Bruce Arena resigned last week. The consensus, I think, is that it’s not nearly enough.

Listen, I’m not someone who thinks that changing one guy at the top — Sunil Gulati in this case — is going to make things all better. Maybe most of the board of directors of the US Soccer Federation who has supported him should also go? I don’t know enough about the inner-workings of an extremely political organization like that to even consider specifics right now.

But after Gulati affirmed that he’s not resigning last week, I started to take the liberty of looking through what’s online about the Board of Directors and the bylaws of the USSF. I need to educate myself (at least a little) if I’m going to have an opinion about this.

Here is a link to the list of who is on the Board of Directors. 

And here’s a place you can click for yourself and read through the bylaws. Because educating yourself as a soccer fan can’t hurt either, right?

I’m no lawyer, but it seems that something like a motion to remove Gulati from the top would require a 60 day waiting period unless it’s considered an “urgent case.” In that case, a 2/3 majority vote would be required.  Right now, there is a three-term limit on the presidency that Gulati has in place. I suppose that could be amended, but that seems like a slam-dunk to the people who are talking about whether he’ll run for another term, which is confusing to me. Maybe someone who has the opportunity to talk with people in the chain of the USSF can explore that.

His Wikipedia page says that Gulati, an economics lecturer at Columbia University. Full time. Also he runs United States Soccer. Because that’s just a little part time thing. 

Looks like someone on Reddit had the same general idea I tried to address here. 

OK, let’s talk about the people who could be in charge of changing US Soccer, aside from Gulati:

Executive Vice President – Carlos Cordeiro

What you need to probably know is that Cordeiro is a former executive at Goldman Sachs and was described when elected as a confidante to Gulati. So, I guess you won’t find much change just by Gulati resigning, because Cordeiro would serve out his term. I think. 

Player representatives

The player reps get twenty percent of the vote, no matter how big the Board is. There are three players reps on the board: Chris Ahrens, Carlos Bocanegra, and Angela Hucles.

Ahrens is a Paralympics player and adaptive PE teacher in San Diego. 

Bocanegra is a 38 year old who went to UCLA and spent time in English soccer before returning to MLS and playing on the national team. He is, by far, the most recognizable name on this list aside Gulati. His resume seems like it would have some context, but it’s hard basically all you’ve known of US Soccer has been run by one guy. 

Hucles is a former player on the women’s team and is the president of the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Pro Council Representatives

Don Garber in the MLS Commissioner and always has MLS owners’ best interests in mind. His stance will, by definition, to make the professional game less open. Promotion and relegation is the last thing he, and MLS string-pullers like Bob Kraft want. 

Steve Malik is the the owner of the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL. This is interesting, since the NASL filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation for not having fair and open practices with regard to putting leagues into Divisions and not having an open promotion/relegation system. Malik would almost certainly be in favor of Pro/Rel, which, it could be argued, is at the heart of most of the issues American’s have pointed to as shortcomings of our soccer program over the past few days. 

Adult Council Representatives

Richard Moeller is a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Adult Soccer Association. According to the USAAA website, he is the vice president of the USAAA board. It looks like he’s the president of the Florida State Adult Soccer Association. No telling where a person like this is at with regard to a desire to see change.

John Motta is the president of the United States Adult Soccer Association and an executive at Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts. Based solely on where he’s from and what his day job is, my guess would be he’s a person who would be close to people like Kraft and Gulati. That said, he did post this on Thursday, and his tone sounds anti Sunil, which is an easy position to take publicly in these times.

Clarification on running for President of US Soccer. Here are the requirements as of 9/1. The Board passed this nominating procedure. pic.twitter.com/cTdpUjpQtv

— John Paul Motta (@JohnPMotta) October 12, 2017

How far with reform the USSF will go probably depends a lot on people like Motta. Motta’s twitter account certainly confirms my suspicions about how much of a damn political dumpster fire the whole thing is… .

Youth Council Representatives

Jesse Harrell is the Chair of the US Youth Soccer Board of Directors. He’s in the insurance business in Houston and that’s just about all I could find on him in the few minutes I spent. I do this site for fun, remember?

Tim Turney is the Vice Chair of US Youth Soccer. If you google “Tim Turney youth soccer,” the second and fourth hits are articles about how officials were directed not to speak about concussions for youth players. So, that’s fun. It seems that Turney is from Kentucky and 

At Large Representative

John Collins was the attorney for the USSF nearly 20 years ago, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has been a US District Attorney and now is in private practice (again, all according to LinkedIn). Here’s an interesting article about an antitrust suit brought against USSF and Collins and about his fighting it off. Probably pertinent to what’s happening both with the NASL lawsuit and the American undercurrent to cut the power out from those who have it at the USSF. Just judging from his history with the organization and the fact that he’s a lawyer who’s been in the middle of these things before, I’d say that whatever happens, Collins is probably someone who is in the middle of things.

Independent Directors

Two of the three Independent Directors have collegiate/NCAA ties. At least one of them is talking about change, but who knows how serious anybody is?

Donna E. Shalala is the president of the University of Miami. She tweeted about the need for a revolution last week, as reported by SI. We’ll see how serious or far-reaching her concept of “revolution” will go. 

This morning 2-1 unacceptable For us in USSoccer more than a wake up call. Time for a revolution. Need a long term plan that is smart

— Donna E. Shalala (@DonnaShalala) October 11, 2017

Val Ackerman is the commissioner of the Big East Conference. She has come out strongly against paying student athletes in the past. Here is a 2013 profile of her in USA Today. No mention of soccer anywhere in there. The March 2017 articles you can find that link her and US Soccer also tout term limits of 12 years. Again, I’m confused how Gulati would get re-elected for the next cycle since he’ll be at that limit. 

Lisa Carnoy is a bank president on the East coast, so I would posit a guess that she’s not in the business of upsetting the current regime. She’s not listed currently on the website, but there’s a tweet and some articles that would indicate she’s also an independent director. In the announcement by US Soccer of her joining the board, there isn’t any mention of soccer experience. 

Welcome, Lisa Carnoy!@LCarnoy will serve as an Independent Director on the Board, the governing body of the USSF.https://t.co/7v2MDBBJdK

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) August 26, 2017

Immediate Past President (non-voting)

Dr. S. Robert Contiguglia’s wikipedia page is interestingly small. It says he has “played, coached, and managed soccer at several different levels,” which, based on their biographies I could find, puts him ahead of most other board members in that regard. He doesn’t get to vote. 

CEO/Secretary General (non-voting)

Dan Flynn’s resume says he was a collegiate soccer player over 40 years ago and is an Anheuser-Busch executive. Straight from the USSF’s website: “He was also directly involved in Anheuser-Busch’s sponsorship of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which served as the springboard for their future involvement in the sport on a long-term basis.” So, though he’s a non-voting member, his presence is interesting in that Anheuser-Busch is a huge sponsor of US and Mexican soccer. 

Flynn is quoted as a representative of US Soccer in this release from the USSF, though I guess he could technically be a representative of both sides?

***************************************************

So, there’s the information I could gather in my spare time over the last few days, and maybe it gives you a more rounded-out picture of who’s in charge over at the US Soccer Federation. 

Here are a few things that stick out to me:

Lots of banking people and people tied to MLS

This was probably a natural thing around the turn of the millennium. It’s probably less appropriate and natural now, especially with the budding conflict between a free market system and the current system that ensures an MLS franchise can’t be relegated. 

Not tons of soccer people

Aside from the players, there aren’t very many high level soccer people on the board. I see lots of people who have worked on the business side of things for a long time, but I don’t think I saw any kind of coaching certification or anyone who has that level of context. There are more women there recently than there have been (good) and some players (also good), but by and large, most of these people are business people rather than people who think about soccer full-time. Probably having both a business/political IQ and a soccer IQ would be great for everyone here to have. Doesn’t seem like there are lots of examples, if all you’re doing is reading their biographical information that’s first-page searchable. Maybe I’m wrong and I’ll find out that Richard Moeller is actually a highly trained soccer development tactician. I’m open to that kind of information.

East Coast Bias

Holy moly! Who on here has any west coast representation? For a country so geographically big and regionalized, it seems like having someone from California around would be a priority. Obviously, it isn’t. There is a high concentration of power in the USSF in the New York/New England area. One of the three players (Bocanegra) is originally from the west coast, but as I looked at people’s biographies, the most western state I think I saw is Texas. I wonder how that affects everything from resources to selections at even the earliest of ages. The lack of west coast representation has to have an impact, doesn’t it? Californians sometimes joke about having their own national team. 

Change would mean a MASSIVE shift

Given the ties that many or most of these board members have to both Gulati and each other, and given that people generally think they’re doing the right thing (whether they are or aren’t), it would take an amazing amount of change in the groupthink that goes on within the board or in the people themselves. Given how long he’s been there, it’s likely that Sunil Gulati has been a huge part of getting each one of the board members onto the board. Even if people in the (still sometimes ignorant) US Soccer community want to put the blame on Gulati, it will take much more than ousting Sunil to deal any real change to the USSF. Even if he’s ousted on the next election, the Gulati principles will remain long after he’s gone in the form of the people he helped get there. You see, organizations and boards like this are not easily moved or changed. At least not usually. Especially not when so many dollars in general are up for grabs — specifically if the United States has a shot at a World Cup within the next decade. 

What do you think? What would you like to see change? What is a reasonable timeline for real systemic changes or do you feel that tweaks are better than changes? Comment below or find me @fansmanship on twitter. 

Taking a late lunch, I got home at 1:00 — just in time to turn on the World Cup semifinal between Brazil and Germany. With Germany up 1-0 in the 23rd minute, my computer froze. I could still hear enough to hear the Ian Darke call of the Miroslav Klose goal.

OK, 2-0 Germany. Apparently, Flash had crashed. I restarted my browser.

I logged back in. And looked at the score in the upper right of the screen. It had only been two or three minutes.

4-0.

Holy crap. I don’t know what I expected out of this game, but I don’t think it was that.

"It's like amateur hour." "They've just completely given in" Good for the announcers for not going easy… #Brazil

— fansmanship (@fansmanship) July 8, 2014

The final was 7-1 in a game that will go down in the record books for all-time beat-downs. This was an NBA team losing by 50 in the Finals. This was a team losing 18-2 in a World Series Game 6. This was an NFL team giving up 600-plus yards and losing by 40 or 50.

So, a few thoughts as one of the semifinals is over:

1) It’s not over. Germany only beat the United States 1-0. They haven’t been playing GREAT before this game. The Germans caught lightning in a bottle, but in soccer this kind of momentum doesn’t always carry over match to match.

2) I’m not a big fan of post-game trouble. If I was a German fan, I’d buy a Brazil jersey and learn how to speak Portuguese really quickly. I’d blend myself into the Brazilian crowd and get back to my hotel bar as quickly and quietly as possible. I don’t mess around with that stuff when it comes to soccer. Wait ’til you’re back home or give it a few months before you talk trash in Brazil.

3) Ian Darke and his partner were really good. They contextualized the real situation in Brazil for the first time. Soccer gives a commentator 90 solid minutes, but it isn’t always easy to get the right words in at the right time. These guys did it splendidly.

4) Brazil looked like they quit. Darke said as much. They were described by more than one commentators as “amateurs.” The term “amateur hour” was thrown around, and justifiably so.

5) The more I see other teams break-down, I think the more proud of the United States team I am. They could have done better, but clearly they could have also done much worse.

6) On to semifinal number two: Argentina vs. Netherlands. As I see it, whoever wins this game will have the decided advantage in the final. Today’s game had an air of finality to it and I’ll be really impressed if Germany comes with a great performance in the final. Robben and Messi on the same field is not to be missed tomorrow.

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.   

Stop using takes from the Dark Ages to tell me about why you don’t like soccer. By Darjac (Scanned by Darjac) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Stop it, stop it, stop it.

For the love of Ralph’s sandwiches, stop it.

Get out of here with your tired anti-soccer takes.

In 1994, the World Cup was held in the United States. At that time, I’m sure it was popular to bash soccer in this country. The narrative in these United States was the opposition of the uppity, elite fan who “got” soccer against the down to earth, more traditional sports fan who didn’t get it at all. That is still the narrative. It’s not altogether wrong. Things haven’t shifted 180 degrees. Our country isn’t soccer-crazy. I don’t regularly drive to LA to watch the Galaxy or to the Bay Area to watch the Earthquakes like I do the Dodgers or some of my “friends” do to watch the Giants. But to think that the narrative shouldn’t be different than it was 20 years ago is lazy and ignorant.

At least a few generations of American sports fans are now adults who played soccer growing up. Yes, even young Americans still like basketball, baseball and football better, but this more International generation also likes soccer. A lot.

The old soccer regime would feel the need to testify to the greatness of the sport. Other people’s inability to “get it” would feed their already-hefty superiority complex. For the same reason there is now an “uppity” stigma around someone driving a Prius or someone who is vegetarian there has been a stigma around soccer fans. The reason — soccer fans have been known to constantly try to foist their silly game onto everyone else.

The thing is, it’s not that way anymore.

In 2014, lots of media-types are trying to stay relevant by saying they still don’t like soccer. The difference is that I, as a soccer fan in this country, just don’t care. I don’t care whether you get it or not. I don’t care whether you think it’s cool. By bashing it, you just make yourself less relevant to people who like it, which is a growing subgroup of sports fans in the United States that doesn’t care about your tired takes.

Flopping

To paraphrase John Denver, flopping is as old as Vlade Divac, but younger than Michael Cooper. Most sports have some form of flopping and more officials to spot the difference. Has anyone watched successful basketball teams over the past two or three decades? Duke. LeBron. Shane Battier. Derek Fisher. LeBron. Manu. Vlade. LeBron.

Every sport has flopping on some level, including a lot of sports we like. Americans hate flopping, but manipulating the one official who is in charge of the largest surface area in sports is something that soccer fans can easily spot. To be fair, it really does hurt to get kicked in the shins, especially when you and your opponent are running as fast as these guys do. Lots of “falling” is flopping, but falling, sliding, etc… are often part of the deal when playing at the speeds these guys play at.

We all hate flopping. I’d even argue that it’s unAmerican. For an American sports fan to say that it’s a reason not to like the entire sport, though, is garbage.

Fans burning cities down

Aren’t there riots every time a city’s team wins a championship? Detroit burns itself to the ground (it seems) every time the Red Wings or Pistons win a title. Fans riot everywhere.

American soccer fans don’t really riot. They get excited, call themselves something tough like “American Outlaws,” and drink a lot. But they don’t really riot.

An MLS game, actually, has the perfect combination of excitement, fan exuberance, and safety. I’m saying this as someone who has been to multiple club games in the world’s most dangerous city. American fans should not judge the sport on how fans act in other countries. Instead, they should look at how it’s enjoyed here.

____________________________________

There are a few good reasons not to like soccer. These are all valid points and if they turn you off about the sport, then that’s fine.

Pace of the game

As Matt Damon’s Loki put it in the movie Dogma, “Mass genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in, next to soccer.” For some fans, watching soccer is just slightly better than watching a cross country meet.

An entire soccer match can go without so much as a scoring opportunity for entire halves. A game can end in a 0-0 tie.

Let me give you a positive, though. Like an NCAA basketball game, a game RARELY lasts longer than a few hours, halftime included. The running clock so many people complain about is actually a really great thing in this regard. You can’t say that about baseball, football, or professional basketball.

Scoring

Soccer doesn’t have goals all the time. A 2-1 match would include more goals than a Barclays Premier League game has averaged in a long time. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see slightly more than a goal every 45 minutes or so. If you’re an ADD American twenty-something with a need for not just constant stimulation but constant scoring, this just won’t cut it.

For me, there is as much going on in soccer as there is in lots of other sports we love here, even if it isn’t goals every minute or two.

Ties

Ties are a subset of the scoring argument. You’re right, ties are for communists. They are un-American and should be outlawed. I just can’t find a way to do it. Maybe it should be like hockey. Settle for a tie in the middle of a season, but in a knock-out round, maybe we should add more subs and keep on playing until someone scores.

Seeing guys play a soccer game with rolling subs in the 200th minute would be so freaking dramatic. Think of the Stanley Cup Finals in overtime. Then make the whole world care. Chew on that for a minute. I think it sounds pretty awesome.

___________________________________

So, do what you want. Watch the World Cup or not. Feel however you want about soccer. Just please spare me the old, stale anti-soccer takes I’ve been hearing for the past 20-plus years. Soccer is, SLOWLY, getting more popular. It’s fun for me and millions of others to watch, and I don’t care whether you like it or not.

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.

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/usa-mens-soccer-not-a-joke-anymore/ https://www.fansmanship.com/usa-mens-soccer-not-a-joke-anymore/#respond Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:08:57 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=10452 United States Men’s soccer. It’s not a punchline anymore. Recently, the US national team has been on a small tear, winning a record 10 straight games. On Wednesday, they defeated Honduras 3-1 to move into the Cup Final where they will meet up with Panama, who defeated Mexico in the semi-finals. During their run, the […]]]>

Landon Donovan took a hiatus from the National Team, but has been great since his return. So have his teammates. By Noelle Noble, via Wikimedia Commons

United States Men’s soccer. It’s not a punchline anymore.

Recently, the US national team has been on a small tear, winning a record 10 straight games. On Wednesday, they defeated Honduras 3-1 to move into the Cup Final where they will meet up with Panama, who defeated Mexico in the semi-finals. During their run, the USA team has not just been defeating opponents but putting beat-downs on them.

The only competitive game they have played was a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in the group-stage finale. Aside from that game, the USA has outscored opponents 19-4 in Gold Cup games. In addition to star players Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore, the team has recently added other creative players such as Joe Corona, Jose Torres, and Omar Gonzalez who have certainly helped in this recent turnaround.

But the new success the team has had is a direct result of the pace of play this team is playing with. It was clearly evident in the El Salvador game when the US team forced an easily noticeable change in pace of play in the second half, created more chances, and cruised to a 5-1 victory. Aside from slowing things down to an unwatchably-slow, defensive 90-minute struggle, having as much conscious control of the pace of a game is not something the US team could ever be counted on to do in the past. Under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, they have really found their groove.

While the Gold Cup is filled with “B” level teams, this is a huge improvement from what they have been. While the red, white and blue has their immediate focus on the Gold cup, Klinsmann is also eying next summer’s FIFA World Cup, a tournament they have all but punched their ticket into.

The team still has much to do. If the US is to be a contender in the World Cup, there are new levels that must be reached. Settling for a few match victories will become less and less acceptable as Klinsmann and the current roster continue to raise expectations from United States soccer fans. Maybe soon soccer in the US will become even half as popular as it is in other countries, and it’s about time. As Terrell Owens once said, “Get your popcorn ready.” For once USA soccer means it.

]]> https://www.fansmanship.com/usa-mens-soccer-not-a-joke-anymore/feed/ 0 https://www.fansmanship.com/why-soccer-should-have-a-second-referee/ https://www.fansmanship.com/why-soccer-should-have-a-second-referee/#comments Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:20:45 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=3521 Being an official in sports is tough. Really hard. Probably the most difficult job in sports. And not just because the actual officiating is difficult. It is, but that’s not the point.

Officiating a sport is equal parts psychology, integrity, listening, and at the same time not listening. A baseball umpire can miss a single call that determines the game. A basketball official is forced to listen to 6’10” of whining on a nightly basis. In football, the Line Judge has a coach in his ear all night and has to try to not let it sway him.

All those guys (and girls) have tough jobs, but none is as physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding as a soccer referee. While there are three NBA referees for 10 players, four MLB umpires for 9 field players and 4 bases, and seven officials on an NFL field for 22 players, one soccer referee stands alone on a field that can be up to 130 yards long x 100 yards wide. To give you a frame of reference, an NFL football field is 100 yards x 53 yards.

With players spread over most of the field for most of the game, the opportunity for high jinx from players is abundant. And, especially at the highest levels of the game, soccer players don’t disappoint. I would contend it’s one of the main reasons the game hasn’t caught on in this country in the fervent way many soccer fans predicted it would.

Whenever a player takes an elbow in the face behind the play, gets kicked (as Freddy Adu did the other night in the Gold Cup Final), or is pushed or shoved behind the official’s back, the 22-1 player-referee ratio has always seemed unmanageable to me.

One of the marvels of high-caliber soccer leagues and even the World Cup at times is not just how the players play, but how much control one ref can keep over the entire 90 minutes.

FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, has tried to empower the referee (and his two assistants, who mostly stay on the sideline) more recently. There has been experimentation with things like communication systems. Theoretically, the 2 assistant referees should be the proverbial eyes on the back of the referee’s head. But from what can be a 100-yard-wide field in soccer, it would be difficult to imagine seeing anything accurately from the opposite sideline. Even when taking into account the two assistant ref’s, the amount of space and number of players to cover still doesn’t seem altogether reasonable.

An easy solution would be to add an assistant referee. Soccer has experimented with it some and has had limited success. One place this model has worked is in the NHL. In a sport with a referee system somewhat similar to soccer, the additional official on the ice has been nothing but a rousing success. Hockey games are much more exciting since the change a number of years ago and, with players not getting away with many of the grinding, stalling tactics they were in the past, it has contributed to a change in the pace of the game.

I can picture the additional ref having the a similar effect on soccer. If even some of the shenanigans of soccer could be limited, US fans might even find themselves enjoying the game more.

Some would say that soccer is the most popular sport in the world — that changing soccer even by adding an official would be painful and maybe sacrilegious. But every sport has to change sometime and an extra official could help solve a lot of the issues US fans have with the sport… When it comes to crazy soccer shenanigans, players getting away with things during the run of a game, and post-play shoving and trash-talking, an additional official could help.

Along with the great players, one of the reasons I most enjoy watching the English Premier League is the way the game is officiated. The players are the best in the world, but so are the officials. It makes a difference. Unfortunately, not every league has officials that good, and so why not make their jobs easier- at least at the highest level? Why not add a fourth official?

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