I'm a bitter man today, all thanks to the money-generating job that a.) has nothing to do with soccer and b.) embodies everything that is wrong with the world. Only the anticipation of an almost-full-strength USMNT playing tomorrow in Amsterdam is keeping me from completely losing it.
Tomorrow's game is a double-edged sword for us fans and observers. While it only really matters what Bob Bradley is able to glean from the game, the result will color fan perception, spawn a flood of opinion, and set up the next three months of discussion.
Because that's the way it works.
So how will the community (meaning fans, bloggers, etc.) react, and what will we have to look forward to from now until May?
A peek at a few possible scenarios:
1. The Dutch dominate the Americans, winning by multiple goals and shutting them out.
In this scenario, the Chicken Little crowd will rise up as if imbued with the power of Zeus and hold court on the utter crappiness of the USMNT. They will tell us all, in loud and haughty tones, that Bob Bradley is a terrible coach, Americans are terrible players, and that the World Cup will be a complete disaster. Reveling in the joy of being right all along, many won't shut up until the Americans win a World Cup game.
There will be apologists, of course, though they will naturally be much quieter in their response. Injury excuses will be raised, the names of Oguchi Onyewu and Charlie Davies will be invoked, and the timing of the game will be pointed out. Three months is still time enough to get it right.
2. The game ends in a scoreless draw.
This result lends itself to ambiguity, though not scoring will drive more than a few people mad. Again, Davies name will be invoked as our only hope, only ratcheting up misplaced focus on a player that has yet to kick a soccer ball since his accident. The backline will probably get a little bit of both sides; either they'll say that the Americans played well enough or the shutout will be chalked up to a poor Dutch attack. In this case, individual performances from players on the fringe or just returning to the team (Edu, Beasley) will be the focus.
3. The game ends in a score draw.
See number two, only this time there will be at least one goal to talk about. The quality of the goal will be scrutinized (to the point of exhaustion), with some likely to discount it if the Dutch defense made any kind of mistake. The scorer(s) matter too, of course, and lord help us all if Eddie Johnson gets the tally; the angst over whether or not he's a viable choice for the World Cup and a possible starter will be analyzed to death. Hand-wringing in full effect.
On the other end, we'll be looking at the defensive work on they goal(s) from the Dutch. How did the ceterbacks do? Does Bocanegra (assuming he starts on the left) have the speed to hold up there? How badly do we miss Gooch, and holy crap when will he be back? You get the idea.
4. The Americans lose a close game.
Like number two, there is enough ambiguity built in to this result to allow for a wide range of opinions to come out of it. Individual performances will be put under the microscope for those with a long view, while the collective play will probably be lambasted in some quarters and evenly measured in others. Again, the response to this results depends on whether or not the US scores and how many they concede. Losing by a one-goal margin is still a terrible thing if they Dutch boss the game and simply can't score more than once or twice.
This result, other than a score draw, might provide the least fodder for looking at the team as a whole, though that won't stop some digging deep for things to praise or criticize.
5. The Americans play exceedingly well and win the game
Allowing for the variations (i.e., conceding or not conceding) this is the result that some might argue is the worst possible one. Why, you ask? Because it will send the fan base into a frenzy, ramp up the hype machine, and set us all up for the inevitable fall that will come when we crash out of the World Cup in the first round come June. How else could a win over the third ranked team in the world be taken? Would it prove that the Americans are actually pretty good at the moment?
You must be crazy.
No, a win in Amsterdam will, as well as getting the hype machine going, elicit the typical response; the win will be labelled "fluky", "lucky", or "flattering" by at least a few. Bob Bradley will still be castigated, but this time because the win will obviously cause him to gloss over the team's flaws, never mind that fact that he's a professional soccer coach who would still be analyzing the performance down to the second win or not, leading into a poor World Cup.
Or something like that.
The homers will come out in force with an American win as well, thumping their chests and claiming that the United States will be "shocking the world" in South Africa. Donovan will be lauded as top quality, Altidore will get the requisite praise, and the return of Gooch, Dempsey, and (possibly) Davies will be framed as evidence that the US will only be better come June.
No matter the result tomorrow, extremes, as usual, will probably rule the day. Those with more measured approaches, win, lose or draw, will be drowned out. It's a function of sports discussion, be even more so, soccer.
The game I'm looking forward to; the overwrought analysis, not so much. And there's a pretty damn good chance that I'll be guilty of it at some point.
