Normally I probably wouldn't post this sort standard Adu article, but I thought some of the quotes were interesting from a Rongen, Hudson, DC United angle ... This one in particular: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports...ons/thursday/sports_0478540096bd611a00d9.html
And Rongen's quote: Adu was sitting next to Rongen this week when Rongen warned everyone not to jump to conclusions. "I came through an Ajax system that produced at 13-14-15 some very exceptional players and some players that were in their own right as good as Freddy, that at 18 and 19 were never heard from again," Rongen says. "Ultimately I think only he can really stand in his own way of his success or his lack of success." Fortunately from Freddy's attitude and replies during interviews (and getting glimpses of his mother's attitude), Freddy also realizes this and is taking all this in stride John L
I don't know if it does. I don't know that Arena thinks of Convey as anything more than a very useful, hardworking, versatile player. I'm pretty sure that Arena sees no magic in him. Everyone is clearly hoping that Freddy shows that special something that makes a great great player. The only other DC player who has ever promised that magic before is Ben Crawley. (That was to separate the old-timers from the newbies)
Well, I don't know either. But selecting Convey for every damn game last year suggests that Arena's thinks Convey is a bit better than the next Ben Olsen. And of course the Convey fans regard Arena's ongoing selection as confirmation of his status as the next Reyna. Hmmm. Personally, I have had trouble seeing the magic in Convey, but I am far from sure that Arena shares my opinion. As a side note, I am still trying to understand why so many of the "possibly different & great" young U.S. players -- Donovan, Adu, maybe Beasley, maybe Convey -- are essentially the same type of player, the quick darting little technical midget type. There are many kinds of world-class players ... why is it that so many of our hopes for being world class all look like Joe Cole?
Ben would have been a mainstay on the team had he not been injured and sent out of the game for almost 2 years. He has never regained his wheels. I do think that Bobby is more versatile than Ben. I don't think selecting Convey all the time means that Arena sees greatness or magic in him. He sees utility. Nothing wrong with that. (I don't think we're saying too different a thing.) All our big great players are goalkeepers. (Glib, I know, but that's our history.) So, has the US ever had a magic player? One so talented that people who saw him KNEW they were in the presence of greatness? Or one where the brilliance of his future was blindingly obvious and actually came to pass? Ramos, maybe? Keller in his prime? Adu in the future? I'd nominate Kirovski for king of unfulfilled potential.
I suspect it may be because the bigger guys are often more likely to choose basketball or American Football over soccer. Conversely, the Donovan/Beasley body types are never going to be involved in those sports to begin with, hence soccer is the obvious choice.
I would guess No. First, which U.S. player has ever been "brilliant" by world standards? The answer is either "nobody" or -- if you take a generous view -- maybe Keller, Friedel, Ramos, and/or Reyna. Were any of them viewed as a "magic player" at age 20? I doubt it. None of 'em were spirited away by AC Milan or Bayern Munich. I suspect your Kirovski comment was tongue in cheek. In the grand scheme of things, Jovan was a nobody -- just one 15 year old among many in Man U's system. He was only big news because he was American, not because he was a standout by any reasonable standards. Recently, Donovan and Adu would seem to qualify in terms of there being a consensus that they were great youth players with a potentially great future career ahead of them. Of course, we can't yet say whether those futures will come to pass.
Oh, my God. This is too funny. In about 2 weeks he's going to become my daughter's soccer coach.....along with Wolfgan Sunholz.
It was a little side slap at the furor he caused. He's a decent player. He sat on the bench for some big teams. To me that does not equate to brilliance Still, I understand the gushing to a degree. He was one of the early players to actually be recognized by Europe, and that was a good step.
I don't miss Ray coaching our team, but, damn, do I miss reading his quotes everyday. "Like a wizened sort of observer like me, that has seen and heard of these players in England, in Italy, in Portugal, in South America, by the hundreds, they all have this stardom around them," Hudson says. "Now is Freddy going to be a shooting star? Well, you know what? He's pretty much already a superstar. Does it burst into this supernova, or does it implode?" Too bad Ray couldn't coach as well as he could talk! As for our phenoms all being the same, I think there is some validity to that. Having said that, Kenny Cooper, Jr., has a chance to be special and he is a big bruising forward. And, Oguchi Onyewu is probably the most athletic American player ever and he's 6-4 and over 2 bills. In time, he will be our best defender. And, lastly, the next phenom, 16-year old Danny Szetella, is a 5-11, hard-working two-way midfielder (with a Polish passport) who has top European teams clamoring over each other to sign him.
Good point, though I suppose that's where some of the hype on Eddie Gaven comes in. Though a dribbler himself, he is nevertheless a bit different type of player and certainly no midget.
Another reason Arena repeatedly selects Convey is so he meets the requirements of the English work permit board so he can be eligible for transfer to EPL. (If it is still possible with Tottenham).
Well yes, but Kenny Cooper is big, apparently good, and directly under the U.S. coaching staff's noses, and they missed him. So I wonder if it is less a case of the big athletes playing other sports as it is of the U.S. coaching staff seeking a certain style of player.
Conor Casey is another example of a large player (6'1" 170) who *could* develop into a nice player for the US. He is tearing things up in the German 2nd division and made a nice impression during the Poland game. It will be interesting to watch him tonight and his development over the next couple years.
I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. 13 goals in 26 games is a very nice rate indeed, but probably a good deal short of "tearing it up." The player he's currently tied with for goals has played considerably fewer minutes, is roughly the same age and plays for a country not as good as us (Isaac Boakye of Ghana) so while I'd say Casey's year has been promising, he isn't running roughshod over Div. 2 by any means. Casey's a good example of why it can be so frustrating rooting for the USA. We're rightfully excited about Conor Casey's 13 goals in 26 appearances (all as a starter) in Div. 2 Bundesliga. But perusing the Bundesliga stats you stumble upon Dimitar Berbatov of Landon Donovan's Bayer Leverkusen side. Berbatov has 14 goals and 6 assists in 29 games, only 20 of which are starts. Both Berbatov and Casey were born in 1981. Berbatov, a Bulgarian, clearly is the far more established talent at this point in their careers, as the top scoring threat for a German side challenging for the Champions League. This is the sort of player that I'd bet Leverkusen fans would probably take over Landon Donovan right now, and Donovan's the best we've had to offer. This isn't a cut on Conor Casey, but if our best is a step or two behind Bulgaria's best, how do we expect to close the gap with the countries better than Bulgaria. Yes Casey's promising, but not nearly as promising as Berbatov or Javier Chevanton of Uruguay or Mikael Forssell of Finland. These players are all roughly Casey's age and it's not as if these are countries that dominate us on the International scene. Yet these guys are knocking them in at higher rates than Casey in the top divisions of the top four leagues. It seems that we can develop B-minus to B-plus players ad infinitum, but when it comes to the Grade A players, we're stuck mainly to goalkeepers, while even the second tier countries seem to develop a few of them here and there. I'm not sure what my point is, or the solution or whatever, just that it's frustrating having to be buoyed by above average but not great scoring records for midtable clubs in the German 2nd divsion. The amount of excitement you can get worked up over such a status is pretty modest. Sorry for the rant.