9.9.15
ASN Morning Read: The United States Is No Brazil
The American team hosted a world-beating Brazilian side in Massachusetts on Tuesday night and the results were not pretty; it was only a friendly; it's never just a friendly; U-23 Olympic qualifying.
- That was ugly.
- No starter gets more than a 4.5 in these ratings. Do you agree? Why not make your own?
- At least he's honest:
Jones y'day at team hotel: "Anyone who knows me, knows I prefer to have someone who covers me, so I can go all over the place." #usmnt
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) September 8, 2015 - Moving on to Mexico. Starting XI time.
- October 10, baby: "Judgment day is coming on October 10 for the U.S. men’s soccer program, or at least the closest thing to judgment day not related to the World Cup. On that day, two important games will take place. One is the senior team’s showdown with Mexico at the Rose Bowl for a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup. The other is a one-game decider for the Under-23 team with a spot in the 2016 Olympics on the line. The U.S.-Mexico game is a mid-term referendum on Jurgen Klinsmann the U.S. men’s national team coach, while the Olympic berth is a referendum on Klinsmann the U.S. technical director. It’s a results-based business, so the takeaways will be relatively easy to make: Elation with two wins. Disaster with two losses. And something in between if there’s a mix."
- Get in the lottery for U.S.-Mexico right now.
- Oh good:
Klinsmann sure sounds committed to sticking with John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado at center back against Mexico. #usmnt
— Doug McIntyre (@DougMacESPN) September 9, 2015 - Here's a nice piece about Olympic qualifying: Of course we have a lot of central players. I know that and maybe it is a little bit of a tricky part. We have to adjust the system and find the right balance. But overall I think it is very important over the next few years for every young American player in MLS, especially for the national teams, to develop very good individual players at every position. Otherwise we won’t have success in the future. It is not good if the young players are just starting as holding midfielders somewhere. It would be great to have two or three other players starting in MLS or in European leagues in different positions.
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FREAK OUT:
I largely agree with the soccer Twitter tonight. But let's also recognize just how much it breeds confirmation bias and take a deep breath.
— Devin Pleuler (@devinpleuler) September 9, 2015
