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He already is extremely special imo. Hes attacking the game in ways no US player has ever done (that I've seen). And to your future point- yeah, he's only 20. We just need a couple of players around him even close to that level.
He was horrendous last night but it is too early to make any calls on him IMO.
Lol... I would say (and have said) the opposite. When he shows for the ball, he way too often zardozes the first touch..if he even gets there, because he also way to often seems to have no idea how to use his body or run to get there and win the ball first.
I am specifically talking about when he checks back. Last night he did it 4 times where he separated from his defender, runs back towards the midfield and receives a pass and cleanly plays it one time.
I know what you meant...and when he's able to find separation AND his first touch, I agree. (Checking = showing) He ended up combining so well with kean and ld, it's hard to see him not do it well.
It would be hard to believe that he just fell off a cliff unless there is news that we are unaware of such as personal issues or injury.
So I started brain dumping a response and realized.... know what? There are no good answers. The midfield really bothers me, but to your point. Who do you put in?
. It stinks aside from Swag. There’s nobody there to build around him.
There is no one on the roster right now IMO that improves it.So I started brain dumping a response and realized.... know what? There are no good answers. The midfield really bothers me, but to your point. Who do you put in?
I trace it all back to when JK sold his soul for Julian Green.
I may stand alone on this but I also carry the belief that 2014 was an enigma.
It certainly looked like a tactically induced move. The triangle of Zimmerman, Long, and Bradley doesn’t like to get run at (and the tactic stupidly gave Curacao even more room to run at them).
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Indeed.
was thinking to myself, who else on the US roster can play internationally at a high level? or at the high end club level?
did they miss the olympics because the players sucked? or do the players somehow suck because the US missed the olympics twice in a row?
I am not sure I understand the question.
Postive Take: It just takes time. Our talent pool is as deep as it has ever been. We have a new coach who is implementing a new system and we are still undefeated in the Gold Cup.
When I bought my tickets back in April, my fear was that the USMNT wouldn't make the final. Now, I'm pretty confident they will beat Jamaica and make the final, but am worried they will get blown out by Mexico. I could probably double the money I spent today, but I think my son and I will go to the game no matter who is playing or what the circumstances are. As a Packers fan, I've had pretty good luck at Soldier Field over the years. We've already got the hotel, and I bought my wife and daughter Hamilton tickets the same day as a makeweight, so we're all-in.
perhaps poorly worded on my part.
US Soccer, or really more specifically, MLS, only started to take development of young players seriously a little under ten years ago. We are just starting to see the fruit of those efforts now with the kids that are under 21. I don't think missing the Olympics was the impetus for this though. It was more MLS finally getting to the point where survival was not any longer a worry and they could finally start investing in Long term projects like development.
I would replace MLS for where you have US Soccer.
I think am too old and jaded at this point but I don't see anything short of a miracle that closes this gap in depth of quality in my lifetime between the US and the top countries no matter what happens.
I agree, until we have a soccer crazy culture like these countries we just wont have the youth interest or desire on the level that those countries have.
Yes. About twenty year ago they had a huge reform in the country once they realized that the transfer fees of young players to Europe were how they were going to survive financially.
*Tyler Adams will be a starter on a Champions League team this fall.
I blame the modern game and requirements from coaches more than where the kids developed.And so are most of the exciting, creative players those environments produced.
I am not even remotely dreaming about closing the gap.
Well, midfield requires the most skill so historically that has been our weakest position.
