If promoting the World Cup was part of Poch's job description, wouldn't winning games be part of that? Anyway I'm hoping for some major promotion for next March's games. If LAFC v LA Galaxy can sell 80,000 tickets on a whim I'm hoping that US Soccer will be heavily promoting the March friendlies.
It should happen sometimes. Poland probably would have been better off immediately canning Probierz in June with his power play over Lewandowski. I can think of another relevant example based off of that too.
lol perhaps... but that's not analogous to Poch's roster for this past window. The US does not, has not, and maybe will not have a Lewa. Ever.
Nor is there evidence that there was really any power play of similar comparison. Even if someone like say, Scally, was left off because he wasn't taking camp seriously, leaving off a B player that fans think is amazing because a Bundesliga team is okay having a cheap option at RB because they didn't take camp seriously is different than a powerplay of any kind. Thinking a coach should be fired because they called in some MLS players over people's precious Euro fringe is peak USMNT fandom.
The thing is his opinion is based on pretty thoughtful analysis from what I can tell... but to go from that considered position, to "he should be fired for this roster for these friendlies" is unhinged, and undercuts all the interesting nuanced points in the reasoning. But no one has to care what I think. I just find it fascinating. Lots of poster here, especially ones I really disagree with, are very interesting to me...
Not to be too pedantic, but IMO those people aren’t fans of the actual USMNT. They just get off on being posers in the internet. The most outrageous one in these parts CLEARLY doesn’t watch much soccer, and will even admit it from time to time. And that’s why I (almost) never put them on ignore. They’re fascinating to me, too. I study them to ponder folks who can’t differentiate between real life and the internet, and as a check to make sure I retain the ability to make that differentiation.
Oh, of course... rgli13 is a really good poster, nowhere near deserving of being ignored. I largely ignore obtuse trolls, and he's not within driving distance of that area code.
The US already has had a player comparable to Lewandowski, who has 86 goals and 36 assists for Poland. Instead of backing that player up, the USSF backed the coach when the coach knifed him. And the stench of that disastrous decision hung over the team like a cloud for the following 4 years.
I’m guessing you mean Landon. You’re gonna get a shit ton of ridicule LOL In general, Landon is underrated by USMNT fans. But he’s not THAT underrated.
Certainly in terms of relative impact and importance for the national team, they are comparable to the point. We had a coach who seemingly kept home a player, who, while at the back end of his career, is still the all time great, and the coach seemingly did it for really non-soccer reasons. Which I think was his point. I think there's a pretty big difference, though, if you leave someone off because they aren't competing, bringing it every game, undermining the culture, and if you are just trying to swing your dick around and establish yourself as the man.
Every time I read such revisionism I will just quote Bruce Arena's reality: Donovan often clashed with coaches who were paid to squeeze every ounce of talent out of every player. Bruce Arena, who spent a combined 14 years coaching Donovan with the U.S. and the Galaxy, considers Donovan the biggest challenge of his career. As Donovan retires, Arena is one of those wondering if he could have done something different to get more out of him. "He's sensitive," Arena says. "He often tries to overanalyze things. He doesn't have Michael Jordan DNA or Kobe Bryant DNA. Those guys know their job and compete every day. If it's not the best day, it's not the best day. But they're there, 100 percent mentally and physically. He wasn't always that way. In the last eight years, it's been a coin flip with what to expect from him." As Klinsmann was deciding his final roster, he contemplated all of this. Arena told Klinsmann he thought Donovan could help the U.S. In the past, he and former U.S. head coach Bob Bradley had given Donovan the benefit of the doubt, and in the Yanks' biggest moments, he would often deliver. But now, Donovan was admittedly a step slower, and Klinsmann was a different kind of coach. https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37408358/us-forward-landon-donovan-career-comes-bitter-end https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/smor...n-klinsmann-left-landon-donovan-his-world-cup Poch has very similar tendencies so don't be surprised if a couple of fan favorites get left off WC2026 if they don't bring it every day.
Some people want to win more than others. Some want control more than they want to win, or don't understand how the two are in tension.
That sounds like philosophy to me. Are you describing existentialism? I did take philosophy in college and got an A but never went to class so not sure what I should takeaway from your post or how it relates to Arena's views?
Hello, yes, it is part of a Bayern Munich Banner, listing the trophies they had won (as of 2000 or so).
Ever see “The Last Dance”? They all wanted to win. And that demanded a lot of flexibility from the top. Fortunately Phil Jackson was secure enough in himself to provide it.
I will never agree with JK's dropping LD but LD absolutely had a role in not shutting that door firmly.
Arena essentially said the same thing but gave more insight because he had conversations with Klinsmann during the months leading up to the decision. It is not a coincidence that at the beginning of the 2014 MLS season Arena moved to a 4-3-1-2 diamond with LD at CAM. There was a BS poll right after the decision; At that time I went on record disagreeing with Klinsmann, I said Jurgen should have taken The Talisman.
Klinsmann said that Jackson was one of the coaches who influenced him and he spent a day with Phil learning from him. Note that Jackson with different teams managed both Jordan and Kobe, two players that Arena explicitly said Donovan lacked their "DNA". How would the Zen master do with a player that "it was a coin flip as to what to expect from him"?
I love Donovan, but he is neither Lewa nor is he Scottie Pippen who is easily one of the best 2-way forwards in the history of the NBA. So in terms of "players who were obviously better than Landon Donovan", can we shoot for more? Where next? Which sport? Emmitt Smith? Ichiro Suzuki? Who else wants to overrate Landon? Might be more fun to try to find a player that is more analogous to LD's athletic skillset, impact, career, while also trying to factor in his, shall we say, unique personality. Maybe.... Deron Williams? Even that's probably too high, honestly. It's pretty hard to make a good analogy using anyone in a top American league because, quite frankly, Landon did not make it (or really try to make it, I guess) on the highest level.