Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

lol, I didn't read any article. I just looked up the statures of some of my favorite players and went from there. I'm interested in said article though. Got the link to share?

I do! I looked it up afterwards. Your thesis is similar but the wording is not as similar as I thought.

https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2022/12/5/an-open-letter-on-the-best-athletes-argument

He started out by debunking the "best athletes" argument but then at the end (under the 3 Cs heading) he himself made the best athletes argument.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I get that we lose athletes to other sports and all, but we have 350 million people. That’s not an excuse when we have the resources to do better. Uruguay has 1% of our population but qualifies every damn time out of freaking CONMEBOL.

We can’t figure out a way to elevate potential unless they happen to have the money to get into a spot where they are noticed and shepherded into the pipeline. For ****’s sake we can’t find an above average striker or left back. How is this possible? We were playing Demarcus Beasley until he was like 40 years old at left back because reasons?

This is what frustrates me most about the every 4 years opinions that come out. These are issues that have been prevalent for years. It’s not anything new! Sad thing the players we have now are so much freaking better overall than the past and there has been absolutely no improvement in results. And USSF will continue to solidly plant their heads in their asses. And continue to delay the improvement that we should easily be seeing at this point.

[fugazi]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

If young American players want to succeed, they need to go abroad as early as possible. There is no "too early".

Also, if for nothing else, this alone should really in a change if leadership from top to bottom.

Also, this quote from an ESPN write up is reason enough for someone to lose their job... whomever signed off on this inclusion AND whomever decided he should start vs Netherlands

"Leaving Pepi off for Jesus Ferreira will always seem strange, too, considering Ferreira was Pepi's backup with FC Dallas (under USMNT assistant coach Luchi Gonzalez, no less) and it's Pepi's move to Europe that cost him his spot. Pepi had seemingly found his form in the Netherlands, while Ferreira finished the season poorly in MLS and when he got his shot against the Dutch, it had been well over a month since his last competitive match and nearly three months since he last scored."

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I get that we lose athletes to other sports and all, but we have 350 million people. That’s not an excuse when we have the resources to do better. Uruguay has 1% of our population but qualifies every damn time out of freaking CONMEBOL.

We can’t figure out a way to elevate potential unless they happen to have the money to get into a spot where they are noticed and shepherded into the pipeline. For ****’s sake we can’t find an above average striker or left back. How is this possible? We were playing Demarcus Beasley until he was like 40 years old at left back because reasons?

This is what frustrates me most about the every 4 years opinions that come out. These are issues that have been prevalent for years. It’s not anything new! Sad thing the players we have now are so much freaking better overall than the past and there has been absolutely no improvement in results. And USSF will continue to solidly plant their heads in their asses. And continue to delay the improvement that we should easily be seeing at this point.

Conversely this is what frustrates me about the hardcore 365 soccer fans, its the bubble perspective. The answer to your questions (though they are rhetorical) is the same answer to why no other country in the world produces basketball talent at a comparable rate to the USA.

Its culture. The vast majority of those 350 million people don't care as much as you or the population of Uruguay do.

Not trying to pick a fight with you but sometimes an outside perspective can see things more clearly. Like someone else said its a complicated problem to solve and not as simple to summarize as the USSF having their head up their ***. Not to say they don't have their heads up their asses, moreso that even if they don't and make all the right decisions the results could still be underwhelming. There is nothing easy about it, it will take time and require patience to see results*.

(to emphasize, not saying pay-to-play is not a major hindrance, only that outside of the soccer bubble not many care that it is)

*Related note something that bugs me about media coverage of the world cup -- they point out the challenges facing US Soccer but then pat themselves on the back by saying the youth of the current team is evidence that we are beating the pay-to-play system. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't most of these players *not* come up through these new pipelines? Its giving me "mission accomplished" banner vibes.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

My point is that even with the limitations of "culture", we have enough of a pool/interest plus resources to do much better at making sure we can field a pretty complete team. We are doing a comically bad job at capitalizing on the past 10-20 years of growth of the sport in the country because of the good ol' boys mentality of those in charge.

[dickey1331]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

The drama over Gio took an interesting turn today. Apparently his attitude pissed off enough people that 12 players voted to send him home during the World Cup.


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[fugazi]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

What a brat.

[jb12780]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I think we’ve made it as a footballing nation now that people are talking about the drama involved with the team.

Reyna is a bit of a prick, but Berhalter is still incompetent.

Claudio still has a lot of friends within the USSF (including Brian McBride) so I feel this will lead to Berhalter being sacked. Subbing on Jordan Morris before Reyna certainly is a sackable offense in my eyes. As is taking Jordan Morris over Pepi on the plane to begin with.


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[Suntan Superman]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

Jesus Ferreira was the one I would've left home for either Pepi or Pefok.

I gotta say though, from basically everything that's come out, it looks like the US handled their 'diva' situation pretty well, and it's pretty damning of Gio's behaviour that he only was kept on the team by a single vote. Reyna might be one of our best players, but especially when it comes to National Teams, it's not about getting the best, it's about getting the ones who will do what is necessary to win, and if that ain't Gio yet, maybe he should take a few tournaments off until he figures out if he wants to win.

[jb12780]

Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

Totally forgot about Ferreira yeah I would have left him home too.


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[fugazi]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I just assumed ussf had an MLS quota...

Choosing Ferreira after he was second fiddle to Pepi at Dallas, and coming off injury, and not performing as well as pepi... suggests some degree of irrationality was involved.

Starting him vs Netherlands was ��.

Seems Gio has some growing up to do... it's one thing to be a petulant player... it's another to complain that the news was leaked.

He doesn't really fit in the system, though, and I think that's a problem.

US will not succeed in a 433.

3412 or 3421 or 451 is the only way were going to get Reyna and CP on the field together, assuming the MF 3 are set.

[KG]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

Jesus Ferreira was the one I would've left home for either Pepi or Pefok.

I gotta say though, from basically everything that's come out, it looks like the US handled their 'diva' situation pretty well, and it's pretty damning of Gio's behaviour that he only was kept on the team by a single vote. Reyna might be one of our best players, but especially when it comes to National Teams, it's not about getting the best, it's about getting the ones who will do what is necessary to win, and if that ain't Gio yet, maybe he should take a few tournaments off until he figures out if he wants to win.

I think they did too but wth is up with Berhalter telling Gio something like that before the World Cup. Why would you unsettle one of your promising players that also has experience against top competition. Both we’re in the wrong if what Gio says is true. [emoji2375]


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[Suntan Superman]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I think they did too but wth is up with Berhalter telling Gio something like that before the World Cup. Why would you unsettle one of your promising players that also has experience against top competition. Both we’re in the wrong if what Gio says is true. [emoji2375]

I disagree. Headed into a tournament like this, I would personally manage the expectations of everyone in the squad. Ultimately everyone would have a role, and I would make sure that role is explained before we began the tournament so we can train them in that role, and work towards the collective goal of winning. Now, we can talk about whether that coaching style is correct, or if Gio being a bit player is correct until we're blue in the face, but I think outlining the expectations of a player headed in to the tournament isn't the thing we need to be raking Gregg over the coals here for.

[KG]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I disagree. Headed into a tournament like this, I would personally manage the expectations of everyone in the squad. Ultimately everyone would have a role, and I would make sure that role is explained before we began the tournament so we can train them in that role, and work towards the collective goal of winning. Now, we can talk about whether that coaching style is correct, or if Gio being a bit player is correct until we're blue in the face, but I think outlining the expectations of a player headed in to the tournament isn't the thing we need to be raking Gregg over the coals here for.

Yeah I def don’t have a problem with explaining roles, more so of why Gio wouldn’t have a bigger role. I’m sure going into this tournament he thought, just like most of us fans that he’d have a larger role.


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[Cod]

Re: Official USMNT/USWNT Thread

I disagree. Headed into a tournament like this, I would personally manage the expectations of everyone in the squad. Ultimately everyone would have a role, and I would make sure that role is explained before we began the tournament so we can train them in that role, and work towards the collective goal of winning. Now, we can talk about whether that coaching style is correct, or if Gio being a bit player is correct until we're blue in the face, but I think outlining the expectations of a player headed in to the tournament isn't the thing we need to be raking Gregg over the coals here for.

I agree when talking about role players, but not one of the top 5 players in the squad. Nobody can convince me that Gio shouldn't have had a larger role considering the other options we had. What makes it worse, Berhalter went with the crappy options when he could've used Gio to capitalize on situations (Wales and England).