77 days later...

Okay, I know, it’s been 77 days since I last posted, but I’ve been busy. Out of the country, applying for promotions (and not getting them) and applying to work for my local soccer team (and being given the brush-off.) I’m sorry. I’m back now though and I hope to post more frequently. That’ll happen as the season starts going and there’s more to write about in this country.

Well I guess the biggest news in the country recently was EJ’s move to KC. I think this is a good move all around. Johnson’s rumored attitude problems are not something that Bob Gansler will put up with. Bobby G was the US coach in 1990 and although the US lost all three games, I have to say that I think he did a magnificent job with what he had. There were a lot of decisions that were questionable, like leaving Hugo Perez at home (injured or not—still a debate) and deploying Eric Wynalda as an outside back (!). However, to take a team of college players and a couple of lower-level professionals like Peter Vermes (who was playing in the Dutch second-division at the time) to the world cup is no small feat. I hope that EJ can mesh well with Josh Wolff and tear it up at the World Cup.

Does anyone remember when Ben Olsen was the up and coming promising young player for the US? I do. I remember him coming into the Bruce Arena National Team Set Up in 1999 and looking GREAT. He set up a nice goal for Joe-Max Moore in the US Cup and scored one himself against Chile. Then he went to Nottingham Forest on loan and came back injured. He simply hasn’t been the player since. I think he’d be the answer to the US right midfield question if it weren’t for that. That being said, I don’t want nostalgia to be the reason that he goes to the World Cup. However, with Armas out, I think he has a decent chance of taking that role for himself. He has to pass Kerry Zavagnin and Brian Carroll for Mastroeni’s backup. If he plays as well as he did against Guatemala, I think he’ll do it.

Soon I’ll get together my list of players and how they stand on the trip to Germany.