I think you could be right. The players might not be scared, but the tactics made them play scared. Scared to advance, scared to try shit, scared to take risks, scared to be bench, etc.
The 2000s were a wash. Mexico was better until 2002, but then took the title back in 03 by winning the GC. Retained it at the 06WC, then lost it at the 07GC. Took it back in 09 and hasn't looked back since. OP is completely wrong in his takes. First off, Mexico is objectively better and has been for a decade now. As far as a feminised culture, go join this thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/stop-the-pussification-of-humanity.2015758/#post-31665664 You and the OP there will get along just well, OP.
I admit I didn't do the math, was just generalizing from what I could recall since around '98. Did you ever get to an AUFC game like I advised? Aiiieeeee... not getting involved there, bruh... there's more than a bit of overlap between perfectly legit Civil Rights Movement values and what some of those guys are bashing.
Now I know why Friedel is with the team. He is Pulisic life coach. Hopefully he doesn't get confused and won't start giving life advises to Wes.
Mexico beat Germany in the WC. It's not the players, it's the coach. Compare players, one by one. Which team has the better players?
Then why did Weston get outplayed by Guardado and Jonathan Dos Santos, who shrugged him off, ran 60 yards by him, and scored in the final? We have some promising kids. But they are a few years away from being able to stand up to this Mexico.
You really have to ignore qualifying to make that case. Donovan's falling out of favor and retirement from the NT toward the end of the 2000s/early '10s did more to reverse the trends between the two teams than anything else, IMO. Donovan started, scored and assisted the last time the US defeated Mexico in a competitive soccer match...6 years ago.
Looks like Trump is a soccer fan, he's talking of extending his mandate until 2026 just for the sake of the World Cup that year: https://nypost.com/2019/09/11/eight-more-years-trump-tweets-2024-meme/ Speaking to reporters Monday alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump joked he would have to extend his term until the World Cup is played in North America in 2026. “Gianni, we’re going to have to extend my second term because 2026 — I’m going to have to extend it for a couple of years,” he said. “I don’t think any of you would have a problem with that,” he said, referring to the White House press corps. During a campaign rally in North Carolina on Monday, Trump said, “We may have to go for an extra term,” after mentioning the 2026 soccer contest. He then addressed the media, adding, “I’m only kidding.” --- I dunno but that Barron likes soccer enough to get into the DC academy must come from somewhere. Knowing the guy loves the Internet, sometimes I wonder if he posts here. Maybe some of the craziest stuff written on these boards...?
Agreed. They are a few years away. I blame it on their young age and inexperience. I am sure Weston learned from that. Their is a big difference between fear and inexperience. The real question is, why do guys like Bradley stood by and watch when Guardado had his hands on Weston? They're supposed to be the veterans, leaders on the team.
I think that what we used to have in spades was grit, passion, organization and a chip-in-the-shoulder mentality. That was and is our special sauce. Now we are being led by a coach and Federation that wants to play “attractive” soccer for appearance sake only and we see it written here all the time that to not play Berhalter’s style is to bunker. WTF?
I hate this crap. We've always had less talented players - always. We've beaten them because we had better heart, grit and played a style that drove Mexico crazy. Our roster right now is well suited to create a team that gives them (and any nation) fits if we simply got away from trying to chase a "look." We're losing because we've cede the field to them before we even start by trying to emulate their style of play instead of having them defeat ours (which btw is not and hasn't been bunker vs. Mexico for 30 years).
A simpler explanation than the cultural gobbledygook is the team missed the World Cup. That was a deeply humbling experience. 3G's system is not helping things, either.
US Soccer doesn't care about humbled. As long as the money keeps rolling in, that's all that matters to them.
Testosterone is much maligned but keep in mind it's also the taking-risks hormone. With no risk-taking, we'd still be in caves.
In some respects, I almost pity Barron Trump, because when the average person hears his last name, he is instantly going to be hated by at least 50 - 75% of the US, and at least 90% of the planet, through no fault of his own (so far, unless he goes into politics himself and acts like his father).
I am not sure this has always been the case... more often than not? Yes... but always? I dunno. I do think your point still holds regardless. The mental aspect of sports is often overlooked and the team that played Mexico last Friday lost the game the second the 1st goal went in the back of the net. Instead of the intensity increasing... the focus went the opposite direction and the players looked pretty flat and scared at times. But I am not putting too much stock into it right now. It was a friendly and we got trounced. Was it embarrassing? Yes. Does it mean we can't beat them the next time out? No. As a matter of fact, it has been mentioned here and elsewhere that our youth teams have been dominating Mexico for a spell and I think that we may have the more talented side within the next 5 years and could go on a run against our rivals to the south. Hopefully this loss motivates the coaches and players alike and they come out with a renewed sense of pride and urgency against them the next time they square off. Heck, if GG does his job right then the next time El Tri send 5 men up to press he will have the boys ready to pass it long and exploit the space in the middle of the pitch.
Not at all. Dopamine is one of the substances involved in risk-taking behavior (the "pleasure rush" part of it), but it's testosterone that controls the release of dopamine and the state of its receptors in the first place. All the other substances in the body related to risk-taking are, in the end, controlled by testosterone. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/scie...ow-testosterone-affects-risk-taking-behaviour https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/extreme-athletes-risk-taking/ Several studies suggest that our taste for adventure may be linked to our earliest experiences in the womb and how much testosterone we’re exposed to in utero. In addition to the levels of testosterone naturally present in the mother’s body, the fetus also produces the hormone. The fetal production of testosterone is determined by genetics—a male fetus produces more of the hormone. It’s believed that prenatal testosterone alters the brain structures that govern fear and reward processing. As the theory goes, the more testosterone you’re exposed to as a fetus, which men naturally are due to their Y chromosome, the more adventure you’ll crave. --- Inventing stuff is not just about having the IQ, but also the "balls" to take the risk to experiment with your invention. The much-maligned testosterone has helped us get to where we are.
I'm not maligning testosterone. If you have a normal amount, it doesn't actually contribute to many of the negative things (over-aggression or violent behavior, for example). People attribute what might occur to someone on anabolic steroids as something a normal person gets from testosterone, it doesn't. I hadn't read about pre-natal testosterone driving the number of dopamine receptors (which was my general point) -- that's interesting, even if not proven across the board. There's a lot of environmental factors as well, as the same story notes. My point stands though: the testosterone in a person right now doesn't drive risk taking activity, except in the whole libido sense. Responsiveness to dopamine and psychological factors do. And to take it to innovation, well, there's a whole lot of myth making there as well. I really don't get the insecurity some men get around this. I don't feel the least bit threatened by current society -- I don't question my masculinity or even think about it because I know who I am and I don't need other people's validation. The whole redpill crowd is just super embarrassing.