By Clemente Lisi – Harrison, NJ (Nov 10, 2011) US Soccer Players -- The USA gets their first game with France since the Carter administration, Friday in the famed Stade de France in suburban Paris. The contest, arguably the toughest game thus far for the USA under coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will allow the Americans to put into practice all they have learned from their new coach since August.
If you think the United States has endured a makeover under Klinsmann, it is nothing compared to what has happened to France since the 2010 World Cup finals. After crashing out of the tournament in the first round, France is still in the midst of repairing its tattered image as a dysfunctional team. France, one of the strongest sides since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1998 (at the same Stade de France in Saint Denis), dropped to a low of 19th in the FIFA rankings this past May.
After the 2010 World Cup, the French Federation hired former defender Laurent Blanc to pick up the pieces. Despite having to cope with an injury-ridden roster for much of the year, Blanc has been resourceful. France recently qualified for the 2012 European Championship after Blanc was able to overcome considerably weak opposition in Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. With its 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, France extended their unbeaten streak to 15 games (which has included wins in friendlies versus England and Brazil).
France has needed an image makeover to go along with their soccer makeover. Their play in recent years has been dismissed as opportunistic, certainly not the style of soccer normally associated with the country. For many critics, that was highlighted not by what happened in South Africa, but how they got there in the first place. Yes, Thierry Henry's obvious handball against Ireland two years ago this month still looms large. France is not supposed to be that team, and events in South Africa only underlined their problems.
Blanc had to rebuild the roster after South Africa. The retirement from international duty of Henry last year after signing with the New York Red Bulls did not help. At the same time, Blanc had to reintegrate players not on the World Cup squad, including winger Djibril Cisse.
Like all strong teams, France has suffered in part because they have too many options to choose from. Unless a manager can maximize those options and choose correctly which player to field, he runs the risk of making a mistake and drawing the ire of journalists and fans.
Decisions like whether to start Florent Malouda or Franck Ribery on the left or if Samir Nasri should sit on the bench or not – especially when every game counted down the stretch for Euro Qualifying – have plagued Blanc this Fall. That's why it wasn't a surprise that his original roster for the USA friendly was first-choice. With Euro 2012 this Summer, he has no choice but to take every opportunity to tweak his best squad. Blanc's job got more difficult for Friday's friendly, with several players on the initial roster now unavailable including Nasri.
The United States is under no illusion about what they're facing or the significance of the game.
“France is traditionally one of the best teams in the world,” Klinsmann said. “When you look at their history, the players that have come through their team and what they have accomplished, you have to be impressed. This is an awesome opportunity for our players to play in a stadium that has hosted a World Cup final, and a great experience for their careers.”
32 years ago, the US played France home-and-away, the only time the two teams have previously met. That was a different era for American soccer, and the results showed. In those games, the Americans failed to score. They lost 6-0 at Giants Stadium on May 2nd and 3-0 on October 10th at PSG's Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris.
This time, the United States travels to France looking for a result. The USA will be without Landon Donovan, who opted to stay in Los Angeles to prepare for the upcoming MLS Cup final.
Carlos Bocanegra, who is two appearances away from reaching 100 caps, said the team’s 1-3-1 record under Klinsmann is not indicative of how the USA has been playing.
“Every time we come into camp the challenge is to play as a team,” he said. “We’re improving. We’re getting better. The results will come.”
Clemente Lisi is a New York-based writer. Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ClementeLisi
