The status of American football (soccer)

Granted italy is a very good team and our current group is pretty tough (Italy, Brazil,Egypt). Do we have a chance come 2010? I honestly believe we have the talent but do we have the chance to improve if we say hire a skipper like Klinsmann? Thought and perspectives please.

We were uninspired and lacked creativity and drive tonight. That was painful to watch. I think it would be easy to pin it on Bradley, so I will. We need a new boss. Anyone can tell a team they need more motion (a lot of flat foots tonight), but there was just nothing, even on the rare breaks where they could have put something together, it was like they slowed it down because it's only practice and they hadn't worked out what to do next. I've never seen them that bad (adjusted for where they should be at this point). No chance of getting out of the first round without changes. They barely looked like a team.

Bohemka's spot on. I also think we need a European coach. Having more players with multiyear experience playing in the top European leagues would also help.

Incidentally, maybe you have heard that Schalke's Jermaine Jones wants to play for the US (although we need a creative offensive midfielder more than anything else).

Well Bman I do not think it was our worst outing although a pitiful outing. It was like all right we scored a goal , granted a penalty one, so thats more than expected. Untill italy scored that first goal I thought okay maybe just maybe a draw but we fell apart after that with the look of of not caring. It was just sad.

I dunno. With teams like Italy your deficiencies in every area are exposed. The US has been ranked artificially high for many years because of the extraordinary amount of qualifying games they play against crap opposition. The US is an ordinary side full of players from a second or third rate league. The ones that make it into foreign leagues play for the average teams. They still have many years of youth development before they have a chance against the cream of the crop.

Don't get me wrong. England is far from a team that has a chance of ever winning the world cup (before you start the counter attack) and the UK media always hypes up their chances, as they are doing now.

I reserve comment until we play a match against a top team where the refs don't make up the twelfth man of the opposing side.

Penalty deserved or not, it looks like the same U.S. team we've been seeing for the last 15 years. You could count hanging tough with Italy as an accomplishment, but Italy often makes weak teams look good before thrusting the dagger in a few decisive times.

how very predictable.

Spot on. I was talking last night with a dude and he couldnt believe we always qualified for matches. I said its easy when they pair you with Tobogo, trinidad etc etc

Yep your kids will reap the rewards of being in those barely funded public high school programs. Fortunately for you though that U.S. womens soccer programs are light years ahead of the mens programs. I recommend University of Portland for your daughter although those girls are hot and you more than likey will inherit a son-in-law from there.

I like your way of thinking there Perdido. University of Portland it is. for me, that is...

eurovol - it is your way of thinking that will see no improvement in the performances by the US team. Why look at your own shortcomings when you can blame others for your bad results? Bravo

Yes well I agree, we are depending too much on our youth to develop thru high cost club programs. Don't get me wrong the clubs have wonderful talent and wonderful coaching, infact the clubs probably have better coaching than the national team. The pay is better at the clubs than for the national team. Unfortunately the politics in the clubs tends to weed out very talently and/or poorer(financially) players. So that by the time these kids turn 18 they are burned out and disgusted by the coaches/parents and other aspects of what should have been an otherwise fun and exciting sport.

I would love to see the sport become better funded at the high school level. But to do that you wll need to see supporter turn out at the games. And we are just not ready for that. So as long as Football is bringing in the booster club money it will be the first beneficiary of the dollars.

Seriously. How does the trainer/coach make any difference in the game of soccer? My question is not rhetorical or trolling, I seriously don't get it.

Belichick, Parcells, Gibbs, Spurrier (college days of course) all have a dramatic impact on how each play is conceived, and executed. What the hell does Klinsmann say to the players? "Guys, don't stand so close together all the time, and when you see some running at the goal, kick the ball in front of him so he can control it in stride."

I think the randomness of the ball striking and the lack of precision the players exhibit prevents the trainer from having any real impact on the outcome of a game. Now, I will admit that game planning for a team, especially a team that may have glaring weaknesses, is where the trainer can have a direct impact. But, when play starts who the hell knows where the ball is going?

I have seen coaches come in and take the worst teams and turn them into champs. By knowing which players play well where and with whom and at what time, by how they arrange the field ie do they carry a heavier offense, midfield, or defense by who they choose to even play on the team. Your point is good if the coach hasn't done his job before the first whistle blows he can't do a whole lot until the end. His job begins months before the first game ever starts. And develops through out the whole season.

I know I can't explain it well..have you ever played on an organised team before?

He is from Bahston so no he has probably not.

An narrow minded assholish comment as usual, bravo!

Ok I'll bite, a 10 man US team sucks against a 12 man Italian team and being a man down does absolutely nothing to change the dynamics of the game or the game plan. Actually, they are pretty good for approx. 30mins before they are 110% burned out (took Italy 60 minutes to score, 30 of which were against a 10 man team). As for the refs, when it happens all too often in big matches it gets kind of old and predictable. The high kick definitely deserved a yellow, but gets a red. The Italian foul in the box with a kick and a shove on the opponent in scoring position deserved a red automatically and only gets an 11 meter freebie. Splain that to me?

The US men's team just keeps on getting better and better (albeit damn slowly), but as previously mentioned the money isn't there and it isn't our National Sport! Soccer has football, basketball and baseball to compete with on the national scene and the few niche markets for soccer are so far apart that extramural competition is severely limited simply due to logistics and costs. You best just keep hoping that the full weight of the US never gets behind soccer. That way you can keep on making your snide shallow hollier-than-thou remarks that seem to make you all feel better about yourselves.

PS: it was an American that scored two of Italy's goals and another almost contributed a third.

PPS: change a few rules to open up the offense and have more scoring and the Americans will love it.

PPPS: the US is 0-4-3 against the Italians and this is the first multi-goal loss to them since 1934. Yeah, we really suck.