Posts Categorized as ‘World Cup 2018/2022’

Featured, United States, World Cup 2014, World Cup 2018/2022

Costa Rica Is Klinsmann’s Opportunity

These next two friendlies, the first real ones of the Jurgen Klinsmann era, will tell us more about the United States under Zee German than the Mexico match did. The game against the bitter rivals showed a group that wanted to play for its new coach, that was excited to play for its new coach, and a manager who had rekindled the flame that was lacking near the end of Senor Bradley’s tenure.

Now, stage two (of many).

And while it’s too early for referendums on players or the coach – decision time will come, people, I promise – the next two matches offer a nice little window into the new world of American soccer.

Here’s a theory: The Costa Rica tilt will tell us more than the Belgium one. (more…)

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United States, World Cup 2014, World Cup 2018/2022

On Playing Attack-Oriented Soccer

NOAH DAVIS - So Jurgen “The Savior” Klinsmann wants to play an attacking style.

That’s great. It really is. How much fun would it be to watch an American squad that presses the initiative, attacks the goal, and generally takes the game to its opponents?

But wanting and doing are two different things.

Alexi Lalas is the champion of the “Has a coach ever said he’d play a defensive style?” line of thinking. And there’s some truth to that argument. No manager is going to start off a press conference talking about staying compact and eeking out wins with unattractive soccer. (Well, maybe no one other than Bob Bradley.)

Klinsmann does seem to want to play aggressively. He’s a forward with an attacking pedigree. Landon Donovan used the “attacking” rhetoric in his comments about the new coach. The rest of the players in camp have echoed those sentiments.

So the will is there. The question is whether that will will become a reality. (more…)

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10 Kit Essay, United States, World Cup 2018/2022

Can the US become a Soccer-Crazed Nation?

ANTHONY MANNINO- The Women’s World Cup  brought endless support, but now how does US soccer continue to get this kind of fanfare during friendlies, Olympics, and qualifiers.  The past week the USWNT has captured the hearts of America the same way the USMNT did last summer. You could not watch ESPN for 10 minutes without seeing or having someone mention Abby Wambach’s goals. Also, if someone was tweeting or had a facebook message that did not mention the Word Cup Final game it seemed strange.

The good news is that for back-to-back summers, soccer has been in the headlines. The USMNT and USWNT received the same kind of attention that the Super Bowl gets.  Suddenly, dare I say it, for the last week the United States has become a soccer nation. Unlike any other American sporting event everyone was behind one team.  The sad part is even if the women would have one the World Cup all of that momentum would have eventually died out. Most Americans will go back to talking about the Big Three- football, basketball, and baseball. (more…)

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United States, World Cup 2018/2022

Mobi Fehr Is The Future, But Right Now He’s The Present

NOAH DAVIS -While the United States senior national team struggles to figure out their backline trouble — Tim Ream? Clarence Goodson? Carlos Bocanegra? Oguchi Onyewu? — Wilmer Cabrera doesn’t have the same difficulty.

Instead, he has Mobi Fehr.

The squad in Mexico aren’t be the best one ever, but they will be solid on defense thanks to the New York-born, Toyko-bred Fehr. (US Soccer has a nice story about the defender’s story.) He’s been a rock since joining the squad last year.

Fehr is only 16-years-old — he’s one of the youngest players on the current roster — but he’s our pick for the breakout player of the tournament. More than that, he’s the guy you’ll still be hearing from in four years.

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United States, World Cup 2018/2022

Should We Be Worried About The U17 team… And Does It Matter?

NOAH DAVIS - The United States U17 team is entering their final preparation phase before the World Cup in Mexico. Wilmer Cabrera says his squad is ready for the group stage in which they will take on Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, and New Zealand.

I am, to be honest, not so sure.

The coach told Brent he likes the side because even though they aren’t that talented, they work hard.

To which I would ask, has he seen his boys play?

There is some skill in the likes of Mobi Fehr, Matt Dunn, Alejandro Guido, and Andrew Souders. The lack of talent worries me less than the effort.

I don’t mean to be overly critical, but they have not struck me as a group that likes to hustle. Worse, they are undisciplined. The team plays with a chip on their shoulder, one that’s not deserved. Perhaps the attitude is a product of Bradenton, perhaps it’s something else, but this crew constantly scraps and fights with their opponents for no reason. Mario Rodriguez, Esteban Rodriguez, and Marc Pelosi are the worst offenders, which is especially frustrating because they are three of the best in the pool when they shut up and play.

And then there’s Andrew Oliver. (more…)

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World Cup 2018/2022

Warner and Bin Hammam: We’ve Got Nothing

BRENT LATHAM – The last two days have been as interesting as any in recent memory at the headquarters of FIFA. The accused, Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam, are “in position” now, and all we have to do is get today’s pesky Champions League out of the way so we can get to real soccer story of the weekend when the trial takes place on Sunday.

And according to Warner, it’s going to be explosive.  Warner spouted off in this interview with a Trinidadian paper before leaving his island, and what he basically said was nothing.

He did make it clear, though, that he’s planning on taking down as many others with him as possible: (more…)

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United States, World Cup 2010, World Cup 2018/2022

U.S. 1 -1 Argentina: A Couple Quick Hits

BRENT LATHAM – Well, that wasn’t so bad. A game that had the potential to get ugly in the first half turned on the strength of a halftime formation adjustment from Bob Bradley, and the Americans more than saved face in the final 45 minutes, coming away with a well earned 1-1 draw at the New Meadowlands.

Here are a couple off-the-cuff observations:

Is Bob Bradley a Tactical Wizard or a Bit Behind the Curve? (more…)

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United States, World Cup 2018/2022

Another Viewpoint on the US U-17s

NOAH DAVIS – Brent shared his thoughts on the U-17 squad, and I agree with most of his ideas (although not the Kellyn Acosta plan). My own five things we can learn is running on MLSsoccer.com, and it covers some of the same ground.

The discipline issue concerns me the most. Three bad red cards – and a handful of unnecessary yellows – in five games where the Americans were the better team. That’s not a recipe for success, especially on a squad that could have depth problems. If that’s not corrected, the US won’t get far.

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United States, World Cup 2018/2022

Wilmer Cabrera Speaks in Advance of U-17 CONCACAF Championship

NOAH DAVIS – Brent’s busy on the U-20 beat, but the big news of the day is the reveal of the U-17 roster that will travel to the CONCACAF Championship in Jamaica.

I spoke with head coach Wilmer Cabrera for a piece on MLSsoccer.com, and he’s feeling good about the team’s chances. (He should; the Americans have never failed to qualify for the U-17 World Cup.)

The team he’s bringing – which is only a tiny bit altered from the squad that traveled to Jamaica last month – features a good balance of Residency Program veterans and new faces. And then there’s Alfred Koroma, who spent a year away from the program but returned in January. I asked Cabrera about the forward’s progress and he had a few interesting things to say. (more…)

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United States, World Cup 2014, World Cup 2018/2022

Rongen Calls 24 into U-20 December Camp

A solid mix of veterans and newcomers as well as college players and professionals. As Brent predicted, Joe Gyau is back.

The roster please:

U.S. U-20 MNT Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Zac MacMath (Maryland; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Kevin Piedrahita (América de Cali; Queens, N.Y.)
DEFENDERS (8): Gale Agbossoumonde (G.D. Estoril Praia; Syracuse, N.Y.), Greg Garza (G.D. Estoril Praia; Grapevine, Texas),
Sebastien Ibeagha (Duke; Missouri City, Texas), Perry Kitchen (Akron; Indianapolis, Ind.), Eric Schoenle (West Virginia; Yardley, Pa.),
Ben Sweat (South Florida; Palm Harbor, Fla.), Zarek Valentin (Akron; Lancaster, Pa.), Korey Veeder (Unattached; St. Petersburg, Fla.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Steven Evans (Portland; Troutdale, Ore.), Joshua Gatt (SC Rheindorf Altach; Plymouth, Mich.), Joe Gyau (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim; Silver Spring, Md.), Alex Molano (NK Dinamo Zagreb; Grapevine, Texas), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union; Sacramento, Calif.), Dillon Powers (Notre Dame; Plano, Texas), Kelyn Rowe (UCLA; Newport Beach, Calif.), Conor Shanosky (D.C. United; Sterling, Va.)
FORWARDS (6): Conor Doyle (Derby County FC; McKinney, Texas), Dylan Mares (Louisville; Zionsville, Ind.), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union; Alpharetta, Ga.), Adrian Ruelas (Celtic F.C.; Fontana, Calif.), Soony Saad (Michigan; Dearborn, Mich.), Omar Salgado (Unattached; El Paso, Texas)

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