USMNT/Soccer Thread
- Thread starter BigBlueSean_rivals178247
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Sometimes I wonder if Bradley is purposefully passing it to the other team....
Put Nagbe and Pulisic in....
Put Nagbe and Pulisic in....
This is like being a UK football fan. No chance in hell and you know we're never going to be good.
Wouldn't say we will never be good....I mean we made it out of a group in 2014 world cup no one thought we'd get a point in.....we beat Netherlands and Germany at their place, something we have never done, we advanced to a semi final of Copa America.... it's long process....we've come a long ways, and we still have a ways to go.
I wish we could've played them well but we really were poor tonight. Part of it was that Argentina is that good and part of it is that we just seemed to be scared/intimidated.
I just don't get what people want with US Soccer. We have had stable domestic league for barely 20 years. In South America and Europe there has been an established domestic league for pushing 200 years. Developmentally this country is still in its infancy in regards to soccer. This game doesn't mean we haven't made progress...it means we didn't play well and Argentina have players on their bench that are top 100 players in the world including the BPL's best Striker. That game talent wise is the equivalent of Alabama playing EKU in CFB. We are slowly getting better, but we have a ways to go and our current structure of the sport isn't conducive to producing elite talents at a high rate which would kick-start a higher quality of play for our national team.
So I see once again the idiot Wondolowski had something to do with a tide turning goal. This time he gives away the ball and then a boneheaded foul.
Please for the love of God Klinsmann, don't put him on the roster again!!! He is horrible.
But wow what a GOLASSO by Messi.!!!
Please for the love of God Klinsmann, don't put him on the roster again!!! He is horrible.
But wow what a GOLASSO by Messi.!!!
Thank God for Basketball, Football, and Baseball. Clear as day the majority of the best athletes in this country are not playing Soccer. Obviously this can transition over time, but I have hard time believing Soccer will ever be the premier sport in this country. The chances of the USA winning a World Cup do not exist. Soccer is just too embedded in the South American and European countries to be surpassed by the United States. There might be glimpses here or there, but there is a enormous delta in the talent, fan interest, and overall product in this country.
^I don't think that the US will surpass South America or Europe in soccer but I do think we can get to the point where we are competitive. For example, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, etc, will likely always be in the World's top 5-10 teams yr in/out.....I don't think we will surpass those on a regular basis but to be a top 20-25 ranked team yr in/out can and will definitely happen. We have states that are as populace as some of the countries that perennially litter the top 20-25. The notion that we can surpass these teams is not far fetched.
According to the 2010 US census, we have ~310,000,000 people in this country. Ecuador has ~16,000,000 and Peru ~30,000,000. The Latino population alone in the US account for 17%.......or ~53,000,000. It is reasonable to assume that a premier sport in general for the Latino populace is soccer. And that's leaving our people who came to the US from other parts of the World who don't fit into the above census category. So, we're already guesstimating that 25% of the US population views soccer as one of their premier sports.
Now, couple this with the fact that soccer is currently one of the most popular youth sports and is growing faster than all others combined.....
We just have to find a way to develop the talent we have. The interest is already growing exponentially.
I think in my lifetime (I'm middle aged) that soccer will be among the top 4 sports in this country. Will it suprass one or two? Don't know. My guess is that it will surpass baseball which is not trending well compared to other sports. But I think it will be up their with their numbers.
According to the 2010 US census, we have ~310,000,000 people in this country. Ecuador has ~16,000,000 and Peru ~30,000,000. The Latino population alone in the US account for 17%.......or ~53,000,000. It is reasonable to assume that a premier sport in general for the Latino populace is soccer. And that's leaving our people who came to the US from other parts of the World who don't fit into the above census category. So, we're already guesstimating that 25% of the US population views soccer as one of their premier sports.
Now, couple this with the fact that soccer is currently one of the most popular youth sports and is growing faster than all others combined.....
We just have to find a way to develop the talent we have. The interest is already growing exponentially.
I think in my lifetime (I'm middle aged) that soccer will be among the top 4 sports in this country. Will it suprass one or two? Don't know. My guess is that it will surpass baseball which is not trending well compared to other sports. But I think it will be up their with their numbers.
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Observation from a realist who never played soccer:
US vs. Argentina in soccer is equivalent to US vs. Argentina in basketball.
The US may have a handful of players who compete in the Premier leagues, but no superstars and the depth of excellence simply isn't there.
Argentina may have a handful of players who compete in the NBA, but no superstars and the depth of excellence simply isn't there.
On a good night the US might keep it close for a half....but in the end they aren't winning that matchup. Same could be said for Argentina basketball. A long way to go before the gap closes.
US vs. Argentina in soccer is equivalent to US vs. Argentina in basketball.
The US may have a handful of players who compete in the Premier leagues, but no superstars and the depth of excellence simply isn't there.
Argentina may have a handful of players who compete in the NBA, but no superstars and the depth of excellence simply isn't there.
On a good night the US might keep it close for a half....but in the end they aren't winning that matchup. Same could be said for Argentina basketball. A long way to go before the gap closes.
That was my prediction as long as Messi was playing. 1 goal and 2 assists and just created everything. They played with 10 men willingly for damn near 30 minivans we still couldn't get a shot on goal.
Two things struck me. One, was how lazy our passes looked compared to AR's. I mean they were slower & less accurate. It was the difference between continuing a play & it being broken up. Second was AR's better anticipation of where the ball was going. On that last goal, our defender hand no idea the AR forward was right behind him waiting to pounce. Our forwards never do that (Too slow?).
I think Dempsey has had his run. He's been as good as we have, but time to move on imo. Speed kills. I thought Zardes was our best by far. Pulisic needs time to develop some strength. Getting pushed around - not surprising. Certainly missed Jones.
I think Dempsey has had his run. He's been as good as we have, but time to move on imo. Speed kills. I thought Zardes was our best by far. Pulisic needs time to develop some strength. Getting pushed around - not surprising. Certainly missed Jones.
USA looks like a rec league team compared to other teams. Until the African American, South American background players play than forget about it. Bradley looks like someone who sold me my last car.
USA is more than a few years away. Problem is these players aren't tough compared to others. Big bunch of coddled babies. So apparent.
Tired of mainstream trying to shove soccer down US public.
Oh well,
USA is more than a few years away. Problem is these players aren't tough compared to others. Big bunch of coddled babies. So apparent.
Tired of mainstream trying to shove soccer down US public.
Oh well,
I wonder if Bradley has vision trouble. Watch him on set pieces....the guy is constantly squinting and struggling to use his eyes. Maybe he's like Wild Thing from Major League. We get him some goofy glasses and maybe he'll stop giving away the ball?
I thought it was comical when the commentators tried to act like Messi didn't mean to pop the ball up like he did for the first goal....really? Of course he meant to do that....
US Soccer will never be on the same level as the Premier Soccer they play in Europe and South America. Soccer is embedded in those countries like Football is embedded in this country. Even with the concussion issues the NFL still owns Sundays, High School Football owns Friday Nights, and College Football owns Saturdays. Then you throw in Basketball, March Madness owns the Spring Time. Maybe Soccer could compete with Baseball, but very doubtful. Baseball has too much embedded history in this country and while more Latin American players will be on the rosters, the Franchises are still based in this country.
American Soccer being consistently competitive with Europe and South America only exist in fantasy land with unicorns.
American Soccer being consistently competitive with Europe and South America only exist in fantasy land with unicorns.
A lot of people think that soccer will never be big in America and I just don't agree. If you look at the growth of the sport in just the last 20 years it has come a long way. The game is really popular at the youth level and it gets more TV time than every before.
People in the 40's and 50's said that baseball would always be the most popular sport in America and look at where it is now - 3rd behind football and basketball. I'd say soccer is the 5th most popular sport right now and getting close to passing hockey for 4th. (You could make a case that it has already passed hockey)
With the way the population is changing in this country it won't be long until it is a top 3 sport.
What soccer needs is a couple things:
- MLS needs to figure out a way to get the best players in the world to play here and in their prime - that is easier said than done.
- There needs to be an American superstar in the game.
People in the 40's and 50's said that baseball would always be the most popular sport in America and look at where it is now - 3rd behind football and basketball. I'd say soccer is the 5th most popular sport right now and getting close to passing hockey for 4th. (You could make a case that it has already passed hockey)
With the way the population is changing in this country it won't be long until it is a top 3 sport.
What soccer needs is a couple things:
- MLS needs to figure out a way to get the best players in the world to play here and in their prime - that is easier said than done.
- There needs to be an American superstar in the game.
That's why MLS season is mid-March to mid-Oct. Their playoffs/championship happen as football just warming up. Net, they've pretty well minimized the other sports competition issue.
You all do realize the number of kids playing soccer at the youth ages is declining. Soccer is experiencing the same type of declines as baseball, football, and basketball. A lot of it has to do with 70% of kids over the age of 12 are not playing any sports. The only sport that is currently seeing a surge in the U.S. is Lacrosse but the numbers are so low compared to other sports it really doesn't even register. The fact of the matter is more kids are playing Football, Basketball, and Baseball at the college level than Soccer.
Actually that's false. Cowherd just showed on his last two shows stats that show soccer is the 2nd most played sport by youth in this country....the issue is, and he had facts and even numerous people call in and state that when 8th grade comes, the most athletic and talented kids playing soccer get poached by the other sports.
And fan support has grown quite a bit steadily since it was started......and other leagues have popped up and seem to be doing decently.
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Soccer has absolutely surpassed hockey in the US - not even close. Look at tv ratings of the Stanley Cup finals vs. the Copa America for one.
The soccer development model for elite talent is much different than that of other sports. A large number of the most talented soccer players develop in foreign countries or abstain from playing high school at all.
Also, there is an incentive to switch not just based on the appeal of the sport. It's a rational decision for an athlete to switch to another sport because the likelihood that they are going to play professional soccer at a similar pay that's offered by basketball, football, or baseball is slim. Players that will make salaries comparable to the NFL, NBA, or MLB will have to play in Europe and face an uphill battle against players ingrained within the European club system.
Finally, if the athlete isn't playing very high level club or a part of a Development Academy, the chance they will get seen even for the MLS or NCAA decreases dramatically. These seasons often run for 10 months, meaning that elite players cannot play in high school anyway due to obligations to club and/or academy.
Exactly. Youth soccer has grown exponentially in the last 10-20 yrs. And it's going to take decades...perhaps even generations to make a huge impact. When our parents were growing up soccer was unheard of......and certainly wasn't on radio or TV. So, naturally our generation didn't grow up watching/liking soccer because they simply weren't exposed to it a lot. Kids that are growing up right now and playing the 2nd most popular youth sport are going to grow up, sit their soccer playing kids on their knees, and watch soccer on TV. (During football and basketball down times)
Things change.....it just takes time. It's even happened before. Baseball was, by far, the most popular sport in the US but over the decades the NFL and NBA have overtaken it.
Currently the US has over 1 million immigrants who seek US citizenship. According to the US census the vast majority of those immigrants that come to the US come from countries where soccer is one of their top sports. The population size of the immigrant transplants in the US outnumber some countries like Costa Rica or Ecuador.
The amount of growth soccer has made in the last 30+ yrs is staggering. How could anyone possibly deny the possibility of a ceiling?
Swedish soccer player gets red card for farting during game
He already had a yellow card.
He also had "a bad stomach," per the Guardian. So, as he told Länstidningen Södertälje, which we're going to guess is either a newspaper or a cheap, self-assembled coffee table, "I simply let go."
The referee explained himself. "I perceived it as deliberate provocation," Kako said, adding that he'd once given a player a yellow for peeing by the field as well. "He did it on purpose and it was inappropriate. Therefore, he received a yellow card."
He already had a yellow card.
He also had "a bad stomach," per the Guardian. So, as he told Länstidningen Södertälje, which we're going to guess is either a newspaper or a cheap, self-assembled coffee table, "I simply let go."
The referee explained himself. "I perceived it as deliberate provocation," Kako said, adding that he'd once given a player a yellow for peeing by the field as well. "He did it on purpose and it was inappropriate. Therefore, he received a yellow card."
Wow... If you are him you have to take it IMO.... BPL, take over a team that finished 6th and will compete in Europa League, inherits a very solid and young roster and is a club that is now valued at 170 million.
He's said that he wanted to get more US players into the major European leagues......maybe he's taking a different angle? Lol.