Stop Calling for a Soccer Savior in the United States

Editorial

I recently read an article that asked if Juan Agudelo was the savior of U.S. soccer. The thought behind the piece began, as it always does, listing the names of players who have not lived up to expectations but that maybe this time we had found the one.

Agudelo is an impressive player, and hopefully he continues to play well. But this style of writing needs to end. It’s lazy writing and accomplishes nothing. It is in fact the type of writing that makes the audience resent the media: building a character up in order to tear him down even harder.

The article linked to above isn’t the only one that deploys this technique, it is just the most recent I’ve seen. The names of “failures” are the typical ones mentioned: Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson and, of course, Freddy Adu. This isn’t to say they haven’t been disappointing, or that we shouldn’t expect more from them. But why must every young, talented American soccer player be a savior? The writers make knee-jerk reactions to good and are just as quick to criticize and devalue through times that are not as fortunate.

The first problem with the “soccer savior” story is how it originates. Far too often a potential savior is pulled from an extremely small sample size.

The majority of Juan Agudelo’s mainstream hype has come from an entire three games with the U.S National Team; his third appearance against Argentina in March was, at the time, one more game than he had played in with the New York Red Bulls total. Jozy Altidore made 43 total appearances with the Red Bulls, his first professional club team. That’s just over one full MLS season. Eddie Johnson’s most impressive run with the National Team was for his seven goals in six World Cup qualifiers. And Freddy Adu, he never played in a professional match in his life when the media firestorm anointed him the chosen one.

How can greatness be judged in a handful of games? You can learn some things about a player, but his eventual career path has so many active variables that you just can never tell that soon. The media justifies these responses by saying things like, “The American public is hungry for its own soccer superstar.” Really, it is sports writers hungry for a quick easy story. One that is framed around little information and could very well turn out wrong, but even then it would create another story.

There is a good reason the sample size is so small—the age of the players. Adu and Altidore are 21-years-old, Davies is 24 and Agudelo is only 18. Johnson is the oldest of the aforementioned players, at 27, but even so the tipping point of his success came roughly seven years ago (making Johnson a mere 20-years-old).

The point is all these players burst onto the scene at a very young age—they couldn’t even legally buy a beer. Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney became superstars at equally young ages and have become the biggest name in the sport. But that doesn’t mean that if these American players haven’t reached their peak at the same age then they are failures.

For starters the youth development programs in the country are notoriously not as strong as those overseas. Places like the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and MLS academies are helping to close the gap, but it’s not there yet. Therefore it takes more time for players to properly develop.

Bob Bradley, the head coach of the USMNT, has brought players like Altidore, Adu and Agudelo in for developmental purposes. In order to make the team more successful (and in doing so helping the sport become more popular in the country) Bradley’s philosophy was to make the available player pool deeper. That has meant expanding the pool to bring in younger players and bring them along at the senior level. Some, like Agudelo, flourish in the early stages. It is a process, however.



By no means is Agudelo a complete player because of his good showings in three international matches. And Adu not making a World Cup team thus far does not mean he never will. There is still a lot of time for both of these players to hit their primes and until then they will be learning the game, improving their skills and becoming good soccer players, regardless of the superstardom they achieve.

One thing that halts these players is the moves they make in the transfer seasons. With a little help from the media hype that surrounds them, the players’ profiles grow attracting them to big name teams. They move but are not ready to see the field and get buried on the bench.

Bought by Fulham in 2008, Johnson has only made 20 total appearances for the English Premier League club. He’s been loaned out three separate times. Altidore, after signing with Spanish giant Villareal, is on his third loan and Adu is on his fourth loan from parent club Benfica in Portugal.

The problem is that the players aren’t allowed to develop at the proper rates. Even the teams they are loaned to are in top flight leagues around the world and are looking to win games, not develop other team’s talents.

While these young players are training at high levels and learning what it means to be a professional, at the end of the day they have to crack the lineup and see the field. Otherwise they are no longer fit for games, their confidence gets shaken and they get rusty, dulling their once dazzling talents.

Then the media swoon over them like vultures, declaring their careers all but over.

The media is not at fault for player’s choosing the wrong team to transfer to. But for some reason the lack of proper time to develop gets lost in the coverage.

There is nothing wrong with being excited for a young player’s success. And if that player will help lead soccer to a higher status on and off the pitch then that’s great. But expectations need to be kept in
check.

The soccer savior theme needs to be put to an end. It’s beyond hyperbole now, it’s a cliché. Anytime a young player has a good run of form, even for only a handful of games, he becomes the new flavor of the week. And then when the hot streak cools and the player must work through adversity—an essential part of a player’s development—the media turns their back on him, labeling him a failure.

It’s a tired form of writing and accomplishes nothing other than squeezing as many headlines out of a buzz worthy player as possible. It makes it look like writers are not out to cover the beautiful game but rather essentially create and manipulate their own stories.

Besides, with the USMNT improving its quality of play on the pitch, MLS becoming a financially stable establishment and pure interest in the global game on the rise (i.e. sales for the FIFA video game, TV ratings for the World Cup and English Premier League matches) is a savior really needed?

Photo Credits.
Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Freddy Adu: AP Photo/Nick Wass

Guess Who's Back

AP Photo/Paul Thomas

Since the horrible accident in October that left Charlie Davies with a lacerated bladder and fractures in his tibia and fibia in his right leg, his left elbow, and facial fractures, United States soccer fans have been asking one question: Who will replace him in the lineup going into the World Cup?

Well a new candidate has emerged and his name is: Charlie Davies.

“That's what's been driving me this whole time,” Davies told ESPN.com’s Ives Galarcep. “I've been looking at Web sites the whole time and they're always saying, 'We need to find a replacement for Charlie. We need to find someone because he's not going to be back.'

“These people don't know," Davies said. "They don't know me, and if they just knew me alone, let alone the determination and will I have now, you guys don't know.”

The Boston College alumnus had become the U.S.’s top option at forward, his speed creating chaos for opposing defenders and opening up space for midfielders Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.

However after his car accident a day after he helped the Americans qualify for their sixth straight World Cup appearance many wondered if Davies would be able to play ever again, let alone make it back in time for the June spectacle.

But here we are, still more than four months away from the biggest tournament in the world and Davies has been rehabbing at breakneck speed.

Galarcep reports that Davies is jogging and doing agility drills, has gained back 15 pounds that he lost after the accident, has one surgery left, and after a week of recovery will potentially begin training with his club team, FC Sochaux, by the end of February.

Davies has also been rehabbing alongside injured AC Milan and starting U.S. national team defender Oguchi Onyewu and the two have pushed each other and have made incredible progress, as well as keeping each other mentally strong.

The recent timetable shows Davies returning to the pitch in April.

Now, he still has a long way to go. There is the final surgery, and there is always the possibility that setback could occur, much like they have to new U.S. addition midfielder Jermaine Jones, whose stock continue to plummets.

Davies also needs to get in game shape and be prepared for full-contact that the sport offers.

Still, Davies’ determination has gotten him this far ahead in his recovery schedule and it should propel him to finish it out on time. This is fantastic news for the U.S. Soccer players and coaches as well as fans.

Davies gives the Americans an attacking weapon that the team sorely needs. He works his defenders into the ground with a combination of speed and tireless effort.
Davies up top allows Donovan and Dempsey to stay in midfield and leaves plenty of space for the two to be creative. Davies is also very close to fellow young striker Jozy Altidore and the chemistry the two have can only boost Altidore’s confidence. Davies’ talent also will mean opposing defense will not be able to double Altidore, making his job easier.

There’s still a lot of time until the World Cup and Davies’ recovery isn’t finished just yet but there is plenty of reason for the country to be optimistic heading into South Africa.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Davies

Monday, United States National Team striker Charlie Davies was enjoying the height of his soccer career. He had just played a major part in the country qualifying for its sixth straight World Cup.

Tuesday, he was in a hospital in stable but serious condition.

Davies, 23, was involved in a one-car accident Tuesday on the George Washington Parkway in Virginia. He was airlifted to the Washington Hospital Center Medstar to undergo several hours of surgery to repair a lacerated bladder, fractures to the tibia and femur in his right leg, facial fractures, and a fracture in his left elbow. According to the U.S Men’s National Team blog, titanium rods were placed in his leg with no complications and he will be hospitalized for at least another week with more surgeries to come to stabilize his elbow fracture and facial fractures.

“The car was pretty much split in half,” U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser said, according to The Washington Post.

The driver of the car was also injured and the other passenger was killed. It is currently unknown what the cause of the accident was and if Davies’ injuries are career-threatening.

“Injuries of this nature usually require a recovery period of six to 12 months and extensive rehabilitation,” said U.S. Soccer physician Dr. Dan Kalbac, on the team’s blog. ”Due to Charlie’s fitness level, his prognosis for recovery and his ability to resume high-level competition is substantially improved.”

This is an extremely sad day for all of U.S. soccer.

Davies is a budding star. After attending Boston College for two years, Davies went to Sweden and played for Hammarby, scoring 21 goals in 56 league appearances. In July, he signed with French club Sochaux and has two goals in six league appearances.
While his play abroad has been impressive, his biggest impact has come on the international stage.

The first real glimpse many American fans got of Davies was in the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he came on as a sub in the last game against Nigeria. Needing a tie to advance out of group play, the U.S. was down 2-1. The complexion of the game changed though when Davies entered the pitch. His incredible speed allowed him to get behind the defense and caused Nigeria fits. In the dying minutes of the game, he put forth a header that struck the crossbar, nearly earning him the equalizer and hero of the tournament status.

It may not have gone in, but Davies was just beginning to leave his mark.

Davies has 17 appearances for the senior national team and has scored four goals, three of them being extremely important and showing Davies’ value for the team.
His first goal came October 15, 2008, in a World Cup qualifying match against Trinidad and Tobago. The team lost 2-1, but Davies goal had tied the game at 1 and kept the U.S. in it.

His biggest goal came against Egypt in this past summer’s Confederation’s Cup. The U.S. were all but eliminated, needing to beat Egypt by three or more goals as well as Brazil beating Italy by three or more to advance to the next round.

Jozy Altidore sent in a low cross that the goalie got his hands on but didn’t bring in. Davies, running onto the cross, continued to run through the ball and poked it free towards the goal line. Fighting off two defenders, Davies played with the ball, turned it, and knocked it into the net. The goal showed an extreme amount of determination and hustle, and it started an offensive blitzkrieg from the U.S. on Egypt. The U.S. wound up winning 3-0, as did Brazil. The U.S. wound up advancing to the finals of the tournament against Brazil, losing 3-2.

His latest goal came in World Cup qualifying against Mexico. This goal is significant because not only the goal give the U.S. a 1-0 lead (they eventually lost the game 2-1), but the game was played at the infamous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, known for its grueling altitude and hostile crowd that both paralyze opponents. The 23-year-old became only the fourth American in the history of the game to score against Mexico at Azteca.

It is the heart, hustle, skill, determination, and courage that Davies has displayed on the field and especially on those goals that have made him a special player. Not only do those qualities benefit him, they also rub off on his teammates.



Sometimes, it seems as if leaders like Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey get a bit complacent with their positions on the national team, or the offense is lazy, but never Davies. No matter the situation, whenever Charlie is sent onto the field, he is buzzing around, posing a serious attacking threat. It makes the game more enjoyable to watch and it makes his teammates excited and they to begin to show that same heart and desire.

The Americans are not the most skilled team in the world, by far. However, what they lack in talent, they make up for in grit and determination. Charlie Davies perfectly symbolized that style of play.

In a recent interview, Davies expressed his firm belief that the U.S. could win the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa—even before they had even qualified for it.

“I think we showed we have the potential to really make an impact at the World Cup. If we are all playing well, with the players we have and if we are all on the same page there is no reason why we couldn't win a World Cup that's for sure,” he said.

While it is a long-shot, it isn’t impossible, especially after some of the performances the U.S. has put on against top-competition recently, mainly Brazil, Spain, and Argentina. Improbable or not, I want my players to truly believe that they can win, otherwise why play at all?

This statement was not naivety, nor was it cockiness. It was simply a player make a statement about the confidence in himself, his team, and their abilities.

Davies has also been very interactive and grateful with his fans, with Twitter and Facebook pages dedicated to helping him reach out to those that support him.

Leadership can come from the most unexpected places sometimes. A youngster and newcomer to the team, Davies’ play on the field and his attitude and the way he carries himself off of it truly make him a leader and an example of what American soccer players should strive to be like.

Alas, all that Davies brings to the table will now be missed, for quite some time. While nothing has been made official, it is only practical that he miss this summer’s World Cup. The most important thing for him though is to make a full recovery, to be healthy. Soccer can wait; there are more important things in life.
I will choose not to speculate who will take his spot in the lineup or how the team will learn to play without him. Rather, I choose to make this a wish of all the other players.

I hope that they play with Davies’ heart, hustle, and determination, because it is that desire that Davies brought to the team and will help them succeed.

I also hope that the players, as well as any other normal person, recognize that anything can happen, and your life can be altered in the blink of an eye, so not to take anything for granted, whether it be your status on the playing field, or more important things such as your friends, your family, or your life.

One day you can be on top of the world, only for the world to crash down on top of you the next.

Fans can send Davies their thoughts and get-well wishes to his e-mail account, charliedavies9@yahoo.com, and the messages will be printed and delivered to him.

Photo Credits.
Top: AP Photo/ Fernando Llana, File
Side: AP Photo/ Ted S. Warren, File

Anything Is Possible

Photo Credit. Vladimir Rys/ Bongarts/ Getty Images

It's unbelievable what just happened.

The United States had the odds stacked against them today.

Advancing to the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup was such a huge improbability that all anyone wanted today was a game they could be proud of, unlike the squad's 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Brazil.

Advancing to the semi-finals seemed so out of reach that Bob Bradley decided to give starting goalkeeper Tim Howard a breather and start backup Brad Guzan to get some key experience.

They needed to beat Egypt by three goals, which seemed impossible given that they scored only one goal in the past two games, and that one goal was from a penalty kick.

In addition to winning by three, Brazil needed to beat Italy by three, another improbability given the talent Italy has on its roster, not to mention being the defending World Cup champions.

Yet all of this was improbable, not impossible.

Brazil surprisingly took a 3-0 lead into halftime against Italy, with the help of an own goal. The Americans needed to take advantage of the opportunity given to them.

Starting Charlie Davies alongside Jozy Altidore paid immediate dividends for the U.S. team.

Davies' speed was problematic for the Egyptian defense all game, as he was able to get behind the defense and be on the receiving end of slicing through balls as well as opening up the field for the team's other playmakers.

It was Davies' hustle that started the U.S. attack, sticking with a loose ball inside the six-yard box and knocking it in for the 1-0 lead in the 21 minute.

His heart and hard play rubbed off on the rest of the squad.

The Americans were a much more aggressive team today than they have been in quite some time. They created more chances for themselves, continually pressed the defense, and finished their chances.

They were also much more disciplined in today's match.

For starters, they did not allow a goal in the first ten minutes.

Allowing a goal so early can really crush a team's spirit, while conversely giving momentum to the scoring squad.

Also, no one earned a red card.

Playing a man down really hurts a team. More space is opened up for the other team to attack through.

Going hand in hand with better discipline was that the midfielders did a much better job today getting back on defense.

Previously, midfielders were either not getting back at all, leaving the defense and goalkeeper to dry on breakaways, or they were getting back late and forcing poor challenges, which led to fouls, free kicks, and red cards.

Now the U.S. has pulled off the improbable. Sure they got a little lucky, with major help from Brazil, but they did their job. The Americans seized the moment and played a very good game.

Each player was productive on the field today.

Guzan made some beautiful saves; Jay DeMerit stepped up big again filling in for Carlos Bocanegra; Jonathan Bornstein and Jonathan Spector continued to play well as outside fullbacks; and Ricardo Clark may have learned from his mistakes as he did not commit any reckless challenges.

Clint Dempsey looked to be the lone U.S. player to struggle and not contribute much, but he became the hero when he headed home the third goal of the match in the 71 minute, the goal that put the Yanks in the semis.

The most important thing to take away from today's match was the heart the team showed and played with today.

The team played with a sense of urgency. They attacked with purpose and defended tenaciously. They came out today to play with pride and wound up completing an unbelievable turnaround to escape group play.

It is not time to forget about the horrific play in the previous games of the tournament as well as less than stellar efforts in recent World Cup qualifying.

It is not time to celebrate either, because Wednesday the U.S. will stand toe-to-toe with Spain, the number one ranked team in the world.

However, the players need to remember this feeling. Remember how it felt to win today and to overcome such great lengths to get in the next round.

They need to remember they got this result by playing smart, disciplined, and with heart.

If they remember that, who knows what can happen against Spain.

As the Americans proved today, anything is possible.