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Must-See Goal: Neymar


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp-LpWSf_28]

Comments

  1. The inital bit was over-aggressive defending but the end was a decent job of shifting over and getting goal side, just bad luck. Neymar had room and placed it well. In terms of the prior comments, my memory is Brazil is on the fouling side of the balance so holding it up as an example would be more like a MLS mirror than a contrast. You want something totally different it would be more like the Aussie A-league or Eredivisie, where defense is more positional and optional. But do I want to imitate that? IMO some of the things that’s made the USA NT as competitive as it is, are athleticism, tough defense, and tactical discipline. Yes, I’d like to produce more virtuosos going forward but that’s arguably two different concerns, ie, how to play offense, and how to play defense. And if you want more flashy attackers I think that is something you extract from the youth system, not wait to promote at the pro level. If your U23s and U20s are already drilled as cautious tactical lunchpail types you’ll be lucky to change that after you sign them to a pro deal. Worth noting we seem to have all the senior DMs and GKs we could possibly need, maybe we need some elite clubs dedicating themselves to open soccer.

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      • In all seriousness, though – I’m not sure if that is something that can be instituted or if it’s just cultural. It’s kind of cool how different countries’ playing styles conform to their cultural identity. Brits are stodgy, uncreative but disciplined – shocking, right? Brazilians, Portugese and Dutch are creative but not as regimented as the Brits. As a melting pot of different cultures, we are very unique, but I’m not sure how that plays out in our development of players.

    • Until we have kids playing in the parks/streets like street basketball, we’ll never see “flair” being a prevalent trait of our players.

      I think the entire concept of flair is innate and you can’t teach it. However, utilizing it over and over certainly can develop it and that’s a byproduct we see in certain countries style of play.

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  2. Wow. That was magic. This kid is fantastic. OK, so tell me guys…we all know the top four leagues are probably in this order: EPL, La Liga, Series A, BundeslLiga. I would guess the Erdivise is 5th. But where to the rest fall? Where is Brazil’s league? MLS? Danish, Mexico, etc…

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    • The answer would depend upon what criteria you use to determine the top leagues. In my book, La Liga is definitely the best league in the world to watch- just consider where the top candidates for ballon d’or play. Real Madrid and Barca would win any other league, and mid-table teams are very good, even some of the bottom feeders play good soccer. Athletic Bilbao, which finished 10th or so, gave royal spanking to ManUtd last year. I know that EPL fans would point to Chelsea winning the Champions league, but they had to park the bus against better teams (Barca, Bayern) and their goals were against the run of play. I would also put Bundesliga ahead of Serie A, which has lost several top players. Eredivisie is not in the top five, but the French league is. Portugal also has a strong league, but again not in the top five. Russia and Ukraine also have strong leagues with several deep pocketed clubs, although they are a bit top heavy with the lack of quality among the bottom tier teams. Mexican and Brazilian leagues might make it to the top 10, but some would disagree. MLS is improving, but not there yet.

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  3. That goal was Altidoresque. I would like to see him in Europe, not for snobbery, but so I could see his matches and see how he fares against the teams I follow.

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  4. I hope this kid keeps his head right (no, I’m not odd comments referring to his hair cut).

    Robinho looked amazing too prior making the jump. Then the additional fame and money went to his head. This is one reason I’m glad he’s decided to stay until 2014/after the World Cup. I think adding maturity, along with his amazing skill, is a service to him and football fans around the world.

    Kid is special and could become legendary.

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  5. I hope this kid keeps his head right (no, I’m not odd comments referring to his hair cut).

    Robinho looked amazing too prior making the jump. Then the additional fame and money went to his head. This is one reason I’m glad he’s decided to stay until 2014/after the World Cup. I think adding maturity, along with his amazing skill, is a service to him and football fans around the world.

    Kid is special and could become legendary.

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  6. Short of Chelsea offering him a 400,000,000 euros( which wouldn’t shock me) there is nooooo way dude is playing anywhere but Spain. And in Spain they are not playing that same tough Defense you see in the EPL or Germany. P.S. SMH at that whack Neymar haircut….

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  7. It isn’t necessarily the talent of the league that I am pointing out, it is the tactics. Defenders are aggressive and try to win the ball at every opportunity versus stopping the ball and/or maintaining a defensive shape. In the EPL etc… defenders won’t be stabbing to win the ball nearly as often and there won’t be 60 yards of space to run against one of two defenders. It will be interesting to see his transition into a more defensively sound league where spaces are tighter.

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  8. Happy that the Brazilian league to be strong enough to keep him around an extra couple of years, Brazil deserves a strong league for all their contributions to the game. Now go to Europe already, want to see him on the big stage!

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  9. To many bitter comments; the defending, it’s JV. I for one wish mls would encourage this type of open play. We would probably even develop a few kids with some world class technical ability and the creativity to make the magic happen. Lets remember, our version of Neymar is Brek Shea…

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    • he does it during international games…. maybe not with the same frequency, so I think he would hold his own in Europe. Messi can do it… so can this kid.

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    • who are you, Juergen Klinsmann? the guy megged two dudes on an incredible run. give him some credit. insane goal, insane player. he will make defenders in europe look just as stupid

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    • This is my thing. Not every team in Europe is like the top 4 or so in England, or the top handful in Spain/ Germany/ Italy. Depending where he lands, maybe he could score goals like that, and early round of Europe I could see it too.

      FWIW, the Brazilian defenders seemed athletic but perhaps naive, he goes to England maybe they are nominally brighter but he just runs by the high line because quite a few are tall and slow.

      Definitely a player to watch.

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      • I agree the guy is going to become a superstar. I’m just saying that, against European defenses, he won’t be able to what he did in this particular goal. That’s all I was saying.

    • What a ridiculous comment.

      The Brazilian League has invested heavily over the last few years and has reclaimed its spot as South America’s best league.

      Hell, they’re the best league in the continent.

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      • You mean Hemisphere? You already said it Is South Americas best league which is the same as saying the best on the continent.

      • I clarified my statement below, but to summarize:
        It isn’t the talent of the league that allows Neymar to shine, there is talent across the board in Brazil. The tactics and defensive approach, win the ball in each challenge, allows him to find acres more space than he would find in a different league where disciplined defense is rewarded. I look forward to seeing how his skills will translate to a league like the EPL or Italy where the spaces are much more compact and slaloming runs are harder to come by. Of course I think he will end in Spain which is more suited to his skill set.

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