Don't worry, he's great.So nice. I'm having a really hard time not getting overexcited about Pulisic.
It's a damn shame we couldn't have gotten our hands on him sooner.I know the narrative is that Jones is ending his usefulness, but I thought he was really good today and a sgnificant midfield presence both ways.
He looked Beckerman-slow to me out there. Decent passing. But he also took a few ill-advised shots that never had a chance. He thinks he's still playing Portugal.I know the narrative is that Jones is ending his usefulness, but I thought he was really good today and a sgnificant midfield presence both ways.
What makes you a bad person? I'm curious why you opened with that, because wanting to punch Bergen County Jersey boy in the face doesn't make you a bad person. That's just nature, whether or not he spurned the Homeland for the Old Country.I am a bad person. I want to punch him in his fucking face.
After five years at the helm of the US men’s national team, here is what Klinsmann has made of himself: a plodding technocrat in dad pants, bereft of tactical skill and passionate only in the defense of his own incompetence.
Make America Great Again: Fire Jurgen
This is almost as brutal as Leander Shaerlaeckens's review of a Klinsmann biography last month https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/jurgen-klinsmanns-new-biography-is-everything-thats-wrong-with-jurgen-klinsmann
Just a few paragraphs into Erik Kirschbaum's Soccer Without Borders: Jürgen Klinsmann, Coaching the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team and the Quest for the World Cup, the author gives his first, but hardly last, misrepresentation of Klinsmann's managerial career. He refers to the "remarkably strong showing by the U.S. Men's National Team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil" and its "stylish performances" there, which made it "arguably the most successful U.S. soccer team ever."
Wait. What?
I have no particular affinity for Klinsmann. There's plenty to criticize him for, but ffs why the rhetorical hysterics?Neither properly suited nor truly tracksuited, Klinsmann inhabits an uncomfortable sartorial middle ground, unconsciously mirroring the interstitial mediocrity of his charges on the field of play.
Hopefully, but I don't think there has been any concrete news on that front. He is under contract for one more year.So, quick aside, what's the latest on Julian Green? Is he moving on from Bayern this summer?
Agree, the article is full emotionally-driven statements, contains many petty insults, and has little substance. (Which ironically, is just like Klinsmann. All that's missing is the author forcing us to jump and down while reading it until we all blow out our hamstrings.)I'm not a Klinsmann fan, but that guardian article is hot garbage from someone who it seems knows nothing about the sport and is bizarrely obsessed with how soccer coaches dress.
As for Copa, no chance it matters, Jurgen has until Russia, and if we do well there he'll probably get extended. Copa is a rough draw, just getting out of the group should probably be considered a success
This is because we have no talent, right?
No! Wrong, wrong, wrong! The US are as deep and talented as they've ever been.
This US team is so deep that a Bundesliga starter (Alfredo Morales) couldn't make the roster. Omar Gonzalez, who was dominant in leading Pachuca to the Liga MX title, couldn't make the roster. Jordan Morris, the best young striker in the pool and a regular for Klinsmann prior to this summer, couldn't make the roster.
- The goalkeeper starts in the English Premier League.
- Two of the probable starting defenders also start in the EPL, while the other two are Bundesliga starters.
- The midfield comprises guys who've played for top-four clubs in the greatest leagues in Europe, a starter for a good Ligue 1 club, a World Cup veteran, and one of the hottest young prospects in the world.
- Jozy Altidore will miss this tournament via injury, but his replacement--Bobby Wood--just secured a multi-million-dollar move to a Bundesliga club. Clint Dempsey led all scorers at least year's Gold Cup, and Gyasi Zardes a) keeps racking up goals and assists, and b) is attracting interest from European clubs for a reason.
Even if there's no single player as good as Landon Donovan in his prime, no US team has ever had top-to-bottom talent like this. The US should absolutely get out of the group, and a tournament championship wouldn't be a Leicester City-sized upset. It wouldn't even be a Greece 2004-sized upset.
WSJ: Younger players say you give little in the way of instruction, that you say things like “let your personality show,” or “make a statement.” Why do you speak in such generalities?
Klinsmann: When you go very specific, where do you start? Do you start with five bullet points? Or with 20? For every position, every system you want to play, every style you’re going to play? We do that here and there specifically before the games, but at the end of the day, they need to drive their own bullet points. They need to understand what makes me stronger, what makes me better.
This is from the Pulisic article posted earlier this week:My school was done at 1 p.m.and I got lunch and then quick homework and then I was out until it got dark. That gave me my skill set for later on. By 11 or 12, I had the full skill set, bicycle kicks and all that. You don’t find that here.”
The players were amused by Pulisic and gave him showy tricks to try, like juggling the ball with one foot tucked behind the other, Matt Johnson, a former Ignition player, said. A day or two later, Johnson said, Pulisic would come back to the team with the latest move all but mastered.
Mark would later tell the players his son had put in three hours in the backyard getting it down.
TB... I had a thought today. JK has been given more or less a pass in the years he's been here because of a lack of talent in the player pool... but a few questions:Doyle looks at US chances in a Copa preview and makes the case for the US talent pool. I think he overplays his hand a tiny bit, but I do agree with him in the general sense that our overall talent issues are somewhat overblown.
A Klinsmann Q&A in the WSJ:
Ok..so I'm just going off there last game...and I understand that Columbia is better...but I think some of the same things can be said about other games the US has played recently (in the past two to three years).Columbia's base talent level is sooooo far above the US that making any conclusion along that axis is exhibiting a total lack of core unserstanding of the problem here.
After 2000-2004, Germany had bad results (2002 WC final was a flaw based on a superb defense behind Olli Kahn´s insane goalkeeping and Klose´s and Ballack´s timely goals) and changed everyhing in their youth systems. After 2006 and Klinsi, Jogi Löw became coach (was assistant already with him). He got 8 years until winning it all in Brazil 2014, although he got great results before. But you can´t improve the bad players from before (only players remaining from 2006´s 3rd place finish until 2014 winner were Klose, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Mertesacker, Podolski), you have to improve the system of youth stables. I don´t know if there´s much going on in the US. But as Klinsmann saw firsthanded, what happened in Germany, he should know that there´s the root of the problem and he needs to change things in the US.3. what coach ever has been given the number of years he has with the results he's had? is there another coach who would be ideally suited to this team? It's one thing to say the player pool is shallow, but what has JK done to improve the pool? When can the excuse turn into more of a question of why the pool hasn't improved?
Germany benefited from the quick goalkeeping reflexes of Torsten Frings, as well!After 2000-2004, Germany had bad results (2002 WC final was a flaw based on a superb defense behind Olli Kahn´s insane goalkeeping and Klose´s and Ballack´s timely goals) and changed everyhing in their youth systems.
Yes. You are wrong. Michael Bradley's stagnation/regression has very, very, very little to do with his irregular stints as a NT player, where he spends like 12.5% of his professional career. (estimate - probably lower, but whatever)But is my memory wrong? MB seemed to flourish when he played much more forward where his passes didn't have to be as long and he could poach for rebounds or the like at the top of the box or make the occasional run into the box. MB may never have been all that great, but he's definitely gotten worse under JK (again this is my opinion and based on observation).
USMNT fans have historically put too much stock on wins in friendlies. I remember a 1-0 win in Feb. 1998 over Brazil, I and many people were super excited about how good the team looked, how well they would do in the upcoming World Cup (USA finished dead-last). Friendlies are just for players to get familiar with each other and stay sharp, for coaches to get closer look at the roster, and for FAs to sell tickets. Many top players aren't available, teams play fringe players, and get 5 or 6 subs. A successful friendly is when no key player gets injured, other than that, result does matter much.US fans (or basically people in general) are so up and down or black and white. I´m not 100% into Klinsmann and don´t know about the US system or what he changed. But when you win a friendly against Germany, everybody says "wow, they are playing and beating the Worlds´top teams!" and when Michael Bradley gets worse through the years, Klinsi is at fault. I mean, friendlies don´t count and I think that Klinsmann has no responsibility (really, zero) for guys not improving long-term. Guys train in their own clubs for about 9 months a year, are at the national team for a month (without a big tournament) and have a two month break I would say.
Great, now I'm in an even fouler mood than I was when I turned the Sox game off for a little while. Thanks for that...Germany benefited from the quick goalkeeping reflexes of Torsten Frings, as well!
I'm curious as to what folks think Bradley should have done in early 2014 instead of moving to Toronto. My relatively uneducated guess is that if he doesn't move to Toronto, he remains stuck on Roma's bench and gets a handful of Serie A substitute appearances and maybe a cup game or two. Not sure what other offers he had on the table.Yeah if we're blaming anything for Bradley's decline it should be his decision to move to MLS
If I remember correctly Fulham wanted him on a season long loan with an option to buy. The problem is partly his fault (though can't totally blame a guy for taking a ridiculous longterm contract with a lot of guaranteed money) and that Toronto paid a huge fee for him which dis-incentivized Roma loaning him out or moving him to one of the better leagues. Basically he took the easy money and playing time over a fight for playing time or forcing a less lucrative move to another league. Now that may have been the best move for him personally, but it hurt the USMNT. He wasn't a Jozy who flopped in good leagues, he was a starter at Roma before they bought an upgrade.I'm curious as to what folks think Bradley should have done in early 2014 instead of moving to Toronto. My relatively uneducated guess is that if he doesn't move to Toronto, he remains stuck on Roma's bench and gets a handful of Serie A substitute appearances and maybe a cup game or two. Not sure what other offers he had on the table.
No, I still have hope for Julian (happy 21st birthday to him today, btw) and if he takes a step forward he will definitely be in contention for the WC roster given our lack of attacking width. He needs to make some smart career choices soon, though. Another year in the Regionalliga Bayern league will not help him.Has Green gone the way of Adu for you?
My assumption was that GZ (19), CCV (18), and Hyndman (20) were on the young end of the spectrum (current ages) and thus not included. Would it be great if CCV makes a leap and makes it over Birnbaum? or whoever, you betcha. But Yes I know Pulisic is up now and Green was 19 at Brazil.Also, why no Zelalem or Carter-Vickers in the squad?
Williams had a solid year for Reading in the Championship. His problem is that he's caught up in a numbers game. As he's grown as a player, it's become increasingly clear that he's yet another box-to-box mid, which is where he plays for his club. Klinsmann has tried him at DM a few times, but he was pretty awful there in last October's friendly against Costa Rica. For him to get a shot in his natural position, he has to beat out Bradley, Jones, Nagbe, Morales, Bedoya, Diskerud, et al. I think if given a chance he could beat out some of those guys, but not enough to make it to the starting lineup.D Williams also falling out of favor?
Don't think Lletget ever makes the leap?
And I'd rather have Zardes > Jozy at this point.
No way. He's an important contributor and starting winger on a top 4 Bundesliga club. Play him at fullback if we absolutely must, but his talent would be wasted inside and there's no evidence that he'd even be good at it.Maybe a waste of his wing abilities but what about FJ as the DM?
They're not ready. CCV hasn't played a single minute of professional soccer and his season with Spurs U21 ended in March because of an injury. Zelalem racked up 21 appearances at Rangers this season, but his performances were up-and-down and he finished the year largely out of the starting lineup. The rough-and-tumble nature of the Scottish second tier isn't the ideal platform for a player of his skillset, but it's a low enough level that any USMNT caliber player should be able to exert more of an influence than GZ did.Also, why no Zelalem or Carter-Vickers in the squad?
Goff posted his full transcript:Steven Goff has some interesting Gulati stuff right now: https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider
Among them... that everything will be re-evaluated after Copa, that performances in official competitions last 18 months not what hoped for, and this gem:
I'm surprised, that makes it sound like JK could legitimately not make it to RUS18.
Edit- and apparently none of the reporters asked him about Scala and Infantino, because......