January Camp 2020

🗣 “We appreciate you being here. Thanks for supporting us.”#USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter addresses the fans prior to today’s opening training session @IMGASoccer.

👏🇺🇸👏🇺🇸👏 pic.twitter.com/lBE2iuWcrh

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) January 17, 2020

 

Funny there's a discussion on here about Bedoya without anyone mentioning the ESPN.com (maybe from ESPN FC show) from a couple days ago, (https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...bedoya-critical-of-usmnts-naive-style-of-play) (not sure this link will work).

Still critical of the US style of play, still speaking his mind. As others have said, that's why he's not on the team, and that's why he was phased out.

Agree that he could have easily provided the leadership and grit that has been lacking the last 3-4 years (that MB was supposed to be providing). But USSF has no time for contrarians.

 

It's just downright un-American to be a Contrarian. You do all agree on that, Comrades, yes?.........

 

I would have been if I had known about it.

Tried to look up the camp schedule but couldn't find it anywhere.

 

Didn’t miss much. Nice words from Gregg and Brian. Got some player hand slaps. Couldn’t really get anything from the training session except Gyasi will never have a great touch, Matt Turner’s not a bad GK and there was no way in hell Kayo belonged even close to the first team.

 

How did Cappis looked?. He is my dark horse to make it.

 

wow

 

Didn’t really stand out as bad or good. No one really did. It took me a while to even identify him. Same with Ferreira. Should have brought binos.

 

So I take it that everyone was mediocre?

 

It was training but also kind of an exhibition. I had hoped to see more drills but what we mostly saw was half ass scrimmaging. Really couldn’t take much from it. As far as fitness, unsurprisingly, Arriola looked the most match fit. My initial impression was “these don’t look like international level players and this doesn’t look like an international level training session. Given that this was my first time watching a USMNT practice, though, I figured I wasn’t being fair. Especially since it’s cupcake. Wish someone more competent could have been there and reported. I did have a good time though and Berhalter is much more personable up close.

 

Is Uly Llanez still there?

 

I heard he had to go back to Germany.

 

What are the odds the game vs Costa Rica will be broadcasted in Korea, or should I just plan on getting a watching it through VPN? I’m not even sure how to go about googling it.

 

And the mystery of Bradley's absence at camp reveals itself: He was injured in the MLS Cup @ Seattle and will be out 4 months with ankle surgery.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020...ndergo-ankle-surgery-could-be-out-four-months

 

I think that’s it for him and the USMNT. Great career and hopefully over time, he’ll be remembered for the totality of his career and not just the end. He deserves that.

 

Wishful thinking. He’s getting that caps record. He will be back.

 

Oh, you know he's not going to give up!

 

He can come back as a coach. Maybe.

 

It's been over 2 years since Couva, the perfect time for his natl team career to end. It didn't, and as recently as the last US game Stu Holden (undoubtedly under instruction from USSF) was saying he was Egg's starter at the 6.

Not sure a few months is going to make much difference (who else can hit those juicy long diagonals?), but I suppose we can all hope.

 

Lol. Like I’ve said, we shouldn’t blame him or Lovitz for competing and trying their best to get a spot. It’s the coach who picks the lineup.....

 

Lovitz had never played for the national team so I don't blame him at all. Bradley shares blame with coaches calling him up as many players internationally retire from the national to concentrate on their club career because their bodies can't hold up to the strain of playing for both anymore. Bradley must know he's not as good as he once was but he's one of those players who will never admit that maybe even to himself.

 

Holden walked that back a bit on TSS. Saying that MB doesn't, "influence the games like he used to," "building a team around him doesn't make sense anymore", "not sure the style of play the team has used with MB is the best choice". Those are paraphrases of what I heard a month ago, not direct quotes from a transcript.

Holden basically seems to not consider Adams as a candidate and compares Bradley to Yueill and Trapp. Whether he is getting this from GB or not, that is how GB has played it.

Very soft pro-USSF analysis. McBride on ESPN has basically said Adams should be the #6.

 

We are transitioning. The Howard, Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley era is ending. I have zero problem with keeping vets around.

But if Adams & McKennie can get & stay healthy, Yueill progresses, and Nagbe accepts a call, he becomes peripheral at best. As he should at this stage.

 

That's good news, and hopefully these hints are an accurate representation of the future (also, fanboi Ives didn't even have him listed on the Defensive MF rankings, and word has always been he has a direct line to the family, so maybe good news there too).

That said, the last four or five years had been like a horror movie, where the villian just won't die.