• The KillerFrogs

2023-2024 European Football Thread

Purp

Active Member
ARSEnal/Spurs was bonkers today. I'm getting concerned about the way Spurs seem to disappear for large spells at a time. This doesn't feel like a group who can compete for hardware.
 

Portland Frog

Full Member
ARSEnal/Spurs was bonkers today. I'm getting concerned about the way Spurs seem to disappear for large spells at a time. This doesn't feel like a group who can compete for hardware.

I’m not sure who can compete for hardware right now except MC and Liverpool. Ugh
 

Chongo94

Active Member
Y’all seen some of the moves made today?

Very interesting loans and swap deal and transfers. Nothing mind blowing I guess but just interesting considering the players and how some of them have been associated with certain clubs and whatnot.
 

tcujsauce

Active Member
Y’all seen some of the moves made today?

Very interesting loans and swap deal and transfers. Nothing mind blowing I guess but just interesting considering the players and how some of them have been associated with certain clubs and whatnot.

Was a relatively quiet last couple weeks. EPL needs to stop trying to be special and realign their window with the rest of Europe.
 

Chongo94

Active Member
Was a relatively quiet last couple weeks. EPL needs to stop trying to be special and realign their window with the rest of Europe.

Agreed.

Gonna be interesting to see how Eintracht does this year now that Rebic left today. I know they reload generally but they got rid of every single one of that effective offensive triumvirate. Crazy.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
USA vs Mexico tonight. Excited to see what the 18 year old Ajax man Sergino Dest can do. Hopefully we can hold onto him long term as he still has the option of choosing the Netherlands assuming they have interest.

Bummed that Tyler Adams can’t get himself healthy and I think Weah is out too.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
This is an asswhipping. USA totally outclassed. We gotta stop playing these guys in US stadiums full of Mexican fans, might as well just play them in Mexico.
 

Chongo94

Active Member
I gotta commend you guys for keeping on keeping on with the national team. There’s some talent within the team but I have no doubt that this federation will nearly always ensure the team falls flat on its face. Just can’t bring myself to care anymore, sadly.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
I gotta commend you guys for keeping on keeping on with the national team. There’s some talent within the team but I have no doubt that this federation will nearly always ensure the team falls flat on its face. Just can’t bring myself to care anymore, sadly.

I’m eternally convinced that they’re about to be good. It’s probably hopeless but I used to think the same thing as I sat in a 3/4 empty ACS watching 80s-90s TCU football. Wonder what Gary knows about soccer???

I will say this, they got their asses kicked but it looked a little different at times. Just enough to hope we’re seeing a bit of an evolution in style. I will also say that I hope to never see Gyasi Zardes on this team again .
 
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Purp

Active Member
This is an asswhipping. USA totally outclassed. We gotta stop playing these guys in US stadiums full of Mexican fans, might as well just play them in Mexico.
I’m eternally convinced that they’re about to be good. It’s probably hopeless but I used to think the same thing as I sat in a 3/4 empty ACS watching 80s-90s TCU football. Wonder what Gary knows about soccer???

I will say this, they got their asses kicked but it looked a little different at times. Just enough to hope we’re seeing a bit of an evolution in style. I will also say that I hope to never see Gyasi Zardes on this team again .
These two posts pretty well summarize my thoughts. Nothing I hate more than games on American soil with 90% Mexican fans. That's less an issue with the federation, though. Darn that noise.

Zardes is a waste of time at this point. I'd have not even noticed him playing last night except his hair entered the camera angle a few times.

I'd also like to say this persistent desire to play with the ball pinned deep in our own end is lunacy. I get not turning it over cheaply with a boom ball, but I don't get turning it over even more cheaply in the most dangerous position possible on the pitch.

I really like Reggie Cannon. Last night proved to me that his performances in the biggest moments of the Gold Cup weren't a fluke. He's very solid. I'd really like to see him and Yedlin at the outside back positions. We've got to solidify that left back position. It's been a question mark for 20+ years.

There were some bright spots last night, but I saw a side with no soul. And the subs were even less lifeless.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
These two posts pretty well summarize my thoughts. Nothing I hate more than games on American soil with 90% Mexican fans. That's less an issue with the federation, though. Darn that noise.

Zardes is a waste of time at this point. I'd have not even noticed him playing last night except his hair entered the camera angle a few times.

I'd also like to say this persistent desire to play with the ball pinned deep in our own end is lunacy. I get not turning it over cheaply with a boom ball, but I don't get turning it over even more cheaply in the most dangerous position possible on the pitch.

I really like Reggie Cannon. Last night proved to me that his performances in the biggest moments of the Gold Cup weren't a fluke. He's very solid. I'd really like to see him and Yedlin at the outside back positions. We've got to solidify that left back position. It's been a question mark for 20+ years.

There were some bright spots last night, but I saw a side with no soul. And the subs were even less lifeless.

At this point I see no reason to keep bringing in stale veterans like Zardes. We’re a non factor at the world level so we might as well at least be young in the process. Assuming good health we should have Sargent or Weah playing over him EVERY TIME.
 

Chongo94

Active Member
At this point I see no reason to keep bringing in stale veterans like Zardes. We’re a non factor at the world level so we might as well at least be young in the process. Assuming good health we should have Sargent or Weah playing over him EVERY TIME.

I believe that’s what Southgate is doing with England this break. Right along there with you in wishing we would bleed our young guys more.
 

Eight

Member
among my list of things i would like to see happen, but believe never will is a complete overhaul of us men's soccer in regards to the coaching and player development.

us has some very good young talent, getting great coaching and development in some of the best leagues in the world and then they come play for the us men's team and are subjected to dogshit piled on top of more dog [ Finebaum ].

the coach was to input a very, very complicated system that took him to put in place over a year for the club he was coaching every freaking day. gee, what could possibly go wrong when you are bringing in talent from across the world, playing in different styles and force them in your overly complicated, cumbersome system that has had moderate success in a bad league.

oh, i forget, his brother is a higher up with us soccer so basically the road is paved for the brothers berhalter to piss away another generation of potential.
 

Chongo94

Active Member
@Moose Stuff and @Purp and @dawg and @Eight and @Portland Frog and @tcujsauce thought y’all might like to read this. Not the best article in terms of reading ease, a quality editor didn’t get their hands on it it looks like, but the guy has some interesting takes.

I know I’m one of those who wants to “bleed” the youngsters, particularly in meaningless friendlies. Plus, we already know what we have in Zardes and others. But I found some of his comments intriguing.

Edit: included most who post regularly in this thread. Apologies on if I missed anyone.

USMNT heading into end of Berhalter’s first year

https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2019/09/12/usmnt-heading-into-end-of-berhalters-first-year/
 
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Eight

Member
@Moose Stuff and @Purp thought y’all might like to read this. Not the best article in terms of reading ease, a quality editor didn’t get their hands on it it looks like, but the guy has some interesting takes.

I know I’m one of those who wants to “bleed” the youngsters, particularly in meaningless friendlies. Plus, we already know what we have in Zardes and others. But I found some of his comments intriguing.

USMNT heading into end of Berhalter’s first year

https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2019/09/12/usmnt-heading-into-end-of-berhalters-first-year/

i don't buy that berhalter is a good manager.

his track record before columbus was not good and as the manger for the us men's team he has shown a dependence on mls players and a a system that has been documented it takes a long time to become familiar.

if his brother wasn't who he has would he even have the job?

until the us soccer federation stops treating the national team as a commercial for the mls and instead puts the best team on the pitch it can the us team won't come close to what they could become, but then again the media in the us doesn't really pay attention and the portion of the sports fans who attends the games continue to do so and won't stop coming out of misguided loyalty.

after writing that last sentence it just occurred to me the us men's team are the equivalent of the houston texans. you have a coach/manager who is in over his head and a leadership that focuses more on the money made and not the results.
 

Chongo94

Active Member
i don't buy that berhalter is a good manager.

his track record before columbus was not good and as the manger for the us men's team he has shown a dependence on mls players and a a system that has been documented it takes a long time to become familiar.

if his brother wasn't who he has would he even have the job?

until the us soccer federation stops treating the national team as a commercial for the mls and instead puts the best team on the pitch it can the us team won't come close to what they could become, but then again the media in the us doesn't really pay attention and the portion of the sports fans who attends the games continue to do so and won't stop coming out of misguided loyalty.

after writing that last sentence it just occurred to me the us men's team are the equivalent of the houston texans. you have a coach/manager who is in over his head and a leadership that focuses more on the money made and not the results.

I should’ve tagged you too, Eight, my apologies. This is kind of where I am about it all. And why my apathy is slowly growing.

At Columbus he had a playmaker to make his system work. We have pulisic but he insists on playing him out wide. His use of Adams (when healthy) is perplexing too. His use of pomykol for only ten minutes at a time grates. His non call-ups and use of Sargent incenses.
 
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