US 2-2 El Salvador
A former US National team player told me on Saturday that he was worried about this game and thought the US might struggle to find a goal. He was almost right — but for an injury to El Salvador’s starting keeper Miguel Montes, there’s no way we draw that game.
Games away in CONCACAF are far harder than most US National Team supporters want to believe they are. The team was quarantined to their hotel for fear of violence and the opposition does whatever it can do to keep the them awake at night by often playing loud music in front of the hotel which is overlooked by the local police. Fire alarms are set off in the hotel as well as fireworks. Then there are the crowds and the beer, coins, batteries, urine bags and chicken heads thrown at the players. It’s an intimidating atmosphere and one that younger players like Sacha Klejestian are not used to.
This game also made me realize how fragile and thin the US line up is. Carlos Bocanegra is a very good defender but he’s certainly not a great defender nor is Oguchi Onyewu, but together they’re a pretty good tandem of central backs. Take one out of the picture and it exposes the others short comings. This is just one area of the field where we are short on depth and not very high in talent.
When all was said and done, I think what frustrated fans more than anything was the poor central midfield play by the US. National team. Supporters have come to expect a US dominated midfield and at least 50% possession. When a small Central American nation like El Salvador rules the middle of the field, we want to know why. Perhaps its good that we’ve raised our standards and expect more, but there is also the reality of playing on the road in CONCACAF. Let’s be patient and see how the team rebounds on Wednesday in Nashville as they take on Trinidad and Tobago.
The ugly highlights
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If Carlos Bocanegra never plays another game, I’d be fine with that. Argh!
Bring on Jose Mourinho!! That kind of effort will never get it done in the world cup and is inexcusable. Its time to stop relying on Landycakes to do anything but underachieve. I’m insulted and embarassed that he is considered the US’s best player. Time to raise expectations and quit being the laughing stock of the world.
Because Mourinho wouldn’t make us the laughing stock?
An international top flight manager would give us credibility and also help us compete against the world’s top teams, not play down to the level of an El Salvador. Bob Bradley doesn’t see or understand the world game. There was no midfield build up until the end of the game and we continually tried for the long quick strike. To me that is a coaching error or his players didn’t listen to his game plan. You choose but either way its a bad sign. I was also baffled Jose Peckerman didn’t get a serious look or Klingsman wasn’t persued more.
Bradley can be conservative but like him or not, the results he has achieved so far are impressive and he accumulated more points, more quickly than any other US manager has in the first round of the qualifiers. He may understand international soccer a lot more than we give him credit for and he may realize just how little depth he does really have on the team so he plays to our strength, like playing with 2 D midfielders. Perhaps the fragile defense is the reason why.
Bruce McGuire at Bunky County gives us a good assessment of the game.
http://tinyurl.com/daex6j
it never fails to amaze me how many people comment on subjects that they appear to have done so little research on
just use the search function on the internets thing and read all the stories with quotes from the top folks at u.s. soccer on their extremely thorough vetting of candidates for the usa coaches job
believe me when i say that peckerman and klinsman were given every chance to have the job
in the end those two were not the right person for the job
the other thing that blows me away is the folks who complain about the usa going to places like el salvador and not winning 6-0 every time
do these people watch these games on a regular basis? and by regular i dont mean the usa v mexico match from columbus oh once every 4 years or tune into the world cup when it rolls around then cheers for frickin england
san salvador is the kind of places that every nation finds nearly impossible to win at, but the usa more times then not at least gets a point
and at home the usa has not lost to a concacaf opponent since September 1, 2001 when they were beaten in Wash DC by Honduras 2-3
this was one game
its not the end of the world
a month ago after the usa beat mexico 2-0 some people were saying the usa was world beaters etc etc etc
a little level headed common sense is needed here folks
we will be ok
Kids at my school would say, “You got served, boo.”
Count me as a Bob Bradley fan. Don’t count me as a fan of the lack of depth on the back line.
Extremely thorough vetting of candidates? Let me put that in to plain English for you. It means that we settled because we don’t want to financial commit to paying a top flight manager. Not right for the job is code for a fiscally motivated decision. In my opinion if its not fiscal then its must be coming from some misguided feeling of loyalty. Feel free to compare the resume of any of the afore mentioned managers to Bob Bradley’s. Finishing 3rd in the western conference of MLS in 2006, losing in the round of 16 of the Open cup and not qualifying for CONCACAF Champions league with Chivas USA just doesn’t cut it. As you see I’ve done my research and come to a completely different conclusion. As a USSF certified coach (class b), a Ukrainian guest coach for the last 6 years, attendee of Euro 2008 and a fan of the world game I feel I’m entitled to my opinion. When mentioning that the USA has not lost to a CONCACAF opponent since September 1, 2001 don’t forget that El Salvador hadn’t scored against the US since 1997. On saturday night we gave up two. And if memory serves me the next World Cup isn’t in the good old USA. You don’t see Germany, Argentina, or even the Netherlands playing down to the level of their competition like we do. “We will be ok” is exactly what I want to avoid. I’m tired of being just “ok” and I for one expect more. Sometimes you deliver performances that are substandard. Raise your standards. Always keep your standards at or above what is required to achieve excellence. Your standards will get you the results you want. I prefer results to excuses.
Why can’t we hire a renowned international coach like Sven Goran Eriksson? The problem with the hillbillies running U.S. Soccer is that they don’t have the balls to fire the coach every time the team delivers a sub-par performance.
Landon Donovan is definitely the cancer destroying this team. Bring on Dax McCarty.