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US Men's National Team (8 Viewers)

From the clips I watched, Ventura Alvarado had an absolute nightmare against Atlas last night. An own goal where he stretches, stops the ball and then kind of loses his balance and nudges the ball again over the line. Then he completely botched a clearance and gifted the attacker another goal.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I went to the Revs TFC game tonight. Here are some comments:

* First and foremost, Jozy :( Dear god. He combined lazy play with poor play all culminating in an early shower with a stupid straight red card in the first half. This is his second one this year in MLS (and I think he also had one with the US). Someone better get inside his head quickly. Out of all the players making big bucks in MLS, he appears to be doing the worst.

* On a brighter note, Jermaine Jones worked the crowd, the "Rev Girls", the Ref and AR's and also eventually got in the game in the second half and immediately assumed control of the middle of the field spraying accurate long passes all over the place. It was great to see him back and in shape. I think the US are going to need his mental strength this fall and winter.

* While Jozy making $4.75 million is the biggest overpay in the league, the pretty amazing Charlie Davies story is the opposite end. At only $83k a year, he might be one of the best bargains in the league. He scored 2 more pure poacher goals tonight (nothing pretty, just getting to a spot before others).

* No comments on Bradley as he is still out injured.

* Agudelo is in a bad funk and has lost his starting spot with the Revs. The arc of his swings from very good to very bad are striking. It can't be a physical thing as it happens every season. He simply might not have what it takes upstairs to be a consistently good player.
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*Jozy is a bum. This is his 2nd trip to Gillette this season. He left injured a few minutes into the first one and got sent off on a ridiculous attempt to kick Farrell (Goncalves?) after the play was over.

*Jones is just so much more aggressive and authoritative than everyone else on the field. Obviously last night's game was over already when Jones came in, but the tenor of the Revs offense changed instantly when he went in. Hopefully the rest of the guys will get comfortable playing with him again soon. You could see him cajoling them to push up and make runs. We need that aggression and attack.

*Davies is a great bargain but his 2 goals last night were essentially him being in the right place and the ball bouncing off of him for the goal. Contrast that with some of his 2nd half runs where he got good passes over the top, with plenty of space and time to do something, and he was never able to settle the ball down to get off a shot.

*Agudelo is frustrating but I wish he was still starting. He's one of our few guys who consistently finds shots and takes them, or makes runs to the box for the cross.

 
randall146 said:
NewlyRetired said:
I went to the Revs TFC game tonight. Here are some comments:

* First and foremost, Jozy :( Dear god. He combined lazy play with poor play all culminating in an early shower with a stupid straight red card in the first half. This is his second one this year in MLS (and I think he also had one with the US). Someone better get inside his head quickly. Out of all the players making big bucks in MLS, he appears to be doing the worst.

* On a brighter note, Jermaine Jones worked the crowd, the "Rev Girls", the Ref and AR's and also eventually got in the game in the second half and immediately assumed control of the middle of the field spraying accurate long passes all over the place. It was great to see him back and in shape. I think the US are going to need his mental strength this fall and winter.

* While Jozy making $4.75 million is the biggest overpay in the league, the pretty amazing Charlie Davies story is the opposite end. At only $83k a year, he might be one of the best bargains in the league. He scored 2 more pure poacher goals tonight (nothing pretty, just getting to a spot before others).

* No comments on Bradley as he is still out injured.

* Agudelo is in a bad funk and has lost his starting spot with the Revs. The arc of his swings from very good to very bad are striking. It can't be a physical thing as it happens every season. He simply might not have what it takes upstairs to be a consistently good player.
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*Jozy is a bum. This is his 2nd trip to Gillette this season. He left injured a few minutes into the first one and got sent off on a ridiculous attempt to kick Farrell (Goncalves?) after the play was over.
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I think it was Gonzalves he tried to kick, but only a few minutes earlier, he threw a fore arm shiver at Farrell. He was not mentally prepared to play that game at all and almost looked to be getting an excuse to leave early.

That is disappointing for a pro making 75k. It is beyond concerning for a guy making more than 25 of his other teammates combined.

 
randall146 said:
*Agudelo is frustrating but I wish he was still starting. He's one of our few guys who consistently finds shots and takes them, or makes runs to the box for the cross.
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He really is frustrating. I have been backing him for a couple of years now as his good play is as good as any US forward but he can't be considered even close to national team material when he goes into these funks so often.

I thought Rowe played really well last night. Probably his best game of the season. I don't know if he is athletic enough to ever make the leap to the US Nats though. He seems to be missing just another step of pace that one needs at that level as an offensive midfielder.

 
I did not see the game but I heard Sebastian Lletget had yet another solid game last night for LA. I really hope Arena can a spot for him when Gio is available, although if that happens it might come at Zardes's expense.

He scored again (7 goals in 9 games) as a midfielder and it was both a strong initial run with the ball and bullet final shot off a good pass from Junihno.

http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-01-colorado-rapids-vs-la-galaxy/details/video/45851

He seems an utter lock for the January camp.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I did not see the game but I heard Sebastian Lletget had yet another solid game last night for LA. I really hope Arena can a spot for him when Gio is available, although if that happens it might come at Zardes's expense.

He scored again (7 goals in 9 games) as a midfielder and it was both a strong initial run with the ball and bullet final shot off a good pass from Junihno.

http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-01-colorado-rapids-vs-la-galaxy/details/video/45851

He seems an utter lock for the January camp.
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And Klinsman will probably olay him at LB

 
This seems to make some sense. With Atlanta not scheduled to start MLS play until 2017, it would see Boca would have time for this.

Atlanta United FC Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra will serve as the assistant coach for the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team (U-18 MNT) for the 2015 Open Nordic Cup Tournament.Bocanegra, a former six season captain of the United States Men’s National Team, two-time Major League Soccer defender of the year and 2010 World Cup team captain, will serve under Head Coach Javier Perez when U-18 MNT heads to Sweden for the tournament, which will be held July 30 through Aug. 10.

But, Bocanegra isn’t the only name on the roster to represent the Peach State.

Two Georgia United (a U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program) players landed a spot on the list. Juan Torres, of Lilburn, Ga., earned a spot as a midfielder and Andrew Carleton, of Powder Springs, Ga., will play as a forward.

U.S. soccer reported the trip kicks off a new cycle for this crop of players at the U-18 age group. All 20 players on the roster were born in 1999, making this their first camp as the new U-18 MNT.

The team starts play Aug. 4, when its faces Faroe Islands in Mallbaken. It will then travel to Karlstad to play Iceland on Aug. 5, and will look to wrap up group play on Aug. 7 against Sweden. The opponent for a final placement game to be played on Aug. 9 will be determined following the conclusion of the three group matches, U.S. Soccer said.
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Various reports trickling out of Germany are saying Werder Bremen and Bacon have agreed on personal terms but that AZ and Werder have not agreed yet on a transfer fee.

 
CONCACAF has used this general WCQing format (3 groups of 4 followed by the Hex) since 1998. Here is how things shook out for the US in the round before the Hex

=================================

1998:

US

Costa Rica

Guat

T&T

The US won this group by 1 point over Costa Rica. Because Guat was being sanctioned by FIFA, they had no home games in this round, having to play at neutral sites.

The US went 4-1-1 with the loss being in CR and the draw being in the meaningless last game since they had already qualified.

2002:

US

CR

Guat

Barbados

This was a tight round of qualifying. Because Barbados was so much lower in quality than everyone else, it left the other three teams to fight it out for the top two spots.

The US ended up with 11 points, while CR and Guat had 10.

The US was forced to win its last match, which was at on the road at Barbados. A draw and they would have missed out on advancing. The game went into the 63rd minute still 0-0 before Mathis finally broke through. The US went on to win 4-0 that day and won the group by a point.

2006:

US

Panama

Jamaica

ELS

This was a very strange round. The US did not lose any games but they did draw half of their games. But even with half the games as draws, the US comfortably qualified with a game remaining.

2010:

US

T&T

Guat

Cuba

This was our strongest qualification round ever at this stage. The US picked up 15 points (only loss was at T&T) and qualified easily along with T&T.

2014:

US

Jamaica

Guat

Antigua and Barbuda

This may have been our tightest round ever. Some how the US got itself into a situation where it had to get 4 points from the last 2 games to qualify. They were level very late down in Antigua when Eddie Johnson scored in injury time to get the 3 points. Then in the last game at home against, they were actually losing before coming back to win.

============================================================

As Ted mentioned during this years draw, Guat is forever our dance partner in this stage. Including this cycle, 6 out of 7 times they have been drawn into the US group.

Looking back at the historical results, any thing that sees the US qualify before the last game of the stage should be considered a success.

The highest point total was in 2010 with 15 points.

The lowest point total was in 2002 with 11 points.

This years qualifying round might contain the easiest group of teams the US has ever faced. The US has never not finished first in this round of qualifying, even with some bumps along the road that made for some nervous moments in past qualification cycles.

 
Looks like Hyndman might be moving

======================

U.S. Under-20 national team midfielder Emerson Hyndman has clubs from England, Germany and Spain, among others, trying to pry him away from Fulham.

One of the best young American prospects in Europe is drawing a considerable amount of attention this summer, and it could lead to a transfer if his club agrees to sell him.

Fulham and U.S. under-20 national team midfielder Emerson Hyndman is entering the final year of his contract with the Championship side and after impressing at the Under-20 World Cup, the interest in his services now includes clubs from several top leagues, sources have confirmed to Goal USA.

Clubs from the top flights in England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands have made inquiries about acquiring the 19-year-old midfielder, but no team has been able to meet Fulham’s asking price yet.

Last winter, Spanish clubs Almeria and Elche attempted to acquire Hyndman on loan, but were both turned down. Dutch club SC Cambuur also had a loan offer rejected. More recently, German side VfB Stuttgart has been among the teams to make an offer for Hyndman.

Regarded as one of Fulham’s top prospects, Hyndman made his first-team debut last season and saw considerable playing time as an 18-year-old in the first half of last season. Under-20 national team commitments and injury cost him the majority of the second half of the season. Earlier this summer, Hyndman served as captain of the U.S. under-20 team that reached the quarterfinals of the Under-20 World Cup.

It remains unclear whether Fulham sees Hyndman as a starter in the upcoming season, or if the club is simply trying to bargain for a better sale price on a player who will be available on a free transfer next summer. As it stands, it is looking more and more like Hyndman won't be with Fulham for long. What remains to be seen is whether his departure takes place this summer or next summer.

 
Earnie Stewart really does the job financially at little AZ. He keeps selling and the team stays competitive

Jozy-10M
Maher-8M
Berghuis-6.5M
Gudelj-6M
AJ-5m

 
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Not that surprising obviously but Gideon Zelalem has had his temporary status of first team squad changed to U21 squad at Arsenal.

===========================================================

Arsenal have updated their squad list ahead of the new season, with Gedion Zelalem and Krystian Bielik both relinquishing their first-team status, but it is surely only a matter of time before the talented youngsters will be back in the senior set-up.

Both Zelalem and Bielik had been listed as official members of the first-team squad for some time, but the pair are now classed as youth-team players for the 2015/16 campaign. That is no reflection on their performance levels but does perhaps indicate that neither player is as close to the first-team as was previously envisaged, with Alex Iwobi and Jeff Reine-Adelaide now appearing to be the youngsters who are on the verge of promotion.

Bielik has had to endure plenty of frustration since his high-profile arrival from Legia Warsaw in the January transfer window. The youngster had to wait to make his debut for the club because of paperwork issues and has struggled with a niggling injury that disrupted his pre-season preparations.

The Polish youth international did, though, show some encouraging signs during his appearances for the U21s last season, particularly when he was deployed in his preferred defensive-midfield position. A good passer of the ball and an intelligent reader of the game, Bielik is tipped for an incredibly bright future, although at present he is effectively fourth choice in his position behind Francis Coquelin, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini.

Zelalem is facing a similar problem in terms of senior competition, with an abundance of established midfielders currently ahead of him. The United States youth international is, though, determined to showcase his talent and has been especially impressive for the U19s in South Africa recently.

With Dan Crowley having joined Barnsley on loan, a space should open up for Zelalem to establish himself as the primary creative force for Arsenal at U21 level this season; something he should thrive upon. His penchant for unlocking defences with precise through-balls remains very much intact, but unlocking the door to the Arsenal first-team will be a considerably tougher challenge.

Today’s news indicates that Bielik and Zelalem are likely to feature predominantly for the U21s this season as opposed to being in and around the first-team. That’s not to say that they won’t be involved in the senior set-up at all, however, with both players likely to be involved in the Capital One Cup squad.

Such is the competition for places in the squad, it is going to be challenging for both players to command regular first-team game time this season, especially when their lack of experience at the top level is taken into account. This should be classed as a season of development for both players, who, let’s not forget, are still very young and have plenty of time ahead of them to make the breakthrough in the future.

 
I listened to the Total Soccer Show podcast recently that had Brian Sciaretta (sp?) on it recently analyzing a bunch of USMNT youths. Zelalem was brought up and one thing he said was that Zelalem shoudl really go out on loan as opposed to U21. I think I remember him saying that it was because Z had already "been there done that" type of thing.

 
blend said:
I listened to the Total Soccer Show podcast recently that had Brian Sciaretta (sp?) on it recently analyzing a bunch of USMNT youths. Zelalem was brought up and one thing he said was that Zelalem shoudl really go out on loan as opposed to U21. I think I remember him saying that it was because Z had already "been there done that" type of thing.
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I agree with that stance. Now granted I have not seen him play day in and day out but what I have seen of him tells me he has the general tools and technique to be a pro, but we don't yet know if he has the other items (heart, toughness, strength etc) to be a pro.

I love the idea of going on loan to a Div 2 or Div 3 team in England. Those leagues are loaded with hardened pro's that would be more than happy to put him on his ### daily and provide a constant challenge to his technique.

I love what Spurs did with Kane. He went on multiple loans over the years to Leyton, MIllwall, Norwich and others. Places that forced him to quickly become an adult.

I obviously don't think Zelalem has any where near Kane's potential, but from a US Soccer youth program stand point, he is near the top in general technique. The sooner we can find out whether he has the other items needed to be a solid pro the better.

 
From Soccer America

Norwegian club Molde FK, with 20-year-old Colorado product Ethan Horvath in goal, was eliminated from UEFA Champions League contention when a 3-3 home tie with Dinamo Zagreb resulted in an exit by away goals in the third qualifying round.

The teams had tied the first leg, 1-1. Horvath started both legs and the 5-0 first leg win over Pyunik in the second qualifying round. Molde now moves into the Europa League.

-- Defender Ventura Alvarado scored the opening goal after two minutes as Club America began its title defense of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League with a 4-0 win over Motagua of Honduras.

-- Jose Torres did not play at Mexican club Tigres fell at River Plate, 3-0, in the second leg of the Libertadores Cup final and lost by the same score on aggregate. Tigres was seeking to become the first Mexican club to win the South American club championship.

-- DeAndre Yedlin did not travel with Tottenham to the Audi Cup in Germany.

 
US bumped up 5 spots to #29 in the FIFA rankings

Mexico jumped up 14 spots to #26

CONCACAF

26. Mexico (+14)

29. USA (+5)

38. Costa Rica (+3)

55. Jamaica (+21)

56. Trinidad and Tobago (+8)

65. Panama (-3)

81. Honduras (-1)

84. Haiti (-5)

 
The US drew a tough group for the U17 WC

Chile

Croatia

US

Nigeria

With Chile as the host country, it is going to be tough to get out of this group even given the variables at this age group.

 
So they moved the US / Mexico Confederations Cup playoff game to Saturday, October 10? I might have to fly back to the homeland to see yet another US / MEX game in the Rose Bowl. Worth dropping a G to watch this game and drink with the homies? Maybe... just maybe.

 
The Z Machine said:
So they moved the US / Mexico Confederations Cup playoff game to Saturday, October 10? I might have to fly back to the homeland to see yet another US / MEX game in the Rose Bowl. Worth dropping a G to watch this game and drink with the homies? Maybe... just maybe.
Click to expand...
Kills me. We were going to go Friday but can't make Saturday. Sucks.

 
Capella said:
The Z Machine said:
So they moved the US / Mexico Confederations Cup playoff game to Saturday, October 10? I might have to fly back to the homeland to see yet another US / MEX game in the Rose Bowl. Worth dropping a G to watch this game and drink with the homies? Maybe... just maybe.
Click to expand...
Kills me. We were going to go Friday but can't make Saturday. Sucks.
Click to expand...
at least you'll be able to use the bathroom whenever you like. win.

 
El Floppo said:
Capella said:
The Z Machine said:
So they moved the US / Mexico Confederations Cup playoff game to Saturday, October 10? I might have to fly back to the homeland to see yet another US / MEX game in the Rose Bowl. Worth dropping a G to watch this game and drink with the homies? Maybe... just maybe.
Click to expand...
Kills me. We were going to go Friday but can't make Saturday. Sucks.
Click to expand...
at least you'll be able to use the bathroom whenever you like. win.
Click to expand...
:thumbup:

 
Just came across an odd rumor of Jozy to West Brom - one of those, "my mate's millionaire friend just said he was renting out his £5000/mo flat to Jozy"

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
Moe. said:
Eintracht's coach thinks Chandler should reconsider playing for the U.S. I think most of us would be fine with that.

http://www.espnfc.us/german-bundesliga/story/2550924/timmy-chandler-should-consider-not-playing-for-us-coach
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Does any other national team get treated with that kind of condescension? I mean, if we were talking about Timo Chandlerini, would anyone suggest that he shouldn't play for Italy?
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I think you see some of those types of comments during the African Cup of Nations every other January.

 
[icon] said:
bagger said:
Ps enjoy the bench seating where if your row has 3 fatties in it someone's seat disappears.

It's like musical chairs.
Click to expand...
Yeah... #### that. If I paid for my seat, I'm sitting in my seat. :lol:
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This is almost every college stadium in America. In my experience the bigger problem is the ex-sorority girls who bring 16 friends for 3 seats.
 
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Toronto signed old friend Herculez Gomez.

Another small signing that slipped by me was that SJ picked up US U23 player Marc Pelosi, who was released from Liverpool.

 
CCV was captain of Spurs u21 team today - a squad that included Lloris.

When are the Olympic qualifiers? That seems to be his next step for the U.S.

 
I watched the whole NY vs NY game yesterday and I have to say the bean pole Miazga continues to impress me. Granted he is far from perfect but the experience and minutes he is getting against solid pro's at age 20 at CB has to have him ahead of almost every American CB who came before him.

Hopefully he can just continue to hold that position down for Red Bull and continue pushing up the US ranks. I could see him being a key player in the 2022 cycle when he will just be entering his prime if he can find a way to keep improving and not level off.

 
I also got to watch the LA vs Seattle game. Dempsey was hurt and Seattle was severely undermanned (no Dempsey, Martins, Alonso, Pappa or either of the new signings) so it is probably hard to read too much into the game.

The good news is that LA was fully loaded and Arena still found room for both Zardes and Lletget to start.

Coming into the game yesterday, Lletget was leading MLS in goals per shot. He seems to find a way to get into good positions and has just a touch of selfishness to try and finish even as a wide midfielder. I really like him as a player. Solid frame, just enough pace, way above average technique for a US player. I think he will easily top out much stronger than Zusi did at his peak in the coming years.

As an aside I almost feel bad for Robbie Keane now, I have no idea who he is going to yell at surrounded by an improved Zardes, Gio, Gerrard, Lletget, and Juninho. :) I bring Keane up a lot in this thread because he seems to like living in the US and I could see him becoming a coach here some day if he does not move back home.

Zardes had his normal hard working game. His touch continues to be inconsistent, at times being dead perfect and at others it still looks ugly. He did score a nice goal yesterday and will be a beast for opposing teams to cover with Keane and Gio occupying the defenses main concerns.

Gonzo on the other hand did not play well yesterday with one horrendous giveaway that should have let Seattle right back in the game. But from what I have seen of LA, this poor play has been rare for him this season so I hope it was just an off game for him. I am still not sold on Alvarado even if JK is and I feel like Gonzo is going to have a role to play in the qualifying cycle.

 
Sebowski said:
Speaking pf CBs, Cameron went 90 for Stoke in a 1-0 loss.

Any Liverpool fans have a comment on how he looked?
Click to expand...
Not a 'Poolie but I did watch most of the game and I thought Cameron looked fine. Pool didn't really generate much on the offensive side at all except for Coutinho's one shot.

 
Poke_4_Life said:
Sebowski said:
Speaking pf CBs, Cameron went 90 for Stoke in a 1-0 loss.

Any Liverpool fans have a comment on how he looked?
Click to expand...
Not a 'Poolie but I did watch most of the game and I thought Cameron looked fine. Pool didn't really generate much on the offensive side at all except for Coutinho's one shot.
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Seconded. Coutinho left that Sidwell guy eating his dust IIRC. I thought Cameron looked really comfortable at RCB.

 
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From Soccer America

Caleb Stanko, one of several young Americans whose careers in Germany were set back by knee injuries, debuted for Freiburg in the 79th minute of its 5-0 victory at Barmbek-Ulhenhorst in the German Cup.

Stanko, who started for the USA at the 2013 Under-20 World Cup, moved to Freiburg from Detroit club Vardar in 2011 and worked his way up the club's youth system to the first team but suffered an ACL tear in August 2014.

His injury came three months after he signed a pro contract with Freiburg. He returned to action in the spring and made six starts for Freiburg II.

Stanko, 22, was on the bench for one Bundesliga game in 2013-14 and was on the bench for relegated Freiburg's first game of the 2015-16 season, in the second division. He's eligible for the U.S. U-23s, who enter Olympic qualifying in October.

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen, star of the 2015 U-20s, is also in the Freiburg system.

-- Season debuts of note around Europe: Goalkeepers Tim Howard (Everton) and Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) and central defender Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), all starters in the English Premier League, and Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes) and Rubio Rubio (FC Utrecht), late subs in France and the Netherlands, respectively.

 
roadkill1292 said:
Poke_4_Life said:
Sebowski said:
Speaking pf CBs, Cameron went 90 for Stoke in a 1-0 loss.

Any Liverpool fans have a comment on how he looked?
Click to expand...
Not a 'Poolie but I did watch most of the game and I thought Cameron looked fine. Pool didn't really generate much on the offensive side at all except for Coutinho's one shot.
Click to expand...
Seconded. Coutinho left that Sidwell guy eating his dust IIRC. I thought Cameron looked really comfortable at RCB.
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Jurgen disagrees

 
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