USMNT Outlook and Opinions

Watching these last two games has left me in utter disappointment. Watching these last two games has let me realize just how competitive the World Cup will be. In a Confederations Cup which means little, the USA is being blown out.

Well imagine how it would look in the World Cup where teams are striving ten times as hard to win. 

I'm gonna start this article off with my opinion on the status of the team: 

Surely there is no doubt that this team will make it to the World Cup. The region is not a fair challenge, and I believe this is one of the reasons for the lack of progress.

Playing teams like Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados (9-0 victory) are not going to help a team succeed against the big names like Argentina, Brazil, and Italy.

Because of its location, the United States national team isn't going to get many opportunities to play great teams like in the Confederations Cup. I believe that when given opportunities to play teams of this caliber, they can't afford to make dumb mistakes.

Red cards in back to back games, missing a pass off a corner kick which led to a goal, lack of attack, all of these things contribute to a major loss.

Surely one can't say that the United States team just isn't good, that would be a lie. The sheer talent on this team is spectacular. The team thrives off of its underdog status which makes them even better.

What this team needs is a healthy group of players. Brian Ching, Maurice Edu, and Carlos Bocanegra need to get back in the swing. The team needs an effective midfield to compensate for its lack of forwards. Lastly, the players need to just have fun.

One thing I noticed that differed between the USA, Italy, and Brazil in these last two games is that Brazil seemed like they were playing in a school yard, having fun. The Italians looked like they were really laid back, these attitudes are clearly unevident in the US players' faces.

Rather then going balls out, being laid back helps to relax the team and therefore lead to a more innovative mindset which leads to beautiful passes, nice crosses, and crisp shots.

Despite the two losses the team experienced in the past week, I believe there is still a glimmer of hope. The approach of the Gold Cup 2009 is a chance for a morale booster for the players to lead into the World Cup with high hopes.

A victory at the Gold Cup (hopefully), the team could possibly convert their confidence into big wins in the Cup in South Africa.

As a fan, I say that USA will go all the way, but in all realism, based on the last two performances, the team could flop in the preliminary round. All I simply can say is that  they really need to do is to utilize their potential and play like they can to get the necessary victories.