U.S. national team coach Steve Sampson, sidelined briefly by acute appendicitis, has been following closely the MLS launch as well as scouting future prospects at the recent CONCACAF U-20 tournament in Mexico.
SOCCER AMERICA: First of all, what were your impressions of the CONCACAF tournament? How did the U.S. team perform, and what did you think of the other teams?
STEVE SAMPSON: I only caught the Canada and Mexico [matches against the U.S.]. I didn’t have a chance to see Honduras or Martinique play. I did have a chance to see Jamaica play.
I didn’t think overall the level was all that high across the board, for all teams. Our concern is always not only to get through CONCACAF, but to do well in a world championship. It’s important this U-20 team set its sights for competition that will be even stiffer than what they experienced in Mexico.
Not having [Matt] Chulis against Canada and Mexico hurt [the U.S.] greatly. A few key players didn’t have solid matches.
SA: Did the team’s attitude suffer from the knowledge FIFA will probably take four CONCACAF teams to the world championship, which meant its final-round games would be meaningless?
SAMPSON: I think from a psychological standpoint, once CONCACAF announced it was 99 percent sure four teams would go to the world championship, the U-20s let themselves down.
Experience has proven that in the past FIFA has changed its mind. Until things are written on a piece of paper and guaranteed by FIFA, they should proceed with the idea only two teams will come from CONCACAF.
SA: How about the team’s showing defensively?
SAMPSON: Ubusuku [Abukusumo] had a very solid tournament, at least the two games I saw. For an individual that is basically alone in the middle of the back, he does a pretty good job. In the area of outside backs, the U-20s could show some improvement.
The goalkeeper [Andy Kirk] did an admirable job. I don’t think he was at fault for either one of the goals in the Mexico match, but I felt one of the goals he could have stopped, the second goal, against Canada.
You have to come up with the big save in the big game, and he didn’t. But that said, there were a series of three or four mistakes where it broke down before it got to him. Overall, he had a solid tournament.
SA: Did any of the midfielders excel?
SAMPSON: Jorge Flores is a very good player. He rarely loses possession, he’s got very good vision, and a good sense of game rhythm. Of all the midfielders, he’s probably the most complete.
Ben Olsen is a very talented individual who I think with a little more physical maturity will be a truly outstanding player. Sasha Victorine, with the exception of his pace, is also a very complete player. I think he has tremendous game sense and is probably one of the most intelligent players, tactically, on the field.
Outside of that, there weren’t that many players that had great matches in the two games I saw.
SA: Turning to Major League Soccer, what are your impressions of the first few weeks?
SAMPSON: From an organizational standpoint, MLS has certainly exceeded all expectations. There’ve been little glitches here and there, but these are normal occurrences when you’re starting up a new league. Overall, Major League Soccer should get an A-minus.
SA: What about the games themselves?
SAMPSON: On the field, it’s exactly what I expected, meaning that the level of play isn’t going to be tremendously high until teams have had an opportunity to be together for an extended period of time, so coaches can get to know their players and for them to work on the chemistry.
It’s very, very difficult with so many players coming from different backgrounds, different systems, different coaching, to bring them together and have it look cohesive as if these teams have been playing together for years. It’s, frankly, impossible.
I personally am going to withhold judgment on any player or any team until midway though the season.
But having said that, I think the quality of play will improve. I hope it will improve, in the course of a season. At times, it makes for very sloppy soccer. There tends to be very little rhythm in the game.
SA: Aren’t you concerned there will be a drop-off for the national team players, even in the short run, by playing in MLS instead of a foreign league?
SAMPSON: I’m always concerned with that, but it will be up to the players, when they come into national team camp to play international games, whether they allow that to happen or not. The players that have the experience necessary to play for me are able to understand the difference between what is good soccer and what is not good soccer.
These guys have played long enough that they can overcome whatever weaknesses there are in their domestic play very quickly.
I’m not happy with the situation, quite frankly, but it’s something for the future of the national team and the future of soccer in this country we must get through.
SA: So would you have preferred that more of the U.S. players not have joined MLS for its inaugural season?
SAMPSON: For some players, yes, for others, no. There’s a lot more that goes into a player making his decision about where he plays than what Steve Sampson wants. I think for the vast majority of players who decided to come back to the United States it was a very good decision.
Once the level of play gets to the point where they’re not the only ones leading by example, I think it will be a good situation regardless. We’re just going through some growing pains right now, and I hope it doesn’t have a large affect on the national team’s play come qualifying.
SA: On the other hand, you can now evaluate players each week where before they competed against each other only in training sessions, if at all.
SAMPSON: That’s true. Those players are able to measure themselves against the guys who were playing in Europe. Jeff Agoos can measure himself against Eric Wynalda. A Roy Lassiter, who never would have the opportunity playing in Costa Rica, is playing against guys who were in Germany and England.
And players who never really had the opportunity to go to Europe, who have stayed here in the United States, can measure themselves against guys with that experience.
I think there are a lot more positives than negatives.
SA: The national team plays Scotland May 26. How much preparation would you like to have, and on the other hand, how much time can you reasonably expect to have?
SAMPSON: I would hope to have them five days prior to the game, but I know for some that’s going to be unrealistic. There are MLS games on the Wednesday and Thursday that week. (Editor’s note: May 26 is a Sunday.)
Given that the Scotland match is a friendly, even more friendly than the matches in U.S. Cup, I think it’s only right I give some players some flexibility to play those MLS matches during the week. Some players I might have four or five days, other players I might only have for two days.
SA: How will your plan change for U.S. Cup (June 8-16)?
SAMPSON: U.S. Cup will be treated a little bit differently. The league understands the significance, not only as preparation for qualifying, but also for the federation this is a big moneymaker. The players will get a lot of pressure from their coaches and general managers for leaving, and I hope to have them five days prior to the first match against Ireland [June 9 in Foxboro].
And I want the players to stay with me throughout U.S. Cup. They will not play for their MLS teams during that period of time.
SA: What do you foresee for the U.S. qualifying games [against Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago and either Nicaragua or Guatemala] this year? The MLS regular season ends Sept. 22, and the final is Oct. 20.
SAMPSON: I think we have to play a few of our matches in September and October. We will not know until July what that schedule will be. I would envision at least one match in September and possibly two in October.
Interview by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney