Posted on 07/01/2014 10:02:58 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
SALVADOR, Brazil — Every four years, soccer cleans its slate and allows nations to reinvent themselves. Forgotten teams resurface. Small programs make big strides. Champions uphold their legacy or, in the case of Spain this summer, show their age.
For the second consecutive World Cup, the United States is in position for a breakthrough, a fresh narrative, a defining moment.
[From Fancy Stats: How the United States can beat Belgium | What to expect from U.S.-Belgium (not much scoring) ]
Four years ago in South Africa, the Americans won their first-round group in a heroic manner but lost to Ghana on an extra-time goal in the knockout stage. It wasn’t an upset; rather, it was a missed opportunity to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in three tournaments and set the tone for the next World Cup cycle.
On Tuesday, the U.S. squad enters a round-of-16 match against Belgium with another chance to nudge the program along a little further. The Belgians are a more formidable foe than Ghana was in 2010, having arrived in Brazil with a stable of top-flight talent and a deserved label as dark-horse candidates to hit the semifinals or beyond.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
From a neutral perspective, Bradley is a waste of space. Seems to squander a lot of promising potential.
Could not agree more. He has been played out of his best role for most of the World Cup but that still doesn’t excuse his general play.
Down to the wire ...
Dang. We have just been Waffled.
First task for the USMNT now is get somebody better than Bradley.
I've never been prouder to lose a game.
Look out, world. USA has arrived!
Well played USA. A performance to be proud of. A great game of football. BBC crowing about the USA performance.
Star spangled game, both teams played great football.
Agreed. And we Yanks thank you for your support.
LOL, that reminds me what they say in hockey – a two goal lead is the most tenuous to have… Yesterday with Algeria vs. Germany and today, the underdog seemed to get life afterwards.
Congrats to the US for making a game of it, and to the Belgians who deserved the win as the better squad.
Lot of work to do in the next four years. Now the bar has been raised.
Hopefully we have some good young players coming up through the program. Klinsi got the most out of this squad, although they aren’t really the kind of team he wants ultimately.
But I see a lot of 10 and 12 year olds who watched this tournament and no doubt will now be inspired to want to be the next ones to carry the torch.
The future is bright, because Klinsi has a vision.
Go USA in the next World Cup!
It isn't just Bradley, though that is a start. The glaring thing about the USA that became apparent over and over again is that the midfield just is not good enough yet.
To win matches at high level you have to have possession and that requires skill. You cannot rely on counter play to win you matches at this level. Without Howard, Belgium may score five or six goals today.
Players like Julian Green are the hope for the future. When we can play three more just like him in a midfield with a real anchor man who doesn't give up possession like Bradley, they will have truly arrived.
There is lots to be proud of here. And Klinsmann does have a plan. But there is a lot more developmental work to be done.
I was prepared for the possibility that Belgium would wipe the floor with us today. In terms of talent, they were way more talented.
But the US played with grit and can hang their heads high. Now they have to build on this, because it’s quickly getting to the point where people won’t be happy with just making it out the group.
I even think it would be better if Klinsmann took over as Head of the US Soccer Federation. Then he could better implement the programs for developing young players. The possibilities are there now, more good athletes will look to soccer as a career because they see Americans succeeding in Europe and now European soccer is shown more here in the US.
I tend to agree. I don’t have a lot of use for Gulati.
If you look at the clubs that have been very good in Europe in recent years like Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the style they play is to pressure the ball high, force turnovers and dominate possession. And they are damn good.
Unfortunately, a midfield of Jones, Zusi, Cameron or Beckerman, Bedoya and Bradley is not capable of playing that style, no matter how hard they work. That is the next step the national program has to take in order to advance past the round of 16.
This World Cup was good. But for perhaps the first time, we can say that it was not good enough, due to factors as yet beyond the control of the national program. I have every confidence that Klinsmann will be the guy to take that next step if he chooses to stay.
That will always be the problem. We simply have too many avenues for our athletes to compete in.
He’s signed through 2018.
More and more kids are eschewing football because of concerns about Concussions. So soccer could pick up the slack. But it has to be done through Soccer Academies and not schools. School soccer coaches just don’t have the quality to develop the kind of skilled players the US needs.
Which in today’s world means nothing. I’m sure he’s got a buyout clause.
What gives me optimism is that Klinsmann loves America. He was singing the national anthem before the game and I loved to see that. He has also turned down an approach from Galatasaray in Turkey so my hope is that he’ll be around for a long time.
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