1) While Bradley's Boys solved their European Jinx earlier this year against decent teams (Poland and Switzerland are in Euro - something England can't say), these last two weeks have reminded us that there is still a Good Team Jinx on this team. England and Spain are quality sides, and I would expect us to lose on their turf, but it is the manner of the losses which is so unsettling. The England game in particular was pathetic. I had not seen a MNT performance like that since... last summer's Copa debacle. It appears that sometimes this team has no desire to play. I find it hard to believe that professional athletes are "scared" of the opposition as many commentators have suggested, but it does seem that the team prefers a passive approach when playing against better teams. We are first and foremost a counter-attacking team when we play the likes of England and Spain, but counter-attack should not be synonymous with passive. All too often, the players (and coaches) seem to make this mistake.
2) Freddy Adu is on his way to becoming a world-class playmaker. Freddy has the touch and vision associated with the very best players in the world, something sorely missing in the rest of the player pool. Does this mean Freddy is ever going to win a golden boot award? No, probably not, but on a team without much footballing imagination, Freddy is a breath of fresh air. Let's hope he gets some serious playing time tonight and in the games against Barbados.
3) Is there another top 30 men's national team with as many out of contract players as the US, and how worried should I be about this phenomenon? I know every one has his own story as to how he ended up out of contract, but the sheer number of players in the pool without contracts is a little disturbing. I can't think of a similar situation at the MNT level.
4) Conquistador Sven! With Mr. Cool taking over the coaching duties of our little brother to the south, the disaster that was our hunt for a new head coach last year was thrown back into the spotlight. How does Mexico end up with a master tactician like Sven while we settle for Bob? It is hard to see Bradley taking us forward as a footballing nation in terms of tactics and attitude, but it would not surprise me to see Sven leading a Mexican revolution in 2010, especially with the young talent at his disposal. It is embarrassing when Mexico has a better organizational structure and philosophy than us.
5) Altidore going to Spain is one of the few bright spots of the summer. There have been some rumblings that Jozy's head has gotten a little too big in recent months, but I'm not buying this story. I don't know what is going on behind closed doors, but I am suspicious of articles that site anonymous "team sources". Jozy will have the opportunity to set the record straight in Spain. Until then, I will evaluate him on his play and his goal scoring record.
Over the next week, the Sons of Thomas Dooley will take a careful look at the state of the player pool, and who we should be putting on the field against Barbados next Sunday.
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