Mahoney: USA Not Good Enough in Germany

[Grandpa Goal]

http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?ART_ID=562137443

Ridge pretty much nails it: accountability, leadership, personnel, tactics, and direction. Particularly like "A staggering amount of work needs to be done, and it may be beyond one man to handle it. A technical director... makes sense."

[Galaxian]

yup ,right on , good article .

[sidefootsitter]

TACTICS. Arena's 4-5-1 formation took a lot of abuse, of course, since a knee-jerk reaction is to deride it as defensive. Well, the Czechs used it to tear through the Americans. Italy's goalscoring increased when it began playing with Luca Toni alone up top, and Portugal's use of the formation enabled it to send Luis Figo, Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo into the attack simultaneously. With the outside players pushed up high, the formation resembles a 4-3-3. The problem here is that the US didn't have Luca Toni, Figo, Deco and Chrissy Ronaldo.

Plus, the formation and assignments were all screwed up...

Now to pick on Ridge because he is trying to be a responsible journalist but this is exactly what is wrong with the US soccer media - there are no Hubie Browns or Joe Morgans to analyse the game strategy of the US coaching staffs (or for that matter, the German coaching staff, since an ex-Mannschaft coach seems to be a viable candidate for the US gig) on the level required.

Questioning the formation is fine and dandy - and that's Wynalda did on ESPN/2- but the detailed analysis is so much more than that.

[Grandpa Goal]

Now to pick on Ridge because he is trying to be a responsible journalist but this is exactly what is wrong with the US soccer media - there are no Hubie Browns or Joe Morgans to analyse the game strategy of the US coaching staffs (or for that matter, the German coaching staff, since an ex-Mannschaft coach seems to be a viable candidate for the US gig) on the level required.

Questioning the formation is fine and dandy - and that's Wynalda did on ESPN/2- but the detailed analysis is so much more than that.

Think you meant "Not to pick on Ridge" (right?). Anyway... the USSF kept pushing the idea that it wasn't a 4-5-1, that it was a 4-4-1-1, and Wynalda and Foudy kept saying no, it is a 4-5-1!

Regardless, as stated elsewhere in Mahoney's article, Bruce put out the formation based on what he felt was the best American talent available. Arena "obviously" (?) felt we didn't have the talent to run with two forwards and four midfielders, and I think that's where the problem was. Perhaps a.) the manager was wrong in his evaluation of the talent, or b.) his selections had some holes or "deadweight" which did not fit his player determined necessary formation. Either way, Arena comes out wrong in the 20-20 hindsight evaluation. Personally feel nothing is "obvious," but Bruce was "oblivious" to other solutions... kinda' his attitude over the the last four years in his treatment of the press (and any who dared to criticize).

[deron]

Anyway... the USSF kept pushing the idea that it wasn't a 4-5-1, that it was a 4-4-1-1,..

In that case I'd have to say... It still didn't work.:)

[Chizzy]

http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?ART_ID=562137443

Ridge pretty much nails it: accountability, leadership, personnel, tactics, and direction. Particularly like "A staggering amount of work needs to be done, and it may be beyond one man to handle it. A technical director... makes sense."


First it was Trekker, now there's another idiot soccer columnist.

Who is this guy?

[appoo]

First it was Trekker, now there's another idiot soccer columnist.

Who is this guy?

the dude with the worst player ratings ever.


I think sometimes he bases his analysis off of Championship Manager simulations

[Li mu bei]

The problem here is that the US didn't have Luca Toni, Figo, Deco and Chrissy Ronaldo [. . . or Koeller, or Henry, etc.].

Exactly.

. . . and I don't understand how that isn't incredibly ********ing OBVIOUS.

I really am tired of all the iterations of: (1) Country X plays a 4-5-1, therefore we can play it just as well, regardless of appropriate personnel, or (2) Because we played a 4-5-1 and didn't look good doing it, all of our players ultimately suck.

It is just retarded. I'm still waiting for a journalist to pick-up this issue and develop it in print.

So far, I'm not impressed.

[Scotty]

I remember during the tournament when Mahoney wrote another article defending Arena's use of the 4-5-1 using the same argument. (although I'm not exaclty sure if he's defending it)

But again he failed to mention that if a forward is going to be alone up top he has to be capable of creating chances for himself.

France can pull it off because they have Henry. Italy has Toni.

McBride has never been that kind of player, and it was never going to work.

[sidefootsitter]

Think you meant "Not to pick on Ridge" (right?). :o

Anyway... the USSF kept pushing the idea that it wasn't a 4-5-1, that it was a 4-4-1-1, and Wynalda and Foudy kept saying no, it is a 4-5-1! Which was really an irrelevant detail. It's not the formation, it's how it plays and who is playing what roles in it. Arena screwed up the latter to make the former meaningless but that's not what Foudy, Wynalda, Mahoney, et al. ever discuss since it seems to be way above them.

It is just retarded. I'm still waiting for a journalist to pick-up this issue and develop it in print.

So far, I'm not impressed. Right. It's all glossy, superficial issues.

You never see anyone write something like "Arena played a Box formation with a destroyer, which is usually a no-no unless you have exceptional players all around." (AC Milan played Gattuso as a destroyer in a 4-4-2 Box but it also had Pirlo play-make from the deep next to him, Seedorf and Kaka as the attacking mids, Cafu and Serginho as attacking wingbacks and Sheva and Gilardino at forward spots ... with that much firepower, you can afford a nominal destroyer like Gattuso, who's not that shabby with the ball at his feet anyway ... but the US doesn't have the said players even if their positional kin is playing at its best).

You can sort of forgive Wahl for writing the obvious stuff for SI (although they do have Paul Zimmerman cover NFL's Xs and Os) but one expects a little more from the soccer-specific publications.

[MarioKempes]

Each time I saw McBride up top in a 4-5-1, I knew he wouldn't score. He doesn't really create his own chances, and with no O'Brien and Reyna playing back, there was no one to pass him the ball.

Our only goal in the run of play came when Beasley passed to Dempsey in the midfield.

[JeremyEritrea]

First it was Trekker, now there's another idiot soccer columnist.

Who is this guy?

Have you honestly never heard of Ridge Mahoney?

[elbita]

what i don't really get is, if it was 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1, that should mean donovan was closer to the ball when we won possession. so why did he never see it?

1) he didn't demand it and/or show for the ball

2) the team didn't get it to him

i would think that playing donovan farther back would be precisely so he sees the ball more often. i mean, you could play him farther back so he sees the ball more often, or you could put him closer to goal so he's, ah, closer to goal and closer to scoring if he gets the ball, but playing him farther back and then NOT getting him the ball...that's just dumb. i blame everyone for it. i blame donovan, but not just donovan. i blame reyna for missing donovan several times. i blame bruce. i blame myself. i blame bush and global warming.
anyway, if donovan's in the midfield, why does every single possession go straight to reyna?

[elbita]

i would also add that in addition to playing better teams, it would be nice if each team brought their better players. england C team against USA B team? yawn.
german A team against American C team? why bother?

i'd really like to see us qualify for the next olympics (duh). i thought it was a real shame that we missed out on athens.

[NoSix]

Besides the lack of suitable personnel, no-one mentions the other key reason why the 4-5-1 was doomed to failure. Yes, it CAN work for Czech Republic or Portugual, because that's a system they have practiced and are comfortable playing in. Under Bruce Arena the USA has played a 4-4-2 for eight !!$#%$! years! Yes, let's trot out a new formation in the Morocco friendly, where it was incredibly successful (for Morocco), and use it almost exclusively in the World Cup...

[sidefootsitter]

... anyway, if donovan's in the midfield, why does every single possession go straight to reyna? Because Arena played a destroyer next to him and, when Mastroeni dumped the ball to Reyna, a Czech marker was right there and his "easy" outlet was defended because Donocan never showed up for the ball. So Claudio either dumped it to Beasley on the right or send the ball over the top. Either option was usually unsuccessful.

Now, the way to play the 4-4-2 Box is with twin two-way deep midfielders, i.e., with JOB on the left and Reyna on the right. That way Reyna has another feasible option to his left and the defense can't overplay either Reyna or JOB.

-------------WS-----------

LW----------------------RW

LB-------LM-------RM-----RB

With two skilled midfielders playing deep, both have each other as an option, as wel as both wings, a withdrawn striker and either wingback. That way, it's pretty easy to triangulate your way forward.

What Bruce did then was to tunnel its own offense toward center-right and Reyna and Beasley were outnumbered and outhustled there and Cherundolo didn't go forward often.

----------------XX-------------

LM----------------------------RW

---------XX--------------RM----RB

Without able to go to WS (crossed out), Reyna either has to switch play all the way to the left (Convey), over the top, play in a close space to RW (Beasley) or to RB (Dolo). This ruins all the spacing on the pitch and makes it a lot easier to defend.

Bruce very foolishly thought it would work.

It didn't.

[purojogo]

......

"The topic of scheduling matches is complex. Next year, the Copa America falls right after the Gold Cup, the regional competition unmatched for melding fiasco with frippery. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati is already citing the need for European-based players to rest after the Gold Cup, which is step one toward scuttling any Copa America participation.

It's not unusual for South American teams to send a young team, such as its under-23 squad, to the Copa America, and that's what the federation can do as it looks ahead to qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The USA didn't qualify for the 2004 Olympics, and the stagnation of many young U.S. players since they competed at the 2003 Under-20 World Championship is reason enough to give this serious thought.

Anybody who thinks a few weeks in South America wouldn't toughen up Eddie Gaven, not to mention Santino Quaranta and a half-dozen others, isn't paying attention."

...............

Dude gets it......

[Thebigshow]

I think the US mostly had bad luck this year. Sometimes the refs rob you, and I think that's what happened this year. Red fouls that weren't even card-able fouls, penalty kicks that weren't even fouls at all, etc. USA should have made it to at least the round of 16. I'm kind of glad Arena is gone, though, cause it seems that in europe Coach turnover is a good thing in the long run.

[england66]

on EJ...."maybe MLS erred by signing him to a lucrative contract that has dulled his ambition".....nail....head....hit....

[Attacking Minded]

With the outside players pushed up high, the formation resembles a 4-3-3.
Yes true, true, true. We had an attacking mid, a holding mid and a defensive mid. Our left mid had far post duties on crosses from the right and our striker stayed central. It doesn't matter what the coach called it. It was a 433.