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DrunkOffPunch

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Everything posted by DrunkOffPunch

  1. Since 2008 Clemson has played one of Alabama, TCU, Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M in their non con every year. That’s on top of playing South Carolina yearly. They’re definitely not afraid of scheduling big name schools.
  2. Hey now Jurgens threw a couple deep balls.
  3. SDSU 2019 B1G West champs.
  4. Just a couple updates on the USMNT player pool. Chris Gloster and Alex Mendez transferred to PSV who is in the Europa League. Lots of hype around Gio Reyna. Very possible he sees first team minutes by the end of the year. Sergino Dest made his first Champions League start for Ajax the other day as they advanced to the group stage. Seems he’ll be getting a lot of PT this season which is great for an 18 year old. Champions League group stage draws were announced and Chelsea (Pulisic), Lille (Weah), and Ajax (Dest) are all in the same group so that should be fun to watch. USMNT has friendlies against Mexico 9/6 and Uruguay 9/10. Edit- Mendez transferred to Ajax. 18 year old Richard Ledezma who plays CM transferred to PSV.
  5. I feel like the coaches probably know enough about the situation already to make a calculated decision. I would imagine most Husker fans would react the same in that situation as most non Husker fans did in the current situation. See a player is convicted of CP and say he should be kicked off the team. Reading headlines doesn’t give you the whole story though.
  6. When you say league you’re referring to the USSF not the NWSL right? I can’t speak on coaches and have stated I believe they deserve better transportation and better practice pitches, but as far as per diems and sponsor appearances why didn’t they negotiate for that in the 2017 CBA? FWIW it used to be equal in 2015 until the men renegotiated. I had assumed the women had dropped that beings the USWNTPA bargained for likeness rights for sponsorships that don’t compete with USSF sponsors. Essentially meaning the women could market themselves. Also don’t think I would say that. In a similar time frame the men’s side has been playing above their comparable talent level most years. 2017 just makes people forget 2002, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2016 ever happened.
  7. No but the USSF gets compensated for hosting the tournament. IDK what percent they get but Chile got 6.5m for winning and I know the prize pool was about 21.5m which was bigger than the 2015 WWC. I doubt the revenue counts TV $. The Copa America is the 4th biggest soccer tournament in the world and without knowing their 2019 numbers the 2016 edition was the most watched version worldwide. The problem with saying ‘most watched in the US’ is that it doesn’t mean a whole lot when other countries don’t tune in. Around the world the numbers are way behind the men. Also the USSF doesn’t own the TV rights to Olympic or WC games. So from that standpoint the USSF would be making more money off the men because the women only play friendlies outside of the WC/Olympics and their qualifying games. You have to base the players payment on 4 year projections. If the women were to have lost to Spain in the round of 16 it would’ve massively cut into their profit. Same with the MNT not making the WC. You need a bit of overhead in a worst case scenario. The salaries the women get really make things a lot more complicated. If it was pay-to-play like the men it would be much easier to solve. Bit of a side note but I hate the salaries. It keeps fringe WNT from getting caps and hurts our development. We had by far the deepest player pool a WWC has ever seen so it didn’t hurt us this year but with half of our team on the wrong side of 30 and Europe becoming more heavily invested in the women’s side our advantage is shrinking and by 2027 may be non existent.
  8. I’m going to assume so but IDK. TBH the numbers between the 3 years don’t really make sense. In that time frame the MNT played in two tournaments, the 2016 Copa America and the 2017 GC. Between the two they took home 3.5m in prize money while the women only played in the olympics and the women’s CONCACAF championship. They got knocked out of the quarters in the Olympics and IDK if the Olympics even has a prize pool or how big it would be. The women’s CONCACAF championship gets way worse attendance that their friendlies which is weird since it’s used as WCQ but IDK if that tournament has a prize pool either. Just looking at games played and attendance you would figure the women would’ve out generated the men in 2018 but not 2016/2017.
  9. Those numbers don't count USSF's revenue for hosting the 2016 Copa America.
  10. Yes he does. Equal pay for the women would be compared to whom?
  11. Suspending money for a WC because of a pay dispute I’m sure he knows nothing about. Listen I have no problem with the women using their success as leverage for more money but throwing mud on the MNT whether intentional or not is wrong. IDK how you would even decide what is equal when the women get salary plus benefits while the men are pay-to-play with no benefits. If you gave the women the exact same deal the men get I’d bet they would decline it because then the USSF wouldn’t pay their NWSL salary as well so they’d have to move to Europe where they get upwards of 10x their NWSL contracts so they get steady pay. The NWSL would then probably dissolve when the USWNT players leave as only 2 of the 9 operate in the black as is.
  12. Now time for a very optimistic 2022 WC squad that would also work as a 2020 Olympic squad due to age restrictions. Berhalter prefers a 4-3-3 I believe but IMO a 4-1-4-1 would take better advantage of our best available players. Sargent Weah-McKennie-Pomykal-Pulisic Adams Pierie*---Books---Miazga---Yedlin Steffen/Horvath If I'm Berhalter I'm putting everything into trying to get Kik Pierie. We're so thin at that position and you could offer Pierie multiple starts in the WC and possible Olympic games. IDK the Netherlands depth there but you'd have to imagine we'd give a way easier path to minutes although probably on a worse side that doesn't play in European competitions as well as the fact hes been with the Dutch unders teams and would rather stay there. If he says no slot in Antonee Robinson or a RB. Put in either Cannon or Dest at RB and/or Richards/CCV at one of the CB slots and that's your potential Olympic squad that works within the age restrictions. TBH that would be a very good Olympic squad.
  13. Forwards: Starters ? Backups 1. Jozy Altidore 29 Toronto FC 2. Josh Sargent 19 Werder Bremen 3. Sebastian Soto 18 Hannover 96 4. Andrija Novakovich 22 Reading 5. Haji Wright 21 Schalke Thoughts Altidore right now is still our best forward. He can physically CBs and hold the ball but his finishing leaves much to be desired. He also has some problems with injuries. Sargent should've been on the GC roster. Young but was able to get some valuable experience last year with 10 Bundesliga matches including 1 start and 2 goals. Look for him to to be a regular on the first team whether off the bench or starting. Soto was great in the u20s especially since Sargent declined them to try and make the GC roster. Hannover got relegated last season so hopefully this means Soto will be able to get some 1st team minutes. Novakovich has been on Reading's senior team since 2015 but been loaned out each year. He's played well on his loan spells so hopefully he's proven to Reading he's ready for a more stable future. Boy when watched Haji Wright playing in the u-17s I really thought he was going to be a star. Then again I was more focused on the goals scored and when you have guys like Pulisic, McKennie, and Adams feeding you the ball you tend to look really good. Either way he was able to crack Schalke's first team last year with 7 Bundesliga appearances and 1 goal. Hopefully he's able to get more first team minutes or is loaned out to a smaller squad in the top flight of European football. Needs to be getting first team minutes wherever he is for his development. at 6'3 he could dominate crosses in the opponents box.
  14. Wingers: Starters 1. Christian Pulisic 20 Chelsea(CL) Backups 1. Timothy Weah 19 Lille(CL) 2. Tyler Boyd 24 Besiktas(EL) 3. Paul Arriola 24 DC United 4. Duane Holmes 24 Derby County 5. Jonathan Amon 20 FC Nordsjaelland 6. Jonathan Lewis 22 Colorado Rapids 7. Konrad De La Fuente 17 Barcelona(CL) Thoughts Captain America. Wonder boy. Christian Pulisic. Best player in the pool and probably the most technically gifted we've ever had. Doesn't mean he doesn't have his faults; he could do a better job with his final pass at times and finding teammates, but that's really getting picky. Weah recently got transferred to Lille. Played great at the u20s with a lot of technical skill and passing ability. Needs to be more consistent and work on his first touch. Getting 1st team minutes is a must. Boyd recently made a one time switch from the New Zealand NT to the US. Played great in the GC group stage, bad against Curacao, then wasn't seen again so I don't have any info on how he plays against good competition. Holmes made his USMNT debut in the friendlies leading up to the GC. Looked to be a good option as an attacking winger but those friendlies were a a nightmare for us and then got hurt in camp before the GC. Don't know much about Amon other than that he's fast and had a good season with his club. Lewis played poorly in what I saw of him in the friendlies and GC B squad against Panama. Konrad played poorly in the u20s but is only 17 so it's possible the couple years age gap made a big difference. Has been playing with Barca's unders team but hopefully he can get called up to their second squad.
  15. Central Midfield: Starters 1. Weston McKennie 20 Schalke Backups 1. Paxton Pomykal 19 FC Dallas 2. Cristian Roldan 24 Seattle Sounders 3. Djordje Mihailovic 20 Chicago Fire 4. Kellyn Acosta 23 Colorado Rapids 5. Alex Mendez 18 SC Freiburg 6. Cole Bassett 17 Colorado Rapids 7. Giovanni Reyna 16 Borussia Dortmund(CL) Thoughts McKennie again the best player here. He can play a myriad of positions but I like him most as a box-to-box midfielder. Still needs some work though. At times sloppy with the ball and can get caught out of position. Pomykal was one of our best players at the u-20 WC and also is our only true CAM. Starting for FC Dallas but European teams are sniffing around and IMO it would be best for his development if he jumped on the right offer. Needs a way into the starting 11 though as he figures to be a key feature for the MNT going forward. Roldan is ok. Not mad if he makes the squad but he's a good MLS player at best. Mihailovic is a regular player in Chicago. His ceiling is probably that MLS All-Star or EFL Championship starter. Would love to be proven wrong. IMO Acosta squandered his development staying in the MLS over Europe. He has essentially plateaued for the past 2 years and plays on a really bad Colorado side. Mendez played well in the u-20 WC and will more than likely play for Freiburg's 2nd team or be loaned out to a smaller squad. Idk much about Bassett but he needs to jump to Europe if he wants to continue to develop. He'll lose PT and money short term but the long term benefits far outweigh the risk and the MLS isn't going anywhere so he'll always have that available to fall back on. Reyna recently signed with Dortmund. FWIW Pulisic signed with Dortmund when he was 15/16 so hopefully he can be a similarly skilled player.
  16. Defensive Midfield: Starters 1. Tyler Adams 20 RB Leipzig(CL) Backups 1. Alfredo Morales 29 Fortuna Dusseldorf 2. Russell Canouse 24 DC United 3. Jackson Yueill 22 San Jose 4. James Sands 19 NYCFC 5. Chris Durkin 19 DC United Thoughts Adams is far and away the best player here. Question is will Berhalter play him here or as an inverted RB? He would be a fool IMO to think he knows better than a Champions League side. Going to be honest IDK much about Morales/Canouse/Yueill/Sands. Durkin played poorly at the u-20 WC.
  17. Left Backs: Starters ? Backups 1. Kik Pierie 18 Ajax(CL) 2. Antonee Robinson 21 Everton 3. Chris Gloster 18 Hannover 96 Thoughts Incredibly thin at this postion. I could've thrown a couple older guys in but by the time the WC rolls around I don't think any of them will have the quality or the legs to make much of a difference for us. Berhalter played Ream/Lovitz in this spot but both are more CBs or LBs in a 3 man back line (which is essentially what we had at the GC). Not a fan of losing a fullback in the attack so I'd rather stray from us going that route. Maybe play a RB if no true LBs can develop. Kik is a dual national with the Netherlands who has played his YNT games with them. He probably stays with the Netherlands but there is ample minutes to be had in US for an entire career if he wants it. Robinson played really well in last years friendlies where we rolled out essentially a u-24 squad. Haven't seen him play much besides that and he figures to be loaned out again this season. Gloster was another solid player for the u-20 WC. Probably set to play with Hannover's 2nd team or be loaned out.
  18. They probably meant preparation starts now. If our younger guys develop to their full potential then we'll be really young in 2022. No starters 30+ years of age type of young. We need to make sure those guys are getting quality minutes in good leagues otherwise we're SOL. There's a 'lost generation' essentially between the Donovan/Dempsey age group to the Pulisic/McKennie age group.
  19. The GC is every 2 years. Essentially the year after and before the WC. WCQ starts 2 years before the WC. So every 4 years the GC happens during WCQ in the 5th and final round. I think the qualifying was supposed to change in the 2022 WC team expansion but since that fell through I believe it’s the same format as the 2018 WCQ. Heres the wiki page for 2018 WCQ if you want something that explains it better than me. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(CONCACAF)
  20. No. The final round of WCQ is about half done when the GC starts.
  21. It wasn’t one result that got us kicked. That proves my point in how meaningless the GC is though. In 2017 we won the GC and then got promptly bounced in WCQ. The GC is just a series of home games for the US. In WCQ we have to play away games. When you have players declining their national team invite it illustrates what the players think of the tourney. If we were to be invited to the Copa America Berhalter and our best XI would be there instead of the GC. Edit- Also no Confederations Cup for the GC winner further devalues the GC.
  22. That’s a lot to respond to so I’ll take it piece by piece. IIRC Altidore came into camp off an injury. Berhalter barely played him until he started against Jamaica in the semis so he could get through the entire tournament. If wasn’t fit after 3 weeks to play a full 90 then the question becomes why keep him on the squad. The Gold Cup isn’t a big deal like the Euros or Copa America so why not bring in Sargent who is the future #9 especially when he passed up the u-20 WC. Zardes is a pretty sub par international #9 with a bad first touch. If we can’t hold possession and play in their box he disappears. We really weren’t that young. The only guy I’d argue was inexperienced at this level was Reggie Cannon. The problem for us is that if we want to improve our future teams become a lot younger. Personally didn’t have a problem with the reffing. He probably could’ve handed out yellows a bit earlier to try to control the match better but I thought he did an excellent job controlling the match considering how heated it was early on. What exactly did you see from Greg that impressed? The inability to stay composed and break a high press, the lack of play through the midfield, and the only attack coming through the wings or Pulisic cutting through the D has been a consistent concern through this GC. We just finally hit a team that had actual pros that were properly conditioned and not dead legged by the 70’. Also the senior team doesn’t really develop players they aren’t in camp long enough together to make a big impact. That’s what clubs are for. I’m not calling for him to be fired but it was a pretty questionable hire from the beginning and this GC didn’t really sway me. The problem with the Roldan sub was that we weren’t really getting the ball up to the wingers in the first place. Would’ve preferred Boyd as he’s the best attacking winger we had on the bench. The end of the game we had more chances because Mexico became more defensive and compact to try to keep us from scoring. That’s pretty normal in most games. Well CONCACAF Nations League starts this fall but Idk if that’s a tournament worthy of our best XI or not so we’ll have to see. Also WC qualifying starts in 2020 and I would imagine well either have our best XI for that or real close. Either way after failing to make the 2018 WC it is paramount we start building towards that now.
  23. The Gold Cup is a pretty bad tournament. The US and Mexico are the only teams that can compete at an international level but they rarely have their best XI in the tournament. To consider the Gold Cup a success you have to win it if you’re the US/Mexico. No. The reason the women are good and the men are bad is that no other countries were really invested in the women’s game at any level. Jill Ellis the US coach was born in England but didn’t play competitive soccer until she moved to the US as a kid. Youth programs, hs sports, and college sports are what has elevated the women’s program to what it is. As the sport grows on the women’s side the advantages the US has had will shrink. We’ll probably still be really good, just not as dominant as we have been.
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