Arrivederci, Frank

Bewildered in the midst of one of my first assignments as a pro soccer reporter, I turned to Frank Dell’Apa. I chose wisely.

I’d been sent to the Seaport Hotel to write an advance on MLS Cup 1999, to be played that weekend in Foxboro, and was entirely out of my element. The scene was a free-for-all, media members grabbing players and coaches for interviews all over the ballroom, with no nametags or ID placards to steer a 23-year-old with sparse knowledge of the D.C. United and L.A. Galaxy rosters in the right direction. I did know what Ben Olsen looked like, but I couldn’t find him. 

I also knew what Frank looked like, and fortunately he was standing right in front of me. I stammered out a quick introduction and asked him if he knew where Ben Olsen was. He couldn’t have been more gracious.

Over the next seven years, I shared a press box and training ground with Frank, and that graciousness was even more of a constant than his folded pink copy of La Gazzetta dello Sport. He knew the people to talk to, the books to read, the stories to pursue, and was happy to share them with a young reporter. One afternoon many years ago, I got a call out of the blue. Simon Kuper was speaking that night in Lowell (where I lived at the time); Frank thought of me and checked to see if I was interested in going. 

As newspapers and their staffs have shrunk over the last decade, they’ve irreparably lost much of their institutional memory. Frank’s departure from the Globe is such a blow to the sport in New England because he was the only one left who’d seen it all in MLS from the start, and because it mattered so much to him. Most sportswriters would give anything to be switched from the Revs beat to the Celtics beat. Frank isn’t “most sportswriters.” 

I don’t remember if I actually found Ben Olsen that day 13 years ago, but I’ll always recall the simple gesture of a veteran writer. I’m glad he’s returning full-time to the sport he loves, but it’s a shame that New England soccer is losing a big part of its roots.

Exit the dragon

As the implosion of the Revolution has continued in recent weeks, I've often thought about this story, and that fleeting moment when they were a model club in MLS. Maybe the whole thing was a smokescreen, a product of luck that couldn't have been sustained. But it certainly seemed like they were on to something, and who knows how the fortunes and the perception of the club might have changed if they'd won this game (or either of the next two finals).

Anyway, Revs fans, here's some salt for the wounds.

------------------------

From The Eagle-Tribune, Nov. 13, 2005:

America’s Team

Nicol’s commitment to U.S. talent leads Revs to top

On Soccer

Tim Bresnahan

FRISCO, Texas -- When Major League Soccer unveiled its team names and logos in October 1995, the New England Revolution emblem was one of the most subdued in a garish lot.

Six blue stars, arranged to form a soccer ball, sat in the left-hand corner of a field of five red stripes, creating the image of a tattered, colonial American flag.

On the field, however, the men who wore that crest hardly inspired patriotic fervor. In their first six seasons, the club never posted a winning record, never won a playoff series, and never developed one young American who became a regular for the national team.

But since then, New England has transformed itself. Former head coach Fernando Clavijo started the rebuilding, drafting Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph and Marshall Leonard in 2002. Clavijo’s successor, Steve Nicol, followed with three drafts that brought Pat Noonan, Clint Dempsey and Michael Parkhurst to Foxboro.

Those players have formed the nucleus of the best team in franchise history. Today, the Revs attempt to win their first MLS Cup title (3:30 p.m., Chs. 5, 9) against Los Angeles, and they’ll try to do it with a lineup that will likely be comprised entirely of players born and/or raised in the United States.

It took 10 seasons, but the guys with the flag on their chest have finally become America’s team.

What’s most remarkable about this club’s metamorphosis, however, is that a Scotsman has orchestrated it. Nicol arrived in America just six years ago, but he’s quickly become a master of selecting top U.S. talent.

“He’s done a great job picking players out of the draft,” said Dempsey, a Texan who went to Furman University. “He’s done a great job trying to build a team around Americans.”

A legendary defender for both Liverpool and the Scottish National Team, Nicol hailed from a place where U.S. soccer gets little respect and the American developmental system (especially college soccer) is considered dreadfully inadequate. With all of his overseas contacts, Nicol could have tried to build a team around aging British stars or marginal prospects from the European mainland.

But Nicol wasn’t a Euro-snob. He gave American players a chance, and he’s been richly rewarded for it.

“I came with an open mind, to be honest,” he said. “Whatever it takes, whatever we can get that makes us better, we’ll do it. I don’t have any preconceived ideas of where we should get players from. It would be nice if they were American, but if we can’t do that, we’ll look elsewhere as well.”

Nicol hasn’t had to look elsewhere. His projected starting lineup for today includes 10 U.S. citizens, including Twellman (the 2005 league MVP), Parkhurst (the 2005 Rookie of the Year), Dempsey (the 2004 Rookie of the Year) and Noonan (the runner-up for 2003 Rookie of the Year). The only non-American is Joseph, a Grenada international who moved to Brooklyn as a teenager and attended St. John’s University.

Oddly enough, Nicol has struggled to find foreign players who fit in well with the Revs. Uruguayan midfielder Jose Cancela has been Nicol’s best international pickup, and he likely won’t start today. But because he’s done so well on the domestic front, Nicol hasn’t needed to strike it rich abroad.

Nicol’s focus on U.S. talent benefits not only the Revs, but his adopted country as well.

“As I’ve said before, part of my job is to help encourage American players in our league,” said Nicol, whose son, Michael, plays football at Springfield College. “The more players you have in this league who are the best players in the league (and) are American, the better for the league, the better for the national team.

U.S. head coach Bruce Arena would concur. Twellman, Noonan, Dempsey and veteran Steve Ralston are all serious contenders for World Cup spots next summer, and Parkhurst and veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis are darkhorse candidates.

Twellman, Noonan and Dempsey all earned their first national team appearance within a year of their MLS debuts | a fact which speaks volumes about the Revs’ ability to choose young players who are ready for the professional level.

“It’s a credit to ‘Stevie Nic’ and the coaching staff as well, finding guys who can come in and step in in their first year,” said Noonan, a forward who went to Indiana University. “It’s good to have a nice American core of guys who get along on and off the field.”

Parkhurst is the latest U.S. success story. The Rhode Island native starred as a center back at Wake Forest University, but he fell all the way to No. 9 in the 2005 draft. Nicol selected him there, and put him in the starting lineup for the season opener.

Serving as the center back in a three-man defense, Parkhurst took on a great deal of responsibility. He didn’t flinch, playing every minute of every game and justifying Nicol’s confidence in him.

“He gave me a chance to prove myself, where a lot of coaches probably wouldn’t let a rookie try and man a three-back system,” said Parkhurst. “So obviously I’m very grateful for that opportunity.”

One U.S. player after another has seized the opportunity with the Revs over the last four seasons. New England’s success is a testament to the improvement of American talent, as is Twellman’s MVP selection; he’s just the third American-born player to win the award in 10 years.

An MLS Cup championship, however, would be the most emphatic endorsement of the way that Nicol and the Revs have built their team. It’s a club full of Caribbean, Latin American and British influences, with a foundation of American athleticism. And by tonight, it could be the best team in the nation.

“It’s just a mixture of a lot of different styles,” said Dempsey. “I’d compare it to like kung fu or karate, all those martial arts. Like Bruce Lee was saying, the best is all of them put together.

“Hopefully, American soccer kind of does that, takes the best from every country as far as styles, and puts them together to make one really good one. You can’t knock the formula, because it’s been working.

Beijing or bust

At last, a U.S. junior national team has broken the cycle!

The story had become cliché: At a major tournament, the Americans dazzle in the first round, raise expectations, then crash out early in the knockout stages. The Under-20s have taken this route at the last two FIFA World Youth Championships, and the U-23s did likewise at the 2004 Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara.

This time around, expectations aren’t as high as the U.S. U-23s enter Thursday’s all-important semifinal against Canada in Nashville. The Americans delivered an underwhelming performance in group play of this Olympic qualifying tourney, scoring one goal in the run of play through three matches, tying a Cuban team full of players who had one foot out the door, and looking nothing like a medal threat come August – that is, if they qualify.

But the game is strange sometimes. Four years ago, the Americans stormed through the group stage, going 3-0-0 with 10 goals scored, only to fall to Mexico in the winner-take-all semifinals.

This time, Peter Nowak’s men have done just enough to get by, but all they have to do now is defeat Canada to earn a trip to Beijing. This team can’t be satisfied with its play thus far, and a little bit of humility might benefit the Americans on Thursday, when they’ll try to break the cycle again – by getting the job done in an elimination game.

In advance of that pivotal match, here’s a look at some of the U.S. players whose stock has risen and fallen since the tournament’s start:

UP

-- Freddy Adu: Easily the most dangerous player on the field for the United States. The attack suffered without him in the Honduras match (as did the set pieces). We saw glimpses of the stepovers and 1v1 skills, but more often (and more importantly), we saw him involve his teammates in the offense. He’s maturing into a leader.

-- Stuart Holden: His hard-nosed tackle in the defensive third launched the Americans’ first legitimate scoring threat against Panama, setting the tone for two strong performances. The Dynamo midfielder displayed an impressive shot, made several threatening, penetrating runs into the box, combined well with Sal Zizzo and Kamani Hill on the right, and played with controlled tenacity. The corner kicks could use some work, though.

-- Dax McCarty: A strong, steady presence in the midfield, McCarty was especially effective against Cuba, winning balls, holding them and distributing them. His touch faltered vs. Panama, but the work rate on the defensive end remained strong.

DOWN

-- Sacha Kljestan: Despite a couple of promising moments vs. Panama, the Chivas USA man struggled badly in the center of the park. His reckless giveaways sparked the Honduran counterattack on multiple occasions, and his clumsy tackle in that match drew a needless yellow card.

-- Patrick Ianni: Nutmegged on the pass that led to Cuba’s goal, Ianni was involved in another defensive breakdown against Honduras, as he and keeper Dominic Cervi got their signals crossed in the opening minutes. Only a questionable foul call prevented the mistake from costing the Americans a goal.

-- Jozy Altidore: Fair or not, expectations are so high for this kid, and his 135 minutes in Tampa didn’t quite measure up. Against Panama, his shirt-pulling foul prevented Kljestan from breaking in alone on the keeper, and his attempt to take on four defenders in the box proved overambitious. Even when he drew a penalty kick, his second touch wasn’t that great, and a better keeper might have read the play well enough to smother the ball rather than pull down Altidore.

QUICK HITS:

Not sure if Kamani Hill will be a great defender, but he certainly shows promise with the ball at his feet. … I like Maurice Edu at defensive midfield more than at center back, but after some initial troubles vs. Panama, he did well at the latter spot. … Good to see Charlie Davies keep his head in the game after missing that PK vs. Honduras. Now he just needs to tone down the acting job. … I can understand leaving Benny Feilhaber off the roster if you have a team that’s running on all cylinders. Nowak’s side hasn’t fit that description yet.

Oneonta dreaming on such a winter’s day

So, when did the National Soccer Hall of Fame become more exclusive than Augusta National?

U.S. fans have surely been asking similar questions since Tuesday’s announcement of the class of 2008, which includes just two men: UNC women’s coach Anson Dorrance (voted in as a builder) and longtime national teamer Hugo Perez (voted in by the veteran players). None of the 35 players on the ballot received the necessary 75 percent in the regular voting (done by a mixture of Hall of Famers, coaches, media and executives).

Clearly, it must have been a down year for nominees, right?

But it wasn’t. Voters snubbed some of the most influential, most memorable stars of Major League Soccer’s early years – not to mention some of the men who played vital roles in the U.S. national team’s rise from hapless minnow to regional superpower.

As a Hall of Fame voter, I have a hard time figuring out who should make the cut. Is it enough to simply be a fixture on the national team for several years? Do you need to make a certain number of Best XIs? How does experience with an overseas club factor into the equation? Those questions, along with the fact that MLS is still so young, complicate matters. But with all that said, it’s nearly impossible to understand how the following players (along with women’s great Joy Fawcett) didn’t get the nod:

Marco Antonio Etcheverry was the cornerstone of MLS’ first superpower, a sublime talent who gave the league a touch of class and legitimacy in an era of garish uniforms, gimmicky shootouts and shakier skill levels. He led United to three titles and four MLS Cup finals, earning MVP honors in one and getting robbed of them in another (Ben Olsen in ’99? Seriously?), and won the league MVP award in 1998.

Preki ranks ninth in goals and third in assists in MLS history, won two MVP awards (including the 2003 accolade at the age of 40) and claimed a championship with the Wizards. He’s the only American who can say, “I scored the goal that beat Brazil.”

Carlos Valderrama held the career assists mark until Steve Ralston surpassed him last year (El Pibe played five fewer seasons in the league, mind you), and even more than Etcheverry, provided MLS with a dash of credibility in the early days. In terms of pure playmakers, the league still hasn’t seen his equal.

Then we have the near-locks. You could make a case against them, but they still belong in:

Joe-Max Moore scored more goals for the United States (24 in 100 caps) than all but three men, and went to three World Cups. His spot kick against Jamaica clinched a spot at Korea/Japan 2002. And his prolific form in 1999 (15 goals in 29 matches) for the Revolution earned him a spot at Everton, where he initially enjoyed great success – and where he helped lay the foundation for the wave of U.S. field players who have followed him to the Premiership.

Jeff Agoos played 134 times for the Americans, surpassed only by Cobi Jones, and participated in two World Cups. He was a pillar in the backline for three MLS Cup championship teams in D.C., and two more in San Jose. He also was named to three MLS Best XI squads and won the 2001 Defender of the Year award.

What am I missing here? You’ve got three of the most brilliant attackers in MLS history, one of the national team’s greatest goal scorers, and a man picked as one of the top defenders of MLS’ first 10 seasons. Yet only Preki came close to 75 percent (the results are here: http://www.soccerhall.org/Induction/2008/Results/player_results.html). Valderrama only received five more votes than Shannon MacMillan.

Apparently, some voters must have an aversion to selecting established, foreign stars who played in MLS. But the eligibility requirements are quite clear (they’re attached below). Valderrama and Etcheverry qualified for the ballot, they enriched MLS with their performances, and they deserve to be feted with a Yuengling and a slice of cold cheese pizza in Oneonta.

As do Preki, Moore and Agoos. Their careers weren’t perfect. But they were surely among the nation’s best in their time, and that’s whom this Hall of Fame should honor.

And as a footnote, one more gripe:

Sketchy motivational tactics aside, Dorrance has enjoyed an extraordinary run at the University of North Carolina (not to mention his pioneering role with the U.S. women's national team). He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer ... when he retires. The man’s not 60 yet, and he could still pass as Eric Wynalda’s slightly older brother. The Basketball Hall of Fame loves inducting active coaches more than retired players, and it makes the Springfield shrine a farce. Like Geno Auriemma, Jim Boeheim or Mike Krzyzewski on the hoops side, Dorrance doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame until he’s done coaching.

------------------------------

The eligibility requirements are as follows:
1. Retired as a player for at least three years but no more than 10 years.
2. Played at least 20 full international games for the United States. This requirement is reduced to 10 games if the games were prior to 1990.
3. Played at least 5 seasons in an American first-division professional league, and won either the league championship or the U.S. Open Cup, or was selected as a league all-star at least once.

Foxboro's future

Before Wednesday night's United States-Mexico match, U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati and CEO/secretary general Dan Flynn held court for a roundtable with media members.

With Gillette Stadium not on the list of potential hosts for the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, I asked where Foxboro stood in the federation's eyes, especially with the installation of FieldTurf during the 2006 NFL season.

“In general terms, leaving Foxboro out of it, we’re not playing in big stadiums in most of these games in the first round, and in a way, it’s hard to play in big stadiums for any of these games because of our opponents," Gulati said. "And we found out the hard way that even when we play in what we would hope is a home-field advantage-type venue, middle America, if we’re playing in a big stadium, we may still get outnumbered. (In) Birmingham, we ended up with a far bigger Guatemalan contingent than I expected (in 2005). Honduras (in 2001) in D.C., obviously.

"We’re going to play the qualifying games in places where everything is riding on winning the game. Foxboro’s been part of that. And in the case of Boston, (there's been) less of an issue with big numbers in the Hispanic community. But we’ve seen when we played El Salvador there or Costa Rica there, there’s been big numbers there.”

Flynn, however, mentioned the Americans' stellar history in Foxboro (7-0-3 at the old Foxboro Stadium, 9-1-1 at CMGI/Gillette) as a factor that can't be ignored.

“Our record is unbelievably good there, and the coach gets input here (when choosing venues), and there’s a comfort level with the surroundings and all those things that maybe creep into a coach’s mindset or a player’s mindset," he said. "The FieldTurf is a little bit unique, but quite frankly, around this country we bring in grass. That’s not what it used to be 10, 15 years ago. I don’t want to be flip about it; it is a lot of work and it is a little bit of extra worry, but our record there is very, very strong. So all of those things get factored in.”

Asked how Hartford's Rentschler Field factors into the equation in terms of serving as another option for New England-based matches, Flynn replied, "Options are good.”

Foxboro hosted two qualifiers in the 1998 World Cup cycle, three in the 2002 cycle and two in the 2006 cycle. Hartford got the nod for one match in the 2006 cycle.

Pat Noonan's parting words

I traveled to Houston this week to freelance the United States-Mexico clasico at Reliant Stadium, and caught up with Pat Noonan following Tuesday's practice. Here are some of his thoughts as he leaves the Revolution and heads to Norway, where he'll join ex-Revs goalkeeper Adin Brown at Aalesund FK.

On the move overseas:

“I’m sure it’ll sink in once I get over there. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got a familiar face that’ll help me with it, with Adin Brown showing me around, so hopefully that’ll make the transition a little smoother, but I’m looking forward to a new atmosphere. ...

“I’d wanted to go overseas and try something. They have a new coach, a new stadium built. It seems they’re turning things in a good direction. ... It’ll be chilly, but I’m looking forward to the experience.”

“You’re always proving yourself, I think. It’s going to be a new experience, and hopefully I can go in and fit in quickly and contribute right away, and I think if I can do that, it’ll make things a lot easier.”

In a sense, did he feel like the Revs did him a favor by not picking up his option?
“It’s the way you’ve got to look at it. It’s disappointing that they didn’t feel I was still valuable, with not picking up the option, but you know what? It’s a blessing in disguise for me to go overseas and get my foot in the door there and go from there.”

Was the Revs' decision a surprise?

“It was a surprise, no question. I did a lot (for) that organization and I know I have some good years left, so I wasn’t expecting it.”

“With any coach, all you know is they want you to perform. And whether it’s MLS or overseas, you’ve got to be performing with your club to be called into these camps.”

Health update:
“Everything’s going good. The last month’s been good in terms of strengthening and fitness, and hopefully I can go into preseason already a step ahead.”

On failing to win an MLS Cup title with the Revs:
“It’s tough. When you have three chances and you don’t come out with any, it’s tough, and it’s a bummer that I’m going to be heading out there without one. You never know what the future holds; maybe I’ll end up back there, maybe not. But it would have been nice to get one before I left.”

On friend Taylor Twellman's attempts to go to Preston North End:
“It’s a tough time because he’s got a chance to go over and play in a great league and prove himself over there, and he’s not able to do that because they don’t want to let him go. He’s had some very generous offers and they keep rejecting it, and that’s unfortunate because they’re kind of holding him back from a dream.”

On how he's left things with the Revs organization:
“I was close to a lot of people. I’m not going to start bashing them. They know I’m disappointed with their decision (but) there’s no reason to start a war.”

(Another) open letter to Revolution fans

NOTE: This is an updated version of a column that ran on goldenboot.blogspot.com following last year’s MLS Cup final. It’s remarkable how little needed to be changed.

You poor, miserable bastards.

When I started covering the Revolution in 1999, my days as a supporter instantly ended – they have to when you’re a journalist, and the process is quicker and more painless than you might think.

Now that I’m no longer on the beat, I wondered if I’d subconsciously revert to the old days, when standing in the Fort, singing a drunken rendition of “Super Revolution” and informing the opposing keeper of his undeniable suckitude was ritual.

Alas, once you go hack, you never go back, and I found myself watching Sunday’s MLS Cup final on my couch with the same sense of detachment that I had while sitting on press row in 2002 or 2005. Sure, it was nerve-racking, but once it was over, all that remained was faint disappointment … and pity for you folks.

You supporters have had to suffer through some excruciating moments over the years, and Sunday’s loss only added one more to the list. With a goal in hand and 29 minutes separating the Revs from sweet redemption, it seemed as if an 11-year (and 12-season) quest for glory had finally reached its conclusion. After so many heartbreaking defeats, at last, you’d have your catharsis, your festive release.

And then a dreadlocked Canadian in a Creamsicle outfit stuck a shiv in your back.

****

It’s not easy being a fan of any MLS team. You devote as much time and passion (and in some cases, money) as do supporters of more popular sports, but your countrymen tend to laugh at the effort. The jokes at the office never change (“What was the over/under in that game, 1?”), the bartenders roll their eyes when you ask them to switch just one TV to soccer, and you long ago learned not to even bother with the sports radio guys.

Had the Revs won the MLS Cup, you wouldn’t have been able to share the type of communal joy that swept this region five times over the last six years. The culmination of your 12-year passion would have barely registered among a populace which thinks Sunsing is a Korean electronics brand. The Revs might have held a small rally somewhere, they’d have been introduced at halftime of a Pats game, and then the overwhelming majority of New Englanders would have forgotten about them. I watched as the 2005 Revs filed into the Logan Airport baggage claim following their defeat to the Galaxy; not a soul was there to greet them or, as far as I could tell, acknowledge their existence.

But if I may channel Lt. Frank Drebin: It’s a crazy world, and maybe the problems of an MLS supporter don’t add to a hill of beans, but this is your hill, and these are your beans. Your devotion is as fervent as that of a fan in any other sport, your desire for victory as powerful, your pain in defeat as intense.

And you’ve been hurt in ways that would make Alberto Gonzales queasy.

****

This franchise’s history has rather neatly divided itself into two phases: first, six years of incompetence, in which finishing fourth in a five- or six-team conference rated as progress; and then, six years of vastly improved play besmirched by unimaginably cruel fate.

I don’t work for Elias Sports Bureau, but I can’t imagine that any professional team, anywhere, in any sport, has been ever eliminated from its league’s primary championship in overtime and/or penalty kicks for FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS.

These are the worst types of losses, the ones that leave an aficionado re-watching the TiVo at 1 in the morning, wondering, “What if Griffiths’ shot dipped a little lower? What if Ihemelu hadn’t stuck his head out? What if Ching’s header had gone wide?”

In fact, I suspect you could study the video, do the calculations and determine that those critical moments had come down to no more than a few feet combined. And they all went against the Revs, setting the stage for other moments that left you hollow inside:

Ruiz’s golden goal. Armas’ golden goal. Dempsey’s scuffed PK. Pando (Friggin’) Ramirez’s laser beam. A slow roller from Jay Heaps, landing ever so safely in the arms of Pat Onstad.

The most recent heartbreaker didn’t need extra time (mercifully, I suppose), but it still cut deep. One uncharacteristic moment of defensive chaos, one flash of brilliance from MLS’ version of David Ortiz, and one bullet of a header that somehow stayed out of the net -- and another year’s work went to waste.

The Revs didn’t necessarily deserve victory in all of those matches, but it was there for the taking in each. And every time, it ended in agonizing fashion. At least the Buffalo Bills were blown out in three of those four Super Bowls; clearly, they were out of their league. Your Revs might have been the most talented team in their league over the last six seasons, and they have nothing to show for it. Instead, they join the Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Detroit Tigers and Brooklyn Dodgers as the only franchises in North America’s five major leagues to lose in their first four trips to the championship round.

****

After last year’s loss, it seemed as if the window of opportunity had closed. But only Clint Dempsey flew the coop, and even though the organization opted to sit on its share of the transfer fee (perhaps a fatal mistake, given the lack of depth), the team returned in 2007 nearly intact. They put in the work, took care of business and earned themselves yet another opportunity to break through on the American game’s biggest stage.

Once again, they failed.

Continuity and stability have long been considered the Revolution’s strength. However, four Cup final defeats, as close as they may have been, suggest that significant changes might be in order. I’m not sure what the MLS equivalent of trading for Schilling or acquiring Moss, Stallworth and Welker might be, but the Beckham Rule makes it more possible than ever to make a major splash. Plugging in a rookie here and there every season might keep you in the mix for a championship, but it hasn’t produced a league title here. The status quo isn’t working.

As I said at the start, it’s no longer my problem. But I know enough of you guys that it’s impossible not to sympathize. You’ve waited long enough, endured more than your share of anguish (the sports fan’s version, not the real thing, of course) and paid your dues. Sunday should have been your day to rejoice. Instead, it turned into yet another devastating day.

And the thing about franchises (at least, the ones that last, and I suspect the Revs will) is that the fans live with the devastation longer than anyone else. In a few months’ time, one or more of the best players (Michael Parkhurst, leave while you can!) on this team might be competing in different kits, in different leagues, in different nations. Their time in New England will be irrelevant, ancient history; it has to be, because those are the realities of their profession.

The supporters, meanwhile, don’t leave on a multimillion-dollar transfer to Celtic or Fulham. They stay, and they reassemble their hopes and dreams behind whomever management signs. To be a fan is to submit to powerlessness. You don’t pick the manager, you don’t pick the players, you don’t pick the tactics. All you can do is watch, sing, scream, weep. And perhaps, someday, celebrate.

Finishing touches

Before lamenting the United States’ inability to finish its scoring chances this summer, let’s at least acknowledge that the work – and the skill – that went into said chances. Thirteen years ago, it took a minor miracle (Wynalda’s free kick vs. Switzerland, for example) for the Americans to generate any sort of offense at the World Cup, In the last couple of World Cup cycles, the likes of Reyna, O’Brien, Beasley, Donovan and Dempsey have allowed the U.S. squad to build a far more sophisticated attack. Youngsters such as Feilhaber and Bradley appear primed to expand on those efforts in the next decade.

But damn, can’t anyone put the ball in the net?

At the Gold Cup and Copa America, the United States scored 15 goals in nine matches – not a terrible rate by any means. But one-third of those goals came from the penalty spot, and the total was inflated by a four-spot against an entirely overmatched El Salvador squad. In the Gold Cup, the failure to finish turned what should have been easy victories into nail-biters. At Copa America (particularly the enormously frustrating Paraguay loss), it cost the Americans a shot at advancing to the quarterfinals.

Brian Ching squandered two 1 v. 1 opportunities against the keeper in the first half of the Trinidad and Tobago match alone, then wasted a heroic run late in the Mexico match by plunking the post with what should have been the insurance goal.
Dempsey, Beasley and Eddie Johnson often didn’t press the issue in the penalty area, holding the ball too long or playing it back rather than going to goal.
And for all of the open headers the Americans had in both tournaments, they only scored once with the noggin, courtesy of Carlos Bocanegra in the Panama victory.

Johnson vacillated between dynamic and maddening. As mentioned, he often put himself in position to score, only to pull up and wait for support rather than blowing by the last defender. This tendency drew plenty of attention in the Argentina and Paraguay matches, but it was evident in his first U.S. performance of the summer, against Guatemala. His speed and his tenacity when pressuring defenders are wonderful assets, but his instincts seemed to fail him in the box (and when it came to beating the offside trap). On the whole, he did so many things right in his two Copa America matches that one has to consider his tournament a success.

At 23, however, he needs to take the next step forward, and it should be a giant step across the Atlantic. Perhaps no U.S. player stands to benefit more from a move abroad.

And then we have Taylor Twellman, whose international struggles puzzle me. I covered his first 4½ seasons with the Revolution and saw him thrive under pressure. In 2005, he scored several game-winners and/or equalizers in the waning minutes of the match; it was a run of nearly Ortiz-esque proportions. Sure, you could argue that he struggled in the postseason, with scoreless (and largely invisible) MLS Cup performances in 2002 and ’05 as evidence. But then he buried one against Houston in overtime in last year’s final, and you couldn’t blame him one bit for the shocking equalizer that followed seconds later.

Obviously, the international game is a vastly different creature than MLS, and some guys simply aren’t cut out for the transition. Jason Kreis and Ante Razov are the top two American goalscorers in league history, yet their U.S. careers never took flight. Twellman will likely eclipse them on the leaderboard in the next couple of years; the question is whether he’ll also be a bigger bust with the national team than they were.

Strangely enough, Twellman’s best moments this summer were moments of playmaking rather than scoring. Against Guatemala, he turned a defender, used a burst of speed to break free toward the end line, and slid a nice pass across the goalmouth to Dempsey. And in the Copa America match versus Paraguay, he made a fantastic touch with his back to goal, redirecting Drew Moor’s long ball to Ricardo Clark for the equalizer. Those efforts and a few other smart passes outshined his lone goal of the summer (a shot that nutmegged the Salvadoran keeper in the Gold Cup; it wasn’t a great strike).

They could not, however, compensate for the shoddy finishing: the open header over the bar from 10 yards out against Guatemala, the sitter in second-half stoppage time vs. El Salvador, the left-footer that glanced off the post early in the Panama match, the misfired right-footer later in that game, the header off the post and the weak side volley against Paraguay.

He put himself in position to score in most matches he started (Argentina being a key exception), but repeatedly wasted the opportunity. Maybe it was a case of trying too hard to impress, especially when you know that a couple of fellows named Adu and Altidore are climbing up the depth chart. But Twellman has been part of the national team pool since 2002, he’s still an unproven commodity at this level, and he didn’t help his cause at Copa America, the biggest stage of his career. As a result, one commentator (Phil Schoen) wondered aloud if it was time to send Twellman (and Kasey Keller) to pasture.

I don’t buy it – yet. If he weren’t getting the chances, I’d be more worried, but he’s simply not burying those opportunities he usually finishes off in MLS. It’s not too late for Twellman to replace Brian McBride as the fearless poacher of the national team. McBride was 26 when he made his World Cup debut at France ’98; Twellman was the same age when Bruce Arena controversially bypassed him last year. Bob Bradley would be foolish to give up on him, despite this summer’s disappointments. But his window of opportunity is beginning to close.

Entering World Cup qualifying, Johnson should be a fixture in Bradley’s starting 11. After that, it’s a mix of midfielders in strikers’ clothing (Donovan, Dempsey), underachieving target men (Twellman, Ching) and untested, talented youngsters (Adu, Altidore, Cooper). It’s a group full of potential, but who’s going to convert potential into goals?

Next up, the shaky state of affairs in the back.

Wet Hot American Summer

Thirty minutes into yesterday’s Under-20 World Cup quarterfinal, I was ready to pencil – no, Sharpie – the United States into the final … of the 2014 World Cup.

Freddy Adu had rediscovered the form that made jaws drop in those “60 Minutes” highlights. Jozy Altidore looked like a more dynamic, more predatory version of Eddie Johnson. Robbie Rogers was torching the Austrian defense as if it were an order of crème brulee. Maracana, here they come!

By the end of regulation, however, I was feverishly penning a letter to Sepp Blatter, begging him to revoke the United States’ FIFA membership, to spare the nation any more shame. The second half was that wretched – surely the worst I’ve seen a U.S. team play in years.

Yesterday’s vicissitudes provided a fitting coda to a wild summer for U.S. Soccer: brilliant Gold Cup, brutal Copa America, bittersweet U-20. The performances were all over the map, making it virtually impossible to draw conclusions about the national team’s future. So as we look back on the last month and look ahead to World Cup qualifying, it’s imperative to put the Sharpie away, grab that pencil and resist the urge to mail that manifesto to Zurich.

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Clearly, no U.S. player made a better impression than Benny Feilhaber, the Hamburger SV midfielder whose golazo won the Gold Cup. That wonderstrike might have been a once-in-a-lifetime moment, but Feilhaber’s quality on the ball is no fluke. Quick combination plays, splendid diagonal passes at inventive angles, precise long balls in transition – he delivered them all. And especially in the Gold Cup, Feilhaber also won his fair share of balls in the midfield.
He faded a bit in the Copa America, perhaps due to fatigue, but even against Paraguay he had his moments, such as a superb ball (struck with the outside of his left foot) that sprung Justin Mapp for what should have led to the equalizer.

Is he the next Claudio Reyna? It sure seems that way.

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Ricardo Clark had more than a few inspired moments on the ball in addition to tending to his defensive duties. He made an instant impact in the Mexico match, and it’s hard not to note the symbolism of him replacing Pablo Mastroeni in that game. The guard may not have changed yet, but it will soon.

Otherwise, it was a mixed bag for midfielders trying to make a name for themselves. Justin Mapp’s pace and touch on the left flank injected energy into the team at times, but his indecision (and some poor decisions) proved costly at Copa America. Michael Bradley played masterfully at times (particularly the friendly against China) and displayed a solid work rate, but reckless tackles and a dreadful showing against Austrians his own age hurt his final grade.

Perhaps it was merely a coincidence that the United States fell apart against Argentina when Eddie Gaven replaced Ben Olsen, but Gaven did little to prove that it wasn’t, and an improved, earnest showing against Colombia couldn’t erase the sense that he’s nowhere near ready for prime time. Sacha Kljestan showed intermittent flashes of quality on the right side, but also set the tone for the Americans’ nightmarish performance in the box against Paraguay with what Ray Hudson aptly deemed a “toilet-bowl finish” on an open header. Kyle Beckerman and Lee Nguyen didn’t make much of an impact in limited minutes in Venezuela, and Danny Szetela was hard to find against Austria.

A year and a half from now, when the final stage of World Cup qualifying begins, DaMarcus Beasley and either Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey should still be manning the flanks (with the other up top). All three impressed at the Gold Cup, but all three should impress at the Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Feilhaber and Clark are primed to take control of the central spots, and Bradley and Mastroeni should provide quality depth. It’s a pretty solid midfield. Now the trick is to find some finishers, but that’s a story for another day – perhaps tomorrow.