The Coming ‘Golden Generation’ Will Not Accomplish What the 2002 Team Accomplished

I don't watch the women's side as much as I watch the men's side of soccer.
Whenever you watch YouTube videos of the women's side or read on X. You would think the EU has the best players, even when it comes down to Ballon d'Or.

 

I watch a little champions league and I use to watch some wsl when there were Americans there. (Have watched like one game to see Fox)

What I see is a more technical and tactically sophisticated game with the best euro sides, but…

The US league has more parity and more of a focus on speed and athleticism. The US has missed the boat letting players like Caceido, Bunny Shaw, Mary Fowler, Sam Kerr etc land in Europe.

 

UCL is a big part for why they don’t play in the NWSL. That’s one of main reasons why Fox left the NWSL..

 

Understandably. The next 10 years will be interesting to see who can actually monetize women’s football.

 

The original Angel City investors monetized out pretty well.

 

Next 10 years are also going to be very telling on youth soccer development. For both men and women

 

Depends. One could argue that the USWNT has the best goalkeepers and defenders in the world. Naomi Girma was unbelievable at the last Olympics. Emma Hayes called her "the best CB she's ever seen." The goalkeeper Naeher stood on her head throughout the knockout rounds.

[I'll be very interested to see who wins the women's ballon d'or. Like Virgil van Dijk in his prime, Naomi Girma should be a real candidate.]

We look at their games in the knockout round of the Olympics.
1-0 in extra time over Japan
1-0 in extra time over Germany
1-0 against Brazil in the final.

Outplayed for long stretches in those games actually.
On the offensive side, not much going on.

This is what Emma Hayes decided she could do to win matches. Ride that defense and goalkeeping..

It's called coaching. Understanding the pool and what gives you the best chance to succeed.

Mauricio Pochettino is going to look at our talent pool and determine how we can win. We can't ride defense and goalkeeping like that. That's not the strength of this iteration of the USMNT.

There are previous generations of the USMNT that really did ride or die with defense and goalkeeping. The 2002 team is one of them. Cuz Brad Friedel stood on his head in the group phase of that World Cup. Tim Howard stood on his head in 2014. Throughout the last 30 years we have been bailed out by goalkeeping and luck at times. The line between success and failure at that elite international level can be paper thin. In 2002, we were 6 inches from being dumped out in the group phase. It was out of our hands as we were getting blown out against Poland. Portugal was throwing the kitchen sink at South Korea, and just barely missed a deciding goal on several occasions. So when people say this group won't achieve what the 2002 team did, I'm skeptical.

Seriously what did Claudio Reyna ever win? Literally zero trophies in a US jersey.

Christian Pulisic has won 3 trophies with the USMNT. Won the Champions League. Won the Club World Cup. Won the UEFA SuperCup. The list goes on. Won the German Cup with Dortmund. Reyna won squadoosh in Germany.

Tab Ramos won squadoosh. Not a single trophy in his entire career. Club or country.

Weston Mckennie is out there lifting trophies for effing Juventus.

 

Most likely another Spain player will win the Ballon d'Or.I don't understand why but NWSL is underrated when NWSL is a top 3 league. USWNT has the best defense in the world and also had a good defense game in the 2023 WC. USWNT doesn't have too many good wingers or CF, especially in the mid-20-year-old.

Poch doesn't get the opportunity to call up our best players, most of whom play in the midfield. I also think many people are falling victim to "On Paper" As we all know international soccer isn't all based on paper. There are players that for the club play well and for a country they are bad.

 

This generation at least is going to have a World Cup Docuseries on HBO.
U.S. Men’s Soccer Team World Cup Docuseries Set At HBO

 

Adams needs to play more. West could