I did too....but only because I woke up family members with the racket I was making. This insanity had to be seen to be believed.
No, they're very good. Just remember these are U20 guys. Can't expect to see the same quality you see with the 'adult' teams.
The one major negative I have, and since I say this when we win, it's important to say it when we lose is that we were outplayed in our three matches against quality sides (Ukraine, Colombia and Serbia). We clearly could have beaten all 3, but injuries and player selection hurt us in all 3 matches, and so perhaps we shouldn't rave too much about how close we came to the semi's. Who'd we actually outplay? Myanmar, and New Zealand. We play tougher competition in hex qualifying than that. I'll take the positive of knowing this player pool is terrific in terms of potential senior squad level talent, and the 17's behind it appear to be even better. But the actual accomplishment in terms of how deep into the tournament was great, but camouflaged the reality that we didn't really outplay anyone of consequence in it. Reminds me of Argentina's run to the final a year ago, or Brazil's run to the semi's. Between the two of them they beat virtually nobody of consequence, save for the matches they were outplayed in and won (Brazil vs Chile and Colombia), or the matches where they were clearly playing an exhausted team (Argentina vs Belgium, and the Netherlands).
They don't seem to realize the bigger picture. They seem afraid that we might've won this tournament. Whether or not we won a nerves contest, beat powerhouse Mali and then beat whoever would've awaited in the final doesn't change that this cycle has some pretty good players. Some of these players might be players that their NT might be worrying about for the next 10-20 years. I think there is more talent than two years ago or four years ago or six years ago.
Any success of this U20 team is in spite of Ramos. It was blow to lose Canouse before the tournament but handing that role to Delgado is an utter mystery. I think Delgado may still be a good player but he is pretty far from an in-form player on this team. It was hard press to find how many minutes he logged before this tournament. I find the DM role extra critical for the success of the team. You so needed that connection from the backline to Hyndman and Zelalem. Allowing them to play deeper into the opposition's final third. Sonora, Ramos bailed on him fast. If that was all the faith you had in him, I would of rather had a hot Amando Moreno or an fresh from injury Gall for 15 min.
all of our forwards were injured, we didn't have any forwards to sub on for Thompson or Rubin even if we'd wanted too.
FFS, watching some of the pathetic PK attempts made me vomit. Who the f#ck is coaching these kids? Really, that the best you can do, the slow boat stutter step? After the first US attempt, I knew we we were going down. Christ, the Serb bench must have been laughing their @sses off. Who da f00k taught him that stellar techique?
I blame Rubin more than the others but I completely agree. Pick a side of the net, step up and blast it. If the keeper saves it, so be it. If you hit it high or wide, so be it. I can live with any of that. I can't live with the tricky footing rolling into weakly hitting a shot that can be easily saved. I realize most of these guys were 10-12 when Zidane hit the chip shot PK in the World Cup final....you're not ********ing Zidane.
Glad to see I'm not alone on The Delgado situation, I agree he was ou weakest link and I don't think Sonora would have played any worst.
Unless people were under the belief that some of these attackers are better than they actually are, this tournament was always going to be about who steps up and pitches in offensively to help out Rubio. Arriola did. Those two played really well, and you could see how hard they worked in this tournament by how much they had left towards the end of this game. Their bodies physically just didn't let them to go much further. There weren't enough offensive contributions. We can blame it on whatever we want, whether thats injuries, suspensions, player selection, but we got what we deserved. Defense wins championships, but at some point you need offensive contributions. There just weren't enough of them. Is that a poor reflection on the attacking options in this group? I wouldn't say so, but thats a discussion for another day.
I nearly woke up my wife at 3am due to this nonsensical s***. Those stutter PKs and shot way the f*** over the bar and trying to pick the upper right corner is the kind of s*** you expect to see from a CONMEBOL side more obsessed with flair and panache then just having a good hit to a low corner. This is stuff we should laugh at OTHER teams doing, not do ourselves.
The '13 class was god awful. Not impressive at all. Thought the '03, '07, '09, and '11 ones were very good at the time, but that '05 and '13 were very disappointing. Oddly it was the '09 and '11's that were pretty darn awful. I think this group is right up there with the '01, '03 and '07 group, but deeper. More top quality talent, more second tier talent, but for now, no attacking player as gifted as what we had in those years with Donovan, Beasley, Eddie Johnson, Convey, Altidore, Adu, and Bradley. Those guys all looked capable of dictating play against elite sides, and for the most part did so, this group never did in any of our matches against quality opponents, but like I said, you look at the roster, plust the guys out injured, couldn't come, or weren't called in, and you can say theres probably 5 central midfielders of quality, maybe six, two forwards, and two defenders, maybe 3, plus a great keeper. That's more top drawer talent than any team ever. Honestly, the '13 team looked like it had two-three guys tops that might play with the big boys, and only one that I was confident in. No offense to the kids themselves, but geeze, not impressive, compare that to this one that had about 9 guys, maybe 10 w/that ability to make the jump, HUGE DIFFERENCE.
This really isn't directed at anyone's post, so don't think I am calling you out. Penalty kicks are not easy, mentally or physically(after 120 minutes). I don't know how many of you have taken pressure penalties and know what its like, but I really can't blame any kid for taking a poor penalty. Easier said than done. I'd love to have 21 Landon Donovan's on this team who are PK masters, but blaming anyone individually is cruel.
I think Delgado has better days ahead but for some reason Ramos live and died with this guy. Marky had all the chances in the world in this tournament to show us something. Marky hadn't make any breakthrough in TFC lineup and played in something called the Canadian championship game.
Tough way to go out but that is the way it goes. This team should be proud. And many of these players will be on the Senior team soon.
If a guy drives it low and hard and it's either a great save or maybe he doesn't get it over enough and it's an easier save or, hell, it clangs off the post then....these things happen. No shame in it. What is not understandable is making things harder on yourself or easier on the keeper with some junk you might've seen in La Liga or a WC Final.
I kind of expected that from Zelalem and was dreading it, but he finished his perfectly. Just a simple, unsavable penalty. The right way. Leave the tricks to fearless, 1000% confident and with justification soccer gods like Zidane or Pirlo, who didn't even start trying that until their thirties, not when they were little hyped up tykes. Just really immature, unwise and foolish. Whatever, they're kids, and we will forget this tournament soon enough, it's 2018 and beyond that matter. Hopefully we promote a lot of these guys for '16 in Brazil because I'd much rather have quite a few of them than the U-23's we do have.
Pressure exists though. Many of these players haven't faced anything like that type of pressure. Its much easier to execute a plan when there is little on the line.
I dont get Tab 's sub decision in the last match. In one period of 2nd half, Serbia players' fitness just hit the extremity. If we seized the opportunity and put in some fresh legs then we would have decent opportunity to win, but we didn't send in any sub until the overtime. I supposed Sonora was not available, but No. I wonder why.