#( dynamic: julian & kc )

[everybodylieslieslies]

tag drop two.

[scienter]

Thank you for responding to my previous ask about how things would have been different if ND had stayed.I do agree with you that KW's decision resulted from him being a bitter old man but was it only because of that or was it also because of the fact that SC was somewhat least favourite in terms of mass popularity?Even though he still claims to be Team Dawson-Joey,he gave Joey-Pacey endgame precisely because it was more popular.He did the same thing with Delena.Although Delena was pretty much set in stone in s6 since they had to rush the Elena endgame,Joey-Pacey was different considering both the actors were in the show,both the characters were broken up for over 7 years if I remember correctly & the endgame was done only with a flash forward and a random scene at the very end.As a viewer, it felt rushed in my opinion.But I was wondering why JP agreed to TVD's finale decision.Was it because KW had the power to overrule or did popularity once again become a factor since she kind of admitted she did it because of KC in some interview where she said "Klaus put a wrench on my long con with Stefan & Caroline". Because the treatment SC got in the finale was unbelievably disgusting & JP co-wrote that episode. Sorry to bother you like this but I love how you explain things so I have to ask. Who turned Lilian Salvatore? In s6, she said she was given vampire blood by a nurse at the sick ward.In s7 1863 flashback, Valerie said she worked as a nurse at a sick ward with patients suffering from Consumption.So was that nurse Valerie? But she wasn't a vampire at that time,right? So whose blood was it? Julian's? Also, didn't Lily in s7 seem really different from s6 Lily?She had bloodlust issues and she clearly was a Ripper but in s7 she had none of those problems.They set up this really interesting dynamic between Stefan and Lily in s6 and instead of exploring it,they killed her off in just 8 episodes?I mean I liked how they explored the patten of toxic relationships Lily would engage in &how that affected his sons but was that it? The whole point of bringing her character back was for Salvatore family drama and give Stefan a reason to kill Julian?

Hey, anon! Sorry for the delayed response. I meant to answer this earlier.

I’ve thought a lot about the TVD writer’s room and how the series finale was written, but it’s hard to fully conclude how and why things went down the way they did. Yes, it was rushed Yes, it was changed at the last moment. Yes, there was originally a different ending and then KW petulantly decided to kill Stefan. And while I initially placed part of the blame at JP’s feet like so many of us did, I don’t anymore simply because there are so many unknowns about it. I’ve mentioned this before:

“Fourth, Kevin Williamson rejoined the writing staff in the the final season & hadn’t realized that the show had moved on without him. Killing Stefan in the end? That was Kevin Williamson. However, the question remains: why did JP allow KW to get his way? She fought for the Dawson’s Creek ending when KW rejoined for that finale, so why she was willing to let KW petulantly screw up the TVD ending? Did KW bully them into it? Did KW’s contract stipulate that he got veto power over the other writers? Was the writing staff exhausted fighting KW so they just gave in? Did JP feel guilty for taking the Dawson’s Creek ending away from KW & compromised on the TVD ending to make up for it? We will never know.” (https://scienter.tumblr.com/post/676292960644644864/hey-im-new-on-this-platform-still-not-sure-how)

However, I think that KW actually being on the writing staff in TVD's final season made a difference in TVD. KW was only present for the series finale in Dawson’s Creek, so I’m sure that he had less power to change the ending of Dawson's Creek like he did with TVD.

I really can’t speculate on Lily Salvatore and her storyline because I hardly remember it. lol I’ve never re-watched season 7 because I hate it so much, and my season 6 re-watch has been limited to Steroline & Bamon. I wish I had more to say about Lily, but I don’t. I remember having high hopes for her and her storyline but being disappointed by it. So, her story never stayed with me like Katherine or the Originals did. In general, I remember the mythology of the earlier season better than the later seasons because I've re-watched them.

[dukuzumurenyiphd]

Afrikan & Eurasian Political Economic Interaction [Part 1]

Mhenga [Kiswahili: Ancestor] Amos N. Wilson, as the result of extensive research over several decades, concluded that there were a number of ‘constants’ in the historical relationship[1]between the Mabila [Kiswahili: Ethnic Groups] of Afrika and the tribes of Ulaya [Kiswahili: Europe],[2] in particular the historical interactions linking the two broad divisions of Ubinadamu [Kiswahili: Humanity] over the preceding half millennium.

 During the last five centuries the structure, function and dynamics of the socio-political communication, economic interchange and military engagements, which are defining components of the interrelations of Afrikans and Europeans, were initiated and shaped by Europeans according to European elite needs. The needs of European elites as delineated by European Utamaduni [Kiswahili: Culture] featured certain aspects which were unchanging.

 Given the xenophobic, violent, globally expansive for the purpose of empire-building, hegemonic nature of European Utamaduni, the preponderance of coercive force in the form of mechanized weapons on the side of European powers; and the xenophilic, socially conservative, regionally centered non-globally expansive integrated kingdoms and imperial territorial states resulting primarily from annexation for the purpose of regional security, cooperative nature of Afrikan Utamaduni, and the near dearth of mechanized weaponry in the hands of Afrikan militaries, it is in no way ambiguous as to why the essential character of Afrikan and European interactions was so heavily weighted in favor of Ulaya.

 This power imbalance is especially true when one gives thought to the place and use of religion/spiritual systems in the Utamaduni of Afrika and Ulaya.

 In the Utamaduni of Afrika religion/spiritual systems are ways of life encompassing the entire culture used for human development, where as in the Utamaduni of Ulaya religion/spiritual systems are socio-political institutions used to further elite political economic imperial agendas.  

 However, as Mhenga Amos N. Wilson stated the historical relationship has been continually defined by a series of ‘constants’. These ‘constants’ were present in the initial phase of Afrikan and European interaction five hundred years ago and continued to be underlying factors in all subsequent socio-cultural interactions.

 Mhenga Wilson is suggesting that as the external behavior of Europeans and Afrikans toward one another appeared to change there were certain aspects of the relationship which remained ‘constant’.

 More specifically, considering that the distribution of coercive power was skewed disproportionately on the side of Europeans and therefore as a result of the successful use of that power, Europeans occupied the dominant position in all interactions, and keeping in mind the correlation of dominant group power and projection or the ability to ascribe negative behaviors onto the other subordinate party, it is more appropriate to say that as the external superficial behavior of Europeans towards Afrikans appeared to change there were certain substantive aspects of European Afrikan interaction which remained ‘constant’.

 Provided that it is understood that Afrikan behavior is generally reactive in this exchange, due to the fundamental socio-political nature of the Afrikan Utamaduni in that it is xenophilic and none expansive, sense can be made of the wisdom of Mhenga Wilson by the apprehension of the salient aspects of the historical relationship of Europeans and Afrikans for the previous half millennium.[3]

For it is this particular historical period of the past five hundred years that Mhenga Wilson is particularly referencing in his analysis.

 Comprehension of the nature of the historical relationship between the mabila of Afrika and the tribes of Ulaya over the last five centuries requires knowledge of the context of that interaction within the totality of Afrikan historical consciousness.[4]

 For the context of Afrikan interaction is a fundamental element of the whole of Afrikan cultural continuity;[5] a continuity which is maintained only by proper acknowledgment, comprehension and generational propagation, i.e., inculcating the young of our community with the ideas, ideologies and ethical principles learned from that history.

 By considering our historical relationship as Afrikans who are conscious of ourselves as Afrikans we are in effect bringing into conscious view history which is ever present in our minds subconsciously.  

 As Mhenga Wilson taught, “History is ever present in our minds. The past is always present.”

 Mhenga John Henrik Clarke expressed the point even more forthrightly: “The events which transpired five thousand years ago; five years ago or five minutes ago, have determined what will happen five minutes from now; five years from now or five thousand years from now. All history is a current event…History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography.  History tells a people where they have been and what they have been, where they are and what they are.  Most important, history tells a people where they still must go, what they still must be. The relationship of history to the people is the same as the relationship of a mother to her child.”  

 Furthermore, that history is ever present with us even if we did not ‘physically’ experience the event, for it is present through our epigenetic connection with our Mababu [Kiswahili: Ancestors].

  [1]“It takes two birds to make a nest.” [Afrikan Proverb]

[2]More specifically, within this text where Europe is stated the emphasis will be on the Mabila of the Eurasian Continent and the Arabian Peninsula.

[3] Here two calendars will be presented as a guide to recorded events. One is the Julian calendar to which all in the Eurocentric countries and their former colonies are familiar with. Its divisions used here are BCE, Before the Common Era and CE, the Common Era. The second calendar is labeled KC, for Kemet/Kush Calendar. This Kemet/Kush calendar was based on the Sopdet Year [Sothic Cycle]. The German Egyptologist Eduard Meyer of the Berlin School of Egyptology developed the Sothic Theory in 1904. See: Eduard Meyer, Ägyptische Chronologie, (Akademie der Wissenschaften: Berlin, 1904).  The Sothic Theory is based on the 1,460 year cycle of the star Sopdet [Sirius]. The Peret Sopdet, heliacal rising of Sopdet, is mentioned in many Kemetic documents as occurring in the same observational position every 1,460 years would occur on the Wep Renpet or Kemetic New Year. The earliest Sopdet Year as calculated by Eduard Meyer occurred in 4241 BCE, with a second Sopdet Year occurring in 2780 BCE during the 4th Kemetic Dynasty. Another Sopdet Year is stated to have occurred during the 12th Dynasty in the seventh year of Per-aa Sesotris III according to the Illahun Papyrus. The Eberus Medical Papyrus also states that a Sopdet Year occurred in the ninth year of the 18th Dynasty Per-aa Amenhotep I. Another possible Calendar consists of the date given by Manetho as recorded by the Hersetha [University Priestesses and Priests] of 36,525 BCE which according to Kemetic texts was the year when the first Divine Rulers arrived in Kemet from Southern Afrika, the Land where the Gods deigned to come down and commune with the ‘Blameless Ethiopians’. It is written about by the Hersetha as the Sep Tepi, the First Time a Golden Era of High Culture. While this event is relegated to Mythology by Egyptologists and Afrikologists for that matter, the written record of the Wahenga [Ancestors] reads as if this was a real event which literally occurred and not as if it is an allegorical tale. A third possible Calendar of Kemet/Kush origin would begin in the year 11,542 BCE which is recorded by the Hersetha as the year in which ‘Men began to rule Men, following the Age of the Rule of the Gods. A fourth possible Calendar could be commenced from the date of 6280 BCE which according to Ethiopian Sources is the date of the birth of Kush, the progenitor of the Kushites and the Kushite Kingdom. Baba Yosef ben-Jochanan uses the first year of the establishment of United Dynastic Kemet 4100 CE as year one making the current year according to this dating 6113 NY [Nile Year]. Using any of these or other Afrikan calendars is an elementary must to free Afrikans from the tyranny of Eurocentric records of time which severely limit Afrikans to a box of European Mythological Reality. Consider that, the current calendar utilized by Europeans is centered on the Birth of the Mythical Yeshuwa the Messiah [Jesus the Christ], dividing time into BC [Before Christ] and A.D. [The year of the Lord- Yeshuwa] This calendar defines all human events in relation to a Mythological Event of European derivation and limits human history ostensibly to 4004 BCE, the supposed date of creation. Within this time system all Afrikan acts are relegated to points in time when Europeans encountered Afrikans. A calendar of Afrikan origin greatly expands Afrikan historical memory, places Afrikans in the subjective seat of active agents in time and connects Afrikans of today with a long history replete with Afrikan cultural, social, political and economic progression and regression. For additional reading see: John G. Jackson, Introduction to African Civilization (New York: Citadel Press, 1994) pp. 259; J. A. Rogers, 100 Amazing Facts About The Negro (St. Petersburg, Fl: Helga M. Rogers, 1957) pp.21; James Henry Breasted, A History of Egypt (New York: Bantam Books, 1967) pp. 16; Gerald Massey, A Book of the Beginnings Vol. I (New York: A&B Publishers, 1994) pp. 28;  W. G. Waddell, Manetho: With An English Translation (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1940)

 [4] “If you know the beginning well, the end will not trouble you.” [Afrikan Proverb]

[5] "When we get into social amnesia - into forgetting our history - we also forget or misinterpret the history and motives of others as well as our own. The way to learn of our own creation, how we came to be what we are, is getting to know ourselves. It is through getting to know the self intimately that we get to know the forces that shaped us as a self. Therefore knowing the self becomes a knowledge of the world. A deep study of Black History is the most profound way to learn about the psychology of Europeans and to understand the psychology that flows from their history.” From: Mhenga Amos N. Wilson, The Falsification of Afrikan Consciousness: Eurocentric History, Psychiatry and the Politics of White Supremacy, (New York: Afrikan World Infosytems, 1993)

[junker-town]

The post-Tom Brady future of AFC quarterbacks is in great hands

Pat Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, and Lamar Jackson are reshaping the conference’s quarterbacking as we know it.

The New England Patriots have lost three times this season to teams whose quarterbacks are all under the age of 25. The most recent, 24-year-old Patrick Mahomes, went into Foxborough on Sunday and led his team to a 23-16 victory to clinch the AFC West. He joined 24-year-old Deshaun Watson and 22-year-old Lamar Jackson as part of an elite trio of young AFC quarterbacks who have bested 42-year-old Tom Brady and company.

In Brady’s two decades in the NFL, the Patriots have never lost to so many young passers. The result is an eye-opening glimpse into what the future of the AFC, long dominated by the Pats, may look like.

Watson, Jackson, and Mahomes are going to be lighting up the league for a long time

Watson put up 234 passing yards and three touchdowns on New England’s defense in Week 13, and is a human highlight reel each week. He plays absolutely fearlessly, too. Remember when he scored a touchdown after literally getting kicked in the face?

The third-year starter is adding creativity to the Texans’ playbook. Against the Pats, the Texans ran a reverse option pass that resulted in DeAndre Hopkins throwing a touchdown pass back to his quarterback. It was a player Watson helped add to the playbook weeks earlier, and one the Patriots’ sturdy defense couldn’t contain.

THE TRICKERY!@deshaunwatson | #NEvsHOU pic.twitter.com/POBDFCMZXu

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 2, 2019

Jackson, the NFL’s MVP frontrunner, had a 108 passer rating against the Pats during the Ravens’ 37-23 win, which put them on top of the AFC North and gave them an edge in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Jackson became the youngest QB to beat a team coached by Bill Belichick since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

Jackson is a cheat code. He breaks defenders’ ankles on the regular:

LAMAAAR He's just too good! pic.twitter.com/5fP1tZra7a

— NFL UK (@NFLUK) December 8, 2019

Mahomes won MVP last season, and finally took down the king of the AFC in Week 14. The Chiefs’ win also marked the first time an NFL quarterback under 25 years old has won in New England since 2000. While Mahomes’ performance wasn’t spectacular — he threw for 283 yards and a touchdown, but also had an interception on his first possession — he showed the full extent of what he could be in his first two losses to New England.

Mahomes’ first matchup against the Pats was a thriller, but New England pulled out a close 43-40 win in Week 6 of the 2018 regular season. In the second meeting, Mahomes forced overtime in the AFC Championship after leading a game-tying drive with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Pats got the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown to defeat the Chiefs, 37-31, and Mahomes didn’t get a chance to throw a counterpunch in the biggest game of his career. His future still looked bright.

Most impressively, these young guns all won against a New England defense that ranks No. 1 in scoring this year.

On the flip side, it’s obvious that the Patriots don’t look like themselves right now

Even with Brady, this Patriots’ offense is a far cry from the dominant units New England has had in the past. Brady doesn’t have the weapons around him to win games like he used to. The Patriots are severely lacking in the run game (Brady was New England’s second-leading rusher with 20 yards against KC on Sunday). And aside from Julian Edelman and flashes of Mohamed Sanu, Brady’s receiving corps isn’t as much of a threat as it used to be.

Despite all of this, there’s little reason to believe Brady won’t make it to the Super Bowl at least one more time when everything is said and done. New England is still a projected No. 2 seed for the AFC playoffs, and it’s hard to pick against the Pats in the postseason, no matter what issues they’re having. Brady has struggled as recently as last season, but still led his team to a Super Bowl win. The moment when Brady’s team is doubted is usually right when he proves you wrong.

But the other reality is that Brady can’t play forever. And having so many young, exciting quarterbacks in the AFC is a fun glimpse into a future without Brady in it, whenever that may be.

This is maybe the most exciting generation of QBs since Brady entered the league

We’re witnessing a true changing of the guard to a new generation of young, mobile NFL quarterbacks. NFL offenses have adapted to the dynamic quarterbacks that college systems are giving them, and the result is juggernaut offenses that light up defenses each and every week.

Brady’s era, which included the likes of Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, coincided with a run of unprecedented offensive success in the NFL. Now Watson, Mahomes, Jackson, and others are perfecting new systems that could come to define them as a generation of their own.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

[outsidethe18blog]

Matt Lanahan Presents: Everything You Need To Know About US Soccer Right At This Moment.

If you haven’t learned by now, Matt Lanahan and sad soccer experiences go hand in hand. To name a couple that you may or may not have heard about, there was my handball that lost us the State Cup for my club team, the 4-0 loss in the High School State Finals, Portsmouth falling into a black pit of monetary despair, and Newcastle getting relegated. But nothing hurts more than the USMNT failing to qualify for the World Cup. You might have heard my mini-rant on the podcast, during which I was mostly sad. Still, three days later, my mind is still a whirlwind of emotions. I am embarrassed, I am angry, and in a weird fucked up sense I am a little bit happy (I’ll explain). If you are tired of hearing takes on why the USMNT did not qualify, stop reading here. If not, continue on, and get my opinion on what went wrong these past few years for US Soccer.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Goalkeepers A good goalkeeper is like a wife: it usually works best if you don’t have multiple. The consistent change between Brad Guzan and Tim Howard is detrimental to the chemistry of the team. The relationship between the goalkeeper and the two center backs is especially important. Consistently changing that dynamic was a major downfall for this USMNT squad, and it showed. A number of weak goals resulted from back center back and goalkeeper play. Additionally, the decision to NOT bring a young goalkeeper to qualifying hurts the future of the team. I would hope that Howard, Guzan, or Rimando are not in the next qualifying stage. So, why the team rostered Rimando, and not a guy like Ethan Horvath or Bill Hamid puzzles me. Again, the nearsightedness of USMNT is very apparent.

Center Back partnership Throughout qualifying, the center back pairing has given me nightmares. No matter who was playing, seeing a player run at the two CBs made me more nervous than getting an organic chemistry test back. Between Geoff Cameron, Matt Beslar, John Brooks, and Omar Gonzalez, no pairing has ever been set in stone. Because of this, it felt like there wasn’t a leader on the back line. Germany had Boateng/Howedes, Spain had Ramos/Pique, Italy had Canavarro/Materazzi. Obviously, these are world class players that the USMNT can’t expect to replicate. But, the USMNT is missing at least one rock-solid center back who wins crunching tackles and is the emotional leader of the team.

Center Midfield Plain and simple, just not good enough. The USMNT was consistently outmatched in the midfield by lesser opponents, unless we added an extra player to the midfield and sacrificed attacking or defending options. Thankfully the Michael Bradley era has ended. To me, he will be remembered as a shitty attacking midfielder who couldn’t create, and an even shittier defensive midfielder who couldn’t tackle. Sadly, we lacked any better options in these two positions. Players like Nagbe or Pulisic showed glimmers of quality when placed in the middle. However, as outside midfielders, they consistently struggled to find the game, or to create through the midfield. We have yet to find a midfield pairing that can be dynamic going forward and effective defensively.

Forwards Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore were poor throughout much of qualifying. The interplay between the two was almost non-existent. Neither forward could produce meaningful chances on their own, and both missed a lot of chances that should have been finished. Good teams have a “go-to” guy. Someone who is always dangerous with the ball. Someone who has the clutch gene and scores big goals.  The USMNT did not have that guy.

Chemistry The most frustrating thing to watch during the games was the USMNT’s apparent lack of chemistry. On the field, this was apparent—errant passes and miscommunications were Almost every single game, the question remained: who will be starting? By the last game in qualifying, the lineup should be set in stone. The partnership between the two center backs (whoever started) consistently made me nervous. We had a new goalkeeper every other game. There never seemed to be a connection between the two center mids. The partnership between Altidore and Wood just seemed “off.” But most importantly, the players lacked passion. After a goal conceded, there were never a center back screaming at a teammate. After a goal scored, the celebration was typically lackluster. After Pulisic got hacked for the 32nd time, nobody got in the ref’s face or put in a hard tackle on the opposing player.

This team was a group of individuals. It was a hodgepodge of the “best” skilled, most athletic players. Players on the USMNT come from all over. Some players are foreign born, although most were born here. The players come from the MLS, Liga MX, Bundasliga, Premier League, and Championship (England). And in that diversity, we struggle to create an identity. We aren’t an England, that spreads the ball wide with wing backs flying forward; We aren’t Greece that sits back and then counters; We aren’t Spain, that dominates possession with small passes; We aren’t Chile, that defends furiously with a high press. We need to create an identity for ourselves.

Coaching Klinsmann was the man we needed to coach the USMNT. He set realistic goals and made important changes to the youth system (see my other articles). Under Klinsmann, the USMNT was improving. We were more dynamic going forward, we defended as a unit, and we disciplined as a team. Klinsmann brought on younger players to ensure that future teams would be set up for success. He allowed players like John Brooks, DeAndre Yedlin, Christian Pulisic, Bobby Wood, and Sacha Kljestan to experience the atmosphere of the World Cup and World Cup Qualifying.

Bruce Arena is not the man for the job. It is clear that his intention was to win games at any cost, and the quality of US Soccer was severely diminished during his reign. Players consistently thumped long-balls down the field instead of possessing. Most importantly, our defensive shape as a team was abysmal and we were exposed by a number of less skilled teams. Arena has a subpar coaching history. After failing to qualify for Russia 2018, I hope the USSF will choose to replace someone with achievable goals and ambitious training tactics.

Expectations When Klinsmann became the USMNT head coach, he created realistic, progressive goals. He sat in front of the media and did something that few newly hired coaches would do at that point. He told the truth—the USMNT is just not that good. At the 2014 World Cup, his goal was to advance out of the group stage. Critics lambasted this as “weak” or “unpatriotic.” But why should the USMNT have any higher expectations? We have never been further than the quarterfinals in a World Cup. Klinsmann long-term goals did not resonate with the media or the general population, and because of that, he was consistently on the hot seat. Losses to quality teams like Colombia and Argentina only seemed to fuel that fire. Our expectations were just too high.

The win-now culture is pervasive in across many sports. It is understandable. But it comes at a dire cost. Think of any professional sports team that refuses to “rebuild.” Those teams that are too nearsighted to plan for the long term end up in the “twilight zone” where they justttt miss the playoffs every year. Unfortunately, this is the mindset of the US Soccer Federation, the media, the general fan that watches soccer every four years, and most die-hard fans that pay attention more closely. We as a nation continue to say, “We will be good at soccer in 20 years,” and then do little to make that happen (this is not to say that the expectation of qualifying for the World Cup is unrealistic FYI).

WHAT TO DO NOW

Clean House Unfortunately, the USMNT was not set up for future success. The roster moves indicate that this team was in a “win now” mentality. Here is a list of players who will be over 30 by 2022: Agudelo, Altidore, Beasley (he might be dead), Bedoya, Bradley, Beslar, Cameron, Dempsey, Feilhaber, Gonzalez, Guzan, Howard, Kljestan, McCarthy, Nagbe, Orozco, Ream, Rimando, Villafana, Wondolowski, Zusi. Not saying that anyone over 30 shouldn’t be on the team, but age does become an important factor. Other than Nagbe and a couple other in-form veterans, pretty much all of these players should not put on a US jersey again in a competitive match. Therefore, a YUGE chunk of the current team will be gone for good. Cleaning house means getting rid of Bruce Arenas too. There are a couple names that get thrown around, but I like Peter Vermes, current coach of Sporting KC. He is a guy that knows the US Soccer System, but most importantly, he creates teams with an identity.

Exposing young players to the USMNT The large void in the USMNT will need to be filled. The sooner that young guys can gain exposure to the international game, the better. The United States has a promising U17 and U20 team, and a number of other young players that haven’t gotten a call yet. Prospects like Julian Green, Matt Miazga, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Gedion Zelalem, Joshua Perez, Emerson Hyndman, Eric Palmer-Brown, and Lydnon Gooch are all under 23 and playing in Europe. Homegrown talent like Will Trapp, Dom Dwyer, Cyle Larin, and Sebastian Lletget have the potential to join a talented US roster. These players need to be tapped to the national team ASAP and begin training with each other. I cannot stress enough that Friendly matches should be used as a showcase for NEW players instead of a farewell tour for old players.

Assessing the Academy System Many of the new players who should be entering in contention for the USMNT will have gone through the Academy system in the United States. These next 4-8 years will be a litmus test for our system. Currently, it seems to be proving to be effective. Most of the players listed above were trained in the Academy system, including the ones who now play in Europe. MLS player Diego Fagundez, who was trained in the US system, has been pulled to the Uruguay U20 national team a number of times. The USSF must continue to monitor the success of US National teams and make changes to the structure of the Academy system if necessary.

The US Academy must develop a system. Think of the New England Patriots. Belichick and the coaching staff do an excellent job of picking players to fit their system. This allows players that might not be successful in other scenarios to thrive. While they might not be the most talented team on paper, the Patriots have consistently found ways to win. Other good teams had success using a systems approach. The Miracle on Ice team won the Olympics after Herb Brooks picked players that fit his style of play. The Oakland Athletics’ were competitive after Billy Bean acquired “unorthodox” players that meshed as a group. Chelsea FC and Antonio Conte’s methodology meant a great player like Diego Costa wasn’t needed anymore. Until the USSF and US Academy create a system and choose players based off of the quality to fit that system, the USMNT will not be successful.