fear and loathing in Guatemala City

I have to admit a certain level of disappointment with the US performance against the Chapines last week. Many have focused on criticisms leveled at Bob Bradley's player selections while still other take issue with the tactics employed. My main concern was with the mentality with which it appeared the US players and staff seemed to come out in this match.

Looking over the rosters for these two teams and the most recent history of the US program, I find it a bit disconcerting that while we assert that we are on par with, and some even suggest above, Mexico we would still look utterly timid in a match of this ilk. On paper, and yes, I know how faulty it is to even base a sporting opinion on that all-too-often used phrase, the US 11 at the beginning of this match should have had advantages in experience and talent to outpace their opponents. This is where I think a question over the level of motivation for the US team comes in handy. I'm well aware of the old adage "win at home, draw on the road" but in our region, has it not become a little disingenuous to feed into that mentality anywhere outside of Saprissa and Azteca?

To that end, I wonder if el Bob has the capability to truly fire up the troops in the ways that great coaches do when they know their players could come out complacent or overconfident? Is it possible or even probable that he did more in his team talk to make our players more on edge and nervous about the game as opposed to convincing them they could, should and would win if they played to their strengths and obviously talents?

In contrast, look at the Women's win in Beijing. I don't know how many out there seriously thought the ladies would win this one especially after the 2-0 loss to Norway in the opener and Brazil's subsequent shellacking of ze Germans. One constant, however, in all of the coverage and comments out of the US camp at the Olympics was Pia Sundhage and her persistence that she knew what the team was capable of and that they would accomplish it. She was critical of her charges at times but also proved a capable motivator.

So I ask, is Bob not the type of coach to kick our guys in the rear to get them up for bigger games? Is he just a man with a plan to keep the US from losing winnable games? I don't know the answer but qualifying is a very harsh magnifying glass and mirror for all of your faults. I think the US has a great opportunity as well with the upcoming qualifier in Havana to face what should be an extremely intense environment with confidence instead of timidity.

What do you think? E-mail me (fcfetty [at] yahoo [dot] com) or comment with your thoughts and I'll cover them in this week's podcast.

back in the swing

I suddenly find myself in a shiny world of newness since last we spoke. I've long since relocated to the lovely environs of Madison, WI and have found myself with quite a bit more free time of late. So, with that in mind, I will be slowly but surely be returning to the world of pseudo-soccer journalism. As always has been the intention of this blog, I will be bringing you my opinions on the world of soccer as I see it. This will also soon entail a weekly podcast.

Now, I wish I could say my coverage will be bias-free but if there's one thing I will quickly admit to it's that I have my biases. For those new to this corner of the soccer webs, that means I will always be keeping a closer on the US scene, particularly the National teams, as well as my personal favorite clubs; in this case DC United, the Charleston Battery, and in England - West Ham United. Also, it's not entirely unlikely that clubs I follow to varying degrees will be mentioned such as Saturn in Moscow, Inter Milan, 1.FC Koln, and any number of clubs where Americans are plying their trade.

I am currently still putting together my thoughts on the Men's match in Guatemala this past week as well as the state of US Women's soccer after a rather surprising gold medal win in Beijing. In addition, I'll have something to say soon on the US Open Cup Final between DC and Charleston, as well as the stretch run in USL 1. I won't claim this as the re-birth of my former coverage on uslfans.com (formerly a-league.com) but I do hope to provide some of the entertainment for value that some of you may have come to expect over the years.

If you have questions of comments that you'd like me to address "on air" with the podcast send them over to fcfetty [at] yahoo [dot] com