World Cup - Semi Finals - What the US Can Learn

Watching the two semi final games, Uruguay-Netherlands and Spain-Germany ought to be a humbling experience for US Soccer. There is much we could take away from observing these teams play.

Spain is outright ridiculous. I just watched the game and they completely handled Germany. How many shots did Germany get in the game? 2? The skill level of Spain across the board is shocking. Do we realize Spain doesn't start two players - Torres and Fàbregas - who if they were on the US team, would be our best field player, without question. Perhaps Fàbregas is hurt and Torres is not in great form, but both players would easily replace Donovan as our top playmaker. That is downright scary.

Germany. Despite getting handled by Spain, this German team was a wonder to watch in the tournament, especially the outpouring of counterattack goals against England and Argentina. The England game would have been different had they gotten Lampard's goal correct, nevertheless, what is most striking and scary about this German team is the core of young players - in particular Ozil and Mueller. I don't think Mueller being out of the game against Spain changes the outcome (obviously, you never know), but he is a dangerous and smart player. Ozil is spectacular. He didn't play great against Spain, but he is a smooth dude and would easily be on my All-Tournament team. Other than Bradley, the US Youth movement does not look promising and is way below the level of the young Germans and even the young Ghanaians. And it wouldn't surprise me if Brazil and Argentina have players we didn't even see - second teamers - that are be better than our young guys.

Uruguay - My favorite team of the tournament who played with incredible heart in that quarterfinal game. They play with defensive discipline (pay attention US players) and then had the twin goal scoring threat of Forlan and Suarez - two dangerous and creative attackers. Forlan is on a different level. There is an argument to be made for him being the player of the tournament. Now bear in mind Uruguay is a country of 3.5 million people, basically the size of the Westside of Los Angeles. This demographic fact should make US Soccer red. The reason we stink at soccer and are not in the top 10 in the world has nothing to do with our best athletes playing other sports (as many US commentators would have us believe). We have a structural problem at identifying the best players and tactical problems with our play. We play a "blue collar" style of soccer and over-emphasize athleticism over skill. It is a similar mistake baseball scouts make when evaluating baseball players - and was chronicled in Michael Lewis' MONEYBALL. The difference, however, between US Soccer and US Baseball is that in baseball, every father and coach around the country from Little League to high school to college to triple A to the pros is pretty goddamn knowledgeable about the game and can teach good young baseball players how to bunt, steal bases, tag up, turn a double play, hit to the opposite field, move the runner along, throw a change up, locate a pitch -- all the technical elements required of becoming a good baseball players. Hardly any soccer coaches in the US all the way up to the college level know how to teach teams to possess in triangles, make overlapping runs, teach stepovers, how to strike the ball with laces, how to defend corner kicks, how to play a flat back four, how to draw a foul, how to take a first touch. And it is much worse at the youth level where coaches don't even know offsides rules or the entire concept of possession or even the most basic elements of strategy. But what's worse, is these soccer moms and dads THINK they know. I would be willing to bet, if we brought in the soccer brains of England or Netherlands or Germany to a mediums sized state like Ohio or Florida and just let them run a little soccer fiefdom, in 10 years that national team of Ohio or Florida would beat the US National Team 7 out of 10 games.

Netherlands - There is lots to talk about with respect to the Netherlands, but I will focus on Robben. We need to find players like Robben. Robben has very apparent weaknesses - absolutely no right foot. A right foot that is an embarrassment for a professional player, much less an international star. He flops like a maniac, which suggests low character. He is injury prone. However...the man puts the fear of god into the man marking him. I've never seen the Brazilians so flustered by a single player. Brazil seemed to have more skill at most positions than the Netherlands, save for that one match up on the left wing and that one match up alone shifted the balance of the 2nd half in Netherlands favor. We have some good players on the US. Donovan has world class speed and can finish. But opponents aren't scared of him. They may respect him, but he doesn't put top level players on their heels. Robben puts his man on his heels. His man knows he is going to cut in and go left and make a move or two and go left again. And he still can't stop it. It is freaky. Dempsey is a really skilled all around players - smart, creative, tough - but he isn't at the athletic level of Robben. He doesn't have that extra little turbo or what we used to call "magic." Robben has magic. Zidane had magic. Forlan has magic. No one on the US team has any magic. Altidore is physical speciman, but I doubt will develop into world class player. Charlie Davies had potential, we'll see if he recovers, he had that turbo boost of speed and those thick-ass legs. I don't know about anyone else.