OPINION: TECHNOLOGY, USA, AND WORLD CUP 2014

in World Cup by Itai — July 2, 2010 at 4:22 am | 2 comments

The USA national team made their exit from the World Cup tournament after losing to Ghana in extra time of their second round game.

Now, looking back at team USA’s showing, I will tackle some of the questions and controversial issues that have been swirling around discussion boards and the media.

Should FIFA begin using technology to help referees?

Yes and no.  This is a pretty touchy subject… a lot of soccer purists are strongly opposed to the idea of bringing new technology to a game that has been around since the mid 19th century.  The way matches are refereed hasn’t changed much in decades, and yet soccer remains the world’s most popular sport.

On the other hand, poor officiating and judgment errors can play a deciding role in the outcome of a match. Referee errors like the ones committed during USA’s group play games could have kept them from advancing out of the group stage.  England’s Frank Lampard scored a goal that wasn’t counted, and Argentina’s Carlos Tevez netted a goal that was counted from the offside position.

As one of the Soccer Jones writers and a fan of the game, here’s my opinion: goal line technology should be used.  Goals are hard to come by, and to have legit goals stripped from your squad can shatter all of the hard work and years it took to get to that moment.  However, I am opposed to the use of any technology that changes the natural flow and tempo of the game.  If FIFA can find technology that will help referees and still not disrupt the game’s tempo, it should be used to help deliver the true outcome of a match.

What should USA have done different in their final match against Ghana?

Before the game, I would have said that starting Jonathan Bornstein was a mistake.  Now, looking back at his performance, coach Bob Bradley’s decision was definitely a gamble worth taking.  While it did take Bornstein a few minutes to warm up, shake off the rust, and get rid of those annoying butterflies, he played extremely well and performed much better than I had expected.  Johnny B marked up well on defense, played a physical game, and even put a couple of dangerous balls into the box for USA attackers to get at.

Although forward Robbie Findley has gotten a bit of bad press, I think it was a good move to start him at striker against Ghana.  Findley brings an aspect to the game that is matched by few… his raw speed and ability to disappear while being defended is frightening.  Also, having two different styles of forwards keeps opposing defenders on their toes.  Ghana is stacked with players with speed and quickness, making Coach Bradley’s idea to fight fire with fire was a good call in my book.

For the second time in the tournament, midfielder Ricardo Clark committed an early-game error that put the United States down a goal just moments into the match.  Minutes later, he was issued a yellow card and then subbed out for Maurice Edu.  Without beating around the bush, I think that Edu should have started in place of Clark.  Prior to the U.S. – Ghana showdown, Edu had played well both on the offensive and defensive sides of play.  Bradley has defended his choice to start Clark, but I can bet  that given the chance, most U.S. fans would have kept Ricardo on the bench.

What can fans expect to see from the U.S. in World Cup 2014?

As a U.S. soccer fan, I would love to say that the team has a real shot at the cup in 2014.  However, I’m a realist.  There is no doubt that USA has a solid soccer team. They performed well against a heavily favored and experienced England squad stacked with an all-star cast.  The U.S. should have won their second match against Slovenia, but Maurice Edu’s late-game goal was wrongfully called back.  In their final match of group play, the Yanks beat Algeria with a stoppage time goal from Landon Donovan.

Donovan (28 years-old) is the greatest American soccer player the country is yet to see, Tim Howard (31 years-old) is a beast in the net, and a healthy Oguchi Onyewu (28 years-old) is a physical specimen and force to be reckoned with.  The problem is that they are all creeping towards the tail end of their soccer careers.  USA needs to breed some good, young talent to step in and fill holes that will be left by our current USA national team leaders.  Yes, I am aware that USA has Jozy Altidore (20 years-old), Michael Bradley (22 years-old), and Maurice Edu (24 years-old), but filling Guch, Howard, and Landon’s shoes will prove difficult for the U.S. squad unless they start developing and discovering new talent.

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