How disappointing it is to hear that we lost the chance to host the World Cup again. I will be the first to admit that the numbers were compelling for the US. Stadiums are already built. FIFA would make the most money here.

What went wrong?

My good friend and Soccer buddy and I spent the week walking through why the US would not get it. While he was walking through his analysis, I was really trying to put my hands over my ears, screaming, “I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!”. But alas, he ended up being right and the reasons for not winning could be many.

And, it is not for the reasons that Alexi Lalas declared on ESPN. FIFA is not corrupt, FIFA has a plan to export the game to all corners of the globe.

Let’s walk through a few things. The US should be proud that we changed how World Cups are selected. That’s right, the 1994 World Cup in the United States changed how World Cups were rewarded. Historically, World Cups were rotated between COMNEBOL (South America) and UEFA (Europe) with the exception of Mexico. I am going to say that Mexico is part of COMNEBOL. Their club teams all participate in both Copa Libertadores and Copa Sud Americana.

Before 1994, you could always rely on the games being hosted in those 2 continents. Then, it all changed with USA 1994. UEFA appears to be the only Federation that will host every other World Cup tournament. Here is how it has gone:

1. USA 1994 – North America – 1st outside S. America or Europe. (I exclude Mexico because they are indirectly tied to S. America)
2. France 1998 – UEFA
3. Japan/S. Korea – 2002 – Asia – 1st in Asia
4. Germany – 2006 – UEFA
5. South Africa 2010 – 1st in Africa
6. Brazil 2014 – Brazil CONMEBOL – 1st time in South America since Argentina 1978
7. Russia 2018 – UEFA – 1st WC in Eastern Europe and emerging Russia
8. Qatar 2022 – Middle East – technically part of Asia, but first in Middle East

Guess – China 2026

Sorry, Alexi Lalas, I don’t think it was FIFA corruption that Qatar won. It was part of a plan to continue exporting the game to all parts of the globe. The power of the game is beyond 22 players on a field.

Could Football be the mechanism that integrates the Middle East into the rest of the world? Would it allow us to lower the barrier of differences to unite us in what globally everyone loves? Football.

If we look at the decision from this perspective, it kind of makes sense. As much as it hurst to think the economics of a US bid also makes sense, I think the bigger purpose of the World Cup should serve to bring people together too.

What’s next for the US Soccer?

We need to keep developing our game here. Football in the rest of the world reaches the poor populations and helps bring the underprivileged out of poverty. Here in the United States, Soccer is a middle class sport that uses a pay to play system.

Could our reliance on pay to play be one of the reasons we were overlooked? Does FIFA know that kids in the inner city are still overlooked as a potential soccer playing population? Dos US Soccer’s mission fit the mission of FIFA?

Do 10 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan send the wrong message to the rest of the world? Is a country engaged in ongoing wars counter to FIFA’s mission?

I think if we stand back and really look what happened, we may find the reason we did not get selected was looking at us in the mirror.

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into blogging, social media and search engine optimization. He is also assistant Varsity Soccer Coach at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis.

Much has been written regarding the reappointment of Bob Bradley as the United States Men’s National Team Coach. There are reasons to keep him and reasons to not keep him.

I am not of the opinion that Bob Bradley sucks and he is terrible. On the contrary, he has proven to be a great coach at the Club level. He knows how to build teams and succeed on the field. The question though today, is he the guy to take us to the next level?

To counter some of the claims for why he should be manager, I have my 5 reasons he should not.

1.  Michael Bradley

The coach’s Son is a good player. So far, he has had a steady career that started in MLS under his Dad with a transfer to the Netherlands and an eventual move to the Bundesliga with Borussia Moechengladbach. Is he the best player the United States has to build a team around?

I would say no. Midfield is the one position we have depth. If there was another Manager coaching the team, would he build it around Michael Bradley? I am not so sure. In 4 years time that Bob Bradley has been Manager, I think Michael Bradley has been substituted only a couple of times.

The whole Bob Bradley/Michael Bradley situation is akin to US Youth Soccer in that the Father holds his player card.

2.  Loyalty to Players

One of the criticisms of Bob Bradley is his loyalty to certain players. While he has tried using a large number of different players over the 4 years as National Team Manager, in the end, he selects players that have played for him already. The exception this time around would have been DaMarcus Beasley.

Of course, the glaring example was Ricardo Clark. Now, I am not saying Clark is a bad player. He is a good player. He had been injured during his club season and was not match fit. Maurice Edu who had been making history for Rangers in Scotland was always a substitute in Bob’s lineup.

Which always left us wondering, did he put our best players on the field?

3.  Exclusion of players

One of the most exciting talents in US Soccer is Francisco Torres. He is a kid from Texas that plays for Pachuca in Mexico. He is one of the most technically gifted US players with the ball. HIs passing is excellent and he is very comfortable with the ball on his feet.

He has more International experience at the club level than any other US player on the roster. He has played in the Copa Libertadores, CONCACAF Champions League and the Club World Championships.

Bob Bradley only gives this kid cameo roles and one bad pass puts him back on the bench. Yet, he provides something we don’t generally have. A technical ability to hold the ball in traffic and distribute with accurate passes.

4.  Style of Play

Many in this country seem content with the “direct” style of play of the current US National team plays. Even Tim Howard admits as much. The US is just trying to mimic an English form of Football.

Here is the problem with this approach. Despite being the inventors of the game, England has won only one (1) trophy in International competition. The 1966 World Cup final that was in England. Apart from this trophy, the generally get knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Yet, we want to play like them. Organized defense and counter-attack game. Yes, we are physically fit for the first 4 games. But, you can’t go through a tournament and survive. Eventually, you have to learn how to play by controlling the ball and maximizing the energy in your body.

It is time to rid ourselves of the English influence in our game and start building our own style. We have Caribbean, Latin, European and African influences in this country. We could build a style that has speed and creativity up top, technical ability in the middle and strong defense in the back. We could be world beaters.

It’s time to turn to Brazil. Let them help us develop an “American” style of the game to reflect the real diversity that exists in this country. There is talent here and we need to tap into it. It does not all reside in the suburbs. Make the game more inclusive.

I am not sure Bob Bradley can do this for us.

5.  Bruce Arena-2006

The next World Cup will be in Brazil.

The US has done well when the World Cup has been hosted in non-traditional markets like the US in 1994, Japan-Korea 2002 and South Africa 2010. We were dead last in Italy 1990, France 1998 and failed in Germany 2006.

The next World Cup will be in Brazil. Enough has been written to show that Managers in their 2nd stint very seldom succeed beyond their first stint. In most cases, they go backwards.

My prediction is Bob Bradley will be 3 and out of the 2014 World Cup with a team built around his Son.

See, it’s not that I don’t like Bob Bradley, I just don’t think he has the vision or ability to get us to the next level. Project 2010 is over. We need a new project that will take us from England wannabes to American Soccer Power.

Brazil is the country that can help us. How can you argue with their success?

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into blogging, social media and search engine optimization. He is also the assistant Varsity Soccer Coach at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis.

This is the start of a 4 part series of my World Cup Soccer history.

Well, June has come and gone.

I have lived through my 9th World Cup. I remember ABC’s Wide World of Sports in 1970 when Brazil beat Italy in the final in Germany. You know, the scene where Pele scores and jumps into his teammate. I remember the day my Dad was watching it on TV. I don’t remember the details of the game. I do remember my Dad watching it.

In 1974, I spent 2 months in Hungary. I arrived in Hungary about the time of the final in Germany between Holland and Germany. Again, I don’t remember the details. I did go to my first professional game that year, as my Uncle Pali took me to my first Ferencvaros game in Budapest. I think I may even have the ticket stubs from that game somewhere.

He then took me to subsequent professional games while I was there, as the league started in August. It was at a time where we always had August off for the whole summer.

1978 began my love affair with the World Cup. Back then, all of us foreigners would congregate at venues where the games were shown on closed circuit TV. In Michigan, we had to drive to Detroit and watch games at the Masonic temple or across the river in Windsor at the hockey arena. Hungary was in the World Cup at the time. Several of us Hungarians went to watch games.

I fell in love with the World Cup. The fans at the Masonic temple brought their mini-flags and were passionately rooting for their favorite teams. I was hooked. There was the excitement in the game. The edge of your seat emotions that go with that expectation of a goal being scored.

The critics that call soccer boring. They just don’t get it. There is passion like nothing at an American sporting event. World Cup fever is in the blood, not in the conformity of following a winner.

I did not make it to the final in 1978. My Dad and his buddies did. It was a great game. Holland made it to the final again, as they did in 1974, only to lose to the home team again. This time in overtime to the heroics of Mario Kempes of Argentina.

The images of River Plate stadium full to the brim with Argentinian fans willing their team to win the whole thing. The field covered in paper confetti when Argentina scored their goals. The fans going crazy.

I started playing the game in 1976.   The 1978 World Cup in Argentina was the event that pushed me over the edge into a life-long fan of the game.

Book of Dreams, “God will produce the greatest soccer player in the world. And, he will come from the United States – the chosen nation of the world.”

Photo by ISI Photos

In the United States, we always seem to be looking for the next great Soccer savior to emerge from our shores. Several years ago, it was a young Ghanian immigrant kid that out dribbled everyone here in Indianapolis at the then Snickers National Championships. That young man was Freddy Adu, a player that has struggled since going professional at the tender age of 14. He was the next Pele and walked on water.

I think Freddy listened to all his press and has since struggled to make the impact everybody thought he would make. I think American Soccer fans expected too much from a 14 year old kid. He is still a young player that possesses some great technical ability. Let’s hope that his time in Greece allows him the opportunities he has been lacking the past 2 years in Europe.

Jozy Altidore

American Soccer fans need to calm down. Because now the same expectations are being put onto a young kid from New Jersey named Jozy Altidore.

Jozy is and has been a natural goal scoring talent. He featured for the New York Red Bulls at 16. The difference between he and Freddy was most people left him alone. They did not want to make the same mistake with him. And, he produced on the field.

Jozy was transferred from the MLS side New York Red Bulls to La Liga’s Villareal 2 years ago for a record $10 million transfer. He had limited playing time on his arrival into Spain. He was sent to Xerex of the Segundo Division for playing time. The problem was Xerex was playing so well, they did not need him and they were working towards promotion. It just did not work out for him. Villareal always had it in mind to send Jozy on loan.

This year, they sent him to England to play for Hull City. No offense to Hull City fans, but the team was crap before Jozy arrived. He was not going to make it that much better. Hull City’s midfield still sucked and their defense let in goals like a sieve. For selfish reasons, I can say that Jozy got out of Hull City what he went there to do – get playing time, get knocked around and adapt to the game in Europe.

Now he can go back to Villareal battle tested and stronger for the experience. And, he can start tearing up La Liga.

Here is why I say this, if you look at the careers of players like Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry, Ruud Van Nistelroy and even Eric Cantona. They were not world beaters at 20 years old. Their games played and goal production are very similar to what Jozy has accomplished. Jozy has actually done more, as he has 8 national team goals to his name in competitive FIFA competitions.

(Yeah, but that is in CONCACAF) Well, some of the European groups are pretty weak as I am a follower of one of those weak teams. I wish my Hungarian team had a forward of Jozy’s ability.  (They do actually, but the coaches are reluctant to put too much expectation on a young kid name Krisztian Nemeth – only the fans see him as a savior too).

The magic number 25

A player does not reach his full potential until he is 25 years old. How old are Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo? When did they really come into their own and start dominating games? Even Lionel Messi was allowed to develop his talent at Barcelona. Give Jozy a break.

Point is, to expect that out of Jozy Altidore is premature and just not going to happen.

My only concern for Jozy was his goal production should have been higher for Hull City. However, what he did not produce in goals, he did draw important fouls that led to goals. He was generally rated pretty high in post-game player ratings on Sky Sports.

I know American soccer fans have had their disappointments from the 2006 World Cup. We can’t put our hopes and dreams onto a 20 year old kid from New Jersey who is really just getting started. He accomplished what he needed to accomplish at Hull City. He will play for the US National Team. He may even be the impact player against talent from Slovenia and Algeria.

To expect him to carry us through to the final is a little much.

Freddy Adu is the lesson for all of us. We were too impatient with him. Let’s not do the same to Jozy Altidore.

Ives Galacerp has written a very detailed account of the recovery of Charlie Davies, a US National Soccer Team forward who was

Photo by ISIphotos.com

involved in a terrible car accident back in October. He woke up 3 days later in the hospital and did not know where he was and thought he was in Honduras having his organs harvested.

His accident happened in October 2009.  He broke most of the bones in his right leg.  Fractured bones in his face.  And, fractured bones in his elbow.  He also injured his posterior cruciate ligament.  The miracle is his bones have healed and he is on the treadmill already.  He has one more surgery to remove the plate and screws from his elbow.  He is schedule to return to France and start training with his club Sochaux at the end of February.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is freaking unbelievable.

You can read the full article here at Soccer by Ives and his published article at ESPN Soccernet.

I have to admit, I was one of the people guessing we have to scratch Charlie Davies from the World Cup.  Let’s hope he can continue on his recovery.  He was one of the bright spots in US Soccer in 2009 as we led up to the World Cup.