After the dissapointing and rather disgusting loss to the Czech Republic Monday morning, the United States men's soccer team was left to reasses their chances of success at this year's World Cup tournament. Within the first six minutes of the game, the match was over as Czech giant Jan Koeller headed home a ball that proved to be the game winner. A rather flat US team then went on to give up two more goals in what turned into a laugher when the final whistle was blown. Then, the finger pointing game stared.Within the hour, US Coach Bruce Arena was seen on televisions proclaiming that with the exception of two or three players in the line up, everybody stunk. He was especially critical of DeMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan, two players that have been the essential pieces of the American soccer resurgence in recent years and stated that Beasley lacked the effort neccessary to compete at the international level. "His play was uninspired and lacked creativity, he [Beasley] played mostly with his back to the goal and was not willing to run at defenders and goal," said Arena in his post match lifting of blame and putting it squarely on the players session.
This then leads us to the present, with the US facing the huge task of earning a decent result against Italy, although let's face facts, they will have to win on Saturday to have any real shot of earning a place in the second round. Confidence runs high with the team and players such as Brian McBride are saying all the right things, "As a team we have to pull together. That comes from guys that are considered leaders or veterans, that's part of our job, to refocus on Italy and put this game behind us. We're a team. Nothing's going to happen to pull us apart." Yeah right!
Bruce Arena took over as US head coach after the disasterous 1998 World Cup in France where the team, guided by the "brilliant" Steve Sampson, managed to lose every match they played and end up dead last in the tournament. As the head coach of DC United, Arena managed to become the talk of US Soccer when he won the first two titles of the MLS history and won the CONCACAF Club Champions tournament with a 1-0 result over Mexican side Toluca. Prior to his MLS success, Arena had won numerous national titles at the University of Virginia and was instrumental in the development of Claudio Reyna and Jeff Agoos, to name a few. So, when the US team tanked in international play, highlighted with a humiliating loss to football powerhouse Iran, the US Soccer Federation decided to get rid of Sampson and install Arena as the next hope.
With success in 2002 and Gold Cup compititions, the United States has managed to get back some respect and enter these World Cup Finals with a number 5 world ranking, if you believe FIFA when they say that (More Coke Than Cola). However, yesterday's game showed why once again the US is pitted in the same cycle of failure that cost Sampson his job in '98. The US team played uninspired ball and showed their lack of skill and play making ability that was on display during the three game friendly schedule that the US played in late May. Sans the woodwork that Claudio Reyna hit in the first half, the United States looked more like the number 32 team in the world and they "punted and cheered" their way to a 3-0 smoking. On top of that, the lack of any real strategy was on display as the the US looked as lost on the field as Arena looked on the bench. Obviously, however, the team was to blame and not the coach who had worked so hard to get his team ready for the match.
The lineups for the first game were a "secret" to US players, an action that Arena explained away as being a tactic to keep players active in practice and on their toes. All this really managed to accomplish was piss off several players, with the above mentioned Beasley calling the situation an unadded stressor to the entire situation. I call it Arena being a dick, and trying to make himself out to be one of these coaching premadonnas that think they have the juice and clout to pull these psychological fast ones on players. Advice to Arena, please refrain from stealing your material from Phil Jackson. The more plausible explanation was that Arena and his staff were caught with their pants down and didn't want to admit that despite the 8 months heads up he and his staff got, they really had no game plan for taking on the european side. If they did, then Arena and his staff should give back their paychecks because they are flat out stealing from the Federation with game plans like that. No, Arena and his staff failed to utilize the full talents of the American player pool and fielded a team that had not shown much in the lead up to the world cup including players such as Cory Gibbs and Steve Cherundolo, two defenders that no doubt, in the mind of Arena, were great assets to the team because of their ability to shut down all those great European fowards who stand 5'4" and shorter. It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
So what are we left with? Not much if you are a US soccer fan. Italy showed the type of European skill in their game against Ghana that shows why Serie A is one of the top 3 leagues in the world, and that was even without using Allessandro Del Piero. Saturday's game may just be a quick lesson in not taking yourself too seriously and a nice and proper dispatching of the American side. Ghana in their loss to Italy also showed one thing, that they are more athletic and attack oriented then the Americans could ever hope to be and that Michael Essian is one of the world's best midfielders, let alone the beast that roams the middle for EPL champion Chelsea.
As for Arena, well, this World Cup is shaping up to be a disasterous one for the Americans, the type of performance that can get a guy fired, if you know what I mean.
Update
In a rather colorful interview with reporters on Tuesday, Arena did not back down from his criticism directed towards Lando and Beaz. Asking that Beasley accept the criticism levied by the head coach, Arena spouted "If he's any kind of a player and a man, he understands that. If he doesn't, then he's not going to be able to help us in Games 2 or 3, either." This brilliant piece of coaching will no doubt make the players that he is single handedly throwing under the bus rise to the occasion and want to fight on for their coach, especially now that Arena is showing so much class and devotion to them. Arena is shaping up to be a bonafide idiot, dividing the locker room in a world class pissing contest to illustrate that he is not the feeble, faux soccer player and coach that he tries to pass himself as. What a shame, to come so far only to be sunk by your own coach's ambitions and ego. I am sure that these players really appreciate being called into question by a guy that has only logged ONE career cap as a player. Even my guy Sasha Victorine has garnered more then that.
On his upcoming opponent Italy and the match fixing controversy that has enbroiled the Serie A and the Italian Football Federation, "It doesn't look like it's disturbing them a whole lot, from what I can tell," Arena said. "They're used to scandals. They're playing right through this scandal. They'll be fine. I think we need a scandal." Ahh, you are in the middle of one, dead coach walking!
Still to Come
The American Successor
