USA vs. Scotland: Cultural Differences Between Two Countries

Whilst watching the USA demolish Scotland 5 goals to 1, I was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the Americans' play.

The basics of football were exploited to their advantage and they made a tired Scottish team look way out of their depth.

What was different to what I normally see?

To the untrained eye, (I’m not proclaiming to be an expert, but I’ve grown up watching soccer my entire life) the game would appear no different to any you’ve seen before, but I noticed some differences.

I believe the differences are cultural.

Generally the pace of play in the USA is slower than what the Scotland team are used to playing in the Scottish and English Premier Leagues, where the intensity is high and renowned.

With a slower pace, players have longer to pick a pass and maneuver into more dangerous positions. Defenses can pick up a player but take for granted his next move when he suddenly picks up the pace, something I noticed USA did very well.

Against teams like Scotland, who are a third-tier team in Europe, USA can get away with a slower pace. Yet against more accomplished teams, the States have and will come unstuck.

The USA can pick up the pace when needed due to the athleticism in their squad, but can they maintain that throughout the course of 90 minutes when it really matters?

As of yet, no.

I don’t know if it is just me but the pitches seem to be a lot bigger, maybe it’s the camera angle but the amount of space players were finding themselves in was unbelievable.

That could—and let's be honest—probably was down to the ineptitude of the Scottish defense, but it's not the first time I have noticed that in a USA game.

The American approach was refreshing to see.

Obviously Jurgen Klinsmann has his tactics but it seemed the team was allowed a certain amount of freedom to express themselves, a rarity in European football.

For somebody who has not watched European soccer before, be prepared to watch very structured, tactical battles in the upcoming championships.

Defensively the Americans were under virtually no pressure for the entirety of the match, so it would be hard to evaluate their performance—but what they did have to do, they did right.

In Scotland’s defense, the majority of their squad has been involved in a tiresome league campaign for their respective clubs and some of their players could be forgiven for looking ahead to their holidays.

The style of play from the Scots was hustle, bustle and nothing more. With key players absent and seemingly nobody capable of taking on the defense, the tartan army in the stands were left beyond frustrated as they saw their team pass it aimlessly along the back line.

Standout performer Landon Donovan has graced the English Premier League, and his majestic performance on Saturday night proved that’s where he belongs. With the poise and subtleness of a veteran of the game, Donovan is key to all that the Americans are trying to accomplish.

Without him they lose the "X factor," but saying that, they were unbeaten in four games without him, including a scintillating victory over the Italians.

Next up for Jurgen’s men is a mammoth encounter against Brazil. Something tells me the score line could be slightly different in that one.

If USA was to appear in this summer’s Euro 2012 they would be a quarterfinal-caliber team but nothing more. They have a long way to go to become a genuine powerhouse, but they are no doubt on the right track.