Re: [nas] Complacency

Agreed. The USA dare not take *any* competitive match lightly. The target we wear assures us that for the competitive matches we're going to see the best available at that time according to the opponent's coaching staff. To not return the favour and play our own competitive best in those matches, even to the point of blowout results, does nobody in our region any favours. The better we are, the more we win, the more competitive the other teams will try to be because the joy of bringing the US down with a draw or an upset for the other nations in our region can't be underestimated. It's the same thing we felt taking Mexico out of WC2002. If Canada or Costa Rica or Guatemala or Panema or Jamaica, Haiti, Granada, Cuba, or one of the yet smaller island nations can knock the US down in a competitive match, guaranteed they'll do their best to do so. We cannot take them lightly any more than the top 10 in the world can take the US lightly any more.

-russ
http://home.comcast.net/~rcampb61
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----- Original Message ----
From: Kevin Lindstrom <klindstr@flash.net>
To: NAS LIST <NAS@americakicks.com>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 9:03:12 AM
Subject: Re: [nas] Complacency

How to put this.....

I have the confidence that we have the tools, the raw material. But in every cycle, players have to develop to replace players who have passed their point of ability to contribute at various levels. In simpler terms, there is still work that needs to be done and it needs to be done right. Otherwise, down the road to upset we walk.

Arena said the US would fail to qualify for the World Cup at some point, and there is the possibility he is right. Look at the last two cycles - we had moments where things weren't rosy. In 2001, we had a few late results go our way. If they hadn't, things would have been different. IIRC, similar things happened in 2005.

The margin isn't so wide that being the fourth team in the Hex isn't out of the realm of possibility. And as we've seen with Australia, good teams playing the fifth place team from South America aren't assured of success.

There is confidence on one side, but then there is over-confidence on the other. To not go into WCQ with the determination to *make sure* everything that needs to be done is done, rather than assume because we have the raw material that everything that needs to happen will "of course" happen, opens the door to Colts-Jets. And make no mistake, we have the biggest target on our backs of any CONCACAF team - just as the Patriots and Cowboys and Packers and Colts are now getting everyone's best shot in the NFL, the US team will get everyone's best shot in WCQ.

Doug Swan <swansuite@comcast.net> wrote:

Not exactly sure what he means by complacency, to be honest. It ain't
about complacency with me, it's about the fact that I don't believe a
single team beyond Mexico has a serious chance of challenging us for
the top two spots in qualifiers. I'm pretty damned proud to say that
and I think it's the truest measure of our growth in the sport. I
could be wrong, but I just don't believe that there's a reasonable
chance that the US could/would fail to qualify in our region. I'm
cocky enough about it that I believe we could send 2nd and 3rd
stringers to most of these games and still scrape out a win. Do we
have to show up and play? You bet. Doug

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