Take what is already an established fact, that on the whole US National Team fans overreact to almost any event involving an American player, add the pressure of a World Cup year, and things ratchet up to a fever pitch.
To wit: Jozy Altidore, as little as a week ago, was the focus of "come home to MLS" calls by certain segments of the American soccer community. He wasn't playing in England, the World Cup is only five months away, and MLS provides a nice safety net. Better to have him playing in a lesser league than riding the bench Europe.
Except, those lamenting Jozy's situation either discounted his team authorized bereavement leave due to the disaster in Haiti and overreacted anyway, or were not aware of it. Jozy returned to the Hull lineup yesterday, figured prominently in the Tigers' draw with Wolves, and suddenly appears to be back on track.
In a culture that values recent and singular results to the detriment of the bigger picture, every player's last game is his most important. While Jozy returned and played well, appearing to prove that calls for an MLS return were premature, Eddie Johnson and Freddy Adu jumped back into the discussion with one nice play in their new club's win on Sunday. Johnson scored on a pass from Adu, with each showing glimpses of what made them promising talents in the first place. But does one goal, no matter how nice, really put either or both players back in the National Team picture for South Africa?
Not in my mind, it doesn't, but that won't stop some fans from getting disproportionately excited. With a talent pool as shallow as the United States', every American abroad with a name and a pedigree (which both Johnson and Adu have despite their recent struggles) is grist for the mill; while Johnson and Adu have a long way to go until they can be viewed as viable contributors on the international level, that doesn't mean they won't have their fair share of backers if they play well in Greece. At the very least, we shouldn't completely discount their chances.
Last week, it was Altidore, his "problems" and concern over his form and development. This week it's Johnson and Adu and their exciting combination, a tantalizing bit of quality from attacking players. Next week, it might be Cooper jumping back into the mix if he scores for Plymouth Argyle, panic for Stuart Holden if he's unable to make the Bolton team, or any number of possible events that will send the American fan base into hysterics.
The World Cup makes us all a little bit crazy.
