U23 Olympic Tryout Roster

[DCHeather]

Sorry Mo. But the defensive and goalkeeping errors cost us both the Canada game and the El Salvador draw. Yes, the line-ups and subs could have been handled better, especially the last 10 minutes. If only the US had not made so many boneheaded mistakes in the lead up to final El Salavador goal, the US would have moved on and started from scratch. But I agree with Lax, the defensive selection was poor. Kitchen has been poor of late with DC. Could someone please reassure me in that we have better selections coming through in the next few years. Yikes. But then again a few games does not make a player.

[Clevelandmo]

I agree with you guys about the defense. It wasnt good enough and as Lax said the roster selections are suspect. Kitchen was the better of the two centerbacks and he's not really a centerback. And he's only like 19 years old. Porter explained his selections by saying that he needed flexibility in the roster due to the games being so close together. Then he doesnt sub and use that flexibility by putting in fresh legs. Also, the defenders were chosen based on the type of game the coaches wanted to play, emphasizing their distribution abilities rather than their defending abilities (except Opara who was chosen for his ability to break up plays. I still say a colossal coaching failure.

And the comments from Klinsmann show he really doesnt care. He thinks these players need disappointment and that the coaches and players did well in all the games except Canada. Go fly a kite Kaiser because the fans wanted to see our team in the Olympics, winning and getting there matters regardless of the type of soccer we had to play. Are we going to have this same attitude when it comes to WC qualifying?

[sullytex]

I have several match tickets for soccer at this year's olympics. Guess I have one less thing to pack...my US MNT jersey. I do have the gold medal women's match, so might need to pack the ladies kit.

[DCHeather]

Sorry you won't be seeing the US Men Sulley. Hope the Women give you reason to bring the jersey anyway.

Mo, can you point to comments from Klinsmann you are referring to? It seemed to me at the beginning of the tournament he really wanted the USMNT-u23 to do really well.

[Clevelandmo]

I get all my info in the same few places.
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/03/klinsmann-discusses-usas-olympic-qualifying-disappointment.html

specifically comments like this, give me the impression Klinsmann thinks this all okay and part of the process

It’s a learning experience. They need to handle a big disappointment at an early stage in their careers and it doesn’t kill them, it makes them stronger.

What you saw in terms of style of play, pace of the game, technical elements of the game. You saw that tonight, you saw it against Cuba, you saw it against Mexico, and it’s important for us to see that we’re on the right path in terms of style of play.

This is the most devasting US loss ever and he's talking about style of play. And the syle of play he's talking about I didnt see. The pace was fast but the US was panicky so what good is that. Porter at least apologized to the US fans;

[nevzter]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog ... ondon-2012

[Clevelandmo]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/mar/27/usa-usmnt-el-salvador-london-2012

Nev that article is BS. The win v Italy and Klinsmann's other two wins were done using a 4-4-2, the same system that has always worked best for the US. Those victories dont represent progress with him implementing a new style.

But in this tournament the US stubbornly persisted with the 4-3-3 even though it wasnt working. The result, 11 Americans wont have a chance to play in the Olympics. The second and third goal only came after they shifted to more of a 4-5-1. Sorry to beat this to death, but I just think it's so wrong.

[nevzter]

A day or two to reflect.

The players failed. Porter failed in subs / squad selection. The organization failed in thinking it was Divine Right to pass through to qualification. All three factors combined equals the debacle that transpired.

While, I'm disappointed, Frings' hand ball and Beasley's disallowed goal vs. Italy were much more heartbreaking to me, even Edu's disallowed goal.

Maybe these guys aren't all that good - which by the results, I'm willing to consider the opinion.

2014 is the goal. Pull your $hit together for qualification and all is good.

COUSMNT

[Clevelandmo]

A day or two to reflect.

The players failed. Porter failed in subs / squad selection. The organization failed in thinking it was Divine Right to pass through to qualification. All three factors combined equals the debacle that transpired.

While, I'm disappointed, Frings' hand ball and Beasley's disallowed goal vs. Italy were much more heartbreaking to me, even Edu's disallowed goal.

Maybe these guys aren't all that good - which by the results, I'm willing to consider the opinion.

2014 is the goal. Pull your $hit together for qualification and all is good.

COUSMNT

Wise words Nevzter, but this loss for me is by far the worst. In the instances you sight, there was bad officiating or better teams and what can you do about that. Plus those US teams played to their full potential. In this case with the U23s, we were better and didnt look it and didnt play like we were. What compounds it for me is that I was a huge fan of Caleb Porter, still am when it comes to the Akron Zips, but he totally failed in this. This really is the worst failure for the US in the last 25 years so that basically means forever in soccer terms. Yet Porter and his team didnt look like what I expected, what I'm used to seeing from the man. On the sidelines he looked confused and helpless. In the press conference after the El Sal game he was clearly devastated and I really feel bad about that. My concern is that there were some top down instructions and agreements about this team, and that is wrong. Klinsmann said there were 7 players in the U23 group he hoped would be a part of WC qualifying so I find it hard to believe he didnt play a role in selection and strategy. So I will always wonder and think WTF. I cant say anymore, it would take too long. Porter isnt perfect. I've seen his shortcomings and they did play a role in this, but what happened here is not American despite what Der Kaiser says about wanting to find the American style of soccer. American teams and American coaches are expected to perform to their potential not to some German esoteric ideal of where we want to be.

Not sure how much I can root for the US with Klinsmann in charge. I keep finding myself rooting for the other team. I even did with El Sal until they started punching our Germans with American fathers in the face.

Klinsmann has messed with my favorite team in the world and now he has messed with my favorite coach in the world. A big part of what made me interested in soccer is gone. And dont try to say I'm some sort of zenophobe. I know plenty o Germans that would agreee. Imagine if some American tried to tell a German team what their Identity was.

[nevzter]

Fair points, Mo. But, keep the faith, please. As for the senior national team: hope springs eternal. It will work out - but if it doesn't, there's always Guus Hiddink

[DCHeather]

Mo, I find it distasteful that you call Boyd simply a German with an American father. If you want to place the blame on Klinsmann even when he wasn't in charge, fine, that's your prerogative. But some of these snide German comments I can do without. Boyd was proud to be a part of the team and from what I can tell a lot of these German born guys have no problems calling themselves Americans. And that's what they are.

Did these players give it their all? Yes. Did they make defensive errors that cost them an early exit? Yes. Who was the coach? Porter. Did he manage the overall tournament well? No. I am not buying into this Klinsmann conspiracy theory of yours. He wasn't in charge of the day to day training. Maybe you place blame on him by selecting Porter, a coach who might not of been ready for this big stage yet. I think Porter is a good coach, but he made mistakes. And I am sure he will learn from them. That's what winners do, they learn from mistakes and failures and take the positives away from that painful experience.

Btw... the worst failure for the US team in 25 years? I rate France '98 as a bigger fuck up. Pardon my language.

[Clevelandmo]

Mo, I find it distasteful that you call Boyd simply a German with an American father. If you want to place the blame on Klinsmann even when he wasn't in charge, fine, that's your prerogative. But some of these snide German comments I can do without. Boyd was proud to be a part of the team and from what I can tell a lot of these German born guys have no problems calling themselves Americans. And that's what they are.

Heather, it's meant to be funny and a little ironic, not snide.

[nevzter]

Thanks for bringing up France '98, DCH - totally put that one out of my mind until now...so much hype around the squad before that WC failure as well. Less hype = '02, and look at that result.

Here are Reyna's comments - notice he doesn't mention Adu. However, JK's praise of Adu would lead me to believe he's headed for the senior team soon. As in the Gold Cup, he can be a great impact sub.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_i ... fying.html

[DCHeather]

Um...you're welcome, Nev? Not sure what to make of the Adu oversight, couldda just been a brainfart?

Mo, it just irks me that quite a number of people, and not just posters on a message board, are giving grief to these German-American players by calling them mercenaries. And I recently saw a Steve Goff comment we he joking about how service members should get a basic sex ed course before being deployed to Germany. I know he trying make a humorous joke about our influx of German born players; but when you think about it, it's really not funny. His joke really came of sounding like he was really saying these kid's were illegitimate or the dads were just mere sperm donors. Being a military kid growing up, I know full well how some overseas kids can be cruel because of your nationality. I'm sure these German-American kids had it rough at times growing-up with a dual nationality and race. Continuing to hear these jokes from US supporters just seems tacky, especially when these guys seem honored to represent the USMNT.

[LaxAttack]

Thanks for bringing up France '98, DCH - totally put that one out of my mind until now...so much hype around the squad before that WC failure as well. Less hype = '02, and look at that result.

Here are Reyna's comments - notice he doesn't mention Adu. However, JK's praise of Adu would lead me to believe he's headed for the senior team soon. As in the Gold Cup, he can be a great impact sub.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_i ... fying.html

I think Adu is a decent player who can do some good things with the ball at his feet, but he always seems to need time and space to do these great things and I don't know if he can do it on a consistent basis at the senior national team level. He also frustrates me at times when the ball is being passed around somewhat quickly, getting the defense moving around, then he receives the ball and slows down everything by doing step overs and other fakes at his defender, allowing the defense to catch up to the ball.

That said, he is the type of guy that does nothing for 89 minutes then makes that great pass that sparks something.