OT: International Summer Soccer Thread

[Jam31]

Pulisic played like a leader & our best player. Very refreshing to see.

[Dale]

US Men vs Women. TBH I am more excited to watch the women vs men. The men, as talented as they are, always seem to underwhelm.

If they don't play well in the Copa then will they get a new manager/coach.

[ArgentinaRaven]

So far, Spain seemed the best to me, their match against Italy was tremendous.
In South America they are not so fundamentalist about going out playing with the ball on the ground 100% of the plays.
If a team presses you with many players, here they will not hesitate to use a long pass in the air to avoid it, for example Martinez's long throw to Messi vs Canada.
Argentina should have scored more goals thanks to those passes through the air.
Argentina did not play well at all.
In several countries there was talk about the poor state of the playing fields. The Argentine coach complained about it, the stadium was beautiful but the grass was not suitable for high performance in soccer, something related to the hardness of the floor and irregular surface (grass panels , on the stadium synthetic it was not a good combination).
TV has been a problem, it is easier to watch a Euro Cup match than a Copa América match, at least here in Argentina.

[Kyle Cactus]

USA don’t look half bad. Good first half vs Bolivia. They have all the possession and all the chances. Up 2-0.

There is such a stark contrast watching the Euros in day and Copa America at night. Every player in the Euros seems to have such a deft touch. The ball is always under control. Copa America, much more about winning 50/50 balls, cuz the ball is under so much less control.

The quality of the average player is probably a bit better at the Euros, but there are also top teams and plenty of great players at Copa America. Field conditions are probably the biggest part of what you're seeing.

SI Article

I think what (Argentina goalie Emiliano) Martinez was saying was completely true,” he said. “It’s frustrating, especially as a player. You know, whenever you do come here to America you play in a stadium that can fit 70,000 people but 25,000 show up. You don’t really have an atmosphere. And then you’re playing on a football field, with laid grass that’s all patchy and it breaks up every step you take. It’s frustrating.”

After the Argentinians' victory, Martinez slammed the playing surface at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, calling it "a trampoline."

“If you look at the (European Championship), they’re all playing on great fields, great grass, football-specific stadiums, soccer-specific stadiums, and you see the quality of the football,” McKennie said.

[HotInHere]

The quality of the average player is probably a bit better at the Euros, but there are also top teams and plenty of great players at Copa America. Field conditions are probably the biggest part of what you're seeing.

SI Article

I wonder how much familiarity plays into it. The national team players in Europe play in many of the same leagues, same teams even. Germany used to have 1/3 of their national team playing together at Bayern. Italy had a World Cup squad where every single one of their players played in Serie A.

It’s got to be hard for the US, because their players are scattered across leagues and even continents. The lack of familiarity definitely showed yesterday. I lost count of the number of “unforced errors.”

[Kyle Cactus]

I do think a united CONMEBOL/CONCACAF tournament every 4 years would be fun, but I'd be interested in your opinion as a South American fan ArgentinaRaven.

At this point US and Mexico are legitimate additions that help make for a deeper set of competitive teams. They are not in the same class as Argentina and Brazil, but they're in the same tier as Columbia and Ecuador. And Canada is not far behind. I think/hope the US will continue to get better too.

[Kyle Cactus]

I wonder how much familiarity plays into it. The national team players in Europe play in many of the same leagues, same teams even. Germany used to have 1/3 of their national team playing together at Bayern. Italy had a World Cup squad where every single one of their players played in Serie A.

It’s got to be hard for the US, because their players are scattered across leagues and even continents. The lack of familiarity definitely showed yesterday. I lost count of the number of “unforced errors.”

I think that does play into it some, but for the US specifically that can't be an excuse. We've seen a lot of the same faces on the national team for the last 5 years. In yesterday's squad Pulisic/Weah/McKennie/Robinson have played a ton of games together. Adams has been around for a lot of that too, but he misses long stretches of time to injury. Reyna has played a decent amount with them too.

[HotInHere]

I think that does play into it some, but for the US specifically that can't be an excuse. We've seen a lot of the same faces on the national team for the last 5 years. In yesterday's squad Pulisic/Weah/McKennie/Robinson have played a ton of games together. Adams has been around for a lot of that too, but he misses long stretches of time to injury. Reyna has played a decent amount with them too.

They are getting time together when the national team has time together. But most of the calendar they are with their club teams. Players spend at least four times more time with their club teams than with the national team.

Look at the German squad. They have five players who play together at Bayern Munich -- practice and play together nine months out of the year, in addition to the time they practice and play together on the national team. Three play together at Leipzig. Three more at BVB, and three more at Stuttgart. And 21 of the 27 play in the Bundesliga, so they are at least familiar with each other. (Four of the remaining six are in Spain -- two sets of teammates.) 27 players playing in three countries (the other two play in Premier League) all on the same continent.

Contrast that to the US squad. 27 players, nine different countries, no more than two players playing on the same team. That has to make a difference. How much of a difference? Who knows. But I saw a lot of disjointed play last night.

[ArgentinaRaven]

I do think a united CONMEBOL/CONCACAF tournament every 4 years would be fun, but I'd be interested in your opinion as a South American fan ArgentinaRaven.

At this point US and Mexico are legitimate additions that help make for a deeper set of competitive teams. They are not in the same class as Argentina and Brazil, but they're in the same tier as Columbia and Ecuador. And Canada is not far behind. I think/hope the US will continue to get better too.

The Copa América seeks this, the Conmebol-Concacaf integration.
But I think that at the club level it should be correct.
The Champions League is played by all the countries in Europe, and here we have the Libertadores Cup (Conmebol) and Concachampions (Mexico and the USA), there are problems of logistics, distance, but it would be the best way of integration and improvement.
but only the same ones will prevail


I believe that USA and Canada are on the right path, their organization, cultural diversity, investment, and mkt will only make them improve over time. (see Spain).

[Kyle Cactus]

They are getting time together when the national team has time together. But most of the calendar they are with their club teams. Players spend at least four times more time with their club teams than with the national team.

Look at the German squad. They have five players who play together at Bayern Munich -- practice and play together nine months out of the year, in addition to the time they practice and play together on the national team. Three play together at Leipzig. Three more at BVB, and three more at Stuttgart. And 21 of the 27 play in the Bundesliga, so they are at least familiar with each other. (Four of the remaining six are in Spain -- two sets of teammates.) 27 players playing in three countries (the other two play in Premier League) all on the same continent.

Contrast that to the US squad. 27 players, nine different countries, no more than two players playing on the same team. That has to make a difference. How much of a difference? Who knows. But I saw a lot of disjointed play last night.

You're right. It definitely makes some difference. I think it's just mitigated some for national teams that have had a consistent core for a long time. I think the US are entering that territory.

[Kyle Cactus]

The Copa América seeks this, the Conmebol-Concacaf integration.
But I think that at the club level it should be correct.
The Champions League is played by all the countries in Europe, and here we have the Libertadores Cup (Conmebol) and Concachampions (Mexico and the USA), there are problems of logistics, distance, but it would be the best way of integration and improvement.
but only the same ones will prevail


I believe that USA and Canada are on the right path, their organization, cultural diversity, investment, and mkt will only make them improve over time. (see Spain).

I hadn't even thought about the club level. That would be a lot of travel! As a fan I would find it interesting, but I don't know if it would be good for the players. Maybe they could come up with some tournament structure where only the final 8 teams have cross-continental travel.

[Ravenswarrior19]

The quality of the average player is probably a bit better at the Euros, but there are also top teams and plenty of great players at Copa America. Field conditions are probably the biggest part of what you're seeing.

SI Article

I also heard for the first time last night that some of the fields are only 70 yards wide, as opposed to 75. Apparently the football stadiums can’t fit a full 75 yard wide field. I wonder how that will get rectified before the World Cup.