soccer soccer soccer

[USSoccer]

Deadspin's soccer writers don't know dick about soccer. Two different articles talking about how relatively poor the MNT and YNT is, and both conclude that Jurgen is the right guy in the job because he's a European outsider who fixed Germany's youth development (which is was a peripheral figure in at best).

 

We've failed to qualify for 2 straight Olympics. We failed in the Gold Cup and in the C-CAF playoff for the Confeds. Jurgen is the TD as well as the head coach and has unquestioned authority up and down the levels of US Soccer.

 

How in the hell do you talk about our stagnant program and not lay the blame at the feet of the guy who's been running it for 5 years?

[wolf stansson]

The most frustrating thing about the JK era is how clear it is to anyone who's paid attention.

 

He has been explicit in stating his goals from day one. He has not reached those goals. In the process of not reaching those goals he has been transparently making excuses by blaming everyone except himself and moving the goal posts of his stated goals after the fact. If you don't think he should be fired it's because you don't pay close attention, you're biased for him because of some outside reason or priority that doesn't have anything to do with the US national team or your last name is Klinsmann.

 

He lit Bob Bradley, Bruce Arena and their predecessors on fire on ESPN after Ghana knocked us out of the World Cup in 2010. He shoveled a bunch of bull horsefeathers about what the US needed to do to take the next step, clearly indicating he was the man to help them take those steps. It was a live job interview for a job that was occupied, on national television. He was disrespectful to Bob Bradley and the US team. He had no interest in the US job when there were jobs like Bayern on the horizon after his Germany stint. When all the hot girls of international soccer wanted to go to prom with him, he was too good for the US. When the hot girl dumped him because he clearly was not in that league, he was suddenly interested in the US. He is an arrogant huckster who lacks self-awareness and doesn't have any interest in doing what it would take to be the right man for a job he has already occupied for 5 years. The contempt with which he navigates his relationship with MLS, college soccer, the fans, the media and one of, if not the greatest, players to ever play for the US has proven time and time again that he should never have been offered the job, let alone coach this team for two world cup cycles.

[USSoccer]

The most frustrating thing about the JK era is how clear it is to anyone who's paid attention.

 

He has been explicit in stating his goals from day one. He has not reached those goals. In the process of not reaching those goals he has been transparently making excuses by blaming everyone except himself and moving the goal posts of his stated goals after the fact. If you don't think he should be fired it's because you don't pay close attention, you're biased for him because of some outside reason or priority that doesn't have anything to do with the US national team or your last name is Klinsmann.

 

He lit Bob Bradley, Bruce Arena and their predecessors on fire on ESPN after Ghana knocked us out of the World Cup in 2010. He shoveled a bunch of bull [expletive] about what the US needed to do to take the next step, clearly indicating he was the man to help them take those steps. It was a live job interview for a job that was occupied, on national television. He was disrespectful to Bob Bradley and the US team. He had no interest in the US job when there were jobs like Bayern on the horizon after his Germany stint. When all the hot girls of international soccer wanted to go to prom with him, he was too good for the US. When the hot girl dumped him because he clearly was not in that league, he was suddenly interested in the US. He is an arrogant huckster who lacks self-awareness and doesn't have any interest in doing what it would take to be the right man for a job he has already occupied for 5 years. The contempt with which he navigates his relationship with MLS, college soccer, the fans, the media and one of, if not the greatest, players to ever play for the US has proven time and time again that he should never have been offered the job, let alone coach this team for two world cup cycles.

 

What's funny is the hypocrisy behind him whining about "disrespectful criticism". I wish someone had had the sack to ask him to reconcile that quote with his 10 minute rant against Bob Bradley in 2010 after the Ghana loss, or his stupid "getting harassed in the grocery store is the way players improve" comment from a couple years ago.

 

He's such a clown.

[wolf stansson]

Sunil is more powerful than ever. Meanwhile:

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/thatdamnyank/status/715348939386593281[/tweet]

[USSoccer]

The WNT should be paid more, but even accounting for MNT expenses being a lot higher I fail to see how a team with 2 scheduled games this year projects to have that much revenue.

[USSoccer]

Just to further expand on my point, the USSF's own budget projections for revenue between the WNT and MNT seem kind of bonkers and wrong.

 

 

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--B_KbVbPZ--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ewkplcp5mtv1coqmzijt.jpg

 

 

http://resources.ussoccer.com/images/160127-AGM-PDF-FINAL.pdf

 

The conlcusions I reach from reading USSF's own stuff are:

 

-The women's team is criminally underpaid in terms of matchday bonuses and that needs to get fixed.

-The people doing these projections are dumb.

-These projections are assuming the WNT win the Olympic tournament. Seems presumptuous.

-The press framing around this issue is disingenuous and uses the successes of the WNT as opposed to the MNT along with ignoring the tiered salaries the WNT players get as a cudgel to beat USSF with.

-SUM is a dark pit where profit gets lost and USSF is just begging for problems by not being more transparent with the relationship between SUM, MLS and USSF.

 

That being said, if USSF wasn't stupid and didn't jerk the WNT around with respect to the turf fields and giving them a proper CBA, we wouldn't have this suit to begin with. Really, really poor leadership from Gulati to even let it get close to this point.

Edited April 1, 2016 by USSoccer

[wolf stansson]

SUM is a dark pit where profit gets lost and USSF is just begging for problems by not being more transparent with the relationship between SUM, MLS and USSF.

 

That being said, if USSF wasn't stupid and didn't jerk the WNT around with respect to the turf fields and giving them a proper CBA, we wouldn't have this suit to begin with. Really, really poor leadership from Gulati to even let it get close to this point.

This is all that matters. It would be dope to pay them equally as a gesture of respect and being ideologically right on gender pay equality. We all know they can afford it. If they don't want to be progressive about it culturally, they need to collectively bargain a transparent agreement based on real revenue so they don't have to be put in this position where they look as bad as every other dinosaur FA around the world even if they aren't.

 

Also, people like Landon Donovan should sit this one out. Be boring and say you want the ladies to get their fair share. You aren't an economist so don't play amateur money realist when you're talking out your ass. Don't be "internet well, actually" guy. It's a bad look.

[wolf stansson]

Hahaha

Suarez just Wondo'd. Oh man that was brutal.

[soccer10k]

If Leicester wins tomorrow, I think we can call the title race.

[USSoccer]

SUM is a dark pit where profit gets lost and USSF is just begging for problems by not being more transparent with the relationship between SUM, MLS and USSF.

 

That being said, if USSF wasn't stupid and didn't jerk the WNT around with respect to the turf fields and giving them a proper CBA, we wouldn't have this suit to begin with. Really, really poor leadership from Gulati to even let it get close to this point.

This is all that matters. It would be dope to pay them equally as a gesture of respect and being ideologically right on gender pay equality. We all know they can afford it. If they don't want to be progressive about it culturally, they need to collectively bargain a transparent agreement based on real revenue so they don't have to be put in this position where they look as bad as every other dinosaur FA around the world even if they aren't.

 

Also, people like Landon Donovan should sit this one out. Be boring and say you want the ladies to get their fair share. You aren't an economist so don't play amateur money realist when you're talking out your ass. Don't be "internet well, actually" guy. It's a bad look.

 

Actually, I'm not so sure they could afford it given USSF's financials. There would have been a way for the Fed to save $2m a year in December of 2013 but....

 

Anyhow, back to this case. They pay the WNT members a flat salary:

 

These are the tier salaries if there is a professional league.

Tier 1: $72, 000

Tier 2: $51,000

Tier 3: $36,000

 

If there is no league, WNT salaries increase.

Tier 1: $101,000

Tier 2: $72,000

Tier 3: $43,000

 

They also subsidize the existence of the NWSL. Without USSF, the NWSL isn't neal solvent enough. If USSF want to really play hardball, they could change the WNT appearance bonuses, etc to exactly what the men make, but remove the salaries and stop subsidizing NWSL. This would break the clique that threatens boycotts every single time a WNT coach calls up a new player at the expensive of a veteran, and would give them "equal pay" but remove all the salaries and ancillary benefits (maternity leave, nannies, etc). I'm not so sure the WNT want to go there.

 

The guy running this lawsuit is the same counsel that represents NASL and would love nothing more than to find a way to break MLS's claim to being the US 1st division. I think he's using the WNT for his own ends vis a vis USSF and SUM (I think that's what his involvement is about), because beyond the superficial, the WNT don't actually have a case under EEOC. The things the WNT want are all part of collective bargaining and they've really escalated the issue far beyond what was necessary in hiring Kessler and going public with all the #equalplayequalpay nonsense.

Edited April 2, 2016 by USSoccer

[USSoccer]

If Leicester wins tomorrow, I think we can call the title race.

 

If Daniel Sturridge wasn't amazingly selfish and lazy L'pool would have won 3-1. Spurs were lucky to draw.

[soccer10k]

If Leicester wins tomorrow, I think we can call the title race.

 

If Daniel Sturridge wasn't amazingly selfish and lazy L'pool would have won 3-1. Spurs were lucky to draw.

 

For sure. It's certainly a good result for Spurs, especially the way the game went. Realistically, they probably need to win five games to win the title, and a draw in the sixth would be nice. That would give them either 77 or 78 points and Leicester would need 4 wins and a draw (if it's 78) to win the title, which certainly isn't a given.

 

That being said, I don't think it happens. Spurs lost the title in the first half when they drew every other game (they were 6-8-2 at one point) and then the home loss to Leicester in January in a game they should have won. Win that and they'd be 2 points up right now instead of 4 back.

[NewUserName]

I am a soccer novice, but have become a follower of Leicester this season. I get the feeling that Leicester is not well liked in soccer advanced metrics.

[Banedon]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JozyAltidore/status/716712723195629568[/tweet]

[USSoccer]

That is ice cold from Jozy.

[KaiserCesar]

Miazga went 90 for Chelsea today, albeit against Aston Villa. Hiddink seems to be positive on him, so this could end up being a really good move.

[shnsajax]

That is ice cold from Jozy.

 

I laughed.

[shnsajax]

I am a soccer novice, but have become a follower of Leicester this season. I get the feeling that Leicester is not well liked in soccer advanced metrics.

 

They might be the least flawed of all of the contenders and the luckiest. I've grown to appreciate that in the EPL this season. 5 1-0 shutouts the last 6 games.

[CubInOK]

I am a soccer novice, but have become a follower of Leicester this season. I get the feeling that Leicester is not well liked in soccer advanced metrics.

 

They might be the least flawed of all of the contenders and the luckiest. I've grown to appreciate that in the EPL this season. 5 1-0 shutouts the last 6 games.

Leicester are supposed to be winning many of these games 1-0. They're a good team, but xG says Arsenal and Spurs are better.

 

Also, modern scouting techniques found Mahrez.

[shnsajax]

They have also been very healthy, though Arsenals issues are Wenger's fault and not bad luck.

[USSoccer]

That is ice cold from Jozy.

 

I laughed.

 

Oh, trust me, so did I.

 

I don't think the comments that Hope Solo made on Today or GMA about how the men just "show up" sat very well with the MNT, who in general have been nothing if not publicly supportive of the WNT in both on and off field matters.

But Hope Solo is an idiot who didn't think through the consequences of suing the organization that stood by her. I'm certain she didn't think anything of throwing the men under the bus.

[jersey cubs fan]

That is ice cold from Jozy.

 

I laughed.

 

Oh, trust me, so did I.

 

I don't think the comments that Hope Solo made on Today or GMA about how the men just "show up" sat very well with the MNT, who in general have been nothing if not publicly supportive of the WNT in both on and off field matters.

But Hope Solo is an idiot who didn't think through the consequences of suing the organization that stood by her. I'm certain she didn't think anything of throwing the men under the bus.

 

I'd think USMNT members would be hesitant to crack wise about players involved in drinking and driving situations

[USSoccer]

 

I laughed.

 

Oh, trust me, so did I.

 

I don't think the comments that Hope Solo made on Today or GMA about how the men just "show up" sat very well with the MNT, who in general have been nothing if not publicly supportive of the WNT in both on and off field matters.

But Hope Solo is an idiot who didn't think through the consequences of suing the organization that stood by her. I'm certain she didn't think anything of throwing the men under the bus.

 

I'd think USMNT members would be hesitant to crack wise about players involved in drinking and driving situations

 

Why's that? Because one of them nearly died not-driving because a drunk crashed? That was kind of Bedoya's point as he made clear in subsequent tweets.

[Banedon]

 

Oh, trust me, so did I.

 

I don't think the comments that Hope Solo made on Today or GMA about how the men just "show up" sat very well with the MNT, who in general have been nothing if not publicly supportive of the WNT in both on and off field matters.

But Hope Solo is an idiot who didn't think through the consequences of suing the organization that stood by her. I'm certain she didn't think anything of throwing the men under the bus.

 

I'd think USMNT members would be hesitant to crack wise about players involved in drinking and driving situations

 

Why's that? Because one of them nearly died not-driving because a drunk crashed? That was kind of Bedoya's point as he made clear in subsequent tweets.

 

Oh come on. He was making a petty joke about Wambach's criticism about foreign-born players being recruited for the US team.

[USSoccer]

 

I'd think USMNT members would be hesitant to crack wise about players involved in drinking and driving situations

 

Why's that? Because one of them nearly died not-driving because a drunk crashed? That was kind of Bedoya's point as he made clear in subsequent tweets.

 

Oh come on. He was making a petty joke about Wambach's criticism about foreign-born players being recruited for the US team.

 

Okay? And? Are you saying that Bedoya shouldn't have taken the cheap shot at her? That Altidore shouldn't have taken the cheap shot at her and the white-trash starting keeper who's run afoul of the law more than any other MNT member combined?

 

After Wambach insulted half the player pool and Solo threw the entire MNT program under the bus on national television?