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How do you view US soccer moving forward on a global scale?
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:34 am
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:34 am
More of a prediction thread than anything, but what are your feelings on where we're heading based on the direction we're trending? I know the topic has been beaten into the ground, but the season is over and international football is moving to the forefront. Basically, what group do you see us in by say 2026?
A) a powerhouse ( Germany, Argentina, Brazil)
B) tier two. A team on the brink of becoming a consistent powerhouse, or has recently slightly fallen from the top tier (France, Netherlands, Italy)
C) a sleeping giant. (Spain, Belgium, Columbia probably fit this category not so long ago, I'd place all in group B now)
D) a top 10-20 squad that can compete with anyone but won't be a favorite in a global or continental tournament) we'll call this the Cinderella group ( Portugal, Chile, Uruguay, Switzerland, Romania)
E) a dangerous team that's inconsistent from match-to-match( where i'd say we are currently along with the likes of Ghana, Ivory coast, Algeria, Turkey, Costa Rica, can even throw Mexico and England in this group)
F)destined for consistent mediocrity. Usually good, rarely great, not much room for growth (Croatia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Sweden, Ukraine. Basically countries that play good soccer but have probably already peaked)
G)we regress
Which group do you see us fitting into, which group do you think we'll be viewed as globally (when the haters are being honest with themselves)
A) a powerhouse ( Germany, Argentina, Brazil)
B) tier two. A team on the brink of becoming a consistent powerhouse, or has recently slightly fallen from the top tier (France, Netherlands, Italy)
C) a sleeping giant. (Spain, Belgium, Columbia probably fit this category not so long ago, I'd place all in group B now)
D) a top 10-20 squad that can compete with anyone but won't be a favorite in a global or continental tournament) we'll call this the Cinderella group ( Portugal, Chile, Uruguay, Switzerland, Romania)
E) a dangerous team that's inconsistent from match-to-match( where i'd say we are currently along with the likes of Ghana, Ivory coast, Algeria, Turkey, Costa Rica, can even throw Mexico and England in this group)
F)destined for consistent mediocrity. Usually good, rarely great, not much room for growth (Croatia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Sweden, Ukraine. Basically countries that play good soccer but have probably already peaked)
G)we regress
Which group do you see us fitting into, which group do you think we'll be viewed as globally (when the haters are being honest with themselves)
This post was edited on 6/8/15 at 9:51 am
11
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:50 am to Riseupfromtherubble
B or C
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:53 am to Riseupfromtherubble
D is the best realistic jump. C is ideal, but we need a huge influx of talent to become the next Belgium or Colombia. Zelalem, Carter-Vickers, and many more would need to become world class.
The rise of Belgium has had lots to do with the number of world class players. Hazard, De Bruyne, and Kompany (at times) are top tier players who any club in the world would want.
The rise of Belgium has had lots to do with the number of world class players. Hazard, De Bruyne, and Kompany (at times) are top tier players who any club in the world would want.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:56 am to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
D) a top 10-20 squad that can compete with anyone but won't be a favorite in a global or continental tournament) we'll call this the Cinderella group ( Portugal, Chile, Uruguay, Switzerland, Romania)
This. I think we are already at a level where we can beat anyone on any given day, but we can also lose to anyone as well.
Belgium and Colombia are going to be top 10 sides for awhile as they are going through their golden generations. I don't think we've ever had one of those, but with the likes of Pulisic, Green, Zelalem, and a a few others making their way up the ranks this may be the closest thing we have.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 10:14 am to McCaigBro69
I think Belgium will be the favorites in 2018. Their best players will be in their prime in 2022. They really are poised for domination.
And to think, had Wondowlowski's father pulled out we may have beaten them in the WC
And to think, had Wondowlowski's father pulled out we may have beaten them in the WC
This post was edited on 6/8/15 at 10:24 am
Posted on 6/8/15 at 10:35 am to Riseupfromtherubble
2026? We'll be the only team in A.
Fresh off a World Cup win on home soil, nobody will be on our level.
Fresh off a World Cup win on home soil, nobody will be on our level.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 11:01 am to Riseupfromtherubble
Italy isn't a powerhouse? They have four World Cups and was home to the best domestic league in the world for many years. And the answer to your question is D.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 11:57 am to Bench McElroy
We made it to the knockouts in the last 2 WCs - we are already in D. I think we will settle in B within 20 years. We will never be Brazil or Germany, but firmly in the next tier once we start maximizing our talent base.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 12:16 pm to Bench McElroy
quote:
Italy isn't a powerhouse? They have four World Cups and was home to the best domestic league in the world for many years. And the answer to your question is D.
Agree about D.
Also agree that the B and C categories are filled with absolute "powerhouses" of world football in Italy, France, Spain and Netherlands. Those account for 3 of the last 5 WC champions.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 12:29 pm to Bench McElroy
I know Italy is a historical power, but they haven't made it out of the group stage in the last two world cups. The quality isn't there currently like it was in 2006. They are a powerhouse in the same sense that Nebraska is a college football powerhouse. Great tradition, meh lately. Hence they are in the fallen from grace/almost there category.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 1:05 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
I know Italy is a historical power, but they haven't made it out of the group stage in the last two world cups. The quality isn't there currently like it was in 2006. They are a powerhouse in the same sense that Nebraska is a college football powerhouse. Great tradition, meh lately. Hence they are in the fallen from grace/almost there category.
Well, Italy made it to the last Euro finals and beat Germany in the process. Spain won the previous WC and last Euros. France arguably has more young elite players than any country on the world.
All of them have players not even considered in the top 50 of their respective player pools that would be starters for most of the nations in the 10-20 range, not to mention handfuls of younger players that we would see 50 page threads on here about if any one of them were eligible for the USMNT.
These are more your Texas and USC than Nebraska, meaning there's no reason to look at their resources and talent pools and think they're not the countries that will be competing for WC and Euro titles into the future, perhaps even more than, say, Argentina.
This post was edited on 6/8/15 at 1:10 pm
Posted on 6/8/15 at 1:16 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
The fact that you don't have Spain in group A confuses me.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 2:51 pm to 225bred
The list should probably be more
A:Spain, Germany, Brazil, Netherlands, Italy, Argentina, France
B: Portugal, England, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay, Switzerland, Turkey
C: USA, Mexico, Croatia, Japan, Denmark, Ghana, Sweden etc,
While we may not have individual talent in terms of players starring in European leagues and commanding huge transfer fees like some of the other teams in group C, we've been about at their level in terms of results for over a decade now. I think being in group B by 2026 would be a major accomplishment, basically having the ability to be a dark horse for a major tournament if everything breaks right or you get a golden generation. shite we already almost won the confederations cup. And we're a couple of breaks away from making the semis in 02' and back to back quarters in the last two WC's.
Group A is a tough get. With the exception of the Netherlands(small population) and Argentina(not that rich), those are all rich first world countries with high populations, who also have soccer as their dominant national sport and past time. Our superior economic and population numbers will offset the fact that soccer is only our fourth or fifth most played male sport against a lot of countries, but not the countries that are only slightly smaller and less rich, but where everyone plays
A:Spain, Germany, Brazil, Netherlands, Italy, Argentina, France
B: Portugal, England, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay, Switzerland, Turkey
C: USA, Mexico, Croatia, Japan, Denmark, Ghana, Sweden etc,
While we may not have individual talent in terms of players starring in European leagues and commanding huge transfer fees like some of the other teams in group C, we've been about at their level in terms of results for over a decade now. I think being in group B by 2026 would be a major accomplishment, basically having the ability to be a dark horse for a major tournament if everything breaks right or you get a golden generation. shite we already almost won the confederations cup. And we're a couple of breaks away from making the semis in 02' and back to back quarters in the last two WC's.
Group A is a tough get. With the exception of the Netherlands(small population) and Argentina(not that rich), those are all rich first world countries with high populations, who also have soccer as their dominant national sport and past time. Our superior economic and population numbers will offset the fact that soccer is only our fourth or fifth most played male sport against a lot of countries, but not the countries that are only slightly smaller and less rich, but where everyone plays
This post was edited on 6/8/15 at 2:54 pm
Posted on 6/8/15 at 3:23 pm to tigerfan88
Agree a lot more with this list though once you get to Turkey there's a lot of nations that start to fit more into C group as well. . .
I don't really see any way the USA gets anywhere close to group A in my lifetime. Of course, it's possible to beat any of those teams or that any of them have a down cycle but they have so much depth of talent already.
I would also add that the more they start to feel threatened, the more they'll do what the USA is doing to address any weakness: they'll have as many Klose's, Diego Costa's and Thiago Motta's as the USA does Germans/Europeans.
I don't really see any way the USA gets anywhere close to group A in my lifetime. Of course, it's possible to beat any of those teams or that any of them have a down cycle but they have so much depth of talent already.
I would also add that the more they start to feel threatened, the more they'll do what the USA is doing to address any weakness: they'll have as many Klose's, Diego Costa's and Thiago Motta's as the USA does Germans/Europeans.
This post was edited on 6/8/15 at 3:25 pm
Posted on 6/8/15 at 4:06 pm to wm72
I don't see U.S. soccer ever being a powerhouse until they drastically overhaul their development system. There needs to be youth academies for all MLS teams. Soccer is like tennis. You need to start playing the sport from a very young age to be elite at it. The U.S. needs to start importing top development coaches from Germany, Spain, Netherlands, France and Italy and have them teach our kids how to play the game. Than maybe they can the next step to be a true contender. I've always wondered how much better Landon Donovan would have turned out if he had grown up playing in a youth academy like Barcelona. Or what if a player like Iniesta had grown up in the United States? Would he still have been an all-time great player without spending countless hours honing his skills at the Barcelona youth academy? I don't know if he would have.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 4:46 pm to Bench McElroy
Who are the USMNT's top prospects that actually grew up and developed until their mid-teens in the USA?
Serious question as I really don't know the history of a lot of the younger prospects. However, it seems that almost all the exciting young prospects (Diskerud, Green, Johannsson, Zalalem) I read about on the board grew up in Europe and were recruited.
Until, the USA actually produces those players in high numbers, I think any comparisons to the Spain's and Italy's is extremely premature.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 4:59 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
Somewhere between B and D. I think we already are on the level of option D, but have a ways to go before we get to option B.
Don't think we are a sleeping giant though. We just don't produce enough high level players and don't have the youth system to do so anytime soon.
Don't think we are a sleeping giant though. We just don't produce enough high level players and don't have the youth system to do so anytime soon.
This post was edited on 6/8/15 at 5:07 pm
Posted on 6/8/15 at 5:00 pm to wm72
Zelalem did the bulk of his soccer development, and was scouted, in the US.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 5:29 pm to KG5989
quote:
Don't think we are a sleeping giant though. We just don't produce enough high level players and don't have the youth system to do so anytime soon.
I think we have an advantage moving forward though. The amount our country cares is just going to go up moving forward. Our youth system will only get better. Eventually, our sheer numerical advantage in number of youth playing the sport will come into effect. Will that be seen in the next 20 years? 40? I don't know, but I think in my lifetime (I'm 21 for reference), I think we'll be a strong B.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 5:31 pm to cwil177
quote:
Zelalem did the bulk of his soccer development, and was scouted, in the US.
Thanks, I didn't know that. I thought he was another of the German-American kids that mainly grew up playing in Germany.
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