Only MLS players that deserve to be near the roster are Morris and probably Jozy still. I think Jozy is still the striker of choice right now. Sargent needs to move away from Werder Bremen to start banging in goals.
***Official USMNT Thread***
- Thread starter ianoconnor
- Start date
I'm aware of the FIFA world rankings, but damn, is it too much to ask for the United States to be able to beat a country with a population the size of Iowa?
It was our first game in like 8 months with a bunch of players who have never played together aside from 2 days of camp
5 times since September in the UEFA nations league
I'm not watching this current match, but long-term the prospects for the USMNT look better than ever. It is incredible all the young talent in the fold right now. WC 2026 could be special. Heck, 2022 could be as well. I just wish they could find a superior number 9. They've got top class midfielders and defenders right now, but still missing that big time striker. Would be incredible for a once in a generation -type talent (a Haaland or Ibrahimovic) to come along right now as a youngster to work into the group. It might already be our golden generation, but add a world class striker and it would be truly a top 10 or top 5 starting XI team.
I'm an admitted soccer newb but why would anybody care if there were MLS guys on the national team? If they want soccer to get big in the US they need the national team to make it out of the pods a few times. My oldest is 10 and he is having a lot of fun with soccer, just chose Chelsea as his favorite team because of Pulisic just because he's an American on the national team. That's it. We're Sporting KC people but he honestly doesn't care really.
Simply put, most of them aren't good enough. There are guys in the past that have been given way too many chances by US Soccer and there's perception it's because they're trying to grow the recognition of MLS and it looks better for the league to have USMNT players. It's way better for guys to go overseas and train & play against world-class talent on a daily basis. I think the talent difference is even more evident if you see the games live. I've been to handful of each MLS and USMNT games and when I first saw a Premier League game live, it was amazing to see how big the talent gap I knew was there, actually is.
This. Only a handful of US players in the MLS belong on a premier league field or any other European league. MLS recently has become a great place for young American talent to get recognized and taken overseas. That’s the reality the MLS needs to face. They will never have the talent of the European leagues.
I get Thatguy's point about $, and he's right to some extent, but I'd still argue MLS players like Arriola, Morris, Aaronsen at the Philadelphia Union (although I think I saw he's going to Europe too) and then an old veteran like Bradley or Jozy would be solid additions and should be added on their own merit (not just because they're MLS guys). IF we want to keep growing the game though in the U.S., domestic soccer needs to be supported. Those MLS academies are important. Anyway, the Bradley's, Morris', Altidore's could be playing in Europe if they wanted and many already have but came back for big contracts in the MLS. As it stands now, they would help round out our 23.
Regardless, it's nice to see all this young talent plying their trade at the highest levels in Europe on the biggest clubs. Very exciting for the future.
Aaronsen is going to RB Salzburg in Jan.
Roma let Bradley walk away on a free transfer like 4 years ago and nobody wanted him then, doubt he could get on the field anywhere now.
Altidore still has potential and would be good on this team, but he cant stay healthy.
You cant watch that game today and say any of those guys have MLS players above them on the depth chart. I like Morris as a sub, and Lletget as a veteran guy, but if our NT is better off with its stars playing in Europe. This is why Jurgen was fired. That and Bradley hated him and his game day tactics were trash. But that game today and the good showing against Wales, was bc Jurgen told the kids oversees, which pissed off US Soccer and SAM.
Yes the domestic league needs to be better and the academies are doing that, but MLS needs to be a develop and sell league, and not handcuff our national team to sell jerseys.
Werder Bremen up 1-0 on Bayern Munich right now with 30 min left to play. Josh Sargent got the assist on Bremen’s goal.
Though you can tell MLS is improving year over year, and I'm no MLS fanboy, there's Europhile fans that put way too much stock into some 17 year old playing reserve football in Germany, or playing in Norway. Chances are a 27 year old top-30 MLS player (just a generic example) is better right now than that kid.
Uly Llanez is the prime example. It's great that he's gone to Europe to challenge himself; he'll be a better player for it and he might turn into a USMNT caliber player in due time. But playing at Heerenveen isn't a higher level than MLS, and while he's got some very useful qualities in space, he's easily knocked off the ball and isn't trustworthy on defense. He's the perfect player you send to the Olympics and throw a cap to in this last camp, but if WC Qualifiers were tomorrow, he shouldn't be in the squad.
Ideally, MLS becomes a true selling league and we have so many players at top 150 Euro clubs that the only MLS players in the 23 are late bloomers (Europe typically isn't interested in older players that take up foreign spots) and odd-ducks like Landon and Morris. We're almost there. We could be there in five years. And MLS is slowly inching towards making selling at realistic prices viable. But we aren't there yet.
Uly Llanez is the prime example. It's great that he's gone to Europe to challenge himself; he'll be a better player for it and he might turn into a USMNT caliber player in due time. But playing at Heerenveen isn't a higher level than MLS, and while he's got some very useful qualities in space, he's easily knocked off the ball and isn't trustworthy on defense. He's the perfect player you send to the Olympics and throw a cap to in this last camp, but if WC Qualifiers were tomorrow, he shouldn't be in the squad.
Ideally, MLS becomes a true selling league and we have so many players at top 150 Euro clubs that the only MLS players in the 23 are late bloomers (Europe typically isn't interested in older players that take up foreign spots) and odd-ducks like Landon and Morris. We're almost there. We could be there in five years. And MLS is slowly inching towards making selling at realistic prices viable. But we aren't there yet.
