The almost 19 yo kid who had played a full season in MLS and a handful of games in the eridivisie who Arena included in pre-WC camp/friendlies but not even an alternate. I think that kid became a regular starter within the next year, so he was probably pretty close at that point.
You enjoyed that? Outside of the Costa Rica game, it didn't look much better than two years ago. i agree on the balance but still think it was a touch too conservative... and mostly because I don't see the "veteran" players as being up to it at this level. That back line, besides Besler, wouldn't make my roster and the idea that Pontius and Mcarty are going to raise their game at 30ish isn't that realistic.
I was Wrong About Bruce Arena He was the man for the job. https://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2017/7/27/16050582/bruce-arena-usmnt-gold-cup “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time,” General Patton famously quoted during his famous speech to the 3rd Army. This simple principle has extended to soccer where Americans struggle to support, or understand even, why America isn’t winning. We win every other international sport, so why not soccer? Bruce Arena brings that winning American mentality to the squad. Bruce is a serial winner. He won five National Championships with Virginia, he won several MLS titles with DC United and then LA Galaxy, and he took the United States to the furthest they had ever been in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea. He takes that mentality wherever he goes, and you can see how it’s rubbing off on the players. There were a few matches in that Gold Cup tournament that the United States didn’t play particularly well in, but they would win. Bruce Arena’s unbeaten record at the start of this second term is nothing to scoff at. One of the biggest things for me is the team chemistry that I’m seeing within the team. Watching the players whether it’s on the winning podium, on the instagram story when they’re on their prematch walk, or even when I travelled to their training at the beginning of the tournament in Nashville, it’s clear how much the team was gelling together. During one training session I saw, Kellyn Acosta chose the wrong way on a reflex test and therefore had to do 10 pushups, which prompted Dom Dwyer and another player laughing and pushing around the youngster. Training ground fun is always part of the camps, but every little bit helps. Chemistry and camp morale is intangible, but when you see it, you know it. The way that Bruce, Paul Arriola, and Matt Besler talked about the team told the whole tale.
Arena has won his 3rd Gold Cup as a manager, passing Bora (who won with US in 1991 and Mexico in 1996) for the most all time.
Hurrah for Bruce. I think we saw in the GoldCup what makes Bruce such a great manager. While others nitpick here and there, he was putting together the team that he knew would win the darn thing, even if many of his players had severe limitations. Bruce hasn't solved the midfield thing yet and I'm afraid he doesn't have it. Buying Stevie Gerard told me everything and is looming larger every day. We're ok up to the round of 16, with a decent draw. Other teams have problems too. Here's the guy we should go with next cycle. Greg Vanney. He'll bring US Soccer into the new frontier and Bruce can go work on his Hall of Fame inauguration speech. Viva Il Bruce! https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/07/27/solution-greg-vanney-growing-one-mls-top-coaches-toronto
For a moment there I was looking at your post above the one quoted here and going "whoa!!" an apologia from somebody on Big Soccer admitting he was wrong. And in that super sized font to boot. A total eclipse of the BS tradition? Then, on closer scrutiny, I see that all that super sized bold font was meant to attract attention to an apologia but from somebody else whom you were quoting. BS honor has been saved. Like Churchill said at Dunkirk, or maybe it was on another occasion, "never give up, never give up, never, never...."
Actually, it's not easy copying, pasting and shrinking the font on an ipad. It's probably boils down to just being lazy . . but carry on . .
He's winning. He's doing the job that he was brought in to do. But I've seen this movie before and I didn' like the ending.
Being realistic and not ignoring our history in Europe, let's remember: getting out of there with anything over 0 points is decent. 1934 : 0/-6 1990 : 0/-6 1998 : 0/-4 2006 : 1/-4 So, 2/-2 or so would be quite good, actually.
I love that Arena had the guys playing hard and trusted in younger players and then knew he needed some trusted guns to bring it home, brought them in and they delivered. As a poster above said though, it feels like we've seen this movie before and the ending broke our hearts. I think we're just all scared to death to see another 2006 World Cup. Bruce's strength is that he's a great communicator and his players love to play for him but I think that went too far in 2006 and the players felt too comfortable and were coddled too much, guys like Landon Donovan and Claudio Reyna.
The three teams we played in 2006 were better than us. Two of them found ways to beat us. We found a way to get a draw against the World Cup Champion. Hate the movie all you want but knowing where the film was taking place and the actors involved I don't think any other Director (manager) would have done much better. Heading into 2018 I think our expectations should be low. If we make out out of the Group it should be considered a huge success. That may be a harsh reality for some around here to swallow but I am not here to coddle people either. I am here to tell it the way I see it.
It's one thing to get beat it's another thing to come out unprepared and get humiliated which they did against the Czech's. I just don't want Arena getting too buddy buddy and these players getting comfortable.
The Czechs scored some golazos in that game. I am sure Bruce thinks about his mistakes and imagines what he can do differently. I agree that preparation and accountability go to the top. But I also don't know if the 3-0 can be attributed to what you are characterizing as a loose attitude or being too lenient.
Meh I don't know about that, that team wasn't ready to play against the Czech's, that I know. It's speculation on my part to say it was because they were too loose, but that is my opinion. We all give Klinsmann crap for his style, or lack thereof, but those players were ready to rock 'n roll against Ghana in 2014 despite not jiving with the head coach. Arena is a sharp guy, there's no doubt that he's learned from 2006, I just hope he applies that inner-reflection while in Russia.
Hole up! I have been reading in her for 3 years that "getting out of the group" is par. Now all of a sudden we are supposed to curb our expectations?
Klinsmann had a US Golden Generation in 2014. Of his 30 player squad in 2014, I count only 9 players that have improved or remained largely the same heading into 2018. Of course, Arena has gained a few players, such as Pulisic, Wood, and Nagbe, but I still think the 2014 team had a clear advantage unless there are 2-4 more breakout players. First though, Arena has to finish the job and qualify the US to the World Cup.
The 'scuse making is already starting I see! LOL! Bruce's 2002 team was the best one we ever had. 2006 could have been but he stayed with the old guard too long and had a couple of injuries too. 2014 was affected by injuries also though and there we got out of a Group of Death, unlike 2006.
I think the quality of the 2002 team is overrated because US fans make an after the fact judgment based on Arena getting the best out of a lot of players. Going into 2002, basically nobody would have been arguing that was the best US team. Based on quality and professional pedigree, I'd take 2014 over 2002. 2010 would be in consideration too, but that was a team that really was wrecked by injuries to 5 of the best 10 players in the entire squad.
No thanks to Klinsmann in my opinion. He weakened the team through his bizarre decisions and we got badly outplayed in 7 of 8 halves. It's always seemed to me that people giving him the credit for getting us out of the "Group of Death" (which no one outside of the U.S. considered to be the GoD in the first place - albeit a tough group, no question) only checked out the box scores afterwards rather than watching the actual games.
In the USA's history at the World Cup, we have exactly one result in Europe, the tie against Italy in 2006. The other 9 matches have been a loss. It would be great to have an easy draw. Good to get out of the group. If we win a match, it will be a first.
Right now, with Arena, we have recovered some (and not because I think Arena is much better than Klinsmann, I just think coach fatigue had set in after Brazil) but are barely Top 20 at best, and probably not even that. The good thing is that some teams stronger than us won't make it, and the groups are somewhat aleatory. So, if about 19 out of 32 are just plain better than us, we still have a shot with a good draw.