Arena: First goal, first goal, first goal

They just interviewed Bruce Arena on ESPN2, and he focused solely on the first goal.

He's got a point. The early goal completely changed the match, and allowed the Czechs to play the game they wanted to play against us...sit back, focus on defense, and then use their speed to counter.

But on the other hand, the Czech's first goal was a counter-attack, so in some ways they were already playing that game. Also, he failed to address the fact that the team didn't look that energetic. Compared to how hard they challenged every ball against Portugal in 02...they looked like they'd already qualified for the next round.

Nor did he mention that they failed to involve McBride or Donovan in anyway. Donovan isn't a back-to-the-goal target man. Arena should've taken my advice and put him at right midfield.