Transfer Rumors: James Rodriguez linked with a move to MLS MLS Multiplex MLS Talking Points: USMNT players try to recover, West spots up for grabs and more Goal Jermaine Jones goes on USMNT rant LAG Confidential Could Orlando City upheaval give Leeds a boost in Cyle Larin chase? HITC Can Fire secure a return to Toyota Park in the regular season home CSN Man United: United aware of Zlatan's MLS plans ClubCall Four things keeping soccer in America down The Mercury News Typical of MSM as of late.
Funny how so many players from Costa Rica, Panama, & Honduras have given MLS credit for their development and yet MLS is reason the US team failed. Sorry folks it can't be both.
Face it folks everything that could've gone wrong did. We were too old and not good enough. What needs to change , I don't know. I am guessing more youth academies in Urban settings and more futsal training.
It will be interesting to see CONCACAF perform this summer. If 3 of 4 get to the 2nd round, it would change some minds.
Ok. First; I haven't listened to this nor do I plan to. I've read most of Gulati's and Arena's takes, and I heard Twellman's rant.......I'm good. I don't really care anymore what others may have to say. We're out. It's over. I'm done. But I'm having a hard time letting this go. And my post isn't really just about Jermaine Jones; it's about.......excuses. I've not listened to this, but I've read some of the outtakes. And apparently, it comes down to "We need a coach with international experience. We need players to push themselves in Europe." We need....." In other words, "It's not my fault!" And that seems to be all we get. Arena took responsibility. But all due respect, that's what a head coach does....even if it isn't his fault, he accepts it because that's his role. Apparently the rest of US Soccer is off the hook.
You are right. World Cup players average age is between 24-29. Even if they made the finals, these players will all be almost another year older by the time the next WC kicks off. That doesn't help when you are about to play in a young men's tournament. Chris Wondolowski (age 35) Clint Dempsey (age 35) Alejandro Bedoya (age 31) Dax McCarty (age 31) Benny Feilhaber (age 33) Michael Bradley (age 31) Graham Zusi (age 32) Geoff Cameron (age 33) Tim Ream (age 31) DaMarcus Beasley (age 36) Matt Besler (age 31) Nick Rimando (age 39) Brad Guzan (age 34) Tim Howard (age 39)...........
The USMNT failed because the USSF sucks. The U.S. has a better, deeper pool than in the past largely because of MLS. We qualified for the World Cup in 2006 and 2010, and they weren't as good as this team, but the older guys had heart and forced the door open. The current irritation don't get that they're a third rate team who are lucky to be there. Panama and Honduras aren't going to hand you shit, and if you don't step up and take it they'll roll you. MLS can't replace the leadership void in the USSF. The one thing positive that will happen that MLS will have a role in is not signing scrubs to huge contracts just because they have USMNT on their resume. They sort of took care of that problem themselves. /rant
After the USMNT was eliminated in 2006, Bruce Arena stated we either got to get our players on to European UEFA and CL teams, or improve the league, the US won't get anywhere. That was 11 years ago and not sure if it still applies or not. The league has improved and grown and many of our players are playing in Europe but the end result, at least in regards to this years qualifying round was worse.
Both coaches had choices to make and the problem was not passing the torch to future generation. Doesn't matter if they were in MLS or in a European league. They chose players that were past there time in my opinion and did not give chances for players like Miazga, Hamid, Horvath, Roldan, and more. I feel that some of these players should or could of been part of this journey to give some more youth. Howard should not of been starting he has not been good overall and Guzan I can understand, but dang it Horvath/Hamid/Gonzalez should of been playing at keeper. Beasley call up was wasted on him which could of been used on another younger lb. Some of the young players that was part of the Gold Cup that were not called up should of been given a chance to play. In the end both coaches made their choices and that's the result. I won't be blaming MLS when the MLS has been helpful to give more Americans places to play. Selection and lack of youth injection is part of the blame or most of the blame.
Its kind of a catch 22. Jurgen , Gulati and everyone involved could have used the Copa America last year as an experimental tournament but then , they may have not showed well and finished 4th. Maybe if the US entered the 2015 CA and used the same core group in that tournament as well as the Gold Cup , Centenario and Concacaf qualifying, maybe it would have been better. Klinsmann kept undermining MLS and he and then Arena stuck by their players and they ended up getting eliminated. The next Copa América is in 2019 and the US should definitely consider entering it.
Arena practically had the same lineup as the LA Galaxy when the last time he coached them and wasn’t so successful at that either . Gonzalez had no business as the starter and of the rest of the players took the T&T team for granted. They were slow and zero engergy and after first half debacle you would think they come out fighting but instead they start penning their hopes on Panama and Honduras .
No. Those things are not mutually exclusive. It is about playing time. The youth from central America are getting game time while our veterans are living high on the hog with no pressure to succeed or up their games. Do we honestly think that Bradley, Besler, Nagbe, Bedoya, etc. are our best choices? Our MLS vets aren't pressured for their positions because they start anyway. james
The knock on Klinsmann (okay one of many) is that he removed stability from the USMNT and players weren't sure what was expected of them or where they would (or if they would) play. What he should have done was use that destabilization as motivation for the vets by bringing in youth to push them. That didn't happen either. Arena went for over stabilization and played older players who were not put under pressure for playing time at all. Two extremes that both failed.
JK brought in a bunch a bunch of Europe based players and the team still under performed. You need young and hungry players.
I’m struggling with this argument too. What’s more puzzling to me is how guys who can’t regularly crack the line up in MLS play against us, Mexico and other CONCACAF teams and they become go-to players. One way to look at it is to say the coach of their national team knows how to put them in a position to succeed.
You don't think there is motivation for them to push themselves and play their best? Bradley just lost MLS Cup and their team was very dissapointed following the loss. As a team they set a goal for 2017 to never take a game off and push for the supporters shield. So both Bradley and Altidore were driven this whole season. I don't think Nagbe and Beasler are going to mail it in with the pressure to perform from their fan bases. I don't think a player playing for Vermes is going to be allowed to just stop pushing themselves. Bedoya is just over rated... Imo...
Watching the European leagues this weekend, I see amazing techniques and tactics that I rarely see in MLS or the national team. It’s not really speed or skill just the overall way to approach the game. Obviously JK mixing in his Europeans with MLS players was not a great solution. When I lived in Europe, I would watch the the local youngsters playing an noticed great players. Then I would come home and checked out our local youth teams and academies and college players. I was thinking back then that the young Americans were big, physichally strong , athletic and fast and possessed qualities I’d never seen among younger Europeans , Africans or South Americans. I would also observe the facilities and many of our local high school , junior colleges and universities were top rate. Unless you are playing at a top club in Europe, very few players and/or clubs have the luxuries of playing on the great fields and training in the huge gyms our young Americans, at least on the west coast have or are exposed to. After all these years of watching soccer grow I still have yet to see an American style. I’m trying to find out exactly what the problem or excuse is but I don’t think you can pinpoint it. I also believe just qualifying for a tournament and then crashing out in the first round or backing into the second is the answer either. We need to make improvements on every level from the youth to the pros. I’m not exactly sure though know if Sunil Gulati or whomever his replacement is , will be able to change any of that.
3 of 4 advanced in Brazil, and yet the anti-MLS brigade lights up whenever something bad happens. It's a Pavlovian response which is seemingly impossible to correct.
The difference in NA is sport culture. In Most of the world Soccer is the undisputed NUMBER 1 sport and is the big money maker. In NA you have sports that are just loved and is the money maker. NFL, NBA, NHL, Baseball, and few others. These sports are played more often in the streets and by youth compared to soccer. How often do you see a child playing soccer in a random streets. The culture of sports in NA is not about soccer and isn't helping especially those trying to get of these poor and damaged neighborhoods aren't looking as soccer as the way out. Soccer maybe the most popular for children, but most just train and go home that's it. Some children have multiple sports, but even more activities besides sports. It will take time and some stuff needs to change especially pay to play situation in NA that has got to go period.
It will be interesting to see how the CONCACAF teams perform. But about changing minds, I dunno. Last time, in Brazil, three of the four CONCACAF teams advanced to the second stage, including Costa Rica winning a group with Uruguay, Italy, & England. Did that change any minds? (that's a real question, not snark. To me, it didn't change many minds, but I probably don't talk to enough people - nor enough people with different opinions). Maybe having several world cups in a row with good CONCACAF performances would open some eyes & minds? In 2010, two of three advanced, with one group winner... Last bad performance was 2006, only one of four advanced, the other three all finished bottom of their groups.