2023 USMNT

[orangenauburn]

Reyna looks great tonight.

Making it next to impossible for Re-Ggg to keep him on bench moving forward

 

[jordville]

Probably will need to take Reyna off at the half... unless the magic spray works. He wasn't moving well for those 4 minutes of extra time.

 

[Orangezoo]

Probably will need to take Reyna off at the half... unless the magic spray works. He wasn't moving well for those 4 minutes of extra time.

Canada needs to chill with some of these challenges. A lot of reckless BS out there.

 

[sutomcat]

Canada needs to chill with some of these challenges. A lot of reckless BS out there.

They look a lot slower and less skilled. This is a tough matchup for them.

 

[Orangezoo]

Down Mckennie and Dest and boys have looked really good.

This is how Reyna has to be utilized going forward. No excuses. He will make it work no matter who you pair him with.

What a difference having a talent like Balogun out there. Like nothing we've ever had before. Plus you have Pepi right there behind him pressing too.

Callaghan has done well in these two games. Greg needs to listen to his assistants and not eph this up.

 

[jordville]

Greg can't bench this...
And he better stay at CAM.

 

[Orangezoo]

They look a lot slower and less skilled. This is a tough matchup for them.

They have some good pace on the wings. Definitely look a step down which is good to see given in qualifying i wouldn't have said the same thing. Either way some dangerous challenges out there and frustration setting in.

 

[TheHaze315]

Reyna's corner service is so much better than Pulisic's. He will need to stay at CAM, Greg.

If GGG watched thursday, and tonight, and doesn’t keep Reyna at the 10, he needs to be shot to the moon literally immediately. Gio looks like the best player on the pitch when he has all that room to operate and create.

 

[Orangezoo]

Greg can't bench this...
And he better stay at CAM.

The way he plays and understands spacing and movement he absolutely can play with Adams effectively as well. He also to me unlocks the best of Pulisic making Christian a much more menacing threat.

 

[Orangezoo]

If GGG watched thursday, and tonight, and doesn’t keep Reyna at the 10, he needs to be shot to the moon literally immediately. Gio looks like the best player on the pitch when he has all that room to operate and create.

Don't disagree. Also can't understate the impact Balogun has out there too though. Balogun has put both the Mexican and Canadian defense on their heels. We have a legit dangerous attack now with this combo.

 

[jordville]

I wasn't a big fan of the last 20 minutes or so of play plus the substitutions and assignments... pretty much parked the bus. Dropped Weah to right back.

 

[Orangezoo]

I wasn't a big fan of the last 20 minutes or so of play plus the substitutions and assignments... pretty much parked the bus. Dropped Weah to right back.

Yeah didn't love that either. Should have put in 4 before that point a bit unlucky.

Thought the depth showed through though given they finished with no Reyna, Mckennie, Dest or Adams out there that second half.

 

[jordville]

Yeah didn't love that either. Should have put in 4 before that point a bit unlucky.

Thought the depth showed through though given they finished with no Reyna, Mckennie, Dest or Adams out there that second half.

Don't get me wrong... happy with the result! 2nd half (especially the final 20-30 minutes) just was a bit of a let down after what we've seen the previous game and a half. Greg better not mess this mojo up...

 

[Orangezoo]

Don't get me wrong... happy with the result! 2nd half (especially the final 20-30 minutes) just was a bit of a let down after what we've seen the previous game and a half. Greg better not mess this mojo up...

Yeah hands down most talented pool of players any USMNT manager has had in history. He can't screw this up... has to get it right.

 

[TheHaze315]

Don't disagree. Also can't understate the impact Balogun has out there too though. Balogun has put both the Mexican and Canadian defense on their heels. We have a legit dangerous attack now with this combo.

Absolutely. He attracts so much attention it gives Pulisic and Weah so much more room to operate on the wings. Opens us up so much.

 

[TheHaze315]

Yeah hands down most talented pool of players any USMNT manager has had in history. He can't screw this up... has to get it right.

As long as he plays Gio at the 10 and picks the right roster, the players will take care of it themselves. Most talented USMNT generation of all time.

 

[OrangeFoo]

USMNT just had a mic drop moment… they proved that if they are healthy, CONCACAF’s only real hope to even give them a game is to pray for Berhalter to mess it up.

Canada tried to really congest the middle of the field so they could funnel it to the touch lines where they thought they had an advantage… it was almost like a hockey strategy where the other team focuses on forecheck. But they ran into two big problems: 1. Scally and Aaronson put Davies in their back pockets between the two of them and Larin had no shot to beat Jedi 2. Reyna especially and Musah were able to break through their banks of defenders time after time which put their backline under constant pressure.

Unfortunately both Canada and Mexico responded to the US skill by kicking the poop out of Reyna… I sure hope it’s a minor knock because this is a huge upcoming season for him in Germany.

Moving forward….
- say goodbye to MMA midfield. If healthy, Reyna has to start in midfield. He is the teams best player. Gregg has to figure out who between McKennid and Adams sits because Musah is probably the teams next best player after Reyna and Pulisic.
- Balogun starts every game he is available… no other striker has his speed and skill
- the depth in the back is very exciting… Scally especially showed out today when the team needed him. But we need a backup at RB for Robinson
- there is a pretty huge drop off between Weah, Pulisic, Adams, Musah, Reyna, Mckennie and the dudes behind them. Aaronson is solid without the ball but offers very little w the ball. As long as four or five of those six key guys is available we are not losing to CONCACAF teams… But man we need some other dudes to breakthrough behind them
- this leads to my biggest concern about berhalter… he thinks he is smarter than anyone else. He will not put the best team out there he will put the best players for what he thinks is his best formation out there. I despair of him finding the right 11 through 20 players on the squad because he plays favorites and won’t try out new players - see Cannon over Scally. There is a ton of young talent out there... They need the right manager to try them out to find them.
- and to show how talented this team is… I made it through this entire novel with out yet munitioning Dest who really might be the best player on the team.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

NOOOOOO!! Man, I hope these rumors aren’t true. A few months ago it didn’t seem feasible based on why he was suspended

Wasn’t it some drunken incident when he was around 19 years old? Never an issue before or since? Then a woman (not sure if same one or she knew about it) tried to blackmail him into a spot for her son on the team, so he reported it? Am I remembering correctly?

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I have Paramount+. Still watched it on Univision. Don't understand 75% of what is being said but don't mind that. Allows me to focus on my conclusions and not be swayed by what the commentators are saying.

Could turn off the sound on Paramount.

 

[crv1728]

Wasn’t it some drunken incident when he was around 19 years old? Never an issue before or since? Then a woman (not sure if same one or she knew about it) tried to blackmail him into a spot for her son on the team, so he reported it? Am I remembering correctly?

Yeah , you basically have it. I just didn’t think he would survive in the court of public opinion, and I didn’t imagine US Soccer would want to deal with any of it.
The noooo!!! part was because they supposedly did a world wide search for the next coach and concluded that Greg was their best option. Hard for me to imagine that there was no better choice.
But, from what has been said from team members in the past few days, maybe he is a better coach than I gave him credit for. He is liked and respected.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Some right. Some wrong. Most of the wrong is, as usual, pre-conceived notions and not actually looking at the data.

Moving forward….
- say goodbye to MMA midfield. If healthy, Reyna has to start in midfield. He is the teams best player. Gregg has to figure out who between McKennid and Adams sits because Musah is probably the teams next best player after Reyna and Pulisic.

Agreed but the choice is between McKennie and Musah as to who sits. Adams is the 6 when healthy. Period. I do think both McKennie or Musah could slot in as the 6 in the absence of Adams with Reyna on the field. McKennie seemed to be playing more of the 6 vs Mexico while Musah played the 8 and then Musah played the 6 vs Canada. Like to see a heat map of the Mexico game to confirm but that was my impression.

Reading between the lines on McCallahan talking about Reyna, what was holding Reyna back, other than injuries, was a willingness to commit to his defensive responsibilities. Was that lack of fitness from injuries? Attitude? Something else? No idea. He does bring a different dimension to this team and would be a key guy in unlocking bunkered defenses. I hope he can stay healthy.

What was particularly interesting was how he was used against Mexico. Primarily operating as a trequartista but also dropping back between the lines to function as a regista. Floating around the field and being the transition fulcrum where needed. Between his and Balogun's ability to both play between the lines to relieve pressure, we will be a hard team to press.

- Balogun starts every game he is available… no other striker has his speed and skill

Agreed. Although Pepi looked dangerous.

- the depth in the back is very exciting… Scally especially showed out today when the team needed him. But we need a backup at RB for Robinson

Robinson plays left back.

- this leads to my biggest concern about berhalter… he thinks he is smarter than anyone else. He will not put the best team out there he will put the best players for what he thinks is his best formation out there. I despair of him finding the right 11 through 20 players on the squad because he plays favorites and won’t try out new players - see Cannon over Scally. There is a ton of young talent out there... They need the right manager to try them out to find them.

The statement that he won't try out new players is complete horsesh!t. He played 46 players in qualifying. He both brought in, and gave minutes to, a ton of players. If there is one thing he was not, it was being wedded to the same players. And if there was one thing that was a strength, it was a willingness to bring new players in and play them.

The questions about formation and tactics are legitimate. These are not areas where he has excelled.

 

[upperdeck]

The difference was saw these 2 games to me was that Reyna allowed the ball to be brought forward in much tighter spaces and not 100 passes and hope the D falls asleep..

In the mexico game it meant Pulisec got so much room he could do his thing with a bunch of free runs.

In the 2nd game we saw what Balogun can do. Size speed athleticism . He held off guys and ran by others and made a shot on a nice pass without needing to set it up.. Pepe brings some nice things but he doesnt have the same skill set to make the plays under duress as well.

Having 5-6 guys who can by dynamic opens up the offense.

 

[SUbear]

Some right. Some wrong. Most of the wrong is, as usual, pre-conceived notions and not actually looking at the data.

Agreed but the choice is between McKennie and Musah as to who sits. Adams is the 6 when healthy. Period. I do think both McKennie or Musah could slot in as the 6 in the absence of Adams with Reyna on the field. McKennie seemed to be playing more of the 6 vs Mexico while Musah played the 8 and then Musah played the 6 vs Canada. Like to see a heat map of the Mexico game to confirm but that was my impression.

Reading between the lines on McCallahan talking about Reyna, what was holding Reyna back, other than injuries, was a willingness to commit to his defensive responsibilities. Was that lack of fitness from injuries? Attitude? Something else? No idea. He does bring a different dimension to this team and would be a key guy in unlocking bunkered defenses. I hope he can stay healthy.

What was particularly interesting was how he was used against Mexico. Primarily operating as a trequartista but also dropping back between the lines to function as a regista. Floating around the field and being the transition fulcrum where needed. Between his and Balogun's ability to both play between the lines to relieve pressure, we will be a hard team to press.

Agreed. Although Pepi looked dangerous.

Robinson plays left back.

The statement that he won't try out new players is complete horsesh!t. He played 46 players in qualifying. He both brought in, and gave minutes to, a ton of players. If there is one thing he was not, it was being wedded to the same players. And if there was one thing that was a strength, it was a willingness to bring new players in and play them.

The questions about formation and tactics are legitimate. These are not areas where he has excelled.

The interim coaches results have been better than Berhalters ever were in my opinion, and end results are what really matter. Whether because of player selection or tactics does not matter.
Berhalter under acheived and that is the bottom line.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

I though dropping Weah down to wing back for Scally was the right move. He's been playing there for Lille and Davies repeatedly beat Scally with his pace (he beats everyone for pace). This allowed a better speed matchup and also allowed us to clog the middle with Trusty.

As for Reyna, I feel folks are making too much out of his lack of playing time. I dont recall him not being a starter when he is fit and unfortunately, the kid is made of porcelain. Also, without a #9 we had more of a need to go defensive in the midfield at the World Cup.

Between McKennie and Musah, I take Musah. He doesnt lose the ball and covers a lot of ground. If you have a central midfield three of Adams, Musah, and Reyna, you have a nice combination of ball winning, ball retention, and play making.

McKennie can be played in any of the three spots and having him be a super sub to run at, cover, or jump with tired players, could be a major asset. He also is a long throw weapon. This may also minimize the fact he is card and bad give away prone.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

The interim coaches results have been better than Berhalters ever were in my opinion, and end results are what really matter. Whether because of player selection or tactics does not matter.
Berhalter under acheived and that is the bottom line.

The expectation for Berhalter was to qualify and, given the group we were in, advance out of the group.

We did both.

Expectation met. Anything else is revisionist history.