What's Wrong with US Soccer?

This article originally appears on FictionNonGrata

The timing of this article couldn't be any worse. Who writes a blog post about "What's wrong with US Soccer" after one of the most thrilling games in World Cup History? (Yes I mean both Men's & Women's World Cups) The 3-2 win yesterday in the World Cup by the US Women's National Soccer Team was amazing on so many levels. The late header by Abby Wambach, the countless horrible refereeing decisions, as well as watching some finishes from Marta that were pure class. However after going to watch the NY Red Bulls on Saturday & watching the entire US Women's game from home on Sunday, I couldn't help but notice that there is a major problem with Soccer in the US.  I really started thinking about this during the US Men's Gold Cup run this year but my thoughts have crystallized over the recent weeks.

To fully explain the problem plaguing US Soccer it helps to understand what the goal (pardon the pun) of soccer is. Quite simply, like most other sports it is to outscore your opponent. Also as in other sports there are theories as to how you can attain this goal. In baseball it's the adage that "Good pitching beats good hitting." In Football & Basketball it's "Defense wins Championships" Hockey, "Hot Goaltending." In Joga Bonito  it's CONTROL (illustrated in the video). The lack of Control in US Soccer is a major problem & until that problem is addressed we will  never challenge to win World Cups. In the Women's case, winning the World Cup is something that we have accomplished, so becoming and remaining dominant again should be the goal. 

As I eluded to in my previous paragraph, control is essential. But what do we mean by control?  Control is possession. Control is confidence. Control is being calm when there are people running at you in every direction. Control is being able to dictate and control the pace of the game.

Now before we even attempt to argue whether or not US Soccer demonstrates control, let me assure you we do not. Soccer is one of the most difficult sports to prove anything statistically because other than goals, completed passes (rarely kept track of ), assists or yellow cards/fouls there are no stats kept. I could tell you that Michael Bradley turned the ball over 15 times in USA vs. Mexico in the Gold Cup Final and I couldn't prove it to you statistically. (watch the game and say I'm wrong)  I could also say that of those "loss of possessions" (aka turnovers), that 1/2 of  them came when he was unmarked and trying to make a pass. Now while these numbers may not be 100% accurate the gist of it is.

The American soccer mentality has been to use speed and strength in combination with the long ball to score. With Soccer's expansion over the past years we have tried to teach passing but in doing so, we have done it the same way we teach passing in basketball. The idea of sharing the ball to promote cohesion as well as a method of attack is the correct one, but the way we try to execute that methodology is flawed. In American soccer we pass the ball because we desire so badly to make a play, that we make the wrong one due to impatience. Too many times in both the Women's & Men's game do midfielders have space to dribble and chose to attempt a difficult pass as a way of advancing instead of being patient. My advice. DRIBBLE TO SPACE. Force teams to commit defenders, then make a pass. Use the 90minutes to its fullest potential, control the ball and take time when it's available. By no means am I saying to take the "coast to coast" or Derrick Rose approach to soccer. What I am saying is control the ball. Playing to space is what creates opportunities. The late goal scored by Abby Wambach illustrates playing to space.   If you watch Carli Lloyd dribbled 2 or 3 times to gain control before slotting a pass to Rapinoe who then crossed to Wambach for the goal. Without LLoyd's brilliant play sorry folks but no goal.

The easy question to ask as readers is why if I'm using this illustration of what's good can I even say that control is what we lack. The answer is simple. We just don't show it consistently enough to be/remain elite. Again, the US Women are elite. However this is due largely to the fact they have a leg up on the rest of the competition.  The women in the US are athletically more gifted and have been competitive in sports for far longer than most of the world. That is changing. There is more competition.  To remain at the top they too will have to become more consistent with their control. 

American soccer academies and collegiate programs are filled with coaches who are trying to teach control. The problem they teach control the American way. A few horizontal passes followed by a 10 to 15 yard cross. The object being forward advancement. Watch teams like Barcelona, Arsenal, Brazil, & Germany play and you can see that their advances happen suddenly after controlling the ball in the midfield. Nothing harsh on Jermaine Jones & Michael Bradley, but are they any better than Tab Ramos or Claudio Reyna? Probably not. The American midfield needs to get stronger. They need to understand or learn how to control the game as opposed to going forward full steam. 

So what's the solution? Aside from cloning and using stem cell research to create  the ultimate midfielder; a combo of Xavi, Cesc Fabregas & Ronaldhino (circa 2004-2005) with a dash of Mia Hamm (just to get the American Citizenship) It's not simple and will take some time.

1. We need our younger players to go oversees and play with better competition.  As much as the MLS is improving, our National Team needs to send players overseas more often to learn to play the game. I mean how many games can Tim Ream play for the RedBulls before he goes to play in the Eredivisie at least?

2. We need to focus our development efforts wisely. We need to teach our youngest children to play football like we do Basketball and Baseball. We can import European coaches to teach locally. 

3. Get rid of Sports Center.  We don't live in London, or Brazil & Spain. We are not the highlight goal nation. Lets walk before we run. We need to get the basics before we fly. 

4. Fire Bob Bradley In my opinion he exemplifies the typical American attitude towards soccer. That must change.

5. Continue MLS development/ On one hand the MLS is tough to watch, but it is getting better. Continue importing older European Stars (Henry, Beckham) to teach younger players like Juan Aguadelo how to play. 

Last but not least people, lets be patient. We need to control our expectations, at least on the Men's side. We need to give American Soccer time to build its confidence. Then maybe we can contend, one day.

Follow @DHALIOUA on Twitter

Original Story: http://www.nysportspace.com/xn/detail...