The 2010 World Cup keeps rolling on, but for U.S. national team fans, the reality is still sinking in that the United States' exciting World Cup run is over.
Success or failure? Tournament to remember or tournament to forget? While the disappointment of Saturday's loss to Ghana is sure to leave the lingering tinge of failure, we have to ask ourselves if the tournament the team did play was memorable and whether it exceeded or surpassed our expectations.
Truth be told, I don't see how anyone could call the tournament a failure. Winning the group, playing some exciting attacking soccer and capturing the interest and passion of America's mainstream, even if only briefly, was more than most could have imagined happening before the tournament began. The hard part is that there was certainly an opportunity lost because the USA missed a chance to potentially reach a World Cup semifinal, and play two more games to keep increasing the interest in the sport back home. That's why, for many, the aftertaste following the USA's World Cup is a bitter one rather than a sweet one.
If you haven't had a chance to read my post-match and post-tournament coverage of the United States over at FoxSoccer.com, here are some stories to check out:
My piece on the USA players's World Cup grades
My look ahead to which players may be around for the 2014 World Cup
I will give a more detailed take on the potential USA 2014 team on SBI on Thursday (if not sooner). For now, here are some final World Cup observations:
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I think Bob Bradley did a great job during the World Cup cycle, but I also think two World Cup cycles can be too much for any coach. While I wouldn't consider it a major mistake if he returned, I do think it is a good time for a change, both for the national team and for Bradley.
Bradley was the perfect coach to groom a young team and help it through the transition after the retirements of Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride and Eddie Pope. He integrated new players, strengthened the team's schedule to a level that would have seemed unimaginable four years ago, and did a thorough job of looking at all the talent in the pool.
Now I see a change being made and Sunil Gulati will need to find a coach who brings a strong resume and experience in the international game. Juergen Klinsmann makes plenty of sense and it would be intriguing to see what Klinsmann could do over the course of a four-year cycle.
Change for the sake of change wouldn't make much sense to me, so I wouldn't really see the point in replacing Bradley with a coach from MLS. I do think there are some very good coaches in MLS, but I wouldn't really see the benefit of letting Bradley go and turning to someone in MLS. Now, if Bradley moves on and makes a run at a club job in Europe, then I could see someone like Dom Kinnear or Stevie Nicol being given a call.
That said, I still see Gulati looking for a big name. Be it Klinsmann, Carlos Queiroz or Ruud Gullit (okay, that last one was just to see if you were paying attention).
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Landon Donovan got all the headlines, but Michael Bradley was the most impressive player on the U.S. team over the course of four matches in my book. I really can't see him staying with Borussia Moenchengladbach after the World Cup he just had. Where do I see him going? The English Premier League makes the most sense.
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I know nobody likes playing the "What if" game but I can't help but think that, with a healthy Charlie Davies, Oguchi Onyewu and Jermaine Jones, the United States would have been a semifinalist with a chance of pulling off a big upset.
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Whoever is the next coach will need to start grooming some centerbacks ASAP. Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra will be too old for 2014. There are some great prospects in MLS, but they need some serious seasoning. Tim Ream, Ike Opara and Omar Gonzalez are all quality, and I'm still convinced Geoff Cameron could be a standout centerback in Europe if he were allowed to develop at the position.
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That's all for now. I will share my 23-man roster for 2014 on Thursday. For now, please feel free to share your thoughts on the U.S. team's World Cup. any of my Fox stories, and any of the above thoughts, in the comments section below.
I’m really optimistic about the US’ future.
This was by far the best US team ever at a WC, better than the one in 2002 by a mile. We never got blown out unlike the 2002 team, were able to come back into games – when was the last time you saw a US team at the WC able to come from behind. But more importantly, this is the first team ever that I have seen able to control the game for long stretches, create multiple scoring opportunities, and just take it to the other team. The reasons lie within the steady progression of US talent thanks to our ever growing player pool and talent. People will look back at 2009/2010 as a historic step in US soccer as it was the first in what I hope will be a long string of very skilled US squads. This is a total rupture with our past teams that solely relied on defense + counterattacking. It is very refreshing to see a US team able to take control of a game and basically have a “no fear” attitude. In other words, between the confeds cup final and the WC, something major happened: the USA now has a style of play which is its own and not a pale copy of other countries: a never say die, high energy, physical and gritty, fast paced play. Which is kinda cool because it reflects the whole American spirit kind of thing. I think this is BB’s legacy, though to be fair he was the first coach to have so much US talent at his disposal.
Now, 2014. Whoever the next coach is, it is essential he maintains 7-8 (incld 4-5 starters) players from this current squad for the next WC, since WC experience is worth its weight in gold, and build the team around these.
Barring injuries, I see no reason why our 2014 midfield is basically the same as the one we were using with the most success, Bradley-Edu-Donnovan-Dempsey. Let’s take that as something to build around. Up top Jozy had a gold WC despite not scoring, CD9 will be in the mix, but there is much room to improve still. In the back, we need some major changes, since our defense is really our weak spot (just think of ALL the goals we have allowed, even when our “best” 4 were all healthy and playing). 2 keywords here: athleticism and speed. I think we should take a look at Ghana’s back line as an example. They’re big and strong and quick. Easier said than done though…
The reaction to Klinsmann is interesting. Some think he’s a great fit, others believe he no big deal. A few argue that his top assistant was the mastermind in the last WC. (Hey, Jorge hired the guy, right?)
Truth is, none of us really know. Only soccer insiders at the top levels of US soccer and German football really know how good Klinsmann is as coach.
But here’s an outsider’s view of why Klinsmann would be a good fit for the USA team now. First, he has experience as a player and coach in the World Cup and played for one of the two winningest nations in WC history. He understands soccer at the highest levels.
Two, Klinsmann has lived in the US for more than a decade and understands our nation’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to soccer. He is familiar with our sports culture and the nature of American athletes. He should be able to bridge the divide better than other foreign coaches.
Three, he is a forward thinker who believes in the value of attacking football. This view fits in well with how the US would like to be seen someday. Americans will never abide by Swiss type defensive soccer meant to cover up for lack of offensive skill or athleticism.
Fourth, Klinnsman would not be bound by the same favoritism as an American coach and he might be able to exert a positive influence on player development in the US. He likes to find and groom younger talent and is free from conventional constraints.
I am not suggesting he is a perfect match, mind you. One could question is commitment to defense or whether he would have enough energy for the job. He did resign as German HC citing burnout. There is also the question of what happened at Bayern Munich.
I don’t know what happened, but I do remember all the dread and trepidation when Klinsmann took over the German team and introduced a more attacking style. The German soccer VIPs were put off and Franz Beckenbauer was all over Klinsmann for two straight years – until German smashed through the group stage.
The powers that be at Bayern were also very conservative and resistant to change. I suspect that had something to do with Klinsmann’s relative failure and firing. Remember how little support he got – nothing but stony silence – when he brought in Landon Donovan for a trial.
I think Bob Bradley did a great job overall, but I’d like to see a foreign coach. Yet we need one sensitive to the, ah, unique American approach to the sport.
Other than Klinsmann, I am not sure who fits the bill.
I think we had the talent to do more damage but it just wasn’t in the cards, our defense let us down just once at the wrong time. it didn’t help that the wrong MB partner started the final game.
Although, it may very well be cultural and societal influences that hurt young english players far more than the structure of the EPL.
I’m not a supporter of all things English. Not by any means. But I think a couple of things.
First, the dismal display by the English national team is causing people to now overreact about the perceived weaknesses of the EPL and English players, while before the world cup the strengths of those two were overblown.
Second, England’s problems this year can’t be explained by the so-called inadequacies of players like Gerrard, Lampard, and Rooney. Rooney matched Ronaldo’s feats at Man Utd. Gerrard almost single-handedly won the Champions League a few years back. Lampard is one of the most prolific midfield scorers in the world.
Third, the development of English players is distinct from the development of non-English players. While it’s true that the structure of the EPL appears to hurt young english players, it;’s also true that the EPL has a history of taking promising youths from other leagues and turning them into world-class players.
see above
Depends what you mean by developed.
Drogba was growing in France, but he reached his potential at Chelsea (he’s been there since ’04).
Cesc developed at Arsenal since he was 16. Anelka made his breakthrough with Arsenal.
Mascherano has played most of his career in England.
Ronaldo, the best of the best, was entirely developed at Man Utd.
That’s about half of the non-English players I listed.
I think if the USSF agrees to certain terms, Kllinsman will be happy to stay through the length of his contract. I am a little concerned about the depth of his tactical knowledge. Joachim Low was definitely the brains of the group. Klinsman’s got good ideas, but he’ll need a very solid assistant to realize them.
Great summary. Agree with all – especially coach evaluation of Bradley and future selection of Klinsmann. Bradley has progressed the US team, but we still need that ‘next level’ that can be brought by someone who has ‘been there, done that’.
Questions about Gulati continuing…as he had the Klinsmann choice 3 years ago, and didn’t make it. Not sure what can be done to get a change at his level.
Still would like to see more emphasis placed on back 4. If we don’t improve defensively, it will may be 3 to 4 games and out again!
To the future!
You just contradicted your own argument. Most of the non-English players you have listed there come from other soccer systems. THAT is the biggest difference.
If you compare the English system for developing young English players against the other European systems, you can say that it pales. And that is a problem that will continue to affect the English international performance unless something is done about it.
As per the names of Gerrard, Lampard, and Cole that you mention, many are questioning if they indeed are as good as the tabloids and fans make them out to be. It is documented that the first two cannot play together, but coaches insist on fielding them.
Champions League is cyclical and it could be said that the pendulum is starting to swing the other way (unless you are an EPL die-hard trying to cover the sun with your thumb). The only constant during all these cycles is that the English team has not been good in international competition.
Cheers
I don’t think he’s a poor player, by any stretch, I just don’t think he’s an international level defender, especially as a central defender.
I really like Brad Davis (with the Dynamo…) think he’s a good player, like his game, etc…. but he’s proven that he isn’t of international quality midfielder.
He looked great at Derby! Oh…. wait.
Almost none of the non-English players in that list developed there. They developed in Spain,Port, France, and Arg.
The success of the EPL in the CL is because once the players are done cooking in the academies and start featuring domestically in those other leagues, EPL teams buy them.
Another Norwegian-American here. Mix Diskerud has stated as clearly as he can that he wants to play for the US. Not so sure about Abrahamsen, but at the very least he is leaning toward the US.
If there is one thing I noticed this World Cup, the team mentality was a major factor in success. The USA was a great example of 23 players believing in each other, playing for each other and having respect and faith in their coach. Japan was another example.
On the other end, when you have players second guessing the coach or infighting between the players such as France and England, one can easily see those issues spill out in the game.
I believe we need to replace Bradley with someone that has the qualities we need to progress but equally important, would be the ability to get everyone believing in his philosophy of success. We really need to keep the “team” mentality and then keep working on the talent issue. Obviously someone like Ruud Gullit would not fit this mold which is why Ives made the little comment about him.
I think it’s pretty obvious that one of the main reasons we root for Americans to play in the Premier League is that we mostly speak english and like to watch games in english, and that most of us follow that league the closest, not least of all because it’s the most available on TV stateside.
I agree that the English game isn’t quite as technically sound as the other top leagues, and that it also lags behind in developing players. But it’s just wrong to say that it doesn’t produce international quality players.
Off the top of my head: drogba, ronaldo, torres, mascherano, gerrard, lampard, cole (england’s struggles aren’t really their fault), ballack, cesc, deco, vidic, evra, anelka, tevez…..come on, the list goes on and on and on.
And if other leagues are so superior, what accounts for the EPL’s success in the champions league (this year notwithstanding, obviously)?
Good call. Missed that.
Dunga is an interesting possibility. Whether Brazil wins this World Cup or not, Dunga is not going to stay as their coach. He has made a lot of enemies in the Brazilian press. Of course, making enemies in the press is not necessarily a good thing.
He just coached the most uninteresting team of the tournament, and now you want him to be the favorite to get the US job?
Outside of a match against a physically and mentally drained NK team, Portugal was pathetic. ZERO goals.
Their entire offense was to give the ball to Ronaldo 45 yards out and let him shoot.
Classic case of a team being worse than the sum of the parts.
Not sure how that makes you qualified for a more demanding US job.
USMNT need 4-5 youngsters to break through and seriously challenge Altidore,Donovan and Dempsey for starting spots in 2014… these guys may be the best we have, but that clearly is not enough against a team like Ghana even…
If we have fresh talent on the team challenging the very best of this cycle, we’ll know that we can do ome damage come 2014, otherwise it’l be 2006 all over again- aging players barely holding donw the fort…
Torres is NOT an attacking midfielder. If you watch him play with Pachuca or in any of his US matches, he likes to play the deep role. Not necessarily in terms of playing a defensive role, but in terms of being a guy that helps keep possession, and not necessarily the guy that is going to make the final pass.
This means he does not quite fit into the team RIGHT NOW in intense, competitive matches. He has shined in the second halves of matches where the other team was dropping off, but he has struggled in the first 20 minutes of matches where everything is 100 mph.
He is only 22, so I think there is plenty of time for him to figure out either how to play a bit further up the field, or how to provide more defensively. He has a lot of promise, but isnt a starter yet.
Yeah, but if he makes it into camp he will be one of the more experienced players. The younger ones can learn from him, plus none of the ones you mentioned are a strictly defensive midfielder like he is.
Absolutely right Alex. Too many posts about how the US team needs to develop the players. The national squad is only a tournament team and will never be together long enough at one stretch to “develop” the players even the least bit. The players are selected to be on the National team BECAUSE OF their development at the club level, not the other way around.
It is obvious some fans have an obsession with the EPL and pee in their pants every time an American player has an opportunity to play in Europe and they star clamoring for an EPL team destination.
If there is one thing that this world cup has demonstrated is the fact the English do not produce good players for international competition. It is a horrendous environment for young player development if compared to other elite soccer nations. Yes it has some stars, but the national team is a mirror image of an ancient system based on the hoof and run style dictated by Stanley Reep many decades ago. The inexperienced German team made the English look old, slow, and without imagination. Did you know that only 38% of EPL players are English, whereas almost 100% German players play in the Bundesliga?
Furthermore, if we take the last eight teams left in this cup and tally which leagues their players apply their trade, you will not see that many doing it in England (maybe Ghana has the most).
Our players should take note and instead try to go to the more technical leagues like Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, France, or Germany to try to grow as soccer players.
Michael Bradley would do himself a big favor if he decides to go to Spain. He probably has the highest upside in the current team, and playing in that league will help him become a better soccer player.
Jozy should be humble and do a stint with Villarreal’s B team and work on the basics that still elude him.
Cheers
You’re really writing off a great young player because you think he had two bad outings? Sure!
Shorter Joamiq and “A Guest” – what A.S. said at 10:33 a.m. above. 🙂
I went into a momentary spiral of despair when I saw Ruud Gullit’s name there. And then I kept reading, too bad my system was in too much shock to breath a sigh of relief. I think I’m starting to recover again, though.
I’ve heard nothing.
I think the US participation in this cup was of mixed results. On the positive side, it has shown to the world that never-say-die spirit and it ability to fight to the last second. We have gotten recognition from the international press and fans for it. Along the way some players have impressed, most notably Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan.
On the negative side, the US team showed the lack of collective soccer thinking that has been displayed by most winning teams in this last round. Heart and hard work can only carry you so far, but it will not be enough to get results on a consistent basis against the elite teams.
With regards to the coaching situation, I was not a Bob fan, but as the team has progressed, he has shown that he knows a little thing or two about tactics and has done a great job with the players he had available. I bet not too many would have noticed that he used a 4-2-2-2 formation in the long awaited match against England and he got a positive result.
Some fans have mentioned the name of Bielsa as a possible candidate and I think he would an interesting option to the US team. Just hold your breath when we play Brazil under his command because he has an abysmal record against them.
Cheers
cant stop crying….
I hate to be this way but I think that everyone mentioning Jermaine Jones needs to stop doing so. Jermaine Jones is a pipe dream at this point. I don’t believe he’ll ever don the USA kit so I refuse to get my hopes up.
Move on and look forward to younger midfield players full of potential who will be there in 2014. Stuart Holden, Jose Torres, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, etc.
What, if anything, in his days as a player or manager would have labeled Klinsmann as a mercurial? That’s just a bs claim.
Germany and Bayern Munich couldn’t accept the fact that Klinsmann wanted to bring some change to both. Yet here we have Germany reveling in the changes Klinsmann helped bring to them.
All Klinsmann wants to do is help make the US better from the bottom up, is that so wrong, Klinsmann haters?
I don’t know. I’m dying to know. Does anyone have any info?
I hope you’re right about him.
“…of possession and fluid ball movement could be implemented with any FORMATION.”…
Which is all to say, Bielsa would be a phenomenal choice. Great idea!
Is Jermaine Jones actually healthy for this upcoming year?
Formations change. His system of possession and fluid ball movement could be implemented with any system.
Yeah, it would take a major paradigm shift for the average US player, but the USMNT isn’t supposed to be merely average. Besides, the vast majority plays abroad, so they’re adaptable.
Bielsa! What he did with Chile was astounding.
The Dutch players hated Van Basten, and Capello showed more rigidity than Bradley ever did.
I’m also Norwegian-American, so I may be overly optimistic when it comes to Benjaminsen and Diskerud. I also have to admit that there are some questions as to which country some of these young guys pick. I’m hoping Lletget becomes fully american, but he’s turned down joining the US in several tournaments recently which worries me.
But they did play more bunker ball than we did surprisingly.
He will be 32ish. But he should be well rested since he hasn’t played a match in over a year.
Forward? Repeat after me and continue: JOSEPH GYAU .. .. JOSEPH GYAU .. .. JOSEPH GYAU .. .. This country will never be so fortunate again as to have this kid fall into our laps .. ..
One of the ex-ManU Youth coaches said GYAU is as good as any teenager he has ever seen or coached and begged ManU to make a bid for him but then HOFFENHEIM swooped and grabbed him .. ..
Not since LANDON will be there be greater interest in a foreign U-19 Academy side as Hoffenheim 2010-11!!
The fact that Feilhaber has been playing in such a league has been boggling my mind for some time now. With what we have seen from him, you would think that he could easily fit in quite well with a mid or low-tier team in a top league.
Surprised to see such a narrow list of names being discussed as Bob’s successor. Sure, Klinsi is a good candidate, but what other coaches would be in the pool for consideration? Here are some names I’d like to see at least considered.
Klinsi
Moyes
Quieroz
Wenger
Puel
Van Basten
Rijkard
Dunga (if not with Brazil)
Hiddink
Cappello (if dumped by England)
If Bob had started against Ghana with the second half line up, we’d be talking about the Uruguay game right now….and if Gooch, Davies, and Jones never got hurt, we might be looking beyond it. Sigh…
Looking ahead, I find Klinsmann and Queiroz the most likely candidates. They are familiar enough with the US player and culture to be comfortable, but “outside” enough to evolve it.
As for Josy’s strike partner, my money would be on Donovan. At 32 he will still be fit but might be better uses in a withdrawn role with less two way responsibilities.
+1
Then I stand corrected, but I’m still a pessimist. It makes taking rejection easier.
Ives, you’re half-right on the coaching situation. Bradley did a great job, with the most successful four-year run in MNT history, but it is time for him to move on. But Klinsmann is NOT the answer; Low was the nuts-and-bolts guy in 2006, and Klinsmann did a ppor job at Bayern Munich. Nor should USSF focus only on the “big” names. And “familiarity with the US system” should not be a criterion when (1) most of the players play outside the US, and (2) good American assistants can fill that role (think Richie Williams and Hans Backe. The US should consider a range of foreign coaches with experience and a knack for spotting talent and developing a team.