Article on MLS site says thursday only 9 players practiced, today was the intense prep session... Regardless of whether Lando & Clint play sharply on Sunday, they sure as shit weren't earlier in the week. This means they won't have touched a ball since Tuesday night. Maybe that is a good thing from a fatigue standpoint, but the real brain burner is that they're flying back east Saturday night for an early Sunday game. I know these guys are pros that travel a lot, but so do I & I can tell you that two cross-country flights in as many days makes me feel a little out of sorts at best. Throw a wedding party in there, subtract a week of training sessions, and I have to say-- they ********ing BETTER play like they're on fire, or I'll have a very hard time believing they were completely unaffected by this decision. I get that it's family, but they've chosen to be professional athletes who are *often* called on to sacrifice family time for travel and work commitments. It goes with the territory. And in this case, they're representing the nation, something most players only dream of doing. Regardless of whether LD/CD "know the system," their absence is a disservice to the rest of the team. We've got a lineup that includes a number of players who are young in terms of national team experience, and for the last tuneup before the knockout rounds, you take away the leadership and chemistry of two keys to the US attack. You can't tell me that doesn't change the dynamic of the training session. Yeah sure, "it's just the gold cup," and "at worst we miss a confed cup berth." What's the point of the national team again? Every national team game is important. Look at the impact that our showing at the confed cup made for our team's visibility, respect, and the careers of individual players. Look at the upswing of international interest in American players after that tournament. I'd certainly say the Gold Cup matters and has consequences for US Soccer going forward. That should be taken with as much seriousness as any major tournament-- *especially* because this is our backyard, and our WC qualifying opponents involved. If we bomb out of this one we'll lose in an instant a lot of the respect we've been accruing in recent years and feed the confidence of our opponents in qualifying. Does that not make sense to Bradley??? I'd love to hear an argument as to how this is going to *help* our chances of winning an important game. That should be the criteria for granting them permission to travel the night before the match.
If we have a bad result; I'm coming after them. I think it is ridiculous that they do this during a tourney. If I was in BB's position (god forbid) with my job on the line I would have said no.( And yes, I could care less about what BS has to say about what is important to women.). Do they not realize that we just lost to Panama? I have a theory that the USMNT does not match up well with sides that are more physical than them, and have a bit of skill. Guess who we are facing? The USSF should not be paying for their flights either. I want to see Messi take off of practice for a wedding during for Copa America. It would not happen. Well sooner or later we are going to have to start slowly stop depending on these guys. I prefer sooner.
I get your point, but they are not missing a week of training. On Wednesday, Landon and Clint participated in the regeneration session with the team. Then they boarded planes while the rest of the team was free to explore DC. Thursday, the players who had played the most minutes (except Howard) didn't hit the practice field; they did more generation and worked in the weightroom. Thus, they didn't touch a soccer ball either. Who's to say Landon and Clint didn't find a weight room to do their workout in just like the rest of the team? Friday, yes, there is/was an intense practice, with the whole team out there working hard. Landon and Clint did, indeed, miss that one. There is nothing comparable to substitute for it. Saturday is a scheduled walk-though and tactical discussion. I highly doubt that anything new is going to come up. I mean, since when have we changed tactics in the last, say, three years? Is there really going to be something new here that LD and Clint haven't heard and don't understand? There are things in life that happen and decisions have to be made. And you try to make the best out of whatever decisions are made. I understand this isn't an ideal situation, but I think the pictures being painted in here are overly dire and exaggerated.
Are you sure about that? After all, he got himself red carded out of the World Cup "defending" his sister's honor.
Private endeavor. Now, assuming that USSF has a time share in one of those planes/airlines, I wouldn't really care if it offered the players its own "membership" rate and coordinated the departures/arrivals but paying these fees is totally unacceptable.
So not only do these two players are going to miss practice in an important competition for two totally non emergency events but the USSF now should pay their flights to do so? Huh?
It's great their families mean so much to them, but I do think it shows that they don't take the Cup as seriously as they should, especially after their less than convincing performances against Guadalupe. Since benching them is for sure not an option, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect they'd be practicing as hard as the rest of the guys. I'm not one of those people who think everything the players do is a slam on Bradley or the USSF... just the opposite in fact, I think it's silly to assume they try to "send a message" in every little motion. That's why I would guess their purported attitude is unintentional and more about the team's mindset than it is about players intentionally showing disrespect. Again, I can't imagine this situation ever happening in another FIFA top 30 country. It says as much or more about the USA/USSF/MNT as it does about Donovan and Dempsey themselves. This is my view imo. It doesn't even have to be Zizou, would any player in the knockout rounds of the Euros (for instance) who was in the situation we are -- being expected to make it to the finals but having an unexpectedly tough time getting out of group stages -- miss out on it? I mean, can we imagine a German doing this in 2012...? Well, whatever. I hope we win comfortably and all my worrying was for naught Why am I not surprised that I checked your post history and you already posted about it in your sad little thread? Mad and obsessed, tbh, such an ugly combination.
He would miss but highly doubt his sister or family would have allowed the wedding to be scheduled for during an international tournament
I don't have a clue why the federation should pay for a trip that is totally a favor that they even be allowed to attend and it's totally personal.
Because if we are too cheap to fire a bad coach then why do we suddenly have the money to pay for flights for non-emergency personal reasons for players.
are they traveling in two separate planes? or is Donovan's plane stopping by TX to pick Dempsey up and then on the Washington DC?
Oh please. I'm sure they weren't taking it that serious when all this was pre-planned. The b-team made it to the finals last time so they probably figured it wasn't that serious. I'm pretty sure had they'd known the sorry state the squad would be in at this moment they would've asked their sister to put it off a month or so. I don't really feel like arguing about this cause it's not a huge deal to me. This team was terrible with them at training so it's not like it'll change anything anyways.
Meh. These flights are chump change. I'm sure USSF already owns the planes. Maybe Dempsey and Donovan will pay for the jet fuel.
Q: why are the ussf paying for personal flights for donovan and dempsey A: because they were both out of gas
Because they know where their bread is buttered. There is no way in hell they are leaving this up to the two best players on the team. The planes come to get them.
This is before everyone's time, but I hear tell that way back in the old days, Sandy Koufax didn't pitch in a World Series game because of a Jewish holiday. As a soccer fan, I would still say that's bigger than the Gold Cup.
And that was something that was completely out of his control as well as his faith in general is where those dates came from as opposed to someone scheduling a controlable family event. Like I said earlier Dempseys sister actually makes sense as he's in europe 10 months of the year (premier league doesn't get the month off like in germany) so no matter when she schedules its going to conflict but Donovans sister is the one that doesn't make sense to me especially being the twin sister and all (this is purely coming from the stand point as a woman who has siblings with schedules that depend on the season).
As stated before, I have no problem with them attending the wedding. I just question if it was necessary to be 5 day absence. I've been married and been in weddings. Let's be honest, on the guy side *sexist warning* there is not much to do. Since it's their sisters getting married, the maid/matron of honor are doing all the heavy lifting. If it were their brothers and they were best men, there might actually be more to do in the days proceeding the wedding. My Jobs as best man: Throw Bachelor Pick up Tuxes Keep the damn ring Keep him on schedule Give Toast the family is still mad about 18 years later. Dance with all the girls no one was asking to dance....so it was fun for folks. Keep my Grandmother from drinking too much "punch"
This I really agree with! In general if you aren't involved in the planning of the wedding you really don't need to be there for that long of a time. Those wedding rehearsals are such a waste of time for most of the people and can really be covered just by explaining what you need to do and when.