US Soccer featuring Canada Occasionally I guess.

[Kaizero]

We're all getting wasted when everyone gets here

 

You should hook a brother up with some Chicago blart, get me in that way.

[Ameritoon]

We're all getting wasted when everyone gets here

 

You should hook a brother up with some Chicago blart, get me in that way.

 

I don't know what blart is, but I'll work on it.

[Mike]

And now you learn the pizza wasn't free.

[Kaizero]

Donovan ripping into Klinsmann's tactics http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2014/07/landon-donovan-asks-questions-us-performance-2014-fifa-world-cup

 

 

I'm fairly more content knowing for sure it's blatantly the fact there's no love lost between the two that's the reason he's not there, rather than anything else.

[Kaizero]

And now you learn the pizza wasn't free.

 

[Deuce]

Donovan ripping into Klinsmann's tactics http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2014/07/landon-donovan-asks-questions-us-performance-2014-fifa-world-cup

 

 

I'm fairly more content knowing for sure it's blatantly the fact there's no love lost between the two that's the reason he's not there, rather than anything else.

 

He's been coming across really petty whenever I've seen/heard him speak. I will always respect Donovan, but his attitude has been shit over the past year and his form not much better. I don't really care if Klinsmann kept him off for personal reasons; Deschamps did the same with Nasri, despite Nasri probably being good enough to make this France squad. At the end of the day, JK is the head coach and if he feels LD is going to undermine him in any way, he's leaving LD at home.

 

I'm still not convinced, based on how things shook out in the World Cup, that bringing LD would've made any difference. He's not as fast as Green, he's not an out-and-out striker like Wondolowski. And you definitely don't want him there if he's gonna be a thorn in Klinsmann's side the whole time, given their history. So basically, you're bringing a player in poor form, who isn't cut out for the 4-4-2 diamond and hoping that he might produce a moment of magic if the stars aligned.

 

Klinsmann's biggest mistake with regards to the 23-man squad was not bringing Terrence Boyd or Eddie Johnson, a target forward who could've stepped in for Altidore and provided a physical presence up top.

[Kaizero]

If we look away from Donovan, as I'm clearly biased, the only issue I have with Klinsmanns tactics is (seemingly) his reliance on a big man up front. I think the US have a lot of young quality players capable of passing the ball around well, what they need is a clinical finisher to finish off the balls he gets. Not someone to hold the ball up. That should be kept for the usual plan B when losing with little time left. It seemed clear the chosen tactics for the WC were built around a big forward, so in that sense to not have a like for like back-up for Altidore was pure stupidity when he didn't change his tactics after Jozy's injury.

 

I think Donovans US problems are more to do with Klinsmann issues than anything else. I genuinely believe that Donovan is one of the more clinical finishers in the US at the moment, and he's good at passing the ball. In that sense, given the options available, the inclusion of Wondolowski ahead of Donovan seemed weird. I think that, putting my bias aside, that if there were real friction between Klinsmann and Donovan, that it probably was an okay decision. But Donovan was in the preliminary squad, so I'm struggling a bit with the fact Wondo made it ahead of him. I've been mocking Jozy, but I fully understand the inclusion of him given Klinsmanns chosen WC tactics and the fact he has done well for the US squad. I'm not sure Donovan would've made a grand difference on the field, even though in my dreams he did, but he'd have brought some more experience and ability.

 

Well probably never know if he wasn't there because he riled up Klinsmann or Klinsmann just straight up dislikes Donovan. But regardless, the US did a very good WC and made me wish even more that I lived in the US by now. It was great. Donovan is one of my few sporting heroes (for some reason), so obviously I'd be upset about his exclusion and probably will be for ages as I'd been looking forward to seeing what he could do for the US in this WC for ages. The future is bright for the US squad though, and Klinsmann is a good manager and does a lot for the team. The biggest issue is however what Donovan said in that article: young kids around the world take soccer seriously from when they are four or six, when in the US they only start taking it seriously when they turn sixteen. That's the main issue that need to be rectified to improve the team to become a world class one.

[Parky]

Was very impressed with the U.S. energy levels and fighting spirit...Expected them to be organised under Klinsmann. If that bloke hadn't kicked it over the bar (with 2 min left) it would have been a historic win.

[Deuce]

If we look away from Donovan, as I'm clearly biased, the only issue I have with Klinsmanns tactics is (seemingly) his reliance on a big man up front. I think the US have a lot of young quality players capable of passing the ball around well, what they need is a clinical finisher to finish off the balls he gets. Not someone to hold the ball up. That should be kept for the usual plan B when losing with little time left. It seemed clear the chosen tactics for the WC were built around a big forward, so in that sense to not have a like for like back-up for Altidore was pure stupidity when he didn't change his tactics after Jozy's injury.

 

I just don't think we have the personnel to not play a big guy. Let's start by assuming that Dempsey is the best attacking weapon in the team and the best chance for a goal, so not playing him just isn't an option. A few years ago, you could play Dempsey at LW and he'd make things happen by cutting in from the outside, as he did at Fulham. These days, he's almost purely a second striker and needs a target forward to play off of, because he won't do the defensive work necessary on the outside anymore. And when given that big guy to occupy the CBs and lay off little passes for him to run up on, he'll find the back of the net. It's why he was scoring for fun at Seattle (with Oba Martins) and for the U.S. (with Jozy).

 

So without Altidore, do you try to shoe-horn another striker next to Dempsey (Wondo or Johannsson, neither of whom are good at hold-up play) or do you add another body in midfield and work on playing through the middle of the field? I understand where Klinsmann was coming from and I think he made the right call in an imperfect situation (Altidore has never been injury prone and always been capable of putting in 90 minutes, so I think that really caught everybody off guard and was why JK felt okay leaving Boyd/Johnson at home). If Altidore hadn't gone down, the U.S. would've been far more attacking than they were against Ghana, Germany and Belgium. But they had to rely on the counter-attack, because neither Dempsey alone or him with Wondo/ArJo wouldn't be sufficient at holding the ball and they'd get overrun through the middle.

 

The rest of the post I agree with.

[Deuce]

Also, I do think the 4-4-2 diamond/4-2-3-1 will be Klinsmann's preferred formation over the next few years (which is interesting, because the diamond is also Jason Kreis's preferred formation, and he's widely assumed to be the heir apparent as U.S. coach). So as Dempsey is phased out (I think he'll make it through the 2016 Copa America and call it quits after that), we're gonna see Altidore/Boyd/Agudelo paired with Johannsson/Mix/Corona/some other youngster up top.

 

Bradley needs to be dropped back out of the forward midfield role, either as a box-to-box CM or as a deep-lying playmaker. Jones and Beckerman won't be around much longer, so we're gonna see the likes of Mix, Danny Williams, Luis Gil and Wil Trapp trickle through and be moved around central midfield. And then you have pure wing players like Fab Johnson, Green and Yedlin (I think he'll eventually be moved to RW permanently) to consider.

[Mike]

Where do you read all this shit?

[Deuce]

The tea leaves never lie.

[Mike]

Man fuck that. Where can I go to read about USA? ESPN doesn't know shit.

[Kaizero]

Also, I do think the 4-4-2 diamond/4-2-3-1 will be Klinsmann's preferred formation over the next few years (which is interesting, because the diamond is also Jason Kreis's preferred formation, and he's widely assumed to be the heir apparent as U.S. coach). So as Dempsey is phased out (I think he'll make it through the 2016 Copa America and call it quits after that), we're gonna see Altidore/Boyd/Agudelo paired with Johannsson/Mix/Corona/some other youngster up top.

 

Bradley needs to be dropped back out of the forward midfield role, either as a box-to-box CM or as a deep-lying playmaker. Jones and Beckerman won't be around much longer, so we're gonna see the likes of Mix, Danny Williams, Luis Gil and Wil Trapp trickle through and be moved around central midfield. And then you have pure wing players like Fab Johnson, Green and Yedlin (I think he'll eventually be moved to RW permanently) to consider.

 

High hopes for Gil and Trapp. Conflicted in my views on Williams. Mix will be a fucking star, soccer's answer to hockey's Zuccarello.

 

I still hope the US will get through a better striker before the next WC. I'm not disputing Jozy has done well for the US national team, but he's on multiple occasions shown he's not world class. One of those that are much better than the Eredivise but not good enough for the leagues that are actually better than the Eredivise. That said, for the US I do think he can do a job.

[Kaizero]

If we look away from Donovan, as I'm clearly biased, the only issue I have with Klinsmanns tactics is (seemingly) his reliance on a big man up front. I think the US have a lot of young quality players capable of passing the ball around well, what they need is a clinical finisher to finish off the balls he gets. Not someone to hold the ball up. That should be kept for the usual plan B when losing with little time left. It seemed clear the chosen tactics for the WC were built around a big forward, so in that sense to not have a like for like back-up for Altidore was pure stupidity when he didn't change his tactics after Jozy's injury.

 

I just don't think we have the personnel to not play a big guy. Let's start by assuming that Dempsey is the best attacking weapon in the team and the best chance for a goal, so not playing him just isn't an option. A few years ago, you could play Dempsey at LW and he'd make things happen by cutting in from the outside, as he did at Fulham. These days, he's almost purely a second striker and needs a target forward to play off of, because he won't do the defensive work necessary on the outside anymore. And when given that big guy to occupy the CBs and lay off little passes for him to run up on, he'll find the back of the net. It's why he was scoring for fun at Seattle (with Oba Martins) and for the U.S. (with Jozy).

 

So without Altidore, do you try to shoe-horn another striker next to Dempsey (Wondo or Johannsson, neither of whom are good at hold-up play) or do you add another body in midfield and work on playing through the middle of the field? I understand where Klinsmann was coming from and I think he made the right call in an imperfect situation (Altidore has never been injury prone and always been capable of putting in 90 minutes, so I think that really caught everybody off guard and was why JK felt okay leaving Boyd/Johnson at home). If Altidore hadn't gone down, the U.S. would've been far more attacking than they were against Ghana, Germany and Belgium. But they had to rely on the counter-attack, because neither Dempsey alone or him with Wondo/ArJo wouldn't be sufficient at holding the ball and they'd get overrun through the middle.

 

The rest of the post I agree with.

 

Yeah, I agree in the sense of the situation the team got into, he did the right choice. My issue is that he should've left either Wondo or Aron at home. They're very similar players, and pretty much covers for Dempsey rather than Jozy. There's no like for like for Jozy, and instead of both Aron and Wondo someone else should've been there. Hindsight is 20/20 though, and I'm not at all saying anything bad about the performance (which was great) and such. But I like to torture myself thinking about the what ifs

[Ameritoon]

Man fuck that. Where can I go to read about USA? ESPN doesn't know shit.

 

There's a shit load of good writers around, twitter's probably the best place to find their stuff.

 

Obviously there's Grant Wahl, also Steve Goff, Brian Straus, Jeff Carlisle, Ives Galarcep, Brian Sciaretta and Matthew Tomaszewicz (The Shin Guardian) are my highest recommendations. Just go to their twitter's and follow the links to where they write mostly. Ives site soccerbyives.com is really good.

[Kaizero]

Man fuck that. Where can I go to read about USA? ESPN doesn't know shit.

 

There's a shit load of good writers around, twitter's probably the best place to find their stuff.

 

Obviously there's Grant Wahl, also Steve Goff, Brian Straus, Jeff Carlisle, Ives Galarcep, Brian Sciaretta and Matthew Tomaszewicz (The Shin Guardian) are my highest recommendations. Just go to their twitter's and follow the links to where they write mostly. Ives site soccerbyives.com is really good.

 

 

Almost pizza worthy recommendations.

[Ameritoon]

Which I guess makes them calzone worthy

[Ameritoon]

Doug McIntyre ‏@DougMacESPN  2m

Sporting KC receiving “offers from all over the world” for #usmnt D Matt Besler, says club’s owner

 

Bandini said on the guardian podcast (and to me on twitter) that Besler rejected multiple offers from Europe in January. Hope he's changed his mind.

[Kanj]

I'm going to add some replies to this shortly when I get on this flight. Won't rifle a reply in tapatalk - but this thread is easily my favorite and then knowledge of the US fans here and my fellow countrymen is outstanding.

 

Kaiz is a future American - will have similar love for this place like JK.

[Deuce]

Man fuck that. Where can I go to read about USA? ESPN doesn't know shit.

 

Mostly just speculating on my part, based on what I've seen of and heard about the next wave (though Kreis/Porter are the two names being thrown around as Klinsmann's eventual replacement, especially if they go back for an American coach).

[Deuce]

Man fuck that. Where can I go to read about USA? ESPN doesn't know shit.

 

There's a shit load of good writers around, twitter's probably the best place to find their stuff.

 

Obviously there's Grant Wahl, also Steve Goff, Brian Straus, Jeff Carlisle, Ives Galarcep, Brian Sciaretta and Matthew Tomaszewicz (The Shin Guardian) are my highest recommendations. Just go to their twitter's and follow the links to where they write mostly. Ives site soccerbyives.com is really good.

 

Something about Galarcep bugs me. He can be such a pretentious dick on Twitter. Still a good rec, mind. Great list.

 

I'll add Jon Arnold, Leander Schaerlaeckens, Jason Davis, Seth Vertelny, and Doug McIntyre. And the Best Soccer Show podcast is all MLS/U.S. soccer, worth a listen.

[Deuce]

Doug McIntyre ‏@DougMacESPN  2m

Sporting KC receiving “offers from all over the world” for #usmnt D Matt Besler, says club’s owner

 

Bandini said on the guardian podcast (and to me on twitter) that Besler rejected multiple offers from Europe in January. Hope he's changed his mind.

 

He reminds me so much of Bocanegra in his prime. Maybe even a bit better.

[Belfast Mags]

I'm going to add some replies to this shortly when I get on this flight. Won't rifle a reply in tapatalk - but this thread is easily my favorite and then knowledge of the US fans here and my fellow countrymen is outstanding.

 

Kaiz is a future American - will have similar love for this place like JK.

 

Norway's loss is America's gain

[gazza ladra]

Doug McIntyre ‏@DougMacESPN  2m

Sporting KC receiving “offers from all over the world” for #usmnt D Matt Besler, says club’s owner

 

Bandini said on the guardian podcast (and to me on twitter) that Besler rejected multiple offers from Europe in January. Hope he's changed his mind.

 

He reminds me so much of Bocanegra in his prime. Maybe even a bit better.

Let's hope so.

 

Christ, we've got to set the bar higher than that.