Watching Gio, I’ve changed my mind on this and say fair play to the parents.
USMNT Summer 2023: Memo's Mirror Gets Sharp
- Thread starter InstaFace
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U.S. covered really well in the last 20 minutes. They really made it hard on themselves by trying to break pressure by dribbling out of it and then giving the ball away in midfield, but they kept re-finding their defensive shape on the fly.
Only way Canada was going to solve them was with an individual flash of brilliance or a lucky stumble, which they did not get.
Would really be nice if Gio could be our corner taker. Pulisic is inconsistent on corners.
Only way Canada was going to solve them was with an individual flash of brilliance or a lucky stumble, which they did not get.
Would really be nice if Gio could be our corner taker. Pulisic is inconsistent on corners.
With Gio in, we dominated. Looked dangerous every time we got the ball in the midfield. Canada had no answers, couldn't even build much threat.
With Gio out, it was a fairly even game, we still progressed the ball while they had trouble, but they had more scrambles in our box (without result, obviously, but were good chances), and we reverted to Pulisic hero-ball with less beautiful combination play.
He entirely changes our game out there.
You're gonna enjoy Arsenal selling him to someone and then wondering why they didn't just keep him.
Flaw? FLAW?! We've wanted to be a proper footballing nation for over 30 years now*! We have earned the chaos and drama, good sir, by sitting through countless tournaments and rosters full of uninspiring athletes with a leaden touch and the situational awareness of an ADHD child. Real footballing countries have players sleeping with the coach's wife, sketchy agents, players with petty beef with each other, and a constant rumor-mill from a legion of shit-stirrers that actually becomes part of the national conversation. That absolutely bonkers incident is a true sign of our progress, just as much as Gio's play on the field is as well.
* Harkes 1998 incident notwithstanding
I mean is there anything more American Soccer than a coach and parent fighting over their kid's playing time?
Shame about the Lletget injuries, the stories about him cheating on his pop-star fiance would hit so much larger if he was a top player
Super impressive on the field for the USMNT. Some random thoughts:
- Chris Richards was fantastic. Got the goal, almost had a second, defended very well, solid distribution. Perhaps the best CB performance in quite some time for the US. As long as he is one of the starting CBs when healthy, the US should be fine (assuming Long isn’t the other CB).
- I thought Zim was really good too. I’m sure there will be those calling for him to be put out to pasture, but I’ve been a Zim fan for a while and don’t see a reason to stop. He has his limitations passing the ball, and passed to Turner more than I would like, but I think he has a role against players like Larin.
- Musah did decent as the 6. Not spectacular but serviceable. I think the need for a like-for-like replacement for Adams is overblown at this point. Double pívot looked good. Musah as the loan 6 was fine.
- Gio was Gio. Nice to have a set piece goal. That Balo goal was reminiscent of some of the Gio to Haaland goals f years past. Just well timed run, nicely weighted pass. It just looks so easy. Speaking of Balo, he was much better against Canada
- Props to BJ for playing Aaronson over LDLT. Aaronson was just ok with the ball, but his job was to help Scally on Davies and he did that well.
- I think too much is being made of the record of the USMNT post-GGG and pre-GGG 2.0 as evidence that Gregg wasn’t very good. His fingerprints were still on this team. It’s not like either of his assistants are going to change things too much. The performances this week are at least in part the result of Gregg’s work, and we can’t know for sure he wouldn’t try things like the double pivot. I’m no GGG fan, but I don’t think that these performances count against him. That being said, I do hope Gregg sees the freedom the players played with while he was gone and decides to not joystick the team as much going forward.
- The USMNT has pulled clear of the rest of the region, and the gap will likely grow before the rest can catch up. Mexico is in shambles and don’t have the players to replace their last golden generation. Canada has a really good half of a team. It’s the other half that’s the problem, and they don’t seem to have the horses. The US can’t take things for granted and it’s soccer so other nations will win on occasion, but I dig the new CONCACAF order.
I'm in such a good mood about this team right now. Even looking forwards to seeing how far BJ can get in the Gold Cup with his Chopped Mystery Basket challenge roster and if we can learn anything about anyone from it.
So many good vibes even before you cross over and are like "we're also gunning for a WC threepeat this summer!"
So many good vibes even before you cross over and are like "we're also gunning for a WC threepeat this summer!"
The pieces are here for a real run the first time since South Korea/Japan. Stay healthy please.
They played so differently vs Mexico and Canada and yet controlled two vastly different style games in one window. The attack is good and that's with depth. Aaronson is serviceable. Pepi is good, Sargeant is a good backup. Defense is solid we don't need to count on any one player in defense. Dest is a nice piece, so is Ream, so is Zimm. A backup for Turner is kinda the lack which is interesting maybe it's Horvath or Zach but at this point the A team is in good shape and the B/C has a good chance against a lot of opponents.
They played so differently vs Mexico and Canada and yet controlled two vastly different style games in one window. The attack is good and that's with depth. Aaronson is serviceable. Pepi is good, Sargeant is a good backup. Defense is solid we don't need to count on any one player in defense. Dest is a nice piece, so is Ream, so is Zimm. A backup for Turner is kinda the lack which is interesting maybe it's Horvath or Zach but at this point the A team is in good shape and the B/C has a good chance against a lot of opponents.
did anyone else catch Oguchi Onyewu on the pregame last night, talking about the Berhalter hire and, in particular, why they're not having him coach NL + Gold Cup? I found it quite unconvincing. "oh we want to have a holistic review of what he wants to do with the program, what support he needs in terms of staff, figure out a plan for the next 3 years, so we didn't think it made sense for him to jump right in and coach the Gold Cup". Gooch, my man, a coach should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Not have him take over for Callaghan the day after he's hired, ok, fine, let Callaghan win the trophy last night. Don't need to overshadow him. But Gold Cup? I don't care if Berhalter still needs time to discuss his staffing and processes and whatnot, he's got all fall to do that before the October matches. He should be able to jump in and oversee the coaching of the B-team and getting them ready to play in a week's time. We want him knowing these guys, their strengths and weaknesses, giving them pointers on what to work on, giving them the basic understanding of what he's going to want to see out of them to continue getting call-ups or make the A-team. It just seems like a missed opportunity for Berhalter to reinforce what he wants, evaluate the B-team live in practice as well as in-game, and start shaping things. Instead, we get this 26-man team for the Gold Cup, and can they rely on any points of emphasis they get from Callaghan? No. Is he going to be looking out for their careers and giving them advice over the next few years? No. Do they need to adapt to his tactical style? No.
The decision itself is frustrating enough - like, haven't we wasted enough time with the coaching search as it is? We want to waste enough additional time to waste a full summer tournament? - but the going out on TV and proclaiming this happy horseshit was just an insult to any thinking viewers. Look, if Gregg just wasn't quite ready to jump into it and wanted another couple weeks' vacation, wrap up his little woodworking projects in the garage? Fine, just say that. "We made the decision very late, so he didn't have sufficient prep time to be ready to coach the tournament". Whatever. But trying to justify it as some sort of master plan just felt insulting to me. I dunno, maybe I'm alone in that, but if we're looking for evidence that it's not "same old USSF", that would've been a great fucking place to start, guys.
The decision itself is frustrating enough - like, haven't we wasted enough time with the coaching search as it is? We want to waste enough additional time to waste a full summer tournament? - but the going out on TV and proclaiming this happy horseshit was just an insult to any thinking viewers. Look, if Gregg just wasn't quite ready to jump into it and wanted another couple weeks' vacation, wrap up his little woodworking projects in the garage? Fine, just say that. "We made the decision very late, so he didn't have sufficient prep time to be ready to coach the tournament". Whatever. But trying to justify it as some sort of master plan just felt insulting to me. I dunno, maybe I'm alone in that, but if we're looking for evidence that it's not "same old USSF", that would've been a great fucking place to start, guys.
For what it's worth, I buy the explanation or at least that this is what they honestly think they're doing. One thing that seems to be a noticeable difference between old-school USSF and the current version to me (not sure how much this keys off Cone or off Batson) is their belief in real corporate management styles and the gibberish that comes along with it (Gregg was a leading indicator on this one, no coincidence that he got into trouble at a lame seeming management conference). Batson oozes this, Crocker oozes this, it's a big part of Gregg's whole thing. I can pretty comfortably believe that delegating the Gold Cup to a trusted subordinate in order to focus on higher level strategic planning and hiring is a thing that they genuinely think will benefit the cycle overall. Whether you buy it, I leave as an exercise to the reader.I certainly won't know until we see results from it, but I don't think they're insincere about it.
Gooch did his best selling it, but you can for sure tell he has more experience in a back 4 than in middle management.
Gooch did his best selling it, but you can for sure tell he has more experience in a back 4 than in middle management.
Take a look at the Gold Cup roster.
That's why Gregg isn't coaching. Having the team look the best it has in decades under interim managers then Gregg returning to crash out of the gold cup would look bad
That's why Gregg isn't coaching. Having the team look the best it has in decades under interim managers then Gregg returning to crash out of the gold cup would look bad
Firstly nothing I'm saying here should take away from the fact that the game last night was awesome and our team is awesome and I'm still buzzing about it. I can still hold the joy from that on the one hand, while looking forward on the other hand.
Maybe they're not being insincere, but if not then it feels both dumb and a missed opportunity - a USSF calling card. I'm frankly giving them more credit by assuming it's a ruse.
Cowell - Ferreira/Vazquez - Zendejas
Mihailovic - A. Morris/Busio - Roldan/Sońora
Tolkin/Jones - Long/Neal - Miles - Yedlin/Reynolds
Turner
That is decidedly a B-team, but it involves 4-5 guys playing at a higher-than-MLS level (Turner, Reynolds?, Mihailovic, Soñora, Zendejas) and a few who have spent considerable time at such (Yedlin, Sands, Miazga). It's not some joke of a roster like El Cashico was. I will enjoy the hell out of watching that roster and seeing who can stand out. Unless Canada runs it back with their A-team, really only Mexico should be favored against us (they're running it back with their A-team), and only a handful of other teams would be close to parity with us. There's no reason we shouldn't make the final, and could very well win it.
So yeah, call me unpersuaded that the US couldn't win with this B-team. We did two years ago, with a roster no more impressive than this. I don't think they're just trying to save Berhalter from embarrassment.
I got nothing against strategic planning, that's a non-trivial portion of my own day job. But a coach's primary job is to coach. He gets to really coach maybe 2-3 times per year, and the rest of the time can be spent on whatever tasks seem best to him and his senior leadership. What "high-level strategic planning" could possibly be so urgent that it can't be postponed by 3-4 weeks to let him coach the Gold Cup, and needs to pull him away from that primary job? Shit, I could argue that coaching the GC will help add information necessary for that high-level strategic planning, impressions that can only be obtained by in-person observation.
Maybe they're not being insincere, but if not then it feels both dumb and a missed opportunity - a USSF calling card. I'm frankly giving them more credit by assuming it's a ruse.
I'm looking at it, and if you assume that the guys who are pulling 2-tournament double duty (Turner, Miles and Zendejas) are actually available, we can run out a lineup of:
Cowell - Ferreira/Vazquez - Zendejas
Mihailovic - A. Morris/Busio - Roldan/Sońora
Tolkin/Jones - Long/Neal - Miles - Yedlin/Reynolds
Turner
That is decidedly a B-team, but it involves 4-5 guys playing at a higher-than-MLS level (Turner, Reynolds?, Mihailovic, Soñora, Zendejas) and a few who have spent considerable time at such (Yedlin, Sands, Miazga). It's not some joke of a roster like El Cashico was. I will enjoy the hell out of watching that roster and seeing who can stand out. Unless Canada runs it back with their A-team, really only Mexico should be favored against us (they're running it back with their A-team), and only a handful of other teams would be close to parity with us. There's no reason we shouldn't make the final, and could very well win it.
So yeah, call me unpersuaded that the US couldn't win with this B-team. We did two years ago, with a roster no more impressive than this. I don't think they're just trying to save Berhalter from embarrassment.
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Yeah, Gregg LOVES corporate stuff.
I mean, his comments about Gio that were leaked because someone f'ed up with the Chatham House Rules were at a corporate leadership conference type thing.
The real hope is that Gregg walks the walk in terms of identifying and addressing weaknesses and improving them. Much of the reason corporate talk gets its bad rep is because people use it as a shield and then do whatever they wanna do anyhow, but that kind of stuff is legitimately useful if it is legitimately done I think.
Q: When is a bad time for an anti-England national team troll?
A: Never.
View: https://twitter.com/JoshBathtub/status/1670630572631179265
A: Never.
View: https://twitter.com/JoshBathtub/status/1670630572631179265
A dude who seems to be randomly into Uzbek football claims there will be a US-Uzbekistan friendly in September. A reputable journalist confirmed this on a discord I follow.
This is actually plausible because the various slates of competitive continental games mean the pickings are slim. Uzbekistan has zero name recognition as team, pretty much, but they're ranked #61 in the Elo ratings which isn't half bad. They're a bit ahead of Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, etc., and I'm down this as opposed to bringing in Elo #90 Honduras.
View: https://twitter.com/_UzbekFootball/status/1671399568351657984
This is actually plausible because the various slates of competitive continental games mean the pickings are slim. Uzbekistan has zero name recognition as team, pretty much, but they're ranked #61 in the Elo ratings which isn't half bad. They're a bit ahead of Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, etc., and I'm down this as opposed to bringing in Elo #90 Honduras.
View: https://twitter.com/_UzbekFootball/status/1671399568351657984
plus if you're willing to bring Uzbekistan's FA some money, they'll probably play you wherever and whenever you ask them to.
Their roster for their regional cup was mostly-domestic, with 2 guys playing in Russia, 1 each in Turkey, KSA, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and then 1 striker somehow in Serie A for Roma. Seems like a great team to throw a mostly-MLS B-team roster at, for a game in the US, and see how they do.
Their roster for their regional cup was mostly-domestic, with 2 guys playing in Russia, 1 each in Turkey, KSA, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and then 1 striker somehow in Serie A for Roma. Seems like a great team to throw a mostly-MLS B-team roster at, for a game in the US, and see how they do.
September is a standard FIFA window where we'll have all the main cast of characters available though, is it not?
Yeah but are you going to make the likes of Gio fly around just to play Uzbekistan? I wouldn't rule out a B+/A- team, but there's kinda no need to make them go all the way there. Better to earn some good graces with their clubs.
Though they might yet schedule another game in the window that could change that assessment. I haven't looked around but usually there are a few CAF teams available.
McKennie and Dest get (unduly harsh?) punishments for their red cards against Mexico, that turn out to be not very harsh at all if they can be served during the Gold Cup.
View: https://twitter.com/PaulTenorio/status/1672348888227880962
View: https://twitter.com/PaulTenorio/status/1672348888227880962
If the suspensions are served during games they were not going to play it seems like a win-win. I support punishments for getting your hands in the face or head of an opponent, even if provoked. Our team (1) won the tournament, (2) learned a real time lesson not to retaliate in a context where shithousery is going to keep happening, and (3) got suspensions that are immaterial given the timing. It is all good.
yeah in retrospect, we beat Canada with 2 of our best 5 players in street clothes. Bygones can be bygones.
So Jorge Sánchez gets nothing after tearing McKennie’s shirt? The punishments for the US players are pretty harsh to me, but whatever. I’m more annoyed at the impotence of CONCACAF in dealing with the chant. I understand that Mexico has been punished in the past, but punishments need to be handed out every single time and be progressively harsher or this will just continue. I mean, they were clearly trying to get the game called off. What’s the point of punishment one time and not the rest?
As I recall, three matches is standard for violent conduct, which I thought all four were guilty of, though the reported suspensions are on top of the single game for a red, so it seems like maybe McKennie and Montes each have an extra game?
Some rumor about McKennie going to Roma but I have no way of knowing who is reputable for these type of rumors
He took a retaliatory swing at the guy from Mexico who was already on red for the initial challenge (Montes). I'm sure Montes got the extra games because of his swing at McKennie.
I think he caught Sánchez who had torn his jersey, not Montes. It seemed more involuntary than intentional but definitely got him in the neck. Sanchez was literally tearing his jersey off though. I understand the rule but it seems ridiculous that McKennie gets this suspension when Sanchez gets nothing because the referee didn’t give him (Sanchez) a red card during the game.
Ultimately my issue is with the process, which is the suspension tied to the red card. McKennie has been intentionally choked by Mexican players twice without the same punishment because the referee didn’t give a red card but he gets four games because the ref gave him one. Seems unfair to me.
View: https://twitter.com/USMNT/status/1672767787578580992
This looks like either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 depending on Soñora's role in the midfield. Ferreira up top, Zendejas and J. Morris on the wings, Sands and A. Morris deeper in midfield. Tolkin gets the nod at LB over Jones in the Gold Cup opener.
Jamaica should be our strongest opponent in the group stage.
This looks like either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 depending on Soñora's role in the midfield. Ferreira up top, Zendejas and J. Morris on the wings, Sands and A. Morris deeper in midfield. Tolkin gets the nod at LB over Jones in the Gold Cup opener.
Jamaica should be our strongest opponent in the group stage.
Turner is currently our #1 starter (as you probably know).
The younger guys who are starting. I wouldn't call any of them sure things or blue-chip prospects. Our best young guys are already with the A team (Reyna, Balogun, Pepi, Musah, et al). I don't see many players in this squad competing for starting roles with the A team, but there are a variety who could get in the rotation. Of course, every cycle there are players who defy conventional wisdom about their ceiling.
John Tolkin (age 20) — auditioning for the backup LB spot, which is basically vacant right now.
Aidan Morris (age 21) — auditioning for a backup CM spot. Defensive terrier, covers a lot of ground.
Alejandro Zendejas (age 25) — not actually that young, but recently committed to the US despite interest from Mexico and plays for Club América. Backup winger potential.
Jesus Ferreira (age 22) — a lot of USMNT fans are over him, but he's talented, he seems to be getting better at the club level. I'm not certain he'll put it together enough for the A team, but I do think it's very premature to write him off
James Sands (age 22) — a DM who is boring but stable. Could emerge as a backup option but isn't going to surpass Tyler, Wes, or Yunus.
Alan Soñora (age 24) — an AM who has the mystique of mostly having played in Argentina. I'm not yet convinced he's actually good, but the USMNT staff seems to like him, and I haven't seen enough of him to have a firm opinion. In any case, we don't have a ton of CAM options for the 4-2-3-1 and we need options for when Gio is hurt.
Turner.
Interesting note--Aidan Morris was listed on preliminary rosters for the US in Canada for Nations League in May, but committed to the US.
I think most of the others are depth dudes, which is important. Ferreira *could* be something.
EDIT: What @Titans Bastard said better.
Curious about the young back line, feel like there are potentially USMNT minutes to be had there.
I’ve become one of the over Ferreira people, but to your point for goodness sakes he’s 22 so I should probably lighten up Francis.
I might be more optimistic about Zendejas, it’s not like I watch Club América, but I poked around when he ‘transferred’ and curious if he can find a rotation role. Hoping Soñora shows something too.
On a separate tangent, has it been determined if the US needs to go through the motions and play a regular Concacaf qualifying schedule over the next few years or does the automatic qualifier as host make them exempt. If they are exempt what are they going to do for games?
US/Canada/Mexico automatically qualify.
Copa América in 2024 is going to be a centerpiece. There will be more CONCACAF Nations League tournaments and another Gold Cup. Otherwise, piecing together friendlies or friendly tournaments will be tough. Nations League style competitions have decimated the availability of interesting opponents for friendlies.