It's Time To Bury The Hatchet.

Photo:  AP

By:  Matt Carlson

As you may know, “burying the hatchet” means to make peace with someone.  The phrase arose from a tradition followed by several tribes of indigenous people in North America, most notably the Iroquois, Mohawk and Shawnee, who would bury a hatchet in the ground when entering a peace treaty.  To some tribes, burying the hatchet was not meant as a surrender, rather, it was merely a signal that the hostilities had ended.  In the wake of his appointment as manager of Egypt, I think it is time for some U.S. fans to bury the hatchet when it comes to Bob Bradley.

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Bob Bradley has always had his critics.  They started in as soon as he was named interim manager of the USMNT in 2006 and kept it up throughout his tenure.  Since the news broke that Bob Bradley was being considered to lead the Egyptian National Team, there has been a contingent of U.S. soccer fans who have seen this as another opportunity to bang on about Bradley’s faults.  In between personal attacks and the tired Jonathan Bornstein citizenship jokes, some of these people are openly hoping for the failure of Bob Bradley in Egypt.  While it may be futile, I am going to lay out four good reasons why it is time for these fans to bury the hatchet.

First, if you did not want him as USMNT coach, you have your wish.  He is gone now.  He is no longer your problem.  Frankly, you’re starting to sound like the guy at the party who can’t stop talking about how terrible his ex was.  We get it.  You don’t like Bob Bradley.  Let it go.

Second, Bradley is an American.  I know, I know, cue Lee Greenwood and the falling balloons, but it is true.  He’s one of us.  He’s a guy who has spent a large part of his life developing soccer in the U.S. and has advocated for the sport we love in a country that does not respect it.  As USMNT manager, he stood in the breach for a group of people that never wanted him and did his job.  This deserves some respect.

Third, the criticism of Bob Bradley is disproportionate to his results.  If you want to blame Bradley for every bad thing that happened while he was coach, then it is only fair to give him credit for every good thing that happened, too.  By any objective standard, Bob Bradley’s tenure as coach of the USMNT was successful.  He posted the best record of any USMNT coach ever, at 43-25-12.  With Bradley at the helm, the USMNT got a win over #1 Spain and got to the Finals of the Confederations Cup.  The USMNT finished first in CONCACAF World Cup 2010 qualification and, for the first time ever, won its group at the World Cup.  The amount of people packed into bars across America to watch the USMNT in the World Cup last summer is undeniable evidence that the profile of U.S. soccer was raised during his tenure.  The way some people criticize Bradley, you would think the USMNT was a top five side that failed to win the World Cup.  The reality is, he had an average team and he got above average results.  Most importantly, perhaps, Bradley brought in a ton of new players and left a solid base upon which we all hope Klinsmann can continue to build.  You may not believe that Bradley was the guy to take the USMNT to the next level – an opinion I happen to share – but, you have to concede he did some good while he was here.

Fourth, if Bob Bradley is successful as coach of Egypt, it will benefit U.S. soccer.  If Bradley can get the Pharaohs back to their former glory, some of the limelight shining on him will reflect onto U.S. soccer.  More importantly, it could pave the way for other American coaches to move abroad.  Granted, Egypt is not a world power, but Bradley’s move is big.  I previously wrote an article which contained a brief synopsis of how rare it is for an American to coach on foreign soil, so I won’t go into the details again here.   Here’s the link if you want a little history.  (http://watchsocceronline.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-dads-smartphone-and-next-frontier.html ).  Suffice it to say that Ian Mork, who led Belize’s national team for two months, makes the list of “Top Ten Greatest American Coaches of Foreign Teams of All Time.”  Never heard of Ian Mork or knew Belize had a national team?  You are not alone, and that illustrates the significance of Bradley’s hire by Egypt, a team that has won the African Cup of Nations multiple times and is currently ranked #36 in the world by FIFA.  I continue to assert that the U.S. needs more American coaches to go abroad if U.S. soccer is going to keep improving and I applaud Bradley for having the stones to go for it.  Don’t forget, managing Egypt is not going to be a cake walk.  There is work to do as Egypt has not been to the World Cup Finals since 1992 and recently missed out on the African Cup of Nations for the first time in nearly thirty years.  Plus, road trips to places like Libya and Sudan can’t be too awesome.  Remember the attack on Togo’s national team in Angola that left three dead last year?  It would have been far easier for Bradley to have stayed in America and coached an MLS team, but he didn’t.  I hope other American coaches follow his lead and seek jobs s abroad.  If they do, I think some day in the future, we may be pointing back to this time as one of the key moments in U.S. soccer’s development.

Unfortunately, all of this is likely to be unpersuasive to those who still wish to attack Bradley.  I think these people are in the group of fans out there for whom it is more important that they be “right” about something than it is for American soccer to be successful.  To put it another way, they’d rather Bob Bradley fail in Egypt than be wrong about him.  To those people, I would ask this question:   If Bob Bradley fails in Egypt, what is the upside for U.S. Soccer?  I’ll answer that -- there is none.  In fact, it will be detrimental to U.S. soccer if he fails.  However, this is how some fans would have it end up for Bradley, just so they can say, “I told you so.”  This, my friends, is idiocy.  It is the same mentality that has had some fans ridiculing Freddy Adu, excoriating Bornstein and lambasting Ricardo Clark.  I agree that criticism is part of the job description for a national team player.  If a player is not doing what he is capable of, then that is fair game to me.  On the other hand, there is no sin in a player just not being good enough for the USMNT and I don’t think a fan should personally attack a player for that.  Some people seem to take joy in the failure of American players, which makes no sense.  Again, how does it help if an American player is not successful?  The fact is that if the U.S. is ever going to win a World Cup, it is going to need every player’s help.  Even players who never get to the USMNT can advance the cause.  Every player abroad has the chance to make a good impression on someone which may create an opportunity for another American at another time.  Howard and Dempsey weren’t the first Americans in England.  Bocanegra and Edu were not the first Americans in Scotland.  Someone laid the groundwork before them.  Bornstein might open a door for someone else in Mexico.  Michael Bradley may create a chance for someone in Italy.  Maybe an American’s performance abroad will cause a foreign player or coach to come to MLS.  You never know.  As a result, U.S. fans ought to be rooting for any American who laces them up and gives it his all.  In the same way, all U.S. soccer fans ought to be rooting for Bob Bradley now.

So, there it is.  That’s my case.  I hope you can see that it’s time to bury the hatchet with Bob Bradley.  If it makes you feel any better, you can say you are not surrendering, you are just ending hostilities.  Does that work for you?  Good.  Now let the healing begin!

Yanks Abroad: Transfer Winners and Losers.

By:  Matt Carlson

So, another transfer deadline day has come and gone and I am taking a look back on some of the American players abroad that won and lost during this transfer period.  One caveat is that there are always deals that are reported after the deadline, so my thoughts may change, but as of right now, here they are:

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Jozy Altidore:  Winner.  This is a bit old, I know, but his move to AZ Alkmaar in Holland appears to be a big fat winner, so far.  He is getting some playing time and he is scoring goals.  Not much more needs to be said, really.  Here's hoping he keeps it up.

Daniel Williams:  Winner.  Daniel Williams moved from Freiburg to Hoffenheim.  Williams has played defensive midfield, as well as left back and right back.  Williams did not play very much for Freiburg's first team over the last two seasons, but, hopefully, that will change now.  Hoffenheim wanted him enough to give him a three year deal, so one would think that should result in Williams getting a chance for more playing time than he was getting at Freiburg.  Anyone who can even spell “left back” has a good chance of being brought in by Klinnsman over the next two years and that means Williams is a winner on this transfer day.

Clint Dempsey:  Winner.  Yes, winner.  The rumors were flying fast and furious about Dempsey this off-season.  Sevilla, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Fiorentina, Napoli, Roma, and Paris St. Germain, to name just a few.  All of these rumors were fun to consider, but I think Fulham is the best situation right now.  Many USMNT fans were pushing for a switch to Arsenal, but I don’t think Arsenal is a good fit for Dempsey currently.  First, Dempsey is not just going to walk into a starting spot in that midfield.  Second, while I think Dempsey has the stones to fight for a spot at a “Big Club”, I think Arsenal’s problem is that they need players who can shore up the midfield defense.  Dempsey does not solve that problem.  On the other hand, with Fulham, Clint is a regular starter for a mid-level team in one of the best leagues in the world and he is playing in the Europa League for the second time.  Additionally, with Costa Rican International Bryan Ruiz being added, Fulham’s attack has a chance to become more potent.  It also cannot be ignored that Dempsey has a chance to become a Fulham legend if he stays with the club long term.  All this together, makes Dempsey a transfer winner.

Michael Bradley:  Winner.  Bradley has moved from Monchengladbach to Italian Serie A club Chievo.  Some USMNT fans were hoping for a bigger move than to a mid-table club like Chievo, but that was unrealistic.  Face it, Mochengladbach did not want Bradley and loaned him out to Aston Villa for the second half of last season, where he did not get any playing time, meaning Bradley has not played first team football since January.  Plus, Monchengladbach made it clear that Bradley was not in the team's plans for this season even though he had a year left on his contract.  Given the real prospect of more sitting around, Bradley could have done a lot worse than moving to a mid-level team in one of the best leagues in the world.  I do not expect Bradley to be handed a starting spot, but he certainly has a chance to earn playing time with Chievo.  I never thought Bradley played for the USMNT because his dad was the coach.  I think Bradley is a solid player and he can make it work at Chievo.  Now, we'll just have to wait to see if Bradley drops that crazy English/Dutch/German accent and picks up an Italian one.

Jermaine Jones:  Loser.  Jones is under contract with Schalke until 2014, but Schalke wanted him out and loaned him to Blackburn for the second half of last season.  Blackburn wanted to sign Jones permanently, but did not want to pay Schalke’s asking price, reported to be $12 million.  Undeterred, Schalke has been trying to get rid of Jones all summer and it has not worked out.  Despite all of this, Jermaine has gotten some playing time with Schalke to start this season.  Whether this was to put Jones in the shop window or whether Jones has earned his way back into Schalke’s plans, it remains to be seen.  I do not think he is at Schalke long term, so another loan may be on the horizon.  Because I think his best case scenario was to get a permanent deal with a team that wanted him, it puts him in the loser category.

Maurice Edu:  Loser.  Edu was reportedly being pursued by A.J. Auxerre, Bursaspor, and Queens Park Rangers, but nothing materialized.  Truth be told, Edu’s play for Rangers has been inconsistent and there is a growing group of Rangers fans that think Edu is not good enough.  Once that happens, it is hard to turn the crowd back to your side.  As a result, I think a change of scenery would have been best for him and any of the three rumored clubs would have fit the bill:  Auxerre is a top ten team in Ligue 1 and was in the Champions League last year.  Bursaspor won the Turkish Super Lig in 2010 and got into the Champions League, too.  QPR is newly promoted and would have given Edu a chance to play in the Premier League.

George John:   Winner.  I know the deal with Blackburn fell through at the last minute, but I'm still going with winner.  While John has been good this season, I am not sure he is ready for the Premier League.  He is only in his third season of professional soccer.  It is highly likely that John would need some time to get acclimated to the Premier League and so he could easily find himself sitting on the bench at Blackburn.  I would hate for John to turn into another young American who was lured to the big time too soon only to find out he was not ready.  By staying in MLS, John gets to continue to develop his skills by playing ninety minutes in meaningful matches for FC Dallas as they look to make a run at the MLS Cup and in the CONCACAF Champions League.  Further, if reports are to be believed, there is still a chance he could end up at Blackburn -- or somewhere else -- in January.  I think staying put is not a bad thing for John right now.

Brad Guzan:  Loser.  Guzan has only made one appearance in the Premier League for Aston Villa since his arrival in 2008 and that seems unlikely to change this season.  When Brad Friedel left for Spurs, there was some hope that Guzan could challenge for the starting spot, but the arrival of Shay Given ended that.  Andy Marshall is still with Villa and he was the #2 last season while Guzan was out on loan, so it looks like Guzan will be #3 again.  Guzan needs consistent first team football in order to be the best he can be and become a factor for the USMNT.  Well, that and not blowing off a USMNT Gold Cup call up for your wedding.  There were reports in the summer that Guzan was offered to Birmingham and there was a recent report that Queens Park Rangers were interested.  Still, with no deal done as of right now, it looks like the only way he’ll get any first team action this season is on another loan most likely to a Championship club.

Alejandro Bedoya:  Winner.  Rangers is a step up for Bedoya, but it is not overreaching.  I think he has a legitimate shot at playing time shortly after he gets there. Rangers expect domestic silverware each year and they expect to play in the Champions League every year.   Bedoya will go from playing in a 14,000 seat stadium to playing in a 50,000 seat stadium.  Playing in a high pressure environment like Rangers should be good for developing mental toughness, a key attribute in any top level player.  If Bedoya can avoid being seriously injured -- and that is a big “if” -- I think this move is a winner.   (On another issue, I could have done an entry on Bocanegra to Rangers, but I kind of see that move as a draw and figured I’d just throw it in here.)

Gale Agbossoumonde:  Winner.  According to Greg Seltzer at No Short Corners, the 19-year-old American defender was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt II which plays in Germany’s fourth division (Regionalliga Sud).  While it is the fourth division, I still think this is an upgrade because, frankly, I am not sold on Boss’ ability yet.  He has been touted for some time now, but he has never shown it on the field that I have seen.  His stint with his most recent club, Djurgardens IF in Sweden's top flight, ended with him on the reserve team.  You can look up his highlights on this site and see some pretty poor efforts.  Regardless of whether you blame Gale or Traffic or both, the bottom line is that Gale needs playing time in order to hit the re-set button on his career.  Fourth division is about where he should be right now.  He’s got a chance in a low pressure environment to put his head down, work hard and develop as he climbs back up the ladder.  A similar strategy looks to be working for Freddy Adu.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?

To Tell The Truth.

By Matt Carlson

One of the longest running game shows in American history is To Tell The Truth.  I suppose it is not on anymore, but it ran for 25 years.  The premise of the game was that three people would each claim to be a particular person with some notable quality or interesting background.  For example, all three people would claim to be Junko Tabei, the first woman to have climbed Mount Everest.  A panel of celebrities would then ask questions of the three persons and attempt to guess which of the three was actually Junko Tabei and which two were the imposters.  After the celebrities made their guesses, the real person would be revealed when the host would ask the question, “Will the real Junko Tabei please stand up?”  As a USMNT fan, I am feeling a bit like one of the celebrity panelists when it comes to Jermaine Jones.  I am still trying to figure out who the real Jermaine Jones is.   
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I am not going to lie to you and tell you I have known about Jermaine Jones for years.  Yes, I write about soccer, but there is only so much time in a day.  I was not an Eintracht Frankfurt or Schalke supporter and had no reason to follow Jones’ career prior to his involvement with the USMNT.  I am assuming that I am like most USMNT fans in this regard.  However, I did do some research on Jones when he came onto the USMNT radar.  By all accounts, Jermaine Jones was a tough guy.  Anything I have read or heard about Jones’ time in Germany mentions his toughness.  Even the Eintracht Frankfurt fans who absolutely hate him for the way in which he left their team concede he was tough.  His name was synonymous with aggression.  He was very physical.  He was a hot head who would pick up red cards.  He was a ball winner.  In 2010, Jones was described in a German press report as “a man for football war, for destroying the pitch and the opponent."   While he was tough, he was not the equivalent of a hockey goon.   He captained Eintracht Frankfurt and, in the 2008-2009 season, respected German soccer magazine, Kicker, named him the best defensive midfielder in the Bundesliga.  With this resume, I was thinking Jones would be a more talented and savvy version of Pablo Maestroeni.


With the USMNT, however, I have seen a markedly different player than I expected.  Jones has not shown a consistent aggression in winning balls, he is not flying all over the field, he has not unleashed the hard tackles to let the other side know he was there, and, most importantly, he has not made the U.S. midfield a difficult place for other teams to work.  The one thing I have seen Jones do with the USMNT that matches what I expected of him is his superb touch and vision on long passes, but even that has only been seen in small doses for the U.S.  Jones has not stepped up as an enforcer in any USMNT game yet and I think the U.S. desperately needs that element.  I thought we would finally see the aggression I’d heard so much about in the Mexico game, but, except for a little push and shove with Chicharito late in the game, there was nothing in his performance to suggest he was “a man for football war, for destroying the pitch and the opponent.”  I am not advocating tackling with an intent to injure or the Rafa Marquez flying karate kick special, but our defensive midfielder cannot go through a game with Mexico and not have three or four crunching tackles.  Not only did Jones not have any “welcome to the game” type tackles, he had a chance to challenge the ball in the sequence leading to the Dos Santos goal, but he did not take it.  That does not seem like the guy I heard about.  I like Jermaine Jones.  I think he has done some good things for the USMNT, but, frankly, at age 30, if Jones is not going to bring his destroyer mentality to the USMNT, then the U.S. should spend its time developing someone else.

Why is Jermaine so much different than I expected?  While it could be that I was misinformed about what Jones would bring to the USMNT, I tend to doubt that because all of the descriptions of Jones’ time in Germany that I saw describe him the same way.  It could be that Bob Bradley’s formation and system is not conducive to Jones’ skill set.  Jones is on record as saying he does not like playing with two defensive midfielders and Bradley has played him in that formation a few times.  Further, Michael Bradley is not a true #10, so when he is paired with Jones, it is a lot like having two defensive midfielders in the game even if Bradley is given a more offensive role.  It could be that Jermaine is suffering from a lack of playing time these past two years.  Jones suffered a shin injury which caused him to miss most of the 2009–2010 season, as well as, the World Cup.  Last season, Jones had a falling out with Schalke manager, Felix Magath, and was demoted to the reserves.  All this adds up to very little first team action for Jermaine in the past two years.  With a lack of playing time could come a lack of confidence and a loss of the feeling that he owns the midfield.  It could be that Jones has lost his motivation.  Magath did say that Jones was demoted to the reserves because of his failure “to run and fight” in matches.  This one also seems unsupported by the evidence because Magath appeared to be looking for a scapegoat to explain the poor Bundesliga record of Schalke last season.  Also, Schalke has reportedly placed a price tag of $10-12 million on Jones causing Blackburn to stop trying to sign him to a permanent deal, so Schalke must think Jones has something to offer.

So, who is the real Jermaine Jones?  Is he the aggressive, ball winning hothead we’ve heard about in the Bundesliga or is he the defensive midfielder who shows flashes of tough guy potential, but has yet to make a consistent impact for the USMNT?   Perhaps, the answer will be seen when Jones returns to Schalke this season.  While Magath is gone, there are reports that the new manager, Ralf Ragnick, doesn’t want Jones.  Will Jones get back to playing regular first team soccer this season?  If he does, will he return to his old form?  Will he become more confident of his role with the USMNT?  Will he become the physical force that the US needs in midfield?  I think there are a lot of questions still to be asked about Jermaine Jones when it comes to his role on the USMNT.  However, the question that I most want answered is, “Will the real Jermaine Jones, please stand up?”

USA v. Panama Player Ratings

By:  Jared Launius and Matt Carlson

Ugh.  As I am sure you know by now, the USMNT had never lost a game in Gold Cup group play.  I guess there is a first time for everything.  Cue the Bob Bradley haters.  The officiating was not the best, but the USMNT lost for other reasons.  Inexplicably, the USMNT didn't appear to start playing with any urgency until the last 20 minutes.  They really needed one of their stars to step up and take over the game, but that did not happen.  When the USMNT loses at home to a team that is ranked 67th in the world, there is a strong desire to start handing out the "1" ratings.  However, our professionalism requires us to objectively evaluate the game and prevents us from being so reactionary.  (Well, that, and the fact that the Sky Sports ratings scale we are using does not go down to 1.)  If you want to play along, the ratings scale can be found here:  http://www.skysports.com/football/whatisthis/0,20945,,00.html?width=600px&height=450px .  Do you agree or disagree with our ratings? 

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HOWARD

5:  You can't fault Timmy for either goal, and there weren't many chances otherwise to distinguish himself; Panama scored the only two real chances they had.  (Jared)

6:  Had little to do tonight and the goals were not his fault.  (mwc)

BOCANEGRA

5:  Solid in defense, Bocanegra still offered little to the attack beside providing a little menace on set pieces. (Jared)

5:  He got forward, but he did not do anything useful once he was there.  (mwc)

CHERUNDOLO

5.5 - Cherundolo's service wasn't at the level we've come to expect, but his work on the right flank was solid, per usual. (Jared)

5:  Won most of the balls that came his way, but his offensive contributions were not good enough especially when he was being counted on (with Bocanegra) to provide the width.  (mwc)

GOODSON (subbed off in 78th)

6:  His diving header off Bradley's flick-on gave the U.S. hope, and his defense/distribution was fairly solid throughout.  (Jared)

6:  Scored a goal and won many balls, but I think he bears a lot of blame for the first goal because he kept the attacker onside.  (mwc)

REAM

4.5:  His reckless challenge in the box gave the penalty that led to the eventual match-winner, and he never made up for it.  (Jared)

5:  We're going to have to put up with things like this as he goes through the development process. (mwc)

BRADLEY

5:  Didn't dictate the midfield the way you'd expect, and wasn't as sharp with his touch as he has been - particularly on that late chance.  (Jared)

6:  He was solid and he fought to get the flick-on which set up the goal, but like many on the USMNT, he needed to do more than he did.  (mwc)

JONES (subbed off 59th)

4:  Jones failed to string consecutive solid performances together, playing wreckless defensively and failing to link consistently. (Jared)

5:  Got a phantom yellow.  He won his share of balls, but I wanted to see him make some of those trademark long passes to help breakdown Panama's defensive shell.  (mwc)

DONOVAN

4.5 - The so-called "best field player" for the US needs to have an impact on each American proceeding, and he didn't. He never really got into the run of play and his set-piece service left much to be desired.  (Jared)

5:  His set piece delivery was often dangerous, but he was largely anonymous until the last 15 minutes, and even then, he snatched at a good look on goal, sending it wide to the near side.  He has to be better. (mwc)

DEMPSEY

6:  Was caught in possession a few times too many, but worked the hardest and created the most dangerous opportunities of any Yank attacking player.  (Jared)

5:  A couple of good shot attempts, but he often held the ball too long and did not do enough with it when he had time.  (mwc)

AGUDELO (subbed off 59th)

4.5:  Was solid in checking back into midfield, but Agudelo's work on the ball offered little.  (Jared)

5:  He worked hard again, but without any result.  (mwc)

ALTIDORE

5:  Regressed from the shift he put in against Canada - but the work rate was still much better than what we've seen.  (Jared)

6:  If Wondolowski scores, everyone is talking about a couple of Jozy's good moves with the ball and the nice energy he showed again.  His first touch when receiving the ball was poor tonight.  (mwc)

KLEJSTAN (sub in 59th)

6 - Was composed on the ball when he came in and linked the midfield to the forwards effectively.  (Jared)

5:  I didn't see him brighten up the game like others did.  Maybe they are just giddy over him shaving off that mustache.  (mwc)

BEDOYA (sub in 59th)

5.5:  Earned legitimate - from my point-of-view - penalty shout and moved well on the wing.  (Jared)

5:  Nothing special.  I thought it was a dive. (mwc)

WONDOLOWSKI (sub in 78th)

4:  The bottom line is, he was brought in to score - and he bricked a golden chance.  (Jared)

4:  He missed a sitter to tie the game.  Are you sure this rating scale doesn't have a 1?  (mwc)

PIXY STIX AND WATER.

BY: MATT CARLSON

Do you remember Pixy Stix?  I don’t even know if they sell them anymore, but when I was a kid it was like crack to us.  I used to get a little tremor just hearing the Good Humor man’s bells jingling on a summer day.  If you don’t know, Pixy Stix were thin paper tubes filled with a powder of sugar and artificial fruit flavor.  Their only real failing was that the tube would clog when it got wet, an indictment of the engineering department at Pixy Stix, Inc., who somehow forgot that the whole idea of Pixy Stix was for kids to put the tubes in their mouths.  Anyway, every kid who ever ate Pixy Stix, at some point got a hankering for Kool-Aid when there wasn’t any around.  Faced with this dilemma, every kid gets the idea to pour Pixy Stix into a cup of water to make homemade Kool-Aid.  Recently, I think Bob Bradley has been trying to make Kool-Aid out of Pixy Stix and water.

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On paper, Pixy Stix and water ought to work.  It’s sugar, artificial flavor and water.  I’m no chemist, but isn’t that Kool-Aid?  Sadly, Pixy Stix and water did not taste like Kool-Aid.  If you fiddled with the ratios enough, it wasn’t too bad, but it still wasn’t as good as Kool-Aid.  If it never occurred to you to try this when you were a kid, you just weren’t using your brain.  In the same way, with the talent the USMNT has at midfield, Bob Bradley would not be doing his job if he did not try to find out if a formation with five midfielders could work.  In most of the Friendlies since the start of the World Cup cycle, Bradley has tried to get five midfielders onto the field at the same time (Argentina: 4-5-1; Chile: 4-2-3-1; Poland: 4-5-1/4-4-1-1; Colombia:  4-3-3/4-5-1).  Despite looking good on paper, the formations have been largely unsuccessful.

I have written before that I don’t think a five man midfield works for the current USMNT, so I won’t go into great detail here.  However, I did want to briefly address one thing I have heard a lot after these Friendlies.  The ineffectiveness of the five midfielder formations, is not, I repeat, not just because of one player.  This is a team issue.  To run any kind of formation with five midfielders in it, I think you need a legitimate target man, two fast and skilled wingers, a central midfield playmaker, defenders who can play possession and attack down the wings, players with good one-touch passing skills, and the discipline to stay in the formation.   The current USMNT does not have all of these elements.  This is not a slight on the USMNT players.  In fact, I think this is the most talented USMNT in my lifetime.  However, the five man midfield formations are not suited to the current USMNT’s strengths.  On the other hand, the 4-4-2 puts the current USMNT players in a better position to be successful given their skill set.  The improved play shown by the team after the change to the 4-4-2 formation in the second half of these Friendlies is evidence of that.

Still, even when the USMNT plays the 4-4-2, all is not perfect.  As seen in the Paraguay match last night, the USMNT will often dominate possession, but have difficulty unlocking the defense in the final third of the field to get that goal.  I believe this is because the USMNT does not have a creative playmaker in the central midfield -- someone who can complete passes, split the defense, who has vision, who has control, who can maintain possession, who is calm with the ball, and who can create chances for his teammates.  We haven't had one since Claudio Reyna.  So, the big question for me is why isn’t the USMNT actively trying to identify its #10 as it starts this new World Cup cycle?

While I applaud Bradley for trying new formations, I was hoping to see him hold open auditions for the #10 spot during these Friendlies.  I know Benny Feilhaber was injured for the Argentina and Paraguay Friendlies, but I wanted to see him, JoseTorres, and yes, I’m going to say it, Jonathan Spector, given a look in the #10 role during these past six games.  I know you can easily make a case against all of these guys.  Feilhaber’s play has been up and down and he has not continued on the upward trajectory I thought he was on after the 2007 Gold Cup.  Torres’ play for the USMNT and Pachuca in the past is also open to valid criticism.  Spector?  He’s in here because there are so few candidates and no stone should go unturned in the search.  (Also, Spector apparently can play every position, we just didn’t know it.  I heard he is now playing keeper for West Ham’s reserve team.)  I know that Feilhaber, Torres and Spector aren't world class #10’s.  I also understand that Edu/Jones/Bradley/Holden may be head-to-head better players than these three.  However, to be a good team, you do not need to get the eleven best players together, you need to get the eleven players who play the best together.  I believe that having an average #10 on the field would be better for this USMNT than having another good defensive midfielder out there.

Now, as part of the open auditions, I would want the #10 candidates to be given lots of rope.  While Feilhaber and Torres have had some chances in the past, I think Bradley gave them the hook too quickly and it affected their play.  In my opinion, you are not going to get a player's best if he thinks he's going to get yanked every time he makes a mistake.  That makes them play tentatively instead of with confidence, and you need loads of confidence to be an effective #10.  In future Friendlies, I would like Bradley just to hand any #10 candidates the keys to the car and tells them, "Go do your thing, I'm not taking you out for anything.  Complete 5% of your passes?  No problem!  Get repeatedly caught in possession in our end?  No sweat!  Make a no-look, backheel pass that nutmegs Tim Howard for an own goal?  Great!  The only way you’re coming out is for an injury or a red card.”  I would start with Benny “No Air” Feilhaber and go on down the list until someone shows they can handle the job better than anyone else.

What the USMNT has accomplished is fairly remarkable, in my opinion.  Without a #10, the USMNT has become a team that dominates in CONCACAF, is an automatic qualifier for the World Cup, and can even hang in matches against elite national teams from time to time.  The USMNT has now progressed to a point where the next level for it is to become one of the elite itself.  If you look at the elite national teams, they all have a #10 and I believe now is the time for the USMNT to go about finding its #10.  Until a legitimate #10 comes along, though, expect Bob Bradley to keep working hard to mix the Pixy Stix and water the best that he can.

A STROKE OF GENIUS

BY:  MATT CARLSON

I spent a lot of time working on an article about how to handle the USMNT midfield for the upcoming Friendlies and the Gold Cup, but circumstances forced me to change my plans.  Thank you, Jonny Evans.  I did not let this get me down, though, because I know the story of chemist, and fellow genius, William Perkin.

CONTINUE READING AFTER THE JUMP.

In 1856, William Perkin was working on a cure for malaria, but his experiments were unsuccessful.  However, as Perkin examined the glob of goo he created, he saw the color mauve.  Yes, mauve.  Long story short, Perkin had accidentally created the first synthetic dye.  Such was the importance of this discovery, that Perkin continued to work on his synthetic dyes and even developed one of the first perfumes.  Sure, people still died from malaria, but their clothes looked more vibrant and they smelled much nicer while they suffered.  What does his story teach us?  Well, aside from the fact that Perkin choose to make money over helping humanity, it teaches us that it takes a true genius to see the potential in a failure.

Just like Perkin, I found myself staring at the glob of nonsense that my article had become and I saw my mauve.  I was so excited that I ran down the street naked yelling, “Eureka!”  Unfortunately, the local authorities hadn’t heard of Archimedes.  Undeterred, I set to writing this article immediately after my release from custody.  Since the start of the new World Cup cycle, many USMNT fans have been spending a lot of energy trying to come up with a way to squeeze five midfielders into the starting eleven.  Others have been trying to figure out the left back situation.  Still, others have been banging away on what formation to play.  While we’ve been focusing on these issues, we may have missed the answer to all of our questions.  What’s the answer?  Forget five midfielders -- let’s go with five forwards!  Think I am nuts?  Well, don’t look now, but there are five forwards in the USMNT pool building a case for a starting spot on the USMNT.

First, let’s look at the veterans.  I recently wrote that Clint Dempsey should play one of the forward spots (http://watchsocceronline.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-could-be-part-time-model.html), so I won’t go into it again.  As for Jozy Altidore, everyone has been saying for over two years now that all Jozy needs is playing time.  Well, he is getting it now in Turkey and is doing well by all accounts.  Edson Buddle had seventeen goals in twenty five games last year, and frankly, I wanted to see more of him in South Africa.  I think he produced in the limited minutes he had with the USMNT in 2010.  Remember that rocket against Australia? 

As for the new guys, did you see Juan Agudelo last weekend?  His composure, his passing, his speed, his ability and desire to take on defenders, and his strength on the ball continue to impress me.  I don’t want to overhype him.  I want to be rational.  I want to be careful to keep things in perspective, but I must say Agudelo’s production rate is amazing.  In his fifty eight minutes with the USMNT, Agudelo has scored and drawn a penalty.  He is also on pace to score 30 goals this year, which would break the MLS single season scoring record!  While Agudelo’s production is certainly amazing, Charlie Davies is making Agudelo’s numbers look pedestrian.  Did you see Davies’ debut for DC United?  I know Davies was not called up for this weekend’s Friendlies, but he should have been.  Again, I am not prone to hyperbole, but if Davies continues at his current rate of scoring one goal every nineteen minutes, he will score an astounding one hundred forty two goals in MLS this season!  The all-time MLS scoring leader Jaime Moreno only scored 132 in his entire career!  In my opinion, you just cannot leave that kind of production off the roster.

So, with all of this talent what do you do?  You could just run a 4-4-2 and make the five of them compete and earn their place in the team, but don’t you want to play attacking soccer?  I say we need to find a way to get all five forwards on the field, and that is going to take some outside the box thinking.  Fortunately, I have already done all of this thinking for you.  I say the USMNT should implement a 3-3-5 formation.  This formation is so outside the box that I cannot think of a single professional club or national team that runs it.  The beauty of going with a 3-3-5 for the USMNT is that it will simultaneously and completely end the “who should start in the midfield debate” and the equally maddening “who should start at left back debate.”  How will it do that?  Well, Holden is out, Dempsey moves to a forward spot, and running a 1-5-5 would be ridiculous.

The critics will say, “We’ll concede too many goals with this formation.”  My retort is, “Who cares?”  The average goals per game in the 2010 World Cup was a measly 2.27.  With these five guys in the attack, I figure we're going to score around seven a game.  We’ll be the soccer version of the Loyola Marymount basketball teams under Paul Westhead.  Also, I can tell you from personal experience that the 3-3-5 can work defensively if done properly.  I played center back in this system on my U-12 team.  Now, in my estimation Oguchi Onyewu is conservatively around one hundred eighty six times better at soccer than I was at age eleven.  The same goes for everyone else that plays fullback for the USMNT.  As a result, playing a three man backline should be no problem for the USMNT defenders.  The biggest obstacle to running the 3-3-5 is Bob Bradley.  Bradley is so stuck in his ways that he would never do it.  Klinsmann would do it, though.  He would definitely do it.  If Sunil Gulati hadn’t totally messed up the hiring of Klinsmann, we would be running the 3-3-5 right now.  How long are we going to have to pay for that mistake?!

I know some of you may laugh at what I suggest.  Laugh if you will, but remember the words of the great Austin Millbarge who once said, “We mock what we do not understand.”  Think about that.  While you’re thinking about that, I will be thinking of ways to get six forwards onto the field.  Why?  Well, we’re going to have to do something once Teal (I like that) Bunbury comes back, aren’t we?  Now, that is going to take some real genius.