I heard Tony Meola talking about this evening but I didn’t see it. The thought crossed his mind, but then he said when he saw fullbacks making overlapping runs, it occurred to him that they weren’t.
OT: Sweet 16
- Thread starter Fk_Pitt
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I think Japan just came out buck wild at the start of the second half and landed a couple of quick shots and Spain wasn’t overly concerned with the threat of anyone jumping them.
For a couple minutes well into the second half if the games ended the way they were at the time Spain was going home.
If they tanked that match on purpose they were playing with fire.
So what? Players still (speaking generally) continue to improve through their mid to late 20s before they level off and then start declining. He still likely has five or six years until he reaches his peak.
I mean jeebus, we'd kill for a striker as good as Jamie Vardy was at his best. When he was Josh Sargent's age he was playing for the Stocksbridge Park Steels. Probably because where he came from he didn't have the same opportunities as Josh Sargent, right?
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You are using the Aaron Donald "he was just a 2 star" argument. 99% of players who are not world class at 23, will never be world-class. The other 1% is Jamie Vardy. You guys can hope for Sargent and Dike. But its not going to happen. They will always be lower level Premier League/Championship strikers.....and Dike isnt even really that. He'll be back in MLS before long.
They are. But at the same time they have grit and work rate. I saw the top 10 players in the tourney so far for statistics like Km’s ran, km’s sprinted, km’s jogged,etc. and Tyler Adams was at the top of the list as well as a couple other USA players who were in the top 10. Even Pulisic cracked the top 10 in miles ran during the tournament. As a team, the US has ran an entire marathon more than Netherlands. That’s crazy to think about. At some point tired legs are going to set in.
One other thing. I saw Southgate, the England coach, refer to the US as athletic after the game. Then a couple of their players said the same thing. I took that as a snobbish English way of saying they are still better footballers, but the US was able to get a result based on some intangible. That’s crap.
Well first of all, who ever said that we needed a world class striker? Just a good international level striker would be plenty good enough.
Secondly, if that is your criteria then you realize that you still have to wait to make a determination on Sargent, right? You realize that he's not 23 yet, right? And you realize that neither is Dike, right?
Sargent will be 23 in 2 months. I dont even mean Ronaldo-level world-class. I mean the level of say Adams/McKennie/Aaronson (though different positions I know). Like if you expect Dike or Sargent to be starting and scoring goals for a team like Leeds or Juventus or Fulham in 2026, you will be wrong. Ricardo Pepi (wont be 20 until January) is our one hope.
Well first off, world class means that you can start or play on any team in the world. There are very few of those. Romelu Lukaku as an example would be a legit discussion on whether he’s world class or not. Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are world class. Benzema and Lewandowski are world class.
But I think a good example might be Michail Antonio from West Ham and Jamaica. Hes not world class but he’s the type of #9 that I can only hope a guy like Dike develops into. He’s 32 and has been pumping in 10 goals per year in the EPL for the last few years. He didn’t start playing and scoring in the EPL until he was 25 and even then he was scoring 6 goals or so.
If Dike stays healthy and develops, he can be an Antonio. If Pepe develops, can he be an Alvaro Morata who is a fringe starter at Spain? Probably not.
The idea that if someone is not a world class striker by 23 years old that they are never going to amount to anything is one of those things that SMF says periodically to remind everyone that he really doesn't know what he's talking about.
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Especially the strike position. It takes time to develop your game and your physical maturity.
Another stellar Concacaf performance.
Canada 1st place: 0 points in world cup - eliminated in group play
Costa Rica 1-2-0 Eliminated in group play
Mexico 1-1-1: Eliminated in group play
US 1-0-2 Only team to advance and an underdog in the next match
Canada 1st place: 0 points in world cup - eliminated in group play
Costa Rica 1-2-0 Eliminated in group play
Mexico 1-1-1: Eliminated in group play
US 1-0-2 Only team to advance and an underdog in the next match
It’s ok. Africa was dreadful as I remember 4 years ago and they’ve been very good this time. I’d say it’s cyclical, but Concacaf is meh.
I don’t know, Strikers come out of the womb. They are mostly all brain stem so, yes some develop into it but most just are.
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Antonio is a great example of the level of striker we HOPE Sargent, Dike, Pepi, etc can become. That is the ceiling. Well, I have hope Pepi can be better than that since he's so young. Sargent will be 23 in February and Dike in June so the clock is ticking for them. Antonio was 25 when he started banging in goals in the Prem. Those 2 better start soon. You are fooling yourselves if you think Sargent and Dike can screw around in the Championship then become Antonio at age 27 or 28.
I think the problem with playing on a team like Norwich and West Brom, is if you are going up and down with promotion and relegation, it’s kind of tough to develop as a striker in the Prem when you never see the ball because you’re on a team that’s trying to score against the run of play every week. For Antonio, west Ham is perfect because some weeks you’re suffering as a team and the next week you’re going for it.
A guy like Mitrovic at Fulham is a guy who was up and down between the Prem and the Championship and he’s getting it done. I’d kill for a #9 like him.
Yea, I like Mitrovic but he's an EPL striker whose team somehow gets relegated every other year. His stats are crazy (but not surprising). 26 in Championship then 3 in EPL then 43 in Championship and now 9 in EPL.
I want Marsch to bring in Pepi and Pulisic. Leeds is perfect for those guys.
The rumor is New Castle, Liverpool, United and Juventus are all seeking a Pulisic transfer in January. Pulisic doesn’t want a loan deal he prefers a permanent deal. I don’t know what to think about United, but I think he would kill it for Klopp at Liverpool.
I want to say Arsenal is interested too but not sure if I read that or if I’m dreaming that up.
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