- Rossi ended the 2005/06 season with 4 goals in 12 appearances for the Man Utd first team over various competitions (PL, FA Cup, League Cup, CL). - Green ended the 2013/14 season with zero goals in 1 appearance for the Bayern first team; an 88th-minute substitute in the first round of the CL. It wasn't Rossi's best season with Villarreal by any means, but he still managed to score 17 goals over all competitions. It was also good enough to get him onto Italy's provisional 28-man roster for that WC, but he ultimately lost out to forwards like Di Natale, Gilardino, Quagliarella, etc. when it came down to the final cut. Now if we're talking about the USA do you think his season would have been good enough to get him on the final roster ahead of someone like Robbie Findley, for example?
I'm really glad I sought out this thread. Some excellent points that I had not considered! Yes and no. Absolutely yes that there was no way to predict these particular boneheaded moves, but what was definitely predictable were the following facts: Italy works a lot on cliques and schools when it comes to national teams in most sports. Obviously performance trumps everything, but when things are equal, my god they pick from certain schools (clubs/academies) coaches are prone to making Statements, and not just in Italy, but in most of the footballing world, and now with Klinsy we join those ranks full board (see: "Fat" Donovan). It was entirely predictable that Rossi would get snubbed at some point as part of some coaches' drama queen flair Statement, whereas in the US he probably would have been a guaranteed starter like Dempsey, Altidore, Bradley, and "Skinny" Donovan With Italy, you have to produce produce produce. Constantly. And then produce some more. If you don't, you're toast 'Talians aren't quite "world class" in treating diasporic Italians as equals (and frankly, very, very few nations do their countrymen abroad well!). Rossi by definition would have to be that much better than any "real" Italian in order to be treated the same. I could go on, but for me, most of the problems he encountered were entirely predictable. I don't think he had quality counsel as he was transitioning from a talent to a professional. I suspect he let his heart guide his head, b/c the financials long term seemed way better playing w/ the USMNT over Italy. In Italy, he's one of dozens in a large pool of players, whereas with the US he has a compelling story. Story = marketing = sales = $$ Granted. Even I couldn't predict that Dempsey and Bradley would come back to MLS for as much as they did, but they are truly set for life. I think Rossi would have been in the same boat. Excuse me... luxury super yacht.
The "clique-ish" behaviour of Conte is also demostrated by the fact that there are only two players from the Milan clubs combined on this roster. Meanwhile there are 6 players from Juventus. And some of those Juve selections are catching a lot of heat right now. Simone Zaza, for instance. Its hard to convince anybody with eyeballs that Rossi, Giovinco, and other options aren't better than Zaza. There's no doubt Conte was making a statement with the Giovinco exclusion. As far as Rossi goes........................didn't we all see this exclusion coming? When was Rossi's last appearance for Italy? 2014? Giovinco has been involved in Euro 2016 qualifiers. So MLS was a good enough league to provide a player for qualifying...................but not the Euros themselves? Does not compute.
You could make that argument for 2010, but in 2014 he was left off for medical reasons. Rossi objected and said he had a clean bill of health from his own doctor. The Azzurri's medical staff disagreed, saying he was at a high risk of getting re-injured during the competition. Then that same summer he re-aggrivated the same knee in pre-season training with Fiorentina and needed yet another operation, which proved that Prandelli and his medical staff had been absolutely correct in their decision.
He gave up a lot of endorsements by choosing not to be the face of U.S. soccer. He would have been in the Landon territory in terms of hype. It does hurt thinking of a Rossi\Jozy\Landon\Dempsey attack in 2010. I think Subotic is really the only Judas. Rossi was never once though about playing for the U.S.
to be fair we shouldn't have brought McBride for the 06 tourney. Should have started either EJ or Ching. Rossi who knows. maybe there could have been more convincing for him.
we'd have probably had to redo the entire attacking lineup to please Rossi. I imagine Donovan would have had to alter his role and perhaps he may not have liked that with Rossi on the scene.
I couldn't get the app to make the head the right size. But I committed early, and stuck through with my original commitment, even though it was ultimately disappointing and regrettable.
Always remember... ... when someone says they have no regrets they are either lying or they eventually get some sort of regrets in the future.
Lippi didn't go that much into specifics but basically said it came down to versatility. Quagliarella could cover more roles than Rossi. Also, Antonio Di Natale, another small striker, had just scored 29 league goals with Udinese, while Rossi's form with Villarreal had dropped off in the second half of the season (as was previously pointed out here). At any rate, four years later, just before Prandelli made the selections for the 2014 World Cup, Lippi came out and said he had come to regret his decision: "I told him that the decision to exclude him from the 2010 World Cup remains the only choice that I regret in my career, and now I hope he can make it [for the 2014 World Cup]." Although we all know how that turned out...
The only thing worse is to be selected for the team at a World Cup, and then your head coach does not play you one minute. To later on say that he regretted not playing you. Happened to Ching with Arena in '06 and I would like to think that Klinnsy, as arrogant as he is, just might regret not playing Mix at one point considering he gave him the #10 jersey. Says the FC Dallas supporter. HAHA!!!
well not everybody can play, not enough substitutions. I believe only the Dutch played every member of their squad at the last WC. I am shocked Mix didn't get any PT in Brazil. Surely deserved it over Brad Davis. i didn't follow the 2006 WC but was it a big deal that Ching made the squad and didn't play? How was his performances around that time compared to EJ or McBride. I do recall that he was a last minute cut for the 2010 Cup. Had Davies not been injured, I'm sure he'd have been brought along instead of Findley.
Again, Brad Davis was on the team and in that Germany game for one specific reason. Set pieces. Osea, Klinnsy is thinking that if Demps or Co. can draw a freekick in or around the German 18 then a set piece effort from the likes of Brad Davis is the tonic to get on the board against Germany. More so when that day was forecasted for rain and certainly high humidity. Davis was a specialist that did not get a chance at a freekick that day in Brasil. Not much more to read into that. Ching was surface of the Sun hot in the Spring of 2006! I mean everything he touched found the net. Slight stab at the pass, goal. Cross from the right, headed into the net. Through ball, Ching slots it near post. To make no mention that Landon had mentioned that he and Ching had a unique understanding of each other from their time as Strike partners in San Jose. The type of mental connection that Landon enjoyed with Beasley as they had grown up together on the U-s in Florida as teens all those years. Arena, being the New Yorker Long Islander he is, was never one for saying sorry or thinking he owed an explanation for his desire to win every game no matter the opponent, well after losing to Ghana that day in Germany, after all the reporters had asked him all their questions in the post game presser. Bruce was asked one final question, "Bruce, any regrets?" and he did not hesitate when he quickly frowned and stated, "Yeah, not playing Brian Ching." So there is that from the coaches mouth. I still cannot believe that dude Findley, who had basically nothing to do with the squad up to that time in WCQ, certainly as a starter, and certainly now as a starter for the biggest game every 4 years for a nation, Bob starts the guy over just moving Dempsey up top to pair with Jozy and starting Holden at right mid. Just plain Princeton Bob thinking. I need a beer now...
I remember when Jozy was at Villareal, the drop-off from Nilmar & Rossi to Jozy was just really really significant & I remember some pundits saying Rossi had the 2nd best left foot in la liga after a certain Argentinian. I believe this was around the 2010/11 season. Rossi was phenomenal for a while when he was healthy
Hey, FCD does just enough to let me dream...............before crushing my soul. NYCFC fans aren't allowed to get that far. Rossi to me is pretty much a non-story. The way I read these articles it sounds like his AGENT is saying he maybe should have chosen the US over Italy. Do we have an actual interview with Rossi on the matter? The guy suited up 30 times for the team of his dreams. He actually wore the captain's armband once for Italy. As it turns out his defining moment in an Italian jersey may have been his performance against the USMNT at the Confederations Cup. A performance that was great, but the US advanced out of the group............not Italy.