World Cup Countdown – US team is taking shape

The US started the week by losing 4-2 to the Czech Republic. Then, the following day, Bob Bradley had the unenviable task of shaving the squad from 30 players down to a final 23 before it was introduced on national television, the first time for this to ever happen.

On Thursday, the team met Presidents Obama and Clinton, beat Turkey Saturday, and then headed off to South Africa Sunday.

Phew.

Oh, and during it somewhere Argentina coach Diego Maradona promised on a radio show that he would run naked through the center of Buenos Aires if the Gauchos win the World Cup.


Jose Torres: impressive performance

But now the big question after this eventful week is: Who will start for the USA against England on June 12?

Everyone including the pet pooch will have their opinion, but only one really counts and Bradley is sure to have a better idea today than he did seven days ago after a morale boosting 2-1 victory against Turkey in front of over 55,000 in Philadelphia.

It was not a good first half, in which the Turks took a 1-0 lead and exposed US defensive frailties time and again with quick counter attacking. We also saw Clint Dempsey tried up front with Jozy Altidore, an experiment which worked okay and might be called upon over the next few weeks.

But the second half was very promising, and that was thanks largely to the four substitutes brought on at half-time, all of which merit selection following impressive performances.

Robbie Findlay thrust himself into contention to partner Jozy Altidore in attack. He was involved in the build up to Altidore’s goal, and displayed his blistering speed, which will undoubtedly come in handy at various stages.

For a spot on the team, he will be challenging the currently prolific, but inexperienced, scoring duo of Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez. Both were somewhat surprising but creative inclusions in the squad ahead of the experienced Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson.

Steve Cherundolo also put himself ahead of Jonathan Spector in the pecking order for the right back position with his second half performance, with captain Carlos Bocanegra looking set to play at left-back.

Onyewu will likely partner Jay DeMerit in central defense following 45 minutes which were a lot more encouraging than the 65 he put in against the Czech Republic last week.

His fitness as he recovers from a knee injury seems to be the only real question mark hanging over how the back four – in front of keeper Tim Howard -- will line up.

But the star of the show was Jose Torres, who surely played himself into starting 11 contention alongside Michael Bradley in the center of midfield. The 22-year-old showed his ability to create space, slow the game down, and pass/move are as good as those he will compete with for minutes, namely Maurice Edu and Ricardo Clark.

The 5’7” player has the potential to explode on the world stage and what better time to do it than against England.

Dempsey, it seems, would be better deployed in an attacking midfield position on the left (where he was playing when he scored), and with Landon Donovan on the right (where he played with Everton), the US’s midfield is its strength.

Using a 4-5-1 formation -- rather than the usual 4-4-2 -- against England, with the inclusion of the crafty Stuart Holden or Maurice Edu, is an option I hope Bradley might be thinking about right now, giving the lack of experienced US firepower up front.

We are likely to get a better idea of what he plans to do when the US plays its final exhibition game before the World Cup, against Australia in Roodepoort, Johannesburg on Saturday (ESPN2, 8.30 a.m.). Then it’s down to the real business.

Silver Surfers!

What better way to celebrate a fantastic season than with a belly slide on a muddy field.

Net-Surfers’ U11 girls recently glided to the Kentucky State Soccer League Silver Division title with an impressive 10-1-1 record. The southern Indiana outfit clinched the league with three wins in one weekend against Jessamine Storm, Commonwealth SC and Derby City United.



“After winning our third match of the weekend, we finished off the season with a belly slide on a soggy field to show the parents how much we appreciate them for standing in the rain whenever we played,” said head coach Jason Crane.

He believes that beating the Thoroughbreds from Oldham County, who were considered their biggest competition, at the start of the campaign gave the team the momentum and confidence it needed to have a fine season.

“I found that as we played girls who were slow to start last season were now playing with some fire,” he said. “We started with five wins and a draw, and girls like Emma, Erin, Sami and Carmen really stepped up and played well the entire year. I could not have had a better group of girls.”

Net-Surfers also put in strong performances at a couple of tournaments during the spring, making the final at the Derby Cup in Louisville and the Strawberry Festival Tournament in Troy, Ohio, which was their final action of the season.

“In the Troy Strawberry Festival, we got off to a great start beating the hosts 3-0,” said Crane. “Our leading scorer, Olivia, netted two against a team who suffered their first loss in over a year.”

Others to impress during these tournaments were goalkeeper Christine, goal ace Sarah and solid defenders Lindsey, Katelyn and Kallie.

Crane, who is also an assistant coach with New Albany HS girls’ varsity team, said every one of the girls has the ability to be successful in the future.

“They must continue to play hard and never let another team out work them on the field,” he said.


Above: Net-Surfers U11s, who won the KSSL Silver Division title this year with a 10-1-1 record.

Gaetjens remembered

Joe Gaetjens, a Haitian immigrant, scored the greatest goal in American soccer history when firing home the winner against England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. He should have been a hero. Instead, he was abducted and died in a Haitian prison. Watch ESPN’s Outside The Line piece on Gaetjens and the goal http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5231841