We’re only 40 days away from the single greatest sporting event on the planet: The World Cup. In the coming weeks, I’ll be breaking down all 8 groups, as well as looking ahead to the second stage of the tournament. I’ll let you know what you should already know, what games you must watch, and what you can expect to happen.
For now, I’ll cover a couple things that are on everyone’s mind. (Scroll down 3 paragraphs if you only care about US Soccer).
For starters, there are a lot of people who are upset that Barcelona lost to Inter Milan in the UEFA Semi’s this past week, as everyone was looking forward to watching that stacked Barca team – and Lionel Messi in particular – one more time. Messi has emerged as one of the great players in the world this past season, and I’ve heard a lot of people go so far as to call him the best player in the world. That’s a big statement.
Let’s not forget that Messi won’t even be 23 until after the group stage of this years World Cup. He did play in the 2006 World Cup, but was used mostly as a substitute, rarely seeing more than 15 minutes of action in any game. The biggest knock on Messi at this point is that he hasn’t had a lot of success at the International level. That may change this summer, it may not. If it does, and he carries Argentina deep into the tournament, he’ll enter the discussion of greatest player in the world, in my mind. If he fails to show up, and Argentina goes home early (they’ve drawn an extremely favorable draw, and should have no problem advancing to the second stage), a lot of people will point to his success being a product of playing for a great Barcelona team – a team which is undoubtedly better than his Argentina National team.
Messi has scored an unbelievable 40 goals in 44 matches for Barcelona this year.
Over in England, there were a lot of people upset with Wayne Rooney, who was recently injured and said to be out for 2-4 weeks, playing for ManU in the UEFA Quarters a few weeks ago, right before the World Cup. They felt Rooney should be resting himself up, so as to not risk further injury, and make sure he’s ready to play in the World Cup. Let’s not forget a few things: Manchester United is paying Rooney a lot of money, owned by an American group that doesn’t care about his health for the World Cup, and managed by a Scot, who really doesn’t care about his health for the World Cup. The priority for this team, and these men, is to see Manchester United succeed in every match, not help its players be ready for the World Cup. I personally don’t have a problem with this philosophy. You pay a guy $20 million a year to play for your club team, you’ve earned the right to use the guy in any match you want, regardless of his National Team commitments.
Moving on to US soccer, we’re only 12 days away from the Pre-World Cup Camp, which opens May 15th at Princeton University. There are a number of questions going into this camp. Will Charlie Davies or Oguchi Onyewu be healthy enough to play? What about Stuart Holden? Only time will tell on these injuries. Onyewu’s return is arguably the most crucial for the US, as his defensive abilities are vital to fielding a competitive team.
Another big question for the US is how will all the European experience benefit the team in this years World Cup? Keeper Tim Howard is a regular starter for Everton in the EPL. Landon Donovan, who is the most important person on the roster, had a great run for Everton earlier in this year. Is he ready to take that jump into the elite on the world stage? Defenders Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, and Carlos Bocanegra all play regularly overseas. A few key mid-fielders, including Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Ricardo Clark have also gotten a fair amount of playing time this past year.
One troubling note is the lack of experience the forwards are getting, particularly Jozy Altidore. Altidore was on loan to Hull City of the EPL this past year, didn’t start a lot, and only netted 2 goals all season. For a guy who is said to be the future of US soccer, this was a troubling year. If you’ll recall the Confederations Cup last year, Altidore had to be subbed out of every game for lack of conditional. I have a hard time imagining things will be any different in the World Cup this year, due to his lack of playing time during the 09-10 season.
With Altidore not getting a ton of experience, and Charlie Davies’ situation not quite clear, look for US coach Bob Bradley to bring on a forward who has recently been playing out-of-his-mind soccer. That player, in my opinion, is Herculez Gomez. Gomez is 28 years old, so he’s not exactly young anymore, but he has recently exploded onto the radar. After floating around MLS for a few years, never really finding a great deal of success, Gomez signed with Puebla F.C., of the Mexican First Division, in January of this year. Since then, he’s scored 10 goals in 14 appearances, becoming the first American-born player to ever lead any foreign league in goals scored for a season.
Gomez leads the Mexican First Division with 10 goals this season
I’d keep my eye out on Gomez at this months World Cup camp, and I expect him to seriously compete for – and even earn – a spot on the final roster.
Some key dates for US Soccer, including 3 World Cup warm-up games, to keep an eye on:
- May 11th: FIFA deadline to have roster cut down to 30 men
- May 15th: Camp opens, Princeton, NJ
- May 25th: US Men vs Czech Republic, Hartford CT
- May 29th: US Men vs Turkey, Philadelphia, PA
- May30th: US Men leave for South Africa
- June 1st: FIFA deadline to have final 22-man roster
- June 5th: US Men vs Australia, Roodepoort, South Africa
The World Cup begins on June 11th, with the first US Match on June 12th (England). US also plays on June 18th (Slovenia) and 23rd (Algeria).
I think the three best players on Earth right now are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney.
I’m a Man Utd fan and it’s hard for me to admit it, but Wayne Rooney is deservedly third out of the three. Here’s my take:
Messi: Pace, ball skills, and vision are off the charts. There isn’t even a classification, he’s that good. Has dominated without anyone even thinking he’s a ball hog. A GolTV announcer said that Messi “lives in the magnetic spectrum of genius.”
Ronaldo: Has all the physical tools – size AND speed – to dominate everyone. He just gets too caught up in individual accolades. and he’s a complainer. He’s the best ball striker in the world, hands down. The free kick against Arsenal in the CL last year? the 45 yard shot against Porto in CL? crazy.
Rooney: Probably the best pure striker in the game today. But let’s be honest, he doesnt have the ball skills or pace of Messi or the ball striking skills of Ronaldo. Most of his goals have literally come through proper positioning (all those headers) and his ridiculous work rate. I can’t remember him beating defenders off the dribble or making 30-40 yard runs and scoring. Rooney is blue collar. he doesn’t complain. He didnt complain about playing second fiddle to Ronaldo the last couple years and playing out of position.
I’m not upset at all at Barca losing to Inter. Mourinho’s game plan outclassed Barca, fair and square. I also agree with you about Club duties vs. Int’l Duties. If i’m paying you $10+ million a year, i’m going to use you when i see fit. Nat’l team be damned. While Man Utd wasnt in any trouble of missing CL quals, the CL is a big money maker for clubs. The further in the tournament you go, the more bonus money your club gets, which is why Tottenham and Man City are fighting tooth and nail to make it because it adds to tranfer budgets and makes your team more attractive to transfer targets.
Landon should shine at the WC. he was spectacular at Everton and even at Bayern he was better than expected. I’m not hopeful about Onyewu or Davies. Altidore has the size and speed, but he’s just not there mentally or conditionally. He needs to grow up, fast. Speaking of the future of US soccer, whatever happened to Freddy Adu?
Altidore absolutely has all the tools to show what a great American athlete can do on the pitch, but in the end I fear he may end up doing more harm than good. He might turn a lot of athletes away, as they see a kid as gifted as him, and that kid just isn’t getting the world recognition he deserves.
If Altidore had gone into football or basketball he’d be one of the 5 or 10 best players/prospects on the planet right now. He needs to find success so he can entice the next generation to play soccer.
I agree with your assessments on all 3 of those players. Ronaldo, in my opinion, is the most talented of the three. But you’re absolutely right, his attitude is a disaster. That’s the reason he’s not clearcut #1 right now. He acts like a 12 year old girl most of the time. It’s very easy to root for Messi or Rooney (when they’re not playing your club), but I find it nearly impossible to pull for Ronaldo.
I’d also throw Kaka into that mix. He may be just a step below the others (I don’t believe so), but his international success alone puts him into the conversation.
There are a million Spaniards right now that can go into the mix, but Xavi is clearly the best of the bunch.
I’d say right now those are the only ones with a shot at being best footballer.
If Drogba or Messien carry their tiny countries deep into the tournament next month (like quarter’s or semi’s), you may be able to throw their names into the mix.
That is, if Messian even plays.