USMNT Chief Scout Thomas Rongen: Messi's "lack of high soccer IQ makes him average w Argentina"

You left out that he was hired and fired by the Tampa Bay Rowdies prior to Da Bruce hiring his sorry azzz back for USS.

Don't think he even lasted a season. However he did bring in Freddy Adu to Tampa and gave him One More Chance.

 

Is now a good time to mention Richie Williams was actually a better hire than Kenny Arena, also on Arena's staff.

The good old boys network is so closely tied even family members are chosen.

 

He is a charter member of the Bruce GOB Club.

 

This is what you get when you leave the same people in place for 12+ years without accountability:



Imagine what Sunil and the gang can accomplish with another 12 years!

 

Frankly, the position needs to be split. Sunil for all of his faults has been good on the business side of USS, which is important.

But you also need someone with equal status on the soccer side of things. Something we haven't had since, well, Fricker I guess. But we need that now.

 

Well sure,but who would hire the soccer person?Sunil is 1 for 3,and the 1 was an interim who stayed for 5 years.

 

No, there is no good rationale for keeping Sunil on in any capacity. He is as much a beneficiary of the natural growth of the sport as a catalyst for it, he’s already got a full time corrupt gig on the FIFA exco, it is way past time to part ways.

 

Wait nobody thinks this is just plain funny? It's classic Rongen! And that guy knows a ton about soccer.

But who says Messi has a low soccer IQ. Who says to Subotic "you're nothing special?"

A ********ing Dutchman, that's who. It's cliche ********ing Dutch behavior and mentality. That we imported, acknowledging we don't know everything.

Why do you think he sounds like Cruyff, ye who quote Cruyff above?

That's not American arrogance you ********ing morons.

 

Hilarious. I betcha Claudio Reyna is one of Bruce's biggest fans. And visa-versa.

 

No wait. Jurgen Klinsmann was one arrogant ******** that's for sure. But how was Jurgen Klinsmann's arrogance an example of Rongen's arrogance? How was Jurgen Klinsmann's arrogance an example of American arrogance? How was Jurgen Klinsmann's arrogance an example of US Soccer's arrogance?

That we ever hired this German guy, that we fired Bob Bradley to do it, that we paid him handsomely to take control of everything, that we let him hire unqualified German and Austrian dudes for his most important jobs, that we watched him make an example and exile of our greatest-ever player, then take German 4th division children to the World Cup instead, and didn't fire his ass, watched his US team get humiliated playing minnow soccer, put him on a podium so he could regularly insult American soccer and our players, REHIRED him then struggled to fire him as again and again he set up "must accomplish" scenarios and failed us mightily, putting us in a shithole for World Cup qualifying...

How's this American "arrogancy" again?

 

Also, I have no problem believing that Chad Marshall was as good or better than Nevin Subotic at some particular juncture in their respective youth careers.

And just because it doesn't work, or that some guy came good, doesn't mean he didn't need honest criticism or a kick in the pants. It could have been exactly what Subotic needed to become great. Who knows?

Also... IMO, Chad Marshall should have had more of an international career. He's really good.

 

I didn't mention arrogance. Just that Messi's "soccer IQ" in that game against us looked fine to me.

 

You need to relax and take a deep breath. Yell at OP don't yell at us.

 

Your arrogance and attitude helped secure our 5th place finish in a region full of third world countries. Thanks SuperSunil.

 

These are the best and brightest soccer minds in the world. How dare you. Don't you know about Bruce's record at the University of Virginia and American Premier League aka MLS. We dare not question this footballing genius and his decisions. We are just peons.

 

This is how smart we are. All of the great coaches in the world, we import European's dumbest to lead our charge. Rongen played for a semi-pro team in Holland and moved here to play NASL. His qualifications were "He's Dutch."

Rongen couldn't get picked up to manage a third tier team over there if he sent in his resume. That makes him a perfect fit for MLS.

You're out to lunch.

 

So we not only take the players other NTs don't really want, we also take the discarded coaches. Dang.

 

Well,yes. You think JuerK would have come here if he'd done well at Bayern?

 

Yeah, you're exactly right about that IMO.

 

You're right, I apologize. I just thought the Rongen stuff was really funny. He obviously has met his limitations as a coach but by my take he's pretty great scout / assistant coach material. Lots of soccer passion, great experience, completely reliable character and viewpoint, dedicated worker, fun guy + strong, bluntly expressed opinions. Not a sycophant or a tough read.

Anyway, I'm just as frustrated as the rest of you and it helps to blow off some steam right? And have a laugh with/at Rongen.

 

For saying Rongen knows a ton about soccer? Or for defending in, any way, somebody who'd say Messi has a low soccer IQ?

Anyway, I know I shouldn't type this but great player does not equal great coach. Rongen is probably as good a coach as Pele, Maradona and George Best put together.

And just because the US haven't won everything and we don't play like peak Barcelona - or even, like Holland, have failed to qualify for a World Cup - doesn't mean everyone who's touched the program or is part of the institution is garbage.

It just feels like it, I grant you.

 

Messi is a great dribbler, never as good as Maradona, Pele, Fat Ronaldo, prob not even better than Jorge Gonzalez.

A top 10 in his best day, very overrated, not I’m not kidding.

 

All good dude. I am sure a case for competency could be made for all the coaches, administrators, assistants, USSF presidents and other dignitaries we are railing against now. That they are or were or could be at some point be worthy of their positions within the US Soccer framework, Rongen included. Every one of these people are probably great on a personal level, have families, love puppies, etc.

It is however and absolute fact that most have been in their positions, or associated positions far too long, the recycling and cronyism of the same people, coupled with the arrogance they have exuded while leading us to an absolute, unjustifiable and unmitigated disaster in not qualifying, means they should lose their jobs, be criticized and suffer the ultimate indignity, their own Big Soccer threads, in shame.

Now someone show me the way to the Richie Williams thread, I am bringing the torches!

 

This is what infuriates me the most regarding Bruce and Sunil's comments about not needing any change just because we finished a few inches wide.

Our systemic issues are so much more than that one snapshot. The missed qualification was just a symptom of a larger failure by Klinnsman, Arena, and Sunil to clean house across the board.

Too few scouts, ineffective scouts
No accountability in coaching
MLS nowhere close to an international standard league
Closed leagues at all levels - nobody has to earn anything
Youth soccer in disarray with seperate factions attacking each other (us youth vs us club, odp vs pdp, ecnl vs da, hs soccer vs da, etc)
College soccer is an issue, with no improvement in sight
Country club atmosphere at us soccer
etc. etc.

Girls side may actually be worse but the world game hasn't caught up enough to consistently overcome the immense advantages we have in female soccer athletes. There are scouts and youth team coaches on the girls side who have never successfully coached anybody out of a paper bag, much less a competent soccer team. Mark Carr has not had any success anywhere, ever. Yet, he is your uswnt u17 head coach.

 

My powers are vast.