OT: We may win the World Cup in 2026
- Thread starter brad1218
- Start date
So what you're saying is that USMNT should hire Dabo? 😁
Still feels like a realistic WC run is sooo far away. Our best player (Pulisic) struggles for minutes on his club team. Depth at every position separates us from the blue bloods. Excited nonetheless - young Reyna looks like the real deal and McKennie scored a worldie for Juventus against Barcelona this week in CL - reason for optimism.
Pulisic’s struggle for minutes results from injury. He was arguably a top 5 player in the EPL after the restart this spring. I just hope he isn’t another John O’Brian - awesome when healthy but rarely healthy for long stretches.
Agree with everything else you said though - depth is building and we hear all the time about young yanks going overseas. That can only be a good thing.
I don't disagree injuries have been a factor, but as you know top level football is cruel when it comes to that- today, you are your are toast of the league, and then injuries come along and you lose your place in the side to the next flavor of the month. Next thing you know you can't get a game other than FA/League Cup and you are shipped out on loan (especially at Chelsea). Don't get me wrong, Pulisic (when healthy) can play with with just about anyone, but at a super deep club like Chelsea he is not a given to be in the squad every week. But as I think we both agree, we need a team of Pulisic-level players to regularly compete with the top 5 countries.
Schools in the south have innate advantages over Rutgers and other northern schools due to weather and a much higher number of good recruits in their area. Even northern schools that already built a great brand over a long time have had trouble staying near the top, while several southern schools (like UCF) have come out of nowhere.
I watch every Chelsea game. Pulisic is a given to start when healthy. He is a no doubt about it starter. Now because of all the injuries they are going to limit his minutes as they play a grueling schedule and he has been injury prone. Make no mistake though if it is a big game and Pulisic is healthy and fit he would start. I agree we need to cap tie Musah. Him and Adams in the back middle will be awesome. We have never had a talent like Dest at full back. This kid is unreal. That’s why he is starting at Barcelona though at 19.
Is he healthy now? Unused in CL this week, brought on as a sub versus Leeds and Spurs. Started CL match versus Sevilla on 12/2, his only start since his latest return from injury.
Yes Puli is healthy now. He felt something again after Leeds game but Lamps today said he has trained fine all week.
If these injury concerns continue to faster then yes of course he'll never reach the pinnacle that we think he can for both club and national teams.
If these injury concerns continue to faster then yes of course he'll never reach the pinnacle that we think he can for both club and national teams.
England can’t even win it, with the best league. As my Brit friends say, in some ways, they love to lose.
I feel like I should insert a Jim Mora quote here.
USA is 22 in the world according to FIFA. While I still enjoy watching the MNT play, its very noticeable, even among we novices, they are not as good as they once were. Hard to believe given the increasing futbol popularity in this country. It looks like our country does a good job grooming players, but not so good grooming coaches. To illustrate how i.e. Look at what happened to my beloved 5 Stripes(Atlanta United) when Tata Martino resigned. From top to bottom in a year. A good coach who can optimize the talent can do wonders.
USA is 22 in the world according to FIFA. While I still enjoy watching the MNT play, its very noticeable, even among we novices, they are not as good as they once were. Hard to believe given the increasing futbol popularity in this country. It looks like our country does a good job grooming players, but not so good grooming coaches. To illustrate how i.e. Look at what happened to my beloved 5 Stripes(Atlanta United) when Tata Martino resigned. From top to bottom in a year. A good coach who can optimize the talent can do wonders.
Some of the best matches in history ended in 0-0 ties. Soccer is great because of the immense fitness and skill, both technical and tactical, and the flowing nature of the game. Which is why it’s the most popular sport on the planet.
Good discussion. Some random thoughts/responses to points above.
ATL shot Themselves in the foot by going for a European coach after hiring Tata. Totally different playing styles and the team personnel were geared towards the south American style of play. I never thought he was a good hire for them.
Coaches take longer to develop anyway. This generation of American coaches were only themselves players a decade ago. We are a generation behind there.
From a player development perspective - I think America is today developing world class talent. The MLS Academy system is only going to start pumping out more and more high-quality players. Those who don’t transition immediately to Europe will start in MLS and eventually leave for another league.
America has been held back by pay to play and I think you we are starting to see a change in that model. It certainly will help us identify and integrate urban kids. That has always been the biggest difference between America and the rest of the world. In the inner city our kids play basketball and most of theirs play street soccer.
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Who cares about such worthless gestures ?
The Russians, Communist Chinese, and North Koreans are the best at that.
The Germans were the world champs at it back in the 1930s and 1940s.
Want to echo the sentiment that we won't win anything until our coaching and gameplanning improves.
We also need some improvements at center back to really be competitive.
We also need some improvements at center back to really be competitive.
I was taught to view it as a chess match. The area the US has always struggled in is creativity - like chess, mastery only comes from playing against elite players and remembering more and more of the algorithms and permutations of possibilities.
If we're being intellectually honest, the same can be said of college football, or any number of sports.
If I don't like a sport, I don't waste my time telling fans their sport sucks and they should be ashamed.
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it is very much a chess match. different teams have different styles and you have to punch/counterpunch. for example, for a non-fan watching arsenal-tottenham this past weekend, they'd either assume that arsenal should have won, or that it's the most boring 2nd half ever. when in fact, it was tactically brilliant from a spurs perspective. on the other hand, leeds-manchester city several weeks back was all action...but it was two high level tacticians trying to impose their will...
When did I say that the sport sucks ? I clearly stated that I've warmed up to soccer. That's mostly because of a number of my friends who are really into the sport. But it's still often full of long periods of boredom. And unlike with college football I've seen far too many 0-0 or 1-0 matches. It's far too often a bunch of people playing keep -away on a pitch. Perhaps they should adjust the rules like football and baseball have done to help the offenses.
they have. you can't just run thru or come in spikes showing at the guys on the ball anymore.
see: Vinnie Jones (player turned actor)
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I've heard it said that 3-0 in futbol is like 40-0 in football. This is why Germany's 6-0 loss to Spain earlier this year is like Georgia Tech vs. Cumberland of 1916 (222-0).
Yes but he is on a “pitch count” so to speak. This weeks CL game was meaningless so he didn’t play. They rested a lot of their top guys. They are easing him back in and they dont want to overuse him. Trust me he is arguably their best player. Also fully fit doesn’t mean he is ramped up to play 90 minutes. It just means he is not hurt anymore. They also think he keeps pulling his hamstrings because he was playing too many games. So they are going to ease him back in.
We must beat the Great Mexican Team first. They are our PSU. Then we can go after Brazil (our Michigan) then Germany (our OSU). Then we will be the World Champion.
Right now our soccer team is Rutgers in the world when it comes to soccer.
We have a very long way to go.
Right now our soccer team is Rutgers in the world when it comes to soccer.
We have a very long way to go.
I will say this the folks who don't understand soccer will get it when the US makes a long deep run in the World Cup. If you have not been to Darcy's Tavern for a US team game you are missing out on an Epic amount of fun!
Just multiply that by the thousands and thousands and it will light a fire.
Just multiply that by the thousands and thousands and it will light a fire.
Champions League is on CBS All Access. You have to pay extra for it.
Most of the Premier League is now on the Peacock. You have to pay extra for it.
The Premier League and/or NBC basically flushed all the hard work that was done to build up the PL fans viewership down the toilet and sewer when NBC decided to put most of their games on first NBC Sports Gold and now Peacock.
F*** Em.
Luckily enough Peacock is part of my package on X1. So I get to watch my Spurs. Watched them win today Spanish network in the Europa league to top the group. On to the next round.
Most of the Big 6 games are available on NBCSN/NBC each weekend. Fans of the other teams (like me) have to pony up the $60 a year, which to me is fair to watch an out-of-market team for a whole season. Comes out to about $2 a game for Peacock + all the Law & Order I can watch.
Not really true about the Big 6. They've pushed major games straight to Peacock this year. As a Chelsea fan about half the game have been on Peacock as well. I haven't seen any rhyme or reason on how they decide what goes on NBCSN/NBC compared to streaming either. It's really annoying though they would so such a thing.
The US can win the WC and after the tourney is over 95%+ of American won't get a crap about soccer for another 4 years.
But FYI, the US national team blows. The constantly underachieve.
I know tons of American football fans who complain soccer is so low scoring but cream their pants over a 14-7 football game.
@brad1218 Good thread. It seems like you have pretty good knowledge on the program. Before we talk about winning it in '26, what's our qualification status and prospects looking like for '22?
That is why I disagreed with the premise of the OP that the US is close to winning the Cup.
The better teams in Europe, for example, are constantly being challenged by playing the other good teams in Europe in meaningful games in WC qualifying, Euro Cup qualifying/tournament, now the Nations League. What high level of opponent, intense, matches that matter does the US play each WC cycle? Two games with Mexico (you can't even put the Gold Cup in there because we normally only play some of our best players there)?
Hopefully we qualify and make a decent run in 2022, to set up a better run in 2026 at home, but the way things are structured it will always be very hard for the US to win the whole thing.
Unless you’re one of a handful of countries, expectations of winning the WC are unrealistic. Definitely need many factors to come together be competitive, including a little luck.
Though the first condition of filling out a roster of world class players seems to be closer. Also having a squad that plays together for a while is critical.
