2017 Gold Cup

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Yugggggeeee 2-1 win over FIFA #76 ranked team

Ideally, all US soccer fans are pleased with any US win, including various B- to B+ versions of the re-evolving #35-ranked US national team roster beating a youthful, re-developing version of the #76-ranked Jamaica team. Given dramatic roster changes since Klinsmann's departure, multiple in-tourney US rosters switches, and most of the stronger CONCACAF federations fielding B-ish or developing rosters, drawing too many conclusions may be challenging.

Nonetheless, SAMCRO nailed it with, "... I think a lot was either learned, or validated, over the 6 matches". Win-win, a tourney win, a lot of playing time for younger guys, others Klinsmann had not engaged and/or ran off, and resulting USSF scouting.

 

[JSM1970]

I think Mexico was playing more of a B team in this tourney than even the US was

You know what is not as Yugggggeeee (you need to emphasize the u genius, not the ggg and eee) as a 2-1 win over the FIFA #76 ranked team? Think really hard, even you can come up with the answer. If you can't, I'd tell you to ask a Mexican friend, but the odds that you have a Mexican friend are laughable.

 

[Waquoit]

I think Morris would be more productive playing with better players. He has better reaction time than most of his teammates. He anticipates well and looks for the possibilities.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think Morris would be more productive playing with better players. He has better reaction time than most of his teammates. He anticipates well and looks for the possibilities.

That's part of my point. He works very hard, and when paired with talented, creative players, I think would end up producing.

The guy is scoring at a high rate in MLS. Is it that hard to believe that he's better with better talent around him?

 

[ZooCougar]

I think Morris would be more productive playing with better players. He has better reaction time than most of his teammates. He anticipates well and looks for the possibilities.

He is one footed. He really needs to develop the other league to get to the next level.

 

[ZooCougar]

I can remind you about every World Cup since the U.S. first qualified, and the results are easily categorized having nothing to do with who the coach is. When the World Cup is in Europe, we don't get out of pool play. When the World Cup is anywhere else in the world, and we don't have half the field having the advantage of playing within their federation, we get out of the first round every time.

So yes, tell me about how that is about Arena and Jurgen?

Well, if we are going by your logic. Then it doesn't work in your favor because the team always played better in Europe under Jurgen.

Jurgen did better than Bunker Bob Bradley who struggled to get out of the group and then backed into winning the group because England.

But in general we are limited how well we can perform in the World Cup, because the US does not produce World Class players.

 

[ZooCougar]

Ideally, all US soccer fans are pleased with any US win, including various B- to B+ versions of the re-evolving #35-ranked US national team roster beating a youthful, re-developing version of the #76-ranked Jamaica team. Given dramatic roster changes since Klinsmann's departure, multiple in-tourney US rosters switches, and most of the stronger CONCACAF federations fielding B-ish or developing rosters, drawing too many conclusions may be challenging.

Nonetheless, SAMCRO nailed it with, "... I think a lot was either learned, or validated, over the 6 matches". Win-win, a tourney win, a lot of playing time for younger guys, others Klinsmann had not engaged and/or ran off, and resulting USSF scouting.

I think it was a same old, same old kind of result. The level of play was horrendous. US Soccer is not making progress, but it's not regressing much either.

 

[ZooCougar]

I did. Not at a top club. But I think he'll improve and could play for lower level EPL teams, or 2nd division teams working for promotion. I just think his style suits the English game. He wouldn't work in Spain or Italy.

His best chance is Germany. He won't get minutes in England because of politics.

He's really nothing special in terms of World Soccer, yet. He's not a Dempsey level talent and Dempsey is really the only US Attacker to play in England long enough to make a real impact, but he did.

 

[UConnDan97]

His best chance is Germany. He won't get minutes in England because of politics.

He's really nothing special in terms of World Soccer, yet. He's not a Dempsey level talent and Dempsey is really the only US Attacker to play in England long enough to make a real impact, but he did.

I'll add the name McBride to the list of impactful strikers in England. He scored 33 goals at Fulham over a 4 year period, and one could argue that his early success at Fulham was what convinced them to go after Dempsey and Keller 2 years later, as well as Eddie Johnson a year after that (Fulham's "Great American Invasion"). McBride for me is a top 5 American player of all time.

Dempsey has had the best English career, but the road was paved by Brian...

 

[ZooCougar]

I'll add the name McBride to the list of impactful strikers in England. He scored 33 goals at Fulham over a 4 year period, and one could argue that his early success at Fulham was what convinced them to go after Dempsey and Keller 2 years later, as well as Eddie Johnson a year after that (Fulham's "Great American Invasion"). McBride for me is a top 5 American player of all time.

Dempsey has had the best English career, but the road was paved by Brian...

Yup. McBride has a bar named after him in Craven Cottage. Good call.

Whenever I was talking with Brits about soccer in Afghanistan last year, they always asked me where Dempsey went. He definitely earned some street cred over there. Easily the USA's GOAT.

 

[HuskyHawk]

His best chance is Germany. He won't get minutes in England because of politics.

He's really nothing special in terms of World Soccer, yet. He's not a Dempsey level talent and Dempsey is really the only US Attacker to play in England long enough to make a real impact, but he did.

Not sure what those politics are. England is less hostile to Americans than anyplace else in Europe. Read an interesting article about the value of American players, and how several teams are hoping to get Americans because it enhances their TV and other marketability in the U.S. It probably doesn't do much for Chelsea or Man U, but other teams could gain exposure here. It's an interesting angle. It did say that German clubs were the first to realize this value.

 

[ZooCougar]

Not sure what those politics are. England is less hostile to Americans than anyplace else in Europe. Read an interesting article about the value of American players, and how several teams are hoping to get Americans because it enhances their TV and other marketability in the U.S. It probably doesn't do much for Chelsea or Man U, but other teams could gain exposure here. It's an interesting angle. It did say that German clubs were the first to realize this value.

It seems like the Americans in Germany get more of a fair shot. Morris was offered a contract by Werder Bremen but he declined.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It seems like the Americans in Germany get more of a fair shot. Morris was offered a contract by Werder Bremen but he declined.

Doesn't hurt that so many of them are dual citizens, like Green. But yeah, the Germans certainly don't mind bringing them in.

 

[ZooCougar]

Doesn't hurt that so many of them are dual citizens, like Green. But yeah, the Germans certainly don't mind bringing them in.

There are way more than dual citizen Americans playing in Germany. There is actually a fairly long history of our players going there, at least by US standards. Claudio Reyna, Eric Wynalda, Steve Cherundolo, Frankie Hejduk, Greg Berhalter, Tony Sanneh and others spent time in Germany. Cherundolo was a one club man for Hannover 96 and he still coaches there. He recently retired and the club even held a testimonial for him, which is one of the highest honors a club could bestow on a player. Bayer Leverkusen was the first club to sign Landon Donovan and owned him for years. After Landycakes ran roughshod on Germany in the World Cup in 2002, I believed Bayer Leverkusen tried to recall him from his loan to MLS. I was at that game in 2002 and one the things that few American fans realize is that there was a ton of Bundesliga experience on the US team. So even though Germany was the second best team in that World Cup, we matched up to them decently because there was a level of familiarity (hmmm maybe that's another reason why having more players in Europe is a good thing).

My personal opinion is that England isn't the greatest place in Europe for American players. For one, it's a meat grinder. If you're playing for a good team, you're going deep in two Cup competitions, League and Europe. Ever notice how tired the English players look in the World Cup?

Secondly, when a player has a bad game in England, particularly a non-English one, there isn't much forgiveness. In the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga they seem to have way more patience with younger players. That was one of the reasons Emerson Hyndman left Fulham. There simply is no patience in England. Look at Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool. Just this week he said that he can't do what he did in developing players at Liverpool like he did at Borussia Dortmund because the club wants results now. That's the way it is at nearly every club over there. They want results NOW. That's fine and all, but in terms of development our players should probably steer clear until they are closer to a finished product.

 

[Palatine]

There are 30,000+ American soldiers in Germany stationed in over a dozen locations. And that's the lowest it has been in decades. That number does NOT include the wives and kids. Many of the soldiers/airmen, marines, etc stay for multiple years. That the bulk of US military in Europe. It has an effect.

 

[meyers7]

There are 30,000+ American soldiers in Germany stationed in over a dozen locations. And that's the lowest it has been in decades. That number does NOT include the wives and kids. Many of the soldiers/airmen, marines, etc stay for multiple years. That the bulk of US military in Europe. It has an effect.

Always been my conjecture we should build some military bases in Brazil and Argentina. Get some dual citizens from there too.