You'll be hard-pressed to find a bigger U.S. soccer fan than myself, so today was disappointing to say the least. I'm writing this blog a bit selfishly in hopes that it will be cathartic for me. The U.S. was in a great position to not only advance to the final eight of the World Cup but perhaps go even farther. I think Bob Bradley is an excellent coach but a few decisions as well as untimely play led to the team's fall today. Here are my observations:
-I'm not a big Jonathan Bornstein fan and I don't get why Bradley benched Oguchi Onyewu the last two games in favor of him. Onyewu has been recovering from a torn patellar tendon, yet was deemed fit enough to make the squad. I think the game winning goal would never have happened if Onyewu and not Carlos Bocanegra was marking Asamoah Gyan. If you were planning to bench Onyewu, why waste a roster spot on him?
-The U.S. had a friendly game against Australia a few weeks back and started Edson Buddle and Robbie Findley at the striker position. Findley blew a one-on-one breakaway while Buddle scored two goals. Findley blew another open shot today that should have been finished while Buddle never saw the pitch. Findley is a burner and would have been better used as a sub late in the game when the opposing defense was tired. Buddle's limited use these four games was somewhat perplexing to me.
-Bradley needed to limit his team's exposure after the Algeria game. Donovan looked tired towards the end of regulation and I can't help but think he was pretty emotionally drained after giving a million interviews. The team looked flat in the first half and was easily outplayed by Ghana.
-Ricardo Clark should never wear a U.S. jersey again. Ever. The only reason I can think he returned to the starting lineup today was that he was a little fresher than the other midfielders.
-Jozy Altidore looked like a 20 year-old throughout this tournament. This is easily the most physically gifted player on the team and he was held scoreless in four games. He played for Hull City (on loan from Villareal) and disappointed overall. He was benched for being late to a practice and was suspended three games for head-butting an opponent. He has the talent and opportunity to become a world-class striker before the next World Cup; let's see if that happens.
I'll try to be a little positive now. The U.S. has had to gain a lot of respect both internationally as well as domestically after their showing. Over the last year they've beaten Spain, tied England and lost by a goal to Brazil. Last time I checked, those are three top-5 teams in the world. The U.S. will have a nice core to come back in four years with young players who gained valuable experience this tournament. Michael Bradley, Altidore, Findley, Jonathan Spector, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, and Bornstein are all 25 or younger. It'll be integral for Bradley, Edu and Altidore to play for top teams (they play for decent enough squads but not the Yankees or Patriots of the world) now until then as they are the players with the most upside. Players like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard could still have one more World Cup left in them (goalkeepers tend play until an older age than field players). Remember that guy Freddie Adu? He's still playing in Greece and just became the legal drinking age. His coach has been quoted as saying that he's extremely talented but needs to learn what it takes to be a professional. After all the hype, it'd be nice to see him work himself into the mix. The MLS needs to continue to be a showcase for teams in Europe to scout out home-grown talent. I remember when I thought it was cool that John Harkes was playing in England and now I can turn on the telly and see a few different U.S. players playing on Sunday morning. The more players playing in better leagues than the MLS, the better the National Team will be. Finally, despite my criticism, Bradley has been an outstanding coach who has earned himself a multi-year extension for his efforts. This team despite lacking "on-the-paper" talent consistently plays well and a lot has to do with him.