Jump to content

USMNT Thread: Wandering in the Wilderness


LeeEvans

Recommended Posts

14 hours ago, LeeEvans said:

We are still lacking direction from the top down and really that is why Klinsmann was brought in, we wanted a revolution in the production of young players and have them arrive at the national team.

This is partly why Klinsmann is such a controversial figure. Klinsmann, as Technical Director, was moving the sport in the right direction. Klinsmann, as the USMNT Manager, could never figure out how to determine a roster of players and run that eleven. Since he was hired primarily as the latter, firing him took out the former as well.

I think that is why they brought in Stewart as GM before hiring the team manager. They wanted to split these duties so that you could have one person focus on the tactical matters (the team manager) and one person can focus on the strategic matters (the GM). Generally speaking, I'm in favor of that separation in American football. It remains to be seen if that will work in soccer.

14 hours ago, LeeEvans said:

There is a great book called Das Reboot by Raphael Honigstein that talks about how Germany basically tore up it's entire youth system and started from scratch. I'm not saying that is the way to go because we are a completely different country but it's an interesting read. 

*raises his hand* Umm, yeah, I think we need to do this.

Don't get me wrong, for the vast VAST majority of kids that play soccer in grade school, the current system is fine. The house leagues are fun and good exercise (provided the adults understand that they players are kids). However, from an actual talent development/progression for the USMNT, it's somewhat broken.

14 hours ago, LeeEvans said:

In terms of NCAA I don't think they have a single thing to do with US Soccer to be honest. That sounds incredibly harsh but if a player goes to college I think they've basically written themselves out of soccer career at the highest level, there is just too much they've missed in their development and those are the most important stages of the career. 

Well, they can maybe work their way into the professional/national level, but it is certainly much more difficult. Again, as I said earlier, the fact that the NCAA crams as many games into a four month season as professionals play over nine months is a serious problem simply from a health and safety perspective.

14 hours ago, LeeEvans said:

As for the different demographics that is a question that doesn't have an easy answer. White suburbia is, if anything, over represented and really this structure is built upon them. Urban areas are definitely where the focus should be, it's almost completely untapped at that point and if any of the major leagues in the US are an example that is where most of the talent is. There needs to be a blend where everyone has a chance but, at the moment, we're missing a huge amount of the population and a lot of that population is hungry for that opportunity in my opinion. 

Indeed.

Think about this: Clint Dempsey is currently tied for first all time in goals scored for career nationals. From his Wikipedia page

Quote

Dempsey was born in Nacogdoches, Texas and is of Irish ancestry on his father's side. For much of his childhood, Dempsey's family lived in a trailer park where he and his siblings grew up playing soccer with the complex's large population of Hispanic immigrants.[13]

In his teens, Dempsey maintained these ties playing in a local Mexican-dominated adult league.[14] His older brother, Ryan, was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, an elite youth soccer club, and brought Clint, who was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball on the sidelines.[15]

How many potential Clint Dempseys are we missing because they don't have an older brother offered a tryout? How many potential Dempseys are we missing because they are in a small town grinding it out and are just too far flung (or don't have the money) to put into playing on a travel team?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if I'm saddened, disgusted, or both with Donovan and Lalas. To take a check to support your former team's #1 rival in the sport that made you a name? I just don't get it. I guess every man has his price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Woz said:

I'm not sure if I'm saddened, disgusted, or both with Donovan and Lalas. To take a check to support your former team's #1 rival in the sport that made you a name? I just don't get it. I guess every man has his price.

I've actually kind of taken up supporting Mexico a little at the world cup. I usually root for other CONCACAF teams and I feel like the last couple of years have made me feel more warmly towards the country and team as a whole. 

I'd be lying if I wasn't extremely envious watching Mexico tear into Germany and playing a style that was technically brilliant, incisive and exciting. Mexico completely dominated Germany in that first half and I couldn't begrudge the fans with how excited they were. 

I'm definitely not going to go walking around in Mexico shirts or anything and they are still the team I want to beat the most but I've got no problem giving them well wishes at a tournament we couldn't even qualify for. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, LeeEvans said:

I've actually kind of taken up supporting Mexico a little at the world cup. I usually root for other CONCACAF teams and I feel like the last couple of years have made me feel more warmly towards the country and team as a whole. 

I'd be lying if I wasn't extremely envious watching Mexico tear into Germany and playing a style that was technically brilliant, incisive and exciting. Mexico complete dominated Germany in that first half and I couldn't begrudge the fans with how excited they were. 

I'm definitely not going to go walking around in Mexico shirts or anything and they are still the team I want to beat the most but I've got no problem giving them well wishes at a tournament we couldn't even qualify for. 

I just cannot do it.

I am rooting for Costa Rica and Panama, but I cannot cross the bridge and root for Mexico. Just like I couldn't root for the Cowboys in any positive situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Woz said:

I just cannot do it.

I am rooting for Costa Rica and Panama, but I cannot cross the bridge and root for Mexico. Just like I couldn't root for the Cowboys in any positive situation.

Yeah I'm weirdly more ambivalent towards Mexico then I've been in the past. I think I'd have a harder time supporting Panama given the way they play the Mexico. 

I still love beating Mexico and are games will always have that something else but, like your analogy, they're not the Patriots to me. 

Maybe it's because we havent had any high profile finals or matches against them recently but the edge just isn't there. It does feel a little different seeing Donovan wearing a Mexico shirt though which I know is a kind of hypocritical response.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Woz said:

I just cannot do it.

I am rooting for Costa Rica and Panama, but I cannot cross the bridge and root for Mexico. Just like I couldn't root for the Cowboys in any positive situation.

You also missed an excellent opportunity to say crossing the canal instead of bridge. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I work with a ton of people in Mexico so I want to see them do well.

Then again, I also don't have a problem rooting for the Packers once the Vikings are out of it. I've just always felt that I'd rather see a local/neighboring team win, even if they are a rival. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Heimdallr said:

I work with a ton of people in Mexico so I want to see them do well.

Then again, I also don't have a problem rooting for the Packers once the Vikings are out of it. I've just always felt that I'd rather see a local/neighboring team win, even if they are a rival. 

I'm not faulting any fan for carrying on for Mexico just because I cannot do it.

I do, however, have a problem when former faces of the USMNT are apparently okay with selling their allegiance in exchange for advertising monies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/18/2018 at 11:06 AM, Woz said:

I just cannot do it.

I am rooting for Costa Rica and Panama, but I cannot cross the bridge and root for Mexico. Just like I couldn't root for the Cowboys in any positive situation.

Really? I find it harder to root for them than Mexico. At least Mexico plays an attractive good brand of football. Costa Rica and Panama play like every other concacaf nation, and its completely miserable to watch. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, Imarobot said:

Really? I find it harder to root for them than Mexico. At least Mexico plays an attractive good brand of football. Costa Rica and Panama play like every other concacaf nation, and its completely miserable to watch. 

"Rooting for" might have been the wrong concept. "Not actively wanting to see them lose" is probably more accurate. Silly Germany.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what would everyone think if JCO was named the USMNT manager? I personally think he's significantly more tactically astute than anyone we've had. There is the one disaster game at Copa America against Chile, but other than that his tenure for Mexico was quite good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/4/2018 at 7:01 PM, rcon14 said:

So what would everyone think if JCO was named the USMNT manager? I personally think he's significantly more tactically astute than anyone we've had. There is the one disaster game at Copa America against Chile, but other than that his tenure for Mexico was quite good.

Can't say I know much about coaches to have an opinion. I will say that watching Senegal I was really liking Aliou Cisse. Good strategy and tactics I felt and got the best out of his players. Plus he was a defensive midfielder so who better to fix that massive whole than someone who actually knows it. Though I doubt we'd go after him or that he'd leave home to take it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/4/2018 at 7:01 PM, rcon14 said:

So what would everyone think if JCO was named the USMNT manager? I personally think he's significantly more tactically astute than anyone we've had. There is the one disaster game at Copa America against Chile, but other than that his tenure for Mexico was quite good.

Would be a relatively solid hire, I would think given where the USMNT is. The only question is: would he agree to the new GM/manager structure US Soccer is implementing? Somehow, I don't think he agrees to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...