Colorado hammered the U20s 6-1. Match report won't be up until later.. http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/20040224085414/view
Its up now...Colorado came out with its starting 11 and the U20s apprently didn't really come to play.
I like this. This is exactly what a pro team SHOULD do to a u-20 squad. Maybe it will teach the pipsqueaks (Adu included) a lesson in professionalism and spur them to higher heights.
This is exactly what the U20s defense needs to be exposed to...one reason MLS should try and sign them BEFORE the next U20 championship...
I don't really pay attention to center back anymore--we've got pretty decent ones. The positions that we have a hard time filling with a top quality player are the outside back spots...Either we switch to a 3-5-2 or we start finding guys who can play outside back in a 4-4-2...
Is there perhaps a developmental problem with this? A great fullbak is probably the most versatile guy on the team. He combines, speed, man marking, dribbling skills, and crossing ability into the same player. And having an outside shot also helps. I'd put money on if we had guys like that as they are coming through highschool or college they'll end up playing either striker or winger. Screwing up their over-all development. You look at John O'Brien, and he makes a perfect fullback because he was developed in the Ajax system, which values versatility with their "total football". If he had stayed in America he's be a pure winger. So perhaps we are asking for the impossible right now. Someone asked before what position Ashley Cole and Roberto Carlos played as they were growing up. I'd really like to know that answer.
More like a scouting problem...in US soccer, the athletic players with poor skills are generally put at the back. That may be ok for centerbacks, but outside backs in 4-4-2s are almost like midfielders. We've all seen Frankie at right back....the guy's touch sucks and he can't pass worth a ********. Not the kind of player that is going to win us a world cup... The players for outside back spot should be those athletic ones who can't cut it as attackers..good technical skills, but lacking in creativity and vision..their vision doesn't have to be as good at outside back vs. midfield...
Roberto Carlos started his professional career in Brazil as a forward. He was moved to outside back at a very late age.
I know it seems like I'm riding your ass today, but Wanderer, your post doesn't make any sense. You're confusing the needs of the Nats with the needs of MLS. People are always (rightly) pointing to our lack of young professional defenders as a problem for our Nats and the various Baby Nats. But nobody ever explains how it helps *MLS* to do something about it.
I noticed Schilling is playing as a defender. This must be and experiment as he was a forward/mid in high school scoring 33 goals this past fall. Could be that with his decent size and speed they want to convert him.
No, it means High School soccer is a joke. I don't think Rongen is experimenting one bit. High School soccer is much lower in quality than Club (and College soccer), and a whole lot lower than U20 international soccer. Just because he scores 33 goals in HS soccer doesn't mean he will do that at the international level; which is essentially what the U20s are playing down in Florida (if one doesn't think MLS clubs are similar in quality, or better, to U20 National Teams, boy that would be funny).