Reflections on last night

In a word: depressing. Sure, Oguchi Onyewu was not 100%. Sure, most of our starters were enjoying cheeseburgers and wings in the luxury boxes overlooking Rentschler Field. Sure, there were two goals off set pieces, including a promising finish from Herculez Gomez in his final shot at squeezing onto today's 23-man roster announcement. But the 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic highlighted what I've been pointing out since he took over the job. Bob Bradley has failed to develop any depth past his World Cup starters.

The very fact that Gomez and Buddle were getting try-outs in the zero hour underscore Bradley's lack of foresight. Silly early call-ups (Jeff Cunnningham, Eddie Gaven, Frankie Hejduk) and late injuries forced him back into a very muddy player pool and he's been digging around for diamonds in the slop like a single mother on Minute to Win It.

I don't mean to indicate that Gomez and Buddle shouldn't be on the team (because I think they should be, at the expense of DMB and Eddie Johnson) but the fact that he’s waited so long to add new components to the national team means that the U.S. could struggle with continuity and collaboration if these players are called upon.

But putting aside the argument over who should be playing alongside of Jozy Altidore, last night’s match revealed a bigger problem: the lack of depth in defense. Hopefully, Gooch, Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit are in game shape for June 12 because after those three I shudder to think of who will cover. Bradley’s positive assessment of Clarence Goodson’s performance was mind-boggling. Sure he assisted on three goals; unfortunately, two were for the Czechs. And Maurice Edu at centerback = failed experiment.

But even if the Big Three stay healthy in the backline, there is still the issue of left back. Jonathan Bornstein and Heath Pearce made the Czechs look like Brazilians. They were dreadful! But since Bradley didn’t discover and develop American talent at that position (read: Marc Burch among others), we have to bring one of them, I guess. The only other option is to put Bocanegra there and hope that DeMerit can hold his own. At right back, Jonathan Spector should be the starter because Steve Cherundolo really should be a right winger, not a straight right back. He’s not physical enough to fit the U.S. formation or style.

At 1pm Bradley will announce the roster and although I’m expecting maybe one or two surprises, my optimism for this year’s World Cup is tempered with anxiety that our depth will be challenged in those first three matches.

Shall we go Dutch?

I don’t blame U.S. fans (and John Harkes) for jumping on the Brian Ching/Sacha Kljestan bandwagon after each scored a goal in the predictably underwhelming 2-1 win over El Salvador. After all, finishing, any finishing, is something the U.S. has always lacked, so anytime a player manages to put one away, the goalscorer is immediately vaulted into sacred cow status.

But slow down. Ching had a number of quality opportunities that he couldn't manage to put on frame, and Kljestan had a pretty poor second half until El Salvador's terrible, terrible giveaway.

For once, Bradley seems to be avoiding the rush to anoint the Wednesday goalscorers. He named Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Eddie Johnson (Aris), and Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake) to the roster for next Wednesday's friendly against The Netherlands, not Brian Ching. And Kljestan is absent from the midfield, as the European players come back to the fold. This doesn't mean that Bradley has settled his World Cup squad, however, as evidenced by the additions of DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers) and Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro).

Putting aside for a moment that Bradley should have begun these try-outs long ago, I like the additions of Johnson, Bedoya and Beasley. DMB and EDJO deserve another shot at Nats glory before their relegated to the status of other acronymed failures like JOB (John O'Brien), especially Beasley who could use some good news. Bedoya is a real wild card and I'm excited to see him rolled out against a quality side.

This is when the real cohesion needs to begin, so hopefully this match can finally provide clarity without hype. Of course, if Robbie Findlay manages to score, throw all of that out the window and proclaim him The GOAT.

USA 2010 squad still missing pieces

Ok, it's been forever and a day since I posted anything new on here. And really there's been nothing comment worthy (besides Landon Donovan sticking it to his critics at Everton). But after reading the Goffinator's rundown of the potential 2010 World Cup squad, I had to throw my two cents in (although what I want to do is hit Bob Bradley with a sock of quarters).

Goff's Locks:
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton) and Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Guzan is underwhelming but he isn't the worst No. 2. He's certainly better than Zach Thornton or Nick Rimando (who were called up for the Feb. 23 match vs. El Salvador). I'd like to see Marcus Hahnemann steal the spot from Guzan, but really I'll be praying that Howard stays healthy. The thing is, in the worst possible scenario do you want youth (Guzan) or experience (Hahnemann) stepping in? I mean, Guzan can't even beat out a 38-year-old Brad Friedel at Villa.

Defenders: Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)
Nice group. No surprises. Bocanegra may be the weak link in this group, but only if he's forced to play left back. Jonathan Bornstein, who Goff says is on the bubble at the moment, will likely get the LB spot. It's not an inspired selection there, but he's serviceable. He's good for one gaff a game though, so hopefully it won't be a costly one.

Midfielders: Landon Donovan (Galaxy-Everton), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Stuart Holden (Bolton)
The midfield depth for the U.S. continues to be a strength, but on the field, it continues to reflect Bradley's poor tactical management. Bradley should be taking notes from David Moyes at Everton. Moyes has utilized LD's skill set superbly, putting him on the right-side of midfield and asking him to run and create. LD isn't a forward and he's limited as a central midfielder. With quickness on the edges (LD on the right, Holden (or Torres) on the left, the center of the pitch should be players who hold well and play excellent counter-attacking balls. I love Rocardo Clark, but he doesn't fit this mold. Should he be on the squad? Yes. But as a injury replacement for Maurice Edu or Benny Feilhaber. Hopefully, Jermaine Jones can get healthy and into the mix. But Michael Bradley (and I can't believe I'm writing this) will be crucial to our success at the World Cup. So hopefully, he makes dear ol' dad proud.

Forward: Jozy Altidore (Hull City)
The fact that Goff can only come up with one sure-thing at forward demonstrates the frighten lack of depth at this position (see previous post). But Goff's suggestion for a running partner for Jozy shows that if ignorance is repeated often enough it becomes conventional wisdom. "The squad is also going to need a target forward: Conor Casey (Colorado) or Brian Ching (Houston)" Why? Target forwards are for clubs with deadly accurate crossers or teams that play long balls all day. We are not that team. We are a possession team. Short passes. Stretch the defense. Backline-beating chips or through balls. You do not need a tall player to be successful in this style. You need someone with control and strength. If we are relying on Casey and Ching, we're done. Forget England, we won't beat Algeria or Slovenia. So, who should it be? Charlie Davies likely won't be 100 percent if he completes his remarkable comeback, so he'll be a better super-sub if we need a goal in the final 15 minutes. You could move Dempsey up front but he plays around too much and gives away possession far too often. It's probably too late to go digging for a diamond in the rough. So, Bradley's left himself few options. Out of the dreadful recent call-ups, Robbie Findlay is the only legitimate option, but he's awfully inconsistent. I mean, why call up washed up Jeff Cunningham? Jason Kreis was busy? Kenny Cooper, Eddie Johnson and dare I speak his name, Freddie Adu should be the camp invitees, not Cunningham or Casey.

An American Revolution, Part 2

2010 World Cup USA schedule (Group C)
England in Rustenberg on June 12
Slovenia in Johannesburg on June 18
Algeria in Pretoria June 23

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

Blame Bradley for U.S.'s depth problem

The sun even shines on a dog’s ass occasionally. And that explains how the dreadful Conor Casey could score two goals in the win over Honduras. Against Costa RIca, his miss in the 10th minute was absolutely criminal and might explain why Landon Donovan “didn’t see him” wide open at the far post in the 37th.

With the news that “Gooch” (Oguchi Onyewu) will be out at least three months with a torn tendon in his knee, you have to second guess the decision to play the first team. Add to that the fact that Charlie Davies was badly injured on Tuesday in a car accident in northern Virginia and one can see the enormous lack of depth on the U.S. team. Of course, Davies could have been in that accident anywhere, but the argument that neither he nor Gooch should have been in D.C. in the first place has to be addressed. Winning CONCACAF means nothing in terms of seeding in the World Cup, so why do you risk injuries and red cards (which do carry over into the WC) in a meaningless match?

The loss of Davies’ pace was evident in the match, but once again I think Jozy Altidore performed well in the starting role despite going goal-less. His lack of production was more a result of being unlucky and of pressing too much. It was obvious that he desperately wanted to score to for his friend Charlie (the #9 on his T-shirt under his jersey, revealed after Jonathan Bornstein’s goal made that clear). But Bradley still needs to find a consistent partner for Jozy up front, which demonstrates the poor job he’s done in developing depth on this team.

The fact that we have finished qualifying and one injury can have such an enormous impact speaks volumes. Bradley has about eight months to find a suitable replacement for Davies. It’s not Casey. And Clint Dempsey isn’t a consistent enough scorer to move into that spot. Ching? Cooper? Arnaud? (Wow, that’s a pretty sad list) What about resurrecting Freddy Adu? It might have to be Donovan, but I hate to move him out of the role of orchestrator. Perhaps the U.S. can play a 4-5-1, but they need to make sure that the wings and attacking mid (LD) get involved in the attack.

Davies seriously injured in car crash

Charlie Davies was seriously injured in a single-car accident today. After surgery, he was in serious but stable condition. Another passenger was killed. Here's the latest from ussoccer.com.

U.S. packs its bags for 2010!

The U.S. qualified for their sixth straight World Cup on Saturday with a 3-2 win over Honduras in San Pedro Sula in an uneven, but scrappy, performance. A brace from unlikely hero Conor Casey and a superbly struck free kick from qualification MVP Landon Donovan was enough to hold off the Hondurans.

“It was a culmination of a long learning process," Donovan said post-game. "And we played mature, experienced, a hard fought 90 minutes, and I was very proud of us.”

Honduras, who missed a chance to equalize from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, now need a win against El Salvador and a Costa Rican draw or loss against the U.S. on the final matchday to avoid a fourth-place finish and the playoff with the fifth-place South American team (currently Uruguay, although they trail Argentina by a single point).

The U.S. will have a chance for a meaningless first-place finish in CONCACAF qualification with a win over Costa Rica at home on October 14.

“It is important to win the group," said coach Bob Bradley. "We take a great amount of pride in trying to be the best team in CONCACAF. With this win today, we’re in position going into the Costa Rica game to finish first in the group, and that’s the goal.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just as long as you don't play anyone of consequence and get them injured.

Since many of you didn't get to see this historic win, here are some highlights courtesy of usssocerdotcom:

U.S. wins on The Road

Another close call, saved by Ricardo Clark's swerve. Bob Bradley is the luckiest motherf-er on the planet. Too disgusted to blog. Or write in complete sentences. Anymore. Stilted language. Reminds me of Cormac McCarthy. His writing is just as depressing as the U.S.'s performance. But a win is a win, I guess. Two more left. The prospect of a play-in match against Argentina wakes me up in a cold sweat.