Am I the only one who will be happy when the Copa America stops distracting me from my (alleged) duties?
- I've already weighed in on the Copa - and the Men's National Team - twice now (original and addendum), but wanted to flag a few more items of note: Soccer America turned in a righteous grumble about that little bit of something missing that undermined the U.S. yesterday; I thought Luis Bueno had some good things to say as well; saving the best for last, it's always fun to read what commenters send in to Luis Arroyave's open-ended, post-game questions. Enjoy or suffer as the spirit moves you.
- Knowing that, despite appearances, Frankie Hejduk will slow down - and therefore become totally useless - eventually, I'm heartened by what I'm reading about Drew Moor's performance against Paraguay. He got good notice here and there, along with a decent rating (better than Jonathan Bornstein's anyway) from Jeff Carlisle.
- All y'all have heard word of a potential sale of the Chicago Fire by now - and the Daily Southtown provided a solid write-up for those who haven't - but the most interesting item in that same article? "The report also stated that interim coach Denis Hamlett would remain head coach of the team, and that former Fire marketing director Steve Pastorino would become the new team president, replacing John Guppy."
- The Facundo Erpen for Greg Vanney deal hardly enjoyed universal comprehension on either side. Perhaps Steve Goff's Tom Soehn quote sheet should clarify at least one side of that.
- As noted on The Offside Rules, MLS Direct Kick will be free to all tomorrow....GOD BLESS AMERICA!! (And do note the wonderful nickname that site gave to the package).
Finally, I'm going to lay off for the next couple of days. Happy 4th to all y'all. Talk at you Friday.
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Showing posts with label Copa America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Copa America. Show all posts
Bill Urban Finishes My Post
As much as I liked my earlier post on the reasonable, even considerable, progress the U.S. Men's program has made over the past decade, I want to flag Bill Urban's piece for USSoccerplayers.com as a(n accidentally) timely asterisk. The overall thrust of his piece is that the structure of Major League Soccer (MLS) - the glut of, effectively, meaningless mid-summer games in particular - possibly hinders the development of the American player. I say "possibly" because such things can't be quantified. But there's something in the gut that turns in agreement when Urban writes:
Even if I don't buy into his construction of "need" versus "want," I buy Urban's general point wholesale. The example of a player like Taylor Twellman, who can find openings with the best of them only to repeatedly, maddeningly screw up the shot to follow, powerfully points to nerves as the culprit. His record in MLS tells us he can score - over 75 times now, in fact. But the number of times Twellman has successfully coped with pressure at the national level? I'm counting five (scroll down; you'll see it next to Twellman's name) and most of those came against one team.
MLS does a lot of good things for U.S. Soccer. But it tests players ability to beat the 'keeper while controlling their jitters only in the post-season - i.e. about five games out of 30. OK, and maybe the last five games at the end of the season...though that applies only to teams competing for spots...maybe it's not so surprising that Colorado Rapids tend to do well in the first round of the playoffs, while FC Dallas sucks.
On a related note, Twellman's record for composure even in MLS's version of pressure situations ain't all that hot either....paging Pat Noonan?
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"Should [U.S. defender Drew] Moor find himself on the end of a corner against DC United in mid-July, with FC Dallas behind by a goal, and his header flies into Troy Perkins’ arms rather than the back of the RFK net, the adverse effect on FC Dallas’ play-off chances will be virtually nil. Disappointment for certain, even a derisive catcall from the Barra Brava to be endured perhaps, but a competition with too many teams qualifying for the play-offs does not put players into enough high-pressure situations where the consequences of failure are immediate."
Even if I don't buy into his construction of "need" versus "want," I buy Urban's general point wholesale. The example of a player like Taylor Twellman, who can find openings with the best of them only to repeatedly, maddeningly screw up the shot to follow, powerfully points to nerves as the culprit. His record in MLS tells us he can score - over 75 times now, in fact. But the number of times Twellman has successfully coped with pressure at the national level? I'm counting five (scroll down; you'll see it next to Twellman's name) and most of those came against one team.
MLS does a lot of good things for U.S. Soccer. But it tests players ability to beat the 'keeper while controlling their jitters only in the post-season - i.e. about five games out of 30. OK, and maybe the last five games at the end of the season...though that applies only to teams competing for spots...maybe it's not so surprising that Colorado Rapids tend to do well in the first round of the playoffs, while FC Dallas sucks.
On a related note, Twellman's record for composure even in MLS's version of pressure situations ain't all that hot either....paging Pat Noonan?
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U.S. Men: 2/3 a Good Team
To begin with full disclosure, I didn’t see a second of the U.S. loss to Paraguay; I haven’t even seen highlights. I have, by now, read three items on the game and, by my reckoning, the several consistent themes on which they agree tell me enough of what I need to know. Before getting into this whole spiel, here are the links:
Maryland Tolik (a reader’s comment, so go to the bottom of the post)
Jen Chang (on ESPN)
Jeff Carlisle (on ESPN)
And, now, to business: I come not to praise the U.S. Men’s National Team (Yanquis), but to bury them...and I mean that in precisely the same way Marc Antony did.
We all know we lost, with much of the blame for that going to the limitations of the American forward. To quote a favorite line (Bull Durham again - sorry) forwards Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson sometimes give them impression that they couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a fucking boat. Against opposition higher in quality than a Norwegian B-team, our current first-choice forwards have played with the vision and sharpness of near-sighted klutzes on multiple occasions.
On defense, a former strength when coupled with a “gritty” (read “thuggishly disruptive”) central midfield, we’re still fiddling with the dial in search of the right combination. For example, the consensus view seems to hold that Bradley needs to call off his love affair with Jonathan Bornstein; Oguchi Onyewu no longer looks the savior; judging by the Kansas City’s Wizards’ defensive record, Jimmy Conrad is slipping against Major League Soccer (MLS) forwards; the reality is, recently-fielded combinations of Yanqui defenses labored to contain teams like Guatemala, Panama, and Canada - never mind Argentina.
In midfield, we have mastered work-rate and fundamental technical skills - think competent passing and trapping...you may laugh, but I remember the days when this vital piece was lacking. Once in a blue moon, Benny Feilhaber or Clint Dempsey manages the killer pass, or Justin Mapp darts through seams in the opposing defense, but with nothing like the consistency the international game demands. Moments of inspiration aside, however, we still haven’t grasped tactical fundamentals like possession play and managing the game - and that conceptual failing only returns us to relying on energy and those odd moments where our players’ feet kiss the ball just so.
But for all that, reports from the last two games generally agree that, 1) we played world-power Argentina tolerably well for 60 minutes, and, 2) we essentially went toe-to-toe with Paraguay on every level but finishing and the more refined aspects of the game. On top of that, we not only won the Gold Cup, but now enter our regional tournament - not to mention World Cup qualifying - as an automatic favorite.
If you told me that the above would pertain after France 1998 - hell, after the 1990s, period - I would have wept with joy. And how long ago is 1998? Nine years, people.
Heading into - and out of - the 2006 World Cup so much was written about the elevated expectations under which Yanqui teams now operate. There’s so much talk still about how labored our steps toward world-power status have been, along with prescriptions for what can ease that climb; crowning a rising player as The Anointed One who will provide the vital leg-up comes up all too often...with the advisability - no, the necessity - of sending said player to Europe’s proving grounds rarely far behind. The reality, though, is that it’s going to take more than one player to lift us to the top of the heap - a team of such players is needed - and no matter how many go to Europe and how soon.
The real question is why so many fans expect so much - and so soon. For every advantage we enjoy - a population of 300 million, for instance, against relevant rivals who have only 80 million - a commensurate downside exists: those 80 million live in a country where soccer is the most popular sport, whereas we have at least three sports competing for, and still winning, the scramble for athletes. The hard reality is, we’re in, at best, late adolescence as a soccer-playing country. We are developing - quickly even - but expecting any American squad to beat a big alpha-male team like Argentina at this stage in our development leaps from enthusiasm to delusion. Reasonable as it is to point out that we have beat Argentina further down that developmental curve, that confuses a great day with a great life; it’s not so different, really, from assuming that finding a $100 bill lying on the ground one morning means you’ll find one everyday.
A comment just came in (on that same post as Maryland Tolik’s) by Gareth Sleger, who hopes Bob Bradley won’t use sending a b-squad as an excuse for our Copa performance. While I think he’s correct on that, I also don’t believe we have anything to excuse. We sent the team we sent, they’ve lost, but proudly. More important, we learned a thing or two (e.g. axe Bornstein; send our forwards to the Wizard of Oz, Johnson for some courage and Twellman for that tool he hawks on TV, plus an allotment of several thousand hours to practice with it) and deepened our player pool in the process. That poor finishing looks something like the final hurdle constitutes a hell of a step up in my mind: having 1/3 the way to go beats the hell out of having more.
The key component to improving the Yanqui soccer program is, and always has been the same: time. And trends here are good: we’ve got players entering the national team pool at a younger age and further along in their personal/technical development. Again, tell me we’d be here nine years ago and I would French kiss the nearest available human being regardless of age, gender, and physical beauty (though one can hope the stars line up). Assuming the developmental infrastructure doesn’t collapse and that the numbers generally grow - as they seem to be doing - we’ll get there...even at forward.
Maryland Tolik (a reader’s comment, so go to the bottom of the post)
Jen Chang (on ESPN)
Jeff Carlisle (on ESPN)
And, now, to business: I come not to praise the U.S. Men’s National Team (Yanquis), but to bury them...and I mean that in precisely the same way Marc Antony did.
We all know we lost, with much of the blame for that going to the limitations of the American forward. To quote a favorite line (Bull Durham again - sorry) forwards Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson sometimes give them impression that they couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a fucking boat. Against opposition higher in quality than a Norwegian B-team, our current first-choice forwards have played with the vision and sharpness of near-sighted klutzes on multiple occasions.
On defense, a former strength when coupled with a “gritty” (read “thuggishly disruptive”) central midfield, we’re still fiddling with the dial in search of the right combination. For example, the consensus view seems to hold that Bradley needs to call off his love affair with Jonathan Bornstein; Oguchi Onyewu no longer looks the savior; judging by the Kansas City’s Wizards’ defensive record, Jimmy Conrad is slipping against Major League Soccer (MLS) forwards; the reality is, recently-fielded combinations of Yanqui defenses labored to contain teams like Guatemala, Panama, and Canada - never mind Argentina.
In midfield, we have mastered work-rate and fundamental technical skills - think competent passing and trapping...you may laugh, but I remember the days when this vital piece was lacking. Once in a blue moon, Benny Feilhaber or Clint Dempsey manages the killer pass, or Justin Mapp darts through seams in the opposing defense, but with nothing like the consistency the international game demands. Moments of inspiration aside, however, we still haven’t grasped tactical fundamentals like possession play and managing the game - and that conceptual failing only returns us to relying on energy and those odd moments where our players’ feet kiss the ball just so.
But for all that, reports from the last two games generally agree that, 1) we played world-power Argentina tolerably well for 60 minutes, and, 2) we essentially went toe-to-toe with Paraguay on every level but finishing and the more refined aspects of the game. On top of that, we not only won the Gold Cup, but now enter our regional tournament - not to mention World Cup qualifying - as an automatic favorite.
If you told me that the above would pertain after France 1998 - hell, after the 1990s, period - I would have wept with joy. And how long ago is 1998? Nine years, people.
Heading into - and out of - the 2006 World Cup so much was written about the elevated expectations under which Yanqui teams now operate. There’s so much talk still about how labored our steps toward world-power status have been, along with prescriptions for what can ease that climb; crowning a rising player as The Anointed One who will provide the vital leg-up comes up all too often...with the advisability - no, the necessity - of sending said player to Europe’s proving grounds rarely far behind. The reality, though, is that it’s going to take more than one player to lift us to the top of the heap - a team of such players is needed - and no matter how many go to Europe and how soon.
The real question is why so many fans expect so much - and so soon. For every advantage we enjoy - a population of 300 million, for instance, against relevant rivals who have only 80 million - a commensurate downside exists: those 80 million live in a country where soccer is the most popular sport, whereas we have at least three sports competing for, and still winning, the scramble for athletes. The hard reality is, we’re in, at best, late adolescence as a soccer-playing country. We are developing - quickly even - but expecting any American squad to beat a big alpha-male team like Argentina at this stage in our development leaps from enthusiasm to delusion. Reasonable as it is to point out that we have beat Argentina further down that developmental curve, that confuses a great day with a great life; it’s not so different, really, from assuming that finding a $100 bill lying on the ground one morning means you’ll find one everyday.
A comment just came in (on that same post as Maryland Tolik’s) by Gareth Sleger, who hopes Bob Bradley won’t use sending a b-squad as an excuse for our Copa performance. While I think he’s correct on that, I also don’t believe we have anything to excuse. We sent the team we sent, they’ve lost, but proudly. More important, we learned a thing or two (e.g. axe Bornstein; send our forwards to the Wizard of Oz, Johnson for some courage and Twellman for that tool he hawks on TV, plus an allotment of several thousand hours to practice with it) and deepened our player pool in the process. That poor finishing looks something like the final hurdle constitutes a hell of a step up in my mind: having 1/3 the way to go beats the hell out of having more.
The key component to improving the Yanqui soccer program is, and always has been the same: time. And trends here are good: we’ve got players entering the national team pool at a younger age and further along in their personal/technical development. Again, tell me we’d be here nine years ago and I would French kiss the nearest available human being regardless of age, gender, and physical beauty (though one can hope the stars line up). Assuming the developmental infrastructure doesn’t collapse and that the numbers generally grow - as they seem to be doing - we’ll get there...even at forward.
Top 5, 07.03: Rookie of the Year; + Copa, Scheduling Moaning
Maybe Monday will be my big day from here on out....
- Seeing Michael Harrington's name on the score sheet for KC yet again has me thinking about Rookie of the Year for some reason. There's Harrington, New England's Adam Cristman, arguably Robbie Findley...and....and...I'm sure there are other candidates out there. Anyone want to enlighten a lazy man?
- I'm happy to see that the annual complaining about MLS scheduling didn't end with last week's post. Like this guy, I'm almost going to be thankful when the U.S. Men return home from the Copa early...and then Superliga will start and ruin it all...and the World Series of Football will take it a step farther and render it all very, very stupid. Seriously, there's too much going on, too many competitions squatting on top of one another. Clear out the summer, front-office: I vote for fewer regular season games and a big, happy gap in the middle.
- Well, shit. Seeing as we're still in the Copa, and seeing as I can't see the games, I'll do my bit by passing on the latest edition of Ives Galarcep's speculative Copa America roster. But this one comes with a bonus:
I am so pleased I'm not the only one who notices the piece in bold...my god, I thought I was losing my mind....
- Turning to this summer's other earlier tournament, scaryice posted an interesting table (as he's wont to do) on Climbing the Ladder that shows the all-time records of teams participating in the Gold Cup. The existence of the imbalance - i.e. the U.S. and Mexico's far superior records - doesn't surprise nearly as much as the degree of that imbalance. What is the Gold Cup? The Premiership?
- I posted this down below, but feel like it needs further highlighting: dude, Chicago is a mess right now.
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- Seeing Michael Harrington's name on the score sheet for KC yet again has me thinking about Rookie of the Year for some reason. There's Harrington, New England's Adam Cristman, arguably Robbie Findley...and....and...I'm sure there are other candidates out there. Anyone want to enlighten a lazy man?
- I'm happy to see that the annual complaining about MLS scheduling didn't end with last week's post. Like this guy, I'm almost going to be thankful when the U.S. Men return home from the Copa early...and then Superliga will start and ruin it all...and the World Series of Football will take it a step farther and render it all very, very stupid. Seriously, there's too much going on, too many competitions squatting on top of one another. Clear out the summer, front-office: I vote for fewer regular season games and a big, happy gap in the middle.
- Well, shit. Seeing as we're still in the Copa, and seeing as I can't see the games, I'll do my bit by passing on the latest edition of Ives Galarcep's speculative Copa America roster. But this one comes with a bonus:
"There's something about seeing Johnson running at full speed through midfield that makes coaches powerless to drop him. A video montage of Johnson repeatedly stopping runs to deliver harmless back passes might help."
I am so pleased I'm not the only one who notices the piece in bold...my god, I thought I was losing my mind....
- Turning to this summer's other earlier tournament, scaryice posted an interesting table (as he's wont to do) on Climbing the Ladder that shows the all-time records of teams participating in the Gold Cup. The existence of the imbalance - i.e. the U.S. and Mexico's far superior records - doesn't surprise nearly as much as the degree of that imbalance. What is the Gold Cup? The Premiership?
- I posted this down below, but feel like it needs further highlighting: dude, Chicago is a mess right now.
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Top 5, 06.29: Better Copa Chatter; DC Win, The Shirt
Behold, the Web's bounty...
- Since I couldn't see the game (which is not Comcastic), I read reports on the U.S. loss till they all sounded the same - e.g. man, did we lose and why, Eddie Gaven, why? A couple stood above the others, though. Dan Loney's reply to a reader email on "what it all meant" says what I wanted to say earlier...only better (Dan Loney Says It Better?). So, good thing I posted the video...
The best detail line I saw came from Jen Chang's analysis on his ESPN blog, in the section on Eddie Johnson. For what it's worth, I concur with this statement: "...[Johnson] still remains too much of a one-trick pony for me. He's great at running onto through balls, but that's about it." The elaboration from this point, particularly on EJ's hesitancy, is worth the gander too.
- DC United jumped on the Colorado Rapids Argentina-style last night (i.e. late, and by the same score), but the thing that caught my eye was Fred's evangelical celebration. Now, neither The DCenters or The Offside Rules took offense at Fred's choice of celebration - and they're absolutely correct in that; The Offside Rules took it a step farther by questioning the referee's decision to issue a yellow card. Yeah, Fred's free to don that shirt, but it just sticks in my craw that a player would catch all kinds of hell - and, likely, bad publicity - for showing a t-shirt with the message "There Is No God." Just makes me cross, the way free speech works sometimes...bet the player who wears an aggressively atheist shirt would get fined to boot...
- Anyone have any idea why MLS Newsstand is stuck on Monday? Did they move it? All I know is I'm not about to go back to checking all those damn regional papers.
- Is it just more or is this the wildest season for trades in MLS history? Fox Soccer has a useful feature recording all but the most recent trades.
- Finally, I don't do previews any more (I'm actually going to try something new shortly) but I still admire them when they're done well. And the one Wiz turned in for The Real Salt Lake Offside wonderfully frames this weekend's game between Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC. Give this man a job in the marketing department.
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- Since I couldn't see the game (which is not Comcastic), I read reports on the U.S. loss till they all sounded the same - e.g. man, did we lose and why, Eddie Gaven, why? A couple stood above the others, though. Dan Loney's reply to a reader email on "what it all meant" says what I wanted to say earlier...only better (Dan Loney Says It Better?). So, good thing I posted the video...
The best detail line I saw came from Jen Chang's analysis on his ESPN blog, in the section on Eddie Johnson. For what it's worth, I concur with this statement: "...[Johnson] still remains too much of a one-trick pony for me. He's great at running onto through balls, but that's about it." The elaboration from this point, particularly on EJ's hesitancy, is worth the gander too.
- DC United jumped on the Colorado Rapids Argentina-style last night (i.e. late, and by the same score), but the thing that caught my eye was Fred's evangelical celebration. Now, neither The DCenters or The Offside Rules took offense at Fred's choice of celebration - and they're absolutely correct in that; The Offside Rules took it a step farther by questioning the referee's decision to issue a yellow card. Yeah, Fred's free to don that shirt, but it just sticks in my craw that a player would catch all kinds of hell - and, likely, bad publicity - for showing a t-shirt with the message "There Is No God." Just makes me cross, the way free speech works sometimes...bet the player who wears an aggressively atheist shirt would get fined to boot...
- Anyone have any idea why MLS Newsstand is stuck on Monday? Did they move it? All I know is I'm not about to go back to checking all those damn regional papers.
- Is it just more or is this the wildest season for trades in MLS history? Fox Soccer has a useful feature recording all but the most recent trades.
- Finally, I don't do previews any more (I'm actually going to try something new shortly) but I still admire them when they're done well. And the one Wiz turned in for The Real Salt Lake Offside wonderfully frames this weekend's game between Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC. Give this man a job in the marketing department.
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4-1: Are We Educable? (+ Video)
Yup. The U.S. Men's team got taken behind the toolshed by the Argentine's big boys in last night's 4-1 loss. I'm OK with this. Wasn't this the expected outcome given all the givens? Even without the most noteworthy givens - e.g. the toddlers Team we sent - shouldn't we expect losses to Argentina, oh, eight, nine times out of ten?
We'll survive, it's possible we learned a thing or two (things like the fact that Eddie Gaven isn't ready for the senior team, or...), such as this little gem from Jeff Carlisle's analysis for ESPN:
There's something oddly relieving about the persistence of the problem Carlisle describes. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right? The real question is the dreaded two-parter of can we learn and, if so, how? At any rate, I'm relieved to hear we looked all right for 60 minutes; now let's work on that last 30, yeah? And to to, y'know, actually play soccer, as opposed to the run-n-gun stuff we seem to prefer.
And don't ask me why I chose this highlight reel (is the text on the video Hebrew?):
Turns out Haimrevivo1 (the guy who posted the first video) is a busy boy; he also found highlights from Paraguay's (our next opponent) rout of Colombia:
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We'll survive, it's possible we learned a thing or two (things like the fact that Eddie Gaven isn't ready for the senior team, or...), such as this little gem from Jeff Carlisle's analysis for ESPN:
"This was especially true in the U.S. midfield, which faded badly in the second half, continuing a trend from the Gold Cup that saw the Americans finish games poorly. In that tournament, the U.S. was not punished for this tendency, but on this night they found out the hard way how a good team treats such charity."
"Of course, part of how a team kills off games is by keeping possession, and this American team showed that it is still light years behind a side like Argentina in this regard."
There's something oddly relieving about the persistence of the problem Carlisle describes. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right? The real question is the dreaded two-parter of can we learn and, if so, how? At any rate, I'm relieved to hear we looked all right for 60 minutes; now let's work on that last 30, yeah? And to to, y'know, actually play soccer, as opposed to the run-n-gun stuff we seem to prefer.
And don't ask me why I chose this highlight reel (is the text on the video Hebrew?):
Turns out Haimrevivo1 (the guy who posted the first video) is a busy boy; he also found highlights from Paraguay's (our next opponent) rout of Colombia:
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The Copa: Sheep to the Slaughter? (+ Ambivalence)
(I'll get the parenthetical stuff out of the way first: happy is the fan whose cable/satellite system carries Telefutura or GolTV; the rest of us must live on the, apparently, Mexico-only scraps the broadcasters kick to Univision. See? This effective blackout is making it very hard to get excited about the Copa...which is sad because there's a lot to get excited about. Moving on....)
We've all seen the roster the United States has sent to Venezuela for the Copa America. Now reports are coming out giving a dire, sheep-to-the-slaughter story lines; others highlight the some of the questionable invites and brow-raising snubs. Then again, still other articles have appeared bearing headlines suggesting the same gloomy story, only for the content beneath to read quite a bit differently.
As for me, I don't know what's going to happen, though, like everyone else, I've got my suspicions (and, yes, I'm still pissed off two paragraphs later that I won't be able to see this stuff first hand). But on the most basic level, I think Bob Bradley is handling this with long-term success in mind. His undefeated record will almost surely take a hit, but he should be applauded for keeping his eyes on the prize: qualifying for the World Cup and expanding the pool of available players able to cope with the atmosphere and physical rigors of tournament play. I'd be shocked if anything definitive comes of it - unless, say, Jay DeMerit and Jimmy Conrad hold off three very credible South American teams - but it's all educational, most of all for Bradley. If nothing else, he'll have more stickies for his player files.
In that spirit, I favor looking at the Copa the way Ives Galarcep did in his column for the Jersey paper. He names some of the most promising candidates on the roster and, more or less, calls it good. And I think that matches Bradley's mind-set for the Copa pretty well. Then again, if we win a game or two, advance to the knockout stages and, god forbid, beyond, well, I'll take that too.
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We've all seen the roster the United States has sent to Venezuela for the Copa America. Now reports are coming out giving a dire, sheep-to-the-slaughter story lines; others highlight the some of the questionable invites and brow-raising snubs. Then again, still other articles have appeared bearing headlines suggesting the same gloomy story, only for the content beneath to read quite a bit differently.
As for me, I don't know what's going to happen, though, like everyone else, I've got my suspicions (and, yes, I'm still pissed off two paragraphs later that I won't be able to see this stuff first hand). But on the most basic level, I think Bob Bradley is handling this with long-term success in mind. His undefeated record will almost surely take a hit, but he should be applauded for keeping his eyes on the prize: qualifying for the World Cup and expanding the pool of available players able to cope with the atmosphere and physical rigors of tournament play. I'd be shocked if anything definitive comes of it - unless, say, Jay DeMerit and Jimmy Conrad hold off three very credible South American teams - but it's all educational, most of all for Bradley. If nothing else, he'll have more stickies for his player files.
In that spirit, I favor looking at the Copa the way Ives Galarcep did in his column for the Jersey paper. He names some of the most promising candidates on the roster and, more or less, calls it good. And I think that matches Bradley's mind-set for the Copa pretty well. Then again, if we win a game or two, advance to the knockout stages and, god forbid, beyond, well, I'll take that too.
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Copa Roster: The Children's Crusade
Just as I was shutting down my brain for the weekend (yes, kids, the mystery of my match reports is answered!), I see Bob Bradley finally named the roster he'll send down to Venezuela for the Copa America. And mind you, this is the team that will face what's sounding an awful lot like an Argentine A-Team (can't say I know what kind of teams Paraguay and Colombia will field (and I know I could find them), but expect they'll be as good as they can)...and here they are (OK, you got me; taken from here):
General comments:
- Holy shit! Will this thing be chaperoned?! Are Conrad and Olsen the chaperones? Damn that's a young bunch...and to think how many of them will enjoy alcohol for the first time....
- I like that Bradely, basically, switched out the defenses (though I'm a bit down on the choice of Bornstein given my frustrations with him against Canada...ah...I'm over it. Good luck, Johnny!) The Gold Cup is showing the need for more auditions.
- I'll be shocked - and drunkenly delighted - if this bunch doesn't share the fate of the actual Children's Crusade (it didn't end well)
- Getting back to the chaperone jab, it's an interesting mix, even if the set up is a little "Greek" - e.g. manly mentors and, um, impressionable youths. Looks like Bradley is counting on Conrad, Olsen, and Twellman(?) to show a very green squad the ropes. Should be interesting...
Specific comments...where they come to me:
- I'm pretty interested in the Marvell experiment.
- I like the calls for Bobby Boswell, Dan Califf, and Jimmy Conrad.
- Heath Pearce is probably OK, too.
- I can't say I understand the call for Drew Moor.
- Where the hell is Michael Parkhurst?
- Anyone think Beckerman got on the phone with Mastroeni immediately upon getting word? I like that call as well.
- Will the sun ever shine again in Chicago (and isn't Mapp gimpy)?
- Ah! Bradley stole the entire Rapids' offense!! (Get it...that's Herculez...ah, never mind).
- It seems the Eddie Johnson experiment will not end.
Whatever happens, I hope it's a good experience for these guys.
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"Goalkeepers (2) - Brad Guzan, Kasey Keller
Defenders (8) - Jonathan Bornstein, Bobby Boswell, Dan Califf, Jimmy Conrad, Jay DeMerit, Drew Moor, Heath Pearce, Marvell Wynne
Midfielders (8) - Kyle Beckerman, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Eddie Gaven, Sacha Kljestan, Justin Mapp, Lee Nguyen, Ben Olsen
Forwards (4) - Charlie Davies, Hercules Gomez, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman
General comments:
- Holy shit! Will this thing be chaperoned?! Are Conrad and Olsen the chaperones? Damn that's a young bunch...and to think how many of them will enjoy alcohol for the first time....
- I like that Bradely, basically, switched out the defenses (though I'm a bit down on the choice of Bornstein given my frustrations with him against Canada...ah...I'm over it. Good luck, Johnny!) The Gold Cup is showing the need for more auditions.
- I'll be shocked - and drunkenly delighted - if this bunch doesn't share the fate of the actual Children's Crusade (it didn't end well)
- Getting back to the chaperone jab, it's an interesting mix, even if the set up is a little "Greek" - e.g. manly mentors and, um, impressionable youths. Looks like Bradley is counting on Conrad, Olsen, and Twellman(?) to show a very green squad the ropes. Should be interesting...
Specific comments...where they come to me:
- I'm pretty interested in the Marvell experiment.
- I like the calls for Bobby Boswell, Dan Califf, and Jimmy Conrad.
- Heath Pearce is probably OK, too.
- I can't say I understand the call for Drew Moor.
- Where the hell is Michael Parkhurst?
- Anyone think Beckerman got on the phone with Mastroeni immediately upon getting word? I like that call as well.
- Will the sun ever shine again in Chicago (and isn't Mapp gimpy)?
- Ah! Bradley stole the entire Rapids' offense!! (Get it...that's Herculez...ah, never mind).
- It seems the Eddie Johnson experiment will not end.
Whatever happens, I hope it's a good experience for these guys.
(########)
LA, Donovan Are Right
It wasn't till I read Paul Oberjuerge's article for the Daily Breeze that I gave much thought to the tiffle over whether Landon "Golden Boy" Donovan should play in both of this summer's tournaments, the Gold Cup and the Copa America. Oberjuerge makes his case more from the Galaxy's point of view than anywhere - and he extends this to a case that this would be "better for American soccer" which I don't quite buy, though I get his thinking.
But my recently-claimed choice of sides on this comes from something simpler: there's no compelling reason for Donovan to play in the Copa. At best, he'll lead a squad of inexperienced sheep to the slaughter; at worst, he'll dilute the biggest upside the Copa offers U.S. Soccer. As such, he kind of defaults back to playing for LA...and, on that, I don't really care much, probably 'cause I don't like LA....
Here's the thing: playing in the Copa appeals to so many fans on the theory that it will pit American players against better teams than what CONCACAF has to offer and in hostile environments. But the reason I wouldn't mind Donovan not going grows from the composition of the team we're likely to send: by general consensus, it won't be the U.S. "A-team" - and the argument for sending our best was lost months ago. As such, this won't be a case of working out the kinks with a likely first team - e.g. building a better team in the crucible of a tougher tournament - but in carrying the U.S. team (much like he's doing, to a sometimes disturbing degree in the Gold Cup) as far as his small frame can take them in Venezuela.
Given the above, I'm not seeing what either Landon, or U.S. Soccer, gains by having him go to Venezuela. With two World Cups to his credit, it's pretty easy to argue Donovan already knows from high-pressure situations against better teams; he shined on one occasion and shrank on the other, so let's call the experiment so far a draw. But the expectation that one South American tournament will substantively change this is hard to credit.
With the decision to send a weaker squad to Venezuela already made, I see greater value in building the experience of other field players - i.e. training the U.S. team to win/get results/score without Donovan. Why not work on unearthing successors and alternates to the Golden Boy in the best possible environment? As I see it, Donovan being there will just get in the way of figuring that out.
(########)
But my recently-claimed choice of sides on this comes from something simpler: there's no compelling reason for Donovan to play in the Copa. At best, he'll lead a squad of inexperienced sheep to the slaughter; at worst, he'll dilute the biggest upside the Copa offers U.S. Soccer. As such, he kind of defaults back to playing for LA...and, on that, I don't really care much, probably 'cause I don't like LA....
Here's the thing: playing in the Copa appeals to so many fans on the theory that it will pit American players against better teams than what CONCACAF has to offer and in hostile environments. But the reason I wouldn't mind Donovan not going grows from the composition of the team we're likely to send: by general consensus, it won't be the U.S. "A-team" - and the argument for sending our best was lost months ago. As such, this won't be a case of working out the kinks with a likely first team - e.g. building a better team in the crucible of a tougher tournament - but in carrying the U.S. team (much like he's doing, to a sometimes disturbing degree in the Gold Cup) as far as his small frame can take them in Venezuela.
Given the above, I'm not seeing what either Landon, or U.S. Soccer, gains by having him go to Venezuela. With two World Cups to his credit, it's pretty easy to argue Donovan already knows from high-pressure situations against better teams; he shined on one occasion and shrank on the other, so let's call the experiment so far a draw. But the expectation that one South American tournament will substantively change this is hard to credit.
With the decision to send a weaker squad to Venezuela already made, I see greater value in building the experience of other field players - i.e. training the U.S. team to win/get results/score without Donovan. Why not work on unearthing successors and alternates to the Golden Boy in the best possible environment? As I see it, Donovan being there will just get in the way of figuring that out.
(########)
Gold Cup Roster + Analysis; Watching China
I'll start with the last bit of the title first: by selecting China for this friendly, U.S. Soccer has left me totally uninterested in a U.S. Mens game; I can only call this impressive and move on.
Bob Bradley announced the roster for the Gold Cup today and here's what we're looking at:
So, I'm seeing this and the first question that comes to me is this: Why the hell do we always play this damn tournament (the Gold Cup, that is) in the States? C'mon, CONCACAF, let's dish this thing around. It'll help us - that is the Yanquis - in the end and, seeing as no one shows up, I'm thinking the Central American stadiums that are good enough for World Cup qualifying are good enough for this. Sorry, early digression....
As, I believe, every last person who blogs on soccer has pointed out by now, the names above are about as surprising as the continued rotation of the earth. Put another way, any tuned in at this point knows most of these players down, perhaps, to their shoe size and breakfast preferences. Since I'll be picking at these below, I think I'll just dump out the key source material and reference it as needed. Here goes:
ESPN Jeff Carlisle
Soccer by Ives Ives Galarcep
USSoccerplayers.com Marc Connolly
MLSnet.com Kyle McCarthy
That's the good, general stuff and, as you'll find in reading, it's not accurate to say the roster met with total silence. Two, um, "older gents" made the cut - Frankie Hejduk and Steve Ralston - as did one (and I think he's the only one) uncapped player: Michael Parkhurst. Most the sticking up that needed doing surrounded the inclusion of Hejduk and Ralston - more on that below - but Galarcep lauds Parkhurst's inclusion, while Carlisle implies his inclusion might be a manuever to fend off Irish interest. The only doubter I've seen on Parkhurst's inclusion came from Mike H of My Soccer Blog, who thinks the Revs' defender hasn't had the best of seasons so far. I'll only say I disagree - he stuffed Landon to bursting like a Thanksgiving turkey - and leave it at that.
To praise another bit of Mike H's post, though, he's the only person I've seen who broke down players missing time with their MLS clubs by team. Who hurts the most? As Dan Loney points out, the Revolution. And I don't have to tell anyone it's not just a numbers thing, but it's positional as well. For instance, Chivas may be missing two guys - Jonathan Bornstein and Brad Guzan - but that's not gonna hurt nearly as bad as Houston missing Brian Ching (wait...he has played this season?) and (in all sincerity) Ricardo Clark; chuck a missing Dwayne DeRosario in the fire (regardless of form) and you get to thinking Houston actually might never score again.
Turning to the seemingly weightier debate, I tilt toward the "Why Ralston, Why Hejduk?" column - and for the obvious reason: they're old, Ralston especially, and they won't be around much longer. The most comprehensive rebuttal to that appears in Connolly's piece and, I'd say his point - basically, that Bradley's priorities run through the Confederations Cup when both players can certainly still contribute - holds so long as you're talking Gold Cup and not Copa. Come Copa time, we really need to get younger players in those positions. For me, however, I think we can win the Gold Cup without them, so....well, I just don't get their inclusion. Ralston's doing great and this year I'm thrilled, both personally and as a Revs fan, but I'd rather see Bradley really scouting alternatives....though, to be honest, as I look over the list of all current MLS players no one is really jumping out. But here are a few: Arturo Alvarez (I owe Ian Plenderleith for that one), Kyle Martino or Eddie Gaven (I know, I know), or even the more obvious choices like Brian Mullan. Maybe he's holding out for the Copa on that bunch...anyway, I'm just sayin' the Yanquis wold probably do just fine with someone like Alvarez and Bradley would be be blooding someone for the future.
Speaking of the Copa America, Sideline Views' Andrea Canales picked up something I hadn't seen elsewhere: a stray comment from Bradley about 8-12 players being in the mix for both the Gold Cup and Copa. While I had seen a musing or two about Landon signing on for both, Canales' post is the only place a figure of that sort came out. As noted there, that figure includes both MLS and Euro-based players - I have to think between-projects guys like Oguchi Onyewu and DaMarcus Beasley are shoo-ins for two spots, maybe even Kasey Keller.
Anyway, that's plenty on this I should think. There's plenty of good stuff in the things I've linked to that I haven't mentioned. For instance, Marc Connolly takes an engaging look back at U.S. rosters past; he makes a good point using them, but I found the look interesting by itself. The MLSnet.com article has the best stuff on reporting dates - which impacts MLS, of course - as well as mention of Pablo Mastroeni's two-game suspension (surprise, surprise).
Whoops, almost forgot this: Marc Connolly and Ian Plenderleith, in a roundtable for two, revive the great debate about combining the Gold Cup with the Copa America to, y'know, make our tournament worth a damn...that should tell you where I fall on that debate (if not, get on the phone to Brazil, Jack Warner...earn your friggin' bought seat).
(########)
Bob Bradley announced the roster for the Gold Cup today and here's what we're looking at:
"Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach).
Defenders: Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege).
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution).
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
So, I'm seeing this and the first question that comes to me is this: Why the hell do we always play this damn tournament (the Gold Cup, that is) in the States? C'mon, CONCACAF, let's dish this thing around. It'll help us - that is the Yanquis - in the end and, seeing as no one shows up, I'm thinking the Central American stadiums that are good enough for World Cup qualifying are good enough for this. Sorry, early digression....
As, I believe, every last person who blogs on soccer has pointed out by now, the names above are about as surprising as the continued rotation of the earth. Put another way, any tuned in at this point knows most of these players down, perhaps, to their shoe size and breakfast preferences. Since I'll be picking at these below, I think I'll just dump out the key source material and reference it as needed. Here goes:
ESPN Jeff Carlisle
Soccer by Ives Ives Galarcep
USSoccerplayers.com Marc Connolly
MLSnet.com Kyle McCarthy
That's the good, general stuff and, as you'll find in reading, it's not accurate to say the roster met with total silence. Two, um, "older gents" made the cut - Frankie Hejduk and Steve Ralston - as did one (and I think he's the only one) uncapped player: Michael Parkhurst. Most the sticking up that needed doing surrounded the inclusion of Hejduk and Ralston - more on that below - but Galarcep lauds Parkhurst's inclusion, while Carlisle implies his inclusion might be a manuever to fend off Irish interest. The only doubter I've seen on Parkhurst's inclusion came from Mike H of My Soccer Blog, who thinks the Revs' defender hasn't had the best of seasons so far. I'll only say I disagree - he stuffed Landon to bursting like a Thanksgiving turkey - and leave it at that.
To praise another bit of Mike H's post, though, he's the only person I've seen who broke down players missing time with their MLS clubs by team. Who hurts the most? As Dan Loney points out, the Revolution. And I don't have to tell anyone it's not just a numbers thing, but it's positional as well. For instance, Chivas may be missing two guys - Jonathan Bornstein and Brad Guzan - but that's not gonna hurt nearly as bad as Houston missing Brian Ching (wait...he has played this season?) and (in all sincerity) Ricardo Clark; chuck a missing Dwayne DeRosario in the fire (regardless of form) and you get to thinking Houston actually might never score again.
Turning to the seemingly weightier debate, I tilt toward the "Why Ralston, Why Hejduk?" column - and for the obvious reason: they're old, Ralston especially, and they won't be around much longer. The most comprehensive rebuttal to that appears in Connolly's piece and, I'd say his point - basically, that Bradley's priorities run through the Confederations Cup when both players can certainly still contribute - holds so long as you're talking Gold Cup and not Copa. Come Copa time, we really need to get younger players in those positions. For me, however, I think we can win the Gold Cup without them, so....well, I just don't get their inclusion. Ralston's doing great and this year I'm thrilled, both personally and as a Revs fan, but I'd rather see Bradley really scouting alternatives....though, to be honest, as I look over the list of all current MLS players no one is really jumping out. But here are a few: Arturo Alvarez (I owe Ian Plenderleith for that one), Kyle Martino or Eddie Gaven (I know, I know), or even the more obvious choices like Brian Mullan. Maybe he's holding out for the Copa on that bunch...anyway, I'm just sayin' the Yanquis wold probably do just fine with someone like Alvarez and Bradley would be be blooding someone for the future.
Speaking of the Copa America, Sideline Views' Andrea Canales picked up something I hadn't seen elsewhere: a stray comment from Bradley about 8-12 players being in the mix for both the Gold Cup and Copa. While I had seen a musing or two about Landon signing on for both, Canales' post is the only place a figure of that sort came out. As noted there, that figure includes both MLS and Euro-based players - I have to think between-projects guys like Oguchi Onyewu and DaMarcus Beasley are shoo-ins for two spots, maybe even Kasey Keller.
Anyway, that's plenty on this I should think. There's plenty of good stuff in the things I've linked to that I haven't mentioned. For instance, Marc Connolly takes an engaging look back at U.S. rosters past; he makes a good point using them, but I found the look interesting by itself. The MLSnet.com article has the best stuff on reporting dates - which impacts MLS, of course - as well as mention of Pablo Mastroeni's two-game suspension (surprise, surprise).
Whoops, almost forgot this: Marc Connolly and Ian Plenderleith, in a roundtable for two, revive the great debate about combining the Gold Cup with the Copa America to, y'know, make our tournament worth a damn...that should tell you where I fall on that debate (if not, get on the phone to Brazil, Jack Warner...earn your friggin' bought seat).
(########)
Cup v. Copa...again...(new angles, though)
Given that the consequential parts of the debate over what kind of team the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) sends to the Gold Cup versus the Copa America have been by and large settled, I almost didn't bother with the latest contributions. I'm somewhat glad I did, though, because one of them challenges a foggy assumption about what we'll get out of the Copa, while the other suggests a way to make both the Cup and the Copa work better with the ever-sprawling soccer calendar.
The first comes from Andrea Canales, whose Soccer365.com column discards the "Copa first" argument in a tone that approaches mocking - and that's a good thing, given the angle she's examining. That angle deals with respect and how it's earned and so on. The worst I can say about her column is that Canales ignores some practical benefits of the Copa: giving the expected U.S. first-string players experience against stronger opposition; this "what a waste" argument is the one I see most often. But her larger point, even if it's directed against a strawman - put another way, I rarely see the "prestige" argument she keeps attributing to "some quarters" - is that a solid performance in the 2007 Copa America won't do anything meaningful for the esteem in which U.S. soccer is held around the world. Reputation grows from sustained performance and nothing else, a point well supported by her thumbnail history of the past decade.
And, curiously, I'd argue we've reached a place in which we are, in fact, respected; I wouldn't go much beyond that, though.
The other item, this one written by Ken Pendleton for USSoccerplayers.com deals in tournament infrastructure and, for what it's worth, I'd say he's on to something. His piece argues for scheduling both the Copa America and the Gold once every four years. As it now stands, both tournaments are biennial (with some deviations with regards to the Copa). There's more to Pendleton's post than simply playing both tournament's every four years - he'd expand qualifying and, like me, look into merging the two tournaments - but the fundamental piece comes with lowering the frequency.
One last thing regarding my general snark about strawmen serving as the only "quarters" thinking that prestige will magically accrue to U.S. Soccer through a decent run in the Copa; this passage comes from Pendleton's essay:
It may not be direct, but it's out there.
The first comes from Andrea Canales, whose Soccer365.com column discards the "Copa first" argument in a tone that approaches mocking - and that's a good thing, given the angle she's examining. That angle deals with respect and how it's earned and so on. The worst I can say about her column is that Canales ignores some practical benefits of the Copa: giving the expected U.S. first-string players experience against stronger opposition; this "what a waste" argument is the one I see most often. But her larger point, even if it's directed against a strawman - put another way, I rarely see the "prestige" argument she keeps attributing to "some quarters" - is that a solid performance in the 2007 Copa America won't do anything meaningful for the esteem in which U.S. soccer is held around the world. Reputation grows from sustained performance and nothing else, a point well supported by her thumbnail history of the past decade.
And, curiously, I'd argue we've reached a place in which we are, in fact, respected; I wouldn't go much beyond that, though.
The other item, this one written by Ken Pendleton for USSoccerplayers.com deals in tournament infrastructure and, for what it's worth, I'd say he's on to something. His piece argues for scheduling both the Copa America and the Gold once every four years. As it now stands, both tournaments are biennial (with some deviations with regards to the Copa). There's more to Pendleton's post than simply playing both tournament's every four years - he'd expand qualifying and, like me, look into merging the two tournaments - but the fundamental piece comes with lowering the frequency.
One last thing regarding my general snark about strawmen serving as the only "quarters" thinking that prestige will magically accrue to U.S. Soccer through a decent run in the Copa; this passage comes from Pendleton's essay:
"For example, Brazil crashed out of the 2001 tournament to Honduras in the quarterfinals largely because they only fielded a few players who started for them during the World Cup the following year. Host Colombia went on to win the tournament, but how much prestige did they gain by winning a watered down competition?
It may not be direct, but it's out there.
Gold Cup v. Copa: Mixed Up, but Content
The opening round of punditry about the United States' participation in both the CONCACAF Gold Cup and South America's Copa America has produced something of a consensus view, even if it's one with ample shades of grey. The basic point: Bradley will take something like two separate teams to each tournament, a decision that carries the potential to cheat our players out of what the Copa would ideally provide them - a chance at meaningful games against top-quality competition. The second part of this consensus amounts to an "oh well" acceptance that Bradley's position makes sense.
That's not to say everyone is quite on board. For instance, ESPN's Jeff Carlisle takes the strongest position against(-ish):
As you can see, I modified the word "against" above (yes, to the point of making it non-sensical) in part because I don't think Carlisle would disagree with Ives Galarcep's assessment of the circumstances under which Bradley works:
I almost wrote a post last week trying to split the difference between Carlisle and Galarcep; put another way, I think they both have a point, even as I believe Galarcep's better faces up to the realities in play. I'd go so far as to say I was leaning in Carlisle's direction. For whatever reason, I'm not all that sold on the Confederations' Cup as a high-stakes tournament - do participating countries take it as seriously as we think they do? - but the bigger point for me was seeing our players gain this experience. As a result, I'd be comfortable if Bradley turned the logic on its head and take players he is confident are World-Cup-2010-bound to the Copa for some seasoning.
But something I came across today - a Jeff Rusnack column, in fact - gave me a little more to think about:
That's a good argument...dammit. Good enough to knock me from contrarian to agnostic, to begin.
But another consideration has me leaning toward priotizing the Gold Cup - a simple desire to win something. Put it this way: I can't see us winning the Copa America, even with our best squad. Not this year, anyway. But the Gold Cup? If we bring our best squad, I expect us to win. And I'll take a happy feeling - e.g. winning an international tournament - over an intangible benefit any day.
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That's not to say everyone is quite on board. For instance, ESPN's Jeff Carlisle takes the strongest position against(-ish):
"Yet I can't shake the feeling that in some ways, the logic is all backwards. The primary reason for entering Copa America is that it provides better competition in a much more hostile environment than the Gold Cup does. But instead of sending its strongest team to Venezuela, the U.S. will be sending its B team. Both Brazil and Argentina have taken a similar approach in the past, but if last summer's World Cup proved anything, it's that even the most experienced American players would benefit from playing in Copa America, and the fact that they won't is a shame."
As you can see, I modified the word "against" above (yes, to the point of making it non-sensical) in part because I don't think Carlisle would disagree with Ives Galarcep's assessment of the circumstances under which Bradley works:
"The reality is that Bob Bradley doesn't have much of a choice when it comes to a preference for one major fact. The Gold Cup is a regional championship that clubs must allow its CONCACAF players compete in. Copa America is not the US team's regional championship and therefore clubs can stop their players from going, especially since that tournament takes place much closer to the European season."
I almost wrote a post last week trying to split the difference between Carlisle and Galarcep; put another way, I think they both have a point, even as I believe Galarcep's better faces up to the realities in play. I'd go so far as to say I was leaning in Carlisle's direction. For whatever reason, I'm not all that sold on the Confederations' Cup as a high-stakes tournament - do participating countries take it as seriously as we think they do? - but the bigger point for me was seeing our players gain this experience. As a result, I'd be comfortable if Bradley turned the logic on its head and take players he is confident are World-Cup-2010-bound to the Copa for some seasoning.
But something I came across today - a Jeff Rusnack column, in fact - gave me a little more to think about:
"Ideally, for U.S. interests, the dates for the tournaments would be reversed. But they aren't, which might not be so bad. After all, Onyewu, Beasley, Dempsey and other World Cup veterans have received their international baptism. Newcomers such as Jonathan Bornstein, Ricardo Clark and Jimmy Conrad are just getting theirs. And there's nothing like a game against Argentina on foreign soil to see whether they're ready."
That's a good argument...dammit. Good enough to knock me from contrarian to agnostic, to begin.
But another consideration has me leaning toward priotizing the Gold Cup - a simple desire to win something. Put it this way: I can't see us winning the Copa America, even with our best squad. Not this year, anyway. But the Gold Cup? If we bring our best squad, I expect us to win. And I'll take a happy feeling - e.g. winning an international tournament - over an intangible benefit any day.
(##########)
Copa Draw: Sore Backsides or 4-6 Points?
As everyone's seen by now, the draw for this summer's Copa America was completed last night and the three groups set. And here is what the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) and everyone else in the tournament is looking at starting in late June:
As An American's View usefully points out (or that's where I saw it first, at least), qualifying for the second round of the Copa America is a little like reaching the MLS playoffs (not his phrasing, by the way, but mine): 8 of the the twelve teams will make that cut - the top two from each group, plus the top two third placed teams.
An American's View also happens to be the most optimistic about our chances, stating toward the bottom of his post that he "likes the USA's chances of advancing" and doesn't see any reason why we shouldn't get four or six points. The best answer to that optimism appears in Luis Arroyave's Red Card, specifically, this line:
To get a little tangential, I'm consistently fascinated at how soccer fans (or even political observers for that matter) reach the conclusions they do about which teams will do what. I'm closer to Arroyave's thinking, but holding up Ghana as a cautionary example hardly makes the case for anything more than caution. Put another way, what do I know about the current form of Paraguay, never mind Colombia, who didn't even compete in the 2006 World Cup (right? yep.) On the other hand, why not look at Argentina and wonder whether they won't wilt on the occasion, as they nearly did against Mexico?
At any rate, that seems a fair caveat to insert before posting a roundup of the rest of the prognostications I encountered in today's wanderings: "Totally hosed" reads the headline at du Nord, though that could be a commentary on how lucky Venezuela appears to have been with their group; while the content of his post focuses on his frustration that we passed on the Copa America for so many years, Luis Bueno also doesn't seem to like our chances; and a headline like, "Group of Death Redux" says enough about where Sports Illustrated is with this draw.
UPDATE: I missed a blogger in my roundup: Mike H from My Soccer Blog. He took a unique approach to figuring our chances in Group C: he looked at our past records against the teams in question. Novel idea.
With all this read and acknowledged, where am I?
Think of the Copa as a plate of unbuttered brussel sprouts; this isn't about pleasure or happiness, but health. And long-term health at that. So put me down on the sore backside half of the ledger. Argentina will want to open strong and, with the personnel at their disposal, I'm not sure we can stop them - though I'd still place a call to Francois Oman Biyik in Cameroon for some pointers; my chief, possibly-outdated impression of Paraguay is that they're hard to score against, which should match nicely with our, um, difficulties on offense;
And, no, butter don't mask the fact that brussel sprouts taste like shit.
Group A
Venezeula (host)
Uruguay
Bolivia
Peru
Group B
Brazil
Chile
Ecuador
Mexico
Group C
Argentina
United States (gulp!)
Paraguay
Colombia
As An American's View usefully points out (or that's where I saw it first, at least), qualifying for the second round of the Copa America is a little like reaching the MLS playoffs (not his phrasing, by the way, but mine): 8 of the the twelve teams will make that cut - the top two from each group, plus the top two third placed teams.
An American's View also happens to be the most optimistic about our chances, stating toward the bottom of his post that he "likes the USA's chances of advancing" and doesn't see any reason why we shouldn't get four or six points. The best answer to that optimism appears in Luis Arroyave's Red Card, specifically, this line:
"July 4, the U.S. plays Paraguay in its final group stage game. Doesn't sound very intimidating, does it? Then again, that's what people said about Ghana and we all know how that went."
To get a little tangential, I'm consistently fascinated at how soccer fans (or even political observers for that matter) reach the conclusions they do about which teams will do what. I'm closer to Arroyave's thinking, but holding up Ghana as a cautionary example hardly makes the case for anything more than caution. Put another way, what do I know about the current form of Paraguay, never mind Colombia, who didn't even compete in the 2006 World Cup (right? yep.) On the other hand, why not look at Argentina and wonder whether they won't wilt on the occasion, as they nearly did against Mexico?
At any rate, that seems a fair caveat to insert before posting a roundup of the rest of the prognostications I encountered in today's wanderings: "Totally hosed" reads the headline at du Nord, though that could be a commentary on how lucky Venezuela appears to have been with their group; while the content of his post focuses on his frustration that we passed on the Copa America for so many years, Luis Bueno also doesn't seem to like our chances; and a headline like, "Group of Death Redux" says enough about where Sports Illustrated is with this draw.
UPDATE: I missed a blogger in my roundup: Mike H from My Soccer Blog. He took a unique approach to figuring our chances in Group C: he looked at our past records against the teams in question. Novel idea.
With all this read and acknowledged, where am I?
Think of the Copa as a plate of unbuttered brussel sprouts; this isn't about pleasure or happiness, but health. And long-term health at that. So put me down on the sore backside half of the ledger. Argentina will want to open strong and, with the personnel at their disposal, I'm not sure we can stop them - though I'd still place a call to Francois Oman Biyik in Cameroon for some pointers; my chief, possibly-outdated impression of Paraguay is that they're hard to score against, which should match nicely with our, um, difficulties on offense;
And, no, butter don't mask the fact that brussel sprouts taste like shit.
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