USMNT soccer team thread

[CUSU]

Well with injuries and suspensions it should be an interesting lineup tonight.

Dempsey almost has to start if we go two strikers because Morris has been day to day all week, wood is hurt and didn't travel.

Bradley is lock starter, unsure on his partner in the central midfield Jones is suspended. I hope it's Acosta but most are alluding to Bedoya. Maybe Dax?

Outside mid certainly Pulisic. The other depends on whether Bedoya plays central I'm hoping it's Nagbe. Johnson out hurt or he'd start.

Rumors are Cameron at RB with Chandler suspended and Yedlin hurt. That leaves a predicament at CB. Gonzalez and Brooks certainly didn't work out last time and Brooks has a knee knock, but I think those two are what we see. Does Bruce try the young Zimmerman? LB is even worse do you rely on the old man Beasley or mini al experience villafaña?

Keeper is Howard no doubt.


This is what I expect:

---------Altidore--------------------
----------------Dempsey-----------
Nagbe-----------------------Pulisic
----------Bradley----Bedoya------
Villafaña---Brooks--Gonzo--Cameron


What I want is Acosta in Bedoya's spot as the 8. Injuries and suspensions give us little option

Forgot about Lletget. He could start in the 8 role for Bedoya as well

 

[Toga]

Well with injuries and suspensions it should be an interesting lineup tonight.

Dempsey almost has to start if we go two strikers because Morris has been day to day all week, wood is hurt and didn't travel.

Bradley is lock starter, unsure on his partner in the central midfield Jones is suspended. I hope it's Acosta but most are alluding to Bedoya. Maybe Dax?

Outside mid certainly Pulisic. The other depends on whether Bedoya plays central I'm hoping it's Nagbe. Johnson out hurt or he'd start.

Rumors are Cameron at RB with Chandler suspended and Yedlin hurt. That leaves a predicament at CB. Gonzalez and Brooks certainly didn't work out last time and Brooks has a knee knock, but I think those two are what we see. Does Bruce try the young Zimmerman? LB is even worse do you rely on the old man Beasley or mini al experience villafaña?

Keeper is Howard no doubt.


This is what I expect:

---------Altidore--------------------
----------------Dempsey-----------
Nagbe-----------------------Pulisic
----------Bradley----Bedoya------
Villafaña---Brooks--Gonzo--Cameron


What I want is Acosta in Bedoya's spot as the 8. Injuries and suspensions give us little option

Forgot about Lletget. He could start in the 8 role for Bedoya as well

Bump
1-0 26 minute

 

[Alsacs]

Michael Bradley scored wow. 3-0 USA.
This game will help goal deferential.
T&T helped us beating Panama and Mexico is helping beating Costa Rica.

These 3 points and if we can get some points in Panama we will be fine for 2018.

 

[creatorsgam]

Finish strong and close the game out, and this should be a solid result. Very pleased with the first half.

 

[DeGrozz]

This is amazing.

 

[creatorsgam]

This is amazing.

Pulisic! Four-nil.

 

[creatorsgam]

Am I behind? Dempsey x2. "Deuce!"

 

[Toga]

The Klinsmann era is officially closed.

 

[Alsacs]

If we get a draw in Panama we will be fine. If we get a win in Panama we will finish top 3 for sure.

T&T isn't a real threat. We played 2 of our 3 toughest matches. Get 9 points at home from the last 3 home matches and 5 points on the road.

 

[CUSU]

Great performance. The team really needed this. Jozy, Dempsey, and Pulisic made it enjoyable to watch. How bout Captain America Clint Dempsey?? Good for him after the heart issues. Pulisic played very well too, great to see.

Totally different attitude tonight.

Let's get a result Tuesday and I'll feel pretty good.

 

[Alsacs]

I contend the worst player on the pitch for the USA last night was Michael Bradley. At home he had 7 turnover passes on the US side of the field.

Geoff Cameron was out of position at RB that is why Honduras got some pressure. I don't blame him he played as well as he could and with John Brooks looking hurt Cameron will slide in the middle with Omar Gonzalez in Panama and the unsuspended Tim Chandler can slide to RB.

 

[upperdeck]

I thought the passing on the D end was pretty sloppy for the whole team, too many left dangling late that left guys with no option but to just stab at the ball.

 

[CUSU]

I contend the worst player on the pitch for the USA last night was Michael Bradley. At home he had 7 turnover passes on the US side of the field.

Geoff Cameron was out of position at RB that is why Honduras got some pressure. I don't blame him he played as well as he could and with John Brooks looking hurt Cameron will slide in the middle with Omar Gonzalez in Panama and the unsuspended Tim Chandler can slide to RB.

Brooks was dehydrated, sounds like he will be good to go vs. Panama.

Bradley does scare me a bit back there.. but I don't think Bruce is going to bench him anytime soon.

 

[storange]

Fun to watch Nats again. Pulisic appears to have the ability to turn a game that we have lacked since LD was cut. Not to say Dempsey wasn't outstanding.

 

[CUSU]

Brooks, Lletget, Orozco, and Morris released. Arrival added.

 

[orangenauburn]

Brooks, Lletget, Orozco, and Morris released. Arrival added.

Goes without saying but we really need a win v Panama. If we can get the 3 and into the safe group playing really at about 1/2 strength, then I will have a lot more faith moving towards 2018. I'd like to see Bruce call up a young backer (not really sure who) to get some experience and add depth as we move forward

 

[Alsacs]

I just want a draw in Panama.
They played Mexico to a 0-0 draw 2 months ago when we got killed in Costa Rica.

A draw in Panama and we are basically safe for top 4.

A win in Panama we will be top 3.

T&T and Honduras aren't going to be above us.

I don't care if we are 1st-3rd just get to Russia.

 

[CUSU]

Goes without saying but we really need a win v Panama. If we can get the 3 and into the safe group playing really at about 1/2 strength, then I will have a lot more faith moving towards 2018. I'd like to see Bruce call up a young backer (not really sure who) to get some experience and add depth as we move forward

Outside back or CB? CB we have Zimmerman in the squad from FC Dallas, but he's the same age as Brooks 23. Centrally we could call in Miazga, Erik Palmer Brown, or Cameron Carter Vickers from Spurs. I think you'll see some of the young guys during the gold cup.

For outside back Yedlin will be playing for a while at RB. Chandler as well. LB is our weakest defensive position. Villafaña looked decent last game but that was against Honduras.. we might have to keep playing Fabian Johnson there, but I think Bruce sees him higher up the field. I really think our squad possibilities in the back caters to 3 CBs but doubt Bruce will do it.


------------------Howard-----------------
------Cameron--Brooks--Besler---------
Yedlin-----Bradley---Jones------Johnson
------------------Pulisic------------------
------------Wood------Altidore---------

 

[Alsacs]

I hope we move Cameron to CB tomorrow. He filled it at RB but he doesn't have the speed to be good at that position on the road. Honduras got all their pressure on his side.
If Yedlin is available I would put him or Chandler at RB.

Cameron/Gonzalez in the middle and keep Villafana at LB.

If Bedoya starts in the midfield Arena is telling everyone he is playing for a draw.

 

[CUSU]

I hope we move Cameron to CB tomorrow. He filled it at RB but he doesn't have the speed to be good at that position on the road. Honduras got all their pressure on his side.
If Yedlin is available I would put him or Chandler at RB.

Cameron/Gonzalez in the middle and keep Villafana at LB.

If Bedoya starts in the midfield Arena is telling everyone he is playing for a draw.

Agreed. We just don't have any RBs on the roster, none lol.

 

[CUSU]

Here's three formations I'd role with. 3 in the back just fits our players I feel, Juergen just through it out there at the wrong time.

3-4-1-2

4-4-2 Diamond (What we played vs. Honduras)

4-2-3-1

 

[orangenauburn]

Here's three formations I'd role with. 3 in the back just fits our players I feel, Juergen just through it out there at the wrong time.

3-4-1-2

View attachment 93526

4-4-2 Diamond (What we played vs. Honduras)
View attachment 93527

4-2-3-1

View attachment 93528

I like the 4-4-2

 

[CUSU]

I like the 4-4-2

Except Bruce most likely won't play Johnson in the back so it would be Villafaña at LB and Johnson at LM for Nagbe. I'd rather have Nagbe and Johnson on the field, but still a good option. Interested to see if we stick with the same on Tuesday. Bruce alluded post game that they played that way to take advantage of the formation Honduras played with a 5-2-3

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Great performance. The team really needed this. Jozy, Dempsey, and Pulisic made it enjoyable to watch. How bout Captain America Clint Dempsey?? Good for him after the heart issues. Pulisic played very well too, great to see.

Totally different attitude tonight.

Let's get a result Tuesday and I'll feel pretty good.

I think that we finally have a true #10. He is still very young but his skill level is miles ahead of any player that has ever donned the Stars and Stripes.

And the best part is that the sneaker companies have been burned so many times anointing various US soccer players as the first US soccer superstar that, hopefully, they don't realize how incredibly talented this kid really is and they just leave him to develop without all the hype.

Anyone notice that our outside backs were a non-factor? Not sure that either Cameron or Villafana made one overlapping run between them. We absolutely destroyed them right through the middle of the field and it was all Pulisic, Dempsey and Altidore. When has the US ever done that before? We clearly now have loads of skill upfront, We aren't Germany (and, to be fair, we aren't even close) but we are more talented than we have ever been before.

I think Dempsey is clearly the biggest beneficiary of Pulisic (Duh.) Dempsey really knows how to move off the ball and now he has someone with both the vision and the skill to find him and put the ball in the right place for him.

One of the hard parts about watching a game is watching a player assume a role and not knowing if he is playing the role the way the coach wants him to play it or if he is freelancing. Same with a formation.

Bradley really dropped deep, many times almost playing as a 3rd center back. Was that intentional? Did Arena want more cover for the back four? Was he forced deeper than he should have been by Honduras' high pressure? Tough to tell. What it did do was create huge gaps in the midfield. One of the commentators even said, at one point, that the US is almost playing 2 lines of 5. The distance between Bradley and the rest of the midfield helps explain some of the issues Bradley was having. Honduras' high pressure also explains some as Bradley is not the best at coping with that. But what Bradley does give you is an extremely high work rate with very good positional discipline - something that was sorely needed playing with what could be described, at best, as a makeshift back four.

But the gaps that it opened up are worrisome. Better teams will exploit that. It's like having too much distance in pass coverage between your linebackers and your secondary...

We desperately needed 3 points so Arena had to be really attack-minded vs Honduras and the players selected reflected that.

I will be very interested to see what he does vs Panama.

 

[orangenauburn]

I think that we finally have a true #10. He is still very young but his skill level is miles ahead of any player that has ever donned the Stars and Stripes.

And the best part is that the sneaker companies have been burned so many times anointing various US soccer players as the first US soccer superstar that, hopefully, they don't realize how incredibly talented this kid really is and they just leave him to develop without all the hype.

Anyone notice that our outside backs were a non-factor? Not sure that either Cameron or Villafana made one overlapping run between them. We absolutely destroyed them right through the middle of the field and it was all Pulisic, Dempsey and Altidore. When has the US ever done that before? We clearly now have loads of skill upfront, We aren't Germany (and, to be fair, we aren't even close) but we are more talented than we have ever been before.

I think Dempsey is clearly the biggest beneficiary of Pulisic (Duh.) Dempsey really knows how to move off the ball and now he has someone with both the vision and the skill to find him and put the ball in the right place for him.

One of the hard parts about watching a game is watching a player assume a role and not knowing if he is playing the role the way the coach wants him to play it or if he is freelancing. Same with a formation.

Bradley really dropped deep, many times almost playing as a 3rd center back. Was that intentional? Did Arena want more cover for the back four? Was he forced deeper than he should have been by Honduras' high pressure? Tough to tell. What it did do was create huge gaps in the midfield. One of the commentators even said, at one point, that the US is almost playing 2 lines of 5. The distance between Bradley and the rest of the midfield helps explain some of the issues Bradley was having. Honduras' high pressure also explains some as Bradley is not the best at coping with that. But what Bradley does give you is an extremely high work rate with very good positional discipline - something that was sorely needed playing with what could be described, at best, as a makeshift back four.

But the gaps that it opened up are worrisome. Better teams will exploit that. It's like having too much distance in pass coverage between your linebackers and your secondary...

We desperately needed 3 points so Arena had to be really attack-minded vs Honduras and the players selected reflected that.

I will be very interested to see what he does vs Panama.

I'm of the school of thought that a good defense comes from a strong attack. If we are pushing and attacking eventually after enough times the ball is going to find the back of the net. With Pulisic I feel we should be attacking more as he has the skill and ability to make that attack a success