Quote:
Originally Posted by SenorKeeed
Cameron is saying players simply can't improve enough in the MLS environment to be competitive in international soccer. Which seems super obvious?
so is Cameron saying that he sucks? because he played in MLS until he was 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by SenorKeeed
Or, I guess kind of the alternate interpretation of your post is that, well yeah, Altidore is a great MLS player who absolutely can't make it in a decent league. Which, in that case, yeah, US soccer is ****ed forever and who cares. Altidore tried in the Premier League and gave up because of WIL is the fairy tale US soccer apologists tell themselves to make themselves feel better.
Altidore could absolutely make it in a decent European league, just maybe not the Premier League. but you don't have many guys like him in MLS.
my point was that blaming MLS is weird given that you were beaten out by Panama & Honduras, and lost the pivotal game to T&T. none of those countries are littered with European stars. the bulk of all those rosters are domestic, in leagues much worse than MLS.
(and many of their key players are in MLS)
so how is MLS the problem exactly? it's not. you have way more talent than those countries, but failed. though yes you still need more, much more, if you're going to compete at the top level.
MLS has quotas limiting foreign players, so there is ample opportunity for American players to assert themselves, and push for a move to Europe, if they're good enough. but as i said above, the most productive domestic players last season were Nguyen (31yo), Altidore (28yo), Wondolowski (35yo), Kljestan (32yo), Sapong (29yo), Ramirez (26yo), Dempsey (34yo), Dwyer (27yo), and Bruin (28yo). i imagine the pattern holds true enough for the non-scorepointing positions as well. who is MLS holding back?
so next i guess someone will say that it's MLS' fault for not producing more great players. well, maybe. but those kind of player development questions are the ones people should be asking probably. that's more complicated though. probably has to do with not getting enough elite athletes into soccer, and not valuing the ones they are getting (1st & 2nd gen immigrants, duels, etc). and coaching probably isn't good enough. and so on...
or MLS is the reason you can't beat out Panama & Honduras, and win a key game vs T&T. whatever floats your boat.