On Wednesday, June 24, 2009: Heavily favored Spain, number 1 in the world, was #1, was defeated a 0-1 by the U.S. The following soccer match they almost defeated Brazil. Still, congratulations.

Nazi Germany conquered most of Europe and North Africa in the early days of WW II.

“We will train in any kind of weather to reach our objective in Normandy, France!”
A Tiger Tank









The rare John Wayne. Never Give Up!

The clash was savage. Nothing was technically decided who could be eliminated. Note, I say technically.
So everything centered on the third and final game for everybody. The US not only had to win, Italy had to beat the Czechs, w/o their giant killer Koller.
ALL the breaks had to happen for America to reach the second round. If Italy lost, no matter what we did, we were eliminated. If they tied, we had to score like crazy against Ghana. Well, Italy won.

A tie would have been lamentable for America... no possible chance for salvation. So, the Unites States had to respond in unbelievable fashion. Unfortunately, they did not have the scoring bravado or the luck, and lost to Ghana,2-1. One goal was given by a crooked ref. Miracles can happen, if you pray, I thought. I don't think anybody in the US squad prayed.

The US had to respond and fight for every second, and create a surprise play to score.
Although we played w/o 2 key defenders, victory was possible against Ghana. But, they concentrated on playing airballs like they did against the Czechs. Unfortunately, they were neither graceful nor tough. Only Demphsey responded with a goal; he was the bright spot. It got even worse when you realize that it had been 17 games since Landon has scored in a major international.
Refs in Germany were given special orders by FIFA to issue cards for over physical play, and some became excessive. Bottom line, we were cheated when the referee gave a card to Oguchi, only because he was bigger and he wanted to show the American who was boss at the expense of cheating. That was a bad call, many European commentators agreed. Beckenbauer questioned the issuance of yellow cards. The later games were a little better in terms of officiating. The issuing of cards changed. In the Holland-Arg game, I saw 10 and 14 fouls apiece, yet no one was kicked out, so maybe this foul business has a chance for improvement. I hope to avoid bad repeats.
Some Europeans never liked our ranking of 5th in the world. We went into the World Cup with depth in terms of Cup experience as there were many who were returning from the dream squad of 2002. Two players took part part in their 4th World Cup, Capt. Claudio Reyna and goalie Kasey Keller. Was it serious that Reyna reinjured his leg at the end of May? I had hoped he had made a speedy recovery. Would you believe the US national team played like if this were 1970? The US has become somewhat of a soccer country. MLS attendance after eight weeks was up more than 2,000 a game--up from an average of 14,095 in 2005 to 16,128 in 2006. But, then we saw our young players act like retards for more than half the time they were on the field, makes me want to faint. What in heaven's name happened?

The last time America played in Germany was on Mar. 22, 2006 when our midfield just collapsed. American fans want to watch the best, and I do remember a lot of top guns were not present to suit up vs Germany that March.
The US team did not have these key players: Donovan, Reyna, McBride, Frankie, Oguchi, Bocanegra, Pope or Beasely. That’s a lot. World Cups always possess pressure. So, I really had high hopes for our team. And to think of it. The U.S. team's game against the Czech Republic Monday June 12 earned the highest rating (2.3) and the largest audience (2.06 million households) ever for a soccer game on ESPN2, according to Nielsen. The previous all-time high for a soccer game on ESPN2 was set during Saturday's Argentina-Ivory Coast match, which received a 1.8 rating (1.6 million households). But, the team squandered it. I am a soccer afficionado but they blew it--actually I like all sports. It is the American in me.

US viewership for the World Cup on ESPN2 has more than doubled compared to previous editions of the world's biggest sporting event. For the first weekend of games on ESPN2, Nielsen reported an increase in number of households of 252 percent compared to the 1998 tournament and an increase of 191 percent compared to the first weekend of the 2002 tournament. Prior to the first U.S. game, the five live ESPN2 telecasts during this year's opening weekend earned an average rating of 1.4 (1.2 million households) compared to a 0.5 rating (426,531 households) in 2002, when games took place in early morning hours because the tournament was held in Japan and Korea.
In 1998, when France hosted the World Cup and kickoff times were similar to those of this year's event, the first seven games on ESPN2 earned a 0.6 rating (352,686 households).
Our first opponent the Czech Republic, ranked second in the world, creamed us. The old men found a tonic and turned young. We could not take care of beanpole Jan Koller, Pavel Nedved and Milan Baros. This was particularly important in the opening halves when Koller’s old legs were fresh. (Their best player was the midfielder six foot-6 (some say 6-7 and the last time I looked some Europeans even made him 6-8. Koller, AND HE IS old. Second best is #11 Pavel Nedved, who was coaxed out of retirement, who can unleash thunderbolts with either foot. Nedved is known as the Czech Cannon Giant. Koller scored nine times in qualification.)
The United States could not contain 20 year olds Milan Baros and 25-yr old Tomas Rosicky. We kept MAKING STUPID PASSES IN THE AIR.
Donovan only once in the whole first 45 minutes lead a charge down the middle using his superior speed and the only thing that happened was that he was tripped, and the Czech got a yellow card.
On the ensuing kick to the right, Beasely lost the ball. You kept thinking eventually they will get settled. The US in all-navy blue acted stupid. Almost every attack centered on some stupid long air ball. Nobody told anybody to play triangle passing and make the enemy come out. ie. loosen up the defense.
At the 21 min mark, Landon made a beautiful steal, right outside the Czech box. It looked marvelous. Then a perfect start for a triangle passing set, Landon to Captain Reyna. Reyna to the center, but right in the center were all these tall Czechs. They beat us and cleared the ball out. Pregame strategy was the fault of the coaching staff. They stinked, too.
For 27 minutes, however, it was still 1-0. It was our defense that was plugging up their attacks. People tend to forget how close the USA came to tying the game. In a rare display of passing that reminded me of the old USA I knew, the ball was delivered to Donovan on the left. He made a perfect center pass to Reyna's feet. None of this air ball junk. Reyna took a long-range power shot from outside the penalty box. He had three defenders in front. Unfortunately, his kick hit the bottom of the left goal post and ricocheted out, leaving the Czech goalie sprawled on the ground. By 1 inch he missed.
We had 40,000 fans packed in the stadium, most screaming their heads off for the United States. The US was hustling for much of the 1st half. Why the US coaches force Beasely to play R wing is beyond me. He had excelled in 2002 on the left.
For the first 34 minutes of the 1st half, believe it or not, the US still had some sort of gun-ho. But, after the 34th, we went downhill. Why didn't we at least get a goal? Because nobody reminded anybody not to play so many airballs against a team with superior height. Halftime, America was down by two. O'Brien came in for Mastroeni; Eddie Johnson for Cherundolo. Eddie Lewis complicated things by constant air balls. The only person more invisible than Donovan in the 2nd half was Brian McBride. He had to have swallowed a mickey. He is my hero, but something happened. As a matter of fact, the whole team did not act like themselves.
Striker McBride faltered and was never in the game. Forward 22 yr-old Eddie Johnson, The Golden Boot winner at the 2003 Youth World Cup, added a spark, but too late.. This young black player with zing in super-speed was underutilized, in my opinion.
Candidly, when we use him he can be both undependable and dependable. For the past 9 months I’ve been watching him. He never gets tired. In reality as he showed while playing Morocco and Latvia, do not depend on him to score on rebounds. Arena recruited him because he has the knack to knock at the door of the goalmouth and the brains to institute pressure for a score. (Arena DID NOT UTILIZE HIM TIL THE SECOND HALF.)
He and his buddies could not score. Maybe somebody slipped a mickey to the whole US team. Experience and brains disappeared. Too many times before, I have seen speedsters play like Johnson, fast and everything but do not know what to do with the ball when it was thrust at them--like Eddie Lewis--to score. Johnson has the speed and the incision, as long as it is not a rebound in mid-air.
Their Weakest Link was their achilles: Depth. We could not keep the first string intact, Eleven were first timers to the World Cup, and when 1 or 2 regulars were forced out, the whole line had no power. Oguchi Onyewu (pronounced On-eh-woo) at 6 feet four is too slow by himself! We had Cory Gibbs at 6-3, but he just got injured in May and was kaput.
Josh Wolf, who I think has a tendency to tire too easily, Brian McBride, Bobby Convey, DeMarcus Beasely, Brian Ching, Reyna and Donovan lacked zing and played with too many inaccuracies. They really reminded me of the old United States teams that were usually patched in a hurry and called all-stars just so that they could play some European team in exhibition games. That was the in-thing in the 1970s. Nothing was serious then. We went back in time. Unbelievable. This US team was represented by 13 States. I wonder if that had anything to do with bad luck? Naw, it ....

NEWS FROM THE RECENT PAST: I awaited a hurricane punch vs Morocco. We almost won. Instead, the 1st half stank, and almost turned stale. Overcautious? Moroccans were not cautious and were quick to double team anyone with the ball. They had nothing to loose. Whenever the US got close to the penalty box the opposing team ganged up and converged on the American. So why didn’t the US chip the ball over the guys’ heads, fellows? Inside the 18 yds, one of his better moments for a goal, our best Donovan seemed only to tap the ball. In the 2nd half, there was very little quickness in counterattacking with short crisp passing because crisp passes were largely absent. It appeared the final lunge or kick was never powerful enough or lacked refinement.
Whether it was instructions from the staff not to play too hard or the 87 deg Nashville weather, two things about crafty Arena: 1) As soon as there was a chance starters Reyna would be hurt, they were replaced. 2) He, also, deliberately did not divulge his battle tactic. This is something I noticed.
Into the 10 minutes of the 2nd half, the team got less ho-hum. The few opportunities to put the ball in the net were lit by the hand of bad luck, however. There were a few golden opportunities, though. When Eddie Johnson and Bobby Convey came in the 2nd half, the ladder for O’Brien, play looked better. Had Eddie not botched his header, he would have been a hero. With 9 minutes left, he again botched it. Donavan hit a rocket at the goal, so hard the goalie could only slap it away. It then ricochetted straight to Eddie. What followed reminded me of the fact of another Eddie, Eddie Lewis. Great on his feet with speed, but his inaccuracy always cheated him from becoming a great scorer. The combo of killer instinct, good luck, and an accurate pinpointedness on the shot is something that should not be missing when the shot needs to count. Remember Korea, Portugal? Mexico in 2002? Things clicked then. Poor Johnson, when he hit his volley at the 81 min. the ball was grabbed by a magical invisible magnet and instead of heading for the goal went straight toward the right sidelines.
Is there a curse on Eddies or something?
While McBride, Reyna, Oguichi were sitiing down, the later misplay of Cherundolo really stings. Viewers were treated to a great example of inexperience. A long pass sent the ball sailing toward the US box and Cherundolo knew he was the very last man. As the last defender, you never try to dribble around. You are supposed to slam the ball out to the moon, away from the goalkeeper. But, the Moroccan stole it from the dribbling American, and then center passed it to # 14 who hustled to get the pass, controlled it on the run and with his right foot beat it on Kasey.
The team was very succesful in the two May tune-ups against Venezuela and Latvia. In Cleveland, USA won before 29,700 fans 2-0. Speedy Brian Ching sprinted between 2 Venezuelan defenders near the goalmouth in the 36th min and hit the ball in on a cross from Bobby. McBride, O Brien, Donovan and Beasely did not play the first half. Beaseley came in the 2nd half for Bobby who needed rest. Dempsey headed in the second goal 20 minutes in. The Latvian game had the sizzle and spark that I know the US is capable of. But, the disparing part is that too many shots winded up as near misses. ?Almosts? do not cut it. But, to bring sunshine to the team they had dazzle; which builds up confidence.


My GI Joe decked out in the US World Cup team uniform I did myself. It is from an official Action Man collectors item set that just came out a few weeks before, from Great Britain. My friend added the jersey design, but soccer ball, socks, and boots are from Action Man.
The US won on a beautiful header in the 2nd half by McBride that is reminiscent of 2002. McBride, the nations #1 scoring machine when it comes to goals by his head, received a nasty bump on his forehead after a Latvian butted him. I only surmise it must have been painful when he headed the ball into the net. He is quite a tough guy.
We must not give up on America’s team, but the disappointing Czech match showed strategies and nincompoop plays that made me gasp in horror. This did not look like the team I knew.
Why did the opposition, who were considered to be a bunch of old guys score, and repeatedly outplay us to the ball? Simple.
Somebody took the time to study us. And, learn of our greatest weaknesses. And, exploited it to the fullest by planning an inserting attack along the left side, which happens to be the line of Eddie Lewis.
I had cautioned that in my first written analogy, our left back is our weakest. I had warned about our left back position. Within the first few minutes, they got in as deep as they could on our left and centered it. Why our tallest defender was left biting the dust is probably inexperience; unfortunately, I think their third goal was specifically the fault of Onyewu.
I’ve seen the Czechs do that to perfection before in prior games: once that ball is elevated, hope the giant would be the recipient. And, that is exactly how they got their first goal. Had the giant not been rolled out on a stretcher, who knows what else might have happened. Their coach did not even use Milan Baros.
That took care of one goal, but the horrible thing is that during most of the game we acted like a bunch of rookies---great running, chasing, a touch of speed, but all the triangular tactics one is supposed to know, the flair of pinpoint passes to your teammate’s feet and then pass it a shade before they double team you, disappeared.
After that 1st goal, we kept trying to mount counterattacks by monkeying around w/making passes in the air. You don’t do that against a taller aggressively fast enemy. We showed we could plug up their attacks--otherwise they could have scored 5---but, we kept gasping for some lucky rebound out of somewhere, searching, waiting, hoping. There was no passion to possess and pass. So, we were treated to an American style like I have seen them do before. They kept on trying to make plays European style with passes that went too much in the air. Before they scored the second goal, I said hey, this is suicide.
The whole 1st half stinked, w/ the exception of Reyna’s almost goal. For as long as he survives, Reyna had to be the linchpin between defense and offense. He, or whoever replaces him, must fashion a center of transition, and brutal speed for attacks with crisp short passes in the interior.
Almosts don’t cut it. In retrospect, it looked like we never had it after Koller’s first goal. The US appeared flatfooted, and wasted so much time running after the balls they would lose because they would make the ball fly in the air too much and the taller Czechs not only capitalized with their height, they looked like they were the younger players and the Americans were the old men.The American men have plenty of room for improvement. One of these days, I am going to do a major update.


The real Dusseldorf, liberated from Hitler, 1945.