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.
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:
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.
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.
Quote:
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.
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.
Quote:
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.