with friedel making the premiership all star team, maybe the us players and team can get their respect finally?
English fans generally like any player who plays well for their club. If you're asking will that alone make the English more respectful of the US team?? Not really, and it shouldn't. It only says more about Friedel, not anyone else. Hyypia has done really well...but that doesn't mean I think more of the Finnish team.
Yeh I hope Friedals success means the English will respect Americans as much as they respect the french because of Pires. Oh wait sorry bad example.
First of all, the issue of respect for the US team in England is a moot point, because we generally spend between no time and zero time actually considering the US team. We can appreciate the fact that Friedel, Keller and Reyna are decent players, but that's purely in the context of the club sides they play for. And secondly - this just as a general rule in life - it's a lot easier to respect something that isn't constantly tugging at your coat-sleeves going "Now do you respect us? Now do you respect us? Now do you ...."
Even though I'm an American, I agree with this post 100%. Respect is overrated. Who needs it? I hope all the other teams go on not respecting us - that'll make it even more sweet when we beat them. Respect is earned through one thing and one thing only - World Cup Titles. Last time I checked, we still had none. If and when we do get one, we'll have all the respect we want. Until then, let them underestimate us and let's see how we progress.
Maybe the US team should earn the respect of the american public before asking for respect anywhere else just an idea
Not many people really pay attention to the Premiership all star team and even if they do they think of the player who made it, not their nationality or national team. But come on......earn respect because you have a good Goalkeeper? I think people see the US as no pushovers, but still expect them to be beaten. Which is really the way it is.
I think this is an excellent point. To use some examples Americans might understand, just because Martin Gramatica is a great kicker doesn't mean Argentinian (American) football deserves a lot of respect. Just because Steve Nash is an excellent player doesn't mean that Canada's basketball team is going to take the world by storm. Every nation has talented athletes in given sports, but that doesn't make that country good at that sport as a collective whole. The way to get respect is for the Nats to keep winning games against top quality competition...period.
Aw c'mon now mate. Respect is given on the basis of talent on the field--not the amount of titles won or not won. Take the Irish (Rep of) for example--loads of respect there-no titles. The Dutch-Spanish-the emerging nations in Africa-etc etc etc. Quality of play is the yard stick.
I made these points in another post, but what the hell, I'll make them again. My opinion is: Who cares if they respect us or not? We in the States have this inferiority complex about our league and our national team and we're always overly concerned about what the rest of the world thinks about us . While this insecurity may have been warranted after France '98, American national teams have enough good results under their belts over the last few years to assuage any lack of confidence we might have on the world's stage. Semifinal appearances at the '99 U-17 WC, the '99 Confederations Cup and the 2000 Olympics, a Gold Cup Championship in 2002, and a quarterfinal appearance in Korea should assure any American soccer fan that U.S soccer is on the right track. The bottom line is if the world respects us that's good and if they don't and never give us a second thought that's fine too. All that should matter to the average American soccer fan is that MLS gets better and that we continue to get good results on the international level. Whether there is respect out there for us troubles me not in the least as long as we get wins on the field and American fans are entertained.
As far as respect goes -- McBride probably did a great deal in his loan spell. But it's not the US Nats that is going to benefit from it -- as others have said, who care's if they respect us -- all that matters is that we perform. But from the standpoint of MLS players being able to contribute in the EPL, that's where McBride's performance has started earning a little respect. It'll help the younger guys who are upcoming US stars playing in MLS to get some attention in the EPL -- and that is a good thing.
Pele gave the US some respect in Mike Bassetts England manager McBride did well scoring four goals in eight games, but so Joe Max Moore who scored six goals in his first seven games for Everton and then didn't score for the next two or three years. I can't remember exactly because it was a long time ago, but it was something like that. Thomas Radzinski has earned the most respect, but no one is thinking about Canada. McBride did tell Moyes about Ruiz in the MLS, and he recommended that he should buy him, and that there are American players who can be "useful" to the Everton team, whether Moyes pays attention to him remains to be seen. US national team is not very popular outside the Americas, But this has to do with not having high profile players and not having a famous league. So it won't be given respect because it's not well known. But it's always better to be the underdog.
I think some are referring to respect in being considered to have the quality to play in the top leagues, ie. the Premiership. Beyond Mcbride, there are certainly many others in the MLS capable of playing in the Premiership. Of course not all of them would be starters day in, day out, but the have the quality to be on the teams. It comes down to work permits and other sticky issues. Most national team members certainly have the ability at a minimum to be a reserve.
One player on the PFA allstar team a nations footballing reputation is not made. If in ten years when there are dozens of US players in the EPL we can ask the question if the US team is getting its due respect. But not yet.
First off, there will never be dozens of US players in the Premiership because of work permit rules. There aren't even dozens of Brazilians or Argentinians and they produce some of the best footballers on the planet.
I believe the USA gets the respect it deserves, which is probably more than Cameroon got after 1990, the Swedes (or Bulgars, or Nigeria) after 1994, and Korea today. Man, that Africa board was buzzing after the loss to England in 1990 wasn't it? Last Summer, the US fielded a very good team, tough to beat on their day and fortunately for all the fans here, they went out and had a very good tournament.
Quite. It's not as if we in England are surprised at the fact that the US have a good keeper anyway. We've known that every since Sylvester Stallone's heroics in 'Escape to Victory'
usa team the national team was a non-entity, as far as i know, until 1988 or so when they began their ultimately succesful campaign to qualify for italia 90. they had missed every world cup from 1950 until 1990. the progress they have made since then is remarkable. i'm not sure if they will ever be a true world superpower, but that doesn't mean they can't advance deep in a world cup. was sweden a superpower inn 94? croatia in 98? south korea in 02? czech republic at euro 96?
Re: usa team The USA has a population about the same size as the European Union. Not only that the US has great training facitilies. With all the millions of immigrants, there must be a lot of who like football surely? I'm not surprised the US has made "progress". The US only needs a very small amount of it's population that are avid football fans and players and they could have a very good team.
usa team the death of the nasl was a major blow. as long as mls survives we will improve. i pray that mls survives. we are fortunate in that concacaaf presently has 3 spots in the wc and there is a weak filed within the region. mexico is ok, costa rica and maybe jamaica very average and that is about it. usa will probably be in every wc for the rest of human history
usa team i hate to keep bringing this up, i'm sure you all have heard this before, but the system in nusa is totally different than in every other country. you have competition for the premium athletes from other team sports-american football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey. football is totally undeveloped inside the inner cities. it is totally a suburban sport among native born americans. and americans do not turn profesional until at least after high school/18 or so. certianly not at 13/14. and also there is a massive university/college culture and tradition here. so many kids go to college from 18-22 instead of pursuing professional sports.there are thousands of cuniversities/colleges here, and college sports are taken in many parts of the country more seriously than professional sports.
Re: usa team In England it's crap if you want to be involved with sports. Our government is crap for funding sports. It's nothing like the US were you actually have a chance. If you want to be a proffesional footballer you have to try your best with the local football team and hope that a scout spots you. Or play for your secondary school (ages 11-16) and hope that a scouts spots you. Finals are the best since their the only time I think scouts bother watching kids play footy. Or you can go on to do some football training with proffesional coaches and hope they offer you a trail. (You have to pay for that). Then comes the trails... Or you can keep your eye out for clubs who are offering free trails. Like Exeter did last year. When I was eleven I went on one of those training schemes with proffesional coaches. There was 30 of us the same age and they split us up into teams when it came to matches. I was the best out of all of the other kids when it came to five a side and doing tricks that it was ridiculous, but for some reason the main coach (who later coached Everton) didn't seem to like me. He offered three lads to go on a trail for Everton, but for some reason I didn't get picked. It really pissed me off that I didn't want to play football for two years and I was only eleven. There is so many talented players in Merseyside that don't get seen by scouts, while some don't make it but can still play Division Two or Three football. I knew a lad that was so good at playing football, but he didn't make it and I was thinking to myself "If he can't make it, who can?". Steven Gerrard played for Whiston Juniors, a team I used to play for in Merseyside. They have a lot of players who are good enough who don't make it as footballers. I've known players who got turned down by clubs because they were too small, I heard Michael Owen left Everton because they told him he would never make it and that he was too small. It's so hard to make it in England if you want to be a footballer. You have to be lucky. It took a long time for Ian Wright to be spotted. I honestly reckon that 20% has to do with your talent, while 80% is luck.
that's a very interesting story. you played with gerrard? how good was he at that age? people have criticized american college soccer for not producing good players. it has been suggested that the development of american footballers is stunted by playing for even top teams like the university of virgina, where bruce arena coached, or stanford or u-california at los angeles, where many usa team players have played.so a guy like john o'brien has been at ajax for 5-6 years and it has helped him tremendously. but landon donovan was miserably unhappy at bayer leverkusen. i've heard that freddy edu, the 13 year old phenom, may go to europe and play for man u. jovan kriovski went there as a youth, played on the fa youth cup winning side of 1992 and his career has fizzled since.