The Official US Soccer thread

[Chaplin]

I love that out of 8 midfielders, only one (Bradley) knows how to hold the ball up and keep possession. One and a half if you give Zusi the benefit of the doubt.

Jozy probably didnt get permission to leave. INTL dates, blah blah blah. With his team not letting him go freely all the time and his lack of playing time, I'm not surprised to see him not wanting to come back.

It's being reported that Klinsmann didn't select him based on his last 14 months of national team appearances and practices, which were average at best. I'm not the biggest Altidore fan, but he's been lights out for AZ Alkemaar, so he should have been included.

Biggest problem and EASILY the worst inclusion I've ever seen at this level is Alan Gordon. HORRIBLE player. Then again, that may be because I'm an LA Galaxy fan and he was a waste of space when he was with us.

 

[Zeno]

I love that out of 8 midfielders, only one (Bradley) knows how to hold the ball up and keep possession. One and a half if you give Zusi the benefit of the doubt.

Jozy probably didnt get permission to leave. INTL dates, blah blah blah. With his team not letting him go freely all the time and his lack of playing time, I'm not surprised to see him not wanting to come back.

Jozys team couldn't stop him and I doubt he would ever turn down a call up. There is a rumor over on Big Soccer forums that Jozy slammed JK in a Tweet after an interview he did about Altidore and that played a big part. Someone had an image of the tweet....I will have to see if I can find it.

 

[Zeno]

Here is an article....

http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/a...zy-altidore-off-us-roster-for-wcup-qualifiers

Coach explains...

"I communicated with Jozy that I was not happy about his latest performances with us, maybe even over the last 14 months," Klinsmann said during a conference call from Miami. "I think Jozy can do much, much better, and the reason why he's not coming in is mainly about the performances in Jamaica and at home, also in training. Also certain things that went on through the May-June camp."

According to Jozy the Tweet wasn't about Klinsmann...

Klinsmann also had been critical of Altidore in an espn.com interview that ran Sept. 28. Altidore, according to multiple reports, posted a tweet, which since has been removed: "Love when people try to blame others for their own short comings and incompetence." Klinsmann said he wasn't sure the comment was directed at him.

"The tweet people are referring to had nothing to do with Jurgen," Altidore said. "When I realized there may be some confusion, I deleted it."

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Very ouch. Klinsmann is looking more and more crazy as time goes on.

 

[Chaplin]

Very ouch. Klinsmann is looking more and more crazy as time goes on.

Well, he does have a point. If you throw out his club appearances, Jozy has been one of the most, if not THE most, disappointing players on the USA National Team. There can be no denying that.

JK has a point--if he's this good, why can't he translate it to the national team? He's had a long time to do it, regardless with how good the talent is behind him. After all, he has had Dempsey, Donovan and Bradley behind him for years.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Well, he does have a point. If you throw out his club appearances, Jozy has been one of the most, if not THE most, disappointing players on the USA National Team. There can be no denying that.

JK has a point--if he's this good, why can't he translate it to the national team? He's had a long time to do it, regardless with how good the talent is behind him. After all, he has had Dempsey, Donovan and Bradley behind him for years.

Do you blame the striker for not being active in the game when the midfield is able to only pass him the ball and handful times a game?

Is there any site around that counts the touches that each player receives? Jozy is a fall guy IMO because our midfield is horrible.

 

[Dr. Jones]

It's not like JK hasn't given him a shot. He hasn't made an impression on me at all this year.

Not including Boyd is stupid IMO. Glad Bradley is back.

 

[Chaplin]

Do you blame the striker for not being active in the game when the midfield is able to only pass him the ball and handful times a game?

Is there any site around that counts the touches that each player receives? Jozy is a fall guy IMO because our midfield is horrible.

Then maybe you just think its unlucky that he's been irrelevant for several years? Great strikers not only need service, they can create opportunities as well. Jozy has never done that. By your reckoning, we could put a 12 year old out there and it wouldn't matter since our midfield is so bad, although the three players I mentioned above are pretty good. Like I said, a good striker can create and Jozy has never been able to do that for the national team.

Which is funny since he did EXACTLY that in his last game for his club. I am on record saying that he should probably get the call, but on the other hand, JK has a point about why he isn't with he team right now.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Claiming that Altidore hasn't earned a spot over the other forwards is nonsense. The maddening thing about Klinsmann is how the logic seems to constantly shift. He says Altidore's club form isn't enough because of the way he's played for the NT. Then he claims Kljestan's play for his club earned his spot, even though he's rarely done anything of value for the US. Edu gets called up despite not playing much for Stoke yet. Johnson gets a spot, he hasn't done anything in years. Gordon hasn't done anything, period. He's on the wrong side of thirty with a grand total of zero goals for the US. Sometimes club form matters, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes national team performance matters, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes international experience matters, sometimes it doesn't. Klinsmann is playing Calvinball, and he'd better hope it doesn't burn him. A bad game and the US might have to think it over for the next four years. Now isn't the time to try and prove a point to one of your best players.

Altidore is 22 and 10th all time in scoring for the US. He's a striker on fire in Europe, the US has exactly one player that can claim that right now. This is the final weekend in the Qualifying round, and not having him on the roster is inexcusable.

 

[Stout]

Thank you, coyoteshockeyfan. This is ludicrous. He's scored well for the national team, but Klinsmann hasn't been able to field a team that can get him the ball. It's all well and good to say a striker sometimes has to create his own chances, but when he routinely has to try and bring it down and create with five defenders around him, it isn't happening. He's been good for us before, he's lighting it up in Europe, and JK is 100 percent wrong on Jozy.

 

[Zeno]

Altidore is 22 and 10th all time in scoring for the US. He's a striker on fire in Europe, the US has exactly one player that can claim that right now. This is the final weekend in the Qualifying round, and not having him on the roster is inexcusable.

The only US player to have more goals by the age of 22 is Donovan, so yes he has been productive...no not recently but as has been alluded to he is severely lacking service and had other times where he was running as a lone striker which does not suit him.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Claiming that Altidore hasn't earned a spot over the other forwards is nonsense. The maddening thing about Klinsmann is how the logic seems to constantly shift. He says Altidore's club form isn't enough because of the way he's played for the NT. Then he claims Kljestan's play for his club earned his spot, even though he's rarely done anything of value for the US. Edu gets called up despite not playing much for Stoke yet. Johnson gets a spot, he hasn't done anything in years. Gordon hasn't done anything, period. He's on the wrong side of thirty with a grand total of zero goals for the US. Sometimes club form matters, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes national team performance matters, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes international experience matters, sometimes it doesn't. Klinsmann is playing Calvinball, and he'd better hope it doesn't burn him. A bad game and the US might have to think it over for the next four years. Now isn't the time to try and prove a point to one of your best players.

Altidore is 22 and 10th all time in scoring for the US. He's a striker on fire in Europe, the US has exactly one player that can claim that right now. This is the final weekend in the Qualifying round, and not having him on the roster is inexcusable.

+100

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Claiming that Altidore hasn't earned a spot over the other forwards is nonsense. The maddening thing about Klinsmann is how the logic seems to constantly shift. He says Altidore's club form isn't enough because of the way he's played for the NT. Then he claims Kljestan's play for his club earned his spot, even though he's rarely done anything of value for the US. Edu gets called up despite not playing much for Stoke yet. Johnson gets a spot, he hasn't done anything in years. Gordon hasn't done anything, period. He's on the wrong side of thirty with a grand total of zero goals for the US. Sometimes club form matters, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes national team performance matters, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes international experience matters, sometimes it doesn't. Klinsmann is playing Calvinball, and he'd better hope it doesn't burn him. A bad game and the US might have to think it over for the next four years. Now isn't the time to try and prove a point to one of your best players.

Altidore is 22 and 10th all time in scoring for the US. He's a striker on fire in Europe, the US has exactly one player that can claim that right now. This is the final weekend in the Qualifying round, and not having him on the roster is inexcusable.

Amen. The fact that clowns like Gordon/Johnson/Beckerman, et al continue to make the team despite clear evidence that they are not national team quality is inexcusable. I like many things about JK, but this is a major issue.

 

[Zeno]

Well no Donovan or Break Shea...roster now stands at 22 no word if he plans to call in replacements.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Well no Donovan or Break Shea...roster now stands at 22 no word if he plans to call in replacements.

Do you really need to call in replacements a day after you announce the roster? Didn't you know these players were injured a day earlier.

Ugh.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

They knew that Donovan and Shea were questionable but since they're both US based there was no downside to seeing how they felt after arriving into camp. SI said Donovan had an MRI today so hopefully the news is ok.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

They knew that Donovan and Shea were questionable but since they're both US based there was no downside to seeing how they felt after arriving into camp. SI said Donovan had an MRI today so hopefully the news is ok.

It just seems weird to me that they would announce a roster, prior to giving the players a physical.

 

[Chaplin]

It just seems weird to me that they would announce a roster, prior to giving the players a physical.

So what? I'm not sure what the big deal is. Doesn't really change anything over the course of a single day. It will be interesting to see who they call up, if anybody.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

It just seems weird to me that they would announce a roster, prior to giving the players a physical.

What they announce is the camp roster, not the game roster. Have to get them into camp before they can take their fitness tests

 

[Zeno]

Castillo and F. Johnson out for the Antigua match...the only 2 left backs on the roster. We might see Bocanegra out there again with Edu(or Goodson) and Cameron in the central defense.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Castillo and F. Johnson out for the Antigua match...the only 2 left backs on the roster. We might see Bocanegra out there again with Edu(or Goodson) and Cameron in the central defense.

Ouch. This is not looking good at all.

 

[Stout]

Castillo and F. Johnson out for the Antigua match...the only 2 left backs on the roster. We might see Bocanegra out there again with Edu(or Goodson) and Cameron in the central defense.

Damn! At least it's against a minnow.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Once again, tomorrow's qualifier is only on beIN or whatever they're called. Freaking stupid.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Once again, tomorrow's qualifier is only on beIN or whatever they're called. Freaking stupid.

That channel is doing whatever it can to be player in this sport. La Liga and Serie A are exclusive to this network now.

 

[Chaplin]

That channel is doing whatever it can to be player in this sport. La Liga and Serie A are exclusive to this network now.

Yep, only carriers are Directv, Dish and Comcast. It's run by Al-Jazeera.