soccer soccer soccer

[stitchface]

On 10/6/2023 at 12:05 PM, wolf stansson said:

Great so we’re getting another winter World Cup because it will be 130 Fahrenheit during the summer. Awesome.

don't worry too much, it will be too hot to play in summer in most of the world soon.

[JHBulls]

Has anyone watched the David Beckham documentary on Netflix? I knew a lot about this career up until his MLS playing career but to relive what he went through after the 1998 World Cup, horrible. It was so good to hear the stories from Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and to even get some of his Real Madrid teammates was a nice touch.

Seeing how the MLS was when David Beckham first arrived in 2007 to the professional competition it has grown into does show the influence of the man. 

[cl smooth]

1 hour ago, JHBulls said:

Has anyone watched the David Beckham documentary on Netflix? I knew a lot about this career up until his MLS playing career but to relive what he went through after the 1998 World Cup, horrible. It was so good to hear the stories from Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and to even get some of his Real Madrid teammates was a nice touch.

Seeing how the MLS was when David Beckham first arrived in 2007 to the professional competition it has grown into does show the influence of the man. 

directed by cubs fan fisher stevens. 

[wolf stansson]

believe this to be our biggest upside 11

 

[wolf stansson]

Christian horsefeathers Pulisic. Ace.

[UMFan83]

31 minutes ago, wolf stansson said:

Christian horsefeathers Pulisic. Ace.

World class goal there. Germany was tilting the field towards the end of the half though from what I saw. 

[UMFan83]

Germany is just repeatedly breaking down our defense in the 2nd half. Dest has been frustrating. 
 

Not at all the performance I wanted to see with our best guys out there

Edited October 14, 2023 by UMFan83

[stitchface]

6 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

Germany is just repeatedly breaking down our defense in the 2nd half. Dest has been frustrating. 
 

Not at all the performance I wanted to see with our best guys out there

Gotta believe Jedi is better than Dest. He is not good enough. 

They have to have Reyna in the midfield - he is just so much better than everyone else. This game showed what can happen without a strong 6 though so either Musah or McKennie is out for me. I think I would keep Musah.

I also thought Weah was exposed - can be super dangerous but some terrible decision-making. 

 

Great goal by Pulisic but he has to convert the earlier one when he tries to flop over Ter Stegen - at least get a shot off!

[wolf stansson]

That game indicates our starting 11 can play with any team in the World, that Tyler Adams is still needed, that GGG experiments/tests his subs in friendlies, and that GGG makes poor in game adjustments and questionable subs.

 

 

So we didn’t learn anything new. 

[stitchface]

4 hours ago, wolf stansson said:

That game indicates our starting 11 can play with any team in the World, that Tyler Adams is still needed, that GGG experiments/tests his subs in friendlies, and that GGG makes poor in game adjustments and questionable subs.

 

 

So we didn’t learn anything new. 

there are teams better than Germany in the world right now. 

[UMFan83]

I am enjoying this match more than the last one. 3 goals from Gio, Pulisic and Balogun makes it even better. 

[wolf stansson]

Right side is absolutely cooking these poor guys. 

[wolf stansson]

Indirect free kick! We’re having fun now

 

This ref is good 

Edited October 18, 2023 by wolf stansson

[UMFan83]

Lmao dont see an indirect free kick from inside the box often. That was awesome by Gio

[wolf stansson]

Matt Turner status: he’s still wide awake

[JHBulls]

Jeez USA, leave some goals for the next fixture

[wolf stansson]

 

 

[bukie]

Something so cathartic about beating the crap out of Ghana.

[stitchface]

1 hour ago, JHBulls said:

Jeez USA, leave some goals for the next fixture

no worries. Gio's back

[wolf stansson]

Dude if Gio wanted to send a message about how valuable he is to the national team, mission accomplished. Every second he was on the field in both games, they were flying. Every second he wasn’t, they were totally flat to downright awful.

 

Gio cycling back in circles to facilitate Dest and Weah in transition unlocked everything. I’m not concerned about this, but there’s still a lack of chemistry between Puli & Balo. Balo likes to receive it on his feet and Christian always wants to take a touch and run with it. Hope they figure it out.

Edited October 18, 2023 by wolf stansson

[imb]

figuring out how to get the most out of gio, musah, adams and wes in a 3-man midfield seems too big of a task for Greg. Adams and Gio look absolutely essential, so I'd guess that leaves Musah out since he and Gio are kind of duplicative skill-wise, even though Gio plays higher up? I dont know either so I guess i am also Greg

[UMFan83]

ESPN did an article about historical events that would have gone differently with VAR and of course they include the handball vs Germany in 2002. Still drives me crazy thinking about it. 1-1 while playing the last 40+ minutes 11v10 gives us a great chance to play South Korea in the semis. Aghhh, angry all over again

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/38290857/how-var-changed-soccer-most-controversial-moments

Edited October 18, 2023 by UMFan83

[wolf stansson]

18 hours ago, imb said:

Adams and Gio look absolutely essential, so I'd guess that leaves Musah out since he and Gio are kind of duplicative skill-wise, even though Gio plays higher up

I think this is where I’m at if I was forced to make a single solution, but it’s still complicated because Adams doesn’t play vertically enough with his passing. When they play together, Musah receiving deeper than Gio and his ability to break lines dribbling at speed covers for Tyler’s lack of distribution. 
 

i think we have to look at our midfield combination, every game, through the lens of what lineup against this particular team gives us the best chance to tilt the field through our flanks in transition moments that result in one of our attacking 3 getting the ball at their feet in zone 13. I think sometimes that will be MMA, sometimes it will be adams, Weston, and Gio, and sometimes it will be Wes, Gio and Musah.

 

 Either way these are first world problems for the USMNT because we’ve never had the luxury of real tactical versatility in our depth. Is GGG the best tactician to master this balance gave to game? Definitely not. He’ll get it right often enough but sometimes he’ll get it wrong. Either way we don’t have a World Cup winning ceiling, so I’m not sure how much is actually at stake, at which point his long term value as a culture builder and recruiter becomes where GGG’s value lies. Go get Koleosho and he’ll maximizing his strengths/value for the program. 

[Rex Buckingham]

I've often wondered if McKennie could be a CB.  I imagine he could hold up physically, would give you really good passing for a CB, and tons of range covering for other players... no idea if it's feasible, but it would allow us to have a more talented player on the field, and it's not like our CBs are setting the world on fire, as a 74 year old Tim Ream might still be our best CB

[stitchface]

On 10/19/2023 at 7:48 AM, Rex Buckingham said:

I've often wondered if McKennie could be a CB.  I imagine he could hold up physically, would give you really good passing for a CB, and tons of range covering for other players... no idea if it's feasible, but it would allow us to have a more talented player on the field, and it's not like our CBs are setting the world on fire, as a 74 year old Tim Ream might still be our best CB

I like the idea of being creative with positions . . . seems to work well for Guardiola. That said, aren't McKennie's biggest assets his endurance and willingness to run? I've never really thought of him as a great passer (though I don't really have a strong opinion on that). I would go with Musah because he seems better able to hold on to the ball under pressure than McKennie. If you want to keep McKennie on the field, could he play as a 2 or 3?