PBP: 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championships, Finals: USA vs. Dominican Rep. 7/3 @ 8 PM EDT

I just gotta 20 hours of sleep after an insane seven day shift so I won‘t be an incoherent jerk.

Why? As you said family. Cultural loyalty. Perception. Of course an easier course to the Mex senior team.
Mex dominance has been long, It takes a long time and a generation to change that mentally and emotionally.

I said it after the Canada match so many times. That was the fluke of the tourney. I said that you could see that was a different US. A cultured world footballing US. Go back and look at the negative stereotypical takes after that match from US fans. It‘s hard for folks to change mentally and emotionally. It was already clear then but it’s hard to change,

This is just the start. Enjoy it guys.

I know some can‘t help themselves but try it.

 

Yeah, the up-and-coming U17 are supposed to be a very strong side. The future looks bright

 

I can't believe that was a final, but it was. Dominican Republic will almost surely embarrass CONCACAF at the U-20 WC.

Brady: Had almost nothing to do once again. Did make one save.
Cuevas: He was pretty good. I thought he was one of our best players in this game. Probably also his best game of the tournament.
Neal: Barely stressed, but did the job when required.
Craig: Same as Neal. Had an assist again.
Allen: He was a little inconsistent, but had a goal.
Alvarado: Don't like his game in this position, but he did well in the half he played.
Tsakiris: He did collect a goal and an assist. He had some nice sequences, but there were also some that really show that he's not ready for this level. One of the weakest teams we played, and he was inconsistent.
Luna: Had an assist, and some nice displays, but I thought he held the ball too long a few too many times. I don't think he exactly answered the questions about him coming into the tournament.
Wolff: He had a goal off a nice run and header. Very little else.
Aaronson: This was probably his best game of the tournament. Very good performance with the two goals, and was our best player. More involved from that false 9 role than some prior games.
Hopkins: I liked what he brought. He adds more than someone like Wolff. The assist was very nice. I wish he played less soft because he could help solve the #9 problems of this team, if he played a little tougher.

McGlynn: The goal was excellent and the passing always is excellent, but you really have no worry for the result when you are putting this guy in there as a deep-lying #6 ahead of Tsakiris and Luna. That might be the worst defending midfield I've ever the US field at any level. McGlynn struggled a little with the defending, like he often does, but Dominican Republic didn't provide enough of a threat to make it count.
Sullivan: He had some nice moments. An active performance. He was more effective than against Honduras.
Carrera: He had one easier save to make, but little to do aside from that.
Clark: He got into dangerous positions and was more active than usual, which is good. Helped create a goal. Didn't think his decision making was too good in this game.
Ferkranus: He didn't have that much to do, but was good enough.

 

The worst performance by an American at this tournament: Mo Edu
(I agree he's decent in the studio)

Early on I said everyone on this roster at least looked like a professional, unlike guys like Javan Torre... so he has really been taking strays in the comments here a decade later, apparently the poster child of the bad old days.

 

Simple -- there is less competition in Mexico now. Would you rather play 10-15 games with the US or 80 games with Mexico? I mean, going forward from now, of course. There are only so many spots on a national team. I had some American friends who were annoyed with me because I advocated for the position that Mark McKenzie should try to play for Jamaica instead of the US. I had said the same about Teal Bunbury and Canada. I said the same about Ayo Akinola. There are players that just arent that extra level of special, and wont make the US cut, going forward. Water always finds its level.

 

CONCACAF is going to, and is improving because of the US. It‘s something Mexico refused to even try to do.

Our region will be much better off because of us. Which is good.

 

They will hold 1,000 camps and make up tournies to keep them involved.

 

Something like 20 nominally US-eligible players were on the rosters of these countries, plus some in the college system and private high schools. That isn't even counting Puerto Rico.

Goals scored:
Ordonez (5)
Azcona (2)
Juarez (2)
Mariona (2)
Leone (2)
Boatwright (1)
Arevalo (1)
Romero (1)
Destin (1)
Scarlett (1)
Perez (1)
Torres (1)

I could have missed someone.

(The chart of 151 goals includes 4 Puerto Rico goals from their earlier round).

That chart looks more like what you would see in a Concacaf women's competition, where lots of scorers are drawn from the US.

During an earlier U20 tourney, I think 1/2 of all GKs were US-eligible (including the US keepers). Looks like we have evolved past just being a place to look for GKs.

 

It‘s part of it, but unless you lived in it it‘s hard to understand. It is like a religion. The draw is strong.

 

Even looking at DR it’s obvious to see what a game changer it’s been to see how the development of MLS and even USL has helped CONCACAF as a whole. Look at how many DR players have significant roots in the US.

Soccer in this part of the world is getting better, and it’s because of the US system.

 

Years ago, I made the argument here that MLS was going to greatly improve our region. There were literally some folks arguing that development of the US itself would be better off without MLS. Yeah, no one is taking ownership of those takes any longer, as you may imagine. It is all coming together now.

 

Correct. Officiating has gotten a bit better overall also. Qualies were pretty good for the most part.

HAIL VAR!!!! ALL SHOULD HAIL VAR.

One of the best things to happen to the US and this region.

HAIL VAR!!!

 

I remember the foolish criticisms of MLS early.

What a joke, and it’s that’s what social media is about,

The funny thing is that MLS has done in an incredibly short amount of time is unreal. Incredible actually.
Here, well………..so many smart people back in the day who just knew so much better.

I‘m happy I am living to see it.

 

He’s great at set pieces, but unless it’s a direct free kick he shouldn’t be taking them. He’s the tallest field player. We have plenty of smaller field players who aren’t that much worse at them than him. It probably ends up hurting our chance to score from them for him to take them.

 

Oh yeah.

Kudos to Earnie Stewart and the USSF.

Kudos to MLS.

USSF being run like a pro org for the first time ever,

Who has the courage to give props to them?

 

I think his first name may be Juan, but no one refers to him as that. Unless I’m wrong and he asked to be called that by the commentators, it just shows that they don’t know almost anything about these players coming in.

 

MLS will never develop good players until it has pro/rel... just don't ask me what one has to do with the other!

 

Inter Miami especially will have a plethora of academy kids playing for various YNTs in the region.

 

This drives me crazy also, and it’s why I always mention the birth years of players. People need to start thinking in birth years and not age.

If I make any contribution to the Online US Soccer Youth community, it will be getting people to think in birth years.

 

Did they have any gringos on their team? If so, LOL.

 

It'd be interesting. The version that hit the semis had Richards and Dest, and with them, was probably more talented. Though I think that might be selling a few of our guys short.

Goal differential is pretty similar across both.

Still, this team played much prettier. Not sure that equates to a win.

 

I do think that smaller nations in Concacaf are going to be held back by budget constraints. Unless they get an intrepid volunteer scout and a coach willing to foot the bill (like El Salvador does), you'll find feds simply trying to pull the low-hanging fruit from the US and Canada rosters (the 2 Concacaf nations with much of an immigrant in-flow). They won't invest in camps and spend money to bring players into tournaments. They will hope that international football is enough of a draw for players and parents to seek them out.

Trickle down will work, but a more aggressive effort (like the Jamaica & Philippine women have done in getting to the Women's World Cup) will have a higher likelihood of success (assuming the numbers support it).

 

Probably more for foreign national teams than the US, if we’re being honest.

 

Not clear this team has the same high end talent as past iterations (tough to say because we have no idea who may break out), but it certainly seems like the floor is now higher...

 

Yeah, that was another incessant argument. It was made so often, in so many threads, that a pro/rel thread had to be started for the sole purpose of forcing anyone who wanted to discuss it to go there, just to keep it from ruining every other thread. Good grief, I do not miss those days.