USMNT/ Jurgen Klinsmann

Oct 23, 2013
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Do you think by the 2018 world cup Klinsmann is still the coach of the USMNT? I was excited after the world cup and our first ever wins at Germany and at Netherlands but ever since it has been a nose dive. Didn't look good in Gold Cup, looked thoroughly outclassed by Costa Rica and Mexico and today we looked pitiful against Iceland. If we have a bad showing in Copa America Centenario this summer I think Jurgen is done.
 

AlbanyWildCat

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And then bring in who? I mean, the guy has made the US soccer team at least interesting and the team did extremely well this past World Cup. And the guy has convinced a lot of expats to commit and play for the US...

World Cup is the only thing that matters...
 

MoreheadEagle

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Iceland isn't a bad team but the US had some mistakes that cost them.

If the US doesn't do well in the early part of WC qualifying, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jurgen get canned. Jason Kreis or Greg Berhalter (sp?) the Columbus coach.
 
Oct 23, 2013
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I am not saying I agree with firing him. There's a ton of good he has done. He had really developed and located young talent... I've seen an interesting proposal of him becoming a technical director or GM of sorts and bringing in a different head coach... Guys like Julian Green, Jordan Morris, DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, etc. Aren't found without Klinsmann. I do wish he would become a tad more consistent with his lineups for friendly games so we can start to develop some team chemistry.
 
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Violent Cuts

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I really don't know if he'll last that long. I think he's done a lot of good for US Soccer that we won't see the benefits of for quite a while and definitely brought a more Euro-focus to US soccer.

Like someone else mentioned, I love it that he brought in a bunch of kids that could have played for other countries. We really need an influx of young talent and he has done a good job of recruiting for it. I like the expansion of the youth academies. I love his idea for MLS to introduce promotion/relegation although MLS won't go for it. I don't like it that he seemingly has a bad relationship with MLS as well as a lot of US coaches. I question a lot of his lineups and style of play.

What we really need is a better system of developing 16-23 year olds. The college system just doesn't work or develop players. Perhaps extend the college season into both fall and spring? Allow them to practice more, particularly in the summer?
 
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THere's no way ICELAND should ever be able to compete with USA in soccer. The entire damn country has a population of 329,100. That's smaller than 57 US cities as of the 2012 census. 62.7% of the country is a damn tundra, which means it's impossible to play soccer on 62.7% of the country unless someone wants to play on snow and ice. HANDBALL IS THEIR NATIONAL SPORT, HANDBALL
 

BlueRaider22

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I think he will get fired within the next yr or two....long before the World Cup. But I do think he has set the US on a better course for the future. Like Sean said above, Jurgen is looking distant into the future and making steps to get there. The unfortunate thing is that he will likely be fired before he gets to taste the fruit of his labor.
 
Oct 23, 2013
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I really don't know if he'll last that long. I think he's done a lot of good for US Soccer that we won't see the benefits of for quite a while and definitely brought a more Euro-focus to US soccer.

Like someone else mentioned, I love it that he brought in a bunch of kids that could have played for other countries. We really need an influx of young talent and he has done a good job of recruiting for it. I like the expansion of the youth academies. I love his idea for MLS to introduce promotion/relegation although MLS won't go for it. I don't like it that he seemingly has a bad relationship with MLS as well as a lot of US coaches. I question a lot of his lineups and style of play.

What we really need is a better system of developing 16-23 year olds. The college system just doesn't work or develop players. Perhaps extend the college season into both fall and spring? Allow them to practice more, particularly in the summer?


I read an article that essentially said what is hindering and crippling US Soccer is the college system. said it needs to be done away with and replaced with regional youth academies. The problem is our team doesn't fit a style great.

For example, Our back line is awful and against better teams we concede a lot of possession,,,We could use an extra CB and play like a 5-4-1...but you need a forward with an incredible amount of pace, which we don't have. The 4-4-2 diamond we play now requires midfielders that are outstanding on the ball and creative build up play which isn't our strong suit.

IMO I would go to something like Arsenal does.... 4-2-3-1.

Back Line: Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Matt Miazga, DeAndre Yedlin
CDM: Mix Diskerud and Tim Ream
LW: Zardes - CAM: Michael Bradley - RW - Hopefully Julian Green
Forward: Any of Altidore, Morris, Wood, Dempsey, Johannson


I like Wood's Creativity and just knack for scoring... But I think Johannson is the most technical player on our roster.


Get help on defense from 2 CDM and create more space in the midfield area.
 
Oct 23, 2013
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I actually really like the idea of Jurgen acting in a GM-like capacity. Problem is like Vandalay said, he doesn't have a great relationship with MLS coaches....so I don't know who you get that he could work with and get along with which would be pivotal for that to even work.
 

BlueRaider22

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I can't agree with that. I don't think the college system is a detriment....quite the opposite IMO. But there aren't any other options really.

I think the issue comes from the lack of options at an earlier age. There are still areas of the US that don't have access to basic youth leagues. And the ones that are around aren't competitive for the advanced kids. Kids don't grow up playing soccer and thus don't develop skills till they get older.

And also, the more advanced leagues are often regional and few/far I between. This tends to alienate a large population of kids. A lot of families can't travel 2-3 hrs every wkend for games.
 

UKwizard

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THere's no way ICELAND should ever be able to compete with USA in soccer. The entire damn country has a population of 329,100.
Using that logic, India and China should be the soccer powers of the world everyone should be in awe of.
 

Violent Cuts

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We also have a disadvantage of being such a huge country as most of our players don't play together until their 20s and we don't have a defined style of play.

If we were smaller like Belgium, Netherlands, or even Italy, Germany, UK our most talented players would be playing together as early as like 12 and develop chemistry and a similar style of play. We're like an NBA all-star team out there (only like the development league version) going up against the Golden State Warriors. We'd almost be better off just taking the best 40 kids from LA or Dallas and developing them starting them together at 13.
 
Oct 23, 2013
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We also have a disadvantage of being such a huge country as most of our players don't play together until their 20s and we don't have a defined style of play.

If we were smaller like Belgium, Netherlands, or even Italy, Germany, UK our most talented players would be playing together as early as like 12 and develop chemistry and a similar style of play. We're like an NBA all-star team out there (only like the development league version) going up against the Golden State Warriors. We'd almost be better off just taking the best 40 kids from LA or Dallas and developing them starting them together at 13.


That's a definite problem of being so large of a country. I think this Copa America Centenario is huge for us...especially now that we didn't Qualify for the Confederation Cup. We need to do away with guys like Jermaine Jones and get some young guys experience in some big time competitions. It will not be easy at all. Right now in the world Rankings:

Argentina- 2
Chile - 5
Brazil - 6
Columbia - 7
Uruguay - 10
Ecuador - 12
Mexico - 23
USA - 32
Costa Rica - 33
Paraguay - 46
Peru - 47
 

MoreheadEagle

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MLS is starting academies and building minor league teams in USL (Louisville City's league).
I think we'll eventually see MLS with a setup like MLB and NHL with true farm teams.

Here's my issue with Klinnsmann. 1. He trolls MLS. Personally I think pro/rel is stupid and I'm glad it will never happen here but it's a practice that doesn't necessarily lead to better development. 2. He plays guys totally out of position, often on very short notice. 3. He doesn't develop players. I know, that's the job of individual clubs but I think Julien Greene is an example of Jurgen finding some German-American kid, filling his head with big words, and ruining him. IIRC Greene is playing for a developmental team. 4. He is so Euro-centric that it kind of hurts the USMNT. Yedlin went to Spurs and never played, and we're missing out on some kids that can/will play for Mexico.

Also, I just don't think he's a good coach. Read up on the problems the guys at Bayern Munich had with Jurgen. He was a great player but that doesn't always translate to being a good coach, as basketball has taught us.
 

TransyCat09

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There is no way most of the teams' fanbases are going to support a relegated team. The bond with the teams isn't there yet and the financial situation of maintaining a relegated team is precarious, at best, in the US.

I don't see it
 
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cbpointblank1979

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I actually think we we'll eventually see promotion and relegation in the States, but it's not going to be on the same kind of pyramid model used in other countries. MLS is expanding really quickly, with no signs of slowing down. Pretty much every top league in the world has ~20 teams or so. Most likely, I think eventually (once they get to around 30 teams maybe) we'll see a split to something like an MLS and MLS2. I don't think we'll ever see anything like MLS -> NASL -> USL like some people want.
 

Violent Cuts

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The MLS may be better off having basically 4 different 10-12 team divisions, based upon geography to create some good rivalries.

NE: 3-4 in NYC, 2 in Boston, 1-2 in Philly, DC, Baltimore, Montreal
MW: Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, 2 in Chicago, Indianapolis, St Louis, Toronto

etc.
 

cbpointblank1979

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India and China? Come on man, everyone knows Asia generally sucks at sports other than India cricket and China women's soccer.

There was an article in the Guardian today about how China is almost passing MLS as the fastest up and coming league. MLS is signing big name players who are over the hill (the Galaxy signing Ashley Cole makes absolutely no sense), while the Chinese league is signing players who aren't quite as famous, but closer to their prime.
 

TheEgyptianMagician

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Iceland has a fine team nevertheless, a bit of a golden generation for them. And team handball is quite popular in Europe in general, heck I saw handball games at the 96 Atlanta olypmics that were as well attended as basketball games and other stuff I went to.
 

O-Ville_CAT_FAN

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There was an article in the Guardian today about how China is almost passing MLS as the fastest up and coming league. MLS is signing big name players who are over the hill (the Galaxy signing Ashley Cole makes absolutely no sense), while the Chinese league is signing players who aren't quite as famous, but closer to their prime.

China is only coming up in this discussion right now because they have unlimited money to spend and they are throwing around MASSIVE deals to sign mediocre at best players. MLS has a comically low salary cap issue that really puts a ceiling on the level of talent that can be brought into the league.

I don't think we will see pro/rel in the US for a very, very long time unless the team owners can figure out a way for it to work without devaluing their franchise in a huge way if they face relegation.

I think MLS will establish itself as one of the top leagues when it finally stops expanding teams (no more than 30) and every club has a soccer specific stadium with REAL GRASS, not turf.

Can't take too much out of Sunday's friendly against Iceland, this roster is nowhere near what it would be if we were facing a meaningful competition.
 

sinker16

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Seriously, a salary cap is so stupid. MLS is a glorified Little League. Let teams spend money if they want and maybe they could have at least a couple of decent sides and maybe it would be somewhat watchable. Then who knows what could happen?
 

cbpointblank1979

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As of last January (the most recent numbers I could find), the average salary in MLS was $226,454. That's lower than the *minimum* salary in the NFL, NHL and MLB. By comparison, the minimum salary in MLS is $36,500. Then, remember that the average salary is pulled way up by the old farts from the big leagues who are making millions on their farewell tour.
 

O-Ville_CAT_FAN

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Friendly vs Canada about to kick off on Fox Sports 1. I don't know what Jurgen is trying to prove by continuing to play guys out of position, especially defenders. We've learned already that Jermaine Jones is NOT a center back. Then there's Birnbaum who had a coming out party in the last game and looked like a candidate for a center back spot and Jurgen decides to play him at right back. I just don't get it.
 
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Oct 23, 2013
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Friendly vs Canada about to kick off on Fox Sports 1. I don't know what Jurgen is trying to prove by continuing to play guys out of position, especially defenders. We've learned already that Jermaine Jones is NOT a center back. Then there's Birnbaum who had a coming out party in the last game and looked like a candidate for a center back spot and Jurgen decides to play him at right back. I just don't get it.


Couldn't have said it better...