By FRANCO PANIZO
This surely was not the way Ventura Alvarado envisioned his new season starting.
Club America dropped to 0-2 in the Liga MX Apertura campaign by suffering a 3-1 home loss to Atlas on Saturday, and it was Alvarado who played a major role in determining the outcome at Estadio Azteca.
Alvarado first broke a 1-1 stalemate with an ugly own goal that proved to be decisive a minute into the second half. After a low cross from the right came into the penalty area, the 22-year-old centerback attempted to trap the ball instead of clear it and wound up bundling it into his own net in awkward motion.
He also whiffed badly on a clearance in the 92nd minute to kill any chance of picking up a result. Alvarado allowed a cross to ricochet off of him before falling into the path of Franco Arizala, who clinically put the game to bed with a solid finish.
The start was the first in the new season for Alvarado, who just returned this week from playing for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Alvarado was a regular starter for the Americans in that tournament, but also had several hiccups that led to goals and constant criticism from fans and media.
You can see all of the highlights and lowlights of Atlas’ 3-1 win over Club America below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2jMKuAJp-E]
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What do you think about Alvarado’s rough performance to start the season? Think it will cost him his place in Club America’s lineup? Expecting him to bounce back in a big way?
Share your thoughts below.
the last goal was really bad, but i wouldn’t be too mad at for the first goal, and certainly not for the second:
for the first, yes, he should’ve closed down a little more quickly, but it was a good shot, and it was outside the box, so the keeper gets some of the blame, and the attacker gets more of the credit.
for the second, he was actually making a good play–he kept a cool head and recognized that he had a little time and didn’t have to make a panicked clearance–it was just a freak accident that the ball bounced against his other leg and went in. i think that actually led to his botched clearance on the third goal, which *was* bad.
It is hard to look at Alvarado’s game and NOT think that it was just one of those days.
All three goals were his fault. First goal he didn’t close the attacker down and gave him an open shot at the top of the box. Second and third goals were bad missed clearances.
He should lose his spot on both the club and national team until he can get his head back. This summer was a trial by fire, and he’s still recovering psychologically. His head is preventing him from using his natural abilities.
Orozco didnt do well either, rough week 1 for CB’s abroad
He needs to go overseas maybe Holland or Germany. Just hopefully not MLS we don’t need those WWF grabs and late tackles on the nats
Aaaaaand this is the problem with opting for potential rather than experience. Look, I get what Klinsi sees in Alvarado. He sees a quick, young, silky-smooth defender with a ton of upside. Clearly, Alvarado has the tools to develop into a top-notch centerback. But he’s not there yet. He has a lot of growing to do. And guess what? IT IS NOT THE NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER’S JOB TO DEVELOP PLAYERS. Soccer players spent a VAST majority of their time with their clubs – the onus of development is on the CLUB and on the PLAYER, NEVER on the national team. You develop with your club, play well with your club, and EARN your place on the national team with your quality play – not with your unrealized potential. Club teams play many more games than national teams and can afford to let a young player go out and make mistakes and develop – since when is that ok on the national team? Shouldn’t the national team – especially in a competitive tournament – be made up of the here-and-now best players (to a degree – of course chemistry is important)? Isn’t that why Beckerman was on this team – we simply don’t have someone better right now despite Beckerman’s age? Why should a young guy like Alvarado be getting starts at the expense of other, better experienced players when he’s clearly still developing? For the sake of development? NO! THE NATIONAL TEAM IS NOT THE TIME OR PLACE TO DEVELOP A PLAYER. Following Klinsi’s logic, if we should be so focused on the future at the expense of the present, shouldn’t we just be fielding a U-20 team at all times? That would get young players exposure and experience and help develop them! Heck, why stop there? Let’s only ever play U-17 players for the sake of development. After all, they U-17 players are FULL of potential, and Jurgen LOVES potential! Of course I realize that it’s necessary to experiment on the national team, to bring players up to speed with the international game – but isn’t the point to do that in friendlies and then field your best players to win competitive tournaments?
Rant over. Sorry everyone. Feel free to rip me to shreds in your replies.
Quick addendum:
I have more beef with Klinsmann than Alvarado. The dude has played what, 1500 professional minutes? He DOES have a ton of potential and I would love nothing more than to see him realize and be a huge player for the national team. And the sooner the better! But I want to see him EARN his spot with top-notch club play. And for the record, I think he can do it. He just needs more experience, more seasoning. The kid has the tools.
I believe Klinsmann was asked a number of times and said Brooks and Alvarado is what he believed to be the best center backs, and the choice wasn’t about potential.
I realize he says that, but he HAS to say that. Do you really think he truly believes that, having seen Alvarado’s performances in the Gold Cup and this one for America, and knowing that he has a ludicrously low number of professional minutes? Do you really think a World Cup winner (as a player) and a guy who has coached at the highest levels for more than 10 years now believes that?
Alex,
You are making the argument that JK knows how to evaluate players.
If that is the case then why do you doubt him when he says Alvarado and Brooks are his best two options?
It is not JK’s job to field the eleven best players; it is his job to field the best TEAM he thinks he can.
It is my argument that Jurgen Klinsmann does, in fact, know how to evaluate players, and that he knowingly fields players that he sees “potential” in over currently better players with more experience because he sees it as his mandate to develop these high-potential players. I believe that this is beyond the ability of any national team coach that is lucky to spend a couple of days (on average) a month with his players.
I address the fact that it takes more than the “eleven best players” in my initial post; I agree that it is more important to field a complete “team” than it is to field the eleven best individuals. However, I believe that it is to the detriment of the team to field players with high and unrealized potential over more experienced players in high stakes competitive tournaments.
JK has to build the best 23 man roster he can for 2018.
I think your criticisms are entirely hindsight oriented.
By that I mean had JK started Besler and Gonzo , or Ream and Gonzo or Cameron and Gonzo what makes you think they would have done any better than Brooks and Alvarado?
Every one of those guys has had their share of WTF mistakes in a USMNT shirt.
We just saw Besler fall down in the All Star game and let Kane in alone on Gonzo leading to a goal.
It’s not like the US has a Ferdinand/Vidic combo in their prime available.
As far as I’m concerned right now, no matter who you start at CB it is 6 of one half a dozen of the other so you might as well go with the guys who play the way you want.
Alvarado and Brooks could have been better but they did not lose that game for the US. Jamaica won it for themselves.
By the way, we don’t really know why Beckerman was starting.
Williams and Jones were injured and Cameron was held back by Stoke. It is possible that had they all been healthy and available they would would started ahead of Kyle as defensive midfielders in a must win situation.
But they weren’t available.
He needs to get out of that hellhole and away from those annals as soon as possible.
Ze Alvarado he Playz in Liga Mex zo he muzt automatically be US team starter because ze MLS sucks
—Jurgen Klinsman
Jürgen’s American accent is better than your German accent.
Klinnsman will still start him. …..at forward
*and Greg Garza left the game at halftime with (what appeared at the time) a serious leg injury.