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US Men's National Team (11 Viewers)

encaitar said:
It would be fun.  European soccer is like Michigan versus Ohio State football, but every Saturday and against every opponent.  It's infectious and kids can't help but want to emulate that.  

Despite that, if we could get our best young athletes to consider soccer, we wouldn't need the environment to compete.  It's just that there are too many other sports for our young kids to play.  European kids are playing soccer as a job by the time they're 15.  Our best athletes are busy playing 3 sports a year at the same age and usually soccer isn't one of them.
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Not from what I've seen.  Basketball kids play year round and travel baseball lasts 8 months or more per year.  Football has a fall season and spring 7 on 7.  

 
dparker713 said:
Not from what I've seen.  Basketball kids play year round and travel baseball lasts 8 months or more per year.  Football has a fall season and spring 7 on 7.  
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Yeah, if anything kids are getting more specialization now at a younger age. At least in NYC, at 4-7 they play everything, but once they hit the competitive stage (which I gather is U8 from the travel team the Red Bulls support in our local league), they are pretty well committed to one sport.  I have no idea if that's the case around the country or as they get older (my guess is 12-16 year olds aren't as immersed in the academy setting as they are in Europe, but I really have no idea), but at least at the young age, it's a flawed argument. 

 
Sammy3469 said:
Yeah, if anything kids are getting more specialization now at a younger age. At least in NYC, at 4-7 they play everything, but once they hit the competitive stage (which I gather is U8 from the travel team the Red Bulls support in our local league), they are pretty well committed to one sport.  I have no idea if that's the case around the country or as they get older (my guess is 12-16 year olds aren't as immersed in the academy setting as they are in Europe, but I really have no idea), but at least at the young age, it's a flawed argument. 
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That's definitely not the case in the Midwest.  Sure, there's AAU ball and summer baseball leagues and all that, but during junior high and high school, just about every good athlete is playing at least two sports, plus running track.

Hell, LeBron James, the AAU king as a kid played high school football and ran track.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Here in the Northeast this is no longer true.  The past 15 years have seen a clear and steady shift to specializing in a sport earlier and earlier.
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Well I am all for that.  I really never saw the reason to kids playing every sport once they found out what they were best at.  It was just what was expected.  Is that still the case when they reach high school or is there pressure for the better athletes to play multiple sports by then to "help out the team"?

 
encaitar said:
Well I am all for that.  I really never saw the reason to kids playing every sport once they found out what they were best at.  It was just what was expected.  Is that still the case when they reach high school or is there pressure for the better athletes to play multiple sports by then to "help out the team"?
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I can't be sure but I think the shift towards specialization is driven by parents.

I think for parents who see that they have a top talented kid in a sport, they guide/push him to specialize in the hopes for an eventual scholarship to college.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I can't be sure but I think the shift towards specialization is driven by parents.

I think for parents who see that they have a top talented kid in a sport, they guide/push him to specialize in the hopes for an eventual scholarship to college.
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Kinda sounds like that's exactly what happened with Pulisic.  His dad was the driving force behind him staying in Germany.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I can't be sure but I think the shift towards specialization is driven by parents.

I think for parents who see that they have a top talented kid in a sport, they guide/push him to specialize in the hopes for an eventual scholarship to college.
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I think it's also a function of what's available (at least in the city) and on TV.  It will take some years, but the best thing that has happened is Sat and Sunday morning EPL matches.  My 4-year old can't tell you an NBA player, but can tell you all about Willian, Vardy, and Liverpool (oh and he knows he has to us his left foot from watching Willian).  He also knows all about Villa and Pirlo.  That just wasn't true even 5 years ago.  Kids want to play what they see and EPL's time schedule is hooking them earlier and earlier. 

 
new name has popped up on the Hot\Not list this week.  Anyone seen Picault play?  Here is the tidbit

http://www.espnfc.com/club/united-states/660/blog/post/2859101/us-hot-list-jermaine-jones-keeps-rolling%3b-john-brooks-trouble

Fabrice "Fafa" Picault, F, St. Pauli (Germany)

Why he's here: The journeyman pro -- Picault, 25, has spent time with Cagliari, Sparta Prague and NASL clubs Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa Bay -- has Klinsmann's attention after scoring four goals in his last six games in Germany's second tier. "Picault is a unique player, a counterbreak player and very fast," Klinsmann recently told ussoccer.com. "We pay attention to a lot of players out there that maybe think they're not on the radar."

What this means: While it's hard to see Picault breaking into Klinsmann'scompetitive striker pool immediately, expect the New York City-born Haitian-American to help round out the numbers ahead of the Puerto Rico game.

 
Dom Dwyer is closing in on his citizenship.  Some are speculating it should come early in 2017.  He is not saying either way though.  He has said he wouod be very interested in playing for the US.  I think he has an interesting skill set that we could use and well lets face it, its not like we are drowning in strikers under the age of 30.

For those that don't watch MLS or have never seen him play, here are some highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX81Kq17_Ck

 
Some notes from Wahl

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

Last weekend 17-year-old American Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund became the youngest player ever to score his second goal in the Bundesliga, and his contributions are not going unnoticed. One U.S. Soccer source says that not only does he expect Pulisic to be part of the U.S. Copa America squad, but he also would not be shocked at all if Pulisic is in the starting lineup.

U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann said last week that Pulisic "makes himself a case" for Copa America inclusion, given that he is playing regularly and contributing for Dortmund. Pulisic has goals in consecutive Bundesliga games against Hamburg and Stuttgart and will go for three in a row Saturday against Wolfsburg. Despite previously having Croatian eligibility, Pulisic was cap-tied to the U.S. after making his debut in last month's home World Cup qualifier against Guatemala.

Elsewhere on U.S. summer roster watch, a national team source says that in the wake of the most recent World Cup qualifiers, two players on the move upward are midfielder Ethan Finlay and center back Steve Birnbaum, while one player on the way down is center back Ventura Alvarado, who did not train well during the camp.

 
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Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
My transfer centre Twitter feed had the story "Manchester City, Real Madrid battling Liverpool for Pulisic signature" today.  It's a Brave New World.
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Would be a massive mistake for him to leave at this point, especially for a club that big.  Kid's got a chance to be full time starter for the 2nd best club in Germany in the next 12-18 months. As talented as he is, the odds of him ever getting constant time for Real or City are pretty low. 50/50 at best?

 
Yeah...what's the rush?  Break into the full Dortmund side first, if you can.  If you're bossing the game at that point worry about a move to a monster club.

 
wdcrob said:
Yeah...what's the rush?  Break into the full Dortmund side first, if you can.  If you're bossing the game at that point worry about a move to a monster club.
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On top of this, the beauty is his age.  He could stay another 4 years at Dortmund and still be only 21 if he wants to change clubs.  God that is so sweet :)

 
When is the last time we had the big boys linking up for one of our young prospects like this?

I don't recall a bidding war for Landon...

 
Keep in mind that Tranfer Centre isn't a particularly accurate source.  But it is forwarding British tabloid rumors.  I just think its significant that this is the type of thing that seems plausible enough for the Brits to make up.

 
TLEF316 said:
Semi-serious response....Adu?
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I guess Jozy too.  Villareal spent a lot of money, especially for an American at the time when they bought Jozy from NY.

Jozy was 18 when he left MLS.  Adu left at 18 as well but on a much smaller sale to Benfica.

Both of these are kind of stretches using hind site because both failed abroad (Jozy did have a decent time in Holland though to be fair).

 
NewlyRetired said:
I guess Jozy too.  Villareal spent a lot of money, especially for an American at the time when they bought Jozy from NY.

Jozy was 18 when he left MLS.  Adu left at 18 as well but on a much smaller sale to Benfica.

Both of these are kind of stretches using hind site because both failed abroad (Jozy did have a decent time in Holland though to be fair).
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My rule of thumb is to never use hind site with a loan striker. 

 
Tab Ramos did an interview yesterday in which he stated he believes Pulisic may skip the U20's entirely.

I am trying to think if this has ever happened before in the US?  I am not talking about a player who developed later, I mean more a player who is clearly near or at the top of his age class, skipping the U20's entirely.  I can't think of one off the top of my head.

 
bentley said:
Or, he could sign for Liverpool as mentioned in the tweet.
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Liverpool would be better than City or Real at this point in time.  I could see him being in the rotation at Anfield.  Harder to see him getting consistent time at City or especially at Real.  

Still think he should stay at Dortmund for 2 more years.  I think he would be able to play himself into a full time starter there next year. 

 
So basically Pulisic is the most sought after U20 American ever...very nice.  This could be the global superstar we've been waiting for.  :fingerscrossed:

 
encaitar said:
Still think he should stay at Dortmund for 2 more years.  I think he would be able to play himself into a full time starter there next year. 
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The hype will go into overdrive should he play very well at the Copa.  I think that may be unlikely so it should temper any rumors hopefully.

But staying at Dortmund is no easy task either.  A team that big is going to reload and Pulisic will be under constant pressure to first win and then maintain a regular starting spot.

It is going to be a huge task and one that we have never seen an American his age really in for such a big team (in terms of there being some realistic hope that he can win the job at his age).

 
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TripItUp said:
So basically Pulisic is the most sought after U20 American ever...very nice.  This could be the global superstar we've been waiting for.  :fingerscrossed:
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We have no idea about the rumors.  We just saw an almost identical article about Hyndman as well posted on here last month.

If Pulisic were 24 and starting to break into the Dortmund side, I think every US Soccer fan would be happy.  The fact that he is 17 is what makes this really exciting.

If Dortmund schedule a friendly against a team with De Jong in it, I am going to lock myself in a closet and not watch.

 
NewlyRetired said:
The hype will go into overdrive should he play very well at the Copa.  I think that may be unlikely so it should temper any rumors hopefully.

But staying at Dortmund is no easy task either.  A team that big is going to reload and Pulisic will be under constant pressure to first win and then maintain a regular starting spot.

It is going to be a huge task and one that we have never seen an American his age really in for such a big team (in terms of their being some realistic hope that he can win the job at his age).
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It's absolutely a big task, but Dortmund is still a better bet than a big England or Spanish side.  Dortmund has never been a team that goes out and spends $200 million to try and make a splash in the Champions league.  They always look for the guys that are being overlooked by those squads.  So while they should reload, it won't be with players that Pulisic has no chance of beating out.  

 
wdcrob said:
Adam Lallana does not like this post.
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LOL.  Maybe Lallana should've played well enough to justify his big transfer number and he wouldn't have to worry about 17 year olds being looked at to take his place.  Pulisic at least has shown he can score.

 
Fox has released the Copa America TV schedule.  All 3 US games will be on FS1.

In total

21 games on FS1

4 on Fox

4 on FS2

3 on FX

Three of the games on the mother channel Fox are bizarre.  Obviously they are dealing with time slot issues to find spots open but they may have chosen some of the least interesting matches (see below)

Costa Rica v Paraguay  Jamaica v Venezuela  Chile v Bolivia

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/68598/tv-fox-sports-announces-copa-centenario-schedule.html

 
TripItUp said:
So basically Pulisic is the most sought after U20 American ever...very nice.  This could be the global superstar we've been waiting for.  :fingerscrossed:
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He might be the best US player ever, but the gap from that to "global superstar" is bigger than Pulisic today to best US player ever.  Do feel good about him being a solid piece of the US team for the next 12-15 years though.

 
gianmarco said:
I only wonder how effective he'll be when his supporting cast is the USMNT and not Dortmund's 1st team.
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It will be a huge step down in talent, no question.

The good news is that it is not like he is a striker who thrives on good service.   As a wide player it should be fairly easy for Bradley and others to get him the ball and let him attack.   

He has zero assists so far at Dortmund but has created numerous chances from his wide play so even if Jozy/Wood/whomever can't capitilize on what he does, it should detract from his play too much.

More good news is that he rocketed through Dortmunds youth system, which was by definition not their first team so he has shown he can produce outside of being surrounded by top talent.

 
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GOALKEEPERS: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Ethan Horvath (Molde), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).

DEFENDERS: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Monterrey), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest), Matt Miazga (Chelsea), Michael Orozco (Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland).

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Fabian Johnson (Moenchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Perry Kitchen (Hearts), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Danny Williams (Reading), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund),Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy).

 
First reaction is that there aren't many surprises here.  Nice to see Horvath and Pulisic, but neither is unexpected.

Was half expecting him to ride Beckerman for one more rodeo too -- glad he's in the initial 40.

 
Good to see Lichaj on the list even if he is a very long shot.

No Benny in the 40 is so awesome :)

Mix can't even start for one of the worst teams in MLS.

 
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Couple of thoughts...

1) we are getting crowded at forward thanks to the emergence of Pulisic and Wood.  Assuming both of them make it, who do we expect to not make it?

2)  We have very little meaningful depth at midfield...would be nice to have a Pulisic-type emergence there prior to the next WC...haven't had one since forever!
 

 
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TripItUp said:
Couple of thoughts...

1) we are getting crowded at forward thanks to the emergence of Pulisic and Wood.  Assuming both of them make it, who do we expect to not make it?

2)  We have very little meaningful depth at midfield...would be nice to have a Pulisic-type emergence there prior to the next WC...haven't had one since forever!
 
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hard to say on number 1.  By listing Pulisic and Zardes as forwards, he seems to be thinking of a 4-3-3 or more likely a 4-2-3-1.

maybe something like this?

...........................Guzan

Yedlin..........Cam......Besler/Brooks.......Ream

...............Bradley............Jones

Fab................Dempsey...............Pulisic

.................Jozy/Wood

 
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really happy to see Horvath on the roster.  I have really liked his play for what I have seen.  I don't know if he will get a chance this cycle or not.

 
NewlyRetired said:
hard to say on number 1.  By listing Pulisic and Zardes as forwards, he seems to be thinking of a 4-3-3 or more likely a 4-2-3-1.

maybe something like this?

...........................Guzan

Yedlin..........Cam......Besler/Brooks.......Ream

...............Bradley............Jones

Fab................Dempsey...............Pulisic

.................Jozy/Wood
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Does this mean death to the Zardes roster slot in the final 23?

 
Txns8 said:
Does this mean death to the Zardes roster slot in the final 23?
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JK clearly likes Zardes so it would not shock me if he makes it but personally I think Nagbe and Pulisic are better all around players than Zardes so I would have no issues if he does not make the 23.

 
I know we focus on Pulisic because he is doing something historic for Americans but I think we need to give some real kudos to Yedlin.

He has now started 10 straight games which were pressure packed because of relegation threats and has performed solidly overall.   This loan worked out better than most could have predicted.  

I am interested to see if his play will translate at the Copa this summer.

 
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