Good morning everybody. I haven't been able to get together an SBI Live Q&A lately, and since I'm probably not going to be able to get one together for this week I wanted to give readers a chance to send some questions in for me to answer.
So I'm bringing back the old school Q&A format for this week.
Submit your soccer-related questions in the comments section below and I will post answers to some of them next week. Want to ask about the U.S. Olympic Qualifying debacle? The new MLS season? The senior national team? Whatever it is, send your questions my way and I'll try to get to as many of them as possible.
Send your questions my way.
Ives…I think I need therapy after this Olympic qualifying failure. For real. First the U-20 fail, now this fail. Are hardcore U.S. soccer fans becoming a little shell shocked?? But more importantly, what are these failures doing to the overall “winning” mindstate of the US program?? Sincerely, a big Joell Ortiz fan.
When I watch Tim Ream, I get the feeling that he should switch to defensive midfield. He’s such a good passer, and is a good defender… just prone to mistakes which, when made by your CB are catastrophic, but he’d be really strong from the midfield. Thoughts?
Hola Ives. I’m still PO’d from the US Olympic team’s failure to qualify for the London games. Anyway, who can you see from this team (including those could have been on the team but weren’t such as Gatt) do you see actually contributing to WCQ & Brazil in ’14 (assuming we qualify).
Ives,
In my opinion, one of the biggest downfalls of not qualifying for the Olympics is that is wastes a chance for our younger stars to be showcased in front of European eyes. Do you believe that the failure to qualify lowers the stock of some of our young players in the eyes of European clubs?
I’ve been saying for some time now that Teal Bunbury shoots (from distance and without control) and takes on defenders far too often and with little success. Boyd provided more offense for us in the same role and even Sapong has supplanted him at KC. I understand the mentality that you can’t score if you don’t shoot, but does he need to be taught when to pick his moments?
Feel free to answer one or all. Thanks for bringing back a Q&A session.
Question 1: What’s next for Caleb Porter?
Question 2: Is Herculez Gomez the best striker in the USMNT player pool and should a MLS make a move to sign him in the near future?
Question 3: Based on what you’ve seen thus far, which MLS team has the best chance to win the Concacaf Champions League next year?
One would have to think that NBC has to be upset the men didn’t qualify for the Olympics. Does this have a potential effect on future deals MLS/SUM makes with NBC?
Smooth or crunchy peanut butter?
Jelly (& flavor) or honey?
Lee Nguyen seems to have fit in well with the Revs (though admittedly the sample size is very small). And some of the US senior team wingers have been inconsistent in recent competition (Shea, Williams, ect.) What are the odds that Nguyen works his way into the senior USMNT picture IF his good form continues in MLS this season?
Do you think there is a serious risk of US Soccer regressing back to pre-Klinnsman ways because of the OC disaster, or do you get the sense that most people within it realize the long term success of the reimagined youth setup is worth more than the 2012 Olympics?
Can’t win championship if you don’t play DEFENSE, as much as I love the 4-3-3 formation as the beautiful attacking style, the U.S. under 23 team didn’t have that destroyer of a D-Mid to control the middle and a weak back 4, knowing that would be the case, why expose yourself? Do you think some of the blame falls on the Caleb Porter not working to his team strengths?
Even though they should have won against Canada and El Salvador, do you believe this was essentially a “B” team for the USA with some of the players out there? I think if Morales was there in the central midfield, many opponents’ attacks could have been broken up…
Great pt Jay. It take times and chemistry to properly implement a high pressure and high line back 4 in a 4-3-3 system. Porter had neither the time nor a consistent group to work with to make it happen. The back 4 looked lost at times and completely disjointed from the midfield. I’m not sure this system can be implemented in such a short time span and expect to deliver Ws.
Ives, the Under-20′s team was a good team, but failed to qualify, the Under 23 team is a also a really talented team and also failed…
Our team right now, also boast tons of talent and is expected to qualify, but with teams like Costa Rica, Honduras, and Jamaica doing well should there be some of kind of fear of not qualifying to WC2014?
Perhaps, these two tournaments should wake us up to have a healthy fear of other concacaf teams.
after watching the santos/toronto game last night, the comments were flying about mexican futbol players being dirty/cheap/divey etc. my question is, is futbol mexicano truly any worse than the mls, or the central american leagues, or south american leagues? or euro leagues for that matter? why all the hate on mexico? is it just a rivalry thing or is there something to it? i’m fairly new to following soccer/futbol, so i’m asking this for real.
Herculez Gomez. What does Jurgen think of him now?
So, simple question….Think Klinnsman will finally give Gomez a legit shot or he’ll keep him down the pecking order of forwards? They guy scores goals, simple as that.
Would you admitt that you and other media outlets overhyped the U-23 team? Or did they just choke? I drank the Kool Aid and now feel completely let down. I WANT BLOOD!
Does the Olympic results (or lack thereof) hurt Caleb Porters future with the US Soccer Federation and potential USNT Senior Manager opportunity?
Is a mobile version of SBI in the works?
Simply said, Canada and El Salvador wanted it more…the U-23 USA team has tremendous talent, but the mental aspect is in question. They seemed off against Canada and it wasn’t until they were punched in the mouth against El Salvador did they wake up…
If Adu continues to grow and develop do you see him as a realistic replacement for Dempsey, when Deuces time is done with the national team?
1. Why hasn’t the media taken Porter to task on failing to make one field player substitution until the 88th minute? I’ve heard people mention it, but no one has adequately called him out in my mind. This was inexplicable and unacceptable considering they played 3 games in 5 days. We all know tired players make bad decisions (i.e. Brek’s giveaway) and cannot possess the ball nearly as effectively.
2. Why do you think Joe Gyau was utilized so little in this tourney? By all accounts, he was one of our best players agains Mexico.
I believe sports writers were more surprised than many fans that the USA didn’t advance. Many followers of USA soccer knew the defensive players that Porter selected were not good enough to win the tournament. The poor goalie play may have surprised almost everyone. To advance, the USA needed to score a baker’s dozen in three games, but only scored nine. In the El Salvador game the USA LB, was abused, the El Salvador winger got behind him regularly, and easily. The Mexican officials gave El Salvador one last chance beginning at minute 82 (13 minutes of chances). Many officials all over the world sometimes give the side that’s behind a last chance, but in this instance he let three bookable offenses go unpunished in just this one minute. Video tape shows two officials watching Boyd get punched in the face. The no-calls at minute 82 had a huge impact on the result. Klinsmann must take note, or he’ll suffer the same in WC qualifying. CONCACAF is more than soccer.
Did somebody on the El Salvador team really bite Diskerud and Adu? One report said it was the same guy who clocked Terrence Boyd. Why isn’t there more outrage here?
Any possibility of punishment for the aforementioned assault on Boyd? I still can’t believe none of the four officials saw it (and still surprised it didn’t cause more of a reaction from the US players).
Where does Clint Dempsey play next season?
Who from this Olympic team other than Shea might we see participating with the USMT during the next friendlies/WCQ’s?
I agree with you. On the second question those with access should get answers.
Zombie apocalypse. Who is the USMNT/USWNT player that you feel you have the best chance of survival with as a partner. Bonus: which player would make the most dangerous zombie.
Thanks as always for the awesome website. Who do you think will get more senior team caps in 2012: Corona, Adu, or Boyd?
in my opinion, years of watching North American soccer, to often Central American and Caribbean teams play “dirty” or at least what Anglo nations would consider dirty. I feel like flopping, time wasting, taking cheap shots when the ref isn’t looking, and other ways of disrupting positive play is a huge part of the way teams like El Salvador, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, (at times Mexico) etc. play. It is also more acceptable to refs from those countries. This kind of stuff is frowned upon by Americans, No. Europeans, etc. but still occasionally used. Not every player is a prototype of their nation but it is certainly the overriding culture. SBI do you agree?
They did see it. Video tape shows both the linesman and ref looking at the assault. It appears that the ref blows off a possible call from the linesman. This is CONCACAF.
How is it that Freddy Adu has a great tournament for the U-23s and had a solid performance for the US in the Gold Cup last summer but struggles on the club level? How do you explain this? Thanks.
Boyd.
Do you know the guy running the NBC Sports – Soccer Blog? It is different than SBI yet it is interesting. Have you had a chance to check it out, also. If so, what are your thoughts?
Does JK have a love affair with players 6’0 and above?
why is he overlooking herc? Seems like everyone he has on the squad is taller except for Landon and Adu’s occasional cup of coffee
JK only likes taller players. Look who he promotes.
Liverpool. American owners….plus they need a striker
Who is better: Dempsy or Donovan? And you have to pick one.
ditto, why the no herc love?
That is Steve Davis, who used to write for SI.
I’ve always thought the same thing, but he’s spent so much time in the cb position and still doesn’t seem to have the positioning down. Imagine how long it’d take him to relearn a new position.
Klinsmann said some of the U-23 roster will help in WCQ. Other than Hamid and Shea, who he’s called in a number of times and clearly likes who do you think gets called on to help in WCQ?
Adu played really well when given the licence to attack. Do you think Nowak will allow that? Adu how shown an innate ability to go at defenders and either make a great pass or a good shot on target when given the license to run at defenders.
Same question I was going to ask. To say that Adu “struggles” for the Union is very charitable. At best, he is a non-factor and at worst, he is has a big negative impact.
I don’t think we can still blame fitness since he has been healthy (and terrible) for Philly thus far in 2012.
Ives how good is your spanish
we need people who know US Soccer on the airwaves providing correct data on spanish content stations.
i.e Espn Deportes, futbol de Primera etc…
I, like everyone else, am still reeling from being eliminated from the olympic qualifiers. However, I don’t think this should be the end of Porter’s career in the national team setup. I think he made some poor decisions with team/player management, but hindsight is 20/20. I’m still inclined to believe that player choked or didn’t completely buy into the philosophy. What are the thoughts of the pundits and/or higher-ups that you’ve been able t o gather? What grade would you give him? What do you think his future is in the National team setup?
What is in the cards for Guzan?
yikes… swingin for the fences.
How many U-23 players do you think have a good shot with joining the senior team for WCQ outside of Shea? Adu play and Corona played well and so did Boyd.
+1
With a country the size of the US we have a huge pool to pull from for USMNT players….but at the younger levels is the US system setup right? Does it make sense to bring players into a single camp or does the cost/travel/distance make it too easy to lose some talent? Should we look at some type of a more regional system at least at the U-17 so some camps are more local and then try to bring in the best of the best from there for U-17 competitions?
Similarly….there is only so much the US can do to help find and develop talent for the pool. What should the national program be doing to help work with the MLS clubs to improve their own development programs? Do we have any MLS clubs now whose approach could serve as an example or do we still need to look at systems setup by foreign club teams in Mex, EPL, etc.
Easily the best question so far, thus…I’ll take my own crack at it:
best chance of survival: GOOCH. Period. He took on Zlatan, who is pretty much a zombie.
which player makes the best zombie: BREK. I mean…look at him?? pale as hell, sometimes sleep walks through games, and his hair is sometimes streaked with blood.
Did the U.S. file any complaints about Alexander Larin decking Terrence Boyd? Is nothing going to come of that, or the biting incidents involving either Canada or the U.S.?
Peanut Butter & Nutella
or just Nutella
With the latest contoversy surrounding inappropriate language (from players), do you see MLS taking any steps to eliminate “anti-gay” chants from the fans? Or is it not an issue since it is mostly in a foreign language?
Could you see Dempsey playing for a champs lge team in Portugal?
The 4-3-3. Is Klinsmann going to give it a real tryout, instead of using Altidore as a lone target man? Where would Gomez fit in such a formation?
DO you think the U-23 lacked a esprit de corps? I mean after Boyd got clocked in the kisser, no one was in Larin’s face. If Gooch or demps was there they would have been all over that guy! thanks Ives
Another way to ask this is, when will fans start to realize that, when it comes to having the US play “attacking” football, Klinnsman is all hat and no cattle? At least Porter practiced what he preached. He lived and died by the 4-3-3 and by inserting the players into his system, instead of the other way around.
Do you think CONCACAF should change the olympic qualifying schedule next time around to avoid 3 games in 5 days? Seems like that was an issue for all teams.
How big of a missed opportunity was the US failing to qualify for the olympics, not just for the team, but for helping the sport grow as a whole in the US?
Yanks Abroad had an article stating that Mexico failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, the 2009 U-20 World Cup, and the 2009 U-17 World Cup in an attempt to put this elimination into perspective. But didn’t Mexico play in the ’09 U-17 World Cup????
I know there were other factors in the U23′s ouster from Olympic qualifying, but how much impact did losing Gatt at the last minute impact Porter’s plan? It seemed to me that that loss necessitated plenty of readjustment of roles in his first team.
+1
Canada lodged a complaint according to their press. Did the US?
Why is it so difficult for announcers to read the back of Tomas Rosicky’s jersey and realize his name is not RosITSKY?
The Galaxy are looking at 10 mil a year for 10 years between their Time Warner deal and Herbalife Shirt Sponsor. They say a huge chunk of it is going to their academy. What do you think the prospects are that their academy starts producing a staple of national-teamers, or is that kind of money a drop in the bucket compared to other countries?
Was Colin Clark’s punishment overkill?
Because that’s how it’s pronounced. It does not translate well from Czech to English, so that is the reason for the pronunciation.
The 4-3-3. Is Klinsmann going to give it a real tryout, instead of using Altidore as a lone target man? Where would Gomez fit in such a formation?
Because in Czech, C with out diacritic marks is pronounced like english ‘TS’ as in “it’s”. This is the same in many non-latin European languages, for example, Slovak and German. The English C sound is written as K in these languages.
Where do I send a resume?
how do you envision the short term futures of the 3 yanks at Rangers?
Is Freddy Adu the most capped USA youth player ever? I would be surprised if he wasn’t.
The stadium would be emptied if they ban all those who shout “Puto!” in El Tri’s games…
^^^
what he said
Yes, they missed U-17 in 2007.
Actually the current u-23 setup is the same age group who failed to qualify to the 2007 u17 and the 2009 U20.
Wish they don’t break the streak.
What do you think of Caleb Porter playing Joe Gyau so sparingly, and playing Kofi Sarkodie – who plays inconsistently with Houston – over Sheanon Williams, a guy who regularly starts for Philly?
Is Freddy Adu the most capped USA youth player ever? Has to be,….right?
Ever see Brad Friedel playing one last game for the US?
Onyewu on both accounts!
What, if anything, does MLS have to do for its teams to be competitive with FMF teams in the CCL?
Also, what direction is the FMF as a league heading? Are they continuing to grow, earn more money and attract better players? Everyone assumes that MLS is getting better so will definitely catch up, but is the FMF also heading up?
He’s played one meaningful game for Philly thus far this season. Did he somehow telephathically cause them to drop their 2nd and 3rd results?
Unfortunately, this is the most striking thing about the whole ES debacle I’ll be taking away.
Honestly, I would have rather seen somebody confront that dirty SOB and get sent off than the complete lack of reaction that occurred. The final result couldn’t have ended up any worse.
Ives, couple questions:
1. Herculez Gomez. I somewhat understand the argument that “all he does is score goals”, and that if his goal scoring exploits in the FMF don’t translate to the international level, he doesn’t add much to the team. But given our inability to score goals under Klinsmann (Slovenia game aside), is there any way that Herc doesn’t get a call for the May friendlies? I mean, we can’t score goals. All Herc does is score goals. Isn’t it worth a try? And can you shed any light on exactly how non-existent his relationship with US Soccer has been since Klinsmann took over?
2. How big of a factor do you think Alfredo Morales not playing for the U-23′s was? In hindsight, I think the #6 holding role is THE most important position in Porter’s 4-3-3 high pressure attack, in that it needs to be someone with enough skill to maintain possession, provide an outlet for the defenders and link with the attack, while still being able to provide cover for the CB’s and break up attacks. In my opinion, not adjusting his tacticts to account for not having Morales was probably Porter’s undoing (goalkeeping blunders aside). Agree, disagree?
I’m not SBI staff, but I’d have to say it had close to zero impact.
Porter had fresh, quality legs on the bench at both RB and RW (Sheanon Williams and Joe Gyau, respectively). Both guys have pace and could have offered relief at either position Gatt would have filled. Nonetheless, Williams didn’t play a minute and Gyau was restricted to late sub appearances.
MLS teams have to grow a pair! Check out Grant Wahl’s story on life in the FMF,….rampant crime, crooked cops, clubs failing to make payroll! What good is it if you are ‘on the books’ for a large salary but never get paid?
My question,…will Mexico ever have any decent goalkeepers or are they going to continue rely on organ grinder monkeys?
What four players come out of Olympic Qualifying as viable National team prospects?
Easy explanation … Nowak.
This U-23 group of players has been dubbed by many to be choke artists both for their most recent failure and their failure to reach the U-20 WC. Do you agree? Is their lack of effort due to a sense of entitlement that many claim plague the youth of America? How do we get them to actually play to their potential?
Ives, How does “Fair Use” work for copyrighted telecasts? There is an article on Soccer America today (3/29) about the YouTube video of Clarke’s gay slur. The legal folks interviewed for the article say that the clip is protected by Fair Use legislation, thus negating the DMCA request to take it down by MLS.
If that’s true, why do so many clips of goals or other incidents during games get taken down? Are those not also protected then by fair use or is the lawyer in the article wrong?
We could all tell on Twitter you were frustrated by the lack of the US not qualifying. What did you do to alleviate that frustration? I personally have beaten Mexico on Fifa every night since… still don’t feel better, though!
Gooch for the first,
But Jozy makes the most dangerous zombie, no doubt: fast, big, and because he never bends his knees, you’ll NEVER be able to tell if he’s a zombie or not!
Just want to 2nd Ryan’s questions.
1)Poor game to game management & in game subs, was as much responsible for the Nightmare in Nashville as our poor showing in goal.
2)Why so little Gyau? I know coach decision… but come on.
+1
I’ve been thinking about my own question too much, glad to see I’ve got some takers
Weird, Gooch is a little clumsy. Even though he’s strong, I’d give him about 5 minutes before he stumbles over something and gets infected. I’d go with Wambach: accurate in the clutch, which is good when clutch is you holding off a zombie and them with a fire axe. There’s another obvious candidate for this, but let’s be honest: can you really imagine Landon Donovan swinging a fire axe or holding a chainsaw?
As for most dangerous, Stuart Holden just won’t die and just won’t quit… and he’s not even a zombie yet! The most dangerous zombie is the one you THINK is dead.
It seems to me that US Soccer has seen a shift in young talent. Whereas sevarel years ago most of our you talent was defensive it has now shifted to where a lot of our young talent is offensive. Any thoughts on this and how it might be impacting US Soccer in the coming years?
Do teams keep stats and come to conclusions on how to play based on those ? Like a Bill James for soccer.
For instance, Joe Shootsfromtoofarout, has hit 1 shot outside of 25 yards out of 300, with 5 corners kicks earned, the rest being goal kicks. Conclusion: Stop shooting.
Fulham For Life!
Fulham For Life!
For those of us looking to travel during wc qualifing, which nations would u most recomend visiting? In terms of connectability between airport, city and stadium, quality of stadium/game day atmosphere, other things to do before and after the game, etc
There shouldn’t have to be a complain about Larin, it was obvious to all what happened. People talk about how not qualifying was disheartening, but what’s more disheartening to me is what a corrupt joke the management of CONCACAF is. I’d hoped it would improve when that crook Warner was forced out, but I won’t expect it.
The international game suits technical players for the most part, not the strong physical types. How else can you explain Adu and Bunburry’s difference in form between the two?
Ives,
Does TFC have a motivation problem? How do you explain TFC’s form in the MLS as compared to the Champions League?
The Galaxy were without many of its players for the preseason, either due to loans, injuries or resigning players who had signed with other teams. Did the Galaxy’s lack of preseason time together doom its Champions League run?
Does the El Salvador loss make Sean Johnson a better player, worse player or have no impact on him?
Freddy Adu no longer qualifies for any of the national youth teams. Was the El Salvador game the last time we will see him play in a meaningful game for the USA (WC qualifying, Gold Cup in the Confederation Cup qualifying year, Confederation Cup, WC, etc.)?
Is Charlie Davies the next John O’Brien?
What will happen first,…
1.) A SSS being built in the four boroughs (sorry, Shaolin)
2.) Red Bull winning MLS cup.
Rate Tim Ream’s play at Bolton thus far.
Hopefully it does. You cannot fail to this degree and expect to continue.
In what way? Charlie Davies is no where near the player JOB was,….not even close. Injury? Davies suffered from massive trauma from one accident. JOB was simply injury prone.
And I’ll piggy back on this question. Why have there been no tribute matches for US internationals?
With as many friendlies as we play in a year, subbing guys on for 15 minutes at the end of games almost seems “proper.”
Especially for the McBrides, Reynas, Kellers, etc.
Is it a player decision or a US Soccer decision?
Ives,
1) What do you think of how Convey is playing in the KC formation and will he ever regain National team form?
2) How long does Ben Olsen have if DCU continues to struggle?
If World Cup qualifying started tomorrow, and you had your choice of players. Who is in your starting lineup and what formation?
is there any sour of appeal or legal recourse? At the risk of sound litigious, one could argue that’s not only poor sportsmanship but aggravated assault.
Question 1: abby wambach
Question 2: abby wambach
blaming Adu for his success on one team or another is like blaming a goalkeeper for a loss, an entire team makes a player better. the entire Union is struggling right now and until that entire trio fo Adu Torres and Farfan find their groove they will all look suspect.
Plus Nowak is a tool.
the things I can think that might contorbute are the following
1. Herc doesn’t need time playing in friendlies, he needs time with his club to establish himself
2. Players like Altidore and Agudelo and Buddle need the hands on approach and the exposure to shape their future, whereas Herc is in a good place in both respects,so it’s a better investment of time to cap them and bring Herc in later come qualifying
3. Herc does not fit the profile that JK is looking for in a striker
4. JK is sniffing glue.
Will the US be smart enough to cap tie Terrance Boyd, Alfredo Morales and Joe Corona for the “seemingly easy” WCQ against Antigua on June 8th?
I grew up watching/playing baseball/softball, so always keep score when I go to the games.
When my kids started to play soccer I became a soccer fan. So now my question is how do they get all the stats for soccer – such as how many miles Michael Bradly ran in a WC game, or % of possession (which you can pretty well guess at) or number of passes v.number completed.
I find it very interesting and would like to know how they do this. thanks.
great question!
I would also like your thoughts on this.
Boyd and Corona, at least, will now require the hassle of filing for their one-time switches if they decide to change federations.
Danny Williams is not a winger. Please inform Klinsmann of this fact.
Orange County disaster?
Olympic cualifying?
Adu will not “grow” he is an adult, a slow 5’2″ guy is who he is.
Of course, how could he not be, at age 57?
+1
Also Shea, Diskerud, and Wooten. Probably a few others I’m forgetting…
Beyond those already contributing (Jozy, D. Williams, T. Chandler, & Shea) Boyd, Diskerud, Morales, Gyau, Adu, Gatt, Wooten, and Corona are the most likely candidates. There might be others…Potts…but these are the ones who either are or should be on JK’s raidar.
Just go to the tape, he’s terrible on the wing.
What is Porter’s responsibility for the failure to qualify for the Olympics? It seems to me that he was more determined to play the style the he wanted to play rather than playing tactically to the strengths of his players.
After participating in the tourney, are corona and anyone else now locked with the Yanks or can they still switch national teams
dude you nailed it. Our backline played soooooooo deep. You need to play w/ a high line to limit space & a DM that can break up counters. CONCACAF teams are less likely to put the ball over the top, and if they do you have Opara to chase them down. We could have really limited Canada/ES’s buildup by playing higher.
Four years ago, Dempsey was barley showing influence at 24/25 years old, that puts even old than what Adu is right now.
Four years ago Dempsey was barley showing his influence at 24/25 years old that puts him older than what Adu is right now.
What people don’t get and most annoying is that those aren’t all mexican or american teams. For instance, Quintero is a Colombian national and Gomez is an American National. Toronto is a Canadian based team with players from different nationalities
Hey Ives,
What’s the deal with Sebastian Lletget. I remember reading an article a few years back about how he maybe the most talented player West Ham has developed in a long time. But since then he’s yet to make the senior squad and wasn’t picked for the olympics qualifiers. Is he still so highly considered or has his value drop in recent years?
+3
Boyd and Adu.
2012 Olympic qualifying: at home, with an incredibly talented team, half a dozen camps to prepare, against a weak group.
Worst US soccer performance at any tournament since… ?
For me :
1. Deuce. Period. Fire in those eyes alone would probably stop zombies in their tracks. Plus he’s kind of a wilderness man, fishing and all. Handy skills to have.
2. Jermaine Jones. Dude’s scary already alive. As a zombie…….
Uhm, no they won’t. Boyd has never played for any German youth national team set-up. Corona has never played for Mexico in a FIFA sanctioned cap tie tournamnet. hence no they don’t have to file a one time switch.
Since the 2004 Olymmpic team failure to qualify.
Questions about U23/Olympic team:
- I loved the style that C.Porter was trying to get the team to play. Anyway for him to stay on? Is there anything for him to do for 2 years?
- I thought Porter made big mistakes in not resting some big guns for Cuba, not taking more CBs and not giving more playing time earlier in El Salvador game for Gyau and S.Johnson. What were Porters biggest mistakes?
- Did Porter not really understand how tired his players would be with all the games when there is open substitution in the college game?
- Why does it make sense to play F.Adu as a wide forward (he doesn’t have pace to take advantage of the space) instead of as a CM (where his touch and passing is more useful)?
- Is there a general sense that the U23s, especially in MLS don’t play in a pressure-packed league (where a bad season means a club gets relegated), so the real pressure games for them are when they get to the national teams, whereas in Mexico, a bad season leads to relegation, which is more pressure, which requires better/more consistent performance under pressure. Is this a problem with MLS?
Sorry for all the questions but I hope you will give your thoughts.
Thanks
Who do think is the next captain of the USMNT after Bocanegra?
Ives,
The senior team appears to have turned the corner a bit now under Klinsmann. Will it just take time for the younger teams to do the same under the new regime?
this Peter Walton who apparently is new MLS referee guru being brought across from England? Love it or leave him across the pond?
I wasn’t speaking about fitness and squad rotation. I was speaking about roles. For instance, did the loss of Gatt force Freddy outside on the right rather than his more effective position in the middle?
Grow was referring to his game.
link to youtube.com
this is the guy that they needed as there attacking center mid, he did for his u20s but everyone forgets, ives you were there at the u23 camps! you did not notices real talent from dilly duka, if it wasnt with u23, he even show his talents over sea with gen.Adidas team!
Dumb question: why wasn’t Timmy Chandler playing? He would clearly have been a higher level than just about else on the field. Was he not released by his club team?
I don’t have a degree in statistics but why would a nation of a billion have a better 11 than that of one with 10 million? I know the numbers look imposing, but I’m pretty sure that analysis of statistics is incorrect.
I was so gutted about the loss Monday night. Moving forward I think our boys will learn and grow off that stunning defeat. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. This USMNT U23 group are special! I expect great things from these boys.
Question: IF/WHEN I find funny/odd/amusing photos will you bring back the “You Write the Caption” post? It has made many a long days at work bearable.
Is a second NY-area MLS team a good idea, or would it just dilute the market and help kill the buzz at Red Bull Arena?
One word: Omar
is Freddy’s more effective position in the middle? or outside where he finds space? where was he more effectively deployed in the Olympic quaalifying %@#$&% ?
great #2 question, and I agree about missing Morales’ #6 and how it hurt Porter’s system and that team.
and your question #1 for that matter…what is the relationship/non-relationship thing all about?
That’s easy. And kind of cool. For official matches, UEFA at least uses 16 cameras that cover preordained angles and sections of the field. This means every action on the field is recorded, and fed into computers. The computers know where every player is, and how fast they’re moving, as well as tracking the ball. I assume optijack uses a similar system in MLS.
The computer sees player a run from point a to point b to point c. Since it know how far these points are from each other, it’s just math. I trust there’s an algorithm that tells it that something was a pass, an it knows who received that pass. Again, math.
When will you post the results of the last YWTC? Or did you already?
Ives,
love all you do for US Soccer.
Not to sound like sour grapes, but when a player hits another player when the ref isn’t looking and draws blood and it’s clearly caught on tape, does that player or his team have any kind of legal responsibility or is there any recourse? I understand that accidents happen on the field, but if it can be shown to be deliberate it seems like that should not only be unsportsmanlike, but illegal. What’s the precedent for this and what’s your take?
Deuce doesn’t really have the mentality. While I don’t blame him, LD hasn’t shown the dedication to the team lately.
Maybe MB90?
If the US has long lagged behind its rivals in youth development, and given the recent run of poor results for teams that began as highly touted, and, finally, with it being widely acknowledged that a certain core of European clubs are the world leaders in player development, why is the USSF hiring ex-players with little to no experience in youth development to lead its program? Wouldn’t it make sense to hire someone with experience (as a coach or administrator, not as a player)to head up the program, or at least as a technical director or in charge of youth development?