USA
I think it’s simpler than many people are making it out to be.
We lost because coach was deeply afraid of our opponents and of failure, and he transmitted this fear–through his tactics and his pre-WC preparation–to most of the team.
U.S. was afraid to play quality opposition ahead of the Cup for fear it might burst our confidence bubble (and promptly lost to Morocco’s B-team), afraid to replace aging veterans, afraid to attack in numbers.
The coach had backed himself into a corner with this fear of everything, then exploded when we lost to the Czechs by turning on some of his players.
The U.S. played like a squirrel still guarding its hard-won stock of nuts from LAST winter and not bothering to forage for more.
They played as if trying to retain something (our quarterfinal finish from last time) that cannot be retained other than by fresh achievement.
One of my lasting images will be of Bruce Arena sitting on the sidelines of the Czech match in the 2nd half and exhorting his team to “play, play, play” with his hands showing rapid ball movement…after putting out a 4-5-1 with only a 33-year-old box scorer up top?
Only against Italy–where fear was put aside from the opening whistle because U.S. felt she had nothing to lose – did they show a glimpse at what this team was capable of in 2006. Oh well…
There’s talent in the pipeline to work toward that next level, but U.S. need someone with fresh ideas and a style that’s more conducive to American sport - similar to what the Germans have going right now where it’s exciting and open for the most part. There’s a lot of offensive talent, it just needs to be maximized and showcased.