The Tigers and What Bruce Arena can teach us

Be afraid. The Tigers are playing well. I can't help but acknowledge their recent string of success -- 15-5 in their last 20 games. Sean Baligian, on WDFN, has said for months that the Tigers just needed one stretch of good baseball to put away the rest of the AL Central. And, as he predicted, the Tigers are 8 games clear of the Chicago White Sox. (8.5 games ahead of Cleveland). With the collapse of '09 still so fresh in everyone's mind, I'm not going to claim victory. Until the Tigers mathematically clinch 1st place, we'll all sleep with one eye open. Yet, I must give credit to the team for a fine stretch of both offense and pitching.

This afternoon, the Tigers go for the sweep with Verlander taking on Cleveland's ace, Justin Masterson, who's quietly putting together a fine season (11-8, 2.92 ERA). The Tigers need to maintain that killer instinct and nail that Cleveland coffin shut.

US Nats
With the Tigers playing well, I've at least got the US Nats to still kick around. Since taking the helm, Jurgen Klinsmann and the US Soccer team tied Mexico, lost to Costa Rica, and lost to Belgium. To be fair, that's decent competition. Even Costa Rica, despite the country's small size, produces quality talent. Yet, the US scored just one goal in those three games. One goal. That sucks. Against Mexico, they were dominated for long stretches. Only when Mexico replaced some starters did the US seize control and score an equalizer. The loss to Costa Rica was a bit more atypical. The US dominated for much of the first half but could not finish. Costa Rica had a few chances in the 2nd half and put one chance in the back of the net. Then, against Belgium, it was a somewhat ugly affair. Belgium showed off their technical brilliance and picked apart the US for most of the first half. They brought everyone forward, caring little about any US counter-attack. If not for some heroic Tim Howard saves, the US could've been down 3 or 4 goals. Ultimately, it was a 1-0 loss where the US hardly created any chances.

To be fair, the US did score a goal off a set-piece, but it was quickly waved off. Still no word as to why the goal was disallowed.

So, three games into the Jurgen Klinsmann experiment, and I don't see a huge difference from the Bob Bradley teams, with one exception. Bradley's teams rarely created a ton of opportunities against top competition but they had better fortune in actually scoring. Often, his drab sides would get pushed up and down the field and then somehow score on a rare corner kick.

Klinsmann is trying to implement a possession mentality with this team. An actual game-plan is a welcome change from Bradley. It was often difficult to discern if Bradley ever opted for a style or strategy. He certainly never discussed any of these things in post-game interviews. Nor did the players ever say anything. It was more likely Bradley simply relied upon individual players to create some magic. Sometimes it worked (the halcyon days of '09 when Charlie Davies was in full bloom). Usually, it didn't (Ghana, Gold Cup). The Bradley "non-style" drove fans crazy. He didn't appear to have a soccer brain needed for this level. Klinsmann, on the other hand, has been forthright with his new approach. He wants the yanks to carry the play, to build up from the defense and pick apart the opposition. In his three games, the US has often carried possession, but this approach hasn't resulted in any goals but the one against Mexico.

It's still a work in progress. Does the US look headed in the right direction? It's hard to say. Klinsmann might not have the personnel to pull off a possession game. For a few brief moments against Mexico, the US looked downright awesome. Brek Shea, Jose Torres, and Donovan blistered the Mexican defense with incredible one-touch, pinpoint passing. Yet, that dominance was not evident at all against Belgium.

After the Belgium loss, Alexi Lalas emphasized the need for patience. He's of course critical of the team's performance, but he realizes that Klinsmann is trying new things. These games are friendlies. Results are secondary to team growth. Klinsmann "bloodied" Edgar Castillo, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Robbie Rogers, Kyle Beckerman, and Brek Shea. He also reintroduced Jose Torres to the national team. Torres is one of the few US players capable of playing that central distributor role, like Claudio Reyna. Of the new (and reintroduced) faces, Shea has shined. Beckerman and Torres proved solid, and the rest should no longer suit up. Klinsmann will soon get a look at new US midfielder, Fabian Johnson, another German born to an American soldier. He's thrown his hat into the US team player pool. The list of names is growing. And, to his credit, Bob Bradley experimented with new faces too. So did Bruce Arena.

I recall attending a US vs Australia match in San Jose (with JoKo) early in Arena's tenure. He fielded the first All- MLS squad. It was a pedestrian affair, ending in a drab 0-0 draw. Yet, Arena got his first look at two young, inexperienced players who would play an integral role in the '02 World Cup and WC Qualifying campaign -- Eddie Lewis and Clint Mathis. Perhaps we'll look back at Klinsmann's early games as the discovery of Brek Shea. No doubt he'll get at least a few offers from European teams in the next transfer window. Whether MLS accepts  an offer is another story...