|
- Letters -
|
Our Readers Speak Anticipation of U.S. match against Czechs dissolved into disappointment.(Friday, June 16, 2006) -- Here is a second sampling of readers' comments on the United States men's 3-0 World Cup loss to the Czech Republic. Virtually every one of the dozens of responses received expressed disappointment, and often disgust, at the U.S. performance. SoccerTimes will give its readers another opportunity to express their views following Saturday's match against Italy. We love hearing from you. If you'd like to voice an opinion on any topic, feel free to write us at any time. Please sign your letter in one of these manners: 1. First and last name with hometown.
Your letter might be run in full or possibly be excerpted. Readers' comments on the U.S. match against the Czech Republic: U.S. was disappointing I have been eagerly anticipating the World Cup since the U.S. lost, but outplayed, Germany in 2002. Unfortunately, there was nothing that deserved my excitement in (Monday's) match versus the Czech Republic. Everyone knew that the U.S. would have a difficult road to qualifying for the second round, given their draw, but we at least hoped that the U.S. could be competitive and provide some great moments to their fans. I think first among those to hold responsible for the disappointing effort has to be (manager) Bruce Arena. While Arena appeared to have all the right answers in 2002, this time around he seems to have made only blunders. I have to seriously question his judgment in the lineup he used against the Czechs. Placing (DaMarcus) Beasley on the right side was an experiment that went awry. Beasley seemed lost and unwilling to play like a right winger, always turning back into the middle to keep the ball on his left foot. Not once the entire match did he drive the ball deep and wide on the right to cross into the middle. Why he was there in the first place is the real question. I also believe that (Oguchi) Onyewu was out of his depth. His early yellow card was truly a bad omen -- having to play the next 85-plus minutes carrying a yellow can only have made him more cautious and switch assignments with (Eddie) Pope. When the Americans would take possession and attempt to build from the back, Onyewu in particular played the ball backward to another defender or (Kasey) Keller instead of forward to the midfield. This epitomized the U.S. character on Monday that was intimidated and meek. . . . In any event, Arena is in danger of pulling a Steve Sampson on us. It's unfortunate -- we were a couple of inches away from 1-1 with the Czechs (when Claudio Reyna hit the post) and then the outcome could have been different. At least, that could have given the American side a boost of confidence. As it is, the U.S. is going to have to play a respectable game against Italy, if only to save face, let alone advance. Jack Peterson
Slow progress One step forward, two steps backward. Charles
Awkward lineup I thought that Arena was going to exploit the fact that the USA team was younger and faster than the Czechs. Either through the awkwardness of the lineup, with (Landon) Donovan at striker, or through the sheer laziness and lack of heart of the players, that strategy did not work. Bruce (Arena) used to constantly drone on about playing an "aesthetically pleasing" brand of soccer. Not only was this debacle not aesthetically pleasing, but if Mr. Arena truly did desire to coach in Europe, he just coached himself out of a job. Ashley Morris
U.S. hearts weren't into it The U.S. team let down a nation with their poor performance. They went down easy, as if their hearts weren't in it. They played with a chip on their shoulders. The future and potential growth of soccer in the U.S. is at risk if the Americans do not put up a fight. Attack! Attack! Attack! If they lose all three games without scoring, then Bruce Arena should be to blame and his services will no longer be required. The U.S. needs a high-profile European coach to build on what Bruce started. Joe McCoslin
Respectable showing needed All I want for this U.S. team is a respectable showing against Italy. When myself, the wife and the two boys piled into the car and drove 20 miles on the "hold onto your hat" highways in Italy to watch the U.S.-Czech game at the base movie theater, my expectations were realistic -- just play well. It would have been nice if the U.S. team, when it went down one, two, and then three goals, that someone on the team might make a "simulated" effort and maybe even get called for offside -- maybe just once? The Czechs were getting called for offside and they were dominating. There is no hungry, go-to-goal scorer on the U.S. team and we are in trouble. I turned to my son in the second half and said, "We must be winning, as the defense and Keller are touching the ball more than anyone else." They are putting up the Jumbotron TV for the U.S.-Italy match at the Navy Base amphitheater -- please don't embarrass yourselves. Play with heart, play aggressive, play smart. Remember, you are in the World Cup. That is a good thing. Scott Montambo
Lack of accountability The most disappointing thing I could see in the aftermath of that horrible performance was the complete lack of accountability on the part of the players. To wit -- Kasey Keller not owning up to his punt to midfield that started the cascade of lapses that led to the first goal, instead trying to deflect blame: "It's not like I cleared right to the other team." Well you did. Beasley had a horrible game, from the first touch he put out of bounds to his complete fear in going one-on-one versus Czech defenders, and his absolutely lame passes and unimaginative playmaking. He was unwatchable. . . All he could say is that is was Arena's fault for playing a different alignment. Donovan was non-existent. You knew it wasn't our day when Reyna hit the post. The team showed up flat. . . The game plan was unimaginative and it looked like boys being schooled by men. That was brutal to watch. Bill
Lacking heart and passion I hate to be harsh, but I would say they lacked heart\passion for the game. I actually thought that they were just going through the motions as if they were in practice. David
The U.S. should play fast Sure, the Czechs made their statement that they want to go far into the tournament, while the U.S. did not. Sure, the U.S. strategy was to clog up the midfield and it did look clogged -- only that the U.S. seemed to be tripping over itself! But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised -- when you put three left midfielders on the pitch (Convey, Eddie Lewis, Beasley) and two defensive midfielders (Reyna, Pablo Mastroeni), is it any wonder you get a case of the bunchies? The U.S. looks best when it's running at opposing players with swift passing in a fast, fast game. I can understand the theory of a Reyna in "slowing down" a game, but its not U.S.'s game this decade. Let Mastroeni's flair be the anchor in the defensive midfield and let Reyna come in a right midfield sub when the U.S. has a lead halfway through the second half. The U.S. has always worked well with Beasley and Donovan being next to each other in the midfield (left and center), especially when you have two forwards who get out of each other's way. Put (Clint) Dempsey on the right and you're off to the races. McBride works great in the single striker roll, but with Johnson up front, creating space and getting behind the enemy's line, he is best complemented by someone making fast diagonal runs causing the opponent's defense to lose their form. Here, (Josh) Wolff (and Taylor Twellman) actually come to mind as strikers who are troublemakers for the opposition. Finally, maybe its time to put a defender at left back (Gregg Berhalter\Carlos Bocanegra) -- it is great to see the wing backs run the length of the field against a weaker opponent, but against a stronger opponent, maybe staying in the defender position is more important than making runs up and down the flanks all day. So, give the veterans a rest day against Italy and let the fleet of foot show Italy our fastest side -- the vets will be great against the newcomers Ghana. Dorian
Stage fright? A number of write-ups have in some degree attributed the U.S. performance to stage fright or a lack of World Cup experience. I'm pretty sure there were only two players on the field at the start that hadn't played in a previous World Cup: Onyewu and (Bobby ) Convey. . . That shouldn't have been a factor. If some emotion like that was a factor, there's no reason for it. Play with abandon. Looking at how the U.S. played here versus how they played in 2002, and how some of the other unsung (players) have been playing here, there was no joy. The U.S. played like it was trying to manage a result and not mess up. Play with passion. Jon van Ark
Donovan must grow up It's about time this prima donna (Donovan) stood up and became a man. He accepts no responsibility for his lackluster performance. "I didn't get the ball enough," was his comment. It seems that he has bought into the hype about being a world-class player. Apparently, he is a Major League Soccer player and nothing more. Bob Hopkins
Look past 2002 I think way too much emphasis has been placed on our performance in 2002, but it does seem we have very short memories. Have we forgotten about the (3-1) thumping Poland gave us in the last group game (in 2002) or about how lucky we were to have even made it to the second round? Have we forgotten how we rebounded from that to beat Mexico 2-0 and then went on to play probably our best game of the tournament in a loss to Germany? Both the Czech and Poland games show one very important thing that absolutely cannot happen -- a team cannot give up a goal in the first five minutes and expect to be successful. If we're 0-0 with Italy after the first 20 minutes, I like our chances. I can't believe so many have written us off already. Have a little faith, people! Scott William Knapper
Boys against men I am cheering from U.S. team, but my impression from previous game is like seeing a 10-year-old playing 18-year-olds, unfortunately. Carlos Contreras No way to play That's not the way you want to play soccer at the big stage, but that's what the U.S. team chose to do. A disheartening performance to a Czech team which is aging, but still technical excellent and playing with a perfect game plan. The U.S. looked lost. The whole team was slow, except Reyna and Eddie Johnson, who showed some heart to play. Most of all, the U.S. game plan to attack the sides doesn't work, but coach Bruce Arena never made the necessary switches to turn the game (from) flank players, or instruct the players to attack the middle. This is a coaching mistake. Kasey Keller is not as good as he thinks he is. This is a performance that put everybody back to earth. The U.S. must play basic soccer if it is to demand any respect from the rest of the world. Danny Tran Czechs were underestimated I think the U.S. team played better than the score line and Arena should not fault the players as he has been in the media. Arena definitely underestimated the Czechs and should have played in a more defensive posture. Looking at what we have now, a draw would have been great. Easy to say in hindsight, but Arena had months to scout and should have known the dangers of this team. The one player he did praise, Convey, had some great runs, but provided terrible service to the strikers. John Just
Embarrassing effort After the embarrassing effort versus the Czechs, it will take a small miracle for the men's national team to get out of Group E. However, I think this game highlights two long-term issues that may be more problematic: the lack of a midfield anchor and on-field leadership after 2006. We'll have strong goaltending. The back-line should be fine with Onyewu, (Jonathan) Spector, and the likes of Kasey; U.S. soccer currently is best suited to producing good defenders. There may even be reason for optimism about Johnson and the other young forwards in the system. However, I think Reyna will be sorely missed. When Reyna retires, the top U.S. midfielders will be Donovan, Beasley, (Pablo) Mastroeni, Convey and (John) O'Brien. At their best, this could be a competitive group, but they're rarely at that level. Donovan and O'Brien are capable of playing world-class soccer, however the former lacks grit and the latter is perpetually injured. It can't be encouraging that both have retreated to the relative safety of Major League Soccer. Beasley and Convey are strong players, but they will never be guys who can stabilize a midfield. Mastroeni is a good defensive midfielder, but he's not anchor material. Who knows, Freddy Adu may be good enough to anchor the midfield by 2010, but he's currently immature and barely good enough to start in the MLS. It seems premature to count on him. When Reyna hangs 'em up, there is no player who could be expected to step up in the near future to offer his level of skill, poise, competitiveness, and leadership. Unfortunately, we've all seen how the U.S. plays when Reyna's not around. This is not the apocalypse. Growth is rarely linear and the men's national team has a lot of growing to do. I'm sure it will play much better in the next two games, but as things stand today it looks very much like the U.S. could field an even less competitive team in 2010. United States 1, Italy 2
John Harris
|
