Day Recap: Several matches, different results.

Last night was a busy night for watching or following soccer. The U-20 FIFA World Cup is in full swing and the USA went head to head with Uruguay and after 120 minutes, they gutted out a 2-1 victory to setup a Quarter Final match up with Austria. At the same time, the Copa America Semi-Finals were in full swing as Argentina dashed Mexico's hopes of making their second straight tournament final with a 3-0 victory, setting up the CONMEBOL dream final of Brazil vs. Argentina.

I have to admit, last night was the first U-20 match that I have watched of the tournament. I figured that after the rave reviews I have seen about how organized and effective the USA was against both Poland and Brazil, I would check the team out for myself. I was a little disappointed in the performance that I saw. I expected a better looking side, when I saw a side the reminded me of the US squad that was sent to the Copa America.

Yes their team defending was pretty good, but the longer that match went on, the more I knew that it was going to be Uruguay scoring first. Based on that, along with the fact that the USA never really looked dangerous in the second half, I figured that the USA would get dumped out of the tournament 1-0. We were very lucky to get that goal to send it to extra time. Once we got that goal, I saw an entirely different USA team take it to Uruguay. I saw better runs and I finally saw Feddy Adu make himself known in the match. Overall, the extra period was way better than anything I saw for the first 90 minutes.

While this match was going on, I was flipping back and forth between the U-20's and the Copa America match. I really wasn't that impressed with Mexico for the half that I saw. Argentina seemed to be giving Hugo's boys a lot more space than they deserved. Guardado's strike that hit the post was very well taken, but I didn't see anything else from Mexico that made me feel that they were going to break down the Argentine defense. Argentina on the other hand, was making great runs in the box with Messi and Teves giving the Mexico backline fits.

So now CONMEBOL has their dream final of Brazil vs. Argentina. I have to believe that Argentina will pull this one out. Brazil has been sleep walking through this tournament and Argentina has been focused and dedicated towards winning the tournament. I see Argentina picking up the Copa America title.

Cut The Crap CONMEBOL

Ok, I realize that the USMNT squad that is taking part in the Copa America isn't exactly the A team that won the Gold Cup. Yes there are several guys who have worn the Red, White & Blue that have under 5 caps for the squad. I understand that calling them a "B-" squad would be an accurate title.

These things aside, CONMEBOL really has no ground whatsoever to blast the USSF for sending this squad to the Copa America.

According to ESPNsoccernet.com, CONMEBOL general secretary Eduardo Deluca told The Associated Press on in a telephone interview on Wednesday -

"We like for the continent's most important competition to be respected with the best players."

Deluca needs to understand what he is saying before he says it, that or become tennis buddies with Alexi Lalas. CONMEBOL nations have been short changing the Copa America for the last 8 or so years. When was the last time a full strength Brazil actually showed up for the tournament? If I am not wrong, this is the first year that Argentina has actually sent it's first team to the Copa America in several years.

I realize that the Copa America is the championship of South America, but does Deluca realize that we aren't members of his confederation? We were invited guests. Had the CONMEBOL officials said that as per stipulation for the invite, the USSF must send it's best team to the tournament, I think that they would have done as best as they could to send the best team. However, they didn't and the USSF IMHO, did the right thing and is using this tournament just like the US Military uses live fire exercises; they are giving less experienced guys a real taste of what they will get in World Cup Qualifying and in the World Cup.

The USSF, as they are not a member of CONMEBOL actually had other reasons for not bringing Deuce, Bocanegra, Howard, and other European based players. As the Gold Cup, and not the Copa America is the USSF's regional championship, the European based players only had to be released for that tournament. Other players like Feilhaber & DeMerit play for clubs that recognized that having their guys play in the Copa will benefit their clubs, so they released them. As for the MLS based players who didn't make the squad, (Donovan for example), that has more to do with MLS and the fact that Donovan's club sucks without him, as exhibited by them finally winning once he returned to the team.

I am happy that the US has been given such a valuable oppritunity to get real world experience on the international level. Would I have honestly liked to have seen the first team play down there? You bet your ass I would. I think we would have tied Argentine, beaten Paraguay, knocked off Columbia, dropped Mexico another 2-0 score line and made it to the Semi-Finals and either faced Brazil or Argentina again. That said, considering the situation that the USSF was in with the Gold Cup, the MLS season, European based player availability and the need to get new players into the fold, I think that they made the best decision.

On a different, but same note concerning the Copa America and player selections, I think that CONMEBOL should re-examine its schedule to allow for more players to play. Namely, I think that CONMEBOL should look at trying to shift the Copa America to the same year as the European Championships. If they did that, it would give their players a chance to get a full summer off the year after the World Cup and before it, along with giving European clubs less of a complaint for releasing players. I think that the one group of people who would be able to get this done is the media.

Think of it, the South American, Mexican and US based media outlets that get the broadcast rights to the European Championships and Copa America would have a soccer bonanza on their hands. With the time differences in match scheduling, they could lock fans into their TV's for the entire day. They can start the morning with the Euro Championships matches, then have a 30/60 minute recap show. Follow that with the Copa America preview show and two Copa matches that evening. Of course, this is assuming that the two tournaments start at the same time.

Having the Copa America every 4 years on the same schedule as the Euro Championships would allow for more rest with South American players and then Brazil could have it's entire first team for the tournament. This might also lead to a change to the South American World Cup qualifying, which could be shortened to allow for the tournament.

Instead of all 10 teams playing each other, have two groups of 5, with each side playing 8 matches. The top two sides from each group advance to the World Cup and the two third place finishers face off in a home/away series that determines who plays the 4th place CONCACAF side for that extra World Cup slot.

Oh well, a guy can dream.

Just about that time...retirement?

It always sucks to come to a sad realization when you figure out that you can no longer do what it is you love. My grandfather had a really hard time accepting that right before he died, he was no longer capable of driving, his reflexes were just too slow to handle a car. It was hard for most of my family to watch him try and drive, and it was even harder once he recognized his situation.

I think Kasey Keller is in this very same type of situation and I am not alone in this thought. Keller has said that if he doesn't get the right type of job offer, that he might retire from soccer. He says this as he also says that he has received several different offers, which makes me think that he hasn't been getting any starting offers or ones that aren't in Top Flight leagues. I would not be surprised if he does retire this summer.

I am not saying this simply based on the CNN/SI article or based on Adam Spangler's piece on Keller, I am saying this after watching him have more an more trouble in the goal this summer on the national stage than I ever remember Keller ever having. Last night we saw these problems allow two goals. Keller has lost a step and in soccer, if you aren't able to pounce on a ball, especially as a goalkeeper, you are done.

The first goal, I have to believe that the Kasey Keller of two or three years ago would have been off his line faster and disrupted the play. In all fairness, had his defenders actually done their jobs (Bornstein, don't watch the ball roll bye you, kick at it son) his job would have been a little less risky in goal. However, that last goal was less of a perfect strike (it was a great free kick) and more to do with the fact that Keller's feet just weren't fast enough.

Sadly, I think that despite the fact that the USA is still technically alive and could still make the Quarter finals, I really think that Brad Guzan needs to get the start this Thursday against Columbia. If this trip to the Copa America is really a learning situation for these guys, Guzan has got to get a game. Considering the reality of the situation, Keller should be on the bench.

Match Recap: USA 1 - 3 Paraguay

Well, that sucked.

I sort of feel like I need to crouch into the corner and keep repeating to myself, "Go to a Happy Place, Go to a Happy Place."

I know that these matches are being used by Bob Bradley and the USSF to get guys prepared for World Cup Qualifying. I know that over all, these matches mean just about the same as the January match against Denmark did, in the overall scheme of things. I know that the match against Argentina was not going to be a good one for our players.

That said and done, damnit, this still sucks watching our guys go out there and fuck themselves. Paraguay didn't do anything spectacular, they didn't destroy the USA and they sure as hell didn't really impress me. They did the one thing that the USA didn't do, they converted their chances.

In the 8th minute, Ben Olsen put the ball on Kljestan's forehead right in front of the goal. What does Kljestan do with it? He watches it go bye. Eddie Johnson had so many situations where he was at the top of the 18 yard box with the ball and what did he do with the ball? He passed it back. Justin Mapp, once he was brought on, thought it was Mapp vs. Paraguay and lost possession almost every time he tried to run the ball into the net.

I really don't know. Do our guys have it in their heads that they are not allowed to take a shot at the goal? Do they think that if they have the ball in an open space more than 5 seconds, the pitch will open up and swallow them? Do they think that when they pass the ball it is ok to just roll it across the field? I believe they do, because they did these things over, and over, and over again tonight.

Jonathan Bornstein really needs to understand that if he has a break away up the left side of the field, he needs to run balls out towards the end line. If there is anyone on his team that understands that he needs assistance, they will make a run up the center of the field and once he gets up the field, he will either have the chance to cross or get a free kick. He doesn't need to stop or slow down halfway through his run and let the defender dispossess him. If he changed that of all of his plays, he will be a better left sided threat out of the back.

I know that these matches are to have these players cut their teeth in the international field of play, but when they are failing to even realize when to pass and when to not pass or even take a shot at goal, I am grasping at straws as to what they are learning.

Half of the moves, check that; 90% of the moves that Justin Mapp tried during the 20 or so minutes he was on the field, he did at too slow a pace. He was so slow when he would try and cut on a defender that the defender just stepped with him and took out the play.

I like Bob Bradley. I wouldn't have selected him as the Head Coach, but I like what he has done with the squad and I think he will do a very good job with the USMNT. That said and done, I want to know why he isn't getting his guys to react quicker? Are they incapable of realizing that something isn't working? The lone US goal was a wonderful build up through the middle of the field and one that came about when the US players moved forward and attacked the goal. Why didn't Bradley tell his guys to continue to do that? Other than the goal, we pretty much always tried to go down the sides with the attacks.

The biggest sin (if you will) was that I saw more guys get the ball about 7 yards from the 18 yards box and immediately pass the ball back towards the US side of the field. They wouldn't try and hold it for a second or even try and find a guy who might be making a run. They would do the "safe" thing and pass it away from the Paraguay players. Once they realized that the US players weren't going to really move towards goal, the Paraguayan’s just moved their entire line up towards midfield and we normally lost the ball.

Why didn't Bob yell at his guys to press the ball? Why can't EJ or Twellman understand that they would get better service if they actually made runs at the goal, instead of standing inside the 18 yard box, hands on hips, with two defenders around them?

I expected Argentina to beat us. I expected the US to beat Paraguay. I now know that we are seeing that Bob Bradley is having more trouble with lesser players than he did with the first string guys. I really can't see the USA getting any type of result here. I guess it is a learning experience.

Side Note - Can the USSF schedule a friendly against Paraguay later this year or early next year? This is the type of side we should be getting matches against. Preferably in Paraguay, but hell, if they want their Euro players to not travel as far, how about in Portugal?

Week off: Oh What a Week it was!

So right after the USMNT “got” bye the Canadian National team and booked their trip to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, I too took a trip. I ended up going out to Iowa for wedding related issues. While I was out in Des Moines I was able to catch the Gold Cup final at The Royal Mile (if you ever get to Des Moines, check it out, the place is awesome).

That was one helluva match. Bocanegra being a monster on the backline, Tim Howard having a great match, Donovan stepping up and not chocking on the PK, and Benny’s goal. Damn that was a good game.

I was glad to see Mexico come out firing and pushing the Americans back. The entire tournament it had been the USA storming out of the gates, but this match was different from the other five. Yes the score line was the same, but I saw a different USA come out in the second half. One that was down a goal for the first time since January and needed to recapture its lost form. They did that in the form of Ricardo Clark. His play in the second half injected a much needed presence in the midfield which woke up the Americans. Too bad we couldn’t win the game 2-0.

Hats off to the USMNT for winning their second straight Gold Cup and booking a trip to South Africa in 2009.

So right after that, or during it (I really don’t remember) I saw that Thierry Henry finally decided to make the move to Spain and join Barcelona. I honestly think that this move came one year too late and cost Barcelona the Champions League and La Liga this last season. This move also has pretty much sunk Arsenal for their 2007/08 season.

Without Henry, Wenger (if he is still around next season) has a much larger task at hand, and no real incentive to draw star players to the Gunners. Next season, pretty much as this last season went, the EPL “Big Three” will be Manchester United, Chelsea & Liverpool. Sorry Nigel.

So when I returned to DC from Iowa, I went straight into a week long Microsoft training class. Having to study for two tests in one week forced me to miss my first home DC United match of the season. Pissed me off too, it looked like a good one. I was happy to see (DVR is god) that after we went down a goal, that the entire squad stepped up their play and we were able to get a PK for our efforts. Hopefully Kpene’s injury doesn’t keep him off the field for too long. Getting the offense in gear is a good sign.

The other big United news this week was the Facundo Erpen for Greg Vanney trade that just happened. I really don’t know how to rate this one. On one hand you have a very talented, but very erratic young Argentine defender who could have become a longtime defender for the club; and on the other you have an experienced US player who instantly brings solid defensive experience to a backline that has been anything less than stable. Trading Erpen does keep the club from having to use a Senior International roster spot next year, giving the club a chance to bring in an other experienced defender or (heaven forbid) a possible replacement for either Gomez or Moreno. Trading Erpen also allows us in Blog land to retire the phrase: Erpen had his usual gaff/flub/SNAFU/…ect. I do wish him well in Colorado.

I do like the move of bringing in Vanney. Considering that he at most will stick with the club for this season and maybe next, the time he is here should be a god send for helping Boswell and Namoff as they move more and more into the USMNT spotlight. Having Vanney’s experience assist their talent should get them more playing time, as well as giving Troy a little bit less work to do over the course of the season.

Now we have the Copa America and Bradley’s first loss. You knew it was coming and you knew that if it didn’t come from Mexico, Argentina was going to serve that big L on a dish served cold. We all knew that we would loose to Argentina, the fact that we even got a goal in my mind was the surprise. Yes it was a PK, but I was shocked we even held them in the first half.

After watching the match again on DVR, I saw that Bornstein played a great match, much better than any he had in the Copa America. Ben Olsen provided the same thing that he has been doing for DC United, he was the energy bomb that the squad needed to run. Once he left the field and Argentina decided to bring on Aimar, the match was over. I had hoped for a better score line considering that we held them in the first half, but 4-1, in a match with a USA B/C team against the best Argentina has to offer…that ain’t half bad. This loss will go so much farther in getting our guys ready for World Cup Qualifying than any of the Gold Cup matches will.

Match Recap: DC United 3 - 1 Chicago Fire

Ok, I definitely have a question or two after tonight's match: Is DC United as good as they were tonight in utterly dominating the Fire or are the Fire just that damn bad?

I cannot remember the last time I saw DC United dominate any opponent as completely as they did against the Fire tonight. The Fire were able to venture into United territory maybe, maybe for 20 minutes tonight. Tonight I saw the United of last season, the United to ruled the midfield and dictated the entire match.

Sadly, I also saw the United that seemed to have completely forgotten that it was there to play soccer, and that United allowed the one Fire goal. The best sign of the night wasn't Emillio's two goals, or Benny's awesome flank play or the play of Gomez...it was that once United reverted back to the bumbling, stumbling defensive unit and allowed the one Fire goal, they went right back to work and shut down every and any attempt the Fire made to truly get back into the match.

Dare I say that Soehn has finally put the squad together?

So now United sits on 17 points, currently fourth in the East. All three clubs ahead of United dropped two points each so the Eastern Conference race just tightened up abit. United's next match is away at Real Salt Lake, a club that is still searching for their first victory. Alecko Eskandarian and Nick Rimando will have some extra incentive to play against United, but considering what I saw tonight coupled with how utterly awful I saw RSL play Thursday night, this might be the first trip out to Utah that I am not that worried about.

On an other note, we should find out this week who the USSF calls into the camp for the Copa America. As we already know that Jamie is training with Bolivia for their campaign, we might have to brace ourselves for the chance of losing two to three more guys to the tournament. The way that Benny is playing right now, I cannot be more than happy for him to be considered for the USMNT squad. Boswell and Namoff are rumored to be in line for callups as well, so our bench depth is going to be brought into question even more as this week goes on.

FIFA Rankings: USA #16?

FIFA released its June rankings and other than Brazil dropping to #3, the biggest story is the USA moving up from #29 to #16. It is speculated that the large jump is due to the strong start to the Gold Cup, as official tournament matches have more weight than friendly matches. Mexico on the other hand, dropped six spots to #26. Poor Mexico.

Ok, does anyone out there really think that wins against Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, and El Salvador along with a friendly win over a less than experienced China warrants a 13 place jump? Are these FIFA rankings the same inflated/bloated ones that had had the USA ranked #5 in the world?

Assuming we make it to the Gold Cup finals, our run here should help offset any problems we get from the performance in the Copa America.

Pachuca and Chivas advance to CONCACAF Semi Finals.

Both of Mexico’s two clubs that are participating in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup advanced to the Semi-Finals last night. Pachuca advanced with a 3-0 aggregate score line over Marquense, winning the first leg 2-0 at home and winning last nights match in Guatemala 1-0. They will now face either Costa Rica’s Puntarenas or Houston Dynamo of MLS. Puntarenas has a 1-0 lead over Houston as they both meet tonight in College Station, Texas.

Chivas came back from a 2-1 aggregate scoreline to with a 3-0 home victory over W Connection last night in Guadalajara, advancing with a 4-2 goals aggregate. In a very, very, very empty Estadio Jalisco, Chivas dominated pretty much every aspect of their match. Chivas lost the first leg in Trinidad 2-1 two weeks ago. Chivas will now take on either CD Olimpia of Honduras or DC United from MLS. DC United hosts CD Olimpia tonight at RFK Stadium (which should look something similar to Estadio Jalisco in terms of attendance) with DC United having a 4-1 aggregate lead.

I watched the second half of the Pachuca match and can say that I wasn’t too thrilled with either club. Pachuca, being up 3-0 was pretty much just going through the motions. Marquense tried to mount some offense, but they really never threatened. There was a nice run of play near the end with a near header, but that was about it.

Between watching Pachuca and Chivas, I watched Maryland take on Duke (Maryland beat the Dukies again) and switched back over to FSC to watch Chivas. Estadio Jalisco holds what, about 50,000 or more seats? I would maybe guess that they had 7,000 for their match last night. I guess playing against a club from Trinidad doesn’t get the regular fans out to the stadium. Their supporters group were out and loud behind the goal though, so they brought it well.

Over all, the CONCACAF Champions Cup is playing out exactly to the “script.” Mexico has their two clubs in the Semi-Finals and now awaits to see who they face. DC United and Houston Dynamo host CD Olimpia and Puntarenas tonight to see who moves on. I feel very confident that with a first leg cushion of a 4-1 aggregate, DC United will be facing Chivas in the Semi-Finals. Houston is the gray area here. If they can get their offense going, they have a good chance at a 2-0 victory. Their defense showed pretty well for horrible playing conditions and hopefully will step it up again tonight. It all depends on their offense and their fitness.

On a side note: Mexico once again proved that unless they are playing the USA, they can win a match north of the border, beating Copa America host Venezuela 3-1 in San Diego.

Soccer News & Notes: 2/23/2007

Pachuca Win 2-0 in CONCACAF Champions Cup
Defending Copa Sudamericana champions Pachuca dropped Marquense of Guatamala 2-0 last night at home in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarter final match up. The second leg will be played Feb. 28 in San Marcos, Guatemala.

Carling Cup Final: Arsenal vs. Chelsea
The young guns vs. the millionaires. Chelsea captain John Terry has been ruled out of this match up due to an injury he picked up midweek in Porto. Arsene Wenger has stated that he will primarily use the same younger side that he has used through the entire Carling Cup campaign, which seems to mean that Henry will either not suit up or will be on the bench for this match up.

This could be the last chance for Jose. If he wins this title, he might, might stave off the executioners ax for a couple more weeks, but if Chelsea fails to win this match, especially against a less than full strength Arsenal, despite the defensive injuries, the Special One will (IMHO) become the Fired One. With the tools that he has been given, to have as many problems this season as he has, which in any normal club would be no problems, Mourinho is expected to be first in the league, and to be dominating like they did last year. Is the criticism warranted? Not really in my opinion. He still has Chelsea alive in all competitions and, which is a better situation than Sir Alex, Wenger, or Rafa can say for their clubs. However, if Chelsea fails to win their second Carling Cup in three years, expect the ball to be rolling for Mourinho.

Copa Libertadores: River Plate 2 – 1 Colo Colo
In a match up of former champions, Argentina’s River Plate picked up three important away points last night in their opening Copa Libertadores match at Chile’s Colo Colo, winning 2-1. River went ahead 1-0 with a goal taken from a contested free kick, not unlike Ryan Giggs goal midweek at Lille in the UEFA Champions League.

Tired of talking to a wall: Trecker Article

I think I know why the US soccer program is having its problems. It really has nothing to do with the soccer, it has everything to do with the tunnel vision that those who cover soccer have. The main tunnel vision is about things that are done by the USSF and MLS. One of those main people is Jaime Trecker, lead sports writer for Fox Soccer.

Trecker has posted an article that seems straight out of a Big Soccer posting. Go check it out, I half expected to see a Big Soccer handle instead of his name.

Trecker is basically asserts that in saying that the CONCACAF Gold Cup is their primary focus this summer, the USSF is focused on the wrong tournament. He feels that the Copa America should be where the USMNT sends its better players and that a group of MLS players should be used in the Gold Cup. He says this because he wants us to win the Copa America, a tournament that he himself says we cannot win.

Trecker is using a very, very short sighted view on these two tournaments, the same way most of the posters on Big Soccer have done. “We should go guns blazing into the Copa,” or “Who cares about the Gold Cup, we gotta win the Copa and get our respect back.” Those are two of the more popular types of posts on this topic in Big Soccer and pretty much fall in the same line with Trecker’s article. In my humble opinion, both are wrong.

The USSF and Bob Bradley are not simply focused on the next year, but they are looking towards 2010. The next World Cup is what the focus for the collective minds of those who will be choosing the players for both tournaments and with that in mind, I feel that they have a pretty good and clear plan that is in operation. Sure they should give Bradley the job full time and really begin to schedule more away matches, but those two issues aside, their decision to send a stronger side to the Gold Cup is a better choice.

Look at it from this point of view.

This year’s Gold Cup is the qualifiers for the Confederations Cup in 2009. Considering that the 2010 World Cup is set for South Africa, some place that the USA has never played in and should offer a chance to face teams like France, Italy, Brazil, Nigeria and so on, it is a very good tournament for the USA to get to take part in. So if all we need to do is win our regional tournament, our weak regional tournament, we get a chance to play in a tournament that will take place in the World Cup host stadiums and face some of the better nations in FIFA. Why wouldn’t we want to do everything imaginable to ensure that the USMNT gets the CONCACAF berth in the 2009 Confederations Cup?

The Copa America is an experience unlike many other. It is also a similar type of environment to the one that the USMNT faces when it travels to Central America and Mexico for World Cup Qualification matches. Doesn’t it seem that the 2007 Copa America would be the perfect chance to get guys like Bornstein, Boswell, Cannon, Clark, Rolfe, Mapp, DeMerit, Feilhaber, Wynne, Bradley and others who have never traveled for a national team match outside of the USA, a chance to cut their teeth on what that environment is like? This won’t even really cost the USSF anything because if they perform poorly, then we still get a chance to get new guys in for the World Cup qualifying. If they buckle under pressure in World Cup qualifying, where would we be then?

This is why the Copa America should be used this year, as a chance for the newer guys, those who haven’t had bags of urine or batteries thrown at them, to see how football in the rest of the world is, especially in conditions similar to CONCACAF World Cup qualification situations. How will the new guys, the young guys who should be getting ready to carry the torch, get any proper experience by playing in the Gold Cup? Further more, if you win the Gold Cup, we can send a similar type team to the Confederations Cup, which gives them even more of a crash course in the international game.

If the USSF is going to replace the guys who really carried the National team from the Wynalda’s the Meola’s and the Harkes’; we are going to have to start getting them to grow up faster. Replacing Reyna and Pope and McBride with Bradley, Feilhaber, Bornstein & Cooper will take some time. Sending them into the Gold Cup won’t give them the chance to experience the most unique of environments that the Copa America is. It really won’t give them the chance to “sink or swim.”

Until the soccer media in the USA begin to realize that the years between each World Cup and the start of the next Qualification process are best used to season the new players, the situation in our country with our national team will continue to be one of a lesser sport. We really shouldn’t be that worried with how we do in the Copa America, because just playing against Columbia in South America will be the type of thing that gets us closer to beating Mexico in Azteca during World Cup qualifying. Playing Cuba in Giants Stadium won’t. Playing against Italy in Cape Town in 2009 will give us a better chance at beating Spain in Pretoria in 2010.

Jaime, look at the big picture. See how not sending the USMNT players who are experienced to the Copa America will increase the chances that the performance of our national team in 2006 won’t happen again. How else are we going to truly get to a full pool of players without throwing some of our guys off the deep end? I would rather see the USMNT win the Gold Cup, get three quality matches (or more, I think that we can still take third in our group and advance to the knock out round) in the Copa America for seasoning the newer guys and continue our development.

Using the Copa America as a chance for player development is a perfect opportunity. It allows the USSF to get players excellent international experience and it gives the coaching staff the chance to really work under international conditions. Hopefully the USSF will maintain its stance on what type of team they send to each tournament. Sending a group of newer guys to the 2007 Copa America will be a huge step towards ensuring that we have players who do not crack under pressure in 2010 in some South African stadium.

Copa America Draw Tonight

CONMEBOL will be holding the 2007 Copa America draw tonight to figure out where six of the participating nations will be grouped and who they will face. CONMEBOL has already placed the following clubs into groups:

Group A:
- Venezuela
- Bolivia

Group B:
- Brazil
- Mexico

Group C:
- Argentina
- United States

Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay will find out which groups they will join at tonight’s draw.

Venezuela will open the tournament against Bolivia on June 26th. Brazil will face Mexico on June 27th and the USA will face Argentina on the 28th. The USSF was able to negotiate having the USMNT placed in Group C to ensure as much of a gap between the end of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the opening match in the Copa. The Gold Cup final is Sunday, June 24th in Chicago.

I like the idea of facing Argentina. Assuming that Argentina follows their normal procedure, they should be sending a squad that will rely heavily on U-23 players and fringe players who will need blooding for 2010 World Cup qualification. As I suggest that the USSF sends a squad made up of lesser experienced players to the Copa America, it will still give them a good experience.

I honestly think that the USSF and the USMNT program would get a lot more out of sending a less than veteran squad to the Copa America. In sending a group of guys like Jay DeMerit, Justin Mapp, Benny Feilhaber, Bobby Boswell, Marcus Hahnemann, Eddie Johnson, Jonathan Bornstein and such, we get to have them experience a hostile environment similar to how World Cup qualifying will have. If these guys are going to produce for us in Mexico City or Panama City then they need to be ready for how the fans will act. Remember the Nike commercial last spring? The one showing Santino sitting underneath the ceiling tiles that were bouncing with the fans? Yeah, that is what these guys need to experience, so that when they need to get 3 points from Panama or Costa Rica, in Panama City or San Jose, they will be prepared for the environment.

I am looking forward to both this and the Gold Cup. This should be a good summer of soccer. Anything better than last summer would be fine with me.