USMNT road to 2022 thread
- Thread starter braves
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Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
i still find it hilarious that a shit team like Cuba actually is in the quarters....
God damn Canada couldn't even score a fuckign goal....
God damn Canada couldn't even score a fuckign goal....
braves
Pretty much a regular
Cuba was the second worst team in this tourney , fortunately they got to play the worst in Guatemala
braves
Pretty much a regular
always feel like it is 1 step forward and two steps back with this team.
Anyways, this guy is pretty spot on. Says its the third worse loss since he has been following the team since the 80s, don't disagree. Rips JK
Let's run down the list, following the USMNT's 2-1 loss to Jamaica in the Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday:
1. Dysfunction Junction
"Continuity" is the great equalizer in team sports. To paraphrase the great Jon Chaney: Dribbling and shooting are individual skills. Passing is a team skill, and it's the one thing that really truly connects the players.
And as you play more with the guys around you, and do so in repeated and repeatable formations, passing gets better and crisper. Teams that stay together for a long while tend to do better than those that are always chopping and changing.
To that end, the XI Jurgen Klinsmann put out on Wednesday had never started a game together before. And the USMNT hadn't started a game in the 4-2-3-1 since... well, I looked hard, and didn't quite find the answer. It was a new lineup and newish formation that the group had to figure out on the fly, rather than something they'd worked toward together for months or years.
And it led to stuff like this:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://streamable.com/e/t698" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="420" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></iframe>
Aron Johannsson jumps away from what is literally the perfect spot to play Michael Bradley through via a wall pass. Even the build-up beforehand was herky-jerky and haphazard, though - this whole sequence was a product of Jamaican passivity, not American mastery.
I harped on Twitter about our lack of production from the run of play in official matches, which are and always have been much different from friendlies. The US go without a natural chance creator, and don't have the continuity playing together to make up for it.
Both those things are on Klinsmann's head.
2. Bermuda Triangle
I straight-up don't understand why John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado were deemed the first choice central defensive pairing for this tournament. Brooks - who is and will remain wildly talented - is and has been a liability in the air. He reliably loses the first physical confrontation of the night no matter if it's against Jamaica, Germany or any/all other comers, and while he's useful attacking set pieces he is "Hold your breath and pray!" bad at defending them.
Sometimes, that can hurt you:
<iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="458" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe>Alvarado is tougher than Brooks, but still plays off his string and goes running when he needs to stay home, and doesn't quite understand the meaning of "partnership" yet. This is something that... I mean, fine, experiment with it in the group stage. Or please use a bunch of friendlies to that purpose.
But in a knockout round game...
I can't even complete that thought.
Anyway, playing Brooks and Alvarado together made no sense. Though if you're determined to do so, you'd probably want a veteran d-mid like Kyle Beckerman in front of them.
That works in theory, but not in practice. Beckerman has been very good over the last four years working himself into the national team picture, and I'll go to my grave feeling he was the best USMNT player in the group stage last summer.
But he struggles against Jamaica. They drag him everywhere at speed, and a 25-year-old Beckerman was never good "at speed." A 33-year-old Beckerman with 40,000 pro minutes on his legs was being asked to do too much too often against too many guys who were stronger and faster than him. Add in one more veteran defender back there and maybe the US get away with it... but that's not what happened.
<iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="206" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe>
3. The Last Resort
I love Alan Gordon. I am concerned that we may not have a young version of Alan Gordon in the USMNT pipeline. Alan Gordon is great at attacking crosses, and great at winning defensive headers, and great at doing things like this:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://streamable.com/e/pxbi" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="420" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></iframe>
That is a brilliant pass - the best of the night from either team. But once Gordon went on, the US chose to skip the midfield entirely and play nothing but Route 1 soccer for the final 20 minutes:
<iframe id="twitter-widget-5" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="184" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe><iframe id="twitter-widget-6" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="184" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe><iframe id="twitter-widget-7" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="184" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe>Co-signed on all of the above, especially the "maddening" part. Just because you have a great aerial presence doesn't mean you should be launching 60-yard balls at his noggin every freaking time. Messi is the greatest dribbler in the history of the game, but he doesn't take off running 1-v-1 or 1-v-3 at every opportunity.
When you have an elite specialist out there the strategy shouldn't be "go with him to the exclusion of all other options," it's "use the space his attacking gravity creates to take better advantage of your other options." If Jamaica collapse on Gordon - and they did - that leaves more room for the other guys to combine around the box. Which they didn't.
I am frustrated at that, but I don't blame the players because Gordon has not been used by Klinsmann since October of 2012! He was brought into the Gold Cup specifically in case the need for a Hail Mary arose, not to play actual soccer.
That, too, is on Klinsmann.
One more thing:
I started watching US soccer in the late 1980s. This is the third-worst loss, after Iran in the 1998 World Cup and Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final.
However, I do not yet think it's time to fire Klinsmann. While his predecessor, Bob Bradley, was fired after the 2011 flop (a decision I supported), that was as much for the fact that the US failed to get to the Confederations Cup as it was for the scoreline.
By virtue of winning the 2013 Gold Cup, the US still have a shot at qualifying for the 2017 Confeds Cup. For that right, they'll face the winner of this event (Jamaica, Panama or Mexico) in a playoff come October. If the US win, Jurgen's earned the right to take us into qualifying.
If not? I'd hope he's held to the same standards as his predecessors.
Until then, it's time for the masses to realize this: Klinsmann's results through four years have not been better than Bradley's, and they have been worse than Bruce Arena's. All while our style of play has regressed to the bad-old-days of hopeless long-balls and hopeful crosses.
And that? That's on Klinsmann as well.
Anyways, this guy is pretty spot on. Says its the third worse loss since he has been following the team since the 80s, don't disagree. Rips JK
Let's run down the list, following the USMNT's 2-1 loss to Jamaica in the Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday:
- First time the US have been eliminated by any CONCACAF team aside from Mexico. Previous losses were all to El Tri or guest CONMEBOL teams (Brazil in '96 & '03; Colombia in '00).
- First loss to a Caribbean team - any Caribbean team - on US soil since a 1-0 loss to Haiti. In 1968.
- First loss to a Caribbean team in the Gold Cup.
- Second loss ever to Jamaica. The first came in 2012 qualifying down in Kingston.
1. Dysfunction Junction
"Continuity" is the great equalizer in team sports. To paraphrase the great Jon Chaney: Dribbling and shooting are individual skills. Passing is a team skill, and it's the one thing that really truly connects the players.
And as you play more with the guys around you, and do so in repeated and repeatable formations, passing gets better and crisper. Teams that stay together for a long while tend to do better than those that are always chopping and changing.
To that end, the XI Jurgen Klinsmann put out on Wednesday had never started a game together before. And the USMNT hadn't started a game in the 4-2-3-1 since... well, I looked hard, and didn't quite find the answer. It was a new lineup and newish formation that the group had to figure out on the fly, rather than something they'd worked toward together for months or years.
And it led to stuff like this:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://streamable.com/e/t698" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="420" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></iframe>
Aron Johannsson jumps away from what is literally the perfect spot to play Michael Bradley through via a wall pass. Even the build-up beforehand was herky-jerky and haphazard, though - this whole sequence was a product of Jamaican passivity, not American mastery.
I harped on Twitter about our lack of production from the run of play in official matches, which are and always have been much different from friendlies. The US go without a natural chance creator, and don't have the continuity playing together to make up for it.
Both those things are on Klinsmann's head.
2. Bermuda Triangle
I straight-up don't understand why John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado were deemed the first choice central defensive pairing for this tournament. Brooks - who is and will remain wildly talented - is and has been a liability in the air. He reliably loses the first physical confrontation of the night no matter if it's against Jamaica, Germany or any/all other comers, and while he's useful attacking set pieces he is "Hold your breath and pray!" bad at defending them.
Sometimes, that can hurt you:
<iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="458" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe>Alvarado is tougher than Brooks, but still plays off his string and goes running when he needs to stay home, and doesn't quite understand the meaning of "partnership" yet. This is something that... I mean, fine, experiment with it in the group stage. Or please use a bunch of friendlies to that purpose.
But in a knockout round game...
I can't even complete that thought.
Anyway, playing Brooks and Alvarado together made no sense. Though if you're determined to do so, you'd probably want a veteran d-mid like Kyle Beckerman in front of them.
That works in theory, but not in practice. Beckerman has been very good over the last four years working himself into the national team picture, and I'll go to my grave feeling he was the best USMNT player in the group stage last summer.
But he struggles against Jamaica. They drag him everywhere at speed, and a 25-year-old Beckerman was never good "at speed." A 33-year-old Beckerman with 40,000 pro minutes on his legs was being asked to do too much too often against too many guys who were stronger and faster than him. Add in one more veteran defender back there and maybe the US get away with it... but that's not what happened.
<iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="206" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe>
3. The Last Resort
I love Alan Gordon. I am concerned that we may not have a young version of Alan Gordon in the USMNT pipeline. Alan Gordon is great at attacking crosses, and great at winning defensive headers, and great at doing things like this:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://streamable.com/e/pxbi" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="420" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></iframe>
That is a brilliant pass - the best of the night from either team. But once Gordon went on, the US chose to skip the midfield entirely and play nothing but Route 1 soccer for the final 20 minutes:
<iframe id="twitter-widget-5" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="184" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe><iframe id="twitter-widget-6" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="184" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe><iframe id="twitter-widget-7" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="184" style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe>Co-signed on all of the above, especially the "maddening" part. Just because you have a great aerial presence doesn't mean you should be launching 60-yard balls at his noggin every freaking time. Messi is the greatest dribbler in the history of the game, but he doesn't take off running 1-v-1 or 1-v-3 at every opportunity.
When you have an elite specialist out there the strategy shouldn't be "go with him to the exclusion of all other options," it's "use the space his attacking gravity creates to take better advantage of your other options." If Jamaica collapse on Gordon - and they did - that leaves more room for the other guys to combine around the box. Which they didn't.
I am frustrated at that, but I don't blame the players because Gordon has not been used by Klinsmann since October of 2012! He was brought into the Gold Cup specifically in case the need for a Hail Mary arose, not to play actual soccer.
That, too, is on Klinsmann.
One more thing:
I started watching US soccer in the late 1980s. This is the third-worst loss, after Iran in the 1998 World Cup and Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final.
However, I do not yet think it's time to fire Klinsmann. While his predecessor, Bob Bradley, was fired after the 2011 flop (a decision I supported), that was as much for the fact that the US failed to get to the Confederations Cup as it was for the scoreline.
By virtue of winning the 2013 Gold Cup, the US still have a shot at qualifying for the 2017 Confeds Cup. For that right, they'll face the winner of this event (Jamaica, Panama or Mexico) in a playoff come October. If the US win, Jurgen's earned the right to take us into qualifying.
If not? I'd hope he's held to the same standards as his predecessors.
Until then, it's time for the masses to realize this: Klinsmann's results through four years have not been better than Bradley's, and they have been worse than Bruce Arena's. All while our style of play has regressed to the bad-old-days of hopeless long-balls and hopeful crosses.
And that? That's on Klinsmann as well.
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
US got a bye to the hex essentially
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
haha yeah was wondering why would you even make it easier for your oppositions fans to come? They could of picked fucking Michigan or Ohio or something
braves
Pretty much a regular
Concacaf chose the venue , it wasn't the U.S. federation..
Usually when they play a qualifier vs Mexixo they play it in Columbus
braves
Pretty much a regular
Yep, easiest path I can remember to the hex
braves
Pretty much a regular
Got my tixs for the 10/10 game , had to join the American outlaws in order to do it. Going be behind the goal, and they were $106 a piece, but better than taking my chances with the lottery system. Also, while not thrilled about sitting with the supporter group, it does beat having to sit around a bunch of Mexican fans and dodge beer all game
braves
Pretty much a regular
Our national team coach today.. He is getting killed for it...
[h=1]If you’ve ever criticized Jurgen Klinsmann or his USMNT, you don’t understand soccer[/h]Andy Edwards
Sep 3, 2015, 4:20 PM EDT
[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s USMNT coverage ]
Yes, US national team fans’ longest-running nightmare — Klinsmann himself, that is — is at it again. Speaking ahead of the USMNT’s final set of friendlies before their massive CONCACAF Cup playoff against Mexico on Oct. 10, Klinsmann had a few things to say about his side’s fourth-place finish at the 2015 Gold and the ensuing criticisms lobbed Klinsmann’s way (examples of criticism found HERE, HERE and HERE):
We don’t, however, hear Klinsmann pointing to the constructive conversations so many attempted to engage in during the tournament’s early stages as a sign of understanding the game and attempting to push it forward. Instead, Klinsmann insisted day after day in July that his side was playing well and coming along quickly, despite every evidence to the contrary, simply because they were winning. But, that sounds like what Klinsmann just criticized everyone else for doing, is it not? Is Klinsmann a hypocrite, or increasingly desperate for excuses?
[ RELATED: Previewing USA vs. Peru | How will the USMNT line up vs. Peru? ]
Would it be unfair to ask Klinsmann why he’s failed to deliver on a number of his promises and objectives when he took the job in 2011? For instance, why does the USMNT still play a reactive style of soccer when he promised a progressive, possession-based style? Why is his team’s fitness, so long the USMNT program’s calling card, suddenly an issue under his guidance? Why, with a larger player pool (his own doing, admittedly), more power as head coach and technical director and a huge investment of money, has the program plateaued on the accomplishments of his predecessors, and in some instances, regressed?
These are issues we would love to talk about, for Klinsmann to impart his infinite knowledge upon us, if only he would accept them as legitimate queries.
Complete list of people not once responsible for the USMNT’s shortcomings over the past 48 months: Jurgen Klinsmann.
[h=1]If you’ve ever criticized Jurgen Klinsmann or his USMNT, you don’t understand soccer[/h]Andy Edwards
Sep 3, 2015, 4:20 PM EDT
Jurgen Klinsmann, USMNT
That was a fun headline to write, probably because saying something so outlandish as the above must have given this writer the briefest glimpse of what it must feel like to wake up and get to be Jurgen Klinsmann, a man eternally above criticism and accountability, every single day.[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s USMNT coverage ]
Yes, US national team fans’ longest-running nightmare — Klinsmann himself, that is — is at it again. Speaking ahead of the USMNT’s final set of friendlies before their massive CONCACAF Cup playoff against Mexico on Oct. 10, Klinsmann had a few things to say about his side’s fourth-place finish at the 2015 Gold and the ensuing criticisms lobbed Klinsmann’s way (examples of criticism found HERE, HERE and HERE):
“[The semifinal loss to Jamaica] was definitely our best game, [but] there were these [officiating] calls. Everybody was saying, ‘Yeah, that’s true, it’s crazy.’ Three days later, it was a loss against Jamaica, two mistakes on two set pieces, and suddenly it was bad coaching. People see the result and they think, ‘That must have been really bad.’ ”
Criticisms of the USMNT’s performance at this summer’s Gold Cup began long before they bowed out to Jamaica in the semifinals (HERE, HERE and HERE), so let’s get that out of the way first and foremost. It doesn’t take a great deal of intelligence to look at the final score and get all up in arms over a defeat. You can lose while playing well — as they did against Jamaica — just as you can obtain positive results while playing poorly — as they did in three of four games before the Jamaica defeat.
We don’t, however, hear Klinsmann pointing to the constructive conversations so many attempted to engage in during the tournament’s early stages as a sign of understanding the game and attempting to push it forward. Instead, Klinsmann insisted day after day in July that his side was playing well and coming along quickly, despite every evidence to the contrary, simply because they were winning. But, that sounds like what Klinsmann just criticized everyone else for doing, is it not? Is Klinsmann a hypocrite, or increasingly desperate for excuses?
[ RELATED: Previewing USA vs. Peru | How will the USMNT line up vs. Peru? ]
Would it be unfair to ask Klinsmann why he’s failed to deliver on a number of his promises and objectives when he took the job in 2011? For instance, why does the USMNT still play a reactive style of soccer when he promised a progressive, possession-based style? Why is his team’s fitness, so long the USMNT program’s calling card, suddenly an issue under his guidance? Why, with a larger player pool (his own doing, admittedly), more power as head coach and technical director and a huge investment of money, has the program plateaued on the accomplishments of his predecessors, and in some instances, regressed?
These are issues we would love to talk about, for Klinsmann to impart his infinite knowledge upon us, if only he would accept them as legitimate queries.
“It’s a good thing you have so much comments and opinions because it shows you that a lot more people care. They care about the game, they care about the national team. They care about saying their opinion. Do they understand really what happened in the Gold Cup? Some of them absolutely do and a lot of people don’t. I take it, it’s not a big deal. But it also explains we have a long way to go to educate people on the game of soccer still in this country.”
Also apparently too dumb to understand soccer: Bayern Munich fans, who wanted Klinsmann out halfway through his first (and only) season in charge; Phillip Lahm, a World Cup winner, a UEFA Champions League winner, a seven-time Bundesliga winner and the harshest critic to date of Klinsmann’s coaching abilities; andan entire team’s worth of current and/or former USMNT players.
“I am having fun being measured by every game and judged by every game.”
Except in his mind, his work, no matter the results — the program’s worst Gold Cup finish in 12 years be damned — Klinsmann remains above judgment and criticism as he shuns responsibility and blame, scapegoating anyone and everyone around him. In his 48 months in charge of the USMNT, the following groups or individuals have been at fault for his side’s shortcomings at various times: American soccer’s youth development setup, his own players, Major League Soccer, referees, and now, the fans.
Complete list of people not once responsible for the USMNT’s shortcomings over the past 48 months: Jurgen Klinsmann.
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
lol this is hilarious, wasn't too long ago he was the saviour.
guaranteeed
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the mexican guy that just got fired
braves
Pretty much a regular
Peter Vermes,Oscar pareja, robinson( all mls coaches)herzog (u23 coach), and gjertan Verbeek( though I've read this guy is impossible to work with, I really know nothing about him). This all from a writer that is pretty dialed In
braves
Pretty much a regular
That would be awesome lol
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
I dont get why an MLS coach would be bad, he would know the league, know what kind of talent he has to work with
JK until 5 years ago was used to telling world class players they were subs
JK until 5 years ago was used to telling world class players they were subs
braves
Pretty much a regular
He did try to sell muller..
I'm all in on a mls coach, for the reasons teed mentioned.
honestly it would probably take an embarassing loss to Mexico next month and some early struggles in qualifying for him to be let go
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
just saw the US WCQ Group jesus what a joke only team that would give them a run would bet T&T
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
that is fucking brilliant
guaranteeed
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Braves you probly know this best but how is CCV only 7th?
http://www.espnfc.com/united-states...-under-21?ex_cid=InsiderTwitter_McIntyre21U21
http://www.espnfc.com/united-states...-under-21?ex_cid=InsiderTwitter_McIntyre21U21
braves
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guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
1. Matt Miazga | Age: 20 | Pos: Defender | Club: New York Red Bulls (MLS)
The athletic, imposing center back has the physical tools to excel at the next level, and he's taken a huge step forward in his development this MLS season, during which he's established himself as a key starter for the league's best team. "He's the best young center back I've ever seen in this country," one MLS coach told Insider.
2. Rubio Rubin | 19 | Forward | Utrecht (Netherlands)
Rubin has made just four substitute appearances in the Eredivisie this season after starting 21 league games last season. But with size, skill and excellent vision for a forward, he remains an elite prospect for both country and club -- one reason he wasn't released by Utrecht for the upcoming Olympic qualifying campaign.
3. Jordan Morris | 20 | Forward | Stanford (NCAA)
Despite his amateur status, the Seattle native already has six senior caps (one goal) to his credit. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann and technical adviser Berti Vogts both rave about him, and he could end up being the best player on this list. Still, until he turns pro, it's hard to know exactly how he stacks up against his peers.
4. Paul Arriola | 20 | Forward | Club Tijuana (Mexico)
Arriola debuted for the Xolos' first team in 2013, but the Californian spent the beginning of 2015 with Tijuana's under-20s in order to prepare for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He's been a regular in Liga MX since returning from New Zealand, coming off the bench in eight of the Xolos' nine games this season, scoring once.
5. Gedion Zelalem | 18 | Midfielder | Rangers (Scotland)
The playmaker's skill is unquestioned, and in the four games he's played so far in Scotland's rough-and-tumble second tier (where he's on loan from Arsenal until at least the end of 2015), he's appeared more than capable of competing physically against grown men regularly for the first time in his young career.
6. Emerson Hyndman | 19 | Midfielder | Fulham (England)
Hyndman's reluctance to extend his contract has probably impacted his minutes (after making nine starts for Fulham in an injury-shortened 2014-15, Hyndman's season debut came on Tuesday in the Cottagers' League Cup loss to Stoke). It has also allowed others to move past him. But the technically gifted Texan was among the best Americans at the U-20 World Cup, and he could be playing in one of Europe's elite leagues by January.
7. Cameron Carter-Vickers | 17 | Defender | Tottenham (England)
Based on potential alone, Carter-Vickers' ceiling might be higher than any player on this list. It's risky to get too carried away with a prospect this young -- the British-born man-child won't turn 18 until Dec. 31 -- but his stock will soar this year if he's able to secure a starting spot during Olympic qualifying and, hopefully, in Rio next summer.
8. Kellyn Acosta | 20 | Midfielder | FC Dallas (MLS)
Acosta has already amassed 46 MLS appearances since signing with his hometown club three years ago. This year, he's a been a full-time starter for manager Oscar Pareja, going the distance in 12 of 13 games since the U-20 World Cup for the best team (based on points per game) in the Western Conference.
9. Ethan Horvath | 20 | Goalkeeper | Molde (Norway)
The Colorado native became Molde's starter over the summer, after Norwegian national team No. 1 Orjan Nyland transferred to German Bundesliga club Ingolstadt. Horvath has gained valuable experience since, playing in a pair of Champions League qualifiers and going unbeaten since July, including a five-save performance in a 3-1 Europa league win at Turkey's Fenerbahce.
10. Christian Pulisic | 17 | Midfielder | Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Pulisic, who celebrated his 17th birthday on Sept. 18, will lead the U.S. when the U-17 World Cup kicks off next month in Chile. The playmaker remains among most promising Americans at his age level, and he continues to progress with Dortmund's U-19 squad, for whom he scored earlier this week.
11. Desevio Payne | 19 | Defender | Groningen (Netherlands)
The speedy full-back made two first-team appearances with his club last season and enjoyed a strong U-20 World Cup, but the ankle he hurt in preseason has prevented him from appearing in the Eredivisie so far in 2015-16.
12. Lynden Gooch | 19 | Midfielder | Sunderland (England)
Gooch made his first-team debut last month in the English League Cup and even dressed for a Premier League game. He was also named the Barclays U-21 Player of the Month in August after picking up three goals and an assist in the first three games of the season for Sunderland's youth squad.
13. Zack Steffen | 20 | Goalkeeper | Freiberg (Germany)
The former University of Maryland standout has yet to make his senior debut with Freiberg, but with U.S. U-23 starter Cody Cropper injured, he and Horvath will battle it out for the No. 1 job for Andi Herzog's U-23s during Olympic qualifying.
14. Mukwelle Akale | 18 | Forward | Villarreal (Spain)
The Minnesotan is so well regarded in Spain that Villarreal are using a valuable international spot on him this season. The one knock against him is his size: Akale stands just 5-foot-4.
15. Russell Canouse | 20 | Midfielder | Hoffenheim (Germany)
Canouse captained the U.S. U-20 squad during World Cup qualifying in January, but an untimely ankle injury forced him to miss the main event. His summer wasn't all bad, though, as Hoffenheim signed the central midfielder to a two-year extension in June.
16. Cristian Roldan | 20 | Midfielder | Seattle Sounders (MLS)
The 16th overall SuperDraft pick out of the University of Washington has already made 22 appearances (11 starts) for Seattle in his rookie season.
17. Marky Delgado | 20 | Midfielder | Toronto FC (MLS)
Delgado hadn't seen a minute of MLS action for TFC this season when he left to join the U-20s ahead of the World Cup. But he's been heavily involved since returning, making 16 consecutive starts for the Reds.
18. Jordan Allen | 20 | Midfielder | Real Salt Lake (MLS)
The versatile New Yorker lost his starting spot with RSL when he went to New Zealand with the U-20s. But he's regained it in recent weeks and now has 19 appearances (1 goal, 2 assists) on the season.
19. Julian Green | 20 | Forward | Bayern Munich (Germany)
A lack of first-team minutes has caused the 2014 World Cup veteran's stock to plummet over the past year, and his decision to remain with Bayern's reserves this season remains questionable.
20. Maki Tall | 19 | Forward | Sion (Switzerland)
The D.C.-born, France-raised striker saw his U-20 World Cup cut short by a broken foot, but he still managed to score a goal in just 48 minutes of action.
21. Erik Palmer-Brown | 18 | Defender | Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
The big center back hasn't taken the leap many expected him to this season, but Palmer-Brown still has plenty of time, and his development is in good hands under SKC coach Peter Vermes.
The athletic, imposing center back has the physical tools to excel at the next level, and he's taken a huge step forward in his development this MLS season, during which he's established himself as a key starter for the league's best team. "He's the best young center back I've ever seen in this country," one MLS coach told Insider.
2. Rubio Rubin | 19 | Forward | Utrecht (Netherlands)
Rubin has made just four substitute appearances in the Eredivisie this season after starting 21 league games last season. But with size, skill and excellent vision for a forward, he remains an elite prospect for both country and club -- one reason he wasn't released by Utrecht for the upcoming Olympic qualifying campaign.
3. Jordan Morris | 20 | Forward | Stanford (NCAA)
Despite his amateur status, the Seattle native already has six senior caps (one goal) to his credit. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann and technical adviser Berti Vogts both rave about him, and he could end up being the best player on this list. Still, until he turns pro, it's hard to know exactly how he stacks up against his peers.
4. Paul Arriola | 20 | Forward | Club Tijuana (Mexico)
Arriola debuted for the Xolos' first team in 2013, but the Californian spent the beginning of 2015 with Tijuana's under-20s in order to prepare for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He's been a regular in Liga MX since returning from New Zealand, coming off the bench in eight of the Xolos' nine games this season, scoring once.
5. Gedion Zelalem | 18 | Midfielder | Rangers (Scotland)
The playmaker's skill is unquestioned, and in the four games he's played so far in Scotland's rough-and-tumble second tier (where he's on loan from Arsenal until at least the end of 2015), he's appeared more than capable of competing physically against grown men regularly for the first time in his young career.
6. Emerson Hyndman | 19 | Midfielder | Fulham (England)
Hyndman's reluctance to extend his contract has probably impacted his minutes (after making nine starts for Fulham in an injury-shortened 2014-15, Hyndman's season debut came on Tuesday in the Cottagers' League Cup loss to Stoke). It has also allowed others to move past him. But the technically gifted Texan was among the best Americans at the U-20 World Cup, and he could be playing in one of Europe's elite leagues by January.
7. Cameron Carter-Vickers | 17 | Defender | Tottenham (England)
Based on potential alone, Carter-Vickers' ceiling might be higher than any player on this list. It's risky to get too carried away with a prospect this young -- the British-born man-child won't turn 18 until Dec. 31 -- but his stock will soar this year if he's able to secure a starting spot during Olympic qualifying and, hopefully, in Rio next summer.
8. Kellyn Acosta | 20 | Midfielder | FC Dallas (MLS)
Acosta has already amassed 46 MLS appearances since signing with his hometown club three years ago. This year, he's a been a full-time starter for manager Oscar Pareja, going the distance in 12 of 13 games since the U-20 World Cup for the best team (based on points per game) in the Western Conference.
9. Ethan Horvath | 20 | Goalkeeper | Molde (Norway)
The Colorado native became Molde's starter over the summer, after Norwegian national team No. 1 Orjan Nyland transferred to German Bundesliga club Ingolstadt. Horvath has gained valuable experience since, playing in a pair of Champions League qualifiers and going unbeaten since July, including a five-save performance in a 3-1 Europa league win at Turkey's Fenerbahce.
10. Christian Pulisic | 17 | Midfielder | Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Pulisic, who celebrated his 17th birthday on Sept. 18, will lead the U.S. when the U-17 World Cup kicks off next month in Chile. The playmaker remains among most promising Americans at his age level, and he continues to progress with Dortmund's U-19 squad, for whom he scored earlier this week.
11. Desevio Payne | 19 | Defender | Groningen (Netherlands)
The speedy full-back made two first-team appearances with his club last season and enjoyed a strong U-20 World Cup, but the ankle he hurt in preseason has prevented him from appearing in the Eredivisie so far in 2015-16.
12. Lynden Gooch | 19 | Midfielder | Sunderland (England)
Gooch made his first-team debut last month in the English League Cup and even dressed for a Premier League game. He was also named the Barclays U-21 Player of the Month in August after picking up three goals and an assist in the first three games of the season for Sunderland's youth squad.
13. Zack Steffen | 20 | Goalkeeper | Freiberg (Germany)
The former University of Maryland standout has yet to make his senior debut with Freiberg, but with U.S. U-23 starter Cody Cropper injured, he and Horvath will battle it out for the No. 1 job for Andi Herzog's U-23s during Olympic qualifying.
14. Mukwelle Akale | 18 | Forward | Villarreal (Spain)
The Minnesotan is so well regarded in Spain that Villarreal are using a valuable international spot on him this season. The one knock against him is his size: Akale stands just 5-foot-4.
15. Russell Canouse | 20 | Midfielder | Hoffenheim (Germany)
Canouse captained the U.S. U-20 squad during World Cup qualifying in January, but an untimely ankle injury forced him to miss the main event. His summer wasn't all bad, though, as Hoffenheim signed the central midfielder to a two-year extension in June.
16. Cristian Roldan | 20 | Midfielder | Seattle Sounders (MLS)
The 16th overall SuperDraft pick out of the University of Washington has already made 22 appearances (11 starts) for Seattle in his rookie season.
17. Marky Delgado | 20 | Midfielder | Toronto FC (MLS)
Delgado hadn't seen a minute of MLS action for TFC this season when he left to join the U-20s ahead of the World Cup. But he's been heavily involved since returning, making 16 consecutive starts for the Reds.
18. Jordan Allen | 20 | Midfielder | Real Salt Lake (MLS)
The versatile New Yorker lost his starting spot with RSL when he went to New Zealand with the U-20s. But he's regained it in recent weeks and now has 19 appearances (1 goal, 2 assists) on the season.
19. Julian Green | 20 | Forward | Bayern Munich (Germany)
A lack of first-team minutes has caused the 2014 World Cup veteran's stock to plummet over the past year, and his decision to remain with Bayern's reserves this season remains questionable.
20. Maki Tall | 19 | Forward | Sion (Switzerland)
The D.C.-born, France-raised striker saw his U-20 World Cup cut short by a broken foot, but he still managed to score a goal in just 48 minutes of action.
21. Erik Palmer-Brown | 18 | Defender | Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
The big center back hasn't taken the leap many expected him to this season, but Palmer-Brown still has plenty of time, and his development is in good hands under SKC coach Peter Vermes.
ArizonaKid
Pretty much a regular
Braves you were at this match correct ? Do you personally believe we should fire Klinnsman and if so who is available to take over ?
I completely forgot about the match and raced to a bar and caught all the extra time... With the talent up front for Mexico so superior to what the US has I am more upset about the U-23 team losing and in serious jeopardy of not qualifying for the Olympics for a second time in a row.
braves
Pretty much a regular
Yes, I was at the match. We treated Mexico like they were Germany. THe same MExican team that was awful at the Gold Cup.
Yes, we should fire Klinnsman. I was conned, and the Euros on here warned us. The guy simply cannot coach.
<header class="entry-header" style="margin-bottom: 36px; color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.701961); font-family: adobe-garamond-pro; font-size: 18px; line-height: 28.8px;">[COLOR=rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.4)]Dan Loney [/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.4)] Concacaf, Yaks[/COLOR]
</header>[COLOR=rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.701961)]That was fun.
Oh, come on. Sure, we lost. We've done that before. You thought we'd never lose ever again? Did you want nothing but beautiful, breathtaking soccer played by the world's finest performers? Wrong national team, my friend.
Okay, we lost to the Enemy. Maybe it was the soft bigotry of expectations that had fallen down the mineshaft, but we came back against the Enemy. Twice. With a bad lineup playing badly.
We made this game an unofficial referendum on the Klinsmann regime, we devoted USMNT fans. This has made us thoughtful, perhaps even opinionated. So it's nice to remember why we became fans of this kicky sporty thing in the first place. There are two huge and important positives I believe every fan can take away from this.
The never give up, never surrender, never say die spirit? The one that, depending on your point of view, either exemplifies the best of the United States of America, or is a comforting myth that masks our inadequacies? Well, it's nice to see that's still around. I thought we'd mislaid it sometime around the Brazil game.
That's really what I ask from our team. I don't watch the US to see Juergen Klinsmann coach - boy, do I not ever.
If you don't believe that's important, well, look at you being all intelligent and sophisticated. Suppose, however, that this was your first rodeo. I'm honestly jealous of the people who had never seen a USMNT game before now, because this is one I'd put in the rotation. Just for the cowboy myth of it all. No, we didn't win in the end. That's the lesson - this isn't the end. This isn't even the beginning.
Those new fans are in for a rough ride, but they'll come back, every last one of them. That's why we do.
More important, though, is the number of fans we have nowadays. We can go back twenty or thirty years to put this in perspective if we feel like it, but we only have to go back to 2011. There was a sizeable and loud section of US support, in Los Angeles County, against Mexico. That's a milestone, my friends. One of a series we've had over fifteen years of uninterrupted fan growth.
No, it wasn't 50-50, or even 60-40 in the Rose Bowl. Any more than soccer has passed basketball or baseball in the United States. At this point, those would be nice, but not necessary. Whenever or whatever the tipping point was, it was pointed and tipped. The US national teams - both of them - have become sustainable, self-perpetuating, going concerns with a permanent and growing fan base. Nothing is going to unring the toothpaste now.
We've allowed Juergen Klinsmann to overshadow the US national team program. But the program and the fans are strong, and will get stronger. Klinsmann hasn't even slowed that down. This too will pass, even if right now our midfield can't.
Of course Klinsmann has failed. And, of course, those of us who run the US Soccer Federation while teaching economics at Columbia will go to great lengths not to see this. But this game was both a fun night of soccer entertainment and a fan support breakthrough. Klinsmann can't stop either.
The negatives don't outweigh these positives. Failing to qualify for the World Cup would be the only thing that would, but even Klinsmann can't screw that up. Not now that Mexico hired the genius behind this. We'll be fine.
Where do we go from here?
We don't. We follow and support. Whether Klinsmann gets fired or not is not our call. And, bluntly, if you want to boycott this team's directionless incompetence, you'll miss out on some fun - but more to the point, there will be others to replace you. Might as well get with the program.
Okay, that's silly and unfair. Has Juergen Klinsmann not undertaken to educate us? Shall we not then express what we have learned, in a free and healthy exchange of ideas? We sure as heck shall. But I do want to make the point that at this point, results - short of failure to qualify for Russia - will not remove Klinsmann.
Look at it this way. Suppose instead of a classic wonder goal, Paul Aguilar bounced his shot off Joe Bruin, Brad Guzan ends us proving he's a better keeper than I've Already Forgotten His Name Because Let's Face It We're Not Seeing Him Again, and we're off to the Confederations Cup. Would that have made Klinsmann a good coach? Would that have proven us sensible folk wrong? Would we have had to put up with a carnival of "I told you so" from the misguided? Like heck. So it's unfair to take this close, exciting result and use it as a rhetorical club. Not when our club closet is already amply supplied.
Now, for all I know, Sunil Gulati will celebrate Columbus Crew Day with an epiphany, and tomorrow at this time Juergen Klinsmann will resign to spend more time with Preki's family. Consider this admission of the possibility a retraction in case it happens, because I'll have died of surprise.
What happens next is up to Michael Bradley. He is our only remaining star, and the one man Klinsmann can not, will not, and should not drop. He's the only proven performer in his physical prime, and among the things he has proven is his willingness to perform as hard for the man who replaced his father as for his own father. That's literally Shakespearean.
What Bradley will need to do, then, is take the "lineups" and "tactics" Klinsmann presents to him, and make them work. It will be a tedious and literally thankless job, but someone has to - and we're extremely lucky we now have someone like Bradley around.
Clint Dempsey is losing his epic rap battle with Father Time, Jermaine Jones started on the damn wing, and DaMarcus Beasley's replacement turned out to be DaMarcus Beasley. When you saw that lineup, how much did you think Mexico was going to win by? I thought 4-0, easy.
Maybe you think someone besides Bradley held that team together, especially after the first goal. That's fine. I'm not here to tell you what to think.
Anyway, if Bradley can do it in that situation, he can do it against the cupcakier of CONCACAF opponents. We're not going unbeaten, but no one does in CONCACAF. Bradley will get us through to Russia, and after that - well, it's the draw, and injuries, and God knows what else.
That's what happens on the field. It will be a lot more exciting than it will be beautiful. This is the US men's national team, I assume you've met?
Off the field - well, I feel like the voice in the wilderness, or at least the voice in Disney's Wilderness Lodge. But the time will come when we realize that national team coach and technical director are two full-time jobs that should be held by two different people. Those two people will have to agree on many things. But the duty of growing the talent pool, and the duty of getting results out of the existing talent pool, are both so different and so onerous that the idea of combining the two would be the product of, I don't know, a celebrity soccer egotist and a surprisingly gullible economics professor in a mutual fit of highly wishful thinking.
Klinsmann's surprisingly numerous, noisy and tiresome defenders point to the importance of his work as technical director, because his work as national team coach, regrettably, screams at the top of its lungs for itself. There's of course as gaping a lack of tangible success as technical director as there is in national team results. However, because the US technical director job has been defined so intangibly, defenders have joyfully created and projected all sorts of magical fantasies upon it. We can sum up these fables under the umbrella term "changing the culture."
The most generous thing we can say about "changing the culture" is that, to hear Klinsmann's defenders tell it, the job is so monstrously challenging that Hercules himself would take another try at the stables. So why is it a part-time job, again?
To my admittedly skeptical ears, defenders of Klinsmann's efforts to "change the culture" sound so hollow as to bring into question the need for a single technical director for United States soccer in the first place. Allow me to elaborate.
What will undoubtedly change the culture - continue to change the culture - is what is happening before our eyes. The new fans we see at every game, and at every event, is what changes the culture. This isn't intangible. The new fans will spend money that will go into the national team program. The new fans will make national team players rich(er) and (more) famous. This will generate a larger pool of athletes enthusiastic about making a living at a fun game, which will slow down the "What if our best athletes played croquet?" hand-wringing.
Some of those new fans will become such great fans that they expand their fanning to their local club. That local club, whether MLS or NPSL, will have more bucks to improve the game experience - which means more bucks. Some of those bucks will find their way to development, because someone's gotta play. More teams and more players playing more games will...and so on. Now, show me where Klinsmann even enters into this, let alone where he's indispensable.
Maybe Klinsmann's contribution to "changing the culture" is him reaching out to existing coaches in America. Am I going to sit here and say asking Klinsmann to teach coaches how to coach is like asking Dracula to teach courses on suntanning? I sure am.
The USSDA has a Digital Coaching Center, with World Cup winners Juergen Klinsmann and Jill Ellis front and center. I can't wait to give it a try. I could use refreshers on Throwing Players Under the Bus and Asking Abby Politely If She Could Pretty Please Consider Coming In As A Sub.
The larger point is that Klinsmann and Ellis are extremely different people with extremely different coaching styles. Do we teach One Culture? If so, how? If not, then where's the point of a technical director?
These, fortunately, are problems for the future - a future that will, at worst, look like today. The floor is higher than ever before. That's not comforting when you're face down on that floor in a puddle of your own sick, granted. But the view will be great when we get back on our feet.
[EDIT - Hercules cleaned out the stables, not the tables - Jesus, Dan, get your act together. And I think "Shakespearean" reads better than "Shakespearian," now that I've slept on it]
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braves
Pretty much a regular
another player JK threw under the bus, and one of our better players.
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
well it's been years in the making, the warning signs were there and often some people get too jaded.
But this has been a downright awful stretch, opponents smell blood and are just ready to take advantage of that.
But this has been a downright awful stretch, opponents smell blood and are just ready to take advantage of that.
Bob Ley asked him tonight before the CR game what he thought of this news and he said something weird that didnt really make sense
Every pundit and commentator is asking what is he doing right now? The tactics and the lineups dont make sense. Why did Altidore start tonight? We've seen him for a decade, we know what you get out of him. Why not start Bobby Wood?
Pyppurs
Pretty much a regular
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mexico now CONCACAF Gold Cup, U-22, U-20 and U-17 champion. Clean sweep this year for El Tri. <a href="https://t.co/pXPzeJOwfY">https://t.co/pXPzeJOwfY</a></p>— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) <a href="https://twitter.com/mexicoworldcup/status/654146617595990016">October 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Mexico getting results done, even with constantly switching their coaches around. Wasn;t Klinnsman supposed to revamp the whole US program?
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Mexico getting results done, even with constantly switching their coaches around. Wasn;t Klinnsman supposed to revamp the whole US program?
Toronto_Mike
Scent of a Woman
LOL Altidore gets a red card while on the bench
braves
Pretty much a regular
Fabian started today...
Have to back a little off JK, though I think he should have kept it behind closed doors, and taken him out of the game much earlier (Fabian can't play in heat for a long time). We don't know if other players had an issue with him taking himself out of the game.
Anyways, I read one writer who is pretty tuned in say that as long as JK is the coach there is close to zero chance Fabian plays again for the national team.
Have to back a little off JK, though I think he should have kept it behind closed doors, and taken him out of the game much earlier (Fabian can't play in heat for a long time). We don't know if other players had an issue with him taking himself out of the game.
Anyways, I read one writer who is pretty tuned in say that as long as JK is the coach there is close to zero chance Fabian plays again for the national team.
braves
Pretty much a regular
Grant Wahl @GrantWahl <small class="time" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 153, 166);"> 2h2 hours ago</small>Grant Wahl Retweeted Kyle Seiwert
Some players unhappy with Klinsmann, some with Johnson. I still think Klinsmann should have kept it in-house.
orangemonk
Creep - Dee oh double gee
you can't revamp a program in 3 years. that said, given his vision he should be technical director, not head coach.
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
ya cant have someone like that in the squad as long as he is there
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
what vision? where is his history of being a good technical director?
he only lasted at Germany 1 tournament cycle (and any success he had in that most German media attribute to Low anyway), he tried to sell Bayern's best young talent when he was there and even soft spoken players like Phillip Lahm absolutely hated him
he only lasted at Germany 1 tournament cycle (and any success he had in that most German media attribute to Low anyway), he tried to sell Bayern's best young talent when he was there and even soft spoken players like Phillip Lahm absolutely hated him
braves
Pretty much a regular
I hear what you are saying. I bought into him, but sadly I think the only thing JK is good at is selling himself as some type of great visionary and coach. He is neither
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
the only thing you can say is time is needed
the Germans started rebuilding in 2000, they revamped their whole youth system while working with the clubs. They didn't really see the fruits of it for 10 years.
at best the US infrastructure in coaching is going to be at least a few years behind a European power country, so if JK has made changes in the background (I read something in NYT this week about its negative effect in high school teams as they play more with their academies) it's not going to be seen for another 7-8 years
all he can be judged now on is as a coach, and he's underperformed in CONCACAF play
the Germans started rebuilding in 2000, they revamped their whole youth system while working with the clubs. They didn't really see the fruits of it for 10 years.
at best the US infrastructure in coaching is going to be at least a few years behind a European power country, so if JK has made changes in the background (I read something in NYT this week about its negative effect in high school teams as they play more with their academies) it's not going to be seen for another 7-8 years
all he can be judged now on is as a coach, and he's underperformed in CONCACAF play
