The Swamp

A_B wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 8:14 pm Why would you not let Pulisic continue as captain?

They have been moving the arm band around each game. No permanent captain yet for Gregg.

Love the passion from both sides tonight. This is going to be a fun one. Tough miss by Jozy. Not as simple a finish as you would think as Ochoa had a nice angle, but you have to finish that or make him get the save.

Also Paul A is still the person who to me is most valuable. He seems to be on ball on most of the big offensive plays and big stops.

Oh I thought Pulisic had it a couple of times already didn’t realize, thanks.

A night like tonight, where you are playing on "home soil" and are so clearly the way team, this is what guys like us used to build the hate fuel for Mexico.

Now I actually think the US players have lived with it, and they have the skill to absorb it, and they don't necessarily thrive on it, but...

This shit is now awesome.

Altidore is fully engaged.

We are really catching up in terms of danger players. Big picture, some really good signs tonight.

Very enjoyable half.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:05 pm Very enjoyable half.

Yup. Big difference from Curaçao.

The energy and the verve are back!

There is a Messi-like quality that Pulisic has with the ball at his feet.

I really like Arriola as a player.

But that was a needless foul.

I feel the ref is going to let it get out of hand. Altidore was fouled and the Mexican player literally looks around and drops double knees on his back. Then when breaking it up, the Mexican captain I believe places his hands right on McKinnie's neck. Both should have been a red. I may be wrong on that. What says the swamp?

Mexico taking a lot of specultive shots.

duff wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:34 pm I feel the ref is going to let it get out of hand. Altidore was fouled and the Mexican player literally looks around and drops double knees on his back. Then when breaking it up, the Mexican captain I believe places his hands right on McKinnie's neck. Both should have been a red. I may be wrong on that. What says the swamp?

It was ugly and I could have seen a yellow but doubt a red is coming if it isn’t super cynical.

fuck

Dude wears a bra.

lets see what these boys are made of.

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:49 pm Dude wears a bra.

That was odd

A_B wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:49 pm Dude wears a bra.

That was odd

Pulisic wears one also

duff wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:49 pm Dude wears a bra.

That was odd

Pulisic wears one also

Also odd.

Coming from a guy who would benefit from wearing a manzier.

duff wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:49 pm Dude wears a bra.

That was odd

Pulisic wears one also

a lot of teams do, Ithough they hold heart monitors

Most do now. They hold the heart rate and position monitors.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:53 pm

duff wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:51 pm

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:49 pm Dude wears a bra.

That was odd

Pulisic wears one also

a lot of teams do, Ithough they hold heart monitors

It looked like a sponsor opportunity

Square Rob wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:54 pm Most do now. They hold the heart rate and position monitors.

Ah. I retract my sexist comments then

Second half was more of a dose of reality. Still, it's a game that might have gone completely in the opposite direction had the USA made good on one of its chances with it 0-0.

zardes is the plague.

This tournament was a net positive, but it didn't get us any closer to resolving the striker situation or how to fill the role that Bradley will hopefully depart now.

Rex wrote: ↑Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:42 am This tournament was a net positive, but it didn't get us any closer to resolving the striker situation or how to fill the role that Bradley will hopefully depart now.

Way better than the friendlies leading up to the games.

Rex wrote: ↑Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:42 am This tournament was a net positive, but it didn't get us any closer to resolving the striker situation or how to fill the role that Bradley will hopefully depart now.

If Tyler Adams wasn't injured, I think he would have (or at least should have) replaced Bradley. I think he will have the 6 role locked down by next year. Hopefully Sargent can eventually fulfill his potential. He looks like the real deal, but so did several other players over the years. Let's hope he continues to develop.

Looking at the potential core roster, we have a ton of young talent. Pulisic, McKennie and Adams are all 20, Sargent and Weah are 19. They have yet to prove themselves as full internationals, but they have huge upside. Arriola was an absolute beast, and only 24. We have a long way to go, but that is enormous potential, probably more than we have ever had.

I was also very impressed with Cannon. Dude can flat out fly, and looked really comfortable on the ball and defending. Steffan seems like a good enough full time goalie, Long and Miazga were solid, but not tested much. Ream actually went the tournament without making the enormous mental error I also assume he will make. He isn't good, but he was solid this tournament.

Most important, we may revive the glory days of 2 Jews on the USMNT (Feilhaber and Bornstein) with Zimmerman and Lovitz. I don't know if Lovitz is Jewish, but his name is, and that gives me hope.

Agree on cannon. He looked more than solid and added something going forward. Like arriolas movement but not the touch. Had more than a couple opportunities and pissed them away but also created opportunities out of nothing so good with bad. Overall a good effort and something to build on. Not so sure there are jozy or Bradley replacements coming soon. Time to move on but they're still better and necessary if they want Ws.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world- ... atform=amp

WTF? US just finished not qualifying. How is it that they get a bye to anything. Not to mention that Brian's been bitching for years that the semis were tougher than the hex (not so much last year). Anything to help USA bring the cash to the party. And now the entire calendar can be focused on maximizing FIFA rankings. I guess somebody is going to be hyper focused on that algorithm.

The straight up argument: MEX and the US have qualified for the Hex every year for the last (too lazy to look, but it goes back to when they first started that format). It's not only a waste of time to have them in the early stages, but it risks some fluky away goal on some shit field in some minnow country and a few other ties or weird results in a 4 team round robin, not enough games format to knock a power out of the World Cup. They are just looking at history and taking the vagaries of CONCACAF minnow soccer out of the equation for the big boys.

The cynical/business argument: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You can't have a financially successful Hex without MEX and/or the US.

um, we are definitely going to be in that top 6, right?

Rex wrote: ↑Wed Jul 10, 2019 10:37 pm um, we are definitely going to be in that top 6, right?

Here is a link to CONCACAF team ranks: https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking ... /#CONCACAF

We are currently #2, 30th in the world. El Salvador is 6th, 69th in the world, and 7th is Panama, 75th in the world. Canada 8th and 78th.

I mean, it DOES make the latter stages of qualifying more meaningful for the vast majority of the region. They are right that traditionally while the Hex is underway that the other 35 nations are playing meaningless games. This does address that.

Maybe but are the incentives perverted? Is it really easier to come in 4th in the hex than win the "others" tournament? Not so sure the back door isn't a better route to the world cup. Maybe the 4th place team will get homefield if a one game or at least the back leg of a home and home. Still, qualifying should be an equal shot for everyone and to the extent someone should deserve a bye it's whacked to think it should be the US.

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2019 11:53 am Maybe but are the incentives perverted? Is it really easier to come in 4th in the hex than win the "others" tournament? Not so sure the back door isn't a better route to the world cup. Maybe the 4th place team will get homefield if a one game or at least the back leg of a home and home. Still, qualifying should be an equal shot for everyone and to the extent someone should deserve a bye it's whacked to think it should be the US.

It has to be good for everyone involved financially or the minnows would not vote for it and unless something has changed still one country one vote for concacaf. Now it maybe that someone is throwing around $ to the voters (new training centers for everyone) but it does mean that Bermuda and Canada get decent games instead of being iced out of meaningful matches during the hex.

On the other hand only making the US and Mexico survive 3 of 6 teams to qualify is not going to help the belief that the US shoud not be in the cup and Wales should.

I'm guessing Panama would be ranked higher if they hadn't qualified for WC2018 and gotten whacked around? Talk about setting up some perverse incentives.

Canada's loss to Haiti last week hurts even more. Would have been big points.

Rex wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:11 pm I'm guessing Panama would be ranked higher if they hadn't qualified for WC2018 and gotten whacked around? Talk about setting up some perverse incentives.

I just looked at the new SUM formula they use, and I think you're probably right. The formula takes into account the relative ranking of the teams that beat them and there's (obviously) nothing about the severity of the losses factored in. That said, they started 2018 in 55th place and ended it in 71st. That's a pretty precipitous slide, no matter what system you are using to rank. The new ratings were put in place or calculated using the new formula in August of 2018, taking the WC results into consideration after having rank ordered everyone using the positions they were in July 2018.

I actually think the new formula is a decent improvement, mainly because it factors in the range of competitions (friendly all the way up to WC). It also devalues friendlies played outside of the FIFA calendar, which I really like. Those games are often bullshit. Oh, and you don't lose points for losing in knockout stages of championship tournaments.

Anyways Panama has only dipped a few more slots over the course of 2019. The new formula doesn't do some average going back a year from the current date. It is what is as you win or lose going forward. I like that, too.