Thoughtful Olympic rehash: So much style, but what of substance?
Mar 27, 2012, 12:36 PM EDT
Hipsters, models and fashion mavens step over one another to set the next trend in clothing style. Kids kick it “street style.” Weather may dictate seasonal style. And lest we forget that fashion fades, but style is eternal. Or so I hear.
At the end of the day, of course, we’re really just talking about composites and material to protect ourselves from sun, from the nasty elements and from strangers seeing our tummies. At some point, it’s not “style,” it’s just essential coverage.
It’s a good thing to remember about our soccer, too, this pursuit of “style.” Especially on the “mourning after.”
Did the U.S. under-23 soccer team, along with the rest of us, lose the plot along the way, paying a little too much attention to style while paying improper heed to time-tested tenets of athletic competition?
Perhaps. Maybe it’s just a learning curve as the U.S. search for its soccer style slogs inexorably forward – whatever that means to everyone individually.
There’s really no problem with these discussions, nothing misguided about scouring the lands in search of our passing-and-trapping brand, so long as this elusive fox hunt remains rooted in a simple concept:
Style is a means to an end … not the finish line itself.
Anyone think maybe that simple notion got misplaced along the way to Nashville?
In domestic soccer circles, talk of style became de rigueur as Jurgen Klinsmann inherited the top U.S. post eight months back. Klinsmann never imagined we would “style” our way to soccer’s promised land; he’s no dummy that way. But he did want to influence a better way forward, a methodology with a further view up the field, so to speak. (Never mind that his biggest win, last month in Italy, tilted smartly back toward a pragmatic approach.)
So it was with Caleb Porter’s 4-3-3, stylistic and dynamic as it was for his under-23s. And it was so pretty to watch! So very Ajax-in-the-day. Especially against Cuba in the American Group A opener. The geometric triangles inspired by the great Dutch sides under Rinus Michels were being drawn up like so much chalk talk in the locker room.
But Cuba, defensively disheveled and chronically unfocussed, was never a barometer. Then came the crushers, which were. Barometers, that is.
While some of us debated merits of “style,” Canada and El Salvador (big credit to both, by the way) reminded everyone that so much of the game is about desire and passion. It’s about leadership and chemistry. It’s about roster balance, with a few technically competent mudders who don’t give a hoot about style so long as they get to leave a mark here and there.
It’s about identifying the men who can rise to the moment (young men though they are).
I like and appreciate an attractive match as much as the next guy. It is the “beautiful game,” after all. These are important discussions in U.S. soccer circles, about playing a better brand, etc. – but the talks always deserve rooting in a foundation of something bigger.
Style in itself can never win a match – and at some point that’s what it’s all about.
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- s1coleman - Mar 27, 2012 at 12:50 PM
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Excellent points Steve, this needed to be written.
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- thetomi - Mar 27, 2012 at 5:06 PM
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I disagree, I think that style played less a role than poor management decisions did. I’m not sure I like Freddy playing as much or in the position he did. Also there are questions in roster choice and substitution that are questionable.
They did score 3 after all. The style was good enough for that.
But really my main question for you Steve, (I’m asking you because I know and respect your work) Why aren’t there more articles that go into detail about the actual tactics?
There’s more to the way we played last night than keep the ball and make it pretty. If this was an article about the Patriots Super Bowl loss, formations, defensive tactics, blitz, and Cover 2 would be discussed. When is American soccer journalism going to have it’s Zimmerman moment?
Because Steve, I genuinely want to know what you think about that. I’m confident you have a lot to say about it, I want to hear it from you and more of your contemporaries on the subject.
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- Steve Davis - Mar 27, 2012 at 8:08 PM
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tactics … yep, we’ll have more. we’re still getting our blog staffed up. keep the faith … just lots of ground to cover right now.
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- soccerknowitall - Mar 27, 2012 at 6:08 PM
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hey steve! I’ll coach the team for free!
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- soccerknowitall - Mar 27, 2012 at 6:55 PM
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seriously. american soccer coaches cant get out of there own way, good intentions that they are, there just lacking. there so self obsorbed and arrogant with there soccer knowledge, licenses and authority that they cant see what is obvious to most everyone else who knows anything about the game. I’ll give you an example:
I was a college coach in Pa. so i go up to hershey park from philly for the 2000 concacaf olympic qualifing mens tourny. im at my 3rd us game (semi’s) and im waiting patiently for this highly touted 18 yr american to play, cause so far he hasnt played 1 minute of the tourny. So I walk down to the player tunnel as the half ends and yell at us coach clive charles. ” hey coach, when are you going to play donovan? huh? clive gives me this scowling/ contentious look.. Donovan looks at me with a peaked/ curious interest. Well donovan started the 2nd half and scored 2 goals and the rest as they say is history. who knows if donovan plays the 2nd half if i dont go down an yell at the dam coach. but id do it again. side note. I gave up on coaching a yr later because i just though college soccer was a joke and always will be. and now look what you get with a college coach running the u-23 olympic team. just about what i would expect to tell you the truth, because nothing has changed in US soccer coaching for a generation now. in the end players win or lose games, not coaches, eventhough they try there damest to lose them by over coaching.
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- soccerknowitall - Mar 28, 2012 at 11:02 AM
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here’s a few JK qoutes!“ Overall, the way Caleb developed the program in these just couple of months was outstanding,” Klinsmann said, referring to US Under-23 head coach Caleb Porter. “He’s done an outstanding job. How he put his thoughts and ideas into these guys. There’s a bright future ahead of him in his coaching career.” and more……….Klinsmann continued: “You saw that tonight, you saw it against Cuba, you saw it against Mexico, and it’s important for us to see that we’re on the right path in terms of style of play.” so there you go… it’s better to look good and lose than look bad and win… JK is out of touch with the american idea of winning at all costs attitude, and is devoid of any emotions about how we.. the people feel about the concacaf olympic qualifying results of the US team. this guy is a spin master on par with politicians in DC. i see nothing good by JK blowing smoke up us soccer, it’s players and the fans a***. who does this guy think he is?
ill coach the team for free and do better with the talent we have than porter did. style be damned. just win baby!
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- footynions - Mar 28, 2012 at 1:49 AM
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Agree with you. Although, from an entertainment perspective, one would opt for something that pleases the eye. A beautiful game. But as we have realized its not all bout beauty. Game gets ugly too and thats when you show if you have it.
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- jumbossportsblog - Mar 28, 2012 at 6:42 AM
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Reblogged this on jumbossportsblog.
