SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer USA vs. Czech Republic

We can go on and on about the things that went wrong but let's face it... One of the biggest problems the US had against Czech was the speed of play around the field. You can definitely tell the difference between our players who play internationally and those who are domestic players. Landon Donovan did all he is good for 4 years ago. You will never see anything better than what he has done because he came back to the US to improve??? Doesnt say a lot for him because he has not gotten any better playing in the MLS, he's just a big fish in a little pond now. I would love to see Bocanegra in the back as well, but no matter how you shake it, whatever 4 players we have in the back will be severely outclassed. I don't think the US has developed as much as we hear about (due to the #5 FIFA Ranking which is a joke). Tactically we struggled everywhere in the Czech game. And for a team touted as one of the fittest and most physical teams in the world we did not show up. It looked like no one on the pitch cared. And Wayne I hate to disagree with you, but Beasley was probably the most disappointing player on the field. I don't understand how or why Arena never took him off.

Though.. the majority of our starters play internationally..and Eddie Johnson was the one glimmer of hope for us??

Food for thought: the US was so clearly lackluster--could they have taken a loss to Czech as a given and purposely not wanted to show what they had to the Italians?

If the strategy is to advance, take your lumps against Czech and pour it on for Italy.

..that would be a horrible strategy for a tournament that only happens once every four years.

kicker,
Pour it on Italy? Have you had too many American brewskies??

Why are these guys so happy?

this wasn't in Germany!

Best line I've heard yet is that Donavan keeps going to Germany and never plays.

Here is the reality. We have an individual who is arrogant enough to think that 4 ncaa championships, an MLS title and a lacrosse background(Arena) qualifies him to lead the USA national team on to the worlds largest stage. We have a group of individuals( the MNT) who are arrogant and stupid enough to read their own hype and wave in in the face of the world on the worlds biggest stage and we have a disaster for a developmernt and national team program. I blame the US soccer federation most of all. They have created this mess and yes it is a mess. The US showing in this world cup will set us back ten years and create profound damage to the fragile credibility that soccer has now. The big problem is the fact that a small gene pool is running soccer development(if that is what it is called)in this country. Money and politics are the means to whish an individual makes it to the MNT and top tiers of development. Until this changes we are going nowhere. God forbid we should concentrate our efforts at the grass roots level and truly allow development to take place. This cannot and will not happen unless we stop letting upper middle class to upper class insecurities dictate what will happen and who will be playing.
If we continue to allow opportunists and bozos to make rediculous amounts of money for their "expertise"in the form of camps, academies etc. then we will continue to exclude the mainstream. Why are we different from England where there is a Football association with a code of ethics that directly prohibits the use of membership or credentials for self seeking interests. With 339 million people in this country please do not tell me that the 23 guys on the MNT are the best we have. That would be almost as embarrassing as the MNT getting waxed in front of 32 billion people. The powers that be need to be removed and?or get off their ARSE and participate in the development of the game for the games sake and for pride, not for money or ego or for little johnny to make us proud. This is the reality and until we figure out that the rest of the world rewards itself after the job is done and we need to do the same than we are going nowhere.

AMEN!!! I think that says it all.