Reflecting on USA’s World Cup Run and Looking Ahead to 2014

Unfortunately, luck ran out for the United States Men’s National Team this past Saturday, as it dropped to Ghana for the second straight time in World Cup play, 2-1. Once again, USA conceded an early goal and looked flat during the first half. Once again, Bob Bradley made questionable decisions in the starting lineup. And once again, we Americans came back down to earth and realized that we still years away from being considered a soccer superpower.

The reason why we didn’t see the USMNT make a run in this tournament was due to a number of factors – some preventable, while others were simply unavoidable. The following is a list of why there was no storybook ending for Disney to turn into its next successful, inspirational sports movie:

1. Poor Personnel Decisions:

Head Coach Bob Bradley continued to make poor personnel decisions in the starting lineup. As we saw, Ricardo Clark should never have been starting over Maurice Edu. Even worse, Clark was substituted in the 31^st minute! With a limit of three substitutions per game, it is crucial to make these decisions wisely. Most of the time substitutions are made in well into the second half in order to get fresh legs on the pitch for the last 15-20 minutes of the game.

Replacing Clark early in the first half essentially wasted one of the three strategic substitutions, killed the confidence of Clark (even though Bob Bradley claims it had to do with Clark’s yellow card), and stripped the U.S. of a pair of fresh legs in the second half. The USMNT certainly could have used a boost during extra time against a much faster and well-conditioned Ghana team.

2. Lack of Talent/Depth:

Top-level teams have top-level talent. The U.S. did not have any considerable talent upfront. Although Jozy Altidore’s talent ceiling is still very high, he did not produce a goal during the tournament. It is absolutely crucial to get production out of your strikers. Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley, and Edson Buddle? Are you kidding me? Buddle was a late addition to the roster because he was “hot” in terms of scoring, while Gomez was also a late addition due to his resurgence in Mexico and his speed. These attributes are overrated. Talent supersedes hot streaks, speeds, athleticism, etc.

America needs to produce forwards that can match up with the Didier Drogbas, David Villas, Lionel Messis, and Luis Fabianos of the world. Plus, we saw how the Charlie Davies injury affected the team. Despite having a solid campaign at the Confederations Cup last year, Davies is a modest option at best. However, his unfortunate injury from a car accident last year not only ended his World Cup dreams, but exposed a porous American front line.

In addition, there needs to be an improvement on the defensive line. Although they were solid (for the most part) as a unit, the defensive pairings lacked athleticism and skill. Carlos Bonanegra was outmuscled on the second goal of the Ghana match, while Steve Cherundolo had an awful match. The best defender for the United States over the four games was Jay DeMerit. He was successful not because of his talent, but because of his grit and tenacity.

3. Early Goals:

One would think that after giving up two early goals during Group Play, the USMNT would focus their training sessions on starting the games with a sense of urgency. For whatever reason, Ghana was able to score another early goal within the first five minutes of Saturday’s match. This raises a bunch of questions – why is the team not focused/motivated at the beginning of games, why does this lack of communication continue to happen, and why does the USMNT consistently fail to set the tempo of the game?  It simply comes down to the leadership of the head coach and the team. It’s unfortunate that this team couldn’t focus and play hard out of the gate every time.

Looking Forward:

I am pleased by the effort shown by the USMNT, however very disappointed that we didn’t take advantage of our opportunity. Simply put, we blew it. The USA had arguably its best opportunity in history to easily advance (relatively-speaking) far in the tournament. U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati was very correct when he stated that the American team did not meet his expectations at the World Cup. In my mind, Bob Bradley is a solid coach – but not the one that should lead them forward.

Personally, I want to see former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann take over for Bradley. Klinsmann is a world-class coach who led Germany to a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup (In fact, Klinsmann nearly got the job over Bradley a few years ago). During a recent ESPN broadcast, Klinsmann hit in on the head when he stated that Americans “need to improve on the first touch.” You don’t see anybody on this team who can compete with the footwork of a Lionel Messi. In addition, interest needs to be generated in the inner cities (as Klinsmann also pointed out). He clearly has the vision to take this team to the next level for 2014 and beyond.

In terms of the team, I have my concerns. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey will be past their prime in 2014. Mid 30s in soccer is the equivalent of 40s in other sports. Tim Howard is a lock to remain the keeper; age isn’t really a factor at the goalie position in soccer. Michael Bradley sparkled during this tournament, which should draw interest from top clubs (speaking of top clubs, there is no doubt in my mind that Donovan will be playing in the EPL by the end of the year).

Maurice Edu is another promising young player that will hopefully blossom into another solid player. Everyone should cross their fingers that Jozy Altidore can finally put it together and gain a world-class scoring touch. Given the fact that he’s only 20, I believe there’s endless potential for him to do that. Other than those players, we better hope that a new crop of talent can step up and fill some roles in the future.

Overall, there was nothing better than seeing people across America ride the wave of enthusiasm over the past three weeks. That’s right, I said it – I like the bandwagoners, the casual fans who don’t know the difference between a goal kick and a corner kick. If soccer is going to grow in this country filled with every piece of entertainment and sport imaginable, there needs to be attention drawn to it. The question remains – can this short-term spurt of publicity transform itself into a loving passion among Americans? My guess is yes AND no.

I feel that soccer is growing in this country; the MLS is expanding in popularity domestically, while there is more coverage of foreign leagues such as the English Premier League than ever within the U.S. borders. However, soccer was not created in America and children are more likely to have LeBron James Fatheads hanging up on their walls, not Landon Donovan. Has the NHL seen any increase in popularity from the spectacular competition we all witnessed during the Winter Olympics?

Nevertheless, I think the sport of soccer will continue to take baby steps forward over the next few years. It will take an American born and bred superstar equivalent to LeBron James to change those baby steps into giant leaps. Although this is certainly a daunting feat, I believe that the United States will be a major contender in the World Cup within the next 25 years.