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USA and Bob Bradley

The first game ended today as a 3-1 loss to the world champions Italy, and it was a good game for the most part. Scrappy, stop and go football with the possession changing frequently as both teams went head on with tackles. However, it was a loss to the US. It was expected to be a loss, as the Italian squad had rebuilt since the debacle at Euro 2008, they brought back the world cup winning coach and got a few new faces that are pretty good, including an American.

But that’s not why I’m writing all this. I’m writing all this because I’m a bit upset with Bob Bradley as the coach for our team, and I’m a bit upset with one of the players on the squad as well. I don’t think we’ll do well at all in any major tournament without some real talent in coaching.

The US has been playing pretty well for quiet a while, and its gotten pretty solid at scraping out results, against good teams and bad team, home and away. It’s also gotten pretty good at wiping the floor with rubbish opposition. It’s been like this for a very long time, probably all the way since 1998 when Bruce Arena took over. He was able to stabilize the team after the 1998 debacle, and get some winning form to the nation’s team. However, there’s always been one thing lacking. That one thing is Style.

The US has no style of play. It’s all individuals that work their magic, and sometimes it works and we get a decent goal. But it’s never the same kind of goal over and over, or a well worked goal.

Sure, that might be because the strikers in the country are no good, but I’m not quiet certain that’s what the problem is. We have good strikers now, they can score from anywhere. But because we don’t have a style of play, it gets lost, and only found in the players individual flares.

What I’m really looking for is a stand out style of play. Lets take for example a team that we all know has a style. Arsenal. Arsene Wenger has stamped his authority on the team with a special kind of progressive attacking style that the team never sways away from, no matter what the score is, no matter what the condition is. When you turn the telly on, and you see Arsenal playing, you know you’re going to see high possession – high speed – high passing games, and generally, a lot of goals (for or against doesn’t matter). Barcelona plays in a similar style too. Germany plays a distinctive style as well with pin point passing as its signature.

So why cant the US have a style? Better yet, why not adopt on of these styles? Is it too difficult to do, is it so special that only Guardiola, Wenger, Loewe, Beckanbaur or Klinsmann know? If so, fine i accept that these coaches have special ingredients. But guess what, some of these coaches are available, including one that lives 15mins from the USMNT’s base camp.

No more excuses, i want a style for the team, and i want it now before the 2010 world cup.

This means that Bob has to go. He’s a good coach, for scraping out the wins. But for a country that’s do dominant in CONCACAF, i’m expecting the team to blow out rubbish opposition with lots of goals, not just 1-0’s and 2-0’s and 3-0’s. Some of the opposition we play in CONCACAF are comprised of part time players, that aren’t even considered professional. Surely we’re good enough to get 6 goals against them, right ? I think its because we have no technical direction. Arsenal would wipe the floor with some of the CONCACAF nations, with its reserve team.

As for the team itself, i think its more or less fine. The backline is decent, its good enough given the talent pool. The midfield is also alright given the talent pool. We’re weak up top, but almost every other country is weak up top (no, i don’t include Spain or Brazil in that list of “other countries”).

What i do think, is that Landon Donavon is done. He’s had more than a 100 games to be a leader, and he’s just not up to it. Sure’ he’s a great player when playing for games that don’t matter, or a game vs Mexico on home turf. But beyond that, he’s useless for the USMNT now and he needs to be dropped ASAP. It’s dragging the team down trying to find a spot for him. Just like how Aragones dropped Raul for Spain in 2008, USSF as a whole, has to drop Donovan to progress. I also think that FIFA should put a cap on international caps for a player. I think that number should be 100. Play for the country 100 times, and you’re done. No more. Do not pass go.

No more Landon please. Thank you

Thats it.

Done.

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Austria Vs Poland

Austria are still in the tournament after a lucky decision in their favor in the dying moments of this game.

In a way, you can call it justice. Poland were awarded a goal that was clearly offside in the first half. At the end of the 2nd half, in stoppage time, Howard Webb awarded a very soft penalty to Austria, who used the opportunity to tie up the game.

Nothing else really happened in this game, except we did see that Austria do have some shooting boots. But i doubt they will poise any problem to Germany in the final game, which Germany have to win.

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Croatia Vs Germany

Germany fell today. My day was devastated after waking up to see Germany loose 1-2 to Croatia, a team that have beaten them before in an eerie looking game resembling 1998.

Podolski got the loan goal for Germany, and thats the only thing i’ll say on this game.

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Switzerland Vs Turkey

Switzerland were the first team knocked out of the tournament, after a very entertaining game againt Turkey in Group A.

Switzerland lost the game 1-2, after failing to keep the lead. The game started, and then it rained. Not just rained, it poured. It poured a for quiet a while, making hte pitch slow, and sluggish. Switzerland thanked the skies for this, as it fell into the style of play they wanted to play – slow and comfortable. This allowed them to get the first goal. A cross from the right, passed into Yakin. The ball skipped once in the goal keepers box, and came to a stand still 1 yard away from Yakin.

Switzerland kept trying to get the second, but failed to do so before the half. During he half, the grounds men were able to take of a lot of the surface water, which made the game more playable for the turks, who were able to score two goals to win the game.

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Czech Republic Vs Portugal

Portugal won the match 3-1, with a good performance from Deco to pull them through. Deco started the scoring with a simple tap in after a fumble by Czech. Ronaldo had driven himself into the box and started rounding the keeper but Czech stopped him, and fumbled into the path of Deco, wh slotted in the early goal. 

Minutes later, the Czech republic tied thegame from a set piece, and the game stayed at 1-1 into the half.

In the second half, Ronaldo found some of his skills and was able to smack in a goal from just outside the box, with a stellar finish.

This was a much better performance from both sides, compared to their first games. The Czech Republic did look a lot better with Milan Baros on the field, rather than the aging Koller.

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Greece Vs Sweden

Sweden won this game overcoming some poor football by 2 goals. The greeks started the game with a very defensive posture, 5-4-1. This made it extremely difficult for Sweden to penetrate, and it showed for a while. However, Zlatan got a bit of space late in the 2nd half, and fired the game winner in from about 20yards out. An excellent strike.

Greece had plenty of chances as well, had they put away some of them, they would have shown why they were the champions.

Playing in a 5-4-1 relies heavily on needing a goal early, and then defending strongly, or trying to pip a goal in the later stages (as they did in 2004).

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Spain Vs Russia

Mighty Spain toppled Russia 4-1 in Austria, with some brilliant goals n both sides.

Spain started strong, and ended the night with 4 goals, with David Villa scoring 3 in a row, 2 in the first half, the final late n the 2nd half. Russia had plenty of simple chances but failed to put any of them away. Guus Hiddink’s men clearly need some target practice, as had they put only half of them away, this could have been an upset, even with Spain’s 4 goals.

Can Spain continue this run? Only time will tell. 

Arsenal’s Fabregas scored the last goal, a marginal offside goal that was allowed in stoppage time.

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Holland Vs Italy

What a game we just witnessed. Holland overpowered italy 3-0 tonight, in the best game of the tournament so far. The Netherlands started attacking, and didnt stop attacking. They might still be attacking now in their sleep.

Italy had their chances in the game but failed to make any of htem count.

The first goal scored by Ruud Van Nistelrooy was clearly offside, but was allowed by some strange officiating byt the lines man. A corner was kicked in, and after some tussling Panucci ended up behind the goal line on the floor, in a heap. Seconds later, a strong fast cross/shot came in which Ruud deflected in. At the time of the cross, Ruud was offside. According to the FIFA Laws book, the goal should not count, since the Panucci was off the field not interfering with play, and did not deliberately stay off to keep Ruud offside.

From the rule book (source):

If a defending player steps behind his own goal line in order to place an opponent in an offside position, the referee shall allow play to continue and caution the defender for deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission when the ball is next out of play.

It is not an offence in itself for a player who is in an offside position to step off the field of play to show the referee that he is not involved in active play. However, if the referee considers that he has left the field of play for tactical reasons and has gained an unfair advantage by re-entering the field of play, the player shall be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. The player needs to ask for the referee’s permission to re-enter the field of play.

Five minutes after the controversial goal, Sneijder scored a spectacular goal, from a break neck counter attack. A full volley into the goal from a Kuyt head into the box.

In the second half, the game remained at a high pace and both teams produced very good chances, but another wonderful country attack move put Holland 3-0 up, which is how it ended.

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Romania Vs France

The game started slow, very slow – like a diesel engine and after it did start, it hardly went off idle till the 90th minute.

France’s typical tournament start. There was little of any attacking style of football from either side and hardly any shot on goal. The goalie’s had little to do during regulation time for the entire game.

I doubt the slow start had anything to do with Henry being sidelined with an injury, he hasn’t lit up any game since leaving Arsenal anyway.

Anelka got the first real chance in the 33rd minute with a header that went just high. The game slightly picked up after that moment with  a few open plays, but i started feeling like i wasted 45mins of my life as half time approached.

The second half started a bit better, with a bit more aggression from both sides, but then died down back to the idle murmuring of a diesel engine. 

For the entire game, France didn’t look like the power they were supposed to be, and I think it’ll be difficult to get out of this group having dropped 2 points against the supposed, easiest side in the group.

0-0.. a non event. Romania got the better point out of the two

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Germany Vs Poland

Germany set the tournament on alert after it easily beat Poland 2-0 tonight. The germans looked efficient, attack minded, and well, superb. Captain Ballack keep everything under control and had a few chances himself on goal. But the day belonged to one person only, Young Lucas Podolski.

Podolski netted two easy goals, first one being setup from Klose and the 2nd a fumble from Klose which was cleanly smacked into the back of the net. Poland had little in offence, and struggled to keep Germany out of their area.