Comments on: Gooch and Milan: A Bad Deal?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:39:13 +0000

Unless you’re one of the best, you can’t have both as an American. Either you get to play regularly for your lower level club and get to play in the world cup. Or you ride the bench with the best team in the world and miss out on the world cup. It’s the player’s choice. As a coach of a national team, you have to do what’s best for the team. If that means cutting dead weight (players with no playing time), then so be it. Practice does not equal games. They are not the same thing. Congrats to Gooch for getting on AC Milan, but you knew that it would mean his international career might take a hit.

By: kyle

kyle — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:50:21 +0000

Ok but by that logic then is David Healy world class?

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:40:39 +0000

Where is the proof that there is discrimination against US players?

Players get benched for openly voicing their displeasure with the coach all the time. We don’t know how they perform in practices and their attitudes.

The other thing you need to consider are the rules regarding the number of non-EU players allowed on the pitch.

By: Ata Dizdar

Ata Dizdar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:09:34 +0000

When he signed for AC Milan, I was happy, if only for the fact that a guy from my local area has made onto a huge club (Onyewu is from Olney, MD, I’m from Gaithersburg, about 20 minutes away). But it seems as though he’s not getting any playing time. Onyewu would have to work harder to get a starting spot. Frankly, if he’s good enough to get signed, he should be busting his buns to gain a starting spot.

By: Kartik

Kartik — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:12:14 +0000

It can be strongly argued that if you consider simply national team form, not club selection, etc, that Donovan is one of the handful of top players in the world. This will be discussed on a future MLS Talk post.

By: Leon

Leon — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:57:46 +0000

Can you give him 5 minutes to get situated with the club, get the coach on his side, and then get a starting shot? This is a top 10 European club that plenty of national team centre-backs would not automatically start for. And I get tired of reading how someone won’t be sharp for the WC because he isn’t starting every game. Which is better, getting some looks in Serie A and training every single day with phenomenal players, or playing in Belgium and facing a second-tier test with regular match duties? As in, would you rather develop someone as the 10th man on the Lakers, or have him play every day in the NBDL.

By: Glubber

Glubber — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:32:14 +0000

I think it’s a non-traditional football playing country bias, not speficially an American bias. Gooch would not be in a different position if he were from, say, Canada or Thailand.

By: ELAC

ELAC — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:14:45 +0000

Gooch needs to step up his mental game and be a student. I don’t know about a US player stereotype, but I do know that Gooch needs a lot of work. His play is improving, but he really still needs more development. His form will be alright. He’s no slouch, but is he a hard worker?

Serie A is legit league. Gooch has to be legit, too if he is to justify his place for Milan.

By: BC

BC — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:22:03 +0000

Can someone here tell me why there is ZERO mention of the Crew’s back to back wins over Houston in a match that basically decided the Supporters’ Shield and then a CONCACAF CL win IN SAPRISSA??? Where no American team had ever won before!! Am I missing something here?

It’s all well and good to talk about MLS’s failures in the CL and abroad and beat them to death… but one has to think whether this site’s anti-MLS reputation is somewhat justified when the flagship bearer of the league can’t even get a single breath on “MLS” Talk for this huge win in Saprissa, let alone winning the most important game in the MLS’s regular season thus far.

For these two games to not even be mentioned in a quality column is a shame for this site.

By: Seybold

Seybold — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:16:26 +0000

The issue of Americans playing in Europe reminds me of how us Americans reacted to foreign basketball players in the NBA. There was this Argentinian guy who signed for Seattle when we used to have a team. Barely played, released after a year, no one missed him–no one could figure out why they’d signed him in the first place.

Next month I see him playing for Argentina in the world basketball championships as part of an Argentina team that beat the USA. Turns out he could play, a lot better than most of his former Seattle teammates. He never really got the chance.

These days if an NBA team signs an Argentinian player, he’ll be taken seriously from the get-go.