Thoughts on the USMNT friendlies against France and Slovenia

Undoubtedly, these were two difficult tests for the US. Both teams are currently ranked ahead of the US in the FIFA world rankings. Despite its relatively small population, Slovenia has been to the last two World Cups, so they're no pushover. And in spite of their well-publicized implosion in South Africa, the French team has brought in a lot of new blood, and managed to qualify directly for the European Championships next summer.

Given the strength of the opposition, it's not surprising that the US only produced one good half of football (the first against Slovenia). They scored three goals - all three of them well deserved - and had it not been for a miss-of-the century candidate from Jozy Altidore, it may well have been four. It's certainly the best the USMNT has played under Jurgen Klinsmann, and it was refreshing for the fans, who were just beginning to get a little nervous about the lack of offense.

But if it shouldn't have been surprising that the US didn't walk all over Slovenia or get a result against France, it was nevertheless shocking just how bad they were against France and in the second half against Slovenia. They managed to create, without any exaggeration, zero quality opportunities against France. Neither Brek Shea nor Danny Williams knows how to keep the ball, and however good Edu is defensively, he doesn't offer much of anything going forward. The three of them were replaced with Edson Buddle, Fabian Johnson, and Michael Bradley, and the result was the best half of football the US has played since the first half of the Confederations' Cup Final against Brazil.

Buddle was solid up front, converting a difficult chance from distance on the volley, and offering a little more pace and energy than Altidore, although Altidore certainly holds up play better. Fabian Johnson was the revelation of the match against Slovenia, looking consistently comfortable on the ball, with good close control and good passing. Michael Bradley was excellent in the first half, but looked gassed in the second, and his inability to find balls out of the midfield was a big part of the reason why the US did virtually nothing in that second half.

As for the defensive side of things in the two games, the game against France wasn't really bad. The goal, which every one of the commentators said was clearly Clarence Goodson's fault seemed much more like Bocanegra's to me. Bocanegra stepped up, but failed to win the ball. A runner came into his space from the outside (maybe Chandler should have gone with the runner), and Goodson couldn't reach him in time to get the challenge in. Interestingly, Slovenia's first goal was almost a carbon copy. Bocanegra came out, failed to get the ball, and a runner ran into the space he vacated in the back line. Goodson came across, but again, wasn't there in time. But Bocanegra being captain seems to mean that no one commentating wants to say anything against him.

The second half against Slovenia was a disaster, and I think the US can feel a bit lucky to have escaped with a win, even given their stellar first half performance. Even in spite of the fact that the defense certainly outperformed the offense over the course of these two games, I'm left with much more confidence in the offense going forward. I lineup that includes Dempsey, Altidore, Donovan, Bradley, Fabian Johnson, Brek Shea, and Edson Buddle is going to get goals. They're not great players, but they're all good players. With Bocanegra and Cherundolo both nearing the end of their international careers, the player I'd most bet on having a starting role in Brazil 2014 is Timothy Chandler. But he's been tested very little so far.

World Cup Qualifying begins soon for the US, and it won't be an easy task. Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Jamaica all have teams capable of beating the US on the right day. The kinks should have been ironed out by now. That they haven't been means the uneasiness will continue until the first really solid full competitive game.

Bob Bradley Fired by USSF

Fans of the US Men's National Team (USMNT) have long been divided over the performance of coach Bob Bradley. Some think he's one of the best coaches the team has ever had, while others think he's not worth the Gatorade the team drinks during one friendly match. His departure offers us the opportunity to take that issue in more depth and to think about what the team needs to move forward and be successful during the next World Cup cycle.

Bob Bradley has presided over a number of thrilling moments for the USMNT over the last five years. Starting with the Gold Cup victory over Mexico in 2007, which qualified the US for the 2009 Confederations' Cup, Bradley produced a series of good results. The Confederations' Cup looked all but lost in the group stage until the US pulled out a miraculous 3-0 victory against Egypt in the last match to proceed on goal difference. Then in the knockout stages, the US upset world number one Spain 2-0 to reach the final against Brazil. In the final, the US took a 2-0 lead in at the break, but a bit of bad luck saw Luis Fabiano equalize less than a minute into the second half and the Americans would eventually capitulate 3-2. It was a wonderful run, and even the group stage game against Italy (which the US lost 3-1) had seen them up for a period of time.

And the USMNT's performance wasn't too shabby at the World Cup this past year either. They did well to squeak out a draw against number one seed England, and then effectively won the game against Slovenia, although the final scoreline read 2-2 courtesy of hallucinating referee Koman Coulibaly. And who could possibly forget the win against Algeria? It must rank among the best ever moments in USMNT history.

But the World Cup was marred by allowing a succession of early goals. Steven Gerrard scored inside 10 minutes for England, the Slovenians scored an early goal, Algeria hit the woodwork early on, and Ghana scored inside ten minutes in both regular time and extra-time. Ricardo Clark never played well (and was the man primarily responsible for the early goals from England and Ghana), yet continued to play throughout the tournament in spite of Maurice Edu's consistently solid play.

Bob Bradley provided similarly perplexing roster selections at this year's Gold Cup, deciding to bring Landon Donovan off the bench for a series of knockout stage games. Jermaine Jones was preferred alongside Michael Bradley in the middle of the park which meant that again, Maurice Edu was left off the pitch. The US promptly blew a two-goal lead in the final against Mexico. When the US went up 2-0, Bradley should have realized that it was a lead that should have been defended. Both US goals went against the run of play, but instead of making defensive substitutions he made attacking ones.

All of this points to a mixed track record for Bradley at the helm of the USMNT. Some players have performed well - Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo, son Michael Bradley, and Carlos Bocanegra have been quite consistent under coach Bob Bradley, but others who promised much have fizzled out. That list includes Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu (due to lack of opportunities), Stuart Holden (due to injuries), Benny Feilhaber, Oguchi Onyewu, and most famously, Freddy Adu.

So what does the USMNT need in a new head coach?

1) Elite level experience. The US hasn't had a coach who has been well-known anywhere but the United States in recent memory and it's time for that to change. Bradley and Bruce Arena, his predecessor, both had long histories in US soccer, but neither had the boatloads of experience abroad required to be highly successful at that level. With a majority of the starting 11 playing overseas and the demands being more than regional success, an international coach is the only option. The third reason is that there isn't a qualified American candidate.

2) A tactician. The USMNT has capable players. Everyone in the soccer media is talking about it as a transition time for the USMNT, but that seems a little bit premature. Clint Dempsey will be 31 at the next World Cup, Donovan 32, and Tim Howard 35. They should still all be excellent players then. The lackluster performances of the last year have not entirely been due to lack of talent; some of the blame must be in the tactics the US has employed. Someone who can bring tactical nous and discipline to a squad of good players, then, is a must.

3) A good judge of talent. So many players have been used by the USMNT during Bob Bradley's tenure as head coach that any new coach will certainly have to be aware of the plethora of options available. Bradley has undoubtedly left out many good players and, as is clearly the case, included some who are not up to par.

I think a more interesting question is how the USSF will go about hiring a new head coach. Their decisions have frequently been more about making money than about the success of the team on the pitch. Scheduling the Gold Cup Final, a game always likely to pit the US against arch-rivals Mexico, in Pasadena, CA, among the regions of the country most highly populated by Mexican-Americans is only the latest in a long line of such financial decisions. Back in 1985, during qualifying for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the US needed only a draw against Costa Rica to progress to the final round of qualifying. Nevertheless the USSF scheduled the game in an area densely populated by Costa Rican-Americans and marketed the game to them. The US lost 1-0 and didn't qualify for the World Cup. That is to say, I have my doubts that the USSF will go out and hire a top tier coach because a top tier coach will coast top tier money, and that's money the USSF has never been ready to part with. We'll know soon enough, I'm sure.

Jamaica 0 - 2 USA

The US dominated a Jamaica side that looked less like the team that dominated its group in the opening round of the Gold Cup than like the side that hasn't beaten the US in their last 26 meetings. It could have been 1-0 Jamaica inside 5 minutes when a mix-up in the US defense saw Michael Bradley keep everyone onside, but Shelton somehow skewed his shot over from 8 yards with only Howard to beat, and Jamaica wouldn't get another chance anywhere near that good for the rest of the match.

The big headline in the buildup to the game was the exclusion of Landon Donovan from the American starting lineup. Evidently both he and Clint Dempsey had attended their sisters' weddings, and the conditions resulted in only the latter getting a start. Dempsey showed no signs of fatigue from the flights and was very active throughout the first half. He did, however, demonstrate that his impotence in front of goal wasn't wearing off. The truth of the matter was that it seemed Dempsey was just as effective taking free kicks from 30 yards as heading from 3 or 4, after he somehow managed to head into Rickets from inside the six.

Dempsey's ineffectiveness in front of goal was characteristic of the team as a whole. In many respects, the first half against Jamaica looked very similar to the second half against Guadeloupe; the US created tons of chances without being able to find the back of the net.

That changed early in second half after a cross from Eric Lichaj was cleared right to the feet of Jermaine Jones who lashed a thunderous drive which Rickets most likely would have saved had it not been for the intervention of Jermaine Taylor, who diverted the ball into the back of his own net. The goal was credited to Jones, but it was the deflection that took it in.

The two Jermaines would meet again twenty minutes later when Jones burst through the Jamaica back line and Taylor slid in from behind. Jones fell and replays called into question whether or not there was contact. It appeared as if the heel of Jones hit the underside Taylor's leg, but the contact was minimal at most. Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez Moreno had no choice once he blew for a foul; Taylor had to go.

But as the game wore on, Jones may have been questioning his own decision to go down. Jamaica were gradually getting back into the game, and one goal would have forced overtime. Had Jones stayed on his feet, the most likely outcome would have been a goal.

Fortunately for the Americans, the two brothers of newlyweds would leave their mark on the game and put all doubts to rest in the 80th minute. Donovan was in the middle of a lovely one-two with Juan Agudelo, who had come on for the injured Jozy Altidore early in the first half. Agudelo then played in a beautiful cross for an unmarked Dempsey, who still had to dance around Rickets before prodding home. Dempsey washed his face in celebration, hoping to indicate that he had cleansed himself of the drought of goals brought about by nothing more than his own apathy in front of goal.

Throughout the match, Bradley and Jones covered an enormous amount of ground in midfield. Alejandro Bedoya was dangerous on the wings before being replaced by Donovan. Sacha Kljestan and Bradley showed excellent vision. And Clarence Goodson was a rock at the back, with a number of good clearances and tackles. Jones probably takes man of the match for his role in two of the three most important moments, but it was an excellent display overall by the Americans.

The US now await the winner of the Panama - El Salvador match later today. Check back in after the semifinal for a recap of that game as well.