Dempsey and History: USA defeats Italy

Photo credit: ESPN

Genoa, Italy. February 29, 2012. A day in the history of the US Soccer National Team. A perfect game by the Americans that gave us their first ever win versus the Italians in 11 all-time meetings. No Donovan, no problem. Not when we have Dempsey.

So Clint did it again. A sublime pass by Altidore as the AZ attacker used his body to keep possession found a well-positioned Dempsey. The Fulham attacker dribbled slightly and released a low, well-placed shot to the right of Buffon. Goal.

Dempsey had a scintillating performance not just in the offense as he found the spaces and complemented Altidore, but also in the defensive end of play. The Furman University product stayed close to Pirlo for good stretches of the match and was effective in slowing down the talented Italian.

This national team had more than just Donovan missing. Also out were Onyewu, Torres and Timmy Chandler. But in stepped Fabian Johnson and Jonathan Spector at left back, Brek Shea on the left wing and Terrence Boyd as an option at forward. The left side struggled at times but was still able to deconstruct the Italian attack from the right flank.

This game was an affirmation that the Klinsmann system may indeed be working after all. That's 4 wins in a row and 3 away from home, two versus European sides with full squads and one away to a Concacaf foe. His positioning of Altidore with Dempsey right behind him emulates the way "Deuce" is utilized at Fulham. As forward/midfielder, Dempsey is the best option at that position.

The left back spot is up for grabs, as always, although Chandler/Spector/Johnson seem to have a good grip on it for now. Any one of those players can hold their own in that spot even if it isn't their natural position. Until a true left back option emerges, a defensive "committee," of sorts, will do.

The defensive midfield also performed quite well today. Maurice Edu and Michael Bradley were both excellent in their positioning and awareness. Bradley's experience with the Italian game (as a member of Chievo Verona) has made him grow in important strides as a soccer player. He had style today, no doubt about that.

Player ratings:
Howard..............7.5
Bocanegra...........7
Goodson..............6.5
Cherundolo..........7
F. Johnson..........6.5
D. Williams.........6.5
M. Bradley..........8.5
Edu......................7.5
Shea.....................6
Dempsey..............8
Altidore................7

Subs: Kljestan (6), Spector (7.5), Boyd (N/A), Buddle (N/A)

The American Bundesliga

Photo credit: US Soccer

In the past, I have written about Americanizing the Premier League, American Scandinavia and the American Glasgow Rangers. But there is another important piece to Americans playing abroad: Germany.

Indeed, the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga has become a target for MLS and college players. Donovan tried his luck with Bayern Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. Steve Cherundolo has been at Hanover all of his professional career. Add to this list Kasey Keller, Michael Bradley, Heath Pearce, DaMarcus Beasley, Jovan Kirovski, and the pattern gains more clarity. The Bundesliga is another American base.

Germany is a tough place to play in. The style is physically demanding and the winters are equally difficult to endure. Michael Bradley soared to new heights with Moenchengladbach but lost his place after coaching changes. Landon Donovan never quite convinced with either team he played for. Beasley scarcely saw the pitch, and neither did Pearce.

But there is another reason why there is a new "American Bundesliga." It is the German connection that the US national team has been able to identify and utilize: Jermaine Jones, Danny Williams, Fabian Johnson, Timmy Chandler, Terrence Boyd. All of these players share the same background: a German mother and an American serviceman. These gentlemen stayed and grew up in Germany and were exposed to soccer from an early age. Their automatic FIFA double nationality means they can choose either country. In their case, there is a long waiting list to be a Germany national team player. This line is shorter for Team USA, especially with Juergen Klinsmann at the helm.

The German connection is quickly Americanizing the Bundesliga in a grassroots manner, from the bottom up. No longer is it just a college or a talented MLS player that gets a shot at playing in this legendary league. Now, the league raises American player as their own through rigorous training, match experience and media coverage. These individuals grow up through each of these team's academies. And thus we reach Terrence Boyd, a striker yet to score for Borussia Dortmund but one that his coach has been prepping for the big time. Who is to say that he can't become a breakout star and finally play alongside Altidore?

Only time will tell how this latest Americanization of European soccer heads to. For Germany, the military connection adds a different route, but considering that Ricardo Clark and Edson Buddle both found successful stints in 2.Bundesliga it can be surmised that Americans are ready for this league. They already own it at every position on the pitch, from the academy to the transfer. So hold on, Bundesliga, the American soccer revolution has just begun in your league.

England blues: Terry and Capello

Photo credit: The Independent

Wow. What a turn of events for the English national team. News broke today that Fabio Capello, manager of England, has resigned from his post following the FA's decision to strip John Terry of his captaincy due to the racial-comment controversy. England's team is again in turmoil ahead of major competition: Euro 2012 and the London Olympics.

Perhaps the most important fact in all of this is that Terry has done it again for England. Yes, his problems with Wayne Bridge prior to World Cup 2010 caused internal strife in the team that took attention away from the pitch and, ultimately, distracted players from what was at stake on the soccer pitch. Would England have been better in group play? If they had won the group they would have evaded the talented German team and, perhaps, could have gotten past Ghana and Uruguay.

It also comes down to Capello's philosophy on and off the pitch. His side was never as dominant as expected from such an experienced and talented coach. Maybe the international scene just didn't suit him but maybe it was his unwillingness to understand and react to non-soccer happenings that pushed him to end his time as England manager. Terry's play has been in decline for some time now, even to the point of relegating him to the Chelsea bench. Having him next to Rio Ferdinand (brother of Anton Ferdinand in the racism controversy) just isn't feasible. This is especially true since Ferdinand continues to be a relevant player in the Premier League and internationally. No, Mr. Capello, Terry just doesn't fit in with the English defense anymore. Worse still would be to keep him as captain.

How does England address this problem? Considering that major international tournaments are so close to this event, important, calculated decisions remain to be made. The track record for most teams around the world indicates that the outcome isn't favorable for England's team. If, however, Harry Redknapp is able to rally his players and country in an unprecedented manner, then there is a chance things may favor the team. This is possible: Aguirre made a difference with Mexico in the previous World Cup cycle, although he had more time than is available for England's next manager prior to the international tournament. However, at that point, Mexico was seeing his qualification in danger. Another example is Luis Fernando Suarez for Ecuador during the 2006 qualifiers. When Hernan Dario Gomez left unexpectedly, Suarez was able to turn the turmoil into the best qualification process the team had ever seen.

So, plenty to digest for English football fans. Difficult times lie ahead, but life after Capello may offer better results on the pitch.

Women's Professional Soccer falters once again

There was a dream once that the United States would become the hub of women's world soccer. When the 1999 Women's World Cup drew to a close with Brandy Chastain's dramatic penalty shot, it gave the game legitimacy, followers and believers. Sadly, however, this did not translate to a professional league.

At one point there was a chance that women's soccer could piggyback on MLS in the early 2000s. At that point, however, MLS was undergoing contraction and reorganization. This may or may not have influenced the decision to remain as a separate entity. Thus, WUSA (Women's United Soccer Association) was born in 2000 but folded in 2003.

It always comes down to economics in world sports. For WUSA, a combined loss of $100 million was too much to bear. For MLS, significant losses also accrued early on but the league went to great lengths to stay viable until new stadiums and ownership allowed for some teams to make profits.

In 2009, Women's Professional Soccer made its debut as the premier league in North America. Names like Wambach, Marta and Solo highlighted the competition. It was thought (hoped) that these stars would capitalize on recent efforts (2008 Olympics) to catapult them to permanent sport status. The tournament included only six teams and problems with magic.jack caused it to suspend operations in 2012, despite the face that the ladies have qualified for the Olympics and could use competitive practice.

Will the ladies go to Europe? At least some of them will. The rest will take part in residency operations with friendly matches as warm-up for this summer's London tournament.

Sadly, it seems that women's soccer in this country is nothing more than an Olympic sport. By that we mean that it is closely followed during the Olympics and the World Cup but nothing beyond that. We all cheer for Hope Solo and Abby Wambach when they reach for glory but this dies down after the major international tournaments are over. Aside from a few friendlies, these athletes mostly go unnoticed. Such is the case for Olympians like Michael Phelps, among others.

Unlike the WNBA, which sees some profits in a few venues, the economics of of women's soccer haven't picked up at all. This is despite the fact that soccer is the number one sport for girls through high school and also has great importance in college.

So what will it take for women's soccer to be accepted as a year-to-year sport that matters? More support from fans? Ownership? Sponsors? Or maybe there should be an alliance with MLS. NBA subsidizes WNBA losses. If MLS is able to increase its revenue it could schedule women's games as doubleheaders with men's games. And let's try the Pacific Northwest for once. I attended a friendly versus Canada in a sold-out Jeld-Wen Field. And you have to start somewhere.

Model for the Qualifiers: USA defeats Panama in friendly

Photo credit: AP

Tonight's game between the US national team and its Panamanian equivalent was a perfect example of how to play in the World Cup Qualifiers. Start fast, play defensive and hold on to a favorable score and points. Tonight was also the third game won by the USA in a row, a first under Klinsmann and also abroad.

Graham Zusi scored his first goal in only his second cap, proving that the US has plenty of talent in MLS. It was an opportunistic strike in the 8th minute and one that kept Team USA ahead on the scoreboard throughout the game.

The offense was quite lively in the first half, with Wondolowski getting close to scoring the second for the US and an active and efficient Loyd-Shea partnership on the left wing. Bunbury was largely quiet but did have a couple of close shots. Jermaine Jones took several long range shots, one of which almost served to set a Wondolowski goal.

The defense was tested better than against Venezuela and if it hadn't been for Nick Rimando's heroics, then the scoreboard would have been 1-2 or 1-3 in favor of the "Canaleros." Parkhurst and Cameron looked particularly vulnerable through the middle and the latter was forced into making a tactical foul that resulted in his expulsion. And yet that is the mark of a good defender: to give up your space on the field to keep your team ahead. So, more of Geoff Cameron in the future might be intriguing.

The biggest lesson for this largely-novice group of players was the intense negative atmosphere of a Concacaf venue. If this had been a real qualifier, then three points abroad brings the team three steps closer to the World Cup. These are the kind of games needed to gain experience ahead of a new qualifying round and Klinsmann has been quite smart in setting up games abroad that widen the scope of US Soccer in a way that hasn't been done before. As the announcers said during the game, this was the first friendly against a Concacaf team outside of the US since the early 1990s. So, way to go Herr Coach. On to Italy with our "A" team.

Player ratings:
Rimando...............8
DeLaGarza............6
Parkhurst..............6
Cameron...............6.5
Loyd.....................5
Shea......................5.5
Clark.....................5.5
Jones.....................6.5
Zusi.......................7
Wondolowski........6.5
Bunbury................5

Subs: Johnson (6.5), Parke (6), Sapong (5), Evans (6), Larentowicz (6.5), Pearce (6.5)

Finding Tim Ream

Tim Ream is set to join Premier League side Bolton Wanderers after his travel permit was granted. Scarcely over a year ago, Ream had just completed a standout 2010 season and was starting to look like the next generation of American central defenders. He played every match of his first season with the New York Red Bulls and earned a debut start with the national team in a 1-0 win over South Africa later in 2010. He was dominant in stature, had superb distribution abilities, and even scored a goal. The American soccer press pegged him as the next Bocanegra or Onyewu. All waited for what would happen in 2011.

This past year was rather forgettable for Tim. He still showed well in the beginning stages of the year both with club and country. His time with Team USA took him through friendlies versus Argentina, Spain, Chile and Paraguay and to a starting spot in the 2011 Concacaf Gold Cup. With his club, things went from rosy to blood red as the experienced and opinionated Rafael Marquez blatantly suggested Tim and company were to blame for the team's defensive woes. Marquez would be moved to midfield and Keel would team up with Ream.

Perhaps the ill-timed unprofessionalism of Marquez and an unstable locker room at the Red Bull Arena made it harder for Ream to concentrate. At the Gold Cup, after a great debut versus Canada, Ream committed a foul in the penalty area and cost the team the game versus Panama. He played again for the USA in October and was faulted--possibly--for Ecuador's game-winning goal due to his inability to mark his man.

It was, perhaps, a comedy of errors in 2011. But Tim continued his steady presence with the Red Bulls, enough to see them through to a playoff versus eventual-winners Galaxy. Still, Tim persevered and his connections, namely Bradley and Klinsmann, allowed him to pursue training stints in Europe at Bolton Wanderers after months of scouting by teams like Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven and West Brom.

We should credit a coach's vision when it comes to Ream. Clearly, the standout defender of 2010 is the person they see and the one that they keep on asking for. It is Tim's assertiveness and his control and distribution of the ball as a left-footed center back which sets him apart from other defenders. Will he get exposed in the Premier League? Yes, all of them do. Will this be a bust for the player and US Soccer? Not so fast. Ream is a mature player with two years as a professional and international experience. He is 24, not too old and not too young. He is calm and collected, patient but explosive. And, perhaps as a side note to all the doubters, it might just be that Bolton Wanderers, the Premier League, and US Soccer may have lucked out finding Tim Ream.

Clark Returns: USA defeats Venezuela in friendly

Photo credit: USA Today

A forgettable match for non-die-hard fans. A moment of redemption for a USA original: Ricardo Clark. We may remember him from the World Cup 2010 round of 16 game between USA and Ghana. In that match, an early yellow card for Clark meant he had to be restrained in tackles later in the half. This allowed for Ghana's first goal, as he was out-muscled by Boateng. But today he scored a last-gasp goal in the 97th minute in his first match since that fateful day.

Clark wasn't the lone bright spot today. Geoff Cameron was especially impressive in defense. Feilhaber also enjoyed a good showing and expressed why he should still be in the conversation for the US midfield. Graham Zusi and Brek Shea had their moments, with the latter displaying sporadic instances of brilliance.

In the attack, Wondolowski showed why he may well be on his way to becoming a supersub. He may not be as fast as Agudelo or Altidore or be a possession player like Ching, but he has a good instinct in the penalty area. He was close on more than one occasion, and if it hadn't been for the Venezuelan goalkeeper, Wondo may have scored the game-winner. We didn't however, get a longer look at CJ Sapong. Bunbury did well but had extended periods in which he did not see the ball.

Not much else can be said about the defense or the defensive midfield. Jones did well in his outing as a captain and the yellow card let us know that yes, he's still being Jermaine Jones. Venezuela hardly tested Hamid so we didn't get to see why Klinsmann holds the DC goalkeeper with such high regard.

Player Ratings:

Hamid..................6
Parkhurst.............6
Cameron..............7
Pearce...................6
De la Garza..........6.5
Jones..................6.5
Shea....................7
Zusi.....................6.5
Larentowicz........6.5
Feilhaber............7
Bunbury..............6.5

Subs: Wondolowski (7.5), Sapong (6), Evans (6), Loyd (6), Clark (7.5)