kolinzo wrote:
mate wrote:
I...am....WOUNNNNNDED!!!
WOUNDED!!!
All my teams are out: USA, Croatia, and Nigeria.
I don't know what to do with myself the rest of the WC. Everything is silent. My wife and kids and colleagues make sounds. But I hear nothing. A lot is going on around me. But I see nothing.
It's all a silent blur now. I look at joyous German, Argentine, German, and Belgian fans. Worst of all, I have to endure the odd Frenchman.
I am lost my brothers.
Truly I am wounded.
Cheers, Mate
Yeah. Now Americans would probably stop watching the rest of the WC unless Argentina gets to the finals.
You know, there is a reason why teams fight to get first place in group stage. USA lost that on that last second booboo against Portugal. It is as clear as daylight now that USA must stop coaching skills out of the youngsters. Too many interference from the local coaches at k-12 level. This must be corrected. Kids at K-12 level should be allowed to express themselves.
Anyway, it was not really a good tournament for USMNT. There is no reason why this team should not be playing the quarter finals. It was a disappointment.
I think Klinsmann actually said it best. We need a final missing cultural change: namely, that kids play football to become pros, as opposed to getting division I scholarships.
We have everything else: rising leagues, money, academies, fan support, large and diverse population pool, committed FA, and state of the art sports science.
The genie is out of the bottle. Americans of all stripes have gotten the football bug. The US WC games have crushed the NBA and MLB. Our best athletes in our main sports have been seduced...witnessing real glory, the glory of global football...as opposed to the parochial glory that they thought was the real thing.
Americans are coming on. Legions of US kids are playing football. Many more will do it to become pros. No college, but into the academies and then to the pros...into the best leagues in the world...La Liga, the EPL, the MFL, and MLS!!!
I'm not joking about the last 2. People will see what happens once a greater North American CL really starts to take shape...with the best players from the Americas coming...and, I guarantee you, a number of Croatians. I bet you a few Africans also will pick this over Europe.
Cheers, Mate
Remember what I said about heart? If Croatia had half the heart of this usa team, you'd be in the semis for sure. (also a better coach than Kovac).
With that said, we'll just have to wait and see, the same's been promised before. The mls is actually doing a better job in terms of academies and attracting stars who're not totally washed up (villa and kaka are good start). The spirit is there, a lil injection of quality will go a long way.
Another thing the usmnt must do is find a way to reach the hearts of guys like ibisevic and rossi and many (overstatement) others and 'turn' them, hard task but when you lose that kind of quality, it shows.