FanNation - The Republic of Sport

They'll come into form, it's a matter of time. With different players gone at different times due to other team commitments and so forth, it's naturally to see this kind of uneven play. As far as Mexico, I highly doubt any USA player is too terribly worried about them. We basically own them every time we play them these days. They're no longer the 'great' power they once thought they were in the region. We all know that.

Now the Copa America is the contest where we'll have trouble but I only foresee us having difficulty with Argentina, not the other teams. I believe that we'll win or tie our other matches but lose to Argentina. Where we go from there, it's hard to say.

Good luck, either way, to Team USA.

I think the U.S. has a good team, not a great team but a good teeam. The combination of youth and experience is a good experiment on exibition games, but when it comes to games that count to win championships you need the best 23 players out there. Thats the difference between U.S. and Mexico. Mexico usually takes there best players available to tournaments, and can experiment later. And Mexico doesnt differenciate from apponents, they playe them hard no matter if they are goods teams or bad teams. The U.S. in the other hand plays down to the level of the opponent most of the times. But I still feel we can be successful in this tournament if Bradley puts the right pieces together. And hopefully for Copa America he can take a more dominant team.

and is that how Mexico lost the other day to Honduras, Jose? Anyway, who are the people not in the Gold cup that you think the US needs? Or is it just their attitude?

As for your question, Jonah: Of course the US "has it" to win. the question is will they find what they have!

Have you noticed that when Team USA win tonight V El Salvador (no brainer), and if Panama beats El Tri then USA V Mexico is on for Saturday June 16th at 4pm. If Mex and Pan tie and Honduras beats Cuba the result is still USA V Mex. If Mexico loses and Honduras wins or ties at Cuba the result still is the same. The odds look pretty good that Team USA will be beating up on El Tri again on Saturday! About the only screwup in this scenario is if Cuba beats Honduras and Mexico loses.

bob bradley needs to go. it was a mistake to hire him and a mistake to keep him. His son has no business to be playing on this team. This coach has no idea how to use the stengths of his players. I would love to win these next two tournaments, but i hope that something happens to make bradley go. We need a goo dutch or german coach leading us.

and onyewu needs to go. the guy has been a work in progress for some time now, and never improves. he is always out of position, slow to react to a play, and too hot headed. too bad conrad is hurt, but knowing this coach he still wouldnt play him. Our coach prefers to play the european based player than the MLS players, which is a mistake.
and where is jef cunnigham. he is a top scorer in the MLS every year. and he comes of the bench, and doesnt complain. He would be a much beter fir that eddie johnson, who is a bum for what he pulled after the last cup

They are a horribly overatyed team...the USA that is. Italy played down to their opponents and won because they have significantly better players than the honky, American-football-schooled players of Joke USA.

To say that Michael Bradley does not belong on this team is ridiculous. Obviously, you haven't watched any of the matches he has played in lately. He has been very solid in the midfield and looks to be a rising star....

Yes team USA is not in top form but it is still the strongest side in the tournament. Considering Mexico's horrific performances the US is well on it's way to a another cup win.

We can get by in the Gold Cup with our young inexperienced players, but the Copa is another story. We have the talent here in the US, it seems out lack of success on the world stage is more in the head. US wins it all in the Gold!

To say any of the "newer" players are ready for Int'l competition is a little early. We have played no one of value to evaluate them. China? T+T? C'mon (Hence why Bradley should not have gotten the job until after Copa).

I do agree that we should be playing rookies to evaluate the players instead of holdovers from the last Cup. People like Frankie H. should NOT be playing. He has no chance of being part of the qualification process, so don't waste a spot with him.

i think the US shold take the game the way as they come, no team shold be underated becos most of them came to make a statement and sinse they know they may not win the Gold Cup then they wo:nt allow any of the big teams like the US and MEXICO to lift the trophy.

Bob Bradley has really impressed me.he shold keep the good work up.
TEDDY

The Yanks have much work to do, and as always, even under previous coaches, they seem to lack the creativity needed to attack the goal. Too many guys playing with their backs to the goal, especially at the 18-yard line. Bob has got to find guys who smell blood and will charge that net. Brian Ching is one of those guys, Dempsey has shown he is likely one of those guys. Eddie Johnson has either got to learn to charge the net, or he's got to go (though, in his defense, being put out wide doesn't help him). Landon has either got to find the fire, or he needs to go. Yeah, he's got speed and a deft touch, but he plays with so little passion at times that he just disappears. There really is no other explanation for a guy of his ability to go as long as he did without scoring a goal. Some time away may **** some good. Let him come back and ask to be part of the process.

The last game I went to, there was not nearly enough off-ball movement. The off ball movement becomes critical when trying to create decent scoring chances. We all know that, but the team seems to have lost that concept (again). While I love my team, I think we continue to struggle in the same old familiar ways. We need guys who will pull the trigger from all sorts of places, and are fearless and reckless enough to put themselves in good spots to redirect shots or tap in loose balls. We need to overwhelm teams with non-stop attack. Until we get that thirst, we will continue to unravel against the Europeans and the South American elite.

We're the same old middle-tier team. Bradley is one of the good 'ol boys that help one another. Micheal Bradley = Kenny Arena, etc. We're in a poor region that's also in a downward trend (Mexico is searching for their identity now as well) A Gold Cup win should be expected in this group of teams - and easily. As much as I didn't like Arena, especially at the end, he had a better plan than what we see out of Bradley. I expect a coach to bring in "his" guys, like his son and Bornstein from Chivas. But there are MUCH better US players not here (Pearce, etc.)

Bluewhite tiger Claudio Rayna can Still play, Bobby Convey, Cory Gibbs, Cherundulo, Conrad, O'brien, and Wolf, these are all players that can still play. As far as Mexico losing against Honduras, we know that Mexico can be them a lot more times than not. Thank to Blanco losing his temper, Honduras manage to have the one man advantage all of the second half. and even like this lets be honest it wasnt easy. But anyways "Go U.S.A"

Michael Bradley is still fairly young, so I think it's harsh to say he doesn't belong on the team. Him and Feilhaber are both strong players playing overseas and both are more technical due to the experience. As far as it goes with scoring goals, i'm confident they will come, especially from someone like Dempsey who is relentless on the attack. Landon doesn't have the leadership capability, as a Philly sports fan, he reminds me of Donovan Mcnabb, very talented but just missing something that could make him great. Defensively, as Eric Wynalda says, the national team is about who is playing best at the moment. I'm still a big fan of Onyewu but maybe Bob needs to play Demerit or someone else in the center just to see what we have behind Gooch.

I agree totally that we???ll come into form as the tournament progresses. What does everyone always say before the world cup when an obvious outclassed opponent is set to play a world ???super power???? That if you???re going to beat them, it???ll be early because it usually takes a game or two for them to come into their own. I think Bradley is doing an absolute brilliant job that you wont notice until the gold cup final. Hes resting players and experimenting with line-ups to find the right mix. The goal of this tourney is not to beat the likes of Guatemala, T and T, and El Salvadore 6 nil. Its to the win the thing. This is the attitude that some of you fellow Americans have to take. If we don???t win big or pretty then we???ve not done the job. The fact is, the ???job??? is win the gold cup. Something you guys have forgotten to mention is that we played two games, one game we went down to ten men, the second???we played with guys who have no experience and are relatively unknown players and we got wins from both games. Also, we???ve yet to give up a goal and the only team left that can say that. I???m also sick and tired of hearing how Mexico is the heavy favorite. They haven???t beaten the US since 2001. Until they???re able to actually beat us, we???re the giants of the region.

Boys, be patient, it???ll come.

3-0 in a week and a half and all the press does is moan and complain. Guess that is one way the US is becoming like other Soccer nations. Would the performance against T&T have beaten Argentina? Of course not, but I doubt that team would have been on the field against Argentina. Did Guatemala cause problems? Sure, but they found a way to win when they didn't have their best stuff. I'm really not sure what it is you want, Mr. Freedman. If they play the best 11, then they aren't developing new talent. If they work in new players then they look not as in sync as do the veterans. It seems like some people are happier when the team loses to Germany but hangs tough than when they get the result they are supposed to get against a team that hangs tough against them.

Look, Bradley is a good coach, as a reminder to all of you out there, the US is not a "traditional" power, and the amount of money and fan support we get is still abysmal considering how good a team we actually have. The bottom line is it just takes time and methodical improvement over many years to be successful in such a competitive sport. Once we finally build the rabid fan support that neighbors Mexico enjoy (which is inevitable) the enthusiasum will spill over and we will get more players willing more often to be more aggresive.

Ok folks, I know everyone is passionate about their national team, but let's be somewhat realistic. Winning the Gold Cup is something the U.S. has to do for no other reason except that not to win it would be an embarrassment considering the competition. The U.S. is not winning Copa America. They're not getting past the first round. Not because they don't have the talent to get through the round (they flat out dont have the talent to win it, but they have the talent to get through), but because they suffer from the same malaise previous American national teams have suffered from: a total lack of fight. They go out and play to the level of their opponents because they can in the Gold Cup...but when you are outmatched talent wise, as they will be in Copa America, you have to dig deep and fight for 90 minutes just to have a chance. (They did this well against Italy in the world cup). Every single player in Copa America has grown up knowing nothing but this sport, and dreaming of the chance to represent their country...it's going to take a lot more than the slow, creativity lacking, juvenile play the U.S. has shown thus far to beat any of them.
As far as the comment that Bradley should go and that his son, Michael, should not be on the team, I don't really know what to say, except that maybe you don't really understand the game very well. Michael Bradley, Fieldhaber, Spector, and Dempsey are the future of U.S. Soccer. Copa America wil be a good experience for them, but nobody should expect them to go far.

Can't believe some of the stuff I am reading here in the comments section. Have half of you even followed US Soccer over the past decade? I feel that what the US coaching staff is doing right now is down right brilliant. They played what I assume to be close to the starting line up against a physical and dirty Guatemalan team. Then, to keep them fresh and to give the inexperienced players on the squad some game time, they started a whole new line up with the exception of a few. Brilliant.

Right now it's time to develop a World Cup Caliber team, and one that is faster and more ready than the one we took to Germany. The previous coaching staff relied on history and seniority so to speak when selecting a side. I feel as though the current staff is committed to finding the 11 best players period and putting them on the field. Excellent job so far and I don't know about y'all but I am learning a lot about some players I had never even heard of.

Oh, and by the way, we will beat Mexico and win the Gold Cup, even if its with our second team. The future of US Soccer looks promising, strap in and hold on, the next World Cup the US will field the strongest team it ever has.