Good perspective on US-Czech World Cup game from Jerry Trecker

Jerry Trecker, semi-retired from the Hartford Courant here in CT, is generally considered one of the premier soccer writers in this country. That's not saying a lot, but he does offer some good perspective and is definitely does not have a history as a US homer/cheerleader.

Maybe This Start Isn't All That Bad
June 13, 2006
By JERRY TRECKER, Special To The Courant

That was not the end of the world in Gelsenkirchen on Monday.

Rather, especially for those in America who have waited so long, the new soccer world arrived to the considerable discomfort of Bruce Arena's team.

U.S. boosters will have to get used to it.

The Czech Republic paid the United States the ultimate respect Monday in the World Cup Group E opener. While it may be true that American soccer isn't generally believed to be worth that No. 5 FIFA ranking, the Czechs knew what they had to do to contain the U.S. attack and were ruthless in their exploitation of the Americans' defensive frailties.

http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-wcuptreckcol0613.artjun13,0,6738931.story

Thanx! :toast:

"considerable discomfort" describes it!

after the last world cup, i guess i, and others, forgot that the US team is still "growing up." i didn't expect the US to win the world cup by any means, but i did expect them to play far better than they did yesterday. i know that there is a world cup win in the future for the US team. after watching this game, i think it's just a little further in the future than i thought.

That made me feel a little better.

:rofl:

The most amazing spin I've seen yet. Landon Donovan didn't do shit all game because he's so good. Ditto Beasely and McBride. This is basically the spin of the article. The Czechs spanked us like stepchildren because we're so good that they had to do their team research on us! A more amazing display of optimistic nonsenses I have not seen.

Most around the world would have said, "oh, the Czechs didn't take the Americans seriously and didn't bring their A game..." sort of like what happened when the US beat Portugal a few years back.

:shrug:

I watched the entire game and the USA looked like a bunch of clueless morons. None of them were fit to wash and blow dry Koller's jock. Reyna was a complete asshole and Nedved should have punched him in the face. These guys had no bizness being on the field with the Czechs. IMHO the USA is not going to win a single game before elimination. They don't belong there. The upside is the rest of the world just wants them to be humiliated now that I can dig.

I got some nice odds on the Czech squad at the bookies in the UK last week. Scored at the track as well. How are ya AM?

Everything you say is true. The denial is palpable. I watched the game here in PA with some friends, and we were all disgusted by the end of it. The US team didn't look like they could beat the top high school team in the Czech Republic, much less their national squad. It was a total embarrassment. And now this writer pretends that there is some good to draw from this fiasco. Meanwhile, the US team has the worst goal differential of the entire tournament to date (-3). Repeat, no other team has been spanked as severely on the pitch, and the first group of games is just about done. And other teams were more seemingly outmatched. In other words, the US currently occupies virtual last place in the tournament, and people think they're going to beat the Azzuris? What a joke.

I'm well. Baby screams less, whicvh is good, and is developing a notable personality. Cool as hell. She's three months now. Hope all is well w/ you and the family.

and, as I said above, is not known for being a USA cheerleader. He is usually pretty tough of Team USA, so I was surprised to see him print that story.

When it comes to WC we are in our childhood. And he's right-what Czech did to us was a sign of respect. We were not pushed aside. We were respected and, as any team that is respected, we were studied. They found our weaknesses and played them against us.

Does the US have a future in WC? Absolutely. Look around you at the under 12 group. Thousands of boys and girls are choosing to play soccer instead of the prerequisite football (or volleyball for girls, as the case was with girls in my generation and region growing up). The numbers are there-soccer in my area is second only to Little League for the size of its leagues. And the kids are sticking with it into high school and even college. When I was in high school we didn't even have a soccer team. It was the biggest news of my high school when a group of friends and myself set up a team for friendly play against a couple of area schools.

I have a soon-to-be six year old daughter. Ask her what is her favorite sport and she'll answer soccer. She knows the names of international stars and talks about them with her classmates. She has a life size poster of Mia Hamm on her wall who, though retired, is loved by girls everywhere to this day. And she constantly begs to go out with her mom to play a bit of "kick the ball".

In the US the future is bright for men's soccer but it's the women who really own this game. I can remember battles between high schools and young women whom wanted to play football and baseball or who wanted to wrestle (since our only options were to either run, play basketball or volleyball and received third rate equipment or, if you came from a wealthy family, to play golf or tennis. Me, I came from the working class and was short so my option was to run.) Soccer has opened up the floodgates for women's sports in the inner city, the suburbs and in rural areas. Women can now play an aggressive game and be praised for it, just like their football counterparts.

In the US more young men play but soccer's fate has been signed and sealed with a kiss as being owned by the women. We are the best players, not the men. And I find myself estastic to have finally found a sport for women that gets decent news coverage, is well-followed by both men and women and in which the young women's teams do not receive the men's rejected equipment.

We will produce a truly great soccer team in the next generation or so. But the classic way of producing a great player-of dad taking his son out to play a game of catch-is not how it will happen. It will happen by mom taking her children-both sons and daughters-in the backyard to kick the ball around. IMO, the future of men's soccer in this country will really depend on this first big generation of women who were encouraged to play when they were in school. And I view that is the big story, not who wins. Because in soccer, we can all win.