Steve Davis' weekly column, drilling down on five hot topics in American soccer
1. Plenty of fans are just plain fed up with U.S. national team boss Jurgen Klinsmann. So are quite a few members of the chattering class, also known as “the media.” Players selections and tactical placements that make little sense are one thing, but speaking nonsense and then calling some of the criticism from the great unwashed “immature” was something else.
All of that is certainly understandable, and Klinsmann’s best defense (perhaps his only real defense at this point) will be wins and stylistic progress that was promised from the start.
All that said – and quite a few of you out there are not going to want to hear this – Tuesday’s result in Port of Spain, Trinidad, was not a bad one.
This is another of those lessons in domestic soccer that refuse to be learned: Qualifiers on the road are generally difficult, in the CONCACAF region in Europe and certainly in South America. Yes, it would have been better had Klinsmann’s team found a goal and sneaked gleefully away with a 1-0 win rather than the scoreless draw. But in the end, winning at home and drawing on the road is always a useful formula. That is more or less how the United States has arrived at every World Cup since the one it hosted in 1994.
A tepid first half Tuesday evolved into something better after the break; mark that under “something to build on,” and “something to feel good about during the long interim between qualifiers. Next time we see Klinsmann and Co. on the field in meaningful matches: a pair of semifinal round qualifiers against Guatemala in late March. That would be a long time to dwell on bad performance, so that “something better” in the second 45 in Port of Spain will come in handy.
Further, talented young performers like DeAndre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes are not ready for international soccer. Bobby Wood isn’t either, although his scoring lately suggests his time is coming. But this round is way softer than the coming storm of the final round, which is almost sure to include Mexico, Costa Rica and probably this same (fairly impressive) T&T side. So this is the time to set their international soccer feet. Otherwise, Klinsmann will still be relying on too many of the old hands (Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, etc.) as the games get tougher and the demand for younger legs multiplies.
Part of his job – any manager’s job, really – is to strike the right balance between veteran leadership and gradual, inevitable introduction of fresh faces. Frankly, if anything, Klinsmann has leaned too much on the greybeards to this point.
2. Can Canada actually do this thing?
Speaking of useful road draws, Canada’s draw Tuesday at El Salvador rounded out a promising five-day spell. And it’s nice to see our neighbors to the North get their World Cup qualifying campaign started with a skip rather than the usual stumble.
MLS men Will Johnson and Cyle Larin combined for the vital goal last Friday as the Canadians downed Honduras 1-0 under the open roof at Vancouver’s BC Place. Tuesday in San Salvador, Larin had early chances but couldn’t connect, so the Reds will be satisfied with four points before biting into the meat of the qualifying sandwich next spring and summer.
Finding that goal last Friday was the real boost. Not only has Honduras been rising slightly as a world soccer presence, but Los Catrachos have been a frequent burr in Canadian soccer’s red mount lately. So getting past the tricky semifinal round opener signaled ample reason for hope.
Nothing against any of the lands Central America or the Caribbean, but I’m hoping Canadian soccer can finally get its stuff together. Despite interest for the sport and a reasonable dash of talent, Canadian soccer is perpetually pouring itself as cold coffee, never able to climb out of its everlasting sinkhole. Last World Cup for the Canadians: 1986.
Heck, they haven’t even made it to final round qualifying since 1998; the Canadians crashed out in the semifinal round – also known as, “the round we’re in right now” – before the World Cups in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Simply put, the final round will be a more interesting place if Canada is involved, creating a little more diversity. You could reasonably assume we’d see the region’s three largest nations (Mexico, Canada and the United States), plus some mix of representation from Central America and the Caribbean Isles.
Plus, what great nights of qualifying they could be, these United States-Canada tussles. Given the connections (geographical, geopolitical and soccer-wise), these could summon great interests on both sides of the border. No, it wouldn’t be as beautifully acrimonious as the United States-Mexico, but it could really develop into something.
On the other hand, Canadian soccer finally finding its feet would impose one more obstacle for the United States, perhaps drawing this land one step closer to the inevitable day (as Bruce Arena famously warned) when the United States will fail to qualify for a World Cup.
So maybe this is a case of “be careful what you ask for.” But honestly, given the promise of two high profile, highly meaningful U.S.-Canadian meetings in final round World Cup qualifying, it seems worth it.
3. Biello the right choice for Montreal
No one can say whether Mauro Biello is the right choice for Montreal, but I love that the Impact are giving him the chance.
First, he’s an institution in soccer in that part of Canada. That kind of history and allegiance to the cause is always helpful, if only in developing unified fronts among the club, its fans and attached media. Further, he represents a bolder choice, someone who hasn’t been top man at this level previously.
The “safer” choice is someone who has done this before, but that always leads to one of two places: a re-tread (think Frank Yallop, whose style has become outdated in the more advanced MLS) or a fancy name from overseas. We see it time and again, managers who clearly know soccer but get flummoxed by Major League Soccer’s peculiarities.
Read here of Owen Coyle’s adjustments to his initial year in Major League Soccer. Coyle still looks like a good choice for the Dynamo, someone accustomed to stretching the dollar in efforts against better funded clubs. So Houston brain trust is right to give their manager a mulligan for 2015, but they aren’t likely to be as forgiving if Coyle can’t reach the playoffs in his second year in charge at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Biello was 7-2-2 after taking over for Frank Klopas (a “safe” choice who had previously coached the Chicago Fire, although he was ultimately unsuccessful at both MLS stops). That spiffy winning percentage over the back half of 2015 made it easier for the deciders at Montreal to make the right choice.
4. Improved MLS creates an altered landscape
File this under “unintended consequences.” Quality in Major League Soccer keeps ticking steadily upward, which is just grand. But that means the business of MLS between the white lines will need ongoing tweaking. Here’s an example:
Players of international quality could perhaps come and go in their national team pursuits without much strain on their performance in MLS. There seems to be mounting evidence that it won’t always be so.
Witness the cases of Clint Dempsey, Giles Barnes and Blaz Perez. All were sharp and generally “bringing it” to begin Major League Soccer’s 20th season, scoring and looking generally up to the job in Seattle, Houston and Dallas, respectively. And then all saw their level of performance pretty much fall off the table once late-summer fell.
Dempsey’s drop from potential league MVP to a fairly ordinary presence was complicated by injury. Not really so with Barnes and Perez, although the wear and tear of summer friendlies and then extensive Gold Cup duty surely taxed the effort. And that’s the point. Barnes had six goals through May; he returned from a tough month and a half of matches and travel for Jamaica and struck just once the rest of the way for Houston.
Perez’s drop was even more stunning after accumulating five goals through May. After six weeks of Panamanian duty, Perez failed to score again for FC Dallas, losing his starting spot to David Texeira along the way.
In the past, an MLS of lesser quality might have mitigated any drop off. Perhaps a few performers of top quality can still manage the extra burden of heavy international duty, but not everyone will be able to. That’s the way it’s looking, at least.
5. The Little Five
5a. Apparently now the silly season will work two ways. Used to be that agents for Euros in decline would float stories of alleged MLS interest to help leverage their clients’ appeal, even if actual MLS interest was as real as the tooth fairy. (With the reports all-too-happily gobbled up and disseminated by complicit American media.) Well, now it looks like an increasing number of MLS figures will be subject to ongoing loan rumors. Andrea Pirlo had to shoot down talk of a winter loan into a European club. So did Sebastian Giovinco, including reports of interest from none other than fabled Barcelona. And none other than Landon Donovan has added to the conversation, advocating rest rather than loan spells for these guys. His reasoning: it’s roughly the same as the No. 4 item above, that an improved MLS demands more of a player’s focus and attention now.
5b. Major League Soccer’s playoffs will be back in the domestic soccer spotlight Sunday (after World Cup and Euro 2016 qualifiers had their moment). Both MLS conference final first legs are Sunday, which is OK, although competition with NFL is always tough. When the next TV contract is negotiated, it would be nice to see MLS press for a Saturday playoff window. College football occupies those Saturday afternoon/evening windows for current MLS English language TV partners Fox and ESPN, so that’s a no-fly zone for now. But it may not be that way forever. And while college football presents competition, too, it might be the better alternative. It would be nice to try, at least.
5c. Yes, momentum in the MLS playoffs was interrupted by the week between conference semifinals and the conference finals first legs. But was there a choice? A few critics chirped about the buzz-killing lack of flow. The alternative might have been a critical MLS post-season match decided without an important starter or two. Did anybody seriously think that taking a chance on that was a good idea? Remember, the world isn’t perfect – and that extends to the soccer world. Sometimes it’s not about what’s right; sometimes it’s about deciding which “wrong” gets closer to being right.
5d. A bunch of us have spent a bunch of time this summer lamenting Jurgen Klinsmann’s weak points. That’s life in the big city, as they say, when you’re a big-time, highly compensate manager and the wins just aren’t falling. But this story from SI.com reminds everyone of Klinsmann’s best attribute: his positive approach, and the way ongoing encouragement and belief can push players to be their best selves: Bobby Wood is the latest example.
5e. While news that Shay Facey has signed a new deal for Manchester City (which means he may return on loan to NYCFC) is interesting, it’s difficult to see a clear path into EPL action. Facey, 20 years old, is listed generously at 5-foot-9. That’s pretty small for a center back, especially in the Premier League, where they like their “centre-halves” on the towering side. There are exceptions; Fabio Cannavaro, another 5-9 center back, was among Italy’s top men at World Cup 2006. Then again, his timing in the leap and in the tackle was utterly world class, which is what it takes to overcome the slight handicap of positional size.
Steve Davis has covered Major League Soccer since is first kick in 1996. He writes on-line for World Soccer Talk and co-hosts the weekly radio show/podcast ESPN Soccer Today on 103.3 FM in Dallas. Davis is also the radio play-by-play voice for FC Dallas on 100.7 FM.