Bruce Arena is an arrogant bastard. That's what I love about the guy. He instilled a sense of smug confidence in the U.S. side. That mindset allowed them to walk out onto the field in Suwon, South Korea and put up three goals against a Portugal team that many rated as a favorite to win the 2002 World Cup before Pauleta could figure out what time zone he was currently navigating.

And that's what was so disappointing about the U.S. squad's performance on Saturday against El Salvador. The team looked scared. Their touches were nervous. Sacha Kljestan seemed to have one eye on the ball and the other roaming around the stadium to see when the next chicken head might be hurled his way. I think there was a steady trickle of urine running down Brad Guzan's leg throughout the 90 minutes.

Let's see if Bob Bradley can re-instill a bit of chutzpah to his side for Wednesday's tilt against Trinidad & Tobago. The lackluster performance in San Salvador, along with the loss to T & T in October, should provide plenty of motivation.