Five To One

In Monday's Soccer Daily, we take a look at the USA's draw with Chile, the weekend Premier League results, and the latest on FIFA and the 2022 World Cup.

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 24, 2011) US Soccer Players -- In the aftermath of the USA's 1-1 draw with Chile, let's take a look back at my Five Things For Carson. Rather than answering them point by point, I think it's enough to say this version of the National Team ticked enough of the boxes. No single player might have had his Kljestan moment, but there was enough indication of players who could put their stamp on the game. It also showed that US coach Bob Bradley could get a set of tactics across to a group of players with limited international experience over a few weeks of camp.

Nobody should be pretending that all aspects of Saturday night's game were a resounding success. There's an argument that the US attack was making the first and even second moves, but couldn't put dangerous balls on frame. Hardly a new problem. It's worth pointing out that regardless of how Teal Bunbury got to the penalty spot he made it count.

There's another potential criticism that might not be all that critical. This team got noticeably better over 90 minutes. Though they initially seemed like a team that needed more time to come together, eventually they responded to Chile's game and made the adjustments on the field and through substitutions. That's a big statement for a January friendly.

Chile were as advertised, a team that tried to create their opportunities and turn half chances into appeals to the referee. That's exactly what should be expected from a team used to having to punch their weight against the likes of Brazil and Argentina. It was a good test, especially the feeling that the game could turn due to a referee decision.

Elite players get caught in those moments all the time. The tackle the player feels is fair leading to a conversation with the referee that doesn't go the player's way. For the most part, the US absorbed those moments. So much so that the game turned for them on referee discretion.

This is more than 'we'll take the result.' It's a statement from a number of players that they belong on Bradley's depth chart. How that plays out over the coming year is the point of the January camp. For National Team fans, the draw with Chile was a good indication.

The Dempsey Moment

Or, more to the point, the latest Dempsey moment. Both goals scored in the 2-0 win over Stoke City, and if you've seen the highlights the typical Dempsey response. What is happening with Dempsey at Fulham is an American player staying crucial with one club in the prime of his career. He's not the first, but the ability to see the Dempsey moments is greater than any American field player before him.

As his manager said: "Sometimes you think Clint's not having an impact on the game, but he's had a positive influence in virtually every game he's played, with goals created or scored." That's the Clint Dempsey brand of soccer.

The Villa Result

Somewhat overshadowed by Dempsey and the other American goal scorers this weekend, Brad Friedel posted a shutout in Aston Villa's 1-0 win over what's supposed to be mighty Manchester City. Those three points move Villa into 16th-place and heap a little extra misery onto City. After all, a would-be super club isn't supposed to lose to one that close to the relegation places.

City has problems, full stop. Yes, they're currently third in the Premier League, but it remains an illusory third. How does that work? Simple, City are at 24 games played. The teams in front and behind them are at 23 or 22. You have to get to 6th-place Sunderland to find the next team that's played their 24th game.

That's the added knock of losing to Aston Villa. It suggests that when City and the other title contenders do go level on games played, it won't favor City. That's what happens when a contending team drops points in a weak part of their schedule. They have two more games against clubs in the bottom half of the table before the next installment of the Manchester derby. Right now, they shouldn't be scaring anybody.

As for Villa, the downside to taking three points from a team like City is that it's only good for that 16th slot.  There are immediate repercussions.  Is Villa a team that should be competing against contenders or did they just catch City at the right time?  The difference is raising expectations past the ability of Villa to actually achieve them.  That's been a big part of the story so far this season, manager Gerard Houllier talking about a team in theory versus the one currently in trouble in practice.  Houllier has spent on players, Villa have gotten a quick result, and now an already tense situation just outside the relegation zone gets bigger expectations.

It's Still 2011

FIFA have let us know that a Winter World Cup in 2022 might just be something to talk about. After all, it's 11 years away. The upshot of announcing two World Cup hosts at the same time is that World soccer is now talking about 2022 like the success of 2014 and 2018 are forgone conclusions.

It's time to focus on the immediate issues with the next World Cup rather than playing rolling 'what if' scenarios over what might happen with the World Cup after the next two. Since FIFA created the Winter World Cup issue, it's tough to give them credit for trying to quash it a few weeks later.

To the press statement: "At this stage there are no concrete plans to change the international match calendar. Any potential move of the 2022 Fifa World Cup from a summer to a winter period would have to be initiated by the football association of Qatar and would have to be presented to the Fifa executive committee."

So there's a process, and talking about the end result before the initial steps have been taken is somewhat... let's use silly. Sort of like treating the sporting landscape as unchanging between now and whenever the 2022 Cup kicks off.

Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves.  Please, tell me all about it.