Turn Out The Lights...

Someone Should Send This Picture To U.S. Soccer

Famous lyrics to a Willie Nelson song, and for you fans of "Monday Night Football" in the 70's and early 80's, that's the song Don Meredith would sing when it was obvious who was going to win the game.

Well, less than 12 hours after hearing that Bob Bradley will stay on as the Coach of the U.S. National Team for another 4 years, I'm still reeling from the news. Turn out the lights, folks, because the party is definitely over.

I'm not alone.

"Are you f*cking kidding me?" was Walsh's text to me. (FYI, that's the closest he'll get to writing for the blog this week...)

"I hate soccer!" was another text from a pro coach who preferred to remain anonymous.

I posted my disapproval on my facebook page, and a majority of folks agreed with me.

My good friend and fellow soccer fanatic Andy Gustafson noted on his facebook page that "I have yet to see a positive post about Bob Bradley."

So, U.S. Soccer will hold a dog and pony show press conference today at noon to discuss their decision and hail Bradley as deserving of another 4 years. I doubt they will answer any serious questions from the media if they interviewed other candidates, or what is it they think Bradley will do over the course of the next 4 year cycle to take the U.S. to the next level. Heck, after weeks of proclaiming that Bradley would probably not be retained, Soccer America's newsletter this morning had the headline "Bob Bradley's Return Isn't Unexpected."

Way to take a stance, S.A.

Excuse me while I throw up a little bit in my mouth.

We aren't going anywhere, folks. We'll qualify for Brazil, and, depending on the draw, go out meekly in the 1st round, or squeak into the round of 16 and then come home. But our heads will still be held high because "they put up such a fight."

That was okay for our 1994 team. That was amazing for our 2002 team. That was even borderline great for our 2010 squad simply because of the drama involved with the way the team kept fans on the edge of their seats.

But that's not good enough anymore. Why does U.S. Soccer summarily dismiss Greg Ryan for a 3rd place U.S. finish at the 2007 Women's World Cup, but U.S. U-17 coach Wilmer Cabrera keep his job after the Yanks are eliminated in the round of 16 at last year's World Cup? Sure, Ryan made some stupid coaching decisions, but does U.S. Soccer have a double standard in terms of success for its men's and women's programs?

Maybe not. The U.S. under-20 Women's World Cup team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Nigeria, but Jill Ellis is still in charge. A disappointing result but no qualms about the decision to keep her.

Our Olympic team under Peter Novak in 2008? High hopes but, again, a 1st round dismissal. No coach has been named for 2010, but based on history, it won't be someone who will excite U.S. fans.

I could go on and on and bore you to death (perhaps I've already done that), but the bottom line is this:
As long as U.S. Soccer continues to accept mediocre results from its soccer teams, and there is little to no accountability from the coaching staff OR U.S. Soccer itself (I'm looking at you, Sunil and Dan), we will continue to fail on the world stage.

The 1st step in moving forward would be to get someone from outside the current incestuous structure that is U.S. Soccer. It's a good ol' boys club. And when I say "outside," I don't necessarily mean a foreign coach. Sure, I would have loved to see what Klinsmann could have done. I also would be interested in seeing what a Sigi Schmidt would bring to the table, or, as Walsh said a few months back, bring Dominic Kinnear in for a chat.

But U.S. Soccer has made its bed for the next 4 years. 4 more years of players like Robbie Findley and Ricardo Clark. If I were Jose Torres or Edgar Castillo, I might tell my friends who have dual Mexican/American heritage to take a harder look at the Mexican program. They've got some genuine young talent whom I think are going to dominate the region for the next several years.

What are we going to bring to the table? For the first time in more than a decade, I have not-so-warm-and-fuzzy feelings about U.S. Soccer. Not just for the Men's team, but for the program in its entirety.

Week In Review

Allsopp Checks The Video Replay To See If He Actually Scored

Walsh can bite me. This time I only waited 2 weeks between blogs. However, I have my own Twitter page now, and I put one or 2 smart-ass comments up each day, usually about soccer, so that should give me some sort of excuse, right? How many of you remember the character from Sesame Street that I use as my Twitter name? Lots going on at all levels of soccer this past weekend, so I'll break each topic up into a "good" and "bad" part.

1. DC United Wins

Good - DC United gets Ben Olsen his 1st win as a coach, and they scored more than 1 goal to do it behind a Danny Allsop brace. A shutout by Hamid should also stands out.

Bad - Too little, too late. I think players are merely auditioning for next year's team, whomever the new coach will be. Also, this has been such a bad season for United, none of the local sports stations even showed highlights of their game. I'm sure Kevin Payne will find someone else to blame it on.

2. Carl Robinson Scored Against His Old Team

Good - The guy showed genuine class by not celebrating when he scored for New york against Toronto out of respect for the fans who cheered him the past few years. Some athletes (I'm looking at you, Fat Albert Haynesworth) could learn a thing or 2 from Robinson.

Bad - The Red Bulls have become a legitimate threat to win MLS Cup, even though Henry has yet to score a goal for his new team. They have a nice mix of veteran talent and some young guns who are obviously being coached well by Hans Backe.

3. Richmond Beats Pittsburgh In USL2 Playoffs

Good - For the 4th time in their 5-year tenure in USL2, the Kickers will advance to the title game. Could very well be the swan song for a couple of Richmond veterans who deserve to go out at champions.

Bad - Unlike the previous 3 Title games, they don't get to play this one in Richmond. They have to play in Charleston against the Battery, who didn't lose a game at home all season, and outscored the Kickers 5-1 in 2 games there during the regular season. For USL and Fox Soccer Channel (who are broadcasting the game live at 6 on Saturday), though, it's the dream matchup between 2 of the most storied clubs in the league's history.

4. U.S. goalkeepers In EPL

Good - Howard didn't make any serious blunders this week and appears to have a firm hold on the Everton starting job. Marcus Hahnemann also played very well for Wolves in the same game.

Bad - Brad Friedel was absolutely shelled for 6 goals as Aston Villa got destroyed by Newcastle. Although none of the goals can be blamed directly on Friedel, when a new manager comes in, he might look to clean house. Friedel, and backup U.s. 'keeper Brad Guzan, might not be in the team's future plans...this leads us to our final point:

5. Bob Bradley is interested in the Aston Villa job

Good - Bradley would be the 1st U.S. coach to manage an EPL team, and would no doubt keep the U.S. keepers in place. If successful, Bradley would give serious credibility to U.s. Soccer, which might lead to additional opportunities for American coaches in the future.

Bad - Bradley still wouldn't be the guy I would want to be the 1st U.S. coach in the EPL. It's been said a million times, but let me reiterate; he had only marginal success in multiple MLS gigs, and marginally better success with the U.S. at this year's World Cup. For me, the tea leaves just don't read "success" if he were to somehow land this gig.

That's all for now, folks. I'll try to do a USL2 Title game preview later in the week, and maybe we'll shock the world by getting Walsh and I to blog in the same week?

As always, thanks for reading!

Meet The New Boss...Same As The Old Boss...

Your New DC United Head Coach

"We still have a blog?"

Walsh asked me that yesterday during our daily phone conversation after I told him I was actually going to write something today...

Yes, we've slacked off the past month. In our defense, we've both been vacationing like hell and it's been very taxing. After the drama of the Cup, we needed a break. Now we're back (at least I am), and are ready to try and hold your interest once or twice a week.

So, anything much happen while we've been away? Oh, yeah, DC United still sucks, and have been shutout in 13 of 19 games. I'm too lazy to look up statistics, but is it a stretch to say DC could score the fewest goals in MLS history? That's gotta be in the discussion.

I won't rehash what's been said on countless other blogs, websites, and newspapers over the past week (the best was by Steve Davis, who lambasts United management from top to bottom).

As for this past weekend's loss, a 1-0 shutout (surprise!!) to New England, the team did play with more passion, had the run of play for large portions of the game, and looked more competent under Ben Olsen's new leadership than they did most of the time under Curt Onolfo.

Although Olsen is a United icon, don't think he will instantly be able to duplicate the success Jason Kreis has had with Real Salt Lake. Kreis was able to almost seamlessly move from the field to the clubhouse, but the truth of the matter is that Real had already made several roster moves to put them in the position to win an MLS Cup within 2 years.

DC United could be as far away as any team in the history of the league to be a contender for the crown. Ben Olsen can't do much to change that. Dave Kasper and Kevin Payne are the ones to do it, but based on their history, what are the odds of that happening? Exactly. Until then, black and red fans, the best thing you can do is keep showing up for every game and sing your hearts out, willing your team to a win, or maybe even a goal?

In other news from the past week -

1. Manchester United beats Chelsea for the Community Shield. Sure, it's basically the final preseason warmup before the real games begin, but did you notice how old and slow Chelsea looked at times? Rooney continually ran away from John Terry, and Anelka and Drogba seemed like they hadn't played together in years. Will the Blues be able to stand up over the course of the seaon with the number of games on their plate?

As for United, they looked younger, stronger, and hungry. Based on his play in their U.s. tour and on Sunday, Berbatov finally looks like the signing United hoped he would be when they transferred a ton of dough for him 2 years ago. And Javier Hernandez? He scored the ugliest goal I've seen in a long time, but hey, it counts. As a United fan, I'm happy; as a United States fan, not so much. This kid is gonna pummel us for the next decade.

2. USL2 Updated - Well, we know who's in (Charleston, Richmond, and Pittsburgh). Pittsburgh is the 3rd seed and will play on the road against the 2nd place team, which right now is Richmond. HOWEVER, Richmond could still capture the regular season crown and homefield for the Final IF Charleston loses to Charlotte this weekend and the Kickers beat Real Maryland. Gotta love any league that literally comes down to the final games of the season!

3. PDL Title -The Portland U-23's became the 1st team in the history of the PDL to go unbeaten and untied en route to winning the title this weekend. The team is only in its' 2nd year of existence, and yes, they are the "farm club" of the Portland Timbers, the soon-to-be MLS franchise starting in 2011. Think just announced Head Coach John Spencer is a little giddy about some of the prospects he'll have to choose from when the team starts MLS competition next year?

That's all I've got for now, folks.

Maybe Walsh will find time to write up a summary and reaction to tonight's U.S./Brazil game?

We can only hope...