USMNT Thread V. 2.0

[camycamcan]

At least tims coming back

[FuFuLamePoo]

At least tims coming back

Oh my god goalie is the LAST of our concerns.  Brad G is a quality goalie, Howard is like 35 and poor at Everton this season.  It's not like Howard is in the picture for 2018.  I'm worried about our lack of creativity and chemistry.  We just bombed the ball up the pitch wednesday.  Klinsmann swore he was gonna stop doing that.  He chose an awful roster and he got awful results and he deserves every bit of the blame.  The players looked unmotivated, it really looks like new blood is needed.

[pantherphan96]

Woeful against non concacaf opponents???? Bradley's 2009 confederation cup run reins superior to anything Klinsmann has accomplished yet?  We beat spain 2-nill and they won the world cup the next year.  You talk about our lack of talent and bringing in alan gordon yet that is entirely klinsmann's fault.  Again, Agudelo, Morris or Rubin are all better options than Alan Gordon.  Klinsmann didn't roll the dice with this roster and put any of our interesting young prospects on the roster and it bit him in the ass.  This team had no chemistry.  Pathetic showing.  If we don't beat Mexico in that playoff he should be fired.

Klinsmann got caught in between trying to develop talent (the terrible pairing of Brooks and Alvarado at CB) and winning the Gold Cup (bringing Altidore and bringing in Beasley instead of young talent). Without Klinsmann we don't have Green and we don't get Zelalem either. Bradley's WC team fell ass backwards into the round of 16 thanks to Robert Green being a terrible keeper, and games against Slovenia and Algeria (that needed a last minute goal for us to even get thru!)

[FuFuLamePoo]

Klinsmann got caught in between trying to develop talent (the terrible pairing of Brooks and Alvarado at CB) and winning the Gold Cup (bringing Altidore and bringing in Beasley instead of young talent). Without Klinsmann we don't have Green and we don't get Zelalem either. Bradley's WC team fell ass backwards into the round of 16 thanks to Robert Green being a terrible keeper, and games against Slovenia and Algeria (that needed a last minute goal for us to even get thru!)

The best we were under Klinsmann was the summer of 2013 when he rolled through qualifying and beat Bosnia.  As far as the world cup.... we were, okay.  We got lucky as hell against Ghana, they were the superior team on the pitch.  Definitely our best game was portugal, but again ronaldo was at like 70% that tournament.  Under Bradley we drew England than dominated Algeria and Slovenia, before going neck to neck with Ghana in the knockouts.  At least under Bradley we didn't chicken out and play with like one attacker.  Against Belgium last year our only prayer from the start was PK's.  We didn't even begin to try to nut up and get forward.  ANd the sad thing is the best we looked the entire tournament was the last half of extra time vs Belgium when we were down 2-0 and FORCED to get forward.  We looked great and the Belgians were sweating.... who knows.  Maybe if we would have grown a pair and tried to get forward in regulation paired with Howard's god performance we might could have stolen a goal and won that game.

I agree Klinsmann has grown the talent pool.  I'm really excited about Zelalem

[FuFuLamePoo]

Anyone watching this third place game?  This is embarrassing.  We are showing no pride.  The entire program is a disaster right now

Klinsmann gets 100% of the blame.  Four years into his tenure and if anything we've regressed.  No one can deny that

[pantherphan96]

The best we were under Klinsmann was the summer of 2013 when he rolled through qualifying and beat Bosnia.  As far as the world cup.... we were, okay.  We got lucky as hell against Ghana, they were the superior team on the pitch.  Definitely our best game was portugal, but again ronaldo was at like 70% that tournament.  Under Bradley we drew England than dominated Algeria and Slovenia, before going neck to neck with Ghana in the knockouts.  At least under Bradley we didn't chicken out and play with like one attacker.  Against Belgium last year our only prayer from the start was PK's.  We didn't even begin to try to nut up and get forward.  ANd the sad thing is the best we looked the entire tournament was the last half of extra time vs Belgium when we were down 2-0 and FORCED to get forward.  We looked great and the Belgians were sweating.... who knows.  Maybe if we would have grown a pair and tried to get forward in regulation paired with Howard's god performance we might could have stolen a goal and won that game.

I agree Klinsmann has grown the talent pool.  I'm really excited about Zelalem

Ghana (ranked 37th) was dangerous on the counter attack but we had the better chances in that game. By no means was Brooks header lucky, it was a damn good play and had been coming. We absolutely friggin dominated Portugal (ranked 4th) (minus that early slip that gave them the early lead in the game) and played decently well against the best team in the world in Germany (ranked 2nd). Belgium has an incredibly talented squad, and with Altidore being injured so early, there was not much going for us in the way of attacking.

In 2010, we were lucky to even tie England. We were thoroughly outplayed by freaking Slovenia (ranked 25th) in the first half before turning it around in the 2nd. We struggled to score against Algeria (ranked 30th). Donovan really carried the team throughout the 2010 WC.

However, I do agree with you that the US has the annoying habit of sitting back and not pressing up the field, especially with a one goal lead. It is nerve-wracking, especially during the Hex round of qualifying, to watch the US try to cling onto a one goal lead for 40 minutes.

I just think that a fair amount of fans really want to get rid of Klinsmann, and are only using the Gold Cup failure as another reason to hate him. Personally, I think Klinsmann has done a decent job so far, but I think that he is starting to lose slack when it comes to job security. I need to see more cohesion and aggression in the team's play, especially when it comes to CONCACAF qualifying. CONCACAF games are usually ugly and messy games that involve less tactical skill and more speed and strength than anything else, and I need to see the US start dominating teams on offense and defense.

The talent pool looks very good, but I agree with Klinsmann that the best American talent needs to play in Europe. However, said talent needs to get starting time in Europe. It does us no good when Julian Green is riding the bench for Bayern or Yedlin is playing with the reserves in Tottenham. I want to see the young talent develop against some of the best players in the world, not just some average and older players in the MLS.

Anyone watching this third place game?  This is embarrassing.  We are showing no pride.  The entire program is a disaster right now

Klinsmann gets 100% of the blame.  Four years into his tenure and if anything we've regressed.  No one can deny that

No red cards and no injuries. All that matters. Still doesn't make it any easier to watch though.

[FuFuLamePoo]

Sorry you are wrong.... "no red cards and no injuries" that is NOT "all that matters".  These men were selected to represent the crest of THEIR country this summer and they failed in a big way.  And today they played with no pride.  Playing for a country like the US is an elite privilege, not a right.  Today almost every player except Dempsey and Guzan played like it was a right.  They showed no pride in playing for their country, they played like zombies.  Again, to me, that is a direct red flag about Klinsmann.  He chose them to represent the country in this tournament and today they didn't even care.  

ANd you have a very short memory if you say we earned that win against the black stars.  If you want to be refreshed just look at the stats http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=255931/match=300186512/statistics.html and if you are too lazy to click the link I'll post here anyways.  Ghana had 65 "dangerous" attacks, the US had 22.  Ghana had 21 total attempts, we had 8.  They also completed ~150 more passes than us.  We were better against Ghana in 2010.  I agree, after that early botched goal we were great against Portugal.  But again, they don't even make the world cup without CR7.  And he was playing at maybe 70%, so how big of an accomplishment really was that?  They were by far the worst team we played in the world cup last summer.

Klinsmann promised us exciting, proactive attacking soccer that holds possession and makes smart passes.  We do none of those things.  I'm willing to give him this fall but if we lose the playoff game he has to be fired if we want to salvage anything from this cycle.  And the roster needs a complete revamp.  Please, please call in the likes of Finlay, Nagbe, Kitchen and Jordan Morris.  This would be my lineup for the playoff game:

--------------------------------Jozy-----------------------------------
-----Zardes------------------Dempsey------------Nagbe-----------
----------------Kitchen------------------Bradley---------------------
---Garza------------Besler-------------Gonzo------------Johnson--
--------------------------------Guzan-----------------------------------

With Yedlin, Mix and Finlay to be the first to be called off the bench.  And Jordan Morris top striker behind Jozy.  

[pstall]

Dreadful showing.

[pantherphan96]

Sorry you are wrong.... "no red cards and no injuries" that is NOT "all that matters".  These men were selected to represent the crest of THEIR country this summer and they failed in a big way.  And today they played with no pride.  Playing for a country like the US is an elite privilege, not a right.  Today almost every player except Dempsey and Guzan played like it was a right.  They showed no pride in playing for their country, they played like zombies.  Again, to me, that is a direct red flag about Klinsmann.  He chose them to represent the country in this tournament and today they didn't even care.  

ANd you have a very short memory if you say we earned that win against the black stars.  If you want to be refreshed just look at the stats http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=255931/match=300186512/statistics.html and if you are too lazy to click the link I'll post here anyways.  Ghana had 65 "dangerous" attacks, the US had 22.  Ghana had 21 total attempts, we had 8.  They also completed ~150 more passes than us.  We were better against Ghana in 2010.  I agree, after that early botched goal we were great against Portugal.  But again, they don't even make the world cup without CR7.  And he was playing at maybe 70%, so how big of an accomplishment really was that?  They were by far the worst team we played in the world cup last summer.

Klinsmann promised us exciting, proactive attacking soccer that holds possession and makes smart passes.  We do none of those things.  I'm willing to give him this fall but if we lose the playoff game he has to be fired if we want to salvage anything from this cycle.  And the roster needs a complete revamp.  Please, please call in the likes of Finlay, Nagbe, Kitchen and Jordan Morris.  This would be my lineup for the playoff game:

--------------------------------Jozy-----------------------------------
-----Zardes------------------Dempsey------------Nagbe-----------
----------------Kitchen------------------Bradley---------------------
---Garza------------Besler-------------Gonzo------------Johnson--
--------------------------------Guzan-----------------------------------

With Yedlin, Mix and Finlay to be the first to be called off the bench.  And Jordan Morris top striker behind Jozy.  

Of course Ghana had more dangerous attacks, considering how fast and dangerous they are on the counterattack. Looking at attempts on goal, Ghana had 8 on target versus our 7. Ghana had 13 off target shots. A dangerous attack that leads to an off target shot doesn't mean that they dominated us, in fact it shows that they were either wasteful with opportunities or that our defense forced them into low-percentage shots. 

The third place game means nothing in the grand scheme of things. I get that it is annoying seeing the team not really care about the game, especially with how sloppy they played in the group stage and against Jamaica. However, the main focus now is on winning the playoff versus Mexico/Jamaica, and it is important that there were no injuries or red cards that would force us to lose a good player.

I agree with your lineup mostly, but I would like to see more Ream at CB and more Brooks (with the hope that he learns how to mark and defend better). If Jozy can return to form, then I would like to see him up front. If not, I liked what I saw from Johannsson. As for young players, I would like to see some of these guys (http://www.espnfc.us/team/united-states/660/blog/post/2265878/the-united-states-10-best-players-under-the-age-of-21) and Bobby Wood after his winning goals against NED and GER. Also, I would like to see a future lineup with Fabian Johnson moving up to RM with Yedlin at RB behind him. Would prove to be a dangerous right side of the field with the ability to get back and defend against the counter.

[FuFuLamePoo]

Of course Ghana had more dangerous attacks, considering how fast and dangerous they are on the counterattack. Looking at attempts on goal, Ghana had 8 on target versus our 7. Ghana had 13 off target shots. A dangerous attack that leads to an off target shot doesn't mean that they dominated us, in fact it shows that they were either wasteful with opportunities or that our defense forced them into low-percentage shots. 

The third place game means nothing in the grand scheme of things. I get that it is annoying seeing the team not really care about the game, especially with how sloppy they played in the group stage and against Jamaica. However, the main focus now is on winning the playoff versus Mexico/Jamaica, and it is important that there were no injuries or red cards that would force us to lose a good player.

I agree with your lineup mostly, but I would like to see more Ream at CB and more Brooks (with the hope that he learns how to mark and defend better). If Jozy can return to form, then I would like to see him up front. If not, I liked what I saw from Johannsson. As for young players, I would like to see some of these guys (http://www.espnfc.us/team/united-states/660/blog/post/2265878/the-united-states-10-best-players-under-the-age-of-21) and Bobby Wood after his winning goals against NED and GER. Also, I would like to see a future lineup with Fabian Johnson moving up to RM with Yedlin at RB behind him. Would prove to be a dangerous right side of the field with the ability to get back and defend against the counter.

I LOVE Hyndman, Rubin, CCV, and Zelalem. Want to see more of Julian too, even though he had a disastrous club season.

[FuFuLamePoo]

did you watch the u-20 world cup this summer?

[pantherphan96]

I LOVE Hyndman, Rubin, CCV, and Zelalem. Want to see more of Julian too, even though he had a disastrous club season.

Yeah Green needs to find a club where he can play solid minutes, even if it is against lesser competition. Very cool to see these players in leagues like the BPL, Eredivisie, Bundesliga. Nice to see strong midfield and attacking prospects. Would like to see the U23 team qualify for the Olympics after missing out in 2012.

[pantherphan96]

did you watch the u-20 world cup this summer?

I was unable to watch any of the games, but I saw that we did pretty well, losing on penalties to the eventual winner. Surprised that Serbia won the whole thing tbh.

[FuFuLamePoo]

Well we play Mexico for a trip to the confederation cup October 9th.  What needs to happen between now and then for us to win?  My hopes are not very high for this game.

One thing that would really help is if Jozy is in form.  He's absolutely terrific when he's in form.  2013 Jozy was a special thing to watch