***Official USMNT Thread***

[SoapyCy]

like, 7 countries play baseball with any sort of competence. The entire world plays soccer. There are plenty of traveling and club teams and development academies, but they still funnel to college teams unless they are the very top 1%.

The reason we lost isn't because we can't develop the top 1%, the reason we aren't going to Russia is because we don't have top level guys that are above average. We need depth and filler, which we don't have right now, and that what was so scary about missing the last two Olympics. That is the pool those players should come from.

why doesn't soccer have the equivalent of AAU. Wouldn't cost the players a dime because the sponsors would pay.

 

[thatguy]

why doesn't soccer have the equivalent of AAU. Wouldn't cost the players a dime because the sponsors would pay.

Don't know. Sure it has been brought up, but the way it works now and until last night, the way US Soccer wanted it to work was:

MLS Development Academies feed:
College Soccer which feed:
MLS draft which feeds:
MLS players which feeds:
USMNT

Until US Soccer gets out of its own way, and maybe with the amount of money Fox and Nike are going to lose being the catalyst, it won't change.

 

[Penguin]

No thanks.

For folks that have not played or do not know a ton about soccer, I'd ask you to watch a couple of different leagues. Watch the English Premier League on the NBC Networks on Saturdays. This is one of the best, if not the best league in the world. The crisp passing, skills, movement and shot taking is amazing. Later that day, turn on an MLS game....very different. This would be like watching SEC football in its prime and then watching UNI play Southern Illinois later that day.

 

[BryceC]

2) MLS and USMNT are attached at the hip. US Soccer, literally because I deal with this for work, sell the rights to both when you acquire rights. They are pushing MLS guys onto USMNT to drive the MLS brand, thus more money, more TV sets etc. This is the sole reason we are not going to Russia. We didn't even go down playing with our best players, that is the problem.

This crap makes it hard for me to take this stuff seriously as a fan.

I like the MLS because I want my kid to have somebody to cheer for. We went to a Sporting KC game and had a ball this year. The fact that this is even a possibility is profoundly discouraging. Nothing is more important to growing soccer in this country than watching the national team compete IMO.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Yep just like what Twellman ranted about is not having pressure to succeed. There is some but not nearly what you see in the "bigger" sports here in the US.

It has to be a total culture change (as cliche as that is) if we want to be more relevant. Kids have to stop going to college to play and instead do exactly what Pulisic has done to be where he is.

I generally agree that USSF cannot depend on the NCAA for player development. That being said, it would be so much more helpful if the NCAA at the very least would change over to FIFA rules instead of whatever rules they operate by. The differences are so significant they're not even playing the same game.

 

[thatguy]

This crap makes it hard for me to take this stuff seriously as a fan.

I like the MLS because I want my kid to have somebody to cheer for. We went to a Sporting KC game and had a ball this year. The fact that this is even a possibility is profoundly discouraging. Nothing is more important to growing soccer in this country than watching the national team compete IMO.

The next National Team Coach will probably be Vermes, who has shown an ability to develop and find talent, the problem is, he doesn't play young guys. Erik Palmer-Brown couldn't find the field in KC, just signed with Man City. I like Vermes style of play, (direct attack, 4-2-3-1 ish) but I do feel, he will also fall into the MLS is our brand type of manager.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Lots to unpack here, but I've played ODP and all that jazz and have a pretty strong background and knowledge on USMNT soccer and development. To answer some of your questions:

1) MLS has gotten better as a league, yes, but it has benefited other smaller, regional countries more than it has benefited the U.S. Thus Panama and Hondurous and Costa Rica etc are better because they have a real league to play in now.

2) MLS and USMNT are attached at the hip. US Soccer, literally because I deal with this for work, sell the rights to both when you acquire rights. They are pushing MLS guys onto USMNT to drive the MLS brand, thus more money, more TV sets etc. This is the sole reason we are not going to Russia. We didn't even go down playing with our best players, that is the problem.

3) Players are discouraged from playing overseas by the folks at US Soccer. They are encouraged to come back even though they have overseas offers (see: Bradley, Michael, Altidore, Jozy) Essentially saying, we will keep your spot on the NT if you help us grow MLS. **Michael Bradley tangent: He was a world class 6 when he played for Roma. His play has dropped so dramatically since returning to the US, its hard to remember how good he was. He also should never have been put in the position to be a single defensive midfielder. If only we had one playing in the Premier League (we have two)? Or perhaps another younger DM that could play beside him (no shortage here)? The best Bradley has looked all cycle was when he had Acosta playing next to him. 4-2-3-1 should be the formation, but it wasn't and hear we are. End tangent.**

4) College soccer is the reason US can't develop players domestically. The European and South American players have academies that identify at very early ages. Until the US is ready to do this, really ready to let kids give up on schooling and eat, breathe and play soccer all day, we will never get any better. IMF academy in Florida is something similar but every MLS team would have something like that. Pulisic went to Dortmound at 14 I think? Glad Carelton and Weah are going overseas. Glad Lyndon Gooch did it.

5) Look, Jurgen was a terrible tactician, and after the Costa Rica debacle I too was calling for his head, but in hindsight I was probably wrong. JK wasn't let go bc of that loss, he was let go because he was butting heads with US Soccer about prioritizing the MLS players over the European players. There is no reason that our back line last night should have been anything less than Yedlin, Cameron, Ream, Johnson. Period. Jurgen might not have qualified, but at least we would have gone down with our best players. Maybe out of position in a 2-6-1-1 formation, but still our best players.

6) Remember, we haven't played in the last two Olympics (which is a U-23 tournament) and those should be the guys playing during this WC cycle. That is an indictment on US Soccer and MLS inability to develop players.

Its a sad, sad day for US Soccer. Just keep this in mind, Germany got bounced out of Euro's in 2000 and had a 10 year plan and it worked. France missed two WC's in the 90s and they are the favorites this year. It takes some sole searching and changes, but good can come of this, but that good isn't going to be today, or next month, or sadly next Summer.

Go Switzerland! (My wife works for a Swiss based company)

Head Coach of the USMNT is actually the wrong positions for Klinsmann - the role he should be playing is the president of USSF. You know - the role Sunil Gulati's fat ass is sitting in. The way Klinsmann has talked about how USA needs to change its entire system from the ground up shows he's better suited for that role.

 

[harimad]

why doesn't soccer have the equivalent of AAU. Wouldn't cost the players a dime because the sponsors would pay.

Are sponsors paying a lot of money for soccer? Last I knew, most Americans hate soccer, and they love to tell the rest of us just how little they care about it. (For example, that dirtbag Congressman who tweeted this morning.). Because of that, I don't see how there can be very much incentive for sponsors. Hopefully I'm wrong there.

 

[shagcarpetjesus]

This is part of the problem. This guy is a US Rep from Pennsylvania and did not realize that Pulisic is from PA.

https://deadspin.com/politician-delights-in-americas-failure-1819346650

This guy is a brilliant politician. Good Lord. Nothing like pissing off a segment of your constituents for no other reason than you want to be a troll.

 

[thatguy]

Are sponsors paying a lot of money for soccer? Last I knew, most Americans hate soccer, and they love to tell the rest of us just how little they care about it. (For example, that dirtbag Congressman who tweeted this morning.). Because of that, I don't see how there can be very much incentive for sponsors. Hopefully I'm wrong there.

short answer, yes.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ets-record-sponsorship-deal-adidas/534865001/

Soccer is big money in the U.S. 1) because football is becoming socio-economic and dying and 2) the growing number of Latins in our culture.

 

[3GenClone]

short answer, yes.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ets-record-sponsorship-deal-adidas/534865001/

Soccer is big money in the U.S. 1) because football is becoming socio-economic and dying and 2) the growing number of Latins in our culture.

Have there been any initiatives by US soccer clubs to reach out to more Latinx kids? Like others have said, El Tri seems to outdraw the US clubs when they play matches here in the states. It seems obvious to me that this is the passionate fan base that the US team needs yet it appears these fans feel obligated to cheer for their home/native countries, and I'm sure part of that is due to the lack of Latinx representation in MLS/USMNT. Of course, the current political climate and immigration debate isn't very helpful towards addressing this issue either.

 

[boone7247]

I know some on here don't like the idea of pro/rel, but in my opinion, it is the best way to grow the sport in the US. Clubs in the US are very limited in how they make money, and because of this many depend on the players/players parents to fund. If we would allow pro/rel, i believe it would organically grow the clubs, as the ones that have the ambition to grow to that level would be able to. This would also kill the college system, which is broken and will never allow the players to grow as they need to.

Sunil deserves to be shown the door, and all those in the development of players as well, they have failed. I always felt JK should be in charge of managing and directing talent, and growing talent in the US. He is not a good tactical coach, but he can see talent and is good helping that talent grow.

Any and all sponsors and former players, need to continue to voice their displeasure with the current system. Will, USSF needs to work with MLS, it also needs to put the best possible US team on the pitch. Until that is committed to, they need to be given nothing.

 

[WooBadger18]

I know some on here don't like the idea of pro/rel, but in my opinion, it is the best way to grow the sport in the US. Clubs in the US are very limited in how they make money, and because of this many depend on the players/players parents to fund. If we would allow pro/rel, i believe it would organically grow the clubs, as the ones that have the ambition to grow to that level would be able to. This would also kill the college system, which is broken and will never allow the players to grow as they need to.

Sunil deserves to be shown the door, and all those in the development of players as well, they have failed. I always felt JK should be in charge of managing and directing talent, and growing talent in the US. He is not a good tactical coach, but he can see talent and is good helping that talent grow.

Any and all sponsors and former players, need to continue to voice their displeasure with the current system. Will, USSF needs to work with MLS, it also needs to put the best possible US team on the pitch. Until that is committed to, they need to be given nothing.

Completely disagree. While I love pro/rel for pro sports, that is the quickest way to kill professional domestic soccer in the United States. While there's better money abroad, we need to have players here be able to make an ok living so people will want to pursue that as a career. If you institute pro/rel, teams will collapse when they're relagated because they won't have the fan support. Unlike other sports in the U.S., I don't think many teams in the MLS have the fan support necessary to support them if they are relegated.

Would it work at leagues below MLS? I still don't think so because any fan bases they do have would collapse when they were relegated.

Finally, if you're talking about youth leagues (which maybe you are because of the comments about the players and parents), I still don't think pro/rel is a great idea. First, how is that going to generate money so that the players aren't funding them themselves? Second, one issue at least several years ago was that the youth teams cared too much about winning and not enough about development. Pro/Rel would only exacerbate that issue.

I think to help improve our soccer athletes here in the United States there needs to be more low cost leagues (in addition to other changes that people smarter than me will come up with). I don't know where the funding comes from for that, but I don't think Pro/Rel helps, maybe the USSF? Second, I think the MLS teams need to continue to grow/improve their academies. I think this is where the development will happen because the focus can actually be on development and not on winning

 

[thatguy]

Have there been any initiatives by US soccer clubs to reach out to more Latinx kids? Like others have said, El Tri seems to outdraw the US clubs when they play matches here in the states. It seems obvious to me that this is the passionate fan base that the US team needs yet it appears these fans feel obligated to cheer for their home/native countries, and I'm sure part of that is due to the lack of Latinx representation in MLS/USMNT. Of course, the current political climate and immigration debate isn't very helpful towards addressing this issue either.

the pay to play atmosphere behind US Soccer hinders allot of the inner city and multi-cultural development.

 

[SoapyCy]

here's my argument against pro/rel in american sports. our populations are mostly based on the coasts and those coasts also host the media conglomerates. since pro sports is based on buying the best players you can afford (and not only using home-grown talent) those largest cities will buy the best players. pretty soon you'll be left with 8 NY teams, 4 LA teams, a few in south florida, and the rest sprinkled across the country. Imagine if every minor league baseball team in NY could afford pro talent? it would become the NY vs LA baseball season.

I think pro/rel is awesome in theory. i think it gives everyone a chance to cheer for their local team, but in america i don't know if it would work well.

 

[awd4cy]

For folks that have not played or do not know a ton about soccer, I'd ask you to watch a couple of different leagues. Watch the English Premier League on the NBC Networks on Saturdays. This is one of the best, if not the best league in the world. The crisp passing, skills, movement and shot taking is amazing. Later that day, turn on an MLS game....very different. This would be like watching SEC football in its prime and then watching UNI play Southern Illinois later that day.

Yep. I enjoy watching the best in the world in Europe. For that, I will never ever be able to get into the MLS the way it is.

 

[isufbcurt]

Who's you Trinidaddy

 

[IASTATE4LIFE]

The game wasn't even on real television last night. That should tell you how important soccer is in our culture. How does a game grow organically if my boys who play soccer can't even cheer for their country in a super important game, and now a world cup. A game that decides our countries fate in the world cup not on tv. ridiculous.

 

[twojman]

The game wasn't even on real television last night. That should tell you how important soccer is in our culture. How does a game grow organically if my boys who play soccer can't even cheer for their country in a super important game, and now a world cup. A game that decides our countries fate in the world cup not on tv. ridiculous.

That was up to TnT, not the US. US home games were on Fox or ESPN. Odd TV rights, just like the Big 12.

 

[ianoconnor]

The game wasn't even on real television last night. That should tell you how important soccer is in our culture. How does a game grow organically if my boys who play soccer can't even cheer for their country in a super important game, and now a world cup. A game that decides our countries fate in the world cup not on tv. ridiculous.

It was frankly not that hard at all to find the game on beIN or the go90 app if you truly wanted to watch.