Every time I see him he's playing against players 2 years older than him and the game just looks so easy for him. Arsenal just came in and tried to swoop him up in December right before he signed his pro contract with Spurs. Definitely one worth getting excited about.
I don't know about Tab Ramos squad selection in both games. Trying to force a square peg in a round whole l, first playing Arriola as a #8 against Guatamala then Gooch as a #9 vs Panama.
Also no reason why Hyndman should ever not be on the field.
I understand that our youth squads are regarded in a high esteem globablly and in CONCACAF, which is why I stated we shouldn't be struggling like this.
Dropping points vs Guatemala and then more or less getting outplayed by Panama isn't acceptable.... Hopefully Ramos rights the ship before its too late.
also, apparently 2018 World Qualifying starts this year
[h1] [/h1]
[h1]U.S. World Cup qualifying campaign to begin this year[/h1]
Just six months after being eliminated from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the U.S. men’s national soccer team learned Monday that the qualifying path to the 2018 tournament in Russia will begin late this year.
So much for a World Cup lull.
CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, outlined the timetable for 35 countries vying for three automatic berths and a playoff spot.
The schedule will begin this March — less than a year after the 2014 tournament ended. The opening round involves the 14 lowest-ranked teams, such as Belize, Bermuda and Bahamas.
Jurgen Klinsmann‘s U.S. squad, along with Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago, will not enter until this November when the field is pared to 12 teams.
The volume remains the same for the Americans and the other five top seeds: 16 matches. What is different is the timetable. Because of fewer official dates on the FIFA calendar and CONCACAF teams competing in the 2016 Copa America, the U.S. schedule will begin seven months earlier than the previous World Cup cycle. Had the qualifiers not begun so early, the Americans would have played friendlies during those FIFA windows.
The U.S. schedule
Semifinal round (three four-team groups)
Nov. 7-17, 2015: two matches
March 21-29, 2016: two matches
Aug. 29-Sept. 6, 2016: two matches
(MLS will honor the FIFA window in November and presumably both periods next year)
Two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the six-team final round for 10 matches (five home, five away):
Nov. 7-15, 2016: two matches
March 20-28, 2017: two matches
June 5-13, 2017: two matches
Aug. 28-Sept. 5, 2017: two matches
Oct. 2-10, 2017: two matches
CONCACAF rankings (based on FIFA rankings in August 2014):
1. Costa Rica
2. Mexico
3. United States
4. Honduras
5. Panama
6. Trinidad & Tobago
7. Jamaica
8. Haiti
9. Canada
10. Cuba
11. Aruba
12. Dominican Republic
13. El Salvador
14. Suriname
15. Guatemala
16. St. Vincent and Grenadines
17. St. Lucia
18. Grenada
19. Antigua & Barbuda
20. Guyana
21. Puerto Rico
22. St. Kitts & Nevis
23. Belize
24. Montserrat
25. Dominica
26. Barbados
27. Bermuda
28. Nicaragua
29. Turks & Caicos
30. Curacao
31. U.S. Virgin Islands
32. Bahamas
33. Cayman Islands
34. British Virgin Islands
35. Anguilla
– Teams 22-35 will play seven home-and-home series this March 23-31.
– The seven advancing sides will join teams 9-21 for 10 home-and-home series this June 8-16.
– The 10 survivors will advance to the third round, this Aug. 31-Sept. 8, and be joined by Jamaica and Haiti for six home-and-home series.
– Those six teams to advance will join the top six seeds this fall for the start of semifinal-round group play.
The draw for the first two rounds will take place this Thursday night in Miami.
The draw for subsequent stages will be held this July 25 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Venues for the three U.S. semifinal home matches will not be decided for quite some time.
and apparently Jozy to T Dot....... again, hopefully this is just a pit stop for him and Jozy regains his confidence and form heads back out for tougher pastures.
Got damn, the Reggae Boyz have been playing the US extra dirty at all age levels the last 5-6 years or so... It's always been a lil rough & tumble but it's seems like there a lil extra prison ball type stuff going on. Good to see the U20 win though.
U20 vid prior to game vs Jamaica.
U20 US vs Jamaica hightlights 1/18/15
Alex Morgan was snapped in a pic wearing what's supposed to be the 2015 away shirt.
This is a rendering of what it's supposed to look like. I think it looks worse on at least in the pick above.
Interesting read. Didn't know Rene Meulensteen is working for the Philly Union now. It's funny, he says a lot of the things I've been saying even in this thread.
Rene Meulensteen sees bright future ahead for US Soccer but improvements needed Posted on January 21, 2015 by Kartik Krishnaiyer
Rene Meulensteen played an integral part in four Premier League title winning teams at Manchester United during his tenure as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager from 2007 to 2013. He briefly served as Head Coach of Fulham during the 2013-14 season and achieved some notable results including a draw at Old Trafford. However, he was sacked in February 2014, many feel prematurely, and replaced by Felix Magath whose disastrous tenure not only saw the Cottagers relegated from the Premier League but fighting relegation from the Championship before he was relieved of his duties.
In his new role as a consultant for the Philadelphia Union, where he is involved in all aspects of the club from the first-team to the draft strategy to development programs and working with the club’s USL PRO affiliate, the Harrisburg City Islanders, Meulensteen attended the US Soccer Development Academy Showcase in December where many of the top youth clubs in the country were represented. The soccer he observed was energetic and athletic. However, the game was played at a frantic pace. Meulensteen feels the elite Academy teams need to play with more composure. He saw flashes of really good play, but that disappeared quickly and descended back into a frenzy.
The overall consistency in the play is lacking. In response to my questions about starting tactical training at a younger age, Meulensteen said skills training comes before tactical training. American soccer clubs need to make training sessions for the 6-9 year-old and 9-12 year-old age brackets to be focused on skills. As the identity of the players improves past the age of 12, tactical awareness can grow. At that point, Meulensteen would suggest youth coaches begin to teach tactics.
Top attacking players have an element of unpredictability, offered Meulensteen. Those players learn multiple skills at a young age. If those skills are not developed at a younger age, pass and run ends up being the default “skill.” The decision making process is taught to those who already have skills, and around the age of 15, 16 or 17, they learn the importance of defensive responsibilities.
In response to my question about the US’ acceptance of change when compared to the English FA, the Dutch coach had many favorable things to say about the US. Without directly addressing the part of my question related to the English FA, Meulensteen stated the USA is very open to change and has a willingness to absorb and learn.
Overall, the Dutch coach believes that the grassroots of the sport is still developing rapidly but the overall structure is still lacking. As the development of facilities takes place and coaching techniques evolve, an improvement in the overall level of youth play will follow. Ultimately the United States will develop more creative attacking players and more tactically aware midfield and defensive players.
Speaking to reporters at the NSCAA Convention last week in Philadelphia, Meulensteen focused his conversation largely on player and youth development programs and where the United States stands today. When he witnessed soccer camps in the US in the 1980’s, Meulensteen said that you’d have baseball and American football parents dropping off kids at soccer practice. Now you have a soccer generation taking kids to soccer practice. The culture has changed around the sport in this country as a result. We are into our second generation in the States where soccer is a relevant sport in our lives.
With the number of well-funded elite academies growing and so many European clubs investing resources in the American youth soccer market, the game is expanding with new developments in the States at the clubs and camps level. With a growing professional game thanks to MLS and the rise of NASL and USL-PRO, Meulensteen feels the future is very bright.
It's funny, he says a lot of the things I've been saying even in this thread. 
