mr_hunt Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 2 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said: USA men's didn't qualify but it's a bit misleading because FIFA doesn't allow most pro players to play in the Olympics for men's (except for 3 "vets" or mentors to lead the rest of the U23 players), while they do for women's. So basically, the women's Olympic team is the exact same as you'd see at the world cup while the men's team is almost entirely different due to the age restriction. It's dumb. so all the men's olympic teams are u23 players? if so, that's dumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
we_gotta_believe Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 5 minutes ago, mr_hunt said: so all the men's olympic teams are u23 players? if so, that's dumb. Yeah each country is made up of u23 players except for the 3 players they choose as mentors to play with them. I think it's only 4 groups, so only 16 teams qualified. Unlike 32 for the world cup and euros. Edit: euro now has 24, up from 16 in 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_hunt Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 Just now, we_gotta_believe said: Yeah each country is made up of u23 players except for the 3 players they choose as mentors to play with them. I think it's only 4 groups, so only 16 teams qualified. Unlike 32 for the world cup and euros. ahh...thanks. anyway...why u.s. men's team no qualify? they that bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
we_gotta_believe Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, mr_hunt said: ahh...thanks. anyway...why u.s. men's team no qualify? they that bad? Their u23 players must be. Though if it's any consolation, Italy's u23 players also didn't qualify for the Olympics, meanwhile they just won the Euro cup on the backs of young players like Chiesa, Gigio, and Barella so that's why I said the age limit is artificial and stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_hunt Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 2 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said: Their u23 players must be. Though if it's any consolation, Italy's u23 players also didn't qualify for the Olympics, meanwhile they just won the Euro cup on the backs of young players like Chiesa, Gigio, and Barella so that's why I said the age limit is artificial and stupid. why would they have an age limit for the men but not the women? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
we_gotta_believe Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 1 minute ago, mr_hunt said: why would they have an age limit for the men but not the women? Because FIFA feared diluting the allure and pageantry of the world cup so they lobbied to keep the age restrictions to ensure the world cup remained as the premier international soccer tournament. Meanwhile, they don't care as much about the women's World cup having a competitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_hunt Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 5 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said: Because FIFA feared diluting the allure and pageantry of the world cup so they lobbied to keep the age restrictions to ensure the world cup remained as the premier international soccer tournament. Meanwhile, they don't care as much about the women's World cup having a competitor. gotcha...thanks. how does the u.s. men's team typically do in the world cup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
we_gotta_believe Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 5 minutes ago, mr_hunt said: gotcha...thanks. how does the u.s. men's team typically do in the world cup? Not great. They didn't qualify for the last one, and got bounced in the first round of the knockout stage of the previous one. I think they made it to the quarterfinals once a while back. Maybe when we hosted it in 94, not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaEagles4Life Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 1 hour ago, we_gotta_believe said: Not great. They didn't qualify for the last one, and got bounced in the first round of the knockout stage of the previous one. I think they made it to the quarterfinals once a while back. Maybe when we hosted it in 94, not sure. All eyes are pointing to 2026 to see if team can make a legit run. The WC is in North America so a big advantage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 16 hours ago, DaEagles4Life said: All eyes are pointing to 2026 to see if team can make a legit run. The WC is in North America so a big advantage. This. The US actually has a ton of U23 talent. Guys who start for champions league giants in Europe. The upside to this generation is a tier 2 European power like Belgium or Portugal that has a legitimate chance to win a world cup. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 11:02 AM, TEW said: This. The US actually has a ton of U23 talent. Guys who start for champions league giants in Europe. The upside to this generation is a tier 2 European power like Belgium or Portugal that has a legitimate chance to win a world cup. Yeah I'd agree with that. They are never going to be the most talented team or the best team but they could have real upside. And in knock out football who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 2 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: Yeah I'd agree with that. They are never going to be the most talented team or the best team but they could have real upside. And in knock out football who knows. Not any time soon, but in a few WC cycles I wouldn’t be surprised if the US gets to the point of producing similar levels of talent as Germany, Brazil, Argentina, etc. Soccer is becoming hugely popular here. You see just as many kids wearing soccer jerseys as football and basketball these days and more and more kids are playing it while the developmental systems are becoming better and better. Throw that in with the sheer size of our population and I think it isn’t as far off as most assume. At some point we will reach a critical mass IMO. A strong 2026 showing will do a lot for the sport here. Say we make the semi-finals with the WC being played on home soil, I think the snowball effect gets going. If kids and parents start seeing soccer as a viable sporting career path, it will accelerate quickly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranklinFldEBUpper Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 6:02 AM, TEW said: This. The US actually has a ton of U23 talent. Guys who start for champions league giants in Europe. The upside to this generation is a tier 2 European power like Belgium or Portugal that has a legitimate chance to win a world cup. I know Christian Pulisic is a big player for Chelsea, but who else? I genuinely don't know. Who should I be keeping an eye on for the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green_Guinness Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 50 minutes ago, FranklinFldEBUpper said: I know Christian Pulisic is a big player for Chelsea, but who else? I genuinely don't know. Who should I be keeping an eye on for the future? Pulisic was the first US player to play in the Champions League Final, but other US players have played in the other stages of CL (play-in, group, knockout). Weston McKennie played for German Bundesliga side Schalke before moving to Italy Serie A side Juventus. He played all over for Schalke, from striker to CB, but plays MF for the US team. Tyler Adams plays RB and MF for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. Sergino Dest plays (attacking) FB for Barcelona. Giovanni Reyna (son of former US player Claudio Reyna) plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund (as Pulisic once did). Believe he's played both in MF and as one of the attacking wingers up front. Chris Richards plays CB for Bayern Munich, though he's not a first team starter. Only 20yo he is with the club and could compete to make the first team (most likely as a bench player) this upcoming season. Brendan Aaronson played MF in the MLS for the Philadelphia Union (he's from Medford, NJ and went to Shawnee HS, though only for 1 year as he then went to the Union's academy where he completed his HS education) where he scored 7 goals in 51 appearances. He then signed for Austria's Red Bull Salzburg (the dominant club in the Austrian league so they often play in the Champions League) where he scored 5 goals in 20 appearances. Timothy Weah plays wing for France's Ligue 1 club Lille where he's scored 3 goals in 31 appearances. He made 5 appearances in the 2018-19 season for PSG and scored 1 goal before being loaned to Scottish side Celtic for the rest of the season where he scored 4 goals in 13 appearances. Richie Ledezma plays MF for the Dutch Eredivisie club PSV. They're usually one of the Eredivisie's top clubs and at least compete in the play-in stage to make the group stage of the CL. There's other players playing for Euro sides that aren't CL contenders, or older players playing on CL contending clubs, but this list is young players who play for Euro sides who either have seen or should see CL action this coming season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaEagles4Life Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 And Busio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Green_Guinness said: Pulisic was the first US player to play in the Champions League Final, but other US players have played in the other stages of CL (play-in, group, knockout). Weston McKennie played for German Bundesliga side Schalke before moving to Italy Serie A side Juventus. He played all over for Schalke, from striker to CB, but plays MF for the US team. Tyler Adams plays RB and MF for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. Sergino Dest plays (attacking) FB for Barcelona. Giovanni Reyna (son of former US player Claudio Reyna) plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund (as Pulisic once did). Believe he's played both in MF and as one of the attacking wingers up front. Chris Richards plays CB for Bayern Munich, though he's not a first team starter. Only 20yo he is with the club and could compete to make the first team (most likely as a bench player) this upcoming season. Brendan Aaronson played MF in the MLS for the Philadelphia Union (he's from Medford, NJ and went to Shawnee HS, though only for 1 year as he then went to the Union's academy where he completed his HS education) where he scored 7 goals in 51 appearances. He then signed for Austria's Red Bull Salzburg (the dominant club in the Austrian league so they often play in the Champions League) where he scored 5 goals in 20 appearances. Timothy Weah plays wing for France's Ligue 1 club Lille where he's scored 3 goals in 31 appearances. He made 5 appearances in the 2018-19 season for PSG and scored 1 goal before being loaned to Scottish side Celtic for the rest of the season where he scored 4 goals in 13 appearances. Richie Ledezma plays MF for the Dutch Eredivisie club PSV. They're usually one of the Eredivisie's top clubs and at least compete in the play-in stage to make the group stage of the CL. There's other players playing for Euro sides that aren't CL contenders, or older players playing on CL contending clubs, but this list is young players who play for Euro sides who either have seen or should see CL action this coming season. This is pretty much my list. Top 5 are the ones who are really close to breaking out as world class stars. I’d add that Reyna is arguably the most coveted teenager in the world. Up there with Fati, Camavinga, etc. Yunus Musah doesn’t play in UCL, but he’s a guy I’d point to as having really high potential. He should start for the US sooner rather than later. Plays RW for Valencia but is better suited for CM. Only 18 years old. Has been linked with a move to Real Madrid among other big clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 4 hours ago, TEW said: Soccer is becoming hugely popular here. I mean with the population you have and the infrastructure in place... If it doesn't become a hugely popular sport then yeah you've got a good chance of being successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green_Guinness Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 44 minutes ago, TEW said: This is pretty much my list. Top 5 are the ones who are really close to breaking out as world class stars. I’d add that Reyna is arguably the most coveted teenager in the world. Up there with Fati, Camavinga, etc. Yunus Musah doesn’t play in UCL, but he’s a guy I’d point to as having really high potential. He should start for the US sooner rather than later. Plays RW for Valencia but is better suited for CM. Only 18 years old. Has been linked with a move to Real Madrid among other big clubs. He only scored 1 goal for Valencia in 32 appearances (also only took 6 shots on goal) so he does seem more of a CM than a winger. Also, he chose the US over England. Valencia are usually in the top 10 of La Liga, though this past season they were only 13th after being 9th the season before (and 4th the previous 2 seasons). Some of the other La Liga clubs have caught up to and passed them. So unless he makes a move to another club then he won't be seeing CL or even Europa League competition this season. Playing in one of the "Big 3" of Euro leagues should help even without the extra matches of higher competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 41 minutes ago, Green_Guinness said: He only scored 1 goal for Valencia in 32 appearances (also only took 6 shots on goal) so he does seem more of a CM than a winger. Also, he chose the US over England. Valencia are usually in the top 10 of La Liga, though this past season they were only 13th after being 9th the season before (and 4th the previous 2 seasons). Some of the other La Liga clubs have caught up to and passed them. So unless he makes a move to another club then he won't be seeing CL or even Europa League competition this season. Playing in one of the "Big 3" of Euro leagues should help even without the extra matches of higher competition. Yeah, he is more of a traditional 4-4-2 winger than a modern attacking player when used in that role. He played CM for England and Arsenal in his youth and will end up playing CM for the USMNT the majority of the time, no doubt in my mind. Although I will say, he was 17 years old heading into last season, so the stats don't mean as much to me as the eye ball test. Very few 17 year olds are going to score a lot of goals in a major league. He played really well early on and faded late in the season, which is understandable for his age. But it wouldn't shock me if he was a starter for the 2022 World Cup, and certainly by 2026 I think he will be a key player. The tactical setup for USMNT is going to be interesting. If we wanted to get our best players on the field in their best positions, I think we would have to go 4-2-3-1 with Reyna as the CAM, either Weah or Musah at RW, and McKennie and Adams as the double pivot. That said, our team's strength is more likely to be in ball possession than counter attacking, so if we play a 4-3-3, I think we could see Reyna on the RW and one of Musah/Aaronson/Ledezma next to McKinnie. That would give us a pretty spectacular right flank on offense to progress the ball with Dest in the back and Reyna up front. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted July 18, 2021 Author Share Posted July 18, 2021 US going with 3 in the back against Canada. Dike starting up top again. SO many problems get solved if this guy can turn into a reliable finisher up top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted July 18, 2021 Author Share Posted July 18, 2021 Well, that was the most disheartening win I've ever seen. Dominated the first 30 minutes, then got pinned back the rest of the match. It's the B team, so I'm not too worried, but man I don't understand what happened after that good start. It's like everyone from the coach to the players decided they didn't need to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaEagles4Life Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 Barca you are Fing an embarrassment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Omega Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Looks like the US women have decided that, if they want to get paid like the US men’s team, they’re gonna have to start producing the same results as the US men’s team. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Moss Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 U.S. women lost for the first time in 44 matches (40 wins, 4 draws) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Omega Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Knelt down for BLM, then laid down for Sweden. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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