The final paragraph from John Powers' gruesome post-mortem on the U.S. soccer team's meltdown at the World Cup pretty much sums up what I said at the beginning of the tournament.
The last team went to the quarterfinals, the best US showing in 72 years. Maybe this one could have knocked off Brazil, maybe not. One thing, though, is certain. When you score one goal with your own feet in 270 minutes, you're on the early plane back to Newark.Here's what I said on June 3rd in response to T.S.'s concerns over Claudio Reyna's health:
I wouldn't worry so much about Reyna. He's an important player, but the key for the Yanks will be how their forwards and attacking midfielders play. Reyna's a playmaker, but if Donovan et. al. can't put the biscuit in the basket, it will be a short tourney for us.Could Donovan have played a worse final game? How many corners and free kicks were off target? Overall, could the U.S. attack have had a worse cup? And how furious is Taylor Twellman (2005 MLS MVP and leading scorer) that he didn't get a chance on this team, while teammate Clint Dempsey was one of the few (if inconsistent) bright spots on the team?
For the record, I thought the U.S. team had a real chance to advance. Again, from June 3rd:
I think they advance out of the first round and if they really get on a roll, possibly make the semis.If they won their group, I believe their 2nd round opponent was going to be Australia, and then likely France or Switzerland after that -- all beatable teams.
Count me one very wrong observer.
1 comment:
Obviously, not being able to score is a problem. But the bigger problem was the defensive lapses that left the U.S. playing from behind throughout the tournament. Against the Czechs, that first goal was a killer -- Koller was unmarked in front of the goal. The U.S. did passably well for the next 20-25 minutes, and then collapsed after Rozicky's goal, which followed a botched clearance. Against the Italians, giving up the first goal should have been a killer, but they got lucky a few minutes later. In the second half, they had some chances, even playing down a man. Against Ghana, the first goal was just brutal. The obvious thing to do is to blame Reyna -- coincidentally, the most talented player on the team from a technical perspective -- for trying to dribble out of the back, but when I replayed the scene it looked to me like he was looking to pass but none of his teammates presented themselves as targets. In any event, another defensive lapse left them playing from behind.
The problem with playing from behind is that it puts all the pressure on the offense to do the sorts of things our offense doesn't. It frustrates speed and counter-attacks. You can fault Donovan and Reyna for this, but I would be more inclined to fault McBride for not being a world-class striker. He's a decent enough player, but he's no Rooney/Drogba/Crespo etc.
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