Assess the USA soccer situation here

0-2-1, first round elimination.
1 goal scored.
2 shots off the post.

Questions: Now that Italy won, and the USA didn't come through, IS BRUCE ARENA DONE? That opening loss to Czech looks horrible now that the Czechs didn't do shit and are done.

Does the USA need a formation overhaul? 4-5-1 didn't control the ball or produce goals.

Assuming Reyna and McBride are done their careers with the US, where do we go from here?

Are the likes of Dempsey, Convey, and Eddie Johnson enough to get this team to the next level?

Will landon Donovan ever recover from the bashing he's about to take? He did nothing this entire tournament.

And will you watch the remainder of the World Cup?

 

Based on our performance against the Czechs -- then seeing what the Czechs did the other two games -- sums up the U.S.

We had six months to get ready for that game and came out and played like absolute crap. That falls on the coach.

The team rose up and got the draw against Italy, but today again they were flat. Granted, the PK changed the game around, but still, there was no urgency until the 60th minute.

I think it's time for a change. 2002 was an abberation. We looked slow, clueless and uninspired.

And, yes, I'll watch the rest of the Cup.

 

There is no US soccer situation for another four years. It just disappeared.

 

Somebody pointed this out after the Czech game but I think it's funny that USA Soccer's problem is the exact opposite of USA Basketball's problem.

 

The USA was over hyped and expectations were raised too high.  They clearly were over matched today vs Ghana.

I think a lot of this hype comes from over zealous marketers trying to sell the game to the US. Its all about the money and tv ratings.

 

As long as Deutschland and England are alive, I'll watch. I like the way Deutschland is playing. And Rooney is the dog's bollocks.

 

Yeah, but the players have to do something on the field, too. Donovan added next to nothing in all three games, and in general, they didn't make enough plays/convert on scoring chances.

 

I'll just say this....

When is America's soccer salespeople going to just shut up?  As Patton says, America loves a winner and will not tolerate a loser!  What's going to be their next sales pitch: "Come get your asses kicked by Ghana!"  At least the American baseball team in the WBC, a pathetic case in itself with such chokers as A-Rod in tow, lost to KNOWN baseball powers, like Japan.

The U.S. will never be dominant on the world stage in this sport, and they'll never sell it as a major sport in this country.  Not getting their asses beat by third-world countries.

OK would-be soccer moms wearing facial hair and pants: Rip that.

 

Good thing for StairMasters and treadmills and elipticals ...

This is disappointing. Flat out terrible.

Where the hell was Freddy Adu? If he's not yet Americanized, that's one thing, but he if he's a national now he should have been in the starting lineup for all 3 games.

Pathetic.

And yes, Boom, over-fucking-hyped. Put your tails between your legs, boys, and come back to the new country with the same old results.

 

I know next to nothing about the X's and O's of soccer (4-5-1 sounds like an area code to me), but I do know the U.S. attack was pitiful. How many shots on goal did they have in the three games? Two? Why is McBride the only forward? Hell, when I played (in the 80s) we used three forwards. It seems obvious to me: If you want more offense, use more forwards.

I probably will watch Brazil-Ghana and a handful of the remaining games. But I'm pissed that I woke up early this morning to watch this crap.

 

Sucker!

One of the bars around here opened at 8:30 for the game. It'll be interesting to see if there's an article about the response for that.

 

In the WBC, the US lost to Mexico as well.

Again, not at all the case. They were not in any way shape or form "over-matched" by Ghana. The team was not over-hyped.

They didn't show up in the first game against the number 2 ranked team in the world. Then, with their backs to the wall, they pulled out a tied with a man down to Italy.

This game was theirs to take. The Bruce put in an awkward strategy that seemed as though he was playing for a 1-0 win or a 1-1 draw. However, some shit cards in the previous match forced the US to play certain people out of position.

With the next World Cup, you will surely see Convey, Gooch, and Dempsey. There are other players coming up that could also make a difference.