Day 21

THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT

The Cinderella Story Ukraine got waxed by an on-fire Italian squad today to send them home after an impressive run to the quarterfinals. The fear for Germany in the semifinals against Italy is that not only do the Italians not give up goals, but they’re starting to score them at-will now.

It was good to see the Italians open it up on the offensive end, but you’ve still got to have the up-most respect for a team that continues to define what defensive organization is. Defending is always their number one priority, regardless of the amount and quality of their offensive weapons, and it always seems to work.


Tinkering is for beginners. The Italians and Germans deserve to be in the semifinals despite the Germans having an off-day against a very good Argentina squad. It’s too bad that Argentina’s coach made some bad mistakes, but he’s already stepped down, which is the honorable thing to do (you listening Bruce?).

For tomorrow’s other quarterfinals I’m looking for England to squeak it out against Portugal and Brazil to have to really extend themselves against the French, but to prevail in the end.

On the home front…it’s good to have Landon back where he belongs. Away from all the pressure, away from all the quality soccer, away from all the legitimate players who have EARNED the right to be called “world class.” For those of you who think that he’s still the best we (the United States) have to offer, I say this to you…you’re an idiot and WRONG.

Clint Dempsey is a better player. So are Claudio Reyna, John O’Brien, Eddie Johnson and Freddy Adu. Landon scored a couple of nice goals FOUR YEARS AGO. He hasn’t done anything special except score some critical goals in MLS when he’s in the mood. It’s time for everyone to grow up, pull their heads out of their asses and realize that Bruce and Landon aren’t who make soccer go round in this country.

The time for change is now! Clint Dempsey is our next great hope to make it in Europe and do well, not come home because he’s scared and incapable of competing against high-level competition everyday.

The Bruce era had better be done with otherwise U.S. Soccer will never hear the end of it from me. It might take some doing, but go after Klansman regardless of his achievements with the German team. Money talks, pure and simple. And who knows that any better than us Americans. Get into a bidding war on him with the German Federation, and even if you lose out, it at least looks like you were serious about bringing in somebody who can take us to the next level.

Go bid on all the big-timers and try to buy their services. Forget developing anything if it isn’t here already. National Teams are about winning, that’s all. Bruce was quoted in the papers the other day saying something along the lines of that his job was not to win the World Cup, but simply to qualify our team and bring them along TECHNICALLY.


He couldn’t be more wrong. It’s to choose a team that can legitimately compete for the World Cup and to put them into a system that gives them the best chance of doing so.

He did NEITHER. For that he should be thanked for whatever it is he’s done and encouraged to move on to a U12 team that needs somebody to teach them how to do pull-backs, lock their ankles when they’re passing, keep their heads down if they want to keep the ball down when they are shooting and how to play sharks and minnows (that’s technical development, isn’t it?).

Tomorrow: No surprises in the end.