okietiger

We had plenty that played poorly.

However there was a very real path to a 1-0 victory or 0-0 at the end of regulation.

First 2 goals, he makes horrible plays on the ball. Despite being in position. 2nd was especially bad.

3rd goal, Freese obviously started the clown show, but Ream literally just had to stay still on the soft shot, yet makes a weirdly unathletic play and deflects the ball in.

4th goal, just stands and watches Lukaku. Legit looks like he’s on the take or given up.

Man except you see elite football players pop up at 14-15 all the time.

Soccer is super unique. It is so technical that the truly elite youth have to be plucked out and cultivated at a very young age.

Baseball is honestly the only other team sport I can think of that compares. It’s also a very technical sport. Latin countries are doing national youth baseball academies as we speak with a lot of success.

He’s so fricking bad my brain is trying to expunge his name.

3rd goal:

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quote:

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focusing on abilities with ball at feet

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Welp that sure worked out. Our goalie literally forgot how to kick. In soccer.

It’s not that simple.

Consider the following:

Here is when and where each player was recruited into their respective developmental academies:

1. Lionel Messi — Age 13
Academy: FC Barcelona’s La Masia (Spain) 
The Story: After starting his youth journey with Newell's Old Boys in Argentina, Messi was heavily scouted by European clubs. In September 2000, at the age of 13, he and his family relocated to Spain so he could join Barcelona’s famed academy, which famously agreed to pay for his growth hormone treatments.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo — Age 12
Academy: Sporting CP Academy (Portugal) 
The Story: Ronaldo grew up playing for Andorinha and Nacional in Madeira. At age 12, he went on a successful three-day trial with Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting Lisbon), who recruited him to move across the country to their mainland residential youth academy setup.
 
3. Kylian Mbappé — Age 12
Academy: INF Clairefontaine (France) 
The Story: Mbappé spent his earliest years playing at grassroots club AS Bondy under his father's coaching. At age 12, he was selected to attend France's ultra-elite, government-run national football academy, INF Clairefontaine. He trained at the national facility during the week and played for his local club on weekends before officially signing with AS Monaco's professional academy at age 14. 

4. Erling Haaland — Age 8
Academy: Bryne FK Youth Academy (Norway)
The Story: Haaland’s development is a unique product of the Norwegian sporting model, which prioritizes keeping young players in local, volunteer-led club structures rather than early professional scouting. He joined his hometown club, Bryne FK, at age 8 for an after-school soccer program and developed entirely within their local youth system until making his senior debut for them at age 15.

Friedel, Howard, Keller, Guzan off the top of my head.

With our continual skill and gap issues, it seemed like it was the ONE position we could rely on being strong…until now. USA 100% had a chance in that game until Freese almost literally shite down his leg and forgot how to kick a ball, in a game where you almost exclusively use your feet.

Where did the goalies go?

Sad way to go out

CP hurt

It's such a prohibitive thing for the US then. Maybe when these super jets come out that greatly drop the time it takes to travel from the US to Europe, they could have a couple of east coast teams in the EPL or Spanish league? Again, probably far fetched. Sucks.