Everything Soccer

[InKellyWeTrust]

The biggest takeaways from the tournament for me.
1) Tillman is in the starting 11 (Reyna out)
2) Richards is a stud and a CB pairing with Ream looks nice
3) we need a healthy Jedi and Dest
4) I pray one of these #9 candidates has a breakout year for their respective clubs
5) Luna is first off the bench for one of the attacking positions.
6) still waiting on Cardoso to translate to the national team

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I don't follow the USMNT much but the post game commentary hit on this fact pretty well. They also said Mexico was basically at full strength. Hopefully we're at our best next summer.

Correct. Between the club World Cup and our best European based players not playing this team was basically our C team. Add to that Ponch played the same team the entire tournament I’m not surprised we lost.

That midfield was just not good. Slow. Labored. Too much time on the ball. I like Chris Richard’s. Freeman looked good just didn’t provide any attacking. Ream is clearly aging out quickly. If he is starting in the WC that a problem though. Tillman was a surprise to me. Our WC GK needs to reveal himself. Turner isn’t it. And won’t be.

Not sure why Aaronson didn’t get more PT.

 

[IA4irish]

The biggest takeaways from the tournament for me.
1) Tillman is in the starting 11 (Reyna out)
2) Richards is a stud and a CB pairing with Ream looks nice
3) we need a healthy Jedi and Dest
4) I pray one of these #9 candidates has a breakout year for their respective clubs
5) Luna is first off the bench for one of the attacking positions.
6) still waiting on Cardoso to translate to the national team

What is up with Reyna? He’s 22. Dortmund has given up on him and he’s gotten almost no playing time. Is the national team out on him as well?

 

[gregm83]

What is up with Reyna? He’s 22. Dortmund has given up on him and he’s gotten almost no playing time. Is the national team out on him as well?

on a high salary. Wont take pay cut or reputation cut to move to another league/team. Backs himself no matter the massive evidence dortmund don't see him the way he does.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

When they played direct, they looked pretty good. Otherwise, I wasn't sure why they played the low block yesterday like they did against Costa Rica.

I thought this group instilled some hope back into things considering the story a few weeks ago was all about who wasn't going to be playing versus who was.

The handball call should have been made. Terrible.

 

[gregm83]

They better hope for a good world cup draw
This team has a few starters and a few who knows players.
Team continues to have very little tactics game to game .
4231 one game. Now lets sit back 442 and try to counter when our midfielders have a pass completion less than 70%.
They got like 7 games before the tournament correct? I will go ahead and assume half the player pool won't feel like playing in those so let's hope for the best.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

PSG. Wow.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

What is up with Reyna? He’s 22. Dortmund has given up on him and he’s gotten almost no playing time. Is the national team out on him as well?

injury prone and doesnt back up his billing on the field. He will go to Serie A or MLS in the few years.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Tillman and Aaronson are on the bus before Reyna. Is it even close?

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

Tillman and Aaronson are on the bus before Reyna. Is it even close?

Not at this point. Reyna is basically Freddy Adu.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Not at this point. Reyna is basically Freddy Adu.

He's only 23, and I guess there is still time for a turnaround, but it's going to have to happen somewhere that he gets to play more often than not. I would imagine Dortmund is ready to offload him the first chance they get.

The baggage is going to follow him wherever he goes, whether it is perception or reality.

 

[CTIDANDREW]

Not at this point. Reyna is basically Freddy Adu.

I think everyone needs to take a minute, and see where Reyna ends up over the next four weeks.
Comparing him to Freddy Adu is a little much, when Reyna was playing in a top three league in the world as a 17 year old and finished with 7 goals and 6 assists on 46 appearances.
Adu never even played in a top five league.
The talent is in there, he is just stuck at the wrong club.

Pulisic got stuck at the club level at Chelsea, with a manager that didn't rate him, and now look at how well he is doing.
It happens, and hopefully it will be humbling for the kid...who by all reports needs a little humbling.
I still love that he is experiencing this early in his career, over playing every week for an MLS team and not being pushed.
Obviously it only works if he finds the right club for him now going into his mid twenties / prime years.

Pick the right spot this summer, and hopefully start the climb back.
If we want this program to do anything next summer we need players like him, and not players like Aaronson taking up roster spots.

 

[CTIDANDREW]

The biggest takeaways from the tournament for me.
1) Tillman is in the starting 11 (Reyna out)
2) Richards is a stud and a CB pairing with Ream looks nice
3) we need a healthy Jedi and Dest
4) I pray one of these #9 candidates has a breakout year for their respective clubs
5) Luna is first off the bench for one of the attacking positions.
6) still waiting on Cardoso to translate to the national team

Really like a lot of this.
Cardoso is the biggest wild card going into next summer.
He is likely going to be in XI for a top ten club in the world next club season, but I just don't see how he fits into the USA 4-3-3 Poch setup if Adams, Mckinnie, and Tillman are all healthy next summer.

Of course, with how the weather will be next summer there will be a need for plenty of minutes in the midfield, so he will be a fantastic sub if we need to close down games in the group or hopefully knock out stage...and if Poch goes with two 6's vs a top side in a knockout stage game I do really think him and Adams could work well together.

He had a great chance during this gold cup cycle to stamp a claim for an XI spot going into next summer, but of course injury got in the way.
His talent at the club level is undeniable though, and Poch needs to earn his huge salary any pry it out of him next summer.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

I hope the rumors of Agyemang doing to Derby County come to fruition.

Playing in the Championship is going to be a great test for him. His hold up play will really improve.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

I think everyone needs to take a minute, and see where Reyna ends up over the next four weeks.
Comparing him to Freddy Adu is a little much, when Reyna was playing in a top three league in the world as a 17 year old and finished with 7 goals and 6 assists on 46 appearances.
Adu never even played in a top five league.
The talent is in there, he is just stuck at the wrong club.

Pulisic got stuck at the club level at Chelsea, with a manager that didn't rate him, and now look at how well he is doing.
It happens, and hopefully it will be humbling for the kid...who by all reports needs a little humbling.
I still love that he is experiencing this early in his career, over playing every week for an MLS team and not being pushed.
Obviously it only works if he finds the right club for him now going into his mid twenties / prime years.

Pick the right spot this summer, and hopefully start the climb back.
If we want this program to do anything next summer we need players like him, and not players like Aaronson taking up roster spots.

Admittedly, it was an exaggeration. I fell in love with Reynas play 4 or 5 years ago but I'm at the point where he has to show it consistently before I'd trust him next year.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Dortmund has had a hand in developing players like Dembele, Aubameyang, Gundogan, Kagawa, Pulisic, Gotze, Sancho, Bellingham and Haaland. I think with that in mind, most would have had high hopes that Reyna was going to be able to develop to some kind of degree there, too. Maybe not at the same trajectory as all of them, but that's an impressive list of guys and you couldn't help but be optimistic.

As of now, there isn't a roster spot for him in the World Cup. He's young enough that I would not give up on him entirely, but everything I have read about this situation leads me to believe that fire accompanies the smoke. Best case scenario now is he sheds the baggage as much as he can, redevelop both his image and skills, winds up at a club where he can play and start over again. Could be Dortmund, but that's now looking unlikely.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

Also Poch has made his stance pretty clear. He wants his guys playing significant minutes for their clubs.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

Guys like Johnny and Tillman are taking a bit of a gamble (at least as it pertains to the national team) with their transfers. On the other hand, guys like Musah and Reyna need to transfer to give themselves the best shot at playing in WC26.

 

[BabyIrish]

I know it’s been a rough two years for the USMNT but we still have an amazing foundation to work with IF we get healthy.

Robinson and Richard’s are a great starting point for the defense. If Dest gets back to 100% then you’re really cooking. Got to shore up the second Center Defense position.

McKinney Adams and a third of either Musah, Tillman or Cardosa is elite midfield play.

Weah Pulisic and one of Balogun or Pepi is also dynamic.

So really the only two question marks are goalie, and the second Center defender position.

The goal is to get healthy and see what happens.

 

[gregm83]

I know it’s been a rough two years for the USMNT but we still have an amazing foundation to work with IF we get healthy.

Robinson and Richard’s are a great starting point for the defense. If Dest gets back to 100% then you’re really cooking. Got to shore up the second Center Defense position.

McKinney Adams and a third of either Musah, Tillman or Cardosa is elite midfield play.

Weah Pulisic and one of Balogun or Pepi is also dynamic.

So really the only two question marks are goalie, and the second Center defender position.

The goal is to get healthy and see what happens.

If you think that midfield is elite wait until you see the squads the Europeans will bring.

 

[BabyIrish]

If you think that midfield is elite wait until you see the squads the Europeans will bring.

Sure,
A squad like Spain or France is going to be better overall and in the midfield then our guys. But I saw them go toe to toe with England four years ago and many would say that England has a better midfield than us with Rice and Bellingham.

The midfield I mentioned can be elite if they are healthy. We will see.

 

[NorthDakota]

Isn't America's only real prayer against the respected countries keeping things simple and outworking them?

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

Isn't America's only real prayer against the respected countries keeping things simple and outworking them?

Suffer and defend for 70% of the match and rely on counterattack. This is the only way to play against the elite national teams like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, etc. USMNT are capable of playing a more balanced style against the 2nd tier teams in the 10-20 range, but against those true top 7 or 8 teams there really isnt another choice.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

All these guys who took the summer off are going to have a lot to prove. It would have been even more so if Poch and the squad could have won on Sunday. He'd have had quite a bit of leverage going into next year.

I personally look at our guys and either really like them or really don't. That's just my perception of them. Really like quite a few of them, then there are others than rub me the wrong way. What I can say is that the group that was playing in the Gold Cup are guys that I really like.

It's going to be fascinating to see how it comes together.

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

All these guys who took the summer off are going to have a lot to prove. It would have been even more so if Poch and the squad could have won on Sunday. He'd have had quite a bit of leverage going into next year.

I personally look at our guys and either really like them or really don't. That's just my perception of them. Really like quite a few of them, then there are others than rub me the wrong way. What I can say is that the group that was playing in the Gold Cup are guys that I really like.

It's going to be fascinating to see how it comes together.

Sooo...you're not a fan of Pulisic, Mckennie, Weah, Robinson, and Reyna? Lol. The only one that bothers me out of that group is Reyna.

 

[ACamp1900]

Sooo...you're not a fan of Pulisic, Mckennie, Weah, Robinson, and Reyna? Lol. The only one that bothers me out of that group is Reyna.

These guys build a culture that looked like no one in concacaf will touch them for years, then they aren’t together for a bit it all falls apart and the fix is keeping them apart?? Yeah, I’m frustrated but the fix has to involve getting back to what was working. All the above were part of that

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Sooo...you're not a fan of Pulisic, Mckennie, Weah, Robinson, and Reyna? Lol. The only one that bothers me out of that group is Reyna.

Weah and Robinson I like.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

These guys build a culture that looked like no one in concacaf will touch them for years, then they aren’t together for a bit it all falls apart and the fix is keeping them apart?? Yeah, I’m frustrated but the fix has to involve getting back to what was working. All the above were part of that

This might be more perception than reality, but I Feel like now that these guys are playing for bigger clubs in Europe and making top wages, being part of the USMNT isn't near a priority for a lot of them. I also feel like there are a handful whose parents like to meddle, which is pretty embarrassing and speaks to certain generational stereotypes present in society.

So while all we ever wanted not long ago was to see Americans playing and thriving abroad in Europe, maybe now that we have that, these guys feel like their club and their wages are more important than being a part of the national team. The guys like Donovan, Howard, Dempsey, Beasley, Edu, etc. took a great deal of pride wearing the red, white and blue when their number got called. It feels like this new crop doesn't have that same pride? Sense of urgency?

I think you are correct that a fix is definitely needed. I'm just not sure what that is. I think the guys who got minutes in the Gold Cup and were key contributors have helped forge a little bit of culture and identity that was probably lacking. Now Poch has to fuse all of the "stars" into that going into the World Cup. The guys like Tillman, Luna, Downs, Freeman, etc. got a lot of good experience. Most of them never played in a Mexico match quite like that. I hope there is some uncomfortable moments for these guys coming back in.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Liam and Noel's kids with Ricky Martin.

Heaton Park Oasis concert in Manchester ready to go.

 

[BabyIrish]

This might be more perception than reality, but I Feel like now that these guys are playing for bigger clubs in Europe and making top wages, being part of the USMNT isn't near a priority for a lot of them. I also feel like there are a handful whose parents like to meddle, which is pretty embarrassing and speaks to certain generational stereotypes present in society.

So while all we ever wanted not long ago was to see Americans playing and thriving abroad in Europe, maybe now that we have that, these guys feel like their club and their wages are more important than being a part of the national team. The guys like Donovan, Howard, Dempsey, Beasley, Edu, etc. took a great deal of pride wearing the red, white and blue when their number got called. It feels like this new crop doesn't have that same pride? Sense of urgency?

I think you are correct that a fix is definitely needed. I'm just not sure what that is. I think the guys who got minutes in the Gold Cup and were key contributors have helped forge a little bit of culture and identity that was probably lacking. Now Poch has to fuse all of the "stars" into that going into the World Cup. The guys like Tillman, Luna, Downs, Freeman, etc. got a lot of good experience. Most of them never played in a Mexico match quite like that. I hope there is some uncomfortable moments for these guys coming back in.

I very much disagree. First off Weah and Mckennie weren’t even allowed to play. Club wouldn’t let them due to the CWC. Let’s all remember that before acting like they don’t care.

Pulisic and Robinson for sure needed time off this summer. They both have played 90 minutes just about every game for their club and country for the past two years. Soccer players are literally the only professionals who work year round with maybe a two week vacation. It’s insane if you compare it to other professional leagues.

I in no way judge or vilify them for taking the summer off to not participate in the Gold Cup. I hope it pays off for next summer.