USMNT: To Rüssia With Love

Titans Bastard

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DrewDawg said:
 
We need more academies. I know the MSL teams have them, but that needs to flood down to other leagues--and I'm sure in some cases they do have them--hell, the NPSL team here now has one.
 
But there's no budget. Who's really out looking at the various U14 or U16 tournaments? And the few people that are looking, are they looking at the right things?
 
Hopefully JK now takes time to build on this--stressing that the work needs to be done at the youth levels.
 
First of all, as punishment for writing "MSL", you are hereby sentenced to be talked at by Alexi Lalas for the next 24 hours.
 
Second of all, yes, there's a money problem.  It's out of the question financially for minor league operations to fund an academy.  In some cases they might form agreements with local clubs, but that amounts to little more than a branding exercise.
 
I think you've identified one of the key questions about MLS academies, which is who exactly are the youth coaches?  In many cases they are former pros, mostly American.  That's fine, as long as they are constantly evaluated and trained, etc.  The problem I see is that the academy directors are also often former American pros without many credentials.  I'm not saying that ex-MLS players can't be great youth coaches, but I am saying that academy director shouldn't be one of the first two rungs of coaching career ladder.  I'd like to see clubs bring in foreign expertise to oversee the academy and focus on coaching development.  D.C. United brought a Dutch guy from Ajax's academy.  He may or may not be a success, but the point is that we should be doing more of that sort of thing.
 
The other thing is that there hasn't been enormous ROI yet.  Hopefully Yedlin gets sold for big money and that opens eyes.  Andy Najar was sold to Anderlecht for around $2m and Richard Sanchez was just sold to Tigres for an unknown sum.  Of course, developing players to have them and win games provides value as well.
 
I'm hoping that one club grabs the bull by the horns and takes the lead on this.  I want someone to step up and show the rest of the league how it's done, establish best practices, and force everyone else to catch up.  FC Dallas and LA Galaxy are sitting on talent goldmines; Dallas's youth teams in particular annihilate their opposition.  Both use academy products in their first team now, but neither have truly hit a home run yet.  Kellyn Acosta could be the first real homegrown star for Dallas.  Real Salt Lake has established the first residential academy in Arizona and there seems to be a ton of talent coming through.  We'll see.
 
Another thing to consider is the temptation to just poach talent and not focus on improving the market's developmental baseline.  As good as DeAndre Yedlin is, Seattle's academy didn't have much of an effect on him.  He was recruited prior to his senior year in high school, so he only spent one year with the Sounders U18s before heading off to Akron.  After two years in Ohio, he signed with Seattle and the rest is history.
 
It's obviously a good thing that players like Yedlin have a clearer path to MLS -- before the HGP rule, he'd have had to wait until the end of his college career unless he was offered a generation Adidas contract, which only a handful of underclassmen get each year.  But Seattle's gotten a big reward without expending much effort.  The recruit/poach method is good because more pro-ready players will get pro opportunities without unnecessary delay, but part of me hopes that that avenue isn't too successful because I want MLS teams not just to vacuum up existing talent produced in the region, but to raise the bar entirely.
 

Titans Bastard

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OilCanMDS said:
Great posts, TB.  I am always an optimist that thinks our next wave of talent is going to have a world class player in it.  I have been keeping tabs on some of the young US players that have made their way over to European clubs.  What do you think the chances are Junior Flores, Rubio Rubin or Marc Pelosi makes an impact at the next World Cup?  I know Pelosi is coming off a major leg injury, but I heard he is back training with Liverpool and seeing some game action for their youth team.  
 
They seem to have a good a chance as anybody of their age cohort, but it's too hard for me to say with any real confidence.  It is almost impossible to watch youth games of players in Euro academies, so all you can do is try to read the tea leaves of their club situation, see them at occasional youth national team events, and rely on rumor, hearsay, and puff pieces.  If you follow the American prospect hype train for long enough, you learn to be cautious and jaded.  At this point I refuse to get overly excited about anyone until they start producing at the first-team level.
 
Rightly or wrongly, I perceive Flores (96), Rubin (96), Pelosi (94), Zelalem (97) and Green (95) to be the highest upside teenaged players in Europe right now, but only Green and Zelalem have even made brief cameos for their clubs.  There's plenty of time still, but truly elite players move up fast.
 
I also wouldn't look to Europe as the exclusive source of high-upside players for the US team.  Yedlin obviously has just made a huge name for himself.  Kellyn Acosta (95) and Erik Palmer-Brown (97) look like high-upside players in the league as well.
 
 
As a fan, you can't see teenagers day-in and day-out and make first hand evaluations, so what you want to see is just more players everywhere -- MLS, Mexico, Europe.  More tickets to the lottery.  And we're definitely seeing an uptick in that regard, even as we maintain the usual steady flow of solid contributors coming out of the NCAA.
 

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Titans Bastard said:
 
 
Honestly, I'm more concerned about what's going on before players hit the pros.  Is Lukaku good because he played professionally starting at age 16 or did he start getting into pro games at age 16 because he was good?
It is both, but you have to get an opportunity to play for the purple bastards instead of your high school. If Seattle has an incentive to keep Yedlin in their system then he wont get the challenge he needs. He probably already lost a few years of development. Playing in college is a complete waste. Starting MLS at 20 shows you will have a career but the stars do this at 18 or earlier.
 

DJnVa

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Shawn Parker moves to FC Augsberg: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/02/us-eligible-forward-shawn-parker-21-switches-bundesliga-clubs/
 
According to the article there is more room for playing time at his new club. Parker initiated this move.
 
“Shawn approached us because he felt he needed a change. He wanted to play a more important role in a new environment and in a new team than was possible with us recently,” said Mainz’s sporting director Christian Heidel. “We think this step is a good decision for his personal development and we therefore wish him all the very best.”
 
 

Titans Bastard

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BelgianSoxFan said:
It is both, but you have to get an opportunity to play for the purple bastards instead of your high school. If Seattle has an incentive to keep Yedlin in their system then he wont get the challenge he needs. He probably already lost a few years of development. Playing in college is a complete waste. Starting MLS at 20 shows you will have a career but the stars do this at 18 or earlier.
 
FWIW, few top prospects play high school soccer anymore.  If you play for an MLS academy youth team or any of the other youth clubs involved in the Development Academy, the season is 9-10 months long and you aren't allowed to play for your HS.
 
One of the problems that MLS has been trying to address over the last few years is exactly what you are talking about: in order to develop, players need to play.  The problem that we encountered was that clubs were signing academy products at age 18, but then had nowhere to play them.  They weren't yet ready for the first team, but had very few games where they could get experience, improve, and demonstrate their readiness to contribute.  It was a developmental black hole and a bunch of the early homegrown players probably would have been better off in the NCAA where they'd at least get 20 games in a year.
 
The Reserve League concept always sucked and it is finally being replaced with a stronger relationship with the lower division leagues.  MLS has formed a partnership with the third-division USL Pro.  Most MLS teams affiliate with a USL Pro club, sending a bunch of young players on loan.  The level of play is not very high, but it's a full season of 30+ games and an opportunity to gain experience in games that count.  This year, the LA Galaxy became the first team to create a full-fledged reserve team franchise in USL Pro, playing a full schedule as a regular member of the league like in Germany, Spain, or France.  More clubs are expected to follow suit in the coming years.
 
It's something of a patchwork system, but there's finally a way to put teenagers in a pro environment, bypassing the NCAA, without hurting their development by failing to provide them with enough games.  I'm hopeful that we'll start to see results from this in the coming years.  We are already seeing examples of kids going to the third division, doing well enough to earn the trust of their MLS manager, and getting called back and immediately inserted into games.  It's encouraging.
 
 
Lastly, I'd agree that NCAA soccer is no place for top prospects (who should be ready for the pros by the time they are 18), but it will continue to have a role in development in the following ways:
 
1) Catching late bloomers who probably won't be stars, but every league needs solid contributors as well
 
2) The US is a big place and not every good player grows up in an MLS market.  If a talented player from Tennessee doesn't have the connections or passport to sign abroad, he's going to go to college.  And if he really excels there, he'll sign a Generation Adidas contract and go into the draft before his four years are up anyway.
 
3a) I don't think the first 1-2 years of NCAA soccer are as harmful as the second two years.  When you are a freshman, you are at least playing against kids 1-3 years older, which poses at least some challenges.  When you are a senior, it's the opposite and it's a total waste of your time if you are a top player.  Additionally, it's the right choice psychologically for some players even if it's not the best soccer environment in a vacuum.  Some players just aren't ready emotionally at age 18.
 
3b) I think one year of college soccer is actually not a bad thing at all for some academy products.  Consider the timeline:
 
Jan-Jun 2014 - play for MLS U18 team.
Jun 2014 - graduate HS
Aug-Dec 2014 - start college and play freshman year
Jan 2015 - sign homegrown contract with MLS team
 
If used judiciously, clubs can use 1-2 years of college soccer as a way to get their players a lot of games without actually wasting much time (or roster space).
 

DJnVa

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Titans Bastard said:
 
FWIW, few top prospects play high school soccer anymore.  If you play for an MLS academy youth team or any of the other youth clubs involved in the Development Academy, the season is 9-10 months long and you aren't allowed to play for your HS.
 
 
The Academy team prevalent in this area is Rush and they lost the backing of the USSDA this past season: http://hamptonroads.com/2014/05/getting-their-kicks-high-school-pitch
The program targets outstanding players and develops them with a goal of national and international play. College coaches like Academy because they can see the best players compete with and against other talented players.
 
But other organizations, such as the U.S. Soccer Federation's Olympic Development Program, also have enjoyed success in getting athletes college looks. And Olympic program does so without requiring athletes to quit their high school team.
 
Rush is losing its affiliation to the Academy organization after this season because the national program is trying to funnel the best talent onto fewer teams. Richmond combined its two Academy teams to form Richmond United, for example.
 
But Rush, the only Academy program in South Hampton Roads, competed with Beach FC for the area's top players.
 
"They wanted us to try a merger," Rush coach James Hoffman said. "We wanted to merge with the other predominant club in the area, but these efforts didn't come to fruition.
"As a result, we will not be affiliated with Academy next year."
 
 
If you read the article, one thing it notes is that Rush was losing some kids because they had already signed with colleges and didn't need the exposure.
 

Titans Bastard

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There's a bit of spin in that article.  From what I understand, Rush didn't get kicked out because the DA is trying to consolidate talent onto fewer teams, they got kicked out because they played shit soccer and were clearly a step down developmentally from their peers in the Development Academy.
 
There are many HS coaches who are bitter about losing top players to the Development Academy and a bunch of players who like the social aspect of playing in front of their HS classmates.  That's understandable, but HS soccer is just not the place for players who are serious about their future in the sport.  The DA isn't for everyone and it seems like it isn't for the Virginia Rush or their players.  It's too bad, though, because the Hampton Roads area is definitely big enough to support a DA club.
 

DJnVa

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Titans Bastard said:
There's a bit of spin in that article.  From what I understand, Rush didn't get kicked out because the DA is trying to consolidate talent onto fewer teams, they got kicked out because they played shit soccer and were clearly a step down developmentally from their peers in the Development Academy.
 
There are many HS coaches who are bitter about losing top players to the Development Academy and a bunch of players who like the social aspect of playing in front of their HS classmates.  That's understandable, but HS soccer is just not the place for players who are serious about their future in the sport.  The DA isn't for everyone and it seems like it isn't for the Virginia Rush or their players.  It's too bad, though, because the Hampton Roads area is definitely big enough to support a DA club.
 
Definitely--that's why USSDA wanted them to pair with Beach FC, which is the top travel club in the area. Beach FC was hesitant (I'm not 100% sure why) so Rush basically is disappearing. My kid plays in Beach FC and his fall team has kids coming over from the Rush program.
 
Beach FC has an affiliate agreement with DC United (in fact the United logo is on one of their jerseys) and top talent will be shuttled to DC United's Academy.
 
 Top players in the Beach FC system, identified by both D.C. United and Beach FC, will have the opportunity to join the D.C. United Academy teams, with a strong priority being placed on the Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 age groups.
 

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You guys are more optimistic than me but also follow the USMNT more closely so I am interested to read opinions on this. For me watching the games, while I was excited, losing in the 16 or at best the quarters always seemed like a foregone conclusion. Yes, for long periods they defended well against teams with more talent, but at the all-world level it seems like there is always going to be someone who can create the chance to break through, or hit the perfect corner or free kick, as we saw in the Portugal game and eventually in the Belgium game. Maybe with amazing goalie play (which we got) and a bit more luck on the Wondo chance we win, but is that going to continue against another world-class side? And our best player, who prevented us from losing by an enormous margin, is likely to be on his way out by 2018.
 
So, I am curious how long people think it will be until they can seriously challenge for a World Cup. It seems like they have solid players everywhere, and excellent team work ethic and organization, but just don't have the world-class talent that it takes. And that's fine and it can still be exciting to watch, but I just don't think you see true Cinderella stories at this level. At least when they are solely defending for 90 minutes and trying to sneak a goal through on a counter because they know that is their best chance of winning.
 
Maybe it's very American of me, but I just had a hard time getting completely invested when I knew that it would take perhaps the greatest series of sports miracles in history to even make the final.
 
Is it just world-class players? Or just one at a key position who could take us there? Is it just developing more solid players everywhere and getting the top level experience? Are we going to have a group of kids who watched this Cup and are worried about concussions and Tommy John surgeries switch to soccer and lead the team in 10-15 years (I feel like I read that after every WC)?
 
Note: I am honestly curious on what people think of this and come in good faith.
 

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Which Eastern European friendly did Gatt play in last year or two years ago? He looked fast (duh) but very raw.

Ed- TB these are FANTASTIC. Thank you for putting this all together, I recognize a lot more of these names thanks to you.
 

Titans Bastard

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DrewDawg said:
 
My thoughts:
 
1. Roster projections for 2018 at this point are purely for fun and tend to be more than 50% wrong.  So keep that in mind.
 
2. That lineup would get rocked defensively.
 
3. Ives Galarcep is not the sharpest mind in the US soccer media.
 
 
mgoblue2 said:
Which Eastern European friendly did Gatt play in last year or two years ago? He looked fast (duh) but very raw.

Ed- TB these are FANTASTIC. Thank you for putting this all together, I recognize a lot more of these names thanks to you.
 
Russia.
 
Gatt has already had two ACL injuries that have forced him to miss half of the 2013 season and all of the 2014 season.  Even with his pre-injury speed, he was pretty rough from a technical and tactical standpoint (although his speed was ridiculous, faster than Yedlin probably).  The injuries should, unfortunately, dampen your enthusiasm.
 

Titans Bastard

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One way of thinking about roster projections four years in the future is thinking about what the actual 2014 team was doing in 2010.
 
 
2010 WC team members in bold.
 
Howard -- US & Everton #1
Guzan -- finished his second year of sitting on the bench at Aston Villa
Rimando -- starter for RSL
 
Johnson -- in the middle of two forgettable years at Wolfsburg during which he rarely played.  Hadn't switch to the US and no one was calling for it at the time
Yedlin -- a rising HS senior, was recruited to the Seattle Sounders U18 academy team
Chandler -- was let go by Eintracht Frankfurt after a couple of seasons with their reserve team.
 
Besler -- in the middle of his second year in MLS, only a part-time starter in 2010 for KC
Cameron -- third year in MLS, missed half the season with knee surgery
Gonzalez -- second year in MLS, was rookie of the year in 2009
Brooks -- finished a season with Hertha's U17 team
 
Beasley -- finished a forgettable stint at Rangers during which he didn't play much and was injured a bunch.  Spent the next season doing the same at Hannover
 
Bradley -- finished his second year at Gladbach
Jones -- on the books at Schalke, but had missed the season with a knee injury
Beckerman -- mainstay at RSL
 
Zusi -- in the middle of his second year in MLS, bench player
Bedoya -- in the middle of his second year in Sweden, made the 30-man provisional roster but got cut
Diskerud -- in the middle of his first year as a starter for Stabæk
Davis -- starter for Houston
Green -- playing U-whatever for Bayern at a 15 year old
 
Altidore -- just finished a frustrating loan stint at Hull City
Dempsey -- coming off his 3rd year as a starter at Fulham
Johannsson -- was in the Icelandic second division....yup
Wondolowski -- 2010 was his breakout year in MLS after years and years of being a total scrub
 
 
 
Moral of the story -- crazy shit happens over four years.
 

Warning Track Speed

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So looking beyond the individual player questions for a moment and considering the USMNT schedule for the next several summers hopefully culminating in Russia in '18... what does the team have to do in the next several full international competitions to move up a "pot" or two when it comes time to draw pingpong balls for the 2018 World Cup? Are there even enough opportunities against top-flight competition to improve their FIFA ranking (that's what it's based on, yes?) enough to get into the first or second tier of teams? For all the hard work they'll do over the next cycle, you're still looking at an incredibly small sample size when it comes to drawing the groups, and even getting into a position where you could replace this round's Germany with, I don't know, England, in the next cycle, would seem to be a nice advantage. Even getting drawn into the Russian group (assuming they're in Pot 1 automatically as the hosts) would be better than what we just endured, no?
 
I'm guessing that hosting Copa America will help immensely with this in two years when it comes to our strength-of-schedule. What else? We just don't face the teams we need to in Concacaf to make a big difference, right?
 

DJnVa

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How soon does JK jettison the old guard and start to work consistently with the players that have a shot at 2018?
 
To my mind, guys like Wondo need to be culled pretty quickly from the MNT and I'd feel the same had he potted that goal  But what about guys like Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard? They'd clearly be a big help next summer, but how long do you roll with guys like them? Does Howard get another summer or two and then Guzan?
 

kenneycb

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I think Nils or Fletch touched upon it in the game thread but what are people's theories behind why the US can consistently put out legitimately solid keepers? I think Howard somewhat recently said if was because he played multiple sports growing up (basketball, baseball, etc.) so he could work on hand-eye, soft hands, reading the play, etc. which is the exception compared to a lot of Euro guys that get put in that spot because they're mediocre outfielders.

Of course keepers sound about as mentally stable as hockey goalies so I may just be spitballing here but curious to hear what others think.
 

Homa

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I don't think you can compare keepers to normal field players. In a way they are more like athletes in a single player sport like tennis or golf which could be one reason why the US is able to produce good goalkeepers. You don't depend on your teammates or good soccer specific coaches but are able to work by yourself and draw from a pool of coaches from other sports. Howard's remark go in a similar direction. Most good teams employ specific coaches for their goalkeepers and they often have their own training routine. 
 

Titans Bastard

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Warning Track Speed said:
So looking beyond the individual player questions for a moment and considering the USMNT schedule for the next several summers hopefully culminating in Russia in '18... what does the team have to do in the next several full international competitions to move up a "pot" or two when it comes time to draw pingpong balls for the 2018 World Cup? Are there even enough opportunities against top-flight competition to improve their FIFA ranking (that's what it's based on, yes?) enough to get into the first or second tier of teams? For all the hard work they'll do over the next cycle, you're still looking at an incredibly small sample size when it comes to drawing the groups, and even getting into a position where you could replace this round's Germany with, I don't know, England, in the next cycle, would seem to be a nice advantage. Even getting drawn into the Russian group (assuming they're in Pot 1 automatically as the hosts) would be better than what we just endured, no?
 
I'm guessing that hosting Copa America will help immensely with this in two years when it comes to our strength-of-schedule. What else? We just don't face the teams we need to in Concacaf to make a big difference, right?
 
 
Other than the seeds, all World Cup pots are regional.  In order to get the most favorable draw, we would need to be ranked among the top eight teams (or probably top seven, because Russia will be a seed as host and I don't think they'll be in the top eight).  This is difficult to do.  Basically, we just need to win a lot of games.  Both Gold Cups, do well at the Copa and the Confederations Cup, even avoid losses in friendlies, etc.
 
I don't know the formula well enough to say exactly, but we have to win a shitload of games.
 
As as long as the four WC pots consist of:
 
(1) seeds
(2) rest of UEFA
(3) rest of CONMEBOL + CAF
(4) CONCACAF + AFC
 
the potential for the US to get boned is high.  All due respect to Costa Rica, but Mexico and the US are the teams that nobody wants from pot 4 so any group with the US or Mexico has a greater potential to be the Group of Death.
 
DrewDawg said:
How soon does JK jettison the old guard and start to work consistently with the players that have a shot at 2018?
 
To my mind, guys like Wondo need to be culled pretty quickly from the MNT and I'd feel the same had he potted that goal  But what about guys like Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard? They'd clearly be a big help next summer, but how long do you roll with guys like them? Does Howard get another summer or two and then Guzan?
 
And Clint Dempsey....
 
This is a great question.  I think it depends on how quickly their skills/physical ability slip, how quickly a viable replacement emerges, and how well the other oldies are holding up.  Ideally you'd like to stagger how you phase these players out to keep the team continuity smooth.  Let's not forget that Klinsmann missed out on the first year of the last cycle, so he's in uncharted territory right now.  
 
biollante said:
How many games will be played in Crimea in the 2018 World Cup ?
 
None.
 
Moscow (x2)
Saint Petersburg
Kazan
Yekaterinburg
Samara
Saransk
Kalingrad
Nizhny Novgorod
Volgograd
Rostov-na-Donu
Sochi
 

DJnVa

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Another "What JK needs to do for 2018" article: http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/la-sp-us-world-cup-baxter-20140703-story.html
For Klinsmann, just trying is no longer enough. If Chris Wondolowski had scored instead of missing the net on his chip shot at the end of regulation Tuesday, the U.S., not Belgium, could be playing in the quarterfinals, the coach said.
 
That may not be what Wondolowski wants to hear but that's Klinsmann's point.
 
"Think about that a second," Klinsmann said. "They need that sense of accountability and that sense of criticism [from] people that are around them that they care about it. That is good because it gives a sense people care about the game. It makes them feel accountable and not just walk away from a bad performance and nothing happens.
 
And this is interesting to me:
Then there's developing that feeling that you belong on the world stage. In its loss to Germany in group play, the U.S. team, despite the coaches' badgering from the sideline, showed the world's No. 2-ranked team far too much respect. Klinsmann would have preferred the players attack, not admire.
 
"This is a constant discussion we have," he said. Yet it's one that hasn't sunk on the senior level so now Klinsmann is taking it directly to the youth national teams.
 
That's why Klinsmann wanted to be technical director in the first place. The national team program needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up.
 

Silverdude2167

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Titans Bastard said:
One way of thinking about roster projections four years in the future is thinking about what the actual 2014 team was doing in 2010.
 
 
2010 WC team members in bold.
 
Howard -- US & Everton #1
Guzan -- finished his second year of sitting on the bench at Aston Villa
Rimando -- starter for RSL
 
Johnson -- in the middle of two forgettable years at Wolfsburg during which he rarely played.  Hadn't switch to the US and no one was calling for it at the time
Yedlin -- a rising HS senior, was recruited to the Seattle Sounders U18 academy team
Chandler -- was let go by Eintracht Frankfurt after a couple of seasons with their reserve team.
 
Besler -- in the middle of his second year in MLS, only a part-time starter in 2010 for KC
Cameron -- third year in MLS, missed half the season with knee surgery
Gonzalez -- second year in MLS, was rookie of the year in 2009
Brooks -- finished a season with Hertha's U17 team
 
Beasley -- finished a forgettable stint at Rangers during which he didn't play much and was injured a bunch.  Spent the next season doing the same at Hannover
 
Bradley -- finished his second year at Gladbach
Jones -- on the books at Schalke, but had missed the season with a knee injury
Beckerman -- mainstay at RSL
 
Zusi -- in the middle of his second year in MLS, bench player
Bedoya -- in the middle of his second year in Sweden, made the 30-man provisional roster but got cut
Diskerud -- in the middle of his first year as a starter for Stabæk
Davis -- starter for Houston
Green -- playing U-whatever for Bayern at a 15 year old
 
Altidore -- just finished a frustrating loan stint at Hull City
Dempsey -- coming off his 3rd year as a starter at Fulham
Johannsson -- was in the Icelandic second division....yup
Wondolowski -- 2010 was his breakout year in MLS after years and years of being a total scrub
 
 
 
Moral of the story -- crazy shit happens over four years.
This is a great post and point (Like all your posts). The one thing that feels different from 2010 is the youth we have already seen "perform".
 
Other than Alitdore, we did not have a Green, Yedlin or Brooks to look forward to. I know it is foolish to put to much faith in young players and maybe I need to take off my rose colored glasses but it feels like this team is actually building something.
There will be big holes when Dempsey leaves etc, but I can realistically dream of a solid back line with attacking fullbacks and maybe a game changing winger in Green.
 

DJnVa

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Come on, can someone give Titan's Bastard a cool tagline--Klinsmann's alter ego or something.
 

Titans Bastard

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A couple of other roster projections/previews:
 
I find that I see mostly eye-to-eye with Matt Doyle's preview, although I don't agree entirely with his whole analysis.  I'm glad he's giving Shane O'Neill some love.  O'Neill is the same age as Brooks and I think there's a chance he could turn out to be better than Brooks.  And I like Brooks.
 
Some BigSoccer poster of Basque origin who is a scout or something of that nature.  Anyway, he's a smart dude and I'd listen to him more than most media types.  He was talking up Besler and Cameron as key NT contributors well before most.
 

Arroyo Con Frijoles

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Doyle strikes me as way overly positive about our player pool coming out of 2010 and mostly too negative about it coming out of 2014.  Setting some of the analysis aside, though, it's a good overview of guys that are in the picture going forward.
 

SumnerH

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kenneycb said:
I think Nils or Fletch touched upon it in the game thread but what are people's theories behind why the US can consistently put out legitimately solid keepers? I think Howard somewhat recently said if was because he played multiple sports growing up (basketball, baseball, etc.) so he could work on hand-eye, soft hands, reading the play, etc. which is the exception compared to a lot of Euro guys that get put in that spot because they're mediocre outfielders.
 
 
What was said in the other thread touches on this, IIRC: the idea there was that keeper is considered a prestige position in the US where better players want to be, while it's the last resort for players who can't cut it in the outfield in most of the rest of the world.  Combine that with it using a different set of skills that's maybe less dependent on growing up living with a soccer ball (you can transfer reflexes, hands, etc from other sports).
 

veritas

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DrewDawg said:
How soon does JK jettison the old guard and start to work consistently with the players that have a shot at 2018?
 
To my mind, guys like Wondo need to be culled pretty quickly from the MNT and I'd feel the same had he potted that goal  But what about guys like Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard? They'd clearly be a big help next summer, but how long do you roll with guys like them? Does Howard get another summer or two and then Guzan?
 
It's an interesting situation. I think there may be value in certain players sticking around past their prime more than others, to help influence the soccer culture in this country. If we're ever going to be a world power, soccer is going to need to appeal to the best young athletes we have as much as the four major US sports. There are some legitimately bad (good) men on the USMNT team that I think really can appeal to the "macho" side of young athletes in this country. Dempsey, Howard, Jones, Bradley, Altidore. Those are all guys who a 12 year old choosing between football and futbol could legitimately look up to and aspire to be. Keeping them around a bit past their primes might be beneficial marketing soccer here. Guys like Donovan, Zusi, Wondo, not so much.
 
I fully support Klinsmann's idea that the US needs to drastically improve technically for us to compete with the best teams in the world. But I also think we need to have a soccer identity that is more in line with the culture of athletics in America in general. That is to be bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone else. We have an abundance of the best athletes in the world. If 5% percent more of the NCAA/pro players in football/basketball/hockey/baseball (clearly a lot of guys in the NFL, NBA, and MLB don't have the body for soccer, but many do) had played soccer instead of their respective sports, that would be a huge lift to the level of competition in the lower levels in this country. And I think that's what US soccer needs to appeal to. Tiki Taka is not going to appeal to our best athletes, but a direct, physical style will.
 
(Sorry for getting off topic, or if this isn't the best place for a more general discussion of soccer in America)
 
edit: Awesome job Titans Bastard, this is incredible stuff
 

soxfan121

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DrewDawg said:
Come on, can someone give Titan's Bastard a cool tagline--Klinsmann's alter ego or something.
 
Good suggestion; better execution. 
 

DJnVa

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Reading on twitter that Yedlin is going to AS Roma when MLS season is over. Apparently he's on loan back to Seattle for now.

Roma may loan him out for first team soccer this upcoming season.
 

soxfan121

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DrewDawg said:
Reading on twitter that Yedlin is going to AS Roma when MLS season is over. Apparently he's on loan back to Seattle for now.

Roma may loan him out for first team soccer this upcoming season.
 
A loan back to Seattle through the end of MLS's season would make him "like a January window signing" for them AND give them a chance to practice with their first team that whole month before going on loan to a Serie B or low table Serie A club for the rest of the season. 
 
I love this news. Thomas DiBenedetto & James Pallota: big friends of the USMNT.
 

URI

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ConigliarosPotential said:
I can think of worse people to tutor Yedlin in the art of being a fullback.
And fuckface.
 

URI

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I think it's always worth saying that Ashley Cole is a fuckface
 

Titans Bastard

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The roster for the U-20 camp in Carson this month has been announced.  The US U-20s will play Chile, Australia, and....Bermuda.
 
GK
Santiago Castano (New York Red Bulls)
Zack Steffen (Maryland)
 
DF
Michael Amick (UCLA)
Conor Donovan (NC State)
Luis Martir (Chivas)
Chris Odoi-Atsem (Maryland)
Caleb Smith (Solar Chelsea SC)
John Requejo, Jr. (Tijuana)
Jesus Vazquez (UANL Tigres)
 
MF
Fernando Arce, Jr. (Tijuana)
Russell Canouse (Hoffenheim)
Marco Delgado (Chivas USA)
Romain Gall (Lorient)
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland)
Jacori Hayes (Wake Forest)
 
FW
Paul Arriola (Tijuana)
Bradford Jamieson IV (LA Galaxy)
Benji Lopez (Real Salt Lake)
Andrija Novakovich (Reading)
Zach Pfeffer (Philadelphia Union)
 
 
Some thoughts:
 
  • This isn't our best team.  We are missing some key players, such as our likely starting CBs (Miazga and Palmer-Brown), Acosta (injured), and some other guys in European preseasons like Flores, Rubin, and Hyndman
  • Fernando Arce, Jr. is the son of the Fernando Arce with 47 caps for Mexico.  Surprising to see him here
  • Luis Martir not only plays for Chivas, but played for Mexico's U-20s recently.  Something's gotta give - he needs to either withdraw from this camp or leave his club
  • A little disappointed to see Arriola here; I want him to reach a status at Tijuana where he won't  be released for camps like this
  • New players in camp: Martir, Smith, Arce, Jamieson
 

Titans Bastard

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That didn't take long.
 
https://twitter.com/StarsStripesFC/statuses/487269208565088256
 

Titans Bastard

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DrewDawg said:
Remember, I'm new to MLS--what is this policy?
 
This is the Mexican Chivas -- Club Deportivo Guadalajara.
 
Chivas has a policy where they only use players eligible for the Mexican national team.  They do sign dual-nationals, but only if they remain committed to the Mexican NT program.  A few episodes from the past:
 
  • A Mexican-American prospect named Jesus Padilla was made to publicly swear his fealty to the Mexican NT program when he was of U-20 age and the US expressed interest in him.  Padilla never made it at Chivas and has spent his career bouncing around Ascenso MX.
  • A Chivas prospect named Omar Salgado was called up to the US U-20 program.  Salgado accepted and was released by Chivas.  Salgado went on to sign with MLS and Vancouver stupidly took him with the #1 overall pick in 2011 instead of Darlington Nagbe and Perry Kitchen.  Salgado is still only 20, but has been badly hampered by injuries
  • Juan Pablo Ocegueda was sent there on loan from Tigres for half a season and announced he would no longer accept callups from the US having been our left back with the U-20s.  Since his loan ended, he rejoined the US for a U-21 camp in the spring.
  • When Chivas was trialing Chivas USA's Eric Avila, they made him swear off the US national team because he had played for US youth teams, even though he has never been capped or even been particularly close to the USMNT.  He never signed with Chivas in the end, anyway.
 
Martir has been replaced on the roster with Shaquell Moore, who looks like the leading candidate for RB this cycle anyway.
 

DJnVa

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I did not notice that you weren't referring to Chivas USA, but that's interesting nonetheless, thanks.
 

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The Irish press is reporting a USA-Ireland friendly on November 18 in Ireland.
 
If true, our fall calendar looks like this:
 
Sep 3: @Czech Republic
Sep ~8: TBD
Oct ~8: TBD
Oct ~13: TBD
Nov ~12: TBD
Nov 18: @Ireland
 
 
I think FIFA finally got rid of the dreaded midweek August friendly date that was inconvenient for everybody.
 
I'm curious to see what will be done with the other friendly dates in September and November.  I don't think we'll be able to find a European opponent because of Euro 2016 qualifiers.  The handful of countries that are available on those days all seem to be playing each other already.
 

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Ecuador's FA has announced a friendly against the US; no confirmation from the US yet.
 
Sep 3: @Czech Republic
Sep ~8: TBD
Oct ~8: TBD
Oct 14: vs. Ecuador
Nov ~12: TBD
Nov 18: @Ireland
 

Titans Bastard

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US Soccer National Training Center to be built in Kansas City
 
It looks like they plan to have the men's and women's national teams and youth national teams use this place fairly heavily.  I would not be shocked if SKC uses this to start a residential academy as well.  KC is a small market and an unsexy destination for big names - if they want to go all-in on player development, this would be an excellent start.
 
I hope they really do use it early and often for coaching development, among other things.
 
 
Could the ambition gap between SKC's owners and the Krafts be any starker?
 

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So is the thinking that the USMNT would eventually do all of their non-winter training there, and do California or Florida for winter camps?
 
The mock-ups look outstanding, and glad to hear they will have extensive youth facilities. 
 

Titans Bastard

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Infield Infidel said:
So is the thinking that the USMNT would eventually do all of their non-winter training there, and do California or Florida for winter camps?
 
The mock-ups look outstanding, and glad to hear they will have extensive youth facilities. 
 
Yes, they will be competing with places like the StubHub Center in Carson for camps, as well as FC Dallas's youth complex for youth tournaments, etc.  It will be too cold to replace January camp, I'm sure.
 
It sounds like it will be the USSF's new center for coaching training.  I would assume that SKC will leverage these facilities for SKC-specific activities as well, like training academy coaches, local area coaches, and their own youth academy.
 

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Titans Bastard said:
US Soccer National Training Center to be built in Kansas City
 
It looks like they plan to have the men's and women's national teams and youth national teams use this place fairly heavily.  I would not be shocked if SKC uses this to start a residential academy as well.  KC is a small market and an unsexy destination for big names - if they want to go all-in on player development, this would be an excellent start.
 
I hope they really do use it early and often for coaching development, among other things.
 
 
Could the ambition gap between SKC's owners and the Krafts be any starker?
 
I don't follow closely enough to understand your last comment. Do the Krafts not support soccer development as much as SKC's owners?
 

Titans Bastard

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bosox4283 said:
 
I don't follow closely enough to understand your last comment. Do the Krafts not support soccer development as much as SKC's owners?
 
Other than the soon-to-be-sold-and-rebranded Chivas USA, you can easily make the argument that the Revolution have been the worst-run MLS franchise over the last decade.
 
The Krafts have been slowly salting the fields and poisoning the well for the domestic game in the Boston area through apathy, incompetence, and nonexistent leadership.
 

Gunfighter 09

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Good profile on (hopefully) future USMNT player Gideon Zelalem. He's still non-committal about playing for the US or the Krauts:
 
 
 
"At the moment I'm just trying to break into the first team of Arsenal," a prepared Zelalem said after Arsenal's 1-0 loss to the Red Bulls. "They're both great countries. The U.S. is on the rise. Germany is already a great country. So whichever country I choose will be a good choice."
Pardon the ugly shirt he is wearing the article. 
 
http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/07/26/gedion-zelalem-arsenal-new-york-red-bulls-usa-germany
 

DJnVa

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How college soccer may change: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/wp/2014/07/27/is-mens-college-soccer-about-to-undergo-big-changes-many-hope-so
 
 
 
They have proposed turning Division I men’s soccer into a full academic-year sport, one that would kick off in mid-September and culminate in late-May. If approved by the NCAA, the new calendar would begin as early as 2016-17.
 
 
 
Under a proposal formulated by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the number of official team days would grow to 144 from 132. Teams would open training camp in late August, hold two friendlies, then play 13 matches between mid-September and the weekend before Thanksgiving. (Currently, some teams play two friendlies and as many as 24 games between late August and the holiday.)
 
From late November until late February, teams would go on winter break, restricted to eight hour-long training sessions. Spring training camp would begin in late February and include one friendly. The season would resume in mid-March and include nine regular season matches, plus conference and NCAA tournament games.
 
Along those lines, college soccer is criticized for allowing unlimited substitutions and players to re-enter games, contrary to international standards. But those scheduling demands are what make the liberal guidelines necessary. With more time between matches, those rules could someday be changed to meet FIFA requirements, proponents argue.
 


The larger question about college soccer is whether it’s necessary at all. For most players, who do not have realistic pro ambitions, it’s perfectly fine: four years playing the sport they love while earning a college degree and, in many cases, receiving a substantial scholarship.
 
For those players with special talents, college soccer has long been viewed as detrimental to playing development, largely because of the short schedule and limited practice time mandated by the NCAA. Personal development, however, is not something an MLS academy can provide. College, proponents say, turns out more mature and responsible individuals. The same cannot be said of many American prospects who turned pro after high school and have struggled to adapt to the adult world of pro soccer.