The Beautiful Game of Football, 2017-2018 Season

[10spro]

who?

You know, the fellow who doesn't know where he's Brasilian or Spanish.

[RobVarak]

That performance in San Jose was an embarrassment from top to bottom. Klinsmann and the defense are getting the heat, but everything rotted from the middle out. Bradley and Jones were spectators at best, and at their worst, were saboteurs at times. They were inadequate to the task in every way. Jones should never have seen the field after playing a full 90' against Mexico, when he shouldn't have gone more than 60 in that one. You can't play a football match without a central midfield... Sickening.

[10spro]

After a series of very adversed results, the latest one against their eternal rival Brazil a couple of weeks ago by a score of 0-3, Argentina started to feel the heat from the whole nation whether the current selection of players would make it to Russia. The entire group is sitting tight and the Albicelestes were packed right in the middle of it. The important 3-0 victory vs Colombia will calm some nerves, especially after this beauty from Messi. Latin America Conmebol is a challenge to every nation pretty much with the exception of Bolivia and a Venezuela.

[wco81]

That performance in San Jose was an embarrassment from top to bottom. Klinsmann and the defense are getting the heat, but everything rotted from the middle out. Bradley and Jones were spectators at best, and at their worst, were saboteurs at times. They were inadequate to the task in every way. Jones should never have seen the field after playing a full 90' against Mexico, when he shouldn't have gone more than 60 in that one. You can't play a football match without a central midfield... Sickening.

Yikes that score.

The shivs are out for JK now.

A lot of the stars on the team when JK took over are well over 30 or pushing it now. Do they have the hunger?

Have JK's intentions to change the developmental infrastructure when he took the job 5 years ago yielded any promising young talent?

[10spro]

I watched some highlights of the USA match and I don't understand why JK would use only 3 D-men line to start the match whereas if it wasn't for Howard, the score would have been out of reach in the first half. Weak midfield, poor back line, the main culprits for their loss.

[RobVarak]

I don't think anyone can really defend trying the 3-man defense in a qualifier against Mexico, but I also am not thrilled with the idea that you end up with your veterans abandoning ship on what is really a pretty simple technical alteration just 20-minutes into a match. They clearly never bought into the idea, and that's partly on Klinsmann for failing to sell it. OTOH, it doesn't speak well of the professionalism of the veteran players either.

There are only two factors in my mind mitigating in favor of keeping Klinsmann. First, based on his comments after both games, it's clear that Bradley has actively undermined Klinsmann. I'm not saying it's not without justification, but it doesn't sit well with me. Secondly, none of the discussed options are particularly inspiring. Retreading Bruce Arena? I'll pass. That looks like a move to assuage Bradley and the other dissenting voices, but hardly a progressive move for the team as a whole.

There are plenty of factors on the other side as well. His tenure has been uneven. He's brought in the dual-citizen brigade, but had some dubious tournament results as well. He's alienated veteran mainstays and elevated a few players to critical roles who probably should've remained peripheral. It's a tricky resume to evaluate, but the extent of the team's collapse sort of takes the subtleties out of the discussion.

[Rodster]

Jurgen Klinsmann the supposed savoir of men's soccer has been fired. So who gets your vote to replace him? And who is willing to take the job as this team still can't produce top flight players?

[dbdynsty25]

Jurgen Klinsmann the supposed savoir of men's soccer has been fired. So who gets your vote to replace him? And who is willing to take the job as this team still can't produce top flight players?

Lets see what happens with Pulisic before we go saying we can't develop any young guys.

My vote to coach...Cobi Jones. Need a guy w/ dreadlocks to take it over.

[wco81]

Looks like he had a slightly better record than Bradley, a little worse than Arenas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U ... m_managers

He took over a team that made it to the round of 16 in 2010 and the 2014 team made it to the round of 16 again, before being eliminated.

Maybe the Mexico and CR games looked like going backwards.


Does the MLS help or hinder the USNMT from fielding a more competitive team? Would players like Bradley and Dempsey be better off playing in Europe (assuming they can still get on teams over there) or making a lot of money on their MLS clubs?

[Rodster]

Looks like he had a slightly better record than Bradley, a little worse than Arenas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U ... m_managers

He took over a team that made it to the round of 16 in 2010 and the 2014 team made it to the round of 16 again, before being eliminated.

Maybe the Mexico and CR games looked like going backwards.


Does the MLS help or hinder the USNMT from fielding a more competitive team? Would players like Bradley and Dempsey be better off playing in Europe (assuming they can still get on teams over there) or making a lot of money on their MLS clubs?

Even before the losses to Mexico and CR, it appeared his seat was getting warm, so I think you're right those two losses pushed him over the edge.

As far as MLS players going to Europe, I think that's where the best players should go to hone their skills. It certainly hasn't hurt Tim Howard, in fact it's probably made him better leaving the MLS.

[RobVarak]

It's a tricky resume to evaluate, but the extent of the team's collapse sort of takes the subtleties out of the discussion.

Jurgen Klinsmann the supposed savoir of men's soccer has been fired. So who gets your vote to replace him? And who is willing to take the job as this team still can't produce top flight players?

As I was saying... lol

I think history will look back on Jurgen's mining of the dual-nationals as the most notable innovation of his tenure. It didn't change results enormously, but if we don't abandon the idea it does open up another channel for potential impact players.

The systemic problems that make it difficult for the US to compete with the world's elite remain the same as they were before the JK hiring. They're way above his pay grade, unfortunately. Youth development remains fundamentally broken and inefficient. The more I watch MLS expand wildly without implementing open play and promotion/relegation, the more despondent I get about the league ever improving as a development tool for the game.

[Rodster]

It's a tricky resume to evaluate, but the extent of the team's collapse sort of takes the subtleties out of the discussion.

Jurgen Klinsmann the supposed savoir of men's soccer has been fired. So who gets your vote to replace him? And who is willing to take the job as this team still can't produce top flight players?

As I was saying... lol

I think history will look back on Jurgen's mining of the dual-nationals as the most notable innovation of his tenure. It didn't change results enormously, but if we don't abandon the idea it does open up another channel for potential impact players.

The systemic problems that make it difficult for the US to compete with the world's elite remain the same as they were before the JK hiring. They're way above his pay grade, unfortunately. Youth development remains fundamentally broken and inefficient. The more I watch MLS expand wildly without implementing open play and promotion/relegation, the more despondent I get about the league ever improving as a development tool for the game.

The "ONLY" chance I see for an influx of top level talent to the USMNT is if the NFL gets more bad press from head injuries. We're seeing more young players either leaving the NFL because of head injuries or former players saying they wouldn't do it again. Unfortunately, the NFL, NBA and MLB usually gets the best athletes first.

[pk500]

Is Arena Part II really an upgrade over Klinsmann? Or just a retread to keep the seat warm until Gulati can find a better option?

[RobVarak]

Is Arena Part II really an upgrade over Klinsmann? Or just a retread to keep the seat warm until Gulati can find a better option?

The question one might want to ask is how many managers does Gulati get to hire before someone asks questions of him or the other brains at USSF?

[pk500]

Is Arena Part II really an upgrade over Klinsmann? Or just a retread to keep the seat warm until Gulati can find a better option?

The question one might want to ask is how many managers does Gulati get to hire before someone asks questions of him or the other brains at USSF?

Even better question.

[wco81]

Listening to the ESPN FC podcast. They have on a reporter who's been following.

There are discussions ongoing with Arenas.

Because it's in the middle of WC qualifying, they really can't bring in an outsider since he wouldn't be familiar with the player pool. Plus they can't do some protracted search.

However, Arenas has said in the past that all players in the team should be US-born.

So there's a question about the 8 under-23 players on the team that JK brought in who were not born in the US.

Also apparently a year ago, JK expressed frustration at the lack of quality of the players. Might sound like sour grapes now but maybe that's why he pursued these non US-born players.

[10spro]

Arena is your man again.


http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/stor ... ates-coach

[10spro]

Pretty sad day. Praying for all survivors.


http://www.espnfc.com/chapecoense-af/st ... n-colombia

[wco81]

One of the marks against Klinsmann was leaving Landon Donovan off the WC team ...

[dbdynsty25]

http://www.barstoolsports.com/dmv/socce ... long-time/

Daaaaaamn

[10spro]

The 1-1 in the 90th minute by S. Ramos was justice in the Classico. The veteran keeps coming up with key goals for his team, beautiful set play by Modric and impeccable header by the D-man. A couple of questionable non calls especially in the first half would have changed the outcome but overall R. Madrid adds a key point to continue on top.

Ronaldo and Messi were non factors.

[XXXIV]

Klopp's expressions and actions mimicked my own today.

[10spro]

Ronaldo wins his fourth Ballon d'Or, well deserved for the Portuguese dude who had an outstanding year.

Yesterday, it was a Superclasico for the ages in Argentina between Boca-River. After trailing 2-1 in the first half, Schelotto' team starting to take control in the last 45' and turned around the score with this golazo by Carlitos Tevez and eventually beating the Gallinas 4-2.

[10spro]

Messi's dribbling leads to this beautiful Suarez finish.

[Rodster]

Bob Bradley was given the Rex Ryan treatment with a little over 2 months on the job.