The Soccer Thread

[shnsajax]

other than experience, is there any real value to getting a young player like altidore or adu capped? (that's a sincere question)

 

Locking them into the United States National Team. Adu could potentially still choose Ghana over the US, although maybe about a 1% chance of that happening. Same case for Altidore.

 

Also just seems a little pointless in wasting time and caps with guys like Josh Wolff who have little to no real future with the US, especially come time for 2010.

Edited September 6, 2007 by shnsajax

[wolf stansson]

other than experience, is there any real value to getting a young player like altidore or adu capped? (that's a sincere question)

 

Locking them into the United States National Team. Adu could potentially still choose Ghana over the US, although maybe about a 1% chance of that happening. Same case for Altidore.

Yeah, I don't want our two brightest young stars (arguably ever) to have a chance of ever playing for Ghana or Haiti, regardless of how unlikely that is.

[shnsajax]

Altidore is missing a Red Bulls game with injury, so there's a reason he wasn't put on the roster. SBI also had a post supporting the decision on the grounds that Altidore is still really young and doesn't need the pressure of being the savior of American forwards at age 17.

Ok the injury changes things. He doesn't have to play. Hell, he doesn't have to even be on the roster to make me happy. Just put someone other than Davy Arnaud, Kerry Zavagnin or Wolff on there.

 

It's not just Altidore for Brazil. It's the lack of Adu, Szetela or Altidore on the Sweden game roster and now this one. If at least one of the three aren't included in Switzerland, I'll be mad.

 

Mexico is giving Dos Santos his first senior side cap against Brazil next wednesday. They are calling him the model for which they want to develop their young players. We should be doing the same thing.

 

Two of them are already in Europe so it isn't much of a travel. We need to position them into qualifying, and right now is the best time to experience any growing pains.

[sethuel1]

I hate the roster, I'm giving us fairly little chance, and I'm still pumped as hell for this game. A dozen friends and I are bringing beer and dogs and going tailgate crashing in the South Lot, followed by seats in sec 119. Anyone else coming?

[USSoccer]

I hate the roster, I'm giving us fairly little chance, and I'm still pumped as hell for this game. A dozen friends and I are bringing beer and dogs and going tailgate crashing in the South Lot, followed by seats in sec 119. Anyone else coming?

 

Unfortunately not. I'm pretty pissed about it.

[USSoccer]

other than experience, is there any real value to getting a young player like altidore or adu capped? (that's a sincere question)

 

I wouldn't underestimate the value of getting Adu, Szetela and Altidore experience at the senior level.

 

I knew about the injury, but I disagree with Ives on his whole "Jozy doesn't need to be the savior" thing. I think he's looking at it as a fan of RBNY, really. The fact of the matter is, he's going to be our best striker the day he's named to a senior side roster. Why not use him as a sub in these games to get his feet wet ahead of quialifying? Playing 20 min per game in friendlies with the senior side isn't exactly annoiting him as "savior".

 

As it is, unless Clint plays up top all the time until Jozy gets here (probably our best option), we're stuck with EJ, who technically plays "forward", but really plays the position of "liability". Ching, who I've never liked, and Donovan, who isn't a striker on any planet.

 

THe 1.5 years between the World Cup and WCQ's are like Septembers for crappy baseball teams. Rather than capping the likes of Wolff, Zavagnin, Mastroeni, Arnaud and others, you need to allow your young talent a chance to get it's feet wet in games that don't have the pressure that WCQ's do.

 

And then there's the issue of cap-tying guys like Adu and Altidore. Jozy won't ever play for Haiti as long as the USSF exists, but there is a very, very real chance that Freddy Adu will play for Ghana. If you think of the kind of personality Adu has, he's very impatient, thinks quite highly of himself, and if he feels that for whatever reason USSF isn't giving him a shot, he could go play for the Black Stars (this ignores whether or not the Canada friendly from 2006 cap-tied him).

[Marco4]

As far as I'm aware, it has to be a competitive international - thus not a friendly. That said, its quite rare nowadays for players to country-hop.

[wolf stansson]

As far as I'm aware, it has to be a competitive international - thus not a friendly. That said, its quite rare nowadays for players to country-hop.

Well, Freddy has already done it once.

[Marco4]

As far as I'm aware, it has to be a competitive international - thus not a friendly. That said, its quite rare nowadays for players to country-hop.

Well, Freddy has already done it once.

In senior football? Players play underage football for whichever country they can (Ryan Giggs was English for a time) but the first team is rare.

[wolf stansson]

As far as I'm aware, it has to be a competitive international - thus not a friendly. That said, its quite rare nowadays for players to country-hop.

Well, Freddy has already done it once.

In senior football? Players play underage football for whichever country they can (Ryan Giggs was English for a time) but the first team is rare.

True. It's not likely to happen. The fact that it is still possible is bothersome.

[Marco4]

True. It's not likely to happen. The fact that it is still possible is bothersome.

I see that it might be a faint concern, but I really don't see it happening.

 

Note - this post is one of the posts most likely to come back and haunt me that I've ever made.

[Jon]

I bought and sold a total of 8 tickets to the match. Considering what I sold them for, I'm not too upset about not going.

 

I'll have to just follow on match tracker and then download it afterwards.

[shnsajax]

other than experience, is there any real value to getting a young player like altidore or adu capped? (that's a sincere question)

 

I wouldn't underestimate the value of getting Adu, Szetela and Altidore experience at the senior level.

 

I knew about the injury, but I disagree with Ives on his whole "Jozy doesn't need to be the savior" thing. I think he's looking at it as a fan of RBNY, really. The fact of the matter is, he's going to be our best striker the day he's named to a senior side roster. Why not use him as a sub in these games to get his feet wet ahead of quialifying? Playing 20 min per game in friendlies with the senior side isn't exactly annoiting him as "savior".

 

As it is, unless Clint plays up top all the time until Jozy gets here (probably our best option), we're stuck with EJ, who technically plays "forward", but really plays the position of "liability". Ching, who I've never liked, and Donovan, who isn't a striker on any planet.

 

THe 1.5 years between the World Cup and WCQ's are like Septembers for crappy baseball teams. Rather than capping the likes of Wolff, Zavagnin, Mastroeni, Arnaud and others, you need to allow your young talent a chance to get it's feet wet in games that don't have the pressure that WCQ's do.

And then there's the issue of cap-tying guys like Adu and Altidore. Jozy won't ever play for Haiti as long as the USSF exists, but there is a very, very real chance that Freddy Adu will play for Ghana. If you think of the kind of personality Adu has, he's very impatient, thinks quite highly of himself, and if he feels that for whatever reason USSF isn't giving him a shot, he could go play for the Black Stars (this ignores whether or not the Canada friendly from 2006 cap-tied him).

 

This is what I hate. It just seems like a total waste of time and a friendly. They are not preparing for any competition over the next couple of weeks, so now is the time to experiment and really get the youth some time. We have nothing to lose except for a meaningless game. I feel like I'm bitching about the Cubs not playing the kids.

[USSoccer]

As far as I'm aware, it has to be a competitive international - thus not a friendly. That said, its quite rare nowadays for players to country-hop.

 

"A" friendlies count, and supposedly the Canada friendly was an "A" friendly according to FIFA.

[wolf stansson]

http://www.ussoccer.com/sights/index.jsp_videoGallery-383-1.html#

Some videos of the team at the Cubs game, at a Brazilian restaurant and in training.

[shnsajax]

England lead 1-0 at half. This is a strange picture. Can't tell how Wright-Phillips actually scores.

 

http://soccernet-akamai.espn.go.com/design05/DJ/20070908/swpscores_adavy.jpg

[Marco4]

A cross came to him (from the right of the picture as we look) and he half-volleyed it from quite a low position (looked a little scuffed) back across the goal.

 

Michael Owen's goal is easier to understand. Nice control, good finish from 20 or so yards.

 

The game I was at this afternoon was ruined by an over-zealous referee; I hate it when that happens.

[sethuel1]

A cross came to him (from the right of the picture as we look) and he half-volleyed it from quite a low position (looked a little scuffed) back across the goal.

 

Michael Owen's goal is easier to understand. Nice control, good finish from 20 or so yards.

 

The game I was at this afternoon was ruined by an over-zealous referee; I hate it when that happens.

Who'd you see?

[Marco4]

Brodsworth Miner's Welfare vs. Hallam FC.

 

Broddy started really brightly and then let one in on the break. The referee gave a penalty for a ball-to-hand handball that was outside the box (count the errors!) early in the second half. Justice was done when the Broddy keeper saved it - it was quite a poor penalty, but then he ordered a re-take for reasons no-one could really understand. The game died as a contest after that.

[sethuel1]

Brodsworth Miner's Welfare vs. Hallam FC.

 

Broddy started really brightly and then let one in on the break. The referee gave a penalty for a ball-to-hand handball that was outside the box (count the errors!) early in the second half. Justice was done when the Broddy keeper saved it - it was quite a poor penalty, but then he ordered a re-take for reasons no-one could really understand. The game died as a contest after that.

ugh

[Marco4]

Its just a shame when something like that happens - and must be really frustrating for the players, too

[Jon]

It sounds like they're expecting 40,000 for tomorrow's game. I wouldn't say it's that bad considering the Bears game and the number of matches already in Chicago this year.

[soccer10k]

I just found out I won't be able to watch this match live as I'll either be covering the River Cats Game 5 if they win tonight or, if they lose, the UCD men's soccer match against Portland. Both are a 1 p.m.

 

EDIT: And make that the River Cats game.

[sethuel1]

USA! USA!

[wolf stansson]

GOAL!

 

Bocanegra from Donovan's corner!

 

1-0 USA

 

I don't want to jinx anything, but Michael Bradley has held beautifully in the midfield so far. He has stripped Kaka about 4 times.