USMNT: To Rüssia With Love

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
Tab Ramos has an enviable ability to fail upward I expect he and Sunil will tell us all about the progress they are making after we crash out of the hex in 2021
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
Gulati says he takes responsibility for the failure to qualify. But won't resign and refuses to say he won't run again.
Also that today is not the time to discuss his future plans.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Gulati says he takes responsibility for the failure to qualify. But won't resign and refuses to say he won't run again.
Also that today is not the time to discuss his future plans.
WTF is it about then, Sunil?
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
Pressed on it says that he hasn't decided to run yet but has reached out to people to nominate him

GULATI 2018- FOUR MORE YEARS OF FAILURE
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
I expected this, but it doesn't make it any easier to take.



Sunil says he has been reaching out to people to nominate + endorse him for another term:


He also says that Tab Ramos has essentially been performing TD duties for a while.


As long as Gulati is in charge, I'd say that the chances of Ramos getting hired as TD or full time manager are rather high.
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,289
“Now is not the time to discuss X” is the “innocently raises hands after committing an obvious foul” of post-failure commentary.
 

Jeff Van GULLY

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 13, 2005
4,029
The idea that Gulati is going to run again, after such a miserable failure that's exposed the diseased structure of the whole program, is sickening.

I hope American Outlaws takes a stand against Gulati, a very public stand. Any area where public pressure can be exerted needs to happen.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
The idea that Gulati is going to run again, after such a miserable failure that's exposed the diseased structure of the whole program, is sickening.

I hope American Outlaws takes a stand against Gulati, a very public stand. Any area where public pressure can be exerted needs to happen.
They called for his resignation 2 days ago. He doesn't give a shit. He has enough support from the people he helps enrich that he thinks that like Blatter before him he's exempt from public opinion.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,840

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,289
If we were a true football nation, this fool's mug would be plastered all over the front page every day until he was gone.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446

The idea that Gulati is going to run again, after such a miserable failure that's exposed the diseased structure of the whole program, is sickening.

I hope American Outlaws takes a stand against Gulati, a very public stand. Any area where public pressure can be exerted needs to happen.
What's really sickening is that he's probably going to win.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Nobody has all the answers to how to solve pay to play, but this is just terrible:


"I mean, it's just like this other thing that only middle class kids and up can afford!"
 

allstonite

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 27, 2010
2,472
That explains why we also haven't won the World Cup of Piano too.

This sucks. Is there anything that can be done? The Outlaws want him out should be powerful if they can manage a boycott but will that lead to anything? I'm guessing the board members quoted above don't speak for the majority so that's why he'll win.

Can we get fly a plane with a "GULATI OUT! TB IN!" banner to fly around the next friendly?
 

Jeff Van GULLY

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 13, 2005
4,029
The next match is a USWNT friendly in New Orleans in about a week and I happen to be a member of that AO chapter. Too bad it falls on my wedding anniversary!
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,754
Pittsburgh, PA
I would contribute to a plane-banner fund. One of my favorite English football traditions, if it can be called that.

edit: also, Jeff Carlisle pens a front-page ESPN article calling for Gulati's head. Next we need street protests. Anyone want to join me in picketing in front of his weekly sports-management class at Columbia University?
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,840
Wynalda announced for President? Did I miss that?

Also, will Dempsey ever get chance to break the goals record?
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Wynalda has been publicly "thinking about it" for a while but I don't think he's officially announced. I'm willing to hear him out, but I'm skeptical about Wynalda, who has always struck me as a loose cannon and not leadership material.

It's academic, though. If Gulati is going to be voted out, I'd imagine the winning candidate will need to be backed by MLS. I don't see it with Wynalda.

I'd guess Clint will get a few chances.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,668
Wynalda's free kick against Switzerland is to this day the best goal a US player has ever scored for the MNT. Don't know much about his post-playing career though.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
I'm not able to watch, but the US is up early on Paraguay in the R16 through a Timothy Weah strike. Carleton's pass to Akinola was excellent.

 

dirtynine

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 17, 2002
8,394
Philly
The U-17s look great today. Up 3-0 in the second half over Paraguay and headed for the quarterfinals it would seem.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
The highlights of the five goals are here:


Weah scored a hat trick and Carleton had a big game with a goal and being heavily involved in three of the other four goals. A 5-0 spanking of CONMEBOL opposition in the knockout rounds is nice to see.

England or Japan up next in the quarterfinal. The US will have an extra day of rest.


EDIT: Apparently this is the first time the US has won a knockout game at the U17 WC since the LD/DMB/Onyewu/Convey/Beckerman team in 1999 and the second time ever.
 
Last edited:

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,754
Pittsburgh, PA
Looks sweet. A pro-level goalkeeper probably gets to 2nd Weah ball, though - it wasn't exactly upper 90. But I've now gone from "who's Tim Weah?" to "Tim Weah is a name to remember" in the span of a few weeks, so that's going in the right direction.

Having Josh Sargent on that team is like crushing a nut with a triphammer. He's just so much stronger than the defenders, it's like watching a DB try to solo tackle Gronk.

edit: those game stats are a little fishy. 4 corners for Paraguay, 0 for USA. 3 yellow cards for USA, 0 for Paraguay. No offside for either team in 90 minutes. You would certainly not expect those stats with that scoreline.
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,016
Chelmsford, MA
Looks sweet. A pro-level goalkeeper probably gets to 2nd Weah ball, though - it wasn't exactly upper 90. But I've now gone from "who's Tim Weah?" to "Tim Weah is a name to remember" in the span of a few weeks, so that's going in the right direction.

Having Josh Sargent on that team is like crushing a nut with a triphammer. He's just so much stronger than the defenders, it's like watching a DB try to solo tackle Gronk.

edit: those game stats are a little fishy. 4 corners for Paraguay, 0 for USA. 3 yellow cards for USA, 0 for Paraguay. No offside for either team in 90 minutes. You would certainly not expect those stats with that scoreline.
Given the amount of space the US attackers are running into it appears as if Paraguay set their line at the own box, maybe that's how they avoid the offside.

Most heartening to me is the clever passing by Carleton. Very cultured. We need as many players who play with an advanced feel for the game as we can come up with.

ESPN linked me to a discussion about comments made by Jones which were quite damning about the USMNT and Morris in particular. I found myself agreeing with Jermaine even if it wasn't necessarily well expressed. It's an eternal debate at this point but at least interesting to see one player (in MLS, no less) expressing it.
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
ESPN linked me to a discussion about comments made by Jones which were quite damning about the USMNT and Morris in particular. I found myself agreeing with Jermaine even if it wasn't necessarily well expressed. It's an eternal debate at this point but at least interesting to see one player (in MLS, no less) expressing it.
Pretty sure we're not allowed to talk about that.
 
Last edited:

moly99

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 28, 2007
939
Seattle
ESPN linked me to a discussion about comments made by Jones which were quite damning about the USMNT and Morris in particular. I found myself agreeing with Jermaine even if it wasn't necessarily well expressed. It's an eternal debate at this point but at least interesting to see one player (in MLS, no less) expressing it.
It's very easy to say that other people should be willing to sacrifice their careers and paychecks bouncing between leagues in Europe in a vain struggle to break through in Germany or England. And yet when he himself had to choose a $4.7 million contract in MLS or fighting for a spot on the roster in Turkey , what did Jermaine Jones choose?

Also, Jordan Morris has three goals in MLS this year and may be benched for the MLS playoffs. The idea that he would be tearing it up in a much more fast and technical league is just laughable.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
It's very easy to say that other people should be willing to sacrifice their careers and paychecks bouncing between leagues in Europe in a vain struggle to break through in Germany or England. And yet when he himself had to choose a $4.7 million contract in MLS or fighting for a spot on the roster in Turkey , what did Jermaine Jones choose?

Also, Jordan Morris has three goals in MLS this year and may be benched for the MLS playoffs. The idea that he would be tearing it up in a much more fast and technical league is just laughable.
I agree with him 100%, he moved here when he was old and winding down his career. His point is that MLS doesn't develop players well (and he's right).

Morris has stagnated, it's not that he would be tearing up the Bundesliga, it's that he would learn and grow far more just training there than he would in MLS.

A great example of this is DeAndre Yedlin. He was a superstar in MLS on the basis of pure raw speed, he had basically no technique and didn't really know how to defend. He went to England, rode the bench, got loaned out, fought for a spot, got a couple really good managers and coaching staffs in and he learned a ton, he's 10 times the technical and tactical player he was. Bobby Wood, Christian Pulisic, Geoff Cameron, a lot of the players who developed in Europe keep getting better, while their MLS counterparts seem to flame out, or stagnate.... in large part for technical and tactical reasons.

A guy i also think of who hasn't had much USMNT exposure is Seb LLeget. He had just about the worst luck in the world in England, illness, injury, 3 managers, couldn't get a loan. HOWEVER he also spent a lot of time learning from a good youth academy, and he came back to MLS as one of the most technically skilled Americans in the league, and despite not being physically anything special he really see the field, unlocks passes and handles the ball in a way his MLS developed counterparts who are more athletically gifted can't.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,754
Pittsburgh, PA
Given the amount of space the US attackers are running into it appears as if Paraguay set their line at the own box, maybe that's how they avoid the offside.

Most heartening to me is the clever passing by Carleton. Very cultured. We need as many players who play with an advanced feel for the game as we can come up with.

ESPN linked me to a discussion about comments made by Jones which were quite damning about the USMNT and Morris in particular. I found myself agreeing with Jermaine even if it wasn't necessarily well expressed. It's an eternal debate at this point but at least interesting to see one player (in MLS, no less) expressing it.
I agree with CD, but I'll also say that Carleton is 17 years old and has one MLS start under his belt. And is being coached by Tata Martino, former coach of Barcelona and the Argentine national team, so if you're going to pick one situation where he might not get fouled up by MLS, he's probably in it.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
I agree with CD, but I'll also say that Carleton is 17 years old and has one MLS start under his belt. And is being coached by Tata Martino, former coach of Barcelona and the Argentine national team, so if you're going to pick one situation where he might not get fouled up by MLS, he's probably in it.
Also... he's 17. I mean sure I'd love every kid to go to Europe (good situations in Europe, not Cyprus or something) sooner than later if given the chance... however, that isn't really the point Jones or I are making. When he hits 19 or 20 though.... if he's still on the trajectory he looks like he's on, there will be big 4 league offers and he should be looking to challenge himself by answering the call. That more than anything is what's damning about some of the USMNT guys who either didn't go, or came back young. They didn't want to challenge themselves at a higher level, and athletes who don't want to challenge themselves almost never reach their potential.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Also... he's 17. I mean sure I'd love every kid to go to Europe (good situations in Europe, not Cyprus or something) sooner than later if given the chance... however, that isn't really the point Jones or I are making. When he hits 19 or 20 though.... if he's still on the trajectory he looks like he's on, there will be big 4 league offers and he should be looking to challenge himself by answering the call. That more than anything is what's damning about some of the USMNT guys who either didn't go, or came back young. They didn't want to challenge themselves at a higher level, and athletes who don't want to challenge themselves almost never reach their potential.


:(
 

67YAZ

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2000
8,729
It's not just as easy as answering the call when a top-4 Euro league team comes calling. Break Shea is the cautionary example - loads of talent, but buried once he went to Stoke. His career completely stalled out, and he won't reach anywhere near the ceiling many of us hoped he might. These young guys need to get good offers from teams that will support their development, and then they need to get good guidance about which offers to take up. It's a difficult, high stakes decision that's easy to criticize from the outside.

Jermaine Jones came up in the German system. He's got a different experience than US-born & bred players. It doesn't invalidate his point, but it should be tempered with something like Brek Shea's experience to provide some balance.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,460
It's not just as easy as answering the call when a top-4 Euro league team comes calling. Break Shea is the cautionary example - loads of talent, but buried once he went to Stoke. His career completely stalled out, and he won't reach anywhere near the ceiling many of us hoped he might. These young guys need to get good offers from teams that will support their development, and then they need to get good guidance about which offers to take up. It's a difficult, high stakes decision that's easy to criticize from the outside.

Jermaine Jones came up in the German system. He's got a different experience than US-born & bred players. It doesn't invalidate his point, but it should be tempered with something like Brek Shea's experience to provide some balance.
possible on Shea, though I also question whether he would have been any good if he didn't go to Stoke. Shea had a few problems... 1st he got injured, 2nd he got a loan cancelled because of attitude problem, he had a lot of the same issues in some ways that Lletget had in terms of playing time. There was also a lot of talk that the professional atmosphere wasn't something he was ready for, and that makes me wonder if he didn't perform in training, and his failure there led to him crashing out.

Mostly, based on his USMNT and MLS return... I just think Brek Shea was a speed merchant who never put in the effort or maybe just lacked the ability to learn positioning, technique etc.

Overall though, I think it's part of the whole broken US youth system, there is a huge emphasis on games, on getting game time, scrimmages, etc. Guys like Shea never really learn how to train to develop abilities and skills. You can get much better training and playing in the reserves, and performing there gets you opportunities. Game playing time is a product of development more than a place to develop.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
Shea was big, fast, and strong, but doesn't do anything else particularly well. His technique is below-average at the international level and nobody was ever wowed by his vision and decision-making. His hype levels were a product of wrong-headed priorities in youth evaluation and the fact that he was part of a relatively barren generation so it wasn't too hard to stand out. He also benefited from one monster half-season with FC Dallas. When you revisit his actual accomplishments at the club level, his resume is quite thin outside of the first half of 2011.

Overall though, I think it's part of the whole broken US youth system, there is a huge emphasis on games, on getting game time, scrimmages, etc. Guys like Shea never really learn how to train to develop abilities and skills. You can get much better training and playing in the reserves, and performing there gets you opportunities. Game playing time is a product of development more than a place to develop.
I don't know about every local youth league, but the elite kids in the Development Academy are usually playing one game a week for most of the season at this point.

But many games or few games, we're not going to develop many technically and tactically strong players until we have a lot of coaches who know how to do that.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,446
As it stands, the Athletes' Council (20% of the total vote) will not be voting as a bloc.

 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,289
Geoff Cameron stops by to mutilate (again) the corpse of Bruce Arena and the arrogane of US Soccer powers-that-be, and I love him for it.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/geoff-cameron-what-must-change-in-u-s-soccer/
"If you want to see what’s wrong with U.S. Soccer in a single image, just go out to one of these fancy suburbs some weekend and spot the coaches of the fancy club teams strutting on the sidelines. Half of them are carrying themselves like they’re Pep Guardiola."

YYYYYYYYUP