Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
Reminder that Nagbe and Portland play Dallas in just a few minutes on ESPN.
he looks solid on both sides of the ball. I love that he seems very willing to attack by driving his dribble right down the spine.Reminder that Nagbe and Portland play Dallas in just a bfew minutes on ESPN.
When did Nagbe learn to defend? He's looking more box to box today and I always thought of him as more of a CAM.he looks solid on both sides of the ball. I love that he seems very willing to attack by driving his dribble right down the spine.Reminder that Nagbe and Portland play Dallas in just a bfew minutes on ESPN.
Could he pair with Bradley in the middle of a 4-4-2, allowing Zardes or someone else to go up top with Jozy? Perhaps put Bedoya and Fab on the wings and try to find a right and left back somewhere...When did Nagbe learn to defend? He's looking more box to box today and I always thought of him as more of a CAM.he looks solid on both sides of the ball. I love that he seems very willing to attack by driving his dribble right down the spine.Reminder that Nagbe and Portland play Dallas in just a bfew minutes on ESPN.
The way he worked defensively today, it certainly looks like he could carry the load in the middle but JK was also pretty clear that Jones is going no where fast as he sees him as the main component in the middle with Bradley.Could he pair with Bradley in the middle of a 4-4-2, allowing Zardes or someone else to go up top with Jozy? Perhaps put Bedoya and Fab on the wings and try to find a right and left back somewhere...When did Nagbe learn to defend? He's looking more box to box today and I always thought of him as more of a CAM.he looks solid on both sides of the ball. I love that he seems very willing to attack by driving his dribble right down the spine.Reminder that Nagbe and Portland play Dallas in just a bfew minutes on ESPN.
I tend to agree with this. JJones isn't a player like Pirlo that can just move around at half speed and make pinpoint passes.The Z Machine said:Jones won't make the end of the hex IMO. Of course I would have thought that DMB was done at this time 4 years ago as well. However, they are very different players with very different physicality to their games. There are central midfielders that can play into their mid 30s, but they must be surrounded by players that can close down well and begin an attack with the ball at their feet. We don't have a lot of those guys.
I think Twellman is a whiny B most of the time, but his complaint about the formation of this 11 is valid. Is there a single team in (the) MLS that plays 3 at the back? The 11 should be a 442, even if they wanted 4 CB's on the D line.In a season where the MLS foreign talent was the best and deepest in history, 5 Americans were named to the MLS Best 11.
Ironically, for all of the MLS players on the national team, none of these 5 players are part of the program. * indicates American.
MLS Best XI:
Goalkeeper:
Luis Robles (NY Red Bulls)*
Defenders:
Laurent Ciman (Montreal)
Kendall Waston (Vancouver)
Matt Hedges (FC Dallas)*
Midfielders:
Benny Feilhaber (Sporting KC)*
Fabian Castillo (FC Dallas)
Dax McCarty (NY Red Bulls)*
Ethan Finlay (Columbus)*
Forwards:
Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC)
Kei Kamara (Columbus)
Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)
Think Alvarado would be a target by an MLS team? What would be his other options? Staying in MX at another team I guess.Bacon has returned to light training.
Alvarado has been transfer listed by Club America.
do you know if this is on ESPN3 or ESPNu?Stanford is playing at Wake Forest in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday. Great chance for any NC folks to see Jordan Morris also John Harkes kid plays for Wake. Bummed I can't make it.
ESPN3do you know if this is on ESPN3 or ESPNu?Stanford is playing at Wake Forest in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday. Great chance for any NC folks to see Jordan Morris also John Harkes kid plays for Wake. Bummed I can't make it.
dammit- I just had a night of drinks with the soccer alums, including my teammate the Cosmos GM. I should've asked about Wright. I did ask about who they were going after to replace Raul and Senna (said Senna was an incredible guy on and off the field- went home to Spain. Raul is staying in NYC and is being courted by all manner of companies, including MLS). He threw out Totti and Samoros (except the latter couldn't pass his physical- injured. Totti sounded like more of a pipe-dream... but who knows. He said they were getting a lot more guys interested because of a combo of the money and all the other high-profile names coming over.Michael Lewis@Soccerwriterhttps://twitter.com/Soccerwriter
.@NYCosmos just announced the contracts of @HajiWright, Samuel Caceres, John Neeskens, @Keasel have expired and will not be renewed
===============
I am hoping this is due to Haji turning 18 and was prearranged last year and not because he was awful.
"No, there is another"Fabian Johnson...our only hope
From Wahl last month"No, there is another"Fabian Johnson...our only hope
sorry, all geeked up for Star Wars next week
Ledermans not giving up on BarcelonaI spoke this week to Danny Lederman. He’s the father of 15-year-old Ben Lederman, who was the first U.S. player ever admitted to Barcelona’s famous La Masia youth academy in 2011. The whole Lederman family moved to Barcelona, just like Lionel Messi’s family had when he was 13, but last year FIFA started cracking down on the enforcement of a rule that was designed to prevent minors from being brought to Europe from abroad and discarded to the streets if they didn’t pan out.
Ben Lederman was prevented from playing in games for Barcelona for a year, and he recently moved to Florida to join the U.S. Soccer residency program and train with the U.S. Under-17 team. His father says he’s bringing legal action against FIFA to try to get the rule changed—and hopes his son still gets to play for Barcelona sooner rather than later.
Per NBC, he's starting... http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2015/12/09/usmnts-julian-green-gets-uefa-champions-league-start-for-bayern/per ESPN, Julian Green may make the squad for the CL away game to Dinamo Zagreb
I wasn't that impressed by his play v. Wake. Maybe it was Wake dominating that game.
Youth soccer still broken. The politics and cost are unbelievable.Really cool story about Dave Romney, an undrafted player who in one season went from a tryout to play for LA2(Galaxy USL team) to getting called up to the Galaxy to getting MLS minutes to getting called to the U23 Olympic team.
Very cool but still pretty scary how players like this are still going unnoticed. Thankfully the USL is big enough now to give this lost souls a place.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2015/11/26/profile-world-class-center-back-how-la-galaxys-dave-romney-went-undrafted-us
We will be a top ten country in our life time as long as we keep going in the direction we are now with our youth training and MLS growth. In my backyard, the Revs Academy is really raising the bar on youth training available for all, and it is already showing results here.For the money to keep pouring in nationally, we need to continue to add more players to MLS that people want to pay to see. Homegrown talent helps also. It's a numbers game once you get to a certain level (Look at South America) and we have as many great athletes as anyone in the world.NewlyRetired said:"you are what you are"
This was a saying Bill Parcell's used to use as a coach.
I was wondering if that holds true to the US National team?
This may come off as negative bah humbug type of post but I am starting to come around that the US is who they are and it won't change.
I don't think having MLS growing and getting better (which I think has a good likelihood of happening) will have much of an affect on the National Team.
I look at England. Fabulous facilities, great coaches, long standing academies, young players introduced to a pro game with great teams and great players at a young age to not only learn from but play with in big games.
And yet no matter how much the EPL has going for it, England is always going to be who they are on the international side which is most times a legit top 10 team but not one that really belongs in a top 5 discussion.
I feel the same about the US, I think we will always be a top 25-30ish type team, but never a legit top 10 type team.
I have always held on to the hopes that the base US player would improve over the years but what I did not calculate was that even if the base US player did improve, that it was only going to have a long lasting affect if the rest of the world stayed still, and that is not happening as other countries also improve.
I feel like I have been waiting 25 years now to see some significant improvements but I just can't convince myself they are there.
The money is better
The overall coaching is better
The facilities are better
The identification of players at a young age is better
The ability to bypass college and get into a pro league early is better
The bias against US players overseas is all but gone, making it significantly better
And yet, the base US player (whether born in the US, or a dual national) has not moved up the ladder in quality (in relation to other countries) much, if at all over the past 2 decades.
20 years ago the US made the semi finals of the Copa America, away in Uruguay. If we made the semi finals, at home, next summer, I would be incredibly happy.
andy and I have heard and said this for 25 years.We will be a top ten country in our life time as long as we keep going in the direction we are now with our youth training and MLS growth. In my backyard, the Revs Academy is really raising the bar on youth training available for all, and it is already showing results here.For the money to keep pouring in nationally, we need to continue to add more players to MLS that people want to pay to see. Homegrown talent helps also. It's a numbers game once you get to a certain level (Look at South America) and we have as many great athletes as anyone in the world.NewlyRetired said:"you are what you are"
This was a saying Bill Parcell's used to use as a coach.
I was wondering if that holds true to the US National team?
This may come off as negative bah humbug type of post but I am starting to come around that the US is who they are and it won't change.
I don't think having MLS growing and getting better (which I think has a good likelihood of happening) will have much of an affect on the National Team.
I look at England. Fabulous facilities, great coaches, long standing academies, young players introduced to a pro game with great teams and great players at a young age to not only learn from but play with in big games.
And yet no matter how much the EPL has going for it, England is always going to be who they are on the international side which is most times a legit top 10 team but not one that really belongs in a top 5 discussion.
I feel the same about the US, I think we will always be a top 25-30ish type team, but never a legit top 10 type team.
I have always held on to the hopes that the base US player would improve over the years but what I did not calculate was that even if the base US player did improve, that it was only going to have a long lasting affect if the rest of the world stayed still, and that is not happening as other countries also improve.
I feel like I have been waiting 25 years now to see some significant improvements but I just can't convince myself they are there.
The money is better
The overall coaching is better
The facilities are better
The identification of players at a young age is better
The ability to bypass college and get into a pro league early is better
The bias against US players overseas is all but gone, making it significantly better
And yet, the base US player (whether born in the US, or a dual national) has not moved up the ladder in quality (in relation to other countries) much, if at all over the past 2 decades.
20 years ago the US made the semi finals of the Copa America, away in Uruguay. If we made the semi finals, at home, next summer, I would be incredibly happy.
Getting Euro games on TV here ten years ago was a game changer imo. The huge amount of kids that got brought in from that advancement are like 10-14 y/o now if my math is right. Things should be starting to improve from that bump very soon, and then will get another bump in about five more years from the huge improvement on training nationally that followed.
My son is ten and all the kids in R.I. have been playing soccer year round now for about four or five years. I have to assume the rest of the country is on a similar path. Be patient, its coming.
Sammyinho professed his love for basketball this morning...I really have to take him to either NYRB or NYCFC next year.eta: after two seasons, I have determined that floppinho is absolutely horrible at my beloved sport.
same. or Cosmos.Sammyinho professed his love for basketball this morning...I really have to take him to either NYRB or NYCFC next year.eta: after two seasons, I have determined that floppinho is absolutely horrible at my beloved sport.
I have a E and some youth modules. Take any course you can. It will help you understand the process better at a minimum. I have no regrets on taking the courses.Ned said:Slight hijack.....With my two boys completely obsessed with soccer (9 & 7), this has been a very interesting subject to me. They've been playing year round for 2 years now and their growth has been so rewarding. I don't envision them to be national players, but I won't get in their way if that's what they want to do. The 7yr old is good enough to run with the U10 rec leagues, at least. We're on the fence about getting involved with the academy teams at such a young age...
I was a mediocre soccer player as a kid, but haven't been around the game for 20+ years...until my boys got into it. I'm way behind the curve, but want to support them as much as I can. Does anyone here have any experience with the US Soccer coaching license system? I was thinking about going through the process just to be able to coach as much as I can. There will be a point in time very soon where I have nothing else to offer to them, unless this coaching thing is a good resource.
I took a spot on the waiting list for the F license course and just got word that I got a slot to take the course this weekend. I have 72hrs to decide That feels like a racket to me, but hoping its a good resource. Is it worth my time/money?
I actually don't think teams are what they are for perpetuity. Spain weren't world powers for decades until they were. Belgium was just another European team until they were one of the best European teams. I do think that teams like Germany, Italy, Argentina, and Brazil are the most likely to consistently make deep tournament runs, but after that I think lots of countries can have Golden Generations. And I think the US is one of those countries. Mexico is certainly one of those countries. What that generally requires is several good youth team players to become solid pros and at least one of those guys to become a star. We've had some growing pains, but there's evidence there that the country can produce solid pros. We're waiting on the star. The good thing is that those things don't have to all come from the same youth program. Our Under 20 team had several players who look like solid pros (Steffen, CCV, Miazga, Payne, Canouse, maybe Hyndman and Zelalem). Our under 17 team might not have as many solid pros. But maybe Pulisic is the star.El Floppo said:andy and I have heard and said this for 25 years.PIK95 said:We will be a top ten country in our life time as long as we keep going in the direction we are now with our youth training and MLS growth. In my backyard, the Revs Academy is really raising the bar on youth training available for all, and it is already showing results here.For the money to keep pouring in nationally, we need to continue to add more players to MLS that people want to pay to see. Homegrown talent helps also. It's a numbers game once you get to a certain level (Look at South America) and we have as many great athletes as anyone in the world.NewlyRetired said:"you are what you are"
This was a saying Bill Parcell's used to use as a coach.
I was wondering if that holds true to the US National team?
This may come off as negative bah humbug type of post but I am starting to come around that the US is who they are and it won't change.
I don't think having MLS growing and getting better (which I think has a good likelihood of happening) will have much of an affect on the National Team.
I look at England. Fabulous facilities, great coaches, long standing academies, young players introduced to a pro game with great teams and great players at a young age to not only learn from but play with in big games.
And yet no matter how much the EPL has going for it, England is always going to be who they are on the international side which is most times a legit top 10 team but not one that really belongs in a top 5 discussion.
I feel the same about the US, I think we will always be a top 25-30ish type team, but never a legit top 10 type team.
I have always held on to the hopes that the base US player would improve over the years but what I did not calculate was that even if the base US player did improve, that it was only going to have a long lasting affect if the rest of the world stayed still, and that is not happening as other countries also improve.
I feel like I have been waiting 25 years now to see some significant improvements but I just can't convince myself they are there.
The money is better
The overall coaching is better
The facilities are better
The identification of players at a young age is better
The ability to bypass college and get into a pro league early is better
The bias against US players overseas is all but gone, making it significantly better
And yet, the base US player (whether born in the US, or a dual national) has not moved up the ladder in quality (in relation to other countries) much, if at all over the past 2 decades.
20 years ago the US made the semi finals of the Copa America, away in Uruguay. If we made the semi finals, at home, next summer, I would be incredibly happy.
Getting Euro games on TV here ten years ago was a game changer imo. The huge amount of kids that got brought in from that advancement are like 10-14 y/o now if my math is right. Things should be starting to improve from that bump very soon, and then will get another bump in about five more years from the huge improvement on training nationally that followed.
My son is ten and all the kids in R.I. have been playing soccer year round now for about four or five years. I have to assume the rest of the country is on a similar path. Be patient, its coming.
I kind of agree with his general assessment and comparison to England. the game has grown exponentially here- but the top tier of talent hasn't grown at all. we all hope that that rise of the LCD will some day elevate that top tier... but so far it hasn't.
I do believe that we'll be able to push into the 15-5 ranking pretty consistently as the funds keep coming in and the massive athletic talent here decides to keep moving towards the sport. I keep telling my friends (or anybody that will listen) that we've only really had one generation- barely- of kids grow up with a domestic professional league. But recently, I think the bigger jump is the recent easy access to international leagues so that US kids can see the best of the best play week in... and then hear quality discussion and assessment of the play.
But ultimately, it will be the money available that will decide our progress. If kids can dream about playing in MLS as the end-game- with big paychecks, crowds and top quality... we'll have arrived and will be able to permanently keep ourselves in the top of the world discussion. not quite the Germany, Brazil, Argentina kind of top... but next tier, IMO.
I thought you could take the F course from the Digital Coaching Center at any time? I have no idea if Scrappygang will even want to play or if I'd ever put myself out to coach (my brother's experience coaching his daughter's team was as awful as you'd imagine), but I'll probably at least take the F course. Maybe the E.I have a E and some youth modules. Take any course you can. It will help you understand the process better at a minimum. I have no regrets on taking the courses.Ned said:Slight hijack.....With my two boys completely obsessed with soccer (9 & 7), this has been a very interesting subject to me. They've been playing year round for 2 years now and their growth has been so rewarding. I don't envision them to be national players, but I won't get in their way if that's what they want to do. The 7yr old is good enough to run with the U10 rec leagues, at least. We're on the fence about getting involved with the academy teams at such a young age...
I was a mediocre soccer player as a kid, but haven't been around the game for 20+ years...until my boys got into it. I'm way behind the curve, but want to support them as much as I can. Does anyone here have any experience with the US Soccer coaching license system? I was thinking about going through the process just to be able to coach as much as I can. There will be a point in time very soon where I have nothing else to offer to them, unless this coaching thing is a good resource.
I took a spot on the waiting list for the F license course and just got word that I got a slot to take the course this weekend. I have 72hrs to decide That feels like a racket to me, but hoping its a good resource. Is it worth my time/money?
I'd like to buy into that.The F is a new online course. I have YM6-8,YM 8-10, YM 10-12, and Level Five Diploma/E. I never did the F as it wasn't around until last year. I will probably get Futsal certified this summer. That's my new passion to teach.
As for a golden generation type run for the USA I disagree. Once we get there, we will never come back to the pack. We will be a top dog permanently at that point. Our population alone dictates that.
I hope you positive guys are not much younger than me because I want to see it before I die. And not just a Bulgeria with Hristo or Romania with Hagi blip on the map because a few good players surrounded an all time great, I want to see it sustained.I agree but its a when not if question in my mind.
Bump for edit. I'm forty, but run a thirty team youth club that had eight teams just three years ago. One more thing I would add is that the girls side seems to be regressing locally for some reason. It also seems that 90% of the crazy parents are on the girls side. Out of our thirtyish teams, we have like six girls groups.I agree but its a when not if question in my mind.
Just as a snapshot example, there are like ten very athletic boys in my sons fifth grade. Six of them are club level soccer players (two defenders-four attackers) as there top sport, one is baseball, and the other three are either hoop/football. In that grade, almost all of the kids that started in football (over ten) have quit. That's an eye opener.
That's what I thought, but they have a waiting list for the F course on DCC. I don't get why they're doing it that way. It also costs $25. I signed up for the waiting list on Tuesday and got the email today that it's my turn...I thought you could take the F course from the Digital Coaching Center at any time? I have no idea if Scrappygang will even want to play or if I'd ever put myself out to coach (my brother's experience coaching his daughter's team was as awful as you'd imagine), but I'll probably at least take the F course. Maybe the E.I have a E and some youth modules. Take any course you can. It will help you understand the process better at a minimum. I have no regrets on taking the courses.Ned said:Slight hijack.....With my two boys completely obsessed with soccer (9 & 7), this has been a very interesting subject to me. They've been playing year round for 2 years now and their growth has been so rewarding. I don't envision them to be national players, but I won't get in their way if that's what they want to do. The 7yr old is good enough to run with the U10 rec leagues, at least. We're on the fence about getting involved with the academy teams at such a young age...
I was a mediocre soccer player as a kid, but haven't been around the game for 20+ years...until my boys got into it. I'm way behind the curve, but want to support them as much as I can. Does anyone here have any experience with the US Soccer coaching license system? I was thinking about going through the process just to be able to coach as much as I can. There will be a point in time very soon where I have nothing else to offer to them, unless this coaching thing is a good resource.
I took a spot on the waiting list for the F license course and just got word that I got a slot to take the course this weekend. I have 72hrs to decide That feels like a racket to me, but hoping its a good resource. Is it worth my time/money?
Argentina is more a case of having 2 of the best 3 or so players ever inside of 30 years apart. Without a transcendent talent they'll be good but not top tier.El Floppo said:andy and I have heard and said this for 25 years.PIK95 said:We will be a top ten country in our life time as long as we keep going in the direction we are now with our youth training and MLS growth. In my backyard, the Revs Academy is really raising the bar on youth training available for all, and it is already showing results here.For the money to keep pouring in nationally, we need to continue to add more players to MLS that people want to pay to see. Homegrown talent helps also. It's a numbers game once you get to a certain level (Look at South America) and we have as many great athletes as anyone in the world.NewlyRetired said:"you are what you are"
This was a saying Bill Parcell's used to use as a coach.
I was wondering if that holds true to the US National team?
This may come off as negative bah humbug type of post but I am starting to come around that the US is who they are and it won't change.
I don't think having MLS growing and getting better (which I think has a good likelihood of happening) will have much of an affect on the National Team.
I look at England. Fabulous facilities, great coaches, long standing academies, young players introduced to a pro game with great teams and great players at a young age to not only learn from but play with in big games.
And yet no matter how much the EPL has going for it, England is always going to be who they are on the international side which is most times a legit top 10 team but not one that really belongs in a top 5 discussion.
I feel the same about the US, I think we will always be a top 25-30ish type team, but never a legit top 10 type team.
I have always held on to the hopes that the base US player would improve over the years but what I did not calculate was that even if the base US player did improve, that it was only going to have a long lasting affect if the rest of the world stayed still, and that is not happening as other countries also improve.
I feel like I have been waiting 25 years now to see some significant improvements but I just can't convince myself they are there.
The money is better
The overall coaching is better
The facilities are better
The identification of players at a young age is better
The ability to bypass college and get into a pro league early is better
The bias against US players overseas is all but gone, making it significantly better
And yet, the base US player (whether born in the US, or a dual national) has not moved up the ladder in quality (in relation to other countries) much, if at all over the past 2 decades.
20 years ago the US made the semi finals of the Copa America, away in Uruguay. If we made the semi finals, at home, next summer, I would be incredibly happy.
Getting Euro games on TV here ten years ago was a game changer imo. The huge amount of kids that got brought in from that advancement are like 10-14 y/o now if my math is right. Things should be starting to improve from that bump very soon, and then will get another bump in about five more years from the huge improvement on training nationally that followed.
My son is ten and all the kids in R.I. have been playing soccer year round now for about four or five years. I have to assume the rest of the country is on a similar path. Be patient, its coming.
I kind of agree with his general assessment and comparison to England. the game has grown exponentially here- but the top tier of talent hasn't grown at all. we all hope that that rise of the LCD will some day elevate that top tier... but so far it hasn't.
I do believe that we'll be able to push into the 15-5 ranking pretty consistently as the funds keep coming in and the massive athletic talent here decides to keep moving towards the sport. I keep telling my friends (or anybody that will listen) that we've only really had one generation- barely- of kids grow up with a domestic professional league. But recently, I think the bigger jump is the recent easy access to international leagues so that US kids can see the best of the best play week in... and then hear quality discussion and assessment of the play.
But ultimately, it will be the money available that will decide our progress. If kids can dream about playing in MLS as the end-game- with big paychecks, crowds and top quality... we'll have arrived and will be able to permanently keep ourselves in the top of the world discussion. not quite the Germany, Brazil, Argentina kind of top... but next tier, IMO.