stitchface

no kidding. weird that Busquets took one.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/4826538/usmnt-squad-way-too-early-look-ahead-of-2026-world-cup A list of up and comers for 2026.

pretty spot on though I also only watch the games.

That's pretty great news. Need as many competitive games between now and '26 as possible. Totally agree - playing this every time would be fantastic!

only with Brazil could that second half be so entertaining . . . anyone else would have shut the game down!

And then some - Brasil can accelerate at will and there’s nothing the Koreans can do against that. That third goal . . . and the fourth. It's showtime!

Memphis isn't really that good either, which only furthers the point. We don't have a Depay much less a good striker! Makes it look even worse that he continued to shoehorn in a striker when we had more talented players on the bench. Reminded me of Spain did at times when they didn’t have a striker they liked. Rather than put one out there just for the sake of doing it, they’d just put an extra super talented midfielder out there instead. Obviously we’re not anywhere close to those Spain teams but the manager needs to figure out a way to get the best players on the field. so, you're saying Gio is the next Iniesta?

Memphis isn't really that good either, which only furthers the point. We don't have a Depay much less a good striker!

Record is 16. He’s got at least 1 more game this year and he’ll be in his prime for 2026. I would think he’d still be good enough to be a starter in 2030. Injuries plus the World Cup only being a few games obviously come into play but it’s hard to see him not breaking the record. He's in his prime already . . .

Pelle is my American choice. My top choice is LVG. The way be approached us & everything he has said after the game indicates that he’s intrigued by the talent and he obviously put on a tactical masterclass against them today. Enrico Pallazo for me! I've never been an LVG fan though I can't really say why.

they just switched off though I would take Lautaro Martinez to bury that on 9 out of 10 times.

It's a good point on Berhalter and the recruiting. My question on Gio and the 10 is in reaction to the US lacking a 1v1 attacker in the middle to break teams down. CP ends up dropping to that spot but the US is always outnumbered going forward. How many times did we see US players with space in front of them getting caught from behind? That' shouldn't be happening - there have to be forward options or spaces to attack. To elaborate, the US seems to almost play with 6 and two 8s - I don't want Gio to play in McKennie's role, I want McKennie to sit deeper. You could also go 3-5-2 if you have the center backs allowing Dest and Jedi to play as wing backs, which might be more comfortable for them and eliminates the need for a 9. Might not suit Pulisic and Weah as the forwards though but who is to say they will be there in four years. I guess it feels to me that the US needs to carry more threat through the middle to open the wider spaces. Right now, there is no threat from the 9 and basically no 10 (we all saw McKennie's positioning chart). Musah is fantastic but he's not a 10.

In past World Cup performances, it always felt like a missed opportunity to do more when the US was eliminated. I definitely have a much more positive outlook after this loss. In a way, it's almost the opposite for me. In the past, I felt like the US needed a huge amount of luck to win any game - now I feel like they should have won except for a couple flaws that can be fixed.

For me, it's a 7 of 10 world cup. Results exceeded my expectations to be honest. Need to be better in attack to put away teams like Wales and Iran. Need to be better in attack to take your chances against England and Netherlands. Need more depth to compete against Brazil/France. I like our chances for 2026 but definitely need more depth - chances of everyone being healthy are not great. My run down: Keeper - Turner seems like a premier shot stopper - amongst the best in the world. Terrifying with the ball at his feet and I hate the amazing double save/jump up and punt the ball to the other team. Happy here but not super happy that he isn't playing at his club. Outside backs - definitely need to be better both offensively and defensively. Dest does some amazing things but is more wingback than 2/3. Jedi amazingly athletic and works so hard but makes so many terrible touches and passes. Maybe he is young enough to improve or just be more focused? Probably not the weakest part of the team but the inability to play a decent cross hurts the scoring chances and both got beat by the wing back for goals in this game (the first goal was the left forward). The replay of the third goal is so painful to watch . . . it's a bit petty but I also thought Jedi dropped too far inside on the first goal. Center backs - other than the Bale penalty, seemed pretty solid. Composed on the ball. I think Miles Robinson is a better option when healthy. Tyler Adams - someone compared him to Kante. I'll buy it. Amazing and everywhere. Could still getter better with passing - Kante did. Musah - hard to measure how important he is but I know from experience that mids that can keep possession are critical and the team is so much better when he is on the field, McKennie - Works great with this midfield. I think the US needs a true 10 though to spark the attack. Could Gio play that role? Would also create midfield depth. I love Aaronson too but I don't see him as a true 10. Forwards - not as bad as is being stated here. They lack cohesion (no one seems to know where to run). 9 is a black hole and that is a killer. Haji should have had three or four goals in this one (ok, that's probably hyperbole but). Pulisic is a very good player but he's not Messi or Mbappe. Weah is dangerous. The whole front line feels like less than the sum of its parts and I'll go ahead and blame the 9. Everything keys off the 9s movement. Fereira did well in the build up but then when he is dropped deep, there is no one up front and Pulisic and Weah are wing players. Coach. Not a fan. Need a better coach to move to the next level. He's the Doug Collins - we need a Phil Jackson. From where we were four years ago though - this is fantastic. I'll never forget playing Mexico and being completely dominated to the point of just booting balls forward and praying Pulisic could make a play.

on the positive side, the US seems to have one of the best midfields in the world.

Last kick of the half is better than first kick of the second (Though it still sucks - you might want to defend the middle of the box guys) The attack just looks so uncoordinated - like they never practice attacking. Compare it to the Dutch who twice sequenced a player wide open at the spot.

that's actually very common and intentional I'm sure it is, it just hurts watching a replay hope that didn't sound condescending . . . it was something that surprised me when I started watching a lot of soccer.

seriously, wth is with their defense?

that's actually very common and intentional

I always feel like he is the Ryan Theriot of football.

ah, so you knew the answer? I guess running for 250 yards might also be a factor. Yes, I knew that an 8-3 team with no QB was not the team equipped to beat Ohio State. It's almost like one can have an opinion about a sport independent of how the team they support is doing and a smart ass retort about it is unnecessary. You made a snarky comment and I asked a legitimate question. Now you come back and pretend like you don't understand football enough that you legitimately believed all anyone had to do was chuck the ball up for grabs to beat ohio state. Give me a break - if you want to be snarky, don't then act like you had a legitimate point.

What does it say about Notre Dame? It's not news that they have no QB or WRs largely because their former coach basically stopped trying to recruit them the last 5 years. They were (and still are) not equipped to throw it deep. ah, so you knew the answer? I guess running for 250 yards might also be a factor.

What does it say about Notre Dame?

They got what they deserved. What a piece of horsefeathers team. Again, ref won't give Herrera second yellow.

horrible game. Argentina sleep-walking and Mexico hacktastic.