By ADAM TROXTELL
DeAndre Yedlin has been recovering from a sprained knee ligament he injured playing for the U.S. Men’s National Team, further explaining his lack of appearances at Tottenham.
In the wake of questions regarding Yedlin’s whereabouts, Goal USA is reporting the American wing back severely sprained a medial collateral ligament while playing against Panama during the USMNT’s Feb. 8 friendly. His recovery has restricted him to just one appearance for the Tottenham Under-21 team since he moved to the club in January.
Yedlin has now resumed training with the Tottenham first team, and it was reported earlier this week that the club is giving him extra training sessions. USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said Yedlin is still in a good place for his development as a player, even with the injury setback.
“Even if he’s not playing right now, he will grow,” Klinsmann told Goal USA. “Now DeAndre gets an introduction into a roster of maybe 28-30 players, and only 18 can be considered for the weekend game. So he goes through a learning curve now. But his talent, his potential and his capabilities, he’s very important for the senior team already.
“He’s in the right spot because he needs to grow. He will grow eventually. Even if he’s not playing right now, he will grow. It’s absolutely the right thing for him to do. It will take time.”
Goal USA is also reporting that Tottenham is working closely with Yedlin to strengthen his tactical awareness, positioning and reading of the game. While those aspects have always been a weakness of Yedlin’s game, Klinsmann is looking forward to seeing the former Seattle Sounders star learn more and more while with Tottenham.
“These years are learning years. There are up and downs. There are difficulties,” Klinsmann said. “It will take time.”
I don’t know about this Pinocchio guy but Sigi is an expert at developing young talent. He should stay in the MLS until he hits his prime at 28 or 29 and then maybe he can try to play in Europe. He still has a lot of room left for improvement on his positioning skills…I’d say he should wait until his Awareness is at least 82 before he tries to go to the EPL.
Pinocchio?
Next you are going to tell me that Yedlin has untapped potential.
Jurgen — the sportswriter’s best friend on a slow day. Of course, anyone would hope that a young player would get better under what is supposed to be top notch training methods, but… so many promising players don’t pan out regardless of where they train…so many folks believe, (and rightly I believe) that you learn a lot more playing in games that matter rather than in practice or reserve matches… and if the USA is going to progress by some standard in this WC cycle surely we need to be thinking in terms of players who are actually playing for their clubs and are not just potential waiting to be developed (and didn’t the great Jurgen say much the same thing not so long ago). Like I said, Jurgen is always good for a quote even if they don’t really make much sense.
WHO WINS YELDEN OR ALTIDORE
Wow,JK sounds like many posters on soccer blogs.
I, like a guy above and JK, is just glad he is breathing EuroAir. So much better for soccer development than the American variety.
Have a little respect for people who’ve accomplished a lot lot lot more than you in the game.
Just a question, do you honestly think Clint Dempsey would have been a better player had he not gone to England?
I wish you were a Knicks fan I can could just post a picture of GM Isiah Thomas.
Isiah never managed a team to a third place finish in the World Cup..
Hey Sunil relax,. Go to your room and drool at your Klinsmann poster.
Your posts do provide a lot of humor for the rest of us
I LOVE JK….I LOVE JK and I am on Ives 20 hours a day!
Rocco,
You don’t get it do you? It’s not about JK. Just like it wasn’t about BB.
It’s about trying to help flawed posts like mouf’s.
Isiah accomplished bupkus as a manager/ coach/ whatever he was.
JK led a team to third place in the World Cup. Now you can down grade that achievement all you want but it remains true that Arena and BB and most managers have never done anything like that.
So in the context of trying to diss JK, mouf’s post is pretty limp and might make some neutral third party think less of our friend.
I’m merely posting constructive criticism so that mouf will have a more considered and elegant criticism next time. Shouldn’t we all just try to help each other?
Oh God, “shouldn’t we all just try to help each other?”
Make up your mind who you want to be dude.
One post you’re this sharp tounged expert, the next post you want everyone to join hands and sing Kumbaya….or worship a statue of Buddha
The bottom line is you love your boy “Klinsi” and the majority of posters realize he is a fraud who has no plan for the future of US Soccer.
Say what you want about BB and BA (and a lot of other American coaches) those guys bled for the game in this country.
JK is just bleeding it to the tune of $2.5 million a year and we still don’t have a plan
Rocco,
When I write “Arena and BB and most managers have never done anything like that” it is interesting that you take that as a put down of American managers.
The fact is there are precious few managers anywhere, of any nationality, who have ever led a team to a third place finish in the World Cup.
Why take that as a diss on Americans? That suggest you have an inherently defensive stance about the accomplishments of our national team and its players and staff. The USMNT inferiority complex raises its head yet again.
Those of you who criticize JK for asking his players to strive to be the best amaze me, especially in the context of American sports.
You have no appreciation for the fact that competing against the toughest competition you can find makes you better even if you fail. Nor do you appreciate that these things take a little time. With Russia a few years away, the USMNT has just a little of that at the moment.
Or do you expect JK to field a squad capable of winning the World Cup next week and in every single game? If so why?
In any case. why do you think all those basketball and baseball players come to the NBA and MLB? It’s because they want to prove themselves against the best. The money helps but a lot of those guys make a lot of money in their home countries.
You actually want JK to ask his players to settle for comfortable mediocrity instead of trying to get better?. All managers eventually have to settle for what they have but no sane manager would ever publicly ask his players to not try to be their best.
I did not see Arena turn up his nose at Reyna and JOB, the inspiration for his midfield, who were Euro guys. Nor did I see BB trying to get Mikey, Dolo, Clint, Boca and Gooch to come back to MLS.
Where is the evidence that if a guy like Yedlin stays in MLS he will get to be anywhere near the best that he could be? And how do you expect the USMNT to get to the next level if guy a like him doesn’t try to do it themselves?
Why do you expect a team of individuals with “play it safe” and “strive for mediocrity attitudes” to excel?
Put this another way.
Is Yedlin the best USMNT eligible right back/wing back in MLS? If not who is? Would you be willing to confine the USMNT to using only MLS right back/wingbacks in the next World Cup?
I want the best USMNT team possible for 2018.
You ,Rocco, can decide who you want to be.
Are you a USMNT fan as long as the players have the correct amount of MLS snob approved pedigree and are SBI approved culturally correct?
Or are you a fan who just wants the best USMNT possible ?
By the way, what is your plan for the future of the USMNT?
Rocco,
By the way why are you so opposed to opening up to mouf and trying to help him out with his posts?
Did he steal your lunch money? The world is such a cold place you’d think you would be happy to do your little bit to help brighten it up.
GW – This quote from you is similar to what JK said about MLS, and it’s what I take exception to: “You actually want JK to ask his players to settle for comfortable mediocrity instead of trying to get better?”
Playing in MLS is not “settling for mediocrity.” I am not saying that the players in MLS are the best in the world like they are in the EPL, but that does not mean they are “settling.”
You do not have to play against the best players in the world to push yourself to a higher level. That is a total myth. You get there by pushing yourself and being in an environment where you can learn new things.
I don’t blame Bradley and Dempsey for believing that the best way to reach that next level would be to come to a league where they could place higher expectations on themselves. Would it really have been better for them to go to a team that would have been playing mid-table football, than to come to MLS where they would be the leader of a team pushing for a championship.
Jozy, too, was in a crappy situation, and the move to MLS could prove to be best for his career even though he is not playing against the best in the world — that is not what development is ALL about. Other things being equal, sure, but all things are never equal.
Klinsmann seems to have changed his tune in this recent interview. I am glad that he is taking this stance, and I hope he respects MLS. That is the future of soccer in the US. Not his coaching, and not dual nationals.
Now is a great time in his development for Yedlin to go to Europe. He needs that type of atmosphere given his potential and experience. Many players are better off playing in MLS. It all depends on the player and his options, which is what Klinsmann seems to be saying now. The tune that you and he were singing about having to play against the best no matter what is a load of bs.
Rocco:
The German FA offered Klinsmann an extension in 2006 and he turned it down because he wanted to manage the US. Gulati picked Coach Bob instead, so Klinsmann went to Bayern Munich. Klinsmann took a break from soccer and later turned down an offer with Tottenham because his dream was to coach the US. He would have been paid more at any of those places.
Please find me one other coach in the world that would do this.
don Lamb
:
“GW – This quote from you is similar to what JK said about MLS, and it’s what I take exception to: “You actually want JK to ask his players to settle for comfortable mediocrity instead of trying to get better?”
Playing in MLS is not “settling for mediocrity.” I am not saying that the players in MLS are the best in the world like they are in the EPL, but that does not mean they are “settling.”
That quote refers to the Yedlin. He has a lot to learn yet. It is always a case by case basis. Guys like Jozy, Clint and Mikey would not have had as much to gain by playing at that higher level of competition as DeAndre.
“You do not have to play against the best players in the world to push yourself to a higher level. That is a total myth. You get there by pushing yourself and being in an environment where you can learn new things.”
I find it interesting that you really believe that. Proof? Examples other than LD ,who was a savant?
“I don’t blame Bradley and Dempsey for believing that the best way to reach that next level would be to come to a league where they could place higher expectations on themselves. Would it really have been better for them to go to a team that would have been playing mid-table football, than to come to MLS where they would be the leader of a team pushing for a championship.
Jozy, too, was in a crappy situation, and the move to MLS could prove to be best for his career even though he is not playing against the best in the world — that is not what development is ALL about. Other things being equal, sure, but all things are never equal.”
Your account of the three amigos is a little fanciful.
All three were facing reduced playing time. In Mikey and Clint’s case their moves were influenced by the need for regular playing time with the upcoming World Cup looming. And it is naïve to assume that money had no effect. While both probably had opportunities to stay in Europe it is unlikely that they were being offered the kind of life altering crazy money MLS was waving at them. This is likely to be Clint’s last contract while Mikey is young enough so that if he wants to go back to Europe for whatever reason he probably could. After all , staying in Europe appears to have been Mikey’s original first choice
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_spot/2014/06/04/michael_bradley_wanted_to_play_for_arsenal_why_didn_t_arsene_wenger_give.html
At least that is what his Dad seems to be saying.
Both were veteran enough players and the time before Brazil was so short that moving back to MLS was never likely to make a significant difference to their level of play in Brazil. It certainly beat sitting.
Jozy’s return to MLS was not entirely in his control. He had a couple of years left on his contract which meant Sunderland had more than a little say in where he went. The TFC offer with the addition of Defoe seemed to me like a tremendous return for a Sunderland that was trying merely to offload a bad deal in Jozy.
“Klinsmann seems to have changed his tune in this recent interview. I am glad that he is taking this stance, and I hope he respects MLS. That is the future of soccer in the US. Not his coaching, and not dual nationals.
Now is a great time in his development for Yedlin to go to Europe. He needs that type of atmosphere given his potential and experience. Many players are better off playing in MLS. It all depends on the player and his options, which is what Klinsmann seems to be saying now. The tune that you and he were singing about having to play against the best no matter what is a load of bs”
You are putting words in people’s mouths. Most sensible people have always maintained that every player is different on a case by case basis. .
As an MLS snob you seem to think that MLS interests and USMNT interests are the same thing.. They are not.
There was a time when the performance of the USMNT at the World Cup was a major boost and of vital interest to the game here in terms of free PR.
But MLS may have outgrown that need and if they haven’t they soon will. Eventually MLS will regard the USMNT as a nuisance the same way the NHL and the NBA view the Olympics.
MLS aims to replace the EPL as arguably the best league in the world as soon as possible.
Ultimately that probably means more foreign players. Better and younger ones which means much more competition for the American player. You can of course push for restrictions but I notice that doesn’t seem to have helped the England team.
England is home to arguably the best league in the world, which is dominated by foreign players.So as a USMNT fan I see it as important that it maintains as strong a player pool as possible in Europe, Mexico and in North America.
After all MLS doesn’t just want to replace the EPL in fans’ hearts and mind , they also want to replace the USMNT.
John,
Your account of JK’s choices is interesting. What I have read elsewhere is that Sunil wanted JK to replace the Bruce but the USSF did not want to grant him the sweeping kind of control he eventually got years later.
Hence the settlement on BB.
And the second time around after the 2010 campaign Gulati indicated a USSF dissatisfaction with BB and a preference for JK but they were allegedly still not willing to give him the control he wanted. This led to BB being extended until the Gold Cup loss.
I got the impression JK wasn’t interested in leaving SoCal and that was the reason he turned down offers elsewhere.
Where did you read that he ever said coaching the USMNT was his dream?
GW – I am not an MLS snob. I watch Euro and MLS soccer. The reality is that the future of the US game will rely on developing players here. That means in MLS academies.
You ask for proof of players who have furthered their game in MLS and then quickly discount Donovan. How convenient of you. How about guys like Zusi and Besler or dozens of others who have developed to high levels in MLS. You cannot point to more US players who have developed in Europe than those who have developed in MLS. Even players like Dempsey needed to spend time in MLS before making the move to Europe. And you will be hard pressed to name many others who have developed like him.
Meanwhile, I could name player after player who went to Europe and amounted to nothing. From guys like Cooper to lesser knowns who completely fell off the map, it’s clear that Europe is not necessarily a great place for every soccer player.
What you say about the ambition of MLS decades from now is cool and all, but the fact that the USSF and MLS are closely linked currently is very real. They need each other, and mostly the USSF needs MLS to develop players capable of performing for the national team.
MLS is still in its growth phase right now. Soon, it will be counted on to produce players, and fortunately for everyone involved, that will mean that kids will not have to go thousands of miles from home and be in a foreign culture to develop.
don Lamb
“GW – I am not an MLS snob. I watch Euro and MLS soccer”.
Of course you are an MLS snob. You claim Deuce as an MLS product when he played his best soccer in over 3 times as many games in the EPL as he did for the Revs before he came back. You make the same claim for Mikey who played over 7 times as many games for various leagues over in Europe as he did for the Metro Stars before he came back. You are, as best as I can tell, the originator of the idea that an American player need not bother to move from MLS to become the best player he can possibly be. Only an MLS snob would do all those things. Be proud of who and what you are and take ownership of your ideas.
“The reality is that the future of the US game will rely on developing players here. That means in MLS academies.”
How far in the future? Is that a guarantee? Track record? Landon did not develop in an MLS academy. Besler, Zusi and Gonzo did not develop in MLS academies. How many USMNT regulars came through MLS academies? Most of all people like Clint Dempsey’s parents were probably too poor to put him in one.
“You ask for proof of players who have furthered their game in MLS and then quickly discount Donovan. How convenient of you. How about guys like Zusi and Besler or dozens of others who have developed to high levels in MLS. You cannot point to more US players who have developed in Europe than those who have developed in MLS. Even players like Dempsey needed to spend time in MLS before making the move to Europe. And you will be hard pressed to name many others who have developed like him.”
Permit me to clarify that.
Donovan is a savant i.e. a natural born soccer genius. The US was lucky he was born in Ontario, California not Ontario, Canada. I’ve been in both places and, no offense, I’d rather be from Ontario, Canada but we digress. So it isn’t exactly kosher to include him in any development arguments because he was not exactly a repeatable phenomenon. In other words, I don’t see any other Donovans or anyone close, coming out of the system that “produced” him.
Landon was born here, grew up here, developed here, and played his entire career in MLS. He did not spend significant time in a foreign league like Dempsey and Mikey did. He was an MLS lifer.
I did not ask you “for proof of players who have furthered their game in MLS”. That is your misinterpretation of what I wrote.
I did ask you to name me another MLS lifer and USMNT player who reached the same heights as the Ontario Wizard did or even got close. LD was a USMNT star, a regular for 10, 11 years. I see no other MLS lifers with a resume near that neighborhood.
Zusi and Besler? I love both but to say they are anywhere near LD is blasphemy.
Z and B have been with the senior team basically since the January camp of 2013 , two years ago, after which they were elevated to starter status by the very JK who you seem to feel does not rate MLS players. Maybe they retain starter status until Russia, maybe not. Both are already 28. Most on SBI think Zusi is garbage and Besler is already facing serious competition for his place. I’m not betting they retain their starter status but regardless there is no comparison between their USMNT careers and LD’s.
Like I said name me a current MLS lifer, an outfield player, not a goalkeeper, who is a 10 year or even an 8 year USMNT starter?
If you expect the USMNT to continue to flourish, you are going to need players that can approximate what LD brought to the table. Graham Zusi, who I love and has done a good job, ain’t that guy. Maybe Nguyen, another non MLS academy product, can be nearly as offensively productive but he is, first of all unproven and second of all already 28.
“Meanwhile, I could name player after player who went to Europe and amounted to nothing. From guys like Cooper to lesser knowns who completely fell off the map, it’s clear that Europe is not necessarily a great place for every soccer player.”
I might be able name even more American players who went to MLS and amounted to nothing. The only problem is you and I probably never heard of them. However, it’s clear that MLS is not necessarily a great place for every soccer player.
“What you say about the ambition of MLS decades from now is cool and all, but the fact that the USSF and MLS are closely linked currently is very real. They need each other, and mostly the USSF needs MLS to develop players capable of performing for the national team.MLS is still in its growth phase right now. Soon, it will be counted on to produce players, and fortunately for everyone involved, that will mean that kids will not have to go thousands of miles from home and be in a foreign culture to develop.”
A lot of kids like traveling far from home. It is a good way to grow up fast.
The MLS issues I cited are here now not decades away.
So you think billionaire investors are willing to wait decades? You’re kidding right?
Sebastian Giovinco is 28 years old, a #10 type, and is the highest paid player in the league. In fact he is said to be the highest paid Italian player in any league, anywhere.
If he and TFC do well, and early signs are encouraging and he manages to still be in the mix for Italy in the 2016 Euros, then MLS becomes a much more attractive destination for younger potential DPs than has been the case in the past.
What happens to the Zusi’s of the world when younger, better foreign DP’s than has previously been the case start flooding MLS? Things will get very interesting.
There are 20, soon to be 24 MLS teams. How many American #10’s are there? How many American strikers are there?
Do you know who the top five active American MLS goalscorers are?
Buddle, Wondo, Cooper, EJ and Conor Casey. Let’s say Herc, Boyd, AJ, Wood, Wooten and Rubin come here and Zardes stays That still leaves 8 soon to be 12 spots.
Billionaire investors aren’t going to wait around for the Under-20’s to develop, if they ever do. They are going to bring in foreign players, probably very good ones. Maybe better than Conor Casey.
A better MLS can be good for the USMNT but there is strong potential for a downside especially if, as you are hopeing happens, American kids stop going abroad to develop.
Look at England.
The Netherlands can field a strong side just composed of Eredivisie players but most of their best play abroad in just about everv league worth mentioning.
Compare them to England where the English mostly stay home and wind up with a limited talent pool who barely get a sniff in their own EPL.
Right now in Europe a very strong argument can be made that national teams there are very much second class citizens when it comes to shared issues with the big clubs. If you think the England national team, for example, is the big dog in the English soccer world you are very much mistaken.
The USSF would be fools to rely on MLS as their sole source for USMNT players. It’s a basic business principle that, if you have a choice, you never want to be overly reliant on one source for such an important product as players. The Netherlands, as I previously stated, have players all over the world and they are always contenders to win any competition they enter.
Of course MLS and the USMNT are partners now but eventually MLS will supplant the USMNT as the big dog just like the clubs are in Europe.
And I’m not hopeful that that will necessarily be a good thing for the USMNT.
Did Bradley and Dempsey not get their start in MLS? How is Bradley, who signed with the league as a 16 year old not a product of the league? I am the one who is saying that the move to Tottenham is a great one for Yedlin.
You might want to educate yourself on MLS academies before you start pointing to players who are not products of MLS academies. They are just getting started — of course guys like Donovan and Bradley did not develop there because they were not around yet. The point is that they are the future of player development here. If you can’t see why that is true, then I can’t help you. The fact that you ask how many USMNT regulars came through MLS academies is pure ignorance on your part. They should start producing that type of player in the next 5-10 years.
Your argument about Donovan is a straw man. Of course there aren’t players in MLS with his resume. There isn’t a player in the history of US soccer with his resume. Nevertheless, he did develop in a US academy setup at Bradenton.
I was not comparing Zusi and Besler to him, but giving you the proof you asked for to show that players can develop to the highest levels in MLS. Zardes, Hamid, and many others could easily surpass the accomplishments of those two, who are college products. My point there is that even for guys that went to college, MLS has still allowed them develop to the point of being a viable international player. And the products that truly come from the academies in the next few years will surpass these guys by a long ways.
Your downplaying on the lack of importance of MLS academies in the development of the national team is ridiculous. How many young American kids do you want to go to Europe to develop? Do you think that European clubs are all scouting for US talent — only a handful are. Talk about putting all eggs in one basket. And “some kids like going far from home.” Ridiculous for a 16 year old to have to go thousands of miles from home to play soccer. Ridiculous. MLS academies and the development of the youth ranks HERE are absolutely the most important factors for developing players for our national team. Some will develop in Europe, sure. That is great, but we cannot count on every single one of the handful of kids who goes to a European academy to pan out. There are not enough of them and it is crazy to expect all of our prospects to go even if they had the means.
You point to Holland as a country that relies on other countries to produce their players. You are wrong. They produce them and then sell them so that they can play professionally and continue developing once their development is well under way.
No self-respecting country in the world relies on other countries to develop their soccer players.
You are calling me out about being a fitness expert. Are you a coach? Do you work with youth players? Have you written development curricula? Have you played at a high level? Have you seen European academies? Have you seen MLS academies? Do you study athletic development? You sure do talk like the answer to all of these questions is “yes,” but the content of your posts makes it obviously “no.”
Right on, now we’re talkin’ Jurgen…………… I see you on being patient regarding Yedlin and am going all in…. I raise you a being patient with Green+Zelalem.
JK’s Euro bias come thru loud and clear again. Its better for Yedlin to have to fight to make a bench than it is to play 90 minutes a week. Time will tell how this move works out. Meanwhile we drop lower in FIFA ratings under JKs guidance.. So Yedlin also got hurt in camp cupcake too. Lee N. and J. Jones have yet to play a game for the Revs and now Yedlin had a knock too. JKs camps arent worth it
Didn’t you hear? Fitness is everything.
Didn’t YOU hear? FIFA rankings are everything.
I guess players only get hurt if they play for JK.
I don’t think anyone has suggested that, but it does seem like they might get inferred more often under his guidance than they do under other coaches.
Proof?
Bradley lost Gooch, Demerit, Dolo Davies, Edu, Ching, etc. during important parts of his tenure.
Demerit, Gooch and Davies getting hurt when they did severely compromised the 2010 WC.
Edu failed to beat off the challenge of Mikey because of his blown knee.
Spector could never stay healthy long enough to become a regular for BB.
Dolo getting hurt contributed greatly to the 2011 Gold Cup Final Mexican Massacre humiliation and ultimately to BB getting fired.
I have no numbers but BB certainly suffered as much as any USMNT manager ever because of player injuries.
It’s not proof, but I guess some of the evidence would include all of the muscle pulls and strains in Brazil.
Which are fatigue-type injuries. They are not freak accidents or blown knees.
So you have no proof but you still want to blame JK for the injuries?
I’m not a sports medicine expert or doctor but I know this. World Cup tournaments are brutal because the games are intense, there is little recovery time and for most players, they come just after the end of a long season.
So what the US went through doesn’t strike me as particularly unusual.
Not sure why you find it incomprehensible that JK could actually be overtraining his players. His own quotes and those of his former players suggest that it COULD be a problem.
I don’t know of any other team in Brazil who suffered the type of muscle injuries that the US did.
The injuries suffered were fatigue injuries. Klinsmann is known to push his players to the edge to get their fitness at peak level. I don’t think it is too far fetched to question whether his obsession with conditioning could have led to these injuries.
You seem to get awfully defensive when people question JK.
don lamb,
defensive? Nah, I just like to see people back up their points with something, anything, that actually makes any sense.or has any grounding in reality.
Well then, how do you explain your anointment of Julian Green as the best striker in the US system within a year assertion? That did not seem to be based in reality AT ALL. These injury concerns and Klinsmann’s preference to coach fitness rather than tactics is very real, however.
don lamb,
I don’t think it has been a year yet has it?
Of course it was based on reality.
I saw him play and felt that the US had no other strikers, at least any I had seen, with his skill and ability. And he backed that up in the World Cup with an important goal, the kind of goal I haven’t seen from a US striker not named Deuce. Green is in a slump now but he’ll be back.
After all his current troubles sound a lot like the ones John Anthony Brooks had early on and now look at JAB.
I don’t find the USMNT injury situation in Brazil particularly unusual. But that is a probably because I think that while the US was unlucky to lose to Belgium, they very probably were not going to beat Argentina in the next round. So all things, including the injuries, considered I feel they got as far as they deserved to go and probably farther.
You on the other hand seem to be setting yourself up as if you were a doctor or a fitness expert. Did you stay at a Holiday Inn last night? If not then please explain to us why this injury issue is not normal.
The US was “unlucky” to lose to Belgium??
It does not take an fitness expert to ask the questions I have.
And your obsession with Green, after seeing basically nothing from him (are you seriously putting that much on one goal?) reeks of the “not grounded in reality” argument you dismiss.
Meanwhile, the fact that you think the US had “no other strikers” again, leads me to believe that you are not much for reality, as Altidore is just hitting his prime years and could be on pace to be the leading scorer in US history. You don’t have to love his game, but to put a 17 year old kid over him is lunacy.
don lamb,
Belgium dominated the game. They dominated possession. They were the better team and deserved to win..
But guess what?
The reality is the score was still 0-0 with almost no time left when Wondo blew his shot. He makes that and the US almost certainly wins.
The US defended well and Howard stood on his head. So the US was not in that position just because of dumb luck. They were in that position because they fought hard and held firm. They deserved their shot at an unfair upset.
The Belgian keeper came out and made himself big and ball was dropping over Wondo’s shoulder so it wasn’t the “sitter” everyone thinks it was. It wasn’t an easy chance. But I’ve seen Wondo score that sort of goal before and would expect him to score in that situation 9 times out of 10.
And that same statement more or less applies to Clint’s late miss in extra time except scoring there would only have taken the game to penalties.
Still, anything can happen in a shootout.
So yes, absolutely, Belgium were lucky to avoid an unjust and unfair loss. The US would not have deserved the win. But they would have taken it and so would I and I suspect most Americans.
Jozy and Green don’t play the same role. If they did JK would have replaced Jozy with Green when Jozy went down but he did not.
At this point a guy like Green is there to score or at least provide the threat. Jozy is more versatile and is important to the US not just for his goals, though they are obviously great, but because of all the other things he does for the team.
I don’t see them as competing with each other. They should play together
I don’t mind differing opinions, but I don’t like opinions that are not based in reality. While it can be debated whether it’s better to play in MLS than sit in Europe, there can be no doubt that MLS is nowhere near the top 5 European leagues in quality. JK is correct in emphasizing the importance of playing in Europe. I compare it to pro basketball. There are players who play basketball in Europe who are pretty good and some make it into the NBA, but the NBA is obviously the best BB league in the world that every basketball players aspires to play in. There reverse is true in soccer. You can’t say you’re a really good soccer player unless you can play in a top European league. What you call European bias is what I call reality.
For a player like Yedlin, playing in Europe is important to reach another level. He is young and a very promising prospect who has played at a high level in MLS. He does not have much to lose and a lot to gain from making the jump.
Players like Bradley, Dempsey, and even Jozy have been there and done that. They did not stand to gain much more by chasing the Euro dream.
Youth players who have not established themselves as professionals could go either way. A move to Europe could be what they need, or it could ruin their career.
It’s too bad the entire interview wasn’t posted here.
JK addressed a number of topics, Yedlin was only one.
He was asked about this MLS/Euro issue again, and he had nothing but good things to say.
He was very clear that his goal with each player is for them to go to a league and/or team where they can push themselves to another level, grow and challenge themselves and force themselves into playing time, and that’s a different situation for every player.
I still fail to understand the argument that this is a bad thing.
If you had a kid who played hoops and was good enough to play at Kentucky or Duke, would you want him to go to South Idaho A&M Technical Institute of Social and Behavioral Studies Regional Community College????
It seems the same people constantly complaining about this issue over and over again are the same ones who complain about how poor the “Americans Abroad” article is depressing each week
Bac,
“South Idaho A&M”
The only land grant institution in Idaho is the University of Idaho. Maybe you meant Sam Houston Institute of Technology?
Do they have an AA in social and behavioral studies also???
Sweet
What you are missing is that everyone involved in soccer understands the need to place players in the best possible training environment, for them and that Arena, Bradley and even the much missed Bora knew this and would say exactly what Jurgen has said. What I find annoying is that Jurgen recounts the obvious as if he were revealing some fundamental truth that the rest of us are missing and that some listeners actually take him seriously.
Finding the best developmental environment is very difficult. The world is full of once promising players who signed with the wrong club or the wrong manager. Yedlin might benefit from training at Tottenham or he might become just another warm body that Tottenham discards in a few years. For my money, no player should sign for a club where there is not a very good chance that he will play regularly.
I’m not missing anything. If Bora, BA, or BB says the same thing it’s ok, but the way you interpret the answer from JK annoys you.
Since members of the press continue to ask him the same questions about this over and over again, how exactly should he respond??
What’s missing is almost every article generates click bait by picking out a specific issue… preferably one highlighting perceived controversial comments, yet almost nobody actually either reads the transcript of the entire interview or if available, watches it on video. In this case, he sounded very optimistic, supportive, and upbeat
So how should he answer these questions that keep recycling themselves in a way that doesn’t annoy you or anyone else??
Of course reporters are annoying, but they are not responsible for Jurgen’s verbal diarrhea and overall pomposity. Sadly I have watched Jurgen respond to simple questions with long lectures about what is wrong with American soccer, blah, blah blah.
My point is, however, that Bob, Bruce and Bora may all think the same things but they don’t say them in public.
So would you prefer Marshawn Lynch? Bill Bellichek?
1. Bora, Samson, & Arena did not have the social media onslaught, & BB barely did. And how do we know how they would have answered? Different players, different cycles, different issues- how can anyone make such an assumption?
2. Maybe you’re one of the 1% of people who actually read/watch an entire interview, as opposed to the 99% who don’t-but only hear what they want to hear.
3. Example: When the JK vs. MLS story blew up, who actually watched the entire press conference? Did he say 1 word that he hadn’t said dozens of times before? NO. Was he demonstrative or negative in any way? NO. Did he get the same recycled questions over and over? YES. What was different? It was post Brazil, nothing else major was happening, and he’d already cut LD.
So it blew up and took on a life of its own.
3. These interviews/issues have become Lather-Rinse-Repeat. Question-Answer-Nuclear Meltdown….
So I haven’t missed anything, and once again-how specifically should he answer questions….
Is rising in the Fifa rankings really the goal?
+10 Particularly in light of the actual calculation used in the FIFA rankings (which is not as indecipherably difficult as some people seem to believe). Basically, if you spend 5 mins studying the calculation, you realize that there is almost no way the US (or any top-40 CONCACAF team) can avoid losing ground during this part of the 4-year cycle. .
Good news is this portion of the calendar barely matters when it comes to WC seeding in Dec 2017 (effectively, the only time FIFA ranking matter at all). They are truly irrelevant right now….
“Tottenham is working closely with Yedlin to strengthen his tactical awareness, positioning and reading of the game.”
Don’t you think it would be better to play IN A GAME to really develop these things? Maybe he would do better in MLS where he would be playing on the field. Although i’ve heard that just breathing EuroAir makes youngsters better players.
It’s hard to play in a game when you are injured.
This is a polite way of saying he doesn’t have a strong mental grasp on playing his position. A team of this level generally doesn’t educate on the job.
That would be true of any player new to Spurs.
The difference with Yedlin is Spurs expected him to need this time to learn and in some ways DeAndre is fortunate to have so much acclimation time.
Spurs knew what they were getting with Yedlin. And they will give him the time they think he will need.
If he takes too much longer though they will probably loan him out and then cut him loose.
“Tottenham is working closely with Yedlin to strengthen his tactical awareness, positioning and reading of the game.” – glad he is going through this now at age 21 instead of never. He is a great player that has some huge gaps in his game and this move should be a great step in his career.
Is this the only photo available of Yedlin on the internet?
Huge photoshop potential though. Heck I’m thinking about throwing a bass guitar on him right now.
A bass guitar? Is he a lefty?
Exactly. Maybe give him an old Hofner bass, a la Paul McCartney…
He’d have it slung low enough to be a lefty Robert Trujillo.
Hahahaha. Good call.
was this article pre-written in August and with a few minor edits published today? if not, it might as well have been
A few minor facts hamper the accuracy of your comment. He didn’t officially join Tottenham until the January transfer window and then immediately went to the USMNT January camp and played in the friendlies and didn’t return to Tottenham until after that and he was injured. So, basically, nothing was the same as last August when he was still playing for Seattle. Very few players come over in the January transfer window to the EPLl and make an immediate impact. Dempsey certainly didn’t and Fulham was a much lesser team than Tottenham.
MCLs are also no fun because for a few weeks you lack range of motion in the knee.
However, this was always going to be a tough transfer to make good so the excuses are nice and all but he either gets it together or not.