Do you respect wood?
Have you ever inadvertently sported a "pants tent"?
Better yet, have you ever starred in "The Producers" on Broadway?
Even if you're not Larry David, it's hard to be less enthused by Wednesday night's USMNT pre-World Cup friendly in Tampa, Fla., against El Salvador.
Admittedly, it's hard to remember a time my gusto has been so curbed for a U.S. international. That's even counting those January encounters the last couple seasons with the "B" teams from Sweden and Denmark.
This lack of spirit likely boils down to three major sticking points:
a) Of the 20-men Bob Bradley selected for the match, how many are legitimately going to South Africa in June? Two? Three? And one of those players is the lightning rod named Jonathon Bornstein.
b) On Wednesday, gun to your head, what would you rather spend two hours of your time doing? Watching Chelsea and Inter in the Champions League in the afternoon or a bunch of fringe U.S. players taking on team No. 71 in the FIFA rankings in a stadium that features a pirate's ship in one end zone? (Really, there is only so much of the beautiful game your body can injest.)
c) The residual base taste in my mouth from the previous friendly -- last month vs. Honduras -- that winded up being a colossal waste of time and energy for the U.S. since it played 70-odd minutes with 10 men.
Beyond that, barring some strange new developments or injuries the roster is essentially set for the U.S. World Cup team. We know the stone-cold locks, assuming they're healthy: Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Carlos Bocengra, Oguchi Onyewu and Brad Guzan. From there the next clutch of guys are about 90 percent certain: Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Jonathon Spector, Charlie Davies, Jay DeMerit, Bornstein and Steve Cherundolo.
How many of the remaining eight slots will be filled from the pool Wednesday in Tampa is debatable, though some recent developments across the pond do change some dynamics.
* The $1,000,000 question -- Remember how I mentioned nobody on the U.S. roster oozed charisma? Idiotically I omitted Charlie Davies from the discussion since he's one of the few U.S. players that seems to always have a smile on his face. He plays with a swagger.
Over the last week the injured Sochaux striker has swayed public opinion to levels where most followers think he'll be part of the World Cup mix, making his horrific car accident in October seem like a thing of the distant past.
You don't need to write how much better the U.S. attack is with a healthy Davies. It's like saying is a sandwich better with bacon on it -- an obvious point.
Davies' health alone could change the entire tenor of World Cup for the USMNT. On top of giving the Yanks a glided edge with speed to burn at the top of the attack, his simple presence of being in the team would lift spirits. Don't underestimate good vibrations. Even if Davies doesn't find himself healthy enough to play, he seems so well-liked by his teammates that they'll rally around him, giving them a common purpose.
And if he does indeed work his way back to match fitness by June, it'll rank right up there with the best sports story of the year, Olympic soft-focus features be damned.
However, let's not jump to any conclusions. Until Davies does indeed log at least 45 minutes in a Ligue 1 match, let alone the full 90, all it is idle speculation. This isn't trying to be my typical wet-blanket self, it's just reality.
Forward is clearly the most unsettled roster spot for the U.S. and Davies changes the equation massively. He's a Desmond Hume-like variable.
But all this good news also presents a challenge to Bob Bradley. Does he plan for a World Cup with or without Davies? There isn't really any way to figure this out, either, until we see Davies on the field. Until then all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for good news.
* The Odyssey -- Say this of Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson, they are at least getting brun with Aris in the Greek Super League. Does it put them back into the U.S. mix?
Me? I'm personally though with Johnson. Too many bad memories and unrealistic expectations. Just seeing him in the U.S. lineup slumps my shoulders. (Look, I'm being honest.) We've never seen Johnson do anything against high-level competition. Yes, he does have speed, but isn't exactly a great ball-winner nor has he shown a strong finishing touch.
Adu on the other hand? As I mentioned last week, he could bring at least provide a spark off the bench in a 20-minute burst. Assuming Adu keeps playing at Aris, he should be in some sort of form. The U.S. still doesn't have a player with his skill set and if his head is in the right place, he could bring something to the table.
Ask yourself this, would you have Adu on the roster or any of the MLS stable of midfielders that's playing in Tampa Wednesday?
His shadow looms large, even if he's barely 5-foot-6.
* The auditions -- In the starting U.S. XI, where are the biggest question marks? Right now it seems Michael Bradley's central midfield partner and forward, assuming Davies isn't fit.
We can almost pencil in Ricardo Clark, but some have called for Benny Feilhaber, Jose Torres, Maurice Edu and others. Feilhaber is probably locked into more of a utility/sub role, while Torres hasn't exactly been given a lot of chances by Bob Bradley to play 90 minutes. He does have a nice passing touch, but is still a little unproven. Edu? It's start-stop, start-stop, as he works back to 100 percent at Rangers. It's been so long since we've seen him in a U.S. shirt that you almost forget what he brings to the table.
The competition is open.
And forward? All depends, really, on Davies because the cupboard is pretty thin. We're down to a couple cans of pumpkin pie filling and wax beans. Yes, Jeff Cunningham is the wax beans.
Looks like one way or the other Conor Casey or Brian Ching are on the roster. There just aren't any other options. Robbie Findley? Let's see something before anointing him.
* Draw it up -- One thing about the current USMNT that I'm fairly certain about, they could put up a 0-0 draw with the best of them.
I still wonder how or where the goals are going to come from during the run of play?
One obvious cure is set pieces. With big bodies like Bocanegra and Onyewu, dead ball chances can't be squandered.
But how about from the back with Howard? Hear me out.
It's nothing new that the U.S. defenders aren't the best ball distributors in the world. So why not draw up some plays from goal kicks or after saves? Kasey Keller was abysmal doing this at the last World Cup. Break out the John Madden telestrator if need be. Designing plays shouldn't be difficult for an American team.
And to that end, how does the USMNT not have a rubber-armed player like Rory Delap with a deadly long throw? Aren't we pre-determined to be good at sports with our hands? If Premier League teams like Arsenal have no idea how to deal with a long-throw/bomb, what about England, Slovenia or Algeria?
Can we build on this?
* Do or do not, there is no try -- To put it mildly this is the last chance for Sacha Kljestan, Heath Pearce, Marvell Wynne, Chad Marshall, Robbie Rogers and Cunningham to impress, or at least make a marginal case that they deserve to get on the plane to South Africa.
Will a decent-to-strong match vs. El Salvador change your thoughts on them for the World Cup? Can we trust any of these players against front line international talent?
This isn't an AYSO tournament, where everyone who participates gets a trophy. It's survival of the fittest. The best of the best, or some other 1980s martial arts flick.
Oddly enough, Cunningham might have the best chance because form seems to benefit goal-scorers more than any other position.
* If a tree falls in the woods ... -- This might be a bit of a stretch, one of those, "if X, then Y", but if the 2010 MLS season is indeed interrupted by some sort of labor stoppage, how much does it affect the USMNT?
Bob Bradley only wants players who are playing, so if there's a prolonged work stoppage what would happen? Far-fetched, yes, but possible.
As for the MLS labor situation. Here's my two cents:
1) Let's be fair, it's not the NFL or MLB. If the MLS isn't play in March or April, not too many people are going to be rioting in the street. Sad but true. As long as the dispute doesn't leak into the World Cup time, then nobody will be too worse for the wear. It's hard to figure the players union is going to be able to survive for a long time without playing.
2) Saying that, don't rush back with a subpar agreement simply to avoid a work stoppage. Make sure whatever the CBA is, that's its tenable for both sides. (The MLS labor deal, vis-a-vis the world market is beyond complicated.)
3) I'm guessing until the league ends expansion, bringing in new owners and voices, the single entity structure will remain in place. If certain cities (Kansas City, Columbus, Chivas in LA) or owners aren't viable in the new MLS, it appears other cities are willing to step up and support a club.
More than anything, the negotiations make my head hurt.
As for the match itself:
Would a little cohesion hurt? How about some discipline? At least finish the match with 11 men? Produce some viable depth in the case of first-team injury calamity?
El Salvador is clearly a step down from Honduras, so the U.S., even at half-strength has no excuses or crutches to lean back if they don't play well. Even then, it's hard to read very much into what happens here. Does one strong showing against a so-so national side justify a World Cup roster spot?
If there's one thing that would be worthwhile to see, is Findley and Ching starting together at forward since it's more of a likely scenario -- the big guy, the speed guy -- to happen when the matches really count. Findley and Cunningham didn't click last month, so why would it be different this time?
It'd be nice, too, to see if Clarence Goodson is a viable central defense option. He is 6-foot-4 and wiry. Would you feel safe if he's starting at the World Cup? He's probably shown the most of any other candidate, should Onyewu, Bocanegra or DeMerit pull up lame.
And for the rest of the team?
Think of it as a school yard game of kickball and you're picking through the last couple kids.
We've seen all of these guys plenty of times over the last year. It's pretty much the 2009 Gold Cup team, without Stuart Holden, the one breakout/positive player from that group. It's hard to figure a way for any of these players making an impact.
Allow ESPN and John Harkes to make the hard sell.
I won't b.s. you and try to pretend this match is all that important. Consider it a final, last chance for a lot of fringe players to sing for their international supper.
It is a game, thus we shall watch, which is better than nothing at all.
(One little update, have to be somewhere tonight so I'll have to watch on the DVR and will post after that, closer to after midnight.)
Have you ever inadvertently sported a "pants tent"?
Better yet, have you ever starred in "The Producers" on Broadway?
Even if you're not Larry David, it's hard to be less enthused by Wednesday night's USMNT pre-World Cup friendly in Tampa, Fla., against El Salvador.
Admittedly, it's hard to remember a time my gusto has been so curbed for a U.S. international. That's even counting those January encounters the last couple seasons with the "B" teams from Sweden and Denmark.
This lack of spirit likely boils down to three major sticking points:
a) Of the 20-men Bob Bradley selected for the match, how many are legitimately going to South Africa in June? Two? Three? And one of those players is the lightning rod named Jonathon Bornstein.
b) On Wednesday, gun to your head, what would you rather spend two hours of your time doing? Watching Chelsea and Inter in the Champions League in the afternoon or a bunch of fringe U.S. players taking on team No. 71 in the FIFA rankings in a stadium that features a pirate's ship in one end zone? (Really, there is only so much of the beautiful game your body can injest.)
c) The residual base taste in my mouth from the previous friendly -- last month vs. Honduras -- that winded up being a colossal waste of time and energy for the U.S. since it played 70-odd minutes with 10 men.
Beyond that, barring some strange new developments or injuries the roster is essentially set for the U.S. World Cup team. We know the stone-cold locks, assuming they're healthy: Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Carlos Bocengra, Oguchi Onyewu and Brad Guzan. From there the next clutch of guys are about 90 percent certain: Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Jonathon Spector, Charlie Davies, Jay DeMerit, Bornstein and Steve Cherundolo.
How many of the remaining eight slots will be filled from the pool Wednesday in Tampa is debatable, though some recent developments across the pond do change some dynamics.
* The $1,000,000 question -- Remember how I mentioned nobody on the U.S. roster oozed charisma? Idiotically I omitted Charlie Davies from the discussion since he's one of the few U.S. players that seems to always have a smile on his face. He plays with a swagger.
Over the last week the injured Sochaux striker has swayed public opinion to levels where most followers think he'll be part of the World Cup mix, making his horrific car accident in October seem like a thing of the distant past.
You don't need to write how much better the U.S. attack is with a healthy Davies. It's like saying is a sandwich better with bacon on it -- an obvious point.
Davies' health alone could change the entire tenor of World Cup for the USMNT. On top of giving the Yanks a glided edge with speed to burn at the top of the attack, his simple presence of being in the team would lift spirits. Don't underestimate good vibrations. Even if Davies doesn't find himself healthy enough to play, he seems so well-liked by his teammates that they'll rally around him, giving them a common purpose.
And if he does indeed work his way back to match fitness by June, it'll rank right up there with the best sports story of the year, Olympic soft-focus features be damned.
However, let's not jump to any conclusions. Until Davies does indeed log at least 45 minutes in a Ligue 1 match, let alone the full 90, all it is idle speculation. This isn't trying to be my typical wet-blanket self, it's just reality.
Forward is clearly the most unsettled roster spot for the U.S. and Davies changes the equation massively. He's a Desmond Hume-like variable.
But all this good news also presents a challenge to Bob Bradley. Does he plan for a World Cup with or without Davies? There isn't really any way to figure this out, either, until we see Davies on the field. Until then all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for good news.
* The Odyssey -- Say this of Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson, they are at least getting brun with Aris in the Greek Super League. Does it put them back into the U.S. mix?
Me? I'm personally though with Johnson. Too many bad memories and unrealistic expectations. Just seeing him in the U.S. lineup slumps my shoulders. (Look, I'm being honest.) We've never seen Johnson do anything against high-level competition. Yes, he does have speed, but isn't exactly a great ball-winner nor has he shown a strong finishing touch.
Adu on the other hand? As I mentioned last week, he could bring at least provide a spark off the bench in a 20-minute burst. Assuming Adu keeps playing at Aris, he should be in some sort of form. The U.S. still doesn't have a player with his skill set and if his head is in the right place, he could bring something to the table.
Ask yourself this, would you have Adu on the roster or any of the MLS stable of midfielders that's playing in Tampa Wednesday?
His shadow looms large, even if he's barely 5-foot-6.
* The auditions -- In the starting U.S. XI, where are the biggest question marks? Right now it seems Michael Bradley's central midfield partner and forward, assuming Davies isn't fit.
We can almost pencil in Ricardo Clark, but some have called for Benny Feilhaber, Jose Torres, Maurice Edu and others. Feilhaber is probably locked into more of a utility/sub role, while Torres hasn't exactly been given a lot of chances by Bob Bradley to play 90 minutes. He does have a nice passing touch, but is still a little unproven. Edu? It's start-stop, start-stop, as he works back to 100 percent at Rangers. It's been so long since we've seen him in a U.S. shirt that you almost forget what he brings to the table.
The competition is open.
And forward? All depends, really, on Davies because the cupboard is pretty thin. We're down to a couple cans of pumpkin pie filling and wax beans. Yes, Jeff Cunningham is the wax beans.
Looks like one way or the other Conor Casey or Brian Ching are on the roster. There just aren't any other options. Robbie Findley? Let's see something before anointing him.
* Draw it up -- One thing about the current USMNT that I'm fairly certain about, they could put up a 0-0 draw with the best of them.
I still wonder how or where the goals are going to come from during the run of play?
One obvious cure is set pieces. With big bodies like Bocanegra and Onyewu, dead ball chances can't be squandered.
But how about from the back with Howard? Hear me out.
It's nothing new that the U.S. defenders aren't the best ball distributors in the world. So why not draw up some plays from goal kicks or after saves? Kasey Keller was abysmal doing this at the last World Cup. Break out the John Madden telestrator if need be. Designing plays shouldn't be difficult for an American team.
And to that end, how does the USMNT not have a rubber-armed player like Rory Delap with a deadly long throw? Aren't we pre-determined to be good at sports with our hands? If Premier League teams like Arsenal have no idea how to deal with a long-throw/bomb, what about England, Slovenia or Algeria?
Can we build on this?
* Do or do not, there is no try -- To put it mildly this is the last chance for Sacha Kljestan, Heath Pearce, Marvell Wynne, Chad Marshall, Robbie Rogers and Cunningham to impress, or at least make a marginal case that they deserve to get on the plane to South Africa.
Will a decent-to-strong match vs. El Salvador change your thoughts on them for the World Cup? Can we trust any of these players against front line international talent?
This isn't an AYSO tournament, where everyone who participates gets a trophy. It's survival of the fittest. The best of the best, or some other 1980s martial arts flick.
Oddly enough, Cunningham might have the best chance because form seems to benefit goal-scorers more than any other position.
* If a tree falls in the woods ... -- This might be a bit of a stretch, one of those, "if X, then Y", but if the 2010 MLS season is indeed interrupted by some sort of labor stoppage, how much does it affect the USMNT?
Bob Bradley only wants players who are playing, so if there's a prolonged work stoppage what would happen? Far-fetched, yes, but possible.
As for the MLS labor situation. Here's my two cents:
1) Let's be fair, it's not the NFL or MLB. If the MLS isn't play in March or April, not too many people are going to be rioting in the street. Sad but true. As long as the dispute doesn't leak into the World Cup time, then nobody will be too worse for the wear. It's hard to figure the players union is going to be able to survive for a long time without playing.
2) Saying that, don't rush back with a subpar agreement simply to avoid a work stoppage. Make sure whatever the CBA is, that's its tenable for both sides. (The MLS labor deal, vis-a-vis the world market is beyond complicated.)
3) I'm guessing until the league ends expansion, bringing in new owners and voices, the single entity structure will remain in place. If certain cities (Kansas City, Columbus, Chivas in LA) or owners aren't viable in the new MLS, it appears other cities are willing to step up and support a club.
More than anything, the negotiations make my head hurt.
As for the match itself:
Would a little cohesion hurt? How about some discipline? At least finish the match with 11 men? Produce some viable depth in the case of first-team injury calamity?
El Salvador is clearly a step down from Honduras, so the U.S., even at half-strength has no excuses or crutches to lean back if they don't play well. Even then, it's hard to read very much into what happens here. Does one strong showing against a so-so national side justify a World Cup roster spot?
If there's one thing that would be worthwhile to see, is Findley and Ching starting together at forward since it's more of a likely scenario -- the big guy, the speed guy -- to happen when the matches really count. Findley and Cunningham didn't click last month, so why would it be different this time?
It'd be nice, too, to see if Clarence Goodson is a viable central defense option. He is 6-foot-4 and wiry. Would you feel safe if he's starting at the World Cup? He's probably shown the most of any other candidate, should Onyewu, Bocanegra or DeMerit pull up lame.
And for the rest of the team?
Think of it as a school yard game of kickball and you're picking through the last couple kids.
We've seen all of these guys plenty of times over the last year. It's pretty much the 2009 Gold Cup team, without Stuart Holden, the one breakout/positive player from that group. It's hard to figure a way for any of these players making an impact.
Allow ESPN and John Harkes to make the hard sell.
I won't b.s. you and try to pretend this match is all that important. Consider it a final, last chance for a lot of fringe players to sing for their international supper.
It is a game, thus we shall watch, which is better than nothing at all.
(One little update, have to be somewhere tonight so I'll have to watch on the DVR and will post after that, closer to after midnight.)
Labels: 2010 world cup, bob bradley, Friendlies, Soccer, USMNT
My first thought about this game is 'Really?' US Soccer is really going to play this match on a Champions League day that also happens to be during the Olympics! Why not tomorrow night to skip competing with any CL matches? Why not in a week when the Olympics are over?
Cardillo, you are correct that only the hardest of the hard-core USMNT fans are going to care enough to watch this game. I wouldn't put myself in that category, since I have never traveled to an away match in Havana with a mask over my face. But I am relatively close to that level of interest, and I cannot imagine myself carving out two hours today (4-6pm on the West Coast). So why am I complaining? If no one is gonna watch Bradley the Elder's "Making the Band" game - why does it matter when it is played? It is the principle of the thing.
US Soccer just doesn't "get" it. The on the field stuff seems to be handled well. I don't think Bradley the Elder is a genius, but he is the right level of coach for this team. Someone like Guus would be wasted on the USMNT at this juncture. The team has improved their results as well as their prospects for the future.
It is the off the field stuff that blows. The Super League and the Gld Cup are still meaningless to US players/teams. USMNT 'home' games still feel like they are being played on foreign soil (or Ohio). Even the team crest with the star on it, the one that no one at US Soccer is willing to acknowledge makes us look like we are claiming some world championship that we have never even come close to winning, makes the US squad look like dopey, unsophisticated amateurs.
Making soccer a major player in the US is an uphill battle. I get that. But nothing US Soccer has done recently has moved the game forward. Donovan and Dempsey and Altidore may have advanced the sport's profile with 'casual' fans, but it would be nice to see that Gulati and others at US Soccer were learning and growing as fast as our players.
Our best Long Throw specialist happens to be one of our targets for such plays. Gooch. The 2-2 draw with Mexico two years back now had Gooch scoring off of a long throw that rebounded back to him.