Not sure about the rest of these guys, but Sargent was in the same academy league as the MLS academies. Essentially it would be like playing for the Jets in the NFL.
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US Men's National Team (16 Viewers)
- Thread starter Premier
- Start date
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
This is a nice get by Mexico although it is interesting that he was signed before the head coach
=======================
Fabrizio Romano
https://x.com/FabrizioRomano
@FabrizioRomano
Official: Barcelona confirm Rafa Márquez exit as he’s no longer Barça Academy manager.
Márquez will join Mexican national team staff with immediate effect.
=======================
Fabrizio Romano
https://x.com/FabrizioRomano
@FabrizioRomano
Official: Barcelona confirm Rafa Márquez exit as he’s no longer Barça Academy manager.
Márquez will join Mexican national team staff with immediate effect.
Last edited:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Official, confirmed. US born left back Caleb Wiley (2004) joins Chelsea for £8.5m plus sell-on clause from Atlanta United.
Contract until June 2030 for Wiley with option for further season.
He could join BlueCo side Strasbourg on loan in the next weeks
@FabrizioRomano
Official, confirmed. US born left back Caleb Wiley (2004) joins Chelsea for £8.5m plus sell-on clause from Atlanta United.
Contract until June 2030 for Wiley with option for further season.
He could join BlueCo side Strasbourg on loan in the next weeks
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Fabrizio Romano
https://x.com/FabrizioRomano
@FabrizioRomano
Chelsea have decided for Caleb Wiley to move to Strasbourg on loan after the Olympics, plan confirmed.
It follows same strategy as Andrey Santos for Chelsea to send Wiley to Strasbourg. Same style of play and consistency key, after he spoke with new coach Rosenior
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Why I No Longer Want the U.S. to be a Soccer Nation.
Whenever I talk soccer/futbol with my brother-in-law (he spent 18 years as a missionary in Argentina and practically considers himself a native), I always come away from the conversation feeling like a silly little boy because of my interest in the USMNT and American soccer in general, and I always get the impression that whether by accident or intention, he feels superior. On one hand, I have to admit that Argentina has the hardware and hall of fame players to make their fans feel good about themselves; yet on the other hand, my conversations with him this weekend finally unlocked for me not only blind hypocrisy of CONMEBOL countries but also the pound-for-pound impotency that FIFA itself has.
The last time I visited him in Atlanta in 2016, Atlanta United were up and coming; a then unblemished Tata Martino had just been hired to lead a talented and hungry roster to basically overnight success for the new franchise. I promoted the team to him at the time and he just
about it. I thought that since he wouldn't be getting to any FC Barcelona matches any time soon and there was a lot of groundswell for a local team, that he would at least have more than a passing interest, but in his mind, MLS just isn't worth paying attention to, when you can catch La Liga and Champions League matches every so often as opposed to paying regular attention to something interesting right under his nose. Over time, he did at least give them some attention, but I don't see him caring much about them nor the repercussions of anything MLS/young American talent, which is unfortunate for a guy who fell in love with soccer himself while still in the US and at a time when the nation at large couldn't have cared less about it.
Fast forward to this weekend. Being both a glutton for punishment and a fledgling soccer
, I couldn't help myself but to bring up soccer again. I tried to avoid going into detail about the Copa America, though he did say went to the Argentina match played in Atlanta, the one with the awful field conditions. Again, I let that go, but did remind him about my predictions about Atlanta United (COMPLETELY BASED ON CONVERSATIONS IN THIS THREAD AT THE TIME, SO CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE), and he launched into the "best athletes" narrative, and fortunately, the inspiration to shoot down this false narrative came to me without hesitation. "What position would Lebron James or Aaron Donald play?" I tried to guide the discussion to one of my theories about how to make our players better, and that's to get them in the weight room more often. I talked about Mikhail Antonio and his banger against the US in the last WC qualifying cycle. As an aside, I've noticed that there are several Jamaican players as well as other international players with muscular upper bodies and are just a handful to defend. I'm not asking for Pulisic to put on 15 pounds of muscle, unless it didn't slow him down, but we could use someone with more substance and agility in the attack. I don't recall prime Gareth Bale or even current Christiano Ronaldo getting bodied as much as Pulisic and Aaronson. Weah is closest to the build I'm talking about; he's still fast and substantial enough that he can stay on the ball when defenders are draped on him. But I digress.
He also talked about the "History and tradition" of South American teams, and used it as some sort of justification for the way they play, but I had to let that go; if you look fondly at the flopping bully style of play and don't call out the Luis Suarez and Neymar level of ****housery, we're never going to see eye-to-eye on what 'history and tradition' really mean.
After our little 'skirmish' about the "best athletes", he started a conversation with his son-in-law, a native Argentine his daughter had met "back home," and he brought up the fiasco of the Copa America championship game and how shameful it was for the US to have allowed that. "Back home," he began, "they know to separate the fans in the stadium and keep them separate before they come in, with barbed wire fences, and they designate an area away from the stadium where the ultras can fight one another."
Repeat that quote to yourself a few times.
While it's tough to have a comeback for such a brutish line of thinking, I did my best; first, I suggested having matches strictly in venues where the most spirited US football matches take place, like SEC and Big 10/16/24 teams play, like Tuscaloosa, where local authorities have more experience with unruly crowds. I didn't think of it at the time, but--no offense to these fan bases--places like Oakland and Philadelphia also have seen their share of fans willing to do violence for their team. Then, I ended my comments with "well, no US sport has 'barbed wire' in their bylaws, so yeah, we're not as experienced there."
This is when I realized that while I still enjoy soccer, I don't want the kind of "passion" that comes with the territory of being a "futbol nation" like Argentina and the rest. While "futbol is life' sounds great, the reality is players getting killed because they scored an own goal in the World Cup, ignoring written and unwritten rules of conduct on the field and unchecked and condoned violence and hatred by and of fans based on what team you support.
I know I'm tossing out a big blanket, and I certainly don't mean every nation where soccer is the #1 sport behaves this way; rather, I'm saying that when even more 'civilized' countries like England, Germany, etc, have problems with hooligans that make a brawl between Giants and Dodgers fans look like a slap fight, I believe it's OK for us to strive to be better than that, and if that means we don't go soccer crazy, I'm good with that.
Actually, I think this passion is something we can use against teams like this. I think that no matter how much talent we have on the roster at any given time, the eternal thought our team should have is: Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.
We need to lean more into the stereotype the rest of the world has for us and act like no matter how 'good' we are, every international match is being played with house money, and when we do well against the 'big' nations, our players need to let them know about it. Relentlessly. Even for the best soccer nations, there is only the pretense of soccer being a 'beautiful' game; the reality is the soccer field is their battleground and they will do everything fair and unfair to win. We need that mentality; we need to be the 'Devil Dogs' that the Germans feared facing in World War I. We need to approach the international stage the way that Jackie Robinson approached Major League Baseball; let the jeering and abuse roll off their back and give them all they can handle in return.
Alright, that's it, I'm done. Soccer is not life, its war. Dempsey knew this, every 'lesser' USMNT knew this, and it's about time that concept gets sewn into the fabric of the USMNT for good.
Whenever I talk soccer/futbol with my brother-in-law (he spent 18 years as a missionary in Argentina and practically considers himself a native), I always come away from the conversation feeling like a silly little boy because of my interest in the USMNT and American soccer in general, and I always get the impression that whether by accident or intention, he feels superior. On one hand, I have to admit that Argentina has the hardware and hall of fame players to make their fans feel good about themselves; yet on the other hand, my conversations with him this weekend finally unlocked for me not only blind hypocrisy of CONMEBOL countries but also the pound-for-pound impotency that FIFA itself has.
The last time I visited him in Atlanta in 2016, Atlanta United were up and coming; a then unblemished Tata Martino had just been hired to lead a talented and hungry roster to basically overnight success for the new franchise. I promoted the team to him at the time and he just
about it. I thought that since he wouldn't be getting to any FC Barcelona matches any time soon and there was a lot of groundswell for a local team, that he would at least have more than a passing interest, but in his mind, MLS just isn't worth paying attention to, when you can catch La Liga and Champions League matches every so often as opposed to paying regular attention to something interesting right under his nose. Over time, he did at least give them some attention, but I don't see him caring much about them nor the repercussions of anything MLS/young American talent, which is unfortunate for a guy who fell in love with soccer himself while still in the US and at a time when the nation at large couldn't have cared less about it.Fast forward to this weekend. Being both a glutton for punishment and a fledgling soccer
, I couldn't help myself but to bring up soccer again. I tried to avoid going into detail about the Copa America, though he did say went to the Argentina match played in Atlanta, the one with the awful field conditions. Again, I let that go, but did remind him about my predictions about Atlanta United (COMPLETELY BASED ON CONVERSATIONS IN THIS THREAD AT THE TIME, SO CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE), and he launched into the "best athletes" narrative, and fortunately, the inspiration to shoot down this false narrative came to me without hesitation. "What position would Lebron James or Aaron Donald play?" I tried to guide the discussion to one of my theories about how to make our players better, and that's to get them in the weight room more often. I talked about Mikhail Antonio and his banger against the US in the last WC qualifying cycle. As an aside, I've noticed that there are several Jamaican players as well as other international players with muscular upper bodies and are just a handful to defend. I'm not asking for Pulisic to put on 15 pounds of muscle, unless it didn't slow him down, but we could use someone with more substance and agility in the attack. I don't recall prime Gareth Bale or even current Christiano Ronaldo getting bodied as much as Pulisic and Aaronson. Weah is closest to the build I'm talking about; he's still fast and substantial enough that he can stay on the ball when defenders are draped on him. But I digress.He also talked about the "History and tradition" of South American teams, and used it as some sort of justification for the way they play, but I had to let that go; if you look fondly at the flopping bully style of play and don't call out the Luis Suarez and Neymar level of ****housery, we're never going to see eye-to-eye on what 'history and tradition' really mean.
After our little 'skirmish' about the "best athletes", he started a conversation with his son-in-law, a native Argentine his daughter had met "back home," and he brought up the fiasco of the Copa America championship game and how shameful it was for the US to have allowed that. "Back home," he began, "they know to separate the fans in the stadium and keep them separate before they come in, with barbed wire fences, and they designate an area away from the stadium where the ultras can fight one another."
Repeat that quote to yourself a few times.
While it's tough to have a comeback for such a brutish line of thinking, I did my best; first, I suggested having matches strictly in venues where the most spirited US football matches take place, like SEC and Big 10/16/24 teams play, like Tuscaloosa, where local authorities have more experience with unruly crowds. I didn't think of it at the time, but--no offense to these fan bases--places like Oakland and Philadelphia also have seen their share of fans willing to do violence for their team. Then, I ended my comments with "well, no US sport has 'barbed wire' in their bylaws, so yeah, we're not as experienced there."
This is when I realized that while I still enjoy soccer, I don't want the kind of "passion" that comes with the territory of being a "futbol nation" like Argentina and the rest. While "futbol is life' sounds great, the reality is players getting killed because they scored an own goal in the World Cup, ignoring written and unwritten rules of conduct on the field and unchecked and condoned violence and hatred by and of fans based on what team you support.
I know I'm tossing out a big blanket, and I certainly don't mean every nation where soccer is the #1 sport behaves this way; rather, I'm saying that when even more 'civilized' countries like England, Germany, etc, have problems with hooligans that make a brawl between Giants and Dodgers fans look like a slap fight, I believe it's OK for us to strive to be better than that, and if that means we don't go soccer crazy, I'm good with that.
Actually, I think this passion is something we can use against teams like this. I think that no matter how much talent we have on the roster at any given time, the eternal thought our team should have is: Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.
We need to lean more into the stereotype the rest of the world has for us and act like no matter how 'good' we are, every international match is being played with house money, and when we do well against the 'big' nations, our players need to let them know about it. Relentlessly. Even for the best soccer nations, there is only the pretense of soccer being a 'beautiful' game; the reality is the soccer field is their battleground and they will do everything fair and unfair to win. We need that mentality; we need to be the 'Devil Dogs' that the Germans feared facing in World War I. We need to approach the international stage the way that Jackie Robinson approached Major League Baseball; let the jeering and abuse roll off their back and give them all they can handle in return.
Alright, that's it, I'm done. Soccer is not life, its war. Dempsey knew this, every 'lesser' USMNT knew this, and it's about time that concept gets sewn into the fabric of the USMNT for good.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
This paragraph made me think of Jozy Altidore who became a monster physically in his mid 20's.
Unfortunately his work in the weight room also put a strain on what his muscles could endure as a soccer pro, specifically his hamstring.
The good news is that soccer players come in all shapes and sizes. You can find all time great forwards in various sizes from small(Messi) to medium(Suarez) to big (Drogba).
I'd also add that Pulisic seemed as though he did put on some muscle last summer, and that probably contributed to why he had such a strong year in Italy. He's still small, but doesn't appear quite as skinny and easy to push off the ball as he used to.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Among the several fallacies your BIL suffers under, this one is just pure ignorance and I wonder how much he understands about what happened in Miami at the final. I don't believe I saw any fan v fan violence at that game. There was no need to have barbed wire separating fans in Miami. The problem was unticked fans showing up at the venue and forcing their way in. This is a problem that many sports venues, in the US and abroad, have to deal with. As I think @NewlyRetired pointed out a while back, the Miami Hard Rock has a plan for WC 2026, approved by FIFA, where they have at least one security perimeter outside the venue where fans will be checked for tickets. This is the way it is commonly handled to reduce the number of unticketed fans who even get near the stadium. CONMEBOL didn't require this for the Copa final, likely due to costs, so that incident is nearly 100% on them.
In the Uruguay v Colombia semi-final, there was some minor fighting among fans. From everything I've seen from that incident, the problem was mainly caused by idiotic Uruguay players jumping into the stands and provoking everyone. Even with that, I don't believe I heard of anyone getting hurt in all that handbags we saw.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
this feels about right. I would love it more in the 2 week time frame but will take late August if that is all we can get.
Any later and the need for a caretaker for the Sept. window will drive me nuts.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Come on, get your damn citizenship already
=======================
https://x.com/tombogert
Tom Bogert
@tombogert
MLS All-Star head coach Wilfried Nancy joked he's happy to have All-Star captain Lucho Acosta on his team instead of against for once:"I'm just happy he’s in my team. Excuse my language, he’s a pain in the *** to play against!"
=======================
https://x.com/tombogert
Tom Bogert
@tombogert
MLS All-Star head coach Wilfried Nancy joked he's happy to have All-Star captain Lucho Acosta on his team instead of against for once:"I'm just happy he’s in my team. Excuse my language, he’s a pain in the *** to play against!"
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
I saw Altidore's hamstring pop in the WC and it was a gut punch. Maybe Jozy was unlucky or cheated with PEDs or whatever; to me, while unfortunate, beefing up physically should be a must, though at the same time, I also think the 'type' of athletes we should persuade to consider soccer are the ones who excel at defensive back. Low body fat yet tough as iron and fly around the field.
He had definitely drunk the CONMEBOL/Argentina Kool-Aid. Zero objectivity. And it was the 'barbed wire' and 'designated space for ultras to fight each other' comments that stunned me. He just painted me a picture that said not only is violence part of the game but is also to be justified in the stands.
As far as CONMEBOL goes, they showed me that they run their federation the same way their teams play on the field: it's only cheating if you get caught and it's not a lie if you believe it.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Reminder: US plays Cuba in second game of group in U20 WCQing tonight.
10:00pm Eastern FS2
10:00pm Eastern FS2
B Maverick
Footballguy
And then there's Adama Traore. Looked like an NFL linebacker running over people out there. He had some moments but he always looked too stiff in the hips to take the next step.
I don't think you need to be jacked. Balance and the right strength (not just muscle) are more important.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
TennesseeJed
Footballguy
I disagree - but not enough to die on that hill.
In smaller countries that are producing better footballers - their better athletes are drawn to football at an early age, and thus learn those skills, to go with natural athleticism.
Out best athletes are still drawn to sports like baseball, football, and basketball. And, sure the average NBA player was never going to be a great soccer player - but we are also missing out on a lot of point guard rejects - who could have developed into great soccer players - had they started down that path as youths.
And you can say the same thing about some baseball players, and some football players.
In England - if you are athletic - you are playing and developing as a footballer or a cricket player. In the US if you are athletic - the field is dispersed to many different sports.
So the argument has merit - but at the same time, its never changing, so we have to make do with the players who do opt to play soccer.
B Maverick
Footballguy
And who's to say any that are going to other sports would excel even if they took up soccer as a kid?
Heck, Conmebol would kick Lebron out for his overdone flopping.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Many of basketballs best point guards come from the inner city. As dominant as soccer is today, the inner cities can not provide a path for very young players due to lack of fields.
Football makes due because that is a sport that players can start much later in life and still become great very quickly. But I don't know how soccer ever really gets over this hurdle.
I personally don't ever look at a baseball game and think "wow, we are missing out on so many pure athletes". There is almost no difference to me in the quality of American athletes in the two sports. If anything, American soccer players, on average, are better athletes than American baseball players are. Some of the most athletic MLB players are not American.
encaitar
Footballguy
Yes, we might lose a few potential athletes that could've become good soccer players, but it's fewer than you might think. There aren't any 250 lb muscled up behemoths running around the soccer pitch because that size hinders them in a sport that focuses on quickness, speed, and endurance. There aren't any 7' guys running around the field because soccer favors tight, close control and long legs aren't necessarily a benefit in the sport.
Victor Wembanyama grew up in France playing soccer. Why is he now playing in the NBA? Because his athletic profile didn't fit the soccer field, but we still have guys thinking it would've been different if LeBron had grown up with a soccer ball at his feet... Newsflash... He'd still have ended up in the NBA because that's the sport his body is built best for.
TLEF316
Footballguy
In most cases, we're not losing because we dont have the best athletes. We're losing because we're like 4 generations behind in terms of skill training. But if we DID have access to nearly 100% of the athletes that the US producers (like most of the elite soccer playing countries).....maybe our SUPERIOR athleticism would help make up the skill gap that we have (for not implementing a proper academy system until like 75 years after most other countries)
You're not dropping 6'9 power forwards onto a soccer field and getting good results (even if you trained them from an early age) but there's plenty of shorter, quick twitch guys in football/basketball that would fit the archetype. Obviously they wouldn't all hit, but you only need a handful. If you took every NFL skill player between 5'8 and 6'4 (probably some CB or GK potential or MAYBE a target forward at the top of the height range) and magically dropped the 5 year old versions of them into a well funded and well-coached academy system, some absolute studs would emerge. Just too much incredible athleticism, fluidity and coordination for it not to happen with the right coaching. And some of their bodies would likely develop differently if they were preparing for a soccer career vs a football career. (less bulk)
You're not dropping 6'9 power forwards onto a soccer field and getting good results (even if you trained them from an early age) but there's plenty of shorter, quick twitch guys in football/basketball that would fit the archetype. Obviously they wouldn't all hit, but you only need a handful. If you took every NFL skill player between 5'8 and 6'4 (probably some CB or GK potential or MAYBE a target forward at the top of the height range) and magically dropped the 5 year old versions of them into a well funded and well-coached academy system, some absolute studs would emerge. Just too much incredible athleticism, fluidity and coordination for it not to happen with the right coaching. And some of their bodies would likely develop differently if they were preparing for a soccer career vs a football career. (less bulk)
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
Right. And it's not only the actual NFL/NBA players we're talking about here. Plenty of guys that were super athletic or natural fluid athletes that pursued one sport (like those ones) because they liked it and washed out, but might have been better at another one like soccer if they were driven that direction from a young age instead.
If Christian Pulisic happened to really like basketball maybe he would have pursued hoops instead and never even known that he actually had the innate ability to be really good at soccer. How many other guys are out there that do fit that bill that we don't even know about?
In the US, only 7% of kids age 6-10 participate in soccer.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Mexico not wasting any time. Planning for both the near and long term.......
Tv Azteca Jalisco
@TVAztecaJalisco
#DEPORTES | The Mexican Football Federation made Javier Aguirre official as the new coach of Mexico heading to the 2026 World Cup and Rafael Márquez as an assistant to later take the reins as chief manager towards 2030. With information: Antony Ríos
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
Both Renard and Henry are busy at the Olympics. If they’re candidates, we likely won’t hear until the Olympics are over. The part of me that likes dumpster fires is kind of hoping for Henry.
TennesseeJed
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I would not trust US Soccer to use such progressive thinking but ignoring their ineptitude, what do you guys think of the idea Mexico is using: pairing a very experienced coach for the short run with his assistant already slated to be the next coach?
SpurrierisisGod
Footballguy
Anecdotal re: The athlete convo but....
I coached a kid that played youth club but grew into a 2 guard in basketball. Big broad shoulders, lean, about 6'4". He came out junior year to 'just have fun". He is the most gifted natural athlete I've coached to this day.
Went months without touching a ball but it's like he never forgot. Fastest kid out there (and my son ran a 4.5 40) and didn't even look like he was sprinting. Could throw the ball in from near midfield to far post (we scored 2 goals in one game from his throws). No fear defending... I mean none - contact or no contact. He wasn't Messi and I'd never put him at striker but he did everything with a smile...like he was messing around.
He didn't come back out for his senior year and I dang near got everyone to beg him to come out. He decided to focus entirely on basketball. Last I heard he was at some CC struggling for play time in basketball.
The temptation to do the normal thing all his peers were doing is what I think got him. Soccer just isn't "cool" in the US. He had like a 0.1% chance to do anything in basketball but probably a much better chance at at least 1 more level in soccer. It's just too hard to compete with the big 3 in the US.
Unfortunately, soccer in the US is only cool to mainly the "elite" that can afford the travel and best training. Which, btw, is mostly free in other countries.
I coached a kid that played youth club but grew into a 2 guard in basketball. Big broad shoulders, lean, about 6'4". He came out junior year to 'just have fun". He is the most gifted natural athlete I've coached to this day.
Went months without touching a ball but it's like he never forgot. Fastest kid out there (and my son ran a 4.5 40) and didn't even look like he was sprinting. Could throw the ball in from near midfield to far post (we scored 2 goals in one game from his throws). No fear defending... I mean none - contact or no contact. He wasn't Messi and I'd never put him at striker but he did everything with a smile...like he was messing around.
He didn't come back out for his senior year and I dang near got everyone to beg him to come out. He decided to focus entirely on basketball. Last I heard he was at some CC struggling for play time in basketball.
The temptation to do the normal thing all his peers were doing is what I think got him. Soccer just isn't "cool" in the US. He had like a 0.1% chance to do anything in basketball but probably a much better chance at at least 1 more level in soccer. It's just too hard to compete with the big 3 in the US.
Unfortunately, soccer in the US is only cool to mainly the "elite" that can afford the travel and best training. Which, btw, is mostly free in other countries.
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
If I had known we could embed images here, we’d already have about 200 shirtless shots of Giroud.
encaitar
Footballguy
So what you're saying is if I see my girlfriend perusing the Footballguys soccer threads this next year I now know why?
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
9 changes in the lineup for the US.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
10 minutes in and Cuba looks so much more competent than what ever Jamaica brought to the tournament. US better wake up here
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Pretty free kick into a perfect spot in no mans land. 1-0 US
I really like Nico's technical skill level.
I really like Nico's technical skill level.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Fully awoken now. US is carving them up via Nico. 2-0 now
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Ohh that was ugly. Never seen a contact ripped out like that...
has to be subbed out
has to be subbed out
Eephus
Footballguy
Most international managerial regimes end badly. Why would you want to hire a preordained successor who's already tainted by the former guy's failure.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Fairly easy 4-0 win even if Cuba were game.
The US has now qualified for the quarterfinals. They need a draw in the last group game to win the group and assure themselves of playing a 3rd place team in the quarterfinals.
A loss in the last group game would be a disaster as the US would then go into the quarter finals against, very likely, Mexico, in Mexico.
The US has now qualified for the quarterfinals. They need a draw in the last group game to win the group and assure themselves of playing a 3rd place team in the quarterfinals.
A loss in the last group game would be a disaster as the US would then go into the quarter finals against, very likely, Mexico, in Mexico.
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El Floppo
Footballguy
Who's the last game against?
I watched most of the game from 1-0 on. US was sloppier on the ball tonight, but still a tier above everything Cuba had top to bottom. I thought they regressed after the contact kid had to come out... Maybe his replacement messed things up.
Was excited to see what Keylor brought... Not bad, but not a lot. Once again, I really liked 14- that kid is cool calm and collected every time he's on the ball. Great touch, great vision, usually positive, usually involved. Holding it, turning guys and driving forward. One to keep an eye on for me. I'm liking the wing backs too- 15 especially (has a nasty side) and 2 as well.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Costa Rica
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
@Ted Lange as your Bartender , Do you know what the reason was that Philly sold his home grown rights to Cincy?
===============
Manuel Vaquero
https://x.com/ManuVaquero_
@ManuVaquero_
Stefan Chirila (17 años)Ya avisamos de este chico. Máximo goleador del Generation Adidas Cup Sub-17, 20 goles y 10 asistencias en la temporada 2024 y ahora está disputando el MLS NEXT All-Stars.Jugador de FC Cincinnati y salido de la academia de Philadelphia Union.
Stefan Chirila (17 years old) We already warned about this boy. Top scorer of the Generation Adidas Cup Under-17, 20 goals and 10 assists in the 2024 season and is now playing in the MLS NEXT All-Stars. FC Cincinnati player and graduate of the Philadelphia Union academy.
===============
Manuel Vaquero
https://x.com/ManuVaquero_
@ManuVaquero_
Stefan Chirila (17 años)Ya avisamos de este chico. Máximo goleador del Generation Adidas Cup Sub-17, 20 goles y 10 asistencias en la temporada 2024 y ahora está disputando el MLS NEXT All-Stars.Jugador de FC Cincinnati y salido de la academia de Philadelphia Union.
Stefan Chirila (17 years old) We already warned about this boy. Top scorer of the Generation Adidas Cup Under-17, 20 goals and 10 assists in the 2024 season and is now playing in the MLS NEXT All-Stars. FC Cincinnati player and graduate of the Philadelphia Union academy.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
MLS Next had their all star game today.
Cavan was named Man of the Match. Youngest in the league
Cavan was named Man of the Match. Youngest in the league
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The US is rumored to be adding Mexico to its October window. Game said to be in Guadalajara.
TLEF316
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Concacaf's nominees for Player of the Year
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
there were 2 Canadian players listed for the men
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
https://x.com/usmntonly
USMNT Only
@usmntonly
20-year-old Real Salt Lake and playmaker Diego Luna, who was left off the U.S. Olympic roster, is leaving the door open to a potential switch to play for Mexico at the international level.
"I've never closed down any doors. For me, it's continuing to perform and who's going to give me the best opportunity.I know there's some changes going on at the Mexican Football Federation, U.S. Soccer, too, but there are some big changes going on so we'll see what happens there."
USMNT Only
@usmntonly
20-year-old Real Salt Lake and playmaker Diego Luna, who was left off the U.S. Olympic roster, is leaving the door open to a potential switch to play for Mexico at the international level.
"I've never closed down any doors. For me, it's continuing to perform and who's going to give me the best opportunity.I know there's some changes going on at the Mexican Football Federation, U.S. Soccer, too, but there are some big changes going on so we'll see what happens there."
strykerpks
Footballguy
Can I please get a layman's primer on the Olympic soccer team(s)? This is the U23 team correct? This is a different coach and team than the national team that lost in the Copa? Will there be any overlap? Are these kids up and comers? Sorry I'm dumb. TIA
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
It is U23 with the stipulation of you can roster up to three over age players.
It is a completely different team and coaching staff from the senior national team.
Normally there would be a little overlap in the rosters but since the senior national team is still a little on the young side, many players who could have played in the Olympics will not because of their involvement in Copa America. Senior national team players like Pepi, Scally, Tillman, Musah, Reyna, Balogun, Dest and some others could have played in the Olympics but will not be.
There is only one player who will be on both the Copa and Olympic rosters and that is Miles Robinson, who is using one of the three overage spots.
Players to keep an eye on include Busio and Tessman, who play together on the same team in Italy. Also big Duncan, the lumbering striker, is an interesting player to watch to see if he is out of his depth or not. Paredes is a talented young winger that plays in Germany that we need to pop if the team is to hope to get out of the group. I am unsure who the US will be starting in goal but both are young keepers that have promise.
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