Copa America Centenario

[Ja Rhule]

USA 

0 shots on target

0 attempts 

31% possession

 

just wow...

[Still Brooklyn]

It was like being forced to watch your mom get murdered.

[DirtyMagic97]

It's truly shocking how a country with such depth of athletic talent can dominate almost every sport at the international level but can hardly field a competitive soccer team. It's unreal.

Hell, I think Northern Ireland could take us down and I'm like 90% sure they have more sheep than people.

[Goondal]

We need to find a way to get our best athletes to choose soccer.  Imagine our team if guys like Lebron, Westbrook, Trout, Cam, etc. grew up specializing in soccer.  Until we are fielding a team with our best athletes we will never be able to compete with the best in the world.

[Still Brooklyn]

Disagree. Look at Messi. Dude is tiny. It's all about the culture of soccer. It's not the same here.

[DirtyMagic97]

5 hours ago, Goondal said:

We need to find a way to get our best athletes to choose soccer.  Imagine our team if guys like Lebron, Westbrook, Trout, Cam, etc. grew up specializing in soccer.  Until we are fielding a team with our best athletes we will never be able to compete with the best in the world.

Hell, half these college football players who run a 4.2 40 yard dash that never go pro because they're 5'6 145 lbs could probably be molded into pretty good soccer players.

[pantherphan96]

athleticism never has been and never will be a problem for the USA. probably the most physically fit team there is. where we lack is in technical skills. Zardes is the perfect example of the kind of player that the USA and MLS has. incredibly athletic, good work rate, but horrendous touch, passing, and anticipation. 

[pantherphan96]

really wish more players would play overseas because the kind of soccer played in the MLS will never (or at least not for a long time) be good enough for us to compete in major tournaments. the best players on this team are Wood, Brooks, and Dempsey, all with experience playing overseas and solid technical skills. its painful watching us win the ball only to give it back up due to a wayward pass or miscommunication. 

 

http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-06-21-us-mens-national-team-vs-argentina/stats

just look at the passing accuracy. 71 vs 86 percent. 54% in the final 3rd is atrocious. 

[DirtyMagic97]

15 hours ago, pantherphan96 said:

athleticism never has been and never will be a problem for the USA. probably the most physically fit team there is. where we lack is in technical skills. Zardes is the perfect example of the kind of player that the USA and MLS has. incredibly athletic, good work rate, but horrendous touch, passing, and anticipation. 

This is just not true. The MLS is a considerably slower game in comparison to European leagues, and guys like Beckerman, Wondolowski, and even our CBs (who were our best players this tournament) get circles run around them like they are children playing against men. Sure, Zardes is fast and has good work rate, but that is not all there is to athleticism. When it comes to dribbling, start-stop, and cutting, Zardes is nothing in comparison to the players on bigger international sides. There is a reason Pirlo, Gerrard, Kaka, etc. treat it like a retirement league.

There is a reason most of our players don't expose themselves to better leagues like Serie A, Premier League, and Bundesliga. They can't keep up. And the few who are able to cut it in those leagues are usually the players who show up in our bigger matches. Most of our players spend an entire club season playing against terrible competition and European has-beens. I will agree that some USMNT players are solid athletically, but in comparison, they just aren't up to it. The USMNT players over the last 5-10 years who were able to play at the highest level were the exception, not the rule.

[pantherphan96]

5 hours ago, DirtyMagic97 said:

This is just not true. The MLS is a considerably slower game in comparison to European leagues, and guys like Beckerman, Wondolowski, and even our CBs (who were our best players this tournament) get circles run around them like they are children playing against men. Sure, Zardes is fast and has good work rate, but that is not all there is to athleticism. When it comes to dribbling, start-stop, and cutting, Zardes is nothing in comparison to the players on bigger international sides. There is a reason Pirlo, Gerrard, Kaka, etc. treat it like a retirement league.

There is a reason most of our players don't expose themselves to better leagues like Serie A, Premier League, and Bundesliga. They can't keep up. And the few who are able to cut it in those leagues are usually the players who show up in our bigger matches. Most of our players spend an entire club season playing against terrible competition and European has-beens. I will agree that some USMNT players are solid athletically, but in comparison, they just aren't up to it. The USMNT players over the last 5-10 years who were able to play at the highest level were the exception, not the rule.

I consider all of this on the technical side of the game and not the athletic side. My point is that an athletic guy like Zardes is good for raw pace and effort but not much else. And by more athletic I don't mean that the game is faster, but that players rely on speed/strength 1v1 on a defender vs in the European leagues where dribbling and skill are used much more. 

I think a lot of our players could play overseas by playing in the lower levels. Look at how well Bobby Wood played in the 2nd level of the Bundesliga last year. If more players would play in the FL Championship or even in smaller foreign leagues like the Eredivisie like Altidore did with AZ I think they would improve a lot technically and overall we would do a lot better against the Argentinas, Germanys, and Belgiums of the world.

[DirtyMagic97]

6 minutes ago, pantherphan96 said:

I consider all of this on the technical side of the game and not the athletic side. My point is that an athletic guy like Zardes is good for raw pace and effort but not much else. And by more athletic I don't mean that the game is faster, but that players rely on speed/strength 1v1 on a defender vs in the European leagues where dribbling and skill are used much more. 

I think a lot of our players could play overseas by playing in the lower levels. Look at how well Bobby Wood played in the 2nd level of the Bundesliga last year. If more players would play in the FL Championship or even in smaller foreign leagues like the Eredivisie like Altidore did with AZ I think they would improve a lot technically and overall we would do a lot better against the Argentinas, Germanys, and Belgiums of the world.

Oh, ok. We were sort of having a semantics disagreement then. I see what you mean. I kind of lump athleticism into dribbling/change of direction and pace.

I think Wood is now stepping up to the first division in Germany. Bundesliga football should test him pretty heavily, same with Pulisic with Dortmund. Erevidisie kind of offers a unique experience. Look what Altidore did when he went to the Premier League. He was a disaster.

[pantherphan96]

3 minutes ago, DirtyMagic97 said:

Oh, ok. We were sort of having a semantics disagreement then. I see what you mean. I kind of lump athleticism into dribbling/change of direction and pace.

I think Wood is now stepping up to the first division in Germany. Bundesliga football should test him pretty heavily, same with Pulisic with Dortmund. Erevidisie kind of offers a unique experience. Look what Altidore did when he went to the Premier League. He was a disaster.

Yeah I consider athleticism to be pace, jumping, all physical skills while dribbling, passing etc are more technical skills.

Wood, Pulisic, Brooks, and Yedlin are the players I'm most excited about. Really wish Altidore stuck with AZ because around that time he was playing really well in the Eredivisie and in NT games. 

[DirtyMagic97]

2 hours ago, pantherphan96 said:

Yeah I consider athleticism to be pace, jumping, all physical skills while dribbling, passing etc are more technical skills.

Wood, Pulisic, Brooks, and Yedlin are the players I'm most excited about. Really wish Altidore stuck with AZ because around that time he was playing really well in the Eredivisie and in NT games. 

Apparently Sunderland wants Yedlin back, but I think it might be a permanent deal this time.

[FuFuLamePoo]

On 6/23/2016 at 4:36 PM, DirtyMagic97 said:

Apparently Sunderland wants Yedlin back, but I think it might be a permanent deal this time.

He should take it.  Yedlin is a good enough player to play in the PL but not good enough to get much PT for Spurs right now.