World Cup: US Out
I thought I'd check in from this Internet station in Stockholm airport to post a thought or two about the US bombing out of a group that turned out to be well within their grasp.
Casual fans will see the results, shrug and say, "US still sucks at soccer." Yes, our #5 FIFA ranking was overblown, (and my prediction of us matching that ranking would have required massive overachieving). But the overall state of soccer in the US is strong, with so many of our players playing in Europe AND with the MLS still chugging along and producing those world class players. The future is bright.
But that's not what I wanted to talk about. My thought as America's hopes faded into oblivion was a new one, at least for me. It came from my disgust with Donovan's disappearing act, Beasley's lack of apparent progress from 4 years ago, and Reyna's inability to exert himself on the game like he's supposed to. To sum up, the thought sprung from observing the crappy way our supposed stars played in this tournament. The thought was...this might be Bruce Arena's fault.
Really, it boils down to the disappearance of Landon Donovan. We think he's capable of great things on the world stage. We know he's capable of at least being the biggest threat of the American offense. How did he get so lost?
Maybe it's time we blame Arena. Sure, his boys played great with their backs against the wall versus Italy. And most of the goals the US gave up can be explained away not from an overall defensive incompetence, but one or two suspect clears, the Reyna debacle, and Rosicky having the game of his life. Our offense, though, was atrocious. And while other managers across the board were having great success with their substitutions, Arena never did push the right buttons.
Overall, our attack was miserable. And since we can use the word "overall," I think we might want to point a finger at the one who is manager over all.
I'm not saying fire the man. He's brought the US a long way, and he could still become a legend. I'm just saying something I've never said before; Bruce Arena deserves blame.
Casual fans will see the results, shrug and say, "US still sucks at soccer." Yes, our #5 FIFA ranking was overblown, (and my prediction of us matching that ranking would have required massive overachieving). But the overall state of soccer in the US is strong, with so many of our players playing in Europe AND with the MLS still chugging along and producing those world class players. The future is bright.
But that's not what I wanted to talk about. My thought as America's hopes faded into oblivion was a new one, at least for me. It came from my disgust with Donovan's disappearing act, Beasley's lack of apparent progress from 4 years ago, and Reyna's inability to exert himself on the game like he's supposed to. To sum up, the thought sprung from observing the crappy way our supposed stars played in this tournament. The thought was...this might be Bruce Arena's fault.
Really, it boils down to the disappearance of Landon Donovan. We think he's capable of great things on the world stage. We know he's capable of at least being the biggest threat of the American offense. How did he get so lost?
Maybe it's time we blame Arena. Sure, his boys played great with their backs against the wall versus Italy. And most of the goals the US gave up can be explained away not from an overall defensive incompetence, but one or two suspect clears, the Reyna debacle, and Rosicky having the game of his life. Our offense, though, was atrocious. And while other managers across the board were having great success with their substitutions, Arena never did push the right buttons.
Overall, our attack was miserable. And since we can use the word "overall," I think we might want to point a finger at the one who is manager over all.
I'm not saying fire the man. He's brought the US a long way, and he could still become a legend. I'm just saying something I've never said before; Bruce Arena deserves blame.
posted by Prof. A at 2:22 AM
1 Comments:
I love soccer. I believe that I understand the game on the field, and I understand the culture off the field, and I know that Europe calls it "football" and "the pitch."
That said, I don't have a firm grasp on the role that coaches play in top-flight or international soccer, and so I'm not sure what to do about Bruce Arena. I think he's a good coach tactically, and the second longest serving coach on the international level, and there can be no doubt that his tenure has seen the Americans play constantly better on the international level. If we lose Arena, we are losing a coach with value.
However, I suspect that a soccer coach's role is more like an American football coach's role than anything else; it seems the coach might be responsible for the attitude of the team. Bill Cowher's teams are smashmouth and mean. Mike Martz's teams are fast and cagey. Jimmy Johnson's teams are ultra-talented but undisciplined. And, well, Bruce Arena's teams are capable, but a little tentative and whiney.
Davies seems to believe that the Americans just weren't talented enough this time. He might be right, but I don't think this tournament proved that. Landon didn't try and beat players. He passed. Beasley didn't try and run past men. He held back. Only Dempsy on our team consistently tried to beat people, and we'll be damned if he -- a 23-year-old kid from the MLS without any previous accolades -- didn't beat a ton of them. I think Donovan could have done better. Ditto Beasley.
So, insofar as Arena is culpable for the tenativeness of our star players, I think Arena is to blame. And insofar as another coach might be able to breed more self-respect and cockiness, I think it's time for another coach.
Is Mike Martz available?
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