Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Loser

It's one thing for a team to play badly (okay, really badly; abysmally), but it's another altogether when the coach starts ripping individuals. This rarely a winning gambit - especially in such a short competition.

Bruce Arena had a go at three of his players - players he selected for this tournament - after the game.
Landon (Donovan) showed no aggressiveness tonight," Arena says. "We got nothing out of (DaMarcus) Beasley on the night. Kasey (Keller), for whatever reason, puts (the ball) upfield when we have nobody.
Arena's passing the buck. That's not how winners do it. He's a loser.

Maybe everything that Europeans believe about American soccer is true. Maybe they're not good enough. Okay. Or maybe the coach didn't have them properly prepared. From what I saw of the highlights the team looked simply lifeless. Regardless, the coach has to accept he's responsible. He has to deal with it like a man.