Anonymous wrote:I admit I'm pretty new to soccer, but from watching MLS games vs. Premier League games, it's obvious to me why the US can't compete internationally. The US can't string together more than 2 or 3 passes without losing the ball, their games look more like NFL than MLS. The Premier League is also very athletic, but it's also a chess match while the MLS looks like a mess. Yes they have skills and are very athletic, but there something big missing. What is it?? Also I'd love to compare the NWSL with international teams but those aren't broadcast are they?

RantingSoccerDad wrote:Bear in mind that U.S. players are often less than half of the players you'll see on the field at a given time. Last year, 73 countries were represented on MLS rosters.

Conversely, most of the current national team pool plays in Europe and Mexico. Here's the roster for the June friendlies:

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/05/29/15/05/20180529-news-mnt-sarachan-calls-25-players-to-europe-for-ireland-france

That's a change from the disastrous final World Cup qualifier:

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/10/01/05/47/20171001-news-arena-calls-26-players-world-cup-qualifiers-get3-panama-trinidad-tobago

But I don't think that's a difference between Arena and Sarachan. I think it shows that most *young* U.S. players are going overseas. Arena relied on veterans for the final World Cup qualifiers -- perhaps too much, though historically, that's been the way to go. A lot of those players -- Guzan, Howard, Beasley, Bradley, Altidore and Dempsey in particular -- are currently in MLS but have years of European experience.

MLS has plenty of issues, most notably the Columbus situation. But the knock on the quality of play is a little overstated.

Check the stats on pass completion percentage. The median per team in MLS 2017 was 79.65%. (DC United, alas, was last in the league.)

https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/233/Tournaments/85/Seasons/6620/Stages/15593/TeamStatistics/USA-Major-League-Soccer-2017

In the Premier League, it's *lower* -- 75.5%. Even DC United would be well above the basement there. The top six teams, though, are off the charts.

https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/6829/Stages/15151/TeamStatistics/England-Premier-League-2017-2018

In MLS, the team you really want to watch is Atlanta United. Young South American talent that you may end up seeing in the Champions League in a few years. They're fun to watch.

As for NWSL -- that IS mostly American, and you can tell how much we've valued athleticism over skill. Also, the referees are incompetent, and a good player can easily suffer a nasty injury while the ref leaves the cards in the pocket. Some decent games and a lot of good players -- Tobin Heath can be petulant but can also make some dazzling moves.

Anonymous wrote:Any youngster getting minutes on a clubs that includes Neymar, Mbappe, Cavani and DiMaria is someone to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIPcKc5WU00

Anonymous wrote:thanks all! I just set the DVR to record La Liga and Serie A. any others?? I just can't watch MLS, it's painful!

Anonymous wrote:thanks all! I just set the DVR to record La Liga and Serie A. any others?? I just can't watch MLS, it's painful!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct

We also have harder fields and the ball is bouncier, and we have subpar ball skills relative to Europe or South America. Play is scrappier, and you also see this in the concacaf world cup qualifiers.

Yes, even an older, slower player like Wayne Rooney looks very good in MLS because he makes the correct choices and hits accurate passes. It is mostly because his soccer IQ is much higher than 98% of MLS players.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I admit I'm pretty new to soccer, but from watching MLS games vs. Premier League games, it's obvious to me why the US can't compete internationally. The US can't string together more than 2 or 3 passes without losing the ball, their games look more like NFL than MLS. The Premier League is also very athletic, but it's also a chess match while the MLS looks like a mess. Yes they have skills and are very athletic, but there something big missing. What is it?? Also I'd love to compare the NWSL with international teams but those aren't broadcast are they?

If you want to see a real chess match, you should watch La Liga or Serie A. The quality of play in MLS is abysmal even when compared against second tier European leagues. When you have a closed system with one club (MLS is a single entity so no independent clubs like in other countries), it is difficult to put quality product on the field. There is no real pressure to get better.

Anonymous wrote:I admit I'm pretty new to soccer, but from watching MLS games vs. Premier League games, it's obvious to me why the US can't compete internationally. The US can't string together more than 2 or 3 passes without losing the ball, their games look more like NFL than MLS. The Premier League is also very athletic, but it's also a chess match while the MLS looks like a mess. Yes they have skills and are very athletic, but there something big missing. What is it?? Also I'd love to compare the NWSL with international teams but those aren't broadcast are they?

Anonymous wrote:Correct

We also have harder fields and the ball is bouncier, and we have subpar ball skills relative to Europe or South America. Play is scrappier, and you also see this in the concacaf world cup qualifiers.