***Official 2014 World Cup Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bryant]

So what horse do we pull for from here? Columbia?

I like the Germans. They seem like a class act. I don't know much though.

I'm going to root for these dudes that just beat us.

Me too. Would (almost) always prefer to lose to the eventual winner.

I dunno. That's the age old question for any sport I guess. Do you pull for the guy from your conference or do you stay mad that they beat you.

I can see both sides.

I guess I could see pulling for Belgium. I like their style and there is something to say about losing to the champs I guess.

J

 

[Bronx Bomber]

So what's our projected returning guys for 2018?

Don't worry about 2018 at this point. The next cycle starts in September. The US will have 60ish games to play before 2018, so the team will change quite a bit.

I'm more just wondering who to follow, but I plan to keep up with the sport so hopefully I'll know most of the guys before the next cup anyways.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

Pretty much but was a good finish by USA. Great effort. Can't fault them for that.

Lot's of denial about the truth in this thread. I'm going to go watch bobsledding now.

It's so infrequent and most of the players are overseas. It's closer to an Olympic type sport here. It's growth will always be limited by those things. I'm not denying it's growth but expecting it to catch on every year is asking a lot.

What is so infrequent? Millions of people watch soccer every week of the year in the US.

We have access to more soccer than anyone could possibly watch and the ratings have continued to climb every year.

Fox, NBC and ESPN have been tripping over each other trying to acquire more and more soccer content.

One of the worst myths the bashers are holding on to is that soccer only exists in the US during the WC. That statement could not be more incorrect.

 

[Fariq]

So what horse do we pull for from here? Columbia?

Columbia?I am pulling for Germany the most. If not them, then I hope Colombia wins.

 

[Mario Kart]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

"Hey look at me, I am both arrogant and ignorant!"

Do people even take a second to think before they post on how moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, and just plain stupid they sound?

Not sure. I'm guessing you didn't think too much about calling him "moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent". Don't do that.

J

No, I thought long and hard about and I stand by it.

If you think walking into a thread and trolling like that has even a shred of common decency or intelligence behind it I have to say I am 1000% in disagreement with you.

There is no place for that crap.

Then let me be more clear. Neither of you post stuff like that on this board if you want to keep posting here.

Thanks.

J

You both just got yellow carded.

 

[Fariq]

So what horse do we pull for from here? Columbia?

Columbia?I am pulling for Germany the most. If not them, then I hope Colombia wins.

 

[dparker713]

Has Howard ruled himself out for 18?

Guzan might be better now. He'll certainly be better by '18

 

[Joe Bryant]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

 

[Fariq]

So what horse do we pull for from here? Columbia?

Columbia?I am pulling for Germany the most. If not them, then I hope Colombia wins.

 

[joffer]

What a fun game. Good job guys.

 

[NewlyRetired]

So what's our projected returning guys for 2018?

Don't worry about 2018 at this point. The next cycle starts in September. The US will have 60ish games to play before 2018, so the team will change quite a bit.

I'm more just wondering who to follow, but I plan to keep up with the sport so hopefully I'll know most of the guys before the next cup anyways.

Hop into the soccer thread. Even though it will return to club focus once the WC is over as the club game will dominate the air waves we track all US players (both new and old) pretty closely.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

What is so infrequent? Millions of people watch soccer every week of the year in the US.

We have access to more soccer than anyone could possibly watch and the ratings have continued to climb every year.

Fox, NBC and ESPN have been tripping over each other trying to acquire more and more soccer content.

One of the worst myths the bashers are holding on to is that soccer only exists in the US during the WC. That statement could not be more incorrect.

See if you can connect the dots here...

Ann Coulter is a troll. To the extent that you take Ann Coulter's words seriously, Ann Coulter wins. You cannot "win" an "argument" against Ann Coulter's "position," because her positions—which are plainly wrong, and which do not require lengthy arguments to refute—exist only to draw attention to Ann Coulter. This is how she eventually makes lots of money selling books and giving speeches to dumb people.

Stop getting angry about Ann Coulter columns. Ann Coulter is a troll.

 

[joffer]

Pulling for Costa Rica now

Pura Vida!

 

[Eephus]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Improvements in youth development programs and a healthy dose of pure luck.

 

[Sinn Fein]

So what's our projected returning guys for 2018?

Don't worry about 2018 at this point.The next cycle starts in September. The US will have 60ish games to play before 2018, so the team will change quite a bit.

I'm more just wondering who to follow, but I plan to keep up with the sport so hopefully I'll know most of the guys before the next cup anyways.

As Andy said, there will be a number of changes over the next 4 years. But guys like Yedlin and Green should have a spot in the team for most of those 4 years.

Bradley will remain a key player. Guys like Mix Diskerud and Aron Johansson will continue to get a chance to grow - though we need both to toughen up a bit. Fabian Johnson will be around. Defenders like Besler, Gonzalez, Brooks will battle each other for playing time. There will be others who are not around now, or who were on the outside of this team that will come back in.

Dempsey won't be around in 2018, Howard probably retires from International play. Jones won't be here. Demarcus Beasley just became a grandfather, I think.

 

[sporthenry]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Like Belgium. Get a bunch of good immigrants.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Send Peace Keepers to Brazil

 

[BassNBrew]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

"Hey look at me, I am both arrogant and ignorant!"

Do people even take a second to think before they post on how moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, and just plain stupid they sound?

Not sure. I'm guessing you didn't think too much about calling him "moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent". Don't do that.

J

No, I thought long and hard about and I stand by it.

If you think walking into a thread and trolling like that has even a shred of common decency or intelligence behind it I have to say I am 1000% in disagreement with you.

There is no place for that crap.

Honestly it's not trolling when his position has been correct time and time again. We've heard the same mantra from the likes of you for years. We've also heard you attack and name call those that disagree with you. Maybe you'll be right this time.

I'll save the you and the rest of the gang the embarrassment of calling me a troll or soccer hater. I've watched more soccer live in the last year than most anyone in this thread who isn't a ref. I've watched college, ODP, academy, state cup, regional levels, recruiting camps. My personal opinion is that the depth is good, but the best athletes are still playing football and basketball.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Grantland wrote a fantastic article on how Belgium developed this golden generation of players

http://grantland.com/features/world-cup-2014-belgian-national-team-vincent-kompany-eden-hazard-marouane-fellaini/

 

[The Gator]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Coaching at the youth level, right now it's a disaster. We can get physically superior players, but we lack all the technical ability.

Kids are being coached by dad who only did it because the league didn't have enough coaches.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Improvements in youth development programs and a healthy dose of pure luck.

Also, get to the point that soccer in the US pays well enough that guys like Odell Beckham Jr. (youth soccer stud, apparently) decide it might be worth pursuing instead of other sports. And that the profile is high enough that it doesn't seem crazy.

 

[Slapdash]

Man. That shank from Wondo and the poor performance by Besler on both goals really sticks out from an otherwise great performance.

 

[Worm]

:(

 

[QuizGuy66]

Thoughts on the last 8.

Brazil - haven't played to the level of champion. Wouldn't mind seeing them win as it probably means the minimal loss of life and property.

Colombia - I disagree with the up-thread poster who felt inclined to root for the country after seeing The Two Escobars. Can't say that result makes me more inclined myself. I'm kinda either way on them. More inclined to root for an underdog that's worked it's way up (like Netherlands sorta is - close so many times) or is a totally random never have a shot again probably like Rich Coast.

France - Even though I have a small percentage of French heritage it's just...how the heck does one root for France?

Germany - I wouldn't mind it in that they are solid and were good against us. Not exactly warm and cuddly either. I'm like 5/16 German and somehow even that doesn't get me THAT excited.

Rich Coast - C'mon gotta love the Ticos. There's a big distance b/w rooting against Mexico for doing Osama chants and rooting against Costa Rica b/c of a single bit of fakery drawing a yellow card. The Ticos winning it all would be such a ridiculously good story. And heck if we got 1 minute of stoppage time what the heck will FIFA do to the clock if there's a prospect of the Ticos advancing. "There will be 14 minutes of added time..." if they lead.

Netherlands - Always liked the style and the look of the uniforms and I generally find them easy to root for. They've paid their dues and heck this was the year that everybody seemed to love to count them out. Rooting for them second after Rich Coast.

Argentina - I picked 'em in pools and I still think they are gonna win it all. The deliciousness of them pipping Brazil at the end is fun. They are light blue team that doesn't bite people.

Belgium - I don't feel bad losing to them as they are a talented side. I don't see what other see (as them being a top contender to win the whole thing) - there'd be worse results.

On the plus side - none of these sides are Mexico.

-QG

 

[wadegarrett]

Damn. Was a great ride.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

Pretty much but was a good finish by USA. Great effort. Can't fault them for that.

Lot's of denial about the truth in this thread. I'm going to go watch bobsledding now.

It's so infrequent and most of the players are overseas. It's closer to an Olympic type sport here. It's growth will always be limited by those things. I'm not denying it's growth but expecting it to catch on every year is asking a lot.

One of the worst myths the bashers are holding on to is that soccer only exists in the US during the WC. That statement could not be more incorrect.

I don't think you're able to see it as you're such a big fan of Soccer.

Obviously saying it doesn't exist is wrong. But the interest level changes dramatically for the population as a whole.

The level of interest surged dramatically with the World Cup. It's easy to see that. I know it won't be the case for you and tons of guys in this thread, but for a large number of people who were glued to the game today, soccer will go back to something they don't have a strong interest in. And then they'll likely be super interested for the next World Cup. The same thing happens with the NFL for the Super Bowl every year. It's not a bad thing. And it's definitely not a myth that this interest spikes like this.

J

 

[Mario Kart]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Amnesty

 

[BobbyLayne]

Ballack was impressed as hell with that final push.

What do people think of him? He's uber arrogant when discussing Germany but I think he's very insightful overall.

 

[cstu]

Current FIFA laws state a player must have a parent or grandparent born in the country in question, or have lived there for a minimum of five years after the age of 18.

Ok, so my plan is too late for 2018 but there should be a lot of talented Brazilian soccer players who would love to live in America.

 

[madviking10]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Simple, but not likely to happen. We need our elite athletes to play soccer instead of the big four. Problem is, the cheerleader is always going to go for the football, baseball, basketball or hockey player. Also the $$$ here in the USA is in the other leagues. Soccer MIGHT be close to hockey.

 

[GoFishTN]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Annex Mexico?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

"Hey look at me, I am both arrogant and ignorant!"

Do people even take a second to think before they post on how moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, and just plain stupid they sound?

Not sure. I'm guessing you didn't think too much about calling him "moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent". Don't do that.

J

No, I thought long and hard about and I stand by it.

If you think walking into a thread and trolling like that has even a shred of common decency or intelligence behind it I have to say I am 1000% in disagreement with you.

There is no place for that crap.

Honestly it's not trolling when his position has been correct time and time again. We've heard the same mantra from the likes of you for years. We've also heard you attack and name call those that disagree with you. Maybe you'll be right this time.

I'll save the you and the rest of the gang the embarrassment of calling me a troll or soccer hater. I've watched more soccer live in the last year than most anyone in this thread who isn't a ref. I've watched college, ODP, academy, state cup, regional levels, recruiting camps. My personal opinion is that the depth is good, but the best athletes are still playing football and basketball.

What the hell are you talking about? What "position" of Newly Retired do you think is wrong? Will go out on a limb and guess it's one that you've made up in your own mind so you can piss in a thread and pretend it's not trollling, but I seriously want to hear exactly what it is you disagree with Andy about.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Coaching at the youth level, right now it's a disaster. We can get physically superior players, but we lack all the technical ability. Kids are being coached by dad who only did it because the league didn't have enough coaches.

This.

If Messi was American, he would have never made it to the USMNT in the current setup.

 

[Tom Hagen]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

"Hey look at me, I am both arrogant and ignorant!"

Do people even take a second to think before they post on how moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, and just plain stupid they sound?

Not sure. I'm guessing you didn't think too much about calling him "moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent". Don't do that.

J

No, I thought long and hard about and I stand by it.

If you think walking into a thread and trolling like that has even a shred of common decency or intelligence behind it I have to say I am 1000% in disagreement with you.

There is no place for that crap.

Honestly it's not trolling when his position has been correct time and time again. We've heard the same mantra from the likes of you for years. We've also heard you attack and name call those that disagree with you. Maybe you'll be right this time.

I'll save the you and the rest of the gang the embarrassment of calling me a troll or soccer hater. I've watched more soccer live in the last year than most anyone in this thread who isn't a ref. I've watched college, ODP, academy, state cup, regional levels, recruiting camps. My personal opinion is that the depth is good, but the best athletes are still playing football and basketball.

His position is that soccer sucks other than the World Cup. He isn't saying Americans won't watch, he's saying the entire sport sucks. How has that been proven correct?

 

[QuizGuy66]

Man. That shank from Wondo and the poor performance by Besler on both goals really sticks out from an otherwise great performance.

I think the Wondo shank would've led to the ultimate fury - didn't they call that play offside? (I know it wasn't)

-QG

 

[cstu]

So what horse do we pull for from here? Columbia?

I like the Germans. They seem like a class act. I don't know much though.

Well that's a first...

 

[gump]

So what horse do we pull for from here? Columbia?

Columbia?I am pulling for Germany the most. If not them, then I hope Colombia wins.

Definitely Columbia...in honor of Tampa Bay's favorite soccer son...El Pibe.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Improvements in youth development programs and a healthy dose of pure luck.

Mostly the second part. You can't just will "Golden Generations" to happen. The best you can hope to do is to not screw them up. Look at poor Portugal.

Its hard to know where the US will be at in 2018. Maybe we've just seen the first inkling that Green is the real deal. Maybe the smoke with Zelalem is real, and he's about to become a citizen. Maybe Yedlin develops just enough technique to supplement his next level athleticism. Maybe we hear more about Seb Lletget or Marc Pelosi or whoever. Maybe we don't.

But we put in the process where we look for those players. And we figure out early how we want to develop them. And eventually, our sheer numbers are likely to tell.

 

[GroveDiesel]

The 1 minute was a joke, but let's be honest as well: the US had quite a few great chances in the last 35 minutes of that game and blew them all. That game WAS there for us. So while a couple of more minutes would have been nice, ultimately the US's inability to finish cost them way more.

It really is a shame that they lost Altidore. It changed the whole complexion of the offense and it was plain to see that they just were never comfortable offensively and had too many guys playing out of their spots. He was probably the one guy whose loss would affect the team the most and he was gone in the first 30 minutes of the WC.

Scrappy job by the US hanging in there and fighting and fighting. We sure do love a team that scraps.

 

[TwinTurbo]

Bradley's passing was much better quality today. He dropped in some perfect passes including the assist on the goal. The defense was so shaky all game. Howard was a beast and man of the match. But outside of Yedlin and Green, nobody else seemed to stand out for the US or offer any real threat.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Ballack was impressed as hell with that final push.

What do people think of him? He's uber arrogant when discussing Germany but I think he's very insightful overall.

I think many a great player is. I like having the international player analysts more - they have an honesty that doesn't smack of a need to be "balanced." I feel like Lalas or Twellman bringing up the negative all the time to seem "balanced." I think that a player like Ballack giving honest praise means a lot more IMO.

-QG

 

[NewlyRetired]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

Pretty much but was a good finish by USA. Great effort. Can't fault them for that.

Lot's of denial about the truth in this thread. I'm going to go watch bobsledding now.

It's so infrequent and most of the players are overseas. It's closer to an Olympic type sport here. It's growth will always be limited by those things. I'm not denying it's growth but expecting it to catch on every year is asking a lot.

One of the worst myths the bashers are holding on to is that soccer only exists in the US during the WC. That statement could not be more incorrect.

I don't think you're able to see it as you're such a big fan of soccer.

Obviously saying it doesn't exist is wrong. But the interest level changes dramatically for the population as a whole.

The level of interest surged dramatically with the World Cup. It's easy to see that. I know it won't be the case for you and tons of guys in this thread, but for a large number of people who were glued to the game today, soccer will go back to something they don't have a strong interest in. And then they'll likely be super interested for the next World Cup. The same thing happens with the NFL for the Super Bowl every year. It's not a bad thing. And it's definitely not a myth that this interest spikes like this.

J

How is this different from any sport? The bigger events draw the most fans.

Look at the national numbers for all our sports, they spike in the playoffs and finals.

Just because the numbers spike for the Stanley Cup or the NBA Finals or World Series, I doubt anyone would compare hockey, basketball or baseball to bobsledding.

 

[GoFishTN]

Man. That shank from Wondo and the poor performance by Besler on both goals really sticks out from an otherwise great performance.

I think the Wondo shank would've led to the ultimate fury - didn't they call that play offside? (I know it wasn't)

-QG

They were just signaling for a goal kick, I believe.

 

[dparker713]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

"Hey look at me, I am both arrogant and ignorant!"

Do people even take a second to think before they post on how moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, and just plain stupid they sound?

Not sure. I'm guessing you didn't think too much about calling him "moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent". Don't do that.

J

No, I thought long and hard about and I stand by it.

If you think walking into a thread and trolling like that has even a shred of common decency or intelligence behind it I have to say I am 1000% in disagreement with you.

There is no place for that crap.

Honestly it's not trolling when his position has been correct time and time again. We've heard the same mantra from the likes of you for years. We've also heard you attack and name call those that disagree with you. Maybe you'll be right this time.

I'll save the you and the rest of the gang the embarrassment of calling me a troll or soccer hater. I've watched more soccer live in the last year than most anyone in this thread who isn't a ref. I've watched college, ODP, academy, state cup, regional levels, recruiting camps. My personal opinion is that the depth is good, but the best athletes are still playing football and basketball.

Sorry, but this is bull####. Spock was clearly trolling in a thread right after a tough loss for a team that many of us have been passionately supporting through the entire qualifying process and beyond. If you're egging on a response, that's hardly a response that deserves a warning.

 

[BassNBrew]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

"Hey look at me, I am both arrogant and ignorant!"

Do people even take a second to think before they post on how moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, and just plain stupid they sound?

Not sure. I'm guessing you didn't think too much about calling him "moronic, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent". Don't do that.

J

No, I thought long and hard about and I stand by it.

If you think walking into a thread and trolling like that has even a shred of common decency or intelligence behind it I have to say I am 1000% in disagreement with you.

There is no place for that crap.

Honestly it's not trolling when his position has been correct time and time again. We've heard the same mantra from the likes of you for years. We've also heard you attack and name call those that disagree with you. Maybe you'll be right this time.

I'll save the you and the rest of the gang the embarrassment of calling me a troll or soccer hater. I've watched more soccer live in the last year than most anyone in this thread who isn't a ref. I've watched college, ODP, academy, state cup, regional levels, recruiting camps. My personal opinion is that the depth is good, but the best athletes are still playing football and basketball.

What the hell are you talking about? What "position" of Newly Retired do you think is wrong? Will go out on a limb and guess it's one that you've made up in your own mind so you can piss in a thread and pretend it's not trollling, but I seriously want to hear exactly what it is you disagree with Andy about.

Which post is Andy's and I'll gladly respond.

 

[Eephus]

Current FIFA laws state a player must have a parent or grandparent born in the country in question, or have lived there for a minimum of five years after the age of 18.

Ok, so my plan is too late for 2018 but there should be a lot of talented Brazilian soccer players who would love to live in America.

That didn't work out too well for Diego Costa

 

[flapgreen]

Is soccer back to sucking for another 47 months?

Pretty much but was a good finish by USA. Great effort. Can't fault them for that.

Lot's of denial about the truth in this thread. I'm going to go watch bobsledding now.

It's so infrequent and most of the players are overseas. It's closer to an Olympic type sport here. It's growth will always be limited by those things. I'm not denying it's growth but expecting it to catch on every year is asking a lot.

What is so infrequent? Millions of people watch soccer every week of the year in the US. We have access to more soccer than anyone could possibly watch and the ratings have continued to climb every year.

Fox, NBC and ESPN have been tripping over each other trying to acquire more and more soccer content.

One of the worst myths the bashers are holding on to is that soccer only exists in the US during the WC. That statement could not be more incorrect.

I'm not denying the ratings are going up. As the US improves, I'm sure it will keep getting more popular. The success of the US seems to have such an influence over its popularity. There's only one major soccer event every four years that most people in the US care about. Maybe there will be more events that your average sports fan will care about but we're far from that now. Maybe it will catch on and stay popular year round, though. I've been wrong plenty of times before. I just think there are many factors that will limit its popularity.

 

[The Gator]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Coaching at the youth level, right now it's a disaster. We can get physically superior players, but we lack all the technical ability.Kids are being coached by dad who only did it because the league didn't have enough coaches.

This.

If Messi was American, he would have never made it to the USMNT in the current setup.

Exactly, that's why i don't buy the "best athletes" angle. Jozy is physically a better athlete than Messi and we know where that goes from here...

 

[Joe Bryant]

Thought Donovan nailed it. We need some players who are elite even in the context of the World Cup to go further than we have at this point.

Belgium ran us off the field for the most part, and their ability to string long passing movements together under pressure was the difference in quality between the two sides.

How do we get those elite players though?

J

Coaching at the youth level, right now it's a disaster. We can get physically superior players, but we lack all the technical ability.

Kids are being coached by dad who only did it because the league didn't have enough coaches.

That's where I don't see it.

I have to believe Knoxville TN where I live is a pretty average medium sized town. Actually probably slanted hard towards Football as it's SEC land. And youth soccer is a GIANT deal. Little kids on traveling teams. Indoor practice facilities. European coaches (I guess that's good - they seem to be very proud when a coach is from Germany or England) Basically, everything seems at worst on par with how they treat Football. And maybe superior to how we treat Football. In other words, I don't see how we could put any more time / money / effort into our Youth Soccer.

That's what has me puzzled. If we neglected it, I could see room for improvement. So I really don't get it.

J