The U.S. Team Looks Different. But it Sounds Different, Too.
It’s been a while since we’ve discussed the 2014 U.S. Men’s National Team, or the Americans, for that matter.
It’s been about five months since they started playing competitive matches, and that time has brought with it significant changes.
This group of Americans has been going through a difficult period of transition, as coaches and players alike must now answer questions about the team’s style, its strengths and weaknesses, and the players that will be on the field this summer.
You can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen, and you can’t do anything that doesn’t have a purpose or goal; but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be willing to try.
This much is obvious.
With this group of players, there’s a lot of question marks. There are questions about the style of play that was prevalent under Ben Olsen, questions about the amount of success that players like Thierry Henry and Clint Dempsey had, questions about the level of consistency that players like Michael Bradley had, questions about the consistency of players like Brad Guzan, questions about the depth of the team, and, yes, questions about the chemistry that players like Jermaine Jones, Michael Orozco Fiscal, and Tim Howard had with each other.
Of course, this transition is going to bring some new challenges that the team will have to fight through.
But in the end, it’s important to remember that this team isn’t just the team of 2014.
This team is like something that you’ve never seen before; and in some respects, it’s also like something you’ve never seen since the last time this group of players was assembled and playing competitive matches.
This is the most important question of all.
How does it feel to
