USA Friendly 11/18/14

**NeverFeltBetter** · 11/07/2014, 11:58 PM

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-30423366.html

Good test this. USA impressed a lot of people in the World Cup and are well ranked by FIFA but have a fairly poor defence. Last played them in 2002, won 2-1, Kinsella and Doherty the scorers.

**tricky_colour** · 12/07/2014, 1:12 AM

Would prefer not losing to the USA lol.
But then we did OK against Costa Rica who are about the same level as USA.

**BonnieShels** · 12/07/2014, 8:15 PM

Please change the date to the right order.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 12/07/2014, 10:40 PM

That's weird. I could have sworn I just copied that direct from the Indo. Can only imagine the opposition affected my brain.

**Crosby87** · 13/07/2014, 1:58 PM

Good test this. USA impressed a lot of people in the World Cup and are well ranked by FIFA but have a fairly poor defence..[/QUOTE]

Have to respectfully disagree with you there. The US back 4 was the surprise of my life. They bend but rarely break. Germany beat Ireland 9-1 in 2 games right? Beat the hosts 7-1? They beat US one nil.
It's midfield and anything resembling an offense, especially without Landy cakes that US looks clueless at. Michael Bradley was a huge disappointment at generating some ebb and flow but he is great at coming back and helping on D.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 13/07/2014, 2:08 PM

I think the US defence led a charmed enough life, especially against Germany and Belgium. Combined, those two teams had 35 shots on target in 2 1/3rd games of football. Howard is certainly great, but it was like Russia/Ireland: another day it could have been 5-0 in both games.

Not that Ireland will be racking up the shots, but I don't think the US strength is in their back four.

**mark12345** · 13/07/2014, 2:19 PM

Originally Posted by tricky_colour

Would prefer not losing to the USA lol.
But then we did OK against Costa Rica who are about the same level as USA.

Prefer not losing to the USA? Why? What difference would it make.....losing to Croatia, Sweden, Russia, Germany, USA?
A loss is a loss.

If you have that 'we're much better than them at football' attitude which many Irish including myself had, surely it's time to kick it into touch now.
I emigrated to the US in the mid 80's and I kid you not when I tell you the US's team was Leinster Senior League level at that time.
But look at how they have improved since. And look at how much we have gone backwards.
It really pains me to see how the job (of improving one's status in the game by proper planning and coaching) is done first hand, and to look at ourselves who keep making the same mistakes year in and decade out.
No we don't have the financial resources that the US do - it is fair to say that we are more on a level with Belgium or Holland (albeit with a smaller population).
But those countries put plans in place, just like the US has, and are now reaping the rewards.

We need to fix our broken system, or we'll be singing this same long, just like England is, in another 20 years time.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 13/07/2014, 2:53 PM

They have a MASSIVE population to choose from. We don't.

Ergo, lies the rub.

**mark12345** · 13/07/2014, 3:47 PM

Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy

They have a MASSIVE population to choose from. We don't.

Ergo, lies the rub.

The US has a massive population to choose from. That is correct. But population is only a small factor in the equation. The smaller countries like Belgium and Holland, and indeed Denmark and Sweden have done it right over the years. We haven't. A plan to completely revise our coaching system (and I hear that is beginning already). In the absence of turning our domestic league into a viable operation, which seems destined not to happen no matter how hard we try, we need to develop a process where the cream of the crop (2 or 3 of them) from the LOI are incorporated into the national team squad. It may be a step backwards to begin with, but it will reap rewards going forward

**Crosby87** · 13/07/2014, 7:27 PM

Also the inner cities produce the majority of US athletes. Playing soccer in the suburbs is on the rise for sure, but most kids dont play organized soccer in places like nyc, chicago, memphis, atlanta, etc.. as the health implications of playing american football become more and more obvious it will be interesting to see if those kids from poor areas are turned to soccer. Kobe Bryant for example grew up in Italy and was a terrific soccer player. The US needs to produce a Kobe Bryant or Peyton Manning or Derek Jeter of soccer, and it will happen soon.

**Stuttgart88** · 13/07/2014, 10:54 PM

Irish Times article mentioned earlier highlighted the middle class nature of soccer in USA being its most likely natural limiter. It costs money to develop kids and in most cases the networks and resources aren't there to develop the most talented kids, only the kids whose parents can afford it.

**paul_oshea** · 14/07/2014, 8:31 AM

Crosby The boy is coming home, he also said the World cup final was the greatest sporting event he has ever been at.

**Fixer82** · 14/07/2014, 11:58 AM

Wooohooo Go Soccerball!!!

**tricky_colour** · 15/07/2014, 2:00 AM

Originally Posted by mark12345

Prefer not losing to the USA? Why? What difference would it make.....losing to Croatia, Sweden, Russia, Germany, USA?
A loss is a loss.

If you have that 'we're much better than them at football' attitude which many Irish including myself had, surely it's time to kick it into touch now.
I emigrated to the US in the mid 80's and I kid you not when I tell you the US's team was Leinster Senior League level at that time.
But look at how they have improved since. And look at how much we have gone backwards.
It really pains me to see how the job (of improving one's status in the game by proper planning and coaching) is done first hand, and to look at ourselves who keep making the same mistakes year in and decade out.
No we don't have the financial resources that the US do - it is fair to say that we are more on a level with Belgium or Holland (albeit with a smaller population).
But those countries put plans in place, just like the US has, and are now reaping the rewards.

We need to fix our broken system, or we'll be singing this same long, just like England is, in another 20 years time.

Well it's a bit embarrassing losing to a country that "does not even play the game", mind you they have beaten England before too.

Even a defeat to Cyprus is honourable

Will be interesting to see how such a match will pan out though, still at least it is at the Aviva so if Ireland do lose most
Americans won't even know

**Charlie Darwin** · 15/07/2014, 2:34 AM

Originally Posted by Crosby87

Have to respectfully disagree with you there. The US back 4 was the surprise of my life. They bend but rarely break. Germany beat Ireland 9-1 in 2 games right? Beat the hosts 7-1? They beat US one nil.

Well, in the context of those games, Ireland went out to win both games playing attacking football, we just were woefully unprepared to actually do it, whereas the USA were set out for damage limitation. I think the USA are a better team than Ireland overall but the results are not a useful comparison, any more than Brazil losing 7-1 at home to Germany makes them worse than us.

**dancinpants** · 15/07/2014, 4:27 AM

The USA actually remind me of past Ireland teams that qualified for the World Cup...only the US have an easier path. Then, when you get there, you punch above your weight for 3 or 4 games.

There has definitely been a huge surge in interest in the sport here...but that was for the pomp and ceremony of a World Cup. The question is - will that translate to hum drum qualifiers and to the MLS?

Worth noting that the team has strong MLS representation. And like teams such as Belgium, Sweden, Holland, Greece - they have a well supported domestic league. We don't. The USA is currently better than us and that gap is going to widen - vastly. Our coaching set up is flawed, we produce fantastic new talent annually, it seems, in the LoI - but nobody wants to go watch them. As long as that's the case local teams will flog their best young talent to half arsed League 1 teams in England for next to nothing just to get money to survive. And that then translates to the national team. Utter mediocrity from top to bottom.

Whether Irish supporter's of English teams (that "wouldn't watch that sh!t" down the road from their house) like it or not a vibrant, well supported LOI is integral to this country's national team progressing on the world stage.

**paul_oshea** · 15/07/2014, 1:12 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Well, in the context of those games, Ireland went out to win both games playing attacking football, we just were woefully unprepared to actually do it, whereas the USA were set out for damage limitation. I think the USA are a better team than Ireland overall but the results are not a useful comparison, any more than Brazil losing 7-1 at home to Germany makes them worse than us.

Under Trap we never went out to win games like this, don't fuzzy the facts from the past to suit you argument by appending some silly throwaway remark to cover yourself like "woefully unprepared to actually do it".

**NeverFeltBetter** · 15/07/2014, 1:20 PM

No. Ireland played decent purposeful football in the first twenty or so minutes againt Germany at home. I remember being mildly impressed of how Trap was approaching the game. Then it all went to pieces.

**Charlie Darwin** · 15/07/2014, 2:33 PM

Paul, the YBIG hivemind has gotten to you again. I watched the Germany match and made my own assessment. Ireland played purposeful football and the formation was set up to hang on to the ball and create things as Trap knew sitting back and playing the traditional game would make us sitting ducks, which is exactly what we were after he changed to 442 at half time/

**paul_oshea** · 15/07/2014, 3:37 PM

And the second germany game? We had some attacks with stokes up front but we definitely didnt setup to win it. Damage limitation or sneak a draw.

I dont think we ever set ourselves up to win under trap, it was containment at all times bar the France away game where we had nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

We had an ok patch to start with in the first game, then the germans figured us out quickly and our weaknesses and cruelly exposed us. I was actually surprised how easy they got in behind coleman time and again.