As many of you know, USA began their World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 8-0 win over Barbados. The result puts nothing in doubt when the US go to Barbados next weekend. If you missed the game, here are the highlights:
The USA should have no trouble getting by Barbados, but there are some interesting omissions from the squad. Most notably, Jozy Altidore was not included in the team. There were some injury concerns last week, but it could just be that Bradley didn't want to call him in because he didn't play in one of the friendlies. The only player who was included in the roster who didn't play in the 3 friendlies against England, Spain, and Argentina is Brian Ching. His inclusion highlights a major lack of depth at forward, and the US need to look deeper into the pool for some talent. Kenny Cooper and Robbie Findley might warrent a call up to the full national team. Here is the roster:
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Caps/G | Hometown | Club |
| Adu, Freddy | M | 5’8” | 140 | 6/2/1989 | 7/0 | Potomac, Md. | SL Benfica (Portugal) |
| Beasley, DaMarcus | M | 5'8 | 145 | 5/24/1982 | 75/15 | Ft. Wayne, Ind. | Glasgow Rangers (Scotland) |
| Bocanegra, Carlos | D | 6'0 | 170 | 5/25/1979 | 57/9 | Alta Loma, Calif. | Out of Contract |
| Bradley, Michael | M | 6’2” | 175 | 7/31/1987 | 19/1 | Cedar Grove, N.J. | SC Heerenveen (Holland) |
| Califf, Dan | D | 6'1 | 175 | 3/17/1980 | 19/1 | Orange, Calif | FC Midtjylland (Denmark) |
| Cervi, Dominic | GK | 6’6” | 205 | 7/9/1986 | 0/0 | Norman, Okla. | Out of Contract |
| Cherundolo, Steve | D | 5'6 | 145 | 2/19/1979 | 47/2 | San Diego, Calif. | Hannover 96 (Germany) |
| Ching, Brian | F | 6’1” | 195 | 5/24/1978 | 26/5 | Haleiwa, Hawaii | Houston Dynamo (MLS) |
| DeMerit, Jay | D | 6’0” | 185 | 12/4/1979 | 8/0 | Green Bay, Wis. | Watford FC (England) |
| Dempsey, Clint | F | 6’1” | 170 | 3/9/1983 | 41/9 | Nacogdoches, Texas | Fulham FC (England) |
| Donovan, Landon | F | 5'8 | 148 | 3/4/1982 | 100/35 | Redlands, Calif. | Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) |
| Edu, Maurice | M | 6’0” | 170 | 4/18/1986 | 7/0 | Fontana, Calif. | Toronto FC (MLS) |
| Guzan, Brad | GK | 6’4” | 210 | 9/9/1984 | 7/0 | Homer Glen, Ill. | Chivas USA (MLS) |
| Hejduk, Frankie | D | 5'8 | 155 | 8/5/1974 | 78/6 | Cardiff, Calif. | Columbus Crew (MLS) |
| Howard, Tim | GK | 6’3” | 210 | 3/6/1979 | 31/0 | North Brunswick, N.J. | Everton FC (England) |
| Johnson, Eddie | F | 6’0” | 180 | 3/31/1984 | 35/11 | Palm Coast, Fla. | Fulham FC (England) |
| Kljestan, Sacha | M | 6’1” | 150 | 9/9/1985 | 6/0 | Huntington Beach, Calif. | Chivas USA (MLS) |
| Lewis, Eddie | M | 5'10 | 155 | 5/17/1974 | 78/9 | Cerritos, Calif. | Derby County (England) |
| Mastroeni, Pablo | M | 5'10 | 170 | 8/26/1976 | 59/0 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Colorado Rapids (MLS) |
| Onyewu, Oguchi | D | 6’4” | 210 | 5/13/1982 | 33/4 | Olney, Md. | Standard de Liege (Belgium) |
| Pearce, Heath | D | 5’10” | 175 | 8/13/1984 | 14/0 | Modesto, Calif. | Hansa Rostock (Germany) |
When you think of USA vs. Argentina, the first thing that might come to your mind is "CRUSH." As an avid US Soccer fan, those were the words I was hoping wouldn't have to be thought about, talked about, whispered, anything at all. To my surprise, I turned on the Tivo to watch the game, and the US never once made me thing that word (shock of my life). The first 20 minutes were shaky, and needed Tim Howard to step up a few times, but we kept holding on. As time progressed, we started to combine, attack, possess. The US played the game I always knew they were capable of. The defense was solid, midfield was comfortable, forward was (well it was Eddie Johnson, what do you expect) well, poor. This unprecedented performance by the USA is a complete 180 from the game against England. The Yanks committed countless turnovers, never had much going forward, and left some glaring holes in the defense at Wembley. Against Spain, they had some bright spots, but fell back and let Xavi beat them on a goal that was the result of some horrendous flat-footed defense. Against Argentina, there were attacking ideas, strong stringent defense, and timely goal keeping. Eddie Johnson forced Abondanzieri to slide out and save, Heath Pearce forced him into a diving save, Clint Dempsey's deflected shot almost went in, and Oguchi Onyewu hit the crossbar. Although there were no goals, we came close, and in the second half, the US was getting an equal share of play. I was not optimistic about the US's chances against Argentina, the #1 team in the World. Out of all of the friendlies the US played, Argentina would have to be the most difficult. The USA had been demolished by England, and handled by Spain, two teams that aren't as good as Argentina, but The Yanks came out and showed what they are capable of. Heath Pearce was a machine on the field. Nobody got by him at the left-back position, and he never turned the ball over. He also got up the wing and put in some extremely dangerous balls. He also tested Abondanzieri with a gorgeous strike; unfortunately, Abondanzieri was up to the test. Pearce cemented his spot at left back with a fantastic performance. Damarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey are back. Both of them were poor against Spain and England, but were revitalized against Argentina. Beasley's speed saw him run up the left wing, leaving defenders in his wake. His ability to spread the game out, and push up high, alleviated the pressure on the central midfielder's, and allowed the team to have more time on the ball. Dempsey was back to his normal self again. He was dangerous when he got the ball, and was constantly getting dragged down. His excellent ability to carry the ball and shield defenders was on display, and he almost won the US the game when his shot was deflected and missed the goal by a foot. Beasley and Dempsey left me bewildered in England and Spain, but gave strong performances against Argentina. Landon Donovan returned from injury, and showed what the US lacked against England. Donovan is the poster boy of US Soccer, and he receives a lot of flack for it. He never has been successful in Europe, but his success for the Yanks in undeniable. He received his 100th cap last night, at the young age of 26. He was also the leading scorer in US history at the age of 25. He showed why he's had so much success on the international stage against Argentina. At Wembley, we lacked the willingness to run at the defense, and take chances. Donovan, with his great speed took on Argentina with no hesitation. His pace troubled Argentina, and his ability to see the field and quickly combine was awesome. He is never afraid to take on a defender, no matter who it is. Having Donovan back helped the US put on a strong showing. When the USA walked out onto the field, the capacity crowd cheered their lungs out. The supporters were clad in mostly red and white, something that doesn't always happen in the US. Whether it was the fans, the excitement of playing the world's best team, or Bob Bradley putting out the right lineup; The USA can be happy that they matched the play of Argentina. I can confidently say The Yanks are ready to begin World Cup qualifying against Barbados.
70,000 tickets have been sold for the USA vs. Argentina match this Sunday at the Meadowlands. Argentina is fresh off a match with Mexico, where they were the resounding victors, recording a 4-1 victory. Stars such as Lionel Messi, and Sergio Aguero highlight the stellar roster for Argentina. The USA roster is as follows:
DEFENDERS: Dan Califf, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Frankie Hejduk, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce.
MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Lewis, Pablo Mastroeni.
FORWARDS: Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson.
Who will the US start? Have your say in the comments section.
It was truly a tale of two halves in Santander. The USA went stride to stride with Spain in the first half, and they were a step slow in the second half.
Patches of good play for each team marked the first forty-five minutes. Spain established itself early, passing the ball around the back looking for holes in the US defense. Spain found little success in this approach, as the US ran hard and limited Spain to two legitimate chances. The US had spells of possession that resulted in good opportunities, but failed to make their good chances count. Eddie Johnson ran past Carles Puyol, and shot at Casillas who put the ball out for a corner. The few US supporters at the game thought the US had gone ahead when Freddy Adu played a ball into the path of Johnson who coolly chipped Casillas. However, the dream start was not to be, as the replay showed Johnson was just offside. Bob Bradley had to be happy with a 0-0 halftime score.
The second half began with Adu making way for Beasley, and Hejduk replacing Cherundolo. Whether it was the tired legs or something else, the US was not the same team in the second half. The US began to bunker in early in the second half, and would live to rue the decision. Spain possessed the ball without pressure within 30 yards of the goal. Things became increasingly dangerous for the US as legs began to tire. The US mustered one chance in the second half when Eddie Lewis crossed a ball in for Eddie Johnson who headed wide. All Johnson needed to do was to put it on goal, but his header was wide and the domination of possession by Spain continued. Xavi came close when his free kick from 25 yards banged off Brad Guzan’s crossbar. However, Xavi was not to be denied. He took a pass, made a nifty move by the first defender, ran by a flat-footed Oguchi Onyewu, and finished in clinical fashion. Johnson had the final opportunity, but Casillas stopped his shot and Spain was the victor.
The US found some success against a very good team, but faded at the end. It was a great learning experience for the Yanks, and there were many positives that can be taken from the game. Freddy Adu made his second international start, and he was the most dynamic player on the field. Eddie Johnson was fed great balls for the entirety of the first half from Adu. All balls going forward went to the feet of Adu, and he made good use of it. He began most of the Yank’s opportunities, and was the sole source of creativity. Bob Bradley needs to get Adu in the regular lineup for the US after his fantastic performance against Spain.
Another thing that went well for the US was Maurice Edu partnering with Michael Bradley in the center midfield. Edu controlled the ball well and allowed Bradley to get up the field and feed Adu. Bob Bradley needs to allow Michael Bradley to get forward, and if Edu lets that happen, then he should play alongside Bradley.
I understand that many of the US players just finished club seasons, but so did the Spanish players. Spain was constantly hustling to balls, and played hard and fast for 90 minutes. The US played well for 55, and then Spain ran all over them. To compete against the world’s best, you cannot play for just 55 minutes and expect to gain a result.
Overall, the US played well, but could not sustain their high level of play. When the US play as well as they did against Spain, they can compete with the best. That fact was proven in Santander.
Spanish Newspaper Marca, is reporting that Jozy Altidore is extremely close to signing for Villareal. A reported $10 million fee will be payed to The Red Bulls and Altidore could play his final game at the Meadowlands on Sunday for the USA against Argentina. He would be loaned to Recreativo Huelva immediately upon his arrival. He will be in the mix for starts at Recreativo, and this would be the move Altidore has been waiting for, and hopefully he can grow to be a force on the international level. What do you guys think of this move?
The USA will be looking to bounce back from their loss to England, and it will not be an easy match against Spain. Spain is a team consisting of superstars at every position, and it will be a huge test for the Americans. Here is the probable lineup for the USA:
Jack Warner is the President of Concacaf, Vice-President of FIFA, and one of the sketchiest businessmen you could encounter. His questionable ethics when it pertains to advancing his own self-interest and that of Trinidad & Tobago are legendary. As a proud supporter of the Yanks, I get scared every time Jack Warner is influential in any big decision. His long known favoritism to the little island nations of the Caribbean is a major concern for US fans. FIFA elects its presidents with each country receiving one vote. Similarly, each continental federation elects its president in the same manner. Warner panders to the numerous island nations, and then ignores nations like Mexico and the US without much worry. Sepp Blatter is also dependent on Warner. Blatter uses Warner to rally all of the Island nations to vote for him when FIFA presidential elections come around. The Caribbean makes up a significant portion of the votes, and Blatter would not be elected without them. So what is so egregious about this? He is operating inside the rules. The far less publicized story is that Warner uses the leverage he has with Blatter to get away with scandals and corruption. Warner has been involved in multiple scandals, and has never received the proper punishment from FIFA. Warner is a smart guy, but he tried to skirt the law too many times. Warner’s scandals all coincidentally have to do with Trinidad & Tobago, his home country. Trinidad & Tobago played a friendly against Scotland at Easter Road in 2004. Warner attended the game which is no cause for concern, but what he did after that is concerning. He went to John McBeth, the president of the SFA and asked for the proceeds of the game to be made out to him personally, not the FF of T&T. McBeth responded appropriately. ”No, we don’t do that” he said, but Warner also approached other members of the SFA to have the proceeds made out to him directly. Warner was completely out of line, but no investigation ensued from FIFA. There is also the very publicized World Cup ticket scandal, but there is a less publicized Bonus scandal with the T&T players. After the World Cup, which saw T&T make an admirable showing, there were bonuses due to the players. Warner reported that the FA had collected TT $18.25 million, and spent TT $17.9 million. Warner promised the players half of the difference, and the players could not believe the FF had profited so little from going to The World Cup. 13 members of the team retired from international football in protest, until their rightful bonus was given to them. It was later revealed that the FF had amassed more than TT $173 million. The players were rightfully suspicious. Warner also damaged the possibility of the US hosting the World Cup (something I am not happy about). Warner said that he would ”battle to bring…the tournament to his region”, as he should. Warner controls 3 of the 24 votes when deciding where to host the World Cup, making him very powerful on this matter. He said in that same interview that he would favor Italy, or Spain if the World Cup were to go to Europe. He since changed those statements in hopes of securing a friendly against England for T&T. After he secured a useless friendly in T&T, he changed his mind about England hosting the World Cup. Warner said “The time has come” for England to host a World Cup. It was a big blow for the US’s bid to host in 2018. If your own regional president does not back you, the whole bid could be jeopardized. What ever you may think of Warner, he was smart enough to get himself in a position where he cannot be reprimanded for his misconduct. What do you guys think about Warner? Is he as unethical as the evidence points to? You get to decide for your self. Sources: BBC Sport, Sunday Herald, BBC Sport International, Gaurdian
These comments are a little belated but I was caught up in some other things. Here is what the US needs to learn from their game at Wembley.
The USA were humbled at Wembley. There was speculation by many (including myself) that the USA could get a result out of the game, or maybe even a win. I will say it now. ”England played well, and outclassed the US.” I previously made an argument that the US could win. However, the US never was in the game. The first ten minutes were poor for both teams, and then England showed that they are a world-class team. There are a few problems that were made apparent for the US.
The fact remains though, that the US pool is extremely shallow. The poor play of Johnson and Wolff will force Bob Bradley to look for new forwards. The immediate player to whom Bob Bradley will look is Kenny Cooper. A former youth player for Manchester United, he currently plies his trade for FC Dallas. He has scored six goals in ten games, and is a big and strong player in the mold of Brian Mcbride. The US lack a true target forward and capable backups. When the Yanks do not have Donovan and Altidore available, they need to have players who can step in and score goals. Bob Bradley must look further into the US pool, and attempt to find some competent backups.
The US was also outplayed in midfield. It was evident that Ricardo Clark does not have the ability to compete against the world's best. He made a habit of giving the ball away, and was not forceful enough in making his presence felt. Bradley played an insignificant game, making a few good challenges, but generally not being as assertive as a ball winning midfielder needs to be. Maurice Edu was a bright spot when he came in for Ricardo Clark. He covered a lot of area and didn’t commit the same sloppy mistakes that Ricardo Clark made. Bob Bradley might want to consider a Maurice Edu and Michael Bradley partnership in the center midfield for the game against Spain.
Bradley also needs to look deeper at the left midfielder spot. Damarcus Beasley was not at his best against England. His set pieces were poor, and he generally struggled to make progress down the left side. Beasley is the best left midfielder for the US when he is on top form, but when he struggles, there is a need for a capable backup. Beasley might need a few more months to fully rehabilitate from a serious knee injury sustained in the Champions League final.
A few years ago, Bobby Convey could have fought for a starting spot. Now he is injured and a long way from duplicating his stellar play when Reading were promoted to the premiership. The best option appears to be Freddy Adu. His confident play, quickness, and flare make him a strong replacement for Damarcus Beasley. Beasley will be the left midfielder for the foreseeable future, but The Red, White & Blue need depth.
The US must play the ball quicker. They could not play the ball fast enough to avoid the English, and often lost the ball because of it. England passed the ball fluidly from side to side, but the Yanks had trouble playing quick 3 pass combinations. Steven Gerrard’s goal was worked because of quick one-touch passing, and the US struggled mightly to use any form of one-touch passing at all. Without quick passing, the Yanks will never be able to compete against teams as good as England.
England was the resounding victor at Wembley, but the US should take its lessons learned and apply them to its upcoming games against Spain and Argentina, and the beginning of World Cup qualifying. The US is playing the best in the world to gain experience. Hopefully, the lessons learned from playing world class teams can be put to use so that the US can compete against any nation in the world.
I've hit it big. Two articles for Soccerlens and I'm all over google. Here is my most recent article on why the US will beat England.
