da jogodeouro： The striker claimed in a recent interview that the national team he played in would beat the current side – but is that really true?
da blaze casino： Jozy Altidore set off quite the firestorm, didn't he? Speaking on 'Kickin It'Altidore compered the U.S. men's national team of yesteryear to the current golden generation. He said, in his opinion, the USMNT of 2014 could, and would, beat the current team.
“Better is a weird word”, he said. "More complete? I would say our generation in terms of position for position. Better talent-wise, individually, I would say this one now, but not everywhere, in certain spots… If the two sides played each other at full strength, I think ours would win.”
That statement, of course, split social media into two camps. The first, of course, was the one that was totally flabbergasted by the idea that the old team could top the modern group. Part of that, for sure, will stem from frustration in response to the World Cup failiure of 2018, which Altidore is still very much scapegoated for. The rest, though, stems from the fact that the current group is playing at a higher level for their clubs than ever before.
However, there is a section that sees where Altidore is coming from. This USMNT isn't anywhere near its peak, while that 2014 group featured veterans all over the field. There's no telling how good the USMNT could be in 2026 or 2024, but the 2022 World Cup team went just as far as the 2014 group did in Brazil: the Round of 16.
So this all brings up a fun debate and discussion, one which could also be held about the 2002 side and the 2009 group that blasted Spain at the Confederations Cup. But, when comparing 2023 to 2014, who would have the upper hand? GOAL goes position-by-position to try and figure out how Altidore's claim holds up.
Getty/GOALGK: Tim Howard vs Matt Turner
A tough one, considering how good Turner has been, but can you really look past how good Howard was back in 2014? His performance against Belgium is etched in not just USMNT history, but World Cup history as one of the best individual efforts the game has ever seen. There no shame in Turner losing out; Howard is a legitimate legend based off just that alone.
And that's not even getting into the longevity or consistency. Turner could get there someday, but in the here and now, there aren't many goalkeeper's you'd really consider taking over Howard.
Winner: Tim Howard
AdvertisementGetty/GOALLB: DaMarcus Beasley vs Antonee Robinson
A pretty close matchup, to be fair. If we're talking about prime Beasley, he's almost certainly the winner. That Beasley, the one that was lightning up and down the wing from 2002 onwards, is one of the best players the USMNT has seen.
But by 2014, he was converted to left-back, and while he was a damn good one, Robinson just has the edge. The Fulham star has been remarkably consistent in a USMNT shirt, giving him the narrow victory when compared to that veteran version of Beasley.
Winner: Antonee Robinson
Getty/GOALCB: Matt Besler vs Tim Ream
Besler is definitely underrated, but it's almost impossible to explain how good Ream has been for the USMNT. After spending around a year in the wilderness, Ream was a shock call-up for the 2022 World Cup. He went on to be arguably the USMNT's best performer in Qatar, and his form hasn't dipped in the 12 months since. He's been fantastic for the U.S. and Fulham, which is why he gets the edge here.
That's not to discredit Besler, who was a steady hand for years for both the USMNT and Sporting KC, but Ream is in a special category, having done more than turn back time during this recent USMNT run.
Winner: Tim Ream
Getty/GOALCB: Geoff Cameron vs Chris Richards
If Richards' career pans out to equal Cameron's, he will have done pretty well for himself. Richards is in the early moments of his club career and is looking to break out with Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Cameron, meanwhile, played at the top of the English pyramid for years, playing all over the field for Stoke City during a seven-year Premier League run.
Richards could very well develop into something special; he has that type of potential. However, in the here and now, it's got to be Cameron, who was as consistent as they come among Americans in the Premier League.
Winner: Geoff Cameron