Where is Martinique you say?
Martinique has a population of 336,000. Its chief exports are fruits, beverages and refined petroleum products. There are approximately 260,000 native Martinicans living in mainland France, mostly around the Paris region. Most of the emigration occurred in the 1970s. The official language on the island is French but many residents also speak Martiniquan Creole.
Music is particularly popular in on Martinique where Zouk music gained tremendous popularity and became particularly famous in France during the late 20th Century.
Paul Gauguin lived on Martinique in the late 19th Century and in the movie Assassins Creed III, Benjamin Church was trying to escape to the island. Its main airport, Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport, serves flights to Europe, Venezuela, Canada, the Caribbean and the US. Lizards, snakes and Mongooses are all indigenous to the island.
Should be a blowout.
Yeah, Acosta was poor.
Excited to see Lichaj back in the mix and what Roldan can do.
Very different team today.
I'll keep an eye on it but it's kind of the "C" team tonight, at least at several positions. Which is fine - let's see these guys play.
Bill hamid should start
C team or not. Defending is terrible. Possession is terrible. Finishing is terrible.
Excuses galore from Landy Cakes.
P☆U☆M☆P☆E☆D.
Arriola, Zardes and Morris keep botching chances. Roldan has brought nothing. Ugh.
That's what I'm seeing too.
He had to make some absurd saves for this awful defense tonight and against Panama. Then he let's that trash in.
Despite the 2-1 lead, our performance has been desultory and uninspiring. We look lethargic.
And the team plays like ass hair.
And just like that, we're back ahead.
No disrespect to Martinique. But it's Martinique.
No disrespect to Martinique. But it's Martinique.
Mostly amateur, on top of it..........
I'm no Jurgey fan by any means. Nor am I a Landy fan. But he would have completely passively aggressively ruined Jurgey for a performance like tonight.
I think Howard will be back for the knockout rounds and he played in the Hex qualifiers
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 11:02 pm : link : reply
According to Donovan. But if this was a Jurgey coached team he would have been lighting them up.
I'm no Jurgey fan by any means. Nor am I a Landy fan. But he would have completely passively aggressively ruined Jurgey for a performance like tonight
Klinsmann opened himself up for criticism by rarely working the younger guys in and with no seeming logic behind it when he did. And when we looked bad it wasn't because we had young guys making the Int'l stage - it was because he played them out of position and didn't have any tactical plan.
I'm no Jurgey fan by any means. Nor am I a Landy fan. But he would have completely passively aggressively ruined Jurgey for a performance like tonight.
Completely agree with this. In any event it is a mistake to think of Arena as anything other than a coach brought in to stabilize the program. Truly here for the sole purpose of getting the US qualified for the World Cup. While the product on the field is not great, you have to credit him with giving some players a chance. What people are going to realize is that despite the improved quality of the MLS, there is still an overall lack of depth for the USMNT and the road to international success is going to be longer and more complicated than simply replacing JK.
1. Arena is using this tournament to figure out the back end of the squad he takes to Russia. It annoys me slightly that our continental tournament is being used as a scouting combine of sorts, but that was the position Arena was put in when he took over a team that lost its first two World Cup qualifiers. We all know, within a couple players, who the starting XI would be if the World Cup started tomorrow...
2. Arena is working to avoid the making the same crucial mistake Klinsmann did in 2014. When Jozy got hurt in the opener, Klinsmann was befuddled on how to deal with it and it threw the rest of the starting XI into chaos. That won't happen with Arena. By May 2018 he will have had good looks at Dom Dwyer, Jordan Morris, Juan Agudelo, and probably a couple other alternatives to the likely preferred Jozy/Wood duo up front. He's going to know what they do and don't do well, how they partner with the other players, etc. This doesn't just apply to the strikers...it applies to everybody. Pain felt now means a more prepared squad in Russia. Given the tight timeframe (he was hired in late November, giving him only 18 months to prep for the World Cup while at the same time trying to dig out of the hole Klinsmann dug), it makes sense to use this Gold Cup as basically a scouting combine.
3. Arena's (and USMNT's) job is not to develop players. That's what the clubs do. His job is to qualify for Russia and take the best possible 23 man squad there.
4. I've said this before...the MLS schedule gives the US a major advantage over the players from the European leagues. Where the European players will be at the end of grueling seasons (the top players will have played around 60 matches), the MLS based guys will be at peak fitness. Remember back to the 2014 World Cup...Germany and Argentina were the walking dead by the final. The defining moment of the match should have been Kroos's boneheaded back pass to Higuain (video below), who then proceeded at a glacial pace to blow the chance. The quality on display for much of the World Cup from the top teams was absolutely brutal...the fatigue of being at the end of a congested calendar has to be a factor there.
5. I'm not worried based on yesterday. Less emphasis is being placed on quality of play than there is on learning about the players. And besides, they got the result.
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This attitude is a large chunk of the problem.
Behind the rest of the world is an absurd statement. They were in the quarterfinals of the last world cup with a joke of a coach.
The issue is that you don't realize that supporting the MLS is the fastest path to the US cracking the top tier.
I'm not sure you know what you're talking about.
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Fitness won't be that big of an advantage if they can't possess or defend.
I'm not sure you know what you're talking about.
I think I do.
That time is not now.
The US is in the tier of countries just below the elite level. They've shown they can consistently get out of group stages and can compete.
They can sniff the jocks of any country - not saying they would beat them, but it isn't some pipedream. when you look at some of the sides who've never won a World Cup, it's pretty easy to see how difficult a feat it is.
especially if they are in fact more fit than their opponents
3-1 over Uruguay
1-0 over Italy
0-0 with England
1-1 with Greece (win on PKs)
0-0 with Netherlands (lose on PKs)
Had they won the penalty shootout with the Dutch, they would have faced a faltering Argentina team and had a real chance to go to the final.
Costa Rica, on a good day for them, is our peer.
Mexico only made the World Cup because of Graham Zusi's goal in Panama. We qualified from the hex with 22 points; Mexico had only 11. Our results against Mexico in qualifying were a 2-0 win and a 0-0 draw. Mexico entered the World Cup a limping, wounded mess. Their tournament:
1-0 over Cameroon
0-0 with Brazil
3-1 over Croatia
1-2 loss to Netherlands...You may recall that Mexico led 1-0 in the 88' when Robben did this.
Mexico is our peer.
We've had better results than England in the past couple World Cups.
Yes, they got the result as was expected. But they looked awful doing it against an awful team. Just watch Gonzalez in his post game interview. Complete dejection and bewilderment.
In the Panama match there were huge amounts of space between the centerbacks and midfielders, and Panama was able to exploit it. That is not a talent issue...it's a familiarity and chemistry issue.
In the Panama match there were huge amounts of space between the centerbacks and midfielders, and Panama was able to exploit it. That is not a talent issue...it's a familiarity and chemistry issue.
One of the things that stood out was inability to control the ball in the air. Martinique constantly got to the ball in the air - out jumping us.
Another was lack of speed on the backs.
Additionally, while there is talent, the lack of depth is really apparent. There is a major difference between potential and talent. We have many bright young prospects in our U-20 teams with enormous potential. They are simply not ready for the big games and tournaments. Arena should be applauded for giving some that opportunity. All that said, the major European clubs are in the business to make money and that occurs when they perform well on the field. They have only recently started to pursue American youth players. It is going to take time and patience, but the US is not there yet.
We are firmly in the second tier of countries right now...the top tier consists of about 7 or 8 countries. And while there is still a gap between us and them, there are forces that are hurting those top countries:
- An increasingly congested fixture calendar. At this point the Real Madrid/Barca/Bayern/Juventus level players are usually playing about 60 matches a year.
- Enormous turnover at the top clubs. The huge money being thrown around by the top clubs (and by everyone in the Premier League) is causing turnover that borders on the ludicrous. James Rodriguez, for example, is an excellent player that was purchased by Real Madrid, basically, on a lark. They had no need for him when they bought him, and he has more or less wasted three years of his career there. Now he's being loaned to Bayern. There are dozens of stories like his now going on in Europe. Top players are being bought for enormous sums and being paid huge salaries to ride benches.
Another example is Lucas Perez. Perez had a great year at cash strapped Deportivo, and Arsenal swooped in and bought him for 20 million pounds. He barely played, and a year later Arsenal is looking to sell him at a loss. He is keen to move as he wants a shot at Spain's World Cup in Russia. He made a lot more money at Arsenal, but it wasn't any good for his football to move. This is happening to players on many scales in Europe, and I think it's why the quality of play at international tournaments is suffering.
- The big money hurts the national teams in another way...it's impossible to carry continuity from a club team to a national team.
If you take a look at those top clubs, the key players are increasingly not from the country in which they play professionally. Nowhere is this more clear in England, where the top clubs barely feature any English players.
Barcelona is dominated by foreigners, and while Real Madrid has some promising young Spaniards they still only got to play because of Bale's injuries. It's a similar story at Bayern, where they may field three or four Germans in a given match.
A symptom could be seen in Euro 2016, which was universally derided as a terrible tournament. There is little in the way of a national style anymore. No one wants to be xenophobic, but the national footballing identities and styles of European countries are being diluted by the money and it is costing their national teams, IMO.
We are firmly in the second tier of countries right now...the top tier consists of about 7 or 8 countries. And while there is still a gap between us and them, there are forces that are hurting those top countries:
- An increasingly congested fixture calendar. At this point the Real Madrid/Barca/Bayern/Juventus level players are usually playing about 60 matches a year
- Enormous turnover at the top clubs. The huge money being thrown around by the top clubs (and by everyone in the Premier League) is causing turnover that borders on the ludicrous. James Rodriguez, for example, is an excellent player that was purchased by Real Madrid, basically, on a lark. They had no need for him when they bought him, and he has more or less wasted three years of his career there. Now he's being loaned to Bayern. There are dozens of stories like his now going on in Europe. Top players are being bought for enormous sums and being paid huge salaries to ride benches.
Another example is Lucas Perez. Perez had a great year at cash strapped Deportivo, and Arsenal swooped in and bought him for 20 million pounds. He barely played, and a year later Arsenal is looking to sell him at a loss. He is keen to move as he wants a shot at Spain's World Cup in Russia. He made a lot more money at Arsenal, but it wasn't any good for his football to move. This is happening to players on many scales in Europe, and I think it's why the quality of play at international tournaments is suffering.
- The big money hurts the national teams in another way...it's impossible to carry continuity from a club team to a national team.
If you take a look at those top clubs, the key players are increasingly not from the country in which they play professionally. Nowhere is this more clear in England, where the top clubs barely feature any English players.
Barcelona is dominated by foreigners, and while Real Madrid has some promising young Spaniards they still only got to play because of Bale's injuries. It's a similar story at Bayern, where they may field three or four Germans in a given match.
A symptom could be seen in Euro 2016, which was universally derided as a terrible tournament. There is little in the way of a national style anymore. No one wants to be xenophobic, but the national footballing identities and styles of European countries are being diluted by the money and it is costing their national teams, IMO.
Doesn't this prove that U.S. players not playing in the MLS isn't a bad thing? I am a firm believer that you need to play with the better players to be a better player yourself. I know this from experience and just being involved in soccer for 30 years. I do not have an answer as far as why our development of players is still behind other countries. You can say it isn't but look at the German team fielded in the Confederations cup. Basically a new crop of Germans that would wipe the floor with us.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
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To get the 3-0 result. That was huge.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
Hedges didn't play yesterday. And he was terrific.
Go support Brazil or some shit.
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In comment 13529196 B in ALB said:
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To get the 3-0 result. That was huge.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
Hedges didn't play yesterday. And he was terrific.
Go support Brazil or some shit.
Fuck.
*Horrific
I don't get you. What is your end goal here?
If you're trying to convince us the US isn't a good soccer team/country, go take a fucking hike, guy. You're just wrong and no one wants to read you bitching.
People also need to realize that the coach has a very minimal impact on the game compared to other sports. Arena is not over thinking anything which is good. Players win and lose games in soccer.
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In comment 13529196 B in ALB said:
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To get the 3-0 result. That was huge.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
Hedges didn't play yesterday. And he was terrific.
Go support Brazil or some shit.
I was taking about his fuck this team comment and how negative he was on that game thread btw. I don't care about a player that sucks on the b team.
If you don't want to support the US or its local product go have an EPL team or chase Messi around all day.
Fake soccer snobs like yourself are the problem, not part of the solution.
People also need to realize that the coach has a very minimal impact on the game compared to other sports. Arena is not over thinking anything which is good. Players win and lose games in soccer.
I think what you fail to appreciate is that the B team is winning. Also, we all bitched about Klinsmann not playing younger players to see what he had. Well Arena is evaluating players in game to see if they fit into the future or can improve what is already on the "A" team.
It also saves the A team players a bit of wear and tear and has them fresh when it comes to meaningful games.
Also, it is quite hard to throw 11 on the field and be cohesive if they never played together before as a team. Like any team and especially in a dynamic setting, playing together longer builds confidence and chemistry. The longer the B team plays together, the better they will play.
Lastly, being able to win/qualify any tournament with your B team is pretty impressive.
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To get the 3-0 result. That was huge.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
What are you babbling about now?
Hedges didn't even play last night.
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In comment 13529196 B in ALB said:
Quote:
To get the 3-0 result. That was huge.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
What are you babbling about now?
Hedges didn't even play last night.
I was trying to make a point of how negative you were in the Martinique thread and. Ow your on arenas jock like he did something spectacular. Here is this better?
What a shit performance by this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:44 pm : link : reply
Just awful.
No disrespect to Martinique. But it's Martinique.
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I'm still annoyed that they aren't fielding their best team possible. I'm annoyed at people that put any stake in a 3-0 win over Nicaragua. The 3-2 win that they almost blew against Martinique and 1-1 tie with panama was all I needed.
People also need to realize that the coach has a very minimal impact on the game compared to other sports. Arena is not over thinking anything which is good. Players win and lose games in soccer.
I think what you fail to appreciate is that the B team is winning. Also, we all bitched about Klinsmann not playing younger players to see what he had. Well Arena is evaluating players in game to see if they fit into the future or can improve what is already on the "A" team.
It also saves the A team players a bit of wear and tear and has them fresh when it comes to meaningful games.
Also, it is quite hard to throw 11 on the field and be cohesive if they never played together before as a team. Like any team and especially in a dynamic setting, playing together longer builds confidence and chemistry. The longer the B team plays together, the better they will play.
Lastly, being able to win/qualify any tournament with your B team is pretty impressive.
This tournament is for a bid for the confederations cup correct? The World Cup is also less than a year away. Why wouldn't we play the best we have to get them ready? I just don't get it. Let the young guys prove themselves in camp.
Actually intense training sessions can improve players exponentially. Do these players not play in the mls? I'm just saying our team can benefit from any game play whatsoever.
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In comment 13529229 Gmen1982 said:
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In comment 13529196 B in ALB said:
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To get the 3-0 result. That was huge.
Night and day performance from that absurdity against Martinique.
Now they're in a good place by avoiding CR.
Arena has these guys fuckin rockin.
I admire your change of tune after one game against a shit team.
Fuck this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:37 pm : link : reply
Matt Hedges, whoever that is, is horrific.
What are you babbling about now?
Hedges didn't even play last night.
I was trying to make a point of how negative you were in the Martinique thread and. Ow your on arenas jock like he did something spectacular. Here is this better?
What a shit performance by this team
B in ALB : 7/12/2017 10:44 pm : link : reply
Just awful.
No disrespect to Martinique. But it's Martinique.
They were shit against Martinique. And last night they were much better. Should have been 5-0. What's there to argue? You're a weird dude.
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how much better can anyone get in just practice, in any level, in any sport? We absolutely need to see what our B squad is capable of. Klinsman having no backup plan when Altidore left the first game of the WC in 2014 is all I the evidence needed for why you play the B team and give your veterans rest.
Actually intense training sessions can improve players exponentially. Do these players not play in the mls? I'm just saying our team can benefit from any game play whatsoever.
Nothing simulates a real game, it's not even worth arguing with you on it. You want to see the best player at each position play a full game every game. Works in video games, doesn't work in real life.
You can simulate real game situations in practice in spurts but nothing is like playing against a real opponent and you cannot see the players think on their feet like you do in a game.
I think the experts have given you sufficient reasons as to why playing the B Team is important. Besides, they won their flight, who cares?
You can simulate real game situations in practice in spurts but nothing is like playing against a real opponent and you cannot see the players think on their feet like you do in a game.
I think the experts have given you sufficient reasons as to why playing the B Team is important. Besides, they won their flight, who cares?
I'm arguing that they didn't look good in doing so and people have a false sense that it was impressive. And UConn, I would rather have Pulisic play half of the games for Dortmund but train with them than be the man on an MLS team.
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to argue? It is like you are dribbling thoughts on to the thread.
You can simulate real game situations in practice in spurts but nothing is like playing against a real opponent and you cannot see the players think on their feet like you do in a game.
I think the experts have given you sufficient reasons as to why playing the B Team is important. Besides, they won their flight, who cares?
I'm arguing that they didn't look good in doing so and people have a false sense that it was impressive. And UConn, I would rather have Pulisic play half of the games for Dortmund but train with them than be the man on an MLS team.
It is the B Team! Who gives a crap how they look. They won two games and were/are getting better as they play together. Another thing is yellow cards. Why chance a yellow card or two in an unnecessary game or a game that does not necessitate play the A Team.
[quote]My end goal is to watch quality US soccer.
Gmen1982 : 7:44 am : link : reply
I'm still annoyed that they aren't fielding their best team possible. I'm annoyed at people that put any stake in a 3-0 win over Nicaragua. The 3-2 win that they almost blew against Martinique and 1-1 tie with panama was all I needed.
People also need to realize that the coach has a very minimal impact on the game compared to other sports. Arena is not over thinking anything which is good. Players win and lose games in soccer./quote]
You seem to claim to understand the game, yet don't grasp the very elemental concept that teams experiment with squads and give fringe/younger players a chance. You also don't have much of a historical grasp of the game as you seem to think the US isn't showing very well on the Int'l stage, despite a track record over the past decade that says otherwise.
We have a solid second tier team in the world, which is damn impressive.
But I probably just wasted time typing this on just another poster trolling soccer threads.
[quote]My end goal is to watch quality US soccer.
Gmen1982 : 7:44 am : link : reply
I'm still annoyed that they aren't fielding their best team possible. I'm annoyed at people that put any stake in a 3-0 win over Nicaragua. The 3-2 win that they almost blew against Martinique and 1-1 tie with panama was all I needed.
People also need to realize that the coach has a very minimal impact on the game compared to other sports. Arena is not over thinking anything which is good. Players win and lose games in soccer./quote]
You seem to claim to understand the game, yet don't grasp the very elemental concept that teams experiment with squads and give fringe/younger players a chance. You also don't have much of a historical grasp of the game as you seem to think the US isn't showing very well on the Int'l stage, despite a track record over the past decade that says otherwise.
We have a solid second tier team in the world, which is damn impressive.
But I probably just wasted time typing this on just another poster trolling soccer threads.
Yeah I prob just don't understand the game.
The mere idea that you want them to "field the best team possible" shows a complete lack of understanding at what the goal of the group stage of the Gold Cup is. Hell the entire Gold Cup for some teams.
You'd have the same complaint if you were a fan of Mexico here.
The mere idea that you want them to "field the best team possible" shows a complete lack of understanding at what the goal of the group stage of the Gold Cup is. Hell the entire Gold Cup for some teams.
You'd have the same complaint if you were a fan of Mexico here.
I understand why to play second tier guys. I also see it as this could have been an opportunity to get the best players more time playing together. We haven't been exactly world beaters. That's all.
There would be more opportunity to do this if Klinsmann had been fired before qualification started (or fired as should have been after the loss to Belgium; actually he never should have been hired at all), but starting 0-2 left Arena a condensed timeline.
Arena knows what he is doing.
And again, I don't know what "we aren't world beaters" means. Every nation goes through ups and downs, but in general only against the following nations should we feel like underdogs on neutral soil:
Brazil
Argentina
Spain
France
Italy
Germany
Netherlands (maybe)
Chile (maybe)
That's it. Everyone else we're either a peer or we're flat better than them. I'll go a step further and say that I believe there is a World Cup winning team in the US now...not in 2022, not in 2026, but right now. The single biggest impediment to us reaching our potential is ourselves and our inferiority complex.
We've got to stop assuming that people with accents are better players and coaches, and we also have to avoid copying what has been successful elsewhere.
Our success is going to be born and grow organically here in this country.
Then why are you complaining so much about the recent results and the coaching/player selection? You go back and forth. If that's your viewpoint, you should be favoring player development and Arena's approach to looking at different players over results.
Arena is not the greatest coach in the world but he understands the American situation (can't really call it a "system") and is pragmatic as to how to get results from it. Playing the A team in Gold Cup in a WCQ year on the short timetable that Go Terps describes, would be a bad idea. Let's watch now that the US is in knockout in GC and see how it goes. And more important, let's qualify for the World Cup.
I don't follow the domestic players because I don't have the time. I am very involved with youth development and I will say that players now are much better than even ten years ago. The problem is so are the other country's players. I don't know what the problem is. I don't think we are athletically inferior. We just don't have enough pulisics as other countries that terps stated above do.
I watch these games using my eyes and knowledge of the game. I see potential but they have a lot of work to do. I apologize for being so negative but the depth of the team isn't very impressive as shown in the tournament. They finished nicely but two out of three games were not good.
I would give ten consecutive Giants Super Bowl victories for one US World Cup.
It's not just about talent. A well organized team can go into a tournament and surprise people, as Greece proved in 2004. Or look at 2014 - Costa Rica was a penalty shootout away from a completely dead Argentina team in the semifinals. In 2002 the semifinalists were Brazil, Germany...South Korea, and Turkey. We drew with South Korea in that very tournament...on their soil!
In 2006 Italy beat everyone they faced...except us.
We're not as shitty as you think we are.
What the fuck happened to Julian green?
2002 gave me Hope for the near future. If we got past Germany we would've played South Korea in the semis and could've won. 2006 we did draw with Italy but that was our only point and we were last. Not very impressive.
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I would give three giants superbowls for a World Cup victory but that isn't now. There not enough talent yet. We are still a second round and maybe a quarterfinal team.
I would give ten consecutive Giants Super Bowl victories for one US World Cup.
It's not just about talent. A well organized team can go into a tournament and surprise people, as Greece proved in 2004. Or look at 2014 - Costa Rica was a penalty shootout away from a completely dead Argentina team in the semifinals. In 2002 the semifinalists were Brazil, Germany...South Korea, and Turkey. We drew with South Korea in that very tournament...on their soil!
In 2006 Italy beat everyone they faced...except us.
We're not as shitty as you think we are.
Yes, and we are not as good as you think we are. Chile gives us a similar pounding that they gave Mexico in the Confed Cup. Our back four just isn't good enough.
But this is a good debate, because the answer isn't black and white. I like what Arena is doing - we need to get this next tier of players some caps and establish a US style 50-60 guys deep, not just 20.
I would love for the Gold Cup to go away and for the Copa America to cover the Western Hemisphere. Play Curacao and Martinique in qualifying.
where I agree with Terps is that I do believe we are solidly in the 2nd tier of teams, and while Chile may give us a waxing, they are a damn underrated squad these days.
I feel confident that when a match counts under Arena that we'll come prepared to play and will compete. we did it under JK and that was the most dysfunctional I've ever seen the USMNT.
I don't necessarily agree that we have to keep our kids stateside to get better, but we do have to overcome the inferiority complex and the awe of the traditional powers. Mexico has matured past that point(and they've had their share of dysfunctionality too) - now we need to as well.