Biggest concern is injuries. He can't stay fit, hamstrings etc. Sargent has to live up to the hype. Not sold on Soto. Striker pool is fine for Concacaf. Against better sides not so much...
I concur. Though even if Soto is only the best striker on a side in the 2 Bundesliga, it's not the worst thing. He's like 19. Years to improve or get chances at Bundesliga sides.
Heh. This attitude is exactly what I'm talking about. To score in just less than every other game (.40 for both) in any competition is excellent, particularly for guys that didn't always play striker. To have that rate in WC Finals is simply outstanding. It's a better rate of WC scoring than notable strikers like Henry, Higuain and Cavani, who have been iffy at the WC despite having exceptional club careers.
There are some guys who over-perform in WC's and some who under-perform. I don't see it as a negative if Rooney only has 1 WC goal. It's embarassing of course but it's not to say that Donovan is a far better player though he performed far better in those tournaments.
Well, I'm sure the English see it as a negative. Harry Kane surpassed Rooney's career WC goals total in his first tournament. The point is not to argue whether Donovan is better than Rooney -- simply to make the case that scoring in a World Cup finals is exceptionally difficult. Miro Klose had a mediocre club career but was unstoppable in the WC, for whatever reason. I don't think he's "better" than other players that haven't scored as much in WCs. My point is we have been very fortunate to have players that have performed well in World Cups.
I concur. It's never an easy predictor. Plenty of big names have failed in past tournaments. All I was saying is we rarely have consistent goalscorers for the NT above CONCACAF minnows and even then, very few of them have scored consistently in World Cups for us.
I don't agree that his best days are behind him. Just last year he was tearing up the CCL. He doesn't seem less able this year. What if anything do you think he's lost from a year or two ago?
Players are often in and out with injury. His coming in the first game of the WC is just more vivid. He's one the most capped players on Earth, so it's weird to talk about how injury prone he is. I get the feeling but 115 caps.
when was the last TIME he tore it up for the NT? That's what I meant. He's performed well over the past year or 2 in MLS but hasn't shown much for the Nats.
He scored the winner and got pulled in his first start in the GC, he was fine to good in the semi and pulled early. He was good outside of the bad miss in the final and pulled early. Before that, he had not played for the USMNT since the T&T debacle. You can't tear up anything if you aren't on the field.
that's why I said last year or 2. Jozy is effective and plays well against CONCACAF rivals but he hasn't BOSSED his opponents since summer 2013.
Hey my family friend does security at the LINC and told me that Altidore had a pretty bad stomach bug against Curacao and had to keep going to the bathroom - to which my friend had to take him to the locker room lol. I actually noticed him going into the tunnel once in the first half, so pretty wild to connect the dots lol
I mean, c’mon now. That’s just silly 🤯@JozyAltidore | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/LWfgGE7qgZ— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) July 18, 2019 There goes that man again.
Goals like that still have me wondering what if he had gone to a Ligue 1 or Serie A instead of PL back in 2013.
He has been top ten twice in MLS. The best he has ever finished in his career among top scorers was 4th in the Eredivisie. (he was 7th another year in the Eredivisie as well.)
top ten lists are quite common, but i guess if it’s Jozy we are talking about we have to find some way to shiit on him
Fair point. I guess he's def due a top 3 at one point in his career in MLS. I'm too lazy to check, but how are his assists stats for TFC and the NT?
Zardes scored what, 20 goals, in 2018? What's that worth to the USMNT if not for odd balls wonking off his ears or hips? MLS stats are fool's gold for international soccer translation.
Should we be calling in the guys who can’t score in MLS? Bold strategy that just might fix our international woes.
Okay, @jozyaltidore, okay. 🔥 #TORvCIN pic.twitter.com/y6RtUiw358— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 28, 2019 Another highlight goal.