U23 Olympic Tryout Roster

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?

 

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.

 

I get all my info in the same few places.
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_...s-usas-olympic-qualifying-disappointment.html

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

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;

 

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

 

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.

 

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 :dance:

 

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

 

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.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, Adu has always played well with the senior team, always had a positive impact of the game mostly with his passing, vision, and set pieces. This has been the case for years now. Youtube Freddy Adu vs Spain. With the U23s I was pretty disappointed in his play until the second half versus El Sal, and of course that goal vs. Cuba was a beauty. I never noticed he was so left footed before. For me the big criticism of Adu is that he has never made himself an important piece of his club team. He needs to do that with the Union. If he cant, I think that ultimately says something.

 

Heather I understand why my ". . . with American fathers" comment bothers you as a military kid, and it's great that you stick up for them. I know these guys are legitimately American, and I even posted an article on here about one of them in which he talked about how much playing for the US meant to him. When I joke about them being German and not American, I talking from a soccer perspective. Their soccer development and education is completely German. Klinsmann is the one who says we need to find our American soccer identity yet he does it by integrating a lot of Germans (again Germans in terms of soccer) into the team before they really have deserved it compared to their American counterparts. Boyd got called up for the Italy match before I believe he had ever made a first team appearance for his club. Meanwhile Gomez was the first American ever to be the leading goal scorer in a top flight foreign league, but he got no call or even acknowledgement from Klinsmann. I think Klinsmann is taking the easy way out by bringing in Germans because he has more confidence that they'll play the way he wants the team playing which is essentially German. I love the way the Germans play, but to emulate it and then claim you're trying to find the American playing style is a joke. He cant coach guys to play how he wants so he's taking the easy road. It's not fair to the kids who grew up here, played in our system, did what they were told, and proved themselves (ala Baby Bradley), and then German broken foot stomping thugs get the captains armband.

Also, I found it very distasteful when Klinsmann was appointed and he started bringing nationality and culture into the picture. Someone's background has no place in the conversation when your talking about who you choose for the team. If you think scouting needs to be improved that's one thing but talking about integrating other players based on their nationality is something I dont agree with, and it implies things existed that havent. So as I'm sure you knew I would do, I'm kind of blaming Klinsmann again. He came into this job talking about nationality and culture so you have to expect people to scrutinize what he does in that context.

 

Mo's gonna love this:

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_i ... a76e46970c