Matt Crocker left and went to Saudi for a load of money There's always been a MLS v European based players discourse. It's very weird Not sure they are particularly unlikable. A lot of their fans are very online and treat the US Men's National Soccer Ball kickers as a club team. All viewed through that prism.
Crocker clearly goes with the highest bidder, loves the money, think he just copies and pastes the old Ashworth model now doubt to claim it will be successful. Feels strange that the US fans would turn against their foreign based players considering they spam them when trying to convince many of them to play for the US, surely they don’t think MLS players are better unless they have a Maga mentality.
Performance from recent friendlies, no shows from much needed CONCACAF tournament, and the fact that they can’t handle simple, honest criticism from former U.S. players with podcasts and the broader U.S. sports media—is telling, especially since it’s nothing compared to what Europeans and South Americans face at home.
Can you tell me what is a MAGA mentality in a simple term? The best international performances the USMNT had were from 2002 to 2014, when the core of the squad was mostly domestically based, with a few players from midtable top-flight European clubs. In other words, the USA was better off when it was “middle class.”
Hard to gauge anything from a load of friendlies. German were garbage in the lead up to the last Euros but arguably the best team at the tournament.
If Matt Crockers role with the U.S was similar to what it was with England, where he was much more focused on development teams and coach development, I can’t imagine him leaving will have any effect on the senior teams in the immediate future/World Cup
I don’t know if other countries can relate to this, but in the case of U.S. players who start regularly or log meaningful minutes with their European clubs, they sometimes seem to develop a sense of entitlement. It’s as if they feel they no longer need to compete or fight as hard for their national team. That’s a terrible mentality—thinking your spot is secure enough to skip a couple of friendlies for a holiday trip to the Maldives. Their mediocre results in both friendlies and their most recent official tournament matches are telling. If the USA gets grouped at the World Cup on home soil, just as they did in the 2024 Copa América—also on home soil—it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
I guess you’d need some evidence to back up such a claim, seems like a projection because you feel the U.S. were better when they had more domestic based players. Who went on holiday?
The U.S is simply a middling football nation, they’ll likely get out of the group and lose in the round of 32 or 16, Sam Surridge is a basically the best Striker in MLS, I’m sure the league is and has improved, but I wouldn’t be touching MLS defenders if that’s the quality of striker that’s near the top of the goal scoring list.
Forgot I wrote this, had one too many scoops late last night. Think I was referring to America first, promote everything in the US and not need the help from anyone else sort of mentality. Was obviously just thinking outside the box as to why the dislike for the foreign based players.
Doesn't really suit their current manager though. Might have to wait until Zidane takes over to really catch fire.
Have you watched them play lately and seen the results? The last time we won friendlies was against Paraguay and Uruguay back in the autumn. Why? Because Pochettino had had enough and basically said “f*** it,” starting mostly MLS players who actually played harder and were more motivated to prove themselves for their country. We have a clear psychological class discrepancy within the player pool—and the evidence, as we’d say in our legal system, is beyond a reasonable doubt.
Head of Coaching and Development, looking at a couple of articles about his job description/role with the U.S seems like 90% of what his director of football role encompassed.
Growing number of elected officials turning on FIFA. Infantino’s decision (without the consultation or backing of his VPs) to give a peace prize also appears to have gained favor in some quarters but provoked ill-feeling in others. https://t.co/tXDD21nGK7— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) April 19, 2026
This could be an interesting development. New Jersey is ready and excited to host eight FIFA World Cup matches this summer – including the World Cup Final.Since I took office, my Administration has been working to prepare for the biggest sporting event our state has ever seen – and today, NJ TRANSIT released their…— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 17, 2026
This isn’t surprising—why would U.S. supporters in Los Angeles want to buy overpriced tickets for the World Cup opener, featuring a guy in the stands who wants to make it about himself and who once tried to take over their city through militarization—an effort that ultimately failed. REVEALED:@TheAthleticFC has seen official “tickets purchased” numbers for World Cup group games at 70k SoFi Stadium near LA. Sales for high-priced USMNT opener are lagging significantly (40k tickets purchased) behind games such as Iran v New Zealand.https://t.co/aSqy5cc8YG— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) April 21, 2026