OT: USA 3 Panama 2

[Carl Spackler]

Unbelievable finish to the Hex for the USA men's national soccer team. Klinsmann brought essentially his B team to Panama, and they pulled out the win, against at team they should beat, that was playing for their first World Cup. By scoring two goals in stoppage time, they sent Panama home for at least another 5 years (and gave Mexico a big gift).

Klinsmann has built a level of expectations for the USMNT in two years that is incredible, and he has established a program where there are well in excess of 23 players that could play in Brazil in 2014. Anything less than a deep run into the World Cup would have to be considered failure now.

When Klinsmann stood up about 2 years ago and said that he was going to create competition in the roster, and that competition for roster spots is essential and that nobody is safe for the roster? He meant it.

You need people that can coach the sport, and you need to be able to recruit athletes, and you need to be able to train athletes to get the maximum potential you can out of them for their specific sport. Doesn't matter if its college football, or international soccer.

There isn't a single established player on the USMNT that feels secure in their roster spot for Brazil. And that's a very good motivator to work as hard as they possibly can to be the best they can be.

Klinsmann said that the other day, that there is no one on the roster guaranteed a spot in Brazil, and he's serious. To think that might be the case in October 2013, for the World Cup in the summer? If it was said 3 years ago? It would be considered lunacy.

Establishing competition in a roster.

Maybe it's not so OT after all.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You need people that can coach the sport, and you need to be able to recruit athletes, and you need to be able to train athletes to get the maximum potential you can out of them for their specific sport. Doesn't matter if its college football, or international soccer.

That's some revoluntionary stuff right there. You should trademark that as intellectual property before someone steals it.

 

[Jimdish255]

Amazing yet tragic game for Panama. Mexico owes us in a big way. We could have folded in the end an no one would have cared.

 

[Oxford Bob]

maybe next time the Panamanian keeper doesn't fake an injury. His brilliant injury strategy in the 90th minute added the extra couple of minutes we needed.

 

[Carl Spackler]

That's some revoluntionary stuff right there. You should trademark that as intellectual property before someone steals it.

Your flattery has me blushing. I feel warm.

For those who actually watched it, and I'm one, the last 20 minutes of that game were incredible. You got to feel awful for all those Panama players and fans that were 100% sure they were going to the World Cup, because Mexico had already lost against Costa Rica, a few minutes earlier, and they were up 2-1 against the U.S. when the clock hit 90:00. 3 minutes later it was over. No world cup. USA took care of business, in a very, very difficult road game situation, playing a meaningless match for us (we had already qualified) against a home national team, that had EVERYTHING to play for - and we pulled it off with their B squad players.

Impressive what has been done with USMNT in a matter of 2 years.

It can happen with UCONN football too, all it takes is the right leader.

 

[Carl Spackler]

maybe next time the Panamanian keeper doesn't fake an injury. His brilliant injury strategy in the 90th minute added the extra couple of minutes we needed.

I'm not sure if that's the case, I think they were already in stoppage and they had put up the 3 minute notice already when he was down. I'm pretty sure he was trying to run as much time off the clock as possible.

Either way - it is definitely the one thing about soccer that I don't like one bit. Soccer players are better actors than basketball players.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Amazing yet tragic game for Panama. Mexico owes us in a big way. We could have folded in the end an no one would have cared.

The coach would have cared, and he made sure his players cared too.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Soccer in the U.S. is an interesting subject. Was just reading on the other thread here, that turned into a soccer discussion, and how soccer is drawing fans in some cities around the country that rival baseball crowds.

Well, for me, any sports is interesting, but soccer has lots of stuff.

Soccer is by FAR the sport that is most played by kids in this country from age about 5-12. The hand/eye coordination sports take over from there in this country. Also, the sport is primarily followed by first generation americans - historically, and that never changed - because the sport was never on TV, and there were no professional leagues of note.

The majority of athletes for many, many years that continued on beyond age 12 or so, did so in scholastic environment rather than professional.

my point? nothing. Just writing. But I think that the room for growth in U.S. Soccer? Incredible. Hundreds/thousands of people have been asked over the years why U.S.A. soccer never developed into a world power. Klinsmann was asked the same thing a while back, and his answer was simple.

Klinsmann said it's because no one ever raised the expectations for Americans to have a national team of that level, and his primary goal while being in charge was to raise expectations. I think that sums it up right. He's done it. It used to be that the U.S. was happy to qualify for a World Cup out of Concacaf. We should be dominating concacaf and beating this national teams with our B teams. We're doing it.

The reason why expectations never were raised before? We've gone into World Cups and had success before.

I think its that most people that follow soccer, and love soccer, are first generation/ second generation at most, or were involved in intercollegiate soccer. That means that their favorite teams are college programs, and the national teams of whatever country they came from.

Raising expectations - winning and like college football - the MEDIA - and media exposure is a huge part of that.

Hopefully the new exposure we get starting next year, when we're out of the espn3.com abyss, will help raise expectations for everyone involved in UConn football.

See how I tied that in there at the end?

 

[ZooCougar]

Amazing yet tragic game for Panama. Mexico owes us in a big way. We could have folded in the end an no one would have cared.

Sort of wish we could have tanked the game to F the Mexicans. I guess that would not have been neighborly.

 

[ZooCougar]

5 MLS teams that outdraw baseball

http://www.fidelity.mobi/fiw/GetNew...76443&IMG=&pageoff=0&CUR_STORYID=&cur_action=

 

[Palatine]

When asked if the USA had a chance to win the world cup he said...


“No, you've got to be realistic,”

 

[Carl Spackler]

5 MLS teams that outdraw baseball

http://www.fidelity.mobi/fiw/GetNew...76443&IMG=&pageoff=0&CUR_STORYID=&cur_action=

That's really interesting. I had no idea that MLS soccer as it exists now, is so new - mid-late 1990s, or that it was drawing what it's drawing, especially in the pacific northwest. It's no wonder they chose to play the WCQ games out there. It's growing out of the Pacific Northwest?!!. If it starts showing significnat growing in the northeast media markets too, look out.

You know what? It makes sense. All those 5 year olds that started playing soccer in the mid 1990s? Those that hung on through age 12 -18, college? They have a pro sports league that has grown up with them that has media exposure. Media and sports - they go to gether. Yin and yang.

When that article says that soccer is growing in all the right demographics, it's accurate.

 

[Carl Spackler]

When asked if the USA had a chance to win the world cup he said...


“No, you've got to be realistic,”

Very true - he's not blowing smoke - he's creating realistic expectations. We should be getting to the World Cup with ease, out of Concacaf, and that's the expectation level he's established. We've got work to do as a national program with the European and south American powers.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

America's soccer problem has been, and continues to be.....the best athletes play other sports.

 

[UConn Dan]

When asked if the USA had a chance to win the world cup he said...


“No, you've got to be realistic,”

Winning the world cup is one of the toughest achievements in sports - it's a long grueling road to get there the competition is fierce. So very few teams have won that are not named Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina.

If we made the semi-finals that would be a tremendous victory in-itself.

 

[ZooCougar]

America's soccer problem has been, and continues to be.....the best athletes play other sports.

They aren't playing baseball anymore.

 

[Carl Spackler]

America's soccer problem has been, and continues to be.....the best athletes play other sports.

This is not true. It's the biggest misconception there is. The united states is a resource for athletes that very few countries in the world can even fathom. Putting together a roster of 23 athletes out of a population of 300 million people, that can win a world cup is a matter of installing the systems to develop those players, and letting it work for 15-20 years.

The reason American soccer hasn't been a regular world cup contender, is that there has been no expectations demanded by the public to have a winner, which in turn meant that there were no systems in place, to develop players that could compete regularly. If the systems are established, the U.S. will begin to show up right next to the Germany's, Brazil's, Italy's, Argentina's of the world every 4 years. This is what Klinsmann is trying to do, and unlike any other USMNT program leader before him, he has supervision over the entire system, and he ahs the benefit of being in the right place and right time where a professional league in the country, is being televised, drawing crowds, making money and growing.

It's not a slam dunk that U.S. soccer will ever be a world power, but we seem to be closer to establishing a system that can lead to it, than ever before.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

They aren't playing baseball anymore.

Nope. They're playing football and hoops.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

My only complaint is that the game was on BeIn, which I don’t get.

It took a while and some bumps to get this team the way Klinsmann wanted; but, I am impressed. The 4-5-1 formation works well for their team and Klinsmann’s subs in each game seem to be some sort of Jedi mind trick that always get a goal when needed. The team fights every game. That allows them to win a goal down in stoppage time against a team with everything to lose with a B team. The US team still has some positions that need to be solidified before Brazil; but, I like the team’s effort and consistency. I don’t think they are ‘finalist’ level yet; but, I would expect them, to make it to the final 8 barring any major injuries over the next 9 months, the pod draw and, of course, the always maddening FIFA referees. I doubt any team really wants the US in their pod right now, not when the team has proven that it can win anywhere, anytime.

Panama does should the blame for not advancing; but, I do feel for them (it’s like the Yanks blowing a 3 game lead the ALCS to the Red Sox, except that Panama is carrying the entire country on its shoulders).

UConn football thinks it has problem. Try Mexico’s national soccer team. As a country, Mexico expects their team to be in the World Cup and to reach the end stages each time. They have major issues and if they can’t figure out how to score, NZ will beat them.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

This is not true. It's the biggest misconception there is. The united states is a resource for athletes that very few countries in the world can even fathom. Putting together a roster of 23 athletes out of a population of 300 million people, that can win a world cup is a matter of installing the systems to develop those players, and letting it work for 15-20 years.

The reason American soccer hasn't been a regular world cup contender, is that there has been no expectations demanded by the public to have a winner, which in turn meant that there were no systems in place, to develop players that could compete regularly. If the systems are established, the U.S. will begin to show up right next to the Germany's, Brazil's, Italy's, Argentina's of the world every 4 years. This is what Klinsmann is trying to do, and unlike any other USMNT program leader before him, he has supervision over the entire system, and he ahs the benefit of being in the right place and right time where a professional league in the country, is being televised, drawing crowds, making money and growing.

It's not a slam dunk that U.S. soccer will ever be a world power, but we seem to be closer to establishing a system that can lead to it, than ever before.

It's not a misconception at all. The best US athletes past the age of 12 are not choosing soccer as their primary sport. They're playing football, basketball, and baseball. In other countries, the best athletes are playing soccer and there is a ton of money invested in developing the players. That's not done here and is probably the only point you made that I agree with.

 

[huskymedic]

It's not a misconception at all. The best US athletes past the age of 12 are not choosing soccer as their primary sport. They're playing football, basketball, and baseball. In other countries, the best athletes are playing soccer and there is a ton of money invested in developing the players. That's not done here and is probably the only point you made that I agree with.

Losing bunches of kids to lacrosse as well - not so much in the urban areas but more so the suburbs. While there is no overly successful pro league there are numerous scholarship opportunities.

 

[ZooCougar]

It's not a misconception at all. The best US athletes past the age of 12 are not choosing soccer as their primary sport. They're playing football, basketball, and baseball. In other countries, the best athletes are playing soccer and there is a ton of money invested in developing the players. That's not done here and is probably the only point you made that I agree with.

Not so sure about that anymore Jimmy. The climate is changing. FIFA outsells Madden for Xbox and PS3. The awareness that there is a whole world out there as a stage versus just America is growing.

Kids these days fun Messi more interesting than any baseball player.

As the quality of soccer coaching and soccer instruction increases, particularly at the younger ages, the sky is the limit in this country.

The next 8-15 years will be very interesting.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Guys, it's false logic - or whatever is the legitimate way to say - false logic. THis argument you make.

The best soccer players, usually continue playing soccer. It's not the best players in soccer, that are automatically giving up the sport for other sports. It's a simple matter of statistics. Of the millions of kids that play soccer, and continue on in soccer beyond that critical age - which is really 10 years old, the only thing lacking in developing a US national team that can compete on the world scale, is a system that can take those kids, that remain in soccer, and get them to develop up to a world class competition level. The systems in place, develop players up to the intercollegiate national championship level, and professional players historically, would aspire to play overseas.

Playing for the U.S.A was an afterthought. That's what Klinsmann's challenge to change, is, and I think it's working, and the development of MLS as a competitive and viable professional league, is helping.

 

[ZooCougar]

Losing bunches of kids to lacrosse as well - not so much in the urban areas but more so the suburbs. While there is no overly successful pro league there are numerous scholarship opportunities.

It's also a sport that is actually fun to play.

 

[ZooCougar]

The major barriers at those younger ages are better coaching, playing more games and quality of competition.

Guys, it's false logic - or whatever is the legitimate way to say - false logic. THis argument you make.

The best soccer players, usually continue playing soccer. It's not the best players in soccer, that are automatically giving up the sport for other sports. It's a simple matter of statistics. Of the millions of kids that play soccer, and continue on in soccer beyond that critical age - which is really 10 years old, the only thing lacking in developing a US national team that can compete on the world scale, is a system that can take those kids, that remain in soccer, and get them to develop up to a world class competition level. The systems in place, develop players up to the intercollegiate national championship level, and professional players historically, would aspire to play overseas.

Playing for the U.S.A was an afterthought. That's what Klinsmann's challenge to change, is, and I think it's working, and the development of MLS as a competitive and viable professional league, is helping.