Great post. Sadly I'm sure there was a time in my life when I enivisioned a future usmnt starting lineup of -----Bunbury Shea---Gil---Gyau -----O'Neill-Trapp Ocegueda-Packwood- Kitchen- Valentin -------Cropper Which explains a lot of the drinking I do.
I really have no idea who is gonna be available for qualifying. I expect the roster to be made up of mostly mediocre domestic players. We're gonna need a good coach.
I don't even think anyone thought the last U-23 group was that good. We knew that team had major question marks all over the field.
No we all thought they were good lets not pretend hindsight was 20/20 at the time. People still think Emerson Hyndman and Wil Trapp deserve senior team callups.
Its all relative. We thought they were probably a little better than the team the previous cycle, and I'm sure we thought we were showing improvements, but the differences between that team and the previous cycle and the upcoming cycle and last cycle are staggering in advantage of the upcoming cycle. There is so much tangible proof that this upcoming cycle is not just slightly better, instead a lot better.
It seems pretty obvious at this point that there's a pretty huge practical difference between the U23 pool and the Olympic qualifying team. There are plenty of reasons why that is and plenty of ideas for how to fix it, but it doesn't seem like a major priority for U.S. Soccer lately -- and there are probably reasons for that, too. Remember, there were signs that they were taking the more program more seriously last time around, too, but we still saw a lot of the same issues when it came time to pick a team.
Dear USSF, I've noticed that the Men's team has nothing to do for the next two years. I also noticed that you have a really talented set of '97s and 98's. I just want to lay down a friendly suggestion that you focus on these guys for the next two years and build them as the core of a team. Seems to me that team chemistry goes a long ways and we seem to have lost that. The first few games will be rough and the pressure will be high, but these guys are already pros and they can do it. Also, insist with their clubs that since they missed the World Cup these guys should play in the Olympics. Really, really insist. Tell them how important the Olympics are to Americans. Talk about how their values will rise if they medal. I'm asking you to own this, USSF. Really build a new core. Get these guys to Tokyo and then push on to Qatar. If you do this right you will have a core that has played together 8 years and is in their prime just in time for a US World Cup (that is, if you don't mess the bid up also). Sincerely, a fan.
I've felt the same way since they were eliminated. You have five years to get a new core together and polished. They are very young now but in five years they will be a pretty good age. Don't waste a second on anyone who will be 32 or over then just take the lumps you so well earned and polish carbon into diamonds.
They'll probably do some variation of this, but you can't have a team of just kids. A few of the veteran leaders will stick around. It looks like the USSF will be doing something along these lines for our next friendly against Portugal. Looking to the future. #USMNT https://t.co/7Th7x2Fn9b— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 28, 2017
I generally agree with this, but there are also budding leaders within the 95/96 and 97/98 groups. They need to start growing into those roles, too.
I think having a few transitional vets would be ok but they need to be ones that weren't associated with the WCQ disaster and also more background types so as D M-N points out new leaders emerge. No longer need to see Bradley look at a wide open player in his first few games with the US and then not pass it to him because ... well Bradley. Brooks, Wood and Yedlin are already vets and still young, Pulisic is defacto leader anyway and then there is Arriola, Acosta, Roldan Miazga and a few others that have been right on the fringe and ready for bigger or at least transitory roles.
I'm of the opinion that completely cleaning house is an over-reaction. We're the reigning Gold Cup Champions after all. By saying that I don't mean that's some massive accomplishment. Simply that there's existing talent in the squad not worth throwing away. What we need to do with the USMNT is open up all positions to competition and provide a lot of opportunities for the next generations. If a player like Jozy Altidore (who is only 27) PROVES he's a better option than the younger guys then I'm fine with him retaining a role. So I have 3/4 of my vision on 2022 qualifying, but 1/4 on winning the intervening Gold Cups (with Confed Cup qualification a nice carrot there). As far as the January camp goes, I just think we can provide almost all of the existing USMNT vets with a mental and physical break away from the USMNT. Its why I'm suggesting a U23/U20 camp. We'll want to throw in some of the leaders from the national team as well, or else its a youth camp and not a USMNT camp. The nation I really appreciate with regards to talent development is Uruguay. They treat their national team program as one national team, integrating young players as early as possible. So the vets are training in camps with really young players teaching them what it "means to be a Uruguay national team player." Its how Uruguay, with a population roughly the size of the Twin Cities, can stay relevant year after year after year. We need to do that. Its OK to have a group of developing U18s and U20s train side by side with some USMNT vets in a January camp. In that environment its not about having "earned the right" thru MLS play (although we certainly invite those guys too when appropriate). Its about inviting the guys who the scouts and coaches think are the brightest prospects. So bring Palmer-Brown and Carleton and the fullback Farfan. I don't even care if NCAA players are invited. Hell, invite NASL and USLPro players. I don't care. Whoever the staff wants to work with. Hell, invite Uly Llanez and Gio Reyna. Its time we stop thinking of these camps as just rewards for good MLS play. You can give Chris Pontius as many opportunities as you want, he's not an international-caliber player. But Carleton might be, so you invite Carleton.............................
I think we agree here but are saying it differently. My thoughts are that right now with 3-5 years to go before stuff matters the younger players need room to grow without being smothered by the guys with tons of caps that were leaders. If after the trial and growth period is over some of those vets would add something bring them in on a case by case basis. I think this something that FC Dallas has done well on a club level and agree it should be tried. Lots of players could be moved up a level at times to see how they fare. Extra bodies if injuries occur and agree a spirit of being all together would grow. It especially timely for Camp Cupcake as I don't want an interim coach around for that. Just use the U17, U18, U19, U20 and U23 coaches as a collective. No one would be prioritizing wins and lots of discussions should pursue.
Count me in on the cleaning house bandwagon. This is the perfect time to purge out the older attitudes and the personalities of the past and truly write a new chapter in American soccer. Play as many kids and new faces as possible and have them all fight for their spots. If it means we look horrible in the 2019 Gold Cup and 2020 Proposed 16 team Copa America then so be it. There will be growing pains but the more these kids fight the more they will get better. Like throwing kids into a pool to learn how to swim. I believe by 2026 we will be reaping the rewards.
Stop being so politically correct. If that is the only thing you got from my post then you are the type of person I don't want cheering for the USA.
I'm also mostly in the burn it down camp. I think the 2018 qualification campagin was not just an indictment of the 1990-1996 generation, I think it was a thundering indictment of the leadership, chemistry and complacency that has really erupted into full view over the past seven years. We saw the melt down too in early 2013 if you remember, 2012 and 2011 were loaded with poor results, and after a seeming bounce back from about March 2013 till July 2014, the National Team got even worse than the 2011-early 2013 period, culminating in the worst year long performance of the USMNT ever, and I say this acknowledging that there have been worse teams with worse results, but those teams had infinitely less top end talent, and quality depth as this USMNT did, and thus their failures were not anywhere near as bad as this one. For me, this is France 2010 bad. There was something clearly rotten at the core of this squad in terms of leadership of the vets, in terms of chemistry, and in terms of complacency and self-satisfied approaches. This team had these results in qualification: 2016: Road Horror Show Results: Semifinal Qualifying: 0-0 @ Trinidad and Tobago 0-2 @ Guatemala Hexagonal Qualifying: 0-4 @ Costa Rica 1-1 @ Honduras 1-1 @ Panama 1-2 @ Trinidad and Tobago Home Horror Show Results: 1-2 Vs Mexico 0-2 Vs Costa Rica Just look at that: *2 trips to Trindida, and we pulled 1 point combined and lost to a non-senior side in a game where they were already out of contention, and had nada to play for. *We got clowned by a Guatemala lead by an 87 year old flopping fish Ruiz. *We lost by 4 at Costa Rica in a game in which the players clearly quit. *We should have lost at Panama, and at Honduras in games where we were clearly outplayed. The Honduras game in particular is inexcusable, as that team was and is utter garbage, and the worst Honduras team I've seen in the past 20 years, a team we beat 6-0 at home but couldn't beat on the road, really?!?!?! *We let Mexico beat us at home for the second consecutive time. *We got clowned by Costa Rica 2-0 at home in a game we desperately needed and they desperately did not need, the first loss to Costa Rica at home in eons. For me these results included 2 truly horrible home performances where we failed in a way the USMNT hasn't failed at home in decades, and a complete and total inability to play even borderline competent soccer on the road w/the exception of a seemingly inexplicable 1-1 draw with Mexico which also included the four worst road performances in qualification I've ever seen in my twenty years of watching qualifications (been watching since 1990, but only started watching qualification campaigns in 1997) in the 0-2 loss at Guatemala, the 0-4 loss at Costa Rica, the 1-1 draw with Honduras, and the 1-2 loss to T&T. It would be one thing if the team just lacked any talent, but that's not actually true. The team just played like complete garbage. It had some of the best forwards in the region, the best young player/midfielder in the region, one of the two or three best defenses in the region when the coach isn't an idiot, and more depth than anyone other than Mexico and a better first XI than anybody other than Mexico. Then they went out, and played like they weren't even a top 4 side in the region in every single qualifier with only these exceptions: Semifinal Qualifying: 4-0 vs T&T 4-0 vs Guatemala 6-0 @ St Vincent & Grenadines 6-1 Vs St Vincent & Grenadines Hexagonal Qualifying: 6-0 vs Honduras 4-0 vs Panama 1-1 vs Mexico Basically we played 7 quality games in 16 total qualifiers, 1 borderline acceptable performance (2-0 over T&T at home), and 8 horrific games. For me that merits burning it down to the ground to irradiate the cancer that has spread in the system before it can get worse. These kids coming up have made runs to the quarters in 3 of the past 4 youth world cup despite consistently being unable to call in all their best players with the only exception coming as a result of a group of death scenario for the '15 U-17's. I want the next iteration of the USMNT to bear their impramatur rather than that of the veterans who jogged their way out of the world cup and into total ignominy with everything on the line three weeks ago. Those guys pulled a France, shaming themeselves in qualification (as France did in going over Ireland in 2009 via handball) and then blanking all overthemselves in a group of life in 2010 in South Africa. Just like Germany more than a decade ago, France didn't let the cancer get time to spread, and instead ejected some players permanently, and turned the keys over to the kids for the most part in the years following. Can some guys get back in? Yes. I think we need some vets around, it's never good to build a team entirely around youth: that's why I want Dempsey back. You didn't see any quit in him October 10th after all. Bring him in, maybe Jozy, at least in the quotes it was clear he cared. The Fed should figure out which guys need to go and which guys can offer the kids something going forward. Will this happen? I very much doubt it. I expect far too many of the architects of this failure to continue to be involved going forward (Bradley in particular, which is the greatest indictment if we see it, as I suspect we will), but I think it should be known that most of them are not remotely deserving of the honor, and should be kicked to the curb post-haste.