Diary From the Back of a Bakkie: World Cup Fever

Those of you who know me know I am absolutely obsessed with soccer. Those of you who don't live under a rock know the World Cup starts in less than 2 weeks. In light of that, and some conversations I've been having with friends here, I decided to put together a short post on some thoughts.

First of all, I am a massive USA fan. And I plan on killing my sleep cycle to watch every second of every USA game. I also realize we are in a ridiculously good group and our odds are long to make it to the knock-out round. That said, I think we have better odds than most people think, with Germany suffering a few injuries during the lead-up (not saying I am happy to see guys hurt, just offering analysis in relation to impact on the USA). I think Ghana is beatable (more on that in a bit, since Ghana is actually the reason I decided to write this post in the first place). I even think Portugal is a team we can shock, though it'll take a lot of luck, since Ronaldo can absolutely shred our defense.

Of course, saying I think our odds are better than most people think isn't saying much, what with all the pessimism about this team And I don't blame people. However, we have a very solid and deep midfield. Not a top tier midfield, but probably mid-high second tier. We have the ability to create an attack, and guys like Diskerud and Zusi offer an element of creativity to go with Dempsey and Bradley. On the other hand, the midfield is also the biggest story of this USA team, with Landon Donovan being left off the roster. And let me say right now, I think that was a mistake. Donovan may no longer be a go-to starter. However, he's a guy with a proven record of success, experienced at this level, and someone who, if things go as people expect, has the maturity to keep things together, which would be good for the young guys. After all, in a group of death, disaster is always possible, and young players don't always handle it as well. I also think having someone with Donovan's scoring ability and leadership on the bench would offer a lot in a close game. I get what JK is doing, going young, kind of like England a few years ago with Theo Walcott. And Julian Green very well may be the future, and may have more speed, or even skill, than Donovan does today. I didn't see camp, so I can't speak to that aspect. I can speak to Donovan's experience, which could be a valued asset, and we saw with guys like Freddy Adu what happens when too much is expected too young from a guy and success doesn't come right away. Not saying Green is the next Adu, as Freddy is really an extreme example of too much expectation and hype too young and guys buying into it. But I also don't care about Julian Green's career as much as I do about Team USA's success. And I think JK left Donovan off the roster largely a sign that he is looking to 2018 already, essentially throwing in the towel for this Cup. This isn't club level. You don't have a "rebuilding year" during the World Cup; you have the 4 years between Cups for that. You bring the roster that you think can succeed this year, with no thoughts beyond the Finals, when building your roster. Obviously, I am not Klinsmann, and I may be reading his intentions incorrectly. This is just what it looks like to me.

Moving beyond that, the other day I was talking about the World Cup and African Soccer in general with a friend of mine, and we both noted a trend among the teams consistently ranked as Africa's top. Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana tend to be the most successful in the region. They also tend to have more established national leagues, put more money into their national squads, and their best players tend to go to Europe and play for top teams. That last point is what I want to highlight. A lot has been said about the United States and our struggles against Ghana in the past few tournaments. On paper, the USA seems like a better team, and top-to-bottom, that may be true. However, when our guys go to Europe, they generally play for second-tier teams (even Dempsey never really broke through will a lower-end-of-the-top tier Tottenham team). Let's compare American and Ghanaian players currently playing in Europe, and who they play for:

USA
-Tim Howard, Everton, EPL (5)
-Brad Guzan, Aston Villa, EPL (15)
-John Brooks, Hertha BSC, Bundesliga (17, relegated)
-Geoff Cameron, Stoke City, (9)
-Tim Chandler, Nurnberg, Bundesliga (11)
-Fabian Johnson, Monchengladbach, Bundesliga (6)
-Mix Diskerud, Rosenborg, Nowegian Tippeligaen (2)
- Alejandro Bedoya, Nantes, Ligue 1 (13)
-Jermaine Jones, Besiktas, Turkish Super Lig (3rd)
-Julian Green, Bayern Munich, Bundesliga (1)
-Aron Johannson, AZ Alkmaar, Dutch Eredivisie (8)
-Jozy Altidore, Sunderland, EPL (14)

Only 9 guys in the "Big 4" leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy), only 2 guys were on top-5 clubs, and Green wasn't a starter on Munich, playing only 2 official minutes in the first team. Of course, some of the other guys had success, and Besiktas is a respectable team, but it's not the same as playing with the global powers. Now, let's look at the guys Ghana's putting on the field:

Ghana
-Adam Kwarasey, Stromsgodset, Trippligaen (1)
-Samuel Inkoom, Platanias, Superleague Greece (14)
-John Boye, Rennes, Ligue 1 (12)
-Daniel Opare, Standard Liege, Belgian Pro Ligue (4)
-Jonathan Mensah, Evian, Ligue 1 (16)
-Jerry Akaminka, Eskisehispor, Turkish Super Lig (8)
-Jeff Schlupp, Leicester City, Leauge Championship (1, promoted)
-Sulley Muntari, A.C. Milan, Seire A (8)
-Kwadwo Asamoah, Juventus, Serie A (1)
-Michael Essien, A.C. Milan, Serie A (8)
-Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Udinese, Serie A (13)
-Andre Ayew, Marseille, Ligue 1 (2)
-Christian Atsu, Vitesse, Eredivisie (6)
-Wakaso Mubarak, Rubin Kazan, Russian Premier League (9)
-Mohammed Rabiu, Kuban Krasnodar, Russian Premier League (8)
-Albert Adomah, Middlesbrough, League Championship (12)
-Kevin-Prince Boateng, Schalke, Bundasliga (3)
-Afriyie Acquah, Parma, Seria A (6)
-Majeed Waris, Valenciennes, Ligue 1 (19, relegated)
-Jordan Ayew, Sochaux, Ligue 1 (18, relegated)
-David Accam, Helsingborg, Swedish Allsvenskan (5)

Ghana star and one of
Africa's all-time best players,
Michael Essien

Essien in action for Chelsea

Now, Ghana has more players in Europe, but most of them are playing for second or third tier teams. The guy I really want to emphasize is Michael Essien. If you don't know who he is, you don't get to tell anyone you know anything about soccer (sorry hipsters posing as fans to seem cool). Michael Essien played many years for Chelsea, even being the team's player of the year in 2007, and winning 2 EPL titles, 1 Champions League title, and 4 FA Cups with Chelsea, with 25 goals in over 250 matches for the club. The guy has played for the best, against the best, and been coached by the best (namely, Jose Mourinho). That's a huge difference, because he's played under stressful situations and really knows how to succeed at the very top, something guys on Team USA just don't have (especially with Donovan gone) with the possible exception of Clint Dempsey. Kwando Asamoah played 32 league matches for Italian champs Juve this year, on top of 27 last year. Kevin-Prince Boateng played 28 matches for a solid Schalke team, and previously played for A.C. Milan. When was the last time the US had a player who'd played under a Jose, or a Pep, or a Wenger, or a SAF? When was the last time they had a guy with Champions League experience? These things are invaluable, and speak volumes as to why we tend to struggle against Ghana.

Cote D'Ivoir and Chelsea great
Didier Drogba

And lest you think only Ghana is like this, look at the guys on the Ivory Coast, like Drogba and Kalou and the Toures. Or Cameroon, with Alex Song and Samuel Eto'o. Nigeria has John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, and Peter Oemwingie. Algeria, Africa's fifth entrant, may not quite fit the mold, though they too have guys on top European rosters. Soccer in the US has come a long way. We're just not there yet. And the different levels of experience of our top players gives one possible explanation of why Ghana's been such a problem for us. After all, while we may have an overall better and deeper roster, nobody on our team can hold a candle to Essien at his best.

I've been reading about how they intend to use goal line technology to be certain of goals. I know there are purists out there who don't like the idea. Those purists are wrong. Think back to past games, like the USA/Germany game all those years ago, and how much of a difference it would've made. The fact is, if the technology exists, and it doesn't impact the movement of the ball or pose safety risks to players, which it sounds like it doesn't, then there is not one decent reason not to use the technology. I understand not wanting to go to replay and challenges, since time never stops and it would kill the flow, but I say goal line, and even sideline, technology are great.

As for Qatar, I won't go too much into that, other than to say they have no business hosting it. Human rights violations, issues with alcohol, expecting fans who aren't Muslim to abide by Sharia law are all things that should disqualify a country from the get-go. On top of that, you have the fact that a country ranked outside the top 100, who has never come close to qualifying, should not be eligible to host so long as host countries automatically qualify, as it dilutes the quality of the product (and yes, I realize South Africa performed well, despite the fact that they likely would not have qualified, but at least they have qualified in the past). Never mind the question of "what if Israel qualifies"? I know that's not likely, but there is always the chance, and I doubt Qatar can guarantee the safety of every Israeli fan, player, and staff member, or that they would be treated with the same respect as any other country participating. And Israel is far more likely to qualify than Qatar would be. On the other hand, as much of a stain as this bribery scandal is, and you're an idiot if you think for a second there's a chance it isn't true, with FIFA's history, maybe this will be enough of a disgrace to shame Sepp Blatter out of his affiliation with the great game, because he's done so much to ruin it. And to Qatar, yeah, you're denying that the bribery took place. Because people never deny committing crimes they commit. Given all the reasons to doubt your being worthy of hosting the World Cup, on top of FIFA's history of corruption, anyone who believes these denials is a fool (this isn't a court of law, there's no "innocent until proven guilty," just "if the boot fits"). The sooner they're stripped of their hosting of the event, the better.
As for the new jerseys, the ones that look like popsicles, I love them. Absolutely love them. Want to get one when I get back to the US. First of all, I love blue. Beyond that, I just think the thought of looking like a Rocket Pop is fun.

The final thing is I want to offer congratulations to Nick Rimando for making the roster. So happy to see him finally get the honor, even if he never sees action. Such a class guy, and one of the best keepers DCU has ever seen. Congrats Nicky. I'll never forget 2004.

Okay, so that is all. Just some rambling thoughts from a guy who loves soccer, and whose opinion counts little in the grand scheme. Enjoy the World Cup, and check back here soon, because I have another post that's almost ready to go and should be up later this week. Also, if you get a chance, the two music videos I've included in this post are from the album "One Love, One Rhythm", the official soundtrack to this World Cup. It's worth checking out. Music from a variety of artists from different countries and different styles. Now, enjoy some photos of USA players I like.