USMNT/Soccer Thread
- Thread starter BigBlueSean
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If I’m an elected official I start an inquiry into US soccer and it’s officials. How do we dominate in all athletic sports (I’m not taking cross country skiing & marathons) save soccer, but still not even sniff respectability? Fire everyone involved with it. Clean house. Not like UK football where you have to have a team ready to compete next year. You literally have 5 years to rebuild. Drop the dead weight and move forward.
In some ways an unbelievable result....but in honesty, they got exactly what they deserved.
Hard to even imagine what this team will look like both in player composition and coaching when qualifications start again in 2020.
Hard to even imagine what this team will look like both in player composition and coaching when qualifications start again in 2020.
As a Kentucky football fan I am not shocked by this outcome. In fact being a Kentucky football fan should have prepared you for this.
What a catastrophe. An absolutely embarrassing humiliation. No heart, no guts, and a deserved result. I never in a million years expected such a lazy performance in such a critical game. NO WORLD CUP FOR US.
Fire everybody. Gulati, Arena, Howard, Altidore, Dempsey, Bradley. Fire every single one of them and wipe the slate clean. Klinsmann must be laughing his ass off.
Fire everybody. Gulati, Arena, Howard, Altidore, Dempsey, Bradley. Fire every single one of them and wipe the slate clean. Klinsmann must be laughing his ass off.
Bradley and Altidore are the worst. Thank goodness they play in Canada.
When do the NIT brackets get released? So you think we'll get a home game?
Even the NIT gets on basic cable. Luckily I can speak Spanish so I got to watch and listen to that mess ....
The writing was on the wall after the first two games in the hex. Losing that home game to Mexico and then getting crushed down in Costa Rica put them in too deep of a hole. Instead of taking care of business tonight it seemed like they were just hoping that both Honduras and Panama would lose or tie. Tough to admit, but we don’t deserve to go to Russia next summer after such a piss poor effort over the last year.
Nope. For me, this rationale is giving them far too easy of a pass.
This USMNT only managed 4pts in their last 4 games when everything was on the line. The 2-0 loss vs. Costa Rica at home was inexcusable. So was laying an egg in Honduras the following game, and barely escaping with a 1-1 draw. The result against Panama was encouraging, but tonight, it looked as if the squad couldn't be bothered to put in an honest effort against a bunch of amateurs.
Taylor is dead on. And the thing is essentially what this country needs to do for soccer is exactly what Germany did just like Taylor said. And the thing is we have a connection directly to someone who was directly involved and knows how to go about this process in Klinsmann. I will freely admit that as a manager he leaves a lot to be desired but as far as his knowledge on how to develop the sport and how did the Foster growth and Youth goes far beyond anybody in this country has. Bring everyone to the table. Bring every single League, academies, anything and everything and listen to the man. Ultimately the 10 year plan set forth in 2000 resulted in a World Cup. Utilize guys like David Beckham and others to their full capacity. That means you're going to have to get rid of this nationalistic principal that America can do things how we want them done. There is a reason that 99% of the League's and overall structure of the sport in every other country in the world is virtually the same. All except for the United States. It is simply unacceptable. Incorporate guys like Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas. I would actually find it intriguing to promote Tab Ramos to the senior Squad coach.
No. Very, very, very, very much no.... I mean, this might be the dumbest thing I've read on here.
The USMNT just trotted out a team in 2017 that fielded 5 starters from the 2014 WC game against Belgium (i.e., Howard, Gonzalez, Besler, Bradley, and Dempsey). The average age of those five players is now 32. That basically signifies that there was virtually no development of youth players in the past three years that are capable of making an impact on the USMNT senior squad....
......but, by all means, let's promote the guy who has been the US Soccer Youth Technical Director since 2013 to coach the USMNT. That should work.
Bruce Arena has to go and his post match demeanor showed he knows that as well as anyone.
I'm no klinsmann nut hugger but we kicked aside a global superstar who intimately knows the sport for a washed up nobody we fired years ago. And now we're pissed he's loyal to over the hill players?
It's time to invest in new blood
I'm no klinsmann nut hugger but we kicked aside a global superstar who intimately knows the sport for a washed up nobody we fired years ago. And now we're pissed he's loyal to over the hill players?
It's time to invest in new blood
No. Very, very, very, very much no.... I mean, this might be the dumbest thing I've read on here.
The USMNT just trotted out a team in 2017 that fielded 5 starters from the 2014 WC game against Belgium (i.e., Howard, Gonzalez, Besler, Bradley, and Dempsey). The average age of those five players is now 32. That basically signifies that there was virtually no development of youth players in the past three years that are capable of making an impact on the USMNT senior squad....
......but, by all means, let's promote the guy who has been the US Soccer Youth Technical Director since 2013 to coach the USMNT. That should work.
I mean if it were me, I'd look abroad. Hell I'd throw so much at Carlo Ancelotti he wouldn't be able to say no. We need someone to instill discipline and technique. The italians do those two things pretty well.
Here's another illustration...
US roster from the 2015 U-20 FIFA World Cup and 2017 U-20 FIFA World Cup. There is a TON of a talent on both those squads. Yet, we decided to push through this whole WCQ stage with a bunch of 30 year old veterans who were always a step off the pace of play.
Also, good on Arena squandering the opportunity to look at younger players in this year's Gold Cup. That was probably the right opportunity to give players like Zusi, McCarty, Bedoya and Corona another look --- you know, because it wasn't already clear that they weren't good enough at this level.
Man, f*ck US Soccer, Sunil Gulati, Bruce Arena, and all the slap dicks associated with the USMNT.![[sick]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/sick/sick0006.r191677.gif "Sick [sick]")
US roster from the 2015 U-20 FIFA World Cup and 2017 U-20 FIFA World Cup. There is a TON of a talent on both those squads. Yet, we decided to push through this whole WCQ stage with a bunch of 30 year old veterans who were always a step off the pace of play.
Also, good on Arena squandering the opportunity to look at younger players in this year's Gold Cup. That was probably the right opportunity to give players like Zusi, McCarty, Bedoya and Corona another look --- you know, because it wasn't already clear that they weren't good enough at this level.
Man, f*ck US Soccer, Sunil Gulati, Bruce Arena, and all the slap dicks associated with the USMNT.
The US should've still qualified out of CONCACAF, but the issues holding the USMNT back overall are more program and institutional based than Arena, Klinsi, Ramos, Bob Bradley, or whats happened over these 10 matches in the last 11 months. There are numerous potential superstars amongst our youth, but the way US soccer operates presently, most of them will never be discovered. Kids are playing more playing in the playgrounds and in the streets, but its still not like they are in other countries...."pay-to-play" is their only organized outlet, which makes it more of a middle or upper middle class sport like tennis or golf. There is a huge gap in national team players between the ages of 24-29. 11 of 20 outfield players are over the age of 30. We're using the same players now that we used not only 2014, but also in 2010. Chris Wondolowski and DeMarcus Beasley are still among the best this country has to offer? Soon to be 37-year old Jermaine Jones wouldve probably been involved in these qualifiers if not for injuries.
I mean, Iceland with a population slightly more than LEXINGTON, KY, can develop a national team program that makes the knockout stages of Euro 2016, make it to Russia in 2018, and be ranked in the top 20 in the world. But, this country, with over 300 million, cant navigate through a group past Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama and make it to a World Cup? Cant beat an already eliminated largely developmental Trinidad & Tobago squad to qualify for the World Cup?
Tonight was an absolute debacle, but its been a long time in the making.
I mean, Iceland with a population slightly more than LEXINGTON, KY, can develop a national team program that makes the knockout stages of Euro 2016, make it to Russia in 2018, and be ranked in the top 20 in the world. But, this country, with over 300 million, cant navigate through a group past Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama and make it to a World Cup? Cant beat an already eliminated largely developmental Trinidad & Tobago squad to qualify for the World Cup?
Tonight was an absolute debacle, but its been a long time in the making.
Welp hopefully I will never have to see fa-fa-fooey roaming the US sidelines coaching in a suit with a goofy tshirt ever again.
What do you do when you're not in the world cup? Accept friendlies from teams that are actually in to prepare them? Have some sort of 'losers tournament' and invite Syria, Paraguay, Chile, the Dutch and Canada among others? Change your citizenship?
Most of the players on the field were too old to pull a true back-to-back, especially with the 2nd game on the road. They left their hearts on the field against Panama...but didn't have enough in the tank to turn the switch back on against Trinidad. Still should've won the game, but the age of the team clearly showed last night.
Yep; we’ll be that “pretty good” team other qualifiers will want a friendly against before the WC. I suspect we’ll have a few friendlies in Europe.
I do think that there is still a tendency at the youth level to favor "athletes" over kids who may not be as athletic but might be more skilled or smart about the game.
I think that's a lame excuse. T&T had the same amount of time and were actually older, as was Panama and Honduras. Plus Pulisic is 19, Wood 24, Altidore 27, Acosta 22, Nagbe 27, Yedlin 24. A couple of them are older (Howard and Dempsey primarily and Dempsey didn't even play much in the Panama match), but we lost because of poor play, poor effort, and poor coaching.
Honestly, I think you clean house and throw the kids into the deep end to see how they handle it. What's to lose?
Yes and no. Stronger/faster/athletic kids will always rise to the top just because they are better athletes...and the game is an athletic sport...but the skill levels have improved across all ages and abilities. The style of soccer they are teaching today is much different than it was 10/20 years ago.
Pulisic may be small, but dude is turbo quick and has a powerful leg...in addition to his vision, etc. He's a world class athlete, no question.
I think the athletic thing is overblown somewhat. Sure its nice to have athletes, but you need skill to excel at this game. In most other soccer loving countries in the world, the kids learn how to walk while dribbling a soccer ball. You see the difference in QUALITY when it comes to teams from other countries playing the USA. Controlling the ball, stopping the ball, 1 on 1 movement. You see better quality in form even from a little country like T&T.
I personally think making a World Cup is the best we will ever do. We may or may not be getting better as a country, but other countries are doing as well, if not better. Not really sure how things can get better, because I have been hearing all this soccer getting better in the USA most of my adult life, and last night we went big time backwards. Pulisic wont play in a WC for at least 5 years? WTF
I personally think making a World Cup is the best we will ever do. We may or may not be getting better as a country, but other countries are doing as well, if not better. Not really sure how things can get better, because I have been hearing all this soccer getting better in the USA most of my adult life, and last night we went big time backwards. Pulisic wont play in a WC for at least 5 years? WTF
In the US? The ODP program that parents love to say that their kid is involved in- is nearly the exact same on field instruction today as it was in the late 90's.
Youth club teams have a ton more money and resources at their disposal now than 20 years ago,but the basis for instruction and development hasnt really changed. The teams certainly arent any better. In some ways, subtle off field changes have been a step back. And while more youth are playing the sport now, the watered down level of coaching isnt actually improving the game at all.
The model we employ is obviously ineffective. Far greater soccer countries have scrapped their own ideology and reevaluated their approach. Its way beyond time for the US to do the same, collectively. With youth programs, inner city opportunities, funding development for different demographics, etc. But choosing a pool of players based on those who can afford to attend a "prestigious camp" isnt going to get it done. Hell I think a step in the right direction would be to stop airing MLS games because watching that debacle can only hurt someone wanting to learn the game.
