Futbol Failure

Geoff Cameron: Tactical arrogance caused USMNT to fall short of World Cup

Geoff Cameron: Tactical arrogance caused USMNT to fall short of World Cup
Geoff Cameron, #20, shared an in-depth conversation with Glenn Davis about the deficiencies of the USMNT. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Yesterday, Stoke City's Geoff Cameron joined Glenn Davis on Soccer Matters and shared his thoughts on his career in the EPL and the shortcomings of the USMNT. Make sure you click on the link above to listen to the first part of the captivating interview.

Cameron joined Stoke City in 2012, and has virtually played every position in the back four for his team. He began the interview giving us a proper look at what it has been like to play in the most competitive league in the world, The Premier League. He explained why Stoke had such a tough start, how injuries crippled the team, and what eventually led to the sacking of Mark Hughes.

On January 15th, Paul Lambert was appointed as the new manager of Stoke City, replacing Mark Hughes. Cameron immediately noted a difference with the appointment of Lambert. Whether it’s calling out his players or having two-a-day practices, Lambert is no-nonsense. Despite being manager for less than a month, Cameron has already noticed how stylistically different Stoke has played since his appointment, and his emphasis on high pressing.

Glenn and Cameron then got deeper into their conversation as the topic changed to Cameron’s experiences with the United States National Team. He addressed the “buddy- buddy” relationship many claim he had with former manager Jurgen Klinsmann. He also discussed how different he was as manager than his successor and the bad taste his relationship with Bruce Arena left in his mouth.

Cameron, then, dove into one of the most controversial moments in US Soccer History, losing to Trinidad 2-1 and failing to qualify for the World Cup. He shared his perspective on why he did not play, the overconfidence of the squad, and the “tactical arrogance” of Bruce Arena.

Cameron’s openness made for a very compelling interview. It's no secret that Glenn and Cameron have a history dating all the way back to Cameron’s time with the Houston Dynamo. This open conversation on yesterday’s edition of Soccer Matters was only half of the conversation Glenn had with the Stoke City center back.

In the second half, Cameron goes into deeper detail on the failure of the national team to qualify for the World Cup. That half of the interview will air next Wednesday, February 14, on Soccer Matters from 7-9 pm.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Jake Meyers is the latest Astro to be rushed back from injury too soon. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Houston center fielder Jake Meyers was removed from Wednesday night’s game against Cleveland during pregame warmups because of right calf tightness.

Meyers, who had missed the last two games with a right calf injury, jogged onto the field before the game but soon summoned the training staff, who joined him on the field to tend to him. He remained on the field on one knee as manager Joe Espada joined the group. After a couple minutes, Meyers got up and was helped off the field and to the tunnel in right field by a trainer.

Mauricio Dubón moved from shortstop to center field and Zack Short entered the game to replace Dubón at shortstop.

Meyers is batting .308 with three homers and 21 RBIs this season.

After the game, Meyers met with the media and spoke about the injury. Meyers declined to answer when asked if the latest injury feels worse than the one he sustained Sunday. Wow, that is not a good sign.

 

Lack of imaging strikes again!

The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported on Thursday that the Astros didn't do any imaging on Meyers after the initial injury. You can't make this stuff up. This is exactly the kind of thing that has the Astros return-to-play policy under constant scrutiny.

The All-Star break is right around the corner, why take the risk in playing Meyers after missing just two games with calf discomfort? The guy literally fell to the ground running out to his position before the game started. The people that make these risk vs. reward assessments clearly are making some serious mistakes.

The question remains: will the Astros finally do something about it?


SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome