NewlyRetired
Footballguy
McKenzie first touch in game was a nightmare.
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US Men's National Team (5 Viewers)
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
That was pretty by Freese
BlackCrowes
Footballguy
Yes it was
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
That might be the most complete game we’ve seen from Balogun yet in a US shirt. That is very promising.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The Ecuador coach looks like an anime character
BlackCrowes
Footballguy
He could’ve crawled it in
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Far from perfect but a lot of good things on that field tonight for the US as they out played Ecuador tonight every where but the scoreboard
Possession: 66-34 to the US
Shots: 11-8 to the US
Accurate Passes: 88%-74% to the US
Corners: 8-4 to the US
Total passes: 583-303 to the US
Touches in the box: 26-9 to the US
Possession: 66-34 to the US
Shots: 11-8 to the US
Accurate Passes: 88%-74% to the US
Corners: 8-4 to the US
Total passes: 583-303 to the US
Touches in the box: 26-9 to the US
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
There are nits to pick, but that was a very competitive game against a quality opponent where the US had the better of the balance of play. Tessman looked as good as he's ever looked for us. After coming in, Freeman did not look overwhelmed at all. Obviously, Balogun was a menace. I'd have loved a win, but I'll take this in a friendly any day. I would have enjoyed this game as a neutral.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I hope Poch is buying into the 3 man back line. Everything has looked so much better on both sides of the ball since he made that change at half time against SK.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
There was one tactical issue they had with Freeman in the first 7 or so minutes he was in. He was being asked to distribute out of the RCB spot, which is almost certainly his weakest skill.
Poch noticed this fairly quickly and from that point on, Tessman dropped into the RCB position to build from the back and Freeman moved more out wide where he is more comfortable offensively.
A lot less of that in this game compared to the last few so maybe we'll get to where you want us to be.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Some of this is due to his style. I believe a significant amount of his back passes come when he checks back for the ball to provide an outlet to the cb’s and dm’s.
He checks back more than any other player on the team which is why he has so many back passes. On almost every check back, he plays the ball backwards, usually to the player who passed him the ball.
However, when he accepts a ball when he is not in a check back mode, he will typically advance the ball either through dribble or pass.
Desert_Power
Footballguy
Had a similar feeling. Key word is starting though.
El Floppo
Footballguy
They were pushed, and it wasnt always the prettiest..but if the US can pull a 3CB back line against a committed high pressing quality side like ECU, weve found the right formation.
Add that they looked decent controlling rhe ryhtm and game, and pretty sharp getting forward with Balo giving us everything weve needed from a 9 finally...it seems to he working.
I watched on my phone really late, so wasnt able to be super focused. Hard for me to see how Tess and Morris looked...but they seemed ok at the worst. Tiilman is ready- loved how well he and Balo combined. Swag was decent to good. Weah never really seemed to find the game.
Thought Pochs boys, Arf and Free, rose to the occasion. Free showed abilites on the ball going forward i hadnt seen from him before.
Haji...showed the good and bad he has for club. Gets into good spots and then gets myopic about creating his own opportunity. He had Tillman wide open for the game winner and hero balled it. I guess a 9 needs to have a lot of that mentality to be leading a league in scoring.
Add that they looked decent controlling rhe ryhtm and game, and pretty sharp getting forward with Balo giving us everything weve needed from a 9 finally...it seems to he working.
I watched on my phone really late, so wasnt able to be super focused. Hard for me to see how Tess and Morris looked...but they seemed ok at the worst. Tiilman is ready- loved how well he and Balo combined. Swag was decent to good. Weah never really seemed to find the game.
Thought Pochs boys, Arf and Free, rose to the occasion. Free showed abilites on the ball going forward i hadnt seen from him before.
Haji...showed the good and bad he has for club. Gets into good spots and then gets myopic about creating his own opportunity. He had Tillman wide open for the game winner and hero balled it. I guess a 9 needs to have a lot of that mentality to be leading a league in scoring.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I think its about the formation more than anything else...which goes towards the vice versa. If he doesnt figure out how to best use the guys on hand, their comfort with him is meaningless.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Normally us fans are the dumb ones but this is one of those rare occasions that almost everyone was begging for 3 at the back as it seemed to fit our style.
Ironically, while we were asking for that, we also acknowledged that CB is one of the areas we have very little depth in. But even with our admitted weaknesses at CB, this allows so many of our other players to look more comfortable in their roles.
And note, I think this is going to look even better if we can ever get Dest and Jedi 100% and on the field together.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The more I watch Tillman the more I think we lucked out.
He may not play with the energy level and urgency that I like to see but he is giving us almost everything we expected out of Gio. He is significantly softening the face plant of losing out on what we thought was going to be a core player.
He may not play with the energy level and urgency that I like to see but he is giving us almost everything we expected out of Gio. He is significantly softening the face plant of losing out on what we thought was going to be a core player.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I don’t know how to process Balogun’s performance. From the very first touch of the game, he made me sit forward in my seat and say “wow is he engaged”. He did everything you could ask a 9 to do. He pressured the CB’s, he ran the channels, he provided check back points to link with, he had an eye for goal, and he even progressed the ball on the dribble.
He has never shown all these items in a single game before. I do not understand what the difference was against Ecuador and what made him so good. All these skills being displayed at the same time puts him a significant step ahead of Pepi in the pecking order.
But I still remain with the question of why have we never seen this all together before. I hope it was not a one off and we see the same sense of urgency and activity against Australia.
He has never shown all these items in a single game before. I do not understand what the difference was against Ecuador and what made him so good. All these skills being displayed at the same time puts him a significant step ahead of Pepi in the pecking order.
But I still remain with the question of why have we never seen this all together before. I hope it was not a one off and we see the same sense of urgency and activity against Australia.
encaitar
Footballguy
I agree fully. I think if Gio was playing at the level Tillman is now, we'd be satisfied with who he had become. Tillman and Pulisic behind Balogun playing like he did yesterday is very dangerous. I am liking this team more and more as they get comfortable under Poch. Hope we get a chance to see everyone healthy to give us a real glimpse of what this could be.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I know they are only friendlies but we don’t have anything else to compare. I am happy that US Soccer has been smart about who they are scheduling.
Japan, SK, Ecuador, Australia, Uruguay and Paraguay are all excellent examples of what we can expect to see in the group stage. Hopefully we can schedule some Euro and African qualified teams next year.
bagger
Footballguy
Thought Tessman looked really good, Morris was a bit forgettable to me.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Zendejas has returned to Mexico to deal with his knee issue.
Jedi will be assessed again today to see if he is fit enough to train.
They seem hopeful that Pulisic can play again against Australia.
Jedi will be assessed again today to see if he is fit enough to train.
They seem hopeful that Pulisic can play again against Australia.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The two players separated in quality in the second half with Tessman becoming more and more important in different aspects of the game and Morris becoming less involved. I don’t know if this was tactical or just how the game played out. Morris had a relatively good first half though IMO.
It would be interesting to see how Adams and Tessman compliment each other but that will have to wait for another window.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
=======
After a great performance against Ecuador, USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie was told this is the fittest he’s ever been by Kyle Martino.
“Finally, my genetics are coming in,” McKennie joked
“But no, I’ve just had a long preseason. My coach at Juventus really put pressure on me.”
“He told me, ‘You’re getting older. Your body is not gonna bounce back from the way you used to be able to. So you need to cut down some weight, that’s the only way you’re gonna be involved with this team.’”
“So I put my head down, work like I usually do, got on a diet, don’t snack as much as I used to and if I do it’s healthy snacks, and I work out more often. And a lot of running.”
After a great performance against Ecuador, USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie was told this is the fittest he’s ever been by Kyle Martino.
“Finally, my genetics are coming in,” McKennie joked
“But no, I’ve just had a long preseason. My coach at Juventus really put pressure on me.”
“He told me, ‘You’re getting older. Your body is not gonna bounce back from the way you used to be able to. So you need to cut down some weight, that’s the only way you’re gonna be involved with this team.’”
“So I put my head down, work like I usually do, got on a diet, don’t snack as much as I used to and if I do it’s healthy snacks, and I work out more often. And a lot of running.”
El Floppo
Footballguy
Had all the exact same thoughts, minus the question of why. Just figured he had had some time with the guys to acclimate and the formation fit his natural tendencies...allowing and feeding those runs and combinations. Cant tell you how much i loved seeing a 9 turn the ball up field
El Floppo
Footballguy
=======
After a great performance against Ecuador, USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie was told this is the fittest he’s ever been by Kyle Martino.
“Finally, my genetics are coming in,” McKennie joked
“But no, I’ve just had a long preseason. My coach at Juventus really put pressure on me.”
“He told me, ‘You’re getting older. Your body is not gonna bounce back from the way you used to be able to. So you need to cut down some weight, that’s the only way you’re gonna be involved with this team.’”
“So I put my head down, work like I usually do, got on a diet, don’t snack as much as I used to and if I do it’s healthy snacks, and I work out more often. And a lot of running.”
Snacks
He did look trim though. Funny and unfortunate how he shows his weight in his face
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I loved this so much. It was a pure winger skill set but as a 9. I always expected he was fast but he left his defender in the dust on that play while still dribbling the ball. It was so fun to watch because it was an aggressive play style that none of our other nines have the skill set or speed to pull off.
bagger
Footballguy
It feels like Balogan has completely locked up the striker role. Feels good having that squared away. Overall I feel great about this team other than GK. Feels like ours currently will never save a goal they “shouldn’t” and are prone to giving up some soft ones.
Don’t think that will change prior to the WC so will just need to live with that and hopefully compensate in other ways.
Don’t think that will change prior to the WC so will just need to live with that and hopefully compensate in other ways.
prefontaine
Footballguy
This was more like a back four from the jump with Robinson playing on the right. Under Poch we've seen a lot of structure where one FB push high and one stay at home -- especially against better opponents. We never dropped into a back 5.
Instead, Arfsten pushed high attacking but tucked into the left in defense and everyone slid. Weah was never involved in the backline. Formation is fairly irrelevant in the modern age, but I wouldn't call how we played yesterday a back three.
prefontaine
Footballguy
Thought this was Tessmann's best game for the Nats by a country mile. He actually was more effective playing higher up and didn't really make much impact from a deeper role he played late. I've always thought the opposite of him (he's more effective deeper) so it was good to see.
Morris is one of those guys that just does the gritty work and many fans are never going to appreciate. But his stats suggest he was quite good yesterday.
61 / 67 passing, 7 passes into the box, and 4/6 on long balls
4/4 on tackles (the most tackles of anyone in the match on both sides)
8/11 on duels (the most duels won in the match on either side)
And he only played 74 minutes
The biggest factor to my eye on Morris is he makes himself available. It's something most of our other mids struggle with and we struggle to build because of it. He knows how to find space in congested areas and give guys easy passes. It makes us appear far more fluid.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I would call it a back 3 but I guess it is a matter of perspective since as you said formations are extremely fluid especially when the US has the ball.
Anytime we start 3 CB’s who all play flat and next to each other when on defense, that is my working definition of a back 3. I acknowledge it is not everyone’s definition.
El Floppo
Footballguy
What i liked about both MFs...i kept waiting for them to be loose with the ball, make bad decisions or give up space ineffectively. Instead, they both held the shape well, were very tidy on the ball and were quick and decisive moving the ball...and not just square or back. That goes for Roldan as well. Another camp for both will help them adjust more to their teammates in terms of shape and combinations. Hell..that goes for everybody.
El Floppo
Footballguy
To add to that...on my phone, so it was hard to see who- but it was nice seeing the diagonal balls played out fo the MF, and not just from Ream. Sebb is decent with this...but against better competition recently didn't seem to have the speed of thought/body to make those passes that did against weaker opposition.
Moe.
Footballguy
Wes getting serious feels like something that could change the trajectory of the entire program.=======
After a great performance against Ecuador, USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie was told this is the fittest he’s ever been by Kyle Martino.
“Finally, my genetics are coming in,” McKennie joked
“But no, I’ve just had a long preseason. My coach at Juventus really put pressure on me.”
“He told me, ‘You’re getting older. Your body is not gonna bounce back from the way you used to be able to. So you need to cut down some weight, that’s the only way you’re gonna be involved with this team.’”
“So I put my head down, work like I usually do, got on a diet, don’t snack as much as I used to and if I do it’s healthy snacks, and I work out more often. And a lot of running.”
prefontaine
Footballguy
On that note, it was hugely noticeable to me late that they were pinging long balls and our midfield (which I think was Roldan/Tessmann at this point) simply never got engaged to win 2nd balls. This was a fair bit of their attack at that point in the game. Boot long, US wins header, Ecuador wins 2nd ball....easily.
I compare winning those 2nd balls to a rebounder in hoops. You can teach people to do all the right things to be decent at it. But some guys just always end up where the ball bounces. They just instinctively see who will win that contested header and where the ball will go. I didn't notice it with Tessmann, but Roldan....he's not that guy.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
This is an interesting instagram post from Poch today. Given that the team appears to be on the upswing and coupled with things he said this week, it appears the team is headed in the direction Poch wants. It also gives insight into how bad a shape, in his eyes, the program was in.
B Maverick
Footballguy
Only saw the first half and was happy with most. For those wondering why above, I think tillman helped unlock a lot of Balogun. They were combining well and running off each other. And more importantly, Tillman often played the easy ball in to release Balo. We haven't seen a lot of that in the past. Maybe formation, maybe them forming a partnership?
I am looking forward to seeing this formation moving forward with CP pairing with Tillman. Adams and McKinnie with Dest and Jedi then the back 3. My only 2 questions would then be can we find a Keeper and does Ream hold up another 9-10 months?
I am looking forward to seeing this formation moving forward with CP pairing with Tillman. Adams and McKinnie with Dest and Jedi then the back 3. My only 2 questions would then be can we find a Keeper and does Ream hold up another 9-10 months?
Moe.
Footballguy
I have not been paying much attention to CONCACAF qualifying but halfway through the final round the automatic qualifiers would be Curaçao, Suriname, and Haiti. Panama host Suriname on Tuesday, that match will likely determine the automatic qualifier from that group. Jamaica host Curaçao on the final day of qualifying and that’ll likely be the deciding match for that group. Costa Rica is in real trouble.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Ream feels like the proverbial ticking time bomb. And it’s not only Ream to be fair. We really need 2 CB’s to suddenly emerge. It feels very unlikely to happen. Maybe we hit the jackpot with Banks and use CB by committee until Ream falls over.
It is even more scary that we don’t feel good about CB starting depth or the keeper. Goals are always at a premium in the WC. We can’t afford to give anything away cheaply.
We are ****ed with a capital F if Richards gets hurt.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
It is fun to look through the standings and imagine the amount of Concacafness that will happen in the last three games of the group.
Costa Rica has been disappointing but their remaining schedule heavily favors them. Of their 3 remaining games, 2 are at home and the 3rd is at a neutral site.
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
Obviously none of us are in the locker room, but it makes sense from afar. While it’s true the fans might overrate the player pool a bit, they always seemed like less than the sum of their parts in the GGG era. And at least from the outside looking it, the whole enterprise had an air of vibing where there was never any real negative stick associated with playing flat.
While it led to a lot of angst, calling “lesser” players to let the pool know that if you’re not all in Poch will have no qualms freezing you out may be exactly what this group needed.
Moe.
Footballguy
Yeah looking at it further it will probably end up being Pan Jam CR but nobody has any margin for error left.It is fun to look through the standings and imagine the amount of Concacafness that will happen in the last three games of the group.
Costa Rica has been disappointing but their remaining schedule heavily favors them. Of their 3 remaining games, 2 are at home and the 3rd is at a neutral site.
Orange&Blue
Footballguy
What's up with Johnny Cardoso?
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Got injured a few weeks ago. Last I heard he was expected to start training after the international break but that was a while ago.
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