Grateful for the Calm Before the Storm

Yes, with the World Cup drawing closer and nary a FIFA match day left, the pickins are slim for bloggers focusing on the USMNT.  Apart from the scandals that have afflicted a certain team (looking at you, Capello), the same concerns seem to apply to almost every team: playing time, form, and health ahead of South Africa.  Things are no different for the USMNT, with the recent MLS CBA eliminating a new storyline before it ever even became a reality. 

At some point, there are only so many roster analyses and predictions that can be done.  By now, we have a pretty good idea of who will be in the final 23 and a very good idea of who will be in the preliminary 30 man roster.  With many believing that Bob Bradley will declare his final 23 well before the final FIFA deadline, there isn't much left to do at this point other than track the form of the anticipated selections and hope for good health.  Only serious injuries will really bring up some serious talking points for bloggers like myself, but as a fan first, I will sacrifice days of easy topics in favor of a "boring", injury-free spring. 

We'll see plenty of the same stuff over the next couple of months: Landon's MLS form, Gooch's return to AC Milan, and Charlie Davies' return to full health, in addition to the weekly reviews of form and playing time.  Most of it will be driven into the ground, with post after post across the web each and every week.  While it will consume us all for the next couple of months, it's hard to deny that we're hyper-analyzing everything to this point.  It's just the nature of the beast; in a World Cup year, we all get a little (okay, very) crazy.  Sometimes it creates some unnecessarily fierce debate, sometimes it robs us of a peaceful afternoon, and sometimes it has us wearing out the refresh button looking for updates.  It might seem pointless to an outsider, but it's just us showing how much we care in the final crescendo to a four-year fortissimo. 

But hey, a couple months of comparative monotony (which is exactly what this is in comparison to the up and down year of qualification and international tournaments that we just went through) isn't all that bad when you look at the uncertainty that a few teams are dealing with.  Of course, England's locker room woes are well documented, but it's their former boss that's now making a splash.  That's because today, Sven Goran Eriksson reportedly agreed to fill the coaching vacancy of Cote d'Ivoire, giving him less then three months to become acclimated with the talents and tendencies of an entire player pool. 

For those unfamiliar with the situation, the Ivorian FA happened to fire a successful coach after one poor result (sounds kind of like those countless cries to can Bradley, doesn't it?).  Now, thanks to that seemingly trigger-happy decision, the Elephants are suddenly much more of a question mark than the dark horse contender that more than a few pundits pegged them to be less than a year ago.  Say what you will about Sunil Gulati, the USSF, and Bob Bradley, but I for one am so happy that those in charge have far cooler heads that those in Cote d'Ivoire, not too mention many in the USMNT fan base.  The allure of Guus and Jurgen had more than a few still calling for change at the start of the new year, and exponentially more doing so back in '09.  While a change at either of those points still wouldn't have been nearly as disruptive as what the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire are currently dealing with, I can't help but think that such a change ultimately would have been more trouble than it would have been worth.  Bob Bradley has been successful to this point, albeit not very pretty, and a change would have been fueled more by wishful thinking than actual necessity.  Sunil and co. didn't mess with success, and now we find ourselves in a pretty stable situation heading into the stretch run.  It is certainly far better than what Cote d'Ivoire is going through. 

So, I'll gladly take the monotony of Bob Bradley, continuity, and a fairly established final 23 over the chaos and questions that other teams have to face.  While it doesn't do me any favors as a writer, making me work a little harder to come up with topics each day around these parts, it helps me rest easy as a fan, which is what I am first and foremost.  We often lambaste the USSF for things both within and beyond their control, but sometimes it's worth noting a bright spot here and there.  They may not have secured a marquee head coach way back in 2006, but they found one that has gotten the job done effectively, and they didn't step in to mess with that along the way.  I've heard plenty "experts" say we're far behind in our development as a "proper footballing nation", but when I look at countries who fire successful coaches because of a blip on the radar and put their fortunes in the coaching equivalent of Russian roulette, it just seems like some of those more "established" nations are the ones who could learn a thing or two from the new kid on the block. 

Maybe I'm just a fool who doesn't understand the complexities of the situation, how a breath of fresh air can invigorate a team just months before they hit the big stage.  Maybe I'm just a little too wary of late change, or maybe I too steadfastly hold to the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage.  All of that could very well be true.  But there's one thing that I know for sure: I'm not losing sleep about the USMNT's situation in these final months before the World Cup.  The big pieces are in place, and everything seems to be going as well as we could hope for.  It's not flashy, it's not exciting, but it's pretty comforting. 

I'm sure fans in Cote d'Ivoire wish they could say the same.