yanks-abroad defending their 23 tickets selection

[DannyUpper90]

http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=3750

[olephill2]

Interesting article. The author offers some biting criticisms of MLS, and I must say, I think he's got a point regarding many of them.

However, I think he's missing the point of reader criticisms if he thinks all we objected to was the exclusion of Bornstein. I gawked at the inclusions of Keller and Jeremiah White (and I'm even a White fan), and if you look at the honorable mention lists, they're usually heavily skewed in favor of European players.

[tbgh]

I still think Bornstein will definitely be on the roster in 2010 even if not the starter. Simply put, he's the only defender we have on the left with elite speed. It's highly probable we'll be facing someone on that side that could blow right by our other LBs and Bornstein would be a better matchup for us.

You've got to remember when picking the "23 tickets" it's not the 23 best players but the 23 guys who give us the best chance to match up well against our opposition. I think that's where the yanks-abroad writers mainly fall short.

[DannyUpper90]

I still think Bornstein will definitely be on the roster in 2010 even if not the starter. Simply put, he's the only defender we have on the left with elite speed. It's highly probable we'll be facing someone on that side that could blow right by our other LBs and Bornstein would be a better matchup for us.

You've got to remember when picking the "23 tickets" it's not the 23 best players but the 23 guys who give us the best chance to match up well against our opposition. I think that's where the yanks-abroad writers mainly fall short.

wrong actually, it's the 23 players who would be picked right now based on performances in the near past and in form at the moment.

[mattjo]

Although, that makes one question why Simek, Keller, Convey, Beasley, DeMerit, Feilhaber, Pearce, Spector, and ubotic are being slected as high as they are then.

[FC Tallavana]

Why include the Dynamo result and not the 4-0 beatdown of Celtic by DC United or even their draw against Real Madrid? How about the MLS team beating up poor little ol' Fulham and even that team in Blue from West London?

For every preseason loss an MLS team has had against a foreign team, there are two-to-three wins that mid-season MLS teams have gotten against much bigger foreign clubs who were in preseason.

I'm not saying MLS teams are as good as Celtic, Real Madrid, Chelsea or even Fulham. I'm simply saying that if you want to defend your argument with scores, be prepared to have your argument defeated by scores.

[Globalusation]

Anyone who picks Kasey Keller is a moron.

/thread

[ajdjad]

Anyone who picks Kasey Keller is a moron.

/thread
I wouldn't go as far as moron. Can't go too far wrong with Keller. Not the wisest choice because of his age.

[DaPrince84]

I wouldn't go as far as moron. Can't go too far wrong with Keller. Not the wisest choice because of his age.
what has keller shown in the last year that he is a candidate for the world cup in 2010?

their were some interesting points I agree with... but their was some points that were just moronic... u move Guzan to #2 because of Aston Villa's interest? makes no sense...

[Ghost]

I still think Bornstein will definitely be on the roster in 2010 even if not the starter. Simply put, he's the only defender we have on the left with elite speed.

Bornstein is defintiely fast, but Pearce is probably faster.

[Ghost]

I've always thought that their picks were more or less correct. The problem is when they overvalue a player from an obscure European league, aka Jeremia Whilte (overvalued for the moment) and that Josh Grenier fellow that they were sure was a contender. There's valid criticism of MLS, but that doesn't mean that the best MLSers will be absent from the National side.

[Ringo]

I'm not saying MLS teams are as good as .... Fulham.

but you could ....

[Ringo]

what has keller shown in the last year that he is a candidate for the world cup in 2010?

you can ask the same question of hahneman. friedel is still the best we've got. it's a shame. I mean, Tim howard -- great. but if we had one game for it all, I'd choose friedel. i think he walked away too soon. :(

[Ghost]

you can ask the same question of hahneman. friedel is still the best we've got. it's a shame. I mean, Tim howard -- great. but if we had one game for it all, I'd choose friedel. i think he walked away too soon. :(

I keep a list of 2010 players and post it occasionally. I still keep Friedel on the wild card list.

[Ghost]

I think basically they underestimate the gap between a starter at a club in Denmark or Sweden, and undervalue the quality of the cream of the MLS crop, which has shown itself quite capable of stepping into Premiership clubs pretty quickly.

[DestroyerDaMarc]

I think basically they underestimate the gap between a starter at a club in Denmark or Sweden, and undervalue the quality of the cream of the MLS crop, which has shown itself quite capable of stepping into Premiership clubs pretty quickly.

I'll be honest, all leagues have high and low quality sorts of players. In 2005 a Swiss team known as FC Thun was only the second ever to make the group stage of Europe. Of thoes 25 registered players most have moved on, but none of them have gone to a high quality league. No most have gone to Turkey, Australia, or Japan but no one has gone to the BPL, La Liga, or Seria.

We love to rate Denmark and Norway lower then us, and for some of us we fell this is justified by a player's ability. But yet we've never had a player make an instant impact a player from these leagues have. Yes we've given a Dempsey away; but has he stepped up to be the savior of Fulham?

Tatically our MLS is lacking a world behind. We have coaches who know players and their pluses and minuses but we never know what they do tatically. Tatics is one area a coach overseas pulls his hair out about.

Instead of raiting the league I say let's rate the players on a individual basis shall we? If club play is a guage to talent then yes I do believe White is a better option then anyother Right Winger as he is the only one getting club play there.

[nobody]

I think they're right about the problem with losing our mid level players to Europe. Beckham's salary could have paid to keep virtually all of the defectors in teh leage. And, having another dozen or more quality players would do way more to raise the standard of play in the league than one Beckham. Soccer is way too much of a team game to hire one big gun and expect him to be a savior.

I agree they over rate some of the guys we have in lower Euro leagues. But, I'm pretty much in agreement with the MLS problems. I've always been a pro MLS guy and continue to believe that soccer in the US will ultimately rise and fall with the strength of the domestic league. I'm just not so sure, we're on the rise on that front right now.

[Onionsack]

Why is it that a Yanks Abroad website is so disgustingly pro european US player is something shocking?

They are the most insufferable US fans of the lot. Their 23 tickets should be treated with as much objectiviness as the National Enquirer.

[Adam Zebrowski]

they're yanks abroad, i think that establishes their bias in the naming convention.

agree, best 23 go...

[Grumpy in LA]

Why is it that a Yanks Abroad website is so disgustingly pro european US player is something shocking?


I know you mean that it's unsurprising that guys who cover US players based in Europe are biased in favor of those players.

But here's why it's surprising to me that Yanks Abroad is so pro-European: there are parts of the world that are neither the US nor Europe. There's something fishy about a website that calls itself "Yanks Abroad" but gives as its tagline "European Soccer Made in America." What does this mean about Americans who play in Australia, Japan, Chile?

I'm particularly curious what will happen when, as will probably happen in the next ten years or so, a few more US players start going to good non-European leagues, especially good Latin American ones (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico). Will YA cover them as carefully as they cover people playing in Norway or Greece? Or will they get it over with and change the website name to Yanks in Europe?