All people are different. Nagbe isn't going anywhere either. Some are motivated by a need to overcome something, others (like Landon) need to be happy to perform, most are in between.
Yep. Quickness is different than speed, and while he's not slow, his quickness is otherworldly. It's funny to watch him on the dribble. He doesn't beat guys because of fancy footwork, he beats them because he gets them on his hip before they can even react.
Remember when we were playing Mexico and the defender just said screw it and threw himself on the ground in front of him....like I'm not gunna let this 18 year old embarrass me on world TV lol
You have, I believe, misunderstood my argument. All I did was provide examples of college players (Dempsey spent 4 years at Furman, Cameron spent 2 years at WVU, 2 years at Rhode Island) who ended up succeeding. Add to that, our best player ever was a total flop in Europe while young (Landon failed in Germany), but managed to flourish at the highest levels of the International game. They all could've done better had they been able to succeed at the highest levels of Europe at earlier points in their careers (CD/GC didn't go over till their mid-late twenties, LD didn't get loaned to Everton till he was almost 30), which is why they won't reach Pulisic's level of stardom or skill. But, they are/were still extremely good players despite playing in college/MLS. I see nothing wrong with college/MLS if that's an individual's current ceiling at the moment. 99 percent of the time, that will not be a good sign for their future international ceilings, but we've had many guys, like the ones I mention, that have made good careers coming from those two soccer environs.
Hey gunner, you're in a better mood today. Good to see. Anyway, while college has worked for players previously, it really isn't a legitimate route* going forward as present day the better players have superior options at younger ages. *I can understand going to college for a year or two to keep options open instead of signing away 3-4 years. Chero, Bedoya, Gooch, Holden all went NCAA-----> Europe. It's one thing if you're a youngster here who either finds quality Euro interest at 16-18 and takes it, or get a quality HG offer from an MLS team you feel you like and is a good fit. But if not, the NCAA for 1-2 years while you mature and with the ability to trial abroad can be a good option. So can the NASL for that matter as Haji/Taitague have shown. Still, IMO if Clint was coming up now, he'd have been even better, a faster curve and a better prime. If he was 2-3 years ahead of his curve then UCL might have happened for him.
I don't think it's any sort of reliable way to produce international-level soccer talent, but I'm looking at it from a numbers and opportunity perspective. No other country that I can think of can pick from 39,000 (male) college soccer athletes every year. Take away the tiny schools, and you've got ~23,000 DIII to D1 players, many playing in facilities that are more than serviceable for development, and some schools arguably have better facilities than many pro teams. If 1 percent of those people have any talent at all, that's a couple hundred prospects a year. Add in MLS/NASL/USL for a couple hundred more players playing every year, and it's a big pool. If we could get the coaching/development up to even a fraction of European levels (which goes to show how terrible the instruction is nowadays), we'd be sending a lot more kids overseas for that experience and polish that puts them over the top and into viable international status.
Apparently, Pulisic has a faster 20m sprint than Aubameyang... 💨 #FunFact: Auf den ersten 20 Metern (angeblich) schneller als @Aubameyang7: @cpulisic_10. pic.twitter.com/wtDNzfHRhO— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) July 27, 2017
Soccer is not about running fast. As a La Liga fan, I'd say MLS is just as fast, on average, as La Liga. The difference is technique, intelligence, vision. It's very American to think that speed is the most important aspect, reason why the EPL is so over-rated in the USA (the fastest league in the world, without a doubt).
And yet, there's the *German* twitter feed ascribing importance to it... Speed certainly isn't a panacea, but anyone who's watched Dortmund play know that speed, and specifically Auba's speed, is a significant part of their play. Just listen to the German commentators, and Auba's ability to get behind a defense with his *speed* will almost certainly be mentioned.
Look what Pulisic did to Chicharito in that clip. Saucedo didn't want his soul to be taken so he threw a cut block. Notice next match in Mexico city they were swarming on Pulisic whenever he even showed for the ball.
. Without Pulisic's exceptional speed, athleticism and quickness, all related to each other directly, he wouldn't even be fighting for a starting role at Dortmund. It's not "very American" to think that you must marry superior athleticism with intangibles, technical skills and experience to get a brilliant player. Being able to get to a ball first is important. Being able to burst past a defender is important. Sure there are exceptions and it also depends on the role of the player but for wingers and attacking players in general, speed is pretty much required. Big CFs and central playmakers might be the exception.
Pulisic isn't in the starting 11 or the 4 players on the bench Unsere Bank: // On the bench: Reimann, Dahoud, Philipp, Beste. #bvbrcde— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) July 28, 2017
Die eine Hälfte des Teams hat heute morgen eine sehr, sehr intensive Einheit absolviert und wird im Stadion gleich Zuschauer sein. (1/2)— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) July 28, 2017 Die andere hat sehr dosiert gearbeitet und spielt heute. Aus diesem Grund gibt es auch nur vier Ersatzspieler. (2/2)— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) July 28, 2017 Not sure why they would have half the team do an intense training before a game, doesn't really make sense to me, but that's why he's not playing.
He has been involved in 5 of their last 5 goals so I am sure his spot in the first team must be secure.
Pulisic, Mor, Schmelzer, Passlack, Toprak, and Larson. Those are the only non injured players I can think of, any others?