I'm sure CONMEBOL didn't put up too much of a fight. The total population of those 3 countries is about the same as the city of Recife (~1.6m).
USMNT: Hold My Beer
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
I didn't hear the interview (just the hosts talking later) but Brian Sciaretta (https://twitter.com/BrianSciaretta) was on SiriusXM FC and said the word from USSF is that it would be wrong to judge Berhalter after 6 months and 6 friendlies and while a Gold Cup title would be nice, it's not a requirement. It was couched in some language like the delay in hiring him was obviously not his fault, and if they actually have faith in his system then we should recognize that it's longer than a 6 month process. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be in this situation.
Another interesting fact about Guyana is that, like Trinidad & Tobago, a plurality of its population is of South Asian descent. This happened because many Indians came to work on plantations as laborers following the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.
These demographics tend to not be reflected in their national soccer teams. T&T’s and Guyana’s national cricket teams, however, have a lot more representation — unsurprisingly.
I don’t know anything about Guyanese cuisine, but the Indian influence on Trinidadian food is quite obvious.
These demographics tend to not be reflected in their national soccer teams. T&T’s and Guyana’s national cricket teams, however, have a lot more representation — unsurprisingly.
I don’t know anything about Guyanese cuisine, but the Indian influence on Trinidadian food is quite obvious.
That's sensible in the sense that this is only the third time he's worked with the team (counting Camp Cupcake), plus a lot of the likely starters are hurt. An actively putrid Gold Cup should call some things into question (probablt won't), but merely being beaten by Mexico probably shouldn't.
That said, it sure would've helped in evaluating the coach to not completely waste a year not hiring anyone.
That said, it sure would've helped in evaluating the coach to not completely waste a year not hiring anyone.
They didn't play any meaningful games in 2018 either so rushing into hiring someone wouldn't have solved anything. He needs to get more out of his players though, even lame duck Sarachan drew and probably should have won in Lyon last June against France's B+ team with a team full of teenagers.
It wouldn't have solved anything in terms of having meaningful results, that ship sailed in T&T. It'd have been nice to have an entire extra year of implementing the playing style though.
Mostly, I'm just still irked that the coaching search appears to have been a process that looked bad and was bad for everyone involved except the Columbus Crew. If it was as predetermined as it looked from Gregg's brother running the search, then give him the extra year to implement his ideas. If it wasn't in the bag the whole time, then interview other good candidates. Instead, it seems like we got the worst of both worlds.
Mostly, I'm just still irked that the coaching search appears to have been a process that looked bad and was bad for everyone involved except the Columbus Crew. If it was as predetermined as it looked from Gregg's brother running the search, then give him the extra year to implement his ideas. If it wasn't in the bag the whole time, then interview other good candidates. Instead, it seems like we got the worst of both worlds.
Unless Pulisic scores a hat trick tonight, and Steffen has a shutout. Then all aboard!!!
USA lineup vs. Guyana
https://twitter.com/USMNT/status/1141148927644917770
Appears to be:
No reason to risk Altidore's finicky hamstrings for Guyana.
https://twitter.com/USMNT/status/1141148927644917770
Appears to be:
Arriola — Zardes — Boyd
Pulisic — McKennie
Bradley (c)
Ream — Long — Zimmerman — Lima
Steffen
Pulisic — McKennie
Bradley (c)
Ream — Long — Zimmerman — Lima
Steffen
No reason to risk Altidore's finicky hamstrings for Guyana.
If CP and McKennie are the only reasons USA can beat Guyana, ya I'm a little worried.
Boyd has passed the eye test in the 1.25 games I've seen of him but yeah this roster isn't great. I expect maybe 3 or 4 of this to be the 21 qualifying group.
Our player pool is sneakily really trash. Like Pulisic is the kind of player who would be on the fringes for a good nation, he's our best attacking player by far.
Always fun to see what random Englishmen the CFU nations are able to recruit for these tournaments. Matthew Briggs and Keanu Marsh-Brown were Fulham youngsters during the time when we had 3-4 Americans there every season.
On one hand, more decent creativity today.
On the other, a few moments that’d be real trouble defensively against a more competent team.
On the other, a few moments that’d be real trouble defensively against a more competent team.
And while it was a nice pass by McKennie and finish by Arriola, a competent D slides there and knocks the ball out, whereas 5 just kinda tripped over his feet.
Which part? That he's our best attacking player? I think he clearly is.
That he'd be on the fringes for a good national team? I mean he has great potential, but is he better right now than say Martial who barely sees the pitch for France (hint the answer is no he's not), or Jadon Sancho who is mostly a sub for England (hint he's not) or any of the loads of high potential youngsters for Spain, Argentina, Brazil etc. who are tearing it up for clubs and can't get consistent minutes for their national sides
He's a future star (hopefully), who right now is in that same level of inconsistent youngster as a number of similar players. The difference is that our player pool is trash so he's our key man instead of coming off the bench.
We have decent older players and decent younger players. There's not much in between.
Argentina is toast. Spain is on the way down, Brazil sure. He starts for just about every team 5-25
I feel like there's a natural sentiment to hate on any good US player naturally. He's the best USMNT player ever already.
Nice ball by Boyd and cross by Lima (finally US didn't boot it across the box).
Great finish by Zardes.. hahah
Great finish by Zardes.. hahah
You are insane. No way he starts over Messi, Lo Ceslo or DiMaria (or probably even Lanzini) in Argentina, who is he starting over for Spain? Koke? Ceballos? Isco?, I get the excitement, he's maybe the best we've ever had, he has insane potential, he's also someone who spent much of the season on the bench for Dortmund, he's not necessarily someone who would walk into most top National sides as a starter.
I'm perfectly happy to overrated Boyd because we have no forwards and we need anyone that can actually get a shot off
Zardes Twitter is on fire tonight.
https://twitter.com/Taliaferro1974/status/1141177671889506305
https://twitter.com/MLS_Buzz/status/1141173507684020226
And yeah, the goal creates an entirely new tier in the annals of "didn't know much about it"
edit: only good video I've found of it here:
https://twitter.com/si_soccer/status/1141184598484955136
https://twitter.com/Taliaferro1974/status/1141177671889506305
https://twitter.com/MLS_Buzz/status/1141173507684020226
And yeah, the goal creates an entirely new tier in the annals of "didn't know much about it"
edit: only good video I've found of it here:
https://twitter.com/si_soccer/status/1141184598484955136
Maybe, but the US is tiring them out, because Guyana has been chasing the ball most of the night.
Paul Arriola is the exact kind of hard working but frustrating always-around-the-ball player who will hang around USMNT forever. An Alejandro Bedoya for a new generation.
Altidore is a bit banged up, no sense pushing him against Guyana.
It's a 4-0 win, that's a decent-sized win in the Gold Cup for the US. Only 4 times in GC history have we scored more than 4 (twice against Cuba, once each against Belize and El Salvador). There weren't many more times we scored 4 goals.
For the record though, the USMNT averages 6 goals/game when I attend (QF against Cuba in 2015).
Last night was fine - the line up and tactics were good given the opponent and who is healthy.
It’s been nice to see what Boyd can offer now and how he might develop.
McKennie’s unevenness is still disconcerting - great going forward last night, but about a half dozen fouls, too. Greggg needs to figure out to get more consistency out of McKennie, always a key issue for the young’uns.
Against stouter competition - like Panama - id like to see Pulisic back out wide. That’s where he’s best right now - skinning fullbacks and cutting in to cause chaos in the final third. It’s a balancing act because moving Pulisic wide creates a yawning gap in creativity centrally....but I’m afraid that more talented & organized sides will bottle up Pulisic if he’s in the middle.
It’s been nice to see what Boyd can offer now and how he might develop.
McKennie’s unevenness is still disconcerting - great going forward last night, but about a half dozen fouls, too. Greggg needs to figure out to get more consistency out of McKennie, always a key issue for the young’uns.
Against stouter competition - like Panama - id like to see Pulisic back out wide. That’s where he’s best right now - skinning fullbacks and cutting in to cause chaos in the final third. It’s a balancing act because moving Pulisic wide creates a yawning gap in creativity centrally....but I’m afraid that more talented & organized sides will bottle up Pulisic if he’s in the middle.
Pulisic doesn't need less space to create, he needs better chemistry with his passing partners in attack. If that's McKennie, Arriola and Boyd, fine. If Bobby Wood or Tim Weah or Julian Green come back from the dead, great. If Josh Sargent decides he's going to be more of a Sergio Aguero style than Zardes's "homeless man's Giroud" style, maybe they learn each other's instincts too. But you only push him wide if you've got better creators to put in the middle. Dortmund does, the USMNT doesn't.