Jump to content

USMNT 2023


ztejas

Recommended Posts

If Arsenal is serious about winning the league I would imagine you'd want him to stick around. You need that depth come March when you're trying to keep pace with City.

But maybe they think they could use the $50-$60M better elsewhere. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, alincoln said:

It's easier to understand the USSF's decisions when you recognize that the USSF views the USMNT as a tool to prop up MLS.  The FOX broadcast team (Donovan and Lalas primarily) is instructed to use its pulpit to justify USSF's decisions to the casuals.  Berhalter got the job again because he is more than willing to implement this strategy. 

MLS is ok for players in their teens but anyone with USMNT aspirations should be looking to move to Europe ASAP.  The salary cap/structure, lack of relegation and meaningful cup qualification (CL, Europa) and overexpansion limits competition for playing time, renders the games meaningless and results in abysmal defending.     

i've been saying it since 2009 when i quit supporting the dallas mls franchise: mls is an exhibition for profit

the hunts have redeemed themselves through their development investment but the league has to break in half for promo/rel before i'd be interested again

 

  • Hook 'Em 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ted Lange said:

They are going to sell either Nkieta or Balogun.   Balogun really wants to be a first teamed for someone though, which he wouldn’t start in from of Jesus.   There would still be plenty of minutes for him, but might be hard to convince him. 

https://www.textise.net/showText.aspx?strURL=https%3A//www.football.london/arsenal-fc/fixtures-results/arteta-arsenal-havertz-balogun-cameo-27318714

Balogunner?

Folarin Balogun's last appearance in an Arsenal shirt had come in this exact same fixture in this exact same stadium at this exact same time last year. So much has changed since then, though.

The 22-year-old has gone on to have a loan spell he probably could only dreamed of netting 22 goals for Stade de Reims. Rather fairly he now wants first choice football next season which has raised serious doubts over his Arsenal future. football.london understands the Gunners would be willing to part with him, but their asking price will be around £50million. In a second half cameo, there were glimpses why.

Despite spending the whole of his appearance on the wing, Balogun was by far Arsenal's most threatening player in the second half. His ability to run in behind the Nurnberg defence alongside his close control proved a tricky combination to handle.

On another day he would have come away with a goal. One occasion saw him hit the post, while another late on saw him round the goalkeeper only to fire into the side netting off balance. With this ability it's probably fair to question why exactly Arsenal are willing to potentially let him go.

Arteta is normally not backwards about coming forwards when he wants a player to stay, but his non-committal answer when asked about Balogun post-match spoke volumes. "He’s just staying here with us at the moment and we will see what happens," the Spaniard told football.london in his post-match press conference.

This is likely to be a saga that persists throughout preseason. Arsenal will feel that the cash they can generate from a potential Balogun sale can be reinvested into strengthening the squad even further. But if cameos like this continue they will surely have to question if what they lose by letting him go will be worth what they gain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.textise.net/showText.aspx?strURL=https%3A//www.football.london/arsenal-fc/transfer-news/arsenal-folarin-balogun-transfer-demand-27318260%3Futm_source%3Dtaboola%26utm_medium%3Ddisplay%26utm_campaign%3Dexchange

'Special' - Arsenal fans send Folarin Balogun transfer demand after Nurnberg friendly

Folarin Balogun enjoyed a successful loan spell with Reims last season but is now facing an uncertain future at Arsenal with a number of clubs interested in signing the Hale End graduate

Arsenal fans have urged Mikel Arteta not to sell Folarin Balogun in the summer transfer window. The USMNT international came off the bench to feature in the Gunners' 1-1 draw against Nurnberg tonight.

Balogun replaced Leandro Trossard in the 55th minute and originally started his cameo playing out on the wing. The Hale End graduate was then moved into a central role and missed two glorious opportunities to win the game for Arsenal.

Balogun hit the post after being played in by Gabriel Jesus as he showed slight signs of rustiness on his return for the Gunners. The 22-year-old then rounded the goalkeeper in the final minutes of the game, but his shot hit the side-netting after he was put slightly off-balance.

football.london understands that Arsenal are open to offers for the striker, but it seems Gunners fans want him to stay. Balogun is hoping to play regular first team football next season with an asking price of £50million set for him to leave the Emirates Stadium.

The 22-year-old is currently third-choice in the pecking order at Arsenal, behind Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus. RB Leipzig, Inter Milan and other top clubs across Europe have all registered an interest in signing the USMNT international this summer, but whether they are prepared to meet his asking price is another matter.

Following the 1-1 draw against Nurnberg, many Arsenal fans were urging Arteta to keep hold of Balogun at the club after his 35 minute display in Germany. One Gunners supporter tweeted: "Balogun is special."

"Dull watchers will scream about the miss but sharp eyes will notice how easily he peeled away from the backline and how well he manufactures a clean shooting angle while remaining in control. Top player."

Another fan said: "Balogun looked good though, missed chances aside."

@kaluvincent added: "We should not sell Balogun."

One Arsenal supporter referred back to Balogun's goal against Paris Saint-Germain last term after seeing his miss against Nurnberg. "The funny thing about that Balogun miss is that, he’s scoring that 9.5 times out of 10. He even scored a similar one against Donnarumma versus PSG," the fan said.

Another fan added: "About that Balogun miss, I refuse to judge the outcome, the only thing he did wrong was the finish. He's a top player."

Edited by Hagbard Celine
add url
Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.textise.net/showText.aspx?strURL=https%3A//www.football.london/arsenal-fc/fixtures-results/arsenal-player-ratings-nurnberg-havertz-27318139%3Fint_source%3Dnba

Arsenal player ratings vs FC Nurnberg as Kai Havertz quiet and Folarin Balogun bright

Mikel Arteta made a number of changes for the second half of Arsenal's pre-season friendly with FC Nurnberg at the Max-Morlock Stadion, with Kai Havertz making his Gunners debut

Folarin Balogun: The most threatening of Arsenal's attackers in the second half. Played on both wings, but still found himself around the goalmouth. Unlucky to hit the post. 7.

Auston Trusty: Not the most convincing of debuts from the American. Caught out of position a little too easily and sloppy on the ball on occasion. 5.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Arsenal is serious about winning the league I would imagine you'd want him to stick around. You need that depth come March when you're trying to keep pace with City.
But maybe they think they could use the $50-$60M better elsewhere. 

Arsenal have spent a good amount of money this window. Jurrien Timber today along with Havertz, and Rice and the accountants have always had a say at Arsenal. Would love for him to crack the first team, but maybe another loan could be an option too. Would love him to go to Napoli if they sell Osinhem.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/14/2023 at 7:43 AM, Captain Ron said:

 

* I went back to look at the Gold Cup 2021 - SUPER LUCKY. We won every game but one 1-0. Even Haiti was in those 1-0 wins!! The KO round, we needed goals at 83' (QF Jamaica), 86' (SF Qatar) and 117' (F Mexico) to win. I get that it is a testament to our defense, but that's also living on the edge.

The GGG way. Tight wins again minnows.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Rage+1 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, shnsajax said:

Aaronson Goal
 

1) Nice movement, nice goal.

2) I hate when videos don’t have sound.

3) it is going to be cool to have both Aaronson bros in Germany this year. Hopefully they get a o be on the field at the same time when their teams play each other. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) Nice movement, nice goal.
2) I hate when videos don’t have sound.
3) it is going to be cool to have both Aaronson bros in Germany this year. Hopefully they get a o be on the field at the same time when their teams play each other. 

Curious to how many minutes Paxton gets this season.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, shnsajax said:


Also Paxton scored 4 against the German 6th division New Braunfels team in a 15-1 win today.

Wait... what? So many questions here.

 

Also - PaxtEn is going to be a stud - he just needs time. Like a slow-basted honey ham ahead of Christmas dinner. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick question/statement about Slonina.

I read somewhere that he's technically not cap tied to the US yet.  I may have even read it on here.  If this is true, what in the holy hell is US Soccer doing?  Perhaps it's not as much of an inconvenience as I'm thinking it is.  Perhaps he was going to be in the country/area anyway.  But, I'd be furious if I just spent most of my little time off playing US soccer camp w/o even making the pitch.  And I'm speaking to the start of Johnson, not the knockout games with Turner.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Quick question/statement about Slonina.

I read somewhere that he's technically not cap tied to the US yet.  I may have even read it on here.  If this is true, what in the holy hell is US Soccer doing?  Perhaps it's not as much of an inconvenience as I'm thinking it is.  Perhaps he was going to be in the country/area anyway.  But, I'd be furious if I just spent most of my little time off playing US soccer camp w/o even making the pitch.  And I'm speaking to the start of Johnson, not the knockout games with Turner.

1617292364425?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=fdzH

Slonina's only CAP so far was the Serbia friendly back in January, so he is not tied.

As fans, we're not privy to what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe Slonina was given the opportunity to start but deferred so Johnson could get one last CAP?

(Including Sean in the tournament roster was already enough of a lifetime achievement award, imo.)

Gaga has repeatedly turned down invites from Poland, and has represented the US at every junior level of competition, so our handwringing is probably unnecessary. Still, not CAP tying him is stupid and this Gold Cup was a huge missed opportunity.

dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb.gif

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Quick question/statement about Slonina.

I read somewhere that he's technically not cap tied to the US yet.  I may have even read it on here.  If this is true, what in the holy hell is US Soccer doing?  Perhaps it's not as much of an inconvenience as I'm thinking it is.  Perhaps he was going to be in the country/area anyway.  But, I'd be furious if I just spent most of my little time off playing US soccer camp w/o even making the pitch.  And I'm speaking to the start of Johnson, not the knockout games with Turner.

Assuming they aren't worried about losing him to Poland. 

Even if he left we'd probably be fine. We tend to pull random great keepers out of the woodwork. Not that it would be ideal.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Quick question/statement about Slonina.

I read somewhere that he's technically not cap tied to the US yet.  I may have even read it on here.  If this is true, what in the holy hell is US Soccer doing?  Perhaps it's not as much of an inconvenience as I'm thinking it is.  Perhaps he was going to be in the country/area anyway.  But, I'd be furious if I just spent most of my little time off playing US soccer camp w/o even making the pitch.  And I'm speaking to the start of Johnson, not the knockout games with Turner.

it's incredible mismanagement of the pool and this fucking cup that "doesn't mean anything" that we didn't cap tie him in it.

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, NoName said:

it's incredible mismanagement of the pool and this fucking cup that "doesn't mean anything" that we didn't cap tie him in it.

 

He should have played the St. Kitts game but I'm not sure why he would have played any of the other games in a tournament we were trying to win that our starting keeper committed to. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

He should have played the St. Kitts game but I'm not sure why he would have played any of the other games in a tournament we were trying to win that our starting keeper committed to. 

Could have played in St Kitts (6-0) or Trinidad & Tobago (6-0.) Johnson started the St Kitts game, Turner the T&T game. in the T&T game, the US was up 3-0 at the half, 4-0 in the 65th min. a sub in either of those games would have been absolutely fine.

clearly, NO ONE is advocating for him to have started in the knockout round games vs Canada or Panama or even the 1-1 tie vs Jamaica over USMNT #1 Matt Turner. that's quite obvious.

but what's the point of bringing a 19 year old, un cap tied player who could go to an actual other good soccer nation to the Gold Cup if you aren't going to cap tie him in games against either the #104 and #139 FIFA ranked teams? specifically the #139/#21 in CONCACAF team in St Kitts and Nevis?

i wasn't expecting people to defend starting 34 year old Sean Johnson over 19 year old Gaga Solonia, yet here we are.

Season 6 What GIF by The Office

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, NoName said:

Could have played in St Kitts (6-0) or Trinidad & Tobago (6-0.) Johnson started the St Kitts game, Turner the T&T game. in the T&T game, the US was up 3-0 at the half, 4-0 in the 65th min. a sub in either of those games would have been absolutely fine.

clearly, NO ONE is advocating for him to have started in the knockout round games vs Canada or Panama or even the 1-1 tie vs Jamaica over USMNT #1 Matt Turner. that's quite obvious.

but what's the point of bringing a 19 year old, un cap tied player who could go to an actual other good soccer nation to the Gold Cup if you aren't going to cap tie him in games against either the #104 and #139 FIFA ranked teams? specifically the #139/#21 in CONCACAF team in St Kitts and Nevis?

i wasn't expecting people to defend starting 34 year old Sean Johnson over 19 year old Gaga Solonia, yet here we are.

Season 6 What GIF by The Office

We aren't going to bench our starting keeper - who doesn’t get enough reps at the club level - to cap tie a kid that has never expressed any interest in not playing for us. Turner should be allowed to play as much as he wants - minus him wasting his time standing in front of goal against a team that didn't put a shot on frame in 90 mins.

No one is defending playing Johnson over him. I will absolutely defend playing Turner over him as there's never been anything to suggest that he'd start reporting to Polish camps (phrasing). I'm not sure he's ever even been to Poland. You're concerning yourself with something that likely has a 0% chance of happening. 

Edited by ztejas
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, ztejas said:

We aren't going to bench our starting keeper - who doesn’t get enough reps at the club level - to cap tie a kid that has never expressed any interest in not playing for us. Turner should be allowed to play as much as he wants - minus him wasting his time standing in front of goal against a team that didn't put a shot on frame in 90 mins.

No one is defending playing Johnson over him. I will absolutely defend playing Turner over him as there's never been anything to suggest that he'd start reporting to Polish camps (phrasing). I'm not sure he's ever even been to Poland. You're concerning yourself with something that likely has a 0% chance of happening. 

yes, Matt fucking Turner really got a lot out of being up 3-0 at the half and 4-0 after the 65th min and facing like 4 shots total in the 2nd half. this really was the game that was going to make everything different for him at a club level facing the #104 FIFA ranked team in the world. that would certainly be the one that would impress Arteta would make him his #1 choice at the club level.

the US made 4 subs after the 60th min btw. why not use one of them to cap tie a very promising player?

also, no youth player has ever not expressed any interest in playing for another country has ever flipped their allegiance before, it's never ever happened and never ever will - right? he's been called up by POL and turned it down. there are other GKs in the pool. will he flip over? probably not. but could he? absolutely. you have a situation with literally zero downside by playing him in either T&T or St Kitts. if he goes to Chelsea and blows up the Poland GK squad depth is:

image.png.501e2d014cd2f55cc69a31d6188551ff.png

the bottom guy plays in Serie B. the top 2 are old AF. he has the opportunity to step in and play pretty quickly for a top ~25 team in the world for a long time. it isn't like he is choosing between the US and Estonia (FIFA #110.)

again is he going to flip? probably not. but could he very easily? fucking absolutely.

also, literally no one is saying to bench Matt Turner over Gaga Slonina for real games. but if you aren't going to cap tie him in group games against the #104 and #139 ranked FIFA teams why is he even on the roster?

 

2 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Doesn't a cap tie not mean as much anymore? I thought guys can do a 1-time transfer now even if they're technically cap tied?

per Wiki:

Quote

In September 2020, the 70th edition of the FIFA Congress approved a rule change that now allows players to switch if they have played no more than three competitive matches at senior level prior to them turning 21 including no appearances in FIFA World Cup finals matches or continental finals (e.g. the UEFA European Championship). However, appearing in a tournament qualifier would not.] Furthermore, players who played for their home country but not at senior level, who were under 21 at the time and have since lived in a new country for five years or more can apply for the right to represent their new place of residence. This also applies to players that began living on the territory before the age of 10 for at least three years

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

As an Arse-nal fan, what are your thoughts on Balogoal and on the possibility of losing him?

either he or nketiah has to go imo. i'd rather keep balogun. but if inter is really going to pay £50m for balogun then i'm totally fine keeping nketiah and getting that kind of fee for a guy who's barely played for the first team. but yeah; end of the day, i'd really like for him to be the backup to Jesus. i think he's a younger, more athletic, more promising Nketiah. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2023 at 1:11 PM, NoName said:

also, no youth player has ever not expressed any interest in playing for another country has ever flipped their allegiance before, it's never ever happened and never ever will - right? he's been called up by POL and turned it down. there are other GKs in the pool. will he flip over? probably not. but could he? absolutely. you have a situation with literally zero downside by playing him in either T&T or St Kitts. if he goes to Chelsea and blows up the Poland GK squad depth is:

image.png.501e2d014cd2f55cc69a31d6188551ff.png

the bottom guy plays in Serie B. the top 2 are old AF. he has the opportunity to step in and play pretty quickly for a top ~25 team in the world for a long time. it isn't like he is choosing between the US and Estonia (FIFA #110.)

Turner is 29 and not exactly a world beater. There's no one else standing in Gaga's way. As soon as Lewa retires Poland will likely never be as competitive as the US again and their qualifying route for Euro and the WC is more difficult. 

If Gaga was still debating who to play for he wouldn't let us cap tie him, anyway. 

He isn't going anywhere. Again - you're making up something to be concerned about. There aren't any serious soccer nations having 19 year old keepers come on at half in tournaments they're trying to win just to cap tie them. That's gimmicky, bush-league shit. Especially when we were still playing for GD to win the group.

Also - say you give Gaga half the minutes in the group stage. What kind of message is that sending Turner? You don't fuck with your starting keeper who at the very least has the job nailed down through 2026. 

Edited by ztejas
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Also - say you give Gaga half the minutes in the group stage. What kind of message is that sending Turner? You don't fuck with your starting keeper who at the very least has the job nailed down through 2026. 

once again, literally no one is saying this. literally...no one. not a single person. the argument was that you are playing 2 truly shit opponents that are outside the FIFA top 100 in T&T and St Kitts (worst CONCACAF team in the tournament by far) - if you aren't going to play him in that game why is he on the roster at all?

why would you take a chance that he changes his mind - which does happen - and goes to Poland? will it happen - probably not. but could it? absolutely. and if you don't think so you must not ever have interacted with a 19 year old before.

i thought it was dumb not to play him in one of those two games. i still think it's dumb today. i will still think it's dumb in 10 years.

 

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, ztejas said:

Turner is 29 and not exactly a world beater. There's no one else standing in Gaga's way. As soon as Lewa retires Poland will likely never be as competitive as the US again and their qualifying route for Euro and the WC is more difficult. 

If Gaga was still debating who to play for he wouldn't let us cap tie him, anyway. 

He isn't going anywhere. Again - you're making up something to be concerned about. There aren't any serious soccer nations having 19 year old keepers come on at half in tournaments they're trying to win just to cap tie them. That's gimmicky, bush-league shit. Especially when we were still playing for GD to win the group.

Also - say you give Gaga half the minutes in the group stage. What kind of message is that sending Turner? You don't fuck with your starting keeper who at the very least has the job nailed down through 2026. 

There's some hypotheticals here, but really, the argument most are trying to make boils down to one question: why play Johnson over Gaga?

If Turner wasn't going to play that game anyway, apparently, why not play Gaga instead of Johnson?

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, NoName said:

once again, literally no one is saying this. literally...no one. not a single person. the argument was that you are playing 2 truly shit opponents that are outside the FIFA top 100 in T&T and St Kitts (worst CONCACAF team in the tournament by far) - if you aren't going to play him in that game why is he on the roster at all?

why would you take a chance that he changes his mind - which does happen - and goes to Poland? will it happen - probably not. but could it? absolutely. and if you don't think so you must not ever have interacted with a 19 year old before.

i thought it was dumb not to play him in one of those two games. i still think it's dumb today. i will still think it's dumb in 10 years.

 

 

3 minutes ago, TheBryMan81 said:

There's some hypotheticals here, but really, the argument most are trying to make boils down to one question: why play Johnson over Gaga?

If Turner wasn't going to play that game anyway, apparently, why not play Gaga instead of Johnson?

I'm not arguing that. NoName is talking about playing him in both games to cap tie him. I've never once said playing Sean Jean made any sense. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, NoName said:

once again, literally no one is saying this. literally...no one. not a single person.

You *literally* are upset that we didn't cap tie him. So yes, you are saying he should have gotten half the minutes (or 2/5 of the minutes or whatever) in the group stage (that's without mentioning how bizarre it would be to waste a sub on a keeper at 60 mins when we're trying to keep legs fresh).

We aren't babying some 19 year old kid and pissing off our starting goalkeeper because we are afraid about him defecting. He just played every game for us in the U20 World Cup. He has never expressed any desire to play for Poland. I'm done discussing this. 

Edited by ztejas
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You *literally* are upset that we didn't cap tie him. So yes, you are saying he should have gotten half the minutes (or 2/5 of the minutes or whatever) in the group stage (that's without mentioning how bizarre it would be to waste a sub on a keeper at 60 mins when we're trying to keep legs fresh).
We aren't babying some 19 year old kid and pissing off our starting goalkeeper because we are afraid about him defecting. He just played every game for us in the U20 World Cup. He has never expressed any desire to play for Poland. I'm done discussing this. 

Why would Turner be upset about Gaga but not Johnson? You aren’t pissing him off with this, they all understand the business. We sent our C team to this tournament, Turner isn’t fucking stupid.

Also Subotić!
  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, ztejas said:

 

I'm not arguing that. NoName is talking about playing him in both games to cap tie him. I've never once said playing Sean Jean made any sense. 

no, go back and read.

i said that he should have played in one of the two games vs teams outside the FIFA top 100. that's a very reasonable take. i never said they should bench turner for both games lol, i asked why you take a 19 year old who is very highly thought of if you aren't going to start and cap tie him ONE game against the worst CONCACAF team in the tournament by FIFA ranking.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...