soccer soccer soccer

[stitchface]

There are two concerns for me:

1. We only needed a draw in T&T - don't want to be there again.

2. We are expecting to dominate CONCACAF and it's not happening - or at least not enough. The US dominated yesterday's game but only won by a goal Really generated nothing in Panama. We expect better performances than that against this opposition. How are you going to compete with Italy if you can't beat up Jamaica?

 

Hopefully the young players continue to improve and you add a healthy Pulisic and Gio to the attack and generate more. Hopefully Dest refines his incredible talent. Hopefully develop more depth - especially in the midfield. Not where I want them to be yet.

[wolf stansson]

 

Big woop

[bukie]

Just once, let's try using Pulisic with the MMA midfield:

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

Boggles my mind that Pulisic has never been in a lineup with even two of the MMA midfield.

 

Really hoping CP and Reyna are healthy for Mexico next month. Go with a starting XI of

Pulisic-Pepi-Reyna

McKennie-Adams-Musah

Dest-M. Robinson-Brooks(?)-A. Robinson

Turner

 

just to see what the best XI can do against a real team. I understand the need to rotate and such, but this would seem to be the perfect cycle to go with the best up front, then rotate some out for Jamaica, and be OK with just the two game window.

[stitchface]

I'd be ok with not Brooks - totally agree that the midfield is the problem in the off games. Saw same thing with Weah.

[stitchface]

Glad we got the 3 points but not the best of performances. We give the ball away way too much. So many bad passes.

 

Just keep winning the home matches and we’ll get enough points to qualify. Get another win and a draw on the road and we qualify easily.

 

Our last round of qualifying in March goes at Mexico, home Panama and at Costa Rica. Would be nice to not need more than 3 points out of that run.

 

 

I thought it was pretty damn good - need to be better in the final third - so many poor crosses / runs.

 

Maybe all the giveaways are coloring my view of it. It wasn’t bad by any means. Way way better than Panama. Just thought we could have played better. Like you said, need to be better in the final third. Too many attacks halted by poor passing.

 

I guess I've decided that international soccer is always lower level than club despite the talent just because the teams don't train together. Watching that last night, I felt like the USMNT had world class talent - even if it wasn't always connected. Did not feel that way against Panama or in 2017. It's true that two of the defensive giveaways are likely converted into goals by stronger opposition - hard to believe how slow Costa Rica is.

[wolf stansson]

I’m still shocked we have a pool capable of benching players like Aaronson and Weah when we have our full best 11. And they’re all going to have three cycles together. Who knows what else is coming through the pipeline?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

2. We are expecting to dominate CONCACAF and it's not happening - or at least not enough. The US dominated yesterday's game but only won by a goal Really generated nothing in Panama. We expect better performances than that against this opposition. How are you going to compete with Italy if you can't beat up Jamaica?

 

I think this is a bit overblown, partially because of what you say in your subsequent post about the nature of the international game. If you look at the teams we aspire the US to match the level of dominance doesn't look terribly different. You used Italy in an example, they're in a qualifying group with FIFA ranks 15, 47, 70, and 137(for comparison, the Ocho ranges from 9 to 68). They've scored more than 2 goals once, in the home game against #137. France has 3 draws and 8 goals in 6 games in a group with 27, 55, 57, and 120. I want the US to be more goal dangerous and there's definite room for improvement(from Berhalter and the players), but CONCACAF is improving too and international soccer is often a slog, doubly so in these condensed windows that forces a choice between fatigue or losing cohesion. Mopping the floor with non-Mexico opponents shouldn't be a baseline expectation.

[stitchface]

2. We are expecting to dominate CONCACAF and it's not happening - or at least not enough. The US dominated yesterday's game but only won by a goal Really generated nothing in Panama. We expect better performances than that against this opposition. How are you going to compete with Italy if you can't beat up Jamaica?

 

I think this is a bit overblown, partially because of what you say in your subsequent post about the nature of the international game. If you look at the teams we aspire the US to match the level of dominance doesn't look terribly different. You used Italy in an example, they're in a qualifying group with FIFA ranks 15, 47, 70, and 137(for comparison, the Ocho ranges from 9 to 68). They've scored more than 2 goals once, in the home game against #137. France has 3 draws and 8 goals in 6 games in a group with 27, 55, 57, and 120. I want the US to be more goal dangerous and there's definite room for improvement(from Berhalter and the players), but CONCACAF is improving too and international soccer is often a slog, doubly so in these condensed windows that forces a choice between fatigue or losing cohesion. Mopping the floor with non-Mexico opponents shouldn't be a baseline expectation.

 

very true. Though we'd still feel better if we did. :)

[wolf stansson]

Musah is integral with no Reyna

I've given this some thought...

 

I think my best 11 has Musah in the middle and McKennie on the bench. Musah is just way cleaner in possession. Move Reyna to the middle and keep Pulisic and Weah/Aaronson out wide.

 

 

I've watched this clip a bunch, and other than the goal, I'm really enjoying the weirdo in the AO section waving an Indiana Pacers flag. Our 20 year old Barca right back scores a fuckin worldy and that guy is like, "you know who the world needs to think about right now? Damontis Sabonis!"

 

[stitchface]

great game for Dest yesterday for Barca. If you haven't seen the goal he set up for Coutinho, look it up. Of course, it was Musah napping that left Coutinho open . . .

[UMFan83]

There are two concerns for me:

1. We only needed a draw in T&T - don't want to be there again.

 

lol we only needed a draw in T&T, or not have one of the top 2 finishers in the group, Mexico or Costa Rica to blow 2nd half leads and lose. I still can't get over the ridiculousness of that night. The US could have drawn or won, Mexico could have drawn or won, Costa Rica could have drawn or won to at least get to the playoff. ANY of those 6 outcomes would have at least gotten the US to the playoff. The only scenario that could have eliminated the US was a loss to the worst team in the hex combined with losses by both of the top 2 teams in the hex (yes they already clinched but whatever). I'm not saying anything new to this board, but I feel the need to rant about that every so often.

 

Anyway, the point is yes, we should be basing our expectations on clinching before the final matchday, because anything can happen before then. Thats why playing your B team in Panama and losing is so disappointing.

[wolf stansson]

we should be basing our expectations on clinching before the final matchday, because anything can happen before then. Thats why playing your B team in Panama and losing is so disappointing.

"Squad selection" is the obvious gripe with that match/result, but it goes so much deeper. We had more than enough talent and experience on that field to win. It's just incredibly obvious that only the starters have any kind of grasp on their role and how to execute it within the game play and the larger pool below them still doesn't. Even the starters comfort and chemistry sucks in the first half, pretty much every game they play.

 

I just don't put much stock into GGG's ability to communicate and implement his game plans, regardless of his personnel choices, and the greener the players are in his system, the worst it translates. This is also why we are a much stronger second half team than first half under GGG. That, and the embarrassment of riches USS has in terms of relative youth, recovery/physical therapy, nutrition, travel, etc when compared to every other CONCACAF team except Mexico.

[wolf stansson]

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Let's go back to the Ajax rumors please, give him a few months to break into the team then ~18 months of playing on the front foot in the Eredivisie before going to a super club instead of skipping straight to a Steffen-esque limbo at one of those clubs. Wolfsburg would be fine too for similar reasons.

[Rex Buckingham]

Let's go back to the Ajax rumors please, give him a few months to break into the team then ~18 months of playing on the front foot in the Eredivisie before going to a super club instead of skipping straight to a Steffen-esque limbo at one of those clubs. Wolfsburg would be fine too for similar reasons.

 

Yeah, he needs to get regular minutes against better competition than MLS can offer. Ajax would be perfect.

[wolf stansson]

Ajax just spent $25M on Haller. Ajax isn't an easy path to the first team.

 

I'm on the belief that I want every great US prospect to go to Dortmund, and with the obvious Haaland transfer looming next summer, I think he could break in quickly.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Ajax just spent $25M on Haller. Ajax isn't an easy path to the first team.

 

I thought they played with 2 strikers a chunk of the time but maybe not. Definitely takes the shine off that option if so.

[wolf stansson]

 

Can’t believe Dest didn’t get the game ball

[wolf stansson]

 

 

Pepi?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

we got the rock to tweet about MLS, we’re a soccer country now

 

[soccer10k]

If Ole wasn’t a club legend, he wouldn’t probably wouldn’t have gotten the job in the first place. But if he did get the job and wasn’t a club legend, he would have been fired a while ago.

[stitchface]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9ywpMrWko

 

ohh, doing this in a clasico is not going to win you playing time . . .

[UMFan83]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9ywpMrWko

 

ohh, doing this in a clasico is not going to win you playing time . . .

 

He did at least have a nice assist at the end. But yeah that was Wondo-esque

[stitchface]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9ywpMrWko

 

ohh, doing this in a clasico is not going to win you playing time . . .

 

He did at least have a nice assist at the end. But yeah that was Wondo-esque

 

he's playing well but his crosses and finishing need improvement (to meet Barca standards - or perceived standards anyway)

[stitchface]

Looks like Gio won't be back for November window. Pulisic maybe back soon? I hope CP doesn't make challenges like the one he got injured on going forward.