re: Klinsmann wants us to play... nastier

I think you're being a bit harsh. Clint was a consensus team of the year pick for the premier league when he lit it up in 2011-2012. That same year both Jozy and Bradley were easy picks for their team's most valuable player, and both in top 5 leagues. Donovan fit in really, really well in the prem. In his first month at the club during his first stint there he was their player of the month. That's a quick adaptation. Our beloved Stuart Holden was one of the best midfielders in the prem in that season before his injuries, and was still named Bolton's player of the season despite missing the last two months.

Americans can't hack it when given the chance? I'm not sure I believe that either (though I'm sure in some cases it's true, just as it is for talented players from every country). What kind of chance is the EPL purgatory Jozy has been put in? Hull and Sunderland? Those teams blow.

Sunderland last year lost their racist-arse coach (who still wanted Jozy) early in the season and got Poyet, who is also an idiot. In spite of Poyet they became the only team in PL history to be last at Christmas time and still avoid the drop. After losing 8-0 to Southampton (a game in which Jozy took no part, I gladly add), he went ahead and started 9 out of 11 players involved in that fiasco. The only two changes he made was adding two attacking players who were on the field for a thirty minute stretch in which Sunderland had five goals scored on them. This is a team who through that game had only crossed the ball four times and attempted three through balls all season. Tell me Jozy doesn't do better if an actual decent team with reliable service were to buy him. So what that he's shown he can compete at the World Cup? No one succeeds in dumpster fire teams like that. That's why they are dumpster fires. I'm not convinced Messi would even flourish on that team. It's because of this that I hate when people say that so and so has reached their peak. We can't even know that.

Drogba didn't play in a top five league until he was 25. The first team he had moderate success with was a team with this logo:

If he was American our fans would have said he sucks dick and will never see the field for a top side. Seriously, how much did Guingamp pay a crackhead to design that thing in MS paint? So maybe Jozy has peaked. It's possible. Maybe he has room to grow. Either way, none of us can know. That's why we discuss shite like this, because speculation can be fun sometimes. But the pessimism bugs me so much sometimes. It's soooooo... UnAmerican of us, it seems.

Just some more examples:
Steve Cherundolo is a Hannover legend.
José Mourinho can't understand why Bradley's not playing for a top team. But screw that guy what does he know about talent?
Geoff Cameron consistently looks like Stoke's smartest, and at times most technical player, even from the right back spot. I hate to out myself here as someone who watches Stoke, but hey, I do sometimes.

What's my point? My point is that I think if given the chance to play at better teams these guys could do so and do so well, assuming the fit was right.

These guys who supposedly aren't good enough to compete with the best got out of a World Cup group that included a Ghana side stacked with champions league players, Ronaldo and company, and the future world cup winners... Without the best player in our country's history and without the player around which we had molded our attack the entire four year cylcle.

So do I agree with you, Crazy? No. But I don't really disagree with you 100%, either.

Our overarching problem seems to be consistency. We have players who can do it at a high level, but can they do it consistently? Jurgen seems to be saying no, we can't right now. And that's alright. We are playing catch up by about a hundred years on some nations and we're not doing half bad. I'm glad we have a coach who can push our players and our team in ways that can be uncomfortable at times, but I think it's a push this team has been needing. I just hope he gets his tactics and team selection figured out because it's stressing me the frick out.

Rant: [OFF] | ON