It would be really interesting to have been inside his head during that conversation. I can't believe he didn't ponder it a bit. I know his mom and dad would have been not stoked about it, but to play for the Albiceleste? Jeez, there has to have been some pull there, if only just a brief hesitation.
i would imagine hes already weighed all his options, so honestly at this point id be a little offended at a u23 call.
We have guys who would be in some fashion playing for Germany, Argentina, Holland, England, Croatia, Colombia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Mexico in our pool of regulars.
The Ideal should be that the player is of international standard. I would consider that standard to encompass the ability to be a major contributor against the opponents we face in the Hex, now the Octagonal. If a player wants to be a Landon Donovan type then that shouldn't be an issue from a National Team perspective. Having players in the Top-5 certainly helps to signify a certain level of ability, and those players should always get first chances to prove themselves in a US jersey.
Not quite. It isn’t as bad as what it was 10 years ago. In fact, the AFA have put a sound foundation for the Sub Teams in the last few years. The legend, Aimar is in charge of the U17s, Fernando Batista for the U20s has also put up solid results. There is a strong foundation, something that has lacked since winning our last major Sub titles well over a decade again. There is also a strong generation of cracks coming up. It is an exciting time for our youth teams.
Argentina are one of the teams that almost always has enough talent but they have been dysfunctional with coaching and player selection. Threw in the towel WC 2010 by appointing Maradona, should have won WC 2014 if Higuain doesn't miss it. They do lack world class talent in defense and at goalkeeper in recent years but its the lack of a strong manager that had kept them back more than anything. Imagine a manager that could figure out how to play Messi and Dybala at the same time.
That doesn't make a lot of sense. The truth is Gyasi Zardes didn't have any of the relative advantages kids like Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie etc. had. He and Morris are probably the last generation of mostly self-made guys and when you think of what they've accomplished under those circumstances, it's pretty incredible, not a knock against them. Who's to say Pulisic would've amounted to anything if he'd been born to Zardes' parents or in a trailer park like Dempsey, instead of two upper to middle class parents with soccer connections and European passports?
At some point we need to not hate on people for not being as good or talented as we would like, and be grateful that the imperfect US system is finally contributing to the development of an entirely different level of American player.
With so much tragedy, striving, and grief in life why do we waste so much energy piling on unnecessary strife by politicking against other people we don’t even really know for things we don’t have any control over?
Morris parents are doctors and he went to a D1 school and got discovered while playing against the national team during a training session. Zardes didn't go to an elite school. His story is remarkable considering he had to go through many hurdles before he got a shot at a national team call.
I just read this article. He was raised by parents who hadn't played the game and he apparently practiced his skills enough that he was run off the tennis courts repeatedly, inspiring a "no soccer" sign. Not having an immaculate first touch isn't a sign of sloth. Not everybody's brain is wired for it. https://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2016/...sent-hawthorne-he-continues-his-meteoric-rise
It is the entirely different level of player which is making players like Zardes no longer beneficial to the program. I am deeply grateful for CP and all those that followed him. I have said this before, my comments are directed at Zardes, but the generic player who isnt good enough where the team is going. I have nothing against the person that Zardes is and really don't care about him at all. He is just a hindrance to the progression of the program. If he would stop being called up and then defended for his inclusion, I wouldn't ever think about him. We have plenty of forwards who are vying for a spot, i see no reason to waste time on a guy who isn't and will never be "as good or talented as we would like".
He didnt have the requisite skills needed to play at a high level by the time he was 18 and doesn't have them now. I dont know if it was because he didn't work on them, didn't have the guidance he needed, and/or lacked the inate ability. I dont care why he doesn't have them. It is just a fact. Why waste anymore time? There also stories of him saying some ridiculous things before joining the Galaxy and one of his key teammates telling him he wasnt working on the right parts of his game.
Zardes, whatever the aesthetics of his game, has demonstrated the ability to contribute to the team's success.. He will continue to get call ups.
He cannot transfer in his eight years as a professional soccer player? Is he the one anomaly on earth?
Morris is still self-made in the soccer sense. Neither he and Zardes were in an an environment where they could be immersed in soccer culture from a young age, where they would've built good fundamentals for long-term success at a high-level. "Mentality" isn't really the factor that prevented them from getting better, sooner is my point. If Gyasi Zardes was born in Stuttgart to a serviceman stationed abroad, he probably would've had a fairly average career in the Bundesliga. As is, he's one of the top strikers in a D1 league that is more or less comparable to to the 2.Buli with 2 championships under his belt.