U.S. Loses to Ghana: Bob Bradley gets it wrong

While I respect him, I disagree with his starting lineup.  Bob Bradley pulled Ricardo Clark after only 30 minutes, essentially admitting that he got it wrong.  Maurice Edu and Benny Feilhaber should be starting.  They proved their worth against Algeria by possessing the ball well and controlling the midfield in conjunction with Dempsey and Donovan.  

The goals were bad.  Clark was dispossessed and Howard was completely out of position.  The second goal was more of the same.  When overtime hit, the U.S. abandoned the strategy that got them the first goal.

Tough ending to a fun tournament for the U.S.

Thoughts on the game?

Thoughts on Bradley's future?

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US v. Slovenia - In Pictures

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Bob Bradley's Wardrobe: The Key to the US Success in the World Cup

So the US has a must win game against Slovenia tomorrow morning. I'm sure they have been making some adjustments in preparation for the game. But one adjustment, which might be overlooked admist all the on-field adjustments, would be to change the wardrobe of Bob Bradley. It very well could be the key to America's success tomorrow, and in the rest of the World Cup. Note some of the examples below:

Exhibit A: Fabio Capello, coach of England. Professional looking guy in very professional dress. You wouldn't expect anything less from 1. an Italian, and 2. the coach of a legit soccer team like England.

Exhibit B: Sven Goran Eriksson, coach of Ivory Coast.

Exhibit C: Maradona, the coach of Argentina who looks like this off the field and used to do a lot of this, he looks like this during the game.


Exhibit D: Germany's coach, Joachim Low, although he looks like he just came from the late 90s or Night at the Roxbury convention, he at least wears a suit coat during the game.

Exhibit E: New Zealand and North Korea, considered by many to be two of the worst teams in the tournament. Both teams actually did better in their opening game than expected. New Zealand tied Slovakia with a late goal and North Korea, although they lost to Brazil, played much better than anyone expected. Why did they play so well? Because both coaches, New Zealand's Ricki Herbert and North Korea's Kim Jon Hun wear suits. At any point during the game, their players could look to the sidelines and see their coach in a suit and know that they were led by a pro. It was the suit that motivated them to play well.

Exhibit F: United States coach Bob Bradley. Notice a difference between him and his colleague Fabio Capello? Or any of the other coaches mentioned above or in the World Cup even? Is he doing a product placement plug for US gear? We know you are the coach of the National Team. You don't need to try and sell their gear. The players can do that for you by wearing their uniforms on the field.

Maybe Bradley hoping that all of the players get injured and they need him to go out on the field and play? If that is the case, is he wearing shin guards underneath the pants? Apparently he already has his cleats on. But if its not the case that he wants to play in the game, then why is he dressing like the players? Is he trying to be "the cool coach." The coach that isn't like the other coaches that sit there in their fancy suits and are mean to their players. "I'm just like you guys. See, I even dress casual. You can talk to me about what's going on in your life."

Seriously though, if the other team is warming up and they see this, then they would probably think they are playing a worthy opponent and that it will be a tough match. That is until they see this on the sideline and realize they aren't really dealing with a professional team. It's like in youth soccer when you watching the other team warm up and you think that they will probably be pretty good until you see a player run out in jeans and you realize that you already won the game.

Anyways, I'm honestly not trying to rip on Bradley. I do actually think he is a good coach and he has done well with the National Team. But this is the World Cup. Big boy soccer. The biggest stage. The US needs to get over the hump and become a legit contender. This might be the way to do it. To put Bradley in a suit. Plus, the next game for the US is a must win game. No room for error. The US needs to come out and play well and be ready for the game. Maybe upping the wardrobe would help get the players ready and send a message that this is an important game. It would let them know that everyone is a professional. Because really, that's what this all comes down to. "Professionalism is...and that is all I want."

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US v. England Recap - Lego Style

In case you missed the US v. England game on Saturday, here's a pretty awesome, and accurate, recap of the highlights:

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Fulham - America's team in the English Premier League (EPL)

If you're an American without any natural ties to a team in England, then I've found one for you to follow. They are a team from London without an ugly history of Hooliganism. They are underdogs to their local rivals Chelsea, Arsenal, and West Ham. They currently have USMNT member Clint Dempsey. Their captain, up until a few years ago, was USMNT great Brian McBride.

The team is Fulham FC. They don't have much in the way of history or trophies. In fact, they were fighting just to stay in the EPL in 2005 when I started following them. Their manager Roy Hodgson made his bones coaching in Europe but was never considered for jobs at big clubs in England. Now he has lead Fulham to the Europa League Final against Atletico Madrid.

Fulham isn't a flashy team like Arsenal. They don't have Chelsea's money. They're not the favorite team of sportswriters like West Ham. They're simply well organized players with a lot of heart.

The biggest moment of the season for Fulham was when the team overcame a 4-1 deficit to Juventus in the Round of 16. The highlight was when USMNT's Clint Dempsey scored the goal to that sent them through. It was a massive goal on the biggest stage.



Jump on the bandwagon.

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Weekly Salute: U.S. Expatriate of the Week: Landon Donovan (Again)

Landon Donovan of Everton (and the USMNT) gets our Weekly Salute for his outstanding performance against league leaders Chelsea. I wish that I had seen this game live so that I could have done an analysis as in-depth as this one. Donovan was again playing out on the right wing, wreaking havoc on Chelsea's defense. He kept Ashley Cole pinned back for most of the evening until he took him out by breaking his foot! Now, I'm not saying Donovan did it on purpose but having Ashley Cole out injured for three or four months would go a long way towards helping the U.S. take out England in the World Cup this summer. Back to the game, Donovan was cut down in the box, drawing a penalty, that Louis Saha summarily missed. It was a terrible penalty by Everton's forward and the announcers discussed whether or not Donovan would take PK duties in the future. Donovan is generally very good at penalties but recently missed a big penalty. Next, Donovan put a perfect corner kick into the path of Saha, who buried it into the back of the net. Overall a great performance. Well done, Landon.

Landon's highlights are at 3:51, 5:19 (perfect pass), 5:49 (draws a penalty), and 7:34 (Cole walks off injured).


Watch Everton v Chelsea in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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Weekly Salute Honorable Mention: U.S. Expatriate Footballer of the Week: Brad Friedel

Manchester United 1 - 1 Aston Villa

Brad Friedel seems to step up his game when he plays against Manchester United and this week was no exception. The former goalkeeper for the USMNT was fantastic in preserving the draw for Aston Villa. His calm saves and quick reflexes belie his 39 years of age. He played an excellent game and if it weren't for that Landon Donovan guy, he'd be the U.S. Expat Footballer of the Week. Well done, Brad.


Aston Villa v Manchester United
Uploaded by retropool72. - Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.

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Salute to Jozy Altidore: American Overseas Player of the Week

This week, four Americans (all members of the USMNT) played in big games in the Premier League. Landon Donovan and Tim Howard of Everton played a part in their team's loss to Liverpool. Howard didn't get in front of Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt on a corner kick. Kuyt planted himself feet from Howard, who should have stepped in front of Kuyt but ultimately failed to take care of the threat and conceded the goal. Donovan was largely ineffective this game, but had flashes of brilliance when he cut through two defenders to put a nice cross into the box, where absolutely no one in blue was available to receive it.

Aston Villa drew 0-0 with Tottenham Hotspur. It was a boring game. Villa's goalkeeper is Brad Friedel kept a clean sheet with his highlight coming near the end of the first half when Spur's Peter Crouch headed a free-kick to his teammate, Ledley King, whose shot headed for the upper left corner of the goal. Friedel managed to flick a sure goal away from the net. Friedel's teammates accounted for 17 blocked shots.

However, the Overseas American Player of the Week is Jozy Altidore, who helped Hull City to a 2 - 1 win over Manchester City by scoring his first Premier League goal.

Well done, Jozy. Hopefully this is the first of many more goals to come.

Watch Hull City v Manchester City in Sports | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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Jozy Altidore of Hull City and USMNT: Premier League Golazo

It's been a long time coming and it was a massive goal for Hull City's (and USMNT) Jozy Altidore. His was the first of two great goals from Hull City, who are fighting a relegation battle. He is looking like the Overseas US Player of the Week.

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Landon Donovan of Everton and the USMNT: Salute to Americans Serving (Playing) Overseas

Landon Donovan has arrived in the English Premier League to play for Everton and is the American National of the week (we really need to get a better name for this award). The star of the US Men's National Team (USMNT) started his Everton career off with a nice assist on a corner kick. It seems that David Moyes, Everton's manager, has been watching the film on Donovan. He put him out on the right wing and had him run at Arsenal's defense. Donovan's speed gave the opposition trouble all night. It was an impressive debut for Donovan and after pointing out his missed penalty kick and calling for Clint Dempsey to be the next Captain of the USMNT (by the way, why didn't anyone argue for Tim Howard as the next captain?), all credit to Landon for impressing everyone on the night. A strong showing over the next three months will go a long way toward increasing his confidence as he plays for the USMNT at this summer's World Cup.



Watch Arsenal v Everton in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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Clint Dempsey of Fulham and the USMNT: Salute to Americans Serving (Playing) Overseas

Clint Dempsey playing for his club team Fulham and a star of the US Men's National Team (USMNT) hit an amazing goal this week in Fulham's 3-2 loss to Stoke City. Fulham found themselves 3-0 down after only 36 minutes of play but clawed back two goals in the second half and looked poised to score more. In the 85th minute, Dempsey picked up the ball about 25 yards out, let it bounce once and then smacked the ball with his right foot. It sailed into the back of the net for a golazo. See it here.

Dempsey is well known by Americans but takes a backseat to Landon Donovan when it comes to the USMNT because of Donovan's scoring record and longevity playing for the US. Dempsey has gone to the best league in the world and turned into a key figure in Fulham's midfield, scoring 19 times in the past four seasons. He has played in 21 games this year and now has 6 goals. He handles pressure well and has matured greatly in England. Many talk of Donovan becoming the next USMNT captain, however, Dempsey is the man who has taken the bull by the horns in the world's biggest league and come away a starter. Clint Dempsey should be the next captain for the USMNT.

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Big Fish in a Small Pond going across the Pond

A few days ago it was confirmed that Landon Donovan will be loaned to Everton for the rest of the Premier League season. This would be a bigger deal if Donovan hadn't just agreed to a 4 year contract extension with the LA Galaxy. This isn't some sort of attempt to try and show that he, an American field player and the best player in the MLS, can compete with the best in the Premier League. All this is, is Donovan wanting to stay in shape before the World Cup. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing, just disappointing in the typical Donovan fashion.

An article on Soccernet discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of MLS players heading off to England or other leagues prior to the World Cup, or in general. The main disadvantage is that some of these players might just sit the bench and never get a chance to prove themselves and bolster their resume prior to the World Cup. It might just be better for them to stay in the US and train constantly with the National Team. The article fails to mention that just practicing with some of those teams is probably better training than staying at home with the national team. However, gambling on Europe means you can't play the politics game and work your way onto the national team by seeing the coach every day and being his best friend.

Regardless of what these other players choose to do, this scenario doesn't apply to Donovan (the article acknowledges that and is basically focusing on other players that are thinking about heading overseas). Donovan has a guaranteed spot on the national team-he may even be captain. He just doesn't want to make the permanent move to the Premier League-which I'll never quite understand. I understand that Liverpool, England (home of Everton) isn't quite the same as living in Manhattan Beach, CA (current home of Donovan). However, Donovan can permanently play for a top club in the Premier League, but instead chooses to miss penalty shots for the Galaxy in the MLS. Which I suppose is fine; to each their own. People don't always want to be at the top. They would rather just stay in their comfort zone. There are plenty of people working in Tulsa, OK at the local Community Credit Union that have the resume and brains to succeed at an investment banking firm in New York, but they never make the move.

Anyways, I don't mean to be too harsh on Donovan. He is from Redlands, CA and an outstanding soccer player. He just isn't the guy that is going to step up and carry American soccer, even though he could. Well, he actually might, so long as no one tells him it's his responsibility to carry the team. In the Confederations Cup last summer Donovan played extremely well when he played outside midfield/forward and all of the scoring pressure wasn't on his shoulders. I 'm glad he is "interning" in England for a few months as I think it will help him prepare for the World Cup. In the end though, Landon Donovan is just happier staying in Tulsa. Which is fine, you can be elite in Tulsa, but never the greatest.

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World Cup Draw Reveals Some Interesting Matchups

The draw for the group stages of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was completed this morning, giving us some fascinating matchups to look forward to. Remember that after the round robin group stage (one game each with the other group members) the top two teams from each group advance to the knockout round.

Here are the group draws:

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France.
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece.
Group C: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia.
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana.
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon.
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia.
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal.
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile.

My initial reaction is that, despite what other commentators may say, there isn't really a "group of death" in this draw, by which I mean that there's no group containing three teams that clearly would be knockout rounders if they didn't have to play each other. Some are calling group G the toughest, based on FIFA rankings (Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast are all in the top 16), but Portugal's form of late hasn't been what it once was, and Brazil should be able to defeat both opponents relatively easily. Group E could be just as close (where Netherlands should make it through, but Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon will likely have to slug it out). Group A is also interesting, as on paper France and Mexico should go through, but Uruguay can be a tough opponent and it's hard to count the hosts out in any Cup. Group D could also be tough, although Germany should win the group, as the contest between Ghana, Serbia, and Australia for second place will be fun to watch.

It looks like Spain and Italy lucked out with the two easiest groups in the Cup. I still believe that Italy's 2006 Cup victory was just as much the result of an easy knockout round draw as it was the result of good play. This time, assuming they win the group, they'll likely face one of the tougher initial knockout round games, as anyone coming out of Group E can make a game of it against them. Spain could also have their hands full with whomever comes out of Group G in second place.

My last observation is that this is a great draw for the USMNT to make the knockout round. England will be tough, but the U.S. should be able to beat Algeria and Slovenia to make it through (where they would likely face a tough opponent in Germany if we don't win the group). The England-U.S. tie could be one of the most interesting matchups of the group stage--a rematch of the 1950 upset victory by the Americans (highlights commentary in German, sorry!) the only other time the two teams have met in the World Cup.

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Neven Subotic: The One That Got Away

You may or may not recognize Serbian Neven Subotic by name. If you do, it's likely because he's currently sought-after by most of the top clubs in Europe: Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, Arsenal and Barcelona, to name a few. You might also recognize him if you're a follower of the Bundesliga, where the 6'4" footballer stars at center back for Borussia Dortmund, with a remarkable 7 goals in 43 games and tremendous aerial ability. What you probably don't know him for are his stints playing for the University of Southern Florida, and the U.S. Mens U-17 and U-20 teams. Which begs the question: Why does he play for the Serbian national team now? The unfortunate answer to that question sheds light on some of the larger problems plaguing U.S. soccer.

The U.S. Mens' National Team could certainly use a center back like Subotic. We have no one near his quality in the back today--either on the current team or among our rising defensive stars. But he slipped through the USMNT's fingers. Subotic played for the U-17 team and trained with the U.S. U-20s, but was not selected for the U-20 side for the 2007 U-20 World Cup. U.S. coach Thomas Rongen received a lot of criticism for the snub, but supported his decision with the claim that Subotic had "not accelerated over there [for FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga] to the point where we feel he belongs on the U.S. team." Subotic naturally didn't take that news too well. His reaction? "Well, Rongen certainly said some discouraging and false things about me. . . . I still don't know what he saw in the other players, and what he didn't see in me." Well, Neven, that makes two of us.

Rongen selected players like Nathan Sturgis, Anthony Wallace, Julian Valentin, and Amaechi Igwe over Subotic. None of those four are pushovers--all but Valentin play for solid MLS teams--but none begins to rise to the level of quality of Subotic's game. Certainly none of them are being sought by Chelsea, Barcelona, and AC Milan. So who's driving the selection process among our cadre of national teams? Perhaps, more importantly, who's scouting the younger talent? Who missed Subotic's quality in deciding to overlook him for four decent MLS-quality guys that likely will never attract the attention of the squads Subotic commands today? There's a lot of talk going on about expectations for the U.S. team following the attention they garnered in the Confederations Cup, but in order to rise to those expectations over the long-term and avoid the "one-time wonder" label, the U.S. is going to have to do a better job not only at spotting, but also at securing long-term talent for its squad.

So we chalk up Neven Subotic as another unfortunate loss and toss him in the same bin of might-have-beens as Giuseppe Rossi (whom we honestly never had much chance of getting in any event). In the meantime, there remain a few rays of hope among potential future USMNT players, players with proven quality like Edgar Castillo (UANL Tigres in the Mexican Primera Division) and Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke in the Bundesliga). Let's hope we can close on those players and see them performing well for the U.S. Mens' National Team in the near future.

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