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.

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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.