Objectify women? Please. That's hardly what I did, and if you knew me personally, you'd know I'm the last person who would objectify women. Commenting on a woman's looks is not objectifying women, but way to set woman's rights back 50 years. Either way, I'm sorry I brought it up because it didn't have a place in this forum since it had nothing to do with this discussion, and I'm dropping it for that reason.
I share @Marko72's view. I was also very down on Robles early last year. While he was always an amazing shot stopper with very good athleticism, he was prone to poor decisions and gaffes early last year. However, those stopped by early summer and he's been nothing short of good to excellent since then. A look through his transfermarkt game logs back to Germany suggests a reason for this is simply games. He is playing consistently and has more successive games (and combined games) for NYRB than any other point in his career. He is only 29 and I think he is a better keeper than Johnson, Hamid, Seitz, McMath or Tally Hall.
It is not that commenting on a woman's looks is inherently objectifying by itself (though it can often lead that way). You provided your assessment of whether Bethany Dempsey was worth the "hassle" of having 1998 redux (sexual affair/team chemistry disruption) based entirely on her looks and body. You have reduced her worth (measured the risk) based on these superficial characteristics. Therefore, she is reduced to an object in this simple formulation (body and looks=sexable/notsexable) and not a subject or person. There might be all manner of other reasons why she could be worth the hassle--maybe shes really generous and interesting, funny, intelligent and well read, kind and compassionate.
Fine. For that, I'm sorry if that makes everyone happy. In all honesty I didn't eve realize I had said that. That was made 100% as a joke and a knock on Harkes, not Clint's wife, and not meant in the way it obviously came across to some people since that is not the person that I am. I'm done, since I cannot believe I'm spending time defending myself on here. It was a joke a that obviously went wrong.
How was the first goal Keller's fault? A driven cross followed by a bullet header. Not sure what he could have done. Pope getting shoved by Koller gave him the space he needed.
He outkicked the entire team, turning the ball back over immediately when half our midfield and backline was out of position.
In that scenario I would absolutely take him to Brazil. Maybe someone starts over him, but after Rimando IMO he's very close.
I like this 30 the best (give or take a two) and hope there is true competition. The goal is to win. No old players injured or prone to injury, just cause they're "owed". If the USMNT staff cannot find for instance-in form FBs and less than 30 years old, instead of out of form, long toothed, playing out of position fillers- than they're not very perceptive. If you're gonna bring a player because he's a "locker room guy"and the Team needs them, why is a habitually bad, locker room complainer allowed to go? Why one bad apple over any other? I have doubts about who among the pool will be allowed to compete. All that should matter is the now and who is the best weapon to employ. Klinsmann has some really dynamic options to coach up. He has consistently talked about how he wants and how the USMNT needs competition within the team. I hope he allows the competition to happen.
To play devils advocate for a second on the bolded. This was not any where close to the Omar wedding picture fiasco IMO, where people took pot shots for no reason Bethany Dempsey chose to pose for an incredibly popular issue of Sports Illustrated that for decades its sole purpose is to objectify the beauty of the human form (99% of which has been female). I don't think anyone should be given crap for commenting on a persons looks when they offer themselves up for judgement in such a well known and public manner. On the other hand, the individuals that commented on Omar's wife's looks in his wedding picture should be given loads of crap.
A belief that decent form for a bad Championship side is worth more than playing consistently well in MLS. Also, nostalgia.
I don't think he should be in the 30, but the thinking is probably that he just got called into the Ukraine camp in March so surely he's somewhere near that cutoff.
He has a shot for the 30. Assuming these guys are all in the 30: CBs - Besler, Goodson and Gonzalez, Def that can play CB - Parkhurst and Cameron I think there is room for 1 or possibly 2 more CBs to make the 30. It's between Gooch, Ream, Orozco or Brooks. I think it's Brooks and Orozco that go, but Gooch still has a shot.
I guess. Although to me that callup was always more about the fact that he happens to play in Europe and they needed an extra CB, and not anything to do with his current level of play. Nothing about Gooch's play puts him in a conversatoin with Orozco, and that's really saying something. He's got about as much chance as Ream does, which is about zero, and less than Brooks, who has upside.
Midfield choices, some pretty good thinking, and percentages of them making the trip: http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2...referral&utm_content=News&utm_campaign=Unpaid
I agree, there really was no one else for the Ukarine game and he was showing some hope of returning, but it is clear he is now done. I have not seen Ream play, but I think he has a better shot now. Brooks and Ream may very well be in the 30.
Context is important though. Let's say someone started a thread (presumably in the US Men's forum rather than this one, which someone surely did) about the Sports Illustrated issue and posted a picture of Dempsey's wife. I think that's fair game. She put herself out there for judgment solely on the basis of her looks and I wouldn't really object to people taking that bait and opining on how she looked, good or bad. But to randomly post in a thread about the 23 man roster for Brazil that you think Dempsey's wife's face is "meh," in that context I think it's out of bounds. Just because you pose for SI swimsuit doesn't mean that people should be able to take out-of-context pot shots at your looks for the rest of your life. (Hat's off to @FW__ for the mea culpa, by the way.)