Mikey Varas U-20 / U-23 coaching thread

I really don‘t think Ramos is that good of a coach TBH. Just because you do OK when things are going poorly in the USSF does not mean you are good.
He seems like a good guy who his players like but tactically looks over matched.
What big dual Nat battles did he win? I think he got guys who weren‘t ‘t gonna play for anyone else anyway.

Ramos benefited from an improving youth program and the rest of the program being way down. His first cycle was real bad.

I don‘t think we will see him coach much of anything again. Rumor has it that he didn‘t even want to coach but he had connections with Sunil.
Family? Marriage? Something like that. No thanks., Much better in MLS youth programs as we speak.

 

Overstatement on what we should expect at every level right now. I mean senior.
Mexico was 21-1 goals it should be noted,

When things are bad folks tend to be overly negative.
When they are good overly positive.

Guess where we are now? At least it‘s not 2017-18.

 

Not fair but I am sure you know that.

When we actually put resources, time and camps into separate Olympic qualifying we can talk.

Won’t have to worry about that for at least 2 Olympics.

 

I get the enthusiasm, but this is completely unrealistic to expect. At every level of Concacaf we should EXPECT these type of results ad nauseum? C'mon, let's make our way back to planet Earth.

 

Sunil got fired over Tab Ramos, which is kind of amusing.

 

Holy ----. 31 for, 2 against, shut outs pitched in 6 of 7 matches, 2 goals given up were ridiculous, unrepeatable howlers.

Seriously, "holy ----" is probably all that needs to be said.

3 straight U20 Concacaf titles (first time ever?), and this was the most dominant performance of all, w/like 2/3rd's of the most talented U20's in the pool not used.

Extraordinary.

 

The point is that if we want to start becoming one of the best teams in the world you have to beat these teams that are nothings in the sport on the greater scale by large margins. They should not be real competition.

You can throw the CONCACAF elements into it that make it more difficult, but on a neutral field (and this tournament wasn't far from that), Brazil and France aren't struggling with Guatemala or Trinidad. It's a 5-0, 6-1 type of scoreline where the game has no intensity because it's such a big gulf in class. Thats what we need to start doing. We aren't there, but if we eventually want to be one of the best, it has to eventually look like it did at this tournament.

 

In 2018, we had a 46-2 goal differential, but it was a funky format including a 6 team opening group. If you take out the worst two teams of that opening group, we had a 27-2 overall goal differential.

We beat Honduras only 1-0 (v. 3-0 this year) but Costa Rica 4-0 (v. 2-0) and Mexico 2-0. We didn't tie or lose to anyone.

In 2017, though, we were only +7 (11-4). We actually didn't win our opening 4 team group, losing to Panama in the opener and only beating St. Kitts 4-1. To win the whole thing we beat Mexico 1-0 and El Salvador 2-1 in the second group stage and then won on pens, 0-0, against Honduras in the Final.

That team had Adams, LDLT, EPB, Justen Glad, but the attacking core was not super strong.

In 2015, there was yet another format. We finished 14-2 in GD in less games, but it wasn't impressive. We lost to Panama in the group, tied Guatemala, beat Jamaica 2-0 and T&T 1-0. Only a monster 8-0 win over Aruba really created that GD. Which we may have needed since it gave us El Salvador and not Honduras in the bracket to go to the WC -- the two group winners (Mex and Panama) faced off for the title and then the 2nd place teams played the third for a spot at the U20 WC. We beat El Salvador 2-0.

It was not an untalented team -- just the beginnings of getting out of the lost generation. But we tied the first game and lost the second. I don't know if it was prep or talent -- this team had Steffen, Miazga, CCV, Arriola, Acosta, Horvath, Shaq Moore, Hyndman and a few others.

But again, the attacking was Arriola and guys like BJIV.

I would say it's clear these guys are clearly SOOOO much more prepared and ready to play younger. And it's clear that aside from really Steffen's sojourn, the top end here is more or less current MLS (with apologies to Celtic).

In 2013, the end of the Lost Generation, we had a 10-6 GD in a shorter tourney. We played no complete creampuffs, though we did play Haiti, Cuba and Canada. Won most games by a single goal or two, and only lost in the Finals to Mexico 3-1 but with both goals in extra time. Actually pretty good at winning relative to domination.

This team has an underage Zack Steffen, a couple of MLS guys like Wil Trapp and a whole lot of guys who peaked at MLS journeyman or USL-level like Jerome Keisewetter.

In 2011, another short set-up, we actually won the group stage 6-0 over Panama and Suriname, then promptly lost to Guatemala 2-1. Lletget, Bobby Wood, Perry Kitchen are your big names.

In 2009, there were two four team groups so no real pushovers. Mexico finished last in their group! and we won ours with 2 wins and a draw, +5. We drew - who else - Honduras.

Beat T&T on pens (0-0) in the semis and then lost 3-0 to a Costa Rica team with Oviedo and David Guzman.

This team was the literal height of the lost generation (I think Jozy was eligible and maybe someone else, but still). Sean Johnson, Break Shea and then like Josh Lambo and Gabe Agbossoumonde and a lot of guys I barely remember or don't remember at all.

Terrible high end talent. Terrible depth.

If there's one consistency, it's that we have pretty good keeping.

 

Long story short -- the 2018 team was pretty much as goal dominant but in a different and less pretty way.

No team before it came close.

 

I have to say that winning the CONCACAF qualifying tournament is no more than holding serve or treading water. Choose your metaphor.

A deep run in the U20 WC or Olympics is a different matter. That's how I would measure progress. To go where no U.S. team has gone before in those kinds of tournaments. I should mention the little tournament being held in November and December as being also an important barometer.

 

Don‘t forget 3 straight U20 WC Quarterfinal appearances. No other nation has done that. This should be something expected moving forward IMO. Next step? Get tothe finals and win one of these things! It seems feasible now.

 

You forgot the star of that team in Carlos Gill. A player in the US system Mex actually asked to switch to them. That was unheard of then.
Not so much now.

 

Do you mean Luis Gil (2013 team)? I remember there was a ton of hype for him.

 

Lletget and Gyau were stars on that team that were kicked out for daring to leave Bradenton for Europe. Those wonderful years that some still want to replicate.