World Cup Knock-Out

They started the knock-out rounds this morning. Germany took care of Sweden, and Argentina dispatched Mexico, but they had to go into overtime to do it.

So I wasn't going to be talking about what happened to the United States in the World Cup. But I had a dream last night. And it was relevant to US soccer, so I thought I would post about it.

In my dream, I was a member of the US National Team. I was riding the pine mind you, but I was still on the team. I was next to Bruce Arena (US coach) after the end of the Ghana game. Bruce asked me what people were going to be saying. I said that they would probably be talking about the poor refereeing. He agreed with me. Then he informed me that he was hungry for some Chick-fil-A. He asked me where the nearest restaurant was, I told him, and he was off. And then I woke up.

I don't know how to interpret that dream, but I can talk about the US squad. Now I have to tell you that I don't really like the US team. I have even heard rumors that there may at some point be a piece running on the internet attesting to my traitor-like leanings. But it all comes down to this: The US doesn't have the chops to play on the international stage. They have a handful of players that can play on that level. Unfortunately, you need more than a handful of players to win. Not only do they not have enough skilled players, but they also lack intensity. They play reactionary ball. They don't force the attack with enough frequency.

This is why we are no longer in Germany. You can talk about poor calls by the referee all you want. But the fact remains that if you can't score goals (plural), you can't expect to win. And that's all I have to say about that.