Excitement is Fine, But Perspective is Necessary

Yes, after more than two agonizing months without a USMNT game, we will finally get to see the Yanks (albeit a Yanks Lite, if you will) take the field this Saturday. I'll certainly be tuning in (what kind of US Soccer blogger would I be if I didn't?), and my attention will be focused primarily on a certain Real Salt Lake striker, as Robbie Findley looks to impress Bob Bradley.

(Aside: It's not that I don't care about Conor Casey or Jeff Cunningham or Justin Braun, but let's face it, we've seen everything Conor Casey has to offer, there aren't going to be any real revelations there. Justin Braun, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have a realistic chance of going to South Africa, and might not even play against Honduras. I do want to see Cunningham get another run, but like Casey, I feel like we've pretty much seen everything that he brings to the team. If Charlie Davies is unable to return for the World Cup, though, we very well good see a "speedy forward by committee," for which Cunningham is still a notable candidate, so another game might help Bob Bradley figure out the FC Dallas striker's place in the pecking order.)

After his strong finish to the MLS season, Findley's being touted by many as the best option to fill the void at striker in Bob Bradley's squad. With Real Salt Lake, he has shown great speed and a nose for goal, but with only 1 minute of USMNT experience to his name, he is still an unknown quantity at the international level. There have been plenty of players whose game hasn't translated to the next level, so I'm hesitant to float Findley into the South Africa conversation without having made any extended appearance with the Yanks. With that being said, I am excited to see what he can bring to the table; with the World Cup inching closer and closer, all options must be explored. I would have loved to see Marcus Tracy, as well, but alas, we might have to wait until 2011 for that.

As you gear up for up for your first glimpse of Bob Bradley's sweatpants in 2010, I just want to make one point as clear as possible: Saturday's match is a friendly between two less-than-full-strength teams, featuring a lot of fringe players and domestic youngsters. Even if Findley scores 4 goals, let's not get too carried away with what this means for the full national team. Will it be a positive sign and indication that he might be able to contribute with the full squad? Absolutely. But it is reason to pencil him in to the final 23? Hardly.

We saw last year how deceiving a dominant January friendly can be. Sacha Kljestan bagged three goals against Sweden and was the toast of US Soccer. Then, six months or so later, he was off the USMNT radar completely. I'll admit, I too was guilty of getting caught up in the hoopla, but we should know now that one fantastic January friendly does not mean someone is ready to handle the demands and pressures of a game against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, let alone the World Cup. So let's keep our reactions in check and maintain some perspective throughout the game.

I'm hoping Bob gives Robbie the start, but I'm sort of expecting to see Cunningham and Casey paired up in the starting XI. I really don't care too much about the result of this match (OK, I do care, but not more than I care about finding the best players for South Africa), so I'd really like to see Findley get an extended audition, rather than getting thrown in for the last 10 minutes with little opportunity to put his skills on display. I also hope he gets some time on the field with guys like Robbie Rogers and Benny Feilhaber to get some quality service from the midfield.

I'm not sure if there was any real need to make this an entire post; it probably could have been summed up in a sentence or two. Nevertheless, I hope American fans keep its message in mind when they tune in to see the Yanks play Saturday night.

Robbie Findley (or any player who has a breakout game, for that matter) might be good enough to make it to South Africa, but we'll learn that in March or May, not January.