Altidore not in squad for Mexico friendly?

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by GoHawks4, Jan 25, 2008.

  1. GoHawks4

    GoHawks4 Member

    Apr 24, 2002
    Chicago
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is this just because of U-23 duty or some other reason?
     
  2. mike4066

    mike4066 Member+

    Jun 30, 2007
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Answered your own question.
     
  3. GoHawks4

    GoHawks4 Member

    Apr 24, 2002
    Chicago
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Cool, thanks. I was worried that he picked up a knock or something.
     
  4. mike4066

    mike4066 Member+

    Jun 30, 2007
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    BTW Jozy said in his blog (sorry don't have a link but it was mentioned in another thread here) that he might get called in for the game by BB.
     
  5. maturin

    maturin Member

    Jun 8, 2004
    This is outrageous. Jozy can help the big boys now. There's no reason he needs to be left down on the farm. I'm so glad that we'll be seeing Twellman up top again instead of Jozy. :rolleyes:
     
  6. Super White Boy

    Super White Boy New Member

    Mar 6, 2005
    Gaithersburg, MD
    He's getting ready for the Olympic Qualifying tournament with the U-23's.

    http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_4947972.html
     
  7. Altidore_Adu_Fan

    Sep 30, 2007
    Hammond In
    I Would Rather Play With 10 And Let Twellman Be The WaterBoy
     
  8. sregis

    sregis Member

    Nov 5, 1999
    Hoboken, USA
     
  9. maturin

    maturin Member

    Jun 8, 2004
    Beating Mexico is more important than the Olympics. Our best players should be playing for our best team. If BB wanted to play a game to test out people other than our best players, he should have scheduled a team other than our biggest rival.
     
  10. Heathens '87

    Heathens '87 Member

    United States
    Mar 4, 2004
    Michigan
    Club:
    RSC Anderlecht
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'd hope the days where the Mexican NT is the benchmark for our success are long since gone. It's a friendly against a rival.....great. Let's bring a team comparable to the talent they're bringing and let's win a good spirited match that builds a squad for what's truly important - tournament play.

    I wouldn't put the Olympics anywhere near World Cup qualifying or the World Cup itself. I wouldn't even put it above the Gold Cup or the Confederations Cup as those are tournaments for the full USMNT. But the Olympics and the U-23 concept are critical to the future of our program by building a deep and experienced pool of players to draw from down the line.

    If Altidore is wanted for the Mexico friendly, that's a call Bradley can make. But in terms of where he should be training and where his US focus should be through August, the Olympics is it for Jozy...........
     
  11. sregis

    sregis Member

    Nov 5, 1999
    Hoboken, USA
    i don't think anyone's saying he shouldn't be on the olympic team.
     
  12. Heathens '87

    Heathens '87 Member

    United States
    Mar 4, 2004
    Michigan
    Club:
    RSC Anderlecht
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's not the point. Blackjack said he thought the Mexico friendly was more important than the Olympics. I disagreed. How about you?!
     
  13. sregis

    sregis Member

    Nov 5, 1999
    Hoboken, USA
    of course the mexico game itself is not more important. what the point should be is that he can easily do both.
     
  14. Heathens '87

    Heathens '87 Member

    United States
    Mar 4, 2004
    Michigan
    Club:
    RSC Anderlecht
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well we agree then. But I'm pretty sure that he can't do double-duty in training camp so Nowak and Bradley had to talk about where he needs to be right now, what's likely coming down the road in terms of U-23 qualifying, the Olympics, USMNT qualifying, and various friendlies for both squads. I'm also sure they've had conversations with the NY club about their role and rights.

    Maybe Bradley will bring him in for the Mexico game itself. It'd be nice to see him on the pitch in the game. But for 2008, we shouldn't freak out every time Jozy is in the U-23 camp or even if he misses a senior squad game while focusing on the Olympics......
     
  15. sregis

    sregis Member

    Nov 5, 1999
    Hoboken, USA
    this is all i'm saying. the thread's entitled "altidore not in squad for mexico?" i'm just saying there's no good reason he can't play in that game.
     
  16. zeusbrowne

    zeusbrowne New Member

    Dec 12, 2006
    West Orange, NJ
    All of you need to untwist your panties. Jozy is training with the U-23's but will likely be called in for the Mexico game along with the Euro reinforcements..

    Link to Jozy's blog. http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/jozy-altidore-all-soccer-all-the-time/

     
  17. toddk15

    toddk15 Guest

    Question, will there be any WC qualifiers during the Olympics? Because that presents a huge problem when you look at the amount of U-23 players the senior team depends or is hoping to depend on.
     
  18. Heathens '87

    Heathens '87 Member

    United States
    Mar 4, 2004
    Michigan
    Club:
    RSC Anderlecht
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Once Nowak pulls his final group together, so yes, we will have some U-23 players that are unavailable for the Dominica/Barbados game in June and for the first semi-final game on August 20, which is within the Olympics time frame (August 8-24). This is why Bradley is looking at a lot of players as you need a deep pool for a long qualifying campaign.........
     
  19. maturin

    maturin Member

    Jun 8, 2004
    How can you say that preparing for Olympic qualifying is more important than beating Mexico? The U-23s exist to train players who might be useful to us down the road, not to take players away who are already useful. Once a guy is good enough to help the first team, there's no reason he should miss time to train with players who aren't yet good enough to do that.
     
  20. mcnaulty21

    mcnaulty21 Member

    Feb 6, 2007
    Wisconsin
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, considering we didn't get out of qualifiers for the Olympics last go around, I'd say it isn't something we should take for granted.
     
  21. maturin

    maturin Member

    Jun 8, 2004
    But if you ask me if I'd rather have us qualify for the Olympics or beat Mexico, it's beating Mexico 100 times out of 100. The U-23s are nice, but they exist to serve the main team, not to do anything on their own. Come on, it's Mexico!

    Really, the whole problem could have been avoided if we'd been sensible and scheduled a game against anybody besides Mexico. But playing them mandates that we do whatever we can to beat them. If it were Honduras or Canada or Ecuador, none of this would matter.
     
  22. Heathens '87

    Heathens '87 Member

    United States
    Mar 4, 2004
    Michigan
    Club:
    RSC Anderlecht
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Easily..........;)

    I believe the focus of the USMNT should be on the World Cup, and everything else needs to serve that goal. Friendlies against Mexico are entertaining, full of passion and rivalry, and they're always fun to win. But they still have to serve the larger purpose. Altidore needs to be where his development will best be served, with the eye on South Africa, not a friendly against Mexico.

    He's in the right camp and my guess is he'll be a reserve for the game against Mexico and will be a second-half sub. I just don't put much weight into viewing a win over Mexico as a priority for the program anymore. We've established that we're the best team in CONCACAF. Bigger fish to fry and yeah, preparing for the Olympics is a higher priority than preparing for the upcoming friendly.........
     
  23. maturin

    maturin Member

    Jun 8, 2004
    A rivalry is about more than just establishing that you are better than the other team. We are better, we have proven it. The essence of a rivalry is that every time you play, the past is set aside, the future is set aside, all doubts are set aside, and you do anything you can to beat those scumballs. We could win the next 50 Gold Cups, but any time we lose to Mexico will be incredibly painful. It seems like some of you just don't agree. The fact that this is Mexico trumps all concerns about the Olympics and the development of the U-23 team. They will be just fine without Jozy. He's shown and the team has shown that he needs to be with the big boys now.
     
  24. sregis

    sregis Member

    Nov 5, 1999
    Hoboken, USA
    this is where we differ. i think the olympics are a more than valid pursuit...especially this year w/ the talent we have. this is a team that can legitimately medal for the first time. but again, jozy can likely do both.
     
  25. fuzzyBunny

    fuzzyBunny Member

    Aug 24, 1999
    Palo Alto CA
    I think, to a man, we can all agree that Olympic soccer is not as important as World Cup soccer. But, I tell you, this is not the same view point held by the vast, unwashed, unknowing, soccer-ignorant U.S population.

    Whatever effect we would get in this country if the Men won the World Cup. We would get 80% of that if the Men won gold in the Olympics.

    The unwashed will not know that it is U-23 or that it is not taken seriously in Europe. But it will make heros of Adu, Altidore, Holden, Bradley or Arturo Alvarez.

    It's very likely that "the great soccer leap forward" will occur by going far in the Olympics as opposed to going far in the World Cup. Assuming we qualify.
     

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