USMNT fans (Oxford?) thoughts on this article....(link added)..

[Zizkov]

Isn't this exactly what friendlies are for? Getting young talent a chance and evaluating them going forward? IF the World Cup were a year or less away, I might agree with the writer, but right now Klinsman needs to figure out what he has and who he wants going forward.

Not to mention, he left off a lot of MLS guys because they have been off and are most likely out of form at the moment.

Maybe the always emotional bigman will chime in.

This post was edited on 3/24 4:59 PM by Zizkov

Link

 

[Sope Creek]

What article?

No linky . . . .

 

[Zizkov]

Dammit, I suck at the internets! Fixed**

nt

 

[Oxford Collapse]

I'm honestly not a fan of Leanders (the writer). Aside to Cramer - check

my post on page 2 for my total speculation on pro/rel.

Leander's prone to hot takes.

Within the soccer media, those folks are at the stage of Klinnsman's tenure as coach of the Nats that just about everything comes under criticism. They also really like to be snippy. Like... really enjoy it.

I really think he's reaching here.

The Gold Cup is the major tournament on the docket, and calling it "major" is a stretch.

The Gold Cup squad is just about always a B squad made up of MLS and Liga MX guys. Those guys don't really factor into your main squad. They're good players, just not quite good enough to compete at a World Cup level. He's correct that the post-World Cup year is usually the year people bring A teams, but....

The US won in 2013, so they're already qualified for the Confed Cup playoff. They could win the Gold Cup again this summer and make the playoff unnecessary, but it's far from critical that the US wins this tournament. They're likely to curb stomp any team in a playoff not named Mexico, and the US should probably win the Gold Cup on US soil *anyway*.

So Leander's arguing for team building for a tournament that really doesn't matter. If Klinnsman wants to use this friendly schedule to identify a few fringe guys that could, you know, help him out in the Gold Cup, I don't see what's the big deal.

You've also got some youth tourneys coming up, though, which is why you're seeing some younger guys being brought in. Klinnsman's putting a priority on the Olympics and the U-20 World Cup, and he should. Those guys need run in order to make a difference in those tournaments.

And guys like Rubio Rubin and Julian Green will be factoring in on the top shelf squad soon, anyway. I don't see any problem with bringing those guys in.

The only ones I find questionable are:

Brek Shea - because he sucks.Julian Green - dude's totally out of form and not playing for his club. Calling him up may send a bad message.Yarborough - He's not that great, plays at a position we're deep at, and is more likely to accept a call-up from Mexico
The "team-building" argument is hot-take garbage that was just a good excuse to pick up a freelance check.

 

[iubigman]

Hey! I am NOT emotional! Truthfully, as with a lot that's written about JK,

some of this is right, some is wrong.

"teambuilding" is a totally misguided way to look at it. JK absolutely HAS to figure out his young guy options going forward. The USA's best players are almost all going to be either soccer-old, or getting soccer-old by WC qualifying in 2017.

However, next year's Cope America Centenario is arguably the most important tournament since the 1994 World Cup for US Soccer, and all impetus should be placed on actually trying to WIN that tournament, which would be a major coup.

I will say, that fresh off the first Red Bulls game as a season ticket holder, watching Matt Miazga in defense, that kid will be a USMNT first team player by the WC 2018.

 

[Oxford Collapse]

Miazga is a good young player, but I like Carter-Vickers and Palmer-Brown

more. That's just my opinion, though.

 

[iubigman]

My season tix gives me a whole half of just watching him play righ back

or right center back.

Big, fast, good instincts, good ball control.

I think a pairing of him and Yedlin or Johnson on that side could really be something.

 

[IU_Cramer]

Thanks Oxford

Saw you post on pro/rel. You put quite a bit of insight into it and I greatly appreciate it. Do you think JK's take on pro/rel makes it more or less appealing in general, or do you think it really has no affect? I mean I realize that there's a lot of money and a lot of power players involved well above JK, but you'd think the coach of the national team would have some sort of influence, especially when he's been fairly outspoken about it.

 

[Oxford Collapse]

If you're on Topic View, you might see this.

Oh well.

So I don't know that Jurgen has enough influence right now to make pro/rel happen. *Especially* due to the fact that he's losing games. If he wins a World Cup, though, he could tell everyone to ESAD and they'd follow with smiles.

The money's all with the owners, obviously, and the league structure is totally determined by the owners. If Bob Kraft and the Hunts don't want it, it's not going to happen. To change their minds, you'd have to see major financial incentive to risking their investment leaving the top flight.

US Soccer hasn't made pro/rel a priority, because to be frank, it's way low on the list compared to improving youth coaching, a year round college soccer schedule, and competent development programs at the youth level. Once those things get accomplished, they may make a push for pro/rel, if it's convenient.