Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Forza Azzurri, post: 3910423, member: 1452"] Great post. Only four carryovers from the Nations League roster to the Gold Cup roster. Means 4 guys from our top 23, and I would argue all four are in the bottom half of our top 23, with the other 19 occupying spots 24-42 in the talent pool. I like the use of different formations, even when they don't work, and the different player combinations. I like the fact that we continue to try to play our way out of pressure and, when feasible, high press. The USMNT, under Berhalter, is now actually doing all the things that Klinsmann said that he wanted the team to do. I thought yesterday's game completely turned when Zimmerman had to be subbed out for Pines. Pines not nearly as good with the ball at his feet and our distribution suffered. I also think Berhalter was more hesitant to high press with Pines. The way he had set up the formation, it was Pines and Robinson against Canada's two up top, when the ball turned over, and Pines is really inexperienced. A high press is also like the 2-3 zone. Everyone has to be on the same page. Just having one guy be a half a second late in his assignment can be the difference between getting a turnover and having a 2 v 2 jailbreak going the other way. And you can see that our high press, especially this team, is not the machine that Italy or Spain are. I also really liked the fact that the team, despite being so inexperienced, did not make that fatal mistake and was able to close the game out. For a team that has so few combined caps, that was impressive. When legs tire, discipline goes and discipline goes faster with inexperienced players because it is not as ingrained in their muscle memory. Canada clearly does not have a great team but they are much better than they used to be and they do have size, speed, ability and physicality, especially up top. Anyone who watched the Euros knows that, with the way yellows are handed out like candy at Halloween, closing out a game is not nearly as easy as it was 20-40 years ago when cynical fouls were merely free kicks and only egregious fouls were yellows. Today, pretty much any foul that stops forward momentum, especially at the end of games, is a yellow. That puts much more pressure on a team trying to defend a lead late in games. I watched Lalas lambast the performance. Considering the roster, and its inexperience, I don't think it was warranted, especially because I believe the Zimmerman injury really impacted the game. Survive and advance and prepare for next Sunday. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?