wolf stansson

There are so many differences that it's hard to know where to begin. The Spain game was a fluke in that they probably looked past us too much, the tournament meant less (this Copa is huge for Messi's legacy), we had our best players healthy and on-form and for whatever reason we took them out of their game plan. They stopped playing through the middle because Mike Bradley and Ricardo Clark had the speed and strength to harass them in the midfield. So they resorted to sending in crosses that Gooch Onyewu just ate for lunch all day. Then Bradley did what Jurgen should have done and substituted a striker for a midfielder who could combine, could distribute and press high in Benny Feilhaber. Maybe Jurgen does that if they have the lead, I don't know. People remember that game but they forget that we got worked by Giuseppi Rossi & Italy as well as Brazil in the group stage and only qualified by fluke. We were 1-2 in the group stage. It was a bad tournament, Spain win & feisty performance against Brazil in the final aside. That's why one-game referendums on programs are bad. That said, Bob Bradley was more tactically astute and better at preparing his teams to have the mentality necessary against more talented opponents. He told them what to do and when/where to do it. Jurgen is much more about giving players the freedom to figure it out themselves (some people like me would argue that means he's bad at preparation) which means they can come totally unglued in the face of adversity at times. What's strange is that the US record under Jurgen isn't worse than Bradley or Arena. It's just that under his predecessors, the US seemed more prepared. They mostly beat the teams they should beat and mostly lost to the teams they should lose to but it always seemed like they hit the levels they should hit, win or lose. It was easier to take losses because you knew they were doing all they could have done to play that game. That's just never the case with Jurgen because of his player selection or his team choices or his tactical set up.

Beckerman and Wondo can't ever be called in again. Period. The problem last night was that Klinsmann's lineup was too timid AND his tactics were way too aggressive. When I say "the problem last night" I don't mean the reason we lost. He could've gotten everything right and we lose anyway. I'm just talking about why the team looked like chickens with their heads cut off. He tried to replicate a balls-out, high press style that relies on speed and power by replacing speed and power in Jermaine Jones and Bobby Wood with slow and slower in Wondo and Beckerman. Playing a three-man press with Beckerman-Bradley-Wondo is insane against any good team because, like we saw in the World Cup, it makes Bradley an island and he runs himself like crazy to compensate and limits his passing effectiveness. That team was unprepared and unequipped and it's obviously nothing new. There's probably nothing that could've been done to win that game, but there's plenty that could've been done to compete. Marking Messi rather than following decoy runners in the midfield, leaving him with nothing but open grass with the ball at his feet for one. That would've been a good idea. We should've overloaded the midfield and had forwards with speed but Nagbe and Jordan Morris aren't ready yet, I guess.

Birnbaum over Nagbe. This is mind blowing. None of it matters but what the actual horsefeathers. Moving Cameron up? What a creative idea to increase pace in the midfield that a manager could've tried 60 some minutes ago if he had any balls at all.

Only when his dad coaches I guess. He was great in South Africa. Hard to single out one guy right now.

[tweet] [/tweet] Seems about right.

The talent gap is huge but that doesn't excuse the load of horsefeathers in everyone's shorts that's leading to these panicked passes.

Filthy. Upper 90 of the upper 90.

Rough way for Beckerman to play his last international.

Um.

1:30 in and KB has two bad giveaways.

Another example of how ESPN does soccer the best. [tweet] [/tweet]

Fox's creepy, nationalist, thirsty ass soccer coverage sucks. All US soccer should be on ESPN.

Wood was a beast. Fast, strong, held the ball well on counters and combined well with Clint. Who is fast, strong, has good chemistry with Deuce and can break on a counter? Oh yeah. Jordan Morris. He'd be useful tonight.

Remember when the manager everyone said was too conservative rolled out Benny and Charlie Davies and we broke Peak Spain with speed and quick passing? Bob Bradley would play Pulisic. Probably Nagbe too considering he's a rich man's Feilhaber.

This is a B lineup hahahahaha [tweet] [/tweet]

0 surprises. [tweet]https://twitter.com/soccerinsider/status/745405666932600837[/tweet] Bunker and try to hit a set piece. Only Clint can save us now.

I hereby resign as a soccer fan. You guys go on without me. [tweet] [/tweet]

Right now on fs1, Jurgen is explaining how the us has improved in his tenure to Jason Whitlock and I almost fell off the couch lunging for the remote to change the channel. Jason horsefeathering Whitlock.

Lending credence to my conspiracy theory that a big reason mexican and american players are undervalued is because scouts only really pay attention to major tournaments, the vultures are circling again now that the spotlight is shining. [tweet]https://twitter.com/KurtLarSUN/status/744932907467300864[/tweet] https://www.clubcall.com/manchester-city/city-scout-eyes-bundesliga-centre-back-at-copa-1813128.html http://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin-sport/hertha-bsc/siegt-sich-john-brooks-im-us-team-von-hertha-weg

Especially against a team that isnt that much more talented, if at all. That game on paper is a pick 'em or possibly Mexico as slight favorite with major home field advantage. Mexico always does this. They get cocky, something goes wrong and they can't deal with the adversity. That's an inexcusable capitulation.

No idea who that could be. Surely not Tevez? You guys don't think Tevez is better than Dempsey or Donovan? Of course he is. I don't know how "far and away" but yeah, he's better. Paola Dybala is too young for that convo but he'd no question be the best forward prospect we've ever had. That is some dramatic and not really relevant stuff from deadspin but it's still true.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11743/10317003/bournemouth-sign-emerson-hyndman-on-four-year-deal

I'm supposed to go to sleep now? With these nerves?

FEEL FREE TO POSSESS THE BALL FOR MORE THAN ONE CONSECUTIVE SECOND.

V un-chill. JK subbed too little and late. Totally lost the flow. Too busy yelling at the crowd.