The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

So, the roster for the January Camp officially hit, here it is:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)

DEFENDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls), Eric Miller (Montreal Impact), Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes), Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Jermaine Jones (Unattached), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew SC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew SC), Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart), Jordan Morris (Unattached), Khiry Shelton (New York City FC), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

Note: Originally the roster also included Jesse Gonalez of FC Dallas, but after receiving an offer from Mexico he decided to go with them (Boo!).

There's a few interesting selections in there:

Khiry Shelton: The young striker for NYCFC spent much of last season injured and was also mostly used as a sub when he was healthy, so it's a little surprising to see him get a shot. Then again, Shelton showed a lot of promise before his injury, if that skill translates to the national level he could be a great asset. So far, Shelton's skills failed to get him any goals for the U-23 or U-20 teams, so I'm not sure if it will.

Lots of Columbus Players: Ethan Finlay, Wil Trapp, and Tony Tchani are all getting a full look from Klinsmann. In a major way this makes sense, as the dynamic attack of Columbus is exactly the sort of thing Klinsmann ultimately wants to do. I'll be curious to see how much playing time they get and if they can translate what they've learned under Greg Berhalter into international goals.

Luis Robles: The New York Red Bulls long time keeper had an excellent season in New York and was named keeper of the year by MLS (somewhat controversially). There's little doubt that he's a solid keeper and can probably translate that into being a decent shot-stopper for the USMNT, but he's 31 and he's unlikely to unseat Howard or Guzan in the starting spot, so why bring him in? The only thing I can think of is that Klinsmann is looking for a new Nick Rimando (who significantly regressed this year), a solid veteran keeper that can be the third string when better keepers are sidelined.

New Defenders Everywhere: If you don't pay much attention to MLS, virtually every name in defense on this roster is going to be new to you. Virtually every name on this list is under 23, promising defenders from MLS, in fact only one player, Matt Besler, could be considered "veteran". I suspect Klinsmann is trying to give these young kids a taste of international play, expect to see a lot of defensive subs.

Overall, I like a lot of the players involved in this camp from the perspective of getting people experience and training, my lone complaint is Jermain Jones presence. I know he's there to pass on his experience and because he currently has no club to train with, but age is not being kind to the central midfielder and I don't think he'll make it to the next World Cup.

I'm guessing Shelton is on the team to train for U-23s. Klinsmann is using this camp for young guys, especially in MLS, to get reps before the important March Home/Away.

I do think Robles is the new Rimando. The 3rd or 4th man who is there when injuries/senior team keeps Howard or Guzan out of play. Hamid will compete with him now, but is a better long term play.

What's not mentioned is Jesse Gonzalez got cold feet. He was called up and accepted but declined and it's rumored that's why the roster was announced so late was to try to get him on. Klinsmann can still name a few more too if he wants.

Also with no Feilhaber, I really now believe he was one of the ones who was dissenting against Klinsmann, as well as Bocanegra.

Eh, I'm not so sure. Feilhaber has looked very good this year for Sporting KC, but he's gotten plenty of looks with Klinsmann (just about a year and a half ago, for example) and hasn't impressed Klinsmann (or me). I just don't think his skills translate well to the international game.

I don't think he's that good personally. Mainly because he can't play defense and he isn't a striker. It's acceptable for Dempsey nto to play defense, but it wouldn't be acceptable for Mix not to play defense.

Talgrath said:

So...this is weird and creepy. According to recently public court documents, Peter Nowak hazed rookie players while coaching the Philadelphia Union by dipping his hand in ice water and spanking them. Yeah, you read that right. The entire article of accusations is worth a read, in particular since this forced MLS to step in and tell the Union to fire Nowak.

Peter Nowak Spanking Accusations

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Wow, the Nowak saga continues. I wonder if Philly would be more stable by now if Peter hadn't spent his time actively dismembering the club.

I'd be willing to accept Feilhaber not defending very much...except he hasn't added offensive firepower in his time with the USMNT to balance it out. In 41 appearances for the USMNT, including starting for Bradley frequently, Feilhaber has 2 goals and 2 assists. If you're an offensive minded midfielder, 2 goals and 2 assists in 41 games is abysmal. Somehow, Feilhaber fans and rabid MLS supporters seem to forget that Feilhaber has had plenty of chances to show how amazing he supposedly is, and he hasn't done so.

Talgrath said:

I'd be willing to accept Feilhaber not defending very much...except he hasn't added offensive firepower in his time with the USMNT to balance it out. In 41 appearances for the USMNT, including starting for Bradley frequently, Feilhaber has 2 goals and 2 assists. If you're an offensive minded midfielder, 2 goals and 2 assists in 41 games is abysmal. Somehow, Feilhaber fans and rabid MLS supporters seem to forget that Feilhaber has had plenty of chances to show how amazing he supposedly is, and he hasn't done so.

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That's another thing, and he's not young either.

Just a guess. Tchani, Trapp, and Alashi fight for the future 6. Trapp and Alashi are also there because of U-23s. Hopefully someone kciks Beckerman from that role

Results from the USL Reno supporters survey. These are combined results from the Supporters Facebook group, /r/Reno, /r/USLPRO, and the "Reno USL expansion thread" on BigSoccer

Biggest Little City Brigade has a nice ring to it. Looks like the MLS schedule is out, but I haven't paid much attention to it.

We got lucky today. Great first half, defensive mistakes cost us though. Second half we looked like complete rubbish. Saving grace was Kane leveling it on a penalty that honestly shouldn't have been a penalty, and now we add another fixture to an already heavy schedule. And that's bringing on normal starters that were supposed to get rested (Alli and Kane), where neither Vardy nor Mahrez were on for the Foxes (Vardy for injury, Mahrez as an unused sub). Ugh. It wasn't pretty, but a draw beats a loss.

Other than that, few FA cup results to turn heads. Liverpool didn't do well, but very much playing the lads. Swansea lost to a lower division team. And Man U didn't look to hot for the first 2/3 of theirs, although I didn't get a chance to watch the rest.

On to midweek league fixtures.

COYS!

Qhrumphf said:

Biggest Little City Brigade has a nice ring to it. Looks like the MLS schedule is out, but I haven't paid much attention to it.

We got lucky today. Great first half, defensive mistakes cost us though. Second half we looked like complete rubbish. Saving grace was Kane leveling it on a penalty that honestly shouldn't have been a penalty, and now we add another fixture to an already heavy schedule. And that's bringing on normal starters that were supposed to get rested (Alli and Kane), where neither Vardy nor Mahrez were on for the Foxes (Vardy for injury, Mahrez as an unused sub). Ugh. It wasn't pretty, but a draw beats a loss.

Other than that, few FA cup results to turn heads. Liverpool didn't do well, but very much playing the lads. Swansea lost to a lower division team. And Man U didn't look to hot for the first 2/3 of theirs, although I didn't get a chance to watch the rest.

On to midweek league fixtures.

COYS!

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I missed Match of the Day and haven't even seen The Arse's highlights yet. I did watch the Liverpool game. That was hilarious

RustyHorn said:

I missed Match of the Day and haven't even seen The Arse's highlights yet. I did watch the Liverpool game. That was hilarious

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I watched the first half of the Arse/Black Cats match yesterday morning before falling back asleep. I saw Lens open for Sunderland and Campbell equalize, but it was still 1-all last I remember. Obviously that's not the final result.

I'm a die hard Philly Union fan, season ticket holder, and SoB. I'll be going down to Baltimore for the MLS draft this week.

When I'm not supporting my local team, I'm always rooting for West Ham United and Leicester City

MattyWeiss said:

I'm a die hard Philly Union fan, season ticket holder, and SoB. I'll be going down to Baltimore for the MLS draft this week.

When I'm not supporting my local team, I'm always rooting for West Ham United and Leicester City

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Great! Welcome to the discussion!

So, it looks like FIFA is putting out some updated rules for the near future:

http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2016/01/09/new-laws-of-the-game-approved-to-be-in-place-before-euro-2016/

Most of these seem to be pretty common sense changes, albeit for some pretty obscure situations. Nothing crazy or major, but worth noting if the situation comes up.

I think the biggest one is fighting before games and some of the other common sense things involving sending offs.

If a player is injured from a challenge which is punished by a red or yellow card, he can have quick treatment on the field of play and does not have to leave

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I'm liking this one. Hell yes the victimized team should have a full squad, assuming there's the potential for a advantageous free-kick.

Reno_eNVy said:

I'm liking this one. Hell yes the victimized team should have a full squad, assuming there's the potential for a advantageous free-kick.

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To me I think injury substitutions should be allowed. Temporary sub of no more than 3 minutes anytime a player needs attention.

The MLS SuperDraft is coming up on Thursday, I thought a little primer for those who don't pay much attention to the MLS off season. Since this is a mostly American and Canadian board, I'm assuming most folks are at least passingly familiar with the drafts of other

Who is being drafted?
Like all drafts in the US, it is mostly made up of former college students who want to turn pro, though there may also be some former high schoolers in there too. There are exceptions though, "Homegrown Players" are players that have trained with an MLS team and been offered a contract before the draft, they are ineligible for the draft, the most well-known example this year would be Jordan Morris, who was offered a contract by Seattle Sounders FC.

Are they any good?
With Homegrown Player contracts, increasingly the best talent that would be draft eligible is snatched up before anyone gets a chance at drafting them, but a lot of USMNT talent has gone through the process, including Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. There are still players out there that don't spend their summers training with MLS teams, either because they live in a foreign country but go to school in the US and Canada or because their home is too far from any team to train with them. Generally speaking the top 10 draft picks are "starter ready" in MLS, and the number 1 pick is usually a great talent, Cyle Larin, for example, broke the rookie scoring record last season with 17 goals. Picks 11-20 in the first round are usually good enough to be subs or to start in less important games like the early stages of the US Open Cup or CCL. Everyone beyond the first round is usually a "project" player who will get some reps with their team's USL affiliate "on loan" until they're seasoned enough for the first team (or its obvious they're a bust). Everyone beyond the 2nd round is a shot in the dark and hope for the best.

What's the draft order?
You can find the current draft order here: Draft Tracker Like all US sports, you can trade players, allocation money or future picks for better or more picks even on the day of the draft.

Who's the #1 Pick?
Pretty much everyone believes it will be Joshua Yaro, a center defensive midfielder out of Georgetown originally from Ghana. Adding fuel to that fire (pun intended) is the fact that the team with the #1 pick, the Chicago Fire, let veteran center mid Jeff Larentowicz walk in free agency.

Who Has the Most Riding on the Draft?
Without a doubt, the Philadelphia Union. The Union traded away their #1 chance creator, Cristian Maidana and defender Andrew Wenger in exchange for allocation money and the 6th overall pick. Without Maidana, the Union need someone to spark their attack, they traded their allocation cash for Chris Pontius but he's unlikely to be able to fill that gap on his own. Vancouver have more picks overall, but they don't have two in the top 10 like the Union (in fact, they have none).

Who Has the Least Riding on the Draft?
NYCFC have a high pick at 4, but it's their only pick unless they trade for more. It seems like NYCFC plan to fill their gaps via other means.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

To me I think injury substitutions should be allowed. Temporary sub of no more than 3 minutes anytime a player needs attention.

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No way. I think the physio should be able to treat the player on the pitch while play continues. Like in rugby. It would stop the rolling around that we see, and wouldn't give an advantage to the time wasters.

Talgrath said:

Who Has the Least Riding on the Draft?
NYCFC have a high pick at 4, but it's their only pick unless they trade for more. It seems like NYCFC plan to fill their gaps via other means.

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Ah, playing the Bruce tactic. I'm never surprised when LA pass on draft picks. They see them more as trade opportunities.

I think Colorado could also benefit greatly. Find somebody who can strike like Dillon Serna (another draftee I believe) and you have a strong, cheap scoring pair.

FWIW Andrew Wenger played as a Winger/Forward for most of his career and with the Union. He played so horribly I think he would be easily be in the Philly top 10 most hated players if soccer was more popular lol IT wasn't until that last couple games we put him as a defender out of desperation.

The highlight of his Union career:
https://vine.co/v/eAqBrPDqbmX

That sums him up perfectly, and the fan reaction as well.

I'd agree that we really need some offensive help up front with Chaco being gone now, but one of our biggest problems for a while has been unreliable defenders, so we are almost definitely taking LB Brandon Vincent with the 3rd pick. For the 6th, we could possibly take a CB as well as we only have 2 on the roster right now (1 being a sophomore, and the other being a "natural" DM).

My favorite part about that Wenger play was that he was at home. Can't even blame it on unfamiliar field. It's the field he plays half his games at.

When your controller breaks while you're playing FIFA moment.

According to Taylor Twellman, Jason Kreis is involved in the latest USMNT camp.

Taylor Twellman Tweet

I'm curious to know in what capacity he is assisting, but there's no doubt this is a good sign. If there's one thing Klinsmann lacks it is tactical acumen, and Kreis seems to have that in spades.

Sean Johnson replacing Bill Hamid. Hamid had a knee injury.

Also Werder Bremen's CEO is taking a shining to Morris. Werder is apparently looking into what compensation would need to be paid for Seattle.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

Sean Johnson replacing Bill Hamid. Hamid had a knee injury.

Also Werder Bremen's CEO is taking a shining to Morris. Werder is apparently looking into what compensation would need to be paid for Seattle.

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None. US Soccer doesn't accept (or pay) development payments, so Sounders get nothing if Morris goes overseas.

As far as the Hamid injury news, that sucks, but I'm kind of intrigued now. I'm hoping Klinsmann gives Bingham some real playing time between the sticks, just to see how he fares against international competition.

Really a shame Gonzalez got cold feet. With Hamid out he would have started both games most likely.

I thoguht teams did get paid.

In pretty much every other country they do, but US Soccer doesn't allow them, probably so that universities aren't paid for the players (thus making them pros thus invalidating NCAA mandates).

Fair enough. I remember reading something about finder fees for Yedlin but who knows.

Well that was an exciting match. Schmeichel did his father proud, I'd say. If it weren't for him, probably would have (and should have) finished a draw if not a win for us. Disappointing result, but we maintain 4th, and with City and the Arse drawing, it doesn't widen the gap too much (although we need to be closing the gap, not widening it).

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

Fair enough. I remember reading something about finder fees for Yedlin but who knows.

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Yep, that's because of this:

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/06/29/us-soccer-youth-club-compensation-crossfire-deandre-yedlin-mls-fifa

Essentially a lawsuit fighting against US Soccer's current policy. US Soccer claims that a lawsuit, Fraser vs MLS, compels it to not allow finder fees/compensation for training players. Last I heard, it's still tangled up in the courts.

How we kept a clean sheet against Citeh with the terrible form our defence has been in this season is a small miracle! I think Everton will be very happy taking a point from that match...

ShizuokaBrad said:

How we kept a clean sheet against Citeh with the terrible form our defence has been in this season is a small miracle! I think Everton will be very happy taking a point from that match...

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Tim Howard is hardly a small miracle.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

Tim Howard is hardly a small miracle.

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When he decides to actually show up and play he's close to unbeatable... Unfortunately, he hasn't seemed very focused this season. It seems Robles recent form in the cup matches may have lit a fire under Howard... There have also been rumours of him living in the summer.

Howard has always been up and down. Probably has to do with his Tourettes. At his best there's no one better than him in the world. But then he'll make dumb mistakes and have bad games. It's the risk with him.

hoppyhoppyhippo said:

Howard has always been up and down. Probably has to do with his Tourettes. At his best there's no one better than him in the world. But then he'll make dumb mistakes and have bad games. It's the risk with him.

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Howard is good, no doubt. But I don't think he's as good as Hart or Loris.

I think it's hard to compare Howard to either of those keepers since they have quite different styles. The big problem with Howard recently is his control inside the box. He rarely seems to attack the ball. His distribution this season has been suspect as well.

ShizuokaBrad said:

I think it's hard to compare Howard to either of those keepers since they have quite different styles.

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Comparing which keeper is better isn't about style. They are keepers so that makes them comparable; comparing a keeper to a midfielder would be an unfair comparison.

I find it funny, as someone who has no real stake in Everton, Howard, or the USMNT (obviously Everton isn't my side, and the latter two the obligatory "go local sports team" but I don't much pay attention to international football outside of seeing how certain players do, most of whom end up playing for England anyway), how differently people perceive it depending on where their allegiances fall. Is the problem Howard letting down Everton, or is Everton letting down Howard? I can see both sides, but some folk's blinders on the issue are hilarious (not necessarily anyone here, mainly speaking of a few rabid USMNT fanboys that I know who think Howard can do no wrong).

Agreed that "style" doesn't mean you can't compare keepers. They have the same job, so style if anything is what is going to make one better than the other. The comparison gets harder when you factor in the context of a side's defense though.