They let Rossi go because they got Tevez. Personally, I think they're missing a target/back-to-the-goal striker, which is why they were interested in Berbatov. Rossi was a 3rd supporting striker anyway. PS. Rossi went for about the twice of Reyna's transfer.
1) he's worth more than any other Yank 2) he's the only Yank playing striker in a top league for a big team 3) he's well-enough regarded in Italy that everyone thinks he's getting a full call-up sooner rather than later. 4) no american (including Rossi) has sustained a career as an attacking player at the very highest levels. Rossi is closer than anyone else we have. Which ones of those do you disagree with? Or which ones do you disregard and why? Sure, he could go off the rails, and sure, Adu & Altidore could pass him by, but right now you can't argue with a straight face that his career hasn't been a huge success (Newcastle excepted) THUS FAR.
Agreed. And for all the talk of him being stuck behind Tevez, Saha, and Rooney, et al, the crux of the matter is that he didn't get a look at Man U last year when they were desperate for attacking options. So taking that into consideration --and the fact that he's 20 -- I'll be the first to admit that the jury's still out. But he's several steps ahead of guys like Adu & Dempsey -- who would first have to establish themselves as regulars for their current clubs, then have to do well, then have to hope that they get transferred to a club like Villareal, just to make it to where Rossi is today. Plus what's the story about this guy taking penalties? In general, I'd agree with Tallavana that PKs goals are overrated, but he must be doing something right in training if Villareal and Parma both trust a newbie to take them.
You changed every single point you originally made and now expect me to confirm what? I take less exception to your revised points but... 1) We know this how? Was every other American on the market during this transfer window? It's safe to say he's got to be one of the more valuable American players. But who knows what a kid like Altidore is worth right now. Or even Tim Howard. 2) MLS isn't a top league? 3) Maybe. I don't know??? 4) Really? Taking away pks, I think Rossi has a strike rate of 19% with ManUtd, Newcastle, Parma and Villarreal. I believe McBride's strike rate with Everton and Fulham is about 24%.
This and the other comments all make sense. The fact that he actively chooses to represent a country other than the US, though, makes it hard for me to root for him as a yank abroad. It also raises the specter that other very talented US players will choose a different country with a higher profile (e.g., some kid with an Azorean grandparent will choose Portugal NT over us). Anyway, I don't wish the kid poorly, just feel indifferent toward him in light of the choice. I can see why others would have enthusiasm, though. Thanks for thoughts on the topic.
Chili, I would like for you to name ONE player in the world who is: 1) Eligible to play for the US. 2) Is actually good enough to play for the US 3) Plays regularly for a country other than the US The answer is that there are none. Once Rossi gets a cap, he'll be the first in my estimation. Sure, Edgar Castillo just got called up by Mexico. He might, might be good enough one day to play for the US. But I'm not sure he'd as good as Heath Pearce, Bornstein. Will Johnson of Canada. Eh? Not as good as what we've got. People just seem to be panicking that there are going to be a litany of kids trained in the US, that will end up playing for other countries. It just doesn't ever happen, and people freak out over isolated incidents. Adu will choose the US over Ghana. Altidore will choose the US over Haiti. Szetela will choose the US over Poland. And the list goes on and on and on. In fact, we tend to come out on top in almost every case where a guy has multiple opportunities. We just tend to forget that Tim Howard was eligible for Hungary, Bornstein was elibigle for Mexico, Jeff Cunningham was eligible for Jamaica, Michael Parkhurst was eligible for Ireland, Landon Donovan was eligible for Canada, Benny Feilhaber was elibigle for Austria, Lee Nguyen was eligible for Vietnam, Oguchi Onyewu was eligible for Nigeria, Ante Razov was eligible for Croatia, Kenny Cooper was eligible for England, etc. etc. etc. I'm not saying these guys were wanted by those nations, but they were eligible for them. In fact you could probably go down the line and find out that virtually every US player has a relative that would have made them eligible for another nation if they had wanted to. Rossi has NEVER represented the US on ANY level. For all intents and purposes, he WASN'T developed by the US system, either. He moved to Italy as a 13 year old, and has trained in Europe ever since. So yes, ONE OR TWO guys will choose to represent other nations. Maybe Subotic will. i don't know? Just don't freak the f out because one guy chose to play for somebody else.
You know what's ********ing sad? I can't get decent coverage on this board regarding Rossi and I hesitate opening up his threads because some lame ass has spatted off about his disgust at Rossi choosing Italy. Get over it already! There are some people who want to know how he's doing and half the posts are littered with garbage. Stay the ******** away if you are gonna bring up Italy! Please do us all a favor. We, including, myself, do not need to respond to these people either, we are just feeding the trolls. Good day.
Thank you. What started off as one poster as an honest question has gone the way of every other thread -- everyone having to get their two cents in. I hope that the Villareal / Real Madrid match is on GolTV this weekend so we can talk about that.
I know I know. I shouldn't respond and just leave it alone. But these people just don't get it. And I read it, and eventually I get pissed and have to say something. This is why the two forum idea on the YA forum would be good. One for discussions of Rossi's performances for Villareal, and one in the general forum for Italy nonsense. At least its not as bad as any Mexican-american players' thread which inevitably turns into a bitch-fest about illegal immigration. Like that has anything to do with Edgar Castillo or Jesus Padilla or Sammy Ochoa.
Hey now, I reserve the right to act immaturely and flout the YA forum's very clear rules when real life turns out not to be as black and white or cut-and-dried as it is in my mind.
Rossi will have to prove his mettle in a pretty tough league this year. Serie A was weak last season and, judging from the departure of young Italian stars and hardly an arrival of any big South American names, ain't getting any stronger. Top 4-6 teams are always going to be good but the rest can be rather iffy. La Liga, to the contrary, is much deeper in talent with its assimilation of the South American talent base. Last/first match notwithstanding, Villareal isn't going to have any gimmes on its schedule. And should Rossi go cold for a chunk of time, Villareal has a deep enough striker force with Gilla Franco, Jose Mari, Nihat Kahveci and Jon Dahl Tomasson to put Rossi on the bench. So, the jury is still out on him but the odds are that he won't be any worse than a mid-tier La Liga forward and that's already better than anyone else the US got. Potentially, however, he can turn into a superstar and that's pretty exciting.
Serie A wasn't weak last season - they just produced the european champions. Some italians stars left, it is true, most quite old (Toni, Lucarelli). South American names, well, Pato? And obviously the best South American player already plays in Italy. It is true that the top teams are strong, but it doesn't mean that the other ones are weak. This year with Juventus (Buffon, Del Piero, Trezeguet, Nedved,...) and also Napoli and Genoa back, it is going to be difficult for every team. Completely unsubstantiated. La Liga was probably the most interesting league last year - but mostly because the top teams, Barcelona & Real, performed under their standards.
This post is as ignorant as it is spastic. I fully recognize that there is legitimate interest in Rossi as a player regardless of his decision to play for Italy, and I carefully wrote my post to be respectful of that opinion. I did this in two ways: first, by introducing the post by clearly indicating that I was asking an honest question, not seeking to needle anyone; second, by waiting to post until after the discussion of how Rossi fared in the Villareal game had more or less concluded. So your post may legitimately express anger at others on Rossi threads, but it's exactly wrong when it comes to what I wrote. And more to the point, I made it abundantly clear that I don't have any "disgust" toward Rossi but merely a difference of opinion about his relevance to US soccer. The point of my post was to understand better that difference of opinion. If you think I've been trolling, you don't know what a troll is. In the future, I'd suggest calming down and thinking before posting. If anything, you're the one who comes off as irrational and uselessly vitriolic in this exchange.
A few points: First, you're likely right that Rossi is an anomaly, based on these examples. It's something I'm glad to hear and find reassuring. This is, by the way, exactly the kind of information I wanted to solicit with my original inquiry, despite other suggestions (not yours) that my post was counterproductive. Second, the point that he wasn't developed by the US youth system is further reassuring on my concern about US players wanting to represent other countries. However, it does seem that it cuts against his status as a Yank abroad. If his performance doesn't reflect the US youth development system, then how does it suggest our advancement or accomplishment as a soccer nation? Third, if I were "freaking the f out", you'd know it. Don't attribute to me other people's responses to the Rossi situation. I'm disappointed by his choice, but if you read my posts in this thread, you'll see that my reaction ends there--there's no hysteria or even harsh words, just curiosity. This is how dialogue works. Someone states an opinion, then it's countered by others and we go on. It's curious to me that while my totally even-toned posts have been described as hysterical and overreactive, it's my critics in this thread whose posts more accurately fit that description, with the obscenity and the exclamation points and the breathless tone. Save your vitriol for someone who's a real troll, but before doing that, learn to tell the difference between a troll and someone who's reasonably and civilly asking for people's opinions about an interesting but tricky issue.
Rossi's relevance to US soccer is that he's American. It's as simple as that, really. And thats why we talk about him on Yanks Abroad. I don't think him wanting to play for Italy has any remote effect on any other players or US Soccer in general. If you're looking for some deeper analysis about his impact on youth development in the US, you aren't going to find any answers.
Excuse me, did I quote you, did I call you by name, did I directly point a finger at you? NO! I did not. I made a genralzation that everytime I open a Rossi thread it veers off topic and the is he a Yank, he is not a Yank debate is opened. It gets increasingly old. I have to thumb through all the bullsit before I even get a good read on his matches. Now I will address your previous psots directly. You know, you've been around these boards long enough, and 9 times of out 10 your posts are reasonable, thoughtful, respectful, and insightful. But you know damn well that there was really no need to even mention anything about Italy because it just opens up a can of worms and kills the thread. It happens everytime. It may not of been intentional trolling but it certainly killed the thread because the dicussion of the match went out the window.
Please read the rules on what is and isn't valid for this board. Honestly folks, if you need a refresher then read the thread in my signature line. We are (at least I am) going to be pretty strict on people taking pot shots at Rossi because he's not playing for the USA.
No, he plays for Barcelona. As to the exodus, besides Toni and Lucarelli, Bianchi and Bojinov (technically, a Bulgarian but grew up and always played in in Italy) went to ManCity, Pelle (was in Serie B in 06-07 but could have played for an average Serie A squad easily) went to AZ Alkmaar and Rossi did go to Villareal. That's six decent strikers out of the league this year alone. Give it some time and six will turn into fifteen and the only good strikers will play for Juve, Milan, Inter, Roma and Lazio. Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Palermo may have younger or older strikers. Peruggia with Quagliarella will be an anomaly. Within a few years, most talented kids with end up in England. Aside of the La Liga clubs UEFA domination. La Liga has the best 2nd tier rosters (i.e., below the super-rich clubs) in the world. For a club like Zaragoza to have talent like Aimar, Milito, D'Allesandro, Diogo and Oliveira shows how deep theese 2nd tier clubs are and why quality teams like Depor and Betis struggle to stay up. And, of course, it wasn't Barcelona and Real having bad seasons, it was other clubs jumping into the fray and becoming very good.
Fair enough. We have different opinions on the relevance issue, but at this point it makes the most sense to agree to disagree.
Disingenuous for several reasons. I was the only one on the thread who made the US/Italy comment prior to your post. Who else could you have been referring to when you said some "lame ass" had ruined this particular thread by raising the issue? And while it's true that your post referred generally to posts referring to the US/Italy issue, that's exactly what my post did. Take responsibility for your actions, don't try to dodge the issue. If someone said "all crew fans are idiots" and you took offense, you'd be well within your rights, even though that's a "genralzation" [sic]. Same with me here. As for the post itself, you're right I've been around these boards for a long time, and that's exactly why I waited to post until reports of the game had dwindled (hence no effect on post-game discussion) and made sure I framed the post in a way that was obviously non-trolling. This was designed to avoid and should have avoided your whole unnecessary flame campaign. I understand some moron saying "Rossi should be killed" can ruin a thread. That's not what I posted and you should have understood that difference before you spazzed out. Anyway, despite all this more recent crap I did actually get what I wanted from my original post and gained some knowledge in the process, so to those who supplied actual answers and analysis instead of unthinking, misguided rants, many thanks.
Excellent claim. So for Yanks in the Euro leagues who will not play for CL clubs (say the top four of the top four), which of the four leagues is best? I would rank them as: Spain, most even BL, slightly more than half the teams are balanced EPL, at least 8 teams every year irrelevant Italy, more than half the teams irrelevant. And what if you take the CL clubs out of the other leagues: France Portugal Holland or Scotland Scotland or Holland Turkey Sweden or Norway Belgium Denmark And where would MLS slot in? Between Scotland/Holland, or on par with Belgium/Denmark? What would we think of Rossi if he was playing for a "second-tier" club in France or for Motherwell in Scotland or, say, Liege in Belgium? Would he still be a forward the U.S. would madly covet? And if you answer all those questions, you get a slightly different light on Parma, right? Let's say you took out all the CL last 32 clubs, and had an open cup with the rest of the teams. Is Parma a contender for the title? Is Rossi really one of the best strikers? Does anyone here remember Roy Wegerle?