3.31.14
ASN Morning Read: The Times They Are a-Changin'
The American coaching staff gets a few new faces and jettisons an old one; the Real Salt Lake contingent in the Stars and Stripes camp grows by one; Abby Wambach opens up.
BY
Noah Davis
Posted
March 31, 2014
8:38 AM
The big news out of the United States national team camp came not on the player front, although there were some moves that we'll get into in a bit, but on the coaching staff. Jurgen Klinsmann dropped tactical guru Martin Vasquez in favor of Tab Ramos, who had been youth director and coach of the U-20 squad. Additionally, Klinsmann brought on Berti Vogts as a Special Advisor. The former German national team player and World Cup winner could be the man who prepares the game plans for the upcoming World Cup. We'll have plenty more as these developments play out over the coming week and months.
On the player front, Tony Beltran replaces an injured Brad Evans on the U.S. roster. Here's a question: what does this do for Evans' World Cup future? Hurt it? Help it? Has Evans done enough to make the team? Let us know.
Blake Thomsen takes a look at whether a striker's club form matters coming into the World Cup. His conclusion: "the goal droughts of Altidore and Dempsey—as well as the limited number of American players who play in big four leagues—should not derail the Yanks’ confidence ahead of the World Cup."
Would you like to know more about Andreas Herzon, the man who was instrumental in the recruitment of Julian Green. Here's your chance.
While we're here, will Green become a top 100 player? One metric says yes.
Abby Wambach talks to USA Today about a variety of things including her recent marriage and her changing role with the USWNT: "That's a conversation that (second-year U.S. coach) Tom (Sermanni) and I have been having over the last few months. There's a few factors that are involved. Obviously, I'm getting older, number one. Number two, you've got players like Alex (Morgan) and Sydney (Leroux) and Christen Press, other forwards, that'd be starting on any other top team in the world. Because my strengths are a wide variety in terms of my leadership and strength in the air in heading and on set pieces it will be, I think, a matter of what that specific game is going to call for. There are seven games in the World Cup. You're gonna have to play a lot of players, so you need to get some of those players the confidence and that confidence starts years in advance."
Mashable's getting World Cup fever and Sam Laird spoke with ASN's Noah Davis about reasons to watch Major League Soccer. If you're reading this post you probably already know these (and many more), but the more the merrier.
Cue the but does he deserve it calls. Oh wait, Klinsmann is infallible:
