Now Howard Speaks: No Systemic Problems with USMNT

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by juveeer, Jan 21, 2018.

  1. juveeer

    juveeer Member+

    Aug 3, 2006
    TOAzer repped this.
  2. schrutebuck

    schrutebuck Member+

    Jul 26, 2007
    In terms of the broader critique of the US system, Howard, of course, spent 13 straight years in the UK and made 491 appearances for Everton and Manchester United, so he has first-hand experience to alternatives to the US system, and much more than the guys running for USSF President. Keller and Friedel are probably the only US national team players that made more appearances than Howard in the top divisions of the major European leagues. So Howard's opinion is interesting, but just one datapoint to toss into the pile along with everybody else.

    In terms of the specific criticism of the US team under Klinsmann and Arena, of course Howard isn't going to come out swinging, when both managers kept him on as the US starter under questionable circumstances.
     
  3. manq360

    manq360 Member+

    Jun 17, 2009
    Portland, OR
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Wow? I admit not listening to the entire interview, but if he thinks that BA did a good job of weeding out the guys less dedicated, he has a problem. In my view, this was and still is a systemic problem. Guys who had been called up repeatedly over time who did not always deserve to start were a big problem; and, this was allowed to happen through all of the stages of American soccer. Tim, please do not continue to ruin my image of you as a player by things that come out of your mouth on a public forum.
     
    Master O repped this.
  4. Ironbound

    Ironbound Member+

    Jul 1, 2009
    The hell I can't.
     
    Master O, neems, TheRightPants and 6 others repped this.
  5. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    Howard, you should have retired after the Belgium match.
     
    SCSAutism, sXeWesley, Statman and 3 others repped this.
  6. yurch10

    yurch10 Member+

    Feb 13, 2004
    Lol, obviously not reading the article or listening to anything, but this makes me chuckle.

    Like someone said above, Howard was selected as auto-starter for years past his expiry date (along with the spine of the team, MB, Gonzo, JA). What else is he gonna say? Nah, we have a bunch of issues, I was old and not very good 3 years ago, I should def not have been playing after WC14?

    What a joke. I'll tell ya what, not really paying much attention to US soccer is pretty rewarding.
     
  7. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I used to like this guy.


    Arena said the U.S. squad had "a couple of bad eggs like you have on every team," but that leaders like Howard, Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey were not among them.

    Howard said he hadn't seen that article, but revealed: "I actually thought Bruce Arena did a great job of eradicating players that weren't bought into that.

    "So if he saw it that way, I certainly trust him, and to be fair, he did a great job of coming in from day one, speaking to people he knew to get a pulse of the team, and tried to get rid of most of the guys who weren't bought in.

    "How do you change that? It's down to the manager to select the right players from a technical and quality standpoint, but also from a leadership standpoint and guys who are all in and who would die to wear that shirt.

    I guarantee Williams would have put more effort into the game at T&T than our captain did but thank goodness that type of player was gotten rid of.

    Howard has previously made anti-foreigner comments despite being a dual national himself, the son of a mother who escaped the uprising in Budapest and used his foreign passport to move to England and earn the major salaries he often liked to flaunt.

    His previous comments were bad enough that Jones spoke out against them and labelled them dangerous.

    But here he is again suggesting our 2nd class citizens aren't committed to the cause, despite our captain loafing around with our WC lives on the line and Nagbe looking one of the most disinterested players I've ever seen who himself rejected a callup so he could watch movies with his wife.

    I've become apathetic towards our program but it's quickly turning towards disliking what its become and what it stands for, with our greatest whether they're coaches, men's or women's players all beating the anti-foreigner and questioning of Americaness drum.

    Pulisic, Yedlin and Clint were the only ones really working their asses off with a ticket to Russia on the line with most all others half-assing it and Howard has the bravado to suggest Arena did a good job "eradicating players that weren't bought in"?
     
    gunnerfan7, SCSAutism, laxcoach and 12 others repped this.
  8. Anderson11

    Anderson11 Member

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What drives me nuts is the “we were a goal away” line. Do the guys spouting this realize we played ten games? Except for maybe the Honduras game where Pulisic went crazy, we looked like sh!t throughout the whole process. At no point did we look comfortable, and we almost succeeded in spite of that. We didn’t get robbed of the World Cup by being a goal short, we never deserved to go.

    If there are no systemic issues when a country as big as ours deservedly fails to qualify, then maybe we’re all wasting our time here.
     
    Master O, gunnerfan7, SCSAutism and 14 others repped this.
  9. skim172

    skim172 Member+

    Feb 20, 2013
    "All I do is drive just one foot to the left, and slow down by one mile per hour, and I don't run over and kill that small child. You can't tell me that the thirty shots of vodka and handful of pills I had before getting behind the wheel indicates any kind of systemic problem. All those people in the public, the media, the experts, the judge, criticizing me - they need to realize I was just unlucky. This is only the first time I've killed someone - nothing needs to change."

    "And my buddy Bruce who enabled my behavior and encouraged my problem drinking and was in the car with me - he really didn't deserve to get fired as my driving instructor."
     
  10. An Unpaved Road

    An Unpaved Road Member+

    Mar 22, 2006
    Club:
    --other--
    Pretty measured take from Howard. I mostly agree.
     
  11. puttputtfc

    puttputtfc Member+

    Sep 7, 1999
    My guess is Timmy will be joining the USSF for Life club. This audition went well.
     
  12. chad

    chad Member+

    Jun 24, 1999
    Manhattan Beach
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sweet!

    Arena talked to his guys who told him whom they didn't like and Arena got rid of those "bad apples" and played his guys and their approved "good apples" and we aren't playing in the WC.

    If Arena's job was to get rid of people Mike and Clint and Tim didn't like, then I guess on that metric JOB WELL DONE.
     
  13. yurch10

    yurch10 Member+

    Feb 13, 2004
    These responses are funny, and makes me happy that most are now seeing what some of us saw the past few years.

    Missing the WC was pathetic enough to pretty much make me stop watching this team. But now, every time anyone involved in the disaster opens their mouth, it simply makes it more and more pathetic.

    Howard has now turned into such a hateable player, along with Altidore (nice petulant behavior in the playoffs), Bradley (way to take responsibility), and obviously Arena.

    The last few months have really just confirmed that everyone is so freaking soft, and so freaking entitled. Many of us knew that based on the on-field performance and pathetic results, but the behavior afterwards has allowed everyone else to see it, too.

    I'm embarrassed to have called myself a fan of these individuals who were supposed to represent me and my country. Absolutely pathetic.
     
  14. tbonepat11

    tbonepat11 Member+

    Jun 21, 2001
    Tim "Near Post" Howard was part of the problem so of course he isn't going to see the issues. Also, the anti-European/pro MLS bias is strong with this one.

    Tim acting like 1 goal was the only difference is so dishonest. Being at that point against T&T means there was 2 full years of failure leading up to that point. Not 1 goal Timmy.
     
    juveeer repped this.
  15. comoesa

    comoesa Member+

    Aug 13, 2010
    Christen Press's armpit
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have no idea why a lot of the more prominent USMNT members have such apathy towards the fans.
     
    juveeer repped this.
  16. miked9

    miked9 Member+

    May 4, 2000
    Philadelphia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have a feeling that if the real story of 2012-2017 in US Soccer ever comes out, it's going to make the 98 debacle look like a walk in the park.

    There are just way too many people involved with veiled references to problems in the locker room. It's come from too many players, too many coaches, too many reporters to think otherwise.

    Honestly, I think a lot of this is one of perspective. When you ask guys like Howard about structural problems with the senior men's team, their field of vision is just on the matches, on the training, etc. From that perspective it seems like a bad run of form, which every single one of these guys has experienced with their clubs before.

    But when you're on the outside, and you look at all kinds of issues that extend beyond the immediacy of the locker room--whether it's the youth programs, or issues with the fed, or whatever--you see nothing *but* structural problems. But that's not really Tim Howard's job. Like all these guys, he's spent his whole life blocking out everything but the next play.

    It's entirely possible that the USMNT had issues with execution and chemistry, and USSF has structural problems, and both got mixed into historically bizarre situations, etc.

    just to follow up on this--I've been passionately following this team since the early 1990s. I don't think I've ever had *less* of a sense of what is going on with US Soccer, and I think that's slowly driven a big portion of our fanbase totally insane.
     
    neems, gunnerfan7, SCSAutism and 9 others repped this.
  17. vreleven

    vreleven Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Entitlement.
    Based on experience and being on the good side of those making the selections.
    I am grateful for all that they did (prior to these last two years) but its time for some of them to step aside. Accept responsibility and do like Bruce.
     
    neems, sXeWesley and chad repped this.
  18. smokarz

    smokarz Member+

    Aug 9, 2006
    Hartford, CT
    I say time for most of them to hang their boots
     
    neems, LouisianaViking07/09 and vreleven repped this.
  19. yurch10

    yurch10 Member+

    Feb 13, 2004
    Accept responsibility like Bruce? Resign days (weeks?) after the worst failure in US soccer history, rather than 5 seconds after the game ended like he should have?

    Please, please, nobody follow Bruce's lead.
     
  20. Mahtzo1

    Mahtzo1 Member+

    Jan 15, 2007
    So Cal
    based upon what you are saying (so many players etc) it is hard not to imagine something not coming out. Once one player, coach or whatever comes forward others will come forth to defend or refute. the more people involved the more likely someone will say something.
     
  21. Susaeta

    Susaeta BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 3, 2009
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The fact that Tim Howard was still starting WCQ games at 38 years old would suggest there are systemic issues with the US program.
     
  22. VBCity72

    VBCity72 Member+

    Aug 17, 2014
    Sunny San Diego
    Club:
    Plymouth Argyle FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sigh....
     
    Master O repped this.
  23. yabo

    yabo Member+

    Jun 1, 2000
    Poolesville, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My take is that there's a privileged group of players that have been the core of the team, despite the changing coaching carousel. They are good soldiers for the status quo. Depending on your point of view, they can be standup team guys, or players too bought into the system and unable to see the problem. I lean toward the later. US soccer has always had a bit of the "in" club feel.
     
    sXeWesley and Winoman repped this.
  24. Philly phan

    Philly phan Guest

    #24 Philly phan, Jan 22, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 22, 2018
    Lets try and summarize all the problems according to the posts on bigsoccer.
    1 Howard, Dempsey and Bradley told Bruce who to call in.
    2 Bruce was a bad coach and played the wrong people.
    3 the veteran players were to old.
    4 the younger player were not very good.
    5 the locker room was polarized..
    Democrats vs republicans
    Mls players vs euro players vs Mexican players.
    6 the veteran players had no competition

    I am sure most of the bigsoccer posters can come up with a few more. This is the reason that there is some merit to what Howard and Bob Bradley had to say. Innuendos and hearsay seem to dominate quite a few posts
     
    mschofield repped this.
  25. Editor In Chimp

    Editor In Chimp Member+

    Sep 7, 2008
    While I don't doubt that Arena, BB and Howard are more privy to the internal dynamics of the locker room than any of us could possibly be...much like Geoff Cameron making snarky tweets after the Arena interview a couple months ago, I find it awfully difficult to accept explanations or snark from someone directly responsible for us being "one goal away" from qualifying.

    Maybe if Howard hadn't let a 45 yard shot beat him because he was 8 yards off his line, he wouldn't have to suffer that line of questioning. The fact that he shouldn't have been starting doesn't help, either.
     
    neems, juveeer, SCSAutism and 6 others repped this.

Share This Page