Jeez, I go away for a bit and the dipshit show starts again?
TBO, we get it, you don't rate MLS or the US nats or the kids who didn't qualify for the olympics. That's fine. Contribute positively here or stick to the international threads. Don't need your 'contribution' if it's all detracting and taking away from those who actually want to help grow the sport here domestically.
And this Ryan guy? Who the **** left the screen door unlocked and let a pesky neighbor in? Clock? Officiating? Go the **** away since you have no dog in this fight and don't even care for the sport. Also, I'll challenge everyone else that if the guy says he doesn't like the sport and doesn't care about yadda yadda yadda, why take the bait and carry on the conversation with him?
The U-23's were/are comprised of a large group that also didn't qualify as the U-20's for the U-20World Cup either. While the style is there, the grit isn't what it needs to be. That shown through in this tourney. The fact that the coaching decisions by Caleb Porter were suspect to begin with assisted in the downfall of the group. They were competitive because of their talent, but Porter's unusual starters in some places were the weaknesses that other, more experienced teams and coaches exploited. The boys did well, but the defense was very zombie-like in not closing their gaps and soft on man-marking. And to be fair, Hamid made some decent stops, but he let in goals that Sean Johnson would have stopped. Likewise, the soft goal that Johnson gave up at the end of the match would have been stopped 9 times out of 10 by either himself or Hamid. I do find it a bit cruel that the blame seems to be pointed at Johnson and not the defenders who didn't do what they needed to, or the team as a whole for giving up 2 previous goals before Johnson even had a crack at being in goal. To blame it on one kid is absurd. It was a team fail.
The reason that it is a difficult thing to face for many is that even though the Olympic football isn't the highest quality, it is a place for all to get some great experience against quality opponents. So aside from not even being able to represent your country (if that is something you aspire to), you don't even get the chance to do so or win a medal--and silverware is something all athletes aspire to.
Oh, and I'll be watching both Euros as well as MLS.
