Checked with Bufflo to see if I got it wrong, but he tends to agree with me. Technically he is a Yank Abroad, but like I said, it's probably not something we would cover there. If you strongly disagree with me, send me a pm -- if we get enough complaints we'll reconsider. The reason I moved it here was because there already was a thread and because USA Men often covers a wider range of topics. To be honest, I thought moving it out of YA was a no-brainer.
Re: Sampson might do well? The main difference here is that none of those coaches moved to a direct rival of the team they coached before. Because Europe is so big and has so many groups when it comes to qualifying the chances of a coach moving from a team in the same group to another isn't that big. Costa Rica is a direct rival to the US in CONCACAF qualifying hence the "judas" label. It would be the same as if Houllier left Liverpool to coach Everton because of the heated rivalry between the two teams, it would be seen as a betrayal. Add to this the geo-political atmosphere vis-a-vis the US in Central America and I can see people taking this view. I'm surprised that if he did indeed receive offers from MLS why didn't he take one? Was the pay bad compared to his youth gig? Did he not want to move to another part of the country (but out of the country is fine)?
He can do what he likes, but IMO he's now a traitorous American who's trying to destroy America's hope of World Cup qualification. Screw him. I now officially hate Costa Rican football even more so than before, if possible. He's the "American Taliban" of US Football.
Speaking of Taliban mentallity - hating something you don't agree with. It's a game. He has spent most of the last 10 years supporting USA soccer. He has skills that another country needs (or thinks they do). It's like Sven coaching against Sweden. He has a job to do. Trying to improve soccer in Costa Rica may bring soccer in the US more publicity and awareness. The world is bigger than just the USA and soccer.
Re: As the years go by, the 3-6-1 and Burns at RB just become funnier! To answer your question, yes, at least in the eyes of that rival nation.
True, but it doesn't sit well with me. It's not like I have a deathwish against him or anything, it's just not right IMO.
The World is bigger than soccer? Re: IASocfan's: ``The world is bigger than just the USA and soccer,'' statement. What are you on?
Sampson in '98 If you want to defend Sampson, take a look at what he accomplished first. Yes, he did improve our squad dramatically. Yes we did beat Brazil in March of '98. But we did it with a 4-4-2. We did it with guys like Lalas and Agoos. And what did Steve do when we got to the Finals? He switched to an unproven (for our squad) 3-5-2 and put veternas like Lalas, Agoos, And Balboa on the bench while an aged Tom Dooley wheezed all over the field. Then he brought in some French guy who could barely speak English to anchor our left side. Watch the tapes- every defensive breakdown started with Regis being out of position or Dooley being out of breath. Yeah- great coaching for sure. Good Luck, Costa Rica- you'll need it.
Re: Sampson in '98 it doesn't really matter. He will be fired long before WC qualification really gets going. He is a crappy coach but the guy needs to earn a living and he was just passed over for the UCLA job. Again I point out that Sampson got good results coaching Bora's team. As soon as Steve started putting his own ideas and players in, disaster struck. Frankly, the mark of a good coach is building a team. Coaching a well established, veteran team is not that much of an accomplishment. Bora built a good team, Arena built a good team, Sampson never built a good team.
Sampson You've got a good point about building team. But did Bora help the team by lecturing Ernie Stewart for 45 minutes about the proper way to tie his shoes? Or by bullying Lalas into cutting his hair? Sampson was all lovey-dovey at first at the team responded. His problem was that he didn't stick with the good thing he had going. Instead he scoured the internet for reports about players he could possibly use-remember Wagner and Mason?- and experimented with as many different lineups as possible. He won't last in Costa Rica.