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US Men's National Team (8 Viewers)
- Thread starter Premier
- Start date
gianmarco
Footballguy
I still can't believe we couldn't even tie a team with 3 points. It's Trinidad and Tobago. #######.
You know what else really pisses me off? This is the final game of a World Cup qualification for this country and I can't even watch it on a normal ####### channel on my television. I have to watch some illegal bootleg #### stream on my computer with laggy audio so our national team can #### the bed. I can watch the women's 2017 mid-Spring Norwegian curling classic between Finland and Denmark on TV but not our national team as they proceed to bow out of the biggest sports tournament in the world aside from the Olympics?
Man, get the #### out of here. What a disgrace.
You know what else really pisses me off? This is the final game of a World Cup qualification for this country and I can't even watch it on a normal ####### channel on my television. I have to watch some illegal bootleg #### stream on my computer with laggy audio so our national team can #### the bed. I can watch the women's 2017 mid-Spring Norwegian curling classic between Finland and Denmark on TV but not our national team as they proceed to bow out of the biggest sports tournament in the world aside from the Olympics?
Man, get the #### out of here. What a disgrace.
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Sammy3469
Footballguy
Perhaps, but even someone like John Lewis has been rotting at NYCFC. If he was in Europe he'd at least be loaned out and getting minutes someone (this is what Germany did that Twellman was referencing). 20 year olds need games, not to be the 19th man on an MLS roster.
bagger
Footballguy
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Duece probably just played his last meaningful game for the US. 
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El Floppo
Footballguy
I'm not talking MLS squads just yet...I think- and I'm far less knowledgable about the academies and MLS than most of you guys- but I think that the academies are only just starting to create pro-level players with any regularity. I also think that teams will start to cash in on their development by playing them and then selling them overseas... like haji, swagger, etc, with adams and many others on their heels. this batch of teenagers are far more professional in ability and understanding than any generation prior, IMO... which is a good thing. and I don't think it should come as a surprise that they're amongst the first generation to grow up in the US having pro soccer as a viable option and having pro soccer culture around them.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I mentioned this earlier. He might be done tied with Landon....I think he wanted that record so badly too.Duece probably just played his last meaningful game for the US.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Worm
slimy ninja
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I was hoping as that ball rolled that the field would just nudge it a touch at the end4 inches
bagger
Footballguy
I was thinking the same thing.
This is obviously on the players but this country needs to step the #### up at all levels regarding the World Cup:
1. Don’t host games where half the city’s population consists of the opposing team.
2. Get a tv contract to push out marketing and excitement as far as possible to casual fans.
3. Best Trinidad and Tobago.
4. Profit.
Buzzbait
Footballguy
Why the hell not?
I think that mentality has stagnated our progress & gives easy excuses every failure.
Despite our talent pool being thinned by other sports I'm not accepting that we can't be a LOT more with the resources this nation has at its disposal.
Freaking embarrassing & I'm tired of excuses.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
We are? No ####### way - who are the 25-30 best teams - Liverpool, Arsenal and a couple of mid table Spanish teams - which of our players are starting for those teams?we're almost there already.
Eephus
Footballguy
TLEF316
Footballguy
Yeah, this really is a big deal. 20 years ago, the guy who will end up our all time leading scorer (assuming he doesn't just hang em up after this debacle, which is possible) had to jump in the family minivan and shuttle 3 hours each way just to play for a decent club team when he was a kid. Then the best he could do in terms of development was 3 years at freaking FURMAN university. FURMAN
Now we've got teenagers playing for (or in the upper levels of the academies) at some of the best clubs in the world.
El Floppo
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I agree we can be more but let's not kid ourselves - we played Belgium close in 2014 but they have gotten a lot better - we are way off them. And somebody else posted it but Germany can field 4 full teams and CP would be the only player in our side that would sniff any of the 4 teams.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
we also have the strange Concacaf variable too.
The players you are talking about/hoping for are players like Fab and Chandler. Both have played for good teams in a top league and both have been excellent players in the league, but it never really translated.
Sammy3469
Footballguy
I'll believe it when these kids actually get opportunities to play in matches. MLS (like the EPL) is too keyed on winning and looking for the short term answer.
El Floppo
Footballguy
we basically are Belgium. they were an ok team with a low ceiling and potentially lower floor until they rebooted.
they looked up and completely redid their approach- and now they're **BELGIUM** and not ####e.
PIK95
Footballguy
Capella
Footballguy
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Eephus
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
hopefully it's a shifting tide. but there are still guys across the league that have come up through the academies and playing regular minutes... I'm with you in hoping that more arrive sooner than later- or at least more get the chance sooner than later.
comparing to EPL- there's no relegation and half the teams get into the playoffs for a shot at the MLS cup. no reason why they shouldn't be running out young guys.
Eephus
Footballguy
Some of that is a result of the shortcomings in the developmental structure. There was a lot of talk about changing that when JK was hired but there's a lot of inertia and $$$ tied up in the status quo.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
that seems overly hopeful.we're almost there already.
We have Swag, who the best we can say is that he has not embarrassed himself so far but nothing that has stood out. And he is at the top of the food chain for his generation (besides Pulisic).
I don't think we have another player sniffing starting a top 30 side in Europe besides Pulisic. Brooks is probably the closest.
Gonzalez is starting every game for the best team in Mexico, but I don't think anyone would say that was a top 30 team.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Belgium didn't just "get better" they looked up a while back and redid their approach top to bottom... created this generation of players.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Sorry, but no we aren't. Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku - several world class defenders. We just aren't anywhere close to that.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Native
Footballguy
Ok fine. So lets say we can be Belgium. Or Germany. Or Argentina? Whats the ten year plan?
Hear lots of discussion about rebuilding US soccer but I have no idea what that means...
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Honest question - you think from 2014 until now is more about their approach than it is this current generation of players? What did they do so differently?
El Floppo
Footballguy
hey guy... belgium was a plodding, mediocre team that never did much of anything. sound familar? so yes- we are belgium.
they rebooted their program top to bottom and literally created this generation. hopefully we are belgium in that regard too.
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
To combat this I am signing my 3 year old up for soccer tomorrow. Pulisic 2.0 is coming.
Eephus
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Sammy3469
Footballguy
That's one argument for not having relegation. At least you wouldn't get penalized for dropping. I'll say it again though, when you can sign a 27 year old from say CR (or however old Wallace is) and be called competitive or play the 20 year old American and be in a fight for a playoff spot, the choice for MLS clubs is easy.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
with soon to be 24 teams, ideally you would like to see 2-3 American players per team in the 18-22 year old range getting starters minutes. This has improved in the last few years but not fast enough IMO.
If we can get those numbers to 48-72 across the league (2-3 per team) that should open up many more opportunities for players to move abroad and continue developing from 22-25ish.
We should not able to count on one hand players that have moved recently from an MLS squad (Yedlin, Miazga......jesus, is this it in recent years??)
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
WE ARE WHAT BELGIUM WERE... OK?
so lets' figure out the reboot button.
I still think it's happening in the MLS academies and overall soccer culture here. I watched my alma mater play last weekend (when I should've spit on gulati's kids)... they're a top 20 team (as we were), but they're abilities were so far ahead of what we were doing... and that's just a college team (and not a powerhouse). it's happening.... finally.
but that still goes only towards raising the LCD and not necessarily developing the tippy-top world class guys.
so... where is that reboot button?
so lets' figure out the reboot button.
I still think it's happening in the MLS academies and overall soccer culture here. I watched my alma mater play last weekend (when I should've spit on gulati's kids)... they're a top 20 team (as we were), but they're abilities were so far ahead of what we were doing... and that's just a college team (and not a powerhouse). it's happening.... finally.
but that still goes only towards raising the LCD and not necessarily developing the tippy-top world class guys.
so... where is that reboot button?
TwinTurbo
Footballguy
I keep hearing all the teams in the region got better but it doesn't really pass the eyeball test. Sure maybe there is more parity in the region but that just means they are all closer to mediocrity than before. I doubt any of them do anything at the WC regardless of the draw. The last 5 US WC teams could beat any of these Hex teams too. So that means Germany and Italy and the like will curbstomp them. Even Iceland would throw down Thor's hammer on this joke of a region.
Sammy3469
Footballguy
Eephus
Footballguy
Yeah but the buildup would have been fun: the draw, the roster decisions, the final tune-ups, the anticipation, the hope. It's all over.
El Floppo
Footballguy
last time they were a dark horse darling that most of us expected to do really well... because of those same players. it's this generation of players getting older and better. seems pretty easy to me.
but it's not about 2014-now. it's about <<2014 and how they got that generation of players in the first place... .when the previously were highly mediocre outside of a couple decent players.
Eephus
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I think I see where we are disagreeing - I thought you meant they made changes from 2014 until now - I was saying they've improved from that time and are way ahead of us - this was 2014 - the changes they made would have been back in early to mid 2000's?
2014 Belgium WC Squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid, on loan from Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Sammy Bossut (Zulte Waregem).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Atlético Madrid), Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Tottenham), Steven Defour (Porto), Moussa Dembélé (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Zenit).
Forwards: Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock Origi (Lille).
