i think mapp and bornstein deserve it i dont have a problem with them its davies i have a problem with. well i dont want the usa to lose ever and this is a tournament you should bring your best available period. club ball is for developing.
I'd be interested to hear who would make up the starting lineup of your B team then. Care to throw out a starting 11 of guys that aren't on the Gold Cup or Copa rosters, just for kicks?
I rather like that we are sending such a young inexperienced side to Copa. After all, if this is going to be the future of the US, they need to learn to play against good sides in hostile conditions. One big knock against the US is that we don't play tough teams, and we don't play tough teams on the road. Well if we want to prepare future players, this is a good step in that direction.
i dont understand the perspective of alot of usa fans, you are one of them. tournaments are meant to send your best that are available which actually might be the case here. even in friendlys the young guys need to show they deserve it with there club teams, not just call them up because there young, make them earn it. all the young players deserve a call up in my opinion, except for davies,nguyan,gaven and wyane.
From what I have read, there were issues with clubs letting players go, from the US POV, if they didn't take some Euro based players because that club didn't want them to go, then that is a smart choice. Why piss off the club now? Besides, I agree that we should send our best team, but at the same time, we just came out of a tourney and by bringing the team they have, we will find out what they are made of and what they can or can't do. The US needs to build our depth, this is a good start. And the US needs to find players who can put the ball in the net. Not that I expect anything like this to happen, but I recall a young college age team in 1980 at Lake Placid that shocked the world. Never underestimate young players who put it all on the field.
iam not underestamating them, i just think you need to show it with your club first plus, (iam not going to comment on the 1980 team because i wasnt born yet). you should have atleast one season of pro experience before you get a call up. iam sure they will do ok but if its just to see what there made of, bradley and his staff could just scout them with there club.
Gee thanks for making me feel old.... Agreed that players should have time with their club team. Now I will have to look this up, but how many of the players going to Copa came out of Bradenton? How many have been on U-20 and younger sides together? I wonder how much that played into the choices as well. I know that I will be watching the matches and rooting them on and will pay attention to see what they can or can't do.
UNTIL TWELLMAN PLAYS FOR THE NATS, WHERE HE COMPLETELY FORGETS HOW TO FINISH?!?!? I'd think playing against the top competition in the world with his national teamates would be better for development (US wise) than swedish football. gimme a break....
I think we should wait for at least the first results before disagreeing with this move. I think the US is a bit limited on the players since MLS plays during the summer when both tournaments are being played. The way Galaxy is doing I don't think it would have been fair for LA Galaxy to be out with their top guy (LD) out for pretty much two months and all tired by the end of the season. Let's just see, Brazil does not send it's top team to the Copa America..and if we are to be one of the top teams we should take cue from the top team in soccer. Not comparing us to Brazil...yet!
Say that in 2009. Yes it is a ways off, but the powers that play in that Confed. tournament (being a year off from WC, and in South Africa) will bring their best and it will give our defined team a good test. Now that we have made that first hump of winning GC and making it (thank God) it is playing out calculated, and made USSF look smart (again thank God). I hope we don't get embarrassed in Venezuela, but Bob did what he could with what he had in the selection process. And for what is on the table....again........there are guys that need a look that will get quality hard earned minutes and we will see who is ready to make the push to 2010. My personal bottom line: I am just elated to see this much US Soccer action in a summer.
Me too, I'll watch CA and all the US games. Hurray! Maybe it's mostly the decision of the clubs and the players, but the organization maybe played a part in the roster selection. Is it the reason why the Klinsmann deal fell apart?
Tell that to Brazil. The World Cup and your continental championship is meant to be where you send your best available. How many of the non-CONCACAF countries that were invited to Gold Cups in the past sent their A squad?
I have to say two things about Copa AMerica. First, I`m surprise that Brian Chin and Pablo Mastrueni are not part of the US team. First of all, Chin and Pablo are not as tired as european players. They play on game a week in MLS and the season is not even half way through. Second, we are playing our first game vs Argentina. The Argentenian team is probably the most strong team in the Cup since almost all players are regular in different Europeans leagues. They are very strong and skilfull. However, they are treating us with respect. They acknowledge the fact that we won Copa Oro - Gold Cup, but we are playing with a different team this time. I wan USA to win, but again, i need to keep things realistic. Some fans here are giving their opinion suggesting that we have a very good team, well they are day dreamers. Those who suggest that we are going to be one of the top and that we are a very strong team, just dont know about soccer. I`ve been watching, playing and reading about soccer since i was a little boy. Let`s be realistic. We have a weak team and i hope we can at least advance. The road is narrow, but we need a miracle at this time.
Is there any evidence to suggest Keller and Guzan aren't no. 2 and no. 3 on Bradley's depth chart? Maybe Marcus would be in there were it not for injuries. That said, the team is missing 14 guys from the Copa roster, the injured Convey and Cherundolo (tho they get back Conrad, who would have almost certainly been on the GC roster) from the "A" team, the injured Cooper and Rolfe from the "B/C" team, and all the U-20s (none of whom have figured heavily with the senior team to date anyway). No way it's a B+ team, but it's not a straight-up C either.
Think you might be regretting that post now (his results in the GC didn't turn out too bad did they).
I think the only players on this squad that we know are going to do well are keller, feilheiber, and mapp maybe as well. That said, it's not a bad thing that we're sending souch young players. The experience against world class competition in a hostile environment will be invaluable. The Gold Cup was more important than this because it was CONCACAF, which we're IN. In future years it may be a good idea to send a better squad to copa, but it's just too difficult right now considering the fact that the first game is coming 3 days after an exhausting GC run and that a large portion of our players need to get back to their clubs.
if you are quoting something to prove a point, that pretty inmature and classless from your part. I dont like Bradley and period. You need to respect and i dont care if we wont Copa Oro. I probably cant forget the mess he did while being the Metro-redbull coach. Do you understand. He created a big mess in new york and that is hard to forget.
very strong team? well, it's all relative. i won't speak for anyone else, but in my head "strong team" for us in this copa just means a team that includes a bunch of guys we really want to take a look at more closely, under more demanding circumstances. no way we are looking for "results" in the traditional sense. many of us seem to forget that for us "guests", the copa is essentially a glorified "friendly", and so affords a rare opportunity; the feel of a meaningful competition, but the weight of only a friendly. time for great experiments with whatever squad you can put together for "friendlies". reading through the million threads on this topic, it seems pretty clear that those still mad at us sending an understrength squad to the copa are either not paying attention and therefore don't know the reasoning, don't understand the reasoning, or aren't buying the reasoning. those who don't know the reasoning should just read the millions of threads to figure out the reasoning. we've been talking about it on bs for months. those who don't understand the reasons should show that they at least know the reasons (or maybe read said millions of threads, as they've been pretty well explained). those who don't buy the reasoning should demonstrate that they understand the reasoning and then explain why that reasoning is crap. otherwise they just sound a foolish (or worse, lazy). yeah yeah, i know, thread topics come in cycles where the same things are said over and over again, and this copa/bradley topic is no different. but still.... ok, rant over.
Why is that classless and immature? Isn't blind hatred for someone regardless of results classless and immature?
I like Plan B's mention of the injured Convey, Cherundolo, and Cooper. These three, for sure would have made one of the two Int'l competitions. If Bradley has even a hint that guys like Gaven and Gomez can become Nat'l Team players, why not take them to Copa America. Personnaly, I think inclusion of Gomez is a great idea. One concern for Copa America is that Bradley has not had the benefit of a full pre-tournament camp. So not only is he taking inexperienced guys, he hasn't had much chance to organize them and get their tactics together. That's why I say 2 losses and a tie. And those results aren't even going to worry me.
As if it was Bradley and not the organization at large that was responsible for the Metroballs sucking for so long... Leave your MLS sour grapes at the league level. For crying out loud, the guy has done EVERYTHING possible so far. Winning AND blooding new guys at the same time while under intense scrutiny. What could he have possibly done differently up to now that would be better than the current situation?
Bradley has done everything that's been asked of him so far ... and although we can debate that all the matches have been in the USA, CONCACAF is weak, and whatever ... the fact remains, he's done all that's been asked so far. And that gives us reason for good vibes ... That being said, while I have high hopes, I don't want us to talk ourselves into a "hey, maybe the Cavaliers actually have a chance against the Spurs" type of thing. ARG is very strong, and this is a something-less-than-varsity USA side. While I do expect us to come out strong and fit, fight hard, compete well, and even show flashes of brilliance, we're still the Cavaliers to ARG's tried-and-true, championship-tested Spurs. Greater sports miracles have happened (02-22-80) but maybe not this time. ARG 2:1 USA
You have an irrational hatred for Bradley and would slag the guy no matter what he wins, so we should just ignore anything you say about him. Got it.