaud, who actually brought something to the table. Too bad he's closer to 30 than 20. He's at least bought himself another call-back, or two.
* The "Bradley Conundrum" -- For me, this is the big one. We've pretty much determined Bradley wants "system" players to fit into the now preferred 4-4-2.
Bradley would have have the hard-working, albeit limited ceiling effort of Brian Ching as opposed to say, the possible individual brilliance of Freddy Adu.
The U.S. system appears to be focused on all ten field players going as hard as they can for 90 minutes, checking back on defense and hoping to catch the opponent on the break with the speed of Donovan or Davies.
What makes all this a bit of a conundrum is that although Bradley seems to want the sum of the team to be better than the individual parts, for the team to actually succeed he needs 'plus' performances from its key players. To some degree every team in the world needs this to be successful, yet for the U.S. it seems magnified because a 'meh' effort against a good team won't get the job done.
Even with the result against Spain and first half against Brazil I worry about the U.S.'s ability to score goals in the run of play against a good team.
Closing thoughts:
Of all the things that can be talked about and debated from the last two months of U.S. soccer, the biggest thing we can take away as fans as that the very least there is the potential to do something at the next World Cup. At the start of June, especially after the Costa Rica debacle not even the Pollyanna, USSF Kool Aid drinkers would have been able to believe that.
Again, as great as the Confederations Cup was -- it's the past.
It all, now and forever, boils down to three group stage games.
Let's hope that when they pull the balls out of the pots Sepp Blatter was sufficiently pleased with his kickaround at the new Giants Stadium over the weekend and doesn't stick the U.S. in the Group of Death again.
Somewhere along the line, the summer was supposed to be the slow part of the year in terms of soccer, well, aside from MLS.
Then something happened making this year absolutely crazy. The soccer slate in America was more jam-packed than James Gandolfini trying to squeeze his way into wardrobe in the final seasons of 'The Sopranos.'
We had the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup, an endless wave of friendlies on ESPN and yes, even MLS.
So what have we learned through all of this, two weeks until the showdown at Azteca Stadium on Aug. 12 -- airing on Spanish UHF station.
Before delving into individual topics, in the grand scheme of things the U.S. is still probably back where it started the summer, a very competent team that on a given day can turn into a very good, to great team if everything clicks.
Coming back from the brink at the Confederations Cup, defeating Spain and pushing Brazil made June a memorable month, but will be nothing more than memories once the whistle blows a year from now in South Africa.
* Charlie Davies has a bright future, we think -- In short, Davies broke out and declared himself at the Confederations Cup. Now comes the hard part -- proving it wasn't a two-week blip. World soccer, let alone U.S. soccer, is littered with would-be talents, who flashed brightly and faded away. Moving to Ligue 1 is a step in the right direction for Davies, but at the same time the element of surprise come 2010 won't be around for the New Hampshire native.
* Freddy Adu remains in purgatory -- Not to draw too many comparisons, but if Gio Dos Santos's father played in MLS instead of the FMF and he was born a Yank, would Bob Bradley have room in his lineup for the talented, if inconsistent Tottenham player? Dos Santos is a little bigger and stronger than Adu, but they do have somewhat comparable skill sets.
Maybe this is a bad example since the soccer cultures in the two CONCACAF rivals is different. El Tri seems to embrace individual skills and talents, while Bradley, it would seem, would be just as happy to coach the North Korean XI.
Anyway, maybe Adu was all hype. Maybe he wasn't. The Adu/Bradley marriage is never going to work, barring some major counseling.
Oh well.
* The Red Mist -- Here's a question for U.S. fans? Would you rather have a bunch of floppers dripping with hair product like(cough, cough) Italy, Portugal, etc. Or would you rather have real 'men's men' that might not flop, but make rash slide tackles and get sent off? (Or you can have David Beckham circa 1998 and get both.)
Discipline can be taught and instilled in players and you'd figure that would be right in Bradley the Elder's (tm 30f) wheelhouse. Of course, the biggest culprit is Bradley the Younger, and in a big game his rash tackles and hot temper have already and could cost the U.S. down the road. He needs a stern father-son chat.
* ESPN needs more soccer voices -- If the WWL keeps up its foray into the beautiful game, it needs more bodies able to talk about the sport intelligently. At this point in the game ESPN could probably get 100 different talking heads to give a five minute talk on Michael Vick and about two for Michael Essien.
Alexi Lalas is good, if repetitive. And after him? Tommy Smyth? Shaka Hislop?
Excuse me while I log directly onto the Inter-nets to discuss the game.
Then again, maybe the charm of soccer is the lack of analysis, that we don't have to deal with 43 people talking about Brett Favre's will-he, won't-he routine on a nightly basis.
And no sideline reporters either.
(Side note, people we killing Max Bretos and FSC in general for the Gold Cup coverage. It definitely left a lot to be desired, but before my personal knives come out, I'll reserve judgement until after the Champions League coverage begins in August.)
* Do these high-profile friendlies do anything to help MLS? -- It's somewhat a Catch-22. Running stuff like the 'World Football Challenge' helps increase the exposure of soccer in the United States and gets people, for example, like Bill Simmons interested. More soccer on television can't be a bad thing.
At the same time, folks tuning into Chelsea/Inter Milan realize this is the creme de la creme, while MLS isn't yet even close to that level. So to that degree ESPN airing these matches detracts from MLS. Granted, if every game could be as entertaining and gorgeously shot as the Chicago/Seattle match on Saturday from the Emerald City perhaps this would be a moot point.
The billion dollar question remains how MLS can turn soccer fans in America into MLS fans?
* Landon Donovan is no longer Landycakes -- From peach salad to the receding hairline to the robotic monotone, Donovan is almost too easy a target. Almost.
That said, at the Confederations Cup he did step up his game and show why he's the best player in U.S. history. Though he's not a tricky dribbler like a Lionel Messi, Donovan does have great pace especially taking on a defender 1-v-1. And I've probably underrated or diminished his finishing ability, it's better then he gets credit for sometimes. Yes, he free kick delivery needs work, but that can be tweaked in training, right?
It's not going overboard to say the next 12 months will define Donovan's career, whether he jumps to Europe for the fourth time or not. He needs to redeem himself for the 2006 World Cup and will get that chance.
If he shows up like he did at the Confederations Cup next summer, he'll forever shut up the haters and the doubters. Screw the pooch again? Then it's another round of lamb pizza jokes.
* Where is Clint Dempsey's best position? -- His best work was done when he moved forward in front of goal in the Confederations Cup. To me, this is the biggest domino that needs to fall for the U.S. starting XI.
If you play Dempsey as a forward, be it paired with Jozy Altidore or Charlie Davies, ideally as a final 30-minute sub, this reduces Bradley's reliance on Brian Ching. Of course, for this to work, Stuart Holden needs to slot into the right midfield position and show he can hack it against Mexico, Costa Rica and not just Greneda and Haiti.
* Will the U.S. ever produce top-quality outside backs? -- On the plus side, Jonathon Spector announced his intentions and likely wrested the right back position away from Steve Cherundolo. This is a good thing, nothing against Cherundolo who's been the consummate pro, but you want younger players to push their way into the lineup to create competition and depth.
On the left side, well, that remains somewhat of a black hole unless you like Carlos Bocanegra shifted out there with Oguchi Onyweu and Jay DeMerit central. Heath Pearce? Jonathon Bornstein?
Pearce seems to have the position by default, but over the next 11 months it could fluctuate.
* Did we learn anything from the Gold Cup?: Short answer: not really; Long answer: well, kinda, but still not really.
We'll find out Aug. 12 if the Gold Cup meant anything if Ching (I've written enough about him, scroll down for my opinions) is in the starting XI and Stuart Holden is on the bench, or at least included in the squad.
Aside from those two, Troy Perkins seems competent to be goal keeper No. 3. In a pinch, say a midweek World Cup qualifier later this year, Bradley might be able to sneak Kyle Beckerman into the lineup to save a European based player, possibly his son, a trip across the Atlantic.
Everybody else? Kenny Cooper had moments as a sub, but it seems unlikely he can break into the Top Four in the forward pecking order. Robbie Rogers seems to have a ceiling against strong competition.
Maybe the biggest or most pleasant surprise was Davy Arnaud, who actually brought something to the table. Too bad he's closer to 30 than 20. He's at least bought himself another call-back, or two.
* The "Bradley Conundrum" -- For me, this is the big one. We've pretty much determined Bradley wants "system" players to fit into the now preferred 4-4-2.
Bradley would have have the hard-working, albeit limited ceiling effort of Brian Ching as opposed to say, the possible individual brilliance of Freddy Adu.
The U.S. system appears to be focused on all ten field players going as hard as they can for 90 minutes, checking back on defense and hoping to catch the opponent on the break with the speed of Donovan or Davies.
What makes all this a bit of a conundrum is that although Bradley seems to want the sum of the team to be better than the individual parts, for the team to actually succeed he needs 'plus' performances from its key players. To some degree every team in the world needs this to be successful, yet for the U.S. it seems magnified because a 'meh' effort against a good team won't get the job done.
Even with the result against Spain and first half against Brazil I worry about the U.S.'s ability to score goals in the run of play against a good team.
Closing thoughts:
Of all the things that can be talked about and debated from the last two months of U.S. soccer, the biggest thing we can take away as fans as that the very least there is the potential to do something at the next World Cup. At the start of June, especially after the Costa Rica debacle not even the Pollyanna, USSF Kool Aid drinkers would have been able to believe that.
Again, as great as the Confederations Cup was -- it's the past.
It all, now and forever, boils down to three group stage games.
Let's hope that when they pull the balls out of the pots Sepp Blatter was sufficiently pleased with his kickaround at the new Giants Stadium over the weekend and doesn't stick the U.S. in the Group of Death again.
Labels: bob bradley, concacaf, confederations cup, Gold Cup, Soccer, USMNT
The big time club friendlies that invade America (like the World Football Challenge) exist in a separate world from MLS. I imagine they neither help nor hurt the US's domestic league - since I don't think there is much of an overlap in the fan bases.
MLS is stuck, they have to really upgrade the quality of the games and players to compete with Europe on a head to head basis - and the salary cap is the exact opposite of that strategy. As Simmons noted in his podcast mentions of soccer, people are more and more willing to NOT see things in person but sit home and watch in HD. A Redsox fan in LA subscribing to the MLB package to watch his team from far away is just like the soccer fans here who prefer Serie A or La Liga to the less than stellar MLS. Satellites and cable allow us to watch the game we want, and people are much more likely to pick the GOOD game or the preferred team over the local one.
I would imagine that soccer fans in European countries do the same thing when confronted with weak local leagues. Don't fans in Austria watch Bayern or Inter on TV rather than the domestic Austrian league (if there is one)? I bet many Belgians would rather watch Arsenal or Barca on their own TVs than go out to the Jupiter league.
Great State of the Union for American Soccer. My comments...
I think you hit it on the head with the statement the less talking heads the better for real soccer fans in America. I dont think there is enough soccer talking talent out there for ESPN to employ. The less the better in my book.
-One MLS franchise's sideline reporter made it all the way to Comcast SportsNEt anchor and sideline reporter for NBA/MLB in 2 years.
Dempsey should play outside mid - he can do it for Fulham and if Bradley kicks him up to foward at the 70th min that works too.
Right back is really solid left back needs depth.
MLS Marketing - I'd guess part of the answer is to build excitement in the cities instead of nationally. Instead of marketing David Beckham on PTI to Joe America... use the Seattle Sounders method and create a great hometown atmosphere? Also HD HD HD!
USMNT post Gold Cup is same place it was post Confed Cup. The starting 11 should have same confidence for Aug 12 as it had going into the BRZL final.
The talking heads may be obnoxious but if there's one thing ESPN understands it's that relentless hype will bring in viewers. Having a few more people that know what they're talking about means more time spent talking soccer on Sportscenter, Cold Pizza, etc, which means more people watching whatever match they're hyping.
I'm pretty sure this has been talked about here at some point but I think part of the reason the Confed Cup made its way into the general sports consciousness in this country is because it had a recognizable storyline (Cinderella team making a run in a tournament) with recognizable characters (Spain, Brazil). Entertaining and smart commentators can help spread those storylines that bring in the more casual fans.
Cardillo,
Are you starting another fantasy league this year?
I must read your post now, just getting anxious after receiving Fulham's new shirt today in the post!
I generally find myself defending Bretos, who for all his tired schtick does have both knowledge of and enthusiasm for the game. His work in the final was dreadful, however.
The worst part of the analysis was that both he and Sullivan were treating the game as if the US was fielding its Top XI. They were desperate to place the game into the context of US-MEX history, but ignored the reality of the situation.
The ESPN hype machine doesn't work as well with Int'l soccer. The games are just too spread out. Let's say they hype the crap out of Azteca 8/12 (assuming they were going to show the game) and it ends in a 0-0 draw. Even if it's a great game all the casual fans brought in by the hype feel burned and probably won't be fooled again. It's not like the NBA or NFL where the let down of a boring game is quickly replaced by the hype for the next game.
@Robert - I understand your defense of Bretos, and he does have a lot of enthusiasm for the game. That said, he needs to talk one-half or even one-third as much as he does during matches. Period. So many of his gaffes and fumbles come from him trying to wedge EVERY bit of knowledge he has into the broadcast. Sullivan is way worse. What is a 'functional midfielder'? A player using Extenz? Like most US soccer broadcasters, they would be helped by letting the game explain itself more and cutting way down on the yammering.
@Coach - You are completely right. And I don't WANT espn to crank up the hype machine for soccer. One of the tremendous pleasures of following the game here in the states is that the coverage is not as amped up as the 'major' US sports. The writers who do work our obscure corner of the sports scene seem to play more to the informed rather than taking the role of the carnival barker tryna get us into the tent (Bretos excepted - he is always selling me on a match I am already watching). No one wants A-Rod/Farrvverrer levels of coverage of soccer, do we?
"Even with the result against Spain and first half against Brazil I worry about the U.S.'s ability to score goals in the run of play against a good team."
That ability will determine the US fate in 2010.
Excellent post, Cardillo.
i'm going to have to sit and digest before I comment in full.
that said, the quickest way for Bob Bradley to get fired is for him to continue to play his center mid combo of Michael Bradley and Rico Clark. No way does any US team beat a real team with that combo in the middle.