Sanneh fulfilled a role for Arena and he filled it really damn well in the 2002 run. Arena is from the Frederick Taylor school. He'll find a way to be efficient no matter how talented the player is in his system. Mix and match, it won't matter much. When the game is on the line (sorry, a friendly is not a game that is on the line) he'll find a way to put the players out there that will give the TEAM the best chance to win. If you can't see the big picture I just can't help you. I really feel for you. not.
While the performance out there was pathetic and unmotivated, to suggest firing Arena is ridiculous.. Can you at least wait until we lose to Grenada before firing Arena? I know Haiti isn't exactly on the level of most CONCACAF teams, but the US was definitely in slow motion tonight and a lot of that has to do with Arena's selections no doubt, but did anyone bother to suggest before tonights game that we would have a real problem with Convey, Beasley, Donovan, Bocanegra, Sanneh, Gibbs and Armas starting? Granted, Wolyniec, Ralston and assorted others didn't exactly come to the forefront, in fact, they may have played themselves right out of contention.. I'd be a lot more worried if this was our best squad out there but we were far from it and played a team tonight that was hungrier to play and we downright should have lost that match but to suggest Arena's firing is a bit of a knee-jerk reaction..
Do you think Bruce had more to with the 2002 world cup than guys named Reyna, O'Brian, Friedel, Donovan, Poe and McBride Stop bothering!
Well...he did pick them, didn't he? Well, he picked O'Brien but not O'Brian. He also made a judgement to go against his word that Keller would get playing time. Not many people were agonizing over that decision after it happened.
I agree with Ghost wholeheartedly. I think we see the problem in the way Bruce has handled Mathis. Mathis is a very creative and skillful player even as much as his teamates can't read or are suprised at what he does on the pitch, same thing I think with Kirovski. The Bruce can't stand not having hustle and discipline on the pitch. It's an American football mentality. Play your position at 110% for 90 min. But this style does not create goals which is evident by our results. Putting Mathis out there and giving him some freedom, letting him get comfortable is what we need to take the nats to the next level. Creative players disapear during matches and thats ok becauseit doesn't take 90 min to score a goal just 1 minute of genius. I have to ask why hasn't Kyle MArtino gotten more minutes? He's an extremely dangerous playmaker. The Nats have got to go young but Bruce is picking the wrong guys.
The fact is since the World Cup 2002, the USA has played terribly, doesn't play attractively, doesn't get many fans to games, isn't on the TV any more than before, and well basically is - STAGNANT. We can't live on with the "glory" of Korea/Japan for results. You actually have to play the game, and that doesn't mean 11 defenders with long balls, bad passing and CRAP entertaiment, if you can even use that word for boring futbol fans out of the stadiums.
I appreciate the effort to try and explain to these people about the "importance" of this match.. Just let these mopes dig ther own graves.. If there is anyone who isn't more pissed off about the effort out there tonight, it's Arena..
Don't bring April Heinrichs into this. This game tonight has nothing to do with her team. Clever trying to edit your post after you made a huge mistake. Any coach who's in it for entertainment is in it for the wrong reasons. Go watch the cartoon network if that's what you're looking for.
Important? Hell no, but everything about the US team since the WC has been negative in my book. One game is fine, but this is part of a much longer, much more dissappointing trend. This is just the latest low.
Why is Brazil so good? They care to improve. Good futbol = entertainment Arena/USSF = 0 entertainment value and 1 Gold Cup Trophy <sigh>
I'll tell you why. The main reason is that they have 99% of their top athletes playing soccer. The US doesn't.
CWeed, while I concede that this wasn't the most important match in the world. But this was an injury-time goal away from being three games without a score. You talk about Wolyniec and Ralston playing their way off the team .... why are they in a position to have to play their way off the team? Why are they in that position when, as I put it in the PBP thread, Edson Buddle and Kyle Martino are somewhere in Central Ohio sitting around drinking Pepsis and playing X-Box? Something is amiss, and yoiu must smell it. .
I know BA likes to spread the Cap-wealth around, but how many times does he have to look at certain guys to know that they aren't going to help during qualifying and beyond?...Especially considering the list of quality, young players that don't get the call up. The backline is a problem because there isn't much depth to draw from. But Wolyniec?...Instead of Twellman?...or Buddle?...or Mullan?...These guys have hardly had a look? If they're going to fire him, they should do it now. The results over the last year or so have been terrible. And more disturibing is that the team has looked terrible. There seems to be a negative correlation between job security and motivation here. Something has to change.
I certainly don't disagree with you at all, it's been tough to watch this team in recent times, but, as Arena clearly stated before the match tonight, this is the time to try and figure out who you can count on during qualifying that isn't a part of the core group of players that will be in qualifying.. How else will we know who can and can't play for us in big games? Arena is attempting to expand the player pool and we need this to happen otherwise it will be WC 98' all over again with aging has-beens taking the field.. I'm willing to go through a few growing pains to achieve the ultimate goal, which is deep advancement at the World Cup, which incidentally we did a few years ago.. Again, I'm not saying in the least that what I witnessed tonight was good in any way.. It sucked big donkey balls out there tonight and to a man I bet every player involved feels they let down Arena, their teamates and the fans..
Brazil BECAME that way for a reason genius. Besides we have more futbol players than some nations have people so that is NO excuse.
We should keep these midfielders playing (don't keep changing formation ) in every friendlies & tournaments prior to the wc : Ricardo Clark, Bobby Conveys, Kyle Martino. these are our potential future midfielders we have at this time. Give them international experiences and let them play together for as long as possible.