In the last four days I have been fortunate enough to catch a bunch of soccer ranging from the U-20 World Cup to the Serie A and certainly each of these matches has given me more insight into the sides that were contesting them and the leagues and tournaments they are participating in. Like the fact that the US U20 squad mimics its older brother, Arsenal's surprising depth, and the quality of the teams in Milan. Let's get this party started with the US squad that is busy repping our fine country on the world stage in Egypt.

We start with an observation that reflects on the current quality and state of soccer in the land of the free and the home of the brave. The US sent a squad that is missing players that qualify for the team based on the fact that they are busy with professional obligations. Big deal right? So are most of the other countries in the tournament, especially most of the European powers. However, this is the first time that we can look at a U20 squad and say, well they would be better off with a couple guys who are busy playing elsewhere, like Jozy at Hull City and with Freddy who is busy in Portugal. So this is a big deal, because the talent level has increased that this squad is missing two of its potential stars and the best player in the age group from the US (Jozy) and is still qualified and competing in the World Cup. Certainly shows a level of growth that is impressive from a national development standpoint. So, and I do not say this often, but good work USSF and the programs that you have established at IMG and around the US.

A couple interesting notes on a couple of the players. Jorge Flores of Chivas USA and of reality tv show fame is getting some playing time. His story is pretty impressive, as he was discovered through a show that was hosted to give a young player a shot at the Chivas USA U-19 roster. He beat out nearly 2000 other players for this Sueno MLS shot. Now he is playing for the U20 side, which is pretty awesome. I hope he continues to do well, currently he is filling in at left back for the injured US captain Davies. Another interesting player is Mikkel Diskerud, who is of Norwegian-American heritage and currently plays in Europe. It appears that he has not decided which national team he will represent in the future, but hopefully a deep run would convince this emerging playmaker to don the stars and stripes for his national team future. I understand that picking between countries cannot be easy, however for most players who are torn between a country that may not have a lot of hope on the world stage and one that is quickly developing into a team that is dangerous on the world stage it seems strange that anyone would pick the team that doesn't have much of a shot to be there. Of course, my strong ties to the US certainly sway my thoughts on the subject, so as long as he doesn't act like that traitor Benedict Rossi, then it's all good.

I caught the first game for the US in the youth World Cup Saturday at about 11am on DVR. Seven am start times and I don't get along generally, but when you throw some friends coming in from out of town and a pony keg into the equation, well, let's just say I was thankful for nifty technology. It seemed like the team and I were feeling about the same, lethargic, slightly sick, and very unmotivated. I was not impressed by them, as they seemed to be confused and did not work well together. The coaching was also poor I felt, as the formation they came out in looked shockingly like what we saw when the US went to Costa Rica and pulled out the ol' surprise 4-3-3 that seemed to surprise the US players as much as any one else. The Germans were decent, but really just capitalized on what the American team gifted them. The formation was just a disaster as the US held no possession, saw their two center backs get beat badly by one forward who didn't exactly come off as a world beater, and had few attacking sequences that produced anything worthwhile. It appears that Bad Decision Bob is not the only coaching moniker that Chamo and I will be giving US coaches as quickly Thoughtless Tommy Rongen joined the ranks of painfully true coaching monikers. Fortunately, when you tape the game, you can fast forward to the good parts for the team you are pulling for. Unfortunately, I never really stopped the fast forward in the second half. Painful.

Tuesday however was a different story. I made a concerted effort to ensure I would not watch the game or even record it, so that I would positively affect the team, and boy did I. Some lineup changes and an inspired squad managed to thump Cameroon. I watched the highlights and attacking wise the US looked like a completely new side, and played like one too! Great finishing, passing, and an extremely effective counter attack gave the Americans a nice route of the African powerhouse, who looked like they watched the first game and assumed the Americans would be their own worst enemy again, and forgot to bother to show up. Dilly Duka and Tony Taylor were both particularly good, and Brian Ownby, who has quite possibly one of the best last names ever for reasons that will only make sense to about five of my friends, bagged what is a glorious redemption goal that put the nails in the coffin and ensured that his tournament would not be just memories of the terrible tackle he made against Germany to concede a penalty. Here are the highlights that I saw:

What do these two games mean for this young American squad? More then anything, that the newest attribute of USMNT squads appears to be inconsistency, both from the players and the coaches. This is quite troubling. This squad has tons of talent, with more players contributing over in Europe already then ever before. It also has players that will likely head for Europe in the next two years that will give the national team one of the strongest foundations ever, especially considering how highly rated many of the players on the U17 squad are. The fact that again it appears that another US coach is not getting the most out of his team and maximizing their potential is frightening. This is something that plagues the entire program and something that must be addressed, from a higher up standpoint. It did appear that Thoughtless Tommy may have figured out a lineup that was able to do work, and if he continues down this road of thinking before choosing a squad, well maybe the US can do some damage in the knockout rounds. Currently the US sits in second in their group, but with a match up with the last place Koreans facing them, they could end up as the top team in the group. Quite a role reversal from Saturday where no one knew what awaited this squad after a dismal showing.

I saw quite a bit of both AC and Inter Milan play this weekend, and both have major concerns. Inter did not look like the world beater that I thought they might be this year, as they were beaten rather convincingly by Sampdoria, who is certainly a good side, but not one that should slay Inter regularly and certainly not that convincingly. All teams lose matches during the course of a season, but Inter looked relatively uninterested and uninspired for a majority of the match and only really turned it on when they were down a goal with less then fifteen minutes to play. At that point, their attack was forced and they really seemed to be lacking the creative element which would have made the last few minutes at least harrowing for a Sampdoria defense that easily handled what was thrown at them. I think Inter may have underestimated the creative force that Ibra has been for them the past couple years and how much he created and allowed other players to work through him effectively, or it just could be that Eto'o has not settled yet, but Inter does not look like the driving offensive force that they have been. I really think Juve will win the league.

AC has much greater problems, and I have to wonder what it will take for Onyewu to see some action on the field. AC Milan's centerbacks were far from convincing, and they seemed to struggle at every turn. Onyewu would add some presence in the air and on set pieces that Milan desperately could use. Gattuso looks quite old, and even the ageless Andrea Pirlo looked tired. They seem to have no spark, and they were playing a Bari side that they surely should stand out against at least quality wise. Instead they seemed to be happy with playing to their opponents level, and you have to wonder how soon we will see a coaching change at AC. Both Milan squads have issues, and I feel neither will live up to their great expectations this year.

A team that I feel will live up to expectations is Arsenal. I caught most of their EPL game this weekend and the entire Champions League game today, and could not help but be impressed, but by different things each match. On the weekend, Vito Mannone was vital in goal as he turned away numerous strikes from point blank range as Arsenal gritted out a victory against Fulham away, which is one of Arsenal's most problematic matches as the two London sides seem to bring out the best in each other. Mannone managed to make save after save to keep Arsenal level, and then ahead as they went up a goal on a sublime combination from Fabregas to Van Persie, and Van Persie's incredible touch and finish put Arsenal through to a very important 3 points. A very different looking Arsenal side came out today for their Champions League game with Olympiacos, and watching Arsenal attack reminded me why I love soccer so much. Having grown up as not only a midfielder and defender, but as a point guard and a scrappy middle infielder, I have always appreciated the ability to set a teammate up with a good pass. I have always enjoyed a brilliant assist more then a brilliant finish, because the ability to see the pass as it appears for a split second window and then deliver a perfectly weighted ball is quite possibly the sexiest and most fulfilling moment in any sport. Watching as your teammate fires home and then comes looking for you to celebrate with is the purest of moments, and Arsenal, like Barcelona, has that deft ability to ping the ball around, probe, test, exploit, and bend a defense until the moment where the defense gives them one hole to work with, and by then it is too late to recover and you can find everyone celebrating in the corner while you collect the ball from the back of your net in frustration. While Arsenal's finishing today was the exact opposite of precise, their passing created countless incredible opportunities and it was like watching a masterpiece being painted before your eyes, the color and the picture slowly come together to fit perfectly, as there is an implicit reason for every brush stroke, yet that reason is not always revealed immediately. I think the telltale sign is that one of my friends was enthralled watching Arsenal move the ball around. He is not a huge soccer fan, but he could not look away from the screen as if something spectacular was happening every second. It is quite enjoyable when someone else who does not regularly follow the game is as enamored with it as I am.

The creation of this beauty was coming primarily from Arsenal's midfield, which I noted in my preseason predictions was possibly the deepest and most talented in the league. With the return of a healthy Tomas Rosicky and the imminent return of a healthy Theo Walcott this week it appears that Arsenal has returned to the ever dangerous side they have been becoming the last two years. Between the incredible speed and danger of Arshavin, the brilliance of Fabregas, the creativity of Rosicky and the emerging defensive force that is Alex Song, Arsenal has quite a bit of depth at what is the most important position on the field if you are looking to make a deep run in the Champions League while contending for a Premiership title. This midfield will propel them to greatness this season, even behind the power of youngsters like Ramsey, Wilshire, and Merida. Eventually both Denilson and Nasri will return, and then what might be the most talented midfield ever assembled in terms of complete depth will be at full force, and an absolutely terrifying match up for opponents will rear its goal spewing head.