Credit, at least, to LA for using this picture....with GBS in his Crew jersey and highlighting his Crew accomplishments.
Report: DC United coach Ben Olsen extended through 2021 season "D.C. United and longtime coach Ben Olsen have come to terms on a contract extension through the 2021 season, reports the Washington Post's Steven Goff. The reported extension would add two years to a deal that was previously set to expire following next season." Ahahahahahahah!
#BreakingNews: DC United’s Wayne Rooney was arrested on public intoxication and swearing charges, sources tell @abc7news #MLS #DCUnited pic.twitter.com/W4KWnnDkcT— Erin Hawksworth (@ErinHawksworth) January 6, 2019 Oof. (h/t @Placid Casual)
"Mr. Rooney, you are being arrested for public swearing. Words like f**k, m**********r, c********r, and a*****e are not acceptable in public areas." "Don't forget about 'wanker', you wanker." "Funny enough, we let that one slide for unknown reasons..."
Keaton Parks is supposedly finalizing a loan move from Benfica to NYCFC. I'm very curious to see how this move pans out. I am very high on Parks, and I was hopeful he would be able to break in and get more time with Benfica but it just hasn't worked out at all, and I don't know how much of that is Parks' fault and how much is Benfica's. Benfica has been a tire fire this season and has fired Rui Vitoria. Pizzi, Fejsa, and Salvio have been maybe the best performers for the team (outside of Joao Felix, watch that name in a few years) and they have blocked Parks from any obvious path into the team. And since Benfica has been chasing Porto for the majority of the season Vitoria hadn't much opportunity for rotation. But, if he hasn't regressed this is a huge pickup for NYCFC. Parks could and should make an immediate impact.
Keaton definitely sounds like someone who lives in New York, but has a nanny who's more a parent than his disinterested real parents, attends an academy with a shirt and tie dress code even for first graders, and has both a peanut allergy and intolerance for lactose.
I don't disagree with any of these statements. That said, Keaton is a kid from Texas who went to Portugal before he was 20 to try to improve his game. He's taken a different path than our captain who chose to stay coddled, never left Ohio for college or the pros, who heading into his age 26 season has never won anything domestically, has failed to qualify for the Olympics twice, and has next to zero value on the international transfer market. Trapp has been by far the more coddled player, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Parks has the more significant career when all is said and done.
That would be an absurd bet for me to take. He captained the U-23 teams that failed to qualify for the Olympics and was rewarded with captaining the USMNT that failed to qualify for the World Cup. To make matters worse the USMNT is coached by a man who failed to win a single trophy domestically as a head coach in MLS in 5 years, while handing a Trapp the captain's band for one or two of those seasons. It's a system that rewards failure. Why on earth would I take that bet knowing these facts?
I both love and respect your undying commitment to taking the negative side of every single thing in life.
You claimed that Keaton would have a more significant career than Wil. What would you use as the measuring stick for significance for a USMNT player/hopeful?
Check your notes, I said I wouldn’t be surprised if Parks had a more significant career. To answer your question I don’t limit a players career to national team matches when that will often make up maybe 10-20% at best of a players professional appearances. Club football has been more significant, and will be even more so as the money continues to move in that direction.
It's admittedly a bit subjective, but it's about making an impact at the highest levels which roughly translates to playing at the highest levels week in and week out (which MLS is not). Let's give an example. Darlington Nagbe is age 28 and has a NCAA title, 2 MLS cups, and 25 or so USMNT Caps. He has a LONG way to go to match the career of 33 year old Geoff Cameron who has never won a domestic honor but had 168 appearances for Stoke City in the EPL, many as a starter and important part of their squad.
By that measure, Cherundolo might be the best player the US has ever produced, with 300 Bundesliga appearances (and 87 caps). I get your point (it makes for an interesting discussion), but I think the reality is somewhere in between. I'd not pick Cherundolo over Donovan, for example (though Cherundolo would be on my shortlist).
Sure. Absolutely. My point simply is that Trapp having not won anything domestically, failing to qualify for the Olympics, not having played abroad, and having yet to even play a minute in a World Cup entering his age 26 season has a steep hill to climb to be regarded as an extremely significant US Soccer player. For example, if the US qualifies for the next World Cup and Trapp plays it will be his first at age 29. By that time Landon Donovan had 3. Cherundolo was on his second by age 31. Now maybe between then and now Trapp leads Celtic to a Europa Cup title or captains the USA to the World Cup semis next time around, but I doubt it. I just think US Soccer has done a poor job bringing youth through the system and giving them the reigns. That being the case we look at guys like Trapp at age 25 or 26 and even Nagbe in the last cycle as the "young" guys we are bringing into the team. 25 or 26 isn't young anymore in the soccer world. It isn't completely old either. But, your friend hangthadj, being the eternal optimist, can't help betting on youth versus a trajectory like Trapp's.
I disagree sir. I would pick Cherundolo over Donovan any day of the week. Cherundolo thrived in a top league while Donovan stayed in the easy pastures of MLS' golden team. There's a lot of rules MLS has bent or made for the Galaxy. Donovan scored 11 or so goals a year when he had the ability to score twice that amount. Color me unimpressed.