USMNT Talk
- Thread starter MyBoyVilla
- Start date
Glad to know that now I won't have to explain to my non-soccer following friends why the United States isn't at the World Cup.
I remember my fury at the tart comments coming from national sports (non-soccer) journalists on Twitter after Cuova. They were happy to see their nation's team eliminated. No, I have not forgiven them, nor have I re-followed them to this day.
The difference in last night's game is that one team had a World Class shot stopper in net, and the other had a keeper much farther from that level than any of us had thought.
I take myself out of that 'any of us'. I've been saying for ages that we should only start keepers that actually play games and have matches in their arms and legs.
I'm a Stephen fan, and when I saw him play against us I was thinking about him being a national team contender. I'm still a Stephen fan, but only if he gets game time. Otherwise I'll take anyone else who is consistently playing.
There's a reason why soccer has been "the sport of the future" since 1970. The national sports media won't give it the respect it deserves.
GB needs to let brooks back in the lineup. He was our secretary of defense in the copa america. By far our best defender and he is in form in germany. And for the love of G-d less MLS lifers. Morris, Arriola, Acosta, Roldan, Zardes should not be on the team.
I'm okay with Arriola and Acosta. Acosta is fine as a late game sub when you're up a goal and need someone to defend and cause chaos/disrupt the opponent. Arriola had a decent showing in Sunday's match, which I think helped punch his ticket as a backup winger. Kudos to him, I was in the did not like him train but he showed well in his minutes, which is all anyone can ask for.
Morris didn't do much of anything in his sub appearances, so I agree there. Same with Roldan and Zardes, I don't see them as players who will help turn the tide/closeout a game.
It will be an interesting next few months to see if there are any surprises/players who launch themselves into contention for a WC callup (please bring up Scally, please). Will Sands get some playing time with Rangers and show well this spring/next fall? Will Pepi get some of his mojo back since the express train from Dallas has been stalled in Augsburg thus far? Does Pefok get a chance? Is Ferreira going to be our No. 9 going into the tournament?
Problem is Turner has a decent chance of being as inactive as Steffen come November.
But otherwise I take your point. We were the more aggressive and better field team. More shots, shots on target, possession, shots inside the box, more corners by a LOT, and more than double the possession in the opposing half. Costa Rica had better deep defensive activity: blocks, clearances and saves.
That also was mostly true at the Azteca last week. Not quite as extreme - our possession wasn’t much- but we had the best chances and more shots on target and from inside the box The narrative that this team lacked aggression or energy Away was not true in this window. Biggest difference maker at home was Godoy gifted us 2 PKs for no good reason, including one early, and once we got ahead Panama lost shape and energy and frankly it got easy for us. The narrative that survived is that the team finishes poorly off the chances it creates.
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I think I like Doyle and Lalas because they troll people I think need trolling, and do so with facts.
I know there are rational opposing arguments, but that's mostly not what you hear, and this is gold.
I know there are rational opposing arguments, but that's mostly not what you hear, and this is gold.
Agreed on Arriola and Acosta. I think they are decent "back end of squad" guys. Both play really hard and have some qualities to provide to the team. Acosta specifically has some positional flexibility (6, FB, 8 to a degree) and is a great set-piece taker.
Not advocating for them to start and maybe wouldn't be upset if they were left off the roster, but I wouldn't be upset if they were included I don't think. Especially if the roster is expanded to 26 as may happen.
Give me more talented youth. I want pefok, de la funte, scally, sands, etc over the like of these guys. I agree if you have to rank them, acosta and arriola are better then the rest.
Ouch. If you thought Steffen has been poor, here's some fodder.
He's been getting some negative local press about his attitude and commitment. No idea how true it may be.
The roster choices will definitely be interesting. Acosta and Arriola to me are no brainers. Both have been solid in qualifying and deserve a roster spot, though I think neither start if everyone is healthy.
There are going to be some very interesting decisions. Who starts between Reyna and Weah? Or do you move Reyna to midfield - in which case, do you sit Musah? Who is at striker, and do you consider moving a winger there? Weah? Antonee Robinson has done enough to start at LB, but what about a backup? Do we go with Bello? or do we consider Dest as the backup and add another RB to cover him switching over if necessary? And CB is still completely up in the air.
USMNT Depth Chart
Striker: Pepi, Pefok, Ferreira, Sargent, Zardes, Dike
Winger: Pulisic, Weah, Aaronson, Arriola, Morris, De La Fuente, Hoppe
Winger/CAM: Reyna
Midfield: McKennie, Adams, Musah, Acosta, De La Torre, Busio, Sands, Lleget
Right Back: Dest, Yedlin, Cannon, Moore, Scally, Lennon
Left Back: A. Robinson, Bello
Centerback: Zimmerman, M. Robinson, Richards, Long, Palmer Brown, Brooks
Goalkeeper: Steffan, Turner, Horvath, Johnson, Slonina
What do you think of the above? Anyone mischaracterized? Anyone left out?
This includes 41 players.
Striker: Pepi, Pefok, Ferreira, Sargent, Zardes, Dike
Winger: Pulisic, Weah, Aaronson, Arriola, Morris, De La Fuente, Hoppe
Winger/CAM: Reyna
Midfield: McKennie, Adams, Musah, Acosta, De La Torre, Busio, Sands, Lleget
Right Back: Dest, Yedlin, Cannon, Moore, Scally, Lennon
Left Back: A. Robinson, Bello
Centerback: Zimmerman, M. Robinson, Richards, Long, Palmer Brown, Brooks
Goalkeeper: Steffan, Turner, Horvath, Johnson, Slonina
What do you think of the above? Anyone mischaracterized? Anyone left out?
This includes 41 players.
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This thread has some amazing stats about the relative youth of our team that just qualified for Qatar.
Average age is 24.3 years - 2 years younger than the next youngest.
That’s 3.7 years younger than the overall average of 28.0, and more than 3 standard deviations below the mean.
Average age is 24.3 years - 2 years younger than the next youngest.
That’s 3.7 years younger than the overall average of 28.0, and more than 3 standard deviations below the mean.
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