I know I Keep Talking About This But...

I know I keep talking about this but it really is sad to be a US Soccer fan at this moment in time. The recent string of qualifying games, plus this awful string of performances at the Confederation's Cup in South Africa make me ill. I don't even know where to begin with where to place the blame, as there are allot of people to point fingers at, but I think it has to start with the head coach and his staff.

I truly believe that BOB BRADLEY HAS TO GO. From a tactical point of view, I have seen better organization on my Sunday league team than I have seen from us in recent weeks. I think Jamie Trekker said it best in his blog that the Americans were a formless, shapeless mess, an amoeba of men on the field." I know that there is talent on that team and it seems like at any time there are just 11 guys out there on the field running around with very little knowledge of what they are as a unit. On some level it pays to be fit and to be able to out last your opponents, but what good is that fitness if you are always chasing the game. You can't honestly watch us play and figure out a style of play, and that lies at the coaches feet. At least with Bruce Arena there you knew were gonna go out there work hard and play for the opportunistic goal, but now it doesn't even seem as if we have that.

We are not a defensive minded team like the Greeks, we are not a possession team like the Spaniards, and sadly we don't even look like the Egyptians who are a very hard working team, which used to be our trademark. The last few games defensively we have given up an early wasteful goal, and more often than not, not been able to recover from the early goal. Had it not been for the heroics of Tim Howard, the scorelines in each game would have been far worse. Sunil Gulati as President of the US Soccer Federation has to take a good hard look at where we are now and where we need to be if we are to ever challenge for a world title or at least not get embarrassed in South Africa next year and beyond.

As I said I know there is talent on this team, but good coaches know how to get the best out of their players and its obvious that this is not the case with Bob Bradley. A good example of that is Clint Dempsey. I watched him play allot this year on television for his club Fulham n England and his performances were that of a player who knew that he had to fight every minute of every game in order to stay on the field, as a bad performance would see him relegated to the bench. His runs were good, he works hard, and there was even a well worked goal or two from time to time. When you watch him play for the US, the same level is just no there. While he still works hard, his runs are often misplace, he never seems to get close to the target, and he constantly gives away possession in or around midfield. If he were to give a similar effort for his club, Roy Hodgson would have him playing for the reserves. Signs of a player that knows that no matter how badly he plays, he will still get picked. Which brings up my next point about why Bradley continues to select Damarcus Beasley for national team duty when its obvious his best days are behind him. How awful does he have to play in order for the coaching staff to realize this?

I just don't think that Bradley has yet to grasp an understanding of coaching this team away from the comforts of home on US soil and in the friendly confines of CONCACAF. In MLS and on home soil you can probably get good performances from Donovan when he is deployed as a striker, due to the weak competition, but put him against a quality defender that forces him to play with his back to the goal and he will struggle to find the ball. He is at his best when he gets the opportunity to run at defenders and use his speed. A part of me hopes that Egypt mops the floor with us tomorrow as that is what it will take for Sunil Gulati to make a change. We as US soccer fans deserve better. And if you think I am crazy, lets just take a look at the US Women's National Soccer team. We don't just expect those girls to go out and have a decant showing at tournaments, they are expected to win each and every tournament they are involved in and I think its time we took the same approach with the Men's team. Greg Ryan actually had a string of good performances and an overall good record when he was the women's national team coach, but a few bad decisions that contributed to a 4-0 loss to Brazil in the 2007 World Cup and Ryan was out on his ass. This was a guy who as coach from 2005 to 2007 compiled a 45-1-9 record as coach, yet he was on his on the unemployment line after that tournament.

In short I think we have gone as far as Bradley can take us, and its not too late to make a change. We are going to qualify simply due to the fact that we are one of the top teams in CONCACAF, but if we want to avoid the embarrassment of the Confederations cup for this time next year at the World Cup, then a change has to be made. There are a few qualified candidates out there with the experience and know how to take us to the next level. Juergan Klinsmann and Gordan Strachan to name a few.

I Think It's Time For Bob Bradley to Go...

I think the title says it all on this one. After watching that shameful performance the other night versus Costa Rica. I know there are tons of people out there that say its on the players as well to perform, and to a certain extent I agree, but it just seems like we are a team lost and at times unmotivated. We saw the same type of game vs El Salvador where they went out there all casual and almost got their ass whooped had it not been for a tiring El Salvador defense and rally by the US in the second half. The difference is that this Costa Rica team was allot better than that and were able to come out in the second half and attack us.

At first I was a Bob Bradley fan as it seemed like he really was focused on playing attacking football, but now I don't know what the hell we are doing. The team has no sense of itself or identity. Are we an attack minded team, a possession team, a counterattack team, or a defensive minded team? Who the hell knows, as it just seems we have been going out there and knocking the ball around, and against Costa Rica, we didn't even seem to do that right. I have to question some of Bob Bradley's lineup changes on the evening as well:

• Damarcus Beasley - I at one point was a big fan of his with his energy and ability to give defenders fits with his pace and energy, but lets face it, he hasn't been the same player since his injury. That is evident by the fact that he can't even get on the field for his club team Rangers FC in Scotland, so why the hell is he even in camp much less the starting lineup? I thought Heath Pierce did a better job when he was put out on the left flank a while back. I think Beasley is done and needs to come back from Europe and get some regular playing time in MLS, and then earn his way back to the US National Team picture.
• Marvell Wynne - Way too young to to be put in a situation like that in on the right side of defense, not to mention the fact that he is just not the finished product right now and doesn't have the necessary experience to justify that selection. Jonathon Spector was more than capable of filling that spot, and he wasn't even given a spot on the bench for some reason.
• Landon Donovan - I have always said that Landon Donovan is our most dangerous player but only when he is in a position where he can run at defenses and wreak havoc. That is not going to happen when he is playing as the lead striker with his back to the goal. If you are going to use him in the 4-3-3 then play him wide where he can still run at defenses, but his best position is either on the wing or sitting behind the two forwards where he can run at defenses, or trail the play where one of the forwards can lay the ball off to him. That forward role may work for him with the LA Galaxy, but its never done him or the team any good against international competition.
• Jose Torres - I thought he was the best player on our team in the first half of the game. The atmosphere didn't seem to effect him and his passes were good and he moved the ball well. Then amazingly he was replaced at half time by Sacha Kljestan, which made no sense to me. Playing in Mexico, he is probably better equipped to come into a game like this and play well, and I thought it was an injustice when he was replaced.

I think its time that US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati, take a good hard look at where the direction of this team is going and if we can get where we need to be with Bradley at the helm. I want to win a World Cup and I am 100% sure it won't happen with Bob at the helm. We need a coach with big game club as well as international experience, not to mention fresh tactics. A coach who will demand the best from his players at all times and hold them accountable when they don't perform.

There is still time to make the change and bring in a new coach with a new outlook in time to salvage this qualifying campaign and for the World Cup next year. I have no doubt that Bradley can get us out of qualifying, but not out of any qualifying group in World Cup play. It's time for a change...