Association Football

In a few weeks time Sunil Gulati the head of US Soccer will have to make a decision whether Bob Bradley should keep his job. The answer should probably be no, depending on who is available. But this conclusion is not based on a negative assessment of Bradley. No, in fact, it is largely due to the fact that Bradley has succeeded tremendously in building a really solid and deep team that in the biggest of games exemplified the never-say-die attitude so ingrained into the mythical notions of American character.

Back in 2006, when Bob Bradley was named coach after US fans were clamoring for Juergen Klinnsman or any other big named foreign coach the disappointment was palpable. Almost no one wanted Bradley. But the reality was Bradley was exactly the right man for the job – much more so than a foreign coach.

US soccer was undergoing a difficult transition after 06. A generation of players that included Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride, John O’Brien, and Eddie Pope had all retired, forcing Bradley to replace the spine of his squad. While other countries go through similar transitions after tournaments, rebuilding the squad in the US is a different animal than in other more developed soccer powers. For instance, in countries like Spain, England, Germany the national team coach usually plays little role in actually developing players – that is the clubs job. Instead, the national team coach selects the players that are playing the best and builds a squad to his liking. The coach’s job is therefore one of selection and one of getting these players to play well. In the US however, there is another element. The coach plays a critical role in identify and developing young talent – often before these players have really emerged. Indeed, while Europe immediately shifts gears to qualifying for the European Championships, by contrast first couple years of the World Cup cycle for the US will be about scouting new young talent and working to integrate them into the squad.
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The US had a successful if disappointing World Cup

The US showed some great strengths and glaring weaknesses in its four games at the 2010 World Cup, but overall this team is in position to continue its improvement before the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014. The top players performed well, young players had solid tournaments, and coach Bob Bradley showed admirable flexibility and courage. By far the most impressive feature of this US team was its ability to create scoring chances. Not only did it put in five goals but it created numerous excellent opportunities to get more.

The flip side of all those chances is the failure to convert many of them into goals, a real weakness that must be rectified if the US is going get to the next level. Of equal concern is the frailty at the back, which is a combination of lack of skill and consistency. That inconsistency plagued the whole team at times, and solving that problem will be key to stepping up to the next level. And Bradley needed to be flexible and courageous because he often got the original team selection wrong. Continue reading →

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After a tournament filled with dramatic comebacks, the US couldn’t muster that second goal that would have either won the match or sent it to penalties in extra time. Alas the US didn’t get it done. While the US had achieved its stated goal – to get out of the group – the loss to Ghana without a doubt should leave US fans unsatisfied, as the US had a real shot at making a run to the semifinals.

Overall this was a tournament that affirmed what US soccer fans had known – the USA is a nation to be taken seriously in world football. But it also demonstrated where the US must improve in order to reach the next level. Under Bradley the US fully adopted a resilient never say die attitude, but the basic fact is that in and of itself was never going to be enough to make a deep run in the World Cup. The US was going to have to show something that they have so often failed to show – consistency. Instead, once again the US failed to put together a solid 90 minute performance.

The US showed once again against Ghana that it is an incredibly resilient team, as the second half performance left Ghana rattled and left the US as looking like the likely winners. But after conceding in the extra time, the US just looked exhausted and out of ideas. They had already spent most of regulation time chasing the game, and having to chase it in extra time was just too much to ask. If the US was going to win this game, it needed to do so in the second half when it was on top. Hats should go off to Ghana. They put the US under constant pressure, created turnovers, defended strongly and looked bright going forward.
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Altidore needs to score against Ghahan

Here we go, the business end of the World Cup begins today. As we have discussed repeatedly, the US has a favorable draw but none of that matters unless it performs well and wins games. The Ghanaians are a quick side that play two holding midfielders that help clog up the middle and stiffle their opponents. The US needs to be sharp in defense and be sure to communicate and keep track of Ghana’s deep runners. The key for the US team, however, is for Jozy Altidore to turn his solid performances in the last couple of games into goals. Donovan, Dempsey, and Michael Bradley are having excellent tournaments, but for the US team to make some real noise today and beyond, Altidore must start putting the ball in the back of the net.

There are a lot of fascinating matchups in the second round – the Iberian clash of Spain v Portugal, another big European rivalry with Germany v England, a tantalizing match with lots of attacking flair in Argentina v Mexico. Don’t count out the USA v Ghana as one of the games of the round as the Ghanaians are playing for the entire continent and the Americans have provided virtually all of the drama of the group stage. American fans, lets be sure to enjoy this. We do want to win, of course, and our big players will have to show up and lead us into the quarterfinals. Continue reading →

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