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- Letters -
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Our Readers Speak Great disappointment is expressed after World Cup failure.(Monday, June 26, 2006) -- Here is the first of two samplings of readers' comments about the United States 2-1 loss to Ghana which ended the World Cup for the Americans. Another installment will appear Wednesday. If you wish to respond and have not yet done so, all submissions received by tomorrow (Tuesday) will be considered. A new question will appear Thursday. (Hint: We want your opinions on the quality of officiating in this World Cup) We love hearing from you. If you'd like to voice an opinion on any topic, feel free to write us at any time. We will run a letters column from time to 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 Ghana and its elimination from the World Cup: American limitations were exposed Overall, the United States team gave a good effort, but was exposed as a limited team. It was always the case that the U.S. team would not advance unless John O'Brien and Claudio Reyna were both healthy and playing well. These are the only two midfielders capable of creating scoring chances with passes in the offensive third of the field. The pattern over the last several years is that without these two, the U.S. has always struggled to generate shots on goal. Landon Donovan disappears against good defenses, while Bobby Convey and DaMarcus Beasley did not yet have enough European experience to learn how to create good passing lanes in the offensive third when there is little space. Without support from the midfield, Brian McBride was given no chances to score in the box. Additionally, no other U.S. strikers have demonstrated a capability to score against teams outside the CONCACAF region. I do not believe that (manager) Bruce Arena has had as bad a performance as the press and fans would have you believe. During the Czech game, he played the 11 players who nearly everyone thought had the best form at the time, only to see that maneuver backfire with three or four players not able to handle playing new positions. With Ghana, inserting Eddie Johnson into the lineup would not have made a difference as the U.S. could not build an attack through the midfield. Until there is the development of midfielders who can creatively attack the offensive third of the field, whether through European club teams or an overhaul of the U.S. development system, the U.S. will be a workmanlike, defense-oriented team capable of holding their own against other elite soccer nations, but rarely beating them, irregardless of who becomes the U.S. national team coach. Wayne Lewis
Modest expectations My expectations for 2006 weren't that high. I didn't think (the U.S.) could get out of a very tough group. However, I did expect them to play with some heart, some imagination, something besides what seemed to be a fear. Maybe it was a fear of being scored on, maybe it was a fear of success, I don't know -- they just plain looked afraid. Only Dempsey, Convey, (Claudio) Reyna (even on that play) and (Oguchi) Onyewu looked like they wanted the ball, wanted to play and wanted to go do something. Understand, (Brian) McBride didn't get the service and (Kasey) Keller was almost blameless, but there were others who need to shoulder the blame. For sake of space, let's mention three: Coach Arena -- brilliant in 2002, here he decided a conservative 4-5-1 was the best bet when they needed goals. Why no (Eddie) Johnson, (Josh) Wolff or (Brian) Ching starting when you need to win and possibly win big? DaMarcus Beasley -- what the heck happened. You're fast. Use your speed to take on folks, not stand around and try to run back to help out on defense. Landon Donovan -- Comfort is nice, a big comfy chair is a great thing. Comfort, however, is not such a great thing when you need to develop your skills even further. . . You need to go to Europe, fall on your face a few times, get back up and take the game by the throat. . . Superstars and leaders. . . take charge and lead their team on to whatever their fate is. Disappointed is a word, so is disheartened -- since it seemed like most of (the Americans) played without heart from the get go. Kevin
What a letdown I'm still totally underwhelmed at the performance of the U.S. team. Like everyone else, I bought into the hype that this was our best team ever and that we were ready to show the "big soccer nations" that we belonged. I can accept some bad plays. I can accept a loss. I can even accept some bad (or very bad) calls. A quality team should be able to get past that. What bothers me most is the lack of creativity. I still cannot believe that a group of 23 professional soccer players cannot place more than four shots on goal over a three-game period. I cheered the team on. I took leave time from work to watch them. I had faith that they could still pull it out. In the end, all I feel is let down.
Jeff Schneider
No more excuses I am tired of reading of all the excuses that Bruce Arena is making for yet another failure of the U.S. soccer team. Three factors for this defeat seem obvious to me. First, the players are much worse technically than our adversaries. Most of them can only play in either the Major League Soccer or second-class teams in Europe. Second, the trainer could not train a third-class team in Europe or South America. His attitude in the match against the Czechs says it all -- he was leading by omission. And third, U.S. players are incapable of scoring. Kinda hard to win games with these statistics working against you. Peter Berner Donovan is not a leader Shortly before the World Cup, ESPN Magazine ran a feature on Landon Donovan in which he justified his stay in MLS by saying how much he enjoyed playing in his native California, allowing him to play his sport while enjoying a peaceful and comfortable life in familiar surroundings. I will hardly begrudge him that combination; most people would love to do what they want where they want. And after this World Cup, I wish Landon Donovan and his "karma" all the best in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the USA must find a new and fearless attacking midfielder in time for 2010, because the current one, unhappy and apparently a fish out of water in the uppermost European leagues, will by then be no more capable of leading the attack against those willing to put themselves through the utmost rigors of the sport. Not a slam on MLS, but it's not where a leader for a national team seeking the highest laurels in international competition should be playing. And yes, I know that this USA team cared a lot. The Italian performance was gutsy and commendable. Unfortunately, on the offensive end, you can add an "S" before the "cared." This team looked hardly more able to produce an offensive threat than the 1990 and 1994 World Cup teams. Brent Hartzell
U.S. Cup effort was disastrous I want to personally thank Bruce Arena for the great run he has given our national team and the unforgettable trip to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2002 (which could have been the semifinals had it not been for [referee] Hugh Dallas). That having been said, this World Cup performance was a disaster for Team USA. I am shocked that we played with such little energy and that our stars exhibited such little leadership. I never realized we'd miss the energy coming from the bench thanks to Cobi Jones and the offensive sparks coming from the back via Tony Sanneh so greatly in this World Cup. We just didn't have suitable replacements for those guys or for the injured Frankie Hedjuk and John O'Brien. Our player pool isn't as deep as most of us thought it was and, while that's not Bruce Arena's fault, it's time we moved on and brought in a new coach and a new way of thinking. Kartik Krishnaiyer
Donovan is disappointing I'm wondering when the media and all the un-educated soccer dads, like the one announcing the games. . . will finally get it in their head that Landon Donovan is not really that good. The guy is a professional and yet, game after game, unless we're playing El Salvador, continually plays like a sheep amongst wolves. It's amazing that a guy with so much promise has become this pathetic. I truly feel if they pass the captain's armband to him, we will be doomed as a soccer nation until he retires. Was it just me or did anyone else hope for a minor injury to keep him out of the rest of the games like (Jeff) Agoos from 2002. Oh well, here's to 2010 and a core of players like (Jonathan) Spector, (Zak) Whitbread, (Lee) Nguyen and (Michael) Bradley Wouldn't a 2010 starting 11 like this look great: Forwards - Eddie Johnson, Nguyen; Midfielders - O'Brien, Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and either (DaMarcus) Beasley or (Bobby) Convery. Defenders - Oguchi Onyewu, (Cory) Gibbs, Spector, and Whitbread; Goalkeeper - Tim Howard I realize only five of them have any World Cup experience, but that'd be a great lineup to watch, Plus all of them will be playing in Europe as well, with Dempsey likely to get picked up soon. Nick
Pressure from expectations weighed U.S. down All of the (costly defensive mistakes) were created by lapses of concentration, rather than technical superiority of the opposing players. Our players were ill-prepared in that they never played as well consistently as they were capable of. The lack of preparation and urgency falls in Bruce Arena's lap. He has been the greatest American coach, but he stayed beyond his time, chose favorites and altered the focus from the players to the coach. He chose secrecy, trying to outsmart the other coaches and trying to get the best 10 players on the field rather than playing the best 10 players at their positions. Also, the pressure on Bruce and the players to perform well was curiously more than for most countries. Pressure comes from expectations. (That there were expectations that the U.S.) had to do better than 2002 placed a cloud of pressure that made Bruce and the players tight and uncertain for most of the tournament. Alexarmac
U.S. effort was a plus Irrespective of the U.S. ineffective play in two of three games, I feel the TV coverage and pre-tournament hype brought soccer the publicity it needs in this country. Although our U.S. team didn't do as well as in 2002, our expectations are high and will continue to be as futbol continues to grow in this country. Eden Reyes
Missing in action Where was John O'Brien -- mainly because DaMarcaus Beasly did not belong on the field for any of the games? John Fusco
It helps to take shots I'm a big fan of Claudio Reyna, but when he went out, I was delighted to see Ben Olsen come in, for no other reason that I know he's always been willing to take the outside shot when it's available. The number of shots on goal the U.S. generated in this tournament is laughable. I'm certainly as much a fan of the "Jonga Bonita" (The Beautiful Game) as the next fan, but sometimes you just have to shoot the ball. At one point late (probably too late) in the Ghana game, Landon (Donovan) was dribbling through the corner of the box, a good step and a half ahead of the only defender between him and the keeper and it seemed apparent that all he was thinking was who to pass it to. It was very much like that scene from (the movie) "Hoosiers" where the coach tells them to make "X" number of passes before they shoot. We've all tolerated the soccer newbies who think you should always shoot when you have the ball, and of course it's not that easy, but it would be nice to have someone on the team (like a Tomas Rosicky) who's capable of that shot. There just isn't anyone on our squad who has proved he can make that shot. Once upon a time we had a Clint Mathis or Eric Wynalda or even John Harkes who would happily tee it up from outside, but those days are behind us. Maybe by 2010 - (Alecko) Eskandarian? (Chad) Barrett? (Freddy) Adu? Brian Barrie U.S. failed to compete The U.S. was not competitive and Arena must be the biggest bellyacher around soccer. If we can't go, paint ourselves blue, red and white and have the rest of the world roll over, we think we've been robbed. Herb Flint U.S., coach showed little Just witnessed another dismal performance by the U.S. against Ghana. The only reason (the Americans) got this far was the own goal by Italy in the previous match. It's time for Arena and Co. to go. They've shown very little in this Cup and nothing in the last (match). The U.S. team needs a real shake-up. Don Piontek Arena must go Fist of all, Bruce Arena has to go. The U.S. game attack was the worst of all the teams I saw is this World Cup. I really believe we need more athletic players with size that can withstand pressure and can win a few more balls in the air. We had so few crosses and when we did, McBride was very ineffective. Where do we find these players? Are football and basketball still getting our best athletes? Do Germany and Brazil have their best athletes playing soccer? Yes, they do. There are a lot of big athletic guys in the college game. I think we can find a few guys there that could eventually compete for a spot on the team in 2010. Jack Fahey
Coach might be lagging The U.S. team was a step behind, and passes were just of the mark. The good teams' passes were on the money! I don't know much about the theory of the game, but I see guys playing that do nothing and guys like Dempsey sitting. When he gets to play, he does very well. Our coaching may be a step behind, also. Don Spoon I have been a fan of Ante Razov since first seeing him play and thought he was the kind of tough guy with some size on him, goal-scoring and highly disruptive forward America sorely lacks on the international scene. Other than McBride, I don't see others on the U.S. team that play with the abandon it takes to get the junk goals that often win matches. I can guess at the reasons he was not with the World Cup side, but I would like to know why he was not considered for Germany? Gary Yellen
Caution held the Americans back Given that the U.S needed a win (against Ghana), I was expecting a display of the kind of play I'd become accustomed to: a high level of energy, pressuring all over the field, creating turnovers in mid-field and getting some chances out of those. Well, that's not what we had. The play was cautious from the formation onward. It looked like the philosophy was, "Don't screw up, but leave yourself the chance to win late in the game." That is never, ever going to get the job done. There's no need to attack with everything and leave yourself exposed at the back, but this is the other extreme from that. We had plenty of players in midfield, but it still looked like much of our play was either straight over the top or designed work the ball up the flank until 25-plus yards from the end-line and then fire in a long, angled cross. Do we not have any players that have the touch and passing skill to manage a skillful buildup and attack -- the kind of attack works as part of an arsenal that includes many other things? At many times throughout the match I thought that we looked pretty clueless and out of ideas on how to attack. There didn't seem to be many players wanting to play combinations. Watching other teams (the Dutch come to mind), they have long buildups of one-touch passing where everyone knows what they are supposed to do and they do it. . . The U.S. can't, or at least doesn't play that way. It would be a nice part of the game for us to incorporate. Jon van Ark
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