**Official Soccer Thread**

[NYBF]

Eat ****, Spain

[Phantom Phenom]

USA USA USA

[The Outsider]

As one knows if they follow any of our soccer threads, I'm not one to say that a team should park the bus and play defensively, but we should park a few buses, beat the hell out of them physically and pray for a miracle.


If they beat us...Fair enough, they should....but they better leave beaten, bruised and limping

They should park the bus. Honestly, I think the best this game could go for us is our WC game vs Belgium. Guzan has to play amazingly, Brooks and Cameron need to deal with a ton, and we get one or two shots to win 1-0. Hopefully Wondo doesn't blow it this time.

Hopefully Wondo doesn't see the field. How that guy keeps making the bench is ****ing beyond me.

[The Outsider]

I had no idea he was starting. ****. Well, this was fun.

[Zarniwoop]

We had no chance. The only time we can compete with teams like this is when we can counter with speed. For as great as Dempsey is, he is slow as molasses

[Ken Carson]

Yeah, we're nowhere close to Argentina. Glad we proved we belonged in the tournament though. The more we get invited to this tournament, the better.

[Zarniwoop]

Yeah, we're nowhere close to Argentina. Glad we proved we belonged in the tournament though. The more we get invited to this tournament, the better.

Yep, overall I think this was a success. We seem to have found some of the grit, passion and determination, that we lost over the last year or so.

We still desperately need a midfield who can control the ball but it seems our up front is temporarily settled with Wood and Dempsey and our back four is solid again.

I'm a bit more positive with the upcoming WC qualifiers

[Zarniwoop]

you know, i hate to suggest it, but maybe Michael Bradley needs to sit down for a while.

i don't know if they keep track of it, but he had to have had more turnovers than anyone else in the tournament...many of them were uncontested and non-pressured too. he has always been the type of player that would have a horrible game every so often but in the past they were fewer and much farther between (and generally they were surrounded by good games). That simply isn't the case anymore unfortunately. i'm sure he will find his way again, lets just give him a break for a bit.


i would be quite happy to see Jones and Nagbe have a couple games together.

i'm also tired of Zusi...they guy brings very little to the table. He is very slow. He doesn't make good runs. He doesn't create turnovers. The only thing he has going for him is a decent free kick.

[Ken Carson]

It is definitely time to turn over some of the vets like Zusi, Bradley, and Beckerman.

[Phantom Phenom]

I do not think USA will win WC or COPA tournament in my lifetime

[Ken Carson]

I do not think USA will win WC or COPA tournament in my lifetime

Yeah, you're probably right.

[Kress]

Messi was insane. That's all it took.

[Kress]

I do not think USA will win WC or COPA tournament in my lifetime

Yeah, you're probably right.

I go with the Patrick McIrish theory on this. Our best athletes do not play soccer, because it is not a national priority. Our athletes will migrate to football, basketball, baseball, whatever. Go to Argentina or Spain or France, or England, or wherever, and guess what THEIR best athletes are playing. They're playing kick our ass in soccer, that's what.

[Zarniwoop]

Rematch with Colombia in 3rd place game Saturday

[Zarniwoop]

As for the athlete thing, I do support it to some degree. But it isn't the be all and end all.

Our players are generally more athletic than other nations. We are certainly in the top 10 in the world already with sheer athleticism


And even though we are faster, fitter and stronger than most teams we can't hold onto the ball to save our lives.

Basically we lack vision and technique. Sure if all of our NFL players immediately played soccer we would increase the pool from which we selected but I'm not sure we dramatically increase the mental and creative side of the game all that much.

That comes from building a much better youth foundation in this country. Moving away from collegiate soccer towards Academy soccer. And 100% definitely moving away from expensive club soccer for teens

[Ken Carson]

As for the athlete thing, I do support it to some degree. But it isn't the be all and end all.

Our players are generally more athletic than other nations. We are certainly in the top 10 in the world already with sheer athleticism


And even though we are faster, fitter and stronger than most teams we can't hold onto the ball to save our lives.

Basically we lack vision and technique. Sure if all of our NFL players immediately played soccer we would increase the pool from which we selected but I'm not sure we dramatically increase the mental and creative side of the game all that much.

That comes from building a much better youth foundation in this country. Moving away from collegiate soccer towards Academy soccer. And 100% definitely moving away from expensive club soccer for teens

Yeah, we've got the athletes to compete with anyone (so do many African nations). It's all about getting our soccer players playing soccer every single day against strong competition starting from middle school on. Think of it as basically having Catholic school, only instead of nuns, the school is made up of soccer coaches and all the curriculum is based around making sure these kids get 3-5 hours of soccer in every day. And every decent-sized town has one of these schools.

Then we'll be able to compete with the best of the best.

[uscbucsfan]

As for the athlete thing, I do support it to some degree. But it isn't the be all and end all.

Our players are generally more athletic than other nations. We are certainly in the top 10 in the world already with sheer athleticism


And even though we are faster, fitter and stronger than most teams we can't hold onto the ball to save our lives.

Basically we lack vision and technique. Sure if all of our NFL players immediately played soccer we would increase the pool from which we selected but I'm not sure we dramatically increase the mental and creative side of the game all that much.

That comes from building a much better youth foundation in this country. Moving away from collegiate soccer towards Academy soccer. And 100% definitely moving away from expensive club soccer for teens

Yeah, we've got the athletes to compete with anyone (so do many African nations). It's all about getting our soccer players playing soccer every single day against strong competition starting from middle school on. Think of it as basically having Catholic school, only instead of nuns, the school is made up of soccer coaches and all the curriculum is based around making sure these kids get 3-5 hours of soccer in every day. And every decent-sized town has one of these schools.

Then we'll be able to compete with the best of the best.

I was going to say something similar. Countries that are great at soccer take small children and put them in basically soccer school. They decide at an early age that if their talent is great enough, Soccer will be more important than education. They don't play other sports, etc.

I don't see us ever being ok with that in this country.

[DreadNaught]

As for the athlete thing, I do support it to some degree. But it isn't the be all and end all.

Our players are generally more athletic than other nations. We are certainly in the top 10 in the world already with sheer athleticism


And even though we are faster, fitter and stronger than most teams we can't hold onto the ball to save our lives.

Basically we lack vision and technique. Sure if all of our NFL players immediately played soccer we would increase the pool from which we selected but I'm not sure we dramatically increase the mental and creative side of the game all that much.

That comes from building a much better youth foundation in this country. Moving away from collegiate soccer towards Academy soccer. And 100% definitely moving away from expensive club soccer for teens

Yeah, we've got the athletes to compete with anyone (so do many African nations). It's all about getting our soccer players playing soccer every single day against strong competition starting from middle school on. Think of it as basically having Catholic school, only instead of nuns, the school is made up of soccer coaches and all the curriculum is based around making sure these kids get 3-5 hours of soccer in every day. And every decent-sized town has one of these schools.

Then we'll be able to compete with the best of the best.

Yup, in other countries these kids are recruited into programs hosted by parent clubs (Real Madrid, Barca, etc..) where they play soccer and go to class year round from the age of 10 (or so). So naturally their skill level is light years ahead of where any American could hope to be. America will never be the equal of those other countries until we develop the culture of player development that they have in place.

The best analogy I could use would be something like the IMG Academy being sponsored and funded by a professional franchise with the intent of recruiting young talented kids and developing them from age of 10 til they're adults. That is what it's like for Soccer in these other countries.

[Phantom Phenom]

Lionel Messi retires from Argentina after Copa America final loss to Chile

[DreadNaught]

Lionel Messi retires from Argentina after Copa America final loss to Chile

Seems odd for a 29yr old to retire from International play when the 2018 World Cup starts qualifying next year.

I read a few articles to make sense of 'why', and it seems this was more a political move or power play by Messi (and others on the Argentina team) due to the corruption and mismanagement by the AFA - Argentine Football Association, who is the governing body for the club.

[Ken Carson]

How about this Wales team? Having a top player in the world helps, but they are overall a scrappy bunch.

[NYBF]

This USMNT is a bunch of *******.

[Phantom Phenom]

This USMNT is a bunch of *******.

Seriously

Klinsmann need to go

[Zarniwoop]

This USMNT is a bunch of *******.

Seriously

Klinsmann need to go

Yep. I've pretty much been a Klinsman defender because of how he is trying to change the youth system and get us more technical, but I can't justify it anymore.

All his tinkering and tinkering is starting to bite us in the butt.

We aren't as skilled as any countries...we can't just do a plug and play with guys out of their natural positions. We need a good consistent line-up that has time to gel together. We simply aren't a "TEAM" anymore...which was always one of our two greatest strengths -- along with grit.

I know we were short handed without Cameron (our best CB) and Bedoya (one of our best all around players) .. but we should still do better.

Why in God's name is Chandler ahead of Yedlin? Why is Besler at LB? Why are we sticking with the Bradley/Jones combo in the center? Bradley is a shell of his former self.

How can he not have cap tied Carter-Vickers last night? ****ing stupid.




Unlike the past, where I had every confidence that we would right the ship after stupid games like last night...I no longer have that feeling. Klinsman seems to have lost the players.

[Phantom Phenom]

Bruce Arena is one of candidate to replace Klinsmann if he get fired by USA


Oh god no,

[Zarniwoop]

Bruce Arena is one of candidate to replace Klinsmann if he get fired by USA


Oh god no,

I like Arena a lot actually...but hate him for that job again. He did a good enough job when he had it, but not so good he deserves another crack at it (unless its woth the express understanding he steps down immediately after Russia). Same with Jason Kreis who is also being mentioned.

Ramos might be decent...but i would probably prefer someone else.

[NYBF]

Klinsmann fired. No word on his replacement yet.

[Zarniwoop]

The change will be good.

[Phantom Phenom]

Arena came within an inch of making it to the World Cup semi-final.

I still don't want him

[Phantom Phenom]

LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena will succeed Jurgen Klinsmann as manager of the United States men's national team

meh