The U.S. secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup – moving them a step closer to the semifinals in the Georgia Dome on July 22 — with two performances that may have undone all the soccer love felt after the U.S. women obliterated Japan 5-2 to win the World Cup.
Yes, the U.S. men have been that boring.
The good news is they won both games with the third against Panama scheduled for late Monday.
The bad news is the team seemed to have forgotten whatever it was that propelled them to surprising wins over Holland and Germany earlier this year and instead saw them revert to the post World Cup form of boring, backward soccer.
Michael Bradley, so sharp against Holland and Germany when he attacked defenses, is playing more passes sideways and backward, which slows everything down.
Jozy Altidore looks like the player that couldn’t get off the bench for Sunderland, slow and with no touch. He is trying to regain his fitness after a hamstring injury.
Graham Zusi, well, it’s not clear why he’s even on the team, much less one who started the first two games.
To illustrate the lethargy the U.S. showed in its 1-0 win over Haiti in the second game, the U.S. enjoyed 64 percent of the possession, but they were outshot by Haiti, 21-6, and completed fewer passes in the field’s final third, 125-123. Things were as worse in the opening 2-1 win against Honduras, which bombarded the U.S. in shots, 16-6, despite the teams splitting possession.
There were instances in the game against Haiti in which the U.S. was six yards from goal and completed neither a shot nor a dangerous pass. Instead, they would pass out some 40-50 yards away from goal, defusing the threat and robbing the team a chance of killing the game with another goal.
This isn’t the attacking style that manager Jurgen Klinsmann promised when he took the job, nor is it what led to the wins over Holland and Germany.
There has to be a point in owning possession. Right now, the U.S. is missing that point.
The red, white and blue must do better if it hopes to defend its Gold Cup title.
The starting point is dropping Altidore from the starting lineup. Right now, he’s not a dependable performer. The same is true of Zusi.
Pairing Clint Dempsey, who scored all three goals in the first two games, with Aron Johannsson up top will allow Bradley to move up the pitch into a more attacking role, which should spark his instincts. Adding Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin as the wide men in the midfield will add speed, an ability to stretch the field and more attacking options. Kyle Beckerman can play the defensive midfielder role that he has made his own.
Dos Santos to LA: Giovani dos Santos' reported move to Los Angeles could be one of the biggest signings in MLS history, second only to David Beckham.
Should dos Santos make the move from Villarreal in Spain, it would be more important than any of the recent signings, including Kaka to Orlando, Steven Gerrard to Los Angeles or Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard to NYCFC.
The difference between dos Santos and those other legends is that dos Santos, arguably the most recognizable Mexican player in the game, is a player coming from leagues in Europe who is still in the prime of his career.
MLS has long been a destination for players coming from Europe who are still good, but are winding down their careers, players like Gerrard and Lampard. The signings are good for the league because they raise interest and improve the product but the transfer market usually focuses on the buzz of the young names, the new blood to try to take teams to titles.
In MLS, there have been exceptions – Sebastian Giovinco to Toronto, for example — but the “splash” signings usually fit the criteria of players who are in their 30s.
That’s why dos Santos, and the reported interest Orlando SC has in another young Mexican star, Javier Hernandez, is so important.
They are in the prime of their careers. They would bring instant fanbases. They would raise the profile of the league, and possibly the interest of other young stars.
Dos Santos is just 26 years old and coming off impactful seasons for Villarreal, where he has scored 12 goals in 58 games as an attacking midfielder. Hernandez is 27 and has undeniable talent but has yet to be able to secure consistent playing time at Manchester United, or on loan last season at Real Madrid.
If both players were to come to MLS, it would make things very interesting for Atlanta United FC as it begins to target talent for its inaugural 2017 season.
Would other young Mexican stars such as Miguel Layun or Jonathan dos Santos be interested in wearing the red, black and gold?
Silverbacks: The Silverbacks started the Fall portion of the NASL season with a win, something they weren't able to do during the Spring portion in which they finished last.
Michael Reed’s goal in the 60th minute lifted the Silverbacks to a 1-0 win over Jacksonville on Saturday.
Atlanta was very active between the fall seasons, adding several new players, or players who used to play for the team. Joining Gary Smith’s squad were for former players Paulo and Pedro Mendes, who were with the team in 2012 and part of 2013, and Junior Burgos, who was with the club last year, along with fullback Kosuke Kimura, who played for Smith at Colorado, and defender Abdul Bangura, also with the club last year.
Atlanta will play at Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.
Vibe: The Atlanta Vibe, a team hopeful to join the NWSL in 2017, said the recently completed Women's World Cup helped raise its profile.
Trey Brantley, a spokesman for the team, said the website registrations started increasing at the beginning of the World Cup, picked up steam into the quarterfinals and peaked with the finals.
“I am receiving a lot of request for updates on the process, job applications, request for try-outs and even one guy wanting to buy season tickets now, before we even have a team - he wanted to be on record as being the first season ticket holder,” Brantley wrote in an e-mail.
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