"Let it go Jack." -- Oft repeated line from "Lost."
On May 23 the most memorable* television show of our lifetime -- "Lost" -- will sign off for good with what figures to be the biggest lightning rod of idiot box discussion since Steve Perry serenaded Tony Soprano to an abrupt black screen three years ago on HBO.
* Memorable, mind you, not exactly the best.
Now is probably a good time to warn you it might be best to rush off to your local Best Buy or update on your Netflix queue. If you haven't seen the previous five and a half seasons of "Lost", go out and watch them, then get back here and reread this in three months. You'll thank me later. (Take that as an advance spoiler alert.)
Oh wait, that won't work for this process of this exercise, so much like the characters on the show, you'll just have to trust me to why it pertains to the release of the USMNT preliminary 2010 World Cup roster Tuesday afternoon.
"Lost", much like the USMNT is an ensemble show with a deep cast of characters who's adventures we've come to know and sometimes even love.
If there's a true protagonist on "Lost", it's probably Jack Shepard -- the man of science who, as we hit the finale, has morphed into the man of faith.
For years as a fan of "Lost" I've never much liked the character of Jack, who was hell bent on getting off the Island. Jack was pushy, angry, irrational and plain hard to like -- even with in his "In Utero" blaring, homeless man beard-wearing stage of life.
Jack was so driven by singular purpose, he let nearly everything else fly over his head. You know, the can't see the forest but for the trees, scenario.
Flash forward a few seasons and Jack is a picture of calm, even in the face of a scene from last week's episode which seemed ripped straight from "The Abyss." He's finally embraced the philosophy is old rival -- John Locke -- tried to force feed him for four plus seasons.
For the last few years, it's safe to say my thoughts on the USMNT were very Jack-like. Watching the team, be it a 'B' international vs. Sweden in front of 5,000 in Carson, Calif., or the Copa America or the Gold Cup or a CONCACAF qualifier, everything I thought, wrote or felt boiled down to the singular idea of the U.S. figuring out a way to break through in the World Cup or at least erase the bad taste from four years ago.
Most, if not all, of this was formed by the failure I saw first hand in Germany as the U.S. looked, frankly, like a crew of amateurs.
Part of my disillusion, too, came from the unfortunate over-sell leading up to the 2006 tournament. Perhaps we should have all seen this coming, right? The "Don't Tread" Nike campaign**, the magazine covers, the mainstream features, all piggy-backing on the run to the 2002 quarterfinals.
** Isn't it strange Nike hasn't rolled out a World Cup ad campaign for the U.S. or in general?
We had Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey and Oguchi Onyewu. Look out world, the Yanks are coming.
Within five minutes at the Arena Auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, the hype-air balloon popped thanks to Jan Koller chumpatizing Eddie Pope*** for headed goal. Good bye grand illusions, hello reality.
*** Be careful clicking that link.
And reality, yes, did indeed bite.
For the last three or so years my mind, mainly from this Internet pulpit, found reason to complain or at least play devil's advocate about nearly anything and everything that Sunil Gulati and the boys in Chicago did.
Bob Bradley? Nice guy, but he's not Jurgen Klinsmann.
Sending a C-level team to the Copa America? Disgraceful.
Ignoring guys like Kenny Cooper and Freddy Adu for middling MLSers? Stupidity.
Yet with the World Cup bearing down on us like a comet over Springfield instead of gashing my teeth or spending countless sleepless nights about the eventual fortunes of the USMNT all I can feel is an overwhelming sense of calm.
Much like Jack has accepted his destiny on "Lost", allowing whatever happens to happen, my pea-brained thoughts of the upcoming tournament in South Africa have been engulfed by a similar theme.
Whichever names Bradley announces Tuesday on ESPNEWS, he picks.**** The only real question mark for the starting XI on June 12 in Rustenberg against England revolves around the fitness levels of a segment of injured players.
**** Really, the only drama with the whole U.S. roster, is the health of Charlie Davies. You want to go crazy over Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle? Honestly, are either of those players making a huge impact on the U.S. team as a whole?
Watching the USMNT over the last two years, we know almost exactly what it is.
Maybe Bradley the Elder goes against type and unleashes a completely new game plan new month, but that wouldn't be his M.O., now would it? Perhaps a guy like Alejandro Bedoya emerges from out of nowhere (well, Sweden) to take the World Cup by storm.
Chances of Bradley swapping out his preferred 4-4-2 into some radical new system are about as likely as Glenn Beck announcing his unyielding love for President Obama.
It may not be all that exciting, but there's something to be said for a reliable system and steady lineup. The American track record and attributes are fairly straight forward.
The U.S. is strong physically, with good fitness levels.
By the same token, they're sometimes overly aggressive and prone to stupid, costly fouls.
As we saw at the Confederations Cup, the U.S. is excellent on the counterattack and has a collective resolve to rally when the backs are against the wall.
The fate of the team seems to lay in the hands, err, feet of Landon Donovan and enigmatic talents of Clint Dempsey. If those two are clicking, running at defenders and finding passing lanes, the U.S. can hang with anyone on the planet.
Regardless of what happens in the hugely hyped England match, the U.S. should be in position to qualify with very winnable matches with Slovenia and Algeria. Once, hopefully, in the knockout stages anything is possible in a 90 (or 120) minute match. The U.S. has a slim margin for error, but which of the 32 countries not named Brazil or Spain doesn't?
Perhaps this new found calmness is crazy. Maybe I should be writing how Jose Torres is a much better option than Benny Feilhaber. Or who is the best option at left back.*****
***** There isn't one.
Then again, if you frequent this site, you'll read my thoughts on those issues the last four years. The time for these debates has come and gone. Trying to change and shoehorn things at the 11 1/2 hour just seems silly.
It's like "Lost" this season. In the previous seasons I'd spend hours the next day after a new episode trying to unravel and decode each and every new mystery or clue. Now, with the end in sight, I'm at peace with however Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelhof decide to end it, so long as they don't take "The Prisoner" route. I'll read Sepinwall's review and that suffices.
More than anything, there are barely 30 days to see if the U.S. has learned anything from the errors of 2006. We'll see if the squad Bradley the Elder has assembled can sink or swim with our very own eyes not very long. The realm of the hypothetical, like "Lost" is nearly over.
For one, I'd like to enjoy the serene before the storm.
Then again, all bets still remain off when it comes to Jonathan Bornstein.
On May 23 the most memorable* television show of our lifetime -- "Lost" -- will sign off for good with what figures to be the biggest lightning rod of idiot box discussion since Steve Perry serenaded Tony Soprano to an abrupt black screen three years ago on HBO.
* Memorable, mind you, not exactly the best.
Now is probably a good time to warn you it might be best to rush off to your local Best Buy or update on your Netflix queue. If you haven't seen the previous five and a half seasons of "Lost", go out and watch them, then get back here and reread this in three months. You'll thank me later. (Take that as an advance spoiler alert.)
Oh wait, that won't work for this process of this exercise, so much like the characters on the show, you'll just have to trust me to why it pertains to the release of the USMNT preliminary 2010 World Cup roster Tuesday afternoon.
"Lost", much like the USMNT is an ensemble show with a deep cast of characters who's adventures we've come to know and sometimes even love.
If there's a true protagonist on "Lost", it's probably Jack Shepard -- the man of science who, as we hit the finale, has morphed into the man of faith.
For years as a fan of "Lost" I've never much liked the character of Jack, who was hell bent on getting off the Island. Jack was pushy, angry, irrational and plain hard to like -- even with in his "In Utero" blaring, homeless man beard-wearing stage of life.
Jack was so driven by singular purpose, he let nearly everything else fly over his head. You know, the can't see the forest but for the trees, scenario.
Flash forward a few seasons and Jack is a picture of calm, even in the face of a scene from last week's episode which seemed ripped straight from "The Abyss." He's finally embraced the philosophy is old rival -- John Locke -- tried to force feed him for four plus seasons.
For the last few years, it's safe to say my thoughts on the USMNT were very Jack-like. Watching the team, be it a 'B' international vs. Sweden in front of 5,000 in Carson, Calif., or the Copa America or the Gold Cup or a CONCACAF qualifier, everything I thought, wrote or felt boiled down to the singular idea of the U.S. figuring out a way to break through in the World Cup or at least erase the bad taste from four years ago.
Most, if not all, of this was formed by the failure I saw first hand in Germany as the U.S. looked, frankly, like a crew of amateurs.
Part of my disillusion, too, came from the unfortunate over-sell leading up to the 2006 tournament. Perhaps we should have all seen this coming, right? The "Don't Tread" Nike campaign**, the magazine covers, the mainstream features, all piggy-backing on the run to the 2002 quarterfinals.
** Isn't it strange Nike hasn't rolled out a World Cup ad campaign for the U.S. or in general?
We had Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey and Oguchi Onyewu. Look out world, the Yanks are coming.
Within five minutes at the Arena Auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, the hype-air balloon popped thanks to Jan Koller chumpatizing Eddie Pope*** for headed goal. Good bye grand illusions, hello reality.
*** Be careful clicking that link.
And reality, yes, did indeed bite.
For the last three or so years my mind, mainly from this Internet pulpit, found reason to complain or at least play devil's advocate about nearly anything and everything that Sunil Gulati and the boys in Chicago did.
Bob Bradley? Nice guy, but he's not Jurgen Klinsmann.
Sending a C-level team to the Copa America? Disgraceful.
Ignoring guys like Kenny Cooper and Freddy Adu for middling MLSers? Stupidity.
Yet with the World Cup bearing down on us like a comet over Springfield instead of gashing my teeth or spending countless sleepless nights about the eventual fortunes of the USMNT all I can feel is an overwhelming sense of calm.
Much like Jack has accepted his destiny on "Lost", allowing whatever happens to happen, my pea-brained thoughts of the upcoming tournament in South Africa have been engulfed by a similar theme.
Whichever names Bradley announces Tuesday on ESPNEWS, he picks.**** The only real question mark for the starting XI on June 12 in Rustenberg against England revolves around the fitness levels of a segment of injured players.
**** Really, the only drama with the whole U.S. roster, is the health of Charlie Davies. You want to go crazy over Herculez Gomez or Edson Buddle? Honestly, are either of those players making a huge impact on the U.S. team as a whole?
Watching the USMNT over the last two years, we know almost exactly what it is.
Maybe Bradley the Elder goes against type and unleashes a completely new game plan new month, but that wouldn't be his M.O., now would it? Perhaps a guy like Alejandro Bedoya emerges from out of nowhere (well, Sweden) to take the World Cup by storm.
Chances of Bradley swapping out his preferred 4-4-2 into some radical new system are about as likely as Glenn Beck announcing his unyielding love for President Obama.
It may not be all that exciting, but there's something to be said for a reliable system and steady lineup. The American track record and attributes are fairly straight forward.
The U.S. is strong physically, with good fitness levels.
By the same token, they're sometimes overly aggressive and prone to stupid, costly fouls.
As we saw at the Confederations Cup, the U.S. is excellent on the counterattack and has a collective resolve to rally when the backs are against the wall.
The fate of the team seems to lay in the hands, err, feet of Landon Donovan and enigmatic talents of Clint Dempsey. If those two are clicking, running at defenders and finding passing lanes, the U.S. can hang with anyone on the planet.
Regardless of what happens in the hugely hyped England match, the U.S. should be in position to qualify with very winnable matches with Slovenia and Algeria. Once, hopefully, in the knockout stages anything is possible in a 90 (or 120) minute match. The U.S. has a slim margin for error, but which of the 32 countries not named Brazil or Spain doesn't?
Perhaps this new found calmness is crazy. Maybe I should be writing how Jose Torres is a much better option than Benny Feilhaber. Or who is the best option at left back.*****
***** There isn't one.
Then again, if you frequent this site, you'll read my thoughts on those issues the last four years. The time for these debates has come and gone. Trying to change and shoehorn things at the 11 1/2 hour just seems silly.
It's like "Lost" this season. In the previous seasons I'd spend hours the next day after a new episode trying to unravel and decode each and every new mystery or clue. Now, with the end in sight, I'm at peace with however Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelhof decide to end it, so long as they don't take "The Prisoner" route. I'll read Sepinwall's review and that suffices.
More than anything, there are barely 30 days to see if the U.S. has learned anything from the errors of 2006. We'll see if the squad Bradley the Elder has assembled can sink or swim with our very own eyes not very long. The realm of the hypothetical, like "Lost" is nearly over.
For one, I'd like to enjoy the serene before the storm.
Then again, all bets still remain off when it comes to Jonathan Bornstein.
Labels: bob bradley, Lost, Soccer, USMNT, world cup 2010
Reading this made me nervous for next month.
Mike, what are your thoughts on having 'change up' players on the roster. If a coach doesn't use wingers - is there any value in having one or two on the roster to switch up the play if Plan A needs to go to plan B?
It seems to me that if the change is too radical from what a team normally does (like Barça having Zlatan so they can cross him the ball - but then they never do that) it rarely works. The *idea* of having a plan B is a good one, but subbing in one guy doesn't change the other nine outfield players - and that often leaves the new sub isolated and unused.
Great meta-culture analogy comparing Jack to a USMNT fan. I love the suggestion of going through these next 3 weeks with a calm state of mind, but can the USMNT fan trust Bob Bradley the same way Jack has trusted Jacob/Man in Black(both for spoiler reasons).
I think you are right that a lot of the big decisions are either already made ( Dempsey and Donavon's importance) or out of the coach's control ( Davies and Onyewu's match fitness). However, that's not going to stop me from questioning (pre and post match) Ricardo Clark's inclusion in a line-up with his track record of getting red carded in huge games.
Here's to hoping that the rehab facility in New Hampshire where Davies and Onyewu stayed had the same healing powers as the island.
Will one of these players be the hero for the US this June?
4- Bradley 8- Dempsey 15-Demerit 16- Edu 23 -?
side note - Found Alan Sepinwall late in Sopranos run because I don't reside in NY/NJ area.. but he is the best TV critic in the country last few years-present.