World Cup Rant: USA edition
by Paul O'Donnell
It wasn't so much that it happened, it was the way it happened that really made it tough to swallow. With the Czech's a valid ranking of #2 in the world and perhaps 2nd best to Italy in this group it was always going to be a difficult fight to get to the round of 16 for the USA. Not getting through is one thing but not showing up is another and that is simply not acceptable.
As in their final warmup loss to Morocco the US team created very little in the way of a real quality chance at goal. Recall that with the score 1-0 Claudio Reyna's effort beat Petr Cech but found the post and that my friends was the real end of the match for the U.S. team. Until that point, even though behind since the 5th minute, they actually were playing the game. After that shot found the post their day ended then and there.
Why? After going ahead early by virtue of an error on the left side with both Lewis and Convey getting caught up the Czech's exposed that space and with no pressure on the ball whatever the cross to Koller was spot on, 1-0 Czech Rep. From that point on Lewis was reluctant and Convey never really got over it and got back in the game.
The Czechs played the typical and successful game after taking the lead; get behind the ball in your own half and pressure high and all over the pitch. The USA seemed tentative at that point and the reason was they couldn't figure out how to attack the Czech's with 10 men in their own half which meant they had to play a high back line and commit as many as possible to the attack. Recall this posture is what led to the loss in the final warmup to Morocco. The Czech's were going to play counter for the rest of the match and the USA couldn't deal with it.
The strategy played out perfectly for the Czech's and they made no mistakes on taking those opportunities with the two strikes by Tomas Rosicky, himself a substitute for the injured Milan Baros. Until his first, a thunderous curling strike from distance, the USA was actually playing. Tentative and lacking much creativity but they were still in the game at that point, even if just barely.
With Donovan doing his customary disappearing act in the big matches, Lewis was very reluctant after that early error led to the 1st goal, Convey confused and out of ideas and the overall lack of quality and creativity in the attack the USA was doomed (they have NEVER recovered after being behind in a World Cup match). Until the USA figures out how to play and successfully attack after going behind they'll continue to get run off the pitch and that is what happened in this one.
Make no mistake about it, Bruce Arena is totally responsible for this. He's had the team in Germany for over two weeks and they simply were not prepared for the team they knew they would face since last winter. For that matter, it almost looked as if they hadn't prepared for actually playing from behind and facing a talented team packing it in and a pure counter-attacking game. Almost as if the staff was surprised by the approach.
Yes, it make it look bad, but actually it was more of the same. The very same that we saw in that final warmup loss to Morocco. The difference was, this time the bad guys got three, and they deserved all of them too.
You MUST be pressuring the ball and simply cannot allow a player, any player at this level to run free on the wing (the 1st goal) and your center back must be all over a guy like Koller if that should happen because you certainly know he's the primary target. Your center back cannot clear the ball out of the back right up the middle when the bad guys are on the counter attack (the 2nd goal) and you cannot have Onyewu or Pope trying to catch a guy like Rosicky on a break (the 3rd goal). They were caught in that position because they were forced to play high and still the offense couldn't control play and find a way to create some chances. Four USA players around Pavel Nedved couldn't stop the little ball that put Rosicky off to the races and his 2nd of the game.
The media is tearing the heart out of the USA guys for this loss and it was ugly, but it was not quite what many of them have been saying. Their hollering about being out of position and so on, but frankly, thats because they were forced to play high with the Czech's playing counter after taking the lead and the attackers exposed them by not being able to hold the ball and actually generate some dangerous attacking play of their own. Simple as that.
The USA can't attack and surely can't attack a team playing 10 men in their own half, which is what happened after the first goal. The very same thing, the very same reason they lost that final warmup match too.
Arena is putting a lot of heat on some of his players, but frankly, it was his decision that created the roster of 23. It was his decision to play at least three guys out of position. It was his decision on how to use Donovan which may have helped the Czech's to neutralize him. It was his decision to name the starting 11.
If you're as disappointed as I was, put it on the guy that runs the effort. If his team isn't ready or able to play this style of game after falling behind its on him. Yes, the guys didn't play well. Not even close to their ability. They might well have lost even if they had, but the poor preparation isn't really on their shoulders.
The guy that calls the shots needs to step up and tell it like it is; he screwed up. And not putting it all on his players, which is precisely what he did. He didn't have them ready for the game that all of them have known for months would be the biggest of their careers.
It was Arena that sheltered them from the media and all the hype in the buildup and that now looks like a mistake too. These guys were dazed and almost in shock before it got started. And who was the first to attack them; Bruce Arena.
After Reyna's effort found the post it was game over. And thats not the way its supposed to happen in the World Cup.
Just watch the Australia versus Japan contest for a lesson on how to win when it looks like all is lost. The Aussies were down 1-0 and looked dead as a fish out of water with 10 minutes to play and they ran off three goals to win it going away, 3-1. Something Bruce Arena's USA side have never done in the World Cup; not once. Maybe we need one of those fantastic Dutch coaches to really get our guys playing the game?
Arena has had this team for 129 games now and he's managed to win a match in Europe against a Eurpean side only once and has never won against a European side in an actual World Cup game. Thats not good enough if you ask me.
This team really is better than they showed. And I say thats not all on them. Not by a long shot.
