Anything less than a competitive game should be considered a huge hit to the state of the program considering the players that each country have called up to this Gold Cup.
but damn the ref ruined this game for us. How no one got a card on the faceplant on Altidore and the choke on McKennie is beyond me.
Unfortunately, that's consistent for CONCACAF
In World Cup qualifying for the last Cup, the US had several games where they had players pushed, shoved or even hit after the whistle and it was let go. Intentional fouls from behind didn't even draw cards. That didn't really impact the game though tonight.
They missed too many chances. It just sucks that Mexico stopped shooting the ball 30 feet high and hit a fluke off-speed shot that steffen inexplicably watched.
What is concerning is that all it took was Mexico to Â
with our performance, but that second half raised a ton of serious concerns about our ability to play decent competition. Namely what to do about our glaring hole at the 6.
Go long and try to create chaos in the Mexican back line. They did and had multiple quality chances.
In the second half they tried to move the ball slowly using possession. They took out Altidore and put in Zardes to help this strategy. Both moves backfired.
RE: At halftime I thought we could lose this game and I'd be satisfied Â
with our performance, but that second half raised a ton of serious concerns about our ability to play decent competition. Namely what to do about our glaring hole at the 6.
Tyler Adams
RE: RE: At halftime I thought we could lose this game and I'd be satisfied Â
with our performance, but that second half raised a ton of serious concerns about our ability to play decent competition. Namely what to do about our glaring hole at the 6.
We just don't have enough technical ability, quickness and speed. For the casual fan, our soccer is boring. A cure for insomnia.
Meanwhile, the difference in attacking talent between Mexico and the US is embarrassingly huge. Watching the second half, you would think we had a player sent off on a red card. It seemed like it was 11 on 10 or even 11 on 9.
We just don't have enough technical ability, quickness and speed. For the casual fan, our soccer is boring. A cure for insomnia.
Meanwhile, the difference in attacking talent between Mexico and the US is embarrassingly huge. Watching the second half, you would think we had a player sent off on a red card. It seemed like it was 11 on 10 or even 11 on 9.
Mexico forced the play to our right side. Once they started doing that bringing on Boyd made a ton of sense. Greg's subs tonight made zero sense, while Tata put on master class halftime adjustments. This is the guy that wanted to be our coach, but we bring on some dude's brother. USSF is a fucking joke and no one questions these things because they don't want to lose access.
We just don't have enough technical ability, quickness and speed. For the casual fan, our soccer is boring. A cure for insomnia.
Meanwhile, the difference in attacking talent between Mexico and the US is embarrassingly huge. Watching the second half, you would think we had a player sent off on a red card. It seemed like it was 11 on 10 or even 11 on 9.
It was 11 on 10 - Bradley is the missing 11th man.
On the goal, it looked to me that Steffen was expecting the shot to go to his left so he was leaning that way. When it went to his right he just couldn't recover fast enough. I don't think it was a lack of effort. It was just that he had his weight going one way and the ball went the other.
Bradley is done.This is a huge hole on team that has no replacement for him.
Cannon played well and should be the starter at fullback going forward.
Storyline is we didn’t bury our chances in the first half and paid for it with Mexican goal in second half.
Pulisic and McKinnie were the bright stars during tournament.
I am definitely not sold on Berhalter going forward as the coach. He was tactically out coached in this game.
Who will replace Jozy going forward as the striker. Certainly not Zardes. Another huge hole for the team.
Bottom line: USMNT as constructed will not compete against WC teams.
with Pulisic is that he's so much better than everybody else on the team that his teammates can't keep up with him. Of course, that's not Pulisic's fault
USSF is a fucking joke and no one questions these things because they don't want to lose access.
While FIFA is a shitshow, the USSF is a very exclusive entity that insulates those close to the program and gives a lot of rewards to those who stay "loyal".
The mere fact that they influence who has access is a sham.Soccer in the USA is basically controlled by a small group of people, most who aren't acting in the best interests of growing the program.
USSF is a fucking joke and no one questions these things because they don't want to lose access.
While FIFA is a shitshow, the USSF is a very exclusive entity that insulates those close to the program and gives a lot of rewards to those who stay "loyal".
Besides Berhalter being the brother of the COO of USSF, Michael Bradley is the son of the former coach of the USMNT. They are not in their positions on merit.
The women succeed despite the USSF, not because of it.
To me, it still seems unlikely that we'd be considered one of the Â
top 20 teams in the world, given the historical level of competition in the U.S. As others have pointed out, our skill on the ball is still not good enough to field a team that can't be exploited. Pulisic and maybe McKenzie are the only guys who can dependably hold their own against respectable international competition.
And Steffan looked pretty good. On the goal, he was leaning the wrong way and didn't have time to adjust -- not a weak goal. (And I was a D1 goalie back in the dark ages.)
Bradley is done.This is a huge hole on team that has no replacement for him.
Cannon played well and should be the starter at fullback going forward.
Storyline is we didn’t bury our chances in the first half and paid for it with Mexican goal in second half.
Pulisic and McKinnie were the bright stars during tournament.
I am definitely not sold on Berhalter going forward as the coach. He was tactically out coached in this game.
Who will replace Jozy going forward as the striker. Certainly not Zardes. Another huge hole for the team.
Bottom line: USMNT as constructed will not compete against WC teams.
Josh Sargent should have made this roster and gotten minutes at striker to push his development.
of Pulisic, and probably Yedlin, by the time we get to qualifying I'd rather see the team move on from anyone that was in the squad for Trinidad and Tobago in October 2017.
Bradley has been a good player for us, he's taken a lot of crap but Klinsman did not do him any favors frequently playing him out of position. But it's obvious that he simply doesn't have the pace anymore to keep up in the midfield and it will only continue to hurt us.
Altidore has also had a fine career for the USA, hold up play is still there, but he's never been a clinical finisher and that was on full display last night. Sargent should have been with the squad, agreed there.
I thought a lot of the young talent impressed last night and throughout the tournament from what I saw. Hard to believe Pulisic is only 20, he's tremendous. McKinnie really impressed me wearing the captain's arm band. There's the start of a good young core in place, but they need to thank some senior players for a job (mostly) well done, and then move on. Just my opinion
and he still creates opportunity with good hold up play, not saying at all that he was just useless. Hard to believe he's not even 30 yet, but would hope we can start to develop an alternative.
It was like watching a college basketball run a successful full-court press and just overwhelm an opponent. The USA had chances in the first half and that could have made the difference, but on balance, Mexico kicked our ass.
Pulisic has serious game and McKennie is a bright spot.
But can someone who tracks the USMNT more closely let me know what happened to some of the players who are considered the future, or were thought to be the future from the last WC?
Sargent
Weah
Yedlin
Zelalem
Tyler Adams
Jon Brooks
Julian Green
Aron Johansson
a couple of those guys are injured, but the roster construction as a whole needs to be criticized.
Not having a viable alternative to Bradley on the team is criminal. It is like they purposely put a worse player than Bradley on the team as his substitute to ensure he stays on teh pitch!!
Keep in mind this was Mexico's B-team, yet the B-team was still technically superior in every aspect except for Pulisic. The player development just isn't there - biggest problem with US Soccer.
I think Berhalter had a good game plan but got schooled in the second half.
RE: To me, it still seems unlikely that we'd be considered one of the Â
And Steffan looked pretty good. On the goal, he was leaning the wrong way and didn't have time to adjust -- not a weak goal. (And I was a D1 goalie back in the dark ages.)
As a comp, consider, in a different context, Rapinoe's penalty: I predicted she would go low right because she had gone to the left post on her two previous penalties, van Veenendaal, crouched, was leaning to dive right (what Rapinoe had done previously) and Rapinoe disguised her strike beautifully, and all the keeper could do was budge to neutral. It's tough, Steffan is a big guy, so I think there is merit to what CT (our own Shep Messing) says
It was like watching a college basketball run a successful full-court press and just overwhelm an opponent. The USA had chances in the first half and that could have made the difference, but on balance, Mexico kicked our ass.
Pulisic has serious game and McKennie is a bright spot.
But can someone who tracks the USMNT more closely let me know what happened to some of the players who are considered the future, or were thought to be the future from the last WC?
Sargent
Weah
Yedlin
Zelalem
Tyler Adams
Jon Brooks
Julian Green
Aron Johansson
Sargent - didn’t make squad. Controversial
Weah - didn’t make prelim roster because he played with the u-20 I’m the World Cup
Yedlin - hurt
Zelalem - on the u-23s. He didn’t get enough club minutes but he should be transferring
Adams - hurt was on team
Brooks - hurt
Green - just not good enough. Plays in the German second league
Johansson - he had a injury a year ago. Not really following him
there is merit to what CT charlie said. That's what happened. But that still doesn't excuse the decision making of Steffen. He guessed and shifted weight incorrectly. And as a result, he couldn't react to a really soft shot.
In comment 14494319 Kyle in NY said:
Kyle, I think you're pretty much spot on. Focusing on Bradley for a moment (I've been critical since well before the last WC cycle), he is clearly cooked, highest pass intercepted ratio in MLS last season, a walking corpse out there. I don't know if USSF development gurus (do such leaders exist?) are holding players back, as suggested above, but it strains credulity that there is no box-to-box central MF prospect out there, with touch and pace, who sees the shape of his MFs and forwards, directs them, develops chemistry for runs, balls wide, orchestrates from a deep-lying or higher position.
Part of it is Altidore and his hold-up, which he still has, but he's been so in and out of camps, left off tournaments, so training and familiarity are lacking. And where is his successor? Clearly not Zardes.
There's got to be critical dysfunction/lack of accord/lack of consistency between what the coaching staff is dictating and what is happening developmentally that this deficit exists. This is spanning many years now. Not good.
In comment 14494319 Kyle in NY said:
Kyle, I think you're pretty much spot on. Focusing on Bradley for a moment (I've been critical since well before the last WC cycle), he is clearly cooked, highest pass intercepted ratio in MLS last season, a walking corpse out there. I don't know if USSF development gurus (do such leaders exist?) are holding players back, as suggested above, but it strains credulity that there is no box-to-box central MF prospect out there, with touch and pace, who sees the shape of his MFs and forwards, directs them, develops chemistry for runs, balls wide, orchestrates from a deep-lying or higher position.
Part of it is Altidore and his hold-up, which he still has, but he's been so in and out of camps, left off tournaments, so training and familiarity are lacking. And where is his successor? Clearly not Zardes.
There's got to be critical dysfunction/lack of accord/lack of consistency between what the coaching staff is dictating and what is happening developmentally that this deficit exists. This is spanning many years now. Not good.
Adams, McKennie, and Pomykal are the future in the midfield are 19-20 years old and in the infancy of their professional careers. The problem is that there is a huge, yawning chasm where there should be several players in their mid-20s at the heart of the USMNT. Where are the great players who are 25-30? That's the big question.
As for forward, the future is Sargent and maybe Soto but they're both so young. Maybe Novakovich would have provided a better option, but he is just now breaking into Reading's first team. Jozy remains the best option for now, because Zardes is not good enough.
This makes sense to me that there are candidates worthy of being in the mix. I've not followed them, but heartened. Part of the gap between the mid-20s cohort and the late teens/early 20s, I think (as posted in the other thread this AM) is the relatively recent development in this country on the men's side that soccer is effectively competing for enough + athletes with football. The pool should continue to broaden and it will take time to see it reflected. Just need USSF not to politicize it.
Hyndman, Zelalem, Acosta, Lletget, Kitchen, etc. Â
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
Even going further back than the Hyndman generation, we had players either complemented Bradley well or were able to supplant him, but just couldn't stay healthy or hold form.
Remember the last time the USMNT beat Mexico in a Gold Cup final? it was 2007, and Bradley wasn't on the field. Feilhaber and Rico Clark anchored the midfield, and did it well.
The team also played their best ball in the 2010 World Cup with Feilhaber and Maurice Edu on the field to complement Bradley.
He's always needed multiple complementary midfield partners to help, but these players don't exist right now and he's in decline (Adams replaces, more than complements, his skillset).
RE: Hyndman, Zelalem, Acosta, Lletget, Kitchen, etc. Â
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
Even going further back than the Hyndman generation, we had players either complemented Bradley well or were able to supplant him, but just couldn't stay healthy or hold form.
Remember the last time the USMNT beat Mexico in a Gold Cup final? it was 2007, and Bradley wasn't on the field. Feilhaber and Rico Clark anchored the midfield, and did it well.
The team also played their best ball in the 2010 World Cup with Feilhaber and Maurice Edu on the field to complement Bradley.
He's always needed multiple complementary midfield partners to help, but these players don't exist right now and he's in decline (Adams replaces, more than complements, his skillset).
This is such a good post, just thought I'd tell you that.
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
A lot of midfielders haven't been given a chance. Bradley has been basically gifted the position for the past several years (and this is coming from a huge Bradley fan). It isn't even like they situationally use Bradley as a sub or something. He's a mainstay. And by being a mainstay, it is retarding the development/exposure of other, better players.
You mentioned the decline of Jones. But Bradley has been done for just as long as Jones was. Once gone and the other hasn't just stayed - he's a starter.
RE: RE: Hyndman, Zelalem, Acosta, Lletget, Kitchen, etc. Â
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
Even going further back than the Hyndman generation, we had players either complemented Bradley well or were able to supplant him, but just couldn't stay healthy or hold form.
Remember the last time the USMNT beat Mexico in a Gold Cup final? it was 2007, and Bradley wasn't on the field. Feilhaber and Rico Clark anchored the midfield, and did it well.
The team also played their best ball in the 2010 World Cup with Feilhaber and Maurice Edu on the field to complement Bradley.
He's always needed multiple complementary midfield partners to help, but these players don't exist right now and he's in decline (Adams replaces, more than complements, his skillset).
This is such a good post, just thought I'd tell you that.
Thank you. I know there's quality U-20 and U-17 mid prospects as well, but I'm always skeptical of senior team development. The 2007 U-20 team dazzled everybody, and in the end only Bradley and Altidore came out of that squad on the senior level.
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
A lot of midfielders haven't been given a chance. Bradley has been basically gifted the position for the past several years (and this is coming from a huge Bradley fan). It isn't even like they situationally use Bradley as a sub or something. He's a mainstay. And by being a mainstay, it is retarding the development/exposure of other, better players.
You mentioned the decline of Jones. But Bradley has been done for just as long as Jones was. Once gone and the other hasn't just stayed - he's a starter.
This is true. The 2017 Gold Cup strikes me as a huge missed opportunity in this regard. There were little stakes in that tournament; might as experiment with a new central midfield. Instead they got spooked by a couple of shaky group stage performances and went back to Bradley.
With Adams injured, I think it's sadly true. I suppose Paxton Pomykal, but he's so young at this point.
There is a generation of players missing in between Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Sargent, Weah, Pomykal, Richards, etc. and the generation that led the US to the 2002-2014 World Cups. I'm not sure if it's a lack of development, Klinsmann, the USSF, MLS, or just dumb luck but there's a huge hole in the US player pool. The Germans brought by Klinsmann helped a bit, but it was never going to be enough. (Especially with his well-documented weaknesses as a manager.)
Even the celebrated 2007 team that did so well in the U-20 World Cup was full of players who never quite realized their full potential. That team did include Bradley and Altidore, but it also featured Freddy Adu, Robby Rogers, Dax McCarty and others who ranged from just okay to terrible when they played in a USMNT shirt.
Just go back and look at the teams. The 2002 team that was an uncalled handball and two Donovan misses away from beating Germany and going to the semifinals of the World Cup was the high water mark and SO much more talented than this team that it's almost shocking.
Does anyone know why Bobby Wood isn’t playing for the US? Â
I question whether the coach is the right fit for a team in complete rebuild and worry that nepotism has again dominated the “club” that is US Federation. That said with such little proven depth it is going to be hard for any coach to withstand injuries. Sadly, it seems that American soccer lost a generation of players when some highly anticipated players who are now in the 25-30 year age group did not pan out, were not properly developed, or were lost to serious injury.
of losing a core of young players rests with Gulati and Klinsmann.
Gulati allowed Klinsmann to implement his mantra of preferring foreign nationals to MLS players. And there were some home-grown players with promise who never got a fair chance and who left or were shuttled out of the program.
I can't properly convey the massive damage the decision to hire Klinsmann was. And we are seemingly compounding the mistake by ushering in another tenure of favortism and bias.
But Bradley is useless and the US is down one man when he is on the pitch. Give him the gold watch, a hardy handshake and see you later.
Unfortunately, that's consistent for CONCACAF
In World Cup qualifying for the last Cup, the US had several games where they had players pushed, shoved or even hit after the whistle and it was let go. Intentional fouls from behind didn't even draw cards. That didn't really impact the game though tonight.
They missed too many chances. It just sucks that Mexico stopped shooting the ball 30 feet high and hit a fluke off-speed shot that steffen inexplicably watched.
There was more than just that. They seemed to just just stop playing about 5 minutes into the 2nd half until they were down a goal.
In the second half they tried to move the ball slowly using possession. They took out Altidore and put in Zardes to help this strategy. Both moves backfired.
Tyler Adams
Quote:
with our performance, but that second half raised a ton of serious concerns about our ability to play decent competition. Namely what to do about our glaring hole at the 6.
Tyler Adams
Hopefully he is the answer.
Meanwhile, the difference in attacking talent between Mexico and the US is embarrassingly huge. Watching the second half, you would think we had a player sent off on a red card. It seemed like it was 11 on 10 or even 11 on 9.
Meanwhile, the difference in attacking talent between Mexico and the US is embarrassingly huge. Watching the second half, you would think we had a player sent off on a red card. It seemed like it was 11 on 10 or even 11 on 9.
Mexico forced the play to our right side. Once they started doing that bringing on Boyd made a ton of sense. Greg's subs tonight made zero sense, while Tata put on master class halftime adjustments. This is the guy that wanted to be our coach, but we bring on some dude's brother. USSF is a fucking joke and no one questions these things because they don't want to lose access.
Meanwhile, the difference in attacking talent between Mexico and the US is embarrassingly huge. Watching the second half, you would think we had a player sent off on a red card. It seemed like it was 11 on 10 or even 11 on 9.
It was 11 on 10 - Bradley is the missing 11th man.
On the goal, it looked to me that Steffen was expecting the shot to go to his left so he was leaning that way. When it went to his right he just couldn't recover fast enough. I don't think it was a lack of effort. It was just that he had his weight going one way and the ball went the other.
Cannon played well and should be the starter at fullback going forward.
Storyline is we didn’t bury our chances in the first half and paid for it with Mexican goal in second half.
Pulisic and McKinnie were the bright stars during tournament.
I am definitely not sold on Berhalter going forward as the coach. He was tactically out coached in this game.
Who will replace Jozy going forward as the striker. Certainly not Zardes. Another huge hole for the team.
Bottom line: USMNT as constructed will not compete against WC teams.
While FIFA is a shitshow, the USSF is a very exclusive entity that insulates those close to the program and gives a lot of rewards to those who stay "loyal".
The mere fact that they influence who has access is a sham.Soccer in the USA is basically controlled by a small group of people, most who aren't acting in the best interests of growing the program.
Quote:
USSF is a fucking joke and no one questions these things because they don't want to lose access.
While FIFA is a shitshow, the USSF is a very exclusive entity that insulates those close to the program and gives a lot of rewards to those who stay "loyal".
Besides Berhalter being the brother of the COO of USSF, Michael Bradley is the son of the former coach of the USMNT. They are not in their positions on merit.
The women succeed despite the USSF, not because of it.
And Steffan looked pretty good. On the goal, he was leaning the wrong way and didn't have time to adjust -- not a weak goal. (And I was a D1 goalie back in the dark ages.)
Cannon played well and should be the starter at fullback going forward.
Storyline is we didn’t bury our chances in the first half and paid for it with Mexican goal in second half.
Pulisic and McKinnie were the bright stars during tournament.
I am definitely not sold on Berhalter going forward as the coach. He was tactically out coached in this game.
Who will replace Jozy going forward as the striker. Certainly not Zardes. Another huge hole for the team.
Bottom line: USMNT as constructed will not compete against WC teams.
Josh Sargent should have made this roster and gotten minutes at striker to push his development.
Bradley has been a good player for us, he's taken a lot of crap but Klinsman did not do him any favors frequently playing him out of position. But it's obvious that he simply doesn't have the pace anymore to keep up in the midfield and it will only continue to hurt us.
Altidore has also had a fine career for the USA, hold up play is still there, but he's never been a clinical finisher and that was on full display last night. Sargent should have been with the squad, agreed there.
I thought a lot of the young talent impressed last night and throughout the tournament from what I saw. Hard to believe Pulisic is only 20, he's tremendous. McKinnie really impressed me wearing the captain's arm band. There's the start of a good young core in place, but they need to thank some senior players for a job (mostly) well done, and then move on. Just my opinion
Last night's miss was an aberration for him and he's still our most consistent scorer.
Pulisic has serious game and McKennie is a bright spot.
But can someone who tracks the USMNT more closely let me know what happened to some of the players who are considered the future, or were thought to be the future from the last WC?
Sargent
Weah
Yedlin
Zelalem
Tyler Adams
Jon Brooks
Julian Green
Aron Johansson
Not having a viable alternative to Bradley on the team is criminal. It is like they purposely put a worse player than Bradley on the team as his substitute to ensure he stays on teh pitch!!
I think Berhalter had a good game plan but got schooled in the second half.
Pulisic has serious game and McKennie is a bright spot.
But can someone who tracks the USMNT more closely let me know what happened to some of the players who are considered the future, or were thought to be the future from the last WC?
Sargent
Weah
Yedlin
Zelalem
Tyler Adams
Jon Brooks
Julian Green
Aron Johansson
Sargent - didn’t make squad. Controversial
Weah - didn’t make prelim roster because he played with the u-20 I’m the World Cup
Yedlin - hurt
Zelalem - on the u-23s. He didn’t get enough club minutes but he should be transferring
Adams - hurt was on team
Brooks - hurt
Green - just not good enough. Plays in the German second league
Johansson - he had a injury a year ago. Not really following him
Zelalem was supposed to be a wunderkind... seems like that was a bit of Freddy Adu prospecting?
If Weah was good enough to be on the squad, he should have been on regardless of any U-20 participation, no?
Kyle, I think you're pretty much spot on. Focusing on Bradley for a moment (I've been critical since well before the last WC cycle), he is clearly cooked, highest pass intercepted ratio in MLS last season, a walking corpse out there. I don't know if USSF development gurus (do such leaders exist?) are holding players back, as suggested above, but it strains credulity that there is no box-to-box central MF prospect out there, with touch and pace, who sees the shape of his MFs and forwards, directs them, develops chemistry for runs, balls wide, orchestrates from a deep-lying or higher position.
Part of it is Altidore and his hold-up, which he still has, but he's been so in and out of camps, left off tournaments, so training and familiarity are lacking. And where is his successor? Clearly not Zardes.
There's got to be critical dysfunction/lack of accord/lack of consistency between what the coaching staff is dictating and what is happening developmentally that this deficit exists. This is spanning many years now. Not good.
Kyle, I think you're pretty much spot on. Focusing on Bradley for a moment (I've been critical since well before the last WC cycle), he is clearly cooked, highest pass intercepted ratio in MLS last season, a walking corpse out there. I don't know if USSF development gurus (do such leaders exist?) are holding players back, as suggested above, but it strains credulity that there is no box-to-box central MF prospect out there, with touch and pace, who sees the shape of his MFs and forwards, directs them, develops chemistry for runs, balls wide, orchestrates from a deep-lying or higher position.
Part of it is Altidore and his hold-up, which he still has, but he's been so in and out of camps, left off tournaments, so training and familiarity are lacking. And where is his successor? Clearly not Zardes.
There's got to be critical dysfunction/lack of accord/lack of consistency between what the coaching staff is dictating and what is happening developmentally that this deficit exists. This is spanning many years now. Not good.
Adams, McKennie, and Pomykal are the future in the midfield are 19-20 years old and in the infancy of their professional careers. The problem is that there is a huge, yawning chasm where there should be several players in their mid-20s at the heart of the USMNT. Where are the great players who are 25-30? That's the big question.
As for forward, the future is Sargent and maybe Soto but they're both so young. Maybe Novakovich would have provided a better option, but he is just now breaking into Reading's first team. Jozy remains the best option for now, because Zardes is not good enough.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
Even going further back than the Hyndman generation, we had players either complemented Bradley well or were able to supplant him, but just couldn't stay healthy or hold form.
Remember the last time the USMNT beat Mexico in a Gold Cup final? it was 2007, and Bradley wasn't on the field. Feilhaber and Rico Clark anchored the midfield, and did it well.
The team also played their best ball in the 2010 World Cup with Feilhaber and Maurice Edu on the field to complement Bradley.
He's always needed multiple complementary midfield partners to help, but these players don't exist right now and he's in decline (Adams replaces, more than complements, his skillset).
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
Even going further back than the Hyndman generation, we had players either complemented Bradley well or were able to supplant him, but just couldn't stay healthy or hold form.
Remember the last time the USMNT beat Mexico in a Gold Cup final? it was 2007, and Bradley wasn't on the field. Feilhaber and Rico Clark anchored the midfield, and did it well.
The team also played their best ball in the 2010 World Cup with Feilhaber and Maurice Edu on the field to complement Bradley.
He's always needed multiple complementary midfield partners to help, but these players don't exist right now and he's in decline (Adams replaces, more than complements, his skillset).
This is such a good post, just thought I'd tell you that.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
A lot of midfielders haven't been given a chance. Bradley has been basically gifted the position for the past several years (and this is coming from a huge Bradley fan). It isn't even like they situationally use Bradley as a sub or something. He's a mainstay. And by being a mainstay, it is retarding the development/exposure of other, better players.
You mentioned the decline of Jones. But Bradley has been done for just as long as Jones was. Once gone and the other hasn't just stayed - he's a starter.
Quote:
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
Even going further back than the Hyndman generation, we had players either complemented Bradley well or were able to supplant him, but just couldn't stay healthy or hold form.
Remember the last time the USMNT beat Mexico in a Gold Cup final? it was 2007, and Bradley wasn't on the field. Feilhaber and Rico Clark anchored the midfield, and did it well.
The team also played their best ball in the 2010 World Cup with Feilhaber and Maurice Edu on the field to complement Bradley.
He's always needed multiple complementary midfield partners to help, but these players don't exist right now and he's in decline (Adams replaces, more than complements, his skillset).
This is such a good post, just thought I'd tell you that.
Thank you. I know there's quality U-20 and U-17 mid prospects as well, but I'm always skeptical of senior team development. The 2007 U-20 team dazzled everybody, and in the end only Bradley and Altidore came out of that squad on the senior level.
Quote:
So many midfielders have come through the program and either have failed to develop at their clubs, lost form, or gotten injured.
As a result, we find ourselves stuck with Bradley. He simply can't anchor a midfield at this point, and you can trace the USMNT's falling off a cliff (post 2016 Copa) with the decline of Jermaine Jones as a national player.
A lot of midfielders haven't been given a chance. Bradley has been basically gifted the position for the past several years (and this is coming from a huge Bradley fan). It isn't even like they situationally use Bradley as a sub or something. He's a mainstay. And by being a mainstay, it is retarding the development/exposure of other, better players.
You mentioned the decline of Jones. But Bradley has been done for just as long as Jones was. Once gone and the other hasn't just stayed - he's a starter.
This is true. The 2017 Gold Cup strikes me as a huge missed opportunity in this regard. There were little stakes in that tournament; might as experiment with a new central midfield. Instead they got spooked by a couple of shaky group stage performances and went back to Bradley.
Try reaching out to him on the Cleveland Browns message board.
They develop players on an ongoing basis in Germany I guess.
Here it sounds like by age 12 the "experts" "know" how good kids are going to be, and yada yada.
That's not too good??
With Adams injured, I think it's sadly true. I suppose Paxton Pomykal, but he's so young at this point.
There is a generation of players missing in between Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Sargent, Weah, Pomykal, Richards, etc. and the generation that led the US to the 2002-2014 World Cups. I'm not sure if it's a lack of development, Klinsmann, the USSF, MLS, or just dumb luck but there's a huge hole in the US player pool. The Germans brought by Klinsmann helped a bit, but it was never going to be enough. (Especially with his well-documented weaknesses as a manager.)
Even the celebrated 2007 team that did so well in the U-20 World Cup was full of players who never quite realized their full potential. That team did include Bradley and Altidore, but it also featured Freddy Adu, Robby Rogers, Dax McCarty and others who ranged from just okay to terrible when they played in a USMNT shirt.
Just go back and look at the teams. The 2002 team that was an uncalled handball and two Donovan misses away from beating Germany and going to the semifinals of the World Cup was the high water mark and SO much more talented than this team that it's almost shocking.
Bobby Wood has been struggling with knee issues and hasn't had a great season.
Gulati allowed Klinsmann to implement his mantra of preferring foreign nationals to MLS players. And there were some home-grown players with promise who never got a fair chance and who left or were shuttled out of the program.
I can't properly convey the massive damage the decision to hire Klinsmann was. And we are seemingly compounding the mistake by ushering in another tenure of favortism and bias.