2021 Gold Cup: CONCACAF AF

Titans Bastard

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I'm not sure what the final stats will say. I know Mexico had a bunch of corners and probably the bulk of the possession, but this was not a fluke. US pressure was impactful, counters were pretty dangerous, the defense was quite composed and were hardly sitting in a shell.
I'm really so impressed with this group. The idea that you could take what amounts to a January Camp roster and do something like this is insanity at pretty much any other time in the history of the USMNT.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I'm just going to keep typing because fuck it I'm up. I love that this also sends a bit of a message to the A squad that there a bunch of guys who will crawl through broken glass for their spot and won't abide the kind of complacency that absolutely crushed us pre-2018. Given how young the ostensible leaders of our best XI are, that mentality is going to be important.
 

67YAZ

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All of a sudden we have CBs in the pipeline.

gonna be a wild night in the Vegas.
 

Joe D Reid

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With this and the semifinal win over AFC champ Qatar, the USMNT is now transitive champions of ~40% of the Earth’s land mass.
 

Titans Bastard

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Saw this stat on Twitter:

in 2020-21, the USMNT has more trophies than losses
 

Mr. Wednesday

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Turner the player of the tournament for me. He’s gonna start by Qatar I think unless this is just one of those runs of form.
Various advanced stats say that this isn't just a run of form, he's really that good as a shot-stopper. Best in MLS and it's not particularly close (like, something like 50% more xG saved than the next best). I believe 538 had an article about it.
 

Pxer

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Turner the player of the tournament for me. He’s gonna start by Qatar I think unless this is just one of those runs of form. His play with this feet is extremely uncomfortable but that kind of shot stopping steals entire matches
Just going to pile on that Revs fans know this is not just a run of form.

Turner
Horvath
Steffen

until proven otherwise.
 

Senator Donut

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Just going to pile on that Revs fans know this is not just a run of form.

Turner
Horvath
Steffen

until proven otherwise.
One potential issue with Steffen, and why I think it should and will be Turner, is that he’s unlikely to play in a competitive match until the EFL Cup round 3 the week of September 20. The US has three qualifiers in the September 2-8 window.
 

Titans Bastard

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4. Hoppe. First, does he play? GGG seemed unhappy with the way he came off the field. I hope he didn’t cross a line. I’m cool with a player not wanting to come off, but there are some things that can’t be said. Not sure if he went there. Whatever the case, I want to see him for the full 90, or 120, against Mexico. He’s still my Dempsey 2.0 in terms of attitude and creativity. Let the man do what he do!
To follow up on this, the WaPo reported that this turned into a bonding moment:

After the 1-0 victory, on a goal assisted by Hoppe’s replacement, they talked it out.

“As a player, you want to play, you want to stay on the field,” Hoppe said in an interview with The Washington Post this week. “Gregg played; he knows what it’s like. I let the emotions get the better of me. There is no hard feelings there.”

Hoppe, though, still felt bad about his behavior. So as the delegation moved to Las Vegas for the final against Mexico, he decided to make amends in a lighthearted way.
He enhanced a photo of Berhalter’s shaved head with an artistic touch and arranged for it to be plastered on a T-shirt.
“Gregg and I have a unique relationship,” Hoppe said. “It’s very positive. It’s unlike any other relationship I’ve had with a coach, the way he brings his players together. He has his ways to motivate and build bonds in the team. And it’s gotten us the Nations League trophy [in June] and the Gold Cup trophy.”

...


“Gregg was able to put trust in me even though he hadn’t seen me much with the team,” Hoppe said. “The Gold Cup was really positive for me, for my development and for my confidence.”
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Quibble about the tactics and roster as we want, but I love what Berhalter is building as a team culture for the US right now. It’s the perfect time to get that as locked in as we can also, as so many of these players could have at least two more cycles of being major parts of the team so it could be a real lasting foundation.
 

dirtynine

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Love that Berhalter’s idea of club wear is training gear.

This generation seems to really connect with him. That’s a big deal. Since he’s shown the proclivity to adjust tactics and lineups, it’s not wild to think that he could fix the things that earned him fair criticism, but maintain the things that he’s been really good at from the jump (establishing a culture).

Bring on the Ocho.
 

Zososoxfan

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Yeah, hard not to be incredibly excited about the USMNT at the moment. With the talent starting to really blossom, the federation needed some culture and big picture thinking to bring it all together. Enter GREGG.
 

Titans Bastard

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Love that Berhalter’s idea of club wear is training gear.

This generation seems to really connect with him. That’s a big deal. Since he’s shown the proclivity to adjust tactics and lineups, it’s not wild to think that he could fix the things that earned him fair criticism, but maintain the things that he’s been really good at from the jump (establishing a culture).

Bring on the Ocho.
Worth nothing that Berhalter's son (who is currently on loan at Austin FC from Columbus) is almost exactly the same age as Hoppe.