***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (4 Viewers)

[Bonzai]

Barca closing in on Cesc. Taking a look at Pastore as well. 45 mil my ###.

 

[bentley]

I agree with whoever said Serie A games suck. I'd almost rather watch MLS. I wish we got games from La Liga in that afternoon slot instead.

 

[El Floppo]

Johnny B... I mentioned already that I thought he looked ok once he caught the pace of the game in the 2nd half. I wonder if playing in Mexico is helping him (and provoking Bradley to insert him) against those players. But that first half was typical Bornstein- no sense at all of where the players are around him as he ball watches and follows the ball physically into the middle, allowing players to constantly find the space behind him. Amateurish, in that regard.

Bornstein's performance was beyond abysmal and laughably bad. 3 of the 4 goals came from his side. And at least 2 of those goals were created almost entirely due to his poor defending. At no point in the match did he look ok and while this is a team loss, he was by far the weakest link. And the wonder goal by Gio was a clinic of bad defense. It was a world class chip but defenders were either standing around and watching or literally running away from him. It was shameful defending.

TOtally disagree with the bolded. I loathe Bornstein, but he played an average/ok game for the final 35 minutes of the 2nd half, as I mentioned originally. He got forward well and had decent final balls into the box. He was at a loss with the ball at feet if not driving down the wing for those crosses, but he wasn't alone there. He also actually defended ok in that stretch, without his typically shambolic positioning and winning more than his share of 1v1s. And he showed his pace, which is *ok*.

Maybe I'm just responding to your hypberole, which is a form of commentary I usually dislike. But discount his typical howlers that gave Mexico those easier scoring chances (chances which they'd been creating all game, btw) and goals in the first half (and was he responsible for the go-ahead goal? I don't really remember it too clearly, happened so bang-bang with what seemed like very little defense from anybody on the US), and I'd rate his overall game as average, or *ok*. Include those, and he was horrible. But I didn't in my original commentary.

The Gio goal was a fantastic diagonal run by him (which the Mexicans were doing all night), and great feed by whoever gave it to him. The US was stuck out a little, IIRC, with the MFs having worked their asses off and giving up space as they tried to push forward for the tie-ing goal. And IIRC, Goodson got caught really flat-footed as Gio ran by him. But Howard needed to come off his line there, IMO, or risk giving Gio both sides of the goal at his disposal. HOwards' scrambling around on the ground was as much as testament to Gio's touch in tight quarters on that play as anything else (although I do admit I expected Howard to get to his feet faster/earlier). Pretty sure there were Mexican runners hitting the box, so not every defender could or was even supposed to close on Gio there and the rest were trying to stop him without risking the PK. He just danced around the guys near him and hit that sublime chip.

I'm too tired to know whether I"m agreeing or disagreeing with you right now about that. I think it's the latter.

My comments on Bornstein were not hyperbole. He was that bad. I just don't see how you can rate a defender's game as average or *ok* when his lack of quickness, poor positioning, and ball watching directly led to the other team winning.On the Gio goal, there were six US defenders in the box plus Howard. 4 of those defenders could have closed on Gio but didn't. He was given all the space any goal scorer dreams about. Jermaine Jones and Bornstein are literally standing around and watching. In the case of Jones, he actually runs away from Gio before attempting a late weak stick at the ball. It was pathetic display on defense.

You didn't read my post. Again.

 

[El Floppo]

I agree with whoever said Serie A games suck. I'd almost rather watch MLS. I wish we got games from La Liga in that afternoon slot instead.

To me, Serie A = Bundesliga, except that I actively follow Inter, so it's >>>

 

[Bonzai]

I agree with whoever said Serie A games suck. I'd almost rather watch MLS. I wish we got games from La Liga in that afternoon slot instead.

To me, Serie A = Bundesliga, except that I actively follow Inter, so it's >>>

EPL > Bundesliga > La Liga > Serie A. Just sayin'.

 

[Sebowski]

I enjoyed the 4-6 Serie A games I caught this year. They all had a good amount of goals and half seemed to be upsets.

Is there a stat on goals per game from each league? I'd be curious to see that.

ETA: Found it

bundesliga 2.92

premiership 2.80

la liga 2.74

serie a 2.51

ligue 1 2.32

Full article pimping Bundesliga

 

[Mjolnirs]

I enjoyed the 4-6 Serie A games I caught this year. They all had a good amount of goals and half seemed to be upsets.

Is there a stat on goals per game from each league? I'd be curious to see that.

ETA: Found it

bundesliga 2.92

premiership 2.80

la liga 2.74

serie a 2.51

ligue 1 2.32

Full article pimping Bundesliga

I was looking for that same article. I though I might have posted it so I was plodding through my posts in this thread.I like that the Bundesliga also leads in attendance. One of the top things on my bucket list is to take in a few league games in Germany.

 

[Bonzai]

Two good articles on the Nats today on Grantland

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6707994/hard-lessonsTough to argue with this.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Barca closing in on Cesc. Taking a look at Pastore as well. 45 mil my ###.

And Aguero, and Sanchez. Rossi and Forlan at one point as well. Lots of irons in the fire, but I'm pretty sure they're only going to add one big-name attacking player. Bojan is being sold and that'll help raise cash, I think Jeffren might be headed out too.I think a guy who's as versatile as Sanchez would be ideal. And I would fear bringing in Cesc will eventually force Thiago to look elsewhere, which could lead Barca back to this same spot in 4 years where they have to pay a ####load of money to get one of their own players back from the EPL.

 

[LHUCKS]

Two good articles on the Nats today on Grantland

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6707994/hard-lessonsTough to argue with this.

The article is a clear overreaction, but I agree with the principle that we should be doing more to develop players that will be in their "prime" for the next WC, because I agree with the premise that our success in 2014 is the primary goal. This is why I would have liked to have seen more Adu in prior matches as an example. That being said, the author undermines the importance of making it to the Confederations Cup, which is why I didn't have a problem starting solid vets like Boca and Dolo...particularly in the big matches like Mexico.I love that the article called for more Edu, I love his physical/athletic style of play in the middle...his ball skills are subpar so he may not be an answer...he's kind of like the anti-Adu.The major concern for 2014 is our backline obvoiusly. We need Ream and Lichaj to step up big time. And we need Chandler like the desert needs the rain. The article points out the obvious, Dolo/Boca/Goodson will be well past their prime by 2014.I have optimism for our midfield and attackers: Adu, Holden, Altidore, Bradley, Agudelo, Edu should all be near their primes. That could be a very potent attacking 5 up top. Altidore and Bradley have accumulated some vital experience too. The question is where will Clint and Landon fit in. It will obviously depend on form. My gut tells me Clint has a shot at starting on the wing in 2014 because he is technically sound but Landon, who relies a lot on speed, might be starting to hit the downside of his career. He may be best used as a sub. Which bring the followign problem...what to do with Donovan in qualifying? The answer will be easy if he's back to his old form, but something tells me he wont be. I was hoping news was going to come out that he had some sort of cardiovascular ailment during the Gold Cup but the time for that news to break has passed.Thoughts on any other players that could have an impact in qualifying and 2014? I haven't been following our younger guys so perhapas there is some hope for our backline?

 

[JMon348]

Sport.es report that Real Madrid have thrown a €50m spanner in the works to Fabregas' move to Barca. Surely Arsenal couldn't resist that bid

 

[Steve Tasker]

Five clubs in the running for Neymar, apparently...according to Soccernet:

The clubs - named in widespread reports throughout Brazil as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala - will now be given permission to speak to Neymar.

WTF on the bolded?

 

[Steve Tasker]

New Arsenal away kit

I don't hate it.

 

[JMon348]

New Arsenal away kit

I don't hate it.

No Cesc in the groupshots.

 

[JMon348]

Five clubs in the running for Neymar, apparently...according to Soccernet:

The clubs - named in widespread reports throughout Brazil as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala - will now be given permission to speak to Neymar.

WTF on the bolded?

He's number one on my wishlist but everything I have read, Barca is not interested.

 

[JaxBill]

New Arsenal away kit

I don't hate it.

No Cesc in the groupshots.

Wonder how many of those I'll see at the "jagwire" games this Fall. (If there are games)

 

[The Z Machine]

You Laker lovers who jump onto the Barça bandwagon makes me want to not support the Lakers anymore.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Whooops:

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/copaamerica/story/mexico-prostitution-scandal-eight-players-sent-home-jonathan-dos-santos-062811

 

[JMon348]

You Laker lovers who jump onto the Barça bandwagon makes me want to not support the Lakers anymore.

, kills me every time.

 

[Eephus]

And in the small potatoes category:

AFC Wimbledon captain and leading goal scorer Danny Kedwell has turned in a transfer request after failing to work out a new contract with the real Dons.

Wimbledon is asking for a GBP 100K fee, which is pretty good money for a 4th tier club. League 2 club Gillingham is the rumored destination.

Lakers fans probably won't care.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Interesting read on River Plate. Wow.

Under Aguilar’s stewardship, the club also ran up big debts. They may be nicknamed los Millionarios [the Millionaires] but having sold a staggering $350million worth of players between 1989 and 2010, the most River Plate have ever paid for a player was $4m to Newell’s Old Boys for Fernando Belluschi.

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/argiebargy/archive/2011/06/28/titanic-day-for-argentine-football-sinks-the-unsinkable.aspx

 

[Sebowski]

New Arsenal away kit

I don't hate it.

I really really do. Ugh. What, did they move to Charlotte?

 

[Mjolnirs]

Y summer season starts tonight! Dazed and Confused takes the field with the weather forecast of 80 degrees and 50% chance of thunderstorms.

Here's hoping for no injures.

 

[The Z Machine]

You Laker lovers who jump onto the Barça bandwagon makes me want to not support the Lakers anymore.

, kills me every time.

How long have you been a Barça fan? Seriously. Don't lie.

 

[bweiser]

haven't seen much of the u17 tournament, but did see the first half and end of the brazil-ivory coast match the other day. man that was a good match. the kid from ivory coast was a lot of fun to watch. his first goal was just a 'wow' moment.

 

[LHUCKS]

haven't seen much of the u17 tournament, but did see the first half and end of the brazil-ivory coast match the other day. man that was a good match. the kid from ivory coast was a lot of fun to watch. his first goal was just a 'wow' moment.

If anybody can provide a link, I'd love to see it.

 

[JMon348]

You Laker lovers who jump onto the Barça bandwagon makes me want to not support the Lakers anymore.

, kills me every time.

How long have you been a Barça fan? Seriously. Don't lie.

I'm still looking for an EPL team. Always been a casual fan of club level soccer but have recently became obsessed with it. Barca's winning had little with me becoming a fan.I have been a Laker fan for over 23 years.It's just funny how people get so irritated.

 

[GoFishTN]

You Laker lovers who jump onto the Barça bandwagon makes me want to not support the Lakers anymore.

, kills me every time.

How long have you been a Barça fan? Seriously. Don't lie.

I'm still looking for an EPL team. Always been a casual fan of club level soccer but have recently became obsessed with it. Barca's winning had little with me becoming a fan.I have been a Laker fan for over 23 years.It's just funny how people get so irritated.

I'm sure you'll arrive at Man Utd.

 

[JMon348]

You Laker lovers who jump onto the Barça bandwagon makes me want to not support the Lakers anymore.

, kills me every time.

How long have you been a Barça fan? Seriously. Don't lie.

I'm still looking for an EPL team. Always been a casual fan of club level soccer but have recently became obsessed with it. Barca's winning had little with me becoming a fan.I have been a Laker fan for over 23 years.It's just funny how people get so irritated.

I'm sure you'll arrive at Man Utd.

Arsenal/Tottenham/Man City are the early favorites.

 

[JMon348]

Is Copa America going to be televised on any English channels?

Anybody have that site Andy posted all the televised games from?

 

[Sebowski]

Is Copa America going to be televised on any English channels?Anybody have that site Andy posted all the televised games from?

I think Andy might.

 

[JMon348]

I posted in the World Cup fantasy thread, I'll post in here too.

Any interest in doing something fantasy related for the Copa America and further down the line maybe a fantasy league for the EPL/La Liga/Serie A or something simialr?

 

[Sinn Fein]

I posted in the World Cup fantasy thread, I'll post in here too.Any interest in doing something fantasy related for the Copa America and further down the line maybe a fantasy league for the EPL/La Liga/Serie A or something simialr?

There has been a fantasy league for EPL the last couple of years. There is a thread around with the details.

 

[LHUCKS]

Is Copa America going to be televised on any English channels?

I would like to find out more about this too...if anybody knows.

 

[The Gator]

Watching- Steven Gerrard: A Year in My Life

filmed in '06....should be good...

 

[JMon348]

Thiago extended his contract 2 years and has a buyout of 90 million so he's not going anywhere. That should be the end of the Cesc back to Barca rumors.

With Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets starting and Keita, Mascherano, and Thiago as backups there is no room for Cesc.

 

[The Gator]

anyone have that link to the website with the inexpensive knock off jerseys? looking to get the kids some new gear

 

[brewer]

New Arsenal away kit

I don't hate it.

I really really do. Ugh. What, did they move to Charlotte?

I like it way better than the yellow ones.

 

[The Z Machine]

Here's a great article about US soccer and its problems (and potential solutions). I pretty much agree with all of the suggestions, and might even take them a step further in some cases.

From Sign On San Diego

Six ways to fix American soccer

By Mark Zeigler

9:28 p.m., June 28, 2011

As preparations were being made for the trophy presentation at the Rose Bowl following Mexico’s 4-2 win against the United States on Saturday night, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati sat on the bench and stared blankly at the jubilant Mexican players.

He was alone, and alone with his thoughts.

Maybe he was merely disappointed with the U.S. performance, blowing a 2-0 lead after 23 minutes. Or maybe he was suddenly overcome with the realization that there are major problems in his empire, that an era of meteoric ascendancy in American soccer has reached an apex, that a cliff may await on the other side.

Here’s how to avoid falling off, or at least how to open a parachute.

1. Admit there is a problem

Before it can be fixed, there must be an admission that it is broken – something the power brokers of American soccer have been loath to do. The national team also lost to Panama – Panama – in Gold Cup group play and was underwhelming in its victories. And before that, it won one of eight games since the 2010 World Cup. The under-20 team failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup out of arguably the planet’s weakest region. The under-17 team just lost to Uzbekistan and tied New Zealand 0-0 in the U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

The U.S. women’s national team, with more high-level players than the rest of the world combined, nearly didn’t qualify for the World Cup and is at its most vulnerable point in the program’s history. The women’s U-20s were knocked out in the quarterfinals – their earliest exit ever – by Nigeria. The U-17s failed to qualify.

Yeah, there might be a problem.

2. Fire Bob Bradley

This is less about tactics or techniques than timing. History has taught us that national coaches who hang around for a second World Cup cycle almost always fail, and of all countries, the United States should know that. Bruce Arena guided the 2002 team to the quarterfinals. He stuck around for 2006, and the Yanks didn’t win a game.

Everything that history told us would happen has happened: the team has gone stale, players lack motivation, Bradley has lost the locker room, inferior teams are beating now it. As one person close to the team put it: “The players are miserable.”

Another issue is Bradley’s son, Michael. He was a key piece of the 2010 World Cup team but clearly has lost something – a step, his composure, an edge, something. Yet he played 535 of a possible 540 minutes during the Gold Cup, and the whispers about nepotism, warranted or not, are growing.

The biggest problem, though, is what Bradley represents. He is an exponent of the very system that has delivered a roster of robots to his national team: the youth clubs, college soccer, Major League Soccer.

Having him at the top sends the message that the status quo is acceptable.

3. Hire a foreign national coach

Then tell him there’s no need to find a house in the States. Let him live in London, or Berlin, or Amsterdam, or some quaint European town with a train station.

This accomplishes two things. It brings a fresh, cosmopolitan perspective to a moldy product, and it positions him to place the most promising U.S. players with European clubs.

Because let’s face it. The best American players are based – and have blossomed – in the caldron of European soccer. MLS may one day be a fertile ground for developing and maintaining national-team talent, but it’s not right now. Over six Gold Cup games, just 15 percent of the U.S. minutes came from MLS players (and that includes the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, who should still be playing in Europe). This has been done before, basing a non-European country’s national team in Europe. Dutch coach Guus Hiddink did it with Australia for the 2006 World Cup. African countries do it all the time. And imagine how much more productive training camps would be if players didn’t have to fly back and forth across the Atlantic.

4. Reinvent youth soccer

Assemble an international, and fully independent, committee to examine a dysfunctional youth development system and then provide it with sweeping powers to implement change -- not just issue mindless directives that merely perpetuate the problem. The obsession with winning under-10 State Cups needs to be de-emphasized, along with the influence of parents and the premium placed on raw athleticism at the expense of technical skill. Youth teams are grouped strictly by age level, which gives those who mature early an inordinate advantage and leaves behind the late bloomer, no matter how good he or she is with the ball.

You have to wonder: Would Argentina’s Lionel Messi, a skinny tyke for most of his youth, have been passed over in America?

5. Tweak the college game

NCAA rules severely restrict practice and playing time for college teams, while kids everywhere else in the world are already on pro clubs that play year-round.

And what about eliminating college soccer’s idiotic multiple substitution rule? It creates a hectic, crazed, high-octane mess of kick ball – again, at the expense of technical skill – and players never learn how to properly manage the game and their aerobic resources like they would with the international three-sub limit. That carries over to MLS, which consists largely of former college players who know only way to play: fast, furious, frenetic.

6. Embrace a soccer culture

It is the great equalizer, and the reason a country with the population of San Diego County (Slovenia) can tie a nation of 313 million in the World Cup.

Kids everywhere else grow up living, breathing, dreaming soccer. Here, kids in the suburbs go to regimented practice twice a week, play a game in front of screaming parents on the weekend and that’s it. No soccer on TV. No pickup games on the neighborhood vacant lot, honing their skills on a bumpy dirt field while dribbling around cinder blocks and tree roots. Just trying stuff, without an overbearing coach in sight.

There are basically two choices here. Either suburban kids put down their Xboxes and start playing street soccer (probably not happening anytime soon), or U.S. Soccer embraces the ethnic communities that do.

It’s no coincidence that the most promising player on the under-17 national team, the most creative, the most inventive, is midfielder Alejandro Guido. Who grew up in Tijuana and Chula Vista.

 

[The Z Machine]

I'm still looking for an EPL team. Always been a casual fan of club level soccer but have recently became obsessed with it. Barca's winning had little with me becoming a fan.I have been a Laker fan for over 23 years.It's just funny how people get so irritated.

You might try not being a frontrunner... just a thought.What gets me irritated is the fact that you jump into full fledged homerism after following club football more closely for a year, maybe two. Then, not only are you a homer for your chosen team, you chose the best performing team over the last 5 years.

 

[TLEF316]

The US youth soccer system will never be fixed IMO. Unless MLS youth academies get to the level of the european teams (plucking talented 5 year olds out of the inner cities) it just won't ever happen.

Youth soccer in this country is a babysitting tool for parents and a low level business for the top travel programs. The "everyone should get a trophy" mentality is dug in too deep for us to develop the individual skill needed to take the next step.

And of course, most of our top athletes play other sports and that isn't going to change. Our best hope on this front is the influx of hispanic immigrants. Of course, most of them grow up rooting for mexico anyway

 

[Good Posting Judge]

NCAA seems like a massive stumbling block.

Are the current MLS development teams more like glorified traveling teams, or are they immersive academies/prep schools?

 

[Pope Benedict XVI Fan]

I didn't realise NCAA had different rules for substitutions so I went and looked it up in their official rule book. You are allowed unlimited subs throughout the game and a player subbed in the first half is allowed to come back in during the second half. That just seems really dumb.

 

[guru_007]

What gets me irritated is the fact that you jump into full fledged homerism after following club football more closely for a year, maybe two. Then, not only are you a homer for your chosen team, you chose the best performing team over the last 5 years.

Never understood why people get irritated about who other people liked WTF cares. If you're a doosh, you're a doosh, whether you back Barcelona, Real Madrid or Getafe. If you're a fan and happen to pick a team rich with history out of the blue and root hard for them, Bentley, well, then that's just fine and dandy.

The US youth soccer system will never be fixed IMO.

could have stopped just there. This thread has argued ad naseum in regard to the US youth and USMNT, etc...so much so, that a few posters had to be put on ignore because that's all they ever talk about. The reason the US national team will never be top of the world in my lifetime has nothing to do with youth soccer. Nothing to do with sending our best players overseas to play with the best. nothing to do with Bob Bradley. It has EVERYTHING to do with soccer is an also ran amonst sports in this countries. All these articles and suggestions on how to improve us soccer is an exercise in futility by a bunch of people who like to hear themselves ramble. The US national sport will never be soccer. Kids don't embrace, adults don't embrace it, the public by and large doesn't embrace it. Everyone, says it's too boring to watch, or boring to play, etc... There is no deep rooted history, it doesn't dominate sports news, there isn't one station devoted entirely to just us soccer, when growing up, kids want to win the super bowl, win the world series, win the nba championship, win the stanley cup, hell win the daytona 500. only SOCCER players want to win the world cup, and that is such a minute portion of the us population it's never going to happen.I like soccer a lot. I enjoy watching the game. I'll root for the USMNT, I'll attend MLS games, but all the while, I know that the best soccer in the world is not being played anywhere in this country, and never will be. rant over/

 

[Good Posting Judge]

What gets me irritated is the fact that you jump into full fledged homerism after following club football more closely for a year, maybe two. Then, not only are you a homer for your chosen team, you chose the best performing team over the last 5 years.

Never understood why people get irritated about who other people liked WTF cares. If you're a doosh, you're a doosh, whether you back Barcelona, Real Madrid or Getafe. If you're a fan and happen to pick a team rich with history out of the blue and root hard for them, Bentley, well, then that's just fine and dandy.

The US youth soccer system will never be fixed IMO.

could have stopped just there. This thread has argued ad naseum in regard to the US youth and USMNT, etc...so much so, that a few posters had to be put on ignore because that's all they ever talk about. The reason the US national team will never be top of the world in my lifetime has nothing to do with youth soccer. Nothing to do with sending our best players overseas to play with the best. nothing to do with Bob Bradley. It has EVERYTHING to do with soccer is an also ran amonst sports in this countries. All these articles and suggestions on how to improve us soccer is an exercise in futility by a bunch of people who like to hear themselves ramble. The US national sport will never be soccer. Kids don't embrace, adults don't embrace it, the public by and large doesn't embrace it. Everyone, says it's too boring to watch, or boring to play, etc... There is no deep rooted history, it doesn't dominate sports news, there isn't one station devoted entirely to just us soccer, when growing up, kids want to win the super bowl, win the world series, win the nba championship, win the stanley cup, hell win the daytona 500. only SOCCER players want to win the world cup, and that is such a minute portion of the us population it's never going to happen.I like soccer a lot. I enjoy watching the game. I'll root for the USMNT, I'll attend MLS games, but all the while, I know that the best soccer in the world is not being played anywhere in this country, and never will be. rant over/

But we're also a nation of 300m, including plenty of immigrants from soccer-rich countries. I have a hard time believing that soccer not being the sole focus of America's sports consciousness automatically DQ's the US from being a great soccer nation. Not many people care about hockey, including large swaths of the nation, and we have the 2nd best hockey team in the world.Even if only 5% of the USA really cares about soccer, and I suspect the number is much higher than that, that is still about equal to the population of the Netherlands. And somewhere I remember seeing that America has the most soccer fans in the world. So what you're saying really isn't true. I think the aforementioned article on the youth system, etc. has a lot more to do with the USA's shortcomings.

 

[Moe.]

What gets me irritated is the fact that you jump into full fledged homerism after following club football more closely for a year, maybe two. Then, not only are you a homer for your chosen team, you chose the best performing team over the last 5 years.

Never understood why people get irritated about who other people liked WTF cares. If you're a doosh, you're a doosh, whether you back Barcelona, Real Madrid or Getafe. If you're a fan and happen to pick a team rich with history out of the blue and root hard for them, Bentley, well, then that's just fine and dandy.

The US youth soccer system will never be fixed IMO.

could have stopped just there. This thread has argued ad naseum in regard to the US youth and USMNT, etc...so much so, that a few posters had to be put on ignore because that's all they ever talk about. The reason the US national team will never be top of the world in my lifetime has nothing to do with youth soccer. Nothing to do with sending our best players overseas to play with the best. nothing to do with Bob Bradley. It has EVERYTHING to do with soccer is an also ran amonst sports in this countries. All these articles and suggestions on how to improve us soccer is an exercise in futility by a bunch of people who like to hear themselves ramble. The US national sport will never be soccer. Kids don't embrace, adults don't embrace it, the public by and large doesn't embrace it. Everyone, says it's too boring to watch, or boring to play, etc... There is no deep rooted history, it doesn't dominate sports news, there isn't one station devoted entirely to just us soccer, when growing up, kids want to win the super bowl, win the world series, win the nba championship, win the stanley cup, hell win the daytona 500. only SOCCER players want to win the world cup, and that is such a minute portion of the us population it's never going to happen.I like soccer a lot. I enjoy watching the game. I'll root for the USMNT, I'll attend MLS games, but all the while, I know that the best soccer in the world is not being played anywhere in this country, and never will be. rant over/

But we're also a nation of 300m, including plenty of immigrants from soccer-rich countries. I have a hard time believing that soccer not being the sole focus of America's sports consciousness automatically DQ's the US from being a great soccer nation. Not many people care about hockey, including large swaths of the nation, and we have the 2nd best hockey team in the world.Even if only 5% of the USA really cares about soccer, and I suspect the number is much higher than that, that is still about equal to the population of the Netherlands. And somewhere I remember seeing that America has the most soccer fans in the world. So what you're saying really isn't true. I think the aforementioned article on the youth system, etc. has a lot more to do with the USA's shortcomings.

Are you sure about that?

 

[Eephus]

What gets me irritated is the fact that you jump into full fledged homerism after following club football more closely for a year, maybe two. Then, not only are you a homer for your chosen team, you chose the best performing team over the last 5 years.

Never understood why people get irritated about who other people liked WTF cares. If you're a doosh, you're a doosh, whether you back Barcelona, Real Madrid or Getafe. If you're a fan and happen to pick a team rich with history out of the blue and root hard for them, Bentley, well, then that's just fine and dandy.

The US youth soccer system will never be fixed IMO.

could have stopped just there. This thread has argued ad naseum in regard to the US youth and USMNT, etc...so much so, that a few posters had to be put on ignore because that's all they ever talk about. The reason the US national team will never be top of the world in my lifetime has nothing to do with youth soccer. Nothing to do with sending our best players overseas to play with the best. nothing to do with Bob Bradley. It has EVERYTHING to do with soccer is an also ran amonst sports in this countries. All these articles and suggestions on how to improve us soccer is an exercise in futility by a bunch of people who like to hear themselves ramble. The US national sport will never be soccer. Kids don't embrace, adults don't embrace it, the public by and large doesn't embrace it. Everyone, says it's too boring to watch, or boring to play, etc... There is no deep rooted history, it doesn't dominate sports news, there isn't one station devoted entirely to just us soccer, when growing up, kids want to win the super bowl, win the world series, win the nba championship, win the stanley cup, hell win the daytona 500. only SOCCER players want to win the world cup, and that is such a minute portion of the us population it's never going to happen.I like soccer a lot. I enjoy watching the game. I'll root for the USMNT, I'll attend MLS games, but all the while, I know that the best soccer in the world is not being played anywhere in this country, and never will be. rant over/

But we're also a nation of 300m, including plenty of immigrants from soccer-rich countries. I have a hard time believing that soccer not being the sole focus of America's sports consciousness automatically DQ's the US from being a great soccer nation. Not many people care about hockey, including large swaths of the nation, and we have the 2nd best hockey team in the world.Even if only 5% of the USA really cares about soccer, and I suspect the number is much higher than that, that is still about equal to the population of the Netherlands. And somewhere I remember seeing that America has the most soccer fans in the world. So what you're saying really isn't true. I think the aforementioned article on the youth system, etc. has a lot more to do with the USA's shortcomings.

Are you sure about that?

The difference is hockey is a niche sport pretty much everywhere in the world except Canada. The 5% of the US who care about hockey is still greater than the 10% who care in Finland or the 0% who care in Argentina or kids in Africa who've never seen ice. Soccer is the dominant sport almost everywhere else but here.I'm not convinced the US has reached a plateau. There have been tremendous gains since 1990. The game is much more in the national consciousness than it was a generation ago. It's not realistic to expect the development curve of the past 20 years to continue at the same rate. We've reached a point where the competition is tougher--beating Trinidad is expected but the next step up is crowded with second tier European and South American nations.

There will be a great American player that will help move the game forward. But players like that are born as much as made. If lucky, the US will produce a couple of them within the same WC cycle and surround them with enough support and organization and luck to make a deep run. It's tough when the only measuring stick most people care about comes out once every two or four years, but they're same rules the rest of world plays by.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I was going to post some long-winded posts about how the culture of youth soccer needs to be changed, until I read this...

could have stopped just there. This thread has argued ad naseum in regard to the US youth and USMNT, etc...so much so, that a few posters had to be put on ignore because that's all they ever talk about

 

[TwinTurbo]

What gets me irritated is the fact that you jump into full fledged homerism after following club football more closely for a year, maybe two. Then, not only are you a homer for your chosen team, you chose the best performing team over the last 5 years.

Never understood why people get irritated about who other people liked WTF cares. If you're a doosh, you're a doosh, whether you back Barcelona, Real Madrid or Getafe. If you're a fan and happen to pick a team rich with history out of the blue and root hard for them, Bentley, well, then that's just fine and dandy.

The US youth soccer system will never be fixed IMO.

could have stopped just there. This thread has argued ad naseum in regard to the US youth and USMNT, etc...so much so, that a few posters had to be put on ignore because that's all they ever talk about. The reason the US national team will never be top of the world in my lifetime has nothing to do with youth soccer. Nothing to do with sending our best players overseas to play with the best. nothing to do with Bob Bradley. It has EVERYTHING to do with soccer is an also ran amonst sports in this countries. All these articles and suggestions on how to improve us soccer is an exercise in futility by a bunch of people who like to hear themselves ramble. The US national sport will never be soccer. Kids don't embrace, adults don't embrace it, the public by and large doesn't embrace it. Everyone, says it's too boring to watch, or boring to play, etc... There is no deep rooted history, it doesn't dominate sports news, there isn't one station devoted entirely to just us soccer, when growing up, kids want to win the super bowl, win the world series, win the nba championship, win the stanley cup, hell win the daytona 500. only SOCCER players want to win the world cup, and that is such a minute portion of the us population it's never going to happen.I like soccer a lot. I enjoy watching the game. I'll root for the USMNT, I'll attend MLS games, but all the while, I know that the best soccer in the world is not being played anywhere in this country, and never will be. rant over/

Unfortunately the most elite athletes this country has to offer are not on the USMNT team and probably never will be for a long time. Whether or not those superior athletes would be superior soccer players is another question, but I would argue they almost certainly would be if the passion and drive to win was equal to baseball/football/basketball.

 

[Steve Tasker]

who knows what the US sports landscape will look like in the future? 50 years ago it was baseball, boxing, and horse racing. Until 1990, the US hadn't made the World Cup in 40 years....and so on.