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Switzerland is looking for light in the shadows of European soccer. That’s trouble for the U.S.

Just another friendly. We learned a lot. They’re a good team. That’s the gist of what we’ll be hearing from numerous players and coaches after the US MNT and Switzerland finish play in Basel. And maybe it’s true. Thats the rub with friendlies. With sports journalism really. Can we really trust anything any of them say? A timely question - Hope - now more than ever - Solo. If we can’t trust what they say, that still leaves us reams of technical data and circumstance.

When it comes to sport, I’m not one for data because they are yet to quantify emotion. That leaves us circumstance. Which is exactly why the US MNT better not come out like they did against Sweden in August. Switzerland is swimming in circumstance.

It also helps if you have a good writer to make sense of it. Former Newsweek and Esquire Magazine editor Michael J. Agovino - he last wrote about soccer (jerseys) for Slate here - was kind enough to take time away from a book project in Zurich to set the scene. After the jump, Michael tells us what we should expect from the Swiss.

What to Expect From The Swiss
Exclusive to TIAS
By Michael J. Agovino

When the U.S. takes the field Wednesday night at St. Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland, they will face a team that, despite a convincing win three nights ago against its Euro 2008 co-host Austria, is still eager to impress. Switzerland has not had to endure the Darwinian qualification rounds that make a team unified, battle-tested, and just plain better.

The Swiss team that qualified, and impressed, in the 2006 World Cup had to advance from a group that included France, Ireland, and Israel, and then had to beat out Turkey, the ’04 semi-finalists, in a playoff. By the time they reached Germany, they were a solidified, formidable unit, and it was no surprise, to close observers, that they advanced to the second round and nearly went further, having been eliminated on penalties to Ukraine.

Since then, the Swiss have been underwhelming, replaced their long-time captain Johann Vogel, and need to play well, and soon, against strong opponents, before the European Championships open here next June. Saturday, at the newly-renovated Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, the Swiss had their best game since last year’s World Cup. The star of the game was Tranquillo Barnetta, an inspiring twenty-two year-old midfielder who plays for Bayer Leverkusen. He assisted on all three goals (two for Marco Streller, the lanky striker from FC Basel, who will be playing in his home stadium tomorrow, and another for Hakan Yakim, of Young Boys Bern). The assist to Yakim came after a brilliant run down the left side, where Barnetta creates most of his havoc. Granted, it was against Austria, who is not the strongest opponent. In fact, you could argue that the Austrians will be the weakest host (or co-host in this case) of the European Championships in quite some time. The Swiss line-up, compared to Austria’s, is impressive, with players in the Premiership, Bundesliga, Serie A, Primera Liga, and France’s Ligue 1. Austria’s line-up is not nearly as distinguished.

Against the U.S., the Swiss will be without central defender Philippe Senderos, who Americans will recognize from Arsenal, and starting striker Johan Vonlathen (Red Bull Salzburg); both were injured in the Austria game. Luduvic Magnin, the fullback from Bundesliga champions VFB Stuttgart, was also injured but said he will play against the U.S.

With Barnetta and Yakin, one of the few starters still playing in Switzerland, the Swiss have a strong midfield, complemented by the young Gokhan Inler, formerly of FC Zurich now playing with Udinese in Serie A, and Gelson Fernandes, the former U-21 captain, who plays for Sven-Goran Eriksson and the resurgent Manchester City in England. Another former midfield star of FC Zurich, the two-time defending champions, is Xavier Margairaz (Osasuna), who impressed off the bench Saturday.

The weakness of the Swiss team, like so many others worldwide, lies in its central defense. Senderos, despite his Arsenal pedigree, was not impressive Saturday night, nor was his partner in the middle, Johan Djourou, a former Arsenal mate now with Birmingham City. It would be surprising if coach Kobi Kuhn didn’t start twenty-six year old Mario Eigmann of Karlsruhe, the surprise second-place package in the young Bundesliga campaign. On the offensive end, with Alex Frei, the third-leading scorer in the Bundesliga last season for Borussia Dortmund, out injured and now Vonlanthen, Kuhn, the beloved, avuncular Swiss coach, has few options up-front besides the twenty-six-year-old Streller, who has had his own share of injury problems.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley was quoted Monday night on SF Zwei, one of the Swiss national channels, saying he had respect for the Swiss team. He should. This is no longer a European lightweight.

Switzerland is similar to the U.S. team in that its players are young, not quite as jaded from the international game as many stars from the glamour teams (read: Italy’s Francesco Totti), and their goal is to play in the major European leagues. This Swiss team has a mission: A) Not to embarrass themselves in a major international tournament, and B) qualify for the second round, maybe more. That’s powerful motivation. For them, that starts now, against the U.S. If Bradley’s boys wanted a stiff test, they’ve found it.

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Michael J. Agovino is a writer and editor in New York and Zurich.