Thierry Henry, Clint Dempsey and Charlie Davies discussing perception of American players in Europe
Read that a few years ago. Now, I’ve only been following football since '07 which is around the time time Dempsey made his move to Fulham. He was a thrill to watch and I’d reckon he def helped change some opinions around US players at the time with the likes of Pulisic or McKennie continuing to this day.
But just curious for a discussion, how prevalent are the stereotypes of US players today? Is it simply just banter or are there still managers who just don’t rate US players all that much.
I’d say Americans are still very much not considered good technical players. With the exception maybe of Reyna at Dortmund, the best American players are very much good at elements of the game involving, pace, physicality and aggression rather than what to do with the ball at their feet
It’s all due to the lack of play time during early childhood. Street football is nonexistent here.