can Copa America totally replaced by World Cup South American qualifiers?

what are these friendlies? the previous posts should make it clear that the SA WC qualifiers are deadly...The US will not survive. I concede that you may have an advantage playing your games up in columbus, Ohio...

 

I agree. So maybe the USNT isn't getting rocked anymore by CONMEBOL teams in US territory, but that's what you're supposed to do win at HOME!... (just reminds me of the whole Chris Rock joke, "I take care of my kids" )

So playing in US home soil in a non-competive environment, using only the last 4 years, is not a measure of you being able to succeed against the other CONMEBOL teams. That's why the US has gained such little respect. If they actually put there arses on the line and played a Copa America or competed in CL, then you would have a better measuring stick.

 

Its a really problem, the mls team need to recognize the international teams competion is a way to value the players and make good deals with european teams.

 

Like everyone's saying, those are friendlies at home against B and C teams.

It's really hard to explain how much better the teams are in the qualifers. If the US plays in Copa America, it'll be a nice gauge, much more accurate than that 6-0 record, that's for sure.

 

IMHO, the USNT is still shivering from the cold ice water that was dumped on them at the WC...

I am absolutely confident that even if they get an invitation to CA 07, they will decline it, because I beleive they they do not want to take another hit to thier American pride...

regardless, soccer skill level they could play with some of the teams at an equal level or not

thats the bottom line

 

Your opinion is grossly in error. I am also absolutely confident that the US will not play in CA 07. However, the declining of the invitation has nothing to do with the US Soccer Federation being afraid to take a hit to American pride though. The US stopped going to CA a decade ago because the MLS teams didn't want to give up their players for the tournament. You want us to send college players?

 

MLS < OR = COLLEGE PLAYERS ...

Either way it would be a mistake not to take on the challenge. I GUARANTEE that a Klinnsmann manager for the US would insist the US attend.

 

Your guarantee isn't worth very much. How would the US benefit from sending a bunch of college players?

 

Truth is, that in the US, the College level players (I'm talking from the NCAA I top schools) can represent just as good of a talent pool as many of the MLS players. Anyhow, the question back to you is :
How would the US benefit from NOT sending any players....

and don't give me the MLS crap story. Would they gain ANYTHING by avoiding the tourney again and just raking in all those huge ticket and tv sales dollars?

 

I agree that Copa America would be a better measuring stick, but my comments were directed mostly at the comment that the US would "get stomped by the little teams". A 6 and 0 record, even if the majority of the games were played in the US, shows that such a statement is ludicrous. Surely, the US would not dominate like that if they had to play those games in SA. However, you have to concede that a stomping of the US is not going to happen either.

 

A college team is not going to beat any MLS team. You think that the University of Portland is going to defeat the Chicago Fire? Or that North Carolina or UCLA are going to beat the Galaxy, Real Salt Lake or the Rapids?

A team comprised of college players would get crushed in a tournament like Copa America. The US would gain money, but that is about it.

You want to know what the US would gain by not sending a bunch of college players to slaughter? How about some prestige and self respect? You don't send amateurs to play professionals.

 

You contradict yourself...kind of.

I know, it's a bitch.

 

isnt the MLS made up of basically college players

 

ouch! I would use the word "Amateur". It doesn't hurt as much.

 

I think that basically means they dont get out of the group stage...0-2-1

that record sound familiar? Are you gonna counter that Ghana and Czech Rep are any better than the south american nations...

well, maybe Bolivia and Venezuela

 

The key words in your post were "kind of".

 

Clever, but that is only where they come from. That is like saying that a top league is made up of minor league players. The players have to start somewhere. By no means should you equate a college player with an MLS player. A college player is an MLS rookie at best.

 

You can't base everything off of 1 tournament. Especially a tournament that only the European teams tend to do well in when it takes place in Europe. Even Brazil struggles there. Brazil has won only 1 of its world cups in Europe. (For Brazil, that is struggling.)

And Italy and the Czech Republic are better than most of the teams in SA. I am still not sure what to make of Ghana. They are probably somewhere around an average SA team.

All 3 US opponents would have crushed Boliva and Venezuela.

 

AND this is my point exactly!

Can you say WC02...the nonstop talking of how the US is now a force to be reckoned with...that mumbo jumbo is what has been your fuel source for the last four years.

Arrogance my friend, is still thinking your good when clearly you arenot...by saying that you will beat the non-Bra and Arg south american nations, your implying that we are worse than you (aka CONCACAF better than CONMEBOL)! Now, thats being pretty arrogant wouldnt you say.

The only difference between you and the mexicans, is that you can think rationaly. Atleast i still think so.

 

Great idea. 10 CONMEBOL teams + 6 CONCACAF teams (the 6 from the previous WC qualifying hexagonal). Very logical tournament with 4 groups of 4. Copa America should be every 4 years right after the Euro. No more Gold Cup needed. Copa America live on ESPN and ABC in U.S. Copa America eventually hosted by U.S. with packed stadiums for all games (guaranteed with the immigrant population in U.S.).

 

Please don't lump me in with the Mexicans, even if you do differenciate me in a minute manner.

Just remember that arrogance is not something that is held only by fans of teams in CONCACAF. I have seen quite a bit of it from CONMEBOL fans!

I would say that it is pretty arrogant to say that CONCACAF (as a whole) is better than CONMEBOL. Only a fool would say that CONCACAF is better than CONMEBOL. I never said that. Despite what you may think, I am not a fool. By saying that one team or two teams can beat most of the the teams in CONMEBOL, I am not being arrogant.

I have said that Mexico and the US would fair well in the CONMEBOL. They obviously would not do better than Brazil and Argentina, but I think they can more than hold their own with the rest of the teams. I have said that if you combined the 2 regions and kept the 8 spots, then the US and Mexico would qualify for the WC. If you added just Mexico and the US and kept the region at 4 1/2 spots, that would be a cat fight and it is very possible that 1 of the 2 would not qualify. I mentioned that Costa Rica would struggle and I said that it would have been very unlikely that T&T would have qualified for the last WC. Other than that, I have not said anything about how any other CONCACAF team would do against CONMEBOL.

I think that you have grossly misstated what I have said. You may have taken what others have said and applied it to me. I don't know. Perhaps, the idea that any team in CONCACAF could beat a team from CONMEBOL is so far beyond your comprehension that you have to make overgeneralizations.

 

Look...I dont blame you for thinking the way you do...Lumping...With that statement you lumped yourself in with the rest of your USNT fans and the Mexies...

To know CONMEBOL WC qualifiers, you need to almost be a grand historian...To think that its Brazil and Argentina then comes everyone else, shows that you do not understand the qualification battles in the past...

If it was 4 1/2 spots with US and Mex included, Mex would finish 5th or 6th and the US would finish 8th or ninth...

 

Every team except Bolivia and Venezuela are better than the US?

Just out of curiosity, from your other post, where would Ghana and the Czech Republic rank?

 

You just admitted the USA has soccer fans. Times are a changing.

 

your not focusing...

If you look at the difficulty that some of the greatest teams (according to fan and expert opinions), they for the very least to say, "difficulty" in the qualifiers (Arg 86).

USA will never understand that, and will need to just get in line here...no skipping buddy.