My Take on USA- Belgium
What a ride. What an emotional, heart-wrenching, inspired performance. Thank you US Mens National Team for your effort and your heart.
That is my first reaction.
I wouldn’t say my second reaction is cynical, but it is overwhelmingly frustrated. It can be summed up in one sentence, “Boys, keep the ball.”
Our main man Jurgen has known this all along. No possession equals no chance of victory. No matter what. I am not talking Barcelona four-thousand passes possession; I am talking the basic ability to relieve pressure and switch the point of attack. It is disappointing because this technical ability leads to a much more interesting tactical game. It becomes “how” can I break down a defense as opposed to “holy shit Tim Howard please make 17 saves.”
Belgium, Ghana, and Germany all completed dominated our men. I am waiting for, no, praying for the day when the United States team can take the game to a worthy opponent and match them technically. I am not the only person to feel this way. What this train of thought always brings me to is to youth soccer development.
I grew up playing soccer at the “elite” club level in America. I lived through the days of the USYSA’s state, regional, and national championships. I participated in the amazingly inefficient olympic development program that was truly atrocious at identifying youth talent at the state level. I was very successful in these club and ODP systems and went to play division I college soccer in the ACC. I slugged through the physical college game, failed to balance my school work and my athletic commitments, and stopped playing soccer.
What amazes me about this US Men’s team is that they have managed some sort of success in spite of America’s jokingly ineffective youth development programs. This generation of players all came through this ODP/ club/ high school/ college pipeline. The lucky ones grew up in Europe, but a majority of them slugged through the USYSA. It’s amazing that any of those players can compete on the global stages against opposing athletes that have had such better training than we have.
I know this is changing. The Nike Academy has attempted to marry youth development with professional clubs. This is a huge step forwards. If MLS can expand to all parts of the country, the professional clubs could identify and develop precocious talent. As of now, way too many players are slipping through the gaps. This system could be even strengthened if the MLS develops a partnership with lower leagues, allowing smaller teams to increase the number of young players that get an opportunity.
The point is this. Our players have accomplished an amazing amount given the challenges they faced developing as soccer players, and I hope the future is bright(er) than what we have watched through America’s young soccer history. Well done lads, and may you continue to inspire a new generation of players for years to come.
My reactions to this world cup:
ReplyDelete1. Fantastic fight. To be honest I had my reservations about the German Americans and their commitment to the Stars and Stripes. I am happy to say I was proved utterly wrong. Jermaine Jones was arguably the passionate player for us throughout every contest. And who could say Brooks did not care as much as the Americans when he collapsed out of being overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. I am thrilled to see how our somewhat international team has jelled so flawlessly under Klinsman, and look forward to watching them develop as a group over these next four years.
2. I know everyone is being dour about our ability to hold the ball, but I think during this World Cup we showed by far the best composure and signs of possession out of any display I have seen from the USA team. For all the hatred people are lumping on Bradley I think he was the key to this. So many times he turned out of pressure and laid a ball off to the wing back or played a forward pass into the other center mid. And also I think Donovan would have been able to provide more possession as well. While of course it can be improved upon, I think we showed our greatest potential in the Portugal game, completely dominating stretches with quick passing. Even today against Belgium there were some fantastic interchanges and patient buildups. I applaud the effort and look forward to watching us improve and gain consistency.
3. There is no doubt we waste talent as a nation. If I had to take a guess I would say that youth are not as willing to put all of their eggs in the proverbial soccer basket since the end goal is not as lucrative as in other sports. More reward, more risk. It would be great to see professional teams develop more relationships with grass root programs. And I am sure as the fan bases grow and soccer becomes more lucrative they will since that is sometimes the cheapest way to find talent. However as with most initiatives it boils down to economics. If it makes financial sense to build soccer academies, teams will.
4. At the end of the day Jozy was a huge loss. For the second world cup running we did not have our first choice strike force (last world cup we lost Davies to the car accident when he was in incredible form). I think it became exceedingly more difficult to keep the ball without Jozy's holdup play, and am in fact shocked how well we managed outside of the Ghana game. It is a shame that Johansson did not quite live up to the hype, but he is still very young and I think can still provide a great complexion to the strike force going forward.
5. I love the team's new slogan "I believe that we can win". I think the backing that the fans showed was fantastic, and once again I think the thrill of seeing how well our nation can perform will spur Soccer forward in this country. All and all I thought this was by far the most competitive we have ever been in a world cup. Lest we forget the last time we were in a group of death (2006) we died. It was amazing to see marauding runs from our full backs and exciting interchanges with our whole team. I cannot wait to see where Klinsman goes from here, especially with all of this exciting young talent.
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DeleteWell said Fish. Also, solid organization.
Delete1. Thoroughly enjoyed watching Jones kick each and every German player with menace. Still do not know what those players would do if they were given roster spots for Germany, but I also don't really care. They gave their all.
2. US has without a doubt made great strides in ball movement and possession. It was often hard to tell because the teams we played were very skilled. But yes, watching world cup qualifiers and parts of the World Cup gives me great hope.
3. Agreed. US needs to go through some transition. As of now, youth soccer is a purely pay-to-play type deal beloved by suburban families. Clubs cash in by giving kids uniforms and asking for large sums to participate. This makes little financial sense for many of our young players, and some transition should take place. Again, US Developmental Academy is growing.
4. Point about our injuries is well taken. Jozy would of completely changed the complexion of our attacking game, allowing Dempsey to sit behind him as a play maker. Bradely looked uncomfortable the whole tournament because he was forced to create.
5. I think we should change the chant to "I believe in DeAndre Yedlin". The Akron product came on and immediately took the game to Hazard. No experience, no fear. In pace we trust
6. As an additional point, I am interested to see how US soccer fans deal with disappointment in the future. Most people seem to believe that we will just get better. This means an automatic quarterfinal appearance next world cup. Unfortunately, I think those people are going to be supremely disappointed. It is not a linear progression of world cup results. Look at England, Italy, Uruguay, and Spain. We could potentially play well in the next world cup and not advance. Then it's 4 more years until you get another chance. That makes me sad just writing about it.
7. All in all. Well done lads. Well played. Well fought. Duke Mens Club Footy would have undoubtedly bested you in the fall of 2011, but you still played pretty well. Celebrate your accomplishments and learn how to pass the ball.
Best,
Hart
ReplyDeleteHalep Sempat Membisu Saat Menang Atas Serena
http://www.football-images.net/2014-10-24/e6e1e92581f0bd6bb0083cef197a1f68.jpg
Agen Bola Terpercaya indo11.com melaporkan, Simona Halep tidak ingat mimpi apa semalam sebelum berjumpa dengan Serena Williams. Pastinya, ia membisu sejenak usai memastikan diri menang atas petenis peringkat satu dunia itu di Final WTA.
Kemenangan Halep atas Serena 6-0, 6-2 di Indoors Stadium, Singapura, Rabu (22/10), menjadi berita besar. Ini adalah kali pertama sepanjang karir, Halep menumbangkan Serena dari empat kali pertemuannya.
"Ini pertarungan terbesar dalam hidup, saya tidak bisa berkata-kata bagaimana menggambarkan perasaan. Saya sangat senang dan ingin menikmatinya," ujar Halep.
"Hal ini selalu menjadi mimpi saya bisa mengalahkan salah satu dari Williams bersaudara. Tapi, tanpa keriuhan dari penonton, tim dan tentunya pendukung saya, tidak mungkin bisa menunjukkan penampilan terbaik. Perasaan saya sangat luar biasa. Saya telah bekerja keras di waktu turnamen jeda dan kami sekarang merayakannya," ungkap Halep.
Kemenangan ini membuat posisi Halep ada di posisi puncak Grup Merah. Ia meraih dua kemenangan setelah sebelumnya menang atas Eugenie Bouchard.