On this sometimes rambling episode of the Podcast, David Kline joins Owen in the studio. David, a recent Cal Poly graduate, has done some work for that school’s broadcasts online and on ESPN Radio 1280 and has some pretty solid world soccer knowledge at the ready.

Kline is a big soccer fan, and we go on about soccer in this country, the future of it, and Jurgen Klinsmann’s job thus far.

First though, my thoughts in the sports world are really focused on former Cal Poly pitcher Matt Imhof. Last week, Imhof, who was pitching for the Phillies organization in Florida, suffered an injury to his eye when a piece of exercise equipment at a ballpark broke off a wall. After a few surgeries, Imhof had a prosthetic eye implanted and his career seems to be in serious jeopardy.

Of all the guys on the team at Cal Poly that hosted a regional three years ago, Imhof was one of the easier guys to root for. I interviewed him a few times and he always came off as a really good, thoughtful kid who had worked very hard to get where he did (a second-round pick). Every time I think about what happened last week I just get sick to my stomach for the kid.

As one might expect from a guy like Matt, he’s putting his best foot forward.

As many of you know on Friday June 25th I had an accident. A large price of metal hit me in the head/eye resulting in a fractured nose, 2 fractured orbital bones, and most significantly, the loss of vision in my right eye. I was immediately taken to the ER and then transferred to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the #1 eye hospital in the world. That night, the doctors informed me that the damage to my eye was extreme and essentially that my eye had been crushed like a grape. The doctors told me they were going to do everything possible to reconstruct it but in all likelihood I would never regain sight in my right eye. The first surgery was somewhat a success but overall nothing had changed, so after discussions with my family and my doctors, it was decided that the best chance I had to live a normal life was to have my right eye removed and have a prosthetic one put in. This decision was not an easy one to make but to me it seemed like the right one so on Tuesday afternoon I went forward with the surgery. I’m currently still in Miami recovering from surgery but I’m doing well. This has been the hardest week of my life but I’ve had amazing support from my family and friends to help me get through it. For those who have been wishing me well, your support has not gone unnoticed and I appreciate everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers. I had the best doctors in the world doing their best work on me and for that I am grateful as well. Although this injury has been tough it could have been much worse…I’m lucky to still have vision in my left eye…I’m lucky that i didn’t have brain damage…and I’m lucky to be surrounded my the most loving and understanding people in the world. I just wanted to write this message to let everyone know that even though I suffered some bad luck, I’m not dead. I’m gonna be alright, I’m gonna persevere, and I’m gonna succeed. It takes more than this to bring me down. Again thanks to everyone for the support .

A photo posted by Matt Imhof (@matt_imhof48) on Jun 30, 2016 at 9:44am PDT

That’s some perspective.

Matt now has almost 3,000 likes. On the Instagram post, I mean. One of them is definitely me — and that’s not limited to just social media. Sending good thoughts your way Mr. Imhof.

Enjoy the Podcast.

If you are a United States soccer fan — I’m pretty sure I am — you have to be pretty darn excited right now.

The 2014 World Cup was fine. The United States made it through the group stages but were bounced in the first round of knock-out play, leaving fans wondering what direction this seemingly stagnant team was headed.

In a post-Landon Donovan era, it was a team that was built around getting players — and in turn, fans — out of their comfort zones.

For evidence of the United States’ changing of the guard, look no farther than Donovan’s weird departure from the team and from playing soccer. Fans who had grown up in an era when Landon Donovan was synonymous with the game in this country might have been questioning Klinsmann’s plan.

Largely because of players like Donovan, though, the United States has continued to find young, talented players. Getting those guys into winning form has been a tough, fluid code to crack.

In a recent game against the Netherlands, the US team looked like they were going to lose in familiar ways. There wasn’t enough back-line discipline. Forward Gyasi Zardes wasn’t taking advantage of his opportunities. Zardes did put one in the back of the net, but the United States was down 3-1 with things not looking good.

Then a few funny things happened. Central defender John Brooks — who gets pretty badly beaten at times — made a 70th minute  box-to-box run and finished to put the US within a goal. OK, his run wasn’t “box-to-box.” Actually, it started around midfield, but still, it was a piece of inspired play that depended especially on Brooks’ trust of others to cover his back line in the likely case his run hadn’t resulted in anything good.

OK, so here are those pesky Americans who always give their fans a little more hope than is realistic. So I thought.

Danny Williams, a relative unknown, proved me wrong and unleashed this crack to level the match.

Then lightning struck in the 90th minute. I mean, Amsterdam was reeling, but one name you know (Michael Bradley) and two names you probably didn’t know (Jordan Morris and Bobby Wood) took advantage and made history.

Yes, the Netherlands took their feet off the gas and no, their defense was never VERY good in this game.

But the US team took advantage. They scored four goals. They were opportunistic. They finished.

To summarize, The four goal-scorers on June 5th have six total goals between them in International play.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey’s group. However, in a post-Landon Donovan era, with a national team that was 1-3-2 since the World Cup, the recent wins are huge.

Following the comeback in Amsterdam, the Americans beat Klinsmann’s Germany and are now 4-1 in their past five games.

The really fun thing about their recent run is that they have done it without some of the names US soccer fans have gotten used to. Perhaps it’s time for US fans to get to know some of these younger, lesser-known guys.

A week ago, I sure was pumping my fist in excitement, celebrating a comeback for the ages. My arm has plenty more where that came from. I wonder if some of these new faces have the same.

The United States did all right in the World Cup, but has the team went out in the round of 16 again. Have they made any major strides over the past four years? By Steindy (talk) 21:31, 22 November 2013 (UTC) (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

To be a United States soccer fan is to have a thing for disappointment.

It’s not the anti-American kind of disappointment that comes from never having a thought or a dream of something better. That kind of ongoing, numbing disappointment is deadened over time, like a cook’s hands or the skin on a basketball player’s feet.

To be a United States soccer fan is a sharp disappointment — the pain much more like a coffee table to the shin or a stubbed toe. We can try to convince ourselves that this is the kind of agony that eventually builds character or teaches a lesson. Maybe it will. Maybe it will just hurt.

This disappointment is the kind of angry feeling. It takes a twinkle cackles of the heart of what makes you a fan. It takes desire, expectation, and faith in the first place, because you can’t be let down so hard when you don’t expect anything in the first place. It’s a tantalizing kind of feeling that comes from a team that, like the country it represents, just wouldn’t give up hope.

It would have been easier that way. If the team had not scored a late game-winner against Ghana, we’d all have an easy narrative, able to write the team and its German coach out of our consciousness for at least a while.

It would have been easier that way. If the team had not come back from a one-goal deficit to take a one-goal lead against Portugal, giving themselves a solid chance at getting out of the group of death.

It would have been easier that way. If a 19 year-old had just let me wallow in my losing misery and process and grieve for just a few minutes.

Instead, Julian Green came off the bench and scored a goal on his first touch of the World Cup, sending American fans roaring back into “we can do this” mode. The Bradleagles even had some real opportunities to tie it in the final five minutes sending American fans into a from a natural resignation that our team was out of it into a traumatic roller coaster of emotion that ended in the same place it started — with the Americans eliminated.

Eating waffles for breakfast? Keep an eye out for Michael Bradleagle, he's on the hunt (created by @MLSist) pic.twitter.com/CYis6s8quC

— The Best Soccer Show (@BestSoccerShow) July 1, 2014

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” ― Gloria Steinem

If you’re looking for other reasons to be pissed, try this one — Belgium was beatable. Actually, this is a year a fringe team without World Champion pedigree like the United States could have actually done something fun. The play has been wide-open, the goals have been plentiful, and very few defenses look anything close to impenetrable. Costa Rica is in the quarterfinals. So are German and Belgian teams the United States had a run at.

What about Landon Donovan? I respected Klinsmann’s decision to keep him off the team. Rumors of Donovan not being as fit and committed have surfaced since he was left off the team. I always assume that, as the coach, Jurgen must know something that I don’t. What I do know, though, is that Donovan has proven to be able to keep his composure through physically demanding settings and that his creativity would have been an improvement on Graham Zusi, Brad Davis, or Alejandro Bedoya.

For a United States team that needed a spark, Donovan could have helped keep other guys closer to their actual positions and possibly done better. I’m not second-guessing Klinsmann’s decision, but I think fans will always be left to wonder whether anything would be different had Landon been on the roster.

One thing I think Klinsmann has done is to speak whatever truth is the current truth. Fans and players live in the past. Jurgen seems to always be trying to get better for the future. Laurels are not rested on. There is no sense of entitlement any longer. Jurgen is speaking a truth, even if it’s pissing people off.

“I think they all went to their limits. They gave everything they had,” said Klinsmann after the game.

Maybe so. Maybe we did all right this time around. The United States advanced farther than England, Spain, and Portugal in this World Cup, which is saying something. Uncle Sam made it almost as far as he ever has in the modern era of soccer. So, why do I still feel like we missed such an opportunity? Why do I have this shitty knot in my stomach about it still, three days later?

Maybe this is what the progress of soccer in this country feels like.   

Clint Dempsey scored a spectacular goal for the United States on Monday. By Erik Drost, via Wikimedia Commons

The United States showed virtually zero ability to maintain possession of the ball and were dominated in nearly every phase of the game, but still managed to somehow beat Ghana 2-1 in their World Cup opener on Monday night.

Wearing their really good-looking red, white, and blue kits, the US team was buoyed by a first-minute goal from Clint Dempsey and a late goal from John Brooks, Jr. The game’s result was exactly what the United States needed. How they got there makes me skeptical.

The Good

The United States won the game. Clint Dempsey showed why he is still a world-class forward and the team found a way back into the lead just minutes after Ghana finally broke-through. Resiliency is something the Americans usually have and Monday was no different.

While the team was mostly outplayed through the midfield, Fabian Johnson looked really solid going from a defender into what looked like the USA’s most creative threat from the wing. Brooks might have looked better than Matt Besler after Besler went off with a hamstring injury at halftime and, for his part, Dempsey looked as effective as ever.

This team has been challenged to be in “uncomfortable” situations since Jurgen Klinsmann took over and the German head coach of the US Men’s National Team should be feeling pretty good about the decisions he’s made so far.

The Bad

Let’s not mince words. The midfield of the United States was bad against Ghana. Michael Bradley and Kyle Beckerman couldn’t connect on possession. Alejandro Bedoya showed flashes of greatness, but without nearby support. Jermaine Jones played a solid match, but it’s hard when both he and Beckerman are more like defenders on the pitch.

It was a game where, in the stead of a player like Bedoya or Beckerman, I did miss Landon Donovan. Donovan has always been cool and collected. While he wouldn’t have played the kind of defense that Beckerman or Jones do, his presence may have allowed the United States to have more possession and not have to work quite so hard chasing the Ghana players who ALWAYS seemed to have the ball.

Because they had two defensive midfielders on the pitch at the same time, the United States wasn’t able to maintain possession or give me any reason that a better team like Portugal or Germany won’t have their way against the USA.

The Ugly

In the win, the Americans took a few knocks. Jozy Altidore went straight to the ground after what looked like a torn hamstring in the first half. Pure strikers like Altidore are hard to come by, and the United States will do their best with (possibly) some combination of Aron Johansson and Chris Wondolowski at the position. Donovan is a more proven creator than Johansson or Wondo, so one of them will have to do some damage in the next two games to keep the “shoulda kept Landon” pundits from coming back out in full-force.

Also ugly was the high kick Dempsey took to the face in the first half. If it didn’t break his nose, it should have. In a World Cup that some Americans view as a cesspool of flopping and playacting, Dempsey  didn’t give his bloody nose any more than a second thought. The Texan got right up, got his treatment and never seemed to embellish even a little. The “man of the match” photo at the end of the game shows his nose huge and swollen.

Yeah, in light of yesterday, the players in this come off as entitled, short-sighted http://t.co/Il2GsmivFR

— Richard Whittall (@RWhittall) June 17, 2014

Uglier still is this article that The Score’s Richard Whittall tweeted a link to today. The article is from about a year ago, when the United States played Honduras and lost. It seems that at the time, there were a lot of players who were jumping off the proverbial bandwagon, even if they wouldn’t put their name to their comments. After reading the article, it would be stupid to wonder what’s behind Klinsmann’s tactics leading up to the tournament. I also wonder how many of  the anonymously quoted players are still on the roster.

Klinsmann would have got a pass from me no matter the outcome of this year’s World Cup. His willingness to not cow-tow to anyone or anything is something I respect a lot. Here’s something to think about — a quote from the Sporting News article from above about why Klinsmann, by design, fostered some confusion during the qualifying process and how players react to it.

“They all want the safety net. They want to always feel comfortable, but if you want to elevate the program to another level, you need to go to a phase of being uncomfortable out there and then deal with that,” he said.

Here’s to the United States being comfortable in an uncomfortable position for more than 180 more minutes this Summer.

Jürgen Klinsmann has rolled his dice. Tonight, we get an indication about whether his Landon Donovan decision will pay-off. By Nathan Forget, via Wikimedia Commons

A post I initially wrote last week for BigDSoccer.com — here are some thoughts about the opportunity that is in front of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore today in the absence of Landon Donovan on the US men’s national soccer team.

It was a coaching decision that sent shockwaves throughout the entire United States. It didn’t happen in baseball, basketball, football, or even hockey. Instead the announcement was by the German coach of the United States Men’s National Soccer Team. Jurgen Klinsmann was letting the nation know, a week before his deadline, that the country’s greatest player would not be on the roster for the upcoming World Cup.

To put it simply, people were angry. One could argue that the fact that there is controversy this large surrounding US soccer is a victory for the sport’s development in this country over the past 20 years. But, at the age of 32, this was supposed to be Donovan’s swan song.

Donovan could have played an important part in Brazil, but he obviously didn’t meet whatever standard Klinsmann set. Instead of kowtowing to the pressure and notoriety that a legend like Donovan demands, Kinsmann made the tough decision to leave him off the team. Fans were not happy.

But instead of whining uselessly, I’m going to take this pre-World Cup time to be excited about the unknown possibility. Instead of the narrative being “Can Landon do it in his final World Cup?,” it’s “Who is going to step up?”

There are candidates. In warm-up matches, the triad of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore have begun to work nicely together up front. Over the past few years under Klinsmann, the United States has gone from being relatively easy to defend to an offense that is much more dynamic and unpredictable — leading to more interesting soccer and better chances.

Dempsey has a good International resume. Altidore has played overseas for years as has Bradley, before returning to MLS this season.

Evolved Style?

Without Donovan’s leadership, there is a gap that the three players above have an opportunity to fill. Instead of being sad about Donovan’s absence, I’m eager to see what kind of a leader Bradley can be. Instead of going into Landon withdrawals, I am hopeful that Altidore can finally be the player US fans have always wanted him to be. Instead of hanging my head about Donovan’s absence, maybe other players can fill the gap of leadership, movement on the pitch, and style of play.

Instead of being sad, I’m on the edge of my seat to see if, finally, the United States’ style of play has actually evolved and to find out if they can sustain a better style over the course of at least three games.

Winning might not be everything

In the “Group of Death,” it’s possible that the United States could be clearly better than four years ago and still not make the knock-out round. Portugal, Germany, and Ghanaare that good. While it won’t be easy, I am going to TRY to be reasonable and not make snap judgments solely based on outcomes against three very good teams…

Opportunities

But, can you imagine what would happen if this team somehow found a way through their group? Think about the HUGE step forward it would be for the United States to, without Donovan, move to the knockout stage. It would be the single most successful World Cup in the country’s history. Players like Dempsey, Bradley, Altidore, Tim Howard, and others would join Donovan as household names for casual fans.

I said earlier that the sport has made huge growth in the past 20 years. Getting out of this deadly group could make an impact akin to the 1994 World Cup, making new fans and capitalizing on the burgeoning momentum MLS has gathered over the past five years.

Then again, if they fail miserably I think I’ll probably try to argue that you’ve got to risk big to win big. For his part, Jurgen Klinsmann — the man in charge — has already rolled his dice. We’ll wait a few weeks to see whether he’ll be coming back a hero or just crapped out.

Yesterday’s news was a bombshell. About a week before he had to, United States men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann decided to announce the final 23 players who will be heading to Brazil this summer.

Landon Donovan’s name was not on the list. Donovan’s omission sent some into a tizzy, sarcastic remarks included.

Bruce Arena: if there are 23 players on this team better than Landon Donovan, then we are going to win the World Cup

— Scott Smith (@JasonSSmith1) May 23, 2014

Still fuming over no Landon Donovan. #MISTAKE

— Dude Perfect (@DudePerfect) May 23, 2014

That's some BS. How can kids be one step ahead of Landon Donovan. Pissed bra. pic.twitter.com/5KU9IzuWh1

— Edgar Iniguez (@edgargetactive) May 23, 2014

Robbie Keane: If I Were Landon Donovan … I'd Be PISSED!!! [VIDEO] #newslocker http://t.co/lAZqsoJfYH

— newslocker Gossip (@yourgossipnews) May 23, 2014

So pissed that Landon Donovan isn't going to be in the World Cup. ESPECIALLY since i bought the $150 World Cup jersey with his name on it

Others, mostly people who write about the USMNT, were more measured and had some other fun details.

Watching these #USMNT players stumble over their words about Landon Donovan's exclusion shows how shocking this announcement truly is.

— Adam Serrano (@LAGalaxyInsider) May 23, 2014

Klinsmann says that he didn't discuss the selection process with the leaders of the #USMNT. Didn't want them involved in personnel decisions

— Adam Serrano (@LAGalaxyInsider) May 23, 2014

Not writing on Donovan. Wrote this a year ago and not sure what I would change: http://t.co/dmS7ALwY2c

— Matthew Tomaszewicz (@shinguardian) May 23, 2014

Klinsmann’s job hasn’t ever been to keep the status quo, though, and by including players without the name Donovan, the head coach has opened the door for some others to step into a leadership role on the national team. His decision was certainly one that takes intestinal fortitude.

American soccer fans, in the absence of global domination, have latched onto the “we’re so much better than we used to be” story over the past 5-10 years, though the team hasn’t taken any big steps forward in that time. Klinsmann’s job is to help them get there — to take them from good to great. The move to take younger players over Donovan has its risks, but it also squashes any doubt about complacency as an excuse should this team falter.

In this case, the assurance of stability was not as strong as the desire to change and move forward. I think it will make for fascinating viewing this summer.

Here’s Klinsmann talking about leaving Donovan off the roster.

 

And Klinsmann taking a little longer during a press conference

To make the move Klinsmann made on the roster takes guts. By Steindy, (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Established Leaders

It’s not like the team has no experience. Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey are all proven veterans of the team. Bradley, in particular, seems to be poised to have an outstanding World Cup this year. Howard wasn’t pleased with the Landon Donovan exclusion, calling the former national team captain one of the team’s best players.

No Landon Donovan? This is what Tim Howard had to say Monday: "If Landon is on the field he is one of our top one or two players." #USMNT

— Joe Lago (@joelago) May 22, 2014

Any way you slice, it, players like the polarizing Kyle Beckerman, the inconsistent Jozy Altidore or even **shudder** Jermaine Jones will have to play some kind of key role. Maybe Aron Johannsson or Julien Green get opportunities and do something cool.

Does this team really have that kind of depth?

While an easy argument to make is that not a lot of players on the roster are better than Donovan, there is something to be said for this team’s depth. In looking at the roster, there are a number of players who can play varying roles and in various formations. Klinsmann prefers players who are testing themselves in top European leagues, and his choices reflect that.

There is no question that Donovan’s absence will leave both a psychological and emotional gap for this team. That being said, I don’t think Klinsmann would be making this decision if he didn’t think that the other players on the team could fill that gap and then some. They have a little more than three weeks to figure it out.

It’s easy to have an instant opinion on this move, but let’s wait until the actual World Cup to judge this team, and Klinsmann’s move. Other teams have come in with more hype and fallen on their faces (1998, 2006). Maybe this year’s team could be the antithesis of that.

‘Bout to find out!

Maybe I’m mistaking depth for general world-class mediocrity… . I guess we’ll see come the World Cup. For now, I’m going to choose to see the glass half-full. For all you LA Galaxy fans who are upset, turn that frown upside down. Your best player is back and he’s probably going to be kind of motivated.

Also, people get hurt. Don’t forget that Donovan might be an injury away from being right back in the mix. In an event like the World Cup that is always steeped in drama, and for a player who has made his home in Los Angeles, that would truly be the Hollywood ending.

Speaking of Hollywood and Landon Donovan’s team, TMZ Sports caught up with Robbie Keane, who said he’d be pissed off if he were in Landon’s shoes.

Robbie Keane — If I Were Landon Donovan … I’D BE PISSED!!!

]]> https://www.fansmanship.com/the-time-to-judge-the-usmnt-world-cup-roster-is-not-now/feed/ 0 https://www.fansmanship.com/the-same-old-thing/ https://www.fansmanship.com/the-same-old-thing/#respond Thu, 31 May 2012 03:48:15 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=5546 Wednesday evening was a fansmanship rarity for the end of May: an evening full of at least three major national sporting events worthy of viewing.

In Miami, the Heat came back from a huge deficit to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. In New Jersey, the Devils hosted the Kings in game one of the bicoastal Stanley Cup Finals.

But what I was really excited about was the United States Soccer team playing at home against Brazil. The Americans had reeled off five wins in a row including a road victory over Italy and a 5-1 drubbing of Scotland last week and I couldn’t wait to see how they would fare at home against a world-class team’s second unit. Full disclosure, I saw none of these games, but

With another great performance, coach Jurgen Kilnsmann could have put the world on-notice that the new ball-control style the team has adopted is a force to be reckoned with. There were 70,000 people on-hand dancing, making noise, and ready to be excited about a great United States performance.

Instead, the US team was outplayed, outshot, and outclassed by something resembling Brazil’s olympic team. In other words, Brazil’s B or C team dominated our best guys. 4-1 in soccer is like losing by 20 in the NBA. It’s like losing by 4 touchdowns in the NFL. It is not good.

This writer is no soccer genius. I played until I was 12 or 13 and only started watching the game on television in 2003 or 2004. But here are five observations about the US team I saw on Wednesday night.

1) There are some players who struggle every time I watch. It seemed as though nothing had changed from the poor performance I saw in the last World Cup from players like Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, and Jose Torres.

2) While Carlos Bocanegra has meant so much to the team, I think his time has come. Does the US not have a better alternative? The lack of up-and-comers at some of the midfield and defensive positions make me think that…

3) Maybe the system just doesn’t have better guys. While Clark, Edu, and Torres all seem to me like liabilities, perhaps the fact is that there just isn’t anyone better in the system. I know there have been American players who have had promise, but they have generally faded. What is Jonathan Spector doing these days? What about Freddy Adu? Are they even options?

4) New faces are really good to see. They give me hope for a truly different outcome. Twenty-four year-old Fabian Johnson was awesome. This is a player with some world class athleticism and poise. He is an upgrade over whatever the US had there before. He is young and is a defensive player to put around Onyewu for the next few years. A defender who can get up the pitch and help offensively is always a good thing too. Johnson and Cherundolo  are a fun pair of outside defenders.

5) Some of the players on the US squad are really, really good. Donovan still has it, Bradley is world-class, Howard is Howard, and Hurcules Gomez had an impressive performance. Altidore was still rehabbing and Dempsey was not 100 percent, but the US has a nice core.

The potential problem, though, is that, in soccer you have to have a “next” group to take the mantle. By the next World Cup, we will be talking about Donovan, Dempsey, Howard, Bradley, and even Altidore as getting old. In a country that has a good soccer program, there are not huge fluctuations generation to generation.

As a fan of the US Soccer team, I don’t need them to be Brazil. I don’t need 22 year olds on my second or third team to go out and put a licking on another country’s “A” team.

I won’t presume to have the answers. Honestly, I don’t really know what they can or should do. But I do know that performances like Wednesday night aren’t it.

 

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