What the future holds

I usually write about Manchester United, but I want to mention something else that is important to me. I am from the United States, so the state of the sport here is something I am always concerned about. Big things are happening for the US men's team as well as soccer in general in this country. Klinsmen has been appointed the team's manager and of course has big plans for US soccer. Klinsmens appointment could and should mean big things for the US. We can all still see the effects of his leadership with the German national team. The Germans played some of the best soccer in the world cup in 2010. So its very exciting to think about the changes that could be made here. Some changes can already be seen in the few games the US have played since his appointment. We have always relied on counter attacks and short spurts of possesion for our goal scoring opportunities. Now we look to be holding possession for longer periods of time as well as moving the ball around better. I for one like the look of it.

I am hearing a lot of grumbling about how we are not winning games and scoring goals. To be honest, I think Klinsmen is looking at the bigger picture. He is not planning for the next match or the one after that. He is preparing this to be serious competitors for the next world cup. That is no easy task. Many things need to change in the world of US Soccer. Everything from youth development to the strategy the national team. This is something that will not happen over night. However, the fact that the team's style of play has changed this noticeably is miraculous. There are of course positional problems that must be faced. The most glaring problem being the fact that the team does not posses a world class forward. Some people may think the world of Jozy Altidore, but I for one am exhausted of his belief that that he is as good as Messi or Ronaldo and his endless attempts to play that way. I don't mean to take any credit away from Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey. They are great players. They are midfielders though and it is unfair to place the responsibility of scoring every goal on them. The emergence of of Brek Shea (maybe a little early to tell) could bring more goals as well as talent to this team. He looks great out wide and unlike many American players doesn't have that vexing need to run the ball up the field himself. He is strong, fast and and a decent passer of the ball. Hopefully we will see big things from him in the future.

So to those of you complaining about not enough goals and a loss to Ecuador, I say try to look at the big picture. Try to imagine what can happen if this development is successful and we see a team emerge that is world class. If Klinsmen does succeed, we could see the US become a major threat at every world cup. It all depends on the kind of support the German manager receives. So far so good!

Lets hope United come out on top against Liverpool on Saturday.

We all love United!

Chris Sandbach