The Lumberyard 6/13-6/19: USMNT Woes Edition

by Geoff Gibson on Jun 13, 2011 1:49 PM PDT

It was a tough Saturday for fans of the US Mens National Team. I think it was a rather humbling experience for the guys on the team as well. To lose to Panama like that was not only disheartening, it was downright embarrassing. After all the hype during last year's World Cup about how the USMNT was getting better and better and would, within a few World Cups be able to win, it was quite a shock to see such middling play come from the team. Perhaps they thought Panama would just grace them with a win?

To commemorate such an event, this week's Lumberyard will focus on the USMNT and the USSF as a whole. Here are your discussion questions:

1. What do you think is missing from the current USMNT squad? Who should have been included and who should be left out in the future?

2. How do you think Bob Bradley has done since last year's World Cup? Is it time to find a new head coach?

3. What do you make of USSF President Sunil Gulati? Is it time for a "regime" change as some people are calling it?

Discuss!

Da Rules:

The Lumberyard is here to give the entire site a place for true non-soccer conversation and random thoughts. Its purpose: A place where people can come and chat about all the stuff that doesn't fit in with the rest of the site, and even be loose in terms of byplay and humor. The goal of the Lumberyard is to foster community; to let people get to know each other outside of the everyday front page posts. There will be happy ones, sad ones, ones like a sharing circle, and ones like an open mike night at the comedy club. In the Lumberyard, people really have a chance to become a family.

So, if you have a one-off thought, post it in here. The rules are basic, and are as follows:

Ad hominem (personal) attacks will never be tolerated.

Everything you write is visible publicly, so be careful.

Don't use the Lumberyard to call out or talk about users from other threads on Stumptown Footy.

Remember that every image posted will slow the thread down, so try to post as few as possible. Posting a link to an image you want to share is an acceptable alternative, and thus can share as many images as you wish without slowing down the thread. If you do post an image in the thread, please post something in the subject line so that the image stays minimized.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

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Comments

Oh great...

Just realized I published this as a story nor a FanPost.

/rage

RCTID - Stumptown Footy
Moderator of /r/MLS

by Geoff Gibson on Jun 13, 2011 1:52 PM PDT reply actions

That's alright

Blazers win!

by The X-man on Jun 13, 2011 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions

I have been watching soccer since the late 1980's

and in every World Cup year since, there is always some variation of the “US is getting better at soccer and lookout world because here we come!” story. And it’s never true. Korea/Japan was probably the modern pinnacle for the US, and prior to and ever since then the US team has been the same as it always was – tremendously physically gifted, hard-working, but not very good at playing soccer, at least at that level.

As for Sunil Gulati, the sooner he goes the better. When Saturday Comes summed it up quite nicely.

by pdb on Jun 13, 2011 2:01 PM PDT reply actions

"Tremendously physically gifted, hard-working, but not very good at playing soccer"

That’s American athletics in a nutshell.

by vitaminx on Jun 13, 2011 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions

bradley gets and extension

because we finish 15th in the WC.
that is the standard Gulati is using for expectations obviously.

it was obvious that Bradley shows two flaws as coach, first is an inability to have the team psychologically prepared to play since we constantly have to play from behind. the other is an awkward allegiance to certain players, Bocanegro and Cherundulo, really?!? i watched a very able Jay Demerit play over the weekend and yet he wasn’t called up.

by PandG on Jun 13, 2011 2:25 PM PDT reply actions

At the time of the call ups...

..Demerit was injured and that’s the reason he was left off the team. If he hadn’t at the time, he’d be on the team.

by Timm Higgins on Jun 13, 2011 7:21 PM PDT up reply actions

cherundolo

Cherundolo is one of the most underated players on the team. Captain of his top flight bundesliga team for like 10 years.
His service and posession are great.

He would be top 5 player in the MLS

by portlandpadre on Jun 13, 2011 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs

Agreed

I thought he was one of our best field players in WC ’10.

by bndwgn on Jun 14, 2011 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions

Let me see.....

1. What do you think is missing from the current USMNT squad? Who should have been included and who should be left out in the future?

As someone who doesn’t really follow the USMNT I don’t really feel qualified to comment. However, while I’m sure our roster is filled with talented players, it seems like they don’t have that fire to lay it all out to get the win. My changes would be to put players who will put out 100% effort onto the pitch and get rid of the spoiled players that feel it’s a given that they’re included. Not to take away from what they have done for the program in the past, but if they don’t have that fire that other countries’ players do in international competition, then find someone who does.

2. How do you think Bob Bradley has done since last year’s World Cup? Is it time to find a new head coach?

Again, don’t know really that much about him, but if progress is being made under his watch then I say keep him. If things are stalling or regressing, can him. Not to diminish the man, because I know he’s been important to the USMNT in years past, but if he’s no longer ‘cutting the mustard’ then the decision is a no brainer.

3. What do you make of USSF President Sunil Gulati? Is it time for a “regime” change as some people are calling it?

Personally, I’d say they need to bring in someone who will re-vamp the officiating system and make it world-class. If he’s not the one to do it, then he needs to go. That’s one of the biggest problems plaguing this sport in our country, and in order for our organization to be taken seriously, then we need someone dedicated to that purpose.

Thoughts?

Blazers win!

by The X-man on Jun 13, 2011 3:10 PM PDT reply actions

First off

I don’t care what Timmy Chandler’s Bundesliga club wanted, the way he played in friendlies against Argentina and Paraguay showed that not only is he the upgrade we need in terms of youth but also a completely new player in this time of turnover. Thusly, Bradley should be canned but won’t because his boss, Gulati, should also be canned but won’t. That’s essentially problems 1A and 1B right there.

Regarding player decisions, Oguchi Onyewu should never suit up in the national team jersey again, Eric Lichaj has speed but lacks creativity, and Eric Brunner could make an interesting center back. Jermaine Jones plays meh for Blackburn and looks like a turd stuck while being flushed out there. If we really don’t want to commit to a certain aspect of our game, then just go 4-3-1-2with Dempsey up top with Aguedelo, the only 2 creative players on the roster, and put pressure on a team like Panama or hell, anyone. It gets so frustrating, at least Arena allowed the youngsters reign and freedom to go and have fun. Bradley, aka Skeletor, is a waste of space on the sideline, perhaps evidenced best by how he lays his son out there with no support around him. I love Michael Bradley as an enforcer and holding mid, but there is ZERO help in the midfield with Dempsey trying to attack and create, but everyone else sitting with their thumbs up their butts half the time.

Rant over. Thoughts?

by RipCityRhapsody83 on Jun 13, 2011 8:14 PM PDT reply actions

nice to seee a blazer fan in here

GOOCH is done…

by portlandpadre on Jun 13, 2011 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't know about different coaches/styles etc

But I know I was surprised when the USMT extended Bradley, I thought they’d get either the Coach of Argentina, or Brazil, who both had recently been let go.

Say it ain't Cho

by Sean in Vancouver on Jun 13, 2011 9:50 PM PDT reply actions

If the US hired Diego maradona

I’d move to Canada.

The brazil coach was ok, his style was not to the brazillian’s taste, but it could work in the us. I’m not sure he’d be a tremendous upgrade though. Bradley is a good coach, just an awful talent evaluator. I know its been done to death, but how does Ricardo Clark have a wc cap? How???? Much less multiple caps. Ugh. That one is going to haunt the team for a while.

Say what you want about America, thirteen bucks still gets you a hell of a lot of mice!

by No Pity on Jun 14, 2011 9:46 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

These guys are the bridge between USMNT past and future

I won’t write a detailed opinion because I’m more interested in club play but it seems the USMNT is stagnating a bit. I don’t know if it’s Bradley or other factors, but it seems like he is just steering the ship until a new captain comes on board. Hopefully it doesn’t capsize. As for Gulati, guys like him seem to get entrenched. With the USMNT, I think you have to take the long view.

by yepyou'reright on Jun 14, 2011 11:13 AM PDT reply actions

I think the mediocre level of play of MLS as a league has harmed the US team as well

I don’t follow the US team very much, but if a majority of their players come from MLS sides then it’s easy to see why they’re stagnating right now. In 10-15 years, as the quality of MLS keeps improving, that should start to seep up to the national team level.

by pdb on Jun 14, 2011 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions

6 of the 23 players on the Gold Cup roster play for MLS clubs

Seems to me the real area for improvement is the quality of training and competition U.S. kids get from age 13 to 18. If Messi had been born in Beaverton and grew up playing for a local youth soccer club with the occasional week or two of higher level training with the Region IV ODP team or a youth national team – rather than playing in Barcelona’s youth program since age 12 – do you think he’d be the same player?

by bndwgn on Jun 14, 2011 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions

If Messi grew up here would have made one hell of a middle infielder

But yeah, I think you’re right about that – training doesn’t get serious for kids here until late high school, really. I didn’t realize so few US team players played in MLS.

by pdb on Jun 14, 2011 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Or a JJ Barrea type point guard

by yepyou'reright on Jun 14, 2011 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

or he'd be Steve Nash

who grew up playing soccer

Say it ain't Cho

by Sean in Vancouver on Jun 14, 2011 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions

1) I miss Brian McBride and Eddie Pope
2) I’m not a Bradley hater, but my sense is that it makes sense to have a new coach must 4 year cycles unless you’ve got something really good going, which we don’t.
3) Gulati’s an interesting character to read about. Hard to really answer this question though. There have been some strides in player development under him, with Gen Adidas and the MLS academies, but not very rapid strides.

long live the jd.

by jksnake99 on Jun 16, 2011 2:23 PM PDT reply actions