An African Nightmare Becomes an American Dream

A couple of pieces of fortune converged to give the U.S. national side passage to the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup. First, there was an impressive 3-0 victory over a resurgent Egyptian side to pick up their first points of the tournament. Then came an Italian thrashing at the hands of Brazil, which allowed the Americans to slip through to the next round. The United States’ luck may end there, though, as their next opponents come in the form of Spain, unbeaten in 35 matches.

Nevertheless, what can the American faithful deduce from their most recent performance? A turning of the corner on the road to success… or a one-off moment of footy genius in their perpetual quest for respectability?  And what does the national side need to do to make sure they build on their success over Egypt and enter next year’s World Cup strongly?

· Will the real Clint Dempsey please stand up?

Lamps introduces Dempsey to English football

The strong, nifty attacker has a habit of popping up in the right place at the right time.  Case in point: his sensational equalizer against Ghana in the 2006 World Cup.  Or how about his two goals against Liverpool which saved Fulham from relegation in 2007.  Some are even saying that his play against Egypt saved U.S. Coach Bill Bradley’s job. But for every man-of-the-match performance comes an early substitution as Dempsey too often is found clinging to the ball, tripping over his own skills, and reluctant to challenge defenders.  The bottom line: Dempsey needs to show some consistency.

· Michael Bradley must avoid careless bookings.

Another star falls victim to a Bradley special

Despite suggestions of nepotism, Michael Bradley didn’t make the U.S. national team because his father is coach.  (Or at least that’s what his father says!)  To his credit, the tough-tackling and attack-minded central midfielder has so far performed admirably at the Confederations Cup.  But we can’t help but feel that his game is always threatening to spiral out of control.  His yellow card in the second half against Egypt was the result of another careless tackle – the kind that has plagued Bradley throughout his career and will continue to limit his progress unless his game and temperament mature.

· Unleash Charlie Davies.

We're not the only ones keeping an eye on Davies

Unless you’re a fan of Swedish league football, you probably haven’t heard of Charlie Davies. But he’s our bet to be the starting striker for the U.S. at next year’s World Cup. At 22 years of age, he has speed and agility to match the more-celebrated Freddy Adu, except with one key difference – he scores goals! His first, against Egypt, was no stroke of beauty, but demonstrated his quick feet and strong presence in front of the net.  Last season he scored 15 goals for Hammarby of Sweden, and he’s already dispatched 6 goals in 11 games during this campaign.  If he keeps it up, it won’t be long before the top European clubs come knocking.

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We at Footy Factor would like to thank Andy Taylor from Washington DC for submitting this article.