Review: United States B Team vs. Denmark B Team

After what seemed like a football eternity, we finally got a chance to see what the national team might look like in a post-Arena era. I always get excited for national team games, even when the U.S. fields its B team. So, when the U.S. got off to such a slow start, I couldn't help screaming in agony at the TV (which prompted other family members to flee the room). The first 20 minutes were exactly like watching the U.S. against the Czech Republic. No one seemed capable of creating space in the Danish defense, and no one wanted to take responsibility. When the Danes took the lead off of a headed cross (poor marking by media-darling Jimmy Conrad), I began to thank the U.S. soccer gods that Bob Bradley was only an interim head coach.

And then something remarkable happened. The newest additions to the MNT roster began to show the old faithful what it means to play American football. Of all people, Ricardo Clark would be the player to drive into the box and get fouled by the Danes. Not Landon Donovan, or Eddie Johnson, but our defensive midfielder. Although Donovan did all he could to screw it up for the team, the U.S. pulled even on Donovan's penalty kick.

The rest of the game would confirm my suspicions. There are several national team players that need to be temporarily shown the door for their own good. Donovan and Johnson are two obvious choices, but I would also add Taylor Twellman, Brian Ching, and almost every other lackluster U.S. forward. The U.S. has a surprisingly deep team, especially in the creative midfield area. I would love to see a competition between Justin Mapp, Clint Dempsey and Landon for that position (and who knows, in four years you could add Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber to the mix). My point being, Landon should no longer be the national team's golden boy and Eddie Johnson should no longer be considered the "next big thing". After the World Cup, they need to prove those titles. If Bob Bradley has to, he should go through every major MLS forward until he finds a guy capable of taking advantage of the opportunity. Who knows, if Kenny Cooper makes a good showing against Mexico we may already have found our Brian McBride look-alike.

All-in-all, the end result was a positive performance for the U.S., but I think the verdict is still out on whether I would keep Bradley. The U.S. needs a new coach, not a continuation of Bruce Arena's pedantic "it's all about the cross" style of play. Bradley didn't show us anything new on Saturday, but he also didn't show us anything bad. Let's hope we see something a little different versus Mexico.