Abby Wambach is set to play her final game for the U.S. Women’s National Team on Wednesday night, but the international game’s all-time leading scorer says she’d like to see a major shakeup within U.S. Soccer on her way out.
Speaking on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Wambach said that the one change she’d make within U.S. Soccer would be the firing of U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. In particular, Wambach criticized Klinsmann’s reliance on foreign-born talent in recent years rather than the consistent growth of a domestic youth system.
“Oh man … I would definitely fire Jurgen,” Wambach said. “Sorry Sunil (Gulati), sorry U.S. Soccer, but I don’t think that Jürgen and the litmus test on him has worked.”
“First of all, (Klinsmann) hasn’t really focused, I feel like, enough attention on the youth programs. He says he has, I don’t think that he has. Also the way that he has changed and brought in a bunch of these foreign guys is just not something that I believe in wholeheartedly.
I have a question for slowleftarm since he seems like the one most knowledgable about what makes you an American.
My name is Dayo I was not born in America. I was born in Nigeria. Moved here 2001. Have lived here for about 13 years. Now obviously I’m a naturalized citizen. I am young and I do have aspirations to play for the US soccer team. If it when I wear the jersey am I more or less American then my teammates who were born here. I’m a big fan of Nigeria and USA. Now I do have brothers. One was born here but only lived here for 9 months as we moved to Germany. He also plays soccer. Big fan of Germany and USA. Is he less of an American EVEN though he was BORN here because he spent only 9 months here and is developing his skills in Germany. Is the amount of time you live in this country make you more or less of an American? Now last brother has never set foot in America. He was born in a military base in Germany. He too plays soccer. By law he is as much as an Ameican citizen as my brother born here or you. Now when he wears the jersey is more or less than an American than his two older brothers because he never set foot in America even though that’s not really his fault. My point is this. In one proud German-Nigerian-American family we have a dad who fought for you to be able to have this opinion. And yet in by your standards we may not be American enough for some of y’all. We all love Nigeria, Germany, and USA. That doesn’t make us any less American. If any of us played for the USA it would be unfair to claim we aren’t American enough because
1. We weren’t born here but moved here. But became citizens per Law
2. Born here so citizen off the boat. But didn’t live here long enough to be considered American enough (which I think is foolish and a cowardish thing to say and makes no sense)
3. Was born in military base never set foot in America but by law are just as American as Obama
All in all only I can’t run for office for USA pres. I’m sorry if they can run for office that makes them as Anerican as possible. In my case I’m just as Ameircan as they are too although I can’t run for president. So slowleftarm and others. Next time why don’t you look in a service men or women child in the eye and tell them you’re not American enough because your parents decided to join the military. Look me in the eye and tell me the same thing. Look at someone born here but had to move at a young age and tell them the same thing. Cowards is what y’all are. Pathetic.
Wow, she needs a muzzle. If she knows who can do better, then lets hear it. Legitimately better. If she knew that he directs the development of U.S. soccer and the senior U.S. team, then maybe she’d go a little lighter on him. In fact, he needs to give one of them up to remain successful and stay on. I personally think he should be U.S. techincal director and hire his friend Low asap. He should stop being coach only because I think he’s a better big picture guy who has pull all around the world. Doing both jobs is rediculous.
To just blurt out, “fire him” is easy to say when you have no backup plan…TELL me how to do better. TELL me WHO would do better. Maybe she should coach the USMNT?
Seemed like her statements were just about how he chooses dual nationals.
It’s easy to criticize the men’s team when you’re on the women’s team…Different ball game…
Abby, Don-Ovan and slowleftarm should all join forces with the likes of Don-Ald the Trump. They all share his xenophobic sentiments.
the group think here is really disappointing.
on the ‘foreign’ player thing, which is the main discussion here on this thread today, it’s some of what Abby said, and I do not necessarily agree with her. But all of the rest of it, I do.
nice list about tech director accomplishments, but you missed the context of the KEY one
yeah, so the biggest thing done by US soccer that affects youth development is to change to a calendar year for determining age groups vs. the school calendar year which it was before. so now instead of it being from August 1-July 31 of the following year, it’s January 1-December 1. This is cool because the rest of the world is like this, and the ODP is based on this set up. Great
BUT, instead of thinking of the psycho-social impact this would have on all the current teams and the years and years of effort and planning the clubs, coaches, players and families have invested, and instead of phasing in the implementation and starting with the youngest kids and going forward, this change has been rigidly forced on all age groups.
So, whatever team a player was on before, and however many years of planning and year around training and extra teams that were developed in an age group to plan for the future, and all of the families and relationships developed over the years (Especially for all the rural clubs and non-super team clubs, and so much more) has been thrown out the window in the blink of an eye.
there is not one coach, player or parent I have spoken with…from super clubs to smaller local clubs to all in between, who do not hate this implementation. personally, it split our teams right down the middle, with half the kids now in one age group and half in another. because we are more rural (even though we play norcal teams from Sacramento and other urban areas) this is like a death blow to the 5+ years of year around effort and planning we’ve done to be able to compete at the gold level.
many of the kids will now NOT have a team…I’d like our leader to do those conversations with those kids, kids who have been dedicated for years!! tell them there is now no team for them.
other kids are being forced to join teams mired in the copper divisions after having won in gold and premier divisions, stuck practicing with groups well below their level. This SUCKS for player development. Many are quitting to go with baseball, basketball, etc…obviously this SUCKS for player development. it flippin sucks, no way around it (though I’m sure many here will defend it because of blind faith)
it’s a total nightmare. as a coach, much of our time the past few months has been spent on trying to set up new teams and get coaches for the displaced kids instead of training, on explaining to their tearful faces that it’s not their fault, that we hope they continue playing, etc. Many will not.
and of course there are the groups of the super selfish coaches and parents looking to capitalize personally on the disarray and REALLY screwing things.
NO THOUGHT was put into this…no way. for me, it’s another example of the utter lack of understanding of the American landscape of the current regime making the decisions, but more so, an utter disrespect to the thousands of coaches, players and families who have actually dedicated themselves (some of us have dedicated our lives) to bringing US soccer to the levels we all want it to be.
sounds to me like issues that arise with any kind of change. change management is critical and hopefully they can do that well. but just because there is a bit of fallout does not mean the change itself is bad. i’ve seen significantly more articles saying the age group change is for the better than i have giving the opposite opinion.
but hey, i’m willing to see the point. i certainly don’t like the whole “well Europe does it so it much be the right way” type of argument. that is why pro/rel fanatics who use the “one true God” argument never resonate with me.
thank you for the thoughtful reply
Actually, the idea behind the change is fine, I agree 100% with it. I’ve been arguing to change the year to match the rest of the world for a long time…should have been done long ago. The schools and the high school coaches don’t like it, they are the losers in the equation. But oh well, the school model for producing talent is a proven failure so too bad for the high school coaches imo
but it’s in the implementation where the issues are, as described above. thoughtless, destructive, divisive…as if no thought to the psycho-social development aspect was considered at all. If it was considered, then this is even more horrible, so I’ll just go with it was not considered.
Here is a reply from Mix D. that I got from another site.
“Wow Abby,
I guess there are pros and cons in limiting the base for selection.
You have just singled out a few of us. But why? Why are we your single oddballs?
Think about who you try to disenfranchise. Because if you see us as the group to disenfranchise, then at least let it be known who we are.
Stats and history will show – “our group” has more than others produced volunteer and defending soldiers for what, by us, is willingly chosen and gathered to be worth protecting: Your nation.
Wish you would accept it as ours too.
I know we’re not quite equal. From “your group of people” the country’s Commander in Chief need to be selected. However, other than that – you and I share something not unique, but constitutionally earned, a birthright to defend this nation as an American. Wherever we go. Led by whoever has earned, by democratic process, his/her right to lead, on or off the field, in peace, in war, in practice, or in any other kind of pursuit of your happiness.
Enjoy your retirement. But stay active. We all need you. Oddballs or not.
Mix”
I do not know how much JK actually talks to the youth national team coaches. I do know that Bradley did talk to them frequently and that they held discussions to arrive at a consensus on how to approach things, or as some have put it, “he teaches in a Socratic way”.
It is hard for me to imagine JK holds discussions as much as holds “do it my way” lectures.
Did you see what Bryan posted and his source?
that’s it Dennis. good luck with the mob here though
And what exactly has Abby contributed to youth development on the women’s side of the game? The Abby exemplifies poorly played, long ball soccer and imposed her will on the us women’s game fora generation but she won a WC so … Of all the reasons one might have for firing JK that she should pick the two that have no merit DOES speak to her intelligence.
The situation with the women’s and men’s team is so radically different, that it is ridiculous to compare them. The US has been one of the top 2 teams ever since women started competing internationally. Thanks to Title IX, the women have had a real head start in developing top players, way ahead of most all other nations for at least 20 years. Except for Germany, most every other nation has been playing catch up with the US. The men’s team, in contrast, has started way behind other established men’s teams. To judge one, the men’s, based on the experience of the other, the women’s , is meaningless and unfair. In short, Abby Wambach has no business making any judgments about the men’s team since she obviously has no clue about the situation the men face vs. the rest of the world. An equivalency would be if Lionel Messi criticized the program and progress of the Argentinian women’s team.
I believe she was just speaking as a fan of the men’s team. I don’t see where she really compared the programs in any form.
I guess she thinks the men’s team should be made up of suburban white kids like the women’s team
how about should be made up of players who can win Olympic Gold Medals and World Cups? like the women
You mean the same gold medalists who after winning the Olympics played the U-17 USMNT, and lost 8-2? I am VERY proud of the accomplishments of our ladies and the dominance they display in the women’s game, but we really need to stop comparing the two. There is a huge gap in the speed of play and talent between the two.
By the way that was the same U-17 squad that failed to even qualify for the U-17 WC in 2013.
what??? damn right I mean those same Gold Medalists. Gold medal Mac, World Cup Champions Mac.
I coach both boys and girls…I know the difference. And I in no way support the pay to play model, I HATE it. So as a coach, I go out of my way to give opportunity to ANYONE who can qualify to make the teams. Anyone
I apologize beachbum. I misinterpreted this statement yesterday as you suggesting some of our women play for the men, as many people (some jokingly, but a few were serious) this summer after our ladies won the WC. Not as choosing the best players available.
Take a civics course Abby. Those “foreigners” are just as American as you are. And for most, their father’s served our country. How “American” do you like em?
The demographics of the player pool has changed significantly under Sunil Gulati. Up through the 90’s, all but a handful of players on the roster were White. Klinsmann has pushed the overhaul further than ever before, at times fielding just a few White players. Like it or not, some people will be alienated by this change. It’s verboten to discuss, since the only two publicly acceptable positions are to be colorblind or to celebrate the diversity for its own sake.
Wambach can compare the USMNT and USWNT rosters, notice the stark differences, and be correct in describing the men’s team as having a ‘foreign’ feel. When the demographics of the men’s and women’s teams are so contrasted, it is fair to wonder out loud if some social engineering is going on.
In 94 1/3 (Clavijo, Dooley, Reyna, Stewart, Perez, Ramos, Wegerle, and Klopas; 8 out of 22 on the WC squad) were either foreign born or a minority, or both. You will have to go back before then to find an all-white, suburban US mens WC team. For example, 50% of the USMNT 2014 WC squad were either minority or foreign born or both.
It is statistics with small numbers; there were only 3 more in 20 years. I am not sure you can really make so much of that.
Real easy to run your mouth when you’ve got no repercussions and have absolutely nothing to do with the Men’s National Team.
Those are the only people who are going to say anything since we know JK is a petty individual who holds grudges.
see there are so many true things to complain about Jurgen Klinsmann! He holds grudges, he holds to much confidence in inexperience players, his tactics in the Gold Cup, his over excitement about meaningless friendlies.. there are also a lot of positives that I could counter with.
The fact that he doesn’t share your xenophobic ideals that we should block players developed outside of the 50 states from the national team is not the point I would base my opinion of the national team coach!
The youth jab was cheap too, what more should he have done with the youth system in 6 years?
Slow,
how do you know Jurgen holds grudges besides your own hallowed opinion (in your own esteemed mind)
How do I know he holds grudges? Because Landon Donovan wasn’t on the world cup roster.
Landon Donovan was fat and didn’t want to practice. I don’t see the grudge thing. He actually let the kid back into the team for a year and a half, which included a gold cup mvp, before finally cutting him when he did appear to be burning out again. Klinsmann was probably biased – I’ve never had a single coach or professor who wasn’t biased – but that is different than a grudge. I do think he was always harsh with Donovan for some reason. I remember after the 2002 wc match vs. germany, where LD had a few clear opportunities to score past Oliver Kahn, Klinsmann said Donovan didn’t have enough will or something to beat Kahn. That is a pure striker’s insight, true or not, or a german thing, but it was ultimately for the similar reasons that he was sent home in 2014.
@Concorde-Yet, he took an injured Johannsson and Chandler who had disappeared on the team for over year. Then personally promised we’d see a new Chandler but we didn’t as he was pretty awful in the send off matches and never saw the field in Brazil.
did you see what Kroos said about JK the other day? yikes
Homare Sawa also retired for Japan today.
No word on whether or not she was upset the Japanese men have played foreign-born players like Wagner Lopes and Gotoku Sakai over the years…
Beautiful comment, sir
I know the issue here is the foreign born players comment but I don’t care about that. I care about the “fire-Klinsmann” part.
Just a hunch, but I would be willing to bet that the majority of the USMNT eligible players in the pool want Klinsmann fired. Everyone except maybe some of the German ones. Of course they can’t say so right now while he is still the manager.
Think about it- Bradley, Altidore, Dempsey, Donovan, Besler, Cameron, Jones, etc. All those players above have gone semi-public in the past with their annoyance with Klinsmann. All the while holding back as much as they could so that they don’t get permanently banned from the team. I know I am probably forgetting some other players.
The majority of the media are anti-Klinsmann. A bunch of club managers have taken shots at Klinsmann. And there have been many polls on soccer websites that showed a majority of fans that want Klinsmann fired. What does that tell you? Are some of you Klinsmann fans magically seeing something that the majority isnt? I don’t think so.
When speaking for other people you really should cite your references.
DLOA, yes I should but I am not because that would mean posting links for all these other websites that had the fan polls (which SBI will delete), and gathering a bunch of tweets by media members, etc. I don’t care enough for you to believe me to do all that. We are all USA soccer fans here and probably all read the same sources. You know what I am saying is correct. You just have to think back and remember. There is a big reason why all the build-up to these last qualifiers was all about “less than 4 points equals Klinsmann might be fired”. Do you think that narrative materialized out of nowhere??
Even his own German players when he was coaching Germany wanted him to get fired.
Thats funny. Maybe Oliver Kahn wanted him fired because JK went with Lehmann. Some higher-ups in the German FA wanted him fired for going with the unproven Joachim Loew as his assistant instead of someone more “knowledgeable adn proven”. But the rest of squad wanted bought into his vision and his approach, and he was a success. Because he was offered a massive pay raise in his renewed contract. This is all fact.
Mac, Tony Kroos disagrees with you.
in an interview with Zeit Sport, he was asked,
Zeit: “Jurgen Klinsmann had a big impact in the development which led us to the World Cup with Joachim Löw.”
Tony Kroos: “Not true”
argue with him http://www.starsandstripesfc.com/usmnt-news/2015/12/11/9901286/toni-kroos-jurgen-klinsmann-bayern-munich-germany
Beachbum, Toni Kroos was 16 when JK was the national team manager of Germany. He was not a part of the senior squad. Loew on the other hand gave JK a lot of credit for sparking the renaissance that culminated in Germany’s WC win last summer.
By all accounts JK tenure as manager of Die Mannschaft was a success. This is a fact. Everybody in the German football world wanted him fired BEFORE the WC’06. But afterward, everybody completely changed their opinion around and wanted him to stay on and continue. This is not to be debated. It would be extremely difficult to find a negative opinion of him post WC’06.
I respect Kroos as a player, but having NOT been apart of that squad, his opinion of JK’s tenure holds very little water. Who are you gonna believe: Jogi Loew and the thousands of German youths benefitting from Germany’s development system that JK helped implement; or a post-pubescent Kroos?
I agree with this. I don’t like the recruitment of passport Americans but JK shouldn’t be fired over that. He should be fired because of the past 18 months of dreadful results.
When you are part of winning team, a winning system, have seen coaches come and go, have been part of “well oiled” team that have been ranked on top in the world for I don’t know how long, you tend to know a little things that make your team dominant, reasons of success and why they stay up top…..and able to pick out what is lacking on the men’s side, able to pin point what the USWNT are doing right and what the USMNT are doing wrong. There are not a lot of female athletic programs so I get it, the USWNT harvest most of the talent coming up the female pipeline (unlike the men who have to divide the upcoming talent between Football, Basket ball, baseball then soccer!!!). But for a top athlete to say Klinsmann is doing a horrible job, in an her area she’s experienced in shouldn’t be the say of the land but should mean something and be an eye opener.
By this very same standard, Klinsmann would know as much as Wambach. He to was “…part of winning team, a winning system, have seen coaches come and go, have been part of “well oiled” team that have been ranked on top in the world for I don’t know how long, you tend to know a little things that make your team dominant, reasons of success and why they stay up top…”.
Also, you cannot compare the women’s program with the men’s. The fact that the college route is a totally acceptable development path for women, while doing more harm than good for the development of men, right there tells you a lot. At the start of the international women’s game, the USWNT and CWNT were by default at the top, because of access to playing in college, while almost every other country had no competitive senior-level soccer to speak of. Every other country is playing catch up to the USWNT, and gaining quickly. Complete opposite for the men’s game. Hell academies are still a new phenomenon in the US, despite them being an integral part of powerhouse’s development process for over half a century.
The fact that Abby could continue being such a dominant player in the women’s game, despite her reliance on skills and inefficent tactics that haven’t been part of a winning men’s program in almost 20 years is very telling of where the women’s game is in relation to the men’s.
You know…there are people who complain that the USWNT teams has too many lesbians and is not representative of being American or American values. I am not kidding, I got into it with a dude (not hard, but enough to show I disagreed) when I was visiting my friend who lived in Jersey. We went to a bar. Clearly he was drinking and in the minority, but I have heard that opinion before. I also heard things like if becomes more lesbian, I am not going bring my girls to watch them (there are some ugly opinions in America).
Abby has to know that the opinion she shares is discriminatory. She is saying that they should not be selected because they are of foreign origin. I hope that the US Constitution bars discrimination based upon an individual’s gender, religion or national original.
People need to become acquainted with the 14th Amendment which guarantees that all persons (note it doesn’t say citizens) shall be guaranteed equal protection of the laws. In effect, it bars discrimination if you are part of what the court considers a “class.” By that is meant a group of individuals with a similar characteristic. Thus, you can not treat left handers differently than right handers, or people differently based on their ethnic origin.
Thanks Gary but that’s not actually what the 14th Amendment does.
Slow Left Arm–I suggest you take a course in Constitutional Law. For a quick reference, I( find The ;Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States to be very helpful. On the issue of equal protection and the 14th Amendment, see pp. 297 ff. This was the basis for overturning DOMA and for providing the right for gay people to marry. It is also the b asis for Phyler vs. Doe and many other important cases.
*know not hope
A national team is by definition discriminatory – only people from that country can play for the team. Foreigners don’t have the right to play for a national team. I know these passport Americans technically qualify but what turns people off is the aggressive recruitment of guys that have little connection to the country they are going to represent. It doesn’t help that often these guys aren’t any better than the guys we already have (with a couple of notable exceptions like JJ and Fabian).
You are not really explaining yourself. I know you don’t like the dual nationals, you are entitled to your view, especially here, but why are foreigners – who love their 2nd country as much or more than their 1st – so bad for our national team ? Do they disrupt our national style, like Tab Ramos and Hugo Perez did? Is the language an issue, as for Tom Dooley? Or do they fracture the locker room, as with Ernie Stewart? Maybe we just haven’t found a good-enough-one yet, surely Wambach wouldn’t have said anything if a global star was playing in our team without having grown up there. Maybe to be a global soccer star, one should not grow up in America.
All could be legitimate arguments or discussions. But you keep stating the same sort of bland opinion over and over again.
@Concorde- There is a real question in, should a national team in some way reflect a countries ability to develop talent.
You have absolutely no way of knowing what kind of connection these guys have or feel to our country. Maybe if you could cite an interview, facebook post, tweet, etc. that shows they are indifferent or refuse to acknowledge their American heritage, then you have an argument. Fabian Johnson is a THIRD generation American, spoke English at home, and celebrated THANKSGIVING every year!! But hey, no connection according to you.
It absolutely bothers me when people like you think someone isn’t worthy enough of representing our country, because they don’t seem AMERICAN to you. By your very logic, I am not worthy enough to represent Poland, the country of my parents birth, because having never met me or talked to me, you wrongly assume I have no connection or love for the other country of my heritage. I’ll tell you right now you’d be soooooo wrong. Go tell Miazga that its USMNT or bust, because he’s no longer “worthy” of representing Poland, because he accepted a senior cap.
This stuff isn’t black or white.
Damn another Landon Donovan
I wonder if Landon being born in Canada is a problem for Wambach.
Landon was born in Ontario but not the one in Canada, the one in California.
Either, LD is a Canadian dual national:
https://twitter.com/landondonovan/status/616388556915806212
notice 2 likes of the ignorant comment on LD
typical group think here
For someone who want to preach equality she sure sounds like a xenophobic idiot
And the women’s team would never include a player born in a different country who came to this country solely to advance her career…….oh wait.
Abby doesn’t have her facts in order. what Klinsmann has done since he became TD:
These changes include:
“-Establishing the U-16 and U-19 national teams, giving U.S. Soccer a total of eight youth national teams (U-14 through U-20 and U-23) for both men and women.
-Establishing a U-12 age group in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) to start in the fall of 2016.
-Introducing new small-sided game standards for players U-6 to U-12 to play on smaller fields and give players more opportunities to develop on-the-ball skills and soccer intelligence.
-Retaining the Belgian consulting firm Double PASS to conduct an external audit of U.S. Soccer’s youth national teams, the Development Academy program, and USSDA clubs. (Double PASS conducted similar audits in Germany and Belgium during the past decade with the aim of improving their academies and national teams.)
-Increasing U.S. Soccer’s development budget by 50%, primarily through multi-million dollar sponsorship/commercial deals (U.S. Soccer’s official sponsors are AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Century 21, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Continental Tire, Coppertone, Degree Deodorant, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual, Marriott, Mondelez International, Nike, and Powerade).
Increasing the number of USSDA clubs that are free for players from almost none to 34 (to give credit where credit is due these are primarily MLS academies), and increasing number of “tuition-free” USSDA clubs (where the only costs that accrue to players are players’ own travel and expenses).
-Nearly doubling the number of USSDA players receiving scholarships (from 168 players in 2014 to 264 players in 2015).
-Requiring that every USSDA club institute need-based financial aid programs for top level players.
-Aligning birth-year registration calendars to the calendar year (as opposed to the school year, as was previously the case) to bring the U.S. in line with international standards and combat the “relative age effect.”
-Creating two separate programming tracks for even-birth-year players and odd-birth-year players, thereby increasing the potential pool of participants for youth national teams.
-Establishing the Boys’ National Team Futures training camp for undersized players and/or players born in the second half of the year to improve talent identification.
-Establishing the Managing Director for National Team Advisory Services position (now occupied by Nelson Rodriguez) to provide counseling, guidance, and education to all national team players.
-Establishing the European-based Technical Advisor position (now occupied by Berti Vogts) to develop, scout, and recruit U.S. national team members.
-Implementing curriculum updates to all coaching courses (A through E).
-Establishing a coaching license that can be obtained online, the F license, and launching a digital coaching center (DCC) designed to increase the quality and accessibility of educational content, increase the interaction between candidates and instructors, and create consistent messaging with technical leaders. (In its first six months, the DCC registered more than 40,000 users and in excess of 20,000 F license holders.)
-Establishing the Youth Technical Director Course.
-Establishing an 18-month course for academy and technical directors that focuses on club and technical leadership, membership, and strategic planning.
-Increasing the number of international tournaments played by the youth national teams and the number of training centers conducted each year.
-Lobbying the NCAA to change college soccer into a Division I full academic-year sport to run from September through May.
-Hiring and firing various U.S. Soccer personnel with the youth national teams.
-Announcing plans for a future $75 million National Coaching Education Center in Kansas City, Kan.
-Marginally improving the performance of the U-23 team. Prior to Klinsmann’s appointment as technical director, the U-23 national team did not qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Post-Klinsmann, it remains to be seen whether the team will qualify for the 2016 Olympics—a two-legged home-and-away playoff against Colombia’s U-23 team in March 2016 will determine whether the U-23 team goes to Brazil next summer.
-Moderately improving the performance of the U-20 team. The U-20s did not qualify for the 2011 U-20 World Cup, and then qualified for the 2013 U-20 World Cup but came in last in Group A at that tournament. Post-Klinsmann, the U-20 team made it to the quarterfinals of the 2015 U-20 World Cup before being knocked out on penalties by eventual winners Serbia.
-Moderately improving the performance of the U-17 team. The U-17s team went out in the round of 16 at the 2011 U-17 World Cup and did not qualify for the 2013 U-17 World Cup. Post-Klinsmann, the U-17 team qualified for the 2015 U-17 World Cup and has a loss and a draw so far in the group stages.” – cite: Wendy Thomas, ASN
i also have to think she is against Sydney Leroux.
Well Damn! I guess I’ll rename “bryan” to, The Research Department! Well done sir
haha my citation was lost in the wall of text…but Wendy Thomas from American Soccer Now is the person who deserves the credit. she put this together.
Well…damn Bryan! I stand corrected in the Technical Director role. Maybe he should resign from USMNT manager and simply be Technical Director. I still feel a manager shouldn’t be both.
for sure, there is a valid point to that concern.
Thanks for repeating this information which I cited generally above. Too many people make judgments when they are lacking information.
haha no problem. as soon as i saw her comments, i knew i had to post that list.
no sh!t Gary!
not sure exactly how that contradicts abby’s comments. her opinion was that klinsmann hadn’t “done enough”, and that *may* be correct.
the necessary context to determine that would include (a) how much previous directors had done, (b) how much of the list would’ve been done whether klinsmann was director or not (the obvious one would be the mls academies), (c) and what of that list is actually a positive for klinsmann (i would argue that none of the u-17, u-20, and u-23 youth teams are an improvement over past iterations).
i think klinsmann may well be a good fit as our technical director, but unless you can readily provide answers to those questions, you seem to have already made up your mind without that context.
“hasn’t really focused, I feel like, enough attention on the youth programs”
that is a direct contradiction to the list above. you can Google the article to get the full context, it is provided. this isn’t just some list with no context. these are things that JK has done and were not there before he became the TD.
“(a) how much previous directors had done,” – zero…that was the point of the list, these are things HE got in place since he’s been TD
“(b) how much of the list would’ve been done whether klinsmann was director or not (the obvious one would be the mls academies),” – that’s correct and the author of the points even mentions that
“(c) and what of that list is actually a positive for klinsmann (i would argue that none of the u-17, u-20, and u-23 youth teams are an improvement over past iterations).” – except, since he has been TD, they have (albeit very marginally). i’m not saying the youth performances are good enough though.
what i am saying is that if Abby is going to say something like that, it is on HER to go through each point and tell us why it isn’t good enough. making a blanket statement like that is careless. i understand a press conference may not be the time and place to do that, but then don’t make claims you can’t at least back up with facts right there on the spot.
there is a reason the article i referenced was published and was widely circulated. it shut up a ton of media (like Jimmy Conrad) claiming he has done nothing, when, in fact, he has. and the majority of those items above that relate to the youth teams are not minor changes. most of them are major changes that have a CLEAR benefit. will the implementation go smoothly and will the execution be done correctly? too early to say. chances are JK will be long gone before we know.
“[wambach’s comment] is a direct contradiction to the list above.”
again–no, it isn’t. it’s subjective, as you have no idea what she considers to be “good enough”.
and you missed my “previous directors” point. i mean, hopefully thomas wasn’t including items in her list that were accomplished by previous directors. my point was that his list needed to be compared to predecessors’ lists to have any comparative value.
would it have been helpful for wambach to rebut each item in thomas’s list and clarify what she thinks is “good enough” for a technical director? sure, but–as you pointed out–it wasn’t really the venue.
“again–no, it isn’t. it’s subjective, as you have no idea what she considers to be ‘good enough’.”
it is subjective, i’m not going to attempt to argue otherwise. but looking at this objectively, and rationally, one can see that since 2013 when he became TD, having all of those things IS a good thing. i’d love for her to point out where the line is when saying it’s “good enough”.
“ould it have been helpful for wambach to rebut each item in thomas’s list and clarify what she thinks is “good enough” for a technical director?”
i didn’t mean for her to discuss Wendy’s list, i’m saying if you are going to make a blanket statement like that, give at least ONE example of why you think that. and really, there should be multiple. i don’t need a whole dissertation, but give me something.
“my point was that his list needed to be compared to predecessors’ lists to have any comparative value.”
i saw your point, but you can still make an fair conclusion that the list is extensive and i doubt the author would go through the trouble of listing it all if she didn’t cross reference. but hey, that’s an assumption on my part.
bryan,
fair enough. as i said before, i’m for klinsmann having a shot at technical director (although i remain unconvinced of his competence as a manager), just was a little put off at all the people implying that wambach is ignorant (or worse).
Thank you Bryan and Wendy Thomas! I have been looking for this for some time. The JK haters keep forgetting that part of JK’s remit when he was brought in was to shake up US soccer overall. The other point that is forgotten or deliberately overlooked is that we are trying to change the style of play for individuals that have been immersed in the “kick and run, run, run” all of their soccer lives. Finding the hidden gems who have survived that is not going to be easy! Just take a look at the awful ball skills and tactical awareness of our players and realize that we can’t get anyone to make it in the top European leagues. Ever wonder why our players don’t even get a sniff from a technical skill league like laLiga? We go crazy if a single kid actually gets selected by la Masia. If all that we are interested in is winning NOW, then fire JK and go back to playing the same old style. It’s quite likely that our record will improve, for now! But as the other teams in CONCACAF improve tactically (they’ve always been better technically), we will slowly but surely find it more and more difficult to make it out of our region. Then, some really smart people will say that we need to step back, change our style and focus on developing players who can actually play in that style! Then look out World Cup 2050!!!
Sometimes I wonder if the posters here ever watch soccer from outside the MLS. What you say is so true and you can’t make the needed changes in a couple of years; a sea change is needed from the earliest youth teams on up. I was watching an English Championship League game a few days back involving Wolverhampton and Nottingham Forest I think it was, The level of play was clearly a step above MLS. And this is the English 2nd Division. Part of the American character is an impatience that is often unrealistic. We expect significant change in a year or two. We still need to develop skilled players. Any one doubt that, watch the NCAA soccer playoffs, which a lot of people complained about here because of the low level of play. Then those same posters complain because Klinsmann hasn’t taken these kind of players and turned them into world beaters. Our most skilled player developed here may still be Freddy Adu. How sad is that? Maybe only Dempsey is of real international quality among home grown players and that’s because he spent so many years abroad. One of the results of the Gold Cup was it exposed just how far behind in skill level the US is compared to Panama, Costa Rica, and even Honduras. And Mexico literally runs circles around us. This is not something that can be corrected quickly.
hey bryan, read my comment below…it’s not all good at all actually
Amy has more balls than all the other guys in the US Soccer sphere who are too scared to speak up, and giving Juergen way too much deference.
One of juergens failed bully tactics is to ruthlessly put anyone in a dog house who dares to question him or even grate him the wrong way. It’s been really effective at intimidating others in the US soccer world from speaking up.
It helps to have balls by being retired and not under the leadership of one JK. Why would an active player criticize the person that has their international career in his hands?
I am not the biggest JK defender. I am pretty ambivalent. I actually think he should not have both the technical director and USMNT manager roles. That being said, Abby is way off and I am, frankly, sick of Abby. I have been wishing that she retired a few years ago, but she has a few too many sycophants. She b*tched when Tom Sermanni started benching her to play a more proactive, skilled younger players and essentially helped get him fired. Jill Ellis was a little over her head and blind. She won when she was forced to play different attacking players.
I find it strange when players who are by definition American are not considered American enough to play for the national team. I wonder how she considers LeRoux (1) who was born and lived in Canada until she was 15, (2) played for Canada through the U20 level (actually played in the u20 World Cup), and (3) never actually knew her dad. I guess in her mind, any one with an accent shouldn’t be on the team. She had more tenuous ties than many of dual nationals when she first suited up for the USWNT.
That being said, I think JK over-promised and isn’t all that better than Arena or Bradley and shouldn’t have both roles. However, USMNT team fans OVER-estimate the level of talent in the US pool.
Your last sentence is the most important.
Oh I think the first sentence of his 2nd paragraph is the most important. It highlights the key point being missed (or probably just purposely avoided, in some cases) by those who complain about supposedly “foreign” players on their national team.
“First of all, (Klinsmann) hasn’t really focused, I feel like, enough attention on the youth programs”
Exactly what’s Klinsmann supposed to do about the youth programs?He can only do what the available talent is capable of accomplishing and the talent is just no there. Same as with the senior team. Klinsmann’s abilities as a coach are not going to translate into Altidore being able to control a simple pass.
He’s also technical director and if the coach doesn’t matter because our players are terrible in the first place, why pay him 4 times what BB made? Just bring in anyone then.
was sydney leroux born in the us? i know her father is american and her mother canadian. isn’t that why sydney faces all the crap when we play canada
reading this, i am sure that abby had something to do with sermanni being fired
Good point. Leroux was born in Canada, and in fact represented Canada at youth levels until U20 when she switched to the US.
but didn’t she move to the US with the intention of playing for the USWNT? you can google that
I wonder how Wambach would feel if such intolerance was displayed by suggesting the USWMNT needs to field less lesbian females.
Suggesting these are “foreign boys” was equally ignorant. Go away, Wambach. You’re the Brett Favre of soccer.
Sounds like she touched a nerve. These guys are foreign and you know it.
No nerve. Just the irony given the context of a certain “protected class”.
Your argument is subjective.
Actually I missed the first part of your original post. The point of a national team is to only have people of that country in it. So bringing in foreign players who can technically qualify isn’t within the spirit of international soccer – that’s why it’s controversial. It isn’t remotely the same as a coach not picking a player because of their sexual orientation which, of course, would be completely unacceptable.
Yes it is, Slow because they are US citizens, As such, they cannot be discriminated against if they are a protected class. “National original” which can be extended to “German Americans” is a protected class according to the Constitution.
So les’ can be xenophobic. Good to know. Happy she is retiring. Tired of her bellyaching in the last year.
Huh. Didn’t picture Abby Wambach as a Donald Trump supporter. Guess I was wrong.
You find out something new every day!
Abby benched during World Cup. Team won without her bs attitude
Maaan, respect lost for her. Just like Arena. I guess she will be voting for Trump.
To address a few points…
I do not recall the 22% from the 2002 WC team… I know Stewart, Regis, LLamosa… Pablo lived in the US since he was 4… where are the others? That aint 22% of 23 players… I just call boys from Cali, Georgia, NJ, Oklahoma etc… not a bunch of foreign born players…
Heck even Llamosa felt American because he played in MLS… something Jermaine has been smart to do…
As for the JK… look at the performance of the Youth teams this past year… far from stellar… even the U20s which is probably our best crop of talent in the last 15-20 years underachieved a bit.
The five players were Mastroeni, Regis, Llamosa, Stewart, and Agoos.
It sounds like it’s more about players that “feel” American, rather than players that were foreign-born.
or maybe 22% of starters?
Someone who’s personal opinion is “Jurgen sucks?” How bizarre. Archie McGill’s stats about percentage of foreign-born players are on point. But the fact remains that the US youth development system has foundered under Klinsmann’s watch. More importantly, so have the senior team’s results.
I agree. The way I see it, it isn’t the senior team’s job to develop talent. It’s the senior team’s job to take the best talent we currently have and get them to play well together. You can’t develop talent with 15 games per year. That’s the clubs’ (and USSF’s) job. Klinsmann is in charge of that stuff as well, so the blame still falls on his shoulders.
I just don’t think having 2-3 more “real Americans” on a World Cup roster really makes a difference with player development on a larger scale. Those players have already done 95% of their developing by the time they get to that point.
This created drama is good for US Soccer. Will have people talking about it in a non World Cup year. Shows that sport is more relevant in American culture these days… Any press is good press!
Sorry about this but you are officially a has-been. Don’t care!!! Ask Landon. HAHA
So how much did Landon pay his friend Abby to make this statement?… lol
Xenophobic BS
No Christmas card for Abby from JK! I partially agree with her, the youth programs lack direction and it shows in the results. I don’t agree with the foreign “trained”, I use that term because half of the players she is directly her remarks were actually born in the USA and left at an early age. I just don’t think JK is knowledgeable enough to coach at this level, he makes too many mistakes for the kind of money he is making.
The U-23’s are difficult to judge, because JK appointed Herzog coach, so some blame can be put onto him. Although, what available player did Herzog snub/not play that could’ve turned the results around? Could he have taken a different tactical approach? I don’t think there’s much he could’ve done differently.
The U-20’s performed as best as they could. You could ask nothing more from them. Steffan, Miazga, and CCV allowed only 4 goals(?). We lost to the eventual champions in PK’s. Injuries and I think card accumulation are what kept us from creating many more chances, and possibly going further.
I usually don’t like putting the blame on a single person, but U-17s performance was absolutely Richie WIlliam’s fault. He inherited from Hugo Perez a USMNT team that for the first time loved to play with individual flair and creativity, that also worked incredibly well in the context of the team. That all changed after he took over. And I think Perez was replaced before JK took over as TD.
Sometimes is not just getting the right players but actually making them play a certain way, I think this is where the coaching staff failed miserably.
I agree, case in point the U-17 disaster. Complete mismanagement of how those kids have been playing together for years prior to Richie. I guarantee if Perez was still coaching, they would have beat Croatia 4-1. Perez would not have allowed them to just sit back and bunker in the second half. Can’t do that against a team that can match you physically.
During the U-20’s, i thought Ramos was doing a terrible job, but thinking about it now in hindsight, he actually managed them pretty well. Consider that 2 out of 3 of his preferred starting attackers were out by the knockout round.
I have to be honest, the olympic qualifiers I did not watch. only highlights and short clips. I’m currently split on my opinion with Herzog and his appointment by JK. Should we have automatically qualified? Maybe. But no one comes to mind that Herzog should’ve brought in, played/started, etc., nor do any tactical changes come to my mind that he should have implemented to avoid our current scenario.
I’m not defending Klinsmann’s overall performance in any way, but the idea that his use of foreign-born players is a drastically different approach than previous US coaches is simply incorrect.
Percentage of foreign-born players on US World Cup rosters in the modern era:
1990: 9%
1994: 32%
1998: 32%
2002: 22%
2006: 4%
2010: 9%
2014: 22%
Interested to see that 22% from 2002 WC…
Llamosa, Regis and Stewart…. (Llamosa probably felt more American because he played in the A League and MLS before becoming a citizen… much like Jones is doing)
Mastroeni… lived in the US since he was 4 years old… very American feeling
Who else am I missing? I pretty much remember California, Gerorgia, New Jersey, Michigan, Oklahoma, Maryland & Washington boys…
So who exactly are the guys we don’t want on this team? I thought it was foreign-born players based on what i was reading. Now it sounds like it’s just more of a general American vibe that’s necessary. Foreign-born is ok if they “feel” american. Domestic born is bad if they left at an early age…? Maybe guys that were born and lived abroad are okay if they watched “Full House” when they were growing up?
Maybe we should just go with guys that were born here and play in MLS. Who needs those players that turned their back on the American system and went to Europe in their teens or early 20s?
Please don’t let facts get in the way of a good story, thanks.
Yes, my view is you need some meaningful connection to the US but it doesn’t matter if you’re foreign born. To me, that means you’ve lived here for some meaningful amount of time. Being born here and leaving when you’re 1 (AJ) or 2 (like the Gent guy) doesn’t cut it. Zelalem, for example, lived here for a good portion of his youth so I don’t have a problem with him playing for the US. I do have a problem with a coaching regime that aggressively seeks out players who have little connection to the US but can qualify to play for us.
How about developing players here instead of engaging in this cynical practice? At its core this practice shows a belief that Americans just aren’t good enough at soccer so we have to bring in “American” ringers.
You do realize bringing in dual-nationals does not put a halt on the development of players. Just like limiting the number of them won’t suddenly make our prospects that much better.
It sounds like you want a system like the EPL, with a work permit limit designed to protect your homegrowns and allow them playing time over more talented and cheaper foreign options. But all that does is artificially inflate the value and talent of English players and makes it seem like they’re better. Raheem Sterling worth 49million pounds?! Get the hell out of here. How about England goes farther in the World Cup than us before EPL clubs start valuing their players more than the whole USMNT combined.
Even if we completely revamp our development system, and every prospect coming out has a realistic chance of being the next Messi, we will STILL be scouting and recruiting from Germany because, hey, they also have a world class development system.
Totally right on all fronts. Look at the people who can’t wait to call in that Gent player because he’s upset with Israel. “Dude lived here until age 2, he’s super American, no one can question him!”
Sorry Slow, Saief was born in Flat and lived in the US until he was 6 not 2, so he’s definitely American. Now, whether his heart is truly with representing the US is one thing but no one can question his American roots. Abby is right that JK has done nothing noteworthy with the youth system, something he harped on when he was hired along with transitioning the senior team to a more progressive way of playing which we also haven’t seen evidence of so I think it begs the question of what is US Soccer’s end game?? I don’t have any issue with the dual nationals because they all have American roots in some way and all seem to be about the country(look no further than TC singing of the national anthem everytime he starts a game, the tattoos adorning JJ and JAB).
I’ve read different reports about how long he lived here. The fact is he is clearly only interested in the USMNT because he’s upset with Israel (i.e. he doesn’t have any real desire to play for the US) but people can’t wait to get him in the pool. Just like people couldn’t wait to cast aside the greatest player in our country’s history to bring in a fourth-division passport American. Oh wait it was justified because he shanked in a goal against Belgium, amirite?
Slowleftarm, you clearly have no idea what its like to be a dual-national, with love for 2 countries. Its ok. If you don’t have any family, friends, historical and cultural roots, etc. in another country, it may be difficult to understand.
Preferring to play for one country does not mean you are spitting in the face of the other.
OMG, Slow , let it go! Green did not replace Donovan, Chris Wondolowski did. Aside from that, I am not a fan of Saif either because it seems like he real wants to play for Israel. We’ll see. He is Druze.
He is super American enough to qualify to be president 🙂 I think Abby should have worded more along the lines of foreign “trained” since half of the players she directs her comment were born in the USA.
Israel is pretty much the 51st state of the U.S. anyway, so we’re all good. Might as well pick up any Israeli who wants to play for us.
do you have an uncle named Henry?
I think this foreign-born bias would be news to Benny Feilhaber.
Exactly…wasn’t Benny born in Brazil in an American father and Brazilian mother. The only difference is he moved to California when he was a kid.
Um, that’s a pretty enormous difference, don’t you think?
I can’t see how you penalize a kid for the choices of his parents, or reward a kid for the choices of his parents. Benny was born in Brazil and moved to the US as a kid. Julian Green was born in Tampa and moved to Germany as a kid. Neither moved by their own choice, but both are American citizens who chose America when given the chance. That should be plenty.
Slow, are you seriously that thick? Wambach stated she was sick of foreign players. Green and Jones were all born to American fathers and German mothers. Neither of Benny’s parents were American (they became naturalized when he moved to the US as a kid 6/8 years old). Benny and Jones were born abroad and Green was born here. HOWEVER, only Jones and Green were natural born US citizens. Both Jones and Green lived here as kids and only left after their mothers divorced their fathers. You cannot take away their citizenship because they don’t fit their definition
Feilhaber moved to the states before his 10th birthday
Yeah, because god forbid a coach try to unearth new talent and provide a youth infusion to a program. But we all know, if that interferes with one’s career plans, that coach must be ousted, right, Wambach?…(see, Sermanni, Tom).
It’s no surprise that the second Ellis and Co. moved away from playing Abby-ball against China in the WC, the women started playing exponentially better soccer.
Calling for Klinsmann to be fired is one thing, however, there’s some serious hypocrisy in this person being the one to do it.
P.S. I think the USWNT wins that WC with Sermanni and an Abby-less roster.
So……She is not into trying to find the best players possible? She picked out 2 of the best players for us over the last two years. This is the same argument High School parents have when they argue that “That kid is only playing because his dad is the president of the booster club!” It is crazy to think a coach would deliberately bench/not call in players that would help him win in order to fulfill a foreign bias?
Benny Feilhaber wholeheartedly disagrees…
Born in Brazil by the way. just saying……..
So does Lee Ngyuen (Vietnam but born here).
If you’re a duel national you do seem to go to the front of the line with Klinsmann and I think there’s an argument that’s taken it’s toll in the locker room. That doesn’t mean stand out like Fabian and Jones aren’t important parts of the team. However perhaps rushing Alvarado to be a starter and leaving Besler home or vouching for Chandler over and over perhaps was a mistake.
You do know that Alvarado was born and raised in Arizona.
Plus Alvarado plays RCB. Besler’s competition is Brooks and one day Miazga.
Most people don’t realize that, they think because they play in the center it doesn’t matter what footed they are.
Klinsmann has given more chances to MLS guys than any previous American coaches. He probably has less of a Eurosnob bias then your average American coach.
Actually it doesn’t matter. If your two best CBs are right-footed (or left-footed) you shouldn’t play an inferior player just to have one of each.
danny, I can’t imagine you saying that last sentence with a straight face…
My point wasn’t about where he was raised, or how American he feels ect. All I was saying is it seems that Klinsmann is so scared any player that could play somewhere else picking the other side he just rushes them forward at times.
slowleftarm, It ABSOLUTELY matters when you’re trying to play out the back. Maybe in the old days when CB’s were only expected to be good in the air, hard in the tackle, and clear the ball upfield as soon as possible, it didn’t matter. But if you’re trying to play possession soccer, where your CB’s are just as important in building up the attack as defending the goal, its very important.
Major plot twist slowleftarm was Abby Wambach this entire time.
This is hilarious.
brilliant!
Sooooo funny.
Well played, I enjoyed it!
Foreign guys? They’re citizens of our country, and their fathers served our country. I don’t care if they were born in Madagascar, they have a direct connection with the U.S. Wambach is way off base here, imo.
Not a one of them would choose to play for the US if Germany was offering…
Doesn’t make them any less American.
Andy,
No offense, but I think you are being a bit naive about things. I am dual national and fervently support both national teams. I am sure those players are like that. Do you honestly feel that Earnie Stewart or Erik Wynalda (yes he has Dutch citizenship) would have turned down the Netherlands if the Oranje team of the 90’s had heavily pursued them? Do you honestly think Pablo Mastroeni would not have played for the Argentina team of the late 90’s early 2000’s if they serious pursued him? In more than one case, I can virtually guarantee that they would have switched.
Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Julian Green still being courted by Germany? He wouldn’t have been on their senior team but he def had a shot to be.
Most of them have never lived here and have little connection here other than a desire to advance their careers by playing international football for whoever will take them. Abby’s 100% right.
None of which matters. SLA is still dead wrong on this subject. Too bad Wambach has joined him.
It’s really not rocket surgery, people. if the US says you’re an American, according to whatever the US requires to be an American, you’re an American. Absolute end of story, no further debate.
At that point, if you have not played for some other country in a way that makes you ineligible to play for the USM/WNT, according to FIFA rules, then you’re good to go. By obvious rule, there is no such thing as a foreign player on an international side anywhere.
I work for the UN and thus live outside the US. Owing to my work both of my children were born abroad and have always lived abroad. Are you telling me that they’re not American? Are you telling me that they should not be able to represent the US, whether in a sport or any other capacity? Please consider deepening your thinking a little bit.
If they never come and live in the US then I’d say no they aren’t really American. But please tell me which players has JK brought in that were born abroad to US parents working in a foreign country for our government? Oh that’s right – none.
Guys like AJ or Green or the Gent player have minimal connection to the US and are pure opportunists, using the USMNT to further their careers. And for the record, I have never said you have to lived your whole life here or been born here or anything like that. For instance, I have no problem with Zelalem playing for the USMNT – he lived here for five years, developed as a player in our youth system. That’s more than enough for me.
Abby’s right that JK should have been fired long ago. But he should be canned because of his dreadful results over the past year, not for bringing in a bunch of passport Americans into the player pool.
“If they never come to live in the US then I’d say no they aren’t really American…”
Well fortunately we have a constitution and rule of law system to decide these things rather than just, you know, you.
Slow, Julian Green was born in Tampa, Florida, which makes him a natural born citizen of the United States. He moved to Germany at 2 because his parents separated (not because he wanted to be a Germany player), he came to the US every year, he remains close with his America-based father, and he chose the US team as a teen. He also played in the US set up as a youth player before JK called him up. Whether his international choice helped his career or not (an open question) is besides the point. He is American under any possible definition of that term and we should support Americans wanting to play for America.
Rocket Surgery’d
You do know that JJ spent about as many years in USA as child as Zelalem did. The only difference is that Zelalem did it a slightly older age. Mix spent a few years here and came back routinely to visit/stay with his grandparents.
My issue with you Slow is that you conflate citizenship with products of the development system. We have a national team made up of US citizens not a national development team made up of guys who only came through the domestic US development system. Let’s be honest, I played with a few guys who lived in the US, but were part of traveling teams (and thus the development system), but were not US citizens. These guys were not Americans unless they chose to become naturalized, like Zelalem. These guys were Brazilian, French, German, Mexican and Argentinian from what I remember. A few of these guys moved back to Germany, Canada, Argentina and France during or after high school. According to you, they are more American than a guys born as a US citizens!
At the end of the day, I am getting a little sick and tired of this debate. However, this debate occur in other countries. When I live in Europe, I remember these debates occurring in France, Germany, Portugal, just to name a few. Even in England when quite a few English claimed Owen Hargreaves was not English enough.
seriously!!! all U.S. Citizens are eligible for the National Team! I don’t care if they have never lived in the country! and I would considering firing the national team coach if they held this approach!
I got problems with Jurgen too, but playing Fabian Johnson or Jermaine Jones over someone else is not one! Abby, I like the no filter response but you missed the mark on this one.
I agree with Francois. JJ and Fabian are just as American as anyone else on the team by law and by longstanding tradition. Calling them “these foreign guys” is both factually incorrect and an insult to this country’s proud tradition of being a home for immigrants.
However, I do agree with the lack of emphasis on developing youth. The program is in place but now it needs to be sold and promoted to the soccer parent masses.
The issue is he has brought through a lot of youth players, but fans complain because they rarely grab the game by the “you know what”. He has looked at a lot of players (over 100 since he has been manager). People complain when he plays youth then complain when he plays established veterans. He should sack up and say the truth, we do not have elite, creative attack players and should defend and counter until we can develop them. On top of that, he should resign from the technical director role or appoint a deputy. He clearly cannot do both.
A month or two ago a poster here provided us with some important information on significant changes that Klinsmann has instituted in the past couple of years. He has greatly revamped, and in the eyes of many, greatly improved the youth system. I do not recall all the details, but that is what Google is for. Anyway, changes like that take a while to have an impact. If those changes are successful, they will probably show up in half a dozen years or so.
You could say that they are more American than Darlington Nagbe. And how about those like Johanhsson, born to Icelandic parents, spent most of his life in Iceland, but born an American citizen? Would Wambach say he shouldn’t be on the US team? People who spout such nonsense just don’t know anything about citizenship laws or what it means to be an American.
Shots fired
Shots fired. Disagree with the Jermaine Jones and Fabian Johnson part, but definitely agree with Klinsmann needing to be fired.
Bringing in some foreign national to play is not some new experiment. US and other countries have been doing it for decades. I put about as much stock in Wambach’s opinion as the average sbi poster.
Right. Abby, have you heard of Thomas Dooley or David Regis?
Remember David Regis in ’98?
That was no different than the Julian Green thing. Lock down citizenship, cap him, WC here we come.
I think Abby’s ego is off the charts. She shouldn’t have been on this past world cup team.
Retire and do what you can to promote the women’s game and fight for fairness, etc. Good bye.
Yes, you have the scoring records but that is because of your size.
Mia Hamm did everything she did with skill. And she is pure class.
guess she doesn’t like sydney leroux
hey bryan, didn’t Leroux move to Arizona when she was 14 or 15? my understanding is she did that with the intention of playing for the USWNT. I know she played college at UCLA
does it matter? she is still a foreigner in Abby’s opinion. i still don’t think Abby meant it in the way it came out, for the record.
I’m not against dual nationals, OK bryan? just adding context. context matters
i didn’t say you were or take it as you do. i just don’t see how that matters.