NOTE: This is a weekly feature with Ohio Wesleyan University men's soccer coach Jay Martin. For more information on Martin, please see last week's introduction. This week's feature will seem more like a chat session than a Q&A.
1. Looking into the future, it appears Landon Donovan has been switched over to the right flank for good for both club and country. Looking at the game today to me this is where the best/most dangerous players in the world are currently playing for the most part – Ronaldo, Messi, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Henry (at Barcelona), Steven Gerrard (for England).
Donovan’s switch is particularly intriguing because of the BIG NEWS England international Ashley Cole’s recent broken ankle and the turbulent time the 3 Lions have been going through with John Terry and Wayne Bridge. If Bridge is the first choice left back come the World Cup, how badly can Donovan expose England’s weakness in that first group game?
"The trend of putting the playmaker on the outside started a few years ago. With most teams shutting down the middle of the field, it was important to get the attacking/playmakers out wide. There is more time and space and it is hard to double team a player out wide. Ferguson was the first with Ronaldo and Bayern followed with Ribery right after.
"Donovan will find more room and more time out wide. He can serve the ball so this is a good place for him. He is playing very well in that position for Everton. His success now will give him confidence for the WC. He should do very well v Bridge – but who will be on the end of the serve?"
2. Can you also elaborate some more on what Klinsmann was talking about as far as those training sessions being a breeding ground for battle and some of the other insights you were able to take away from your trip?
Next week we will break up and feature a long interview Jay did with Klinsmann, a really special first-hand Q&A that divulges some amazing information. Martin gets into incredible detail about Klinsmann's philosophies as a coach, who influenced his own ideas and tactics, how he handled his role as national team coach with his players, his own playing career and the process it took to transition to becoming a coach.
Again Red White and Blue Army provides you with first-hand information that you cannot get anywhere else.
3. As an enormous Klinsmann fan, I see him as a perfect candidate to be the U.S. national team coach somewhere in the near future – i.e. next one or two World Cups. I thought he should have been the man for the job after the most recent World Cup, but it seems as if he needed some time to recharge the batteries. Having lived in California, Klinsmann understands the American game and knows what needs to be done to take us to the next level.
Do you see Klinsmann as being interested in the U.S. job when it become available again or do you think he is more interested in taking another top level club coaching role?
For your money, if he were to take the job what are the top aspects he brings to the U.S.? Energy? Credibility? Tactical revolution? Something else?
Who are some other prime candidates out there that you think would be a good for the U.S. when Bradley steps down or is let go?
"He was close to the national team coach a few years ago. The stumbling block was NOT the adidas v Nike, but control. When JK was national coach in Germany he totally revamped the whole national team program from U10 to the first team. He wrote a new curriculum; created new goals for the program; changed the coaching school requirements etc. US Soccer would not give him the control he felt necessary to restructure our national team program. There are too many stakeholders who will not let go of their little fiefdom. That is the biggest problem in the USA. i.e. US Soccer, AYSO, ODP, MLS etc all have their own agenda and cooperation is minimal!!
"JK would certainly bring credibility, the FCBM (Bayern Munich) experience not withstanding. He is still respected internationally. He would give 100% and he would bring in fresh air. US Soccer should consider him.
"Who else might US Soccer consider: Peter Nowak, Dominic Kinnear, Sigi Schmid, or a foreign coach is possible. It is a good job."
4. Your indictment of U.S. coaching across the board last week was very harsh and reflective of why the U.S. has failed to become a major power despite hosting a World Cup 16 years ago – what really is an eternity in soccer years – and rising numbers in the youth ranks across the country.
As a young coach myself, what advice would you give me and others like me? How would you fix the problems we have in the coaching ranks? Do we need to focus more efforts at the youngest levels?
"My suggestion may have been harsh, but it is true. We have many good trainers, but not many good coaches or player developers. I observed a club U14 training session on Saturday. The good: the coach had a written plan and kind of a progression and sequence to the activities. He started activity #1 – it wasn’t bad. The team ran it for 15 minutes. He did not stop the exercise one time to make a coaching point. There were a ton of points to be made. If the kids did it correctly or incorrectly, they did not know! That is a trainer, not a coach or someone who wants to develop players. The problem: Most of our coaches don’t know the subtleties of the game to teach. So we have generation after generation of young American kids who are not learning the game correctly!!"
5. What’s your opinion of Bob Bradley and the job he has done?
To me it seems a little early to really know for sure, but if you had to say right now do you think the U.S. will be able to replicate the type of success it had at Korea/Japan 2002 or are the recent injury episodes setting the team up for the failures that it had in Germany 2006?
"It will be hard to replicate the WC 2002. That was a perfect storm for the team. Few injuries, a good draw, experienced players, others overlooking the team etc. Overall Bradley is doing fine. The team has been successful and made strides. The tournament in SA (Cofederation's Cup) was a good example. His demeanor rubs off on the team. There is no excitement one-way of the other. He is a decent tactician and he works incredibly hard. I am not sure he is the one to 'get us to the next level.'"
6. In my opinion what made the U.S. so successful in 2002 as a young side was its fearless nature not being afraid to attack the big boys and go for greatness, especially in the Portugal game. That’s why it was so shocking to me under the same leadership with Bruce Arena still in charge that they played so conservatively and played themselves out of the tournament in the group stages last go around.
I’ve seen evidence of both those styles of play under Bradley even just at the Confederations Cup last summer, which was pretty shaky in the early goings (Brazil, Italy), then brilliant for two and a half games (Egypt, Spain, Brazil), then shaky again in the second half of the second Brazil game.
What style of play do think the U.S. will resort to assuming they have a relatively full contingent of players?
"The fearlessness you mention is right on the money BUT the team got so close in 2002 that future teams knew what they missed out on and then the “fear of failure” creeps in. The US had no fear in 2002. In 2006 they were afraid of failing and failing was not repeating the 2002 success. A heavy burden. The OWU teams face this every year. It’s all about expectations. The greater the expectation, the more likely a fear of failure will creep in.
"The style?? What are our strengths? Athleticism, speed, (should be) defending, the counter attack. That’s how we should play. Americans have a mentality that almost prevents us from “sitting in”. It is not in our culture or DNA make up. We like to attack, go for it, just do it. Let ‘em play."
7. I want to go back to the MLS again. Up until recently I hadn’t been following the collective bargaining agreement situation, but I think this has the potential to have disastrous ramifications if they don’t iron out the deal and instead go on strike.
Your point last week about how newer leagues like the MLS -- which has only been around for 15 years – a relatively short period compared to the other major leagues -- historically having to go through times and make major sacrifices in the early stages has been true for all the big leagues in the states. But I think the problem is these players have grown up in my generation, which is surrounded by financially stable big-money-making sports franchises in other leagues, and they don’t have perspective. By that I mean they weren’t born or know the history of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL to see the steps those leagues took to get where they are today.
I think a strike or work stoppage at the beginning of the season then coinciding with players leaving for the World Cup in May through July could be a back-breaker because it would kill any of the good faith it has built up at this point, which is small to begin with. Established leagues like MLB and the NBA recovered from lengthy work stoppages in the last 16 years only because they were putting forth the best product in the world, but even they suffered for a couple of years after their lockouts. The NHL seems to be slowly rebuilding, but it too was severely damaged by its most recent lockout.
Can you comment a little bit more on what you know about the current MLS predicament? Do you think there will be a strike? If so in you opinion what would that do to professional soccer in the states and could it recover?
"I agree about your generation not understanding how a new league is formed and I agree that the MLS players want “Kobe-esque” contracts NOW. The issue is guaranteed money. The players want some guaranteed money. It is my understanding that right now there is NO guaranteed money. This is ironic because the NBA label problem revolves around too much guaranteed money. The NBA is still paying Stephon Marbury ($21m) and Keith Van Horn($15m). It is killing the NBA. They will lose $400m this years and they are established. The single entity format of the MLS is also a problem. I think (but hope not) there will be a work shortage of some kind."
8. What other story lines will you following closely in the MLS in the upcoming season and think followers of MLS would be interested in or enjoy?
"When I watch the MLS I want to see how the American players are progressing. The MLS is leaning toward the NASL model i.e. more international players (they are finding ways of allowing more internationals with rules changes etc). That model killed soccer the first time. So, are the good young Americans getting a chance to play every day? If not the MLS is missing the point. I would also like to see an increase in American coaches…."
