Ahhh... sorry. I didn't deduce that you don't think Mexico is a good national team anymore. In that case I cheerfully retract that last statement.

When people start playing American football they aren't 6'3 or over 300 pounds. They are usually 8-10 yrs old and play their whole adolescent lives until the college/NFL dream isn't realized. Maybe it isn't realized bc of their size once full grown. If we have more youth playing soccer we will have more competition and better camps because CAPITALISM and AMERICA. My understanding is its already starting. More money is being diverted towards soccer. And maybe we will end up with a super team of 6' plus speed demons down the road. Mexico doesn't have them because their tallest man is 5'8.

Jurg should go not because he hasn't been successful but because he has taken us as far as he can

that's because you have to take everything in consideration. Osorio was like 9-0-0 with 1 goal conceded before that 7-0 loss. any time there's a loss that bad, the majority of the fault has to go on the players for quitting. so if it were up to me, it wouldn't even cross my mind to sack Osorio. but the federation still had a closed-door meeting with him because a 7-0 won't ever be forgotten. thankfully, they too decided to continue backing him.


as for Jurgen, he's been on edge for quite a while now whether he should be sacked or not. that Gold Cup performance was pathetic and he lost the most important match vs Mexico for Confed Cup spot. that 4-0 loss vs Argentina was so bad, where if I'm Gulati, I'd use it as the final nail to the coffin and just sack him.

also, didn't Klinnsman claim he would fix the youth development in this country? I don't think much has changed there. you still fail to qualify/perform for youth world cups and olympics.

keep shifting those goalposts.

and i think he should be fired too. but not because i think we'll be any better with someone else. i just think this has potential to go quite badly if he stays on.

Klinsmann is the winningest coach in USMNT history? Is that correct?

Measuring youth quality by these tournaments is really ****ing dumb. Youth development has gotten much better as well.

you're playing against HONDURAS AND COSTA RICA AND JAMAICA AND EL SALVADOR AND HAITI for spots to these youth tournaments. i don't think it would take much improvement to start seeing better results.

also don't know how I'm shifting goalposts at all. I gave you a solid answer and now you are the one trying to make me look like the idiot. nice try.

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We never send an A squad to olympic qualification, and the qualification process is a variance **** show. We aren't willing to cheat at youth tournaments like you are.

I don't think JK could be fired unless there's some crazy scenario where he would stay on as TD.

I do think he's a bad tactician and doesn't really adapt to games and make any positive changes. The wondo inclusion is the sign of someone who doesn't have a clue. It was inexcusable in Brazil and a second time needs to have some serious questions asked.

But I don't know who is better. Kris? What has he done?

And JK has done a great job in recruitment and we have a legitimate talent pool. At the end of the day better players trump a good manager. Would Brooks, Johnson, Jones, and Wood be in this team if not for JK? Maybe. But they're our 4 best players and he was instrumental in getting them in the side.

We're missing depth and our midfield post Jones and the continual decline of Bradley going forward is scary but we've brought through some very good players and have some very good young promising players. Obviously need more

Lol at this tournament being a failure. We won our group. Beat a good CONMEBOL team and a not so good one. And we lost to the best team in the world without 2 players who are vital to our side in the semifinal. What were the people who said this link was a failure expecting?

Also LOL at this team not improving over the last 30 years. Wat?

The team has clearly improved. Jurg has done mostly great during his reign but I ask again what sign is there that he can do anymore or take the team further. It's time to let someone else build on what he has started.

I would argue that we are probably at our ceiling and it won't matter who we have as manager. We are still lite years away from being able to compete with the world's elite nations. Until/If we ever get there, the manager really doesn't matter all that much.

Nah we aren't at our ceiling. The lineups tell us that much.

I don't care enough to go back a page and quote the last time you said we don't bring our best team to qualify - so when do we?

Maybe I am just looking at other sports and wondering why we can not compete at the highest level in soccer. The results I posted and others might very well show a step improvement - but is that all we should expect? Seriously, moving from god-awful to not sucking too bad. That is what the US soccer community embraces? Come on. Until the masses get fed up all we will have is the next retread coach from a past failed assignment come on board to "fix" the development structure of the US game. Maybe the powers that be are sitting fat and happy at the top of the USA Soccer perch and have no real incentive to improve the play.

Instead of trying to mirror the rest of the worlds developmental programs - which will not work with US athletes - why don't we simply build our own training platforms that fit our culture and athlete base.

You honestly think we have the talent to get past the last 16 of a World Cup?

World cups in the long term. Used to be every other gold cup, now it's closer to every gold cup. This Copa is a one off. You would know this if you actually followed the sport.
I'm 30 years old. There was a very small youth development program when I went through the system. That system is now far more robust. The results aren't going to happen overnight, and have clearly gotten better over the long term.
Instead of running your mouth about something you clearly know nothing about - why don't you ask questions before giving your **** takes?

Absolutely. In the past 4 WC, we've made the quarterfinals once and lost in aet twice. It's not some crazy unachievable goal.

ikes, how about you be a little less aggressive when responding to others.

I don't know why you think you have all the information, and no one else's thoughts can provoke change. But I assume that is why you are who you are. I made a fortune consulting businesses on change and functional development. In all but one I had no idea about their product or service. But I promise you - there are very smart sports people out there that could make huge advancements in the US Soccer program who might not be Soccer born and bred. There are probably even more Soccer purists out there if given the same tools the current establishment has could make changes that would accelerate the progression much quicker than your 20-30 year examples. But if you are happy with another 20-30 years of "it will take time" as you consistently put it. Then enjoy not sucking too much. Something tells me that as a 30 year old knowitall you pretty much have that feeling down.

The thing is in America the best athletes don't play soccer. Soccer is a fall sport, and if you are an athletic kid in America you play football in the fall(and probably year round training by the time you're about 13). With the concussions who knows, parents are frowning on football more and more, maybe some elite athletes will take up soccer. Problem is they don't see it as very lucrative. Specialization is also a problem, kids are picking one of the big 3 sports and training year round.

You don't know ikieboy very well do you? If you think this is bad you should check out the other sport threads he enlightens us all on. It is rant after rant. Most simply avoid/laugh at him. I choose to egg him on. Pretty easy I might add.

I do admire your optimism.

Without Tim Howard playing the game of his life we get blown out against Belgium in the last World Cup. Until we don't need to rely on brilliant individual performances from our gk to keep us in matches I just don't see us being able to go any farther then we traditionally do. We are lacking players with the technical ability and tactical knowledge that the top countries produce.

Dead on...

Living in Florida I can tell you we see very few multi sport athletes except football players. Many of the football players run track, wrestle and a few play basketball. Training for all sports is year round - and as you said - most stick to one primary sport. That said - boys and girls are very different even in this thought. Boys in all sports see pro $$'s as the driving reason to train year round - so they obviously stick to sports they excel at as young players - baseball, football, basketball. That eventually turns to scholarships as they realize the numbers game. You are right they don't see the $$ and fame in soccer. Now if the USMNT won something... Girls do the same but their end goal is always a college scholarship, so they do not automatically rule out soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, etc.