Dos a Cero!

Today is the day! USA v MEX at the Rose Bowl. Winner goes to the 2017 Confederations cup. Who do you think will win?

El Tri today I think, even though they have not been the best with so many coaches coming through the doors and back out again recently.

However, the USA are hanging on to Klingsman for some reason when it's my opinion he should have been replaced after the World Cup. He was a very intelligent player, but his blatant cheating turned me against him. As a coach, he has been brave at times going against public opinion with team selection with both club teams and international teams, but he seems to have gone stale and lost the plot a bit. It seems obvious that the USA football program needs a bit of fresh blood adding to it.

Will be rooting for USA

in my opinion, the US national Team will win a world cup becore mexico ever will.

nffclsr said:

El Tri today I think, even though they have not been the best with so many coaches coming through the doors and back out again recently.

However, the USA are hanging on to Klingsman for some reason when it's my opinion he should have been replaced after the World Cup. He was a very intelligent player, but his blatant cheating turned me against him. As a coach, he has been brave at times going against public opinion with team selection with both club teams and international teams, but he seems to have gone stale and lost the plot a bit. It seems obvious that the USA football program needs a bit of fresh blood adding to it.

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Klinsmann's cheating? Please elaborate. And USSF is holding onto him because he has the highest winning percentage of any US coach. For the first time in the history of the team, Mexico (in Azteca{1 of 7 teams world wide to do so}), Germany, Netherlands and Italy have lost to the US. Moreover, his overhaul of the US Soccer program has been tremendous. Don't forget, he's also the technical director. And the U-Teams are looking amazing. I would say in 10-20 years, the USA will remain above #15 in the rankings as long as the new program lasts.

Usa

Both sides playing with passion!

brians_myth said:

Klinsmann's cheating? Please elaborate. And USSF is holding onto him because he has the highest winning percentage of any US coach. For the first time in the history of the team, Mexico (in Azteca{1 of 7 teams world wide to do so}), Germany, Netherlands and Italy have lost to the US. Moreover, his overhaul of the US Soccer program has been tremendous. Don't forget, he's also the technical director. And the U-Teams are looking amazing. I would say in 10-20 years, the USA will remain above #15 in the rankings as long as the new program lasts.

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I'm sorry, I just assumed everyone would remember what a terrible cheat Klinsmann was as a player. He was a real role model to young players on how to dive, get defenders booked for no reason, and simulate to get penalties. It was constant through his playing career, he'd practice diving in training, and I find that shameful. It even changed the course of the 1990 World Cup.

He used to role around on the ground like he'd been shot when replays would show he wasn't even touched. Surely you've heard of the Klinsmann Flop? If some player was caught diving in a game it was called doing a Klinsmann. To his credit, he used to admit it, and even incorporated it into his goal celebration. There are many online videos of people doing a Klinsmann.

As manager of the US national team, sure a few high profile friendly wins look good, but lets be honest the high win percentage is mostly due to the quality of opposition in CONCACAF. Seriously, look at the next few competitive games for them, teams ranked 122nd, 59th (that is VERY kind to Trinidad), 82nd, 82nd again, 122nd again, then 59th again. I would say any manager of the USA men's national team would be expected to win every one of those World Cup qualifiers easily. After recent struggles against Jamaica and Panama I wouldn't be so confident with Klinsmann in charge.

I know this opinion is a bit old fashioned, but I firmly believe a national team manager should be from the same country. How can someone from another country have the same passion for that nation as a home grown manager? Sure, there are the odd exception, but I can't think of many.

It seems to me that football in America has come on by leaps and bounds over the last decade, it's only a matter of time before a top class American manager emerges to lead the way.

I haven't heard of a Klinsmann flop. I'm a post-90s soccer fan so I know Robben calls.

To the point of coaching for A CONCACAF team, Bob Bradley and Bruce arena had faced the same competition with less results than Klinsmann and also failed to beat the aforementioned teams.

I do agree the coaches should be from the same country as the players. Me that just makes sense. However, if that were the case, the United States would never enter a world cup again. That's a joke but I hope my point is made about that.

Far is his tenure as coach, I cannot see why so many calls her is firing are being made. Clearly it's the two forwards that we had on the field last night. Rest of the team is amazing, the changes within the US soccer organization are phenomenal and have brought out the likes of Bobby Woods and Jordan Morris.

To his cheating back in his player days, I cannot argue with that. If it's a known fact that it's indisputable. But I certainly have not seen that in his coaching time

brians_myth said:

I haven't heard of a Klinsmann flop. I'm a post-90s soccer fan so I know Robben calls.

To the point of coaching for A CONCACAF team, Bob Bradley and Bruce arena had faced the same competition with less results than Klinsmann and also failed to beat the aforementioned teams.

I do agree the coaches should be from the same country as the players. Me that just makes sense. However, if that were the case, the United States would never enter a world cup again. That's a joke but I hope my point is made about that.

Far is his tenure as coach, I cannot see why so many calls her is firing are being made. Clearly it's the two forwards that we had on the field last night. Rest of the team is amazing, the changes within the US soccer organization are phenomenal and have brought out the likes of Bobby Woods and Jordan Morris.

To his cheating back in his player days, I cannot argue with that. If it's a known fact that it's indisputable. But I certainly have not seen that in his coaching time

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First of all, I love football, and I've enjoyed the recent posts/threads you have posted. If you want to discuss anything to do with the world of football I'm game for that!

I'm not sure I agree with you about Klinsmann being any more successful than his predecessors. Klinsmann's win percentage with the nation team is about 56%, Bradley's was around 54%, Arena's was around 55%. I'd also argue Klinsmann has a slight advantage of benefiting from the increased presence of all the MLS clubs and their youth networks even though he seems very critical of them (and their fans strangely enough).

I think it's only a matter of time before a good bunch of American football coaches appear on the scene. They need to be brought up with football in their culture, and that is really starting to happen. When I was a young lad growing up in Canada, our local coach used to be a trainer at Chelsea, he got calls all the time from schools and clubs in the USA trying to persuade him to move south as they couldn't find decent American coaches. Times are changing, world football is creeping into American culture like it or not.

I also have to disagree with your assessment of the last match. The USA lost that game in the midfield. The only midfielder who came out of that match with any credit was Bradley, and he looked absolutely tired after 60 minutes. I would say the USA lost the game instead of saying Mexico won it.

Jones is well past it. 3 or 4 years ago he was still a driving force in the midfield, but now he has lost the edge on those physical traits which made him a good player, and playing him wide left was a horrible decision as Aguilar made him look foolish time and time again as he just trotted past Jones, or Jones fouled him in a vain attempt to stop his progress. When Jones was a rough and dirty midfielder plying his trade (often suspened) in Germany or England, he was a dominating physical presence, now he just can't keep up and his technical skills aren't good enough to cope (look at how many times he gave the ball away vs Mexico).

Beckerman was so static in the middle that Bradley had to compensate for his lack of movement. I love defensive midfield players, it's the gel of a team and the position I admire the most. Beckerman failed at it against Mexico, I felt bad for Bradley playing along side him. The amount of time and space those 2 gave Guardado on the ball was shocking, they are lucky Guardado was having an off night too.

Then Zardes, well he tried, but not much was working for him.

Cameron at the back was fantastic all night, if it wasn't for a brilliant display all night from Aguilar then I would say Cameron was man of the match. I would have played him in Beckerman's position though, Cameron is a very good defensive midfielder when given the chance. I don't think Mexico would have had 62% possession if Cameron was in midfield.

Come to think of it, the USA defense was pretty good, except Beasley who is never a left back, poor guy has had a very good career as a winger, but can't tackle, mark or stop a cross coming in good enough for international level.

As for the forwards, well as a coach you couldn't really leave Dempsey out if he's fit, he's a player who has shown he can win a match on his own. Altidore must be such a frustration for every manager he's ever played for. The lad has all the attributes to be world class, sometimes he uses those skills, but other times it just doesn't seem like he's the same player.

Strangely, it seems now that the USA is a bit thin in the attacking department. I've always considered forwards and keepers to be the main strong points of their national development programs. Besides young Wood there doesn't seem to be a lot coming through, and even Wood has only scored 22 goals in 115 games and most of those were for a reserve team, but he's young and still learning his trade.

That leaves keepers form the USA. I've been hearing for 10 years that Guzan is going to develop into a great stopper, one for the future. Well, for club and country I haven't seen it, at Villa he often looks out of his depth, for the USA about the same. Howard has been pretty solid for years, sometimes inspirational, but age is catching up with him with injuries creeping in. However, he could still play on for 3 or 4 more season I'm sure, but the national team program needs to blood another young keeper soon as I doubt Guzan is good enough to take over.

All just my humble opinion of course!

I can't really speak to many of your points, considering the friendly's result.

I do agree, 100%, that the attacking department is lacking. There is no drive, no creativity, and certainly no truly lethal strikers. Wood looks great. Morris is fast and can strike well. These guys will "come into their prime" in their mid to late 20s. They have time, as you said, to grow and learn the trade. And they will.

The US has decent coaches. To name a few, Arena, Schmid, Kreis, and Porter. I think they are all fantastic coaches. I just don't think that they are well suited for the national team. I would love to think, in the next decade, we'll produce our own Mourinho or Ferguson, but that is likely a stretch. makes for a good thought though.