EPL 2009/2010 Season

[improbus]

That's something I noticed at the Confederations Cup, not just for Altidore, but for a lot of members of the team. The U.S. seems to put out well conditioned players that can run all day. Spain tried to pass them to death and it didn't work. I think with Altidore and Donovan (along with Dempsey, who's been there for a while) getting regular work in the EPL, it will help build their intelligence and confidence on the field to the point where the U.S. offense will be dangerous.

I also like that Altidore is learning the position of striker in a way that other athletic Americans like Eddie Johnson never really did.

While the Confederations Cup was encouraging for the USMNT, I think it is the club level play that is really getting me pumped for South Africa.

[Yachtzee]

I also like that Altidore is learning the position of striker in a way that other athletic Americans like Eddie Johnson never really did.

While the Confederations Cup was encouraging for the USMNT, I think it is the club level play that is really getting me pumped for South Africa.

Very true. The Confederations Cup showed that the US could run with any team. But only solid international club experience is going to help these guys build the confidence and field smarts to compete regularly with the top national teams.

[Red Heeler]

Very true. The Confederations Cup showed that the US could run with any team. But only solid international club experience is going to help these guys build the confidence and field smarts to compete regularly with the top national teams.

Getting some folks in charge of the US Soccer Federation who have more than a basic understanding of the game would help too. MLS and the US national teams play too simple and disorganized to compete regularly against top teams.

The strength of the US team is always going to be small, athletic players who can run. They should play something akin to basketball on grass. Make the other team's lungs burn chasing them up and down the field.

[WMR]

small

Say

Big, strong, and fast is always preferable to small and fast in defenders and strikers. Obviously, skill is the overriding factor, but all things being equal, you want size at those spots.

[Red Heeler]

Say

Big, strong, and fast is always preferable to small and fast in defenders and strikers. Obviously, skill is the overriding factor, but all things being equal, you want size at those spots.

I'm fairly underwhelmed by Gooch's game. Altidore is 5'9" and 175 lbs, not exactly a man mountain.

Sure, bigger is better given the same skill, speed, and agility. Problem is that most of the elite big, strong, fast athletes in America are playing football, not futbol.

[Betterread]

That's something I noticed at the Confederations Cup, not just for Altidore, but for a lot of members of the team. The U.S. seems to put out well conditioned players that can run all day. Spain tried to pass them to death and it didn't work.

I don't think that the Confederations Cup success by the US results in many of the generalizations here.
I think the US team is physically fit, but I see their conditioning should be improved in two areas: maintaining technical ability and tactical concentration. They are behind many national squads in those two areas. In a nutshell they can run all day but they can't make clean traps and passes and play smart football all day.

[WMR]

I'm fairly underwhelmed by Gooch's game. Altidore is 5'9" and 175 lbs, not exactly a man mountain.

Sure, bigger is better given the same skill, speed, and agility. Problem is that most of the elite big, strong, fast athletes in America are playing football, not futbol.

Jozy is 6' 1".

[Red Heeler]

Jozy is 6' 1".

I don't have any idea where I got the 5' 9". I must have read the wrong line. USSF website has him listed as 5' 11".

Anyway, it really doesn't matter. The U.S. has a better chance at getting smaller elite athletes to play soccer than it has getting big elite athletes. Football is too popular and too lucrative for the bigger guys. I'm not saying that you don't take the bigger guys if they are the best at their position. I'm just saying that the team philosophy should be built around taking advantage of smaller guys who can run like crazy.

[Red Heeler]

In a nutshell they can run all day but they can't make clean traps and passes and play smart football all day.

They can't do that any better when they are fresh. We Americans play a dumbed down form of the game from the time kids start in AYSO or any other youth league to the time they get on a European club. For American soccer to get to the next level, there will have to be a coaching philosophy change at the top of USSF that filters down all the way to the youth leagues.

[improbus]

They can't do that any better when they are fresh. We Americans play a dumbed down form of the game from the time kids start in AYSO or any other youth league to the time they get on a European club. For American soccer to get to the next level, there will have to be a coaching philosophy change at the top of USSF that filters down all the way to the youth leagues.

I think your right, but only at the higher levels. I think we have too much coaching at the younger levels. Kids don't learn the game on their own and the coaches beat the individuality out of them, and soccer is the one place where that individuality really can shine.

[Yachtzee]

I don't think that the Confederations Cup success by the US results in many of the generalizations here.
I think the US team is physically fit, but I see their conditioning should be improved in two areas: maintaining technical ability and tactical concentration. They are behind many national squads in those two areas. In a nutshell they can run all day but they can't make clean traps and passes and play smart football all day.

When I talk about conditioning, my understanding is that of the strictly American sense, meaning physical fitness. When I played soccer, the conditioning portion of our training consisted of those two-a-day practices early in the season intended to build your physical stamina rather than build footskills or tactical understanding. The US can pretty much outlast a lot of teams (outside of Mexico in Azteca) when it comes to physical stamina. I think the US excels in building physical fitness in athletes in all sports.

The areas in which the US finds itself lacking, from a soccer perspective, are those areas which require finesse and tactical intelligence. That kind of understanding only comes from consistent play against top-level talent. In my opinion, US players will improve in those areas over time, but it requires two things: 1) more US players in the upper echelons of international club football, and 2) more international players coming into the MLS to provide diversity in style of play. Things have been moving in those directions over the years, but it needs to be pushed further.

[Red Heeler]

I think your right, but only at the higher levels. I think we have too much coaching at the younger levels. Kids don't learn the game on their own and the coaches beat the individuality out of them, and soccer is the one place where that individuality really can shine.

Oh, I fully agree. The biggest problem with the US coaching is that kids spend far too much time dribbling through cones and not enough time just playing soccer. A more free flowing philosophy from top down would do wonders for US soccer. "Total soccer" would play very well with talent available here.

[improbus]

I couldn't find a thread for the CL, but Lyon and Real are putting on a dive-off. I love Spanish/French football, but the dives are indefensible.

[NJReds]

I couldn't find a thread for the CL, but Lyon and Real are putting on a dive-off. I love Spanish/French football, but the dives are indefensible.

It is tough to watch. Watching these guys flop all over the field is maddening, but until the refs stop rewarding that behavior it's here to stay.

Man U and Milan put on a heck of a show today. Ronaldinho is in great form right now, but may not be on Brazil's WC team. Rooney has developed into one of the best in the world.

[improbus]

Since Donovan joined Everton, look at this record
2-2 tie @ Arsenal
2-0 win vs. Manchester City
1-2 loss at Bimingham (the hottest team in England at the time in an FA Cup tie)
2-0 win vs. Sunderland
1-0 win @ Wigan
0-1 loss @ Liverpool
2-1 win vs. Chelsea
2-1 win vs. Sporting Lisbon in Europa Cup
3-1 win vs. Manchester United

So, thats 6-2-1 including wins over the two title contenders. That would be an impressive run of form if your name was Chelsea of Man U. Keep in mind that they lost Fellaini and Cahill (before the United game) and have played without Jagielka, their top defender.