Galarcep: The Danish Game in Perspective

Tempting as it was to pile all the U.S. v. Denmark previews into one post, I found the individual subjects worth treating separately. And it's probable that the match preview Ives Galarcep produced for ESPN tipped me toward that perception.

In wrapping the previous post on what to expect from the Danes, I implied that the U.S. men's program would be better served by getting at least some answers from this game. Making that point is what Galarcep does so well in his preview. More to the point, it's about first potentially lethal first impressions:

"What matters for an American fan base is a victory, a convincing win to serve as the first cup of mouthwash to help remove the bad taste of last year's World Cup, a flavor that has lingered far longer than it ever should have."

"Give the fans a victory and some promising performances from some national team newcomers and suddenly people will have something else to talk about besides who is or isn't standing on the sidelines for the U.S. national team. Put out a disjointed lineup that falters against a Danish League All-Star team and you just might hear some 'Where is Juergen' chants sprouting up at Home Depot Center."

While Galarcep's looking ahead to the Mexico game - and rightly so - I'd argue this is also about something both simpler and larger: making up for lost time during the late summer and fall of 2006. The U.S. program will remain unsettled as long as the "interim" tag squats beside the word "coach." As much as I've argued in the past that Bradley deserves a proper audition, I'm also getting antsy. At this point, ambiguous results are the worst we can have.

So, here's to hoping we get some answers on Saturday - and through the rest of spring for that matter. If Bradley does well enough, I'm tempted to say we run with him; the only reason we can him thereafter is if we implode during the Gold Gup and the Copa America this summer.

It suddenly occurs to me that these are heady times.

One last thing: I haven't seen an official roster yet, but am encouraged by what I see in this paragraph:

"He will field the best 11 he can come up with (which should be a solid one led by Landon Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni and Jimmy Conrad) and the team should benefit from the long training camp it has just completed. Young standouts such as Kenny Cooper, Justin Mapp and Jonathan Bornstein will have their chance to stake claims to the voids left by the retirements of Brian McBride and Eddie Pope. You can rest assured that Bradley will have his team ready to play."

For the record, I like that short list and hope they tear up some Danish second-stringers.

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