USMNT Talk

MyBoyVilla

Registered
Mar 19, 2014
650
449
63
32
Manhattan
twitter.com
I am sure many of us are diehard USMNT fans. I can say that the 2010 World Cup inspired me to be more than just a casual fan of the sport. We got a few friendlies before the World Cup, including one in NY (okay New Jersey) that I plan to attend.

I wonder how the final roster is going to shake out, as there are a number of positions that are not fully solidified. I think the starting XI in Brazil ends up:

--------------Altidore
F Johnson-Dempsey-Donovan
----------Jones-Bradley
Beasley-Besler-Gonzo-Cameron
------------Howard

I think we stand a chance against anyone with that lineup, although how great a chance is yet to be determined. Hopefully we gain some momentum with the home friendlies and make a surprise run.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fake Jew
Yeah, we got a chance against anyone if Altidore finds last year's form in a hurry at the WC.

That said, I think the next generation of players definitely has the chance to take us much higher.

Guys like Julian Green, Gedion Zelalom, Haji Wright, Luis Gil, Juan Agudelo, DeAndre Yedlin, Erik Palmer-Brown

Those young guys with the old guard of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, Mix Diskerud, Fabian Johnson, Graham Zusi, Matt Besler, and Omar Gonzalez should make for a pretty tough team to beat in 2018.

Of course, who knows how many talents will pop up between now and then.
 
I'm a supporter of the USMNT but I don't follow them too much. I certainly cheer for the team and wish them the best in competition but my team is Croatia/Bosnia.
When US isn't playing the two of them I'm cheering them on.

The team has done wonders for soccer in the states. I go to the fields all the time and its great seeing upwards of 50 kids learning the game and having fun.
Howard said in a recent interview that they will need to play 3 PERFECT games in order to stand a chance at making it through. Obviously not a knock on the US simply a praise for their competition, which is world class.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Christopher Jee
Yeah, we got a chance against anyone if Altidore finds last year's form in a hurry at the WC.

That said, I think the next generation of players definitely has the chance to take us much higher.

Guys like Julian Green, Gedion Zelalom, Haji Wright, Luis Gil, Juan Agudelo, DeAndre Yedlin, Erik Palmer-Brown

Those young guys with the old guard of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, Mix Diskerud, Fabian Johnson, Graham Zusi, Matt Besler, and Omar Gonzalez should make for a pretty tough team to beat in 2018.

Of course, who knows how many talents will pop up between now and then.
I don't know why you included Zelalem in that list, its very long shot he plays for us.
 
I don't know why you included Zelalem in that list, its very long shot he plays for us.
There's a will...from both Zelalem and USSF. There will be a way. The kid just turned down Germany's attempt to cap tie him. That's pretty significant.

On MLSsoccer, they said that now that JK has Green, he's turning his attention to Gedion. My understanding of the situation is that its only a USSF rule standing between them and Gedion...
 
We don't know if there's a will from Zelalem, he turned down his call up because of important matches with the Arsenal U-17 squad. His situation is complicated because he isn't a US citizen. To get US citizenship he would have to give up his German citizenship which means he would lose his EU rights, and that would complicate things with Arsenal.
 
Does the USSF actually require players to be citizens in order to play for the national team? That's certainly not the case in Europe.
 
Does the USSF actually require players to be citizens in order to play for the national team? That's certainly not the case in Europe.
Yep.

That's what I mean, a change of a rule on our end and this thing isn't a problem.
We don't know if there's a will from Zelalem, he turned down his call up because of important matches with the Arsenal U-17 squad. His situation is complicated because he isn't a US citizen. To get US citizenship he would have to give up his German citizenship which means he would lose his EU rights, and that would complicate things with Arsenal.
I've heard that before, have no idea what they're talking about. Last I checked there were plenty of Africans, Asians, and Americans playing in Europe without a hitch....so what the hell is everyone talking about?
 
I've heard that before, have no idea what they're talking about. Last I checked there were plenty of Africans, Asians, and Americans playing in Europe without a hitch....so what the hell is everyone talking about?

Not everyone working in the UK/Europe has the same rights - it must be the same for you in America. If you are a citizen of one of the EU states, you have the legal right to work in any country of the EU and to transfer between them as often as you like without any restrictions whatsoever. A lot of EU countries (not the UK, mind) have even abolished border crossings and no longer stop you on the national borders to check your identity. In other words, "once you're in, you're in".

However, US citizenship works on the basis that you can only be American or not-American - if you naturalise to be a US citizen the US authorities require you to renounce your previous citizenship(s). That means you lose any entitlements you had to live and work in the EU. For those who have no EU citizenships, they can only get work inside the EU via "work permits", and because many states of the EU are being overfilled by levels of immigration our countries can't cope with, national governments are therefore getting very strict on work permit rules - in order to qualify for a work permit you basically have to prove that you can do the job better than an EU citizen could.

In football, this equates to clubs having to lobby their national governments to justify their inclusion in their squads. If the government isn't convinced that the player is an "outstanding talent", or they haven't been played in the majority of their national team's senior games recently, they will be denied a WP.

To cut a long story short, if Zalelem takes US citizenship, he risks being told to leave the UK.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NYCFC_Dan
Also, the reason Green and I'm sure Zalelem did not take to the German team is they more than likely wouldn't see playing time. Green would not start, or maybe even see the pitch, in Germany as opposed to being able to win the spot for the US.
Zalelem is another story. Like mentioned above he's jeopardizing a lot by joining a team he more than likely wont see the pitch for.
 
Howard is having an absolutely superb game at Fulham. Kept the game at 1-1 with some magnificent saves, and looks like Everton keep their Champions League dream alive. If he plays like this in Brazil he will be hard to beat.
 
Also, the reason Green and I'm sure Zalelem did not take to the German team is they more than likely wouldn't see playing time. Green would not start, or maybe even see the pitch, in Germany as opposed to being able to win the spot for the US.
Zalelem is another story. Like mentioned above he's jeopardizing a lot by joining a team he more than likely wont see the pitch for.
I understand that but it doesn't really matter.

A player just on the cusp of Germany's A-team is going to be absolutely killer regardless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NYCFC_Dan
I understand that but it doesn't really matter.

A player just on the cusp of Germany's A-team is going to be absolutely killer regardless.
Oh he'll make an impact for the US for sure. I just believe the reason he choose the US over Germany is because he knew there would be little if any playing time for him in Germany. Exposure is everything.
 
How ugly is this:

FINAL_ClintDempseyFullBody_large.jpg
 
Both are awful. I really liked the Waldos and I want to buy one, but I can't find them anywhere.

I have one of the candy cane jerseys and I love it. I don't understand why we switched from that to these