2020 USMNT Thread | Page 6 | Syracusefan.com

2020 USMNT Thread

I don’t have anything new to add about the game beyond what was already said. That’s the most talented team from 1 to 11 we have ever put on a field together. They physically and skill wise dominated wales. My main question is do we have a bunch of water carriers or do we have alpha dogs who are not afraid to take over a game and score goals when it counts. Who will be the Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Beasely, Altidore of this team? Most of the guys have the skill levels comparable to the alphas from the past... but not clear if they are mentally there yet outside of Pulisic. Tons of potential though.

I agree with Alsacs, coaching is the biggest weakness. I have no faith that Berhalter has any clue what he is doing with these guys. Also I have zero faith that he won’t trot out the old guard mls’ers like Bradley or Altdore.
 
I don’t have anything new to add about the game beyond what was already said. That’s the most talented team from 1 to 11 we have ever put on a field together. They physically and skill wise dominated wales. My main question is do we have a bunch of water carriers or do we have alpha dogs who are not afraid to take over a game and score goals when it counts. Who will be the Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Beasely, Altidore of this team? Most of the guys have the skill levels comparable to the alphas from the past... but not clear if they are mentally there yet outside of Pulisic. Tons of potential though.

I agree with Alsacs, coaching is the biggest weakness. I have no faith that Berhalter has any clue what he is doing with these guys. Also I have zero faith that he won’t trot out the old guard mls’ers like Bradley or Altdore.
Berhalter is a hell of a coach in MLS. Let him take over a franchise and show his dominance there.

This national team could get a real international manager. Go talk to Julen Lopetegui and the guy coached Real Madrid and Spain. He knows what he is doing.
Give that guy our roster he will use it correctly.
 
Berhalter is a hell of a coach in MLS. Let him take over a franchise and show his dominance there.

This national team could get a real international manager. Go talk to Julen Lopetegui and the guy coached Real Madrid and Spain. He knows what he is doing.
Give that guy our roster he will use it correctly.

The issue is that a top-30 coach in the world like Lopetgui would have to take a pay cut, to coach a less talented team, in a less prestigious role, at a national team that he has no real connection to, where 75% the games are friendlies or against minor Central American nations, and games are much fewer and further between. Not only that, but we'd have to get him to choose that over offers from top level Euro clubs and countries.
 
I don’t have anything new to add about the game beyond what was already said. That’s the most talented team from 1 to 11 we have ever put on a field together. They physically and skill wise dominated wales. My main question is do we have a bunch of water carriers or do we have alpha dogs who are not afraid to take over a game and score goals when it counts. Who will be the Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Beasely, Altidore of this team? Most of the guys have the skill levels comparable to the alphas from the past... but not clear if they are mentally there yet outside of Pulisic. Tons of potential though.

I agree with Alsacs, coaching is the biggest weakness. I have no faith that Berhalter has any clue what he is doing with these guys. Also I have zero faith that he won’t trot out the old guard mls’ers like Bradley or Altdore.


Excellent observation. We need guys who can win games. I think Pulisic and Reyna are going to be those kinds of guys on offense.

I think we have ballers in the midfield. McKennie and Tyler Adams were tough, vocal and throwing themselves all over the field. They are the future leaders.

Dest is a baller, too. It's not often that a fullback is one of your team leaders, but this guy has mad swag. And he has the game to match.
 
Excellent observation. We need guys who can win games. I think Pulisic and Reyna are going to be those kinds of guys on offense.

I think we have ballers in the midfield. McKennie and Tyler Adams were tough, vocal and throwing themselves all over the field. They are the future leaders.

Dest is a baller, too. It's not often that a fullback is one of your team leaders, but this guy has mad swag. And he has the game to match.
Agreed... we have ballers. But there ls the old saying, you need to learn how to win games. With all the youth we need to learn how to win games and we need to do it before WC qualifiers because we are going to have very little margin for error.
 
The issue is that a top-30 coach in the world like Lopetgui would have to take a pay cut, to coach a less talented team, in a less prestigious role, at a national team that he has no real connection to, where 75% the games are friendlies or against minor Central American nations, and games are much fewer and further between. Not only that, but we'd have to get him to choose that over offers from top level Euro clubs and countries.
He was interested in the USMNT job in 2018 but the federation told him they weren’t going to Give him an interview because they wanted to go in another direction.

The USSF is a joke.
 
He was interested in the USMNT job in 2018 but the federation told him they weren’t going to Give him an interview because they wanted to go in another direction.

The USSF is a joke.

That was a debunked rumor.
 

Grant Wahl says he has a source with first hand knowledge that said he approached the USMNT.

There were the same rumors with him about nearly every coaching opening after her got fired after a few months with Real Madrid. Supposedly he was begging for Mexico too... and going to Columbia... he was supposed to replace Nico Kovac at Bayern, tier 1 and 2 rumor mills...

Pretty sure Wahl connected him to LAG as well on TSS...

 
Well, it was the Wales B team, with the coach saving their best players for the 2 Nations League games to come.

That said, I have never seen a US midfield play that well. They harassed the ball all over the park, never let Wales get into their offense. Real swag on the ball, confident handles in tight spaces. Really unlike anything we have ever seen from the US. Sure, we've had teams that had bulldozers in midfield, but our best guy dribbling the ball was someone like Darlington Nagbe, and he would be the only guy who could do it.

This team has so much young midfield and attacking talent that it kind of reminded me of Chelsea from earlier in the season, as the players were getting to know each other. Like Chelsea, the US is questionable at the back, but not against Wales.

Brooks and Miazga played well together. Handled the ball well, good distribution from Brooks most of the time. (He missed a few long balls, but those were mostly early in the game.)

Antonee Robinson is not a fit on this team. He can run and put in a cross, but he lacks good close control, he's too loose with his passing, and he loses concentration too often defensively, forced to sprint back to cover a man who just blew past him. He's just not that good defensively, and he's not sound enough on the ball to ever be an important player on this team. The opening at Left Back persists.

We still lack a proper number 9. Lletgett was terrible. He is kind of an Adam Lallana style midfielder, and there are times that could be useful coming off the bench in the 2nd half, but him playing as a false 9 just meant that he, Gio Reyna and Konrad were all looking to occupy the same space that would usually be taken up by your number 10. The attack got all bunched up, lacked open space and made our attacking line easier to defend.

I hope Musah chooses the US permanently in June, because, wow, him, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams were the best US midfield I have seen. They allow us to play a 4-3-3, whereas Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones forced us to play a more defensive 4-2-3-1 and lacked the ability to possess the ball and make quality box-to-box runs that these guys consistently showed.

THIS WAS MODERN FOOTBALL!!

A great step forward. Very pleased. Very optimistic.
Was finally able to watch the game yesterday. This post nails it. I literally got chills at points watching us ping the ball around like we were Germany or Spain. Never, ever seen that from a US team.

Only small quibble is that Lleget was bad because he was playing out of position. I do not understand that tactic at all. We had a group of guys who barely know each other and you play with a false nine? Having a true number nine allows the team to play more simply, which is exactly what a group of guys who do not know each other need. Playing with a false nine, and doing it well, is hard. And IM nailed why it did not work. Too many guys occupying the same space.

Agree on Robinson. Not on the same level as the rest of the team. Maybe move Dest to the left so Cannon can play RB?

Musah is a beast.

Dest is sick.

So young. So much talent. The future looks really bright.

Regarding Berhalter, I tend to give coaches more rope than most, regardless of sport. I just think "Get rid of the coach" is an overly simplistic solution.

I will say that the concerns I had about Berhalter, and which are elucidated in the USMNT 2018 thread, remain. He is a club and a system coach. Club coaches get lots of time with their teams to implement their system. A National team coach is a whole different ball of wax.

A National team coach needs to be able to make decisions with much more limited information and has to be able to translate club-level skills to the national team level taking into account the differences in personnel around that player at the club level vs the National Team. Not easy. I believe it requires more of a feel. Does Berhalter have that? Don't know.

This team is also brutally young. How does Berhalter keep these guys on an even keel when things are not going well? Reyna had a tough game and he lost it and should have gotten a yellow when he went after the Wales player. In a World Cup, a stupid yellow can be the difference between playing in, and watching, a quarterfinal match.
In Concacaf, the fields are terrible; the refs are terrible; the other teams, other than Mexico and Costa Rica, want to play Rugby. Guys need to keep their cool and composure and be smart. If Dest starts dancing on the ball against Honduras, somebody will take him out with a two-footed, studs-up tackle - and the ref will just call it a simple foul.

Lots of talent. Lots of questions. Stay tuned. Unfortunately, I don't think Panama will tell us anything. Like to see us play an "A" team from a Poland, Sweden or Norway to get a better idea of where this young group stands.
 
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i expect a bit more today vs Panama a little less 1x1 and more team plays with a few more days of practice
 
after a bad start a great 30 min.. then a bad start to the 2nd half and a great last 20 min..

when was the last time 4 headers in one game?

Really excited to see this group with a healthy Pulisic. Love having the euro heavy roster for a change. The qualify in the attacking third was nice to see. Definitely some lapses but the number of players with quality on the ball is great. Steffen is good enough as well. This group should definitely make qualifying far less stressful ( fingers crossed).
 
I recorded the match but looking at the final score has me excited we can now just dominate these above average CONCACAF teams.

Only Mexico should be on par with the USA. Costa Rica is a nice team but we should be getting results on the road against them. We haven’t in a long time.
 
I don’t have anything new to add about the game beyond what was already said. That’s the most talented team from 1 to 11 we have ever put on a field together. They physically and skill wise dominated wales. My main question is do we have a bunch of water carriers or do we have alpha dogs who are not afraid to take over a game and score goals when it counts. Who will be the Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Beasely, Altidore of this team? Most of the guys have the skill levels comparable to the alphas from the past... but not clear if they are mentally there yet outside of Pulisic. Tons of potential though.

I agree with Alsacs, coaching is the biggest weakness. I have no faith that Berhalter has any clue what he is doing with these guys. Also I have zero faith that he won’t trot out the old guard mls’ers like Bradley or Altdore.


Great question - they really turned up the heat on offense against Panama. Terrific 6-2 win. Panama is a physical team that plays dirty. Welcome to CONCACAF, young men!

Reyna was much better with different players around him and more room to operate coming inside. Both young center forwards were effective, each scored. Gioachinni was good. Really attacked his second goal, diving for the header. The first was a classic poacher's goal. Too bad he missed his penalty for the hat trick - very tame effort.

Tim Ream had a fine game at the back, and really seemed "in charge" with all these young guys who barely know each other. Fine effort, even if Fulham is struggling mightily in the Premier League right now.

Musah carrying the ball box to box, wow, the kid is really good. McKennie was literally everywhere on the field in both games. He and Tyler Adams are going to be the leaders of this team. Sergino Dest was not as effective on the left side. Big difference, but Reggie Cannon is miles better than Antonee Robinson. I still prefer Dest on the right. He was more dangerous going forward. Cannon was good, though.

I have not been this excited about the men's team since the old dudes missed out on making the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This is what we've been waiting for. These guys are the real deal. Still young, sure. Not all of them are going to work out, long term.

But in the past, the US had ONE guy who had to bear all the creative pressure of the team. it's always been just one guy, or maybe a couple. Now we've got half a dozen or more really young guys (18 to 22) who are good enough to play in any league in Europe. This could be a great team by the time the US hosts the World Cup in 2026. We could have a legitimate chance to make noise.

But first, these kids have to toughen up and learn the dirty business, biased refs, and terrible pitches of CONCACAF. We are finally seeing the new team take shape for real, though. The MLS guys can fill in some gaps in the roster (and there are some important MLS guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball).

But the extended, let's get to know the whole damn player pool for 18 months under Dave Saracen, while we wait for Berhalter to FINALLY be hired is over. Now we have a pretty good idea who the team is. Too bad they can't play together again until March. Progress! It's undeniable.
 
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I recorded the match but looking at the final score has me excited we can now just dominate these above average CONCACAF teams.

Only Mexico should be on par with the USA. Costa Rica is a nice team but we should be getting results on the road against them. We haven’t in a long time.


We now have what Mexico has always had - a bunch of guys in midfield who grew up playing street ball and know how to dribble in tight spots. This new group is a huge improvement in that regard.
Some spirited players, too. Weston McKennie is the new Jermaine Jones - the "hard man" in midfield, the enforcer, only way more skillful.
 
i expect a bit more today vs Panama a little less 1x1 and more team plays with a few more days of practice


I thought there were some nice one-two's versus Panama, but I agree it was more "one guy brings the ball 40 yards upfield". Against physical competition, that's not unreasonable. More intricate interplay will come in time. We saw lots of that against Wales. They are capable of it.
 
Great question - they really turned up the heat on offense against Panama. Terrific 6-2 win. Panama is a physical team that plays dirty. Welcome to CONCACAF, young men!

Reyna was much better with different players around him and more room to operate coming inside. Both young center forwards were effective, each scored. Gioachinni was good. Really attacked his second goal, diving for the header. The first was a classic poacher's goal. Too bad he missed his penalty for the hat trick - very tame effort.

Tim Ream had a fine game at the back, and really seemed "in charge" with all these young guys who barely know each other. Fine effort, even if Fulham is struggling mightily in the Premier League right now.

Musah carrying the ball box to box, wow, the kid is really good. McKennie was literally everywhere on the field in both games. He and Tyler Adams are going to be the leaders of this team. Sergino Dest was not as effective on the left side. Big difference, but Reggie Cannon is miles better than Antonee Robinson. I still prefer Dest on the right. He was more dangerous going forward. Cannon was good, though.

I have not been this excited about the men's team since the old dudes missed out on making the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This is what we've been waiting for. These guys are the real deal. Still young, sure. Not all of them are going to work out, long term.

But in the past, the US had ONE guy who had to bear all the creative pressure of the team. it's always been just one guy, or maybe a couple. Now we've got half a dozen or more really young guys (18 to 22) who are good enough to play in any league in Europe. This could be a great team by the time the US hosts the World Cup in 2026. We could have a legitimate chance to make noise.

But first, these kids have to toughen up and learn the dirty business, biased refs, and terrible pitches of CONCACAF. We are finally seeing the new team take shape for real, though. The MLS guys can fill in some gaps in the roster (and there are some important MLS guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball).

But the extended, let's get to know the whole damn player pool for 18 months under Dave Saracen, while we wait for Berhalter to FINALLY be hired is over. Now we have a pretty good idea who the team is. Too bad they can't play together again until March. Progress! It's undeniable.

There has not been a more enjoyable two games to watch for the men's national team in a long time. As a former fullback I am always partial to the position but Dest is such a pleasure to watch. He is everything I had hoped Fabian Johnson would be. Having a threat like him on one side and then Cannon on the other who is a different player and a different look is just awesome. Then as you mentioned it the midfield play with possession, passing and WM in there as a threat on the attack and to knock you around is a thing of beauty.

The ball moves with purpose, the runs are good and just overall there is a quality that is such a pleasure to watch. The two balls by Ledezma were late but they are exactly the type of balls that kill us in qualifying. For once we might have real depth up top.

There will be a challenge to fit the pieces together but it is a good problem to have.

Pulisic, Reyna, Dest, Mckennie, Adams,Steffen and Miazga is one heck of a core to start from and then you see what the other youngsters showed and man what fun future to come. Totally agree on Ream too and he is a great guy to be a stopgap. He will be 35 come WC time but if he is still solid enough to be a calming presence then so be it.

Musah was really really good too and sure hope he chooses to stay stateside with his allegiance. He adds an element that is missing even with that core group in that he can go 1v1 and does well in a crowd using ball skills and strength.
 
Great question - they really turned up the heat on offense against Panama. Terrific 6-2 win. Panama is a physical team that plays dirty. Welcome to CONCACAF, young men!

Reyna was much better with different players around him and more room to operate coming inside. Both young center forwards were effective, each scored. Gioachinni was good. Really attacked his second goal, diving for the header. The first was a classic poacher's goal. Too bad he missed his penalty for the hat trick - very tame effort.

Tim Ream had a fine game at the back, and really seemed "in charge" with all these young guys who barely know each other. Fine effort, even if Fulham is struggling mightily in the Premier League right now.

Musah carrying the ball box to box, wow, the kid is really good. McKennie was literally everywhere on the field in both games. He and Tyler Adams are going to be the leaders of this team. Sergino Dest was not as effective on the left side. Big difference, but Reggie Cannon is miles better than Antonee Robinson. I still prefer Dest on the right. He was more dangerous going forward. Cannon was good, though.

I have not been this excited about the men's team since the old dudes missed out on making the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This is what we've been waiting for. These guys are the real deal. Still young, sure. Not all of them are going to work out, long term.

But in the past, the US had ONE guy who had to bear all the creative pressure of the team. it's always been just one guy, or maybe a couple. Now we've got half a dozen or more really young guys (18 to 22) who are good enough to play in any league in Europe. This could be a great team by the time the US hosts the World Cup in 2026. We could have a legitimate chance to make noise.

But first, these kids have to toughen up and learn the dirty business, biased refs, and terrible pitches of CONCACAF. We are finally seeing the new team take shape for real, though. The MLS guys can fill in some gaps in the roster (and there are some important MLS guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball).

But the extended, let's get to know the whole damn player pool for 18 months under Dave Saracen, while we wait for Berhalter to FINALLY be hired is over. Now we have a pretty good idea who the team is. Too bad they can't play together again until March. Progress! It's undeniable.
Nailed it again, IM.

I am gratified to see that Berhalter reads the board and moved Dest to the left and brought on Cannon and lost the false nine as I had suggested.:p

This game reminded me of a college hoops game where one team realizes pretty quickly how superior it is to the other team and spends long chunks of time either toying with the opposition or playing disinterestedly.

They turned it on for a 10 minute stretch in the first half and then again for a ten minute stretch in the second half after Panama closed to 3-2. In each ten minute stretch, they scored 3 goals. Crazy to see from a US team that lost to T&T just 3 years ago.

Panama told us nothing. We really need an Americas League of Nations so we can play meaningful games against top-flight competition. With this talent level, we are now at the point where only Mexico should be able to give us a game in Concacaf if we show up and play to our talent level rather than to that of the opposition.

We now have the talent to compete with most teams. To be more specific, I believe we have the talent to compete with anybody. What we now lack is experience and depth. I think our youth will still be exposed against a France or Spain or Italy. And, if McKinnie or Adams get hurt or suspended, there is no replacement. We also really need Musah to commit. What a player. Experience will come with time. Not worried about that. We do need to develop depth at some key positions, especially in the midfield.
 
Nailed it again, IM.

I am gratified to see that Berhalter reads the board and moved Dest to the left and brought on Cannon and lost the false nine as I had suggested.:p

This game reminded me of a college hoops game where one team realizes pretty quickly how superior it is to the other team and spends long chunks of time either toying with the opposition or playing disinterestedly.

They turned it on for a 10 minute stretch in the first half and then again for a ten minute stretch in the second half after Panama closed to 3-2. In each ten minute stretch, they scored 3 goals. Crazy to see from a US team that lost to T&T just 3 years ago.

Panama told us nothing. We really need an Americas League of Nations so we can play meaningful games against top-flight competition. With this talent level, we are now at the point where only Mexico should be able to give us a game in Concacaf if we show up and play to our talent level rather than to that of the opposition.

We now have the talent to compete with most teams. To be more specific, I believe we have the talent to compete with anybody. What we now lack is experience and depth. I think our youth will still be exposed against a France or Spain or Italy. And, if McKinnie or Adams get hurt or suspended, there is no replacement. We also really need Musah to commit. What a player. Experience will come with time. Not worried about that. We do need to develop depth at some key positions, especially in the midfield.

Great stuff. One of the questions I do have still is can this squad do a better job of marking and defending for 90 minutes, especially the first 45 when we usually get bitten by a cheap goal on the counter. When play wasn't so great you saw the youth standout. In qualifying these teams will commit Battery to hold a lead. I love the talent to break them down and think we can overcome it but it would be nice to be on the front foot vs having to come back against nothing but dirty play.

I think with a lead in CONCACAF there is no team but Mexico who is threatening this group. It is those moments/lapses and then what comes next that worries me still. Call it leftover PTS. I think WM is key to help us here the way Jones was in the past. Paired with all that talent to boot and for once I do think we can play wide enough and fast enough to break teams down when it's effectively playing against a 8-1-1.
 
nice to see us running with the ball and not be swallowed up by the D all the time.. It will also be good to see what they can do when they actually spend time together to mesh better. The D the beginning of the 2nd half vs Panama was a concern.
 
nice to see us running with the ball and not be swallowed up by the D all the time.. It will also be good to see what they can do when they actually spend time together to mesh better. The D the beginning of the 2nd half vs Panama was a concern.
I think the CB position is one of need in the future but I’m so excited about Chris Richards once his frame fills out. He’s been good enough on the ball to start at RB for Bayern in a league match and is only going to get stronger. Learning from Boateng and Alaba and going against Lewy, Sane, Gnabry, etc in training every day is going to pay off for us.
 
Anyone have thoughts on Dest's defensive capabilities?

I didn't see most of both of the games (sometimes the real world takes over), but -- in what I did see -- a few times he looked very passive on the defensive side of the rock.

Offensive prowess is wonderful, but I always love outside defenders that can be pestering defending the wings. It's why Stevie Chuerundolo is still my favorite American player ever. I was hoping Yedlin would be next, alas...
 
Anyone have thoughts on Dest's defensive capabilities?

I didn't see most of both of the games (sometimes the real world takes over), but -- in what I did see -- a few times he looked very passive on the defensive side of the rock.

Offensive prowess is wonderful, but I always love outside defenders that can be pestering defending the wings. It's why Stevie Chuerundolo is still my favorite American player ever. I was hoping Yedlin would be next, alas...


Game 1 vs. Wales I thought he was very good on both sides of the ball. He got back and was mixing it up, very effective in getting the ball back. He was less assertive in Game 2 vs. Panama.
 

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