Look guys this shit happens especially when you're 19 years old... Now lets take Nery Castillo for example? He can't even get on the bench at Manchester City?!?! Even Beasley made the bench and even started games and scored goals for Manchester City? What does this mean? Nery plays for El Tri and has great games against the likes of Brasil in Copa America and has a great Gold CUp and looks like a world beater. He goes and signs a ridiculous contract with a Russian team and then the downward spiral starts. Bad situation for Nery? He can't get call ups because he can't get club minutes anywhere. He sure looks like a good player, why can't he get on the bench? How about Dos Santos, he didn't make the bench for last weekends league game for the worst team in the EPL! He's also very young. Do we hear the MExican fans writing Gio off and saying he sucks and is too slow? Stop hating on our own players. Adu is going through a tough patch but we know he's quality. We've followed him for years and we know he has talents that are world class. We also know he's a bit complacent and sometimes doesn't seem hungry enough. (and inconsistent) I think this is a product of youth and perception that he's not getting a fair shake. He doesn't seem motivated. Probably because this guy (Ricardo) promised him something and then didn't deliver. I think this coach has yanked Adu's chain a bit and you see him sulking. He's young and ambitious and you see how dissapointed he is by not playing. Only playing will cure his ills but Ricardo hasn't seen fit to let it happen yet. We'll have to be patient and hope Adu gets his break. I think it will come soon, so hang in there!
That's my guess as well. The amateur psychologist in me says that Freddy plays best with a coach who pats him on the back, starts him, and tells him that he's the king, and plays worst for guys who are doubting him, and who give him spot minutes for him to prove that he deserves more minutes. Freddy wonders about the coach's competence under such a situation -- how could a coach fail to perceive his quality? -- which is demotivating, as he starts to believe that how he plays does not matter, because the coach won't catch on anyway. Also, he has trouble getting comfortable in the spot duty. What if he makes a mistake? Will he move down the food chain? Could be wrong, of course, but that's how I read Freddy's personality. I have one at home just like that, so believe me I know that such players exist.
The first thing a coach would probably look at is the Pro Zone type stats (in the USMNT N&A forum) and whether his team functions better with A or B or C formation and players. Sometimes it isn't the formulaic/drawn/playbook interaction between the players but the feel/chemistry they have for one another. Sort of like in baseball Pitcher A likes the Catcher B (not that there's anything wrong with it) more than Catcher C and wants Catcher B whenever he is on the mound. This is why Ricardo was talking about Adu and Menez not being on the same page - where Freddy zigged, Jeremy expected a zag. Most fans - especially the US soccer fans - aren't capable of grasping the zigs and the zags. They, much like the camera in front of them, only see the ball. Coaches see - and should see - a lot more.
GBS has been teaching Rogers about the zigging and the zagging. That been the biggest improvement in his game by a long shot.
The Argentine league may have the absolutely best ball movement, off-the-ball running and individual ball control combination on the planet. I saw Boca Jr. vs. Tigres a few weeks ago on Telemundo - Boca was tic-tac-toe, precision personified.
Yeah, specifically those that don't agree with genius ideas like going back to the 3-6-1 or the Twin Towers forward attack ... or those that just think SFS is a @#$% Except of course American coaches ... or ex-Liverpool coaches working in the US ... or German coaches who came to the US young and worked in the college game for a while.