Blog follower Scott Wolitzer felt it necessary to add a monstrous comment to Jon Kim's recent post on the United States National Team because he has been frustrated by their lack of results against top teams. His thoughts on how they should improve themselves are enumerated below.
Putting the US’s success in CONCACAF aside, let's focus on their results against teams of real quality. Let’s take the games played in the 2006 World Cup, the 2007 Copa America, high profile friendlies (Argentina, Spain, and England in the recent past), and the present Confederations Cup. In these games the US are a whopping 0-10-1. Even if you exclude the Copa America results because the US fielded their C team, that is seven losses, one tie, and no wins! I know these teams are some of the best in the world, but in a eight game span of high caliber matches you have to show some sign of improvement. To add insult to injury, in these eleven games the US has scored an absolutely pathetic three goals and one was a penalty. If this isn’t a call for change what is? Here are some of the thoughts that I had that I would like to add on to Jon’s:
1. Give Bradley to the end of the WC. If they don’t get out of the group stage, can ‘em. I would think about it now if it weren’t for Mexico leaving us a great reminder that a new coach doesn’t always fix everything.
2. As for left back I would put Pearce back in. Bornstein’s speed and offensive prowess is suppose to make up for his lack of defensive skill, but I only see him getting continually beat forcing him to foul and continually botching crossing opportunities.
3. When Edu comes back from injury I think he can pair up nicely with Bradley seeing how well he’s played for Rangers. Also Edu is a holding midfielder that would allow Bradley to be a little more offensive like he used to be with Herenveen.
4. Although older players who are not playing overseas should be given the boot, I say give the younger guys more slack. Keep playing the young guys and for g-d sakes give Adu a shot. He is the kind of impact player the US needs even if it is off the bench.
5. As for Dempsey, for some reason he just isn’t that effective for the US team. He doesn’t make many runs and seems slow to me. Don’t get me wrong, he is fantastic for Fulham, but I just don’t see the same heart in a US jersey. He seems to be focused more on dancing with the ball than an actual positive influence. Put him at right mid and hope he either gets his act together or a younger replacement comes along.
6. We all know the US can’t score so why not change the system. None of this bs of Dempsey or Donavan being the second striker behind Jozy. They end up leaving Jozy isolated up top and that’s not fair to him. He is a young striker who is being expected to be a one-man attack force (although he managed extraordinary well to draw a PK v Italy doing that) and that is just stupid. You need to have a striker to pair up with him so he doesn’t have to be responsible for single-handedly chasing bad long balls, holding it up, and waiting for midfielders to support and just waste the ball away. I say have Ching be Altidore’s strike partner and slowly usher in Davies as the future striker. I like Davies a lot; he’s got speed and a tenacity that many US players lack. I would be content if it was an Altidore-Davies strike partnership in the future.
7. As for Donavan, I am not a huge fan. I think all the goals he scores on PK’s makes it seem like he’s a goal scorer. He’s not. Put him at left mid, let him run around and do his thing. I don’t think he is the answer to the US’s problems, never has been, but he is still one of their more reliable players.
8. I like what I’m seeing from Feilhaber. He has the potential to be a great playmaker and Bob Bradley should continue to give him time.
9. Finally dead balls. I don’t know why nobody has noticed that Donavan can’t get the ball past the first defender. Let Dempsey take some.
This is how I’m hoping the US roster will look for the WC in 2010
GK: Howard
LB: Pearce
CB: Onyewu
CB: Demerit
RB: Bocanegra
RM: Dempsey
LM: Donavan
CM: Edu
CM: Bradley
ST: Altidore
ST: Ching (eventually Davies will take over)
Important subs:
-Davies
-Adu
-Feilhaber
-Spector
