• The KillerFrogs

2023-2024 European Football Thread

Eight

Member
did a quick check of the stats from the ajax win and saw they had 45 shots during the match. granted, only 23 of those 45 were on target, but i am trying to recall when our son was playing long ago if i can recall something like a shot every 2 minutes in a match.

would have to be an indoor match.
 

Purp

Active Member


Dude can't stay healthy to save his life.

This happens to way too many promising American internationals. Whether it's a ton of injury issues from training or games that pile-up or catastrophic off-field events like Charlie Davies; we seem incredibly snake bit on the top end talent.

Maybe it's Don Sommer's fault.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member

Purp

Active Member
Reads to me like a kid who is telling Berhalter he wants an invite. Would be lunacy to lose this kid and have our lack of interest be the reason.
You're probably right and it sounds a little cry babyish to me, but there's two reasons I think Berhalter should capitulate.

1) We're in absolutely NO position to lose a prospect who may develop into an international striker.
2) The friendly in Wales is going to have to be comprised almost solely of U.S. internationals playing in Europe presently. There aren't enough options at the top of the formation in Europe to keep Soto off of this roster.

Ordinarily I'd tell a player whining like this to go shut up and color, but we can't cut our noses off to spite our faces here.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
You're probably right and it sounds a little cry babyish to me, but there's two reasons I think Berhalter should capitulate.

1) We're in absolutely NO position to lose a prospect who may develop into an international striker.
2) The friendly in Wales is going to have to be comprised almost solely of U.S. internationals playing in Europe presently. There aren't enough options at the top of the formation in Europe to keep Soto off of this roster.

Ordinarily I'd tell a player whining like this to go shut up and color, but we can't cut our noses off to spite our faces here.

I mean the one thing missing from us having a chance to be really good for the next decade (outside of a good coach obviously) is a competent striker. I'm losing hope that Sargent is anything beyond just a complimentary piece.
 

Purp

Active Member
Honestly though we've only really lost one or two that turned out to be decent and Rossi ended up having tragic injuries.
Rossi was a huge kick in the nuts at the time, but turned out to not be in the long run. You're right that we don't lose many of these, but we did just recently lose one to Mexico and that one is more relevant in my eyes b/c it happened under the present USSF hierarchy that hasn't had many of these battles to fight yet. They clearly won a huge one with Dest, but the track record isn't long enough for them yet for me to feel comfortable here.
 

Purp

Active Member
I mean the one thing missing from us having a chance to be really good for the next decade (outside of a good coach obviously) is a competent striker. I'm losing hope that Sargent is anything beyond just a complimentary piece.
I'm beginning to share your skepticism of Sargent, though he is still quite young. I still think he can become that guy, but he MUST stay healthy and play a LOT the next two years or he may find his window closed.

I'm cautiously optimistic about Konrad de la Fuente as a future striker. By the time we get to Qatar we may very well have 4 wingers covering the left and right midfield spots and both striker spots. It's not hard to imagine Gio on the left, Adams on the right, and Pulisic and de la Fuente as strikers. That would be a fun arrangement to coach b/c the flexibility it presents in both attack and defense is immense. If they all develop like we hope that could be a really dangerous combo to defend with McKennie in the center of the park.
 
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