I understand what you are saying. But I don't think Marsch as the USMNT necessarily means a top 4 finish at a WC. What I do think is better for the long term future of the USMNT is a firmer pipeline to Europe, as well as better coaching at the youth level. It's very unlikely that American soccer will ever be able to mirror the youth development in Latin/South America because of cultural reasons (soccer is life there). So yeah we need to have better coaching in general. The more pathways for American coaches and players to Europe in the long run IMO will lead to more talent being produce. So yeah I don't think you really understood what I was saying at all. Because I agree with you when you say a top 4 finish at a WC would be huge.... But I think the way we get there is by having more guys like Marsch coaching in Europe, which increases our overall coaching talent pool (more guys to draw in that can be a coach for the USMNT as well), better youth development, etc. What good is inspiration if the system can't maximize the production of talent? As much as Pulisic/Reyna/McKennie were developed in the USA, they each also have significant differences in their development compared to the average American. Pulisic and Reyna both had soccer playing parents who were involved with soccer professionally as adults. Pulisic and McKennie both played soccer in their youth in Europe (under 10). Tyler Adams is the only one of the bunch that was produced in a way that can be replicated for most American players and guess what? He was produced by a club (NY Red Bulls) that has extensive European links, whiich really strengthens my argument.
Its called the silly season for a reason: Contrary to reports, dude they were your reports! Contrary to reports the player hasn’t left the training camp in Herzlake. [@Sky_Dirk,🥈] #S04 pic.twitter.com/ipxD08cVEM— Schalke Daily (@S04Daily) August 9, 2020 Oops now it is Herta! Hertha BSC are currently in the pole position for the signing of Weston McKennie. The player originally had his heart set on a move to the Premier League but now a transfer to the Bundesliga club seems more likely. [@Sky_Dirk,🥈] #S04 pic.twitter.com/zj9wylTxWv— Schalke Daily (@S04Daily) August 9, 2020
First per season match in about 30 minutes on Schalke TV. With all the disgruntled players who are leaving I am not sure we will be able to field a squad.
Weston and Nick T are not in the starting XI. Silly season reports are that Wes will decide his future next week! Our XI to face @VfL_1899 📋1 - Ralf #Fährmann4 - @ozankabak4 7 - @Mark_Uth 8 - Suat #Serdar14 - @rabbi_matondo 16 - Nassim #Boujellab17 - Benjamin #Stambouli25 - @Amine_000 31 - Timo #Becker37 - Levent #Mercan43 - Jonas #Hofmann#S04 | #S04OSN pic.twitter.com/P7HBFV6fFd— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) August 9, 2020
Want him in the prem. Southampton is the perfect fit. Disappointing if he trades a bad bundesliga team for a mediocre one.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/soccer-...zette-to-atletico-as-soon-as-aubameyang-signs 16.04 BST: Over in France, L'Equipe reports that AS Monaco are hoping to steal a march on Premier League rivals by making a move for United States international Weston McKennie. He has made it clear he wants to leave Schalke in search of a new challenge and has ambitions to play in England. The 21-year-old central midfielder is being eyed by Niko Kovak, the former Bayern Munich boss who is now in charge at Monaco. Southampton could yet beat them to the chase.
It takes three agreements—selling team, buying team and Wes. Sounds like the buying team is balking at the transfer price.
I'd be OK with any of the consistently rumored clubs--Hertha, Southampton, Everton, or Monaco, though all have their pluses and minuses. Southampton ended up comfortably safe this year, but things were dicey for them for a while, and they were in the relegation fight the two seasons prior to this. I don't think it's a given that they stay up, but they do have a good track record of developing and selling on younger players. Monaco feels like a lateral move in some ways. Like Schalke, you'd think they'd be one of the bigger, more consistently successful clubs in their league, but poor management has them yo-yoing from UCL to relegation battle to mid-table. And presumably his aim in going here would be to impress and get sold to the EPL, but if he has EPL offers on the table already, what's the point? I think Hertha could be a good pick if they're serious about investing in talent. It wouldn't take that much to at least vault themselves up into that third tier of clubs (1st tier: Bayern, 2nd tier: Dortmund) like Leipzig, Gladbach, and Leverkusen who seem to consistently be getting spots in Europe. Of course, it is a risk to sign on with a club who has ambitions but no proof of being able to follow through on those ambitions. Finally, I think it could do him a world of good to work with a coach like Ancelotti at Everton to polish up his game. But how long will Ancelotti stick around? And if/when he leaves, does Everton flail around again and end up fighting to stay out of the relegation zone?
Out of all the possible destinations mentioned they’re all better than staying at Schalke. I’d definitely prefer the EPL though.
Neither Wes nor Nick T got on the field for the first preseason match which was the typical "switch out the entire squad for the 2nd half" affair. Not much to learn about Wagner's ideas for this season. He played the 4-3-1-2 diamond that many supporters hated last season, except he had a lightweight (Mercan then Schopf ) playing at #6. I guess he has been talking to Berhalter. Anyway the #12 team in the BuLi beat the #13 team in BL2 5-1. The full match is available at the Schalke TV link I posted above.
I gotta be honest, Schalke had a poor second half of the season but trading one mid table club for another, especially when the one you are at is historically a stronger team, doesn't get me super excited. First half of the seasonSchalke is probably as good as most of the interested teams if not better. I still think Wes will be fine wherever he goes, but unless he's getting a big pay raise, I don't much see the point in most of the potential transfers in a sporting sense. I mean, sure if the guy who bought Hertha really pours in some cash they can improve, but they were a whole 2 points over Schalke in a down year for Schalke. I don't think it will be at all surprising if Schalke finishes above them in the upcoming season. Monaco because of their tradition of hosting big players for a time or some of the big EPL clubs like Liverpool are the only clear steps up from where Wes is already playing week in and week out.
Klinsmann's buddy has dumped huge cash into Herta but still owns < 50% of the club! The total investments of almost $500 million from Windhorst mean Hertha's financial status is secure and put it in position to make a serious impact on the transfer market. Hertha spent an estimated $83 million on player signings in January — more than any other team in the world.Jul 2, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...eccbb0-bc65-11ea-97c1-6cf116ffe26c_story.html
No. I don't believe that Wagner wants Weston to leave. If it was up to Wagner both Bentaleb and Rudy would be gone and Weston would be a lock starter. Weston can play the high pressing, aggressive counter pressing scheme that we saw first half of last season. Bentaleb and Rudy will not/ cannot. It is strictly financial at this point. You don't want your asset injured if there are serious negotiations ongoing. McKennie had "muscle issues" is the official word.
If you don't have the cash don't try to play the silly season with the big dogs! McKennie’s wage demands are unknown but Sky Sport Germany’s report confirms that the asking price from Schalke was 25 million euros – a fee that could have eclipsed Saints’ club record transfer fee. Given that there have been financial strains brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic and that Saints look to have already committed £23m towards moves for Mohammed Salisu and Kyle Walker-Peters, it is understandable that they felt they could not meet these demands. https://saintsmarching.com/2020/08/09/southampton-high-transfer-cost-sees-saints-move-mckennie/
Maybe Wes does have "muscle soreness issues? he is usually up front! 10x 500m 🏃♂️💦Pre-season was never meant to be fun 😉#S04 | #S04inHerzlake pic.twitter.com/C8N5obBgwH— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) August 10, 2020
Boy is lookin thick. When these young guys break through at 18-19 and amass 50+ first division appearances by the time they're 20-21, it's easy to forget just how much physical maturation they likely still have left to go through.