USMNT: To Rüssia With Love
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
By Mix? It was dumb, he gave away a kick in a dangerous place when he didn't need to.Arroyo Con Frijoles said:
Also Corona is terrible.
I mean I thought he got him clean. Unnecessary probably, but a harsh foul call. This game is such crap those two tackles from Jones and Mix were the most interesting moments of the second half.
Cut Corona. He can even put a free kick in the box.
NASL kid on now.
Mix made a poor decision on that recent tackle but for the most part tonight did a decent job on defense. It seems though as much as JK wants it, MB is going to drift back to 6 role unless he is chained to the offensive half of the field. So while Mix may be able to grow into the role, I cant see MB giving it up when the games count. Will JK keep forcing MB forward.
NASL kid on now.
Mix made a poor decision on that recent tackle but for the most part tonight did a decent job on defense. It seems though as much as JK wants it, MB is going to drift back to 6 role unless he is chained to the offensive half of the field. So while Mix may be able to grow into the role, I cant see MB giving it up when the games count. Will JK keep forcing MB forward.
Last two were friendlies so whatever but the U.S. have blown late leads in four of their last five chances.
Can we please stop pretending that Bradley is an attacking midfielder? He really does a good job of twirling and twisting away from defenders to keep possession and lay the ball off. He's not as good at finding the incisive pass. He can do it sometimes; he's obviously not a donkey, but it's very clear that his instincts and his skills are better suited to a deeper role, controlling possession and circulating the ball, with four more attack-minded players ahead of him.
Count me among those sick of Corona. I've just never seen it with him.
I still don't know why Wood was even brought to camp. Good thing Boyd and Johannsson are back in training. We have better options in MLS too.
Garza has been serviceable. He's very steady, but his lack of speed will limit him.
That late tackle by Jones was really ballsy. He was pretty good at CB, but if he plays there in a competitive match it would be terrifying. 88 minutes of solid CB play, waiting for the 2 minutes of total meltdown/recklessness.
Rimando had his worst game in a US shirt in a while. Is Klinsmann still pretending there's a competition between him and Guzan this cycle?
I'm ready for the January camp and for the best of that crowd to be integrated into the team.
Count me among those sick of Corona. I've just never seen it with him.
I still don't know why Wood was even brought to camp. Good thing Boyd and Johannsson are back in training. We have better options in MLS too.
Garza has been serviceable. He's very steady, but his lack of speed will limit him.
That late tackle by Jones was really ballsy. He was pretty good at CB, but if he plays there in a competitive match it would be terrifying. 88 minutes of solid CB play, waiting for the 2 minutes of total meltdown/recklessness.
Rimando had his worst game in a US shirt in a while. Is Klinsmann still pretending there's a competition between him and Guzan this cycle?
I'm ready for the January camp and for the best of that crowd to be integrated into the team.
Nothing from the USSF yet, but Croatia has announced a friendly against the US in London on November 12. This makes sense, considering the US will be in Dublin to play Ireland on November 18. Croatia will be a quality opponent; hopefully we bring a strong team. MLS is actually taking a break between the conference semifinals and the conference finals for this window.
The trouble with Bradley is that he doesn't quite have the offensive chops to be an attacking midfielder, but he also isn't nearly strong enough at taking the ball away to be a defensive midfielder. He's very good at what he does (Reyna-lite at possession and controlling the pace of play, Reyna-heavy at counterattacking and joining in the attack from midfield), and has a lot to offer a team, but he's not all that easy to fit into a midfield.Titans Bastard said:
Mr. Wednesday said:
He would fit in to a dual box-to-box midfield, although that's what Klinsmann has moved away from and that's what caused some general problems in the team defensive structure under Bob. In the past cycle, a Jones/Bradley box-to-box pairing would have been less than the sum of its parts, which is why Beckerman in context was a surprisingly key player despite not being the most talented player in the pool individually.
Matt Doyle came out with an argument for Mike-as-attacking-midfielder.
Bradley-as-AM doesn't really pass the eye test for me, but it's hard to argue with those numbers.
I think mention of this was made on the broadcast from the game the other night, they said it would take place at Craven Cottage I believe.Titans Bastard said:
Over and above Bradley's individual production, I'd be interested in seeing a comparison of the goal production of the team as a whole. It's definitely interesting, and a better record than I would have expected.Titans Bastard said:
https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/524299749466177536
https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/524295652054806528
Croatia jumped the gun on this one.
But we may be back to Colombia:
https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/524344586802454528
https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/524295652054806528
Croatia jumped the gun on this one.
But we may be back to Colombia:
https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/524344586802454528
That's a real shame, it would have been fun to see the US soccer team and US rugby team in the same week (the Eagles are playing Tonga that Saturday in England).
Andy Najar, scoring goals in the Champions League. I haven't followed him terribly closely since he left D.C., so someone needs to tell me just how anguished I should feel about losing him to Honduras on a scale of Steven Beitashour to Neven Subotic.
Arroyo Con Frijoles said:
Don't feel that anguished. The US couldn't lose him because the US didn't have him. He was far from US citizenship and he's not getting any closer after moving to Europe. It was always a real longshot.
Surprise, surprise, Michael Bradley has been playing hurt for months. He's having surgery on his foot for a nerve issue, which has been a problem since at least April.
On the bright side, Terrence Boyd has returned to action. Aron Johannsson and Danny Williams are now playing in reserve games and should be back soon.
On the bright side, Terrence Boyd has returned to action. Aron Johannsson and Danny Williams are now playing in reserve games and should be back soon.
Draw for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Jamaica in January:
Group A:
Aruba
Guatemala
Jamaica
Panama
Trinidad & Tobago
USA
Group B:
Canada
Cuba
El Salvador
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
There's a new format this year. The group stage is a single round robin; the two group winners qualify for the U-20 World Cup automatically. The #2 and #3 from each group are seeded 1-4 based on group stage results and play one knockout game for the other two WC qualification slots.
This change benefits the US, as there is less potential for random chance to allow a lesser team to beat a stronger one. Such as four years ago, when the US faced Guatemala in Guatemala in the winner-take-all quarterfinal and choked.
The groups seem especially soft because Costa Rica didn't qualify out of Central America, but U-20 teams are inconsistent and you never know who is having a down year. Panama ran away with UNCAF qualifying.
Group A:
Aruba
Guatemala
Jamaica
Panama
Trinidad & Tobago
USA
Group B:
Canada
Cuba
El Salvador
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
There's a new format this year. The group stage is a single round robin; the two group winners qualify for the U-20 World Cup automatically. The #2 and #3 from each group are seeded 1-4 based on group stage results and play one knockout game for the other two WC qualification slots.
This change benefits the US, as there is less potential for random chance to allow a lesser team to beat a stronger one. Such as four years ago, when the US faced Guatemala in Guatemala in the winner-take-all quarterfinal and choked.
The groups seem especially soft because Costa Rica didn't qualify out of Central America, but U-20 teams are inconsistent and you never know who is having a down year. Panama ran away with UNCAF qualifying.
This is mildly surprising:
http://twitter.com/Squawka/status/528185099444314112
Thought Gooch was going to have to hang them up soon.
http://twitter.com/Squawka/status/528185099444314112
Thought Gooch was going to have to hang them up soon.
https://twitter.com/BrianStraus/status/528264119393460224?s=09
After the hamstring injuries and the number of core USMNT players who looked burned out right now, perhaps you should consider that a WC, a long season, and intense Klinsmann training sessions might play a role in this. But that would require looking inward for once instead of blaming everyone around you, right Jürgen?
After the hamstring injuries and the number of core USMNT players who looked burned out right now, perhaps you should consider that a WC, a long season, and intense Klinsmann training sessions might play a role in this. But that would require looking inward for once instead of blaming everyone around you, right Jürgen?
So all the top players in the world did not burn out and fail to perform because they did not have to endure Klinsmann's training sessions, come on. Keep putting the pressure on the players, if we want to be competitive with the big boys, our players need to always be playing close to their best. Germany played 3 more games than the US and their players are doing just fine. I see no problem with his statement.Titans Bastard said:
Silverdude2167 said:
Philipp Lahm had some things to say about Klinsmann's training methods at Bayern as well. I think that when you get three hamstring injuries at the WC (Altidore, FJ, Besler) and a number of others look burned out afterwards, it's fair to raise questions. Germany isn't managed by Klinsmann, so their experience is immaterial. It's also not the first time this has happened. Do you remember the flat, burned out performance against Guatemala in Klinsmann's "five game tournament" in the summer of 2012, where he played basically the same squad in three friendlies and then two WCQs over the span of a couple of weeks?
This isn't about willpower and ambition. Players physically need to rest and regenerate sometimes. It's not like the US team has ever lacked fitness. Well, since Mathis retired anyway.
Silverdude2167 said:
...which is not that correct.
Keepers:
Neuer - great shape
Weidenfeller - many mistakes in this season so far
Zieler - good to great form
Defense:
Boateng - already in good form, but gets his minutes limited @Bayern, which plays a part in that it seems.
Durm - first big tournament took its toll on him
Ginter - huge drop in form, has not found his form @Dortmund which he had @Freiburg.
Großkreutz - is a guy that runs and runs and is more known for being a fighter than technical perfect - all the miles in the last season added up and he also needed a longer break than he had.
Höwedes - he is a leader for Schalke and already showed good defense this season.
Hummels - many many mistakes for him so far this season.
Lahm - good to great form for him @Bayern.
Mertesacker - didn´t see anything so far this season, but based on what i read it seems he suffered a drop in performance/form in contrast to last season.
Mustafi - no judging possible
Midfield:
Draxler - inconsistent performances just like last year and now injured.
Götze - seems to have gotten a boost from the WC and has shown great performances, but without a perfect consistence.
Khedira - just a few bench minutes for him so far after being out with a muscle injury since september.
Kramer - M´Gladbach got an almost perfect start to the Bundesliga without Kramer performing on top level - just seems like last season. The guy is a great player!
Kroos - didn´t see anything from him and i think it is great to not hear anything negative about his start at Real. He made the starting lineup, showed his potential and will be one of the key players for years for them and for the german national team, but he probably also did not show top performances, yet.
Müller - has scored some goals/assists, Bayerns machine runs well, but he hasn´t shown WC form.
Özil - poor, decent and some good performances are changing for the guy.
Podolski - doesn´t get to show his finisher skills at Arsenal...maybe it is time to move on in the winter.
Schürrle - bad to decent form @Chelsea
Schweinsteiger - out injured
Forward:
Klose - did not see the guy, but he scored the winning goal last weekend. Seems like he is still able to become (that was his 1st league goal) the bench scorer he was for Lazio last season.
All in all some decent to good performances, which came mostly from Bayern players. I guess Pep rotates better than Klopp @Dortmund who didn´t have many alternatives last season (no Ginter, Gündogan injured the entire season, Reus, Hummels, Bender, etc. all being out for various times last season or missing the WC). Now Dortmund already suffers from those bad rotations/heavy workload from last season and from the short break due to the WC. The Bayern players can somehow live with that, due to the better rotation options this season. But at the EC qualification matches vs. Poland and Ireland (1 point combined and no domination like we saw before, which is a dropoff), we could see that there´s drop in form, the loss of several key players (Lahm, Mertesacker, Klose, Khedira, Schweinsteiger all being out) and of course vs. a decent opponent like those two, this created a few problems which resulted in those bad results.
So to say the german players are doing just fine is somehow wrong. And nobody criticizes Jogi. This is part of the WC and everybody knows it. This needs some manageing from the clubs, too, then it will be better in most cases, although sometimes it can´t be prevented (like @Dortmund, who had like 5-6 severely injured players last season).
What´s wrong with the US players, i don´t know. Maybe some young guys aren´t used to the short break. I guess a guy like Jermaine Jones knows about that, experienced that already, has the physical robustness and stamina to go through this and even would have made it @Schalke again. A younger guy like Yedlin or Julian Green at 19-20-21 years old and 150/135 pounds, what do you expect..They train hard, they give their all, there´s the south american climate, they have a shorter break and it takes a toll on your body, even more when you´re young and have less stamina.
I have been meaning to say my post was a late night drunk/tired post and your response was amazing. I really appreciate the response and the dialogue in this subforum.in general.Schnerres said:
New U-20 camp announced for a tournament in Marbella, Spain. The US will play Russia, Ireland, and Canada.
GK
Santiago Castano (New York Red Bulls)
Ethan Horvath (Molde FK)
DF
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur)
Luis Martir (Chivas de Guadalajara)
Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls)
Shaquell Moore (unattached)
Tommy Redding (Orlando City)
John Requejo, Jr. (Tijuana)
Tyler Turner (Orlando City)
MF
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Russell Canouse (Hoffenheim)
Junior Flores (Borussia Dortmund)
Romain Gall (Columbus Crew)
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland)
Joel Soñora (Boca Juniors)
FW
Bradford Jamieson IV (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Andrija Novakovich (Reading)
Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
Dembakwi Yomba (Atlético Madrid)
Qualifying is just around the corner. This is a strong roster, but it's missing a few college guys who may make the qualifying team - in particular Maryland's GK Zack Steffen who is supposed to be the next big thing. There's also minimal representation from Mexico and Ramos has said he's dropping players like Rubio Rubin for the time being because he knows they won't be available for qualifying.
I think a big focus of this camp is sorting out CB. The crop of 95s and 96s doesn't appear to be very strong. It looked like Ramos was cultivating a partnership between Matt Miazga '95 and Erik Palmer-Brown '97, but EPB is out of qualifying after suffering a stress fracture in his foot. In come Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham, who has been recruited to the US program, and Tommy Redding, who is a well-known prospect but a bit younger. Both CCV and Redding are '97s, playing up a cycle.
Luis Martir shows up in another US camp - it can't be much longer before Chivas shows him the door.
I think we have GK, the fullbacks, and the midfield handled, but CB and FW have to be sorted out.
GK
Santiago Castano (New York Red Bulls)
Ethan Horvath (Molde FK)
DF
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur)
Luis Martir (Chivas de Guadalajara)
Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls)
Shaquell Moore (unattached)
Tommy Redding (Orlando City)
John Requejo, Jr. (Tijuana)
Tyler Turner (Orlando City)
MF
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Russell Canouse (Hoffenheim)
Junior Flores (Borussia Dortmund)
Romain Gall (Columbus Crew)
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland)
Joel Soñora (Boca Juniors)
FW
Bradford Jamieson IV (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Andrija Novakovich (Reading)
Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
Dembakwi Yomba (Atlético Madrid)
Qualifying is just around the corner. This is a strong roster, but it's missing a few college guys who may make the qualifying team - in particular Maryland's GK Zack Steffen who is supposed to be the next big thing. There's also minimal representation from Mexico and Ramos has said he's dropping players like Rubio Rubin for the time being because he knows they won't be available for qualifying.
I think a big focus of this camp is sorting out CB. The crop of 95s and 96s doesn't appear to be very strong. It looked like Ramos was cultivating a partnership between Matt Miazga '95 and Erik Palmer-Brown '97, but EPB is out of qualifying after suffering a stress fracture in his foot. In come Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham, who has been recruited to the US program, and Tommy Redding, who is a well-known prospect but a bit younger. Both CCV and Redding are '97s, playing up a cycle.
Luis Martir shows up in another US camp - it can't be much longer before Chivas shows him the door.
I think we have GK, the fullbacks, and the midfield handled, but CB and FW have to be sorted out.
It's way too early and I am way too clueless to have good reasons for excitement, but I really like Carter-Vickers.
If I am going to join in the grand USMNT fan tradition of picking a guy too early and wildly overrating him, I think he's my guy.
If I am going to join in the grand USMNT fan tradition of picking a guy too early and wildly overrating him, I think he's my guy.
Jimy Hendrix said:
He's interesting, but still pretty unknown. No one had heard of him when Javier Perez brought him to a U18 camp a few months ago. From the pictures, he looks like he has a man's body despite still being 16. He'll be physically dominant against players his age, at least for the time being, but how is he technically and how will he handle the faster speed of play in older age brackets? I have no clue whatsoever, but I look forward to seeing him play.
Carter-Vickers is also very young - still 16. He was born on 12/31/97 - literally one day too old for the current U17 team. He is eligible for the 2017 U20 World Cup as well.
The current U20 I am most excited about right now is Rubio Rubin. How many Americans can walk into a Dutch club at age 18 and be handed the #10 role? That's what Rubin is doing right now and he's been picking up assists, drawing penalties, and creating danger. He's not being selected by Ramos right now, though, because Ramos is ignoring players he knows won't be available for qualifying in January.
Titans Bastard said:
Carter-Vickers played in the U23 friendly against Brazil, didn't he?
Admittedly, the US got pasted in that game, but the reports I read had it not particularly being his fault and I feel like his presence there at all bodes well for him handling older age groups.
Agreed on Rubin, seems like every summary of Americans in Europe I've read this season goes "well, it's depressing, except here's something cool Rubin did".
As much as it pains me to say (since he's more than earned it) I'm hoping Nguyen turns down the call with the Revs through to the next round. Same goes for Jones, assuming he's called in as well. The matches are in Europe, no need to tire out our stars right before the biggest matches of the year.
Roster for Colombia and Ireland is out.
GK
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DF
DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo)
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
John Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)
Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Greg Garza (Tijuana)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution)
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders)
MF
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg)
Julian Green (Hamburg)
Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
FW
Jozy Altidore (Sunderland)
Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United)
Jordan Morris (Stanford)
Rubio Rubin (Utrecht)
Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Notable injures:
- Bradley, Orozco, Corona, Johannsson, Gyau
- Boyd and Williams have returned to playing, but only just
Initial thoughts:
- MVLee!
- Jones is listed at defense on this roster...
- We have five fullbacks not even counting Cameron. I wouldn't be surprised to see FJ or Yedlin pushed into the midfield despite the roster listing
- What does Wood have to do to play his way off this team? The only thing that's happened since October was that he got demoted to 1860's reserve team
GK
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DF
DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo)
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
John Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)
Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Greg Garza (Tijuana)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution)
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders)
MF
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg)
Julian Green (Hamburg)
Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
FW
Jozy Altidore (Sunderland)
Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United)
Jordan Morris (Stanford)
Rubio Rubin (Utrecht)
Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Notable injures:
- Bradley, Orozco, Corona, Johannsson, Gyau
- Boyd and Williams have returned to playing, but only just
Initial thoughts:
- MVLee!
- Jones is listed at defense on this roster...
- We have five fullbacks not even counting Cameron. I wouldn't be surprised to see FJ or Yedlin pushed into the midfield despite the roster listing
- What does Wood have to do to play his way off this team? The only thing that's happened since October was that he got demoted to 1860's reserve team
I'd like to see both Yedlin and Fab pushed up but I'm sure Bedoya will hang on to one of those spots.
Signs that MLS is becoming more and more legitimate: I'm incredibly pissed that Nguyen and Jones got called up. If one of them picks up a knock...
Other musings: Wondo & Beckerman? What a waste. They're not even worth playing in next year's Gold Cup.
Other musings: Wondo & Beckerman? What a waste. They're not even worth playing in next year's Gold Cup.
Silverdude2167 said:
Besler had a quote earlier this week about pre-WC training:
Is this normal with other countries' WC preparations? Honest question.
It seemed to work, didn't it? Move out of the group of death, have a legitimate shot at besting Belgium even amongst key injuries.
I'm good with Klinsmann getting the best out of the USMNT. If they're feeling overtrained, but the results are there, I'll take the results every time.
I'm good with Klinsmann getting the best out of the USMNT. If they're feeling overtrained, but the results are there, I'll take the results every time.
Pxer said:
Certainly, but it's potentially relevant to the discussion of whether US players are more burned-out than some of their international counterparts - and potentially to the spate of hamstring injuries that the US suffered during the WC. Klinsmann is famous for his fitness training not just for the US, but also at Bayern, where Philipp Lahm famously bitched about it in his book. There are pros and cons of a fitness-first strategy and both should be considered. I agree with you that in the end, you can't complain about the results too much.
Jurgen Klinsmann firm on young player advice as MLS frustration grows
A fairly balanced article on details of the MLS vs. Klinsmann tensions. I think it's pretty easy for each side to justify their opinion.
A fairly balanced article on details of the MLS vs. Klinsmann tensions. I think it's pretty easy for each side to justify their opinion.
Titans Bastard said:
And even setting aside the issue of whether Klinsmann's training approach is responsible for the rash of injuries / shitty post-WC play we've seen from US players, I think this raises another issue, which is, "What sense did it make to hire Klinsmann in the first place?"
Historically, if you had to name one notable area of the game in which US players excelled, it would be fitness / commitment, while our biggest weaknesses have been in the technical and (to a somewhat lesser degree) tactical aspects of the game. Given that, why did we hire a guy who's known for being a huge fitness / motivation guru but kind of a tactical lightweight? We already had the fitness / motivation thing figured out.
(The technical side of things is a separate issue. Once guys are at the senior NT level, you're not likely to be able to improve their technique -- fixing that is more an issue of youth development, so a national team coach won't have a huge impact, except to whatever extent he can influence youth development, and to the extent that he actually selects the players we have who are technically sound.)
I agree with the above. They got him because of his unique combination of living in the US and having professional European contacts. These are valuable traits, and he probably has some input into getting high profile friendlies as well. I don't think we get a match like tonight's without him. When was the last time the US has a neutral site friendly?
But I don't get why he doubts the fitness, motivation and general physicality of US players, our players generally have those characteristics in spades.
But I don't get why he doubts the fitness, motivation and general physicality of US players, our players generally have those characteristics in spades.
Titans Bastard said:
I can see why the owners are frustrated but their expectations just seem unrealistic. What is Klinsmann supposed to do when a player comes up to him and asks for advice about next steps in his career? Not "present to the player all of the options available?" Pretend like there aren't huge advantages to going to Europe and training with the best players and coaches? Basically, the owners seem to suggest that, in order to protect their investments in youth development, Klinsmann should give kids advice that is bad for their careers and thus in the big picture bad for the national team. The true source of their frustration is just the broader reality in soccer - one not limited to American clubs - that youth development has very uncertain payoffs, in significant part because the legal system treats kids differently for contractual purposes than it does adults. They want Klinsmann to submarine his own interests, and that of the players, to help them out with this annoying social reality.
nickandemmasuncle said:
Infield Infidel said:
To the bolded: this spring, against Ukraine in Cyprus. The key is to schedule away friendlies in potentially war-torn places!
Sunil has been smitten with Klinsmann for a long time. Bob Bradley wasn't the first choice in 2006 or in 2010 - it was Klinsmann all along. JK is an excellent PR/politician type who says the things that people want to hear and I think he sold himself as something of a visionary for US soccer. It's my impression that Gulati totally bought in.
Tactically, I think JK is a mixed bag and in the end is dependent on his assistants. In public, he runs his mouth quite often. He's maddeningly inconsistent and he contradicts himself all the time. He's occasionally annoying and sometimes helpful. I often find myself disagreeing with him, but I do think he does an excellent job of jump-starting the conversation on topics that US soccer would prefer to ignore.
I think the follow-up article to the Garber/Klinsmann kerfuffle is a perfect example. I think it's easy to understand the frustrations of MLS owners who are investing millions into academies only to have paid USSF staff tell top prospects to jump to Europe, but on the other hand it's good to keep the pressure on MLS to provide a good value proposition to their unsigned academy stars. Even though it's getting better, complacency is still a big issue in the youth soccer ranks.
We need to keep innovating, keep improving youth coaching, and keep establishing a better developmental pathway from age 18-21. If Klinsmann applies some artificial pressure to situation by leading top prospects off to Europe, that's kind of dick-ish, but it's the sort of dickishness that Klinsmann is being paid for. Klinsmann is not of the US soccer establishment, so he doesn't give a shit and isn't afraid to rock the boat. He's always going to be pissing people off - and it doesn't always mean he's right - but that's why he's here.
He's a weird guy. I feel like it would be equally easy to write a compelling argument for and against Klinsmann.
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I largely agree. What Klinsmann says in the article is something that I whole-heartedly endorse:
A lot of normally pragmatic, level-headed people are really upset with Klinsmann, though, so reading between the lines I suspect that in private his conversations are probably more stridently pro-Europe and anti-MLS.
And depending on extreme his rhetoric behind closed doors truly is, he's potentially being a dick. But as I said, I don't mind him putting pressure on MLS to get the academies right. Fix the age 18-21 gap, no more signing freshly retired and unqualified players as academy directors, more investment in coach training, etc.
https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/533332593110822912
Let the Rubio Rubin era begin!!!
I like this lineup quite a bit. Everybody is in a normal position, except Jermaine Jones. We have a real DM as DM. The five players in front him collectively have good offensive ability.
It looks like Hamid, S. Johnson, Ibarra, and Morris are the quartet who aren't dressing.
Let the Rubio Rubin era begin!!!
I like this lineup quite a bit. Everybody is in a normal position, except Jermaine Jones. We have a real DM as DM. The five players in front him collectively have good offensive ability.
It looks like Hamid, S. Johnson, Ibarra, and Morris are the quartet who aren't dressing.
