Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious: Oct 6, 2010

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

World Cup 2010 Blog: US Squad Completes Second Training Session in Chicago

US Squad Completes Second Training Session in Chicago

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 06:31 PM PDT

US Men Bradley Soccer
The rumble of freight trains, the rattle of trucks traversing the adjacent Harlem Avenue and the peculiar scent of corn starch (manufactured by the ton nearby) may not be the ideal setting for soccer training. But Chicago did cooperate with unusually spectacular October weather. So it was that with a temperature tipping to the warm side of 70 degrees and a sky devoid of the faintest cloud coverage, the United States men’s national team completed their second full training session on the training pitch at Toyota Park on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s match against Poland.

Integration Time
It’s immediately apparent that it will take some time for Jermaine Jones to integrate himself with his new national team. Jones tended to stay close to fellow Bundesliga players Michael Bradley and Steve Cherundolo during warm-ups and drills. Bradley, who figures to play alongside Jones, seems to be the one tasked with helping Jones along. In a moment of confusion during drills, Bradley held up proceedings and trotted over to Jones, and the two conversed in German until Jones nodded with understanding and play continued. To Jones’ credit, the moments of disconnect with teammates that occurred occasionally throughout the rest of the session didn’t seem to ruffle his feathers.

Jermaine Jones: Trying to get off on the right foot. (AP Photo/Charles Cherney)

The Beat of a Different Gooch
While the US players looked sharp in their red training kits, one player just had to be different. Oguchi Onyewu took the field in a battered pair of gray sweatpants, but it was not immediately known if “Gooch” was paying tribute to Arjen Robben or if the pants are just that comfortable.

Down to Business
Following possession drills, the meat of the session began with a 9X7 across the full pitch. It was clear that coach Bob Bradley was paying special attention to Jozy Altidore through much of the early portion of this segment. Bradley reminded Altidore to apply pressure to defenders bringing the ball up and had to remind Altidore not to drop too deep as a lone striker.

Coach Bradley was not particularly enthused with the energy level early on. About 10 minutes into the 9X7 session he shouted “Don’t just stand next to a guy.” As the team transitioned to an 8X8 segment, play predictably opened up a bit more, but Bradley still found himself stressing the importance of exploiting opportunities as they occur in order to build a rhythm, as several players had been foiled by a moment of indecisiveness up to that point.

Something that cropped up during the World Cup was in evidence throughout the session, namely that there was a tendency for the both sides to play rather narrowly. Only as the session progressed did one see more balls going out wide and more runs deep into the corners.

Ups and Downs
Already a dead ringer for a 14th round Rocky Balboa courtesy of a black eye picked up against West Ham, Clint Dempsey went down for the count after taking the biggest knock of the session in a confrontation at the touchline, inches from the spectators. After a contemplative moment with ankles crossed on the ground, the Fulham man trotted gingerly back into the action and was soon up to speed again.

A lot of the players were loosey-goosey, but perhaps no one more than Tim Howard. Finally getting that first EPL win of the season may have brightened his spirits, and he made a fantastic stop of a Michael Bradley laser beam in the 8X8 session.

No one found the net in either the 9X7 nor 8X8 segments. In the closing shooting segment though, it was bombs away against both Howard and Brad Guzan and the nets quickly filled. Steve Cherundolo took on the role of Marv Albert, calling out an exaggerated “Yes!” after each success.

Notes on the Day
With late arrivals Altidore, Maurice Edu, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst ready to roll, coach Bradley had his full compliment of players available.

About 40 die-hard fans, some of whom came from as far as 5 hours away, were allowed access to the practice pitch and watched from just beyond the touchline. According to US Soccer’s Michael Kammarman, it was the first time that the US team has opened a training session to the public.

The team will train at Toyota Park in closed sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, before moving to Soldier Field for Friday’s session. Our on-site coverage will continue Thursday when coach Bob Bradley and an as-yet unnamed player hold a press conference.