Ellinger on 88s in Argentina and 87s going to France http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/20031022225430/view Rongen on roster selection for U20 event, explanation of Whitbread and Simek release difficulties http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/20031022215124/view
sometimes i forget to say a huge thank you for this kind of info and insight gersman. this time i didn't.
Gersman, those are 2 great articles. Thanks for the heads up. I find the first article with Ellinger most intriguing though. There was another thread that i ran across a week or 2 ago which was basically about the way the u-17 program was run, and whether or not there was enough "competition" in Bradenton amongst the players for their spots at the academy. the thread was in response to an interview that Guillermo Gonzalez gave in which he stated that training was just night and day different between Bradenton and his professional club (LA Galaxy). He said that many people in Bradenton would just take days off for no particular reason for minor things, or just wouldn't practice hard because they felt their place was assured at the academy. Many people on the thread felt that it shouldn't be too competitive, because it might "ruin" some of the kids if they were tossed from the team at the end of the semester for poor performance. Many other people in the thread on that topic (including myself) felt that the only way you can get better is by pushing yourself, knowing that you can be gone if you lollygag around day to day. As for me, I feel very good that Ellinger has stated to these kids that they had better not be looking past the semester that they are in, because if they do, they might find themselves on the out, looking in. really turned around that last performance in Argentina, didn't it? Coincidence? I think not!
I doubt it was coincidence either but it shouldn't have taken him four (or whatever) years to figure it out. I hope he's not a day late and a dollar short. Bradenton should be a training ground for our players, not our coaches. Here is the quote from Ellinger on this topic from the first link, "You chase like that and they just attack into the space." Well of course coach.
Here is a quote from the second article I think this is something that American fans need to get used to. The YWC competitions just aren't that important to overseas clubs (or even their fans). Professional play is more important with the exception of the actual WC. Winning a U17, U20 or U23 game really doesn't matter.
yeah, i do agree with you that he should have had this attitude earlier. I guess that maybe the USSF may have had a sitdown session with Ellinger and maybe he is feeling a little bit of the pressure.
guys - thanks for the kind words re the articles, but what makes you think Ellinger is just learning this? He is talking about this group's first international experience, and something he noticed about a number of them, offensive stars for their teams in the past, and what they have to do differently. I don't think he is saying, and I didn't mean to portray it as such, that he's just now noticing this. For what it's worth. Thanks again.
I understand what you are saying, and maybe I'm not being precise with my words. I guess we (I) are being a little bit tongue-in-cheek sarcastic/facetious about it. Ellinger has taken a lot of hits on these boards from people like us, and I just get the sense that he has a little bit more pressure to run a tight ship. maybe i'm wrong, but i didn't get the sense from the comments of people like Guillermo Gonzalez and the sudden departure of Robbie Rogers, that Ellinger was running a tight ship. and if he wasn't, maybe he will now.
Allow me to repeat something I've said before. Man, I hope Quavas Kirk becomes a star. What a great name!!!
Val de Marne Tournament-FRANCE Hopefully these young men present themseleves as well as they did in England. I am looking forward to Adu and Rogers playing together with Szelta in the mid field. It would be nice to see a US team win an international tournament. Has this ever occurred??
Don't be surprised! Don't be surprised if he does. I know Quavas very well as a player. He is very good, disciplined. He comes from the Xs and Os fanatical Chicago Magic Soccer Club in Illinois and his father is a pretty good soccer mind as well. He will pick up on Ellinger's tactical ideas quite quickly. His Caribbean heritage will give him an extra edge technically, and his impressive physical dimensions will make a difference as well. And he is a definite leader on and off the pitch. It's possible you may get your "Captain Kirk" joke after all! NL
What's his playing style? I mean the Captain Kirk. Edson Buddle? Or those good Jamaican or T&T big forwards?
Captain Kirk Let me make this clear. Quavas Kirk is NOT captain of the US U17 side. Not yet anyway. Shaster, his style is much like those big Jamaica/T&T forwards. Definitely a classic centre forward with added flair, as his dad puts it "shake." Imagine Onandi Lowe with a clue tactically. He can REALLY hurt you all by himself. Game kind of reminds you of Emmitt Smith. Big and fast and just sneaky enough to complement himself. Very good technically as well. Finishing at the top level is probably a problem right now, but that is just because most youth clubs don't have enough training time to train that to sharpness. It will come. NL
Re: Val de Marne Tournament-FRANCE Does anyone know the result of the first match in France which was played today? Who (if anyone) scored?
Good combination of athletic ability and tactical awareness. I've seen him do some very clever things to create and score goals, which you sometimes don't see physically gifted kids learn how to do. AT 15, he shows a TON of potential (which is why he's one of three in this age group on this trip to France).
Rogers I think it's payback. Robbie declined the invitation to reside at Bradenton this year, choosing tougher competition instead, and now he is paying the price.