re: Chile USA 1/22/11 Pregame

I thoroughly enjoyed that game last night. Whether it was the excitement of seeing the RWaB back in action or the gallon of Jack n Coke in my gut, that was fun. Some thoughts:

*I love the versatility of our attacking players. I think many countries fall into the trap of sticking kids at positions and making them too one dimensional, but we have so many guys who can play anywhere in the midfield or forward spots. Juan can play on the wing or inside, Shea as well, even Wondo, then you talk about guys like Dempsey and Cakes who offer the same thing.

*I'm really loving the way American soccer is changing its approach to the game. Tim Ream is a perfect example. There was very little route one ball going on and lots of great build up. The Wondo shot on goal in the first half and the penalty were all great examples of that, and it helps that the note above is true: our guys can move very fluidly without being completely out of sync.

*Competition for the final few Gold Cup slots is going to be fierce. Guys like Torres, Spector, and even Jermaine Jones have their work cut out for them. We could see a lot of guys we really like excluded from the mix, which is a delightful problem to have.

I'll go back and watch this one again more closely and more soberly, but I come away with the first impression of genuine excitement about the future.