Soccer 24-7 Blog

History Repeats itself: The State of US Soccer in 2010 before the Fall Friendlies

We're baaaaaaaccccckkkkk.

Fall (or autumn if you prefer you silly Brits) is finally here and with it comes nicer weather for me because 100F weather in Detroit isn't really my cup of tea but more importantly it brings a slew of US soccer friendlies.

USA fans are on the edge of their seats as the team who despite horrible tactical decisions that almost lost them every game at the World Cup in 2010 and saw them go out prematurely to Ghana is ready to get back into action against two teams who frankly, at home they should beat.

Every US fan is ready to see their new manage....

With the new look tea...

With interesting oppone...

Ok, with the same old shit except Jermaine Jones might actually play this time.

American soccer, mainly Sunil Gulati, or as I lovingly call him Gooflati has yet again lost the plot.

There is a famous phrase that's used that I think Gooflati doesn't really get.

The phrase of course is "history repeats itself".

Now, this phrase as you well know is used in a negative way, not a positive way. When this phrase is used, it's to say you should look at the historical record, see how things went wrong and try to avoid them in the future.

Unfortunately for us Gooflati I believe feels that he has to adhere to this old adage because clearly qualifying for the World Cup and then fucking up constantly is what a country who is primed for success should be doing.

Gooflati lecturing on how to ruin teams

There is a cognitive disconnect here. This is a man who has made bad decision after bad decision and yet gets unanimously voted in again as head of soccer in the US? It seems its the one job in the country where you can have a bad performance and still get re-hired.

He started out with ruining a successful Metrostars (for you new soccer fans, that's the team that NY/NJ had before they sold out to Redbull, alienated their fan base, spit in the face of New Jersey etc etc and became the NY Sellouts).

New York you'll be surprised to know was actually drawing in large crowds and was being run fairly well until this muppet came in and made them the running joke in the league.

Then after that disaster he took over the US national team, which is what runs US soccer in this country. Interest lives and dies with the national team.

The reason for ESPN picking up soccer on a more regular basis was not the MLS, it was the success of the national team who finally got its act together when they had to host the World Cup in 1994.

The goal then became qualifying for the World Cup, which at that time made sense since the groundwork of producing a consistent national team was at the forefront.

Fast forward years later when the US has had some decent World Cup runs (2002, 2010), has most of its premier players playing in Europe, and has a league to develop its younger talents and you think the goal would change.

However, Gooflati was quoted as saying "Our goal is to qualify for the WC" (this was in the lead up to 2010).

So....the goal is the exact same as it was in 1990? In 20 years the goal is the same despite the US qualifying for the WC easily every time since they took the modern sport seriously, won the CONCACAF major tournament the Gold Cup 4 times (as many as Mexico in the same time period) and was the runner up 3 times.

When US soccer took the competition seriously it took 4th in the Copa America, the premier Conmebol competition (Yeah, Brazil, Argentina their feckin conference), which Gooflati completely disrespected that entire federation by sending a horrible team in 2007 after turning down bids from them from 1996-2006. Our squad was then summarily embarrassed, and our country being embarrassed apparently means nothing to Gooflati as he was the one who made sure the a USA C team went up against the best teams in South America.

Frankly stated, but the US and Mexico should qualify for the World Cup every single go around. It sounds arrogant, but if you look at the numbers in a book like Soccernomics something that on paper is easily found out using statistics.

CONCACAF is improving, there are tough games and most of the other teams in the region are improving every year, but with their resources, neither team should fail to qualify for a tournament unless severe investment is made in the Caribbean and Central America, something that I don't see happening.

Yet, this is the goal?

How shortsighted is that?

I think my goal is to breathe today. That's essentially the bar Gooflati is putting up. An easy hurdle so he and the US soccer good ole boy network can give themselves a pat on the back for.

Wake the fuck up. This isn't Guadeloupe, this isn't Jamaica, this is the "sleeping giant" waiting to be awakened.

Instead of moving forward, Gooflati feeds US soccer its share of sleeping pills with his bad decisions, his refusal for change in order to improve, and the fact he will only take on managers who are essentially "Yes Men".

A Celtic commentator and member of the Lisbon Lions Jim Craig once said that really the shelf life for a manager should be a maximum of four years, unless they are one of those once in a lifetime sort of guys like Jock Stein, Sir Alex Ferguson, Shankly and the like.

Is Bob Bradley that? Is Bruce Arena that?

No.

There is no doubt Arena did a rather superb job with the team in 2002, a German handball away from perhaps going to the Semifinals, where the US hasn't been since the World Cup started in 1930.

He brought in 40 new players into the US squad pool, which no one had done up to that time.

One could see how he got an extension to his deal, he did everything Gooflati and US soccer wanted. He put the MLS over the National team at times for friendlies. He did the throwaway friendlies playing crap MLS players so teams could say they had an "international" player even though they had no chance of being in the actual squad.

Arena then found himself like so many managers do finding himself tied to his favorites, unwilling to let go and cap new players like he did in the lead up to 2002 and what happened?

The US with some bad play, bad calls and horrific tactics went out in 2006. Ironically to Ghana who put the US to the sword in 2010.

Now, for probably the first time the country seemed deeply interested in a WC not on its shores, as ESPN had record ratings for the 2006 World Cup (even better ones for 2010) and after the tournament it was clear that Arena was done, and the man next in line was Jurgen Klinsmann, a man who using his knowledge he gained from American training techniques completely revamped Germany and almost took them to the final.

Here was a guy who was technically a "foreign" manager, but who with his links with the Galaxy and the fact he lives in the US has knowledge on American soccer. He was as many would say the perfect fit.

However, despite brief press pressure, Gooflati refused to sign Klinsmann because he wanted control to completely revamp (read: for the better) US soccer so it could compete at a higher level.

Gooflati, whose power was now on the line turned him down so he could keep his good ole boy system intact.

Now, in most countries, this wouldn't have happened because the press and fan pressure would have been too much to see the head of a federation turn down this opportunity.

So instead he hired a Bruce Arena clone in Bob Bradley, who in every way is Bruce Arena minus the fact he isn't a self centered asshole.

Now, in 2006 I wanted Bob to be the #2 (perhaps lead the team in 2010 depending on what Klinsmann did).

Instead he got the top job, because it was the best post he could get and he agreed to do whatever Gooflati said.

He did EXACTLY what Arena did (see he is a clone here....) when he was first called into action by calling up if I remember right 50 new players into the US system, but then found his favorites who he continually plays, does the MLS friendlies to hype up their players, which is not the job of a national team manager.

His crowning achievement was the 2009 Confederations Cup where the US lost to Brazil 3-2 in the final. Many point to Bradley's tactics as being why the team lost, despite being up 2-0 at half time.

It was a sign of things to come.

In 2010, the US got out of the group on top, despite Bradley's best efforts to make sure the tactics were horrible enough to lose each game, and then his inexperience showed against Ghana, a team that the US could have gotten past had his moves not been simply put, retarded.

Gooflati again sticking to his adage "history repeats itself" has brief talks with Klinsmann, on which they again don't agree on anything in writing and he then re-hires Bradley without looking for any other managers. He looked at two candidates, just like 2006 all over again.

Needless to say 2014 looks bleak. Bradley. Gooflati. Same old same old. Maybe buying this T-shirt will help me feel better about myself and my country's team....


...because right now there is nothing to look forward to.

Here is the squad for the two games next week:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton).

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover), Clarence Goodson (Start), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Brek Shea (FC Dallas).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham).

As you can see, at least it isn't a shite MLS filled squad, but most of the country's best players.

I love how Parkhurst was the best MLS defender for some time, and only gave away something like 5 fouls in a few seasons (which is unheard of in any league), and hardly got a call up, moved and then never got a call up.

Honestly, had he gone with the Republic of Ireland, he might have already been in their set up.

JJ needs to get in, that's really what I'm looking forward to. Shame I couldn't be at this one as I always go to the games in Chicago, but it's my official boycott match as I hate the direction this team is going.

Match info:

10/9 - USA vs. Poland - 8pm EST on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision
10/12 - USA vs. Colombia - 8pm EST on ESPN 2 and Galavision

Don't Tread on This.

Article by Celticrugby.