Kane and bale couldnt play any other pro sport in the USA . There are plenty of players in the US outside of the major sports. US soccer has come a long way. This is just the beginning of the results of the overhaul of the DA system and there are a lot of guys to be excited about coming through. Next WC we will be top 5-7 in the world going in imo. Some of these guys who started will really have to fight to start on 2026.
World Cup thread
- Thread starter Catman100
- Start date
Youre right on and take the nba. The nba has a global presence but how many players are making nba rosters from Brazil? Or how many euros would have been good at soccer in the nba? I mean good enough to play for their national team? Brazil has a nice pro basketball league and the answer is close to zero. Even after the major sports us soccer has an enormous pool. Soccer is not a game where guys like lebron james or any other random 6’8” nba player thrive in. Hell obj was in the national pool and he would have never made a WC roster. Look at African teams. Its not like they’re busting with huge athletic guys. Those types of guys generally have slow footwork and fitness issues. Thats why you see these types of players at cb so they dont have to cover much territory and have time. We have a very dynamic squad that lack great center defenders and a punishing finisher up top. We have a team full of fantastic midfielders. We are very close, I mean hell we have 5-6 guys or more the equivalent of Josie Altidore right now. I think too many of you haven’t played nor been involved until the last 20-30 years. Lets put it this way. 30 years ago we had a couple players who played in europe and most who played ncaa soccer then mls. We just started a game with all club players from primarily Europe. We need the correct coach and a few other pieces. CB, punishing finisher, and some guys in the mf who can strike the ball better.
Also get the term “number 9” out of your minds. You dont need a spectacular number 9 to finish and win. You need a guy who can hold the ball with his back to the goal. Friggin Ronaldo is no number nine he just needs a guy who can hold it long enough and get him the ball. This the problem with us soccer. Everything is inside the box when in fact the game should be creative not chasing guys to say “oh we have a strong 9”. There are infinite ways to attack and score without a top tier 9.
Another problem for us soccer is the English model and the way USA has tethered itself to a system that has underachieved grossly. You go to any week long certification clinic for coaches and there are always a few English instructors. They are also chose to cover games and the analysis by the British women with lalas and guys has been nauseating. This has to change. Us soccer needs to stop trying to emulate the English soccer model and look to Spain, Brazil, the Dutch and many others. I hear fans talk refer to things they are dead wrong about because its derived from English soccer and en vogue at the moment. When I went for my KNVB level 2 badge it was a a real eye opener to the concrete thinking in us soccer and the problems that exist. Its been changing and we will get there.
And that's the difference right there my friends:
QUALITY
Brazil scores a goal like that once a game.
I don't think I have ever seen the US score a goal like that.
Those kind of passes and touches happen when you have been playing soccer, and only soccer, all of your life. The USA just does not promote that kind of development in youth.
I hope I am wrong, but on the WC stage, I think we will be having the same conversations about the USA 25 years from now.
QUALITY
Brazil scores a goal like that once a game.
I don't think I have ever seen the US score a goal like that.
Those kind of passes and touches happen when you have been playing soccer, and only soccer, all of your life. The USA just does not promote that kind of development in youth.
I hope I am wrong, but on the WC stage, I think we will be having the same conversations about the USA 25 years from now.
Holy Cow Croatia Great match. Brazil should not have been pressing up 1 with 5 minutes left to go just stupid. You could watch the play develop from the play on and knew Brazil was beat.
Lavakavic (sp) had some great saves, that young man is going to make some money.
Lavakavic (sp) had some great saves, that young man is going to make some money.
Argentina sent Messi first to set the tone. Brazil left Neymar kickless.
I think there were actually two more yellows given out after the PKs tooSomeone got a yellow card during the PKs
This doesn't mean he couldn't have been being poisoned.
www.espn.com
He wrote Monday that he had visited a hospital while in Qatar.
"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,'' Wahl wrote. "What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.''
U.S. soccer journalist Wahl dies at 48 in Qatar
Grant Wahl, a prominent US soccer writer, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
www.espn.com
He wrote Monday that he had visited a hospital while in Qatar.
"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,'' Wahl wrote. "What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.''
This doesn't mean he couldn't have been being poisoned.
U.S. soccer journalist Wahl dies at 48 in Qatar
Grant Wahl, a prominent US soccer writer, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
He wrote Monday that he had visited a hospital while in Qatar.
"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,'' Wahl wrote. "What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.''
Per my understanding there aren't a lot of poisons that cause death and leave no trace.