There is no law saying that a player must be doing well in his club career in order to be called to his NT. Some of the best teams like Netherlands and Argentina have called players to their NT when they had no current contracts and were Free Agents. Sometimes, you trust your player enough to give him a shot with the NT. His rebound doesn't have to depend on club form, but it can also happen the other way: he proves himself with the NT, then some club gets interested in him. Adu should be given a shot in a couple of friendlies ASAP.
Just for the sake of argument. It didn't work well because we were under pressure all day and Russia made numerous slicing runs on us. Thank god for Howard that he had a few ridiculous saves. The back pass/fk thing was a fluke and shouldn't be used to support your claim.
Doubht that happens...with how JK's emphasis on players to better themselves, stay out of trouble... and treat your body like a temple...... and the stuff of Adu with pics of partying/hookah smoking...he wouldn't allow a player like that PT. For JK, playing for the NT is a prize. Adu is a great player...but he has to fix some things in his life if he wants another chance with the NT.
JK is not their father. NTs have used the services of great lushes, womanizers, party goers and bar fighting idiots. Because the job of the coach is to get them to the goal, which is become as good as they can be as a team, not to inculcate them into the Judeo-Christian morality, or the New Age Wonder Diets. Adriano, Ronaldo, Terry, Balotelli, Ribery, etc. are no saints, they are young men of dubious conduct that would scandalize my aunt Berenice and Mr. Klinsmann. But they play for their teams because moral and health are not as directly correlated to performance on the field, as desire to actually do good for your team. I much rather have a womanizing, bar-fighting, half drunk with some talent giving his all, than some super-fit athlete who doesn't seem to give a damn.
If he were that good, he'd be getting games. Not just for the US, but at a good club. That's not Adu. I'd like to see him involved and playing well for the US. But I don't think he's a difference maker right now. I'm curious to see where his club career goes from here.
If JK fails it will be due to failing to continue Bob Bradleys good work and starting afresh. Bob Bradley knew how to get the most our of our players like Freddy who had a great gold cup!!
US Soccer coaches think like accountants (or Germans!) -- very organized, two from column A combined with three from column B and voila! it's a goal! They just can't tolerate the free flowing and unpredictable soccer that you get with the people named at the top of this thread. There's also a bit of Calvinist morality going on here too. Things shouldn't be earned too easily. Talent is suspect for that reason.
Not at all, Deuce and Landon are plenty talented, for example. It just so happens that they have also earned it, coincidentally. Surely you're not suggesting playing for your country shouldn't be earned?
1.) The German national team and league system is the most free flowing and creative national team outside Spain 2.) If the players at the top of the thread are such great creative players, why aren't they playing in a top league? 3.) Bob Bradley (a US Soccer coach) loved Freddy, Agudelo, Feilhaber, and Torres. He used them a lot.
Some would argue that you "earn" time via your ability to help us win (short run, long run, or both...your choice). Many pretend to do this but actually conflate this word with attributes and actions that are distal correlates at best with regard to the degree they improve our chances of winning (or at least more distal than other available predictors). In this case, people are typically either committing errors of logic and/or, yes, exhibiting a Calvinistic streak which, to them, is actually more important than improving our odds of winning (even if they insist otherwise, to others and/or to themselves). Others are more honest w/ regard to this streak and try to honor both desires (their desire to see players do things the 'right way' as judged by them, and their desire for us to win). Clint used to be slagged by some as a lazy, selfish, showboat. But when given a chance, he produced results. Those results then earned him more chances. Now he's a mainstay, both for us and in the Premiership. Some, if given a choice, would have never give him that chance to earn results, based on their disgust with his work ethic (as perceived by them), self-centeredness, and hot dogging. Landon, today, doesn't seem to be 'earning' much. You (generic 'you' throughout this post) can make the case that his past results have 'earned' this right to take a vacation. Or that he'll have to 'earn' his way back on to the team even if he does agree to return, by jumping through illusory hoops such as playing well for his club and then showing well in training if he is given a callup. (And you can make a decent case that this may be the prudent thing to do, to send a message, so to speak, that nobody's above the group as a whole...even if it's more of a symbolic, ceremonial, 'pretend' message when everybody knows that his reintegration is actually a foregone conclusion.) Or you can simply say you 'earn' the right to play via your ability to improve our odds of qualifying, and viola, he's back as soon as he's willing to return and able to help. Or you can say, "Sorry Landon. You deserting us means you earned your way off this team for good." Up to you to define the word and apply it however you like.
1. We desperately need more attacking options. The current squad lacks this capacity completely. 2. The question quickly becomes "is there quality in these options we are discussing? 3. Is it worth pulling out a better overall player to insert a lesser player capable of adding an ingredient missing in the lineup? Hard to say. 4. The best two attacking options in this category are probably Donovan(I know) and Shea. We desperately need wing play. 5. I would prefer to give one of the OP's options a shot ahead of Graham Zusi, at this point. 6. I believe Kljestan would be my first overall choice and he is limited. 7. Right now, Clint Dempsey is really our only effective attacker and unfortunately we do not have the appropriate pool to effectively utilize him. 8. Really we have a bit of a mess with no easy solutions.
This is why I find it hard to criticize JK. Does he include an offensive outlet when we have no fully internationally proven players. He constantly calls them into camp but none of them are really standing out. This is something that perhaps should've been figured out before hand but then again, we had Donovan and Shea and Zusi was starting to develop (and seems to have hit his ceiling). He's tried Johnson who has been decent but not really. Gatt is good at running but his constant turn inside and run towards the box eliminates his purpose of stretching the width. Some one needs to step up and force JK to play them.
Trust me. I GET what you're talking about.... It just reminds me of some of my favorite bolivian players.... and how they could have been more had they not had these 'personalities' where they felt like partying more than sleeping, and living a calm lifestyle. My father used to tell me about a player at Bolivar, who had a reputation as drunk who had a crazy habit of going out, and even arriving to the games drunk some times. My dad laughs but said he played at his best while he was drunk! It's funny... but it makes me think... how many guys think thats ok? They still get PT, still get called to the NT, despite their 'habits' outside of the field. Sooooo many players could have had more (Bolivians), and I just see a guy like Freddy... and really wish he can get his life on track and be more 'zidane' than 'ronaldinho' (nightlife habits and longevity of career). Have you seen Zidane in the Ronaldo/Zidane charity match? He still COULD play the game at 40... he takes great care of his body... and wase never known as a partier. Ronaldo on the other hand after dropping 50lbs I believe... still looked OLD and fat at 36.... I just think of guys like him, what could have been if he knew how to take care of his body better, made better decisions off the field with his personal life...IMO better than Pele if he took better care of his body.
Those are personal decisions. And, as such, should be respected. I am a deep believer in personal freedom. I think the basis of diversity is diversity of choice. So if you wish to eat fried bacon and fries every day, that is your prerogative as an adult. Not smart, not healthy, etc. But if you find the inspiration for designing Boeing avionic systems in very sweet coffee that stains your teeth and makes you fat, who are we to tell you to stop drinking it? Such is the strength of this culture: we allow people to find what works for them. Some people have perfect diets, exercise, sleep at least 7 hours every night, and drop dead at 50. Others drink and smoke and party every Friday, and can still run around in their late 70s. There are no hard and fast rules. If you do the job well, why assume you need to follow the same regime that allows ME to do the job well? I work much better at night. My brain works best at 3 am. Should I demand that all people start working from midnight to 8 am, then? It is entirely possible for a player who indulges during his off-time, to be a better player than someone who follows all the proper rules. Some of the most brilliant people I know were lousy students, who never managed a grade about a B-, yet after college hold many patents and make much more money than any A+ student. The beauty of diversity is that it allows people to flourish in their terms. Jurgen (who has spouted so many stereotypes about North American culture), comes from a nation where uniformity, until very recently, was appreciated as a value in itself. Perhaps that's a cultural gulf between him and the players. Time will tell.
^^^^yea Yea... but it's different when your body is the tool. Get that guy who designs planes for Boeing to start smoking crack, and see how that deteriorates his work... Indulgence is one thing.....but it's another when it starts ruining your day job. Lets say that guy who designs planes starts losing his sharpness to side effects of all the caffeine he's been getting because of the coffee...where as years ago when he was fresh, graduated from college, 50lbs less... was faster mentally and just was hungrier. Is he better now? It's one thing to go out and party once in a while... but when there's obvisouly an elephtant in the room when it comes to your personsal life... maybe changes need to be made? All I am saying is I hope Freddy and players with such promise like him... learn when it's time to stop, fix things... and keep it moving. And don't kid yourself, Freddy doesn't just indulge in 1 night out of partying once in a while. If that was the case... he wouldn't have the issues he's had at all his clubs with problems w/nightlife, rumors of being out of shape (which held him back from PT), and pics of him at night clubs on weekdays, etc.
Well, there have been players like Garrincha and Best who took partying to the extreme. Still, one needs a semblance of moderation. As to the "missing links", it's probably among Gatt, Pontius and Shea (and Donovan if/when). Or anyone who can bring in more speed.
Agreed. It's a different game now though, pace was less... and I am sure with their partying... their speed wouldn't translate as well. Probably would be in the shape we see Ronaldinho now. Not quite 'ronaldo' fat.... but also not shredded like the best 'athletes' are. I agree, Pontius, Shea, will attack on the wings...but we need a creative force in the middle... Donovan is gone after this WC.
The point is that if he does ALL of that and still produces on the field, then who gives a damn? If Freddy's out smoking hookah or partying a lot and he can still do what he did against Panama, then why in the hell does it matter? Obviously I would prefer he not do so, but there is a point where victory is key, and when Adu is on the field, he tends to contribute heavily towards victory.
From past footballers... yea they're ok NOW... but then it turns into other issues later on that they just can't shake. It starts effecting their performances. Remeber ronaldinho in his prime at Barcelona? That only lasted so little amount of time... because he finally started exploiting his fame, going out to nightclubs during the week, getting drunk, eating bad, and getting that gut. His performance didn't suffer right away...but then pics started surfacing of him after games with out his shirt on from a before and after. For those that drink, you know often times bad habits follow. Eating bad, consuming a ton of calories, weight gain, etc. Adu isn't 19 anymore. He needs to get control of this before he loses a chance at getting his body in its peak performance before it's too late. How about Adriano? He had so much talent, but also was addicted to the partying nightlife. His time as being one of the best footballers only lasted a blink of an eye. All because of bad habits, guys like these never got to hold on to their 'peak' for longer than just a couple of years. While Freddy isn't at their point.... it's always a reality that it could happen. For an american version, how about Jamar Beasely? http://m.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/05/what-ever-happened-jamar-beasley Freddy can learn from him also....
It all depends on your priorities. If your priority as a coach is to win, like Bob Bradley, then you call in a player who helps you win. If your priority as a coach is to improve the overall quality of the team and the country, then I imagine you pat Freddy on the shoulder and say, "Not this time, Fredua..." I personally prefer the more pragmatic approach and if it comes down to us needing a result on the final day of qualifying, then I would probably do whatever it took to get us a win. If that meant calling in a hookah-smoking, beer-bellied, lazy, self-centered son of a gun, then so be it...
Freddy and his habits. The most baseless meme on BS since Beasley and his 'gang signs'. We've had ludicrous Dez Bryant comparisons and now photoshopped Ronaldinho has entered the fray.
But there was actually a picture of him smoking a hookah with his friend on here. So I'm not sure how baseless these memes are...
It's amazing to see the Adu crowd lean on Freddy playing well in a handful of matches over the past, what? 5 years? More? When was his debut again? When was the youth WC? The way he's talked about by some people is astonishing, it's as if he saved us from a dismal qualifying campaign last go round and bringing him into the fold practically guarantees a top 2 finish in the hex. You've really got to be careful with this whole transitive property thing... to say it doesn't always work out the way you expect it to is an incredibly conservative statement.