2021 USMNT Thread

[IthacaMatt]

I may be alone in this. I hate playing pulisic on the outside left. He wants to receive the ball and really needs to be in the middle more. We had a hard time getting it to him. When he did get it he wanted to make most of it.

There are pro's and con's - out on the left, he only has to beat 1 or 2 guys to create a chance.

On the other hand, when he drives into the middle of the defense, he can pass to either side, or take on the shot. More options, but more defenders and tighter spaces.

 

[IthacaMatt]

What the hell is the strategy playing out the back? Disjointed and a prayer?

If… IF we lose tonight, Berhalter better be gone by the weekend. This is ugly at the moment. He, and the team, look completely lost.

It's much harder to do on the terrible pitches of these Caribbean and Central American nations. Their stadiums are so crap that they can't even put in cameras for VAR and trust that they will be pointing straight. I mean, that's just embarrassing.

Where's all that World Cup money, FIFA? How about some VAR for the qualifying for your signature event??

 

[creatorsgam]

This turned out to be a superb call on your part!

Thanks.

But even a broken clock…

 

[upperdeck]

Nice to see a guy on D that can actually run people down.. Is it too much that the US actually has some decent speed up front.. It seems like every team has 2-3 guys that can outrun our D but the US seldom every finds 1.. Pulisic issue is that to create offense he needs to beat 2-3-4 guys because we dont connect enough passes. thats where for awhile Dike was looking good. controlling with size and allowing runs off the control.

the first half though was just ugly.. the few times they got control on attack they just frittered it away.. such sloppy passing .

 

[creatorsgam]

I thought Aaronson was good, too.
I was shocked to hear that he has scored 5 times in 10 games for USMNT.

Really liking that dude. Brings intensity out there for sure. Hell, even his postgame after Canada he was a bit snarky about Canada’s tactics. Has a bit of fire he brings into the squad imo

 

[IthacaMatt]

We need A Robinson, Adams, Mckennie, Dest etc connect things together so the CBs are not scrambling back to defend the counter 4 possessions in a row trying.

Part of this is whether we want to boot it long or play from the back. Matt Turner, who had a fine game stopping shots, and with his throws, doesn't communicate that well with the guys in back yet.

If the midfielders come back for link-up play, you can't just spontaneously kick it long, like he did too many times, because the midfielders are not upfield to get the second ball.

They can't panic at being pressed by Honduras. It is on the road. Maybe we need to balance our midfield a bit better so that our midfielders are a bit more spread out, to create more options to advance the ball - close, midrange, and long ball.

 

[upperdeck]

Really liking that dude. Brings intensity out there for sure. Hell, even his postgame after Canada he was a bit snarky about Canada’s tactics. Has a bit of fire he brings into the squad imo

dang he runs all over.. You need to keep the energy up so other teams throw a few away and we got one last night just on being on point for a fumbled ball.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Nice to see a guy on D that can actually run people down.. Is it too much that the US actually has some decent speed up front.. It seems like every team has 2-3 guys that can outrun our D but the US seldom every finds 1.. Pulisic issue is that to create offense he needs to beat 2-3-4 guys because we dont connect enough passes. thats where for awhile Dike was looking good. controlling with size and allowing runs off the control.

the first half though was just ugly.. the few times they got control on attack they just frittered it away.. such sloppy passing .

Yeah, that first half was pretty disappointing. They certainly came out on fire in the second half, though.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

I thought Aaronson was good, too.
I was shocked to hear that he has scored 5 times in 10 games for USMNT.

He’s been scoring every time out for Salzburg it seems as well and has done well in their CL games. He’s an underrated part of this system going forward.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Nice to see a guy on D that can actually run people down.. Is it too much that the US actually has some decent speed up front.. It seems like every team has 2-3 guys that can outrun our D but the US seldom every finds 1.. Pulisic issue is that to create offense he needs to beat 2-3-4 guys because we dont connect enough passes. thats where for awhile Dike was looking good. controlling with size and allowing runs off the control.

the first half though was just ugly.. the few times they got control on attack they just frittered it away.. such sloppy passing .

Between Landon, Eddie Johnson, Charlie Davies, DMB, Heydude, Fab, etc... we used to always have a burner or two at different positions to pressure the D, but lately it feels like we have more skilled players who aren't as fleet of foot or mind as previous generations. Even Pepi isn't a burner, though he plays fast. We are really missing wing play and a six who can put his foot on the ball...

My ideal line up... 4-2-1-3 with Weah, Pepi, Pulisic as the 3, Reyna as the 1, McKennie/Adams as the 2, Robinson, Robinson, McKenzie, RB du jour as the back 4. Brooks is done in my opinion and we have better options. I don't trust Dest enough on D to start him at RB in matches that matter.

A secondary lineup could be 3-5-2 with Robinson/Robinson/McKenzie as the 3, Adams, McKennie, Pulisic, Dest, Reyna as the 5, Pepi and Aaronson as the 2.

Berhalter really does have an embarrassment of riches... it's unacceptable how piss poor these guys looked for 2.5 matches against inferior opponents.

 

[cusefan88]

Between Landon, Eddie Johnson, Charlie Davies, DMB, Heydude, Fab, etc... we used to always have a burner or two at different positions to pressure the D, but lately it feels like we have more skilled players who aren't as fleet of foot or mind as previous generations. Even Pepi isn't a burner, though he plays fast. We are really missing wing play and a six who can put his foot on the ball...

My ideal line up... 4-2-1-3 with Weah, Pepi, Pulisic as the 3, Reyna as the 1, McKennie/Adams as the 2, Robinson, Robinson, McKenzie, RB du jour as the back 4. Brooks is done in my opinion and we have better options. I don't trust Dest enough on D to start him at RB in matches that matter.

A secondary lineup could be 3-5-2 with Robinson/Robinson/McKenzie as the 3, Adams, McKennie, Pulisic, Dest, Reyna as the 5, Pepi and Aaronson as the 2.

Berhalter really does have an embarrassment of riches... it's unacceptable how piss poor these guys looked for 2.5 matches against inferior opponents.

My prediction is that Konrad de la Fuente will become a key guy. He's in fine form for Marseille and IMO had a solid game against ES and barely got chance vs Canada and didn't appear vs Honduras.

I think he's better than Weah.

 

[OrangeFoo]

My prediction is that Konrad de la Fuente will become a key guy. He's in fine form for Marseille and IMO had a solid game against ES and barely got chance vs Canada and didn't appear vs Honduras.

I think he's better than Weah.

Weah can't stay healthy, so it's a moot point.

I haven't seen enough of KDLF, but I think Weah is a stronger guy. I'm not sure why KDLF got no run after the el sal game.

Again, everyone is celebrating that 4-1 win, but Gregg needs to go.

 

[LPOrange]

I think I'm now an old man. I know I'm going to mix up Konrad De La Fuente with Luca De La Torre one of these days. Cade Cowell and Caden Clark will be trouble, too. And Brenden Aaronson has a younger brother Paxton Aaronson.

 

[LPOrange]

Jordan Pefok with a stoppage time goal against Man U in Champions' League group stage. Young Boys win 2-1.

 

[upperdeck]

what a give away

 

[upperdeck]

wonder what the US does if Pulisic and other Premier guys cant play at Panama.. Assuming he can play at all

 

[LPOrange]

wonder what the US does if Pulisic and other Premier guys cant play at Panama.. Assuming he can play at all

Not having Pulisic and Robinson would hurt. Horvath, Stephan and Ream we have as good or better options. Anyone else?

 

[Alsacs]

We need 6 points next cycle I don’t expect anything more than a draw at Panama.
We should play a back 5 and make Panama break us down and get the draw.
It would be the smart tactics.

 

[cusefan88]

I really hope Joe Scally gets called in. Started all league games for Gladbach. Plays RB but started the season at LB against Bayern and held his own. Speedy, good passer, tough kid. Would be a good spot to integrate him into the setup even if he doesn't play much.

I also expect Chris Richards to be back, maybe Weah if he's healthy and club agrees, and potentially Busio, Gioacchini, and Musah.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Soccer America's depth chart for the next round of matches in the October window. Feel free to discuss.

U.S. depth chart:

Note: In parentheses are ages as of Oct. 7, date of the USA-Jamaica game.
*Played in World Cup 2022 qualifying.

Goalkeepers:
*Matt Turner (New England Revolution, 27)
Ethan Horvath (Nott. Forest/ENG D2, 26)
---------------------------------------------------------------
In pool: Brad Guzan (Atlanta United, 37), Sean Johnson (New York City FC, 32), Bill Hamid (D.C. United, 30).
Covid isolation: Zack Steffen (Man. City/ENG, 26).

Outside Backs:
*George Bello (Atlanta United, 19)
*Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP, 20)
*Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG D2, 24)
*DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR, 28)
-----------------------------
In pool: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy, 20), Shaq Moore (Tenerife/ESP D2, 24), Bryan Reynolds (Roma/ITA, 20), Joe Scally (Bor. M'Gladbach/GER, 18)
Injured: Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR, 23), Sam Vines (Antwerp/BEL, 22).

Center Backs:
*John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER, 28)
*Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL, 22)
*Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG D2, 33)
*Miles Robinson (Atlanta United, 24)
*James Sands (New York City FC, 21)
---------------------------------------------------------------
In pool: Chris Richards (Hoffenheim/GER, 21), Matt Miazga (Alaves/ESP, 26), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC, 28).
Injured: Aaron Long (NY Red Bulls, 28),

Midfielders:
*Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids, 26)
*Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER, 22)
*Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy, 28)
*Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA, 23)
Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP, 18).
*Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders, 26)
---------------------------------------------------------------
In pool: Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA, 19), Luca de la Torre (Heracles/NED, 23), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes, 24).
Injured: Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers, 24)

Wingers:
*Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT, 20)
*Konrad de la Fuente (Marseille/FRA, 20)
---------------------------------------------------------------
In pool: Paul Arriola (D.C. United, 26), Matthew Hoppe (Real Mallorca/ESP, 20).
Injured: Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders, 26), *Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG, 22), *Gio Reyna (Bor. Dortmund/GER, 18), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA, 21)

Strikers:
*Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas, 18)
*Jordan Pefok (Young Boys/SUI, 25)
In pool: Daryl Dike (Orlando City, 21), Nicholas Gioacchini (Montpellier/FRA, 21).
Injured: *Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG, 21), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew, 30)


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Personally, I think we're looking thin at winger with the injuries. The English ban on travel to play v. Panama is going to make that a tough game. I think Chelsea would like to have Pulisic stay with the club this window and recover.

Up front, do we really play Pefok and Pepi as our strikers in this 3 round set? How many goals can we get from them, maybe 1 each over the 3 games? Where are the other goals going to come from without Pulisic and Reyna? I think we're going to live and die with our set pieces in this group of matches.

I'd really like to see Musah and Busio get some time in this next bunch of games. You can't play Tyler Adams so much or he's going to get hurt. Does McKennie get invited back for this international window? Based on Berhalter's comment that he'll be welcomed back "when he's playing well", that sounds like we might keep him on the sidelines this time, to teach him a lesson.

 

[creatorsgam]

Does McKennie get invited back for this international window? Based on Berhalter's comment that he'll be welcomed back "when he's playing well", that sounds like we might keep him on the sidelines this time, to teach him a lesson.

McKennie has some work to do in the locker room if he wants to be back. If he misses the next qualifying window it wouldn’t be a surprise.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

McKennie has some work to do in the locker room if he wants to be back. If he misses the next qualifying window it wouldn’t be a surprise.

I think that this is one of the most overlooked aspects of having a successful national team - having a group of guys who are truly united. National teams, by definition, are not cohesive units the way club teams are/are not because they spend so little time together. Add to that the fact that players come from different systems, can come from clubs that are bitter rivals, can have a group of players from a single, or a couple of clubs club (more prevalent historically than nowadays but see Spain with Barca and Real Madrid as a modern-day example) and fostering unity is no small feat.

In Italy, for example, the harmony of the group is so important that there is not a second thought given to excluding players that are remarkably talented if it is thought they will disrupt the group as a whole. Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and even current Italian skipper Roberto Mancini are examples of this.

If McKennie were Italian, he would likely be excluded for at least as long as Mancini were in charge and possibly longer. What McKennie did would be considered a virtually unforgiveable act.

And, I think it works, Italy has had a tremendous amount of success while, IMHO, never having the most talented team. In '82, they beat a Brazil team that many consider to be the most talented team never to win a World Cup. In 2006, I think France was clearly the more talented side, And, in 2020, one could argue that Belgium, France and Spain all had more individual talent.

And when you do hear about very talented side crashing out of a major competition early, there are frequent reference to lack of locker room cohesion, or outright dissent, being a primary cause.

This seems to be a strength of Berhalter's, at least based upon the play of the team during the summer. Let's hope this incident doesn't cause that locker room unity to start to fray at the edges.

 

[Alsacs]

I think that this is one of the most overlooked aspects of having a successful national team - having a group of guys who are truly united. National teams, by definition, are not cohesive units the way club teams are/are not because they spend so little time together. Add to that the fact that players come from different systems, can come from clubs that are bitter rivals, can have a group of players from a single, or a couple of clubs club (more prevalent historically than nowadays but see Spain with Barca and Real Madrid as a modern-day example) and fostering unity is no small feat.

In Italy, for example, the harmony of the group is so important that there is not a second thought given to excluding players that are remarkably talented if it is thought they will disrupt the group as a whole. Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and even current Italian skipper Roberto Mancini are examples of this.

If McKennie were Italian, he would likely be excluded for at least as long as Mancini were in charge and possibly longer. What McKennie did would be considered a virtually unforgiveable act.

And, I think it works, Italy has had a tremendous amount of success while, IMHO, never having the most talented team. In '82, they beat a Brazil team that many consider to be the most talented team never to win a World Cup. In 2006, I think France was clearly the more talented side, And, in 2020, one could argue that Belgium, France and Spain all had more individual talent.

And when you do hear about very talented side crashing out of a major competition early, there are frequent reference to lack of locker room cohesion, or outright dissent, being a primary cause.

This seems to be a strength of Berhalter's, at least based upon the play of the team during the summer. Let's hope this incident doesn't cause that locker room unity to start to fray at the edges.

Pulisic openly mocks Berhalter.
Berhalter doesn’t have a good control of that locker room.
USSF had protocols and McKennie violated that.

McKennie is useful when we get to a World Cup as he will be playing world class players. It appears a lot of our best players struggle against CONCACAF teams because they don’t play the game like European teams. They play physical and dive a lot to slow the game down.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Pulisic openly mocks Berhalter.

Really? Show me some proof. I watched the Panama post-game interview and Pulisic's Canada game interview. HIs comments in each are open to myriad interpretations.

Berhalter doesn’t have a good control of that locker room.

Really? Again, show me some proof. McKennie also had the well-publicized party that violated Juve protocols and got him suspended. Maybe it is the player and not Pirlo or Berhalter?

McKennie is useful when we get to a World Cup as he will be playing world class players. It appears a lot of our best players struggle against CONCACAF teams because they don’t play the game like European teams. They play physical and dive a lot to slow the game down.

And your point is?

 

[Alsacs]

Really? Show me some proof. I watched the Panama post-game interview and Pulisic's Canada game interview. HIs comments in each are open to myriad interpretations.

Really? Again, show me some proof. McKennie also had the well-publicized party that violated Juve protocols and got him suspended. Maybe it is the player and not Pirlo or Berhalter?

And your point is?

Pulisic gets managed by Thomas Tuchel and then has to come to the national team and be coached by a guy who got fired from a second division team and won less than 40% of his games as Columbus coach.

USMNT needs a real manager.