USMNT soccer team thread

[NailstheCusefan12]

Not sure if anyone else is watching but this exact lineup playing this same formation and being told to press high would've beaten T&T. And as I type this Weston McKennie gets his first in a US shirt! 1-0 to the Americans

 

[Alsacs]

Not sure if anyone else is watching but this exact lineup playing this same formation and being told to press high would've beaten T&T. And as I type this Weston McKennie gets his first in a US shirt! 1-0 to the Americans

If we never see Bradley and Altidore in another USMNT match I won’t shed a tear.
This program needs change and the youth are playing hard now.
Now Portugal is without Ronaldo but without Ronaldo they beat France in the Euros.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

If we never see Bradley and Altidore in another USMNT match I won’t shed a tear.
This program needs change and the youth are playing hard now.
Now Portugal is without Ronaldo but without Ronaldo they beat France in the Euros.

The triangle in the middle with Williams, McKennie, and Acosta is really exciting to me. Sapong has looked good up top and I think Bobby Wood still has a future in this team. Goalkeeper is the position I worry about most and Horvath's blunder there doesn't help haha.

 

[Alsacs]

Halftime of the USMNT-Portugal rob stone said the US soccer federation is going to reach out Italy, Ghana, Netherlands and other bigger countries that missed the WC.

They would see if they would be interested in a series of matches.

 

[creatorsgam]

True but, if you are Italy, you should not care whom you have to play...

And there is no excuse for losing to Sweden.

The Italians have a lot of issues. They are not producing the same quality player that they have historically. This is far, and away, their biggest problem.

Their most talented player (Balotelli) hasn't been called into the squad since the World Cup. And their most in-form player (Insignie) never saw the field against Sweden.

They also don't schedule their friendlies, or put the effort into those friendlies, to maximize their ranking.

Conte was an exceptional coach who made a mediocre team much better than the sum of its parts.

Ventura took a mediocre team and made it worse than the sum of its parts.

I love the World Cup but, ex the US and Italy, it just won't be the same for me. Like March Madness without SU...

Transition hasn’t gone well.

 

[creatorsgam]

Halftime of the USMNT-Portugal rob stone said the US soccer federation is going to reach out Italy, Ghana, Netherlands and other bigger countries that missed the WC.

They would see if they would be interested in a series of matches.

Love this.

The triangle in the middle with Williams, McKennie, and Acosta is really exciting to me. Sapong has looked good up top and I think Bobby Wood still has a future in this team. Goalkeeper is the position I worry about most and Horvath's blunder there doesn't help haha.

Overall, happy with the performance this evening.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

Love this.



Overall, happy with the performance this evening.

Agreed. I think the young group showed some promise and should be built around with Pulisic, Wood, Morris, and a few others. I hate watching this post game and seeing Bruce Arena sit up there and act like there's nothing wrong with US Soccer and missing the WC was just a normal thing. He's part of the old guard that needs to be gone from US Soccer. There's too much young talent that has to be groomed to play an athletic and up tempo game.

 

[CUSU]

Oh wait we do have a midfield who can close down, play the ball forward, and make tackles. Oh, and center backs not named Gonzales?!

...who knew. F Off Bruce I don't want to see your face again.


This young squad also didn't have Jonathan Gonzalez who is starting on the best team in Mexico as a DM. Add Pulisic and others to this we have a good base to move forward with. Will need to fill some spaces such as left back and keeper but we have plenty of time.

 

[CUSU]

Cameron trolling Arena

 

[creatorsgam]

Agreed. I think the young group showed some promise and should be built around with Pulisic, Wood, Morris, and a few others. I hate watching this post game and seeing Bruce Arena sit up there and act like there's nothing wrong with US Soccer and missing the WC was just a normal thing. He's part of the old guard that needs to be gone from US Soccer. There's too much young talent that has to be groomed to play an athletic and up tempo game.

Oh wait we do have a midfield who can close down, play the ball forward, and make tackles. Oh, and center backs not named Gonzales?!

...who knew. Off Bruce I don't want to see your face again.


This young squad also didn't have Jonathan Gonzalez who is starting on the best team in Mexico as a DM. Add Pulisic and others to this we have a good base to move forward with. Will need to fill some spaces such as left back and keeper but we have plenty of time.

^^^all this above.

Got 4 years to recalculate and get it right...

 

[Alsacs]

An 8 team NIT tournament in the USA wouldn’t be a terrible thing.

USA
Italy
Wales
Netherlands
Ireland
Ghana
Chile
Ivory Coast

2 European teams, African team and USA/Chile in each group.

Top 2 in each group advance.

Get it done USSF.

 

[Toga]

Only got to see about 15-20 minutes but was struck by the high work rate of the U.S. squad as compared to what we've been watching.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Not sure if anyone else is watching but this exact lineup playing this same formation and being told to press high would've beaten T&T. And as I type this Weston McKennie gets his first in a US shirt! 1-0 to the Americans

I think it is almost impossible to project the results of a friendly to a World Cup qualifier. Like using the result of a preseason NFL game to project the results of a playoff game.

Different opponent, different field conditions, different weather, different level of pressure etc...

It was almost impossible for me to really follow individuals. When the team brings in one or two new guys, I can focus on them because I know what the other guys already give me. Yesterday, there were so many new faces that, at times, I had no idea who was who.

I will only make these comments:

I believe we really missed John Brooks in qualifying.
The level of athleticism of US players is clearly increasing.
A lot of these new, younger players are home grown. That is HUGE.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

I think it is almost impossible to project the results of a friendly to a World Cup qualifier. Like using the result of a preseason NFL game to project the results of a playoff game.

Different opponent, different field conditions, different weather, different level of pressure etc...

It was almost impossible for me to really follow individuals. When the team brings in one or two new guys, I can focus on them because I know what the other guys already give me. Yesterday, there were so many new faces that, at times, I had no idea who was who.

I will only make these comments:

I believe we really missed John Brooks in qualifying.
The level of athleticism of US players is clearly increasing.
A lot of these new, younger players are home grown. That is HUGE.

I think you're right about it being impossible to compare the two games but my comment was based more on the formation and game plan. We came out with a high press and let our athleticism and size dictate the pace early. Against T&T we inexcusably allowed an inferior team to dictate the pace and ultimately it cost us. This complacency and playing style was my biggest complaint about Arena and I hope our new coach allows the young dynamic athletes we have to play a more appealing style.

And I completely agree about John Brooks. As a huge Bundesliga fan it has been fun to watch him develop and I believe he and Miazga or Carter-Vickers will be great anchors for the USMNT at the back.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I think you're right about it being impossible to compare the two games but my comment was based more on the formation and game plan. We came out with a high press and let our athleticism and size dictate the pace early. Against T&T we inexcusably allowed an inferior team to dictate the pace and ultimately it cost us. This complacency and playing style was my biggest complaint about Arena and I hope our new coach allows the young dynamic athletes we have to play a more appealing style.

And I completely agree about John Brooks. As a huge Bundesliga fan it has been fun to watch him develop and I believe he and Miazga or Carter-Vickers will be great anchors for the USMNT at the back.

Just one other point...the touch of the young guys is still not good enough...

I DVR'd and watched the Germany-France friendly.

I love watching friendlies between two top-level teams. Think NBA All-Star game but with enough pride on the line that they do play defense. The games tend to flow up and down the field since the professional, cynical fouls to disrupt rhythm and advantages tend to not happen since nothing is at stake, other than pride.

Both those teams ping the ball around with pinpoint one- and two-touch passing.

If you watched our game, we still aren't there...so many passes off, not by inches, by by feet (and , in some cases by yards)...

Missing by inches is the difference between slowing everything up and being able to make the next pass in the sequence effortlessly - think the difference between leading the receiver and throwing it slightly behind him on a screen or slant...make all the difference in YAC...Missing by feet is like the difference between Tom Brady and Tim Tebow...Tebow can play, just not in the NFL...

We will never be a top level team until our guys can ping it around like the Germans, French, Spaniards and Brazilians...

 

[DeGrozz]

Caleb Porter walked away from Portland last night, after a great run for a few years. Speculation is that he's either going to Europe or the USMNT...

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Caleb Porter walked away from Portland last night, after a great run for a few years. Speculation is that he's either going to Europe or the USMNT...

Who's next to manage Italy: Ancelotti, Conte, Allegri, Mancini or Ranieri?

Know little about the guy...how does he stack up against the list of candidates being circulated for Italy?

 

[DeGrozz]

Who's next to manage Italy: Ancelotti, Conte, Allegri, Mancini or Ranieri?

Know little about the guy...how does he stack up against the list of candidates being circulated for Italy?

Ha - he doesn't exactly.

He's a pretty good MLS coach. He had a great MLS roster, though they lacked some depth, but they finished top of the West, which is where they should have been. He's interesting because he's probably one of the last MLS coaches to jump from college soccer (like Arena and Bradley) to the MLS. That trend is definitely dying these days.

The thing is, there's nothing really special about him. He's adapted his tactics a few times throughout the years to his roster and has been pretty successful, but I'm not sure he's better than Marsch or Berhalter or Viera.

On the national level, he spent one year coaching the U-23 team. They crashed and burned during Olympic Qualifying. The team was lost. He's obviously a better coach now, but I just don't see him having great success with our national team.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Ha - he doesn't exactly.

He's a pretty good MLS coach. He had a great MLS roster, though they lacked some depth, but they finished top of the West, which is where they should have been. He's interesting because he's probably one of the last MLS coaches to jump from college soccer (like Arena and Bradley) to the MLS. That trend is definitely dying these days.

The thing is, there's nothing really special about him. He's adapted his tactics a few times throughout the years to his roster and has been pretty successful, but I'm not sure he's better than Marsch or Berhalter or Viera.

On the national level, he spent one year coaching the U-23 team. They crashed and burned during Olympic Qualifying. The team was lost. He's obviously a better coach now, but I just don't see him having great success with our national team.

And that is the other half of the equation, right?

In order to compete with the best, our players have to be much better across the board.

But you also have to have a really good coach...Italy picked Ventura and is now paying the price (although he does not deserve all the blame - the Italians did crash out of the last two competitions at the group stage - but Ventura lost the team, screwed up the formation and the tactics and they did not even qualify this time around...

 

[Alsacs]

And that is the other half of the equation, right?

In order to compete with the best, our players have to be much better across the board.

But you also have to have a really good coach...Italy picked Ventura and is now paying the price (although he does not deserve all the blame - the Italians did crash out of the last two competitions at the group stage - but Ventura lost the team, screwed up the formation and the tactics and they did not even qualify this time around...

Italy had problems scoring goals and Ventura wouldn’t even consider Giovinco or even send a scout to watch him.

Italy defense wasn’t bad it was goal scoring.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Italy had problems scoring goals and Ventura wouldn’t even consider Giovinco or even send a scout to watch him.

Italy defense wasn’t bad it was goal scoring.

Agreed. Their D was the least of their issues. Ventura inexplicably left Insigne on the bench for both games...

Italy was notorious for not considering non-Serie A players for the national team. There was an unwritten rule that if you played abroad, you forfeited your right to play for the National team.

That has had to be relaxed somewhat to now include the P5 but Italy would never consider someone from an inferior league.

Giovinco, IMHO, has no shot at ever donning the jersey again unless he goes back to Italy.

 

[DeGrozz]

Giovinco, IMHO, has no shot at ever donning the jersey again unless he goes back to Italy.

He's the same player he was when he couldn't establish himself at Juve for 10 seasons (Exceptional for MLS -- pretty good for a big 5 Euro league), except he's become elite (in my opinion) standing over freekicks within 30 yards of goals -- it's really remarkable how awesome he's become.

 

[DeGrozz]

Americans Abroad: U.S. youngster Keaton Parks makes first-team debut for Benfica | Goal.com

 

[DeGrozz]

 

[CUSU]

Americans Abroad: U.S. youngster Keaton Parks makes first-team debut for Benfica | Goal.com

Saw his all touches vid. Impressive especially at 6'4. A midfield of Parks, Mckennie, and Gonzales in a 4-3-3 would be the dream assuming they can continue to improve. That would allow Pulisic to focus solely on attacking. Maybe even from the wing.