Happy to see Dest and Pomykal involved. It'll be good for Sargent to get some playing time with as well.

I'm curious how Long will perform as I thought he was really good in the Gold Cup. I'm hoping he performs well against a really strong Mexico squad and hopefully a very strong Uruguay team.

Anyone else hoping Alfredo stars in the midfield?

fig96 said:

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Agreed.

Anyone on this list not cap-tied other than Dest?

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These friendless will not cap tie Dest, correct?

Correct. Playing in the October/November matches will cap-tie players

You know I am!

Good point. Hopefully this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

ZARDES

WhiteWalker3 said:

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JGonzalez isn't cap tied yet either if I'm not mistaken.

I wish either Trapp or Roldan were left off and Emerson Hyndaman was called up. But really glad Dest got the call

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If I remember right, he is because he filed his one time transfer from Mexico to US

Seltzer: Top 5 USMNT roster snubs for September friendlies
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/08/28/seltzer-top-5-usmnt-roster-snubs-september-friendlies

Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union)
Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers)
Chase Gasper (Minnesota United)
Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake)
Ryan Hollingshead (FC Dallas)

aggiesoccer#1fan said:

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Seltzer: Top 5 USMNT roster snubs for September friendlies
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/08/28/seltzer-top-5-usmnt-roster-snubs-september-friendlies

Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union)
Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers)
Chase Gasper (Minnesota United)
Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake)
Ryan Hollingshead (FC Dallas)

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https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/057bf2ec-59ef-4e6c-88fb-fe9d794a275a

Solid list.

If you actually spent some time watching your domestic league instead of stalking guys in Europe you'd maybe know who some are.

I appreciate Gasper being named but he's got a ways to go though. He's definitely got the potential though.

Pahdz said:

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If you actually spent some time watching your domestic league instead of stalking guys in Europe you'd maybe know who some are.

I appreciate Gasper being named but he's got a ways to go though. He's definitely got the potential though.

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If I'm going to watch inferior soccer, I'll watch the ladies.

Please proceed to list all the US players who played in Europe while Landon Donovan played in MLS and tell me they were better. I bet you can't name more than 1 (keepers don't count).

The stronger our domestic league the better our national team becomes. It raises the floor. Why is this such a difficult concept for some of you?

Pahdz said:

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Please proceed to list all the US players who played in Europe while Landon Donovan played in MLS and tell me they were better. I bet you can't name more than 1 (keepers don't count).

The stronger our domestic league the better our national team becomes. It raises the floor. Why is this such a difficult concept for some of you?

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You're proving my point. The quality of young Americans in Europe is better than ever before.

MLS is also better than ever before.
And it's the DA and kids going pro in the MLS early that is going to grow our national team.

And I can realize it and also not enjoy the current quality of play.

I actually believe it's the opposite. The rise of MLS has coincided with the demise of the national team.

We really need to stop seeing the national team and MLS as connected.

Because it's made other teams in the region better?It's a valid discussion and worth some research. I think it's more that than some stunted development of our best talent. Our best our still going where their abilities can take them. I don't know the specifics of it, but is it harder or easier now than it was 10+ years ago for American players to get clearance to play in certain parts of Europe with just a US passport?

The reason I said so was it should increase interest in the game long term starting at the younger levels.

But that wasn't my question. I don't argue the quality of the American playing in Europe. I argue that you think there is a void of ANY quality in MLS.

Pahdz said:

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But that wasn't my question. I don't argue the quality of the American playing in Europe. I argue that you think there is a void of ANY quality in MLS.

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I Can't remember who was where when Donovan played.

I don't think there isn't talent in the MLS. I think there is better play in Europe.

All you have to say is "single entity is the devil" about MLS and you win

Some really stupid and ignorant opinions about the MLS today.

mrmill3218 said:

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I actually believe it's the opposite. The rise of MLS has coincided with the demise of the national team.

We really need to stop seeing the national team and MLS as connected.

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I think this conclusion just simply looks at cherry-picked data. We had 4-5 years of poor development and it came to a head in the run up to the 2018 World Cup.

MLS began play in 1996? We've made every World Cup since 1990, aside from 2018, and had our best showing 6 years after MLS was founded. Before 1990, our last World Cup was in 1950.

1990 - Group Stage exit
1994 - R16
1998 - GS exit
2002 - QF
2006 - GS exit
2010 - R16 (F U Ghana)
2014 - R16 (2nd in group with Ghana/Portugal/Germany)
2018 - N/A

So the rise of the MLS has coincided with a decline of the USMNT? Facts aren't really friendly to that argument. At all.

PatAg said:

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Some really stupid and ignorant opinions about the MLS today.

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There's always going to the the "European Elitists" out there. Leagues are better there for sure but the MLS and it's academies are producing and have produced a ton of talent. Always has.

10 years ago Paxton Pomykal would've played at SMU rather than get signed by FC Dallas at 16.

The DAs are improving the talent and the overall play of the MLS.

you can't say that the play is the same as Europe.

John Brooks: Better center back and striker than Zardes.

OregonAggie said:

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mrmill3218 said:

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I actually believe it's the opposite. The rise of MLS has coincided with the demise of the national team.

We really need to stop seeing the national team and MLS as connected.

---

I think this conclusion just simply looks at cherry-picked data. We had 4-5 years of poor development and it came to a head in the run up to the 2018 World Cup.

MLS began play in 1996? We've made every World Cup since 1990, aside from 2018, and had our best showing 6 years after MLS was founded. Before 1990, our last World Cup was in 1950.

1990 - Group Stage exit
1994 - R16
1998 - GS exit
2002 - QF
2006 - GS exit
2010 - R16 (F U Ghana)
2014 - R16 (2nd in group with Ghana/Portugal/Germany)
2018 - N/A

So the rise of the MLS has coincided with a decline of the USMNT? Facts aren't really friendly to that argument. At all.

---

The way I see it, the USMNT is stuck with one foot in each camp, and needs to decide between the following two options.

1) Pour more resources into the MLS to get it to the Liga MX level and keep our players domestic... a model which has been proven to produce a ceiling of R16 talent
2) Leverage the superior European development system at every turn at the expense of domestic players (i.e., players that American fans will care about) plying their trade in the local league (which harms the MLS and frees up roster spots for non-US/Mexico CONCACAF players)

I tend to lean towards option #2. I flat-out think we're never going to catch up to the European model, so we might as well milk it for all it's worth.

I feel like #2 has already been happening, we've just seen somewhat of a recent shift back towards MLS based players with Berhalter.

The latest roster is about 2/3 MLS, but I'd bet on at least half of those players being in Europe inside two seasons.

fig96 said:

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I feel like #2 has already been happening, we've just seen somewhat of a recent shift back towards MLS based players with Berhalter.

The latest roster is about 2/3 MLS, but I'd bet on at least half of those players being in Europe inside two seasons.

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and we also have key players injured that play in Europe. The MLS having good academies and a level of play similar to tier 2 European leagues is key. The way the system works, our players cant go over at very young ages unless they somehow have dual citizenship in Europe.

Sargent with a hell of a goal for Bremen! First or second start of the year and 3rd goal for him in the bundesliga

salloh_tamu said:

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Sargent with a hell of a goal for Bremen! First or second start of the year and 3rd goal for him in the bundesliga

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Just watched that. Amazing touch on that goal. He has to be our striker moving forward.

U-23 callup Mason Toye of MNUFC with a brace through 30 minutes against LAFC tonight. I'm biased as a Loons fan but the guy has made the most of his 440 minutes of action this season with 6 goals and 3 assists

gig them said:

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OregonAggie said:

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mrmill3218 said:

---

I actually believe it's the opposite. The rise of MLS has coincided with the demise of the national team.

We really need to stop seeing the national team and MLS as connected.

---

I think this conclusion just simply looks at cherry-picked data. We had 4-5 years of poor development and it came to a head in the run up to the 2018 World Cup.

MLS began play in 1996? We've made every World Cup since 1990, aside from 2018, and had our best showing 6 years after MLS was founded. Before 1990, our last World Cup was in 1950.

1990 - Group Stage exit
1994 - R16
1998 - GS exit
2002 - QF
2006 - GS exit
2010 - R16 (F U Ghana)
2014 - R16 (2nd in group with Ghana/Portugal/Germany)
2018 - N/A

So the rise of the MLS has coincided with a decline of the USMNT? Facts aren't really friendly to that argument. At all.

---

The way I see it, the USMNT is stuck with one foot in each camp, and needs to decide between the following two options.

1) Pour more resources into the MLS to get it to the Liga MX level and keep our players domestic... a model which has been proven to produce a ceiling of R16 talent
2) Leverage the superior European development system at every turn at the expense of domestic players (i.e., players that American fans will care about) plying their trade in the local league (which harms the MLS and frees up roster spots for non-US/Mexico CONCACAF players)

I tend to lean towards option #2. I flat-out think we're never going to catch up to the European model, so we might as well milk it for all it's worth.

---

How can the USSF/USMNT actively leverage the European development system? I suppose they can leverage relationships with leagues perhaps to encourage scouting of US based players but that's not something you can throw more resources/dollars at and expect return. The big leagues and the big clubs are already scouting the US. And they are restricted by their league's work permit regulations for non-EU passport holders. There's not really a lot more that USSF can do to ensure that talent is going to European clubs other than perhaps trying to persuade MLS clubs to be less of a barrier to players leaving for Europe. They can continue to pour more money into MLS/MLS based academies as they have been doing. They do have some control over that...a lot more than trying to get more players to Europe anyway.

Of course is FIFA ever really calls out the USSF/SUM for what it is...a massive conflict of interest that makes it virtually impossible for USSF to be a neutral governing body...then even the ability to pour resources into MLS may become much more limited.