Copa America Brasil '19: USA Invited

I hope we're smart and get our A for the Copa and promise the clubs that they won't be called for the Gold Cup if they let them come for he Copa. It's a win win. The players likely prefer the better comp and new challenges of the Copa over that of the Gold Cup. The club gets their players back sooner and gets their players in a vastly more prestigious tournament that will do far more in raising their stock then any Gold Cup could ever do.

 

Realistically, with a mixture of vets and youth / MLS, MX and Euros (and with a few players in both tourneys) - a competent coach could field two balanced teams.

 

I think MLS underestimates the value of getting their (US) players abroad to face top competition in a tournament setting, with a collection of guys who are not their regular teammates.
They have to take a broader view.

 

Don't get too excited, we haven't accepted the invitation yet.

 

Sure, let's add turning them down to the list of incredible stupidly from US Soccer the past few years...

 

It seems weird that the decision is being/would be made without at least a GM (if not a new coach) in place. This seems like the sort of thing that a GM/coach might have strong feelings about one way or another in terms of how going/not going contributes to player development and how to set up two separate squads.

 

If we accept the invitation I don't think we take the "best" squad to CA. Gold Cup will be a priority since its from this confederation and a ticket to the Confederations Cup. Copa America, although more prestigious, is just a filler to reformat that tournament.

Best case scenario for US would be to send the veteran team (yes, the one that didn't qualify to the WC) a long with some players to test out. Players that won't make it to the younger squad. For example Rowe, Rubin.

And for Copa America send the young players that more than likely will play in the WC qualifiers and WC. Players like Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, Weah, Delgado, Steffen, Yedlin etc.

Or vice versa on the squads.

Mexico and the other CONCACAF team that gets invited will be on the same position. You can't have your best players at both tournaments. Clubs aren't obligated to lend out players for tournaments not pertaining to your own Confederation.

 

This is ridiculous. Of course we should accept.

 

When are they going to get rid of the fairies running US Soccer and replace them with men?

 

FWIW, Qatar has accepted:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/foot...022-qatar-brazil-argentina-2019-copa-america/

Mexico is of course going to accept, and the other two invited teams are not very likely to attend: China and Japan.

Costa Rica and Panama may be invited at the last minute, to replace those two.

The sixth invited team is unknown, but rumor is that it's Jamaica (it has to be from C-CAF, they've invited three from AFC and three from C-CAF).

If things go as I expect them to go, and we accept (I hope we do, but wouldn't be surprised if we don't), it'd be a repeat of the 2016 tournament, except with Qatar in place of Haiti.

And Qatar, like Haiti, is likely to finish last.

 

MLS does actually pay the salaries of these players to play for them.
Its their choice whether to release players for the Copa America or not. They almost always release players when needed, so its really not that much of an issue. They're just not going to release a player for all of the events of the 2019 spring/summer. The number of events that a player like Tyler Adams is eligible for is quite long that year (U20 CONCACAF Champions, U20 World Cup, the U23 as it starts gelling for 2020 Olympic qualification, Gold Cup, League of Nations, Copa America, friendlies, etc. etc.) If he was released for all of the events he's eligible for he'd never actually play for NYRB. So its just going to be a negotiation with clubs throughout the spring/summer of next year.

BY the way.........................if I was in charge of the USSF I'd send a U23 team to the Copa America in preparation for Olympic qualifying. That would include the stars (Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, Parks, Sargent, Weah, CCV, EPB, Carleton, etc.). I know a U23 team doesn't sound like a strong team, but in the US' current pool its a strong team. Any of those players that clubs won't release for the Copa will go to the Gold Cup instead.

 

Should? Yes. But I think Suyuntuy's point is that there is rational ground for doubt that what the USSF should do it, in fact, will do......

 

Like I said, MLS need to take a broader view of sending guys to CA/GC and turn it to their advantage. I don't think anybody would suggest we send somebody to GC prelims + KO round + CA. I was somebody who was in favor of calling up Sargent to GC in 2017 and he was eligible for U17's last year. Many US players improve a lot when they play international games because it gets them thinking a little out of the (club) box. In these cases, the international competition redounds to the advantage of the club. Getting a player called up from club also allows the club manager to skirt political issues (if any) of playing back ups and lets him develop depth.

I don't think USA fans care so much about winning CA as they do about putting on a decent showing which doesn't have to involve sending an all star team.

We don't really know if there will be a confed cup anyway so winning GC isn't important in that sense and we'd go to a playoff$$$ anyway because we won the 2017 GC.

 

Euro-based players, imo, weren't nearly as jacked for the GC'14 as they were for the Copa Centenario. TBH, I'd rather see a mainly Euro-based squad sent to the Copa, with any talent shortfalls being filled by MLS-based players. There is plenty of MLS-based talent to cover the GC.

 

It's simple for me. The Copa offers a higher standard of competition, a different opposing style of play than our players usually face and historical and challenging environments which will be of good experience.

So we send our A team.

That we won this past GC and will be in the playoff for the Copa slot at worst solidifies it.

But sure, I'd wager the USSF would prefer risking Pulisic's knees and ankles on a 108 degree evening in Frisco for the glorious USA vs Curacao matchup.

In which case he should decline.

In general I've moved to having the opinion all Euro based players should decline involvement given CONCACAF schedules the GC later than all other summer tournaments, heavily cutting into Euro preseasons. Make it a June tournament with the Final on July 4th.

 

I’m in favor of going to both. Further, I wouldn’t go strict A/B. I’d go for 2/3 A team to Copa, 1/3 to the gold Cup.

I don’t understand people who think it’s some enormous portentous decision either way. There’s a better and worse decision, but it ain’t a big deal either way.

 

There's nothing like watching the Copa America on Univision with a 6 pack of beers on a nice summer night. Gonna miss that being an ex-pat now

 

VPN, bambino. VPN.

 

No shot I’m staying up for an 8pm EST start haha

 

I hear you. I usually watch replays.

 

This is another one of those cases where the brilliant media pre maturely decided for everybody that there is no "rush" in getting new leadership bedded in at US Soccer.

In the non-fake, real world, time is needed to build trust with club managers and players (agents). A lot of spade work can be done in advance to ensure we have ideal rosters for the two tournaments.

 

In the non-fake, real world, recycled cant and management school jargon is the muzak to the public's torpor. A sleeping rube is the easiest to dupe, eh?

 

With the way USSF operates, I don't have any confidence that they will find a competent coach. If the USA wins a single match in Copa America 2019, I'll be amazed.

 

They could accidentally name a competent coach.

 

Very inaccurate. Fairies are magical, enchanted creatures that bring joy and delight via the supernatural - USSF is a bunch of dudes in expensive suits who bring tears and sadness and grinding everything into dirt and mud.