World Cup Qualifying
- Thread starter MrFlyingV
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French....champions malaise? I’m sure they’ll warm up into form as qualifying goes on.
Netherlands....Van Dijk being out hurts badly, not just the physical presence, but leadership. I just see the Dutch as being in a rebuild since some great players edged out. They always seem to get a squad moving and start turning out quality.
Germany is an interesting one to watch. They are also rebuilding (maybe retooling), but the only names I see that I know is Kross and Neuer. They will be back to form in the future, but I don’t see it happening now.
It’s weird to have to revisit since it’s been four years. It’s not like following a pro team and really seeing the evolution year in and out. I would love to see the World Cup every two years. No more frequent than that. They could do the Olympics and regional tournaments in alternating years. I just know that wouldn’t ever happen, as the pro leagues would squash such an idea.
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So what becomes of the European Nation's Championship? I enjoy that almost as much as the World Cup.
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USA any good? I know they can't be real competitive but should they make the tournament?
I sure as fuck hope so. I think they’ve recovered from the Klinsmann plan at this point enough to make the top 3 in region. What they can do in the tournament, I don’t know.
They have surely pivoted fully off the Klinsmann years and I don’t see a let down like 2018 happening this time.
They have a youth movement going on, and seem to have gotten a pretty good group of young talent in. Pulisic is a generational talent and competing at a high level at Chelsea. Reyna could be a really good midfielder too.
They are ranked 22....so depending on the grouping they get of they make the Cup they could stand a chance at advancing to knockouts. I just can’t see much more than that this Cup.
Klinsmann hasn't been around since 2016. Team USA won't change until the usual country club/pay for play people in charge are gone.
That said, they should qualify, but don't start play until September.
Klinsmann did some smart things with getting foreign players over to the US side, but he did it too much, and at expense of working up homegrown talent. 2018’s failure was heavily influenced by this.
The pay for play won’t change anytime soon. If this team will finally start progressing it will be in spite of that, not because it is done, IMO.
There are more US internationals on and getting important minutes on big club teams in europe now than there ever has been. They should be significantly better than in years past...but that doesn't always translate on the national level.
In short, they should be good and should easily make the WC final tourney...should being the operative word.
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Let’s pray the boys don’t drop the ball again at the local community center field next time we go down to Trinidad and Tobago.
We had guys play international, but not really thrive there and come back home (Donovan, Dempsey, as examples).
We do have more guys playing international now, and most important some guys are thriving (Pulisic).
Past teams Achilles heel is they always felt like they couldn’t muster that extra 1-2 quality guys on the starting 11 to gel everything.
That’s still the question in my mind. But I keep looking forward to the day when someone can get a solid 11 to gel and finally compete regularly (and hopefully deep) in knockout stages.
Dempsey actually did quite well at Fulham, and was a fan favorite, but yeah, Donovan could never cut it in Europe. Tim Howard was considered one of the best GKs in the league during his time at Everton, but yeah, many never really cut it in Europe.
Besides Pulisic, the future looks bright with the likes of McKennie (Juventus), Adams (RB Leipzig), Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), and Dest (Barcelona).
I really wish Rossi would have played for the USA instead of Italy.
Rossi could have been HUGE! And if this thing can get growing right again we can attract a future Rossi to our side.
I agree, Dempsey was good at Everton. But I always felt he came back stateside too soon. Personal reasons, IIRC. Which can mean anything from something legit I respect, to “just didn’t want to stay away from home”. Either way, I think it capped his impact as an International player. He had such amazing flashes, but went dark at times too in International competition.
Yeah, Dempsey was great at Fulham for like 5-6 seasons (I think), went to Spurs for a season (I think Fulham had to sell him because they got relegated), then he came back. He was 30 when he came back so he had at least a couple of years left he could have done there, but I think it was a combo of him wanting to come back home, and also help MLS grow, he was basically one of the Leagues franchise players. But yeah for Team USA, when he was on, he was really on, but also had stretches where he was really off.
Any WC that they don't make is an embarrassment anymore. Mexico and Costa Rica are the only other national programs worth a shit. Soccer won't ever be the #1 team sport for top US athletes (in our lifetimes, anyway), but we have more than enough talent now that the string of not competing in World Cups from 1954 through 1986 seems like an impossibility. Unless FIFA reduces the number of teams in the World Cup (lolnotgonnahappen), the US should make it every time.
Exactly. Mexico and Costa Rica are the only consistent teams in CONCACAF besides the USA (usually), Every once in a while, a team like Jamaica or Panama may have a decent run, but it should almost be like an auto qualifying for those three.
Like you said, our best athletes aren't going to choose soccer (at least not for the foreseeable future), but we have more than enough, talent and resources to at least be competitive, I mean look at smaller countries like Uruguay (population about the same as metro Tampa) or The Netherlands (smaller than metro NYC), there's no reason at all why we should be able to compete.
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Germany cruised against Iceland 3-0...still a lot of passing and no production after the early goals....classic Low coached team in recent years. No Kroos, but imo he is not better than Goretzka, Kimmich, or Gundogan at this point in the midfield. Germany Group is a bunch of stiffs. Flat out disaster if they don't win their group. I mean it has the likes of Lichtenstein and North Macedonia (there are 2?) in it. Germany defense still leaves something to desire when you have to start Rudiger and Sule. Only the winner of each group qualifies, 2nd place you go to a playoff, so slip ups like the Netherlands and France not good. Speaking of the Netherlands their goaltender was absolute shit in that game. Have to find a better goaltender.
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Dest definitely looks like the real deal. Has some defensive liabilities but going forward is where his real talent is. Can play both left or right back. No surprise Bayern wanting him too. Bayern really dropped the ball because right back is their problem position now.
Is he the kind of wing back that can come up on the advance, or even bring the ball up?
I can’t remember who it was we had back in 2014, but he was a young kid from Germany (dual citizenship obviously) and I liked how he could play the wing back and also spring forward up the wing with the ball.
I looked it up. It was Yedlin.
This is a huge tool to have in a teams arsenal
Ha....north Macedonia. Was there a little civil war we didn’t hear about?
As is the way with the international game...I have to get myself up to speed with all the new guys and who has promise. Even more so after no summer tournaments last year.
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Euros this summer. Germany in the Group of death with France and Portugal. I don't see how Germany gets out of that group.