USMNT: To Rüssia With Love

soxfan121

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Jed Zeppelin said:
I thought it was a reference to Hamilton himself being something of a dual-national. That post has layers.
Click to expand...
Exactly.

And FWIW, I'll take Timmy Chandler and his commitment issues over Brad Evans and his innate level of talent every day, and twice in a World Cup year. When the US youth program starts providing domestic players with more talent than their dual-national foreign counterparts, then we can afford a philosophical conversation about using "non-Americans".

But we're like...a generation from that, so someone tell Landon Donovan to shut the fuck up.
 
Infield Infidel

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,463
Meeting Place, Canada
Chandler turned down call ups for 15 months, then waltzed into the world cup squad. That's not "commitment issues", that's blatant disregard for the team. "Yeah, you guys do all the work and then I'll take one of y'all's spots." There are plenty of solid players, both homegrown and foreign, who did what was asked of them, and showed up to play in qualifiers. He didn't, and was rewarded nonetheless. That's bs.

It's odd to me that Gerrard was pilloried for complaining about MLS travel but Chandler gets a pass for not only complaining about USMNT travel, but literally not showing up. You sign up for it, you do it. If you don't want to do it, adios. At least Donovan gave JK heads up that he was taking time off, Chandler just said no to call up after call up.
And Cameron is a better right back.
 
Last edited:
soxfan121

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Cameron is a also a better central defender, and defensive midfielder. If the USMNT could clone Geoff Cameron, they'd undoubtedly be better off.

Which guy left off that squad was a better option at FB?
 
Infield Infidel

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,463
Meeting Place, Canada
He should have been at RB, where he played for his club.

I'm not going to belabor stuff from a year and a half ago. What Donovan said recently got turned into soundbites and overblown into xenophobia. He's a thoughtful guy who says stuff that isn't easily soundbite-able, but people do it anyway because everything's turned into soundbites. He specifically said Jones and Johnson are good examples of how to join the program, and ambiguously said others weren't. That includes Chandler. Donovan got ripped to shreds for taking a break, he has every right to call out Chandler, who coasted into an unearned spot. These aren't video game avatars where you pop in a guy who's 75 over a guy who's 71. They're people with differing motivations and work ethic and team cohesion. Chandler's motivation and work ethic were indefensible.
 
Last edited:
soxfan121

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Infield Infidel said:
He should have been at RB, where he played for his club.

I'm not going to belabor stuff from a year and a half ago.
Click to expand...
Please, belabor it. Which player capable of playing RB should have replaced Chandler on the roster?

You're correct that these aren't video game characters; Chandler is a guy constantly fighting for his club spot/career, and has been pressured by those clubs to focus on club soccer. So his "break" isn't comparable to Donovan's - even if we were talking about that.

What we are talking about is the talent pool. As in, was there a RB in the pool who was left out of the squad who was better than Chandler, given TC's commitment issues? That the USMNT lacks a better option than Chandler is an issue...but that Chandler is available makes the team better on pure talent. Dual-nationals have club pressure to maintain their spots - something an MLS-based USMNT member does not have to deal with, ever.
 
Cellar-Door

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,787
Tim Chandler's struggles with the National team are bizarre. He was definitely not an undeserved addition, he was playing very well at a high level of competition with his club, he was and probably still is one of our best young RBs in the pool. It's a really weak position for us, and until someone else starts playing at a high level he should be at least a consideration there. Now we are playing someone there who should really be a midfielder.
 
Infield Infidel

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,463
Meeting Place, Canada
soxfan121 said:
Please, belabor it. Which player capable of playing RB should have replaced Chandler on the roster?

You're correct that these aren't video game characters; Chandler is a guy constantly fighting for his club spot/career, and has been pressured by those clubs to focus on club soccer. So his "break" isn't comparable to Donovan's - even if we were talking about that.

What we are talking about is the talent pool. As in, was there a RB in the pool who was left out of the squad who was better than Chandler, given TC's commitment issues? That the USMNT lacks a better option than Chandler is an issue...but that Chandler is available makes the team better on pure talent. Dual-nationals have club pressure to maintain their spots - something an MLS-based USMNT member does not have to deal with, ever.
Click to expand...
I should have clarified. Cameron should have been at RB, where he played with his club. We were deeper at CM and CB than FB, so I didn't get taking Cameron from FB, a thinner positon, and moving him to a spot with more depth, especially since he played there more regularly. That would open a spot anywhere else in the squad, it doesn't have to be same for same. Players play best where they normally play, and with players who they are familiar with. For internationals, they already have a lot of of stuff going on, new travel, new teammates, new opponents; having a base of a familiar position helps guys settle in. Familiar teammates also help.

Chandler's not a world beater who if you plop him into a side they are automatically better. He definitely lacked familiarity with his teammates. We went 7-1-1 in qualifying without him, and we lost the game he played where he literally gave up. I don't begrudge him fighting for his club, or complaining about travel, but he shouldn't have been handed a WC spot on a silver platter. It's not unheard of for players to be of completely different quality on their club and international teams.
 
Last edited:
soxfan121

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Ok, which CB was left off the roster at Chandler's expense?

This isn't about Chandler; this is about the depth of the talent pool. That Chandler could do what he did and still be the "best man for the job" is a damning indictment of the talent pool.

You literally cannot name a defender - RB or CB - who should have made the team instead. Which proves the dual-national conversation is pointless: without them, the US doesn't qualify, or compete for a World Cup berth. As unprofessional as Chandler acted, he was still a better call-up than the next-best all-American defender who could've been tabbed.
 
S

stephensjh

New Member
Jul 18, 2005
419
soxfan121 said:
Ok, which CB was left off the roster at Chandler's expense?

This isn't about Chandler; this is about the depth of the talent pool. That Chandler could do what he did and still be the "best man for the job" is a damning indictment of the talent pool.

You literally cannot name a defender - RB or CB - who should have made the team instead. Which proves the dual-national conversation is pointless: without them, the US doesn't qualify, or compete for a World Cup berth. As unprofessional as Chandler acted, he was still a better call-up than the next-best all-American defender who could've been tabbed.
Click to expand...
 
Infield Infidel

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,463
Meeting Place, Canada
soxfan121 said:
Ok, which CB was left off the roster at Chandler's expense?

This isn't about Chandler; this is about the depth of the talent pool. That Chandler could do what he did and still be the "best man for the job" is a damning indictment of the talent pool.

You literally cannot name a defender - RB or CB - who should have made the team instead. Which proves the dual-national conversation is pointless: without them, the US doesn't qualify, or compete for a World Cup berth. As unprofessional as Chandler acted, he was still a better call-up than the next-best all-American defender who could've been tabbed.
Click to expand...
Way to strawman, no one is saying we shouldn't take dual nationals. What part of not needing same for same don't you get?
We had Gonzales, Besler and Brooks already on the roster, Beasley, Johnson and Yedlin at FB, and Cameron who could played either. This team's problem wasn't defensive depth, it was lack of depth at forward and lack of creativity in midfield, which is still our main problem. I'd have taken Donovan or especially Feilhaber, who had a good 2014 and and excellent 2015 and yet hasn't had a call-up since Jan 2014. He was the best passer available and he's turned himself into a good defender.

It's not just about the talent pool, players need to fit together and be familiar with each other's tendencies. Otherwise you have a bag of jigsaw pieces from different puzzles. Good players often play poorly because of lack of familiarity. I mean Diego Costa is a world class player, but he has 1 goal in 10 caps for Spain, against Luxembourg, and shoehorning him into the team hurt Spain in the WC. The main benefit for Spanish fans is that they get to boo Diego Costa.

If you want to talk more about WC 2014 roster, we can take this to PMs, this thread is about the current cycle.
 
Last edited:
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457


Shitty. Hackworth is a U17 retread whose earlier teams were known for their reliance on long throws in the attack. The only reason why one might not completely blast the USSF for this is the possibility that simply no one other than federation hacks wants the job. In addition to weak coaching, the Bradenton program is beset by a multitude of problems and I think we'd be better off if it were just shut down. Certainly, it's not a place that a smart coach would view as set up for success.

It will be interesting to watch if players from stronger MLS academies start turning down Bradenton invites. I'm not at all sure that it's a better place to be than Dallas or NYRB, for example.

Report that Brad Friedel was named U-19 coach

This is a new position; in CONCACAF, the U19 level doesn't really exist - this will just be a U20 B team for players born in even years (since they are disadvantaged by each U20 cycle's age cutoffs).

Friedel doesn't have any coaching experience, but he's a longtime veteran who has at least a UEFA A license and as of late 2014 was working on a Pro license. I actually think he's a reasonably strong hire given what this position is. He'll still have time for his broadcasting career, too -- at the moment, anyway.

Jesse Gonzalez may be invited to January camp

Word is that January camp will contain a number of U23 players in lieu of having an actual U23 camp. Gonzalez is reported to be coming, which is an interesting development. He was born in North Carolina and grew up in Texas but played for Mexican youth teams and started most games for Mexico U20 at CONCACAF qualifying and in the World Cup this year.

2015 was a breakout year for him in MLS, as he beat out Dan Kennedy and Chris Seitz in Dallas and started for them down the stretch.

He needs to file a one-time permanent switch in order to play for the US and it's unclear if and when that will happen. For January it seems as though he'll just be training. If he is added to our player pool, it would give us another quality GK prospect born in 1995 to add to Ethan Horvath (who starts for Molde) and Zack Steffen (who starts for Freiburg II).
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
36-man camp announced for the U20s

GK
Jonathan Klinsmann (California)
J.T. Marcinkowski (Georgetown)
Mason Stajduhar (Orlando City)
Justin Vom Steeg (UCSB)

DF
Danilo Acosta (Real Salt Lake)
Hugo Arellano (LA Galaxy U-18)
Jonathan Bell (DC United U-18)
Marcello Borges (Michigan)
David Burns (Sacramento Republic U-18)
Aaron Herrera (New Mexico)
Malcolm Jones (UCLA)
Andrew Lombard (Northeastern)
Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire U-18)
Miles Robinson (Syracuse)
Tommy Redding (Orlando City)
Diego Silva (Maryland)

MF
Amir Bashti (Stanford)
Josh Doughty (Manchester United)
Cameron Lindley (Chicago Fire U-18)
Lucas Mendes (DC United U-18)
Matthew Olosunde (New York Red Bulls U-18)
Martin Salas (North Carolina)
Yosef Samuel (Philadephia Union U-18)
Evan Waldrep (Creighton)
Eryk Williamson (Maryland)
Jackson Yueill (UCLA)
Alejandro Zendejas (FC Dallas)

FW
Coy Craft (FC Dallas)
Jeremy Ebobisse (Duke)
Sebastian Elney (Maryland)
Charly Flores (Rio Grande Valley FC)
Victor Mansaray (Seattle Sounders)
Joshua Perez (Fiorentina)
Emmanuel Sabbi (Chicago Magic)
Abu Winter (Philadelphia Union U-18)
Isaiah Young (PDA)



This is one of those big, domestic expand-the-pool camps. Given that the U-20s have been smacked around a bit early in the cycle, it's good to look at new players since the legacies passed up from the U-18s appear to be struggling, by and large.

Only two non-domestic players. One is Joshua Perez, who is listed at Fiorentina. He's been linked with them for years, but I don't think he's actually with them just yet. He finally turns 18 in a few weeks, so hopefully it will be made official later in the winter transfer window.

The other is Josh Doughty, who left RSL's residential academy to join Manchester United. His parents are British, he was born in Canada, and grew up in Arizona from the age of 4. He has played in some non-binding youth camps for Canada in the past, but apparently he finally received his American citizenship. If he turns out to be good, it's possible England will try to get him, too.

There are a number of domestic pros left out for whatever reason like Justen Glad (RSL), Erik Palmer-Brown (KC), Ben Swanson (Columbus), Christian Lucatero (Houston), Collin Fernandez (Chicago).

And of course a chunk of the better-looking talent in the pool is based overseas like Mukwelle Akale (Villarreal), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur), Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal / Rangers), Luca de la Torre (Fulham), Brooks Lennon (Liverpool), and Kyle Scott (Chelsea).

It's rare for local talent to be involved at the U-20 national team level, but there are a couple of Boston-area connections. Andrew Lombard plays at Northeastern and Miles Robinson is from Arlington.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Cellar-Door said:
Not really. He has worked with Tottenham's Academy, some US youth teams and has a UEFA A license.
Click to expand...
And it's not a glamorous position, either. The U19s don't play in any real competitions (due to nomenclature differences, the CONCACAF U20s are basically like Euro U19s). It's just a program designed to keep even-year birthday kids involved because they are disadvantaged in the two-year U20 cycle. While Friedel is untested as a coach, he has as good as resume as one could really hope for in a minor position like this.

The USSF also announced that Omid Namazi will take over the U18s after Javier Perez's departure for an assistant coach gig at NYCFC. Namazi is an Iranian-American who has coached on the women's side and been an assistant on the men's side for the Iranian national team and more recently for the US U-20s.

For the current cycle, the U20s under Tab Ramos are mostly 97s and 98s (skewing towards 97s because they are older), the U19s under Friedel are 98s and the U18s under Namazi are 99s. The U17s under John Hackworth are 00s and 01s, but will skew very heavily toward 00s because one year makes such a difference at that age. All the more reason not to take the U17s too seriously.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Wahl: U.S. veterans express concern, leading to January camp changes

For starters, the original plans for the camp have been altered, according to multiple sources. When the players first learned of Klinsmann’s plan, which involved camp starting on Jan. 4 and spending the first week focused entirely on fitness, veteran players expressed their concerns to U.S. Soccer.

The federation and Klinsmann listened. The start date of camp was moved a week later, but seven veteran players who were on Klinsmann’s preliminary 36-player list are now not expected to be involved in the camp at all: Clint Dempsey, Nick Rimando, Graham Zusi, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Evans, Chris Wondolowski and Gonzalez.
Click to expand...
Some thoughts:

1) Most of the "uninvited" players are guys who needed to be dropped anyway.

2) Nonetheless, they appear to be dropped not because JK decided that the bell had tolled for them, but because they complained to the federation.

3) The whole vibe of the article doesn't give off warm and fuzzy feelings about general morale. It definitely seems like Klinsmann has lost part of the locker room. Which I'm not sure is news. However, if he's only lost the part that is aging out, the team can move past it. If these feelings run deeper, there's a larger problem.


We'll see...
 
soxfan121

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
You say most, I say everyone but Gonzalez (who just switched clubs and calendars).
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
soxfan121 said:
You say most, I say everyone but Gonzalez (who just switched clubs and calendars).
Click to expand...
I agree with you on that. I'd add that It may be possible to squeeze a little more use out of Dempsey if he is handled properly (i.e. don't kill him with fitness drills). Maybe Evans as a depth player if we have an injury or two since we are so weak at fullback....but don't get me wrong, Brad Evans isn't the hill I'll choose to die on.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
The January camp roster is out. It's another joint camp with the U23 team.

* = U23 eligible

GK
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)

DF
*Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
*Matt Miazga (New York Red Bulls)
*Eric Miller (Montreal Impact)
*Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps)
*Marc Pelosi (San Jose Earthquakes)
*Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)

MF
*Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Jermaine Jones (unattached)
Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
Tony Tchani (Columbus Crew)
*Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew)

FW
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew)
*Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart)
*Jordan Morris (unattached)
*Khiry Shelton (New York City FC)
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)


- Apparently Jesse Gonzalez had a change of heart and is sticking with Mexico's U23s after all.

- Overall the brand-new NT-level players are Tchani and Finlay. Nagbe and Miazga are more or less new also. I think Trapp could fight his way into the NT picture as well. Miazga, Trapp, and Morris are the only U23 players here who I think are in the NT conversation at present, though.

- Besler is the only senior team defender in the squad, although Miazga would have gotten the call with or without the U23 angle. Polster, Acosta, and Pelosi are all central midfielders who will probably be tried at fullback (RB, RB/LB, and LB respectively). Polster wasn't great during qualifying and Acosta was poor at LB for the U20s. I don't have high hopes, but I guess that's what happens when you have a relatively deep pool at CM and a relatively shallow pool at fullback. Eric Miller is the only real fullback on the team.

- Jose Villarreal would have been a much better winger/forward type for the U23s than either Kiesewetter or Shelton.

- Trapp and Alashe are the only DMs in the squad. That's disappointing to me because Beckerman is fading fast, Williams hasn't impressed and plays a more advanced role for Reading, and it's totally futile to try guys like Bedoya and Mix at the #6. I would have liked to see at least Dax McCarty and maybe Perry Kitchen (though he may be about to sign in Europe). Trapp is a good prospect, but I have a hard time ever seeing Alashe making the grade. Physical specimen, but he's got a stone touch. He'd be better off transitioning to CB.
 
Jed Zeppelin

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,536
Blow Every Lead in the Last Ten Minutes, Complain About Fitness Training: The Story of the USMNT.

I kid, of course, because I love. Yeah, that's it, because I love.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
San Jose's goalkeeper David Bingham has been added to the roster. Apparently Gonzalez didn't tell the USSF that he decided not to show up, so they had to add a third goalkeeper at the last moment.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Titans Bastard said:
San Jose's goalkeeper David Bingham has been added to the roster. Apparently Gonzalez didn't tell the USSF that he decided not to show up, so they had to add a third goalkeeper at the last moment.
Click to expand...
More changes announced this afternoon. Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi have withdrawn from the camp due to injuries, shrinking the U23 contingent.

In addition to David Bingham, three more players have been added to camp -- CB Steve Birnbaum, DM Perry Kitchen, and LB Brandon Vincent. Vincent just finished his college career at Stanford and is expected to be a high draft pick. Given the lack of natural LBs among the U23 pros, it makes sense to give him a look.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Bummer:




Also, Stuart Holden will be joining camp as a "guest player". I honestly thought he had just quietly retired without making an announcement, but apparently he's trying to come back once more. He hasn't played a club match since April 2013 and hasn't played anywhere at all since tearing his ACL in the 2013 Gold Cup.

- March 2010 - Nigel de Jong breaks Holden's leg [this didn't keep him out for too long, but caused him to be less of a factor at the World Cup]
- March 2011 - Jonny Evans breaks Holden's leg again [not as brutal a tackle, but a worse injury]
- September 2011 - returned, played one match, and needed surgery again
- January 2013 - finally played for Bolton again
- June 2013 - tore ACL against Panama
- March 2014 - returned to play for Bolton's reserves, went off injured in his first game, had surgery

It would be nice to see him get another year or two out of his career, but nobody wants to see him mess up his knee for the rest of his life. He's only 30, it's a shame that the US lost a full cycle in which he should have been a major contributor.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Freddy Adu update

He's talking maturity and dedication, saying the right things. Which he's done before on numerous occasions. It would be fun to see a real comeback, but nobody's buying that right now.

The real story is that the Tampa Bay Rowdies have some rockin' uniforms.
 
Vinho Tinto

Vinho Tinto

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 9, 2003
7,070
Auburn, MA
Titans Bastard said:
Freddy Adu update

He's talking maturity and dedication, saying the right things. Which he's done before on numerous occasions. It would be fun to see a real comeback, but nobody's buying that right now.

The real story is that the Tampa Bay Rowdies have some rockin' uniforms.
Click to expand...
True commitment and maturity might lead him to being a MLS-caliber level player again. He's now 26, so it's pointless to hold him to a projection of what he might be when he was 14. He doesn't have the freak athleticism that Messi has to overcome his physical limitations.

He always had a nice left foot. That and professionalism can get him back on the radar.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
The first of two January Camp friendlies is today -- US vs. Iceland.



Orozco just recently joined up with the US. He was available because he's lost his spot in the lineup at Tijuana...

First cap for Acosta and Finlay. First start for Nguyen. I like Acosta much more as a midfielder than as a left back. He wasn't great at LB during the U-20s, but was quite good for Dallas as a box-to-box midfielder last season.

Not sure exactly how this midfield will line up. Finlay is the only wide player, so it's a certainty that at least one player will be out of position or that the midfield is asymmetrical somehow. The latter wouldn't make a lot of sense because converted fullbacks like Evans and Acosta aren't the sort of guys to provide width by overlapping pinched-in midfielders.



EDIT: Actually, a 4-3-3 would sorta/almost make sense, but that's not what the semicolons in the lineup indicate.
 
Last edited:
SoxFanInCali

SoxFanInCali

has the rich, deep voice of a god
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jun 3, 2005
15,612
California. Duh.
Zardes bounced a header over the goal to blow a nice setup from Nguyen, but now Altidore puts one in to equalize.

Get ready for the "2016 is Jozy's year!" talk.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Poor clearance by Besler, no DM on the field to clean up the mess.

Nguyen has been playing pinched in and has created some danger.

And now Jones to Zardes to Bradley to Jozy and Altidore converts, 1-1.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
USA vs. Canada about to kick off. Will probably be a shitty game, as all USA vs. Canada games during January camp are.



Out Of Position Count: at least five, depending on CM roles -- Birnbaum (CB) is playing LB, Acosta (CM) is playing RB, Jones playing CB, Zardes and Nguyen playing as wide mids.


Also thought this was interesting/daming in a larger sense, although January camp lends itself to experimentation so it's not a criticism of this particular game:

 
luckiestman

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,821
Titans Bastard said:
USA vs. Canada about to kick off. Will probably be a shitty game, as all USA vs. Canada games during January camp are.



Out Of Position Count: at least five, depending on CM roles -- Birnbaum (CB) is playing LB, Acosta (CM) is playing RB, Jones playing CB, Zardes and Nguyen playing as wide mids.


Also thought this was interesting/daming in a larger sense, although January camp lends itself to experimentation so it's not a criticism of this particular game:

Click to expand...

Thanks for informing about this. I didn't know they were playing
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Altidore hit the post, the rebound hit Crepeau's back and hit the post again. US not looking very good, though, as expected. Fullbacks look uncomfortable going forward, probably because they aren't fullbacks. Zardes' touch has been consistently bad.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
Good shout for a Canada PK is denied. Jones with a reckless foul on Cyle Larin that wasn't called. US springs a counter attack that dies after another terrible Zardes touch.
 
Jed Zeppelin

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,536
Jozy has left a goal or 5 on the field tonight. Played well though.

The one will do. Great ball by Finlay.
 
Last edited:
SoxFanInCali

SoxFanInCali

has the rich, deep voice of a god
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jun 3, 2005
15,612
California. Duh.
Altidore had the chance to chip a completely stranded keeper, and hit it about 10 feet too high and about 8 feet too short. Keeper gets back and swats it clear.
 
Titans Bastard

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
14,457
I went to sleep in the 65th minute, after realizing I had absolutely no idea what had been happening over the last ten minutes.

I was interested to read that Finlay came on late and made an instant impact. He wasn't good against Iceland and I don't think he'll ever be particularly useful as a general-purpose starter. I do think we could make use of him as a late-game sub.
 
The Price Is Wrong

The Price Is Wrong

Banned
Dec 21, 2015
1,410
Ethan Finley's cross was the only redeeming thing about that whole damned game. I learned about the match at halftime and watched the 2H, Bradley looked good orchestrating, Jones looked old, and everyone else was running around like a chicken with their heads cut off. Diskerud too, and I'd have expected better from him.

Morris looked OK, but we didn't really get to see his speed in action much. Maybe he was tired after going balls-out in the first half, I dunno, but he usually looks faster to me.
 
luckiestman

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,821
The Price Is Wrong said:
Ethan Finley's cross was the only redeeming thing about that whole damned game. I learned about the match at halftime and watched the 2H, Bradley looked good orchestrating, Jones looked old, and everyone else was running around like a chicken with their heads cut off. Diskerud too, and I'd have expected better from him.

Morris looked OK, but we didn't really get to see his speed in action much. Maybe he was tired after going balls-out in the first half, I dunno, but he usually looks faster to me.
Click to expand...
He didn't look fast to me. He looked like he's been hitting some of that Bay Area juice though
 
Quintanariffic

Quintanariffic

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2002
5,141
The City of Studios
The Price Is Wrong said:
Ethan Finley's cross was the only redeeming thing about that whole damned game. I learned about the match at halftime and watched the 2H, Bradley looked good orchestrating, Jones looked old, and everyone else was running around like a chicken with their heads cut off. Diskerud too, and I'd have expected better from him.

Morris looked OK, but we didn't really get to see his speed in action much. Maybe he was tired after going balls-out in the first half, I dunno, but he usually looks faster to me.
Click to expand...
If you didn't see the 1H, then you missed the best of Morris. He seemed gassed in the 2H but he was consistently putting pressure on Canada in the 1H and creating potential chances. I thought there was pretty good chemistry with him and Jozy and but for some lousy work in the midfield by Mix, Morris might have been sprung a few times.
 
The Price Is Wrong

The Price Is Wrong

Banned
Dec 21, 2015
1,410
Yeah, I'm not going to hold Jozy's inability to keep possession against Morris when evaluating their interplay. Glad to hear that he was making more runs in the 1H, and that they were dangerous. If he can emerge as a Dempsey replacement for 2017-2018, I will feel enormously better about the future of the team's forwards. Of course, we've said that about Bobby Wood and AJ recently, and before that about too many prospects to count...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom