Danny Szetela's future home should be decided today reports Ives Galarcep on his blog. Will it be Roma, Brescia or new suitor Newcastle United??? And, when will he be leaving? Immediately or Jan 1st?(Related question: the guy has not really impressed in MLS. What gives? Why do some teams pluck young players that haven't really succeeded in MLS? And why don't they succeed in MLS? Convey played well in D.C., but seemed to fade his last season in the league, as if he was not really into it, so perhaps these players lack motivation in this league? The book is out on Adu. But, does MLS not develop players well? Beasley certainly does NOT fall into this category, nor does Bocanegra or McBride. And Jozy seems to be coming along nicely. Maybe, though, every player is different, and responds differently to different stimuli. Thoughts?)
4 comments:
While Szetela has a middling career in MLS, he was excellent at the U-20 WC. The fact that he and Adu shone at the U-20 WC, but have failed to impress in MLS is, in my mind, a greater indictment of MLS than of these players.
"Go forth" says Slurpo-san...learn and grow and run away from the organizational mess and menace that it is MLS.
An indictment of what, though? Why can't these guys be effective in what is supposedly a lesser league? Is the league too physical for them (unlike the competition at the U-20)? And if so, is that necessarily a bad thing?
I suppose you could argue that these teams don't use them appropriately, but that is not necessarily the case w/r/t Szetela.
Accidentally published without finishing!
My point, is maybe their lack of PT or productivity is not an indictment of the league, but rather a testament to how far it has come.
Which brings me to another idea for the league: maybe they should try and loan Jozy out this winter. He's under contract with the league and I see it as a win-win. If he shines, it drives up the transfer sum. If he doesn't, it would be valuable experience that he could use to dominate next year.
I see your point. I freely admit my Euro-soocer snob bias, and believe that MLS is full of unrepentant hackers and has far too few creative players (or coaches!). In Adu's case, I think it was an obvious case of a coach not letting a player be himself--when free to reach into his bag of tricks at any time, ala the U-20 WC, Adu is fantastic. But when playing under typically stodgy MLS management his skill and flair is repressed.
as for Szetela..well, the same argument doesn't apply. But, he's been in the league since 17, and I do subscribe to the "change of scenery" theory. Moreover, its hard to imagine who wouldn't benefit from the better training and competition available in Europe. I daresay all but a small handful of MLS hacks would gladly move to Europe, and those who wouldn't have very specific reasons (Becks--money, Landon--p*ssy, etc...)
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