Painful
For anyone who watched the entire US v. Cuba game you can attest that it was a painful experience. Frankly, it resembled a USL game, and a bad one at that. The only positive is that more mainstream media is starting to notice.
Bad passes. Poor traps. Long balls without any purpose. And absolutely no rythm to speak of. And while the field and weather conditions were not optimal, it is no excuse. Not when these types of lackluster performances have become the norm under Bob Bradley.
This US side should certainly qualify for the World Cup. But that should no longer be the goal. In fact, just being competitive is not enough. Advancing to the knockout stages must be the expectation.
But this team just does not seem ready. They play unimaginative, almost formulaic soccer. Not only is Bradley not bringing out the best in each player, but many are actually regressing. Edu, Dempsey, Beasley, Donovan and even Bradley, Jr. seem to play worse for Bradley than any other coach.
Ultimately, US Soccer should be at a point where barely beating Cuba and Guatemala on the road is cause for concern, not celebration. Here’s hoping Sunil Gulati does not let the program spiral further down.
