USMNT: Hold My Beer

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
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I am generally much more patient with teams than most people, but I'm patient until I'm not. For me, the Panama result and the Panama performance were very deflating, especially coming after three solid halves of soccer against Honduras and Jamaica. It can be hard, in the moment, to get a truly solid sense if we are heading somewhere or not because there is so much noise and so many distractions and so few apples-to-apples comparisons given wildly different conditions, rosters, and opponents. But if we don't get three tonight against Costa Rica, it's time for the USSF to ask some tough questions.
 

ThePrideofShiner

Crests prematurely
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Jul 16, 2005
10,687
Washington
My biggest problem with the Panama game was that the rotated players should have been filled with energy and a desire to perform and instead they played super sluggish and scared. They had no reason to have tired legs. Just a head-scratching performance throughout.
 

cromulence

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Aug 25, 2009
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Yeah, wow, Arriola again. OK. Glad to see Richards, though I wonder if we would've gotten that if Zimmerman was 100% healthy.
 

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
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Glad to see Dest in there. His dribbling and just willingness to run at guys adds a key dynamic. This is a front foot line up. I worry about the lack of experience on the backline. But this group can move the ball and cover ground. This could be a thriller.
 

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
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Is Lalas joking or being serious (obvs joking on the overlord mandate)?
I always assume Lalas is being a dick and I’m never left disappointed.

Adams has to be huge tonight. I know this is not the CR team of a few years ago, but it’s easy to imagine the fullbacks getting caught way upfield and the CBs being a half step tentative in a new partnership.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
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Lalas' media persona has always been someone who is a provocateur, trolling for reactions. It's tedious and tiresome. In this case, he's mocking the Norwich City manager's suggestion that Sargent wasn't called up due to an "MLS quota", a quotation that excited fringe elements of USMNT Twitter who believe that such a thing is real.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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Dec 15, 2002
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Of the 22 players starting in this game, the eleven oldest are all Costa Ricans and the eleven youngest are all USMNT.
 

rguilmar

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Jul 16, 2005
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It’s my first time seeing the new Columbus stadium at night. Looks like a proper soccer venue.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Jun 15, 2002
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It’s an “other than that how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?”, but we’re looking pretty good so far except for that awful goal.
 

rguilmar

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Jul 16, 2005
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Musah brings something different. Doesn’t always come off, but it puts the opponent on their heels a bit.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
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Apr 21, 2010
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These orchestrated fan chants are getting a little too close to a Duke basketball game for my liking.

(Old man yells at cloud).
Great comparison, Sam’s Army/American Outlaws are the cringiest American soccer fans. National team crowds are definitely the more pale than your average MLS game, which is probably part of it.

The tifo/choreography still being up during Steffen’s howler was also pretty bad.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
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Apr 21, 2010
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If you’re already scoreboard watching, Canada and Panama (3rd and 4th in the octo) are tied 1- 1 at 32’ in Toronto.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
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Apr 21, 2010
5,502
Watching this. Early Panama goal on only meaningful attack. 2 stonewall penalties turned down by CONCACAF ref, then Canada scored. Davies may be the best player in the region.
He’s my #1 in CONCACAF, more interesting would be how many players would I rank ahead of Jo David right now.
 

JCizzle

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Dec 11, 2006
20,539
I can’t tell if the audio mix is awful for this broadcast or if it’s my pounding headache. The announcers are speaking softer than the crowd for some reason.