# USA Mens National Team Thread
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [June 10, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196 "2015-06-10T20:31:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/1 "2015-06-10T20:31:22Z")
We beat Holland this week and we are about 2 minutes away from beating Germany on European soil. Looks like the Klinsman project is coming along quite nicely. Lets go out and win the Gold Cup and the Copa America in 2016,
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/2 "2015-06-10T20:32:38Z")
4 minutes of stoppage time in a friendly??
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/3 "2015-06-10T22:25:17Z")
I’m sure it is nice but friendlies are utterly meaningless. Tournament play is a different beast entirely.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/4 "2015-06-10T23:07:39Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> I’m sure it is nice but friendlies are utterly meaningless. Tournament play is a different beast entirely.
Absolutely right but what a confidence boost and an show of toughness to win in Holland and Germany in the same week. Too bad we arent playing in this Copa America.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/5 "2015-06-10T23:11:11Z")
what sport?
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/6 "2015-06-10T23:44:52Z")
Soccer/football
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### Author:  [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/7 "2015-06-11T02:27:28Z")
Bobby Wood is having a pretty nice week or so. My nephew played on a couple of teams with him when they were young.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/8 "2015-06-11T03:02:50Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#):
>
> Bobby Wood is having a pretty nice week or so. My nephew played on a couple of teams with him when they were young.
What are your thoughts on his potential?
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/9 "2015-06-11T08:28:12Z")
> [@madsircool](#):
>
> Absolutely right but what a confidence boost and an show of toughness to win in Holland and Germany in the same week. Too bad we arent playing in this Copa America.
Confidence is important certainly but beware, the results against Holland and Germany aren’t necessarily indications of improvement as these are two out-of-form teams.
In the current European championship qualifying groups Germany are behind Poland and level with Scotland and Holland are (well) behind the Czech republic and Iceland.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/10 "2015-06-11T15:45:40Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> Confidence is important certainly but beware, the results against Holland and Germany aren’t necessarily indications of improvement as these are two out-of-form teams.
> In the current European championship qualifying groups Germany are behind Poland and level with Scotland and Holland are (well) behind the Czech republic and Iceland.
I see your point; and Germany have to find a replacement for Klose who always played so well for them, but…
UEFA is becoming a parody. Since when did Gibralter become a footballing entity much less a nation? Growing it from 16 to 24 nations? Since its possible to finish third in a qualifying group and still make the finals (via a playoff) has likely taken some urgency out of the process for the better nations as they know they can easily advance.
Back to 16 teams please.
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### Author:  [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/11 "2015-06-11T16:39:29Z")
Are the pesonnel much different from the 2014 WC team? I cant say I was overly impressed with the talent of that team, but they did make up for it with commitment and team spirit.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/12 "2015-06-11T16:53:25Z")
There was no Dempsey or Altidore or Friedl. We make up for our lack of world class athletes with determination and fitness. Now that some parents are directing their kids away from the other football, maybe we will see a better class of athletes.
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### Author:  [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/13 "2015-06-11T17:23:05Z")
> [@madsircool](#):
>
> There was no Dempsey or Altidore or Friedl. We make up for our lack of world class athletes with determination and fitness. Now that some parents are directing their kids away from the other football, maybe we will see a better class of athletes.
Friedl hasn’t played for the national team in like a decade.
Klinsmann is going very young in his lineups. That and playing Bradley in the right position are the big changes.
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/14 "2015-06-11T17:28:08Z")
I’m sure he meant Tim Howard, who’s taking a year off from the National Team.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/15 "2015-06-11T17:30:49Z")
Thank you Lamar…a bit of early dementia showing itself,
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### Author:  [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/16 "2015-06-11T17:32:14Z")
The key word is friendlies.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/17 "2015-06-11T17:37:15Z")
> [@Laggard](#):
>
> The key word is friendlies.
While I agree, we had never beaten Germany on German soil and usually were beaten down. Its important for confidence building in young players and belief in what the coaching staff is trying to instill. Friendly? Yes. Important win for the USAMT? Yes.
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### Author:  [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/18 "2015-06-11T19:20:51Z")
Friendlies should always carry the disclaimer “may not be indicative of results in meaningful competition” and the German team were missing quite a few players. However these are still two very good results for the USMNT and I think it echoes what I said on the other thread about USMNT being tactically sound. The biggest problem for the USA though is that defensively they’re always going to give away goals.
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### Author:  [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/19 "2015-06-11T19:36:11Z")
> [@madsircool](#):
>
> There was no Dempsey or Altidore or Friedl. We make up for our lack of world class athletes with determination and fitness. Now that some parents are directing their kids away from the other football, maybe we will see a better class of athletes.
Going forward though if the USA is reliant on any of those 3 players by 2018 then that isn’t a good thing. It’s better that other players have a chance to establish themselves
You’re going to have to get use to playing without Dempsey anyway as he’s going to be 35 in 2018 and you don’t want to be in a position where your still reliant on him to get goals as by 2018 he might not be up to the job.
Similarly Howard will be 39 in 2018 and he’s also been pretty bad this season, despite Guzan being dropped by Villa recently he needs to be seen as the 1st choice GK from now on.
Altidore will be 29 in 2018, but he just isn’t a big enough goal threat against good defences.
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### Author:  [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mens-national-team-thread/722196/20 "2015-06-11T19:48:36Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#):
>
> Altidore will be 29 in 2018, but he just isn’t a big enough goal threat against good defences.
The US has never had a big goal threat against good defenses. Hopefully a couple of Johansson, Agudelo, Rubin, etc pass him in the next 3 years, but he’s still gotta be the front runner for starting forward in 2018. He’ll definitely be the first choice through qualifying.
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