The Copa Catastrophy

Bob gets his one (earned) pass on this one. It has been nothing short of embarassing. He, or Sunil, pull this crap again, that will be enough for me and I imagine many others to be fed up.

On the up side, U-21 Wolrd Cup, USA 6 - 1 Poland makes me happy (sorry, Tom).

(Yep, I am too computer dependent. My computer won't boot up, and now I am completely out of the loop. Damn technology!!!)

 

Not much room for disappointments or error in your book FFCinPCB. I honestly didn't expect the US to make it out of the group, but I also didn't expect a whooping from Paraguay either.

If the US accumulates 0 points in the group stage then I will be shocked. The MLS guys have been weighed, they have been measured and they have been found wanting.

 

To me, some things just seem obvious and I wonder what makes it so hard to figure out.

I don't necessarily believe we should have had all starters present for Copa, but when you get invited to this very important and educational event, you DO NOT just send out the third string. Shows a lack of consideration all around.

 

Hardly unexpected

Although perhaps it's debatable about whether this is a good attitude. Also, my criteria for judging Bradley based on this Copa is: does he learn from his mistakes?

There was improvement between Argentina and Paraguay, although Paraguay tends to play the cede possession and counter-attack style. In fact, I'd say the only possible coaching-related problem that continues to rear its ugly head is defensive miscues and poor finishing. Maybe it's time to get some new skills coaches?

The reason I still have faith in Bradley is that he seems like a problem solver. He's made 1 tactical error that really stands out to me, the Gaven sub. BUT, he's steadily improved the squad from the first game to the next, and usually his subs are really good ideas. I think he just had some jitters against Argentina. Maybe that was a valuable experience for HIM!

 

I look at it as a positive that younger players got a chance to play in a big tournament. Also EJ, Feilhaber and Clark will probably get european offers.

 

I think BOBBY got what he wanted from the summer!! Won the more important tournament and played some youngsters against some of the best in the world.

I'm am very happy with BoB's accomplishments thus far. I think he knows his players better than any other past USMNT coach!! Some of his substitutions have been genius!! He notices when something isn't working and has the mind set to get things changed during play!!

I WAS a big supporter of bringing in "the German" to coach the US to greatness!! However I believe we tripped on to the right solution!! For me Bradley has to screw up pretty bad to get fired!! I like the direction the USMNT is headed!!! Copa just happened to occur at a bad time to take a full strength national team!

...thats my two cents!

 

We should have sent a better team to the Copa America. However, if the Copa helps solidify our lineup and we qualify for the World Cup and, more importantly, we do well in the World Cup, none of the US fans will care that we sent our third string team.

I didn't get to see the Paraguay match except for the goals but I did see the Argentina match and our third string did hang with them for 60 minutes. That's not bad all things considered. And with the under 21 team doing well, I think US soccer's future is pretty bright.

 

This tournament has been a disapointing disaster. sigh

 

I could be lumped into the bolded comment above. Bradley seems to working out quite well. The Gold Cup, while not a prestigous tournament, has brought the US exactly what they wanted this summer...a spot in the Confederations Cup.

He has given a ton of the younger players experience in the men's side and that will pay dividends down the road. Well done so far Bobby just try and save face with a victory over Columbia.

 

They should just combine the two tournaments. 10 CONMEBAL teams and the top 14 CONCACAF teams in the "Pan American Cup."

It could have run from 6/6 to 7/1 and still given the Euro players time to rest before the season. Confederation Cup spots could go to either the top two teams or the top team from each Conference, depending upon how nice you want to be to CONCACAF.

The Pan American Cup rival the Euro Cup for quality and prestige.

 

I doubt the "Pan American Cup" would rival the Euro Cup. There is still that elitest attitude in the world that everything European is better...especially football. While it would fantastic to have such a tournament I doubt it would ever happen. Plus, why would the USSF really want to eliminate the Gold Cup and ultimately make it that much more difficult to win a spot in the Confederations Cup?

 

has this copa america been disappointing? yes.

has it been a complete disaster? no.

other than simply proving that alexi lalas is a COMPLETE idiot for suggesting that mls (and its players) is/are not a mickey mouse league and it/they could compete in the world, it let BoB get a good handle on his fringe players.

we all know this tourny allows secondary players to prove themselves fit to vie for first team placing. some (like bornstein, demerit, and clarke) have their tickets punched. others (ej and twellman) better get to europe fast and improve. (just dont go the donovan route).

i gotta say it has been fun watching the tournament. yes its been disappointing. but calling it a disaster is somewhat insulting.

and hey - the usa got to wear those dashing blue shirts with the white pinstripes. i think i may pick one of those up soon.

 

All good points, and remember the talk a couple months ago was that we had to concentrate on one of the two.

I would have liked to see it be Copa, but there's the added aspect of pleasing the players' clubs.

Now considering the later you play the 'A' team, the greater the impact on players, which would you pick?

 

i fully back Bradley with his decisions. if Twellman and EJ could finish, we would have beaten Paraguay

 

If I wasn't computer illiterate I'd put the link from Foxsoccer.com where a high ranking conmebol official is upset we sent this team. The team we put out there had every opportunity to get a result v Paraguay and thusly would have made today's game meaningful.

Is there a worse sporting event then when two teams need a tie to advance or win a group??? A lousy 1-0 win by Mexico would have still given us a chance. Watching the game w/a dozen Mexico fans yesterday was like getting a root canal. Absolutely one of worst games I've seen in awhile, the only positive out of it was a chance for me to talk crap about the Mexican team purposefully freezing us out of the next round.

Some of the best games in tourneys are when both teams have been eliminated, so the Columbia game should be a wide open, entertaining affair. Hopefully we leave w/a silver lining result instead of France 98' type of embarrassment.

 

ToMcB. Brazil and Argentina are still the Gold Standard against which other teams are measured. Yes, Italy, France and Germany rank up there but no one is truly afraid of playing them whereas everyone knows that if either Brazil or Argentina bring their A-game, they'll win the game.

Having the Pan American Cup be bigger would mean that the Kaka's and Ronaldhino's of the world won't skip it, which will raise the prestige even more. People will compare the Final Four from the Euro Cup and the Final Four from the Pan American Cup...and will find the former wanting. Remember, while the Euro Leagues may be the most watched, the better teams have a large percentage of Argentines and Brazilians.

While there may be fear for CONCACAF in this format, with the rise of Canada and the improvements in the Carribbean, I could see 2-4 CONMEBAL teams not getting out of the group stage the first year and the CONCACAF teams will only get better against that competition.

 

Andypalmer well said, i think its a great idea.

The US only got one posative out of Copa, using it as a tryout for the younger kids. Bradley got a good look at what they deliver. That being said nothing else good came out of it. I understand why the Gold Cup was a higher priority then Copa, the need to compete in the Confederations cup. But beside from that I see no reason to even bother with it in 2009. No one from CONCACAF is even in our class but Mexico. The only way the US National team will get better is by playing with better compitition then what CONCACAF has to offer and being challanged. Send our A team in 2009 to Copa and it will only help, that is if we are even invited.

 

I still back Bradley. I like how he's giving lesser known players a chance to show if they have it or not. And I like how he's tapping into MLS. Remember when Arena wouldn't use any MLS players at all? It seemed like with him you were only worth a damn if you played in Europe or your last name rhymed with Plonavan.