Comments

1. Wasn’t Richie Williams suppose to work on the fundamentals at Bradenton? Then how can you teach something you don’t know? None of the current Coaches in the system except for Tab Ramos you could label was a technical player.

   Reply

2. come on boys!!!

   Reply

3. Quite possibly the worst red card I’ve ever seen in U-17 game. US looked like boys against men.

   Richie Williams is not the type of coach the u-17s need. Not a good tactician.

   Reply

   • I didn’t see the problem as tactics, but rather that the Nigerians are better at fundamentals of the game.

     Reply

4. Wasn’t the U-17 squad supposed to be our silver lining? Bravo to Williams for leaving De la Torre and Barbir out of the starting lineup. They are only two of the most talented players at this age group for the U.S.

   Reply

5. Well, reports of US ability with the U-17’s would seem to be greatly exaggerated. Nigeria was superior in every aspect of the game. Since some 3rd place teams can advance, they could get through with a win in the next two, but it doesn’t look promising.

   Reply

6. I agree Dik, a little bit. Fabian owes his teammates an apology, but I think he can be a number 10 for this team. I’ve backed off from saying Klinsmann needs to be fired but he richly deserves criticism.

   Reply

7. U17 World Cup underway,

   Reply

   • And Nigeria scores early in the second half. Why can’t we find anybody who can possess the ball? Nigeria, not exactly a Mexican type team, had 57% possession in the first half.

     Reply

     • Nigeria are the defending U17 champions and have won 4 titles at this age group.

     • They’ve made the final 7 out of 15 times. Kind of crazy how good they are at this age group.

     • That’s good at least because we look lost.

8. Dikranovich, have you ever played the game? Do you know what 2 or 3 days of rest/treatment can do for the muscle? I agree, if he faked an injury to get off then questions must be asked. If it is genuine then questions must be asked of the Coach. As I stated previously, he has hx of injury to his muscles. He was doubtful for the game a couple of weeks ago before the game due to injury. If a Coach placed him in a position at risk for further injury then the Coach is insane. I agree with him coming off if he sense that he was in danger of aggravating the previous injury. He is accountable to himself, his Team (s) and family. If that was his last game then its a USA loss. Hey, Chandler did worse but JK kept pursuing him. Yes, Fabian can be an upgrade to the #10 position in comparison with what we have been exposed to.

   Reply

   • Either way, having this drama being played out in the public is a bad sign.

     Reply

   • Robbo, there is simple protocol for a player who is injured, and it is that they go down to the ground, and wait to receive treatment. That didn’t happen, And Fabian walked off, not looking injured, and having words with his coach, right on the sideline.

     He owes his national team coach, and teammates an apology. This guy played the full 90 on sept 26, he played the full 90 in champions league against man city on sept. 30. On October 3 he only went 70 mins. This BS about just coming back from injury obviously doesn’t hold water here.

     Fabian Johnson is a wide player, plan and simple. He does not have the ten skills. He does not have Benny feilhaber skills. No way, no how. Fabian is a good player, but he quit on his team. So did Landon Donovan, but that is a different case. Plus Landon had mental issues, which while no laughing matter, did contribute to his sabbatical.

     Players make choices, and those choices have consequences.

     Reply

   • I don’t know about #10, but his passing and off the ball movement are very good. Right now he’s our best or 2nd best field player. He should not be our right back, and he certainly shouldn’t have to clean up the mess behind a player nowhere near as good as him like Zardes. Zardes may indeed have a future with the USMNT, but if you watch his touch sometimes– it is so poor.

     We are a country of incredible athletes. Finding a right back should not be that difficult!

     If we had kept John O’Brien at left back we would have never gotten to the quarters in 2002.

     Reply

     • Peter, I think what you mean to say is that if coach arena had gone with cherundolo over tony sanneh, we would not have made the quarters.

     • How badly can you guys miss my point, or are you all so heck-bent on internet sparring?

       My point was simply that midfield is where most of the game is played, so it’s important to put the best players with the necessary skill set there.

       Zardes is fast, but he can’t trap the ball properly on a consistent basis. He also doesn’t really know where to position himself.

       On the left side you have Jermaine Jones who will be closer to 40 than 30 by the next World Cup.

       So were running out of options in the attacking mid/winger department.

       So our coach takes the only winger (in the current player pool) with both a present and a future and features him at right back. Does that make sense to you?

     • PeterdeLA

       “My point was simply that midfield is where most of the game is played, so it’s important to put the best players with the necessary skill set there.

       So our coach takes the only winger (in the current player pool) with both a present and a future and features him at right back. Does that make sense to you?”

       Yeah it makes sense.

       Did you see Fabian play right back in the World Cup?

       Fabian does not play right back for the USMNT because he is a great defender, though FJ is more than competent as a straight defender.
       He plays there because midfields are often crowded; a fullback often has more space to start his runs than a midfielder does. Dolo used to do more or less the same thing. DMB does it from the left side. They are supposed to make up for the fact that the USMNT doesn’t really have good wing options.

       One reason the US lost to Mexico was that FJ and DMB weren’t able to get into the attack as much as would have been good.
       At Gladbach this season Fabian is starting at left mid and then moving to right back in the second half. So moving him around is something he does regularly.
       JK played Fabian at right back because there really isn’t anyone else in the USMNT pool who can play right back the way Fabian does. as well as he does.
       US has more options in midfield than they do at right back.

     • Arena was not the first guy to move JOB to midfield.

       He was already shifting between midfield and left back for Ajax.before the USMNT did it.

   • If it is a thigh injury,it has to be either a quad or a hamstring and hamstring is much more likely. If it was even a strained hamstring on Saturday, there is no way he should have played today. Under the best of circumstances a hamstring means 4 to 6 weeks. I know since I once had one, sat out 6 weeks, thought I was okay, then re-injured it right away. A reporter should ask the US trainers their opinion. Fans are operating in the dark.

     Reply

9. Wait a second, Fabian Johnson played today, he also went the full 90, and his team won 5-1. Get a load of this, BM made three substitutions. Johnson did not score or assist on any of the goals. This is weird. I love my soccer team, but I can’t stand when so many people ride the coach like they know better. It’s has gotten worse with each of the last four coaches for the U.S. Men’s team, and it can’t be good for our program or for advancing the culture of soccer in America.

   I’d say Fabian Johnson owes the U.S. Fans a big fat apology, and he owes one to his national team coach as well. What a load of BS. Fabian Johnson ain’t no #10, and he might have played his last game for the USA. We don’t need quitters or half hearted players, even if they were the best ever.

   Reply

   • “There was a time when people were fans and had opinions and could like things and dislike things and it was all OK. But those days are over.”

     Bret Easton Ellis the other day on twitter

     Reply

     • I know, it’s like today I couldn’t say his movie less than zero sucked, without being called a homophobe.

   • It is always a lot easier to criticize than find solutions and Monday morning quarter backing is very easy to do, especially when you are dealing with a reality you create. The fans here have no idea which players looked best in practice, who might be carrying a knock, if a player woke up that morning feeling ill, or any of the myriad things that can go wrong. I don’t blame them for having different opinions, but the animosity toward Klinsmann has gotten to be irrational in some quarters. The other day one poster charged that he was deliberately playing players who were injured or not fit. Why would he do that was not explained. Another poster claimed he had ruined the national team. Again, a ridiculous assertion. To say he knows better than anyone is ridiculous, but so is the statement, often seen here, that he has no plan or no idea what he is doing..

     Reply

     • Well, to be fair to people on these message boards, the term ‘Monday morning quarterbacking’ does refer to another game, and if you try to take Monday morning quarterbacking out of the equation, what are fans (of soccer or American football) supposed to talk about?

       I might argue that this message board exists explicitly for the purpose of Monday morning quarterbacking, soccer style.

     • I used to go to other soccer sites, but focused on SBI because I thought the commentary was more informed and intelligent. I had hoped that would continue. Sure there is going to be Monday morning quarterbacking or second guessing if you prefer, I have done it myself. The issue is whether it is reasonable and rational or not. Lately it has been way over the top.

     • I disagree

       finally there is realistic commentary back on SBI to discuss the USMNT. the sycophants ran the board here for too long, drove out the realists

       no more.

     • I think the problem is that with the rapid expansion of the sport here, most USNT fans have been only watching soccer for a couple of years and are still part of a very small few in their own communities. They don’t have knowledgeable people with which to talk about the sport. And since no one else they know personally can name more than a handful of soccer players, they think they’re experts (they’ve been playing FIFA for a few years now and know a lot of names) and come on here with the intention of spamming everyone their own views. They use a different lineup when they play FIFA than Klinsmann does, so they think he’s an incompetent manager and want him fired and replaced with someone who will pick lineups more similar to their own. What they don’t understand is that the chances of another coach picking the same exact lineup is slim, and even if it happens, all of the other armchair FIFA players will be mad at him for not picking their lineups.

     • agree about the inexperienced that post here

       then there are us who have posted here for years and years, who coach and play for longer than that, who lived in communities both at home and abroad where soccer is the passion, and who know your defense of the status quo in the USMNT means you are the inexperienced one

10. Ethan Finlay with the first goal for the Crew on Toronto.

    Reply

    • 10th of the season i believe

      Reply

11. Johnson doesn’t play right back for his club so I think it would be much better if he plays in an advanced attacking role for the US. Out defense issues are a lot more than having a good RB…

    Reply

    • Putting Johnson, Bradley, and Yedlin in their natural positions will solve half of the problems. Then we need to find a serviceable left back, right winger, and a partner for Bradley.

      Reply

      • And a striker to replace Dempsey and a good distributor to play #10. That’s only half of the outfield players. No problem.

    • Johnson starts at left midfield for BMG and then late in the game moves to right back.

      Reply

      • Obviously his coach is a total incompetent who has no understanding of the game.

12. Look at how lame our Americans abroad contingent is. FIRE KLINSMANN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Jose Mourino, Pep Guardiola, Sir Alec Ferguson, or Sigi Schmid would all do a much better job. They’d at least be able to beat Mexico, that’s for sure.

    Reply

    • Not clear that any of those coaches could have won that game against Mexico, and besides, I don’t think we need a big name club coach. Player for player, Mexico looks better on paper. Almost always have. What USMNT seems to have lost is that ability to come together and present a gritty total that is greater than the sum of its parts.

      I think we need someone more like Olsen than Mourino, but Olsen may not have a sufficient level of USMNT experience. We need a former USMNT regular. Two decades ago, we didn’t have any former players with significant World Cup experience. Now we do, so let’s tap into that group.

      Reply

    • Funny how two seasons ago a lot of Sounders fans thought Sigi should be fired because the Sounders floundered in the playoffs.

      Reply

13. We lost a lot when Donovan retired. He was great at moving the ball through the midfield to make that decisive pass or take a shot on the goal. Teams fearded his speed, skill and intelligence thats missing from the current Team. A couple of years ago I heard the Mexican Players talk about how he was a One Man Army. The last Gold Cup we won was a Donovan masterpiece. I see some of those qualities in Fabian Johnson. We can find players to place on the defensive end but we don’t have many players with Fabian’s skill set. The best defense sometimes can be a solid and technical midfield to control the rhythm and flow of the game

    Reply

    • Fabian does not have the breakaway speed LD had.

      He also is not the finisher LD was.

      LD almost never got hurt and almost always went 90 minutes.

      Other than that they are exactly the same.

      Reply

      • Plus the fact that LD is the all time leader in assists for both the national team and for MLS. Other than that and his record number of goals for both, he didn’t do much.

      • It is funny to me that the discussion between you guys is about how the team is lacking players of LDs ilk instead of how we don’t need him, the old discussion from you both. it’s quite the change, especially since we could have had LD at the WC. why did we not need him then but now it’s the lament? why do we need him now?heck, he might still be in the fold if JK didn’t run him out…which is exactly what he did. but we were told we DID NOT NEED HIM

        and when you run out of town the best we’ve ever had becasue you tell everyone you know better, well you better get that right or people get pissed.

        soccer is passion.

      • You know who I was pissed at?

        Landon Donovan.

        All he needed to do was to show up for that friendly in March in shape. I don’t know what he did during the off-season, but he had a sizable beer gut.

        And then during the World Cup training camp he publicly stated that he couldn’t “train 100% anymore.”

        There are so many American soccer players that would give everything they have to play in a World Cup. Landon thought that because he was so talented and had done so much for us in the past, he didn’t need to have the drive anymore. He could just show up to camp and get called in to play.

        Klinsmann had been in charge for three years and we all knew by that point what he is about. Fitness and psychology. Perhaps too much so, but that was the situation. All Donovan needed to do was train as hard as any other player and not make any comments about being too old to run hard and he would’ve gotten called up. But he clearly didn’t want it as much as his teammates (Beasley, for example) and he was pretty public about it.

        It’s no one’s fault but his own, and if training at 100% was too much for him, we should be angry at him and not the coach. But hey, there’s more to life than playing soccer. I don’t blame the guy too much, he was clearly burned out and had lost the will to play (the sabbatical, for instance). There are guys like Ryan Giggs that go into their 40’s, train hard, and never complain when they don’t play, but Landon isn’t one of them. Oh well, I wish him a happy retirement.

        I was pissed but it was over a year ago and we had a great World Cup. That’s all that really matters. I’m a USNT fan more than a Landon Donovan fan. So I’m over it. Any anger over his exclusion is miniscule compared to the joy of getting out of the group stage in a World Cup, certainly in a group like that.

      • we had a great world cup eh? great comes pretty cheap then seems to me. whatever. great was 2002

        LD didn’t want it as much huh? you mean like his 2013 USMNT resume, after JK invited him back? arguably his finest season in the uniform sir

        And, like anyone who watched his career, he always took care of his body and was in EXCELLENT shape, especially for the big games, like WC games, and as the season wore on. he knew how to peak his performance, how to build his form, an awesome quality actually, one that veteran players all have.

        and it’s not some crazy idea for a coach to understand his older players’ habits and training that get them ready.

      • beachbum says:
        “It is funny to me that the discussion between you guys is about how the team is lacking players of LDs ilk instead of how we don’t need him, the old discussion from you both.
        it’s quite the change, especially since we could have had LD at the WC. why did we not need him then but now it’s the lament? why do we need him now?heck, he might still be in the fold if JK didn’t run him out…which is exactly what he did. but we were told we DID NOT NEED HIM and when you run out of town the best we’ve ever had becasue you tell everyone you know better, well you better get that right or people get pissed.”

        ”
        You never did pay attention to what I have actually written have you?

        A by product of “passion” I suppose.

        Most any team could use an in form say 2010 World Cup level Donovan.

        The question is : Was that version actually available for Brazil?

        There is plenty to suggest that it was not available.

        Everyone talks about what LD MIGHT have done as if it was a given. That is the passion and the faith in you. Believing that LD can transcend reality just because he says he can.

        What I do know is that your claims that the US would have had a better World Cup with LD are a matter of faith. Like those guys who said the world would end with the SuperMoon a few weeks ago.

        Not that it matters to you, but you will never be able to prove that you are right. Never.

        And LD will forever have played in three World Cups not four.

        That’s the reality and it has nothing to do with the current USMNT.

14. If all of the US players wanted to come off because their bodies were tightening up, only 3 guys would be playing by the end of that game with Mexico… And I’m not a JK fan by the way…

    I was just thinking the same thing Robbo. Johnson could be the #10 player we need!

    Reply

    • Or… he could be the outside back we also need, and given that a strong back line is more important than strong attack, you could make an argument for keeping him on as a defender.

      Reply

    • Wouldn’t that be playing him out of position? I thought everyone here said that was a terrible sin.

      Reply

      • not everyone Gary, some here defend it

15. What happened to all those great USA goalies in Europe? Not long ago Howard/Keller/Friedel/Hahnemann and Stallone used to be standouts over there

    Reply

    • Stallone was not cap tied.

      Games against Nazi prison guards were not officially sanctioned by FIFA.

      Reply

16. Johnson is looking like a #10 for the USA. Hey, he may have had an issue and received appropriate treatment which enable his to start today. I will not judge him because of his history of injuries. He was just returning for time off due to injuries.

    Reply

17. Fabian’s starting today. Not just on the squad, but starting. So maybe Klinsmann’s right about Johnson, but he’s wrong about making it public. Oh well, I wish that was the most of our (USA Nats) problems…

    Reply

    • It doesn’t mean JK was right. Johnson says his thigh was tightening up. He’s had problems with his thigh all season and has missed games because of it. Once your legs start tightening up you can’t ran 100% and in that situation is he really suppose to get going until he re-injures himself. If that happens at the wrong time, it can lead to a goal for the other team.

      Reply

18. Wow! Fabian is starting today. Gotta watch him for any lingering effects of the injury.

    Reply

19. Fabian Johnson is starting for Borussia Möchengladbach today.

    Reply

    • IT’S A MIRACLE! The dude looks happy as a clam playing for club.

      Reply

20. I didnt see the goal but watched the majority of the game. Yedlin was fine again? How come Big Same doesnt want to play him out of position btw? Doesnt he want to get Deandre out of his comfort zone so he can express himself?

    Reply

    • i doubt he’d want to do that, more likely he wants him to become a better RB…

      “express himself”… lol

      Reply

    • Maybe Big Sam is still on “the learning curve.”

      Reply

    • Yedlin was fine today. He will be the starting RB in Russia, provided we make it there.

      Reply

21. Daily reminder that Klinsmann told the truth

    Reply

    • about what?

      Reply

      • Klinsmann fanboy. The guy needs to go. He never should have said anything about Fabian. You don’t call out your best player public ally and make an issue out of something that could be handled behind closed doors. More of the JK ego trip coming out. How many of our best players does he have to alienate before we kick this guy to the curb?

      • Sorry for typo; blame it on Siri

    • About making every player play out of their ‘comfort zone’? I don’t think anyone looked comfortable in the last two games.

      Reply

      • Well, except for Mexico. They looked pretty comfortable.

      • Mission accomplished then, right? Perhaps it is just part of a plan far too subtle for us to understand.

22. What the hell was that Brad Guzan?. What a bone headed move. I guess putting your defender under pressure is nothing new to you. Dude is not JK ball, you are back in the Premier League.

    Reply

    • And this is why the fans want him gone (80% in the last poll). His distribution sucks, he can’t cover the near post and he’s prone to blunders.

      Reply

      • I don’t recall the near post being Guzan’s problem. He covers the near post well, but that means he doesn’t make the big save when it goes far post. I recall Howard getting beat near post more often because he cheats to make the big save far post.

        Guzan over the past two seasons has been trying too hard to make the perfect pass on an outlet and has been caught in some bad decisions, usually on straightforward passes to his defenders.

      • And Howard got beaten on the near post today. To be fair it was on a breakaway by Rooney, but the GK should not give up the near post since the angle is much easier for the attacker to score from.

      • The near post has often been a problem for Timmy.

        In 2010 Ghana’s first goal was a pretty soft shot to the near post that Timmy probably wishes he had back

      • the goalie defends the near post more, not exclusively.

      • There is space on that bar between great and sucky distribution, and I’d say Guzan falls somewhere between those extremes. But the pertinent question is why we’re going to platoon him as a USMNT co-starter when his distribution and command of the box is less than solid?

    • Guzan is a solid #2 for the USMNT. Howard is the clear #1. Guzan may not be #1 at Villa for long. Absolutely laughable today. You can’t make those mistakes.

      Reply

23. Yedlin’s starting for S’land……could be WBA………lol today!

    Reply

    • SUNDERLAND…….. L……….O……….L……….

      btw, that was not Yedlin’s fault. the GK dropped the ball and may have been fouled. no call though, 1-0 WBA…

      Reply

      • Even though Yedlin is playing, is it still painful to watch Sunderland?

      • that was a rhetorical question right? 🙂 lol

      • Love to see him play, but anytime I have to watch Adam Johnson, I cringe. The guy kills off so many Sunderland attacks. They are a much better squad when he’s not on the pitch

24. Lets just switch them. Nobody has to get hurt.

    Reply

    • Yay! I like this answer!!

      Reply

25. Which JK gets canned first – the USNT one or the Liverpool one?

    Reply

    • Jürgen Klopp >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Jürgen Klinsmann

      Reply