You should read Brian Phillips because if you don’t, you’re some kind of weirdo who hates a) soccer and b) good prose. His stuff for Grantland makes Grantland great (screw those jerks in blazers), but this one jumped out at me for several reasons. First, because of Phillips’ description of the US national team:
The USMNT has been “up-and-coming” for essentially the entire career span of the current generation of players, but rather than rising like an elevator, we seem to be stuck in a weird elevator-like contraption, one in which the ceiling keeps rising while the floor stays in the same damn place.
Which he develops here:
Under the domed, doomed gaze of Bob Bradley, the USMNT often seemed to be raising its ceiling by small increments while focusing on the parts of the game that are supposed to raise the floor: organization, defensive cohesion, stamina, muscle, heart. Klinsmann seems to have decided — spectacularly if not wisely — that the floor is actually a boring place to be, and that what we really ought to do is focus on technique, creativity, and speed, push the ceiling up into the exosphere, and let the ground take care of itself. Party on the roof!
The whole thing screams Toronto FC at me, not least because this is exactly what Aron Winter is trying to do at BMO Field, and because his hiring was Klinsmann’s call. Except as Phillips acknowledges, the US “actually has the players” to attempt short-passing, anti-longball football, though it may not exactly be practical considering they’re about to battle for the Hex. Toronto FC however don’t have Clint Dempsey. We have Joao Plata. We don’t have Michael Bradley. We have Eric Avila.
The thing people generally say now in regard to the Winter project is “well, there’s Downsview” (which, remember, is only as good as its staff, something I’ll be looking at a little later when I get around to it). Which even if it was La Masia won’t show returns until Aron is long gone.
And if we’re going to drag Swansea into this wide-ranging narrative (let’s!), I’d be hard-pressed to say within this team there is a future Joe Allen, or Leon Britton, or indeed any player who will begin to show the benefits of a rigorous, possession-based, aesthetically charming, triangle-filled Dutch dream by next season or so.
Reggie Lambe starts for Toronto FC for gawd’s sake.
Plata can’t do short passing, anti longball football?
That’s his strength. He’s also fast as hell, has great ball control, and wicked curl on his shots. The problem with Plata is size and experience, not that he doesn’t fit the style Winter promotes.
TFC’s problems come from being too young and experienced, particularly on the backline, not from failing some epic battle of systems or not having talent.
I’ve read the footy blog for years, have it in my RSS feed forever. But this continual degradation of TFC is making me sick. If it keeps up I’m walking away
negative football, how about negative reporting? Reading this blog is so hard these days. I guess that why I don’t here that often now.
The only reason i read this blog is because Pulse for android only has US based sport news sources. This is seriously one of the worst football articles i have ever read anywhere (and i can read 3 languages).
Are Roy Hodgsons nephew or something?? Thank God the footballing world is filled with people much more intelligent than you (Roberto Martinez, Gasperini, Pelegrino) otherwise football would just turn into Hodgson-esqu sh*t fests just because the players are deemed to not be (or even have the potential to be) “good enough” for a more passing based game.
Imagine if us Latinos took on this view and decided that the national squad were the only ones good enough to play this kind of football. Do I really have to spell it out?
Hey guys, glad to hear you’re at least still commenting even though you clearly don’t like what you’re reading. I just want to remind you that Duane Rollins does contribute for the blog as well, and his take on TFC is much more positive than mine. I don’t feel comfortable cheerleading for a team with systemic problems, but the fact I’m writing about them at all should be an indication that yes, I give a toss.
As for my criticisms of TFC, I’d be happy to hear cogent counterarguments. And Edgar…worst blog you’ve read anywhere? Have you read DJF?!
Richard’s “Media takedown” stuff on CSN was so eloquent, intelligent and astute, I find it almost impossible to square that he also writes this series of crass, crude, negative TFC articles that make leaps of pessimistic logic and filled with the inflammatory/lazy journalism I thought he criticized in Media Takedown.
Cheers Craig, but again, can you at least give an example of my “inflammatory/lazy journalism”? I think if you read back through my posts, you’ll see I’m referencing specific games, formations, stats readily available through MLSsoccer.com. I’m open to the charge of “pessimistic logic,” but I think it’s fair to give a specific example.
The players on Bayern Munich criticized Klinsmann even to the point where they said the players would decide the formation and tactics prior to the game in the dressing room.
If anything Klinsmann is what I think will come next in MLS, the “Marquee Manager”. Just a big name with a whole lot of youtube highlights to prove he was a big time player at one point.
TFC’s roster deficiencies happen because way too much salary cap space and allocation funds are tied up with too small a group of players: 3 DPs, Eckersley’s wage, and Plata’s transfer stand out, and the $200 K bust that is Aceval.
Amazing when you think Eckersley and Aceval are on the bench the last few games. If they’re not starting they need to be shipped out.
Are people really going to get on Richard for being negative given what TFC has put up in terms of results over the last what… six years now? No we should be reading cupcake articles with a sprinkle of optimism anointing our gold paved road to an inevitable first MLS cup win in the year 2050.
What this organization has given to its fans has been terrible and is worthy of scorn.