More of the same

While the US national soccer team provided the single most glorious moment in sports for 2010, their run to the Cup ended abruptly. The 2-1 loss in the 2nd round proved the US improved little from the '06 squad. Was the US's advancement into the knockout stage an actual improvement, or did they just benefit from a weaker group?

I would argue the latter. The '06 squad started the tournament in dreadful fashion, getting spanked 3-0 by the Czech's. Many fans in the US wrote the team off after that embarrassment. Yet, Bruce Arena's squad rallied the next game, drawing with Italy, despite playing with nine men the entire second half. They even had a game-winning goal nullified courtesy of a dubious off-sides call. In the 3rd game, Claudio Reyna coughed up the ball to grant Ghana their first goal, and later the ref granted Ghana a penalty kick on a phantom foul by Onyewu. Yet, Dempsey put the US on the board to make the game interesting at 2-1.

Both Ghana and Italy advanced to the next round, with Italy winning the whole thing. The US was the only team to draw with Italy. In hindsight, I see little difference between the '06 and '10 squads other than quality of their opponent. Both teams suffered dreadful calls from the referees, and both teams did their best to rally.

The bottom line is that the Bob Bradley incarnation differs very little from Bruce Arena's. In fact, I'd say the Bradley team may be a step back. Bruce Arena's resume included the high-point of US soccer -- the '02 World Cup where the US reached the final 8. While that team still displayed maddening inconsistency (3-1 loss to Poland?), they raised their game in the knockout stages. They beat a sound Mexico squad and earned the respect of the world in a dramatic loss to Germany. Despite that loss, the US team looked aggressive, confident, and poised to become a world power.

That never happened.

Arena, in his second World Cup cycle, could not replicate the '02 success. And Bradley's current incarnation looks also to be a step backward.

After the disappointing exit from last summer's World Cup, the US Soccer Federation opted to retain Bob Bradley. The only other serious candidate was Juergen Klinsmann, who apparently demanded too much coaching control. So, the USSF big Kahuna, Sunil Gulati, went with the safe choice. Let's take a look at the US team's results since that fateful decision:

Aug 10, 2010: Brazil 2 - US 0 (in NY)

Oct 9, 2010: Poland 2 - US 2 (in Chicago)

Oct 12, 2010: Colombia 0 - US 0 (in Chester, PA)

Nov 17, 2010: S. Africa 0 - US 1 (in S. Africa)

Jan 22, 2011: Chile 1 - US 1 (in LA)

Mar 26, 2011: Argentina 1 - US 1 (in NY)

Mar 29, 2011: Paraguay 1 - US 0 (in Tennessee)

Jun 4, 2011: Spain 4 - US 0 (in Boston)

Jun 7, 2011: Canada 0 - US 2 (in Detroit)

Jun 11, 2011: Panama 2 - US 1 (in Tampa)

Every game but one was a home match. The US's overall record in Bob's second tenure? 2 wins, 4 losses, 4 draws. Even more worrisome is that the US team scored just 8 goals over that 10 game span. Less than a goal per game. If that isn't an indictment on Bob's tactical acumen, I don't know what is.

It's not like these are high-pressure games when opponent's bunker down. Every match but two was a friendly. Teams tend to open up and experiment. The one time when Bob truly did experiment - when he introduced newcomers Teal Bunbery, Juan Agudelo, and Mixx Diskelrud in South Africa - the US actually won the match:

Granted, that 1-0 goal was a bit of a fluke, but at least Bob saw the benefit of trying new things. Ultimately, it only resulted in Juan Agudelo graduating to consistent starter status. Bunbery and Diskelrud lurk on the outside. Bob remains committed to his regular starters who look disinterested, burnt-out, or perhaps even overmatched.

It's difficult to know what to expect going forward. It's entirely possible this US squad will thump Guadeloupe and cruise all the way to the Gold Cup Final. But it's just as likely that the team will flame out early.

Bob Bradley's squads exhibit no defining characteristics. He's loaded with midfielders, though two of the most offensively-gifted - Stuart Holden and Bennie Feilhaber - are injured. Still, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, and Jermaine Jones are available. All three play at top European clubs, but I wonder... does that even matter any more? Against Panama, MLS defender Tim Ream and European-based defender Clarence Goodsen could not contain striker Luis Tejada. Where does Tejada ply his trade professionally? Well, he was apparently not good enough for MLS, earning just five appearance in '07. He's now in Peru (?!).

The US roster is littered with an impressive array of European club players, but the Panama loss proved club success means nothing in the International arena. Chemistry, determination, and creativity trump European club pedigree every time. Under Bob Bradley, the team may have fitness, and they occasionally have determination. But they desperately lack chemistry and creativity. Unless there's a massive change to Bob's coaching style and approach, I simply don't see any improvements on the horizon.

Expect more of the same.