Well, the international transfer deadline has passed, and to call it an underwhelming period for Americans would be a massive understatement. So who are the winners and losers in the transfer market?
Winners:
DaMarcus Beasley, going from Rangers to Hannover. Dealt with a lot in injuries in his time in Scotland, but seemed to be getting his pace and skills back leading up to the World Cup. This will give him a chance to start fresh.
And that's it for the winners...ouch.
Gray Areas:
Landon Donovan, sticking with MLS. Would he have liked to go back to the EPL? Probably. Will he be happy as the well paid face of the league? Probably.
Michael Bradley, staying at Munuchengledback...um...Munchengladbach...um...staying with his German team. While it's nice to see his team fight to keep him, it would have been nice to see him make the jump to the EPL, which would really seem to fit his hard nosed playing style well.
Clint Dempsey, staying at Fulham. Another American player that could have taken a step up to a better team, but should be fine where he is as well.
Jay DeMerit. Doesn't really count because he's out of contract and can sign with a team at any time, but he hasn't gotten the offers he expected, and it looks like he'll either have to go back to Watford, or maybe even MLS.
And now the depressingly long list of losers:
Gooch Onyewu, staying at AC Milan. Sounded like a dream move at the time, but he wasn't even seeing the field before his injury, and as the WC showed, he's not back to his best. He's been left off the Champion's League roster, and will probably have a tough time even getting on the bench this season. A transfer or loan was almost essential for Gooch, and now he's set to languish.
Eddie Johnson, staying at Fulham. This is going to sound like a broken record, but he's going to see little to no playing time, unless Fulham gets hit with massive injuries. A proposed move to QPR fell apart at the last minute.
Benny Feilhaber, stuck at Aarhus. He was almost a lock to get away from the second division Danish team...but nothing happened. He was such a spark for the US in the WC, it's hard to believe that there's nothing better waiting for him.
Jozy Altidore staying at Villareal. Another year on the bench, unless he can actually start scoring when his gets his chances. Wou;d have been far better off loaned to a team that would give him consistent 1st team games.
Freddy Adu, staying at Aris. Don't think Freddy thought he's be playing in a small Greek town at this point in his career. Time to come back to MLS and start over.
Anyone else that should be disappointed? Thrilled?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bradley...again.
So...Bob Bradley for another four years.
Dull, so very dull. Can't imagine that anyone other than Bob Bradley himself will be excited by this.
What has Bradley accomplished as the coach of the national team?
For better or for worse, he's proven that he can make the team preform at the exact level that's expected of them.
Based on player talent alone, the US should be one of the two best teams in CONCACAF...and under Bradley they are. The US should also be a solid second tier team on the world stage...and under Bradley they are.
So should he have been re-hired?
Depends on if you're the kinda person that would hit on 16 at the blackjack table.
Bradley is certainly a safe bet. He seems to command the respect of his players, which is massively important...take a look at France and England if you're not convinced of that. Tactically, he has a very straightforward approach that works well against lesser opponents, but falters against skilled teams.
The problem? He really doesn't have much of an upside, and brings nothing new to the table. No one is going to describe him as a soccer genius, or expect him to revolutionize the game.
So what does it come down to? Was this the right move?
Yes, and here's why...the US isn't ready for a great coach yet.
Remember, the job of the US coach isn't to develop talent...it's to the take the talent he has available and win games with it. And the US simply doesn't have enough talent yet to warrant the expense of a top notch coach. They are a fit, hard working, solid team...no more. They currently don't have a world class forward or a world class defender. They've relied on a solid work rate in the midfield and great goalkeeping, and that's not going to change any time soon unless someone makes some surprisingly big strides.
So let Bradley have the team for another cycle, and pray that Altidore learns to be a goal scorer, and that Davies recovers from his injuries to be the player we hopes. Pray for Gooch to prove he's worthy to play for Milan and for Spector to stop regressing. Pray that Andy Najar chooses to play for the US.
We know that Bradly can take a solid bunch of players and turn them into a solid team. Let's hope that by 2014, we'll see what he's able to do with a talented team.
Dull, so very dull. Can't imagine that anyone other than Bob Bradley himself will be excited by this.
What has Bradley accomplished as the coach of the national team?
For better or for worse, he's proven that he can make the team preform at the exact level that's expected of them.
Based on player talent alone, the US should be one of the two best teams in CONCACAF...and under Bradley they are. The US should also be a solid second tier team on the world stage...and under Bradley they are.
So should he have been re-hired?
Depends on if you're the kinda person that would hit on 16 at the blackjack table.
Bradley is certainly a safe bet. He seems to command the respect of his players, which is massively important...take a look at France and England if you're not convinced of that. Tactically, he has a very straightforward approach that works well against lesser opponents, but falters against skilled teams.
The problem? He really doesn't have much of an upside, and brings nothing new to the table. No one is going to describe him as a soccer genius, or expect him to revolutionize the game.
So what does it come down to? Was this the right move?
Yes, and here's why...the US isn't ready for a great coach yet.
Remember, the job of the US coach isn't to develop talent...it's to the take the talent he has available and win games with it. And the US simply doesn't have enough talent yet to warrant the expense of a top notch coach. They are a fit, hard working, solid team...no more. They currently don't have a world class forward or a world class defender. They've relied on a solid work rate in the midfield and great goalkeeping, and that's not going to change any time soon unless someone makes some surprisingly big strides.
So let Bradley have the team for another cycle, and pray that Altidore learns to be a goal scorer, and that Davies recovers from his injuries to be the player we hopes. Pray for Gooch to prove he's worthy to play for Milan and for Spector to stop regressing. Pray that Andy Najar chooses to play for the US.
We know that Bradly can take a solid bunch of players and turn them into a solid team. Let's hope that by 2014, we'll see what he's able to do with a talented team.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Brand New Cycle
Welcome to the USA Soccer blog.
With the 2010 World Cup behind us, it's time to start looking at US soccer from a new perspective.
I'll be trying to find topics that haven't been discussed to death, and expand on them here.
Please let me know what you want to see and here.
Thanks!
With the 2010 World Cup behind us, it's time to start looking at US soccer from a new perspective.
I'll be trying to find topics that haven't been discussed to death, and expand on them here.
Please let me know what you want to see and here.
Thanks!
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