Still. I mean, the whole US team has one good player. It was always possible, it was just their qualification system saving them the last few years.
World Cup Qualifiers | October 2017 | Play off draw on Tuesday
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Still. I mean, the whole US team has one good player. It was always possible, it was just their qualification system saving them the last few years.
Just talking NL, not the comparison. The only shock in that shithouse side not qualifying is that it got settled by bottom placed T&T.
People seem to give far too much importance to size. Some still say losing to Iceland is embarrassing when what I actually found embarrassing was how they were given for granted before the game at the Euros.
They've been consolidating as a team for some time and everyone is willing to give 110%. Not surprising Panama or Honduras can pip USA for the same reason. Also, see Leicester winning the league... Teams matter and what little I've seen of the US they look terribly disjointed when their strength used to be team rather than individuals.
BTW @Snow you should have seen the celebrations in our office. Iceland is our mascot European team. Hopefully no meeting of the two!
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Stuart Holden said what many have been thinking on the developmental process in the US. Can anyone find a link/vid?
And that Panama first goal...
And that Panama first goal...
Yes. Probably should have said it's shocking in terms of their history and resources as opposed to surprising based on recent performances.
The Panama goal obviously didn't cross the line but it's a stonewall penalty and possibly a red card if he doesn't give it.
Fixed.Stuart Holden said what many have been thinking on the developmental process in the US. Can anyone find a link/vid?
And that Panama first "goal"...
Relegation isn't the issue here unless you're looking to fire off another tired cliche.
Hold up. I see what this is - just another piss shot at the US out of pure hatred. The toughest qualification group is CONMEBOL. All other regions have their fair share of crap nations in groups (Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Malta; Congo, Libya, etc.). And then there's the AFC and OFC, weaker than CONCACAF and two regions that see practically the same nations qualify every cycle. Fortunately, FIFA made the OFC winner go a playoff route.
I'd argue it's 1) cultural, 2) no accountability/genuine pressure on players, and 3) developmental process.
The latter is the biggest concern. USSF/MLS still rely on the college system model like the other big US sports, mainly NBA and NFL. Holden said it best, something about that age range 14-18 should be developing like the rest of the world (academies) and that college play stunts development as the players only play competitively for three months.
Come on now. The Concacaf group is like a weak European qualifying group only that three instead of one team qualify and the playoff is probably a lot easier as well.
Or let me put it another way, you think the US team would qualify in Europe? For every tournament?
It's not. As a nation and in regards to the expectations you have of a country with 330 million people it's an upset, but looking at their current squad it's really not. The team is old as feck and it doesn't have a single central defender which would have the chance to get to play in even the relegation teams of the European top 5 leagues.
Jozy Altidore is their striker....they are laughably shit.
Well Cameron plays for Stoke. And while the talent level is not great but, should be able to beat the likes of Trinidad, Panama, etc.
How bad you have to be when you dont even make the WC in the easiest WC qualifier group - says a lot when 4 out of 6 teams in the SAME group get the chance to play in the WC 
No, I do not believe the US or Mexico could qualify every cycle in a UEFA region (which is a stupid hypothetical anyhow). I've made those statements in the past. I've even called for CONMEBOL and CONCACAF to combine their qualification as it might cause the northern nations to miss out but they'd ultimately benefit from the competition. This obviously will never happen.
But it's hilarious when posters only rip the US region and not others that are just as weak. Would Australia, Japan and Saudi Arabia qualify routinely in your hypothetical world?
That doesn't negate the need for continuous improvement in the management of the sport on this side of the world, maximizing our resources and population. The interest and talent is there.
I agree. The NCAA model works for the NFL and NBA, but it's otherwise flawed. The MLS and NHL have their own junior/minor leagues which feed into their drafts.
The cultural angle is rapidly fading with our changing demographics. Ignoring the soccer mom contigent who don't want their children playing gridiron football and herd them into the soccer pitches every Saturday... there is a strain that is passionate about the sport, and that talent needs to be nurtured properly. Making the sport inexpensive for people to participate in would be nice; parents having to shell out $5000 every season for equipment and trips cuts out a demographic that otherwise would excel.
Laughable coming from mostly England fans, to be honest.
Well the US failure is the current topic, so naturally people comment and focus on their group atm.
That's a much better post. You're singling out the players and performances instead of the nonsensical regional stuff. And what many of us have been moaning about USSF for the past few years.
I must ask - do you know much about the sporting culture in the US? Soccer (or football if you want) is like the fifth or sixth favored professional sport in the country, and thus the top athletes, top minds, and top dollars do not flood into it like the other sports. Other countries see football as their top sport, and in a few others as their second top sport. The population comment isn't representative of the actual reality. China has 1.4 billion people and India has 1.3 billion - neither qualified and rarely do.
Japan would have a very decent changes, the rest is not remotely comparable to the US. Still, at least Australia has a better team. We rip Concacaf because they only have one good team, and then we rip the US because even there they can't qualify. It's objectively hilarious.
Thought they sold him. And well, he's still shit. And why would you take that for granted? Just because the US tries to glorify the MLS as something else than a European retirement home that doesn't mean their youth education or standard of play is necessarily better than in other CONCACAF countrys.
Iceland has been underestimated for a long time. People forget that we finished 2nd last WC qualifiers and lost to Croatia in the playoffs. We've been strong at home for a long time, drawing against WC winners France, multiple winners Spain and finishing off Lippi's unbeaten run when they were WC winners. Before that game an Italian player (who's name I can't remember) said to the media that the match so unremarkable that his own mother wasn't going to watch it. Buffon ended up conceding twice that game.
The thing about Iceland now is that we're really annoying to play against. Our captain said he felt it himself in training when they play attack vs defense. It's especially trying on teams at the international level because team cohesiveness is really the nr 1 thing. You can have some of the best players in the world and still only be an above average team.
Also congratulations to Panama and their new national holiday!
In terms of participation it is probably the fourth sport.
We all know that.
And I really don't get where you are going. Yes, every federation has their share of shitty nations but only in CONCACAF it is as easy to qualify out of the group. Be top 4 of all those shit teams and qualify. US soccer has been bad for a while now and yes, it is my honest opinion that it was only their qualification system saving them. That's just how it is. It's just natural they now get ridiculed.
Even when it's not the most popular sport, the US should still do better.
Mexico is vastly overrated as well. They've never done squat at the World Cup, even the US has advanced farther than them. They have better players overall but again, it's a cultural thing. Football is their top sport and the league has been around for decades. In fact, Mexico has a massive advantage over all other CONCACAF nations.
Furthermore, the US usually tops the qualification round - what does that say about Mexico? Heck, they were a late US goal from not qualifying in 2014. It's just typical hatred of the US that goes beyond sporting reasons. It's about the perceived collective arrogance and the political nature, which is understandable but shameful persons won't admit such.
The best players for Trinidad and Panama play in the MLS.
Participation at youth level means nada. I'm referring to adult level and in terms of attending, viewing, etc. it falls behind gridiron football, basketball, baseball, golf (a shit sport), and possibly auto racing. It's probably ahead of hockey these days.
Then your opinion is myopic. Going back as far as 8 years ago we've recognized the need for a better system. The Arenas appointment was lambasted by many when it happened.
On the latter, no shit Sherlock. Do you just go around stating the obvious?
I cannot believe that we (USA) have failed to qualify. Really disappointing, and the World Cup just isn't going to have the same anticipation or appeal for me. I was 12 years old when we got WC '94 and even though I was already obsessed with playing by then, being able to watch the tournament and see the US compete (and the development of MLS as a result) was what really started me out on watching games.
Watching the tournament with people supporting other nations is fun. NY is fun around that time of year. I do admit it sucks to not see the other oblivious sport fans tune in whenever the US is on the pitch.
Will Cain on Mike & Mike claiming to be a soccer fan. "I get up on Saturday morning and watch Manchester City play because I'm a fan and like their style."
That clown likely had no clue who City existed about six years ago.
That clown likely had no clue who City existed about six years ago.
Always been the case, both for Australia before and New Zealand now. Australia won their playoff against Uruguay in 2006 while New Zealand beat Bahrain in 2010 which is why they managed to get there (Australia participates in AFC qualifiers since 2010 WC).
It's IMO a bit strange that CONMEBOL team plays an OFC team in a playoff while AFC team has to play against CONCACAF. Travel distances are ridiculous and you could have had OFC play AFC (much shorter trip) while CONCACAF would play CONMEBOL (shorter distance as well). New Zealand v Australia and Peru v Honduras would have been much closer games too than Peru v New Zealand is likely to be.
I think Mexico gets some level of subconscious credit for being a Latin nation that also cares about footie, but they've not done better than the R16 since 1994. Their league not competing vs South America as their main continental competition is possibly stymieing the level there... not that competing in the Libertadores is that high a level nowadays.
Funny thing, earlier in the qualifiers Chile complained that Bolivia played ineligible player against both them and Peru. Bolivia beat Peru 2-0 in that game and drew 0-0 with Chile. Federation considered their claim valid and handed walkovers to both teams. Without that extra point Peru would have finished below Chile.
I think CONMEBOL should have another full spot at the World Cup BTW. The quality there is immense. Teams that got knocked out - Chile, Paraguay and Ecuador mainly - are all very good teams. Or at least one more spot to compete against CONCACAF who send the same teams 90% of time (Panama the surprise inclusion this time).
I think CONMEBOL should have another full spot at the World Cup BTW. The quality there is immense. Teams that got knocked out - Chile, Paraguay and Ecuador mainly - are all very good teams. Or at least one more spot to compete against CONCACAF who send the same teams 90% of time (Panama the surprise inclusion this time).
Sadly world cup places aren't about quality, if they were, AFC and CONCACAF wouldn't have nearly as much.
Messi is destined to win it now.
I know it's about giving everyone chance of participating but IMO giving three automatic spots to CONCACAF and 4 to CONMEBOL is very skewed.
Cal? would live in denial forever if that happened. Imagine Messi scores 10 goals and leads Argentina to World Cup triumph, how deep he would have to dig to prove that Messi is in fact shite and it was Ronaldo who won it (he's still convinced Ronaldo won Euro for Portugal, dressed as Eder).
He would never recover from something like this.
What should there be 24 European teams in the World Cup like it is with the Euros?
I would be delighted if nether Argentina or Portugal won the World Cup. I honestly cannot stand the piss contest that has been going for years C. Ronaldo vs Messi.
Not for me, country over club always