USMNT Talent Level vs. Expectations

I can't think of 99 better wide midfielders than Fabian Johnson

250 right backs better than Yedlin? 250 CBs better than Cameron? 250 #6's better than Bradley?

That seems a bit hyperbolic doesn't it?

There's enough talent in the pool, the problem is they aren't talented enough to play with a tactical handicap

I doubt there's 250 RBs better than Yedlin, CBs better than Brooks and Cameron, LW/RW better than Johnson, #6s better than Bradley, AMs better than Nagbe.

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Sucks to think this but... there might be 100 strikers better than dempsey right now. I just don't think he should be our starter anymore.

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Yep. Dempsey is shite these days. So is Bradley but he gets a pass for some reason.

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The positioning has been my biggest problem with Klinsmann. He doesn't seem to emphasize it like other managers who are trying to teach the possession game.

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"you're American. you have no ability to makes such statements b/c you don't understand soccer"

-JK

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The individual quality is less important than how those parts are employed. The US has been very successful playing one way, which was playing in the low block and counterattacking with speed. Yet now we are clueless in attacking positions and our defensive positioning is less than solid as well.

The positioning has been my biggest problem with Klinsmann. He doesn't seem to emphasize it like other managers who are trying to teach the possession game.

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I agree.

A good argument to be made that the less rigid tactical emphasis in favor of letting the players "express themselves" really throws the lack of world class individual talents into the spotlight.

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You named one player you would put in the top 100, and 3 others in the top 250. That is the definition of few in my book. I think you unintentionally demonstrated my point regarding the talent level.

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I was being extremely conservative in my numbers.

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The difference in success between Italy and the U.S. is the individual quality.

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which team made it out of their group the past 2 WCs?

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The difference in success between Italy and the U.S. is the individual quality.

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which team made it out of their group the past 2 WCs?

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Italy had disastrous WCs the last two times for various reasons but that doesn't dispel the fact that there's a huge degree of difference in individual quality on the rosters between USA and Italy (like there is between Costa Rica and Spain).

USA doesn't have a single player that would likely make this Italian Euro squad and it's also the weakest one in my lifetime even before the injuries to world class players like Verratti and Marchisio. On the other hand, one could name a sizeable list of players not even called in for Italy that would start for the US.

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Italy has been very successful using this approach. The U.S. has been more successful using it in the past than they are currently using a different approach. The difference in success between Italy and the U.S. is the individual quality.

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I thought Lippi could have possibly been a good manager for the USMNT team. . . not thinking about big picture of youth development etc but simply refining the work Bradley was doing to perhaps a different level.

Who knows though how that works out since it seems Ranieri would have been a good fit for Greece (must be some other big issues off the field with that team though)..


However, the point about talent you make is a good one. . . When Italy won the 2006 WC playing that style they had at least 6 players that many will consider not just in the "top 100" of their positions but often get mentioned among the "top 100 players ever".

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Italy had disastrous WCs the last two times for various reasons but that doesn't dispel the fact that there's a huge degree of difference in individual quality on the rosters between USA and Italy (like there is between Costa Rica and Spain).

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completely agree.

but Italy's recent international struggles, to me, only highlights the importance of team cohesion/chemistry in big international tournaments. England are the poster-boy for this.

there are so many ways to mitigate a talent gap, especially internationally where we're only talking about a handful of games. fundamental ability can easily be superseded by more intangible aspects in short windows, like these big tournaments.

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We tend to argue over how one player might better allow us to change our strategies and tactics, but we ignore the fact that they are not going to make up significant talent deficiency to any significant extent.

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Costa Rica made it to the final 8 of the last World Cup. Greece made the final 8 of the last Euro tournament. Peru made the semis of the last Copa America.

What's your point?