How so? The rational argument is that it was a bad result, sure, but let's see how the team responds. The last time we had bad results like this(pre-hex) we went on a 13 game winning streak...I think he can right this ship. The hyperbole only swings one way here. There's a difference between optimism and flat-out lying.
Feilhaber's omission is painful to see. He is what is desperately lacking in this team. He can perfectly in a 4-3-3 with Bradley and Jones next to him.
The rational argument is that it's been a YEAR of bad results that culminated in our worst tournament since France 1998. Our normally fit team is tiring, minutes are horribly mismanaged, he's being out-gameplanned by coaches with little resume coaching talent pools that are considerably worse than ours, and his in-game adjustments when limited to three subs have been amateur hour. Even if one were a fan of his more idiosyncratic take on the US talent pool, there would simply be no defending his actual management. It's been, to put it moderately, horrible. It's cost us our worst tournament since Steve Sampson. The moderate position for a while was to wait and see, and we've waited and seen. The position to support him at this point is based not on observation but on blind faith in Klinsmann. And there is nothing in Klinsmann's managerial career thus far to support a position of blind faith. Until recently, it's been middling.
It hasn't really been a year of bad results, tho. Either friendlies matter or they don't. His in-game adjustments when limited to 3 have been what? The GC since the last WC? I thought he actually did well with subs in the WC so I don't count that as a weakness. It was a bad tournament, sure. Worst since Sampson? Maybe but I put underperforming at the WC on a whole different level than this. Again, it's not really blind optimism. The last time this team had a run of bad results was pre-hex and we responded with a record win streak. I think I'm more inclined to believe that we'll get it together rather than fall apart but to each their own.
I don't know if it ever has been behind Klinsmann, or whether or not the players treat him as someone who has to be endured. Keep in mind there were rumblings about a mutiny before the Snow Bowl vs. Costa Rica during WCQ.
I'll always be pissed at Klinsmann for cutting Landon Donovan before the World Cup, and finishing in 4th place in the Gold Cup is unacceptable, but I'm on the fence about letting him go. 2013 was our most successful calendar year in terms of record ever, and Klinsmann did navigate us through one of two Groups of Death at the World Cup to make the round of 16. I wasn't impressed with our style of play at the World Cup or the roster selection (no Landon, Brad Davis, no backup target forward), but you have to give him and the team credit for grinding out results. And, who knows how much better we could have played if Jozy Altidore hadn't gone down with an injury 21 minutes into the tournament. That said, his player selection sucks (again, cutting Landon, not selecting in-form and unique technical players such as Feilhaber, Nguyen, etc.), and this Gold Cup really was unacceptable. We played poorly and got outplayed in 5 of 6 games, and it is not OK to lose to Jamaica and Panama at home.
vexc0, notice how you are the only one defending jk in this entire thread and none of your comments have any reps? its not a coincidence, bro. no one agrees with you.
My bad. I forgot that I should only give my opinion for reps and the admiration of others. Hint: I don't care if anyone agrees with me.
OK dude, your loyalty to JK is valid to a point. Not a horrific calendar year by all means. But the things is real tournaments always mean more than friendlies. This is what he gets paid to win and has looked bad at it. Non-friendlies don't allow JK to tinker and he is a poor man's Ranneri as the tinkerman. Jones plays like a pitbull which is great when you need one but that is not what is killing the US now. Feilhaber and guys like Nguyen in attack are what is killing the US. For him to turn down those guys while he loves to tinker makes you wonder why they are out in the cold. Besler spoke out and I can understand, though not agree, with a coach having a problem with a player like that. It means this guy might not follow the system. To make a player persona non gratia because they didn't bring it in the past makes no sense. Because by saying that you are telling me that a coach cutting a guy and saying go work on these parts of your game and the player doing so is irrelevant because his game had weak points prior. Could it be an attitude thing probably but Feil's hasn't come at JK, no one has but Besler. JK has come at Lando who has behaved well, JK has come at MLS. Every national coach's job is on an interim basis and maybe JK's voice has grown stale. PS: The world team and roster was horrible. One fluke win against Ghana and solid performance against Portugal was it. Also JK's arrogant tone with the media doesn't help things.
I agree that tournaments matter more. Won GC '13, advanced to knockout round in WC with an apparent terrible roster/team(by your own statement). I don't think a terrible coach advances out of that group with a terrible team. Jones bite and heart in the midfield is exactly what we're missing. He does everything fairly well. Nguyen was called in, looked average. Has looked average in MLS this season as well. Feilhaber was called in for 2 camp cupcakes and not called since. Had a bad work ethic and petulant attitude in those days so it's not surprising to see him remain out. I understand he's worked on those things and become more of a 2-way player but sometimes you can't unburn a bridge. Like I've said before, I think Nagbe is more of what we're missing than anyone else.
They won one game and that was flukey. That Ghana game was 50/50 and they edged it. Lets not act like they bossed Ghana off the pitch. The game they actually dominated but drew was against Portugal, which beyond CR7 is limited. The Germans crushed them as they did everybody else. So let not act like they played. They bunkered down played the odds and got through on point difference over Portugal. They did get through and did what they had to do. The Roster was horrible not the first 11. The First 11 missed an attacking edge but did enough to get by. You can't unburn a bridge and Nguyen looked average. That Nguyen comment is what is the problem with JK. He gives guys Wondo limitless chances but then Nguyen doesn't look the goods from day one and he is on the outside nice to know. What happened to nurturing young talent oh thats right he's not German so he is not given multiple chances like a Chandler who never wanted play for the US. Can't unburn a bridge. There is no proof that Feilhaber was petulant at camp, Benny said he used to be. You ever think that was at club level, maybe when in England?? Since you are fond of euphemisms like burning a bridge have you hard of cutting of the nose to spite your face?? Because that is what JK continues to do.
Bradley didn't refute the article and back JK. He just came out and said those things need to be kept in-house and not shared with reporters.
It was flukey to beat Ghana? I mean, not really. Most of Ghana's chances were very low %. Germany? Sure. Portugal? One mistake in the last minute cost us that game. Point stands tho. You could say we lucked up in 2010, too. Nurturing young talent...Lee Nguyen? He's 28 and will be 31 by next WC...he's not young. Who said there's proof that Feilhaber was petulant at camp? I said he had a bad work ethic and was petulant in the past. His workrate didn't improve until last MLS season so it's reasonable to assume his work ethic was bad during the camps? I mean, his work ethic was bad for us any time he played under Bob as well.
In that Ghana game, the US had the first 20-25 minutes then Ghana took over until about the 65 minute through the 2nd goal and Ghana made a hard press the final 5-10 minutes. Nguyen is 28, I am not concerned with next WC so much as working on now!! You need a stop gap attacking mid whether it be Benny or Lee, they are both better than forcing MB to be one. The issue most people have with JK is the inconsistency. In his selections, tactic and logic. Logic as in his explanations for his selections. If so much money and hope wasn't tied into him, he would be gone.
But you really DON'T. Grinding out results is exactly why we fired Bob Bradley. We were willing to take some risks and pay big money to get off the Arena/Bradley treadmill and play more exciting, flowing, attacking, skillful, cultured soccer. We paid Juergen to be a transformational figure. What's he done? Exiled our most skillful players. At his best, Klinsmann's teams have ground out results. Now they're losing to Panama and Jamaica, getting dominated at home, and struggling against the likes of Haiti. This after four years of having unprecedented control of the program, and resources, infrastructure, depth and support no prior US coach could dream up.
So he is gonna bring in Ngabe. I hope the guy is on fire from game one because if he is not good, JK will put in the scrap heap look for a nice German boy to replace him.
For all my talk of Besler, he was beat on at least 4 plays during all-star match. Dude, needs to check back in.
I think the opposite here is true. Yes, Green's mistake gifted us a point against England, but Jaime Carragher was lucky not get straight red on his tackle from behind on Robbie Findley very early in the first half of that game. Who knows how that changes the complexion of the game? Then we get robbed of the full 3 points against Slovenia on a phantom call in the box that disallowed a goal. At that point we are completely in the driver's seat in the group. Follow that up by another perfectly good goal disallowed against Algeria early on in that match. If the refs don't blow three clear cut calls in three straight games, the US cruises through the group stage and is fairly well rested heading into the Ghana match.
Alright, let's play this game. If I am JK I am faced with some choices. 1. I perpetually imbalanced my team for the sake of experimentation and youth-player building. 2. I may have chosen a final team for the Gold Cup that was ill liked and ill trusted by the other starters. 3. I built a team and organized them in such a way that could win matches only if the other team could not finish. 4. I fielded an athletically challenged team against an athletic team. 5. I fielded a team that lacked creativity in the final 3rd and could not maintain possession under pressure. 6. I may have placed too much responsibility on a single player for scoring, a single player for passing and a single player for defending (dempsey, bradley, goozer) So how do I fix this? 1. Distribute the scoring, passing and defending. 2. Include an athletically agile team. 3. Play a team the team believes in. 4. Play players in their god given positions! 5. Forget ultra-possession oriented formations, focus on quick, direct, football, but hold the ball if needed. ---------------------------Zardes--------------------- ----------------------Dempsey----------------------- ---------Bedoya------------Feilhaber-----------Bradley------- ----------------------Cameron------------------------------ ------NOIDEA--------Besler-----Gonzo-----FJ-------------- Moved Bradley to the JJ position. He and Feilhaber can switch as needed, but Cameron is my eraser in the middle. Most of you may disagree, but I have seen enough poor passes, poor first touches, wasted attacking chances and turnovers by Bradley over the last 10 competitive matches. Move him to the right where his 'endurance' and good cross can be more of use.
I bolded my changes to your lineup. Mostly the same players, just shifted around. I don't think its time to throw away Altidore just yet. He wasn't fully fit this Gold Cup, and I think that had a lot to do with his ineffectiveness. When he's been healthy this season, he as been quite good for TFC. I think the biggest issue with Bradley is that he has been asked to perform a role that he isn't suited for. He isn't a playmaking midfielder. He's a much better in a more deep lying position with the freedom to bomb forward. I realize that this denies us a true "destroyer" in front of our back 4, but if we want to play with a true 6, we might as well just revert to a 5 man back line. I know you insist on FJ on the right, but it actually makes our team worse because of our lack of options on the left. Sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. Mix can be our #1 CM off the bench. I think he could fill in for Bradley or for Benny. I'd also like to give Kitchen a shot in that deep lying midfielder role. I think Matt Miazga is someone who hopefully will challenge Besler and Gonzo in the middle. And I was extremely impressed by Carter-Vickers with the U20s this summer. He could possibly be ready in time for 2018, though its a bit premature to bring him in a this point. The really scary thing is our complete and total lack of quality depth at all 4 defensive positions. Some young guys are going to really need to step it up over the course of the next 3 years.
Bradley is not a DM and he is not an ACM. He needs to live in between, just like Dempsey is not a striker and not a midfielder. Zardes is not a midfielder. Our most significant problem as a team for the last 9 years is the where to play Bradley question. His dad solved it by putting the double 6 which upon reflection was really to shield him from DM and ACM duties. So if Bradley is going to be used, that's how it's going to have to be. Sit him side by side with someone. JK and Berti created this skinny diamond to help accelerate MB up and down the pitch with overlaps and JJ to mop up. In a ridiculous way, the complete lack of cohesion between JJ and bradley may have been a blessing in disguise. Like my posts you have to sift through line after line to eventually find a point.