How far will the USA go in South Africa?

With a 2-0 win over juggernauts Spain in last summer’s Confederations Cup, the US national team proved its capacity to compete with the world’s best given the right conditions. The standard of American players is improving steadily, with Michael Bradley finding an important role for his Bundesliga squad (Monchengladbach) and Clint Dempsey becoming a true star at Fulham. Amazingly, Fulham actually made the final of the Europe League, losing out to an Atletico side that features Forlan and Aguero. With US soccer at its historical zenith, is this the year that the “Stars and Stripes” break through to World Cup glory?

Yes and no. I do not believe the US is strong enough to win the World Cup. But neither are most of the teams in South Africa. It would be a huge disappointment is the Nats failed to advance from the group stage. I believe they have an excellent chance to make it to the quarterfinal round. Let’s examine their chances in greater detail.

The strength of the US team lies in its midfield. Michael Bradley is a holding midfielder who ably controls the ball and starts the attack. He is, along with Dempsey, the key to the USA’s success. Bradley is a fiery player who backs down from no one. He is capable of scoring goals at important times, as evidenced by his strikes in qualifying against rivals Mexico. He must be at peak form in South Africa, and I fully expect him to be. Bradley plays with a chip on his shoulder and the entire side would do well to adopt this attitude. The US is good enough to beat anyone, but isn’t good enough to look past anyone either. A superb effort must be given at all times to match a more talented but over-hyped England team.

Some think that with Charlie Davies out, Clint Dempsey will be moved to a second striker position. Dempsey should be put in a position that maximizes his creative skills. He is the most technically gifted American player that I have ever seen. His form in the Premier League has been phenomenal. Why he is not universally regarded as the best American player is beyond my comprehension. He was by far the best performer in Germany four years ago, and must be allowed to provide creative juices for this team. I’d like to see him in a central, attacking midfield position. He has the ability to make life miserable for defenders with his ball-control skills. “Deuce” is also a dangerous goal scorer. Goal scoring, or lack thereof, may be a serious hindrance to American chances, so Coach Bob must find a way to get Deuce some good looks at goal.

Landon Donovan, regarded incorrectly as the best American player, will provide boundless energy on the flank, but must know when to distribute the ball. Donovan is not as technically gifted as Bradley or Dempsey. His strength is in the open field, not in on-on-one situations.

The biggest question in the midfield is the other holding midfielder. Jose Francisco Torres and Benny Feilhaber have seen time in the past. I think Torres is the more gifted player, but he his small at 5’5” and Coach Bob has not given him much time in the past. Expect Feilhaber to start; he can be very good or very non-existent.
The weaknesses of the team are obvious: Firstly, the defense stinks. With stalwart Oguchi Onyewu recovering from injury and clearly not at 100% fitness (his “leaping” capabilities vs. Czech Republic were laughable), the defense is even weaker than usual. It is crucial that the midfield keep the ball out of the US goal area or it will be a miserable time for Everton keeper Tim Howard. Secondly, it is hard to see where goals will come from. I like the recent call ups of Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez, but they are newcomers to the world stage. True, they have been on fire for LA Galaxy and Pachuca, respectively, but they remain unproven. They looked good in friendlies and both are experienced, but the World Cup is an entirely different level of pressure. Jozy Altidore has performed well for the Nats in the past, and figures to start, but after horrific stints with Villarreal, Xerez, and Hull, will he have the form necessary for success? Expect a mixed bag from the young striker.

The US has superior fitness and must use this to run teams ragged. Offensively, the US has always been idea-starved. The side relies on set pieces and corner kick rebounds for goals. Every type of goal counts, but the team can’t rely on these types of situations as its only form of scoring. It must find some organization and creativity in the attack and create genuinely dangerous situations. This really comes down to the coaching staff. US soccer has never emphasized a particular style. There is no reason to try to emulate anyone else, but an ounce of organization is in order. There needs to be a coherent idea for attacking. Give it to Dempsey. I don’t want to see any “boot and run” English tactics on the pitch. That shit is garbage and will fail miserably, like England.

This is the best crop of players the US has ever had. It’s time to show it. Beat England.