First qualifier will test U.S. team’s focus
Sharks one week, minnows another.
That’s one of the many beguiling features of soccer, the democratic notion of sharing the pitch, and attempting to thwart David Beckham, and doing the same a few weeks later against folks coming off back-to-back losses to Bermuda.
Yes, Bermuda.
That’s the key difference in looking at the first step along the road to the 2010 World Cup, starting with today’s qualifier between the U.S. men’s national team and Barbados at the Home Depot Center in Carson. It is the first of a home-and-home series between the teams.
The U.S. may have gone without a goal in its last three games, but those contests (all in friendlies) were against the likes of powerhouses Argentina, Spain and England. The 121st-ranked Barbados squad tuned up for qualifying with consecutive defeats to Bermuda, getting outscored, 5-1, and has given up 11 goals in two meetings against the Americans.
Barbados is tied for 121st with Estonia, one slot ahead of the lads from New Caledonia.
So you might say complacency could be the biggest U.S. enemy.
After all, the U.S. has been facing players who are treated like rock stars in their countries. Barbados, on the other hand, seems to be leaving no stone unturned in trying to unearth players with some connection to the country.
If you changed planes in the airport . . . well, come on down and take a spot in the midfield.
Seriously, the prospect of overconfidence has been acknowledged and rejected.
“We are fortunate that we have some experienced players who have been through World Cup qualifying,” said U.S. national team Coach Bob Bradley on a conference call last week. “I think they have done an excellent job of setting a good tone in terms of the importance of these games, in terms of what to expect and making sure that we never take anything lightly.”
In Barbados, Bradley expects to see a team “with a Caribbean style that has some individual flare and some overall athleticism.” The team’s attacking play runs through captain Norman Forde.
Still, the Barbados side will be quite different than the group facing Bermuda, having called up nine players from overseas, among others, midfielders Paul Ifill (Crystal Palace) and Jonathan Forte (Scunthorpe).
The primary change, for the Americans, is the recall of striker Brian Ching.
“I think that he’s a different kind of forward for us,” Bradley said. “A player that is strong, can hold the ball, can bring other people into play.”
--
