Not sure what you’re saying here…because the idea that a single one of those players would have started in Qatar is bananas. The only guy may have started is Richards, and he was hurt. These kids of posts are straight bananas.
Our best guys didn’t even look undeniably awesome at the World Cup. And now we have two locked in NT starters and another regular in a relegation battle instead of the Champions League. Maybe we’re still looking at the next coach being a guy to grind out acceptable results given the players he’s working with.
why not? When you look at players playing in second divisions in Europe a number of them are a lot better than the MLS players that were dragged to the World Cup. Where a player plays is not a 100% guide to the quality that player can produce in a World Cup. But it is a fair indicator. In general players playing in the second tier in England, Germany, Spain and France have a good chance of being "better" than MLS players. But that is not 100% either. The second level of play in much of the world is quite good and players should be looked at VERY closely if they play even have way decent in 2nd tier leagues in Europe. The MLS is an OK league but even its best is not up to the level of many European 2nd divisions. Shoot the Seattle Sounders just got beaten by a African club team and no one I've ever heard has said that African club soccer is better than the second divisions in much of Europe. Admittedly regularly playing in the MLS is better for a player than sitting the bench in top leagues BUT regular playing in many 2nd divisions is better for a player than any amount of play in the MLS.
Hopefully we have some newcomers push their way into the lineups at decent clubs. We are a country like Denmark or Switzerland. We don’t need everyone starting at CL clubs to field a competitive squad, but we do need guys who are playing 90 minutes at a good level and there needs to be competition within the national team squad for real minutes. Also, combinations of players matter. The guys who want to be a part of the team in big tournaments need to be on the field playing together when it doesn’t matter as much. Too many guys missed time before the last World Cup.
There is a ton of evidence to show the opposite…that guys who go to MLS clubs from 2nd division European clubs do not stand out compared to mediocre MLS players.
And it is true the other way around as well. That is guys that go from MLS to 2nd division European clubs do not stand out compared to average Euro guys. Just watching the MLS and the poor play there it is clear, to me, that the play is quite low when compared with 2nd divisions in Europe. However others might see it different as personal prejudice is a large factor in perceptions like this. I like to think I am a pretty neutral observer of soccer but I know that I must have biases I am not even aware of. You don't get to be my age without developing a few, at least. We will just have to agree that we have very different views of the level of play in the MLS.
England, Germany, Italy (Not one of the best), France and some Japan (Again not one of the best). I do not really follow any 2nd divisions but I do watch some matches from 2nd divisions every week. Oh, I also watch some lower level matches here in the USA and I mostly include the Canadian Premier league as a 2nd division league.
Fair enough. IMO England and Germany have the best second divisions in the world. I agree with you about Italy. It's no wonder that newly promoted sides typically struggle in Serie A. Haven't watched France Ligue 2, not sure where to watch it frankly. At the end of the day good and talented players will stand out. Whether that is in MLS, Bundesliga 2, EFL , etc.
How many teams starting second division players survived their group in Qatar? You can't rely on guys who are not under the constant stress of top division play. Heck, you rather play a guy in the top division in Qatar than one in the Championship. That's why Boufal started for Morocco and Zaroury didn't. I thought that was something well-known by soccer fans.
MLS is essentially a second division league. It also doesn't have a good track record of developing domestic players. Not letting second division players compete for the USMNT just meant it was just one more thing MLS players didn't have to compete for.
Agreed. Our players are solid, but not the revolutionary players some would hope them to be. When I was watching the World Cup, I saw many players from other countries who were more technical, more clinical, and sometimes more athletic. We have a good team, but I just feel we need to pump the brakes on unrealistic fan expectations.
I think the talk of 2nd division leagues is kind of pointless. The game is now global, and the players go to the teams who will pay them the most. MLS is what it is and it's tiring listening to guys talk about how it's a terrible league, poor play, whatever. What exactly are you expecting? Why would you expect the league to be anywhere near the leagues whose revenues are 2,3 or more times MLS's? The EPL and Bundesliga have global audiences. No idea why you'd expect MLS to come close to competing with those leagues. The EPL's revenue is 6.1B, Bundesliga 3 B, Seria A 2.3 B and MLS is 1.4 billion. No duh the quality is less, why would you expect it to be equal?
The LA Galaxy have sourced a few players from Ligue 2 that have been pretty big flops. I'm thinking only England and (maybe) Germany are have credible 2nd divisions right now.
My impression is that the Spanish 2nd division is pretty strong. Lower divisions in most of Europe, outside of these few exceptions, are nothing to get excited about.
You realize the notion that MLS is close to top leagues come from MLS, its so-called journalist, and nutso fans who keep exaggerating how good the league is. I'm not sure I know anyone who is constantly trying t compare leagues that isn't an MLS fan. My guess is if they'd shut up, would would hear a lot less criticism. So why did this ********ing coach continuously take these inept players from a 2nd rate league instead of player succeeding in top leagues?
One of the most prolific goal scorers ever in MLS was a Leeague one player. Plenty of MLS players have failed in Scotland, the Chamionship, the Netherlands, Belgium, and even Scandinavia. Of course, this tells us nothing in people never ending quest to figure out how MLS stacks up.
USMNT management style and game model.....encourages roboticization and lack of ability to IMPROVISE players cant think tactics on the field OR MAKE ANY DECISIONS at all basically out there they follow orders (at least under the recent regimes) but thats not how good soccer is actually played players are not ballet performers. their moves cant be choreographed...which is berhalters style...its a ridiculous charade. the US players unfortunately are not encouraged to do other than follow orders and play as told...so they look pedestrian...and eventually lose whatever flair they have..... even players like dest and pulisic etc.....well they need other players like them to play off...not jedi, acosta, and zimmerman etc.....
This league crap is bogus. The real answer is and has been for a while been the Deloitte ranking and to treat it like a pyramid or some sort of logarithmic scale. If you are in the top 3 then you are competing at a level far higher than anybody else below. If you are in the top 10 then ditto but clubs at ranking 4 through 10 are probably not much more spread than 1 and 3. After that top 30 or so. From that point on it is a very tough arguing anything no matter the ranking. That is most of the time what you lot are doing arguing about, guys in clubs far from the top 30. MNTs that really matter have guys in the top 3 clubs and starters all over the field in the top 10. Rarely do they venture below the 30. We have one guy in a top 10 club and a handful in top 30 clubs. we never argue about those guys, instead we argue incessantly about meh players as if there is some huge difference.
No, the MLS fan claims there isnt a big difference, but then we find out that there is a huge difference between those MLS guys who were were unfairly selected over and over and that Euro guy who had to wait forever.