skyblueelephant76
Well-Known Member
Lati booked as well now.
In 15 minsno us team announced yet?
Wright is startingno us team announced yet?
This Jamaica vs Panama match is so pedestrian, I feel I could put a shirt on and make a meaningful contribution if I wanted to and I haven’t played in ages due to age/injuries. Think/hope the Mexico vs US game is more competitive and Wright starts/scores for the US.
Better than England's though,hey?I want both games to be like friendlies. No injuries, minimal energy expended pls.
Better than England's though,hey?
Which I'd say has been true up to now!
I watched a YouTuber who streams FM matches,Zoolander,wax lyrical the other day about the U.S team & how there's a new generation of players coming up that are going to almost take the world by storm - is that true?
You got the wrong person?His interview is like a different person, If you compare that to some of the ones done for CCFC. Where has the introvert gone?
Are we going to take the world by storm? NO
Is the US getting objectively better due to significant investments in academy structures across the country in the last decade? YES
This is the first generation to feature many players who came out as youngsters from these modern football academies and moved on to play with Champions League clubs. It is not an aberration or golden generation either. It is the new normal given the coaching, academy, league infrastructure here now. Loads of young Americans getting snatched up by top European clubs and a vastly improved MLS and lower lea
gue system to develop the late bloomers or those that wish to stick around the US a little longer.
Perhaps there should be some sort of segregation between the fans. Like a wall, maybe?Sounds like a bit of an unpleasant game. Referee stopped the game twice for homophobic chanting at Matt Turner, the USA goalkeeper. Then a hell of a fight in the stands, stewards nowhere to be seen. I suppose it’s not surprising if there’s no love lost between these two nations….
And who's gonna pay for it?Perhaps there should be some sort of segregation between the fans. Like a wall, maybe?
A benefactor?And who's gonna pay for it?
I’m not sure what you’re watching?
The MLS is standalone, so it offers little when it comes to players bettering themselves unless they look abroad.
And the standard of football in the 2nd tier (the USL).. is beyond dreadful.
I used to go to most Tampa Bay Rowdies NASL games (the former 2nd tier), as the head coach was (still is) a close friend of mine. The NASL was at least watchable. Now it’s the USL and it’s so bad I can’t watch without getting the urge to pop my eyeballs out with a spoon and fry them. It’s fuckin fantastic if you like watching players running around the ball to get it on their only functional foot (as other is only good for running and standing).
Even Americans don’t watch the USL.. the attendances for most games is woeful.
I think you are falling into the trap of comparing MLS and USL with the long-standing and developed leagues in Europe's top 5 leagues. Against that comparison, both still have a long way to go.
Instead, take a step back and compare MLS / USL against itself from a decade ago. The quality of MLS has improved by leaps and bounds since then. It is still not a top 10 league in the world, but it is a hell of a lot closer than what it was in 2014. Same goes for USL. The massive expansion of USL Championship and USL 1 has placed clubs in countless different medium-sized and small cities. They have brought with them improved youth development for areas of the country that were previously untouched. All of this feeds into the development infrastructure that has helped position USMNT into developing into a better overall squad.
We see it with the current national team. Outside of the dual nats, most of these guys at least spent some amount of time in MLS / USL academies and first teams. That infrastructure wasn't there 10 years ago. Do these guys make the jump to Europe as young as they did were it not for this improved youth development? Some maybe, but all definitely not.
Our beloved Haji Wright benefited from the same. He was part of the first crop of youngsters who came through LA Galaxy's academy aiding his development. Those opportunities did not exist to the same degree a decade ago.
You may not like watching MLS, USL, etc.... That is fine. I am not going to try and convince you otherwise. But you are being willfully ignorant if you think that development infrastructure hasn't vastly improved.
I think we have a great nucleus to go with now for next season.
Wright, Simms, Eccles, Sheaf (hopefully), Torp, Sakamoto, Kitching, Thomas, Bidwell (hopefully) and Lati.
That's a good solid start to build from.
That's 10 players if we can keep them all and we already have Mason-Clark to boot, making a possible 11.
Looking good.
Collins is okay, but I would like to see us nab someone a little better.
Yeah that makes up for it
The standard in the USL is garbage. The player turnover every year (at most of the clubs) is huge because hardly any players gets a long term deals, they get 1yr contracts, so there’s very little development in that league, as players move around clubs like musical chairs. There are some standout players but it’s very rare for them to make it to the MLS.
Granted, some MLS clubs do use USL teams as feeder clubs but the yawning issue with the MLS is a lack of a league tiering system, whereby clubs EARN the right to promotion instead of buying their way in.
Football here will always be stunted until all these things change. And don’t get me started on the lack of diversity at manager level, it’s worse than the UK.
You might not but they do.
BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic)
There is a lack of diversity at managerial (and higher) levels across all BAME groups.
Nice.I used to go to most Tampa Bay Rowdies NASL games (the former 2nd tier), as the head coach was (still is) a close friend of mine. The NASL was at least watchable. Now it’s the USL and it’s so bad I can’t watch without getting the urge to pop my eyeballs out with a spoon and fry them. It’s fuckin fantastic if you like watching players running around the ball to get it on their only functional foot (as other is only good for running and standing).
Even Americans don’t watch the USL.. the attendances for most games is woeful.