So, after watching some of the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, I couldn't help but think that the USMNT would have serious trouble with some of the club teams from a not so spectacular region. Obviously, the MNT would struggle mightily against most of the UEFA Champions League regulars (as would most national teams). At this point, I think we'd have a tough time against the likes of Saprissa and America. Thoughts?
Struggle to even stay in the Premier League It's a harsh reality, but national teams are typically a lot worse than most club teams.
In CONCACAF? Probably not a lot, IMO. I don't think Saprissa or America would beat our full-strength national squad.
Saprissa? Really? Year to year I think the top one to two Mexican teams would generally be an interesting test.
I was with you at first but the more I think about it I really don't think we'd have much of a probelm avoiding relegation. Biggest factor in surviving the Prem or any other 38 match campaign is depth. You afford us the top 30-35 players in our pool and I really think the USMNT stays up 9 times out of 10. Finishing at or near mid table is a different story all together.
Interesting thought experiment. Obviously the familiarity within a club as opposed to a national team would be an obstacle. Also the form of the NT can vary wildly. I have not been able to follow Concacaf as much as I would have liked in the last couple of years to pontificate on today, but I do think that Pachuca of a few years ago would have been too much for us. That was one well oiled high quality soccer machine. IIRC Pachuca's coach ?Meza? had previously "failed" with the MexNT, but after seeing what he did in Pachuca, I think he just did not have enough concentrated time with their NT to get them playing that rather intricate game. Facing Santos' (couple of years ago) high octane multipronged offense would have been interesting, especially considering they were more of a quick transition team than the more possession style Mexican teams that we are used to playing. I think whatever wins our NT would achieve against the top few Concacaf club teams would likely be rather ugly wins. Defend, be physical, set piece header.
Most national teams would struggle against "elite" Champions League teams. If a club team doesn't have a left back, they can sign one. National teams can't conjure up players outside of the pool. Chelsea beats England every day of the week, and three times on Sunday.