The 2009 Confederations Cup has come and gone, with plenty of surprises: the United States finished second, Egypt put up a fantastic showing despite not advancing, and host South Africa nearly pulled off a 3rd place finish (taking Spain to extra-time in the consolation match, this despite a run of poor results in the last year).
As for the US giving away a two-goal lead in the final, they just didn't show up (certainly to the degree that Brazil did) in the second half. The Brasilians were always a better team, they just waited 45 minutes to prove it.
Now that it's all over, there's certainly plenty to observe from the US squad. First off, it appears that there actually will be competition for spots in the 2010 World Cup squad, after a number of players improved their stock significantly. Steve Cherundolo will need to show that he's completely recovered from his hip injury during the Gold Cup, though even a strong showing might not be enough to cement his hold on the right back spot (a position that was his, never in doubt as recent as the World Cup qualifiers at the beginning of this month) following Jonathon Spector's meteoric rise and fantastic tournament in South Africa (another player who's battled injuries this year, but finally demonstrated the potential that's been seen in him for years). Charlie Davies might have had the biggest rise of any player on the team, going from unknown---even in the first 2 games of the tournament---to key contributor to the US side. His strike partner, Jozy Altidore, only continued to demonstrate why he's so highly regarded with an inspired run (having not played since being loaned to Xerez by Spanish side Villareal). In the midfield, Benny Feilhaber played more like the guy who scored the spectacular volley in the '07 Gold Cup final that got the US into this tournament (than the player who's had attitude problems and struggled to find a team (much less get playing time) in the last year and change). And Jay DeMerit did more than admirably stand-in for injured Carlos Bocanegra in the central defense---he held the spot, bumping the US captain to the left-back spot (also a tactical move to help protect Bocanegra's tender hamstring, which he injured in the qualifying win over Honduras on June 6th).
In addition, a number of the "stars" of the US squad stepped up, playing even above their expected role. Landon Donovan has always been expected to be a leader and major contributor to any US success, and played a huge role in the way that the US advanced. Only bigger than Donovan (offensively, at least), was Clint Dempsey. The further Dempsey played in an advanced role (similar to his position with England's Fulham), the more production he delivered (scoring a goal in each of the last 3 games). Prior to his red card, Michael Bradley continued to establish himself as the best central midfielder in the country, patrolling the center of the pitch, contributing both offensively and defensively. On the back line, center back Gooch Onyewu should have no problem finding a contract (his contract with Belgian club Standard Liege expires tomorrow, and he's said he wants to look elsewhere) after his performance, and it's no coincidence that the return of captain Carlos Bocanegra (albeit as a left back) coincided with the run of results that got the US into the final. In net, Tim Howard deservedly beat out the likes of Julio Caesar (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), and Gigi Buffon (Italy) for the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. Timmy came up with HUGE saves in nearly every game, stood on his head at times, and kept the US in position to finish as high as they did.
With all this said, does finishing 2nd at a significant international tournament like the Confederations Cup, beating the #1 team in the world in the process, mean that the US can crack the top 10 in the next FIFA rankings? Simple answer...no. Not a chance. Sure, the US did put together big-time games against Egypt, Spain, and in the final against Brazil...but they still finished the tournament (2-3-0) and the month (3-4-0) with a sub-.500 record. In fact, if it weren't for the poor performance of the other teams in the 11th-15th spots (US is currently 14th), there'd be a better chance that the US would drop out of the top 15 than jumping into the top 10. Spain will, more than likely, drop the top spot, and Brazil will also climb from their current 5th position), but it'd be shocking to see the US see much change to their overall rank (possibly climbing up a spot or two). When you break down the month of June, the US didn't fare very well overall: a comprehensive 3-1 loss to Costa Rica (#41), a struggling come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Honduras (#35), two more complete losses to Italy and Brazil (#4 and #5, respectively), then turning it up with solid wins of their own, over Egypt (#40) and Spain (#1), before the gritty, hard-fought loss to Brazil in the final.
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Bob Bradley's planning for the Gold Cup (CONCACAF's regional championship) had to begin before he ever left South Africa (the US released the roster before the Confederations Cup final), and tactical planning had to begin on the plane to Seattle, as the US opens play on Saturday (July 4th). Speaking of the Gold Cup roster:
Goalkeepers: Jon Busch (Chicag0), Troy Perkins (IK Start (Norway)), Luis Robles (Kaiserslautern (Germany))
Defenders: Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96 (Germany)), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Clarence Goodson (IK Start (Norway)), Jay Heaps (New England), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaellands (Denmark)), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock (Germany))
Midfielders: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City), Kyle Beckerman (Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado), Sam Cronin (Toronto), Brad Evans (Seattle), Stuart Holden (Houston), Logan Pause (Chicago), Robbie Rogers (Columbus)
Forwards: Freddy Adu (Monaco (France)), Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby (Sweden)), Santino Quaranta (D.C.)
So with this roster, which is obviously a "B" squad, how far can the US advance? Will we see another US/Mexico final? Well, not likely. This US squad isn't all that "green behind the ears"---there is an experienced core of players in Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, and Brian Ching. In addition, there are younger players who, though inexperienced at the international level, have been viewed as having the potential to really succeed, and why not let them get the start in this "smaller" tournament? These players include Michael Parkhurst, Sam Cronin, Brad Evans, Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers, Freddy Adu, and Kenny Cooper. The US should advance out of the group stage (against Grenada, Haiti, and Honduras), and, if these fringe players step up, have the possibility of making a decent run out of this thing. Another Gold Cup trophy, though? Against the full teams of the likes of Mexico (which is gearing up to host the US in a crucial World Cup qualifier in August), Honduras, and Costa Rica, the US should consider a semifinal appearance a success in this one.
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New York Red Bulls have returned to training in preparation for Saturday's trip to Dallas. To kick off the week, the team signed former Colorado 'keeper Bouna Condoul. As SoccerJunkie mentioned in an earlier blog, there was no feasible way to keep all three goalkeepers (Condoul, Danny Cepero, and Jon Conway) on the team...so the Red Bulls "terminated" the contract of Jon Conway. Goalkeeping has been far from the team's biggest issue this season, so this move is certainly questionable. On the upside, we now know that the Red Bulls do in fact know how to "terminate" someone's contract...now maybe the team can terminate the contract of coach Juan Carlos Osorio, the next appropriate step for a team in a major slide. Simply put, New York is the worst team in Major League Soccer right now, and has been in the lower half (last year's playoff run, which New York backed into, aside) of the league since Osorio took over.
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Tomorrow is July 1st, which means dozens of contracts around the world expire at midnight tonight. In the MLS, and similarly-positioned leagues around the world, this means open season for transfers, as new faces can be brought in without the ever-growing (in some cases, astronomical) transfer fees due to the team that originally held the player's contract. Expect a rash of signings in the coming days, with Carlos Tevez (expected to sign with Manchester City) leading the way as soon as legally permissable.
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Samuel Eto'o has now said he'd like to negotiate a new deal to remain at Barcelona. If that doesn't come through, however, he has also said he wouldn't reject a move to Manchester City (which is looking to follow through on its promise to become a star-laden team...though whether they're a contender for anything is still up in the air). Reports are that Manchester City is willing to make Eto'o the highest paid player in professional football.
Speaking of high-paid players, Real Madrid unveiled Kaka in front of approx. 50,000 fans at the Bernabeu today.
Manchester United has swooped in, completing the signing of Antonio Valencia from Wigan (to replace Real Madrid's record signing, Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed a six-year deal over the weekend (jury's out on whether he'll honor all 6 years, or whether the sweet sounds of Milan (or somewhere else) will come calling first)).
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