are we back to this again? ok. this is the last post i'm making on this subject. I wasn't gonna go here, because i figured that someone would actually READ the post that i made after everyone jumped on me about Regis. but since everyone apparently glossed over it, here we go. if you go back to when i first returned after his games were posted, I acknowledged that yes, he did in fact play. something to extent of "ok ok. so he played." after that i went on to say that it still doesn't change the basics of my argument, which i explained in the very next sentence was that goose should not have been playing and that Arena chose him as a starter due to "loyalty" and not on ability. that was how this whole discussion started. it had nothing to do with Regis when i first began posting here. it was about goose, arena, and "loyalty". you continued this argument about Regis by assuming that when I said the basics of my argument hadn't changed, that i meant REgis. But if you had continued reading, instead of arguing about Regis, you would have seen from my next sentence that i was talking about goose. go back 2 pages, and you will see that my very first response contained an acknowledgement that i was wrong about Regis' playing status. If i'm wrong on that, come back and call me on it. If i'm right, how about YOU come back and admit that you were wrong about me being adamant that he didn't play AFTER i knew the facts. fair enough? cool. I'll be waiting.
so then you didn't say this? The attorney in here (me) is the guy who has been arguing that Regis IS NOT and WAS NOT EVER a fixture. okay, just wondering... sit down, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy...it isn't hurting anyoe...
actually, i don't. I work in the area of marketing. anyway, 'nuff said. is anyone in here concerned that we just got squashed in the u-20 by JAPAN??!!!
agreed. squashed? 2-1 is not anyway squashed...i mean what do you consider squashed? b/c 2-1 is by no means a scoreline that you see and think "we got squashed" good lord.
I'm not too woried. Japan is a quality team and we didn't have our full side. I'd be worried if we lost to Canada...
So, for the uneducated, myself, why is there a FIFA U20 competition? Why not U19 or U21 or (what I would like) nothing between the U17's and Olympic team?
I hate to be a pest but I understand the purpose of the U17 as kind of a comming out party for young players. I understand that the Olympics is U23. But what is the purpose of the U20 competition other than to be 1/2 way between the U17 and the U23?
It may simply, only, have to do with chronological history of things. Even though the Olympic games began before the World Cup, the concept of it being an U-23 affair came much later (1992 perhaps?). So, we had the WC, we had the Olympics U-23 (later tweaked a bit to add overage players), then the first U-20 WYC came along in the early 80's. It's important to remember that the official title of this event is: World Youth Cup, which, now that I think about it, was born even before the idea of the Olympics going U-23. (I think I'm beginning to mess up this whole explanation!!) Anyway, the WYC (U-20) came before the U-17 Cup which was one of Joao Heavelange's (former FIFA president)last bit of legacy. FIFA would not have done away with the WYC just because a younger version of a Cup was now in existance.
Re: Whitbread / Gonzalez A little late, but... English clubs do release players The 1999 U20 team had four players from Arsenal, two from Liverpool (Steve Wright, Neil Murphy). The only player - IIRC - to be capped at the senior level from this U20 team is Ashley Cole. The 1997 U20 team had three Man United players (Jon Macken, Ronnie Wallwork and John Curtis), two from Liverpool (Owen and Carragher - both capped at the senior level), and two from Arsenal (Matthew Upson - now a senior cap - and Jason Crowe). Kieron Dyer, Jody Morris, Jason Euell, and Danny Murphy were also in this squad.
Re: Re: Whitbread / Gonzalez IIRC that was only after FIFA threatened to ban English clubs from using U-20 players in league matches for the duration of the tournament...the FA agreed not to call up guys who were getting first team playing time in return for the clubs' cooperation.
Apparently it's not important enough for you to get the official title correct. It's actually called the World Youth Championship. http://fifa.com/en/comp/event/index,2003,1046.html