So I'm watching the clock wind down on another disappointing U.S. soccer effort and a few things are abundantly clear. First, I don't like being right but if you look to my last World Cup column, you'll see that American did Chicago Bears the whole country. Second, we're just not very good.
Think about this. When England is down a goal and needs help, they go to Wayne Rooney. When Spain goes to the their bench, a fella named Raul comes in. America turns to Eddie Johnson. Eddie Johnson is not Raul.
I don't care about missed header opportunities in the second half. I don't care about bad calls at the end of the first half. This is a team that played with about as much urgency as a fat uncle after Thanksgiving dinner.
They were a team, so we were told, with rising stars. Landon Donovan and Demarcus Beasley were on magazine covers all over the country. And you know what? Yippee. Donovan was a non-entity and Beasley was a star for three minutes of the third game. We're sloppy passers within an uncontrolled offensive attack. Teams can not win in the World Cup when they can not generate offense from the midfield. It's not possible. Don't forget this team scored one goal this entire Cup...one goal...on a botched defensive effort by Ghana.
And let me criticize the player I believe deserves the most criticism: Claudio Reyna. Reyna was a disaster in this World Cup, no way to mix words. He's a glorified defender who happens to sit in the middle. GO BACK AND WATCH THE VIDEO. Reyna watches a ball stolen from him and watches the goal scored, then huddles over in pain. He wasn't hurt - physically.
It is ironic, I would say, for an American team to be unable to attack.
And let me say this...congrats to GHANA. Their country cares much more than ours does. And I hope they take out Brazil in the coming days.
And they've salvaged America facing the inevitable 7-0 loss to Brazil.
The person who is most responsible for the U.S. sucking, Coach Arena.
Game 1 you come out with a 1-5-4 formation. way too damn conservative. You keep that for all games. this causes the play to slow down so runners, like beasley and donavon cant make plays. (im not makin excuses for these 2 by the way, they did suck balls) one U.S. player was given credit for a goal in 3 games. unacceptable.
Game 2 you dont use your last sub even though you have 9 men on the field and are so freakin tired they cant even pretend to press up. it didnt even have to be a forward, everyone out ther needed a break. . . except beasley who was a second half sub and would only play occasionally when he was on the field.
And game 3 you dont press forward even though you have nothin to lose if you do and you keep the 1-5-4 formation coming outa the second half when its obvious the momentum is in Ghana's favor. there was no urgency from Arena.
the players played bad and the coach coached even worse. un-freakin-believableJune 23, 2006
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