Yes, the whole world knows that the U.S. got thumped by the Czech Republic in the World Cup. No doubt, most soccer fans here are wondering why, and of course it is the job of soccer columnists and pundits to tell them why. But before I start, I want to remind you what the word pundit means. Taken from Hindi, it means learned teacher, with emphasis on learned.
I was asked by my editor to comment on the U.S. failure in the World Cup, and I told him that I would do so when it was clear that Donovan, Beasley, McBride, Pope, Keller et al. were in fact eliminated from the competition. That can’t happen before Saturday when they face Italy, and surely no real pundit would attempt to analyze an event that hasn’t happened yet. Nor will I.
The problem so far, it seems to me, is that a lot of fans, pundits and even some of the players and coaches, have been deceived by their own expectations. Ranked as number five in the world, it’s easy to kid yourself that you can take anyone on. Donovan should have recalled, before he stepped on the field with Pavel Nedved, how he felt after being run off the park some months ago by another world-class midfielder, Steve Gerrard of Liverpool, in a European game. That was before young Landon decided he could become a superstar by returning home to hone his skills in MLS. No doubt he’s happier back home in California, but he’s not going to become a better soccer player in this company.
I wrote an analysis of the FIFA ranking system in this blog on May 29. Even though I have read many recent commentaries on the defeat by the Czech Republic, I have not seen many of those same writers try to figure out the flaws in the ranking system. Perhaps they aren’t true pundits; perhaps they are not after all, learned teachers.
So I’ll wait until after the U.S./Italy game is over before commenting any further. And if the U.S. wins, then I’ll wait a little longer. My hindsight is better with the past than with the future.