Starting May 28, 2008 we are going to know a lot about the United States Men’s National team.
Why is this date important? It marks the first of three friendly matches against teams in the Top 11 of the FIFA World Rankings. The first one will be against England at the new Wembley Stadium. England is currently ranked 11th in the world. You can catch it on ESPN Classic and see how the Americans fare against an England side that missed out on Euro 2008. This could definitely not be England’s full A side but either way it will be a test for the U.S. Having this game in Europe is great as well because historically we have not done well on European soil. This gives a chance to gain more experience away from home which is vital in World Cup qualifying and World Cup play.
The second match pits the U.S. against Spain on June 6. The location was undetermined when this was posted. Spain is ranked 4th in the FIFA World Rankings and feature world-renowned players like Fernando Torres, who is playing sensationally for Liverpool. This will be a tough go whether it is on our soil or theirs.
Finally the Yanks will wrap up their third match against world #1 Argentina. It will be played on June 8 in New Jersey so hopefully we can use that to our advantage. The potential to go against Leo Messi and the rest of the top-rated team will be a huge experience booster for the players that appear in this match.
Obviously all of these teams are very good, but the U.S. doesn’t have to win these games for them to consider it a success. The USA, currently ranked 22nd in the FIFA World Rankings, will gain more experience from these games than they do against nobodies from the Caribbean. When you get into World Cup play you aren’t going against Bermuda (146th), you are going to be playing teams like England, Spain, and Argentina’s caliber. I think you will see some young players like Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley in the camp for these games because they will be helping and playing during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. I would assume that all the players that Coach Bob Bradley calls for the camp will play in all three of the games. If the USA end up 1-1-1 after these games I think we can call it a success. This will lead the team into qualifying for the World Cup and could kick off a great time for American soccer.
So, Zack, if they go 1-1-1 which team are they beating?
I think the US National Soccer Team has made a fantastic improvement in the last years. I’m a portuguese soccer coach and I think everybody feels that the difference between the US game and european style is getting shorter, abd that’s great news for the sports. I’m looking forward to see the US team strong enough to compete with team like Portugal, Brasil, Italy etc. Best
I’m not sure who they would beat. It really depends on if those teams bring their A or B sides. Either was it will be a test each game. Realistically I think we will go 0-1-2 with ties against England and Spain. I think our best chance to win against a full team would be against England.