The Soccer Thread

[USSoccer]

In hindsight was it a mistake to leave Donovan off the team? Couldn't he have stepped in when Altidore went down?

 

LD wouldn't have been a replacement for Jozy. Boyd, or Eddie Johnson could have been, but Boyd is raw and EJ is a jackass.

[shnsajax]

Unfortunately nobody does what Jozy does, aside from maybe Boyd, who would have been a better call than Wondo in hindsight.

 

Screw hindsight. Wondo was never a good call.

[USSoccer]

More fun with numbers:

 

We were outshot 39 to 17. They put 17 on target, to our 5.

 

39 shots is nuts. 56 total attempts on goal I think is the most in the tournament so far.

 

They had 19 corners to our 4. That's where the failure to attack their fullbacks hurts, because the diagonal ball behind was there all day long.

[Guest]

So there's two days til the next games and I'm not ready to go back into the USMNT desert, gimme your first pass at lineups/candidates for 2018, as absurd as it will look when the time comes.

 

Guzan (Hamid? Johnson?)

Yedlin-Besler-Brooks-Fab (Gonzalez, Chandler, Klute, Cameron)

Bradley-Mix-Green-Gil (Zelalem, Gatt, Shea, Danny Williams, Corona)

Altidore-Johannsson (Boyd, Agudelo, McInerney)

 

I don't think that works formationally in the midfield, but I was more after a 4-4-2 best XI.

[USSoccer]

So there's two days til the next games and I'm not ready to go back into the USMNT desert, gimme your first pass at lineups/candidates for 2018, as absurd as it will look when the time comes.

 

Guzan (Hamid? Johnson?)

Yedlin-Besler-Brooks-Fab (Gonzalez, Chandler, Klute, Cameron)

Bradley-Mix-Green-Gil (Zelalem, Gatt, Shea, Danny Williams, Corona)

Altidore-Johannsson (Boyd, Agudelo, McInerney)

 

I don't think that works formationally in the midfield, but I was more after a 4-4-2 best XI.

 

I have the same back 5.

Bradley, Mix, Gil, Green

Altidore and Agudelo.

 

ETA: Just realized that you and I picked the exact same team other than Agudelo for AJ. If Fagundez would find a way to citizenship, go ahead and replace Mix with him. I think he's the best prospect playing in MLS right now and that it isn't close.

 

Nagbe will be available this cycle, too.

[Guest]

Still bummed. Going to have nightmares about Wondo missing that sitter.

[Guest]

So there's two days til the next games and I'm not ready to go back into the USMNT desert, gimme your first pass at lineups/candidates for 2018, as absurd as it will look when the time comes.

 

Guzan (Hamid? Johnson?)

Yedlin-Besler-Brooks-Fab (Gonzalez, Chandler, Klute, Cameron)

Bradley-Mix-Green-Gil (Zelalem, Gatt, Shea, Danny Williams, Corona)

Altidore-Johannsson (Boyd, Agudelo, McInerney)

 

I don't think that works formationally in the midfield, but I was more after a 4-4-2 best XI.

 

I have the same back 5.

Bradley, Mix, Gil, Green

Altidore and Agudelo.

 

ETA: Just realized that you and I picked the exact same team other than Agudelo for AJ. If Fagundez would find a way to citizenship, go ahead and replace Mix with him. I think he's the best prospect playing in MLS right now and that it isn't close.

 

Nagbe will be available this cycle, too.

 

What are the chances for Zelalem?

 

I will be excited for Copa America being in the US in 2016.

[wvcbxl]

Belgium are a good team, but I still think they were beatable today.

 

We are ranked 11th and you guys 13th - this game was supposed to be close.

Neutral outsiders seem to really like what they saw yesterday.

 

If my guys step up like they did yesterday, we've got a chance against Messi and his supporting cast (their goalkeeper cannot possibly repeat what Howard did yesterday). Especially since we'll be the underdogs and the pressure will be on Argentina.

[Guest]

Still bummed. Going to have nightmares about Wondo missing that sitter.

 

Yup. It still hurts if we don't score because the goalie makes the save. But at least put the ball on frame.

 

It would have been a completely undeserved winner but holy hell that would have been awesome. The Landon goal vs. Algeria four years ago was amazing. I can't imagine how much better that one would have been.

[USSoccer]

Belgium are a good team, but I still think they were beatable today.

 

We are ranked 11th and you guys 13th - this game was supposed to be close.

Neutral outsiders seem to really like what they saw yesterday.

 

If my guys step up like they did yesterday, we've got a chance against Messi and his supporting cast (their goalkeeper cannot possibly repeat what Howard did yesterday). Especially since we'll be the underdogs and the pressure will be on Argentina.

 

I think you guys will torch that defense. Argentina are very shaky at the back.

[OleMissCub]

Belgium are a good team, but I still think they were beatable today.

 

We are ranked 11th and you guys 13th - this game was supposed to be close.

Neutral outsiders seem to really like what they saw yesterday.

 

If my guys step up like they did yesterday, we've got a chance against Messi and his supporting cast (their goalkeeper cannot possibly repeat what Howard did yesterday). Especially since we'll be the underdogs and the pressure will be on Argentina.

 

What's with half your players having WWII Wehrmacht haircuts? The historian in me found that a tad disturbing.

[UMFan83]

it sucks we lost but:

 

 

Awesome turnout. I really wish we could find a way to carry that mainstream passion into the "lesser" events like Copa America, the Olympics, Gold Cup, Confederations Cup (assuming we get there), MLS, etc.

[OleMissCub]

it sucks we lost but:

 

 

Awesome turnout. I really wish we could find a way to carry that mainstream passion into the "lesser" events like Copa America, the Olympics, Gold Cup, Confederations Cup (assuming we get there), MLS, etc.

 

Well if ESPN hypes those as much, the interest might be there.

[OleMissCub]

Also, to the Soccer guys, I'll have to apologize for dissing the sport. I'm a pretty sporting fella and I love sports, so my hate was just ignorance. I was laying around watching, I think, Brazil v. Chile, and some kind of switch went off in my head and I started to see the plays take shape and it was a total eureka moment. So yeah, my sporting mind was like "ooooohhhh, I get it now." It is an enormously frustrating game, but that's just part of it. You can have this epic plan unfolding in an attempt to score and NOPE, some doofus for the opposing team mucks the entire thing up by sticking his foot out one stinking time. So yeah, apologies. I get it now. #nolongeranignorantamerican

[wolf stansson]

It's a good sport!

So there's two days til the next games and I'm not ready to go back into the USMNT desert, gimme your first pass at lineups/candidates for 2018, as absurd as it will look when the time comes.

 

4-3-3 with their ages in 4 years

 

---------------------------------Guzan (33)

Yedlin (24)--------Besler (31)--------------Brooks (24)-----------Fab (30)

--------------------Williams (29)-------MB90 (30)

-------------------------------Zelalem (21)

----------Green (23)-----------Jozy (28)-----------Agudelo (25)

Bench:

GK - Irwin (29), Klinsmann (22?)

D - Farrell (26), Gonzalez (29), Palmer-Brown (23), Klute (28)

M - Trapp (25), Zusi (31), Gil (24), Flores (22)

F - Boyd (27), Jack Mac (25)

 

Danny Williams isn't my dream pick and maybe someone will step up, but he's young and has the speed to help cover Yedlin's runs forward and help defend the wing in a true 4-3-3. Have no idea who the future #3 keeper will be so I just went with a half-joke/nepotism shout out.

 

Tough to leave Johannsson out. He could easily figure out how to play against real defenders and be really good. I just think Boyd/Agudelo/Jozy fit into Jurgen's system better. Maybe putting Jack Mac in over him is a stretch, but I'm a sucker for guys that play with his kind of fight. Lot of Deuce in that kid.

 

Russia is tough to predict because of travel and the US never playing well in Europe hosted world cups, but that squad is a giant leap forward in talent.

Edited July 2, 2014 by wolf stansson

[shnsajax]

Still bummed. Going to have nightmares about Wondo missing that sitter.

 

Yup. It still hurts if we don't score because the goalie makes the save. But at least put the ball on frame.

 

It would have been a completely undeserved winner but holy hell that would have been awesome. The Landon goal vs. Algeria four years ago was amazing. I can't imagine how much better that one would have been.

 

Even if he had shanked it to the left Clint would have been there for the follow up. I'm more annoyed this morning that Jurgen brought in Wondo over Aron. At the time we were not pressuring that much, not enough for a poacher to make his mark. Aron is better around the box, better on set pieces, and creative enough to take chances from almost anywhere, and honestly is a better poacher than Wondo.

[wolf stansson]

I did the exact same thing, Landon.

http://instagram.com/p/p7KhGHH_mE

[USSoccer]

I did the exact same thing, Landon.

http://instagram.com/p/p7KhGHH_mE

 

Me too. That was my exact reaction.

 

I can't imagine the thoughts running through LD's head at that moment.

[mul21]

I did the exact same thing, Landon.

http://instagram.com/p/p7KhGHH_mE

 

Me too. That was my exact reaction.

 

I can't imagine the thoughts running through LD's head at that moment.

 

Something like "I've buried that chance 1,000 times in my life"?

[shnsajax]

So Yedlin was actually 3rd on the team in crosses during the cup behind Zusi and Jones. Bradley and Jones are still 1 and 3 in distance covered, Bradley has 5km over Jones.

[wolf stansson]

Yedlin turned some heads. There are going to be some big offers rolling in for him very soon. Kind of wish he'd finish the season with Seattle and go in January but strike while the iron is hot.

[Mark Priors Calves]

So Yedlin was actually 3rd on the team in crosses during the cup behind Zusi and Jones. Bradley and Jones are still 1 and 3 in distance covered, Bradley has 5km over Jones.

Link?

[wolf stansson]

Pep doesn't want to loan out Green. He's got plans for him.

http://www.tz.de/sport/fc-bayern/fc-bayern-2-green-will-jetzt-unter-guardiola-durchstarten-3671184.html

 

I'd prefer he play 90 somewhere, but Bayern is Bayern.

[wolf stansson]

Matt Doyle's 2018 roster: http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2014/news/article/2014/07/03/world-cup-predicting-2018-usmnt-roster-armchair-analyst

Includes fun gif's like this one:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGqamCzK9eg/U7T2B_IT2WI/AAAAAAAABGU/B2pk_oESDOc/s1600/Nagbe-kills-Dallas.gif

[UMFan83]

I find it sad that Tim Howard has gone viral the exact moment his career in tournaments casual American fans care about ends. But it is kind of cool that he is the talk of the country at the moment.