soccer soccer soccer

[imb]

How bad is it for England? Kai Havertz just scored on them.

 

twice! crazy end

[stitchface]

Everyone in Group B is prat-falling their way to November. England and Wales both getting worked in Nations League, Iran firing/unfiring/firing their coach, and the US approaching their final prep window with the urgency of a charity pro-am.

 

Iran just beat Uruguay . . . I tend to think these results are pretty meaningless as far as predictive value. I suspect these players mostly don't want to get hurt.

[wolf stansson]

Also, Gregg loves to intentionally underprepare for friendlies to make the players “uncomfortable” while giving no F’s about how uncomfortable it makes fans.

 

 

Btw, it’s starting to sink in for me how much I associate the World Cup with summer and how less special this one feels because of the calendar and the soulless host country.

[wolf stansson]

I love Weston crashing the high post to initiate the offense.

 

He’s almost single handedly setting the pace of the game right now.

[wolf stansson]

Gio off early damn

[UMFan83]

Gio off early damn

 

I'm sure its fine and they were just being cautious an-

 

 

damn

[imb]

maybe he had the poops. regardless, im taking his world cup jersey out of the cart again

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Paul Arriola looked his barber in the eye and asked for "the kid from the sandlot", unserious behavior

[imb]

boy there is just no urgency on these passes whatsoever. so hard to break down a defense when you take 4 seconds before settling for a back pass

[stitchface]

Paul Arriola looked his barber in the eye and asked for "the kid from the sandlot", unserious behavior

 

 

the Arriola/Yedlin wing frightens no one. Is Pulisic still on the field?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

boy there is just no urgency on these passes whatsoever. so hard to break down a defense when you take 4 seconds before settling for a back pass

 

Pulisic just showed more urgency and decisiveness running off the field than any point in possession during the game

[stitchface]

nothing has really improved in the last year. hard to see this team scoring any goals.

[wolf stansson]

Tim Weah is the least of our good euro wingers and yet every time he doesn’t play, we look like this. This is why I don’t understand why we never even sampled him at the 9.

[stitchface]

Tim Weah is the least of our good euro wingers and yet every time he doesn’t play, we look like this. This is why I don’t understand why we never even sampled him at the 9.

 

 

Where is Weah? Arriola is terrible.

[Rex Buckingham]

They can't score, and most of our quality attacking players are apparently held together with toothpicks and bubblegum

[UMFan83]

How much should we take away from pre-WC friendlies? I'm guessing if there were ever friendlies to take anything away from its these ones right? Not encouraging at all but not quite 'we're 100% doomed'?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Also, Gregg loves to intentionally underprepare for friendlies to make the players “uncomfortable” while giving no F’s about how uncomfortable it makes fans.

 

I don't have the patience to put Gregg's face on this too, but having watched this episode recently it felt so true

 

[stitchface]

How much should we take away from pre-WC friendlies? I'm guessing if there were ever friendlies to take anything away from its these ones right? Not encouraging at all but not quite 'we're 100% doomed'?

 

 

I think friendlies are irrelevant. To me though, the pattern was the same through qualifying. Really not good at creating scoring chances. Weah/Reyna are badly needed and have to find a way to get Pulisic involved. He is basically anonymous. It's great to play long diagonals to your outside backs but if they then offer zero threat, doesn't do much for you. How many balls did Yedlin get that produced zero danger (when he wasn't lazily offside)?

[imb]

Seemed like any time they did overload one side and overlap, they would get at least an average cross in and no one would be home (or it would take so long in the build up that there were 7 defenders+the keeper by the time the ball got in the box)

 

the front line was just weird, Reyna is on the left wing when he's better in the middle of the field and pulisic is way more comfortable on the left than the right?

 

Weston hasn't been impactful, Adams and Acosta don't need to be 2/3 of the midfield together. I know some of these selections were forced or whatever but yeah, i would have really liked to see our best XI out there together at least once this calendar year but what can you do

[bukie]

Henry Bushnell article on predictions for starters and roster for the World Cup:

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/usmnt-world-cup-roster-starting-lineup-prediction-2022-000354137.html

[wolf stansson]

To me though, the pattern was the same through qualifying. Really not good at creating scoring chances.

Yep. This has been the Gregg norm. We just have to hope we summon the results when it matters like we did in nations league and the gold cup. Beating Mexico in two finals has overshadowed the fact that his teams have been clunky in the attack since day one and it hasn’t really progressed much from there. One thing is for sure, either yunus and miles Robinson are way better than we think (and I think they are very good), or this is just a typical Gregg stretch. Can’t wait for the next cycle already. I might be going joker mode for this World Cup and just root for max chaos for my team.

[Rex Buckingham]

To me though, the pattern was the same through qualifying. Really not good at creating scoring chances.

Yep. This has been the Gregg norm. We just have to hope we summon the results when it matters like we did in nations league and the gold cup. Beating Mexico in two finals has overshadowed the fact that his teams have been clunky in the attack since day one and it hasn’t really progressed much from there. One thing is for sure, either yunus and miles Robinson are way better than we think (and I think they are very good), or this is just a typical Gregg stretch. Can’t wait for the next cycle already. I might be going joker mode for this World Cup and just root for max chaos for my team.

 

Miles Robinson? or Antonee? I think both might be the actual answer. Playing Dest on the left did not work. Although when Scally came on he at least put in some good work trying to get forward.

[stitchface]

To me though, the pattern was the same through qualifying. Really not good at creating scoring chances.

Yep. This has been the Gregg norm. We just have to hope we summon the results when it matters like we did in nations league and the gold cup. Beating Mexico in two finals has overshadowed the fact that his teams have been clunky in the attack since day one and it hasn’t really progressed much from there. One thing is for sure, either yunus and miles Robinson are way better than we think (and I think they are very good), or this is just a typical Gregg stretch. Can’t wait for the next cycle already. I might be going joker mode for this World Cup and just root for max chaos for my team.

 

Miles Robinson? or Antonee? I think both might be the actual answer. Playing Dest on the left did not work. Although when Scally came on he at least put in some good work trying to get forward.

 

 

Miles.

 

On Musah, having a mid who can hold the ball under pressure is hugely valuable.

[Rex Buckingham]

Yep. This has been the Gregg norm. We just have to hope we summon the results when it matters like we did in nations league and the gold cup. Beating Mexico in two finals has overshadowed the fact that his teams have been clunky in the attack since day one and it hasn’t really progressed much from there. One thing is for sure, either yunus and miles Robinson are way better than we think (and I think they are very good), or this is just a typical Gregg stretch. Can’t wait for the next cycle already. I might be going joker mode for this World Cup and just root for max chaos for my team.

 

Miles Robinson? or Antonee? I think both might be the actual answer. Playing Dest on the left did not work. Although when Scally came on he at least put in some good work trying to get forward.

 

 

Miles.

 

On Musah, having a mid who can hold the ball under pressure is hugely valuable.

 

Musah is a beast. Hoping that he is healthy, because I think the WC could be quite the coming out party for him now that he is getting to play centrally for Valencia instead of on the wing.

[wolf stansson]

This man’s quads and hammies are my enemies