The Swamp

How'd Lletget slip through the 'no MLS players cuz of covid' thing?

Galaxy out so maybe there was exit testing?

More fire.

Yep. Very excited over here.

"States"?

If that were Zardes instead of Dest, the first touch would have been blasted clean out of the stadium.

I know you're supposed to talk about the field in thirds and not quarters but our Q2 passing has been really fun so far. Q1 non-existent, but whatever.

Miaz-guh.

Am I the only one watching?

I'm waiting to watch this one on delay.

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:59 pm Miaz-guh.

Am I the only one watching?

Was able to watch first half. Every time I would get excited Llegett would do somthing frustrating.

Was that all about not having Sargent?

about as good as you could ask I guess? Add Pulisic and someone who has ever scored a goal to that mix and I think it would look pretty good.

Yeah, I had to watch it on delay, and only up to the 75th minute.

That's an absolutely different brand of soccer. That's the first time I've seen a US squad where EVERY player can hold the ball and 8 of the 11 could straight up beat an opponent 1v1. I mean, really take Miazga out of the mix, Brooks can beat guys... 9 of 11.

You add Pulisic and Sargent to that mix, and it's probably 3 or 4 goals scored.

Reyna had a spotty night. Much better 2nd half, as he stopped trying to force so much.

Dest... Holy wow. That kid is an absolute beast on the ball.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 5:44 pm Yeah, I had to watch it on delay, and only up to the 75th minute.

That's an absolutely different brand of soccer. That's the first time I've seen a US squad where EVERY player can hold the ball and 8 of the 11 could straight up beat an opponent 1v1. I mean, really take Miazga out of the mix, Brooks can beat guys... 9 of 11.

You add Pulisic and Sargent to that mix, and it's probably 3 or 4 goals scored.

Reyna had a spotty night. Much better 2nd half, as he stopped trying to force so much.

Dest... Holy wow. That kid is an absolute beast on the ball.

Really looking forward to watching how he and Musah combined on the right.

agreed. Other than not putting a striker on the field, the rest of that was like I was NOT watching a US national team game. Possession, and a really stout midfield. Yes please.

So they let Reyna take the dangerous free kick. Passing has been nice, but speedy counters are trouble and that is what the US will face in qualifications.

the US midfield is just clowning these guys

It's quite remarkable to think that not that long ago, the Weah kid was one of a handful of kids thought to be the savior of the MNT. He looked good tonight, so this isn't a diss: He's not even in the top 5 or 6 wingers right now.

The Dest - Reyna chemistry is real. I'm curious what they do with Pulisic. Can you imagine Reyna-McKinnie-Pulisic, with Adams sitting behind that? With Sargent terrorizing up top?

What I love about this version of the squad is they are committed to the style Jurgen wanted to play, but they actually have the talent all over the field to carry it off. They do need to be a little less free with the ball inside their own half.

That Ledezma kid sent in some nice crosses. This team is obviously young and a bit sloppy, but it's so cool to see a US team with that kind of skill and swagger. We actually looked kind of cocky out there!

6 huh? I need cable. Amazing but it will probably be qualifying that brings me back to the monthly bill.

Shirley wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:47 pm That Ledezma kid sent in some nice crosses. This team is obviously young and a bit sloppy, but it's so cool to see a US team with that kind of skill and swagger. We actually looked kind of cocky out there!

You have guys starting and are major contributors at Chelsea, Dortmund, Juventus, Ajax/Barca... And the guys not at those top 4 squads are at places like Leipzig, Wolfsburg, Man City and PSV.

I'm not shitting on MLS, but, c'mon... You can't trot out a team made up of mostly MLS players and threaten a run at the WC.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that Yunus Musah is the best player in the world.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 5:02 pmI'm not shitting on MLS, but, c'mon... You can't trot out a team made up of mostly MLS players and threaten a run at the WC.

You mean "to" the WC?

After the last 2 friendlies
1.) Olympic team could be VERY Fun..if those players can get released to qualify or even play the tournament. And there are some young guns behind them who will be pushing for that team too.
2.) If you are an MLS MNT member...you should be worried about getting an invitation to the squad let alone playing time. I mean you may take Altidore or Bradley for a veteran presence. Maybe you take Morris. But those folks probably have a better shot at being an over-23 olympic option than in Qatar in 2 years

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:10 pm After the last 2 friendlies
1.) Olympic team could be VERY Fun..if those players can get released to qualify or even play the tournament. And there are some young guns behind them who will be pushing for that team too.
2.) If you are an MLS MNT member...you should be worried about getting an invitation to the squad let alone playing time. I mean you may take Altidore or Bradley for a veteran presence. Maybe you take Morris. But those folks probably have a better shot at being an over-23 olympic option than in Qatar in 2 years

Olympic team could be amazing, but I'd be surprised in more than 2 of the guys in last night's squad get released for Olympic qualifying.

So much fun seeing a squad full of guys with the confidence and skill on the ball to be a threat every time they are in possession. That third goal was sick. The run by McKennie and the ball Adams put through, the way McKennie cut the ball across to Miazga as it was about to cross the end line... beautiful. Dest looked a million times better than his first call up. He is going to be a legit player. Musah is exciting as hell, hoping he will choose to play for the US. I'm a bit hopeful, as it seems like an exciting prospect to play for a country with so much young talent, just not counting on him playing for the US. Been burned too many times.

Long-term prediction: One of our aggressive kids (it'll be McKinnie) is going to get a bullshit red at a critical moment and I'm going to be equal parts mad and understanding that the US deserves to get fucked over by the world as a whole.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:32 am Long-term prediction: One of our aggressive kids (it'll be McKinnie) is going to get a bullshit red at a critical moment and I'm going to be equal parts mad and understanding that the US deserves to get fucked over by the world as a whole.

Didn't see the tackle yesterday, but apparently Stu Holden thought WM's yellow should have been a red.

I didn't even know there was a controversy from yesterday but now the prediction feels like cheating.

He absolutely deserved red for that tackle, it was very late and over the ball. If it was a few inches higher, exhibition or no, the ref would've been forced to send him off.

Put it this way, if that tackle had occurred in Panama City during a WCQ... Doneski.

McKinnie is really the only guy that seems likely to pull that. Brooks and Miazga would be the others most often put in that position, but they (generally) don't seem to run hotheaded like that. Maybe one of the younger outside backs? Reyna shows his emotions a lot, but seemed to stay mostly above the fray. Though, didn't he come back and shoulder bump a guy after he was taken down off the ball against Wales?

But, really, by the time we get through another 2 years of seasoning, GR and WM should have enough high level pro experience to not get themselves taken out of the game like that.

WM was pretty routinely getting involved with nonsense yesterday, though. Something to watch, for sure.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:07 am I didn't even know there was a controversy from yesterday but now the prediction feels like cheating.

Also, I don't know if you can call it a controversy. When you beat a team 6-2 it's hard to bitch about one non-RC call. Holden called it correctly in the moment, but they didn't really dwell on it much.

I would also counsel the Panamanians: When you are (incorrectly) bitching about offside calls, and complaining about every foul called on your team... You predispose the ref to not want to pull cards on the other team. I know it's not supposed to go down like that, but the ref was very clearly annoyed with Panama and their antics at that point.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:56 am

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:07 am I didn't even know there was a controversy from yesterday but now the prediction feels like cheating.

Also, I don't know if you can call it a controversy. When you beat a team 6-2 it's hard to bitch about one non-RC call. Holden called it correctly in the moment, but they didn't really dwell on it much.

I would also counsel the Panamanians: When you are (incorrectly) bitching about offside calls, and complaining about every foul called on your team... You predispose the ref to not want to pull cards on the other team. I know it's not supposed to go down like that, but the ref was very clearly annoyed with Panama and their antics at that point.

Agree with all of this. I wouldn't have given a red to McKennie in that situation, but wouldn't have complained if he got one. It was more of a late and clumsy challenge, no intent, but it was reckless and dangerous enough to warrant a red. If he caught the player any higher, it would have been a definite red. I don't see McKennie as a hot head. He steps into squabbles, but I don't recall seeing him lose his temper or intentionally foul in a dirty way. He plays hard and misses tackles, but I don't see him as a temperament issue.

I thought the narrative of the game was that the US midfield and attack so thoroughly embarrassed Panama in the first half that the Panamanians came out of halftime with an intensity and physicality level more fit for a qualifier. McKennie's foul (which was 100% a red) came in that context. I don't think the issue is whether he's a hothead or dirty, but certainly fouls like that will get noticed in CONCACAF. Teams will try to sucker him into that.

Rex wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 1:04 pm I thought the narrative of the game was that the US midfield and attack so thoroughly embarrassed Panama in the first half that the Panamanians came out of halftime with an intensity and physicality level more fit for a qualifier. McKennie's foul (which was 100% a red) came in that context. I don't think the issue is whether he's a hothead or dirty, but certainly fouls like that will get noticed in CONCACAF. Teams will try to sucker him into that.

Yeah remember yesterday's match was in Austria. Guessing we had a UEFA-based officiating crew. Very different than having the normal CONCACAF crew in a packed stadium with lighting worse than my public high school. Concacaf is adventure when it comes to away and qualifiers. Even though some of these have played YNT and gold cup type stuff....it is not the same as having to get a result on Tuesday or Wed night some time next year....even for those who have Champions League experience.

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 1:12 pm

Rex wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 1:04 pm I thought the narrative of the game was that the US midfield and attack so thoroughly embarrassed Panama in the first half that the Panamanians came out of halftime with an intensity and physicality level more fit for a qualifier. McKennie's foul (which was 100% a red) came in that context. I don't think the issue is whether he's a hothead or dirty, but certainly fouls like that will get noticed in CONCACAF. Teams will try to sucker him into that.

Yeah remember yesterday's match was in Austria. Guessing we had a UEFA-based officiating crew. Very different than having the normal CONCACAF crew in a packed stadium with lighting worse than my public high school. Concacaf is adventure when it comes to away and qualifiers. Even though some of these have played YNT and gold cup type stuff....it is not the same as having to get a result on Tuesday or Wed night some time next year....even for those who have Champions League experience.

Exactly... to Rex's point (sort of), what I was talking about not working in terms of the refs yesterday is ABSOLUTELY a tactic employed during WCQs in CONCACAF. It is non-stop bitching and the crowd eats it up.

(Crew was Austrian, which is what I would've guessed before looking it up. That dude was having none of it. Would be nice if we could grab that guy for some of our away games... alas.)

I don’t believe I have ever used the phrase “US dominating the midfield” before. I could get used to that.

Are there European stadiums/fans that create a Concacaf atmosphere that US players would have seen. Maybe St. Pauli in Germany? Maybe some team that Jay DeMerit played for before catching on with Watford. Maybe the couple of folks playing in Mexico or South America will get that feeling but the modern EPL, Bundesliga, and MLS (with exception of CCL games) don't have a parallel. Maybe when the US had folks at Rangers for some SPL and Old Firm type matches.

Well, sure I think some of the games played in division 2, where everyone is right on top of you would count... sort of.

What you're never going to experience in Europe is the shit where local radio stations set-up speakers outside your hotel and blast music all night; hotels magically forget about keeping rooms anonymous and players get phone calls at all hours; training grounds getting switched at the last minute, and now you're trying to get sessions on fields with cows roaming around the grass isn't cut.

Really the only truly scary venues left are Saprissa and Azteca. Maybe Guatemala, but if I recall, they are like The Office (JAM) and Honduras where the field is in the middle of a huge oval track, so the fans are far off. Then you've got places like Panama and TnT where depending on weather, and just generally speaking, the fields just suck. Honduras and Guat also tend to play this game, where they just don't cut the grass... With this type of young team that likes to keep the ball on the ground, that's a bit of a dagger.

It's the off-the-field shenanigans combined with really shitty (at times seemingly shady) refereeing they combine to make it pretty unique. I mean, if the stakes were higher, I think you could equate some of the Europa League matches in former Soviet block countries as kind of similar... But not really.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:48 am

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Nov 06, 2018 1:52 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:59 am So what happens to the United States Youth National team between U-20 and U-23? I know the Olympic qualification process is harder because of fewer slots BUT this is ridiculous.

In the past, I'd say players going to college kills their development, but I think most of the youth national team players go pro early.

What has been said historically is that the US relied on their athleticism, which can carry the day at the younger ages. When they played older teams, the years of their opponents being coached on a daily basis in a professional setting surpasses the US speed and strength.

Almost all of the players in the system over the age of 18 are either playing in Europe or MLS. And the kids under 18 are mostly playing for MLS-run academies. If you go back and read my ranting-stepping back from ledge after we lost to TnT, one of the biggest problems with that WCQ round was there weren't enough guys in their mid-twenties... We either had Pulisic and few others, and then Dempsey, Bradley, Altidore, etc.

You need those guys in the early- to mid-twenties to drive the team.

And if you go back and look at the guys in their twenties at the time, you saw a weird mix of guys that kind of busted out, and they came up before the MLS-USSF got it together to start pushing the Academy system. This round of WCQ is going to have a USMNT squad where top to bottom, they've come up through a professional development system.

The issue is whether any of those young guns break out. We're going to be the deepest we've ever been, but who beyond Pulisic steps up and out? Weah? Sargent? Some dude we don't even know about yet?

It's interesting going back and looking at where we were 2-3 years ago.

It's absolutely remarkable how many of these young kids we saw the last 2 games have emerged out of the COVID quiet period. When I said we were going to be deeper, I sure as shit had no idea just how deep... Especially in the midfiled.

Still too reliant right now on Sargent up top. Need someone else to step into a killer/finisher role... And those don't grow on American trees, apparently.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:06 am

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.

This was right after the loss to Mex in the GC final.

Nice.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 3:10 pmStill too reliant right now on Sargent up top. Need someone else to step into a killer/finisher role... And those don't grow on American trees, apparently.

He's not a striker, but Pulisic has become a pretty good goal scorer for Chelsea. His constant attacking opens things up for everyone else.