We have 1 1/2 years to vet 1 (possibly 2 if Cameron is constantly deployed at RB for his club) new CB's, and if this is the start of chronic injury issues for Dolo we have 1 1/2 years to vet Chandler (if he's serious about playing for us). Oh, and God help us if Johnson goes down. That is not a good place to be in. Now, it might all come together just fine (stranger things have happened), but JK should have done a better job attacking our defensive woes (which were plain and clear for everyone to see) as soon as he took the job.
Yeah, the 2002 team was one of those times where many things came together at just the right time. I've always viewed that team as a near perfect peaking of a strong core of prime-age players -- Friedel, Pope, Berhalter, Sanneh, Hejduk, Reyna, O'brien, Lewis, Mastro, McBride, and Mathis were all at or near their career peak levels at the same time. Add in some quality vets as part-timers like Stewart, Jones, Moore, and Wolff, and then the surging youths Donovan and Beasley, and you had a terrific mix come together. Yup. 2010 was a real success, especially when you consider how the crucial loss of Davies, the injury to Gooch, and the injury-aborted loss of Jones impacted that roster (Torres/Clark and Findley don't make the squad if Davies and Jones were uninjured). EDIT -- And Holden's injury was another blow, as cleensheetbsc notes below. Those other two guys were less of a "real" option, but are still fun/annoying to think about sometimes (especially considering how their chosen National teams underperformed, while they could have been a huge boost to an over-achieving US).
In hindsight, the draw was somewhat favorable, but hardly "extremely favorable." We played a top European team that fell embarrassingly flat but was widely considered elite, and we played a manicly hard-working, motivated home team. That's neither extremely favorable nor extremely difficult, but rather run-of-the-mill average. And the draw will always be a crucial factor in every World Cup, and a factor that is totally out of the US hands to control. Until the US makes another qualitative step up, it will always struggle against a tough draw and be competitive against average draws.
The funny thing is, 2006, all we hear is we sucked (we did, for the most part), Bruce sucked (to an extent, yes), but that was a pretty hard draw with the eventual champion, a Czech team that was highly rated, though they fizzled after our match, and an underrated Ghana. Some are quick to yell about easy draws, but never want to hear the excuse when it is a difficult draw.
England is widely considered a B team especially by their own fans. Algeria? sorry no. they could easily not qualify for 2014 but they are not out of it yet. Slovenia...will not qualify for the 2014 world cup. Compared to other groups we got a favorable draw. The only draw that was easier was group A.
I agree that that draw was just a little difficult. Ghana is very good. Czechs were excellent then. Italy goes without saying. I completely agree.
Not sure what is being debated here. We were all juiced with the 2010 draw. I'd take such a draw any time. I'm not going to say what or what not are opponents were. The 'B' England team has played and defeated a lot of good teams. Slovenia had to beat Russia to get there. Qualifying in Africa is a difficult crap shoot (right, Egypt?). We were presented three teams that we matched up well with. That is what was important.
England is just not that great. good enough to get to the 2nd round but not good enough to get far. For england their goal is not what the US team is able to do every other world cup. they want to get to the semifinals but they are nowhere near good enough for that.
But yet, are good enough to receive (fairly or unfairly) a seed each and every cycle. They should be respected. But again, we matched up fairly well with them.
Yes, the 2006 draw was tougher than either the 2002 or the 2010. Not overwhelmingly tougher, but tough enough to put an historically pedestrian USA in danger. Plus, 2006 also had some serious injury issues, comparable to the 2010 team. O'Brien was a shell of his 2002 self in what should have been his career peak as the General of the US midfield. Gibbs was injured just before the Cup (I think he was actually on the initial Cup roster), which messed up Arena's left back plans. Mathis flamed out during the year before the Cup in what should have been his career peak, too. EJ had tumbled from his initial performances 2 years before to become a non-factor. Plus, Donovan was having his worst international year statistically. Combine a somewhat tough draw with a team performing well below its peak and you get the mush of 2006.
well they beat crappy teams sure. but they are overmatched with top UEFA sides more times than not. they generally overperform honestly.
I know it's not fashionable to say that the English are good at anything, but to deny that they're a major European side from our perspective makes you look pretty silly. Every single one of their starters from the Rustenberg game would walk into our lineup then and now...even Heskey. Hell, especially Heskey.
Major, but not feared. They can over run lesser sides, but are not, and have not been considered a top Euro side for a long, long, long long time. When u travel and live in other countries in Europe u learn just how lightly England is regarded in some circles. Respected as a tough side, but one the better ones feel they should beat, and one more technical teams, like a Croatia, can outplay technically and tactically. Hodgsen has actually implemented the style England needs to play in order to make deep runs in tourneys and maybe win one. The amusing part is that it is more Calcio than English, but if u set egos, pride and delusion aside that's what will win them something. Not playing the better teams straight up.
That's not too surprising in a way. Italy is not great player by player, however their system is fabulous.
Flagged by Cornballer on the Uncertain Donovan thread ... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130117/jurgen-klinsmann-us-national-team/
Well, it's amusing if u have had to listen to a bunch of Englishmen degrade Italian soccer for 40 years and say they will never ever play like that......ever!!!! Very amusing.
I can't agree with that at all. At the least, we'd be able to find a spot in our roster for a guy who could play left-back, left-mid, and center-mid all at a fairly high level. I mention this whenever I get a chance, but his club captain Cristian Chivu called him one of the two or three most skilled players on that Ajax side along with Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart, and that was a legitimate Champions League quarter-finals team.
There was even a chance of him being transferred to Barcelona. Of course this was before Barcelona became so great.