Roldan is a regular starter for the best team in MLS last season. He was regarded by most that watched the league regularly as an above average starting CM, at the very least, maybe even better than that. Hyndman? Well, I don't know. He didn't play in the Premier League (a higher level than MLS), and is playing in the SPL (a lower level than MLS). Roldan is more proven as a first team professional (over double the amount of first team appearances) and I believe he has a better skill-set. As for their YNT appearances, you see the current corruption in the system. Ramos is leaving behind many of the best U-20 players in favor of "his guys" who have made up the roster most of the cycle. Certainly you wouldn't argue that Mansaray is better than Wright, Herrera better than Cannon, Craft better than Perez? At the time of the U-20 roster being selected, Hyndman deserved to be picked for the team, but I remember that I thought Roldan did as well. Here was my post two days before the roster was selected. At the U-20 WC, I didn't like how Hyndman performed. After that, the form of both players dropped off, and you could make a good argument that neither deserved to be on the qualifying team or the home and home against Colombia team. In the past year, Roldan has been excellent. Hyndman's barely played. I'm not sure I think Ramos opinion means all that much on many fronts. I'm also not sure its really relevant who was picked over who at the youth level, given its no longer the youth level. I generally like your posts, but I just don't agree with you on this. From what I have observed, Hyndman has not been able to figure out how to play any defense in a position where you need to play some defense. I think that reflects in his performances for YNT's and his standing at his club teams the last few years. The Roldan comparisons don't even particularly matter, I was just making the point that I think Hyndman has a long way to get into the NT if a player who I think is better than him and plays a similar style of game isn't even getting into January Camp, a team that likely won't yield that many new younger players onto Arena's NT.
@ussoccer97531 I cant argue with you that Roldan is more deserving of a call up than Hyndman. I cant say he is a better player. I will say Roldan is more versatile though.
I honestly don't know what games many were watching. In the the away leg he was among the best on the pitch, IMO. In the home leg, one of the best on the US side. This is one player where opinions really vary widely, I guess.
If you didn't then you must have preferred the performances of Zelalem, Marky Delgado (decrepit, IMO) or Joel Soñora. As you know, that squad met or exceeded expectations so someone was doing something right. BTW, the other day you made the point that Lederman's lack of YNT call-ups was telling and I wholeheartedly agreed with you. Don't you think Roldan might be in the same boat. I'm not just talking about Tab's selections after all.
How he plays in those games doesn't have anything to do with whether he should've been picked (hence: my comment that Hyndman deserved to make the U-20 WC team but didn't play well). I think the reason why opinions vary so widely is because Hyndman represents a cause for some fans, in the same way Zardes represents an opposite cause. My opinion is that some fans associate Hyndman with technical ability, and think that just his sheer presence in the team will be able to make us a better possession team that has more of the ball, controls the ball better, creates more attacking chances. OTOH, Zardes for some fans represents whats wrong with our NT that a pure athlete with pretty much no attacking ability gets so much playing time. I don't think there's any right answer here. If the situation applies, people can feel like that player properly represents that category, but just like Zardes represents a negative example for a lot of fans, Hyndman represents a positive example. Whether the situation applies is up to everyone's own interpretation. You are right, someone was doing something right, but I thought it was a very similar situation to the senior NT's 2014 WC performance. The goalie, the defense, the main striker (Rubin for U-20's, Dempsey for NT) did an excellent job in getting the team to the knockout stages, but the team's ability to keep possession and create attacking chances in the highest level games along was the reason why these teams didn't advance further in these tournaments. As for why Roldan didn't get many YNT call ups, its not like he was completely ignored. He was on the radar, got called into a few U-20 camps, but the conventional wisdom was that he was peaking just a little too late to make the U-20 team, even though some of us thought he should've made the team. For the U-23's, he was in a rut at the wrong time. That happens with young players. I don't understand your argument against Roldan though. I wasn't even trying to make it a big deal about Hyndman vs. Roldan, I was just using Roldan not getting called up to Camp Cupcake to make a point about Hyndman, but you seem to be turning this into a discussion about certain leagues. What is so bad about Roldan? I'd really like to know.
That's an excellent explanation. You can lump me with the first group (although I still think Zardes can play a role, at times). I do feel like players like Hyndman (not Hyndman alone) will make us a much better team. And I suspect you do as well.
I do, but I don't feel like Hyndman is the right cause for this argument. I think he has parts in his game that limit his overall ability as a footballer. Thats only just my opinion, and people can disagree. I'm sure the players that I feel represent that type of cause aren't always the players that everyone believes represents that same cause or represents it to the degree that I think.
I've been down this rabit hole numerous times. Good luck. At least now he is stating these things as opinions rather than it was a fact that Hyndman was the worst player on our u20 WC team (pretty crazy if you just count his goals and assists and how he was an outlet for every player on the field). Throw in he has no idea what his form was after that tournament because he wasn't getting minutes and you'll recognize this as just the opposite of his posts on Agudelo, Flores, Trapp, Hamid, etc. Hyndman is obviously not the type of player he likes.
I have nothing against Roldan and I admit I got way sidetracked with the comparison. I don't usually post opinions except in PBPs or post-match threads. When I joined BS, I decided I wanted to be more of a "content provider" than a "thought leader" because opinions are so fraught with emotion, especially as pertains to Yanks playing Soccer. I am so far past violating my self-imposed rule when it comes to Hyndman, I figured I might as well go "all in." None of these arguments really matter, of course. What gets me fired up is people constantly ignoring obvious skill because they are not playing at the "right" level. It's like saying Akale sucks because he is in the Spanish third division but Delgado is great because he is in the US first division. Those comparisons mean nothing to me and get tiresome. But you are right. I got carried away. As far as wanting to turn this into a discussion about certain leagues, the exact opposite is true. I am responding to those who are trying to do that.
Other than being taller/stronger I'm not sure that Sacha is more of an athlete than Emo, who I'd give the edge to in some skill categories. It's about how far he can advance his game if he can learn to apply his skill quickly when under pressure. This Rangers loan looks good because they let him play as an 10/8. He has the ceiling to be a good player on a top team in a second tier league or maybe a mid-table club that plays it on the deck in a bigger league. How good a league is comes into play after a player has broken out as a top player. Stay too long and it's hard not to stagnate. I'll go out on a limb and say it takes longer than 90 minutes away against Motherwell.
It hasn't gotten better. A normally fairly reasonable poster just wrote that "2/3rds of the SPL are no less than Championship level." 2014-15 Championship average salary: 325k pounds 2013-14 SPL average salary of the 11 teams not named Celtic: 75k pounds
These are good points, but you should also recognize we've had starters on the national team playing at Rangers. Reyna, Boca, Beasley, Bedoya, and Edu. Performing at a high level in the SPL has been shown sufficient to contribute to the national squad in the past. I can't dispute there may have been a significant decline in recent years, but I think these other players provide a relevant data point.
Hyndman has quick feet, moves quickly into open space, and plays hard for a full 90. He is not Adu. Roldan and Hyndman are bothe good yong prospects.
I get really annoyed at this, and I really don't know what convinces you to say that there's a glorification of Scotland. It's never been my experience, and to be honest this post is surprising coming from you. Celtic and Rangers, for the foreseeable future, are more prestigious and a better springboard than any MLS side. Just look at the amount of money being spent on Celtic players over those disastrous five years. We just turned down 30 million pounds (although with a likelihood of it just being agreed for a later date) for Hyndman's old teammate. The draw against Manchester City was not celebrated like we won the world cup, it was recognized for being an incredibly entertaining match, which given the circumstance of the 7-0 blowout signaled a change in things. The loss to Lincoln City was obviously embarrassing, but MLS sides have had their fair share of CCL embarrassments as well. Plus, that was the first match with a demoralized squad from the Deila era. If you look at Celtic's results now, I don't think the same would happen. Also, much better clubs than Celtic underestimate the Kazakh sides every year. You should take a look at some of their results. The rest of the SPL is garbage, of course, but to claim that any side in MLS has currently the same amount of talent or is a better springboard to Europe than Celtic or than Rangers-of-about-2-years-from-now is simply silly. Again, for about the umpteen millionth time, supporters of both sides on this matter seem to have specifically targeted the other to be the representative of "well at least we're not as bad as that shit" kind of rhetoric. I just don't understand it.
He's on fire, another goal. Heard he's all over the field. Rangers fans absolutely love him and want to make the loan permanent.
Hey now....................... Another game, another goal for American abroad Emerson Hyndman at Glasgow Rangers. And this one is 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/AnScBI49fO— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) February 1, 2017
yea but this loan isn't about the rangers its about him getting PT and going into next year with a chance to compete for a starting spot. His injury during preseason on a new team killed him.