Arena The Old Title Was Way Too Long: USMNT/MLS Discussion

Yeah, yeah.

 

I refuse to read consume any MLS content that is not directly about Columbus until they resolve the #SaveTheCrew issue. But I read about Zlatan.

 

I'm fine with athletes being confident and all that, but his arrogance is really annoying, IMO.

 

Wow.

So I knew US Soccer was terrible at developing talent. I didn't realize it was quite this bad, though.

Looking at the 2013 U-20 World Cup Squad for the USA ...

Only 5 players have played a game in a top-flight domestic league this yaer

They Are:
DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle in England)
Wil Trapp (Columbus in MLS)
Zack Steffen (Columbus in MLS)
Caleb Stanko (Freiberg in Germany)
Shane O'Neill (Excelsior in Netherlands)

That's it.

Kelyn Acosta is injured and would be starting for FC Dallas, but to counter that, O'Neill has only made an appearance in a single game in the Netherlands this season.

That's it.

 

Lol Michael Bradley

 

For those of you interested in the ongoing Columbus Crew / Austin saga ...

We got this update update last night in Austin from the official representative of Major League Soccer who is authorized to speak on the league's behalf ...

The goal is to have the first game played in Austin in March of 2019
But ... this person '[doesn't] try to understand the sports business"
They have the intention to "look at" and "hire the appropriate people" for traffic and parking concerns
He isn't sure what the business plan looks like to make a profit in Austin, but is "confident it'll be there" from a variety of sources

 

I think the big thing with moving to Nice is that he has to European experience to open the doors he wants to open up. It's much more than a lateral move. One doesn't go from managing at New York to managing at Dortmund, but the last Nice manager did move to Dortmund. So, as we all know, Vierra has aspirations to manage clubs as big as Dortmund (and bigger), so it's a move he had to make. Not only that, but he had to, at some point, get off the MLS schedule to be able to take a job he wanted in Europe. There was always going to be a conflict of timing, because he'd either need to leave New York mid-season, or join the European club mid-season.

It's a giant LOL @ MLS for a few reasons.

1) Arguably the best team in the league loses their manager mid-season for a team that won't win any silverware this season.
2) The move was officially announced by Manchester City. Not NYCFC. Not even City Football Group. Manchester City.



I think Torrent will do fine this year. But for a manager with no previous MLS exposure, the difficult thing is not the game-day tactics or the squad management, it's all the odd, quirky roster rules. if he can wrap his mind around what a Designated Player is, the difference between General Allocation Money and Targeted Allocation Money as well as mandatory Targeted Allocation Money vs. Discretionary Targeted Allocation Monday, he'll have a decent chance to be successful.

P.S.: Zack Steffen's Performance against France, while only in a friendly, have cemented him in my mind as the next great American Goalkeeper. He needs to be sold immediately if the Crew are relocated. As a goalkeeper, I think a bottom-half PL team would be fine, as would a mid-tier German team. Or better, if the desire/appetite is there. Perhaps Everton feel the need for another American Keeper to captivate their hearts?

 

Moving from the MLS to the fifth largest league in Europe is a lateral move?

 

A team two years removed from UCL Semifinals = Just as irrelevant as an MLS team. #heelsylogic

 

Yeah, that was Monaco. Marseilles made the finals of Europa this year, too. No French team is named "Real Salt Lake". These are all points in favor of Ligue Un.

Though, to be fair, with #RichieLogic, only PSG won a trophy this year. So I can see, in short cited views, how you might think only they were relevant. Since only they had a successful season. Even though their season was a disaster by crashing out of Champions League as early as they did.

 

RB Leipzig. Why bother with a lateral move?

 

At least you spotted a real insult this time.

 

LOL @ MLS

Both of the managers in New York leaving midseason.

LOL LOL LOL *** you and your queso-loving investor/operators who aren't owners.

 

Wait. This is even more hilarious than I first realized. He left his job with RBNY to go be an assistant with Leipzig.

 

If you're considering naming your club "Miami International Club de Futbol" you're probably trying too hard.

Crest is pretty, though

 

sounders have been really fun to watch lately. 5 wins in a row overall, including a crazy comeback against minnesota two weeks ago and a huge win over dallas last week. they seem to be clicking in the second half as seems to be their m.o., really looking forward to their game with galaxy on saturday.