So far so good in the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the U.S., as Bob Bradley's men have qualified for a quarterfinal spot at a canter, without too much trouble (except fielding at times) and with a team that amounts to little more than an MLS all-star lineup. It's hard to gauge how well a player has performed, considering the paucity of competition against the likes of Grenada, Haiti and a second-string Honduras team. However, the reality is that if a player in question failed to stand out, that's a pretty strong indictment of his prospects at the international level. Here's what I'm thinking about this Monday:
1. The evidence at hand. So far, outside of Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies (who've shown they're a cut above the rest of the squad at the Gold Cup), only two players have impressed me. The first is Robbie Rogers, who looks vastly improved over his outing against Sweden earlier this year. Of course, until we see him against more challenging opposition, it's hard to tell for sure, but his direct play and willingness to run at defenders is refreshing. While his delivery still needs a fair bit of work, he's shown improvement in that area. Stuart Holden is the other who has impressed me. He continues to improve by leaps and bounds, and has stood out the past two games. I like the way he carries himself on the field, his willingness to demand the ball from his teammates and the long-range shooting ability he brings to the table, something the U.S. sorely needs.
As for those who haven't impressed, Freddy Adu's performance already has been much discussed, but put Kenny Cooper and Michael Parkhurst in the category of those who also failed to step up. In Cooper's case, he already was working at a disadvantage, since I don't think Bradley rates him all that highly to begin with. However, Cooper's no-show against Haiti (he wasn't helped by the lack of service) probably dealt a huge blow to his hopes of making the 2010 World Cup squad. It won't surprise me if that's the last we see of him in the Gold Cup. As for Parkhurst, his performance has been surprisingly shaky. He has been caught badly out of position several times and has been muscled off the ball too easily for a center back, which also was a problem during the 2008 Olympics.
2. The drama that is the L.A. Galaxy. So unless one has been living in a vacuum somewhere, it's a safe assumption that everyone is aware of the spat between Landon Donovan and David Beckham, whom Donovan essentially accused of being a bad teammate and not being committed to MLS.
Looking at the controversy, I think the whole thing has been blown badly out of proportion by the general media (things become a lot clearer when you read the book and look at things in their proper context). About the only real controversy is that Donovan spoke about his feelings to a reporter before speaking about them to Beckham in private -- something Donovan, to his credit, has since publicly admitted was wrong.
The only other question in my mind was whether the rest of his Galaxy teammates shared Donovan's viewpoint. That was basically the point of the Steve Davis piece we ran last week.
(Now, note that contrary to a couple of bizarre e-mails I received on the matter, at no point in time has it been implied or suggested that Grant Wahl's book misrepresented the situation. Nor has there been a question as to the accuracy or the integrity of his reporting. Wahl is a great writer, and as you'd expect, his book is extremely engaging. For Galaxy fans in particular, it's obviously essential reading.)
It's clear (based on other excerpts in the book and also on sources who spoke anonymously to us) that most players on the Galaxy didn't view Beckham in nearly as harsh a light. In fact, most saw him as a good person and teammate but a bad captain, and most didn't think his commitment to the team was an issue. In regard to how they viewed his captaincy, it's somewhat in line with how most of England regarded Beckham's tenure as the national team captain (he's always been considered more of a figurehead than an actual leader).
In terms of commitment, there also is no question that initially, and for most of his first two seasons, Beckham was fully committed to the cause. He played on a severely injured ankle and he played a day after playing in Europe for England. And for those who watched the games, it was obvious he was tracking back on defense and giving it his usual effort. It probably all started to fall apart the day the Galaxy fired best friend and confidante Terry Byrne as team consultant. I'd argue it was Byrne's dismissal and not that of Ruud Gullit that drew Beckham's ire. Add that dismissal to the team's spiraling results and England national team coach Fabio Cappello's suggesting that Beckham needed to play in a higher-level league to retain his place on the England team, and it's easy to see why (if not forgive how) Beckham's interest tailed off.
Going forward, the only thing Galaxy fans need to be concerned about is whether Beckham and Donovan can co-exist. My feeling is they can and they will. Regardless of whether or not they can restore their friendship off the field, on the field, there won't be any issues. It's also likely to be trouble for the rest of the league, as the Galaxy now is far more solid defensively than at any other point during Beckham's tenure. Add the fact that throughout his career, Beckham has made a habit of playing extremely well in response to harsh criticism. A motivated Beckham, combined with Donovan, will make the Galaxy a dangerous proposition if the team can reach the playoffs and, dare I say it, a serious dark horse for the MLS Cup.