CLAP! or CRAP? By Sam Nishi
Issue # A > Thursday 22Jun06 (Special Edition)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
USA on the World Stage
Well, we certainly aren’t as good as we all wished we were a month ago
That’s the important truth .. .. And, the players thought they were better than they were before the CZE match .. ..
2002 proved we were a bit lucky and Europe’s powers can’t replicate their form that far away from home .. .. Bring on AFRICA in four years .. ..
Landon is Landon
I think we were all hoping that Landon was that world-class player who would really show it when on the world stage .. .. I guess not .. .. He didn’t raise his game which means being greedy and going for goal, not just laying it off to someone who can’t read the game as well as you .. .. I reckon MLS is just up his alley .. ..
The anti-Christ himself, Eric Wynalda, brought up a good point – USA has won only one WC match with him in the lineup .. .. Well, maybe we should be glad his tenure is over .. .. He is just not the #10 to take us forward and we were probably doing as well as were despite him .. ..
No more cupcakes, please!
Having cupcakes like LANDON & DAMARCUS are enough .. .. We need to have ‘harder’ players on the pitch .. .. OGUCHI & CLINT are a good start, but we also need skilled warriors like JACOB THOMAS (CLB) and the like .. ..
Increase the trade gap
Having too many of our prime players play in MLS is NOT a good thing .. .. They need to be in a more competitive and harder atmosphere for the USA to move forward .. .. Having our potential mega-stars like LEE NGUYEN & OGUCHI head overseas early on will only help them and us .. ..
MLS should increase the trade gap and keep all transfer fee’s low and make MLS the world’s shopping ground .. .. Send every MLS side to Europe to tour and every young player to train .. .. The quicker our better young players leave for Europe the better .. ..
Hooray for SAM’S ARMY!
With all the US fans traveling to Germany, every match almost had the feel of a home match – especially v. GHA & ITA .. .. USA will need that support in the future!
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USA CLAP! or CRAP?
(GK) KASEY KELLER
> CRAP? Still 0-for since KK was the GK in 1990 – Just not meant to be!
(D) STEVE CHERUNDOLO
> CRAP! An Arena favorite who again proved he is too small
(D) EDDIE POPE
> CLAP! A game effort in his last WC – Has rebounded from injuries
(D) OGUCHI ONYEWU
> CLAP! Overpowered the World – Proved he is WORLD CLASS
(D) EDDIE LEWIS
> CRAP? Not aggressive enough to be a converted left-back – Like Hejduk
(D) CARLOS BOCANEGRA
> CLAP! Class defender should be a fixture from now on
(M) DAMARCUS BEASLEY
> CRAP? Bad WC, Bad 2005-06 Season and now goes to court in NED
(M) LANDON DONOVAN
> CRAP? Just not enough out of him – NOT the world class player
(M) CLAUDIO REYNA
> CRAP? Never had the physical gifts to be THE man
(M) BOBBY CONVEY
> CLAP! Saw some glimpses but will need more from him to move on
(M) CLINT DEMPSEY
> CLAP! Has the aggressiveness and will to move the USA forward
(F) EDDIE JOHNSON
> CRAP? Didn’t see enough of him – Will need to go to Europe
(F) BRIAN MCBRIDE
> CRAP? Didn’t get enough service and not mobile enough
© 1998-2006 HWCI Productions
© 2006 Sam
Nishi
HWCI circa
1991