USA - The Sleeping Giant Awakens?

We have a wonderfully high number of American readers here at The Lone Striker. With your exciting late winner against Ghana last week, we thought we'd give you a little treat before your next one against Ronaldo's Portugal. This is a guest article written by Jonathan Rawson, enjoy and Go USA!

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." A poignant turn of phrase commonly attributed to the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour by the forces of Japan. A sentiment of dread and fear that was to prove quite prescient for the sleeping giant, once woken from its slumber, became an unstoppable juggernaut that would claim its place as the strongest country in the world.

In the context of the Beautiful Game, this statement may yet be applicable to the USA.

For Europeans like me, who have grown up on a steady diet of Football permeating every aspect of our lives, the USA had always been an easy source of ridicule when it comes to this game that we love. For example, Major League Soccer, the premier club competition in the United States, was always treated with either indifference or outright mockery. 

The United States' starting XI for their World Cup 2014 opener, against Ghana.

A fair attitude? Not really, but then we have always looked upon our trans-Atlantic cousins with scorn for the sheer audacity to not love the game like we do. It comes easy for us to dismiss their achievements and history in the game partly because in a world that is so dominated by the great hegemonic superpower, this is one part of it that remains elusive to them. The narrative has always been that Americans don’t care about football, that they just don’t get the game and this is their loss.

The reality, as partly shown by the victory against Ghana, is that the USA is a country on the ascendancy in the game. It is far too easy to make grand, sweeping statements like Admiral Yamamoto following a victory and indeed, the mood following the victory within US soccer circles is a very jubilant one. Over this past year I have been able to witness first hand that my "Eurosnobbery" (a term coined by football enthusiasts in the USA) had no basis in reality. Watching the game last night, the narrative seems to have evolved. Where once the USA would be outright dismissed as contenders, there seems to be a new script; one that talks about a “football explosion” in the country. This is a half-truth that doesn’t take into account the full picture...

The full picture is a long one. The rise of the sport in the country is actually building upon a long history of football within the USA. That the pace of development has suddenly shifted into overdrive over the past few decades is not standalone phenomenon, but rather the culmination of a long and coloured past that has been built upon the labour of enthusiasts that outright refused to let the sport die in their country. As the victory over Ghana shows, the USA is a country of dogged determination and tenacity that never gives up and refuses to say die. It is this attitude that kept the sport alive in the country through its various setbacks throughout history.

It may be hard to believe, but football was actually the second most popular sport in the USA in the 20’s, behind only Major League Baseball, and was growing ever stronger. What proved to be its fatal blow was the emergence of the “Soccer Wars” between the United States Football Association and the American Soccer League which crippled the sport as a united entity which caused its financial collapse during the Great Depression. With the folding of the ASL, the sport went into a decline that led to a USA team going from a 3rd place finish in the 1930 World Cup to a disunited and struggling team.

However, the sport survived by retreating to local hotbeds. Without a national league football became a decentralised sport, with various “forts” around the nation keeping the game alive. The most famous of these is the city of St Louis - birthplace of five of the starting eleven players who delivered the famous 1-0 defeat of England in the 1950 World Cup. 

Landon Donovan - the legendary American talisman was
surprisingly left out of the World Cup squad by coach Jürgen Klinsmann

Eventually, a national league re-emerged within the USA, in the form of the North American Soccer League in 1968. This league received a tremendous boost in popularity when the New York Cosmos signed Pele in 1975 - which was only the start of high profile big names such as Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberta moving stateside. The US fell in love with the game again, and at its peak the NASL was drawing crowds of over 70,000. However, explosive growth is meaningless without long term stability to serve as its foundation, and the NASL peaked too quickly. These big names, whilst popular, proved financially destructive to the league. The finances imploded and the NASL died.

The sport however, did not die with it. These set-backs only served to radicalise the passion that fans in the US had for the game, yet without a national outdoor league (indoor football leagues continued to flourish), footballs future prospects again looked grim. Step forward, Paul Caligiuri. In 1989, Caligiuri scored against Trinidad and Tobago - a goal that would later be called “the shot heard around the world.” It was this goal that sent the USA to the 1990 World Cup, their first World Cup in 40 years. This had a crucial impact in FIFA awarding the 1994 Finals to the USA, which came on the provision that they create a new national league, the eventual Major League Soccer.

Major League Soccer had a bleak early history and at one point had to contract its Miami and Tampa Bay franchises to remain alive. Yet it has since created a very stable and continuously growing league. Do not underrate that last point. Ten years ago I went for a holiday to the USA, and my Eurosnobbery saw what was then a struggling league that was experimenting with rules to try and appeal to a an American market that just really didn’t care. I dismissed it pretty quickly. Now skip to ten years later, where I was to spend the summer with my American fiancée working in New Jersey with her - I was shocked by just how much MLS had grown in the USA. A pleasant shock I must add, for I have grown to love MLS.

You see, because the league did not follow the same mistakes as the old NASL, its growth was not as immediately explosive. What it has been, is sustained. The league is seriously one that I cannot even recognise, as thanks to a continued across the board growth, the league is set to thrive in ways the the old NASL never could.

This sustainability was partly achieved by a strict salary cap. This ensured that no club would spend irresponsibly, in order to pursue short term success, and encouraged squad development as a whole, as opposed to relying on star power. It is a policy that is starting to pay off. 

David Beckham unveiled by the LA Galaxy, back in 2007.

So what about David Beckham you may ask? Well, in order to bring David Beckham to the US, they changed the rules so that an MLS team may have three “designated players” outside of the salary cap. This has opened the doors to the signings of Thierry Henry, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe, Alessandro Nesta, and many more who would have normally become impossible to entice to the league. It has brought star power that has made the American people take notice more and more each year. The most recent reward has been a brand new TV contract that has tripled the TV money that MLS will receive which will in turn, allow MLS to further raise the salary cap and attract even higher quality players. See what I mean about sustainability?

However, the all-important Dollar is all well and good, but the true advances have been made in culture and infrastructure. When MLS first began in 1996 they had no stadia to actually call their own. They had to share stadiums with NFL teams, whose 60,000 seater stadiums created a cavernous environment, ill-suited for the smaller attendances of MLS. 

Today, 13 out of 19 teams play in what are known as “soccer specific stadiums”. As the name implies, these are stadiums built specifically to host MLS teams, they are around 15,000-30,000 state of the art new stadiums that help create a much more intimate atmosphere for the game and have proved a financially and cultural success in helping the US to create its own domestic football culture.

Columbus built the first "soccer specific stadium", opened in 1999.
Home of the Columbus Crew.

Let it not be dismissed, football has managed to establish itself outside of a niche culture. This has been partly driven by the popularity of the game amongst the American youth. As of 2006, over 24 million Americans play football. There are 4.2 million players (2.5 million men and 1.7 million women) registered with U.S. Soccer. Thirty percent of American households contain someone playing football, a figure second only to baseball (Americas national pastime). A 2011 ESPN sports poll ranked soccer as the second most popular sport in the country for 12-24 year-olds. Key to the youth conversion to the game has been a successful community outreach by MLS clubs, that is now starting to pay off.

Alex Morgan - star of the USWNT.
We have a bit of a crush on Alex.

I would be remiss in discussing US Football without also addressing the fantastic achievements of the women. For the womans game, the successful inroads of the sport have been even more noticeable. Two World Cup wins, four Olympic gold medals and victory in nine of the last fourteen Algarve Cup tournaments. The United States loves winners, and the ladies representing Uncle Sam have been fully embraced and recognised for their dominance. They have been remarkable beneficiaries of US policy of equal governmental sports funding between genders which hints at the greater acceptance and respect that female sports receive in the United States. 90,000 fans attended the 1999 Women's World Cup Final in Pasadena and witnessed Brandi Chastain remove her shirt in jubilation following her winning penalty kick. Contrast this with the most recent champions, Japan. Despite winning the World Cup, the Women's team had to fly coach even though the male team get to fly first class despite having no equal achievements to their name.

Increasing numbers of Latin immigrants and their descendants have also played a huge role in the explosive growth of the game in the past few years. This is part of a larger trend of globalisation that has benefitted the game. The world is more closely linked together than ever before, there is a large consumption of foreign leagues on American television which have become ratings successes. Combine this with the continuing successes of the United States on the international level, 
and you have a recipe for them to cause some serious shockwaves in the coming years.

America is rich. With a growing culture comes growing access to these riches and with the riches comes power. In today's increasingly money-centric game, America has the potential to compete in a way that very few nations will be able to challenge. "When America sneezes, the world catches a cold" is the old saying. Well, the USA is catching the soccer-bug and the world may never be the same again.

Jürgen - The New Kaiser

On the international level, the United States is under the guidance Jürgen Klinsmann. One of the greats of the game as a player, he has gave himself the mission to transform the culture of the US and the way it plays Football. However, dogged tenacity will only get you so far, Klinsmann aims to dictate. His ruthless guidance has transformed the team into a very powerful attacking force, capable of dictating terms to any opponents, big or small. There have been tremendous improvements for the USMNT under Herr Klinsmann, including a 1-0 victory in Italy, a historic first time win away against long time rivals Mexico in the Estadio Azteca, a twelve game winning streak that started with a 4-3 defeat of Germany and included a successful Gold Cup victory. In fact, coming into this World Cup the USMNT has won 19 out of their past 24 games. Klinsmann has the sheer, audacious hoden to make the tough call and the controversial decisions and for the most part he has provided the results to back it up. One such decision was the dropping of the veteran talisman Landon Donovan from the World Cup team, an incredibly bold declaration of faith in his own system and abilities. Despite the controversy of this decision, the United States Soccer establishment has made a commitment to back their man, recently granting him a contract extension that runs until 2018. The USA favours the bold, the audacious and the daring and in Klinsmann they have all three. Add in a healthy dose of great results and the USA flock has no greater shepherd to guide them during these transformational times.

Brandi Chastain removes her shirt after scoring the winning
penalty in the Womens World Cup Final of 1999.

The United States face Portugal tomorrow, a team that they have defeated in the World Cup once before. I believe that they are capable of bringing the game to Portugal and gaining a result. This team will be no pushover to whoever plays them, and a key strength that will play in their favour will be their underestimation by their opponents. After all, these American wannabes don't care about football right? Surely there is no need to take them seriously? Guaranteed victory surely? This kind of attitude has the potential to cause some serious shockwaves, not just in their Portuguese opponents but in all of us. The days of mockery and dismissal are numbered.
 

Is this the dawning of a new age of American dominance? I would not go that far. However, what I have seen, is that the United States is finally beginning to shake its reputation from the Eurosnobs. It is beginning to take its place in the world brotherhood of football. This may not be fully achieved within this generation, but as a game built upon the successes of the past, I am excited for the next one.

England vs Italy - Match Review: A familiar scoreline, but anything other than 'business as usual'

Aaaannnd breathe. OK, so we've had a couple of day's to let the dust settle in Manaus. We had great feedback from our England vs Italy match preview, so we've decided to give you some light analysis now that we've had chance to take stock of the game, and where it leaves England in regards to Group D. 

England's starting lineup agaisnt Italy on Saturday evening in Manaus

So, England’s first match in Brazil ended in defeat on Saturday night; but the result and England’s performance was anything but ‘business as usual’. For the first time at a major tournament, for well over a decade, England played with a passion, a hunger, and a belief that finally restored a sense of hope and pride amongst England’s long suffering nation of supporters. We here at The Lone Striker believe that's worthy of celebrating. 

The Brains Trust

The Brains Trust

Roy Hodgson has quietly constructed one of them most dynamic management structures that any England coach has ever assembled. Next to long trusted loyal lieutenant Ray Lewington, is the fiery and intensely knowledgeable Gary Neville. Hodgson rules very much through committee rather  than autocratically, and one suspects that the influence of Neville likely swayed Hodgson’s team selection on Saturday evening towards England’s exciting youngsters. Something The Lone Striker feared he wouldn't do, given his reticence to invest his faith in the same group of players in the past.  But ultimately, the buck stops with Hodgson. It takes a certain degree of courage to gamble ‘with the kids’ as Hodgson did against Italy - it’s his job and reputation on the line. His bold, young, attacking lineup was a revelation. There was vindiation too, for his faith in Danny Welbeck, in the face of increasing pressure (including from us) to leave him out of the starting lineup.

Raheem Sterling: A Star Is Born

What became evident just minutes into Saturday’s game was that in Raheem Sterling, England possess one of the most exciting young prospects in world football. Sterling was a constant menace to the Italians who at times had no answer to Sterling’s pace and trickery. Not since Euro 2004 in Portugal have England seen a performance of such sheer fearlessness. A star was born on Saturday night. Let’s just hope that his light burns brighter than those who have come before him.

Danny Welbeck: Faith Repaid

Danny Welbeck was outstanding against The Italians, 
repaying Roy Hodgson's faith in The Manchester United youngster.

Danny Welbeck, the much maligned Manchester United wideman finally repaid the faith of his manager, with his most exceptional performance in an England shirt. Welbeck was relentless in his pursuit to dispossess and pressurise the Italian back line. His tireless performance was a vindication for Hodgson’s refusal to heed calls for Welbeck’s exclusion.

Wayne Rooney: More Frustration for The United Superstar

Rooney cut an increasingly frustrated figure at times against Italy 

It was a mixed night for the under-fire Manchester United star who has come under intense scrutiny, leading up to England’s World Cup. Rooney looked uncomfortable in his starting position on the left of England’s midfield, struggling to grasp his defensive duties, which continually left Leighton Baines exposed and looking vulnerable down England’s left hand side. The Italians all too quickly pounced on this obvious English weakness and clinically continued to target England’s left flank. 

Going forward, Rooney provided England’s superb assist for Sturridge’s goal, and came close to grabbing England’s equaliser in the second half following some superb work to create an opening for himself. 

Ultimately, Rooney needs to do more, and desperately needs a world class performance in order for Hodsgon to continue to justify his place in the starting eleven.  The wolves are at the door for Rooney. With a hungry, and hugely talented Ross Barkley waiting in the wings, and with England’s best player Raheem Sterling excelling in Rooney’s favoured position behind the number 9, Rooney could struggle to finish this tournament as an regular starter.

The Engine Room

The much improved Jordan Henderson continued to impress alongside
 Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.

With Italy (predictably) dominating in possession, England struggled to get Steven Gerrard into the game, and for periods, the England captain became a peripheral figure. But in Gerrard’s Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson, England posses the most improved footballer in the country, over the second half of last season. He looked almost unrecognizable from the player who faced Italy two years ago in Kiev, and it was illustrative that it was Henderson who collared Rooney after The England's equaliser to remind him of his defensive duties - such is his growth in stature inside the England camp.

England again struggled to close down the space around Pirlo the way in which Italy, (the masters of the art) do. But England seemed content to allow Pirlo the time and space to retain the ball deep in Italian territory, knowing that in messrs Sturridge, Welbeck, Sterling and Rooney, England probably possess the most potentially explosive front four of any team at this World Cup - apart from perhaps the Argentineans. 

Apart from Italy’s opening goal - the result of a mass suicidal lapse in concentration, Italy rarely threatened from central midfield areas, and were largely reduced to efforts from distance. This was in large part, due to the industry and discipline of the excellent Henderson, shoring up the space in front of England’s back four throughout.

England's Rear Guard

Glenn Johnson must do more to protect England's centre back pairing

Baines’ vulnerbality down England’s left flank was clearly a cause of concern for Hodgson at the close of the half. In the absence of any effective midfield cover, England started the second half with the excellent Welbeck switched to wide left - but Baines continued to look vulnerable from wide areas, and will rightly feel disappointed that he wasn’t able to close down Candreva’s cross for the (unusually) clinical Balotelli. 

Apart from Cahill being beat by a superb piece of forward movement by Balotelli, ghosting a route to the back post for Italy’s winner, both he and Jagielka looked comfortable throughout. As did  Joe Hart in England’s goal. Despite a nervy start; Hart too, will feel dissaponted that he didn't do better with his old pal's eventual winner.

England must do better to protect the central spine of their back four - which calls upon both Glenn Johnson and Leighton Baines to dominate their respective flanks and to press opposing wide players more aggressively. But these problems are easily rectified in the coming days on England's training pitches.

Goals! Goals! Goals!

Sturridge wheels away after scoring England's superb equalizer

Daniel Sturridge grew in stature throughout the game. An early aversion to gamble in central areas was soon forgiven with a world class finish, after England had carved open Italy in the space of two simple passes - in a way that the Italians singularly failed to do so against the England lineup. 

With England desperately piling forward in the latter stages, the lack of an aerial presence proved a problem. England may have been better served in introducing Rickie Lambert to give them a greater central threat late on, rather than the otherwise impressive Adam Lallana. But critics who called for Andy Carrol's inclusion will point to the fact that the "Geordie Warrior" was excellent against Italy two years ago in Kiev, and the likes of Rooney, Lallana and Sterling were unlikely to win the aerial battles with Chiellini and Barzagli in particular.

The Lone Striker's Verdict

In an almost perverse way, Englands defeat on Saturday night may prove more valuable to this young English squad than a victory would ever have. They were taught valuable lessons at the hands of the Azzurri, that will be of enormous value to these players in this tournament and in tournaments' to come. 

Football at this level is brutally unforgiving, and England were made to pay harshly for two lapses in concentration. But this isn’t any any other tournament, and this isn’t just any other group of England players. 

England have nothing to fear against The Uruguayans this Thursday - even with the return of the mercurial Suarez. On Saturday's showing in Manaus, these are exciting days ahead for Roy Hodgson's new look side.

Strap in an enjoy the ride, it could get bumpy, but one thing is for sure, this could be the start of something very special.

England vs Italy - Match Preview

After four years of waiting for what feels like an eternity,  the most anticipated World Cup of all time is upon us. This evening, Brazil will kick off the greatest Footballing extravaganza in the history of the game when they play host to Croatia, in Säo Paulo. Finally, the footballing world can breathe a collective sigh of relief - The World Cup is here!

In our latest Post, The Lone Striker previews England’s opening matchup; Saturday night’s ‘Rumble in The Jungle’ against four-time World Cup Winners, the mighty Italy, in Manaus. So what can we expect?

The Azzurri

Expect few surprises from the Azzurri. In Gianluigi Buffon, Italy possess one of the great goalkeepers of all time - at 36 it will probably be the last time that the colossus will captain his country in a World Cup, and thus the last time he will attempt to add to his 2006 winners medal. In front of Buffon, will be his Juventus team mates; the centre-back pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. Either side will be Milan duo, Ignazio Abate at right back and Mattia De Sciglio at left back.

Italy Imperious Captain Gianluigi Buffon will be aiming to win his 
second World Cup this summer in Brazil.

In midfield in recent weeks, Cesare Prandelli has experimented with a 4-3-3 formation, but has faced heavy criticism from back home in Italy, concern mounting due to lacklustre performances against The Republic of Ireland and lowly Luxembourg. Expect a return to Prandelli’s favoured 4-3-2-1 formation against England; with Andrea Pirlo, Italy’s conductor-in-chief (also playing  in his last World Cup) partnered in the midfield trio with Daniel de Rossi and Marco Veratti, (who replaces the injured Riccardo Montolivo).

PSG's Marco Verrati will likely play alongside Pirlo and De Rossi in the Italy midfield, 
replacing the injured Riccardo Montolivo.

Playing in front of this midfield three, and behind an Italian number 9 will likely be another of Prandelli’s favourites; Juve’s Claudio Marchisio. Prandelli partnered him during qualifying with Lazio’s Antonio Candreva. However, whoever start as Italy’s number 9, could determine who the decision as to who plays alongside Marchisio.

Who Prandelli chooses to lead the line is the subject of almost frenzied speculation in Italy right now. Serie A’s Capocannoniere; the hugely talented Ciro Immobile, has been a revelation this season. Last Sunday he repeated his club form with a hat-trick in Italy’s final warm up match before they face England, demonstrating the kind of form that has just seen Borussia Dortmund land his signature, to replace the outgoing Robert Lewandowski. If Prandelli chooses to go with Immobile, expect to see Alessio Cerci, who alongside Seria A's top scorer, formed the most explosive forward line in the league last term. Prandelli may well aim to harness their chemistry at club level for the Azzurri.

What to do with a problem like Mario?

Prandelli has shown remarkable faith in the volatile Mario Balotelli - who despite a wretched season at Milan, is still capable of turning a game on its head. Balotelli was outstanding against England two years ago at Euro 2012, and this may just see Prandelli give him the nod ahead of Immobile, but given the recent form of Immobile, don’t count out the idea of the Italian Boss going with the unknown.

All smiles now: Balotelli & Ciro Immobile share a joke at Italy's training camp.
But who will Cesare Prandelli choose to lead his line against England?

Italy’s Probable Lineup

4-3-2-1

The Three Lions

England’s back five - much like Italy’s effectively picks itself. 

Following a dreadful start to last season - which resulted in Manuel Pellegrini dropping him from The Manchester City lineup - since his return Joe Hart has been consistently brilliant, and was a major factor in City’s title success this season. 

Right back will, once again, be England’s biggest concern throughout this World Cup; with the erratic and gaffe-prone Glen Johnson as England’s first choice. The fact that Hodgson has used James Milner at in this role during England’s warm up games has done little to alleviate English anxiety, in a position that they have struggled in since Gary Neville’s retirement. 

England’s remaining back line will be made up of Chelsea’s Gary Cahill, who has increasingly looked a genuine world class centre back at club level this season, and Everton pair Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines. Given the scarcity of genuine cover, the fitness of Cahill and Jagielka will be key for any English success this summer. Both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have had horrendous seasons domestically and have looked poor in England’s warm up matches.

England's centre back pairing of Gary Cahill & Phil Jagielka will look to bring
their excellent club form with them to Brazil this summer.

It is difficult to see Roy Hodgson allowing Andrea Pirlo the time and space to man oeuvre at will and to tear England to shreds like their last meeting at Euro 2012. This time around, expect Jordan Henderson to be given the role of terrier, to close down the space around which Pirlo will look to dictate the play.

Perhaps the most important player in England’s first match will be the Jungle climate of Manaus. In what we already know to be terrible playing conditions, on a dreadful looking pitch, will only be exacerbated by an intimidating temperature of 25+ degrees Celsius, with a humidity up in the high 70’s. Don’t expect two teams looking to press each other high up the pitch early doors. 

Given the premium on possession, expect to see experienced stalwarts Lampard and Gerard marshaling the three-man midfield. Despite a combined age of over 70, Gerard is coming off the back of his best season in years, and the evergreen Lampard has looked excellent for England in their warm up games.

The Old Guard. 

Behind Hodgson’s beloved Rooney, in the absence of Manchester United’s injured  Danny Welbeck, it looks like England will call upon the explosive Raheem Sterling. Sterling is widely reported to have been superb in camp this summer, leaving senior squad members raving about his performances in training. If Hodsgon is wise, he will line Sterling up on the right, thus giving him licence to attack the normally right sided De Sciglio.

The Young Pretender: Raheem Sterling's post season form in an
England shirt has been a huge lifet for The England Camp.

Don’t all groan at once.

Don’t be surprised if Hodgson elects to start with Manchester City’s James Milner. The much maligned multiple Premier League winner rarely fails to deliver when called upon. The attack minded Sterling will look to go forward at every opportunity, and if England face being caught in possession and hit on the break, Milner is a safer option to re-balance a midfield with defensive duties, than the (otherwise excellent) pair of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana.

Our Predicted England Lineup

4-3-2-1

Final Thoughts

This one will be a tight affair, with both sides giving little away. Expect to see the best young English prospect since Paul Gascoigne, Everton's Ross Barkley introduced late in the game, as well as Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Their introduction could do some serious damage to a tiring Italy side not blessed with a great deal of pace. 

For Italy likewise, expect Antonio Cassano & Ciro Immobile to feature in the latter stages, attempting to make a similar impact. If Prandelli introduces Alessio Cerci to stretch England's midfield, we could see Roy Hodgson replace Lampard with Arsenal's Jack Wilshere; whose natural ability and aggression looking to get forward from central areas will be a massive worry for the Italians.

Prediction.*

1-0 England. A tight game of few real chances is decided late on by the explosive Ross Barkley, who introduces himself upon The World Stage.

*Warning. Prediction may contain unsubstantiated hope and optimism.

Don't agree with our lineup? Comment below, or on social media, as to how you would send out the Three Lions!