Is the world catching up? Is it another early exit from the World Cup for this age group? Is the system no longer developing players and just pushing through athleticism?
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North Korea crushed our U20s 5-6 years ago. Losing to to the Netherlands is an improvement. Amazing how North Korea can teach kids this age to play the right way and we can’t. At this age, better soccer players beat better athletes. -
Watching the game, I noticed a few things, but I haven't watched this squad enough to determine whether it was a "bad day" or if that's just the nature of the next gen. The main discretion between the two teams was the flair. The Dutch were inventing combos and creating opportunities, they looked confident and convincing. If you look online, the stats for the game were similar, but I really didn't see the convincing nature for the U.S. that the Dutch possessed. Then again, the Dutch just came off a loss to a tough Japan and the U.S. had a breezy 3-0 win against Ghana (I watched neither of these matches), so I guess we'll see where this squad stands on Wednesday. Although I think the rest of the world is catching up and there are flaws within U.S. soccer systems, I'm not particularly concerned about their correlations with the results of the U-20 team, as they didn't even make it out of the group stage in 2018 (and a handful of players on that team are rostered for the senior NT right now).Comment
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Watch the way PDA teams play and that pretty much sums it up. It’s glorified kick and run with players who can’t find the open player. Not surprising results at all.Comment
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It was very obvious watching this game that u20 isn’t important in terms of winning for the USA. They are looking to identify a few girls from this bunch and if they win it is a bonus. Why I have come to this conclusion is bc tactically speaking the US knew it couldn’t win that game playing that style and decided to force the issue. If they wanted to win they needed different tactics but would never be able to identify certain things in players (the players they will eventually take to the senior national team).Comment
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Really? Any opportunity to bash a club when they aren’t even involved.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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What are you talking about? They don’t go to lose. This isn’t a u12 tryout. They are there to play and win. Your spin isn’t even something that came from the coaches themselves. The loss was bad, it’s the most professional team the US has ever had at this age and something fell apart.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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Of course the world is catching up and will soon pass us. The D1 circuit gave us a huge advantage for years. But now international clubs and nations are making big investments in the women's game and its starting to pay off. Playing professionally in a rich soccer culture is light years ahead of college soccer. NWSL also isn't the same quality. The poor Olympics performance last year wasn't just because they dragged out old school players but also because everyone else is knocking on our door.Comment
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Yes they actually are involved. Look at the way they play. They have won nationally using a style that isn’t good enough at the international level. This has given their coaches a false sense of reality and created a lot of the problem. No need to harp on the point. Look at the way they play and how they are coached. This isn’t 1985.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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Stop. You sound petty and ridiculous. Who is involved? Come with facts not emotion.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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We really shouldn't be surprised. First, yes, the increase in money spent by European clubs and FA's has seen an increase in play throughout their leagues and national teams. This has been developing over the last decade or so.
Second, we did away with the organization that was catered to the NT and are all-in with college prep. It's a different game, and not saying one can't be successful in both; but the play is different and it's easy to see. And, I'm not even saying it's a bad thing overall. My kid is playing in college, was in DA and then ECNL so understand how the leagues and teams are run. It's also not to say that they won't be successful again. Just stating one was geared toward it, the rest aren't.Comment
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Very much so. The issue with American soccer not only lies within the youth systems but also the stages after that. Even IF girls' soccer was to have a proper pathway through the NWSL or otherwise, players wouldn't be getting paid a very livable wage in about half the U.S. And the fact of the matter is that some more well-rounded girls are going to want to get the full college experience/opportunity for education. Academy systems work well in Europe, but until a better pathway to pro soccer is established in the U.S. (and better salaries/more exposure internationally), we're going to see the rest of the world start to pull ahead.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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PDA is not the issue at a national level. The NCAA and it’s rules are. Did Olivia Moultrie and or any midfielders get trained by PDA? Or how about anyone besides the center back who only played 1/2 game? How about the coach stand up and tell the girls “if anyone dribbles into a double team at midfield when teammates are wide open, you are off the team!” How about the coach try something different tactically instead if simply making personal changes, bc those changes didn’t and wouldn’t work. Her style of play against Netherlands was flawed and I am not sure she ever realized it.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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The world is not passing us. For whatever reason we have struggled at U20 over the years, the year Dunn, Johnston and crew won being the exception. Some good posts here. Of course they are trying to win, but they are also trying to identify 3-4 kids in this group who will take the next step. The US in a very player dominated culture failed to field it's best team in the Olympics. Since that time the team has been turned over and will be the favorites. Look at who they add, players who can pass, possess, defend, and players who are dynamic in our offensive 3rd. Some of these kids playing boot the ball at U20, will learn a lesson, change their game and end up on the big team in a few years. Most will not.Comment
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