Brek Shea to Stoke City...

[mccscratch]

from what i have seen from Brek he is not ready for the premiership.  very lightweight and doesnt seem like he has the attitude to do very well in England.  I would be surprised if he ever made it...  hope i am wrong. 075.gif

I can tell you that Shea has a very high work rate... he is also nowhere near lightweight... falls over way less than Dempsey did and does...

[EJL]

from what i have seen from Brek he is not ready for the premiership.  very lightweight and doesnt seem like he has the attitude to do very well in England.  I would be surprised if he ever made it...  hope i am wrong. 075.gif

I can tell you that Shea has a very high work rate... he is also nowhere near lightweight... falls over way less than Dempsey did and does...

Well let's hope he's more successful than Samaras (apparently he and Shea are a decent comparison).

[mccscratch]

from what i have seen from Brek he is not ready for the premiership.  very lightweight and doesnt seem like he has the attitude to do very well in England.  I would be surprised if he ever made it...  hope i am wrong. 075.gif

I can tell you that Shea has a very high work rate... he is also nowhere near lightweight... falls over way less than Dempsey did and does...

Well let's hope he's more successful than Samaras (apparently he and Shea are a decent comparison).

I think that is a very fair comparison... Shea is fortunate that he is left footed though which will help him find a place on the pitch.

[HatterDon]

Nothing on Stoke City's website about this, and his Wikipedia page still says he's with FC Dallas.

[ToodlesMcToot]

Klinsmann is a decent sort.  Likable.  Can't deny his greatness as a player.  A player's coach, I guess.  But am I the only one who thinks he was wrong for the UNMNT?

No, the guy who posted just above you called Klinsmann the guy we're paying "to screw up our national team." Not a fan of the poser. Never will be.

I'd prefer him managing the USA than managing Fulham though. He could screw up a soup sandwich.

I too am not a Klinsman fan. I don't understand why he keeps going back to the same failed players: Goodson, Beckerman, Feilhaber, Kljestan, EJ and that walking card Jones. I know the well is low but that has always been an American problem. The one good thing is that he seems to be a strong influence in getting players out of MLS and somewhere where they play semi-decent football.

I'll never understand this attitude coming from American fans of the game. Rid yourself of the inferiority complex. MLS is definitely no world beater, but it's not as you'd have folks believing either.

If you'll notice Klinsy goes back to those "failed" players, as you call them, because the talent pool isn't entirely available and he has to make up numbers. For the life of me I can't understand why you include Kljestan in that group of yours though. He's integral to Anderlecht's success and not long for the Belgian league I suspect.

[CanadianCottager]

He's not ready for English football yet. He's got to toughen up his body and the muscles between his ears.

What on earth are you talking about Don? He's the complete package! He's quick, he's fast, and he's got pace! Everything you need in a footballer.

In all seriousness though, not the biggest fan of Shea, part of a terribly overhyped USA U23 generation (that was eliminated by Canada in Olympic qualifying mind you) and I don't see him making a splash at Stoke. My gut feeling is that he's more EJ than Deuce, but hey, you never know.

[horse1031]

from what i have seen from Brek he is not ready for the premiership.  very lightweight and doesnt seem like he has the attitude to do very well in England.  I would be surprised if he ever made it...  hope i am wrong. 075.gif

I can tell you that Shea has a very high work rate... he is also nowhere near lightweight... falls over way less than Dempsey did and does...

he is a good player dont get me wrong.  super inconsistent and goes in and out of games though.  lightweight and falling over are completely different things.

[YankeeJim]

Klinsmann is a decent sort.  Likable.  Can't deny his greatness as a player.  A player's coach, I guess.  But am I the only one who thinks he was wrong for the UNMNT?

No, the guy who posted just above you called Klinsmann the guy we're paying "to screw up our national team." Not a fan of the poser. Never will be.

I'd prefer him managing the USA than managing Fulham though. He could screw up a soup sandwich.

I too am not a Klinsman fan. I don't understand why he keeps going back to the same failed players: Goodson, Beckerman, Feilhaber, Kljestan, EJ and that walking card Jones. I know the well is low but that has always been an American problem. The one good thing is that he seems to be a strong influence in getting players out of MLS and somewhere where they play semi-decent football.

I'll never understand this attitude coming from American fans of the game. Rid yourself of the inferiority complex. MLS is definitely no world beater, but it's not as you'd have folks believing either.

If you'll notice Klinsy goes back to those "failed" players, as you call them, because the talent pool isn't entirely available and he has to make up numbers. For the life of me I can't understand why you include Kljestan in that group of yours though. He's integral to Anderlecht's success and not long for the Belgian league I suspect.

The problem with MLS is that it is run terribly. The allocation of players is odd to say the least. They spend money on a few has beens and they have done squat to market the league. I read an LA dailey newspaper and the Galaxy get a blurb w/o a headline on page 6 of the sports section and they won the damn league two years running! Could be I'm only exposed to Lannycakes and the racists on the other side of the Home Depot Center (nice facility BTW) but I just can't seem to find it interesting. I don't think the quality is that bad, likely akin to League 1 or lower half of the Championship on the other side of the pond but the squads are so thin that they routinly crash out of the local champion's league against some team of semi-pros from Honduras on a pitch that has more hills and valleys then Colorado. I'm sure it'll get better and when it does (perhaps when I move to Frisco), I'll likely pay more attention.
As to the players I mentioned, journeymen all. I don't think they have it at the international level. I hope I'm wrong.

[bmasar]

Nothing on Stoke City's website about this, and his Wikipedia page still says he's with FC Dallas.

Well I could change his Wiki page to say he's a legendary astronaut in 15 seconds, so that doesn't mean anything.

[ToodlesMcToot]

Klinsmann is a decent sort.  Likable.  Can't deny his greatness as a player.  A player's coach, I guess.  But am I the only one who thinks he was wrong for the UNMNT?

No, the guy who posted just above you called Klinsmann the guy we're paying "to screw up our national team." Not a fan of the poser. Never will be.

I'd prefer him managing the USA than managing Fulham though. He could screw up a soup sandwich.

I too am not a Klinsman fan. I don't understand why he keeps going back to the same failed players: Goodson, Beckerman, Feilhaber, Kljestan, EJ and that walking card Jones. I know the well is low but that has always been an American problem. The one good thing is that he seems to be a strong influence in getting players out of MLS and somewhere where they play semi-decent football.

I'll never understand this attitude coming from American fans of the game. Rid yourself of the inferiority complex. MLS is definitely no world beater, but it's not as you'd have folks believing either.

If you'll notice Klinsy goes back to those "failed" players, as you call them, because the talent pool isn't entirely available and he has to make up numbers. For the life of me I can't understand why you include Kljestan in that group of yours though. He's integral to Anderlecht's success and not long for the Belgian league I suspect.

The problem with MLS is that it is run terribly. The allocation of players is odd to say the least. They spend money on a few has beens and they have done squat to market the league. I read an LA dailey newspaper and the Galaxy get a blurb w/o a headline on page 6 of the sports section and they won the damn league two years running! Could be I'm only exposed to Lannycakes and the racists on the other side of the Home Depot Center (nice facility BTW) but I just can't seem to find it interesting. I don't think the quality is that bad, likely akin to League 1 or lower half of the Championship on the other side of the pond but the squads are so thin that they routinly crash out of the local champion's league against some team of semi-pros from Honduras on a pitch that has more hills and valleys then Colorado. I'm sure it'll get better and when it does (perhaps when I move to Frisco), I'll likely pay more attention.
As to the players I mentioned, journeymen all. I don't think they have it at the international level. I hope I'm wrong.

It is an oddly run league, but I believe it is so with a purpose.

Personally, I think they're league model is likely one of the most healthy in the world. There is genuine parity in the league. There are haves and have nots as far as those teams with true international stars (granted on the decline), but the model is such that the extreme buying that doomed the NASL (1st iteration) isn't a possibility and that the smaller market teams are still able to seek out talent to compete.

I'll certainly grant you that the league hasn't done much to earn my interest yet either. I'm not willing to pay the pay per view to see all the games, nor do I have the time to watch enough to make it worthwhile. I have a hard enough time getting to watch all the matches my dear Fulham play. That along with the fact that there is no geographical tie, for me, to any team, keeps me only slightly interested. I read more than I watch.

I do believe that many MLS teams would be competitive with most of the Championship clubs, just not over the course of a full English season. Like you say, the teams aren't afforded the squad depth.

The only player I truly disagree with from your list is Sasha. His problem with the U.S. team, from my point of view, is that he's a luxury that the team is only now able to afford deploying properly. I think he'll be a fine international for us. Again, I don't believe he's a world beater, but I'm resigned to the fact that the U.S. has yet to produce one. Though Altidore and "General" Bradley are certainly beginning to push a bit toward that notion.

I'm sure that you and I agree on plenty here. I just believe that MLS and its players are more and more capable. They generally do play attractive soccer. They just don't have the caliber of player in most cases to play attractive ball against everyone.....if that even makes sense.

[The Rock]

Not to change the subject, but if this Brea were really that good he'd have already been signed. I don't know any of the yank players that arent in the uk or on the us national team, but surely there are some gems in the rough...

[YankeeJim]

American players start late. Our youth leagues are almost all volunteer. As a matter of fact, that is what got me re-interested in the game, coaching my boys. Other then the WC I hadn't paid attention to the game for 20/25 years. The good kids usually get a scholarship to college and play only half the year. The best of those hit the MLS or some such league as 21-22 year olds that generally don't have the basic skills and most certainly have never had high quality coaching. That means by the time they start to become well rounded players they are mid twenties, old for European development leagues. We are starting to see some players that didn't use that route. Shea is one and some guy named Dempsey is another. Shea is 22 and has been playing in quality situations since 2005. Dempsey learned the game on dirt fields playing with Mexican immigrants. If the US Federation ever discovers the millions of young Latino immigrants and the African-American youngsters who currently go into Mexican teams and pointy ball/hoops, watch out. American fitness, desire and size coupled with Latin skills......

Shea is about where Dempsey was when he hit FFC. Unfinished to be sure but with proper coaching to instill some game smarts and a few skills to go with his size, & pace I think Pulis has found a diamond in the rough.

It is said that if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their arses. IF, if Holden comes back from his injuries & Shea develops as I think he will, the US Nats will have a midfield of those two, Dempsey & Bradley with Lanneycakes thrown in as well. 2014 could surpass 2002.

[mccscratch]

Was just reading about Shea in the Guardians article about Shea and other MLS players making moves... then I stumbled upon a quote that i had never seen from Klinsmaan...

"My whole talk to Clint Dempsey for 18 months was [about how] he hasn't made poo. You play for Fulham? Yeah, so? Show me you play for a Champions League team, and then you start on a Champions League team and that you may end up winning the Champions League. There is always another level."

Just another reason I don't like Jurgen Klinsmann as the USMNT coach... he thinks he and only he knows what is best for players...