U-20s CONCACAF Championship/U20 WCQs

Thanks for the great analysis, but I disagree with it, especially the bolded part. I think in soccer, especially women soccer, speed is much more important than size. And Leroux has both world class speed and decent size, and her finishing is as deadly as any women soccer player I have ever seen (and that is the rarest of all trait in soccer). If I were to compare US women with US men, it would be something like this:

Wamback = McBride

Kai = Eddie Johnson

Cheney = Connor Casey or Brian Ching

Leroux = Charlie Davies

 

I don't think you can compare LeRoux to some other "flashy" players who have been mentioned (i.e. Rodriguez)...She plays with a lot more passion than flashy players, in ALL aspects of her game. The flashy players are typically driven by their ability to create and don't devote as much time to their total game. LeRoux was running players down, chasing down balls to the endline, etc. Even though she is a flashy player, her mentality is like a blue-chip player. I've never seen Noguiera or Rodriguez play the consistent defense that LeRoux played throughout the entire u-20s. The others play defense, but LeRoux plays at a different level, which separates her from some others. I don't think with the determination displayed that she would not work extremely hard to break into the WNT.

As far as Cheney and LeRoux, LeRoux offers something rare, while Cheney, although talented, is a typical American striker. She doesn't provide as much of a varied attack as LeRoux.

 

What part of "all other things being equal" do you not understand?

 

i really have no problem with this either. i just hoped that she could go right into the wps for example. because i think she is ready for it. more ready than some of the people who were drafted this year.

 

If Jessica McDonald has a good couple of seasons, and the league looks like it is here to stay, I fully expect that we'll begin to see the odd womens player "go pro" instead of going to (or finishing) college. Especially those getting national team call-ups. The amateurs can't take the bonus payments from playing the Olympics or World Cup.

I doubt we'll ever see the numbers we get in men's soccer, but it will likely become just another part of the landscape of women's soccer.

One thing that would probably pry a few players out early is if WPS had a program similar to the Generation Adidas (formerly Nike Pro-40) program of MLS's that covers the cost of college (to a point) for players who fore-go college eligibility.

 

I'm not so sure about the women, even if WPS stays around for a long time at good pay levels. The NCAA right now is one of the best training grounds for players just short of national team level. It is one of the, if not the, best training grounds for players just short of WPS and other nations' professional team levels for those few nations that have real professional women's soccer.

For men's soccer, the situation is completely different. NCAA men's soccer is several tiers below the highest professional league level, much less World Cup level soccer.

Staying four years in college for men is not a pathway to a professional career or to making the national team. For women, it is. A lot of that has to do with where US men's soccer is within the evolutionary path of men's soccer (not very highly evolved) vs where US women's soccer is within the evolutionary path of women's soccer (very highly evolved). The two don't make for good comparisons.

If there were tons of money in women's professional soccer, then the one thing that might drive college women to leave early would be fear of injuries before the big pay day. That's a long way off.

 

So... Jessica McDonald isn't coming out early?

I thought I put in plenty of qualifiers indicating that I never expected the women's game to be like the men's game.

However, international calibre players who are currently passing up decent paychecks from sponsors and the USSF, may - combined with the allure of WPS - decide that the pro environment is better for them.

That's a whole lot different than say, Chance Myers.

 

She's no Marta, nobody is. But she's the best the US has at this time. I'll take Leroux over any other US forward right now to partner with Wambach. She has the best first touch off a pass from any US player I've seen in a long time, maybe ever. The US attack against their friendly with Germany was not a joke because they really had no attack - zero. They looked pathetic in front, hidden only by the fact that US defense with Mitts and Chalupny got totally abused and run out off the pitch. She doesn't need WPS to help the US. She's very good now. Calling Leroux a runner is really funny. Have you seen the US forwards lately, they can't even do that.

 

My contention is that the problem with our current group of forwards is themselves, but - frankly - with Abby. We didn't have any trouble at the Olympics.

The problem with the team is that when Abby is on the field, they tend to play Abby-ball. Dump the ball to Abby and hope she knocks it down to someone or creates something herself.

When Abby isn't in the game, our players actually, you know, play soccer - and try to create opportunities.

The Olympics was a bit of an eye opener. If we fall back into the trap of Abby-ball, we'll lose the next World Cup, too. If we learn to play a more complete game with Abby, then nobody else will have a chance.

The Canada game last fall in Charleston was interesting. For about 70 minutes, we played Abby-ball, and it was ugly. Then Pia sent in a bunch of the youngsters (Heath, Nairn, etc...) and suddenly - even with Abby - the team started moving the ball from side to side, players were overlapping and running off the ball, and the U.S. was running rampant. It was beautful.

Leroux definitely has talent, but so do the current crop of WNT regulars. I think it's less "let's find someone to play off of Abby" than "how do we keep Abby on the field, and not focus on just getting the ball to Abby?".

 

Based on the last Germany friendly, the US is not in the same class as the Germans. It's the most sorry US performance I've seen, ever. Bajramaj was running through unmolested where she wants, whenever she wants. The US midfield gets pressured and coughs up the ball way too easily. They need people like Sidney who can actually handle bad passes. They couldn't string two passes together beyond the center circle, they badly need new blood, technical players like Leroux, Morgan, DiMartino, Mewis. I'm not impressed by Nairn. But the most important thing for the US is to find a right back who can deal with Bajramaj. Chalupny also showed she's very attackable on the left side stumbling all over the place as well. The last Olympics may as well been 20 years ago. How the Germans manhandled the US was SHOCKING.

 

Just FYI, if you missed it: Alex Morgan is currently out for God knows how long with some sort of hamstring injury.

In any case, even as a Cal fan I think Morgan might not be physically ready for the senior team level. While she is obviously not as fragile as she looks, she is far too easily pushed off the ball, or simply too easily pushed over in general.

 

I didn't see that game. How many goals did the Germans win by?

 

You can watch the game here, all the 10 parts are to the right:

http://www.youtube.com/user/oliveirav09#p/u/9/czlXVPVvNX0

The US were thoroughly dominated in that match. I think that talent wise right at this moment, Germany and Brazil have already passed the US, but I am optimistic when looking at the future. With the very talented younger generation that are coming up and the WPS helping nurturing those talents, hopefully we will regain that edge.

 

i thought the question was rhetorical.

the game is played with both attack and defense.

the u.s. was terrible in attack in that game. but i hesitate to use it as a yardstick. one of the reasons germany attacked so successfully down the flanks was that the germans never had to worry one iota about playing defense going the other way. no rapinoe on the left, and o'reilly on the right having to worry about helping mitts who i don't think was completely healthy and fit.

i suspect that that's a problem that can be solved.

 

Chalupny, Mitts and Rodriguez are SMURFS compared to Leroux, DeMartino, and Mewis. They don't have to use Sidney as a forward. She's no one trick pony. She can play in the wings. O'Reilly looks useless, maybe it's time they try her at RB. Use DiMartino at LB and move Chalupny to MF where she belongs. The Germans didn't dismantle the US by physical strength the way the old Canadian teams used to play the US. They did it by pressure. Easily picking off US kick and hope passes. It worked because the US players have lousy technique. DiMartino, Leroux and Mewis can actually move the ball in traffic unlike most of those bums who played in Germany. I just hope the girls play very well in Germany this summer so Pia would be forced to use them.

 

The German defenders stayed home and played defense the whole time. They didn't even bother attacking. One thing is for sure, the Germans will never move Bajramaj to the right in a real game they way they did later on. I'd rather see that kid Dunn from the the U-20s or O'Reilly with zero experience playinng RB for the US than Mitts. She's completely useless.

 

Instead of looking to the current crop of U20s (I agree with kool-aide; they're just not ready), how about the group before them? Becky Edwards, Meghan Klingenberg, Nikki Marshall, Lauren Fowlkes, Kiersten Dallstream... etc.

As for Victoria DiMartino, I feel her strengths are at forward. Period. I winced when I heard that she was playing left back. She committed herself entirely to attacking, it is true, but her tracking back was iffy; thank God for Crystal Dunn. As a finisher, she is much better than her older sisters, but IMHO Christina and Gina move the ball better in traffic than she does.

 

Yes I agree, there are some very talented players in that previous World Champion U-20 group that we should call up before this group (including Leroux and Nairn). I thought overall, that group was much more talented than this group. I love the way that group moved the ball and tried to play possession soccer.

As for left back, Meghan Klingenberg is a very good player, offensively and defensively better than the forward converted Victoria DiMartino at this moment. For the future, I hope she is permanently converted to left back if she ever want to play for the full national team because she isn't good enough as a forward.

 

A couple of non-rhetorical questions:

1. How do the ages of the previous U-20 group, when they played the World Cup, compare with the ages now of the current group? Does the difference in level of play have something to do with where the current group is in the pre-World Cup cycle?

2. No criticism of anyone intended, but does the difference in coaching staff have anything to do with the difference in level of play?

I'm wondering about these questions because I too noticed a big difference between the earlier group and this group.

 

Comparing players and coaches is for God and time.

 

again, i accept that as your opinion.

i just disagree.

pia has to decide if mitts is back to full health, and when she is back to full health, if she has lost a step. but when healthy, and if she has not lost a step, she is one of the best right backs in the world.

 

actually, i liked both dunn - critical speed in covering quick forwards and in cleaning up other defenders' mistakes, and toni pressley who plays left back for florida state, but did an outstanding job in the center. she won everything in the air except for that inexplicable lapse at the end of the first mexico game, and her left leg is comparable to whitehill's right for long freekicks.

i think both are worthy of later looks.