I think a lot of CP's success proves that the 13-18 year old crowd need to stay the hell out of MLS. The league makes zero sense. With no threat of relegation youth players should have a ton of opportunity to play, and yet...
Looks like Pulisic has achieved automatic starter status (ok, CHO is not healthy). One poster on another forum suggested he play up top ahead of Bats and Giroud. though I have my doubts about Pulisic's holdup play capability.....
The difference is, Pulisic has the talent. It doesn't matter where he grew up. The talent was always there. That said, BVB helped spring board him to where he is now but the road wasn't being paved for more Americans...it is paved for younger, hungry players with extraordinary talent (regardless of nationality) allowing them to fight for a spot with the likes of Pedro at a club like Chelsea. Americans haven't succeeded in Europe, not because the road wasn't paved, but because to date, for the most part, they weren't good enough and their talent simply didn't translate on the pitch.
Every person is susceptible to unconscious biases. The human brain is wired to generalize about a group from a few examples. Yes, when the stakes are high we are more motivated rise above biases. The first chapter of “The Undoing Project” describes exactly that, in a basketball context. Analytics help a lot, but the biases remain, and you still have to work to overcome them. That’s half the story in those Michael Lewis books about analytics—the resistance based on folk wisdom, even after it is dispelled. I strongly suspect that had Swansea given the same abysmal performance over 11 games under one of those English coaches that seem to rotate through EPL jobs forever, the firing trigger would not have been nearly as quick as it was for Bradley. Like addiction, you start by acknowledging the existence of biases (the hardest step), and then it becomes easier to overcome.
More clubs are scouting our youth ranks than ever before but young Americans going to Euro youth clubs is nothing new. That road has been there for years and many have attempted it. The reason Puli became what he has is because he was the one with the quality and determination to make it. Did Junior Flores pave the way for BVB to sign Puli? Cause he was there first. That road was open to Landon at Leverkusen 20 years ago. While Euro clubs will continue the search for the next Puli, McKennie, Sargent, etc, that's based on potential as a youth and they will be handed youth contracts. That is a different scenario than opening the doors to a 70M move to Chelsea. That comes down to the individual after he breaks into the 1st team and shows he's an elite 19/20 yr old on the global stage. That's the step non prior made. That's not really a door which can opened by someone else. An individual creates that door as it's relatively rare.
Daily PSA: The rando brit tourist you met at the local bar is not the guy buying players for tens of millions of pounds for huge international businesses.
I don't think this is an MLS vs Europe issue. Both have proven that they can develop youth players. The issue is the United States does not produce enough talented, athletic youth players to overcome the long odds that youth players from all countries face as they attempt to transition from youth to pro ranks. Had Pulisic not come from a soccer family he'd likely be in his junior year playing backup point guard for some NCAA D3 school in Pennsylvania.
Put the Strawman away, it's winter. My argument never assumed Pulisic was the first American at BVB or Europe (if you wanted early, you should have gone Jovan Kirovski: he actually got a Champions League medal at BVB), rather it was focused on quantity. And you can't beat it. Whether because of Pulisic or not (and this is where you CAN attack the argument) there are a higher number of Americans involved in European academies and clubs than ever before. And I do think it is a fair argument to say it's due to other factors than just Pulisic. And I partially agree. But when I see teams like Freiburg and Fortuna start to increase their activity in the US market, I say to myself: HMMM, maybe they saw three teams better then them (BVB, RB, and Schalke) import starters from America that are good enough to walk into the starting lineup within a year of development being under 21 years of age for either a free transfer or for peanuts.
While I generally agree, still talents plus opportunities equals success. Without opportunities, talents may never be able to shine. Of course, hard work also required.
It takes talent but more important is the work ethic of the player and their willingness to put in the time and constant effort. The European system is designed to constantly challenge. Nothing is entitled, everything requires you to train and compete constantly for a chance to play. The US system it’s much more giving a player the sense of entitlement. It is much harder to get up every day and give it your all of you know you are going to start no matter what. Another way to look at it is that the European system is capitalism and the U.S. system is more like socialism.
Here's a nice "touches" video from the game; not sure if it's *all* touches... 1200472280884809728 is not a valid tweet id
I know touch videos don't tell the whole story... but man is that fun to watch. I thought he played a great game again and this just backs it up. What a difference a couple of months makes.... he is en fuego and I absolutely love it.
Don't forget, he is still adjusting. And he is turning in these types of performances. Impressive. He is to afraid of the big moment and takes control. After watching him this season, out on the left, I think he is very productive there. In the middle of the park he gets doubled up to easily. Drifting in he has a chance to break lines. Or distribute. He does need to get a little stronger, and he will. He is only 21? Oh, he should let his hair grow out. Rockstarish.
Willian is a total mystery to me... he seems to either play very well or on the poor side... not a ton in-between... but the fact that he always brings good back-tracking D to the wing position makes him quite valuable IMO.
Christian Pulisic didn’t get his work ethic in Germany. He was spending hours kicking a ball against the wall at age 3. He loved to play as a kid and had a dad that could coach him along the way. He destroyed the Brazilian U17s when he was 14, before he went over to Dortmund. I have no doubt being at Dortmund helped, but the best players in the world are self-motivated. If Pulisic had had to stay in the US two more years, he’d still likely have become an amazing player.
True but the European system fosters competition, when you get older you are constantly being challenged for a starting position no matter how good you are.
Not to mention being surrounded by other players of the caliber he aspires to be. You an only improve so much if the players around you are mediocre. Players that want to be better, play with players that are already better.
That is such nonsense. CP succeeded and that's great. Many have moved to Europe and failed for many reason. CP is the son of a professional soccer player, he moved to Europe early because of his euro passport, and his dad moved with him to Germany. How does this prove anything for 13-18 year olds except they wish they had Pulisic's advantages?