US U-20s fail to get out of Dallas Cup U-19 Supergroup group stage (Monterrey 1-0W, Fulham 2-1L, Hoffenheim 3-3D).
I really like hating on Klinsmann, but I don't expect a group of kids who have only trained together for 3 weeks to beat teams with kids that have been playing together since they were 12. Even if you have quality, knowing your teammates almost always rules. I remember playing with a select group of guys against a women's college team that practiced with each other every day and they easily held their own based on positional sense and communication. Now tonight might be the perfect evening judge Jurgen... honestly, I'm worried.
i'm worried as well. if we don't make the olympics...again....there has to be serious action taken with in the organization, not just serious questions asked
I'm not very worried about this round of senior qualifying (I expect at least 4 points this pair of Guate games and 1st in group), what I am worried about is when the competitions cycle back around to stuff that is the level where we struggled last year: Copa America, Hex. I am also concerned at the erosion of competitiveness at U-23 and U-20. Fulham is a mediocre second division team these days, and I say that as a fan. I get the advantages of cohesion and chemistry, but that wasn't exactly ManU or Barca Academy. It's age group players who can't make Fulham's first team....and who have chosen to come up with Fulham knowing its current pecking order spot. And out of those 3 teams -- Monterrey and Hoffenheim -- you lose to Fulham? I'm also concerned at about every level we seem to struggle for defense.
If I recall, Fulham's youth academy is one the best in the country. They typically make the late stages of the youth FA cup, and I think they have made it to the semi finals too a few times. Youth soccer in England is strange. You typically end up with Chelsea vs. Blackburn in the youth cup finals even though Blackburn's first team might be a division or two down. Translating that success to the first team is completely different, typically because these players are sold off. Also, I think in the UK, as a youth you can only play for teams within a ~10 mile radius (I've heard this from a few people, not sure how true it is). Fulham is in a very rich area with lots of money for great coaches. The Man Utd academy and Chelsea also have to live by this 10 mile rule, however they are so rich they move families into the area, wait a year for proper citizenship and then the kid can play. Either way, I'm not too shocked. I think one of the biggest problem in the US soccer system is having coaches move up with their kids when they might be the perfect U12 coach. In the UK, if you're a good U12 coach, you coach U12s, you don't move up. Moving up to other ages stunts the player's growth since they might not be properly challenged and hurts those that could have used the better coaching
I'm going to judge Klinnsman on the senior team results only. Not anything else, because really that should be his main focus. We just aren't there yet, when it comes to developing players, and that is not JK's fault, but the fault of our culture. The only way that JK could use his influence for good in development is to look elsewhere besides the pay to play academies. There are probably some youth out there with potential of Aguero, or Suarez, or Xavi, but they aren't in the pay to play system.
Is the Dynamo youth system pay to play? or does the club cover the cost (tournament fees, coaches, equipment, maybe even extreme travel etc.) ?
Jurgen is in charge of the youth teams so he should be judged on their results (both on the field and how players move up the ladder and have an impact). He built his platform on youth so holding him to that is only fair.
I see what you're saying. It's a vicious cycle. Part of the development of the players are the tournaments, so not being in the Olympics for so long is a detriment to development. He may be in charge of the whole program, and responsible, but he cannot develop the youth. That has to come from the parents, and then be discovered. I'm concerned about how he selects his teams at the senior level, and their lack of style. He has not improved the team, but then again, there has not been another Landon, Dempsey, or Cherundolo stepping up.
Don't buy they are the great youth team of all of England: http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/...r-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/...r-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL In both cases CFC looks to have a better team. Chelsea, Fulham, and QPR were all within about 2 miles of where I lived in London, maybe 4 miles' radius. [The sheer amount of teams in a space boggles the mind.] I think it is a ritzy area with lots of transportation links that would make it easy to access London players. I also get they are the third best of the SW London teams and have been for about 3 years now. But they are not some big system team like Swansea. They might be more cohesive and drilled a unit than a short-camp national team, but we should have a much higher talent level. FWIW we finished 3rd in the group, behind Monterrey also: http://events.gotsport.com/events/results.aspx?EventID=46207&GroupID=448078&Gender=Boys&Age=19 Sorry, I am underwhelmed.
Yeah but that wanders back to youth development informing senior development, which is why I worry when we can't even get out of a Dallas Cup group stage. When Bradenton was dominating the process you got Landon and Beasley type players and a more competitive U-20/U-17 set of teams. When you talk about Landons stepping up. I think some of that is the development function is being delegated more to the pro clubs signing the best at 16-18. But we need to work on our end because the age group teams seem to be losing the plot, and worse, to me, they have issues at the same places we want the senior team fixed/replenished. For example, I'd be grooming some darned defenders. They gave up 5 goals in 3 games in Dallas Cup. Either there is a style flaw to JK's concepts -- we do seem to give up a lot of goals including late in games when frenetic running seems to take a toll -- or the sort of players he is identifying are not prepared to be stoppers.
JK is not just senior coach, he is also technical director, is involved in youth team selections, often picks youth team players for senior duty to test them for youth teams, part of his sales pitch was a broader top down change in style. He's not just a game manager who selects the first team. I could understand when maybe Bradenton played however their crop of players were suited, and then the seniors adopted whatever tactics Arena or Bradley wanted. But the whole point was supposed to be we were going to veer from athleticism and counter-punch tactics, as a whole system, toward more technical players and a passing style. Is it working?
Not to mention no one should be up in arms over U15 results. At that level it's all about learning and progressing up the Academy system. U17 and U18 should start worrying about results.
Based upon the last 9 matches that the senior side has played, I am done with Klinsmann. US Soccer needs to make a change right now, before we lose another important qualifier. We squeaked in last time, and now I am concerned that we won't this time.
there is zero excuse for that garbage last night. except some how, the euro snob found a way to not take responsibility and blame the players. 6 of the 11 starters where playing out of position. how is that not on the coach? its time for some one to stand up to colonel klink and either set him straight or let him go.
It hasn't been all doom and gloom, and there has been some good results, but it has been going downhill at a time where I expect to see improvement finally. Time for change.
After watching the USA v Columbia Olympic Qualifying match I'm scared for our future. Apparently they don't play D at that level either. I'm not sure how Columbia didn't run them out of the stadium. Why does Frisco get the second leg and not BBVA?