YA - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

the Ugly = Ian Dowie. Tim Regan too. case closed.




and if dk or some other mod please move the appropriate posts form the Karby thread over here - (seeing that through some miscarraige of justice I am not a mod myself ), 'twould be most appreciated

 

I think an addition to the good is the possibility for more YA's. I'm sure that most of us are pretty excited at the possibility of more of the current crop of MLS youth that could go abroad in the next 1-3 years. There are many players that I would think have caught the attention of European coaches (or elsewhere) and may be headed there soon. Think about all the guys that are causing a stir at home and you realize that we got the goods to make some waves.

As for the bad, well I try not to think about it. Same with the ugly.

 

Look at the VOLUME INCREASE! You are always going to have good, bad, ugly in some form or fashion (Ailton great last year, off to a slow start w/new team...and he's Brazilian)

Main thing is: We got more of everything. As long as that progresses (and that can even go slower now- no way we go at rate of last 1- 1 1/2 years going forward), because we have somewhat critical mass now....we are no longer onesies and twosies..

Of course, we still need more, but what a fantastic leap in a short time.

If you are waiting for a time in which a high majority of YAs are the GOOD and this over time....I think that is the wrong focus on all this....and you may be waiting a long time

 

That's exactly what I am waiting for, and probably why I am so cranky about this.

as the Dread Pirate Roberts said "Get used to disappointment"

and I still don't like theorizing on how "potential" pans out. Hence reading tea leaves. And I still can't understand why Spector isn't being integrated at a faster pace.

 

I'll bite on the bad . . .

For all of the pessimism surrounding the guys who are on the bench, or regressing in their career this year, I just want to point out one thing that makes a huge difference -- most of these guys are on winning teams. So, the bad is really not even that bad.

1. Beasley and Convey. OK - two guys who were expected to make the most impact by moving from MLS this year, and aren't quite seeing enough of the field to do that. The season is young, their teams are winning. They are first off the bench for the most part, so we all know that they will get their chance due to quantity of games, injuries and everything else. In the meantime, they get the benefit of a) fighting for a position every day in training and b) not being held responsible for the failure of their respective teams (remember Sanneh at Nurnberg?). When teams are winning, fans and media love everyone, including high-priced foreigners who aren't seeing much field time. A good situation for a first-year YA in my book.

2. Howard. To me, he was living and dying on his athletic ability. This will allow him to work on the technical side of his game, and is going through the lows that will eventually make him a better player. Plus, unless SAF and the whole ManU organization are putting a complete spin-job on the situation, they still believe in him. And ManU seems to be turning things around, so it is not like he will be part of a clearing-house at the end of the season. Another situation that is not that bad if the team continues winning. Some might say it is bad for Tim because they only started winning when Caroll got the job. But if they go back to losing, there will more pressure to buy a high priced goalkeeper, and that is much worse for Howard.

3. Casey. On a surprisingly winning team in the Bundesliga, and fighting for a spot in the first 11. Considering, from a Nats perspective, he never had the expectations as some other youngsters, a pretty good situation.

4. JOB. If he's fit, he will NEVER have any trouble finding a club if he has to. If he's not, well -- its not really anything new. Plus, he could time his comeback perfectly with a turn-around in Ajax's season. That bodes well for him no matter what happens after this year.

5. Reyna - Not really playing well this year, and taking a lot of criticism from fans for the losses (deservedly or not). Sound familiar? Also, he gets injured and the team starts winning. The thing with Reyna, regardless of his club situation, we know what to expect from him, and that isn't going to change. Whether they get relegated, or push for UEFA spot, in either case we are going to see the same Reyna on the field.

6. Keller - Good news for Real Salt Lake?

 

Ok this year has been great for both the MLS and the US national team. Ok this year we had 3 of our best players go to Europe Beasley,Boca,Convey. 2 of those players are doing well in Europe Convey is doing not so good. When YAs go to Europe from the MLS and they play well it proves to Europe that the MLS has good talent and the MLS gets some more respect. Next year might be an even better year because there are alot of players in the MLS that are doing well that might go to Europe. John Harkes said that when he went to Europe most people didnt think he could play until of course he proved he could play. Now when a good player goes to Europe the fans are not saying this player isnt any good now they are saying we might need this player. There has been alot of progress made since 1994.