Team USA ready for its Italy impression?

2008-09-10T07:16:33-04:00

2007-06-11T17:27:00-04:00

2008-09-10T06:40:27-04:00

2007-06-19T09:34:51-04:00

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Basketball PG 14

Outerbanks 39630

Join the FanNation Fraternity. It's an exclusive sports group filled with only the most knowledgable FanNation has to offer. 26626

2007-06-13T05:42:17-04:00

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Paolo Andreozzi

ROMA 32400

I think the question should be this one: Why they play ? To enjoy or to win? US team is a good young team, but they seem to play to complete their duty as well as they can. That's not enough in soccer competitions.In Italy we consider (only for what concern soccer,this is strange) the win more and more important of anything else. We really don't interest a good play without victory. This is the reason why italian teams always don't play well friendly match and start to play near the final part of a competition. we love more to win 1-0 with a penalty in a champioship against last team of the world than 4-0 against Brazil in a friendly match. Pheraps it is wrong, sport should be always honoured, but some of our mentality could be useful to US soccer team. 24089

2007-06-12T21:56:38-04:00

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nate1382

Murfreesboro 36664

Of course we're playing the JV team, why wouldn't we? Right now, there isn't a team in front of us that really endangers our chance to win the Gold Cup, so why not let our younger players earn some caps and play together so that when the real challenges come we won't have 11 players that play great together but we get in trouble if one of them is having an off night or gets injured, like we did in the Cup last year. Instead we'll have 23 players that play really well together and our subs are playing like starters. Players like Spector, Dempsey, Bradley, Fielhaber, Ngwyn, Bornstein, Clark, Cooper, and eventually Altidore and hopefully Adu are going to lead the way on the pitch in 2010, so why not get them some tournament experience now. You've got to expect some bumps along the way while developing them. 22920

2007-06-12T21:27:15-04:00

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knick4life

Mount Vernon 25198

Hello folks. Rosieredwood beat me to it. It's creativity, stupid. I've been watching US soccer since 90, and the style hasn't changed--little to no off the ball movement, and short, slow direct passing. It's like they're just waiting for the other team to pressure them out of possession. America has some outstanding athletes. That along with work ethic keeps them "on the verge." But their soccer IQ has been largely stagnant. Bob Bradley is not the answer. Not that he's not a good man or anything, but America needs a different approach to playing the game. Klinsmann would have helped. A brazilian coach would help, too. 22973

2007-06-12T21:20:37-04:00

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yankatoxford

Oxford 5360

I will make not many bold assumptions. Outside of the obession with Johnathan Bornstein starting in the back, (Simek at Right back and Spector at left would be my prefered alignment; Simek has been brilliant for the Owls at Sheffield Wednesday the last two years) Bradley seems to have energized a youth movement for the team, which is very necc. Performance at Copa America will be even more important for evaluating the side's depth, and I believe the U.S. can be competitive with a bit of luck in squad selection. The lack of a pure striker (paging Gabriel Ferrari) remains the teams biggest weakness. Ching and Twellman have their strengths, but Johnson, if he finds his confidence appears to be the best answer. Beasley, Dempsey, and the currently recovering Convey, are solid on the wings, with goal scoring and crossing ability. Donovan needs to play in a bigger game environment more regularly, how I wish he was playing in COPA America. Feilhaber and Bradley, in particular, are still very raw in the midfield, but in the long run will likely demonstrate greater technical skill than any previous mid-field pairing. Both could use some work in the offensive third. Meanwhile, Onyewu needs to regain his confidence and composure, but I feel between DeMerit, Gibbs, Conrad, and Bocenegra the U.S. has solid choices at centre back. Others in Europe might offer additional attacking options as we get closer to 2010 (Jeremiah White of AG Aahus, Kamami Hill. and Lee Nguyen of PSV Eindhoven all should be given looks in the future). In short, the U.S. should win the gold cup, but we shall see. 22407

2007-06-12T20:19:50-04:00

tbearup3

Chicago 36714

Jokr, did you watch the T and T game? Johnson had 2 one-on-one's taken away by the communist linesman, Ching had none. By the way, Ching's goal was even more a gift than Johnson's, and he barely scored. That said, he does pair well with Donovan. I like Twellman too, but there's no doubt Johnson has the most talent. As for nepotism "give me a break", you are incredibly naive if you don't think Bradley is going to put his son in front of the team. He already is. 22967

2007-06-12T19:52:18-04:00

22Jokr

Newport Coast 36924

Skimming these comments has left me scratching my head. I've watched the last 3 games and was actually at the Guatemala game. Creativity in attack is far better than in the run up to the World Cup (nod to jasonreh and yaeromark). I like the combination of Bradley (nepotism? give me a break!) and Faeberhaber in the middle and am anxious to watch that partnership mature. I think Bornstein has great potential at left back and like Sinek on the right. Demerit deserves the opportunity to challenge Onyewu who has thus far failed to live up to the pre-Cup hype. I've been surprised by both Twellman (both his work rate and ability to create chances in the box) and Ching (terrific, dangerous runs - mostly hampered by lame officiating). Johnson had a goal gifted by Donovan but otherwise has looked strangely tentative, unwilling to either create or take chances. Same for Beasley - terrific defensive mid-fielder but disappears in attack. I love Donovan but please, there has to be someone else better suited to taking free kicks and corners! I was hoping for Klinnsman but Bradley has got the job done to date. 22034

2007-06-12T19:13:34-04:00

tbearup3

Chicago 36714

It is clear that Bradley only plays a 4-5-1, so he can justify his son's inclusion int he starting line-up. He's placing his son before the interests of the national team. Worse, he's dramatically altering strategy simply to get his son on the field. He needs to be fired immediately. Arena needed to go, but Bradley is a dramatic step down in the coaching position. 23712

2007-06-12T19:07:37-04:00

rosieredwood

Bow 30312

Our US national team lacks size and, as one person has already noted, creativity and killer instinct within 18 yds (around the box). Someone must start sizing up those shots on goal ??? absolutely. We get killed by size and somewhat physical play nearly all the time: Poland, US: 3, 1, WC 2002. Czech Republic, US: 3, 0, WC 2006. We were schooled all over the pitch. I hate to say it, but US-born trainers and coaches are still ensconced in the ???fundamentals???, and they (pardon the intentional pun) do not and cannot think outside the box. We absolutely need creativity, and this will only come from a European coach. Who cares whether he speaks English or Spanish or Esperanto? 23995

2007-06-12T18:22:05-04:00

yaeromark

Austin 36867

One thing I've noticed in the last two games is crisper, more aggressive passing. This, coupled with more opportunities to take shots on goal, seems to bode well for the future. Seriously, if you can get footage from 2, 4, or 6 years ago, compare the quality of the US passing, and I think you'll be comforted in believing in the team's future. markl from austin 23298

<img title="Bob Bradley" src="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007_images/bradley.jpg" height="200" align="right" alt="Bob Bradley" width="150" />Will the real Team USA please stand up? I've personally watched the U.S. national team play three times in the past week-and-a-half, and I can't figure out which team is going to show up on which day.Is it the one that <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/soccer/06/02/bc.soc.china.us.ap/index.html" target="_blank">thoroughly dominated</a> China in a 4-1 friendly win in San Jose, Calif.?Maybe the one that <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jonah_freedman/06/08/gold.cup/index.html" target="_blank">lost its composure</a> in the CONCACAF Gold Cup opener, earning five bookings in a hard-fought 1-0 win over a Guatemala team that frustrated the Americans with physical, often dirty play?What about the youth squad that <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jonah_freedman/06/09/us.goldcup.victory/index.html" target="_blank">looked unsure of itself</a> in a 2-0 win over a Trinidad and Tobago team that had zero international experience? Whatever the case, none of these performances is good enough to beat better teams -- namely Mexico in the likely Gold Cup final, Argentina in the Copa América opener on June 28 and, God forbid, Brazil in the quarterfinals. That's exactly the complaint I put forward to SI.com's Greg Lalas when we chatted on the phone on Monday. But Greg made a good point:"How did Italy win the World Cup?" he asked. "They screwed around against the U.S. and Ghana. They needed a last-minute penalty kick to beat Australia. Then they got it in gear against Ukraine, Germany and France."Now, none of us are comparing Team USA to the world champions. But the point is well taken. Italy played down to the level of its competition at least four times during Germany '06 (we here in the press hammer home the term "playing your way into form"), then raised its game when it needed to.The U.S. has bagged two wins in two games so far at the Gold Cup and clinched a spot in the quarterfinals. At least a draw against El Salvador on Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (7 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel), and the Americans sew up first place in Group B. Then they can worry about the knockout rounds and Mexico.They're not clicking yet -- we all can see it, and even head coach Bob Bradley (pictured, above right) is disappointed in the Americans' inability to finish their scoring chances. But they're doing what they need to do to win. What do you think? How is the U.S. looking? Does it have what it takes to win the Gold Cup, especially considering Mexico's stutter start? And then what about the Yanks' chances at the Copa América later this month? Fire away. (And stay tuned Tuesday night for Lalas' follow-up of the El Salvador match.) 2636 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/459/8/thumb/freedman_jonah.jpg 12 CA

Jonah Freedman

San Francisco 4618