Prioritized list of the biggest issues on US Soccer. Some potential solutions. Spacing Game Management Tempo Slow Starts Central Defense Left Back Conceding Leads Forwards Enforcements for Donovan and Dempsey Team Confidence 1. Problems in US spacing is one of the key reasons the US concedes goals and a key reason US attackers are often isolated. The solutions to poor spacing are first better coaching. Defensive spacing needs not be rocket science. A zone breaks down when the seams in it are stretched too far. The US zone defense scheme is threadbare. Tighten up the lines defensively. Secondly, GET RID OF THE DOUBLE 6. Finally, play better soccer players along the defensive line. The US lines are often stretched because the ball is kicked from the back, isolating attackers. The attackers predictably turn the ball over. The midfield, trying to catch up with the play, is now in a catch 22. If they advance, they leave space behind them and expose the defense. If they stay put, they leave too much space in front of them. The zone is broken. 2. The US struggles to possess the ball to manage the tempo and momentum of the game. This is a reason the US concedes leads. They too often get into a game of chasing the opponent. The solution is better possession-oriented midfielders in the right circumstances. 3. The US often plays too slowly, particularly through the midfield. The solution is better passers along the back line and in the midfield. This is why Holden will be so vital to this team. I also think Beckerman and Torres should be given another look. Those three are the best passing midfielders in the US central midfield pool. The ability to receive, pass, and offer quickly should be prioritized to fix tempo issues. 4. The US should fall back to the Bruce Arena mentality. Start out games on a mission. Disabuse itself of the "feel it out" mentality. First tackle, first foul, first shot, first goal. 5. The US must resolve central defense issues. This is the top personnel problem for whomever the coach may be. I personally think the best central defense prospects are not playing central defense. If they are skilled enough to be international central defenders,their MLS clubs are playing them elsewhere. The coach should certainly look at John (unsurprisingly, a converted midfielder), but also Larentowicz and Cameron. 6. Lichaj did well. I would also look at Brek Shea. 7. As a sub-item to game management, I was not sure to include this. I decided to only because it has been such a prevalent problem. The US must develop a killer's mentality and then execute to it. Defending a lead should be pure joy. The process of exasperating an opponent, watching them go from determined, to hopeful, to frustrated, and finally to surrendering is a beautiful process. Spacing, tempo, game management all play into it, but the team must also develop the an assassin's merciless mentality. 8. The US coach must find systems that minimize the impact of not having top class forwards. In that respect, I thought Bradley's personnel deployment against Mexico was fantastic. The reality is the US will be thin here, likely until very close to the World Cup itself. Even then, fans can only hope one or more of the young potential players breaks through. It may not happen before the World Cup. So the US must work around having pure forwards by playing systems that give its attacking players opportunities. 9. Again, this may be a timing issue. I think there is some help on its way, but it is a matter of whether young attacking talent develops quickly enough to provide cover. It would be great to substitute into a game a player of Gyau's freakish athletic ability or Gatt's raw speed. Will they be ready? They are headed in that direction, but time will tell. Right now it is more hope and hype than substance, which is worrisome. 10. The team confidence and morale appears to be suffering. Mark Zeigler reported someone close to the team says, "The players are miserable." All signs point to a team in need of a fresh perspective brought by a new coach. If that does not happen, the US should schedule some minnows to get their psyche and confidence back on track. Go out and have fun with the game again. The Gold Cup looked like a team putting in a lot of work, not having fun with the game.
In putting this list together, the point that stands out is while yes, there are areas of concern in the US playing pool, they are not the most important concerns. I assume the goal for the US in 2014 will once again to be advance past the group stage. If true, the biggest obstacles in the way are 40% player pool related, 60% how those players are being used. The focus of the program must now turn towards the Olympics, as so many player-related issues are potentially addressed by the youth in US Soccer. This cycle reminds me of the 2002 US Cycle. I did not follow the team closely then, but I recall a solid but unspectacular team, capable of working its way through CONCACAF but unlikely to accomplish much in the World Cup itself. The 2000 Olympics radically changed the dynamics of the US Pool. From that group, the US used O'brien, Donovan, Beasley, and Wolff. All made an impact in the World Cup. I can see a similar pattern in this cycle. The US is solid but unspectacular. It is capable of working through CONCACAF, probably in pretty easy fashion, but trending towards old and predictable in the World Cup. The young generation, in which I also include Altidore and Adu, are the source from which the spark must come.
I think I'll start a thread entitled: "Susaeta for USMNT coach" Seriously, excellent posts as usual. Someone rep this man for me, I'm all out.
I love you. The talent is there, anyone with a remote soccer brain could see the holes in the Mexico game that could have been minimized by even a decent MLS coach. People always argue 1. players ain't good enough 2. we can't play like bacelona which is bullshit. No one is asking them to play like Barca. I don't even mind if they play like a Sam Allardyce team AS LONG AS THEY DO IT WELL. Why are we playing so reactively when we have a strong midfield pool and our best attackers ever? And the defense is horribly misorganized, and the insertion of bornstein proves how dumb bradley is. As for talent, guys like Beckerman, Cameron, Pontius, Davis, John, shea (as LB, CB, or striker), Evans, hell even Opara, Marshall, etc. are capable of putting in performances better than what we've seen with some of our starters. Of course, whose going to call these boys up when Jay Heaps is available? It's a sick joke
Fans that do not believe in the team, at least not enough to buy Gold Cup final tickets months in advance!
I agree. The US needs to try out a different combo in the Center Mid. Torres/Holden/Edu should get a chance to play.
I thought the topic was being covered via various threads in N&A. More importantly, I thought this type of topic would be more fun here, where people seem to be more willing to have a little fun, even if the subject itself is worth serious discussion.
People always argue 1. players ain't good enough 2. we can't play like bacelona which is bullshit. No one is asking them to play like Barca. I don't even mind if they play like a Sam Allardyce team AS LONG AS THEY DO IT WELL. Why are we playing so reactively when we have a strong midfield pool and our best attackers ever? And the defense is horribly misorganized, and the insertion of bornstein proves how dumb bradley is. As for talent, guys like Beckerman, Cameron, Pontius, Davis, John, shea (as LB, CB, or striker), Evans, hell even Opara, Marshall, etc. are capable of putting in performances better than what we've seen with some of our starters. Of course, whose going to call these boys up when Jay Heaps is available? I ________________________________________________ By bosses hate me at work but they don't fire me because I tell the truth, and I'm usually right. So kudos for your resonant, truthfull analysis. I'm sick of people saying we don't have talent to do better. My only point of contention is calling on players who don't start and don't play all that much for club On your list--Opara. Like Agudelo, love his potential , but I will maintain to the grave that giving important NATS minutes to guys who dont get important minutes at club is a recipe for failure. That's why I didnt want Agudelo called up. One of the many reasons I think Bob's performance has been atrocious from the get go. But, but we should praise him for bringing new people in. Oh I see....... Like I should be singing the praises of my local car dealer for bringing in new cars. Duh. Anyway, for example, let's assume Bob didn't like what Spector was doing in midfield in England. So you mean to tell me that Edu and Beckerman could not have handled Guadaloupe? Thus giving badly needed time off to Junior and Jones. ....... Player selection, tournamant managment-- Bob gets D' and F's. All that way back to '09. The team has done everything despite Bob, not because of Bob.
Wait, there are US fans angry because we don't play like Barcelona? How is this even possible? New fans maybe? I really thought losing the way we have over the last year, it would have tempered fan expectations to a more realistic level. Guess not, then.
No one said that and if you read my posts with an open mind, you'd know what I was talking about People always dismiss the idea of our team trying to retain posession BETTER than we do (we're atrocious at it in games that matter) by saying "We're not barcelona" cross their arms, say "our players suck" and that's that. There's no way for the team to improve, no way Bob could do a better job, so let's just pretend like beating CONCACAF teams is impressive and continue shitting our pants when we play quality teams
I agree to a certain extent, which is why I didn't include guys like Dax (who's been nothing but impressive when he's on the national team, but obviously struggling in MLS). However, a guy like Agudelo has talent and maturity that well beyond his years and playing experience. We can see a guy like Wondolowski have a few great seasons, but he never seemed like a Golden Boot guy a few years ago. It's not that these guys suddenly became great overnight, it's that the technical, mental, and tactical brains have always been there, but maybe their coaches style or fellow players style don't allow them to stand out. That's why even if a guy like Geoff Cameron may not be putting up all star numbers, his qualities are useful at a national team level. And MLS qualities are not always compatible with international qualities. Just look at Wondo/Twellman.
This is very true! Unfortunately, though, Arena was in his first cycle and not so committed to specific older players, as he was in his 2nd cycle & Bradley is now. Also, the current team has much better veterans that the USMNT did when Arena took over. However, I agree that the team has a lot of work to do. It would be nice if the Olympic team sparked a major change in this team, but that would probably also require a new coach.
Two key issues. 1. Our youth players have the first touch of a donkey and are clueless in trapping, passing, shielding and shooting. 2. Our current Coaches are to blame for above.
we want to play the game at a slower speed than the rest of the world is playing at. Slow pass, bad trap, stand still, look up, pass back seems to be the "style" the U.S is cultivating at all levels.
I think. The players are good enough. The players are fast enough and are technically skilled players. They fail to utilize a thought process when it actually matters. They are stubborn and act as if they did an IronMan Marthon. They just need to show up and do a good job. They are in protest as oppose to Pro Sets. It is quite simple. Every player makes mistakes. But to insinuate mistake as a long drawn out theorum, humonous mistakes creates flouishness with opponents. Its been awhile since the USA has come out and left field with no doubt. It was the better team. USA would rather set back give an ample amount of oppertunities to opponents then snatch game up in a closely contested victory. All way back to the World Cup Second Round and before... This team has rarely jumped all over an opponent and out muscled them into submission. Instead they might jump all over the opponent and get them back into it. USA precieve domaniance will only get back to top shape if USA maintains a steady pace for multiple games. YES! Second Place is very nice but it wasn't easy enough as many will point out. USA must win its fanbase back much like winning the contests at hand. Players can do it. They are just stubborn for reasons unknown...
I think the US should be careful to avoid overreaction, but I do agree the US needs to focus on an extreme discipline in fundamentals. Barcelona players spend hours each week passing the ball in tight circles with defenders pressuring them and coaches watching over their shoulder. They do this to the point of exhaustion. Not scrimmage. Not some mocked up game. Passing. Tight spaces. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Coaches focus on this one simple drill more than any other. It teaches them so much about a player's progress. Do the US coaches have the same fanaticism over the fundamentals?
Agree 100% to this. I saw both semis in Houston and there is a radical difference between how the US warmed up and how Mexico warmed up for their match. Mexico went through the drill like you've outlined: tight, quick passes, an intense game of keep away. Doing this in warm ups wouldn't radically change the MNT, but I got a sense of what the US coaching staff values. 1. I can't tell you how many times during the GC that the US played the slow switch, ie working the ball around lacrosse/wheel style through all defenders to the other winger. It looks like they get frustrated, then it gets predictable to the defense...can't we all get along and play a through ball? Or try? 2. The US sucks at using triangles. At least in the GC they did. 3. Yeah we're never going to be Barca; its different with any NAT team = club teams can buy the best. We gotta reap our own talent. When I think of the current struggles of the MNT, I think of Duke in NCAA hoops...they get the best team players, not the flashiest players, the guys that will stay for more than 2 years, and through the coach learn to gel as a team. Duke rarely has standouts, but wins like crazy as a team. A coach of the caliber of Coach K is key to this. I think it starts there.
I would add that you can't replace your player pool but you can replace your coach. Either Bradley needs to get an assistant who can implement a better defense or we need a new head coach.