Bruce Arena Era 2: Electric Boogaloo. USMNT Super Thread

[BMFin]

Bradley has been awful in general. He's the exact type of player, athlete from the exact up bringing that got us to this point. He looks like a glorified cross country runner out there.

I hear he's good for that glorified garbage side in that glorified garbage league I don't watch though. Along with his walking unfulfilled potential running mate, altidore.

Don't care to see him get another cap ever again either.

The issue will always remain the same: until our best athletes are able to afford to play, they won't. They will always go to basketball and Am. football. Always. It's unaffordable for almost all families in the US (similar to baseball).

 

[abelard]

The issue will always remain the same: until our best athletes are able to afford to play, they won't. They will always go to basketball and Am. football. Always. It's unaffordable for almost all families in the US (similar to baseball).

I'm not sure about that. Can't imagine many NFL or NBA body-types amounting to much on a football pitch. It's not like the rest of the planet doesn't have seven-footers or meat-walls.

And the presumption that America is naturally the best stems much from the fact that it mostly only competes against itself in sports which the rest of the world barely cares about. At the Olympics, it is pretty average, relative to population, and despite the stupefying amounts of money it devotes to youth sport.

Football relies on athletic distinction more and more these days, but it is still so much more about decision-making than raw pace or strength. The lower leagues are full of top athletes who don't have a clue what to do with the ball. Possession, or defending and breaking down defences, has much more to do with vision and positioning intelligence than outrunning or outmuscling the other side. Sort of like how baseball players flame out if they can't hit a curveball, even if they can run laps around the rest of the team.

 

[BMFin]

I'm not sure about that. Can't imagine many NFL or NBA body-types amounting to much on a football pitch. It's not like the rest of the planet doesn't have seven-footers or meat-walls.

And the presumption that America is naturally the best stems much from the fact that it mostly only competes against itself in sports which the rest of the world barely cares about. At the Olympics, it is pretty average, relative to population, and despite the stupefying amounts of money it devotes to youth sport.

Football relies on athletic distinction more and more these days, but it is still so much more about decision-making than raw pace or strength. The lower leagues are full of top athletes who don't have a clue what to do with the ball. Possession, or Defending and breaking down defending has much more to do with vision and positioning intelligence than outrunning or outmuscling the other side. Sort of like how baseball players flame out if they can't hit a curveball, even if they can run laps around the rest of the team.

I have to disagree. The basic level, fundamental tools to be a professional athlete are very similar. If those same athletes were coached to be footballers since a young age, they'd be much better.

I find it terribly hard to believe that because sports "the world doesn't care about" means what you're implying. We simply play sports that pay the most, or offer the most opportunity.

Rugby, cricket, et.al. don't pay, like soccer doesn't here. If you were a coach, or a parent, of someone that has potential, where would you put them?

I played against Sebastian Janakowski in the AAU Junior Olympics. Which sport did he choose?

 

[abelard]

I have to disagree. The basic level, fundamental tools to be a professional athlete are very similar. If those same athletes were coached to be footballers since a young age, they'd be much better.

I find it terribly hard to believe that because sports "the world doesn't care about" means what you're implying. We simply play sports that pay the most, or offer the most opportunity.

Rugby, cricket, et.al. don't pay, like soccer doesn't here. If you were a coach, or a parent, of someone that has potential, where would you put them?

I played against Sebastian Janakowski in the AAU Junior Olympics. Which sport did he choose?

NFL salaries are terrible though, relatively speaking, with very few exceptions. They barely have a union, most contracts aren't even guaranteed, and most careers only last two or three years before injuries take their toll. NFL prospects could earn more, with vastly greater advertising potential, and have longer, healthier careers in soccer if they were most importantly A) even remotely good enough but also B) willing to move abroad. If you are 2+ metres tall or weigh 17+ stone, you can't do anything but basketball or American football. It's not like the rest of the world has been waiting all this time for Americans to provide footballers of this build.

The basic level fundamental tools to be a professional athlete do not get you very far in soccer. Despite increasing physical requirements, it is a more cerebral sport.

Or, put another way, which American sports team does Pirlo, Messi, Maradona, Xavi, or Scholes walk into? Basketball and the NFL are not the reason why Americans built like this don't make it in football.

 

[johnnydawg68]

is he as world class as the lad who got a game because his dad was a manager
https://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/...k-monday-june-16th.67995/page-19#post-2786970

He's definitely world class (or will be shortly) and a million times better than Bradley. Bradley is a good player, but he's gone downhill since the last WC.

 

[BMFin]

NFL salaries are terrible though, relatively speaking, with very few exceptions. They barely have a union, most contracts aren't even guaranteed, and most careers only last two or three years before injuries take their toll. NFL prospects could earn more, with vastly greater advertising potential, and have longer, healthier careers in soccer if they were most importantly A) even remotely good enough but also B) willing to move abroad. If you are 2+ metres tall or weigh 17+ stone, you can't do anything but basketball or American football. It's not like the rest of the world has been waiting all this time for Americans to provide footballers of this build.

The basic level fundamental tools to be a professional athlete do not get you very far in soccer. Despite increasing physical requirements, it is a more cerebral sport.

Or, put another way, which American sports team does Pirlo, Messi, Maradona, Xavi, or Scholes walk into? Basketball and the NFL are not the reason why Americans built like this don't make it in football.

What you're saying is a bit off. Some kids play the sports that get them into an unaffordable school for an education. If you're from the muck of Pahokkee, Florida, a minimum salary is a fortune.

And you're missing the entire point. Not all athletes here are NBA caliber. The issue is, most want to be that. So, a person that may be built for football my never get the opportunity because THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO PLAY.

 

[Walken]

He's definitely world class (or will be shortly) and a million times better than Bradley. Bradley is a good player, but he's gone downhill since the last WC.

at least he is getting games in a proper league, and his croatian father means he has pedigree from a real football nation, I've high hopes for the lad

 

[Allezfan]

The USA is the world's best for sports. It's ridiculous to pretend otherwise. Can't believe someone is dissing their Olympic record which they lead the world in. They just don't have the footie culture of other nations.

 

[johnnydawg68]

at least he is getting games in a proper league, and his croatian father means he has pedigree from a real football nation, I've high hopes for the lad

He's legitimately a top footballer, but he needs help. We need to just start building a team around him with the other players in his age group so in 5 years, they will all be in their early to mid 20's. The good news is there is real talent to work with in the 18-22 age range but this team was just blah anyway. Was hoping we could skate through and 1-2 others would make radical progress in the next 9 months but we would have gotten roasted in Russia anyway.

 

[johnnydawg68]

The USA is the world's best for sports. It's ridiculous to pretend otherwise. Can't believe someone is dissing their Olympic record which they lead the world in. They just don't have the footie culture of other nations.

The problem in the US is soccer is an upper middle class sport by and large. It takes dosh to play on those select teams, and lower income kids just go to the other sports. The focus on winning doesn't help either. Football is by and large a game of skill, not athletic ability - although it helps. You don't have to be LeBron. But you need LOTS of skills training. Pulisic is great b/c his father was a pro, raised him that way, and then got him Dortmund's academy as soon as possible where he got a real footballing education.

 

[BMFin]

The problem in the US is soccer is an upper middle class sport by and large. It takes dosh to play on those select teams, and lower income kids just go to the other sports. The focus on winning doesn't help either. Football is by and large a game of skill, not athletic ability - although it helps. You don't have to be LeBron. But you need LOTS of skills training. Pulisic is great b/c his father was a pro, raised him that way, and then got him Dortmund's academy as soon as possible where he got a real footballing education.

That's what we run into. Because of the US media presence, it makes all the people who watch when we win make actual fans look like morons. The fact of the matter is that the sport is irrelevant (and unaffordable) to most Americans.

Try and have a bar put on a match at 1305 EDT during NFL.

 

[USABlue]

The problem in the US is soccer is an upper middle class sport by and large. It takes dosh to play on those select teams, and lower income kids just go to the other sports. The focus on winning doesn't help either. Football is by and large a game of skill, not athletic ability - although it helps. You don't have to be LeBron. But you need LOTS of skills training. Pulisic is great b/c his father was a pro, raised him that way, and then got him Dortmund's academy as soon as possible where he got a real footballing education.

This. I never played Select because i didn't want my parents to have to spend the money so played in the neighborhood league where we just scrimmaged for half the practices while I had friends from school play select and you could see the gap, particularly once we got to playing on the highschool teams

 

[USABlue]

This. I never played Select because i didn't want my parents to have to spend the money so played in the neighborhood league where we just scrimmaged for half the practices while I had friends from school play select and you could see the gap, particularly once we got to playing on the highschool teams

not to mention most of the neighborhood coaches are just some kid on the team's mom or dad who volunteered

 

[BlueLlama]

Still can’t believe that the self proclaimed best country in the world can’t get past Trinidad and were squeezed out by Panama. Even Scotland would qualify out on that group.
Fluke goals on the back of all these natural disasters, pretty clear God hates you for voting in Trump

 

[BMFin]

This. I never played Select because i didn't want my parents to have to spend the money so played in the neighborhood league where we just scrimmaged for half the practices while I had friends from school play select and you could see the gap, particularly once we got to playing on the highschool teams

It's a fortune to play comp. or select. The only people on our team when we won the AAU were all from families that were able to afford it.


Even the officiating, and coaches, like @USABlue said, it is usually a 17 year old coaching 14 year olds..

Unless you pay 8500 a year at U-13 level