The Soccer Thread

[wolf stansson]

Jurgen: we need to get younger.

/Adds Wondo to roster instead of literally a million other, younger forwards. Literally one million.

//internet reacts with shock like he didn't constantly contradict himself.

[USSoccer]

Jurgen is just the worst. Between this and calling in the NASL guy from Minnesota...just ugh. His contract can't end soon enough.

[wolf stansson]

So, apparently Juan Agudelo has his heart so set on England that he's rejected offers in Holland and Germany and is buying property in Cypress in an effort to gain citizenship as an "investor."

[USSoccer]

Well then it's a good thing that he's been called in for the friendlies this week to increase the chances he has at getting a work perm-oh, what's this? Jurgen called Chris Wondolowski and some 24 year old semi-pro in?

 

Oh.

[wolf stansson]

Eric Wynalda brings the heat in a comments section.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/07/landon-donovan-says-final-usmnt-game-fitting-occasion-put-ribbon-my-career

A manager that cant manage an ego, sometimes his own, shouldn't manage, period. Anybody that still thinks leaving LD off the team was a good idea, is an idiot, period. Just don't factor out the ego part. JK's not LD's. This decision had nothing to do with LD's ability. It was lack of managerial ability if anything. Sorry to interject but this stuff pisses me off.

[shnsajax]

Eric Wynalda brings the heat in a comments section.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/07/landon-donovan-says-final-usmnt-game-fitting-occasion-put-ribbon-my-career

A manager that cant manage an ego, sometimes his own, shouldn't manage, period. Anybody that still thinks leaving LD off the team was a good idea, is an idiot, period. Just don't factor out the ego part. JK's not LD's. This decision had nothing to do with LD's ability. It was lack of managerial ability if anything. Sorry to interject but this stuff pisses me off.

 

Awesome

[wolf stansson]

Columbus Crew re-branding with the cool bundesligaesque logo and calling themselves columbus crew sc is so great. The sc thing is almost enough to get me to buy something from them.

 

Edited October 9, 2014 by wolf stansson

[Guest]

 

Landon tribute from US Soccer.

[wolf stansson]

Looks like Agudelo rejected Werder Bremen's offer for a trial with Wolves. Super cool/smart move by him.

[shnsajax]

The last question made me chuckle. Gonna be sad tomorrow, not looking forward to Clint's last game whenever that should be.

 

 

http://www.ussoccer.com/~/media/images/mnt/players/donovan/u17-ld-gallery/landon-donovan-u17mnt-1999-fifa-u17-wc-10.jpg

 

[USSoccer]

http://beta.sportingnews.com/articl...soccer-jurgen-klinsmann-la-galaxy-testimonial

 

When can we fire this [expletive]?

[ConstableRabbit]

http://beta.sportingnews.com/articl...soccer-jurgen-klinsmann-la-galaxy-testimonial

 

When can we fire this [expletive]?

Bad link.

[USSoccer]

http://beta.sportingnews.com/article/4616281-landon-donovan-us-soccer-jurgen-klinsmann-la-galaxy-testimonial

 

Sorry

[ConstableRabbit]

Thanks.

 

And damn, that's just a really inappropriate thing to say.

[USSoccer]

Thanks.

 

And damn, that's just a really inappropriate thing to say.

 

He does this all the time. I'm beyond sick of his little act where he offers up stupid opinions for no good reason.

 

Between this, his roster management in June and calling up American Bebe for the friendlies this week, I want him gone.

[jersey cubs fan]

Thanks.

 

And damn, that's just a really inappropriate thing to say.

 

He does this all the time. I'm beyond sick of his little act where he offers up stupid opinions for no good reason.

 

Between this, his roster management in June and calling up American Bebe for the friendlies this week, I want him gone.

There's no chance of him leaving before next world cup is there?

[USSoccer]

Thanks.

 

And damn, that's just a really inappropriate thing to say.

 

He does this all the time. I'm beyond sick of his little act where he offers up stupid opinions for no good reason.

 

Between this, his roster management in June and calling up American Bebe for the friendlies this week, I want him gone.

There's no chance of him leaving before next world cup is there?

 

Only way I could see it possibly happening is if we lose the 2015 Gold Cup.

 

And even then, Sunil chased him like a schoolgirl for like 5 years, so who knows.

[UMFan83]

He's not going anywhere, just accept it.

 

I really wish that Donovan could just have his last moment of glory in peace without all this sniping and bickering (by both sides).

[USSoccer]

I'm sure he isn't, but I'll never accept it, because he sucks.

 

He's Soccer Dusty. The sooner everyone realizes this the better.

[wolf stansson]

I thought everybody realized it when he was at Bayern.

 

It's funny because, of course, he's not wrong about Landon. It also shows an alarming pettiness and compulsive arrogance that aren't what you want in a coach. With guys like Phil Jackson or Jose Mourinho, there is always an end game that justifies it. With Jurgen it's mind games for the sake of servicing his own ego.

[wolf stansson]

I like Men In Blazers. They are great. I am a fan.

However, they are, in my opinion, the embodiment of the rising tide of American soccer fans. I'm not saying that as a criticism. It just represents a different type of fan than what I am. They like the sport, they like the EPL but MLS and US Soccer are kind of second rate pastimes. The sort of glib patronization with which they discuss MLS and the MNT is very different to how I and other non-Euro snob American soccer fans follow them. To us, they are the biggest deal in the sport, not some cute upstarts. Even though that's pretty much what they are, until we take them seriously, that's what they'll always be.

 

I'm not saying they're wrong to do so. There's no right way or wrong way to be a sports fan. I'm just saying it's different than maybe how I and others do it.

 

I mention all this because I kind of thought everyone knew Jurgen is more mascot than coach. Knew the 2002 team had more top end talent than they 2014 team. Knew Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley were better coaches and leaders of the unique breed that is the American soccer player. I've been reading MiB's Twitter mentions as they've been tweeting about Landon vs Jurgen and it's apparent that the average American soccer fan that has started following in the last handful of years doesn't know those things. They believe the narrative that the arrow on American player development it's always pointing up and that Jurgen is doing new, better things with US Soccer.

 

There are some good things he's done. He brings a big league mentality to players that have preferred a more understanding guide in the past and that is good. We need our players to be challenged. Just because Jurgen is the guy doing it doesn't he's doing it the way it should be done or is the best man for that job. He's getting way too much credit from the average fan and our soccer media isn't challenging any of it. Most of the media that covers MLS gets paid by MLS and most of the media covering the national team doesn't question Jurgen enough because the results on the field have been adequate. One journalist has taken a stand questioning his leadership and that was three years ago and the sporting news fired him right after (Brian Strauss). Our soccer media is a joke sometimes and as long as the biggest voices are two funny English guys who are riding the coattails of the premiership and a video game straight to a tv deal, well, we have a long way to go. It's not their job to help make us a better, smarter soccer country, but it'd be great if we had something better. They're popularity in the place of real journalists like Grant Wahl or the people at American Soccer Now is an indictment of the fan, not the sport in this country.

Edited October 10, 2014 by wolf stansson

[treebird]

I like Men In Blazers. They are great. I am a fan.

However, they are, in my opinion, the embodiment of the rising tide of American soccer fans. I'm not saying that as a criticism. It just represents a different type of fan than what I am. They like the sport, they like the EPL but MLS and US Soccer are kind of second rate pastimes. The sort of glib patronization with which they discuss MLS and the MNT is very different to how I and other non-Euro snob American soccer fans follow them. To us, they are the biggest deal in the sport, not some cute upstarts. Even though that's pretty much what they are, until we take them seriously, that's what they'll always be.

 

I'm not saying they're wrong to do so. There's no right way or wrong way to be a sports fan. I'm just saying it's different than maybe how I and others do it.

 

I mention all this because I kind of thought everyone knew Jurgen is more mascot than coach. Knew the 2002 team had more top end talent than they 2014 team. Knew Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley were better coaches and leaders of the unique breed that is the American soccer player. I've been reading MiB's Twitter mentions as they've been tweeting about Landon vs Jurgen and it's apparent that the average American soccer fan that has started following in the last handful of years doesn't know those things. They believe the narrative that the arrow on American player development it's always pointing up and that Jurgen is doing new, better things with US Soccer.

 

There are some good things he's done. He brings a big league mentality to players that have preferred a more understanding guide in the past and that is good. We need our players to be challenged. Just because Jurgen is the guy doing it doesn't he's doing it the way it should be done or is the best man for that job. He's getting way too much credit from the average fan and our soccer media isn't challenging any of it. Most of the media that covers MLS gets paid by MLS and most of the media covering the national team doesn't question Jurgen enough because the results on the field have been adequate. One journalist has taken a stand questioning his leadership and that was three years ago and the sporting news fired him right after (Brian Strauss). Our soccer media is a joke sometimes and as long as the biggest voices are two funny English guys who are riding the coattails of the premiership and a video game straight to a tv deal, well, we have a long way to go. It's not their job to help make us a better, smarter soccer country, but it'd be great if we had something better.

 

you are leaving something important out.

 

i am just the kind of uber-nascent soccer fan you are talking about. my main sources of soccer information/knowledge are:

 

1. men in blazers

2. fifa 12

3. the chelsea game every weekend (and usually one other good matchup)

4. the nsbb soccer thread

 

i don't like jurgen. clearly everyone just needs to lurk in a thread with a small handful of soccer fans on a baseball message board.

[wolf stansson]

I wrote all of that screed on my phone. Shout out to auto correct for the grammatical errors

That's easier than fixing them.

[jersey cubs fan]

http://screamer.deadspin.com/jurgen-klinsmann-wishes-america-would-adopt-promotion-a-1644876704/+billyhaisley

 

I don't trust anybody's analysis of soccer. I am reminded so much of all the unchecked hokiness that defined baseball media for decades anytime I read something.

 

On a side note, this post on deadspin makes very little sense to me.

 

Ostensibly it is defending Jurgen wishing for relegation to come to the states. But the story it bases that support on is that Germany never had a single top league and it hurt the country's soccer community (despite a 1954 WC win), then they created the bundesliga and that... fixed everything?

 

But the US has a clear top league in MLS and it's pretty obvious that anybody who is any good in the US is going to be playing in MLS. So how the hell is that story relevant?

[wolf stansson]

All of Billy Haisley and most of deadspin's soccer coverage of MLS and USMNT is designed to troll sensitive us soccer fans who have an inferiority complex (most of us).

 

This isn't a case of me having an inferiority complex either. It's egregious. Haisley literally wrote an article titled MLS Sucks about how no one should watch it because it's garbage.